The Dragon Isles

Chapter Forty-One

Slowly, the humanlike Tempest climbed the stairs toward the ancient temple. She moved with deliberate, measured steps, as though she were unused to walking on human legs. Magical energies from the glowing key danced around her. She laughed, and the island trembled.

“She needs to reach the diamond to destroy the Veil,” Mik said urgently to Trip. “We have to keep her away from it.” He parried the thrust of a dragonspawn and kicked the creature in its gut. The minion screamed as it soared over the edge of the temple courtyard and fell into the molten crater of the volcano.

“Clever man,” the dragon hissed, her voice echoing up from the stairs below. “Perhaps, out of gratitude, I’ll let you live long enough to see my triumph.

“Once I rip the Veil from the heavens, my minions will swarm the Dragon Isles. We will scour the oceans and pick clean the bones of our enemies. I will make myself equal to any dragon overlord on Ansalon. Those who do not bow down before me shall die-just as the remainder of your friends shall die.”

The monstrous creature smiled. “All this, you have given me.”

“No!” Mik yelled. He flung his dagger at the transformed dragon, but Tempest merely batted the insignificant blade aside. It clattered onto the stairs at her clawed feet.

“Foolish,” Tempest hissed, mounting the final step to the temple courtyard. “Perhaps I shall slay you now, after all. Or perhaps I’ll slay your pet kender first.” She raised the coruscating key up before her. Pale lightning flashed across the artifact’s intricate surface.

Two dragonspawn had Trip pinned against a temple pillar. The kender was fighting so hard that he didn’t even see the dragon turning toward him.

Mik parried a blow from Mog, as a shadow moved on the stairs below Tempest.

Ula Drakenvaal strode up from the plaza below and hurled the coral lance at Tempest’s exposed back.

Mog leaped away from Mik and shouted a warning. Tempest turned just in time to avoid a mortal blow. Yet the coral lance traced a long gash up the dragon’s human-like arm. Tempest shrieked, her hand flexing open. The key fell from her grasp and tumbled off the mountain into the surf.

Ula cursed as the lance ricocheted off a pillar and clattered back down the stairs, landing too far away for her to retrieve it.

Tempest whirled to face the sea elf. A deadly spell formed on the transformed dragon’s scaly lips.

Mik leaped with all his might-across the rain-slick courtyard and into Mog, knocking the dragonspawn onto its backside. Mog skidded over the wet surface into Tempest, cutting her legs out from under her.

The dragon’s spell blazed into the sky as she toppled down the stairs. Tempest shrieked with rage and indignation. Mog rose, but Mik was on him before he could recover.

The sailor slashed down. His scimitar sliced across Mog’s reptilian face, staining the wind with a misty spray of blood. Mog staggered back and stepped off the edge of the temple plaza. The dragonspawn tumbled down the mountainside, screaming. He hit the cliffs several times before being swallowed by the raging surf below.

Enraged, Tempest’s human form rose and refocused her lethal spell toward Ula. Energy blasted from the dragon’s clawed fingertips, but the sea elf dove off the stairway. Ula arced over the cliff face and sliced into the storm-tossed sea.

Tempest bellowed her fury, and the temple shook. “It seems I must slay you all before I can recover the key and destroy die Veil,” she roared. In an instant she swelled to three times human size. Armored scales sprouted from her skin. Her neck became long and sinuous, her muzzle grew pointed like a crocodile’s.

Growing larger by the second, the sea dragon lumbered up the stairs toward the temple, deadly steam pouring from her jaws.