Wrath of the Dragon 3, page 3
“And that’s what you stole,” I said slowly. “You took the celestial key from her?”
The troll nodded silently, and Brooke’s expression turned to a betrayed scowl again.
“That was very, very mean,” the water angel scolded.
“Why would you all do that?” I asked. “What good would that do?”
“We panicked,” Yavo insisted. “Like I said, we didn’t trust her. She’s… she’s so very close to our god, and so very much above us. So the people… we broke the key apart and took it into different parts of the land so she couldn’t find them.”
“And what happened to Ruby?” Cyra demanded. “When you were all running around hiding this key from its owner? What happened to the angel who was trying to save you?”
“She was taken,” the troll whispered. “The demons hunted her as the key was being broken. It was made by her, you see. The key was crafted from her powers alone, and taking it… well, it made her weaker. Weak enough to be abducted, we reckon. She tried to run, but… they found her.”
“So she spent her final moments terrified?” Brooke asked as her brow crinkled. “Ruby tried to save everyone, and they betrayed her? You let the demons hunt her when she was at her most vulnerable point? Is that what you’re telling me?”
Brooke’s angry tone sounded like a scolding teacher who was utterly disappointed in her star pupil. It was a withering stare she leveled the troll with, and I could see the fury glinting in her sapphire eyes.
Beside me, the muscles in Cyra’s jaw twitched as she silently smoldered in her own anger, and I could only imagine her thoughts right now. Cyra trusted the mortals of the world less than anyone I’d met so far, and this troll’s story certainly didn’t help counter that.
But I couldn’t deny, I felt a similar anger toward the people of the Crystal Lands now. The Water Lands had loved Brooke and felt sorrow for her during her capture, but I was learning every day that she seemed to have been the exception. Angels had been treated like shit by their people once the gods left, and it seemed this crystal angel had been completely betrayed.
I rubbed my temple as I tried to navigate this tidal wave of bad news.
“So Ruby is trapped in the palace,” I said. “She’s being kept there by demons, and the key she had to control the forcefield is broken into pieces?”
“Yes,” Yavo said. “That’s right.”
“So… we can get in?” Brooke asked in confusion. “If the forefield is off--”
“It’s not off,” Yavo said. “It’s on.”
“But you said the demons got inside,” I groaned. “How is that possible if there’s some angelic forcefield around the building?”
“They have their own magic,” Yavo said. “I don’t know exactly how it works. It’s probably something to do with the bloodstones.”
“Bloodstones?” I asked. “What do you mean?”
Yavo glanced around as if he expected to see a demon perched in the dark. Cyra’s palms illuminated most of the cavern closest to us, and I glanced around to make sure we were alone.
“It’s what they do,” Yavo said quietly. “The demons have dark magic. They can conjure bloodstones, and they use them to trap our people. It’s this evil substance that holds people prisoner. They can’t move, they can’t speak. They’re just encased in the bloodstone forever.”
“You’re saying there’s people here who are just entombed in this stuff?” I asked as my stomach dropped. “How many?”
“Too many to count,” Yavo said.
I ran a hand through my hair as I tried to imagine such a horrific punishment. It would be like a jail sentence and sleep paralysis all blended into one.
“You said the key was broken,” I muttered as I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Is there any other way for anyone else to get into the palace?”
“None,” Yavo said. “Unless you’re a demon. Turning off the forcefield is the only way, and the key is the only thing that will work.”
“Okay,” I said as I tried to focus on a solution. “First step, then. We need to find the key and put it back together. How many pieces are there?”
“Four,” the troll said. “But I don’t know where they all are.”
“Of course not,” Cyra said sarcastically. “Why would you keep track of something so unimportant as a celestial key you robbed from the one being who was on your side here?”
The Crystal Troll winced at her biting tone, and he dropped his gaze toward the ground once more.
“I truly don’t,” Yavo whispered. “There’s only one piece that I know of. The Amber Emperor had one.”
“Okay,” I sighed. “Where does he live?”
“The Amber Hills,” Yavo said. “He has his own palace, but it’s much smaller than Ruby’s.”
“You’re certain?” I checked.
“Yes, sir,” the troll quickly replied.
“Ryan,” Cyra muttered as her gaze met mine. “You can’t seriously trust this man. How could we stride off into this dark tunnel to follow the word of someone who tried to kill an angel?”
“I didn’t try to kill her,” Yavo wailed. “I regret every day what our people did. We treated her so badly out of fear and mania. We… we didn’t deserve her kindness.”
“No, you did not,” Cyra snapped.
The troll’s lip started to tremble again, and I started to feel a pang of sympathy for the beast. He was cowardly, but it seemed that everyone in this land had acted in the same way. Collectively, they’d made an enormously bad decision, but my days in the fire department had taught me a lot about crowd mentality.
When one person panics, that sets off the whole room, then the whole building, then the whole street.
I could imagine how a demonic attack would make people act out of fear.
“I can tell you’re deeply sorry,” I said more gently than Cyra had spoken. “But helping us will help save Ruby. I’m going to find those scattered pieces of the key, and I’m going to free her. Just tell us how to get to the Amber Hills.”
“You can get there through the tunnels,” Yavo said as he pointed to the far entranceway. “It’s only one path for most of the way. When you get to the fork, take the right-hand tunnel, and that will lead you straight out to the Ambers.”
“Okay,” I said. “We’ll head that way. Thank you for your help, and your honesty.”
The troll twisted his fingers as he stared down at the ground, and I narrowed my eyes at his body language. Something about me thanking him for his honesty seemed to have made it impossible for him to look me in the eye now, and I could tell there was something he wasn’t telling us. I sighed as I looked down on the nervous creature, and I tried to make sure my tone didn’t show the frustration that was creeping up in my chest.
“Is there anything else?” I asked calmly.
Yavo sniffed as he swayed nervously, and Nisha strode up to the beast, crouched down, and looked him dead in the eyes.
“Tell us what you know,” she said in a low tone.
Her silver eyes pierced into Yavo’s yellow orbs, and her simple request somehow managed to sound like a threat. I had to admit, the inky-haired beauty could be one intimidating badass when she wanted to be, and her deep navy skin and sharp facial features only made her seem more threatening now.
“It’s only… you’re too late,” Yavo croaked. “There’s a ritual the demons are preparing for. It’s already begun. They’re going to sacrifice her.”
Everyone fell silent, and Nisha took a step back with a horrified look on her dark face. Brooke was trembling from head to toe, but Cyra stood stock-still as a fresh wave of heat billowed from her body.
“Ritual?” I repeated after a moment. “What do you mean by that?”
“It’s to worship the blood moon,” Yavo said. “They have already started to hold ceremonies every night, and it won’t be long until they take Ruby out to use her for the final ceremony. We’ve heard them singing their wretched songs about it. They’re waiting until the moon is full to use her.”
“Use her?” Cyra hissed as she curled her fists, and the cave was plunged into darkness.
Then she quickly opened her palms again, but her beautiful, golden-flecked face flushed as she seethed quietly. I could tell the troll was dangerously close to being pinned under the foot of the furious fire angel, so I tried to hurry along with the questions.
“How long do we have?” I asked.
“It’s hard to say,” Yavo said. “Perhaps a couple of days? No longer than a week for sure.”
I felt my heartbeat quicken as I realized our mission had a ticking clock looming over it, and I knew every second was vital.
“Then we need to go,” I said firmly. “We have to move now so we can save Ruby.”
“B-but you can’t,” Yavo said. “It’s all too dangerous! Even if you find all the parts of the key, you have to get into the palace and get past all those demons.”
“Then that’s what we’ll do,” I said. “Is there anything else we should know?”
“That’s everything,” Yavo promised. “Well, that’s all I know, anyway. I’m… I’m truly sorry for how we treated her. I don’t know how we’ll ever…”
“You were scared,” I said. “I understand that. But when the time comes to rise up against the demons and save this land, I hope you find it in yourself to fight through the fear.”
“Rise up?” the troll spluttered.
“Yes, you cowardly little--” Cyra started, but I clamped a hand on her arm again to silence her.
“We are here to save this land,” I told the troll. “And that is not something the four of us alone can accomplish. But you’ve seen what happens when your people are selfish and cowardly. Do what is right, and gather your courage now. The demons will not hold power over this land for much longer.”
The troll finally met my gaze, and his yellow eyes glimmered anxiously as his lips pursed. Then he stood slightly taller and offered a shaky nod.
“We will,” the troll said in a stronger voice. “If you really do free her… if our sins can be undone… then I promise to fight. I won’t hide. I won’t cower.”
“Good,” I sighed. “Then we’ll be on our way.”
“I’m going to stay here,” Yavo said as his shoulders slumped again. “I need some alone time before I go back to my people.”
The troll sat down on one of the thick boulders, and he stared at the glittering wall as he rocked back and forth. Cyra glared down at him with a hint of disgust, but the other two angels simply looked to me for their next orders.
“Thanks for the information,” I called. “Keep safe.”
I nodded to the angels to show we were done here, and they each shot the troll withering glares as Cyra started to lead us out of the cavern. She held her fiery palms up as she lit the way, and we walked in silence for a moment until we were inside the wide tunnel.
“I can’t believe this is happening,” Brooke finally sighed. “They were so horrible to her! Ruby tried to save them all, and they treated her like that?”
“Doesn’t surprise me,” Cyra said stiffly. “Mortals hate us.”
“Not all of them,” Brooke said. “My people are my friends!”
“Congratulations,” the fire angel muttered, and I had a feeling we all knew she was finished with the conversation.
“They’re going to sacrifice her,” Nisha spoke up. “The full moon will be here in a few days. We don’t have long.”
“Can you feel it?” I asked, and the night angel nodded.
“I am connected with all moons and stars,” she said. “But there is something wrong with the night sky here. I’m not sure what, but I know it will look wrong when the stars come out.”
“I think it’s early morning,” I said. “From the little of what I saw when we first came in, at least. The sun looked like it was still rising, so we should have time to try and find this first piece of the key.”
“Then we just need three more,” Brooke groaned. “What if nobody knows where the rest of them are?”
“Someone will,” I said firmly. “We just need to trust that people will do the right thing when they’re given another chance.”
“You and your trust,” Cyra scoffed. “Didn’t that troll just prove it’s not exactly worth trusting people?”
“He was scared,” I said. “Everyone was. But he gave us information when he didn’t have to. He could have run off like the others.”
“Yeah,” Cyra grumbled. “I suppose. I’m still furious at them all, though.”
“I don’t blame you,” I sighed. “But we need to focus on the next step. That’s all we can do right now. We find the Amber Emperor, and we convince him to give us his part of the key.”
We walked deeper into the cave system, and I kept an ear out for any demonic scuttling or strange shadows. The only sound was my footsteps as the angels walked silently, and the walls were covered in different colored jewels.
“I feel weird,” Brooke said as she ran a hand through her golden curls. “Does anyone else still feel kind of icky?”
“Maybe it’s the darkness.” I frowned. “It is pretty closed-in down here, but we should hopefully be out of it soon.”
“I don’t think so,” the water angel said. “I feel… ew!”
She suddenly stopped walking and threw her hands over her mouth as if she was about to hurl, and I put a hand on her back to comfort her.
“Do you need to puke?” I asked. “Do angels even do that?”
“I feel like we’re about to find out,” Cyra said as she studied Brooke’s face.
Nisha’s silver eyes narrowed as she looked around, and then the night angel put a hand on her forehead as if she was taking her own temperature.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
“Yes,” Nisha murmured. “I just felt… I don’t know. It was a wave of some kind. My body felt weak for a second.”
“Let’s keep going,” I urged. “I think we all need some fresh air.”
We started to walk again, and I kept a hand on Brooke’s back as she clutched her mouth. Then Cyra suddenly gasped, and all three angels stopped in their tracks.
“They’re right,” Cyra said as her golden eyes met mine. “There’s something bad in here, Ryan. I… I don’t feel well.”
The fire angel’s ivory cheeks were somehow paler than normal, and Nisha nodded silently.
“Shit,” I muttered as I stared out into the gloom of the tunnel.
There had to be something terrible in the caves with us, and it was close by.
Chapter 3
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“We need to keep going,” I said quietly. “Cyra, give me the axe.”
The fire angel handed over the weapon, and we started to walk again.
“I think I’m okay,” Brooke said. “My head just went all spinny, and my wings feel weird.”
I glanced at her blue feathers and realized they were twitching slightly. Cyra and Nisha’s wings were doing the same thing, and I knew that had to mean something bad was happening.
“You’re all okay,” I said reassuringly. “I won’t let anything happen to you. Let’s just get out of this tunnel, and you’ll feel better. The fork has to be coming up soon.”
Cyra’s palms were at her sides as we continued, and I worried she didn’t have the strength to lift her arms. Several minutes passed like this as the angels slowly shuffled along, but then the dim glow of the fire angel’s hands illuminated a split in the tunnel.
Yavo had said to take the right-hand side cave, and we strode toward the dim pathway. Then some scuffling sound echoed out through the gloomy darkness, and we froze as we tried to work out where it had come from.
Heavy footsteps were heard, and it sounded like something was walking on two legs as the sound grew louder. We still stood at the edge of the two tunnels, and the back of my neck prickled as the footsteps drew closer.
Brooke pointed to the left tunnel with wide eyes to gesture to the noise, and I ushered the angels to the right. I got them to press their backs up against the wall so we were hidden, and I held my axe tightly ahead of me.
The footsteps were definitely coming from the adjacent tunnel, and I waited until they reached the fork before I moved. Then I leapt out to face the oncoming creature, and a sense of dread washed over me as I stood in front of a huge demon.
It was twice the size of the ones from the defensive wall surrounding the Crystal Lands, and it towered over me as putrid breath snorted from its mouth. The beast had black skin that was covered in bulging red veins that seemed to glow, and its shoulders were wide while each limb was made of thick muscles. Long talons protruded from every finger on his meaty hands, and a thick tail stuck out from its back. Sharp fangs pointed out from a long snout below the two curled horns that jutted from his head, and looking into his glowing red eyes was like staring right at the devil himself.
My throat went dry as I took in the unsettling view. It was a truly horrific sight, and the demon’s red eyes widened as it looked down at me.
Then I swung my axe before it had time to react, and I slammed the blade into its wide torso.
The bulging red veins were punctured from the hit, and they erupted with dark blood as the demon screeched in pain. Then it swung a taloned hand at me, but I leapt back as I pulled my axe with me.
Black liquid oozed out of the wound, and the demon stumbled as it leapt forward. I quickly slammed my weapon down as the beast fell, and I struck the blade in between the two curled horns.
There was a loud crunch as I cleaved the skull, and my axe drove down into the beast’s brain. Blood spurted out across the walls, and the demonic blood smelled so bad that I gagged in response. Still, the beast fell face-down with a thud, and I grunted as I pulled my weapon out of the demon’s head.
