Chapter 64
Chapter
Sixty-Four
Wraith’s body tensed as he approached the dead dragon king. Shadows swirled and fire burst along his skeleton as he kept his children out of the crypt.
Wraith glanced at the monks. The grand monk’s face glowed red. His bald head shone with sweat. His lips moved, and his eyes remained fixed on the bone dragon.
He’s struggling to control King Alaric. That’s why he hasn’t turned his attention on us. All his attention is on making the bone dragon attack the other dragons.
The grand monk didn’t seem to have noticed Wraith moving. Hopefully he wouldn’t.
The warrior monks held out their swords, their gazes fixed on the undead army. But the undead still did not attack them. Crashes, shouts, and the clanging of metal rang out from the back of the crypt, the undead fighting those who’d come to save Konrad and Wraith.
And right behind him, Umbra had grown to four times her usual size.
She lunged at a dread knight, teeth sinking into decayed flesh.
Konrad swung his sword and yelled as he fought a reanimated corpse.
Lightning crackled and struck. Elias ran up beside Gerard, and they fought side by side against the undead army.
But Wraith had to tune all that out. He needed to focus on King Alaric.
The dead dragon king shot dragonfire at one of the dragons. The dragon roared as it hit their tail.
Wraith took a deep breath and closed his eyes, sensing King Alaric’s spirit.
Wraith’s forehead creased as he concentrated on the bindings.
Wraith could feel King Alaric struggled against the bonds imprisoning him.
But the dead king lacked the ability to break them.
Wraith stretched out his mind, testing the bonds.
They felt like rope, pulled tight, almost to the point of breaking.
It was different from the bindings Wraith had used to create the dread knights. Those had been simple bonds that had been easily created and strengthened because the dread knights had entered willingly into said bond. But this, this was far more complicated.
Bonds ran to the multiple necromancers who’d resurrected King Alaric. And another, different bond connected directly to the grand monk. These bonds all wrapped, tangled, and knotted together, convoluted and confused.
It’s a mess.
Still, Wraith thought he knew how to break it. Or he hoped he could.
He lifted his arms forward, hands open and outstretched towards King Alaric. He breathed steadily. He pictured gripping the ropelike bonds in his sweaty palms. His arms trembled.
“Please let this work,” he whispered.
Then he lifted his head. “Break!” he shouted. And in his mind, he imagined tearing the bindings. He gritted his teeth as he focused with all his might. His skull throbbed. He yelled. He threw his hands apart. Suddenly he felt the bond snap.
The dead dragon king’s head flung back. His bony mouth opened wide. His roar shook the walls. Stones and dirt crumbled.
Shouts and cries sounded all around Wraith. He looked to the grand monk, who stumbled and flailed. Then the man gripped his skull and screamed. Did the breaking bond hurt the grand monk? There was no time to ponder that.
Wraith sprinted forward to the bone dragon. “King Alaric!”
The dragon’s skull swivelled towards him. Balls of orange-and-gold flame flickered where eyes should have been.
Wraith had to force himself not to flee.
“The monks are controlling us through the scrolls we all signed. They are in the East Tower.” Wraith pointed in its direction. “You have to fly there and burn the East Tower down. Otherwise, we are all dead!”
Wraith really hoped burning the scrolls with dragonfire would be enough to release them from the binding blood magic. If not, they were doomed.
Then Wraith remembered what King Alaric cared about the most. “If you do not do this, your children will all die. Your bloodline will be ruined beyond salvation. Draconia will fall.”
The bone dragon turned towards the open window. He clomped forward. King Alaric opened his wings and took flight.
Gods of the beyond. Please let him be successful. And please let this work.
As a bone dragon, King Alaric would have more awareness and ability to encode new details than as a ghost. He shouldn’t get confused. He should be able to follow Wraith’s instructions. At least Wraith hoped that to be true.
The bone dragon flew, dodging past his children. One of them shot dragonfire after him but missed. Then two dragons flew off in pursuit of King Alaric.
Konrad ran towards the window. “Leon, Senta, stop! He’s on our side now!” But Leon and Senta could not hear him and flew off to attack their father.
Wraith really hoped Leon and Senta failed to stop King Alaric. Their lives depended completely on the dead dragon king.
The other dragons flew in through the window and landed. Wraith and Konrad ran backwards, making space for them. Although the front of the crypt was tall and wide enough to fit a dragon, fitting this number of dragons was another matter.
Konrad shouted at his dragon siblings, “Do not attack the monks! If you do, you will immediately die! Leave all the monks alone!”
Then Konrad’s eyes lit up as if a sudden realisation hit him. “Actually, go help our fath— Go help the bone dragon!” He waved his arms to the window. “All of you. Now! Quickly. Get away from here!”
But it was too late.
“Kneel before me,” the grand monk yelled.
No one obeyed.
“I said kneel!” the grand monk shouted.
Wraith screamed as agony scorched his blood. Konrad gripped his head. The dragons roared. Cries of pain filled the crypt. Wraith and Konrad dropped to their knees.
So did everyone else, including the dragons. Everyone except the monks and the reanimated. Had everyone here really signed a contract with the monks?
Umbra barked as she circled Wraith. “What is wrong? What is happening? Why are you in pain?” Then her eyes fixed on the monks. She growled and sprinted towards them.
“No! No! Do not attack the monks!” Wraith shouted, pouring his will into his words to make it an order.
She stopped immediately, unable to disobey him. Whilst Umbra had not signed anything, Wraith had. She was not in pain, but she was still an extension of him, so he did not know how attacking the monks would affect Umbra or himself.
Ears flattened and tail hanging, Umbra returned to him. She pressed her body against Wraith’s. She whined.
“You stole my bone dragon from me!” the grand monk yelled.
And for the first time that day, he seemed actually angry. He stormed forward until he loomed over Wraith. “No matter. I will create a new one with your husband.” He looked at the warrior monks. “Drag King Konrad back to the altar. Let’s kill him quick.”
Two warrior monks grabbed Konrad. He yelled and thrashed as he tried to break free of their grips. They dragged him onto the stone.
“No!” Wraith shouted. He tried to stand, but the pain returned, tearing through his skull and body. Umbra whimpered and rubbed against him.
“Grand Shield, end his life. Quickly now. My patience has greatly diminished.” The grand monk marched to the side of the altar. He stepped over the high priestess’s torso, not even glancing at her bloodied form.
Then he looked at the necromancers still alive. “Get ready to bring him back as a bone dragon,” the grand monk snapped.
The grand shield lifted her sword above Konrad. Umbra barked, but Wraith’s orders kept her bound and unable to attack.
“No! No! No!” Wraith shook his head. “You can’t.” He forced himself to stand.
Immediately the pain returned, but he kept his feet under him. Gritting his teeth, Wraith took a step. His vision blurred. He choked. Agony like knives jabbed into his skull. He tasted blood. With a gasp, he collapsed onto the stone floor, breathing heavily.
Then, from the corner of Wraith’s eye, he saw orange and gold. He turned his head.
The East Tower blazed. Flames lapped up at the sides of the building. Smoke bellowed into the sky.
King Alaric had done it. He’d set fire to the tower. But will it be enough? Will it set us free?
Clara cried out. She ran to the window. “The East Tower is on fire!”
King Alaric circled the tower, spewing more and more dragonfire. Leon and Senta followed him. They shot dragonfire at the dead dragon king. But it just passed through him and hit the East Tower, adding to the flames.
Monks ran to the window. The grand shield lowered her sword, eyes wide and mouth open.
“What? How?” The grand monk took four steps away from the altar and towards the window.
But the two warrior monks holding Konrad down remained in place.
Slowly, Wraith rose, testing the control of the grand monk.
There was no pain. He stepped forward. Still no pain. The monks continued looking out the window, captivated by the sight of the blazing tower.
Wraith crept forward, as quietly as he could. He picked up his aunt’s fallen dagger. The monks holding down Konrad were too focused on looking out the window to notice him.
“Umbra,” he whispered. “Attack now. Distract the grand monk. Approach him from the opposite direction to me.”
She winked out of sight. Two seconds later, she reappeared on the other side of the grand monk. She lunged at him and bit the hem of the grand monk’s beige robes. She growled, and she tugged and pulled.
The grand monk let out a startled cry. He grabbed his robes, trying to pull them free. “Get off me, you beast!”
Konrad thrashed on the stone altar, trying to get free. The warrior monks struggled to hold him down.
Sweat pebbling on his skin, Wraith sprinted forward. If the scrolls had been destroyed and he was free, then he should be able to do this. But if he wasn’t free, then he was about to die a painful and horrible death.
Wraith lifted the dagger. With a cry, he plunged it into the grand monk’s spine, right at the base of his neck.
The grand monk made a garbled hacking sound. He lurched forward. His hand reached back for the dagger. His fingers scrabbled at the hilt, finding no purchase. Blood dripped and soaked his beige robes.
He took three unsteady steps, then fell forward, landing flat on his face.
Wraith exhaled. He’d done it. He’d killed the grand monk!
And Wraith was still alive! He let out a laugh.
It worked! Burning the scrolls set us free!
Then Wraith realised the monks who’d run to the window had turned. They stared at him as he stood over their dead grand monk.