Chapter Eight Winged Peril
The corridor was easily the longest of all the Ancient Cave. Its thick carpet of dust seemed to stretch on for miles. In the complete darkness gleamed countless eyes. They blazed in every color, staring incessantly from every corner. Each blink rifled the dust, which settled with a chiding whisper. These eyes, malice-filled and time-hardened, though bright as jewels, were more a part of the darkness than the black. Waiting, they watched, and watching, they waited. Unseeing, they stared for ages upon ages until three shadows and a ray of paler gloom fell across their threshold. Each eye hooded itself behind a massive window like shy animals escaping hunters' sight. However, the keepers of the eyes were unquestionably hunters and the intruders the hunted though they did not realize this until it was too late.
"Wow," Dekar said. "It's so dark in here!"
"I suppose it was too much to hope for that there would be torches to light our way all through the dungeon," Lexis sighed. "Oh well. We'll just have to proceed cautiously. You can come in, Tia. It's perfectly okay." He turned to the young woman, who was carrying Flash in her arms.
"N…no!" Tia managed a strangled gasp. "There's something in there, something horrible!" Flash jumped to the ground and stared up at the humans. A flash between Tia's fingers showed that the jewel was still in her hands.
Lexis and Dekar looked at one another, weighing between them what she had just imparted.
"It's not that I don't believe you, Tia," Lexis said at last. "But we've no alternative. If we don't get through this room, we won't be able to proceed to the next floor."
"We mustn't go through!" Tia replied, her voice shrill, almost frantic.
"It'll be okay, Tia," Dekar assured her. "I'll be with you. I'm the strongest man in the world, remember?"
Glassy-eyed, Tia managed a swift acknowledgement. As she did so, her fear seemed to take hold of Lexis too. The scientist cleared his throat.
"We should cross this room together," he said. "And I'll put away my maps so we can move faster."
Tia peeked again into the dismal chamber. Her face turned white.
"On my count," Lexis said as he finished stowing his now-extensive map collection, "we'll begin crossing the chamber."
"One…"
Dekar, Lexis, and Tia drew their weapons. Lexis cast an enchantment that would make the weapons as luminous as torches.
"Two…"
Flash growled, his already-wild hair bristling.
"Three."
They did not run as Tia had expected. Instead, the party stirred the chamber's thick dust at a brisk walk.
"Incredible," Lexis whispered, looking about him. A dusky forest of columns stretched in all directions. It was as if they had wandered into the ghostly remnants of the tower. Ancient banners waved slightly when the outside air hit the corridor. Silence drummed in the party's ears. With every step, Tia grew more certain of the incredible danger sealed in the chamber. However, the utter darkness remained silent and still. Before long, Tia turned around to check their progress. However, she could not make out the glow of the doorway from which they had entered. Even more disturbing, however, their enchanted weapons were rapidly growing dim. The party slowed to a crawl, for they could not see more than a few feet in front of them. At length, the last light trapped in Dekar's blade faded away. A leathery rustle could be heard above, and clouds of dust snowed from the rafters.
Suddenly myriad hues flashed from out of the darkness. Emerald green, fire red, and ice blue rained upon the party. With the jewels descended Dread so potent that Flash dropped his spear and fled. Tia sank to the ground feeling as if she would retch. Still more jewels suspended upon currents of darkness encircled the party. Then sharp screams shook the ceiling, a signal of sorts. At this signal, the magic laid over the party's weapons dissipated. Light flared to life, illumining their foes. Dragons innumerable glinted in the light in impressive golds, silvers, and coppers. For a moment the party could only gape at the splendid beasts before them, marveling at their deadly beauty. The dragons, meanwhile, pondered the puny creatures that had stumbled into their lair.
Then the spell was broken. Dekar, Tia, and Lexis huddled together, back to back. Their weapons glinted palely in the light from the dragons' eyes. The eyes rose and fell, rapidly entangling the party in a circle from which there was no escape.
"They've trapped us," Lexis whispered, a tremor in his voice.
Tia tightened her grip on her staff.
"Then we'll fight our way out," Dekar growled.
"There is one chance left to us," Lexis said quickly. "Our strength is in speed. If we can get the first strike, then we might be able to break their hold and escape to the next floor."
"We have no choice," Dekar grimly reminded the scientist. Mysterious fire – battle lust – shone in the warrior's eyes. "No alternative but the battle! An attempt to flee would mean certain death. We must fight!"
Adrenaline seeped across Tia's skin like a swarm of tiny ants. Her heart pounded, and her blood sang. The words to a spell came to her lips, the spell that would summon the Thunder Beast. However, it was a spell from Lexis's archive, not nearly as powerful as the firebird she had called forth without a minute of study.
Lexis, too, chanted the arcane words that would unleash thunder's fury on their assailants.
"Attack that copper one," Dekar advised. He pointed his blade at a vicious-looking copper dragon that barred their way to the rest of the forgotten hall. Tia could sense the power Dekar was building in his sword. She saw how rigidly he clutched it, glimpsed the shine of sweat on his heavily furrowed brow. Then but briefly she wondered if they would be able to break free of the dragons' circle. No! she counseled herself. That is only the deception of Dread! We must succeed! We will!
Lexis finished his spell first. White light showered from the upper reaches of the chamber. In this brilliant glare, the Thunder Beast descended upon the copper dragon. The Thunder beast shrieked his challenge, but the shadows of the chamber swallowed his shrill call.
The copper dragon's eyes glinted with intelligence, and the chamber fell under shadow once more. The party could not see the battle of copper and thunder, but the lingering darkness attested to the fact that the copper dragon had gained the upper hand.
Frigid bands closed around Tia's heart. It knows what I am about to do! Nonetheless, she had no choice but to unleash the spell. Electricity shot from her fingers with such force that it nearly toppled her. This time the radiant silver Thunder Beast materialized amidst clouds and torrents of rain and wind. The gale buffeted the party; even the dragons seemed to look at one another as if to question the reappearance of the Thunder Beast. As he descended, the beast began to shine with the pale illumination, that of a curtain of rain shimmering against the light. The beast tossed its head proudly. Its challenge resounded through the hall, itself a thunderclap. The dragon's mirth vanished. With a roar like the sea, the copper flung itself at its new foe. Thunder beast and copper dragon took flight, tearing at one another in midair. Occasionally the sounds of their fight would reach the party. However, darkness again concealed both winner and victor. Suddenly Tia's strength gave way. She fell to the floor, gasping for ragged breath after ragged breath.
"Tia!" Lexis shouted.
Far off in the darkness, the copper dragon screamed its triumph. Before the party could gather itself to flee, the wyrm reappeared. Murder shone in its crimson eyes.
Tia managed to regain her feet, leaning against Lexis. She had to stand, for the life of the entire party depended on Dekar. Looking down, she realized that she clutched the jewel so tightly that blood droplets flecked her wrist. Any further thoughts she might have had on the matter fled her at the raw power of Dekar's battle cry.
The warrior hurled himself at the copper dragon, the sword in his hand wicked and sharp. However, the courage-drunk wyrm did not budge. Instead, it drew back, arching its back like a pleased cat, daring Dekar closer. The blade of the sword swung so fast that it appeared as a half-moon-shaped blur, speeding onward to the dragon's very heart. Tia could not look away. With the scrape of steel and stone, in a shower of orange sparks, Dekar's sword rang against the dragon's scales. Mighty indeed was the warrior's blow, yet the dragon's scales were antiquated armor, as mighty as the power within a Sinistral. Power collided upon power; it was inevitable that one would break the other. Silver smashed against copper in a collision that shook even the battle's bystanders. Dekar grunted, adding power in mid-stroke, forcing strength into the blow. Tia gasped. Amongst the fiery embers glinted sharp particles of silver. Dekar's blade! Despair seized her. The dragon armor had withstood Dekar, even going so far as to crush his blade to pieces!
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