TAKEN BY THE DRAGON KING

CHAPTER SIXTY ONE

ELENA

Leaving was the easy part, with the Chaos threat at hand, father and Gulliver were much too ingrained in their plots and defense mechanism to notice me slip out, after all they didn’t see me recovering anytime soon and none of them were seemingly aware of the mystical powers that had been gifted to me by the little one growing inside of me.

The hard part itself was the journey, the land had begun to heal, but not quickly enough, one false step would lead to an endless abysmal fall, Not to mention, guards were stationed everywhere even though I’d been explicit in the letter I’d left that I was not to be searched for, Gulliver the stubborn headed goat.

There was a strange feeling I had, although the journey was presumably treacherous, it always did feel like I was protected from the brunt of it, like some invisible kind of shield or halo of grace that kept the most ferocious of monsters away, nevertheless I was covered up in scrapes and bruises until I reached the side of an ominous looking mountain.

The air itself was stacked with a massive of load of power causing the smell of ozone to linger, it almost seemed as if two intense factions were warring aggressively over this very piece of nature, the smell of ozone filled the air as lightning crackled through the air in a bright flash, temporarily distorting my view when it all finally cleared up my vision seemed renewed and for the first time it was like I was able to see what was truly happening.

The side of the mountain would been green in a minute and then life would flicker away and level it into nothing but a disgusting shade of brown and black, carrying the intense stench of death with it and then just as sudden life would flicker back, death and desolation would be warped by an overwhelming force of life, the smell of spring would fill the air once again, it went on and on over and over.

“Order and Chaos” the words tumbled out of my lips as I watched in awe at the greatness of it all, such intense magic wrought on the surface was bound to cause a distortion.

I was right in the very centre of this storm, in the center stood a massive doorway of pulsating light, it was powered on by an intense form of energy which I guess was the intense residual energy coming off from the patch of land. A strange whispering began in my head as I approached the centre of the field, almost as if it sang toe luring me on in a seductory tone.

“come,” it spoke to me “I lie just behind the gate.”

In a semi trance-like state I hobbled onwards ignoring the wonders that took place all around me, entranced solely by the pulsating light portal, each step took me closer and closer until, gracelessly I fell through it.

My scream was short lived as I landed with a satisfying thump in a field, as I rose up and looked around the familiarity of it all hit me squarely in the head like a brick, I was back here, to the garden where I’d last talked with the old man, only this time it felt all the more real.

“You return child,” the old man’s voice called floating into my ears and causing me to jump in fright, “and still wound up from your problems I see, come child we have much to do.”

He turned around and hobbled, his skin was ashen and dull, and from the glimpse of him his looks were gaunt and those shining eyes had dimmed quite a bit, he looked sick he should be in bed.

But he hobbled onwards for all he was worth and I found myself walking faster just to match up his pace, we walked in silence, well as silent as it could be with an old man muttering and mumbling things to himself, we must have walked for an hour before we reached a majestic looking tree whose height seemed to span into the heavens, again I had my mouth agape and then I noticed it’s blackened roots, like a disease it spread upwards into the trunk and every branch and as we moved closer I saw it pulsated as it sapped at the very life force of it.© 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.

“Little girl.” The man turned to me “Meet my patron, Order and I the humble keeper Taisfet humbles you, although you’d be more welcome as you can see we’ve seen better days.”

The tree creaked and groaned weakly almost as if it agreed with the old man, and from it shadows she stepped out, her face causing anger to work it’s way into my body, anger that gave way to an intense hatred which in turn birthed maddened thoughts.

“Calm yourself girl,” Taisfet says “Remember just where you are, we cannot have more chaos here, be still already.”

A wave of calm washed over me although weakened it was quite enough to jump-start my senses.

“You!” I half snarled at the smirking figure of the self proclaimed queen of the west “why bring your chaos infested self here?”

“Simmer down,” She rolls her eyes “Truce if it, be it, at least for now, we have a common enemy and as much as I’d like to destroy you all, a mad entity running in my head is the worst way to do it.”

The old man smiled as she extended her hands for a shake and I grabbed it, a jolt of electricity ran through both of us pushing me back with an immense force, a growl escapes me as I land heavily on my arse

“what did you do?” I yell.

“Child!” The old man yells quietening a roaring anger building in us “As you may have noticed time is running out for us and we must hurry if we’re to ensure continuous survival of the human race.”

He hobbled forwards and the tree parted, it’s trunk splitting in the middle to reveal lush room on the inside, sparsely decorated yet intriguing, an old gnarly chair stood in it’s centre and the man hobbled for it, sighing in pure relief as his body connected with it, some the vigor and vim came back to his eyes and I realized the seat was giving him life force.

“Forgive me,” He says “There’s is not much I can offer you except but listen to your grievances, come tell me what is your plight?”

“Dracul I seek a way to cure him and stop the madness that is her.” I say narrowing my eyes towards her.

“I seek a way to quell the madness that rages in my head, to banish chaos eternally from my mind.”

“You seek the same thing,” He says lightly “You both seek peace, although you seek it for war Miranda.”

A soft light emanates from him and floats towards me abruptly splitting, landing in my palm and the other half penetrating into my belly, the light fades off revealing a bottle filled with a glowing sap

“Sap of life.” he says lightly, “The other part well let’s just say it’s a gift for the little one, can’t be a keeper without order to keep, this tree is dying and so am I but Miranda I can help you, together I believe we can quell this madness.”

“Why not just give me the sap?” She asks irritatedly “Won’t it fix me?”

“Temporarily,” He says sighing “I sense a great blackness residing deep within your heart, as long as it exists, there is no freedom from Him.”

“You seek to chain me here” Her eyes narrow “You don’t want to help, you just want to be an orderly little bastard you want me to die with you in this wretched world of flowers.”

A great tumultuous energy rolls off her and I see Taisfet rise up to his feet power brimming in his hands.

“Chaos is not welcomed here.” He says in a thousand tongues and a thousand voices “Order will reign supreme.”

“Too late.” She snarls “Give me the sap and I will be on my merry way!”

“Your master is killing the tree, what she holds in her hands is the last vial, the tree has stopped producing, a sad time for the world, the last tree of ordering it’s last days.”

“Then I suppose hers will do just then.” Miranda roars and lunges forward only to be barred by an invisible shield.

“You called a truce under the greatest elements in the known cosmos,” Taisfet says with glowing eyes “You will do well to honor it.”

She howls and shakes and I see her sanity in all it’s fragility crack and break as a blood red color infuses it’s way into her eyes and Chaos takes over. The next moments are a blur of intense magic of light and darkness bursting and burning bright until with a squelching sound Miranda’s hand went through his heart.

“The destiny is filled.” He said as his eyes dimmed “Go child, this keeper’s time is gone.”

The room around begins to rumble the tree is dead, a lone portal stands in front of me pulsating with the last signs of Taisfet’s magic, Miranda eyes clears and her eyes widen with horror as she surveys her destruction.

“What have I done?” She mutters, tears dripping from her eyes

“They are right about you,” I turn from her towards the portal “you cannot be saved!”

I step through.