Pax Draconica 2 - Chapter 40 (29th Oct 2026)

[Tapewolf]

Chapter 40 - Confession

"First stop, Hadrovar," Fardon said, veering from their course slightly and beckoning Terry to do the same.

"But my capital!" Terry protested.  "My seneschal!"

"Hadrovar," Fardon said firmly.  "First, we must ensure that Pierce has not attacked it on his way.  If Zarnak lives, he must be appraised of the situation.  As must your loyal troops there.  For your people must know that you still live!"

"Yes," Terry conceded.  "Yes... once again, I am too focused on protecting the core of my kingdom and ignoring the plight of my Northern reaches.  And if things do not work out... Hadrovar may be useful as a base for those who wish to resist their new tyrant."

"Can they...?" Mermul asked worriedly.  "Could they hold out against an aggressively hostile dragon overlord?"

"With Dee and Dreadnought on their side, they might," Fardon pointed out.  "Pity... we could likely have done with the extra firepower."

"I want to think things over," Dreadnought said.  "I will stay in Hadrovar for now, but yes - I will help defend it if that becomes necessary."

"You still have me with you," Damien reminded them.  "And we can fly faster than most dragons.  If you can send a message to Hadrovar requesting urgent backup, Dreadnought or Dee could be with you in an hour."

Half an hour passed, and the farmland bordering the town came into view.  Then the centre was before them.

"Lord Terror!" Fardon said suddenly.  "Your form!"

"Shit," the white dragon snarled.  "Too late now.  We're in a hurry, and if Pierce wins it won't matter anyway."

Terry landed in front of the town hall and swiftly resumed his bipedal disguise.  Zarnak stomped out, looking horrified.

"My lord!  I thought you were trying to conceal..."

"I'm hoping that if anyone saw, they will think I was Maarvyn," Terry said.  "But that doesn't matter right now.  Are you aware of Pierce...?"

"I... have heard rumours of a high-ranking Hunter by that name," Zarnak admitted.

"Good, then I assume he hasn't come here.  Unless you've had any run-ins with a vicious blue dragon...?"

"No, though there were reports of two dragons heading south.  One of them was blue... the other had engines like Jake..." he trailed off, noticing Damien and Dreadnought for the first time.

"The reports could almost have described you," he said.  "Or Dee," he added quietly.

"There were only three of us made," Damien said.  "And we are all here, are we not?  It must have been one of Jake's kin, turned traitor... or taken as a captive, perhaps."

"Where is Jake?"  Zarnak asked.  "He... he did make it, didn't he...?"

"Yes," Terry said.  "Now... we are going to have to leave soon, Zarnak, but the situation is this.  We attacked the Hunter facility on the border, and Jake is staying with Fisk and others to hold it for us.
"However, the mission wasn't wholly successful.  While most of the Hunters are dispersed and their technical genius has defected to me, the base commander trapped us and used this head-start to escape.  He is named Pierce, and he was secretly a blue dragon.  He is winging his way now to the capital of Arstrom... to seize my throne.
"I will need to recall my men here, and return to the capital to confront the traitor.  If I fall... Hadrovar may need to become a centre of the resistance against his tyranny."

Zarnak looked as if he'd been struck over the head with a tree-trunk.

"That's a lot to take in, my lord.  And... resistance?!  You... you really think it might come to that...?"

"I don't know," Terry said quietly.  "I am a mighty dragon... I rarely consider the prospect that I might lose.  But Pierce is mighty as well.
"He has been eyeing Arstrom since the Great Burning, which he instigated, I might add.  He has been planning his coup longer than I've been lord, and has been stockpiling anti-dragon weapons for some time, specifically to take down me.  He also knows I have an invulnerability device and seems confident that he can somehow work around that.
"He might have weapons that can penetrate my defences, or he might simply be relying on sheer ruthlessness... executing my friends and valued subjects to try and force a surrender.  And in addition to all this, he has an invulnerability device of his own.
"We will be hard-pressed to slay him and even if we can... mayhem and death caused by an enemy dragon will undermine everything I have strived for.  I might win and still lose... especially when it comes out that I am also a dragon."

"Then I wish you luck, my lord," Zarnak said.  "I truly do.  And if you should require a safe-haven to recuperate in the event that this Pierce should oust you, Hadrovar will be at your disposal."

"Make plans for evacuation," Terry said.  "Just in case Pierce attempts to sack the place.  And now," he added, "I must muster my troops, have them fly back with me.  I fear it will be necessary to reveal my true nature as we fly back there.  If only I could warn Sir Victor..."

"You might be able to," Fardon said.  "If your men have established a satellite link to the capital, as they were hoping to do."

*  *  *

"Oh hell," Fardon said.  The troop carrier, faster than most dragons, had crash-landed some twenty miles north of the capital.

"Did Pierce do this...?"  Fardon asked, looking appalled.

"Almost certainly.  So much for my troops."

"What do we do...?" Damien asked.

"I hate myself for saying this," Terry sighed, "But we will have to press on.  If we win, we can come back with Mermul and heal the victims.  But if we stop to help now, and Pierce overthrows me as a result... They'll die anyway."

"I can stay," Greene offered.  "Check for survivors and tend them as I can.  I can try to fetch help.  I'm not sure how much use I would be in fighting Pierce..."

"But you know Pierce best," Terry reminded him.  "And any advanced weapons he has, you are likely to be familiar with.  Your knowledge of them could yet be vital."

"I don't like this," Greene said sadly, "But I guess you're right."

"I can do it," King offered.  "I can't fly as easily as you, but I can run fast.  And I can tend the injured until a proper rescue team can arrive."

"That will have to do," Terry sighed.  "But I can't help noticing that my attack force is rapidly dwindling."

*  *  *

The sun was setting by the time they reached the capital. 

"That's not good," Terry remarked.  The main square was lit up by a portable lighting rig, and a guillotine had been set up upon the scaffold.  Upon it were several furres and men, taken prisoner by black-clad troops, each bearing the symbol of a claw-scratch.  As they watched, Pierce landed in the square and gazed down upon the crowd.

"Hear me!"  He roared.  "I am your new lord, mortals!  This realm belongs to me, now.  YOU belong to me, and my orders must be obeyed without question at all times!"

"Now," he added.  "There are some who are still loyal to the old regime.  You shall now witness the fate of those who would defy their mighty dragon overlord!" he craned his neck towards the guillotine.  "Let us begin!"

"I don't think so," Terry remarked loudly, dropping into a hover.  "They already have a mighty dragon overlord, you see."

"Ah..." Pierce said, grinning wickedly.  "So you did make it here!  Excellent.  I had originally spared you so that I could gloat over my victory, but now I realised that having you present will put my claim beyond all doubt.
"By killing you here and now, I shall usurp your throne, just as you did with Yyrkoon - and prove to all that I am their rightful overlord in true Arstrom fashion!"

"But that seems such a waste," Terry protested.  "We are both dragons, after all.  Could we not settle this in the Den...?  A wise dragon once said that we should make love, not war."

"It will take more than humping to stop me!" the blue dragon screamed.  "You will die, 'Terror-Wing-Devourer'!  And all your works shall be left to become mine!"

"One problem," Terry remarked.  "I have an invulnerability charm."

"Not against light, you don't!"  Pierce giggled.  "Down him."

There was a tearing noise and a beam of brilliant light sheared off one of Terry's wings.  Gritting his teeth he spiralled brokenly downwards and smacked into the ground.

Fardon dove forwards, claws out.

"STOP!" a robot voice called.  "Land, and make no further threats, or I will slice your head off!"

Fardon complied, as did the others.

"Who are you...?"  Greene queried, nervously.  "You look like one of mine, but... where the hell did you come from?!"

"I am Daemon," the cyberdragon said.  "D-4."

"But there were only three prototypes!"  Greene whimpered.  "I only had three of you built!"

"Two words," the robot told him.  "'Third shift'."

The green dragon threw back his head and keened.

"He means they overproduced each set of parts," Damien explained, catching Mermul's confused expression.  "And in secret, built a fourth robot."

"And a fifth," D-5 said.  "I am Diaboli, and we serve our creator, Lord Pierce!"

"That puts us at a stand-off," Damien said.  "If it had just been D-4 I might have been able to take him.  But with two of them and Pierce..."

"How did they get here, though...?"  King asked.  "Zarnak said there was only one dragon accompanying Pierce..."

"Did you think my master did not have another base, closer to the capital...?" Diaboli sneered.  "I was sent here some days in advance, along with his worshippers," he added, glancing at the black-clad troops.  "Now shut up.  He is about to speak!"

"Now we are all here," Pierce boomed.  "I shall start again for their benefit.  We can get to the guillotinings later.  As I was saying... this land is now mine..."

"Terry..."  Mermul whimpered, touching the fallen dragon.  The white dragon gritted his teeth, and assumed his anthro form.  He still looked half-dead.

"You have to change back, your lordship," Mermul said.  "I can't heal your wing otherwise."

"But the shock could kill me," Terry protested weakly.

"Then I'll un-kill you," Mermul said.

"But they... they won't let you," Terry moaned.  "I have done terrible things, Mermul...  I shall go to the Punishment Place for my crimes.  And I'll have earned it."

"I don't believe that," the frost-dragon said firmly.  "You have done well with Arstrom.  You have cared for those you rule.  You have been a fine host to Sir Fardon and everything I have seen you do, has been to improve the lot of your citizens.  You pose as a dangerous ruler, but in the end, you are a good dragon."

"Thank you," Terry said, looking miserable.  "But you are speaking from a position of ignorance.  I have tried to do right these last few decades, but in my time I have also done wrong... great wickedness, unforgiveable crimes."

"You... didn't eat people, did you...?"  Mermul looked appalled.  "Surely... given how angry you were at Graghmunn..."

"Not that," Terry groaned.  "I have never eaten the Small Races, nor a fellow dragon... but I have done worse.
"The protection gem... The one I had implanted in my body...  I didn't find that enchantment somewhere... I made it myself," Terry said, grimacing.  "Necromancy... I harvested souls to power it.  My enemies... not random innocents like Pierce has done... But to trap their souls at all...   I'm scared, Mermul..." he whimpered.  "I'm scared to die, because I know I won't be given another chance...."

"I have never asked about Lord Varl's enchantments," Mermul said softly.  "They say that to become a ruling lord... it cannot be done without breaking some eggs.  To make an enchantment from souls is wrong... but I understand why you did it.  You are not the first, and if you should meet the Great One, I am sure He will understand."

Sadly, Mermul breathed his healing breath on the anthro-dragon, knowing that it wouldn't help his crippled dragon form, but hoping it might at least do something.

Pierce droned on, and despite Mermul's best efforts, Terry found himself unable to cling to consciousness.  His eyes closed and the world faded black.