Today marks the Ascension Trilogy's third anniversary. It's a little strange to think that three years ago, I started drafting my own take on the first episode simply as a means to alleviate some depression, the start of what I expected to be two relatively short novels.

And now here I am, working on the third part of what has been a tremendous rollercoaster of a story. It's been an adventure. I cannot make a solid promise, because life has a habit of getting in the way, but I will endeavour to have this final part of Ascension finished this year.

I offer thanks to all those who have followed and remarked upon the story thus far, and to anybody else who reaches this chapter in later days. Special thanks go to BarrissOffee99 for helping me a great deal along the way, both early on and in recent days, and for helping me to sort out what needed to happen in this chapter in particular.

Chapter Eighteen

The Blood of Dragons

The tumours under Carliven's skin were pulsing, pushing against his flesh as if they were trying to burst free. He would have gritted his teeth against the pain, had he any left.

Zedraj and Sorsenin were working carefully but quickly with sharp knives, cutting away malformed scales and bursting pustules which gushed a sizzling pus.

Carliven snarled against the pain, his eyes alighting upon the vials of red liquid sitting on the table, full of potency, and a relief from the pain.

There were five of them left. Five vials of fire dragon blood.

Administering one each day, when the need was greatest, kept him alive. But unless Lion made a breakthrough in his experiments, he would likely be dead next week, if not sooner. The blood helped, but with every dose the effects were noticeably weaker.

There was a knock on the heavy door. 'Enter!' Carliven hissed.

Levo stepped inside, eyes averted. Carliven couldn't have cared less about his modesty, or how hideous his misshapen body looked. Whether Lion succeeded or failed, it would not matter.

'Well?' Carliven demanded. There was a wet slap behind him, accompanied by a tearing pain, as one of his "physicians" dropped a strip of cancer-ridden skin into a basin.

'Lion has made a formal request for more test subjects.' Levo did not need to elaborate on the nature of these "subjects". Everybody could hear the wails and screams coming from Lion's laboratory. He had not bothered with animals. He saw no point. He had simply demanded that prisoners be sent to him, and the Quorum had complied. The queue outside the Hall of Oblivion had been growing steadily shorter since then.

'And has he… Urgh! Godsdammit!'

'My apologies, Father Carliven,' Sorsenin muttered.

'Just get on with it, man!' Carliven turned his attention back to Levo as Sorsenin withdrew a flaky scale and discarded it. 'Has he made progress?'

Levo hesitated.

'Has he or has he not?'

'He… he has found that mortals are not naturally accepting of the blood of dragons. There is no pattern that he can determine. It is simply too much for them.'

'If that is so, then how in the Seven Hells could wurm-forged have existed? How did Davion survive his infusion?'

'He believes that it is not the blood itself or the strength of the host that matters, but rather the way in which the infusion occurs. Slyrak merged his soul with Davion's, perhaps he was able to limit the effects his blood had on Davion,' Levo paused, considering, eyes away from Carliven's twisted form. 'As for the wurm-forged, we can only guess.'

Carliven could do a little better than guess. Lion was likely correct, his own studies supported the Demon Witch's theory. Though his predecessors had made sure to destroy any instructions on how to make mortals wurm-forged, they had not erased a few obscure records—records which indicated that some kind of ritual or special process was involved in the making of wurm-forged, unless they happened to inherit their gifts, as Mirana's handmaiden had.

And he had some inkling of where his Knights should look, courtesy of Kaden's reports.

'The Imperium.'

'Sir?' Levo inquired.

'The Helio Imperium. That's where the handmaiden hailed from, where that cultist's mark she bears was made. Perhaps there are secrets there which can help us.'

'But, Father Carliven, the Imperium is vast!' Levo protested. 'It could take us months to search it, and given that wurm-forged have not been seen for centuries—'

'I am not telling you to search the entire nation, Levo!' Carliven snapped, wincing as something squishy and slimy was cut away again. 'No, I have a better idea.

Contact the Hidden Temple and the Ultimyr Academy. One of them, so very fond of hoarding forgotten and forbidden knowledge, will have the answers that we seek.

And should they ask for some compensation, tell them that they will have the gratitude of the true Dragon Knights, and that we shall slay any dragon they desire dead.'

Another wave of screams wafted down the corridor. It seemed Lion was already at work on his next victim.

It was not hard for them to track Davion. Auroth could hear the awful, discordant chaos in the Thunder, his wake, all too clearly in her mind.

That, and Davion had left a trail of destruction behind.

For no logical reason they could discern, he had smashed boulders, torn down spires, and butchered any living thing unlucky enough to be in his path.

'By all the gods!' Caewyn shuddered, stepping over a form so crushed it was impossible to tell what it had been. 'Why is Davion doing this?'

'Davion is not in control.' Auroth told her. 'The Madness compels dragonkind to irrational and brutal violence. Davion… what we will face will not recognise us as anything other than something to be killed.'

Caewyn shivered, though that may have been more from cold than fear.

Auroth cast a look back at the group following her. Even Rylai was starting to struggle.

The problem was not so much the cold now, and there could be no doubting their courage. It was simply the altitude which was slowing them now. The air was becoming too thin for them.

It did not bother Auroth, being the daughter of a sky dragon. It probably would not have bothered Ulfsaar, but he had been left to shepherd his people to safety.

Not that they would get far enough if Davion succumbed or was killed. The resulting explosion of raw power would utterly destroy Icewrack, perhaps more.

Ymir snorted and sniffed at the air. Of all of them besides Auroth, he was struggling the least. 'Smells like carrion. Something big died nearby.'

Auroth tried to keep the insane riot of noise that was Davion in the back of her mind. 'He's close.'

Eserren reached up and lowered her visor. 'We know what to do. We will keep pace as best we can.'

Auroth nodded, turned, and stepped off the edge of the path. Transforming intensified the pain of her injuries, and for a horrible moment she struggled to gain height as her wings spread.

She had no choice though. In her human form, she would be no help against what Davion had become. She needed to use her true form. She needed her wings.

Beating her wings to rise, Auroth swooped over the heads of her companions. She would have to hope that they could catch up. Alone, she would not be able to survive the fight.

Auroth gauged distances as she glided. The mountain peaks loomed through the ever-present haze of snowfall, the furthest obscured by swirling eddies. But there, not that far ahead, maybe half a span away, she could see her home: a peak which, unlike the others, had clearly been reached and touched by man. There were old towers poking out of the stone, and the wide entrance was just about visible to Auroth's keen eyes.

The scent of blood and meat was also closer, as was the terrible noise of insanity.

Auroth rose higher, as her father had taught her. Sky dragons and ionic dragons circled their hunting grounds from great heights, the better to avoid being seen or heard by their prey down below.

She missed him, and somewhere down below, the brutalised remnants of his defiled soul were locked inside Davion, driving him mad.

Something was moving below her. A large shape, hunched against another sizeable form—something which was still and reeking of blood.

Quietly, Auroth folded her wings and dived. Her instinct was to slow at the last moment and lash out with her talons, but she quashed it. This was no ordinary hunt, and Davion was not her prey. If he died, they would all die.

'Auroth!'

Auroth almost lost her focus. The voice was Slyrak's, strained, struggling and desperate.

'Auroth! Be careful! They know you are close.'

'They?' Auroth responded.

'The remains of the lost. They have taken over. They have been corrupted by rage and the wish for revenge. All they seek is death. Davion is lost to me, unless you can somehow purge the others from him.'

Auroth felt icy fear surging through her veins. Her proposed solution had always been a gamble. There were no guarantees it would have actually worked on Davion before now.

But she had to try. Losing the power of the Eldwurms would throw the balance of the world into chaos. The lesser dragons they had commanded would continue to rage and slaughter, and slowly, but irrevocably, the world itself would start to sicken and die.

Auroth changed her course, gliding down onto an outcropping.

He… it was there, head thrust into the mangled remains of a butchered sky dragon, ripping pulped organs and torn entrails free and wolfing them down. Blood had soaked into the snow all around them, forming an irregularly shaped carpet of red, pink and black.

The creature growled and stamped, then started to turn towards Auroth, viscera still dripping from its fangs.

She knew to expect nothing but pure viciousness from this monster, a monster which still had Davion concealed within its horrific frame.

It looked like no dragon she had ever faced before. Its scales were a clashing riot of colours: crimson, orange, ebony, platinum, ivory, iron. Its form was misshapen and asymmetrical. Curved teeth jutted out on one side of the snout, fangs like stilettos stuck up over the other. The snout was sharp and angular on one side, blunt and bulbous on the other. One eye stuck out, bulging, blazing yellow with a cat-like slit for an iris. The other was small and beady, electric blue and recessed. A weird array of horns stuck up at the back of the skull, a sinuous neck leading down to a bulky body supported on long, thick legs tipped with a mismatched arsenal of claws and talons. The right arm was fat with muscle and short, equipped with digits disturbingly human in form. The other was overlong, almost elastic, tipped with hook-like barbs. A weird duo of wings stuck out of its back. The left wing was half of an ember dragon's wing, half a sky dragon's. The right bore the evil eye of a chaos dragon, but looked more like the bat-like appendage of an ionic dragon.

Truly this creature lived up to the term abomination. It should not have existed. It could not exist.

'Have you come to save Davion? Or Slyrak?' it spoke with a disjointed cacophony of voices, hissing, spitting, growling, snarling, whispering, grating all at the same time. 'You are too late. Both are beyond your reach. There is only this one. There is only us.

Me! There is me!

Quiet! I control! I decide!

No talk! Only death! Only BLOOD!'

With only that warning, the monster lunged at Auroth, the long arm extending with a sickening squelching sound.

Auroth leapt, flapping her wings hard. As she gained height, she craned her neck and expelled a jet of freezing fluid at the monster.

A burst of roiling flame rushed to greet the torrent, turning it into hissing vapour.

Auroth, rather than try to change direction, swooped forwards. The monster below tried to rake her belly with its claws. She felt them scrape her scales, the tip of one biting into hide.

Ignoring the sting and the livid bruises still burning under her scales, she swept around the depression and gained height. Below her, the beast started to beat its own wings. For a moment both hopeful and fearful, Auroth thought it might not be able to fly. It was that ungainly.

But it did manage to take flight, albeit clumsily. It was heavier than she was, and its wings did not match, and it was asymmetrical and clumsy in the sky.

That was her only hope. She could not hope to fight it and win, but she could fly faster and manoeuvre better. Aethrak had sired her and taught her well, she was just as comfortable in the air as she was in water.

The creature bellowed, and forking arcs of electricity started to lash the air around it. The sky boomed as the dark clouds rolled in, flashing with lightning.

A spear of lightning flashed inches from Auroth's tail. She dived, then soared upwards, weaving to try and avoid the lightning strikes. She could only hope that her allies managed to avoid them too.

Auroth spun round and sped towards the abomination, spraying its hide with her freezing breath as she passed.

It snarled and shot a cloud of flame at her, molten fire dripping from its jaws. Auroth was forced to plummet or be incinerated. The beast dropped after her, roaring and spraying fire.

And then she felt it. A deep thrum filled the air and her, coursing through her bones. She felt as if a leaden weight had settled in her heart, a coldness spreading throughout her body, smothering her from the inside.

And she felt so… powerless.

The abomination had tapped into Vylgranox's power.

Auroth would have to rely on her speed and wits alone now.

'I will rip you apart, wyvern! I will tear your bones from your flesh! I will grind your scales into dust!

I will feast on your guts! Devour your beating heart before your eyes!

Maim! Kill! Burn!

Rip and tear!'

Auroth ignored the bellowing voices as she folded her wings, swooping between two narrow walls. She did not dare to look back.

Had she done so, she would have seen the stone tear itself apart as the creature approached, using Uldorak's power to grind the rock into dust and make a passage for its wider bulk.

'Auroth!'

Auroth gasped and nearly halted. Though it was made guttural and gravelly by the transformation, she knew that was Davion's voice!

'Auroth! Get the others! RUN!'

'Silence!' a hissing voice not unlike Vahdrak's burst from the monster's maw. 'You've had your fun, little mouse. Now it's our turn! Now we kill your friends!

Yes! Butcher the wyvern! Devour the handmaiden! Burn the Princess!

KILL EVERYTHING! KILL THE WORLD!'

An explosion of flame erupted behind Auroth, melting stone and singeing her tail.

Auroth yelped and spun, changing direction. The beast was taken by surprise and managed to collide with a peak as it tried to give chase. Chunks of rock fell into the abyss below as it tried to tear itself free of the shattered stone.

Auroth swooped in closer, screeching and extending her claws. She landed on the exposed side of the beast and dug her claws in deep. 'Stop this! Whatever is left of you, you have to stop this!'

'We don't care! Everything can die!

Kill! Crush! Rend them limb from limb!

Let it all end!'

The creature shook itself violently, shaking Auroth so hard she slipped and fell. She plummeted, drawing close to the rocks below before she righted herself and flew back into the clouds. Lightning continued to crash around her, hailstones the size of dogs smacking into her scales.

'You will BURN!'

Auroth dived, bracing herself for the jet of flame as the abomination opened its mouth.

Nothing happened.

Auroth came up behind it as the creature roared with insane fury.

'You will not misuse my power any longer!'

The monster bucked in mid-air, bawling furiously. Slyrak was fighting it from within.

'No! This is our form! We must KILL!

Let us kill, Firestorm! Let us have vengeance!'

'This body is not ours to take! It belongs to Davion and Davion alone, and we will return it!'

'You are weak, Slyrak. We don't need you!'

The monster roared, and Auroth knew that Slyrak had lost his grip on it. It dived after Auroth, trying to drive her into the mountains or into the path of the lightning.

Auroth weaved between mountain peaks and forks of lightning, knowing that any hesitation would end her life. The snapping, snarling abomination was always behind her, no longer able to breathe fire, but still utterly determined to murder her.

As she descended and broke through the clouds, she spotted what she had been hoping to see: a speck of orange near the entrance of her lair.

Auroth spiralled and dived towards it. This would hurt, and probably cause considerable damage to the entrance hall.

As she had expected, the monster gave chase, blinded by its rage and insanity. The lightning started to hammer the ground, slicing through the air around them in streaks of white-hot fury.

Half-blinded, Auroth waited until the very last moment, then pulled herself out of the dive.

She barely made it, which meant that her less graceful pursuer had no chance.

As the stonework of the gatehouse scraped Auroth's belly, the abomination shrieked, tried to change course, and flew straight through the open archway, gouging stone from the walls and shattering several pillars, crashing into the far wall.

Eserren and the others rose from the boulders they had been hiding behind and rushed inside. Auroth dropped down and followed them, now clumsier on the ground, but knowing that she needed to retain her stronger form.

It had just dropped from the collapsed wall when Eserren swung her bardiche into its side. Howling with pain and anger, it snapped at her, and recoiled when a lance of light from Bram's sword narrowly missed its head—a deliberate miss. Their aim was to force it into the lair.

Ymir charged in when Eserren was forced back by the grasping arm, swiping at the offending limb with his axe. Scales flew and blood spilled. Rylai kept hurling shards of ice at it, coating the floor under its legs with ice to make it slip and slide as they drove it back.

Auroth bounded in, practically pushing past Eserren and Ymir, and latched her jaws around the beast's neck, digging her claws into the floor and pushing, pressing her bulk against her opponent's. Blood flooded her mouth, gushing onto the ground.

The abomination snarled and reached up, intending to rip into her with its claws.

Auroth shut her eyes when she heard the bolt being launched. The creature howled and lurched, nearly bucking Auroth free, blinded by Caewyn's flasher bolt.

Auroth shoved again, forcing it through the next archway. Carved stones crashed around them, but luckily for them the roof was much higher and the next room wider. Claws scraped at her scales, slicing into her and drawing blood, but still she pushed. Her opponent's attempts to grip the floor were hampered by Rylai's spells and the steel wielded by her allies. Blood was flying everywhere, and the monster was starting to weaken.

Auroth uttered a strained yell as she pushed it into the sanctum, smashing through the doors.

She felt the billowing of cool air, and a calmness descended on her as a blue glow washed over them.

There, seated in a natural scar, was the radiant ore she had found so many years ago. It had likely fallen millennia ago, coming to rest here where so few could find it.

Auroth relinquished her grasp on the abomination's neck, blood spilling from her mouth. The creature slumped to the ground, panting, flanks heaving.

'No more. We are done. Rest now and rage no more.' Slyrak was asserting himself, the only piece of the Eldwurms within still clinging to sanity.

'We… we could have done so much… we could have made them all pay!'

'Terrorblade has already been punished. Justice has been served. But there can be no justice without mercy. Sleep now. It is time to sleep. Forever.'

As Eserren and the others stumbled into the chamber, the monstrous form before them began to shrink. Scales dropped to the floor, skittering across the cold flagstones like scree. The wings receded, limbs squelched back into their proper positions as they diminished. The riot of scales fell away to reveal the crimson scales of Davion's armour.

At last, it was gone. Davion lay curled up on the floor, shivering and worryingly pale. Broken scales and shed blood lay all around him.

'Davion?' Eserren approached him slowly, her weapon still in hand. She looked to Auroth, clearly out of her depth.

Auroth closed her eyes and carefully, slowly, took on her human form again. She swayed on the spot, sweat starting to slide down her skin. After the chaos of the chase, everything was so still, and with the maddened fragments silenced, it was all so quiet.

Auroth exhaled and nodded. 'He's back, Eserren.'

Caewyn knelt next to Davion and gently shook him. 'Davion?'

Davion groaned and turned onto his back. Slowly, his eyes flickered open, back to their usual brown hue, unfocused and unseeing. 'Marci?' he murmured sleepily.

'No, it's me, silly.' Caewyn shook her head, scattering drops of melted snow. 'And you really scared us, Davion.'

Davion blinked, his eyes now alighting on Caewyn. 'Caewyn? I…' he tried to sit up, winced, and raised one shaky hand to his head. 'Urgh!'

'Careful now,' Eserren crouched at his side and eased him into a sitting position. 'I honestly thought we'd lost you for good then. Thank the gods you've returned to us.'

Davion pinched the bridge of his nose. 'Worried you'd have to carry all of the gear yourself?'

Eserren chuckled gamely. 'And worried that Marci would beat me to a pulp.'

Davion lowered his hand and sighed. 'Thank you. All of you. I thought… well, it's hard to know what I thought, but it felt like the end.'

'From what Auroth said, it would have been, if we hadn't fixed you.' Ymir stated. He was gazing at the stone, clearly fascinated by it. 'Is this what I think it is?'

'Yes,' Rylai lifted her arm to stop him moving closer. 'And Davion needs to approach it.'

Davion turned his head towards it. It pulsed more brightly, as if beckoning him closer. It was smaller than the Direstone he had seen, smoother, lacking any harsh edges. He felt calmer just being near it, just as Auroth did.

With the Thunder quieter now, Auroth heard Slyrak speaking to him. 'It is time, Davion.'

Davion clambered to his feet, supported by Eserren and Caewyn. They kept hold of him as he steadied himself.

Finally, he nodded, and they let go of his arms.

'No hesitation, Davion, and no remorse. You have a promise to keep. Honour me by doing so.'

'What do we do now?' Eserren asked, propping her bardiche against the wall and removing her helm.

'We won't be doing much.' Auroth said. 'Rylai has already lowered the barrier around the stone. I will allow Davion in. I will not lie, Davion, exposure to the Radiant is usually less… adverse than exposure to the Dire, but it is dangerous. The effects of the Radiant are subtle, and slower to take hold, but you will be at risk.'

Davion considered, staring at the swirling blue energy within the stone. 'How will this help?'

'The stone helped me to gain clarity. Being afflicted by the Madness was much like having two minds in one body, and the stone separated them.'

Davion felt a brief shudder. He had experienced that. Worse than that. All those terrible wills vying for control, trying to take over, it had felt like being ripped apart from everywhere all at once, beating his fists against a pane of glass as he, powerless, watched them supplant him and act against his own will.

'Souls and minds are very different things.' Eserren stated.

'Slyrak is already dying. Davion has nothing to fear from him. But he can't allow himself to die until his power, and the power of the other Eldwurms, are removed from Davion. If the stone does what I hope it will, it will separate those powers, and the cycle will continue as it should. New Eldwurms will replace those who were lost. And Davion will live.'

'If it works.' Davion noted.

'I know it's a gamble.' Auroth admitted. 'But much of what you have done could have gone wrong. And if we don't try, you will die.'

'And if this goes wrong?' Caewyn asked warily.

Auroth shrugged. 'These stones all have different effects. The Direstone you encountered at Dragon Keep raised the dead and made them its thralls. Other Direstones turn normal beasts and people into monsters, others drive creatures, sentient or otherwise, mad with bloodlust. Some Radiant stones heal wounds, others instil people with a profound sense of supremacy, convincing them that they are superior to all others.' She shook her head. 'I cannot say for certain what will happen to you, Davion, when you are exposed to the stone in that chamber. But it's the only hope I can offer you. It saved me. The clarity it provided helped Rylai to control her powers.'

'It's true,' Rylai added. 'It showed me what I needed to learn, helped me to accept what I am. It's like… like it took me apart, showed me what I was, what I had been, what I could be.'

'Clarity.' Auroth concurred. 'But a bit gentler than actually being taken apart.'

Davion nodded. 'All right. I'll risk it.'

'You're certain of this?' Bram asked.

'No,' Davion shook his head. 'But Slyrak seems to think it's worth trying too. And I have a promise to keep. I think I'm ready.'

Auroth nodded and raised her hands. 'Move towards the stone, please.'

Davion took a few steps towards the shimmering field. Beyond, the stone pulsed, as if it knew he was coming. Maybe it did.

'When I give the word, step inside quickly. I'll know when to pull you out. It may feel like a long time, hours, maybe days, but it should be no more than a few moments.'

Davion took a deep breath. 'I guess this is it, Slyrak.'

'It is, Little Mouse. We've been on quite a journey together, you and I. Now let us walk to the end of our road.'

Davion nodded. 'Let's do this.'

Auroth waved her hands. 'Go.'

Davion stepped towards the stone. A wall of faint blue light hissed into being behind him.

Already, he felt the stone pulling at him, drawing him closer.

'Do not resist, Davion. Do this for her.'

Davion stepped forwards and extended his hand. The air felt cool around his gauntlet as his fingers brushed the stone.

Everything turned into blinding light…

He felt as if he had been lifted, plucked from the earth, from the world, from himself. About him was a world of smooth facets, tinted blue, like he was inside the Radiant stone.

In each facet, he saw himself, but different.

He saw what he had been: a boy with dreams of adventure. A boy watching his dreams being snatched away by flame. A boy accepting a dragon fang and words which would shape his destiny. A boy marching up to the huge doors of a castle, holding the fang aloft.

The boy became a man: a man who travelled the world, slaying dragons, revelling in his victories with drink and carnal delights. A man who hoped to one day equal the likes of Kaden. A man who endeavoured to protect humanity, and destroy dragonkind. A man… who met a truly amazing woman in a tavern, a woman who would also shape his destiny, and win his heart.

From here, the facets showed many things: the boy if the dragons had never come for him. The boy might have remained there for the rest of his days, the man becoming a farmer, the farmer living a simple life of harvest and planting, wearisome yet fulfilling.

The man might have become a soldier, a general of renown, or he might have perished upon some foreign field, his death giving life to grass and flowers of eventual years.

The man might have done many things. But he was almost always a man of action, such was Davion's nature. Always his hands worked, always he sought, unknowingly at first, something he desired, yet which eluded him.

And now he saw what he could be, having travelled along this strange and fateful road. And there seemed to be only one road.

He saw himself approaching the gates of a vast city, a great bastion in which sat a mighty work of craft: a pyramid standing watch over the people below. He sought only one thing.

And there, he would find it. He would offer his sword in service to an Empress, and in doing so he would secure his place at the side of the woman whom he loved. He was destined to travel to Rasolir, and be with Marci.

But what came after was varied, and troubling.

More often than not, the now vague facets seemed to show him falling. Dying in battle against a mighty foe, against a frenzied multitude, against the blade and wily cunning of an assassin, sometimes at Marci's side, sometimes alone, sometimes reaching out to her as she fought desperately to reach him, or as she too died—so close, yet so far away.

And above all of them hung an orb of black, in a dark sky filled with blood and shadow.

'Davion.'

The facets cleared and started to recede. They gave way to a world of varied hues, colours familiar and utterly alien. Something very much like the Thunder.

Standing before him was Slyrak. Not the half-dragon form he'd become accustomed to in his travels, not the voice in the back of his mind. It was Slyrak as he had been before: a strong and cunning dragon, the Eldwurm of fire. He stood before Davion, huge and powerful, a fear-inspiring and majestic form arrayed in crimson scales.

'Slyrak.'

Slyrak tilted his head, his yellow eyes flickering. 'The stone has shown you much. It has shown me many things too. Do you regret any of it, Dragon Knight?'

Davion's immediate answer was "yes". Yes, there were things he regretted. He regretted not being able to save his family. He regretted becoming blinded by hatred and a thirst for vengeance. He regretted wasting time on women he felt nothing for, when the love of his life had been out there, waiting for him.

And yet he realised that though he had many regrets, all of his actions had led him here, to this moment, to a future he had only to reach out and claim.

'I do have regrets,' Davion answered. 'A lot of them. But… if I had done things differently…'

'Then we would not be here now.'

Davion sighed. 'I suppose… most of all, I regret that you have to die.'

Slyrak lifted his head. 'I am touched, Little Mouse. But you need not weep for me. I have had a long life, with its own joys and triumphs. I would once have resented the possibility of dying, and would have thought nothing of your demise—not if it allowed me to live.

But that time has passed. Now I go gladly to my rest, for in doing so you shall live. You shall go to Rasolir, and there you shall be reunited with your love.

I make this sacrifice gladly, Davion. In return, I ask only one thing of you: live well. Use well the time that you have earned, and let your life be a gift to those who you care for.

And if it is a consolation, a piece of me will remain. My spirit will become one with the Thunder, with all of dragonkind, and the fabric of the universe. Perhaps, when my successor takes their place, they will hear my song, and they will heed it.

And in you, there too shall remain some part of me. Though I leave your soul now, still there rests my mark.

And in you remains the memory of me. It shall remain with the other Eldwurms too, with Auroth, and thus I shall not be gone from your life or those that follow, not entirely, not forever.

But you shall be free to pursue your dreams, Davion. Your life is your own again. I hope that you live it well. And perhaps, when your time comes, some piece of you, marked by me, shall join me in the Thunder, and some part of us both shall be reunited.'

Davion couldn't help but smile. 'You were a grumpy old bastard, Slyrak, and you are a good friend. Odd as it may sound, I will miss you. I will miss you nagging me, giving me advice, helping me in battle, being a part of me.

And I am grateful for what you have done, and what you are doing. I will do as you wish: I will live as well as I can, for those who I care about. Especially Marci.'

Slyrak issued an approving grumble, tiny flames licking at his teeth. 'Give her my regards when you see her, and tell her that I wish her well. Though I will not miss the feel of her fists striking me, I always admired her strength—the strength of her heart. May her light never fade, no matter how dark the night becomes.

And may the fire in your heart, Little Mouse, never be doused. Wherever your life takes you, the embers of the Firestorm shall always be with you.' Slyrak extended his arm, reaching out towards Davion, his claws opening in an unmistakeable gesture.

Davion extended his arm, his palm coming to rest against Slyrak's. Slyrak curled his claws inwards, gently encasing Davion's hand, and they held each other's gaze.

'Fare thee well, Davion the Dragon Knight. Ours is an adventure that shall become legend, Little Mouse.'

'Goodbye, Slyrak, Eldwurm of Fire. It has been an honour. I will make sure you are remembered.'

With that, Slyrak released his hand. He lifted his proud head, expanded his great wings, and leapt into the air. Soaring upwards, he began to glow, becoming brighter and brighter, as if a red star was bursting from him.

Then he passed from Davion's sight, into the swirl of colours. Before his eyes, a broad red streak flowed across the world of myriad colour, and once more the song of the Ember Eldwurm became part of the Thunder, proud, strong, and triumphant.

Davion opened his eyes.

He was lying on something soft, yet with something distinctly hard underneath. Above him was a ceiling of natural rock. As he tilted his head, he became aware of man-made walls of carved and shaped stones around the chamber. There was a desk in one corner, piled high with tomes and pieces of parchment, surrounded by mounds of books.

In fact, there were books everywhere. The sheer number of them seemed simply impossible.

'You're awake!'

Davion tilted his head. Auroth was leaning over him. Waiting behind her were the rest of them: Eserren, Caewyn, Bram and Rylai. Ymir was loitering in the corner.

Davion swung his legs over the side of the bench and sat up. He had expected a pounding headache, yet his head felt clear—strangely so.

'How do you feel?' Bram asked hesitantly.

'I… I feel…' Davion tried to find the right word. 'Empty? Hollow? Maybe not that… I feel like something is missing.'

'That does not surprise me.' Auroth said. 'I can only imagine that having an Eldwurm's soul attached to your own would leave a lasting impression.'

Davion's hand rose towards his chest, halted, and returned to his side. 'He's become part of the Thunder.'

Auroth nodded. 'He has. We felt him pass. He spoke to us before he went. Whatever he said to you we did not hear, but he told us that he had no fear, nor any doubts. We will remember him. I will record his memories in my own fashion too.'

Davion half-smiled. 'I'm sure he'd like that.'

'Really? I never thought he liked my poetry. He seemed to fall asleep when I reached the fiftieth stanza of my Ode to the Skies.'

'Maybe he preferred novels.' Davion frowned.

'What's wrong?' Eserren asked.

'Nothing. I'm just feeling hungry.'

'Here,' Auroth reached round and held out a platter with bread, cheese and salted meat. 'There's drink if you need it.'

Davion accepted the plate and started to eat. Quickly. Eagerly. He was really hungry. Almost ravenous.

As he swallowed the last hunk of meat, he noticed the way they were watching him, bemused, maybe a little perplexed. 'What?'

'Nothing!' Bram stammered. 'Everything is fine. Everything is good.'

'It's just… well, you reminded me a little of Marci for a moment.' Caewyn said. 'That time with the stone must have really taken its toll.'

'It must have done,' Davion supposed, laying the platter aside. 'I wouldn't say no to seconds though, and maybe some beer, if you have any.'

Auroth cocked her head, then nodded. 'I can spare some more food. You'll need it, to help fuel your new gifts.'

Davion stared at her, puzzled. 'Gifts?'

Auroth raised her eyebrows. 'Didn't I mention this?'

'Mention what?' Bram murmured.

Auroth looked to him, then Davion, then Caewyn and Eserren, then Ymir, who just shrugged and said: 'I don't understand any of this. Please make it simple.'

Auroth ran a hand through her hair. 'All right. Simple it is. Davion, when Slyrak bound himself to you, he injured you, didn't he?'

'He cut my throat.'

'And your blood mingled with his. He was controlling the effects of that, but now that he's left you… well… Davion, you're somewhat wurm-forged now.'

Davion stared at her. 'Like Marci?'

'Yes and no. The process was different for you. You probably won't be as strong as she is, but you will likely be stronger than you were before. You'll probably continue to heal quicker than most humans do too. As for what else you might be able to do…' Auroth leaned forwards, plucking a small book from her robes. 'It's going to be interesting to see what abilities you develop, Davion.'