An angel’s road to hell

63. Of rescues, returns and a little bit of cooks

Viyara Nameless

In the growing darkness of the approaching night an angel descended form above. Stunned into silence we looked up, the only sound the soft thump with which the decapitated pirate fell to the ground. Bright torrents of energy swirled through the air and slithered over the deck, heading straight for my binds but no one cared. Halfway along the mast, maybe 10 meters above us Cassandra stood in the air, her beautiful face drawn into tight lines and a threatening shine flickered from her eyes while she studied the scene below her. Her wings spread out behind her, filling the deck with fleeing shadows and her tails framed her figure like a halo of molten silver. Dried blood, nearly black in the dwindling light, covered her body and her shirt was torn to shreds. Alabaster skin shimmered in the darkness, the colourful tattoo on her chest clearly visible. Palpable waves of anger rolled off of her and the brigands took an involuntary step back, cowering slightly. I smelled their fear, an acidic taste like lemons, and heard suppressed whispers all around me: “who…what?”

I had hope again, for the third time on the same day she had come for me. First she had brought me back from near death, than she had fought a battle in my name and now she was here. A warm sensation flowed through my limbs, it reminded me of the times my father had picked me up when I had fallen and had told me it was going to be okay. When the light from her eyes travelled over my prone body, despite the mumbling pirates and the chains, I felt safe, protected.

One of her wings touched my tail and the spark of power she had given me ignited. Heat raced along my veins and a suppressing feeling I hadn’t even known was there vanished when the runes on my binds lost their lustre. Cassandra’s voice sounded in my mind:

“I have weakened the chains but I can’t do anything about the two harpoons, for now they have to stay, I’m sorry. In a moment they’ll remember their weapons, as soon as they move you have to fly. Break your chains and fly as fast as you can, I’ll be close behind. Is there any way for us to get into your fathers hoard and seal it, at least temporarily?” I wanted to thank her and tell her how much it meant to me that she was willing to go this far for practically a stranger but I didn’t.

“Yes, the main entrance is a huge cave in the crater wall below us but it’s barred. There are several smaller ones scattered all over the island. The enchantments will allow me to pass and bring you along. The closest one is just on the other side of the crater, near one of the emerald springs.”

“Good, I want you to head there directly. Don’t wait, don’t turn around!” Her wing squeezed my tail and slithered off. As if it had been a sign, the smelly pirate who had praised their good fortune before, shouted:

“What are ya’ll waiting for? Shoot the darn missy. If ya get’ er with a sleepy time potion, ah’ll pay ya double! Jerry, Signal the other ships, ya big oaf!” The scraping of metal was accompanied by “aye!”s and the rustling of cloth while Cassandra’s clear voice rang out: “So, you’re the second in command?” Without further warning silvery blue spears of light pierced through his body. He fell silently, his skin shrivelling up along his skull before a withered corpse hit the planks. All hell broke loose.

Crossbows sang and several javelins sailed through the air while a howl of outrage burst from the assembled humans. Cassandra’s wings flared brightly once more and she appeared to fold in on herself, vanishing in a shower of silvery sparks. I didn’t wait for her to reappear, instead I pushed against the metal surrounding me with everything I had. Surprisingly it came apart in a thrice, as if it had become brittle, my vigorous shove catapulting shards of broken steel through the air. Several screams and the heavy scent of blood rewarded my effort. Shouts of: “it’s free,” and “get the snake, get her,” rang out all around me. I inhaled deeply and used my breath to clear the deck in front of me. Unfortunately every pirate in range had been quick enough on their feet and I had only managed to singe a couple of trouser and boots but small fires were starting to eat away at the blackened wood along my line of sight.

I slithered across the deck, opening my ruff and spreading more flames along my way for good measure. Several sharp stings peppered my back, a couple of crossbows had been fired my way but none of the bolts managed to pierce my scales. I didn’t turn around and flung myself off the ship and into the night. My ruff caught the wind and my sinewy body aligned with the airstreams perfectly to carry me away from the ship and higher into the sky. I picked up speed, the harpoons still nestled in my side made me clumsy but I was still a dragon in the air. I was tempted to turn around and bombard the ships, a burning heap of embers wouldn’t stay in the air for long, but I wasn’t going to disobey Cassandra. Not after everything she had done for me. My tail whipped through the air and I corrected my course, heading directly for the overgrown cave, I knew I’d find on the other side of the crater. A thunderous explosion shook the night and a wave of heated air carried me along faster than I could fly by myself.

Whirling, I managed to glance over my shoulder and saw a scene of devastation behind me. The ship with the blood red sails was falling, its side torn apart with the stern missing completely. Fires hungrily gnawed at the splintered wood and everything on deck that wasn’t nailed down started to float and tumble. Cries of terror and despair echoed through the crater but they immediately cut off when the ship crashed through the fumes and hit the sea of magma below. Like a misshaped wicker man the ship burst into flames with its living cargo, reduced to coal dust within a moment. A deafening silence filled the crater and just before I slithered over the edge I saw Casandra appear again in a torrent of light on the opposite side. Her ringing voice reached me loud and clear, even though I was nearly a kilometre away by now. “Fly, you fools!”. The last thing I saw before the crater’s walls barred my view was a barrage of projectiles, hurtling her way from the remaining two ships.

A vein of crystal circled the summit, the four springs, that provided water for the plants further down the slope, glimmered gently with an emerald light. I landed near the closest one, where the waters rushed from its depth and flowed over. A strip of barren rock separated the pond from the lush forest, maybe 30 meters away, the cave I was looking for was beyond the edge. Gingerly I took a snout full of water, the potent magic eased the pain in my side and washed away my weariness but it couldn’t suppress my anxiety. I was still alone. A shiver travelled along my spine and I tasted the air nervously with my tongue. Smoke, blood, fear, rage, damp fur, pines, mushrooms and a myriad of other impressions reached me but I couldn’t get a hint of Cassandra’s smell and I wouldn’t miss it. Only she and Ahri had that particular scent of stardust around them, an electric tingle deep in my throat that somehow felt like I had swallowed a mouthful of light.

The tearing sensation in my side reminded me constantly of the harpoons that still lodged there. I wouldn’t be able to change my form, they would appear in the same spot once I transformed and with how deep they were embedded in my flesh they’d probably kill me outright. I had to get them out, the cave was much too small for my draconic shape. Reluctantly I turned around and submerged myself in the spring, its emerald waters a soothing touch against my scales. Magic, brimming white life, surrounded me and without thinking about the agony that was about to come, I coiled up and used my teeth to rip the first harpoon right out of my hide.

For the fracture of a second I could admire the barb, glistening flesh and steaming blood formed red clumps around the piece of metal and then the pain hit me. Searing waves rolled through my body and made me curl up even more, I had to bite my tongue to not roar loudly. I thrashed around, water spattered everywhere but the healing effects soon washed away the worst of it. Red and golden smears of blood dispersed quickly in the waters and my wound closed without leaving a mark. Before I could even digest what had happened and prepare myself for the next one, agony swallowed me for a second time. Dark and bright spots appeared before my eyes and I might have passed out for a moment. The next thing I remembered was a throbbing ache in my side that quickly disappeared and a drenched kitsune that smiled down on me with a bloody harpoon in her hand. “Better?” Was all she asked. I bobbed my head while I reached for her mentally. The spark in my chest pulsed gently and I heard her thoughts again.

“Up you get, little one. If you’re up to it, we’ll have to move. Questions can come later.”

“These springs are marvellous, I’m as good as new. Give me a moment to change and let me at least thank you for what you’ve done, what you’re still doing.” We didn’t exchange words but thoughts and emotions, it was much easier to convey the complex feelings I tried to communicate with the simple sentence.

“You’re very welcome but we’re not out of the volcano, yet. Take my hand, which way do we go?” A golden light had enveloped me and now I knelt in the middle of the spring, a naked girl with dripping locks of silver and gold. I reached up and grabbed Cassandra’s hand, her slender fingers, almost the same size as mine, hauled me up with surprising strength. “Can you walk or do I have to carry you?”

“I’m fine, really. Come on.” I led her away from the pond and towards the forest. I wanted to ask her about Galathon and what had happened in the crater but I could see her fluffy ears twitch from left to right and her eyes roamed across the sky constantly. I didn’t want to distract her and focused on my footsteps once we had crossed the edge of the forest. Springy soil was covered with all sorts of plants and every few metered a thick trunk rose from the ground. The air smelled fresh and alive, like a wild meadow after a rain shower. When we disappeared beneath the canopy Cassandra relaxed visibly. She squeezed my hand: “how much farther do we have to go?”

“It’s just behind that tree. Follow me.” We hurried around a small hill that rested like a hump against the slope of the volcano. The roots of an ancient oak covered it completely, only a closer look revealed that they actually formed a wooden arch, heavily overgrown with evergreens and weeds. Tiny runes were carved around the base and a single gem rested deep within the jumbled roots, nearly invisible unless a ray of sunlight would hit it by chance. When I approached the jewel lit up and the arch sizzled with energy. Without releasing my hold on Cassandra’s hand I hurried through and pulled her along.

I felt like I had passed through a cold waterfall and my vision swam with different colours for a moment. I blinked and my surroundings had changed. I still clung to Cassandra’s hand but we had entered one of the antechambers of my father’s lair. White marble inlaid with gold formed the floor and ceiling while the walls were decorated with artful pictures designed in enamel. They depicted different scenes from my father’s life, most of them showed how he met one of his wives or the other but quite a few also centred around his battles against other dragons, mainly an ugly Black.

The room was huge, large enough for a fully grown dragon to stand in, at least if he wouldn’t insist on stretching, and two equally immense tunnels led deeper into the lair. Along the walls, between the sheets of enamel, glowing gems formed intricate mosaics, rune formations hidden within and filled the chamber with light. Channels allowed glowing lava to crisscrossed the floor before they vanished into gaping holes along the walls, but the heat remained tolerable. I wouldn’t have minded overly much either way but I knew my father had worked quite hard on the enchantments that kept the temperatures pleasant throughout the lair and absorbed the radiant energy of the lava channels. Most of the magic throughout the layer was dependent on the power gathered that way.

Cassandra took a step forward, her eyes wide in amazement and as if on cue a hoarse, somewhat slurred voice reached us from the depth of one of the tunnels.

“Lady Viyara? For the love of the scaled wyrm, supersized lizards and their architecture. I’ll be there in a moment… ooff, an outsider?!” Heavy footsteps had accompanied his words, interrupted by heavy panting. With his last exclamation Barzuk hobbled to a stop, his bulking form swaying from left to right in the tunnel mouth, a good 50 meters away from us. He was huge, for a humanoid. Green skin was drawn tight over rippling muscles. He stood at an impressive 2.5 meters with trunk like arms that nearly reached the ground. Black bristles covered most of his body and a loin cloth was the only garment he had ever deemed necessary. His head seemed to grow directly from his massive chest, an additional bunch of muscles the only thing that resembled a neck even remotely. Long black hair was bound into a pony tail that hung across his shoulder and his pointy ears were pierced through with golden bones. His face was broad with a pig like nose and narrow lips. Two fangs jutted from his jaw and set his features into a permanent scowl. His beady eyes were a bright red without whites or pupils and added to his menacing appearance even though they were a little hazy at the moment.

A jewel crusted crown sat lopsided on his head, heavy gold chains were slung around his torso, a crystalline dagger was stuffed into his loin cloth and he clutched a nearly empty crystalline decanter to his chest, the smell of liquor reached us even across the distance. His other hand remained hidden behind his back. A little drool dripped from the corner of his mouth and he stared at us wide eyed. He hiccoughed and slowly narrowed his eyes.

“One of them intruders! Don’t fret milady, I’ll free us of the vermin!”

With more coordination than I would have thought him capable of in his current state Barzuk’s hand shot forth from behind his back and he threw a massive cleaver across the room. Before it could land he smashed the decanter against a wall, the bitter scent of whiskey became nearly unbearable and flung himself at Cassandra with a gleeful shout. His crown swayed dangerously on his head and even though his eyes were glazed over, he thundered towards her with a loping grace that didn’t appear even the tiniest bit clumsy.

She didn’t bother with dodging. Her wings manifested and she picked the projectile from the air before she tripped him. Four of her wings gripped one of Barzuk’s legs tightly and she pulled. With a resounding crash his snout hit the marble and he slithered along for quite a distance, luckily he didn’t fall into one of the lava channels. Orcs were resistant to heat but if he passed through the seal of enchantments he’d burn like a match.

“Oh my, what an exuberant reception,” Cassandra chuckled. “Let me guess, he’s the cook?” I could only nod in silence.