Lepkin sat on the edge of his bed. His elbows rested on his knees and his hands, curled into fists, propped up his forehead. He rocked slowly back and forth as the rage swirled through him. He knew he had to calm down. He had duties to attend too, but he couldn’t force his mind to shut away the temptation of revenge. Orres’ journal lay at his side, open to a specific page.

Someone knocked at his door. He didn’t answer. The door opened slowly and Lady Dimwater leaned in through the opening. She smiled at him and slipped the rest of the way inside the room. She waited for a moment, to see if Lepkin would ask her to leave, but when he said nothing she closed the door behind her and came to sit next to him.

“We haven’t had a chance to talk yet,” she said. “I have been so tired the last few days, and you were not well either.” She reached up and gently pulled the collar of Lepkin’s shirt out, affording a view of the wound. “How is your chest?”

“It is but a scar now,” Lepkin replied. “The healers have worked wonders. It won’t be long before I have regained all of my strength, I am sure.” Lepkin sighed and arched an eyebrow. “Then I am going to deal with Orres.”

“That’s what I wanted to talk about,” Lady Dimwater said. “He isn’t the traitor, it was Janik. Janik manipulated all of us.” Lepkin shook his head, but Dimwater put her hand to Lepkin’s mouth and continued. “Janik is the traitor, Orres is not.”

“No,” Lepkin corrected her. He grabbed the journal and laid it in her lap. “It was Orres who has betrayed us. Read this page.” Lepkin pointed to the page on the left and Dimwater silently read. Lepkin watched her eyes go wide, and then well with tears. Her bottom lip quivered. She closed the book and handed it back as she looked away.

“This is his journal?” she asked.

“Marlin helped me unlock the magic that sealed the words away, and Erik verified that Marlin did not tamper with it. I know from reading the journal that Orres sought only to protect Nagar’s Secret, and so in a way he has not betrayed us. But, the passage I just showed you…” Lepkin’s words caught in his throat.

Lady Dimwater rose to her feet and walked to the middle of the room. She rubbed her arms as she walked with her head hung low. “What will you do?”

“I will challenge him,” Lepkin said.

“What of your current duties? You can not abandon them.” Dimwater kept her back to Lepkin so he could not see her face, or the tears that fell.

“I will pick up Erik on my way to Kuldiga Academy. After I have dealt with Orres, I will resume Erik’s training.”

“And what of us?” Dimwater asked.

Lepkin sighed heavily. “After I have dealt with Orres, I will ask your hand.” Lepkin heard Dimwater sob. She turned and put a hand to her mouth and shook her head. “I know we have lost much time already, but if you would accept me-”

“Don’t be a fool, Lepkin,” Dimwater said in a cracky voice. “What else have I ever wanted?”

Lepkin nodded. A slight smile came over his face. “Marlin offered to officiate for us,” he said.

Dimwater laughed and came to sit next to Lepkin again. She snuggled in close to him and laid her head on his shoulder as she brought her legs up under herself on the bed. “I don’t imagine that the other members of the order would like that very much, considering they think I defile their temple and all.”

“Well, you are the daughter of a Shadowfiend, you know,” Lepkin said.

“What a pair we make,” Dimwater said with a smile. “You are half dragon and I am half demon.”

The two of them laughed for quite a while. They let the morning slip away from them as they enjoyed each other’s company. They ignored the bells for breakfast, and would have ignored lunch as well, if not for Marlin coming to Lepkin’s room to get them.

Marlin looked at them both with sad eyes and a long, hanging frown on his face. His eyebrows were set in closer to his nose than normal, and he walked stiffly into the room. Lepkin thought at first that maybe Marlin was worried about the two of them in a room alone within the temple, but he realized very quickly that something else weighed on the new prelate’s mind.

“What is it?” Lepkin asked. Dimwater pulled herself away from Lepkin and let her feet find the floor again. The two of them waited silently for Marlin’s answer.

“Today, a red star rose in the east along with the sun,” Marlin said. Lepkin knew the sign to be an ill omen. “I saw a pair of visions as I meditated upon the meaning of the star. The first showed Erik slain at the hands of a crippled man. The man had a lame leg and a bent left hand.”

“Janik,” Dimwater gasped.

“What else did you see?” Lepkin asked.

“I saw death riding upon a dark cloud. I saw this temple and all people in it, burned to ash.” Marlin drew his lips tight and frowned deeper. “The dark cloud of the vision flew away, carrying Nagar’s Secret within it. A great darkness fell upon the land and the sun no longer gave its light to our world.”

“I have to go to Erik,” Lady Dimwater said. “Perhaps I can help him.”

“Wait for the other vision,” Lepkin said, placing his right hand on Dimwater’s knee. She nodded and the two looked back to Marlin.

“The other vision showed Erik alive. I saw the dwarf with him, though he looked old and gray. The two of them safely returned to Lokton Manor.” A tear slid down Marlin’s face. “The rest of the vision was the same as the first. I am afraid that death rides toward us this very hour.”

“Then we have no time to spare,” Lepkin said. “We must protect the book.”

*****

Erik brought Goliath to the front of the manor. Al limply hung over the saddle, with Erik’s hand keeping him aright on the horse. As soon as the two stopped a pair of guards rushed out from the entryway, armed with halberds and fully dressed in armor. Erik could not see their faces, for their helmets covered them. He let his sword hand slide down to the hilt of his sword and he called upon his power to discern the intent of the two men. After Janik’s betrayal, Erik was not going to take any chances. He was relieved when his power confirmed that the two men intended only to help him.

“Master Erik,” one of them called out. “We are glad you are alive. What news from the battlefield?”

Erik shook his head. “I was unable to reach the battlefield,” he replied. “We were ambushed in the forest. If not for my friend, I would have died.” Erik motioned toward Al with a nod of his head. The two guards bowed their heads and lifted their visors to get a better look at the dwarf.

“Is he hurt?” one of them asked.

“He needs only rest,” Erik answered. “Please, be gentle with him, he is one of my truest friends.”

The guards slapped a fist to their chests in salute and gently pulled the dwarf from the saddle. “He’s heavier than he looks,” the second guard grunted.

“He is a dwarf,” the first guard replied. “He is hewn from the stone of the mountains, like the rest of his folk.” Erik smiled and followed them into the manor. Goliath pawed at the ground and gave a snort. Erik turned back to look at his horse.

“I will send one of the others to take care of your horse, Master Erik,” the second guard said.

Erik nodded and continued after them. The inside of the manor was cool. The morning breeze still lingered in the halls. Normally that would have been a comfort to Erik, but today it only accentuated the silence of the manor. Most of the people were gone, on the battlefield. Those who remained broke their silence only if necessary to complete their duties.

Erik followed the guards to a guest chamber and watched as they removed Al’s armor and set it on a chair next to a grand, plush bed covered with ornate pillows. They inspected Al, probably looking to make sure there were no physical wounds on the dwarf, and then laid a blanket over him.

“I will inform Braun that you are here, Master Erik,” the first guard said. “Hotak here,” the first guard pointed to the second guard, “will stand watch outside the door. If you need anything, anything at all, you just shout his name.”

“Thank you,” Erik said with a nod of thanks to both of them. “I could use a messenger falcon,” Erik said. “I have urgent need to send word to Master Lepkin.”

“As you command,” the first guard said, clapping his fist to his chest. They left quickly and Erik sat in his chair, looking at Al. He was only alone for a short while though, before Braun burst through the door.

Erik smiled at the sight of his father’s most trusted man-at-arms. “Hello, Braun,” Erik greeted.

“Gods be praised, I am happy to see you alive and well, Master Erik,” Braun said with a great smile.

“Why are you not with my father?” Erik asked.

Braun frowned bitterly. “Your father gave me strict instructions to stay behind, with Lady Lokton. He said if I let a hair of her head fall to the ground without chopping off some enemy’s head that I would be flayed twice as punishment.” Braun flashed a toothy grin. “He’ll be happy to see you though.”

Erik laughed at the threat his father had given Braun. He remembered the threat his father had made when he charged Braun with helping him escape with Tukai attacked the manor. “I hope my father returns,” Erik said.

“He will, Master Erik, he will,” Braun promised. Braun approached and his shoulders slumped noticeably. He knelt before Erik and bent his head low to the floor. “I want to apologize, for failing you that night. I did not know that it was Tukai, and not Master Lepkin, who had found us in the briar patch.”

Erik stood up quick and placed his hand on Braun’s shoulder. “You have nothing to be ashamed of. You fought valiantly. I will hear no more of this.” Erik patted Braun and then sat back down. Braun nodded silently and stood back to his feet. Erik could tell that Braun was still troubled by his self-perceived failing though. He knew that Braun would likely never forgive himself for it. All the better, Erik thought. It would make Braun more protective of House Lokton and Erik knew that now was the time to surround himself and his family with trustworthy friends.

The door opened again and Hotak came in with a quill and paper in one hand, and a falcon on his other arm. “I have brought Master Erik the falcon he requested,” Hotak told Braun. Braun nodded.

Erik took the quill and quickly wrote an update for Master Lepkin. He told him of the battle between the two houses, and he explained about Janik. He was sure to add that if not for Al’s sacrifice, he would surely have died. When he was done he sealed the message and tied it to the falcon’s leg.

“Does this bird know the way to Valtuu Temple?” Erik asked. He wasn’t sure exactly how messenger birds worked or found their destinations.

“He does, that is the same bird that your father and Sir Duvall have been sending for the past little while,” Braun replied with a nod. Erik felt a pang of guilt for being distrustful, but he had to be sure. He used his power to detect any lies. His power confirmed that Braun had told the truth. Erik smiled.

“Hotak, send the falcon from this window here. I want to see it off with my own eyes,” Erik instructed.

“As you command,” Hotak replied with a nod. Hotak took the bird to the window. He threw the latch open and pushed the glass pane out. As soon as his arm rose through the open window the falcon took flight, soaring high into the air. Hotak then turned and bowed to them before leaving the room.

Erik walked over to the window. He watched the falcon cruise through the sky until the bird faded from his sight. He pondered all that he had learned in the past few weeks. Events had moved so quickly for him. It was difficult to wrap his head around any of it. It was especially hard to believe that he was the one man in the entire realm that could save the people from the power of Nagar’s Secret. He wasn't ready for this. He wasn’t even old enough to graduate from Kuldiga Academy, and yet all hope rested on him. He turned back and glanced over his shoulder at Al. It pained him that the dwarf had sacrificed so much to save him. He knew what he had to do. He had to go back to Valtuu Temple. It was time for him to train for the test. He owed at least that much to the people who had given so much to protect him. “I shall be leaving soon,” he told Braun.

“But your father has not seen you yet,” Braun protested. “He will want to speak with you.”

Erik nodded knowingly. “If the Gods deem it necessary for us to speak before I depart, then so be it. If I am unable to see him, you will tell him to take good care of Al for me?” Erik nodded toward the dwarf on the bed.

“I will be sure that Al receives the honor he has earned,” Braun said. Erik nodded.

Erik’s mind recalled Janik’s dying words. “I will solve the riddle of Tukai’s prophecy,” Erik vowed to himself in a whisper. “But, I will have to put that off for now.” He loved his father very much, but he now realized that he had to keep the proper perspective. The life of one, though it was his father, would have to wait until the lives of all were safe.

*****

Master Lepkin walked out onto the temple’s seventh floor balcony. It was the tallest lookout point for miles around. Marlin and Lady Dimwater accompanied him and also scanned the area. Marlin would likely be the first to spot the threat, Lepkin figured, as the prelate had the gift of True Sight. Lepkin looked to Dimwater and smiled longingly. He had wanted to set out this afternoon for Kuldiga Academy to deal with Orres. But that would have to wait for another day.

Lepkin walked over and took Lady Dimwater’s hand in his own. “If we live through this,” he whispered. “I will go back to challenge Orres.” She squeezed his hand and gave him a reassuring smile.

Marlin pointed out to the north. A dark cloud appeared on the horizon. It was sweeping in faster than any storm Lepkin had ever seen before in his life. Master Lepkin reached down for his sword, but Marlin turned, shaking his head.

“It is not a cloud, as my vision showed me,” he said. “It is a nightwing.”

Lepkin’s mouth dropped open. Dimwater paled and sucked in a gasp. “Are you certain?” Dimwater asked. Marlin nodded. They all knew that Marlin’s gift of True Sight would not make a mistake. It could only be a nightwing.

Master Lepkin held his sword out to Marlin. “For whatever use it may be, I bequeath my sword to you.”

“Lepkin, you can’t fight the nightwing,” Marlin warned. “The longer you take the form of a dragon, the more Nagar’s Secret will assault your mind. You could be turned.”

“Then, watch me, dear friend, and if my aura shows that I am turning, slay me.” Lepkin let go of Dimwater’s hand and went to the railing of the balcony. He knew he would have to wait until the nightwing came closer. He didn’t want to be in dragon form any longer than was absolutely necessary.

A bird’s fierce call turned their attentions. Marlin held out his hand and a falcon swooped down from the west, lighting on his outstretched arm. Marlin took the message and broke the seal. “It bears the seal of House Lokton,” he said as he unrolled the message. Lepkin and Dimwater both took in a deep breath and held it. “Erik is alive,” Marlin said with a smile.

“That’s my boy,” Lepkin praised with a smile. “As long as he lives, there is a chance that we will yet win this.”

“He wishes to return,” Marlin added. “He says he is ready for his training and will take the Exalted Test of Arophim as soon as Master Lepkin and I think he is ready.”

Lepkin nodded and turned to Dimwater. She was already summoning her magic mirror. She looked back to Marlin. “Where is he?” she asked.

“In Lokton Manor,” Marlin said with a smile. “He has given an explicit invitation for you to come straight into the main hall. He is waiting for you there with Braun, the captain of his father’s guard.”

“What of Al?” Lepkin asked.

“Al is well, but he had to cast the Stone Shell in order to save Erik from Janik,” Marlin replied. Dimwater nodded and went through the portal without waiting for the explanation.

“Hold off the nightwing as long as you can,” she called from inside the portal.

“Janik was a warlock,” Marlin told Lepkin. “Of the same order as Tukai.”

Lepkin’s face grew sour. He held his sword out for Marlin. “Take it,” he said. Marlin reluctantly grabbed the hilt of the magical sword. “Does the nightwing come alone?”

Marlin turned back to the north. He squinted a bit. His eyes scanned the skyline and the ground. Finally he shook his head.

“No,” Marlin said. “There are shadows moving along the ground, I can only faintly see their auras; maybe a hundred or so of them.”

“Blacktongues,” Lepkin guessed grimly. “Put your men on alert. Tell them to stay within the protection of the wall and the temple itself, if they can. Let the Blacktongues come to us.”

“Walls will not shelter them from the nightwing’s wrath,” Marlin said.

“No, but it may buy them some time, as a nightwing cannot see through solid objects. Its sight is no better than mine is while I am in dragon form. If the men can hide from it, they will stand a better chance. The nightwing will come for me, and the Blacktongues will surely be after the book. When Erik gets here, take him into your chamber and give him Nagar’s Secret. If the battle turns badly for us, then you and Erik should run and take the book with you.”

Marlin nodded. He still looked out to the oncoming beast, and the warriors that followed on foot. “I can see someone riding atop the nightwing,” Marlin said. “It looks to be a wizard. We only have a minute or two before they will arrive.”

“Then pray that the Gods will be merciful to us, and that we will be blessed with the strength of the Ancients,” Lepkin replied. He climbed onto the railing, waiting for the correct moment to take the dragon form. Marlin ran inside and within a few moments gongs and bells sounded through the temple. Lepkin could see guards rushing out from below like ants coming out to attack an animal that had stepped in their hill.

The nightwing was coming well into view now. Its dark, black wings left a trail of shadows behind as it coursed through the sky. It screeched loudly and let out a puff of fire and smoke. Lepkin could see a horde of men jumping up from hiding positions in the fields around the temple. The battle had begun.

Master Lepkin closed his eyes and leapt from the balcony. He stretched his arms out to his sides and kept his legs close together as he fell. The wind rushed up to envelope him and the flaming sphere wrapped around him, as it had before. He managed to fully transform before he was halfway to the ground. He let out a mighty roar and dove for the field beyond the north wall. He spewed a stream of liquid fire that engulfed the oncoming Blacktongues. Their screams assaulted Lepkin’s ears, but they were drowned out by cheering from the temple guards along the wall.

Upward he soared. He wanted to take the nightwing from below, but he was not fast enough. The wizard riding the great, black beast sent lightning down from the sky. Lepkin dodged the magical bolts, spinning and dashing through the air with the grace of a swallow. Lepkin launched a fireball that connected with the nightwing’s underbelly. He knew it wouldn’t take the beast down. It was as impervious to flame as he was in his dragon form, but it would at least distract the thing from reaching the temple.

The nightwing screeched again and its eyes narrowed on Lepkin. The mighty beast was half again as big as he was, with a tail that ended in a mass of long, barbed spikes. Its fangs were dull in color, but sharp enough that they could tear right through bone. The beast turned in midflight and snapped its maw at Lepkin’s tail.

The wizard launched an array of magical arrows that followed Lepkin upward. Lepkin looped over the nightwing and dove directly behind it. The magical arrows followed him at first, but they lost track of him as he turned to fly beneath the nightwing.

Lepkin rolled to an inverted position, reached up with a taloned hand and scratched at the beast’s underbelly. The nightwing flapped and tilted its wings a bit to catch an updraft, pulling away from Lepkin’s reach. Then it swung at Lepkin with its massive tail. Lepkin spiraled down toward the ground just in time to miss the spikes. He felt a sting in his left hind leg. He craned his neck around and noticed that the wizard had sent another flurry of magical arrows down at him, and one had hit.

Lepkin clenched his jaw and turned to fly straight up at the nightwing’s belly again. The nightwing’s tail swished at him, but Lepkin had been prepared for that. He blocked it with his forearms and then straightened his neck like a battering ram. He slammed into the beast’s belly, jolting the nightwing to the side. The two flying behemoths roared angrily as they grappled with their claws and bit at each other. Over and over they spun through the air. Blood streaked across the sky as their talons each found soft tissue and sliced through it.

Lepkin sneered as wickedly as his dragon snout would let him when he saw the wizard flung from the nightwing’s back. Lepkin struck out with his tail, clipping the wizard’s chest and head. It wasn’t a direct hit though. Lepkin had hoped to run the wizard through with one of his tail-spikes, but he only managed to hit with the side of his tail. Still, the blow was enough to knock the wizard unconscious. The man spiraled limply through the air toward the ground.

The nightwing dove to retrieve its master, but Lepkin grabbed its left forearm in his claws and bit down on the shoulder joint with all of his might. The nightwing snarled and turned its attention back to Lepkin. It clawed and bit at him. The two beasts flapped their wings crazily, struggling to stay aloft in the sky as they tore at each other.

The two beasts rose into the clouds, fighting and slashing all the way up. Then, they became entangled. All of their limbs were locked in battle as they desperately clung to each other in a grip of death. Lepkin felt a searing pain rip through one of his legs. The nightwing’s barbed tail had found its mark. Lepkin returned the blow by sinking the spikes of his own tail into the nightwing’s back, just between its wings. The move was enough to almost paralyze the nightwing, but now there were other things Lepkin had to worry about.

They had become so entangled that not even their combined efforts could keep them aloft. Now, with the nightwing being semi-paralyzed there was no way to escape the plunge of death. The two of them were careening end over end toward the jagged, rocky ground below. Lepkin knew for certain that at least one of them would be killed by the fall, if not both. And even if he managed to survive, the dark call of Nagar’s Secret was assaulting his mind. He would not be able to hold back the evil power for long.

*****

“Marlin,” Erik called out as he rushed through the magic portal. Lady Dimwater emerged behind him. A mighty roar, followed by a whooshing sound, caught their attention. Erik looked to the north and saw a mighty dragon torching men in the field beyond the wall. “What is that?” Erik asked.

“It is Lepkin,” Marlin replied solemnly. Lady Dimwater ran to the edge of the balcony as Lepkin rose up through the air to meet the nightwing.

“Who is the other dragon?” Erik asked.

“That is no dragon, Erik,” Marlin replied. “It may look like one, and perhaps it was one once, a long time ago, but that thing is now known as a nightwing.” Marlin could see the unasked question in Erik’s eyes. “A nightwing is a dragon that has been twisted by the power of the book.”

Erik nodded his understanding and went to the railing to watch. Bolts of lightning swirled around the two beasts. Erik looked to Lady Dimwater, but saw that she was busy muttering words he didn’t understand, with her arm outstretched toward Lepkin.

“She is shielding him,” Marlin whispered. “There is a wizard that rides the nightwing.”

Erik watched in horror as the beasts swirled around each other, and then finally collided powerfully. The sound of their collision was almost like thunder. They wrestled and fought ferociously until the wizard fell from the nightwing and Lepkin managed to strike the man with his tail.

“There, the wizard,” Erik shouted as he pointed him out for Dimwater. She nodded her head and a silvery cloud formed in front of the balcony. Lady Dimwater climbed onto the cloud. Erik turned to Marlin and reached for Lepkin’s sword. Marlin shot him a puzzled look at first, but then released his grip on the sword.

Erik climbed over the rails and jumped onto the back of Dimwater’s cloud as it started away from the balcony. He sank through the cloud, up to his chest before Dimwater caught him by his collar and pulled him up.

“What are you doing, get back with Marlin,” Dimwater scolded.

“I want to help,” Erik pleaded. “Please, can’t I help?”

Dimwater could see the earnestness in the boy’s eyes. She smiled softly and looked to the magical sword in Erik’s hand. The blade started to glow. “I think you mean may I help,” Dimwater corrected. The cloud jerked forward again. “Hang on to my cloak, or you will fall through the cloud,” she said.

Erik grabbed her cloak with his left hand and spread his feet a little wider than shoulder width apart for extra balance. The wind licked his face as they soared to meet the wizard. Erik looked back and saw the temple guardians cutting through ranks of Blacktongues with their long, bladed weapons. The fight was going in their favor, Erik thought.

Erik then looked up and noticed that Lepkin and the nightwing had disappeared into the clouds above. He hoped that Lepkin would be alright. Something slammed into the cloud and jarred it in mid-flight. Erik tried to look around Dimwater, but she held him behind her with her left hand.

“The wizard has righted himself,” she said. “Stay behind me and hold on tight. Lady Dimwater stuck her right palm out and sent a multitude of shockwaves at the wizard, who was riding his own cloud now. The wizard held his left forearm out and took the shockwaves. The force of the blows ruffled the man’s beard and hair, but caused no serious harm.

The wizard produced a staff from thin air and then pointed it at Dimwater. Dimwater similarly summoned her staff with the golden lion’s head and created her magical shield. The wizard’s magical arrows bounced harmlessly off the shield, sounding like rain against a tile roof. Dimwater smiled and summoned a gale from the east.

The wizard waved his staff in a circular motion and then pointed his free hand back at Dimwater. The gale turned dark and swirled in upon itself until the shape of a cyclone formed. The twister zigzagged around a few times and then came at Dimwater from the side. The force of the impact tilted her cloud. Erik fell to his knees, but he did not let go of Dimwater’s cloak.

“Have you ever jousted?” Dimwater asked Erik.

“No,” Erik said. “But I am always willing to try new things.”

Dimwater smiled at the boy’s courage. “Stay hidden until I say.”

“Lady Dimwater, look up,” Erik said from behind.

She looked up and saw Lepkin and the nightwing falling out of the clouds in a tangled mass of spikes and claws. “We don’t have much time,” she said. “Let’s finish this wizard.” She sent the cloud lurching forward with great speed. She summoned winds from the south to propel them faster. The wizard readied himself and pointed his staff at Dimwater. He too summoned winds to boost his cloud forward. Magical arrows flew out from his other hand, pelting Dimwater’s shield as they closed in on each other.

Dimwater focused her energy. The golden head of her staff glowed as it prepared to let loose a powerful ball of magical fire. Small, snaking electrical bolts writhed along the growing sphere of green and white flames. She could see that the wizard was preparing his staff as well. She knew she would have to time everything perfectly; otherwise this would be Erik’s first and final joust.

The two clouds closed in on each other. Erik prepared to jump on Dimwater’s command. He focused in on the reason he needed to win this battle. The wizard was after the book, he knew. The book would consume everyone in the realm that he cared about. Lepkin, Dimwater and Marlin were powerless against the book. They would be the first victims to fall to its power. Then, it would take the whole land. His mother and father would be turned into demons and forced into serving the underworld. Erik’s rage boiled up inside of him. He could feel power coursing through him. He would not lose this fight.

“Now,” Dimwater shouted.

Erik came out from behind her. It took only a few seconds, but it all seemed to move in ultra-slow motion. Erik saw the wizards growling face. He was only a few yards away on his cloud, and they were sailing closer with every passing instant. A blinding ball of white and green flame shot forward from Dimwater’s staff. A ball of orange and red jumped from the wizard’s staff to meet Dimwater’s fire. Erik ran forward, holding on to Dimwater’s cloak until he leapt from the cloud.

He held the sword high with his right hand. As he began to swing the mighty blade, fire seemed to leap from Erik’s hand and cover the Telarian steel. The white flames dwarfed the two magical fireballs in magnificence, and felt as hot as any kiln Erik had ever been near. The wizard lifted his staff to block Erik’s chopping attack, but it availed him nothing. Dimwater swung in low with her staff, catching the wizard in the groin. The wizard stumbled forward on his cloud. Erik’s sword cut through the upraised staff as a knife through a bowl of cream. The white flames of the sword engulfed the wizard as Erik brought the weapon down to finish the swing. The wizard turned to a pile of ash on the cloud.

Erik landed on the cloud, but quickly fell through it as it dissipated. He fell down toward the ground, flailing his free hand up to Lady Dimwater. He looked to his left and noticed that Lepkin and the nightwing were almost parallel with him as they also descended. The beasts tumbled and turned until Erik caught Lepkin’s eyes. Erik noted that the eyes looked sad. He knew that Lepkin didn’t expect to live through this.

Erik looked up and saw Dimwater diving down on her cloud for him. “Save Lepkin,” Erik shouted. “The book is safe, save him!” But she did not heed his words. She maneuvered her cloud under Erik and caught him in its pillow like substance and then reached down fast as a snake to grab him by the wrist.

Erik watched, horrified as Lepkin and the nightwing closed the distance to the ground below. The earth shook and rumbled as the beasts collided into it. Lepkin and the nightwing both roared and snarled as a cloud of dust erupted around them.

“Come,” Dimwater said. “We must be sure the nightwing is dead.” The two of them flew over to the downed beasts. Both forms stirred. They wrestled with each other, wriggling and clawing free of each other.

“They survived,” Erik said breathlessly. His joy quickly turned to fear though. Lepkin’s left wing was broken and hanging limp at his side. The nightwing was almost free. Erik knew that if it was allowed off the ground, there would be no chance of stopping it. “Take me above it, and keep it down if you can,” Erik shouted.

Dimwater nodded and concentrated her energy. The nightwing slammed the side of its tail into Lepkin’s head, knocking Lepkin back. It then jumped up and flapped its wings. Dimwater thrust her left hand forward, casting the most powerful psionic blast she could muster. The force of the blow knocked the nightwing back to the ground, and tore a gash in its chest. It hissed at her, and fixed its eyes on the cloud. It recoiled and blew a stream of fire just as the cloud came over it.

Erik jumped before Dimwater could warn him. His magical sword was still covered in white fire. Dimwater quickly chanted a protection spell and encircled Erik in it as she maneuvered the cloud out of harm’s way.

Erik felt the heat licking and swiping at him. Sweat poured all over his body. He had never felt like this before. His head was dizzy and his vision was quickly shrinking in a field of blackness. He focused his mind on his reason for fighting. He used his power to keep his senses about him. He couldn’t fail now.

Suddenly the flames stopped and Erik could only see a gaping maw gnashing fangs as long as his sword. The nightwing was leaping up for him. Erik’s eyes went wide. There was no way out. He flipped the sword upside down. He decided that if he was to go down this beast’s gullet, he would go down sword-first. He would be the last thing the nightwing ever ate.

The nightwing jolted and the gaping maw turned away from Erik. Erik could see Lepkin down on the ground, clawing at the nightwing’s exposed belly. The nightwing went to make a strike for Lepkin’s neck, but in doing so it exposed the back of its own neck to Erik. Erik gripped the sword as tightly as he could and let out a mighty yell as he came down hard. He drove the sword through the nightwing’s neck, where the bone connected with the skull. The intense, white fire burned through the hard scales and bone as though the nightwing was made of cloth. The beast let out a final half screech before slumping to the side.

The force of the nightwing’s fall flung Erik from the beast to land on the ground with a hard thump. Erik heard a crack and felt a horribly sharp, fire-like pain rip through his left leg as he tumbled across the ground. He cried out in pain and darkness threatened to close in on him again.

Dimwater set her cloud down next to Erik and knelt by him. “I am here, Erik,” she said. She waved her hands over the boy’s leg. “It is a bad break, but I can lessen the pain.” She weaved her magic and blocked the pain away from Erik. Erik nodded through teary eyes and whispered something that almost sounded like “thank you.”

A mighty roar startled them both and they looked back to the nightwing. The black beast was dead. Lepkin’s sword was still stuck inside of it, and Lepkin was standing on top of the beast with his head arched back to the sky in a mighty victory cry.

“It’s over,” Dimwater said reassuringly. She looked to the wall of the temple. There were flames along part of the wall, but the temple guards were already finishing off the last of the Blacktongues and rushing to put out the fires. “It’s all over.”

Erik propped himself up on his elbows and smiled weakly. “That wasn’t so hard,” he said garishly. Lady Dimwater flicked his nose and then stood to her feet. Heavy footsteps approached from behind. “Why hasn’t he turned human again yet?” Erik asked.

Lady Dimwater’s face went pale. Lepkin should have changed his form back immediately after it was all over. She knew him well enough to know that he wouldn’t risk the power of the book twisting him. Had it already been too long? Was it too late to save him? She turned to face Lepkin. “Come out of your dragon form, Lepkin.”

The dragon hissed and shot out a forked tongue. The appendage stopped just short of raking Dimwater’s face. Its eyes looked her all over and then moved on to look at Erik. Dimwater stepped between them. The dragon hissed. Swirls of smoke snaked out of its nostrils along with bright yellow sparks.

“Erik, he has been turned by the power of the book,” Dimwater said. “He must be put down.”

“No,” Erik said horrified. “I can not do that.”

“Erik, we must,” Dimwater said. “I will use what energy I have left to buy you time. Get to the sword, if you can.” She knew it wasn’t going to work. Erik’s leg was broken and she was exhausted. All she could hope for was that she could wound the twisted Lepkin before it finished with them and turned its fury on the temple.

The dragon roared and shot a fireball at Dimwater. She held her left hand out, the hand that another dragon had burned the thumb off of, and gathered all of the magical energy she could. The flames seared her hand and coursed around her magic, touching and grazing her sides. The heat was so painful that she cried out and wept. She fell to her knees, trying her best to maintain the spell that protected her.

Then the flames stopped. She looked up and saw Erik standing between her and the dragon. His hands were empty and all of his weight was on his right leg. He stared at the dragon and hopped closer to it, almost falling to the ground more than once. Dimwater felt horror grip her stomach. She couldn’t let this happen. She tried to weave a magical attack but Erik turned back to her with his hand out. His eyes were no longer blue, but white. They emitted a burning light, similar to the flame that had engulfed the sword when he wielded it.

“Stay your hand, Lady Dimwater,” Erik said. “I can see Lepkin inside the dark energy that binds him. I can free him.”

Lady Dimwater watched in awe as Erik hopped on his one good leg to the dragon. The beast hissed and recoiled from Erik, but it did not try to attack him. Erik put out his hand fearlessly and reached for the dragon’s snout.

“Master Lepkin,” Erik whispered. “I know you can hear me. Focus on the reason you fight. Think of Lady Dimwater, think of Marlin, and think of all the other people of the realm. They are depending on me to save them from the darkness that threatens to take you now.” Erik leaned in and stared directly into one of the dragon’s eyes. “I depend on you, Master Lepkin.”

The dragon jerked its head, knocking Erik to the ground. Erik cried out as pain shot through his body from his broken leg again. The dragon sprang atop Erik and pinned the boy down with a claw on either side of Erik’s neck.

“Master Lepkin, fight it,” Erik shouted through the tears of pain. The dragon breath was so hot on Erik’s skin that it felt as though he was burning. The dragon brought its snout closer and snapped its teeth together twice. Erik wriggled an arm free and placed his hand on the dragon’s snout, right between the flaring nostrils.

Blinding white light erupted from behind and washed the dragon and Erik in its brilliance. Erik focused on his power, harnessing it as best as he could. The pain in his leg grew more intense, threatening to break his concentration, but Erik pushed it out of his mind. He focused only on Lepkin. He could see his master inside the darkness that wrapped itself around the dragon form. Erik knew he could banish the dark power. Something in his gut told him that it was possible.

Erik screamed in pain as the light grew more intense. The white light took in all of the dragon’s body and extended out for several yards beyond. Finally, Erik heard the dragon’s breathing slow down. A rumbling started in the beast’s belly and then the beast shrank away. Erik let his hand fall to the ground and the white light disappeared. His body was limp and ragged. He had not the strength to even move his head. His eyelids fell shut.

*****

Lady Dimwater covered her mouth with her hand as the light vanished. She couldn’t believe her eyes. Lepkin lay next to Erik in the field. He was no longer in his dragon form, but his human form. They both lay motionless. She jumped to her feet and rushed to their sides.

“Don’t touch them!” Marlin yelled from a ways off in the field. Dimwater looked up to see the new prelate running at a dead sprint, followed by scores of temple guards. “Back away!” he shouted.

Confused she stood on her feet and went to meet Marlin. She didn’t know what to say to the man, but the look on his face told Dimwater that he knew what had happened. “What did Erik do?” Dimwater asked.

Marlin looked at her and smiled gently. “He has saved Lepkin’s soul.” Marlin motioned for a few guards to tend to Erik. “He needs to be taken straight to the healers.”

“Will they live?” Dimwater asked.

Marlin glanced at her and then looked back to Lepkin. “Erik will live, though it will be a couple weeks before he will recover from the strain of what he just did.”

“And Lepkin?” Dimwater was scared to hope. “Will he live?”

“Not only will he live,” Marlin said as he finished scanning Lepkin’s aura. “But Nagar’s Secret no longer has any claim on him. When he wakes, he will be as before. I can see no taint in him. The boy has managed to banish every bit of it.”

“How is that possible?” Dimwater asked.

Marlin shook his head. “I knew the boy was strong, but even I am not sure how he managed this.” Marlin placed a hand on Dimwater’s shoulder and smiled warmly at her. “I think we have found the Champion of Truth,” he said.

“It is not over, though,” Dimwater said, suddenly looking off to the west. “Only four warlocks of the Order of the All Seeing Eye have been slain. The wizard was a member of the Wyrms of Khaltoun, but he was only a low ranking member.” Dimwater looked back to Lepkin, who was now being picked up by a group of temple guards. “We have only managed to slow down the enemy,” she said.

“Then hopefully we have slowed them enough to give Erik a chance to better prepare for the fight to come,” Marlin added.

Dimwater frowned. “I am afraid that this was easy compared to what is coming.” She looked to Marlin’s cloudy eyes and smiled gently. “But you are right. Let us hope that we have enough time to prepare. Perhaps the Gods will bless us. We will need to find the other book,” Dimwater noted

Marlin nodded hopefully. “For now we will rest, and then we will see if we can’t track down the last warlock of Tukai’s order. Perhaps we can yet turn the tide of darkness that threatens the realm. I have been doing some studies about Allun’rha. I think I may have an idea where to look for The Illumination.” The two of them hugged briefly and then Marlin led Lady Dimwater back to the temple. There was much work yet to be done.