Son of the Dragon (The Netherworld Gate Book 3) Read online

  “How can you help me?” Talon asked aloud.

  Ah, there is a good question, young warrior. I have been dead for many years on Terramyr, but here, in the astral plane, I have trapped a portion of my soul. I left a piece of myself here, much in the same way I left a piece of myself in the sword before you foolishly allowed yourself to be killed and turned the blade over to those nasty elves!

  “A portion?” Talon echoed.

  Enough to get you to Basei’s lair, if that is what you are asking. But, I will not fight for you, young assassin. Unlike the gorlung you have enslaved, I am not bound to your service just because you happen to have a physical piece of my body that can connect with my soul. I will help you this once, for you have released chaos upon the world. It is the least I can do to repay you for your service to me.

  “Service to you?” Talon asked. “I have done nothing of the sort.”

  Ah, foolish humans, always too blinded to see what ripples they might be creating in the ponds of time. No matter, the results of your actions do not concern you directly, so there is no need to discuss them. Are we agreed then? Shall I carry you to Basei?

  Talon looked down at the glowing sword. “Tell me what chaos has been unleashed, do you speak of the four horsemen?”

  No.

  “Then what?” Talon pressed.

  Is it not obvious? You created a war upon the mainland. There will be chaos there for years to come. Rebellions, executions, patriots and knaves. Oh it will be a delectable thing to watch, I assure you.

  More than that, you released Klegin upon the Tomni’Tai! What a delicious treat that was to witness. Imagine the chaos that will ensue after the destroyed village is found by the Selemet Council. My name will once again be whispered in hushed circles and dark corners. You have been a most loyal agent of chaos, young assassin.

  But, let us not forget, you opened the door to the Netherworld! You have reconnected Terramyr to my home, and the home of my creations. With one link established, and the greedy impulses of man and elf, I will once again stretch out across Terramyr. I may be dead, but I shall endure, haha!

  Talon shook the thoughts from his head. He couldn’t let this prevent him from completing his mission. He was here to settle a score with Basei. If the old dragon’s ghost wanted to take pleasure in watching the war unfold across the mainland, what difference did that make to Talon?

  “Take me up,” Talon said.

  Very well, young one. But remember, I am agreeing only this once to help you. Do not trifle with me often, or you may find that I send other agents of chaos after you.

  The voice disappeared and the glow dimmed on the blade.

  A cold wind came in from the left and Talon turned to see a black phantom that was more shadow than form. Talon could see through the figure, but as the phantom became somewhat more defined, was most definitely the same, terrible dragon Talon had seen depicted several times on his journey. The one whose bones he had slept beneath during his time with the old drow on Svatal.

  The long, serpentine neck bent down before him, and Talon moved to sit upon the phantom’s back. He found the phantom to be as cold as ice to the touch, but at least he could ride the creature. The phantom leapt up and its wings beat silently. It reached down and took the gorlung in its claws as it climbed higher and higher.

  The massive expanse of floating rock grew larger as they approached. It must have extended for miles at the top. Spikes and hunks of stone clung to the bottom of the floating island, but there was no vegetation or life of any kind that Talon could see.

  As they soared over the top of the mass, Talon was relieved to see that there was nothing on the edge near them. A fire burned off in the distance, but other than that there was nothing else he could see.

  The phantom dragon deposited the gorlung and Talon upon the surface and the dove back down into the void.

  Farewell, young assassin. I have truly enjoyed the gifts you have given me.

  The sword hummed and vibrated in Talon’s hand, and then the voice was gone.

  Talon looked to the gorlung. “Don’t summon that thing again,” he said.

  The gorlung bobbed its head as if to nod. By your command, master.

  The two of them stealthily crept along the surface, making their way toward the large fire. They had to duck and take shelter near the base of a jagged spire when another loud gong rang out, announcing the arrival of yet another seraph. This one flew in from off to the side, and had wings of green flame. It dropped down near the fire in the distance, and then a few minutes later it flew off in the direction it had come from.

  After it disappeared, the two resumed their travel.

  It took nearly an hour to approach the large fire. Talon crouched near another spire of rock and peered around to look at the fire. The flames soared over seventy feet into the air. The base of the fire was easily fifty feet across. It was much larger than anything the assassin could have imagined, yet it gave off almost no heat, as if all of its energy were sucked up into the stars far above.

  He circled around, weaving his way behind large spires to conceal his approach. When at last he could see the other side of the fire, he saw a large figure sitting upon a great throne. Before him was a small cauldron.

  Basei was exactly the way Talon remembered him. Much larger than a man, but not quite a giant, with fiery eyes behind a mask of iron. Spiked armor covered his shoulders and arms. His torso was replete with scars from battles past, and a large, shield-like buckle was positioned over his belt and presumably held his armor on his legs. A massive sword was propped against the right side of the throne and what looked to be a shield was lying on the ground nearby.

  The demi-god appeared to be relaxing, watching the fire burn. Talon mentally called out to the gorlung and commanded it to circle around the other way. If they could surprise Basei, then so much the better.

  Talon waited for several minutes, knowing that it would take the cat some time to reach the other side of the fire and get into position. He watched the demi-god and nearly laughed wickedly when he saw Basei’s eyes close behind the mask. The fiery lights dimmed and the demi-god leaned his head back onto the chair.

  Now was the time.

  The gorlung called out to Talon. He was ready. Talon gave the order to strike.

  They both rushed in, each from their respective hiding places.

  Talon raised his sword, preparing to strike Basei’s leg and cripple the behemoth. The gorlung was sprinting furiously, aiming to leap up and attack Basei directly and go for the unprotected torso.

  Neither of them got the chance.

  Basei’s eyes flashed open and he stomped the ground with his legs. A tremendous quake rippled through the stone, nearly tripping the attackers. Talon managed to keep his footing, but he was slowed considerably. The gorlung lunged into the air, snarling and bearing its fangs.

  Basei swatted the cat away with his gauntleted left hand as if it were nothing more than a fly buzzing nearby. The gorlung crashed to the ground, but the demi-god wasn’t done yet. He stood from his throne with blinding speed, picked the seat up with one hand, ripping it from the stone ground and then smashed it over the gorlung. The cat howled and snarled in pain.

  I’m sorry, it offered just before it disappeared back to its plane.

  Then Basei turned on Talon. He hoisted up the massive sword and took a swing. Talon nimbly ducked underneath the strike and came up with one of his own, but his sword glanced off the thick armor plating covering Basei’s leg.

  “Ha ha!” Basei laughed maniacally as he kicked at Talon.

  Talon scrambled out of the way, and without missing a beat he forged the connection with his sword.

  “You have done well to make it this far, but you are still a worthless worm,” Basei said in a booming voice that filled the entire expanse of the void. “Not many have been so foolish to challenge me in open combat, and none of those before you had ever been so daft as to do so in my own home!”

  Basei held
out his left hand and curled his fingers. In answer to his call, four spires of rock shot up from the floor, but Talon escaped them before he was captured in their grasp. He threw a dagger at Basei to distract him. The demi-god swatted the flying knife away with his left hand, letting the blade bounce harmlessly off of his armor.

  “I will kill you,” Talon promised.

  Basei’s chest and stomach bounced as he laughed. “Come on then, let’s see you do it!” Basei stepped forward and swiped again at Talon. His sword crashed through the four spires he had created, showering the area in sparks.

  Talon rushed in and called his fog. The purple and black mist closed in around them. Talon used the cover to close in on Basei, giving the demi-god cause to prepare for an attack on one of his legs.

  The ploy worked. Basei lifted his closest leg and lashed out in a savage kick. Talon stopped and ducked, pointing his blade at Basei’s glowing form and fired a lightning bolt at the demi-god. The magical assault struck true and strong thanks to the copious amount of seraph blood it had absorbed in the temple, and the massive man stumbled backward, shouting in anger as he fell.

  The ground shook violently as Basei fell to his back. Talon moved to take advantage of the opportunity, but Basei reached out his hand and summoned flames from the magical bonfire to bar the way. Orange and red fire rushed in between them, forcing Talon back and nearly singing his clothes and eyebrows. The heat was intense, carrying with it the stinging promise of a swift death.

  Basei leapt up to his feet, again shaking the ground as he did so. Then he roared and the flames formed into a wall and rushed out to meet Talon.

  Talon looked for cover, but there was none close by. So, he sprinted for the shield lying upon the ground. His feet pounded the ground as the roaring flames raced after him. He only barely managed to heft the heavy barrier up and duck behind it as the flames collided with him. The heat reached through the metal, stinging his hands and back, so Talon rolled onto his back on the ground, holding the shield up with the soles of his boots to insulate himself against the heat. Flames licked around the shield, charring his clothes, but causing no lasting damage.

  Then it passed and the flames were gone. The shield glowed red in the center, and smoke sizzled from Talon’s boots. The assassin waited silently, still as death while Basei came closer. The heavy steps easily let Talon know how close the large demi-god was.

  Talon pointed his blade at the inside of the shield.

  As soon as Basei wrapped his fingers around the shield to rip it away, Talon fired another bolt of lightning. The electrical assault passed through the metal and up Basei’s arm. Smaller bolts of yellow and purple energy snaked and streaked across the demi-god’s armor as the large man yelled and stepped back.

  Talon jumped up and rushed for Basei. This time he slipped his blade in through the small space at the back of the knee joint, angling it ever so perfectly so that neither of the armor plates stopped the sword. Talon felt the blade pierce the back of Basei’s knee and then he drew it out quickly and leapt aside.

  Basei howled and came down with a sweeping assault that cut stone, but missed Talon entirely.

  Talon jumped up to his feet and then he felt a hot power surge through his arm.

  Drekk’hul had now tasted a demi-god’s blood.

  Energy buzzed and hummed inside Talon as the sword absorbed the blood and turned it into power.

  Basei came rushing in, his anger overriding the pain in his wounded leg as he advanced.

  Talon waved his sword around himself, creating a fog thicker than anything he had ever done before. Basei used his fire magic to sweep the fog away, but the fog extinguished the fire and then circled around Basei’s waist and legs, slowing the demi-god considerably.

  Talon then whipped his sword toward Basei and a conical web of lightning burst out to knock into the demi-god. Basei fell into the fog, howling and convulsing as the lightning caused his body to spasm.

  The assassin rushed in, darting through the fog as quickly as ever, his movements unimpeded as the master of the sword. He leapt up into the air and brought the sword down, aiming for the exposed chest.

  There was a flash of movement and suddenly a great shield was between them. Talon struck the shield and then was pushed away with tremendous force. He bounced across the black stone and lost his grip on Drekk’hul.

  Basei rose from the ground, laughing with each step as the fog began to dissipate.

  “You are determined, I will say,” Basei complimented Talon. “But you are no match for me.”

  Talon looked to his sword and saw there was no way he could reach it before Basei would be on him. He slowly pushed up to his knees, grabbing a thick, jagged length of rock that ended in a sharp point on one end.

  “I would have beaten you in a fair fight,” Talon said, forcing his voice to sound hoarse and weak.

  “This was a fair fight,” Basei replied evenly. “You have magic, and so do I”

  Talon coughed, trying to appear as though he had broken a rib when he was thrown. “What of my mother?” Talon asked sharply. “Did she have magic?”

  Basei stopped and looked down at Talon. “I have killed many mothers,” he said. “You’ll have to be a bit more precise.”

  “My mother offered you a sacrifice, asking for your protection of our village. When the orcs came, she fought honorably, but then you appeared and you slaughtered everyone.” Talon felt the rage boiling up inside him, but he knew he had to keep his emotions in check. He needed to time his move perfectly. “Where was the honor in that?”

  Basei dropped his shield and reached up with his left hand to remove his mask. As he did so, Talon could see that it was not only the demi-god’s eyes that burned like fire. His entire face was alight, burning with a fierce intensity that reached up into the air over him now that the mask was removed.

  “Sorry,” Basei said with a devilish, burning grin. “Your mum doesn’t sound familiar, I’m afraid. Just another notch on my sword from another weakling too puny to help herself.”

  Basei stepped forward and raised his sword high over his head. Talon waited until the sword was on its way down, and then he rolled forward once he knew the demi-god’s momentum would be too much to stop mid swing. The great sword nearly caught Talon as he rolled between Basei’s legs, but the assassin escaped unharmed, then leapt up on the back of Basei’s bent leg and used it as a springboard to jump up higher still. At the peak of his leap, Talon was up over Basei’s bent waist. The lower back was pushed out toward Talon as the demi-god had put all of his strength into the chop. Talon brought the sharp hunk of stone down just to the side of Basei’s spine, driving it deep into the tender muscles of the lower back and twisting the rock before he dropped back to the ground.

  Basei howled and shot up rigid as a board. His left hand went for the stone, but he couldn’t reach it to remove it, impeded by the sheer size of his own musculature. The demi-god abandoned trying to recover the weapon and turned to face Talon. As he twisted, he howled in pain and fell to a knee.

  This gave Talon enough time to retrieve Drekk’hul. He grabbed the weapon and turned back toward the demi-god.

  Basei was breathing in shallow, pained breaths and trying to straighten himself.

  “Demi-god or not,” Talon said with a sly smile. “You aren’t going to be moving with your lower back muscles cut and punctured like that.

  Basei grunted and pushed up to a standing position. He held his sword out and then sent a magical, flaming spear out of his left hand at Talon.

  Talon summoned Drekk’hul’s lightning and shot the magical spear out of the air. The two spells fizzled and popped as they collided and then vanished.

  The demi-god took a rigid, shaky step forward and then hinged at the waist. Talon was tempted to move in for a strike, but thought better of it when he saw that as Basei fell forward, he lashed out with his sword.

  The mighty blade connected with the stone and shook the ground.

  Talon sent one more bo
lt of lightning at Basei, this time aiming for the demi-god’s sword hand.

  The lightning struck its mark, but Basei only grit his teeth behind his face of fire and pushed back upright in a fit of rage. He stumbled forward, preparing for another strike.

  Talon darted out to the side, easily out-maneuvering the staggering behemoth. Basei tried to twist to follow Talon, but the wound in his back had him howling and stumbling forward again. This time he didn’t fall to a knee, but tripped onto his face.

  Now was the moment to strike.

  Talon rushed in, sprinted over Basei’s back and drove Drekk’hul’s point in through Basei’s spine, severing the vertebrae and crippling the demi-god. Basei wailed and fire shot out from his left hand, but he couldn’t muster a coherent counter assault against Talon.

  The assassin took three steps along the demi-god’s spine and then drove his point in through Basei’s upper back, just to the left of his spine. Drekk’hul drank deeply of Basei’s blood and began to surge with power. Talon yanked the weapon free and moved to Basei’s head. Removing it was the surest way to kill a demi-god. There was a legend that even a demi-god pierced through the heart could still live, so Talon walked up to stand upon the spiked armor on Basei’s shoulders.

  By this time, Basei was mumbling and growling incoherently. Talon paid it no mind. He summoned forth the full power of the sword, letting purple and black lightning encase the blade, then he brought it down on the back of Basei’s neck. A great crack resounded through the astral plane as Basei’s neck yielded to Talon’s assault. The fire on Basei’s face dimmed and the head rolled away.

  Talon heaved for breath, relieved that it was done.

  He stepped down from the large body and sheathed his sword after it finished absorbing Basei’s blood. Then, a black tendril of lightning struck out from Basei’s corpse and connected with Talon. The pain was so intense that every muscle in Talon’s body convulsed and he fell to the ground, writhing like a worm on hot sand. A moment later, fire mixed with the lightning and Talon was enveloped in flame and lightning.