The Rider’s Legacy: Chapter 6

The man held Nero aloft, his fingers digging into his head. Nero fought against him, swinging with his claws but it was like hitting a wall of metal. Growling he turned to look over his shoulder at the man and suddenly he was being shoved into the ground face first. He started to get up then felt a boot in his back pinning him down. He started to push back and get up but the boot came down again forcing him to be still.

“Nero!” Lily glared pointing her staff. “Get off of him or I swear you won’t be doing much more walking.”

The sky had darkened around them considerably, down to the point where they could barely see much outside of the plaza near them. The glowing eyes of the nil were a constant reminder that they were slowly but surely getting surrounded.

The man standing on Nero was wrapped in the same inky oil that the nil were made of. But where they were made of it, he seemed to just be wearing it. The material of his shirt, his pants, boots, and the metal of the sparse armor on his body.

He had a metal mask that covered the lower half of his jaw that seemed to be connected to his skin. He wasn’t much taller than Nero and what little of his brown face they could see was heavily scared. Cuts, burns, and punctures. He had pale black hair with green tints that were splotchy around his face.

He looked at Lily raising his eyebrow vaguely aware of the still struggling Nero beneath his boot, “You. Lily Senka. Or I guess it’s Niess now. An impressive woman for the reputation that you hold. Impressing even myself.”

“Funny because I don’t even know who you are. Now get off my husband. Now.”

He shook his head slowly bending down and grabbing Nero by the hair jerking his head back. “I can’t do that. You see his reputation exceeds even yours. The hero of the nil wars. Bonded dragon rider. Well formerly.”

Nero snarled, a wave of magic wafting off him like heat, and both of his eyes bled into yellow. The man slammed Nero’s face back down into the dirt keeping it there. “Settle down draco hybrid. I don’t need you transforming and causing more trouble than you’re worth.”

Lily swung her staff like a scythe and a crescent of wind slashed across the man’s chest. It cut deep into his chest armor but didn’t do much to force him off of Nero. The man looked at Lily then shook his head. The gash in his armor repaired itself instantly and suddenly one of their guards cried out. They looked at him and saw the deep wound in his chest, identical to the one that he’d just received. “I wouldn’t recommend doing that again.”

The guards saw to their wounded guardsman and Lily swore, “Son of a bitch.”

Susan threw her hand out in front of Lily and glanced at her and then the man, “What do you want?”

“The Sword of Ten Souls.” The guards were unfamiliar with the weapon but Lily and Susan exchanged glances fighting the urge to say more. But the man was looking at the two of them, watching closely. Their reaction wasn’t missed on him. “I know you are familiar with the blade. After all you fought side by side with it.”

“If you know so much about it then you know that the weapon was lost,” Susan told him. “Lost in the last battle in the war.”

He was already shaking his head, “You’re lying. I know you are. The sword was lost yes. But it was found again. By you all. And hidden even from the other kingdoms. Isn’t that right Nero?” he asked looking down at him. Lily’s jaw tightened as Susan stared at him confused. “Though it makes me wonder. Did they know?”

“The sword was broken,” Susan said. “I saw it break.”

But Lily glared, biting her lip, “We can’t give you the sword. It’s too powerful. No one should wield it anymore.”

“That is precisely why I seek it,” he said simply. “I gave you the chance to be honest. I did not expect much and yet I am still disappointed.” He looked down at Nero. “No matter. I have what I’m here for.”

“What?” Lily mumbled and then she put two and two together. She spun her staff around and pushed it against the ground. “No.”

A tiny tornado manifested under her feet and she lunged at him. He raised his hand and caught the tip of the staff. She was suspended in the air and she leaned forward sending a gust of wind to blow him away but he wouldn’t budge. He raised his eyes to look at her and she was tackled out of the air by a nil.

She locked her staff in its jaws keeping it at bay. A gust of wind blew into it and sent it flying into a tree. Spinning back to her feet she pointed with the staff, rotating it quickly creating a tornado. It focused on the man and Nero sucking them toward her. The man got to his feet slowly, digging his feet into the ground as he slid forward.

He raised his hand, both of them glowing black. Before he could fire off whatever spell he was channeling Susan closed the distance in front of him. She brought down the two glass swords digging them into his wrist. He growled turning his gaze toward her. The wind rushed to her side, surrounding her in a sphere as something struck the front of the sphere. It was like mirrored black versions of the swords in her hands.

He grimaced behind the mask and raised his arms the black energy latching onto the sphere. Susan looked back and forth and suddenly she was flying straight into Lily. Letting the tornado drop she caught her friend as best she could and they both collapsed onto the ground.

The nil were on the attack, swarming them again. The trio of remaining guards formed a triangle behind them, keeping them at bay with energy shields and spears. The man looked back toward Nero and suddenly a glowing scaled fist slammed into his face launching him into the sky.

Climbing to his feet, Nero let the scales cover his body entirely. Wings exploded out of his back and he flapped them flying straight into the man swinging with his claws. The man blocked them best he could while under the pressure of the spellcaster.

“I don’t know what you’re planning to do but I’m not letting you get your hands on the sword,” Nero growled lunging with his claws again.

The man caught the swing and matched Nero’s orange eyes with his own, “You won’t have much of a choice Nero.” He started to say more when an explosion echoed. Both turned to look at the castle. And then watched a black beam descend from the sky and engulf the structure.

Nero’s eyes went wide and that was when the man’s hand lunged and dug into his skull. The man’s claws dug into Nero’s head and the pain was excruciating at first and then he heard it. The screams of Dawn, Sefirin, and Silva. Heard their pain so real that it tore his heart to pieces. His roar echoed their pain and he jerked feeling the black magic latch onto his chest.

He looked at the magic and felt it race across his body like being covered in oil. It grew harder and harder to fight back against it like limbs slowing down. Nero opened his mouth and unleashed a torrent of white fire as a last ditch effort. The flames turned black and dissipated leaving the man no worse for wear.

He slammed his head against Nero’s and watched as the rest of the black magic covered his body. “I will have the sword Nero. And you will help me find it.”

Throwing a hand into the air, black enveloped the two of them and Nero did his best to fight against it. But his eyes were frozen, wide open as he stared at the castle still engulfed in the black magic. He thought back to Lily and then his mind emptied.

Lily shoved a nil away, spearing it through the chest with her staff. She looked at the sky and her heart skipped several beats. “Nero!”

“Go!” Susan shouted. “We’ve got this for now!”

Lily conjured the tornado under her feet and shot into the sky. She spun her staff around quickly commanding the wind to make her fly faster. But she watched the two men in the air slowly disappear. She reached out for Nero, watched his scales turn black, and then disappear one by one. When she finally arrived her hand just touched the empty air and he was gone.

She looked back and forth frantically, searching for them. She spun around in the air and looked at the castle. Her eyes widened seeing the magic engulf the castle and almost fell from the sky. She felt dizzy and clasped her hand over her other.

She touched the ring around her finger and shut her eyes tightly. She felt for them, the magic that bound them together. But she couldn’t feel Nero. She couldn’t feel Dawn. She couldn’t feel either of her children. She only felt the wind on her face. She almost fell from the sky as her concentration lapsed.

She came close to the ground before her magic caught her. She landed on the ground weekly, collapsing down to her knees. She could barely hear the nil and the end of the fighting around her. She loosely heard Susan saying her name and it wasn’t until she gripped her shoulders that she came back to herself.

“Lils! Come on girl! Snap out of it!”

She focused on Susan getting her breathing under control. But she looked at her friend and shook her head, “They’re gone. Nero. Dawn. Sefirin. Silva. They’re gone.”

Susan swallowed slowly but shook her head, “Nero’s gone. But we don’t know if Dawn or the kids are gone.”

“I can’t feel them Suzy!”

“Don’t you give up that easy,” Susan said sharply and dragged her to her feet. “Don’t you give up until you know for certain. Madeline, Alastor, and everyone else are there. There’s no way they didn’t have some kind of plan. We need to hurry back to the castle. Do what we can.”

Lily looked at her and her words rang true. Her words made sense and she nodded quickly. She rubbed her eyes and turned to look back toward the sky, “Nero.” She said softly.

“We’ll figure out what happened to Nero,” Susan said gently. “But right now, the castle needs us. Once we’re all together again we can figure out what to do next.”

“Right. Right.” Getting a more serious face on she nodded and looked at their guards. Lily went to them and helped the man that had taken her directed spell. He grunted but the wind went under his feet floating him off the ground, taking the strain off him.

“Come on everyone. The nil are gone. Our friend’s been kidnapped. We’re going back to the castle,” Susan told them. “Let’s get there as fast as we can.”

Fearful urgency drove them quickly, the darkness lifting with each step they took. When they finally arrived at the edge of the castle the darkness of the eclipse had fully disappeared. But in its place, the castle was covered in damage. Spires broken, walls destroyed, the gate blown open, and part of the roof had collapsed.

“What has happened while we were gone?” one of their guards asked her spear discarded.

“Our home was attacked just like we were,” Susan said walking forward slowly. “But it’s still standing. We have to find survivors. Something. Anything.”

They approached the castle, stepping over the broken-down gate. The foyer of the castle was in shambles, debris everywhere, and bodies strewn about with them. Nil coupled with guards and some of the staff that couldn’t escape in time. Lily looked back and forth seeing faces that she’d joked and eaten with.

“Ma’am,” she looked at the guard that she had been helping and he shut his. “I know that you are concerned with the wellbeing of your wife and children. We can make it to the safe zone. Go find them.”

“Are you sure?” Lily asked.

“I have a husband and son. He’s in Izarious and I can imagine what you’re feeling now. Go.”

Lily stared at him and nodded quickly, “Thank you. Suzy?”

“Right behind you Lils.”

They went to the stairs going straight toward one of the closer safe zones. As they climbed the stairs Lily touched her ring and tried to sense Dawn but came back with nothing. Like a fog was in her mind and that only made her heart race more.

They got to the top of the stairs on the second floor. The destruction was rampant here but more concentrated. The safe zones in the castle were rooms hidden, partially through illusion magic and partially through their construction.

“Are you sure the safe zone is over here?” Susan asked. “I don’t remember it being here.”

“It’s not one of the traditional ones,” Lily said. “Sefirin found it when he was playing hide and seek. Scared the hell out of us.”

Lily slowed and pressed her hands together slowly. She moved them slowly and began bringing the illusion down. Slowly a door against the far wall manifested, untouched by the destruction. She walked to the door and her hand hesitated over the handle. Closing her eyes, she pulled it open.

She was greeted by seven floating orbs of light all aimed at her. She recoiled covering her face, a barrier of wind manifesting. But the light faded and she heard the barely whispered, “Luza?”

“Dawn? Please tell me you’re okay?” Lily said taking a step forward.

The lights died down and first came a blur of movement running right at her legs. “Mommy!” Lily stumbled backward feeling Sefirin grab a hold of her. Her eyes went wide and she crouched down picking up her son holding him tightly. She held him tightly looking him over. He was a little scuffed up but otherwise fine. One of the weights on her heart finally lifted.

“Mommy!”

She raised her head and watched as Dawn came forward, her face dirty and clothes ripped but in her arms was Silva, reaching both of her hands toward her. Lily reached out immediately toward them both and pulled them into the tightest hug that she had ever given. She felt Dawn’s arms around her waist and felt Silva pressed against her face.

“You’re okay. You’re not dead. Thank God,” Lily mumbled trying to fight her tears.

Dawn shook her head the yellow of her eyes bleeding away to pink as she kissed her hard and then held onto her, “I was so worried luza. So scared.”

They separated and Dawn looked around them and then finally back to Lily. There was an unasked question and when Lily met her eyes and then she couldn’t answer it. She shut her eyes tightly and felt Dawn press her hand against her cheek. She pulled her closer and Lily tried to find the words. And then Silva asked, “Where daddy?”

And that broke her. She let her tears fall as her head fell low. Her legs gave way and she sank to her knee. She could feel the arms of her daughter, her son, and her wife and she held onto them as tight as she possibly could because she couldn’t afford to lose them too. Not again.