“Lord Farouk, the whole city fell in a trance.” A man in regal attire addressed the overlord of Thule. “Only the dragon bonded didn’t fall under the spell, we believe it was because of the effects of dragon magic in their bodies.”
“I am well aware of that Shadrag, the queen dragon I am bonded to is outraged.” Lord Farouk rubbed his forehead hard. “She demands release and I am trying to sway her to stay, too much is at risk.”
“It is all because of the atrocities the Atlantians had done to the nature, Gaia the mother is scared, and she is pulling all her creatures to the scorched areas.” Shadrag shook his head. “i don’t think nature’s magic is enough to stand against the new powers of Atlantis.”
“The Queen dragon has another opinion, but she shares only bits of it.” Lord Farouk gazed through the window at the far side of his room. “I think Agartha will pass through dark days ahead of us.”
“I only hope that the dragon magic would be enough to spare us the fate of Akakor.” Shadrag sighed.
***
“We have to retaliate.” A woman screamed at the top of her lungs to the gathered ragtag council of Akakor, at least what remained of the council.
“Did you lose the last dregs of your mind, Sarai?” A man with a long fresh gash in his face screamed back. “We lost two thirds of our populace to the weapon of the Atlantians.”
“I can’t just watch as my three sons, my husband, my brothers and my father disappeared in a puff of ash and just sit still.” Sarai wailed to the accompaniment of the wails and screams coming from outside of the ruling palace.
“We don’t have the numbers or the strength to face them.” The man held Sarai’s shoulder and shook her hard. “Wake up, we are the last of the red aura people, we have to keep to our walls for our race to survive.”
“What if the Atlantians attack us within our walls? Are we going to wait for them to come and irradicate the last of us?” Sarai beat her hands hard at the large marble table centered in the large room. “Don’t you understand that when they come we have to be ready?”
“Ready for what Sarai?” Another woman who sat the whole time at the corner of the room facing the wall. “Ready to be killed? To meet our end? To hold our remaining loved ones in a last minute of agonizing fear?”
Sarai gnashed her teeth. “We draw on our power, we stand as strong warriors, dragon powered warriors.”
As Sarai finished her words, she started to growl.
The council finally paid her attention, as her whole form started to change and she stood as a seven foot tall wolf creature.
“You draw hard till you transform.” Sarai the wolf growled and drooled the words.
The woman on the chair stood, and within moments, horns and a hoofs were sprouting from her body. In minutes, she became a huge minotaur, one of the most feared magical creatures of the land.
The man who shook Sarai, looked at the two women with fascinated horror. “I never knew that we could do that.”
Sarai jumped from the window and landed without a scratch amid the other people of Akakor.
“People of Akakor, draw on your power animal and let manifest physically, let us avenge our dead.” Sarai howled. “Today.”
***
“We have to move.” A woman made up of shadows addressed the Queen of Shangri-La. “The power of the Atlantians have to be stopped before it becomes a bigger threat.”
“You mean, we have to move, not you.” The queen paced through her chambers. “Your kind never does anything but give ominous advice.”
“The dragons will use their magic, and we will use ours.” The shadow woman floated nearer to the queen. “Believe me dear queen, we possess very powerful magic of our own. We can alter reality itself.”
“And why I have never heard of this before?” The queen turned sharply to the shadow woman, who materialized into a woman in her mid-twenties, only that she kept on floating in the air.
“Because my dear queen, this is the first time in history that somebody weaves a new story outside of the loom of the fates, and it scares us.” The young woman stopped her floating and touched the floor of the room.
“So, Violet, if we move, you will help?” The queen stared into the void eyes of Violet, seeking a real answer.
“We can even bind this in a contract if you wish.” Violet smiled a faded smile.
“I think this would be a first for your kind, a binding contract is a good idea.” The queen smiled. “Let’s have it then.”
***
Lord Robin of Zarzura, Lady Marian of El Dorado, and Queen Colette of Meg Mel sat in the newly erected Village, The Gathering Place, in a special tent that the magic of the people of El Dorado created.
“Dear Robin, I don’t believe that your people’s ways would work for this problem.” Lady Marian drank chilled wine from a long chalice.
“All people seek understanding and peace, even the Atlantians.” Lord Robin held his chalice between both of his hands, borrowing form its coldness to quiet the anxiety building in his chest.
“Under any other circumstances, I would have sided with you, Robin. But not this time.” Queen Colette shook her head. “My people are in agony, the nature is in severe pain, the Atlantian weapon devastated thousands of acres of forest land, annihilating every animal within.”
“This is my main argument.” Robin put down the chalice on the crystal table standing between the three of them. “We can’t see any way to face that horrible weapon. You all know what it did to the armies of Akakor.”
“And this is why we have to battle them with all of our magic.” Lady Marian finished her wine in one gulp. “Nobody wants another black emperor over Agartha, or have you forgotten what Abimalach did to Agartha?”
“You assume that the Atlantians would have forgotten as well.” Robin took his chalice and drank it all.
“Hah.” Queen Colette gave a sharp bark of a laugh. “Power is behind every tyrant, given enough power, even a saint of the fates would turn into a tyrant.”
“You really seem to have forgotten, Robin.” Lady Marion pursed her lips. “Abimalach, started as a leader of his people who wanted to do good to them, but the power he harnessed for this purpose was what corrupted him.”
“Alright, I agree that this kind of power might lead to grave consequences.” Robin sighed. “But at least allow me to have a single compassion and understanding unit to give a final message to the Atlantians.”
“We meet with the rest of the nations in a week.” Colette nodded to Robin. “I will fight for you to have this unit ahead of the effort to subdue Atlantis.”
“Thank you, it might save a lot of souls.” Robin bowed to Colette.
***
“Atlantians.” Lord Robin shouted through the voice enhancer that Lady Marian of El Dorado gifted him with. “Heed my words.”
Twenty of the most powerful of Zerzura stood behind him, filling his words with compassion and understanding, wave after wave to soften the hearts of the Atlantians.
“All the nations of Agartha are going to face you on the battlefield.” Robin pushed his own compassion with his words. “I implore you to show remorse, dismantle your horrible weapon and surrender it to the coming nations.”
Robin could feel that his words were going through, he felt encourged by the compassion coming back to him.
“The inventor and operator of the horrible machine have to face their rightful judgement for their horrific war crimes.” Robin pushed with all of his strength. “Atlantians, please, hand him over and spare your nation.”
He knew that this might not be enough to appease the angry Akakor or Thule and its dragons, but he can work around the entire war notion with justice well served. The Atlantians might have a chance.
He suddenly heard a single man shouting very loud, he doubted that he had the same magic device like the one he held.
“No.” The man held some sort of light that he directed at Robin. “Atlantis will never kneel down.”
Robin searched for the face of the man behind the light, then he opened his eyes in horror and tried to run off the podium he stood on.
But Robin and all of his men were snuffed out of existence in one swath of powerful light.
Ash settled down slowly where the lord of Zarzura made his last stand, it was Robin’s Place.
From Another World.
If you liked this story, know that this is part four of a serialized story. Check here part one, two, and three.
Also Check our published books, Through The Storm, The Green Boy, and The Trinity’s Dream.