Moving out of the darkness and into the fading light came demons holding weapons of wood and iron, smoking and glowing. It took two demons to carry the barrel-like portion and another two to carry a smoking pot attached via a length of articulated wood and steel hose. Truly this enemy was evolving quickly, and Sinjin had no idea how to defend against such things. Seeing the barrel belch fire and blackness made his courage flee. Already flames threatened to claim the trees and the grasses smoldered. This alone raised Sinjin's anger, and his fury was perhaps the only thing that could conquer his fear and guilt. That these abominations would destroy a thing of such beauty was what allowed him to know that he was right, that his rage could be righteous and holy.
Watching his father cast out his energy to shield those in the line of fire gave Sinjin great pride, and he wanted nothing more than to be by his father's side, but there was still distance between them, and as the light mingled with darkness, more demons came-these like a knife between father and son. Sinjin could almost hear Brother Vaughn shouting for him to come back, and he could barely hear Trinda crying out his name, but he could not simply turn around when at a full run. It took time for him to slow himself from his fastest sprint to a speed where he could execute his turn, and by the time he did, the flames had grown far too close. He could see the eyes of the demons that wanted him dead, yet when they had him in their firing line, the flames did not come. Sinjin had expected to be engulfed in a conflagration, and instead something large and black flew at his head. Ducking, he felt only the slightest bump as something heavy but soft whizzed past.
A flash of light and fire ripped through the line of demons, and Sinjin saw his father for a moment. The look on his face terrified Sinjin, and he never wanted to see such a look again. Such pain, anguish, and desperation should be inflicted on no one. There was no more time for thought as a melon-sized fist landed on Sinjin's jaw, tossing him backward. Trinda's voice took on a shrill note. The demon grabbed him by his ankle and started pulling him back to their lines.
"No," Sinjin heard a high-pitched but firm voice say. Part of him knew it was Trinda, but she sounded different. She didn't sound afraid; she sounded angry. Sinjin's head continued to bounce along on the soft grass. "I said no!"
Trinda's command froze the battle as quickly as if the entire cavern had suddenly been filled with ice. Sinjin willed his body to move, but it seemed to care more about what Trinda wanted than what he wanted. When Trinda turned her gaze to him, he found he could move again and crawled free of the demon's grip. When he saw the demon, frozen in place, he landed a kick square on its rear and sent it toppling forward. Looking back to Trinda, he froze again. In her hands was Brother Vaughn's herald globe; it shone like the brightest comet, and Trinda's eyes were wide, her face locked in a look of shock. When she made a popping sound with her lips, Sinjin knew what was coming, and he stepped forward to catch her.
"I don't have any more," she said, and she handed Sinjin the blazing herald globe before collapsing into his arms. A moment later the demons stirred, and Sinjin took the chance to look for his father, but he couldn't find him. Then he saw Strom crouching over a body, and his heart leaped. In the next instant, he was running with Trinda over his shoulder.
Chapter 18
In the most critical of times, decisions made in an instant can affect the rest of history. To experience such power is my greatest hope and deepest fear. If it comes to pass, I pray I choose wisely.
Even clutched in Kyrien's claw, Catrin could see the demons below on their inexorable climb toward the top of the hollow mountain. The holes in the side of this mountain were larger, and it was apparent that these were not man-made halls. There were no decorated arches, straight lines, or right angles. The way this mountain had been hollowed out spoke of claws and jaws doing the work, and Catrin shivered at the thought of jaws powerful enough to crush stone and claws sharp enough to part granite. Kyrien's firm but gentle grip on Catrin was a marvel. Surely he could crush her without even exerting himself. She knew she was safe in his grasp, but the fact made her feel small and powerless.
I cannot make the decision. I simply cannot. You saved my life!
Catrin was unsure what he meant, but he either did not hear her or chose not to respond to her questions. It seemed he was so overwhelmed by his inner conflict that Catrin had almost ceased to exist. This would have been all right if his anxiety were not causing him to tighten his grip on Catrin a little bit more with each passing moment. As Catrin's mental shouts became screams, he realized what was happening and relaxed his grip. In his effort to let her breathe, the startled dragon overcompensated and loosened his grip too much.
In a gust of wind and the blink of an eye, Catrin went from catching her breath in Kyrien's claws to free-falling. She'd have screamed if there had been enough air in her lungs, but it was all she could do to breathe. Kyrien caught her before she took her next breath, and the impact took what air she had. It was thus that she found herself suddenly thrust into the uppermost hall, barely able to breathe and completely unprepared to face an enormous and unfriendly dragon.
I'm sorry. I could not choose. Now you must. I'm so sorry.
Kyrien wept in her mind, and Catrin reeled at the possibilities, trying to understand what he meant.
Coward! came a new voice in Catrin's mind, and it pounded until she thought her head would crack open. Traitor! Failure!
The words came from what Catrin now knew was the queen of the regents-the only queen of the regents. How she knew this, Catrin was unsure, but she knew it like she knew the sun would shine. Still she had no idea what choice she had to make. She knew it was important, but she didn't know why, and she had no idea what to do about it. Standing in front of the largest regent dragon she'd ever seen, Catrin desperately tried to catch her breath. The dragon looked down on her with a clear lack of patience, but Catrin had no choice but to take time to compose herself.
Cowed by the queen's words to Kyrien, Catrin quavered and wondered what he had done to deserve such an indictment. He'd fought so hard to save Catrin. How could the queen talk to him in that way? The more she thought about it, the angrier Catrin became. Soon she snarled at the regent queen, power flowing through her.
Moving like a giant snake, the queen made an aggressive move that brought her closer to Catrin. The huge regent looked down her snout at Catrin, poised and ready to snatch her up in her jaws.
I should just kill you myself. I should do what Kyrien failed to do.
Given the greeting she'd received, Catrin was not surprised by the communication. "Then perhaps I should kill you now and finish off what the demons are taking so long to do."
Catrin could almost feel the dragon laughing, but there was no humor in that laughter, only derision and something Catrin sensed beneath it, something she was shocked to find: fear. This magnificent and powerful dragon, queen of her kind, was just as afraid of Catrin as the human was of the dragon. It was difficult to believe, but she reminded herself that she was perhaps the most powerful person in all of Godsland, and perhaps this queen of dragons had good reason for fear.