He closed his eyes again and fiercely felt for Iolaire this time. The light from the fireworks show that the two Dragons were giving off was the only thing he saw behind his eyelids though. He dug his fingernails into the stone again. He was not giving up. The connection was still there! Raziel told him it was! If it wasn’t then Iolaire was truly gone. But no, no, NO! That could not be! He would not let it be!
Iolaire? Iolaire, can you hear me? It’s Caden, he felt immediately stupid for saying that. Iolaire would know him anywhere. But maybe just saying both their names could somehow breach through the control that the Behemoth had over Iolaire. C’mon, baby, c’mon, Iolaire. Listen to me. Listen to my voice.
He thought he heard the softest twitter.
IOLAIRE?! Caden’s voice grew louder and his body tensed.
There was a soft twitter as if Iolaire didn’t believe it was really hearing Caden, but just imagining him.
Iolaire, it’s me! Caden cried. It’s me! I’m here! We’re here to save you! You’ve got to fight! You’ve got to--
There was another terrible roar. Caden’s eyelids flew open. A geyser of acid burst through the top of the dome like some kind of apocalyptic fountain. Raziel was struggling to get higher from the dome at this point, but that left wing was ripped and wasn’t working right. So when the acid rose, Raziel avoided the first geyser and the second, but then wind turned the acid into a tornado just like the water had. This time it was the right wing that was hit. The acid ate through the delicate webbing and Raziel let out another roar.
NO! Caden cried.
He reached for Raziel as if he could truly catch the Dragon. His lips parted in horror. Raziel was falling. No, not falling. Its wings curled against its back almost uselessly as Raziel didn’t try to fly away, but headed down, like a rocket, towards the dome. Fire bloomed in front of Raziel, weakening the dome, as it crashed right through it. There was an explosion that had Caden lifting up his right forearm to shield his eyes. He shut his eyelids tightly, but the light still managed to seep in around the edges.
When he dared to lower his arm and open his eyelids, there were still black spots floating there, eliminating part of the scene before him. He strained to see Raziel. He expected to see the Black Dragon Spirit grappling with the Behemoth, but that was not what he saw.
Raziel lay crumpled on the ground. Broken black wings. Still tail. Massive head with eyes closed.
Caden’s mouth opened to let out a scream, but nothing came out. The Behemoth rose up behind Raziel’s still form. Its heads were all staring down at the prone figure of the great Black Dragon Spirit. The Behemoth poked Raziel with one of its huge foreclaws. The largest head, the Behemoth itself, tilted to the side.
And Caden swore it smiled.
All of the heads reared back then, all except the white one and the ruby one. They were both limp. Caden felt his soul wanting to separate from the body he didn’t have. Fire crackled in one mouth. Acid bubbled in another. Electricity sizzled in a third. Pure, seething light burned in a fourth. And on and on it went.
Not even Raziel could take the force of all of that.
The other Dragons are not here to distract the Behemoth, to take the blows. That’s how this worked last time. The Dragons were all needed together. Now, Raziel needs that distraction. Right now.
Caden didn’t think. He simply rose up into the air and flew straight towards the Behemoth. He was so small and insignificant that the Behemoth didn’t even notice him. Not until Caden spoke.
“Hey, Behemoth, you bastard,” Caden hissed. “Pick on someone your own size. Pick on me.”
Help Arrives
“They’re moving,” Valerius said, eyes widening. “Why are they moving?”
The horde shuffled towards Caden’s body. They were making this low hum. They packed tightly around Caden in a tight circle. It was like they were one being. They moved around Caden in a circle. Every limb shifted at the same time. Every body turned and tilted at the same time. Every head looked in the same direction. They swirled around Caden.
“What the Hell is happening?” Illarion growled. “What are they doing?”
Valerius took a single step inside the cavern and felt pain slice through him. For a minute, he couldn’t breathe. He sank down onto his knees and clutched his chest. He fell over onto his side. Pain filled him.
Agony.
Agony.
AGONY.
Illarion yanked him back into the tunnel. He cradled Valerius on his thighs, hawking over him like some massive Russian bird of prey. Or a mother hen. Maybe a combination of both. He wasn’t sure.
“What is wrong with you?” Illarion hissed, looking more afraid than angry. “Are you having a heart attack or are you bleeding to death? Is this a human thing?”
“No… no.” Valerius licked his lips. It felt like he couldn’t get any air. His vision was coming in and out. He felt on the cusp of passing out. But the pain was radiating through his body, not from his body. “R-Raziel… something is wrong with Raziel.”
“What?! What could be wrong with Raziel? He’s--he’s Raziel!” Illarion seemed to be having trouble breathing too.
