Haze of Dusk (A trilogy) Read online

  The dragon is not happy to spot me. Instantly, the three mouths open dashing flames from its snouts. I lift my hand high above my head building a barrier, but the force of the fire jostles me down. I strike the ground hard. It hits me. This is real, and I have to fight with all my strength and knowledge. I hurl everything out of my bag. I hold the knitted ball and throw it to one of the heads— a foggy eruption takes over the dragon, but the power only wearies one of the heads. At least now I have one less to battle. In a combination, the dragons send me two balls of fire. I run away from the flames. I slide on the ground, and take the three knives. I fling it, hitting the left wing twice. The third dagger is destroyed by the fire before reaching one of the dragon’s head. A lengthy fire is thrown to me by both heads. I roll down the floor, and reach out my hand, using an electric power against it. The dragons vibrate, hollering in ache. I’m overcoming. I can easily demolish him, but as he is about to fall down the void, I stop. Too much power is a terrible idea. The task is to get one of the heads, not kill the dragon. Without the head, Srogeri is dead.

  I have to figure out a way to lure him to me, for he flies below the hollow. But I find it difficult as he keeps its distance, and his weight is too heavy to draw him with my powers. I gape at the ground, hoping to get an idea. I see Osys's lucky string. An idea grows in me. I pick it up, and magically make it longer. I toss it to the middle head, wrapping it around it. However, clinging to the cord, I feel foolish, especially as the dragon begins to elevate me with it. What was I thinking? How will I ever bring down the heavy creature with a string? All is at lost. That’s it. I’m done for. It’s either killed the dragon, or die in its layer. A heavy thump concerns me. Strong hands abruptly cover mine, now he holds the twine. Powerfully, Khysso yanks down the cord, shockingly moving the dragon that now struggles. I gawk dumbfounded by his strength. How is it possible? This is a man, not an ogre. Khysso brings the creature to the center, below the solid. The dragon throws him flames, but he counterattacks it with a cold wind that freezes the fire and crusts the dragon's skin for a few. It’s my turn. I take the arrow Ikumus gave me, and elevate it with my mind. I speedily send it to the dragon’s stomach, directly piercing him. The dragon knocks down. The fall shakes the ground. The three heads lie on the surface— ready for me to cut. I stare breathing heavily, afraid of what I have to do next. Khysso drawbacks, he stands near the bridge.

  “The paralyzing arrow won’t work forever, do it now!” he commands. I breathe fast. I run to one of the dragon’s head. I lift my sword, and strike down.

  - 14 -

  Breakable

  “You should not agonize about the dragon. Within time another head grows,” Khysso says softly. He notes my eyes don't leave the dragon’s head, which is wrapped in a shawl near him. We escaped the dragon’s cavern before the late hours, and rest is what we need for our return. We would’ve gone back, but our draghorns will not be around until sunset, consequently, we have to camp out in the deadly mountain. “You should sleep,” how can I sleep with a head of a creature near me, and rest in the open, with no barrier, and no protection? For all I know, an arclaw can attack us as we sleep. And I’m not going to be its meal.

  “No thanks…I’ll stay awake,” I say, and although it is dark, I still feel as if I’m inside the cavern, hot. My inside is blazing with flames. I swiftly gawk around, the nerves of encountering an arclaw and the hotness…not a good combination. “Are you well?” He asks staring at me with his devious eyes that make me question his sincerity. He sits leaning to a pale tree trunk, watching my movements, observing me produce awkwardness. I move my hair to a side, blowing air by waving a hand by my face. “It’s hot…” he strains a laugh.

  “It’s like every other day. You need to learn how to handle the outside world or how are you expecting to survive many months on a war field?” I grimace. Thinking about it gives me stomach pains. I pick up my shirt and from the edge, I blow air with it, exposing my stomach without any concern. How will I survive in the fields? I move my sight around in a flash. I stop on Khysso, who stares at me in a stupor, his eyes on my stomach. His dishevel hair falling on his face, touching his chin. I briskly put down my shirt, covering my expose stomach.

  “Pervert,” I say under my breath. He chuckles, as if he heard me, except it’s impossible because of our distance. Khysso lays his head on the trunk. He crosses his hands on his chest and unworriedly shuts his eyes. I scoff, and intently stare at him. His manly features are faultless. Although at times he infuriates me, I admit he's honestly handsome. No wonder the girls in the classroom, even the entire castle crushes on him. But it’s all not the good looks. The manly ambience he sends out, his mystery, it is likely to drive girls insane. And Casandree, the thought of that woman vibrates my tummy. Does Khysso love that woman?

  “It’s rude to stare at others,” my eyes widen. Crap, how the hell did he see me if his eyes are shut? I bow down my head, recalling insulting him by calling him that disturbing name. I know what it means now, and it’s not pretty. He’s right about my attitude. It’s not his fault he’s a bastard, it’s his parents for abandoning him. I look back at him. He still rests. “Khysso… I wanted to…ah…I wanted to…" say it, just say it, and don’t let it be so hard. Khysso opens his eyes. He stares at me directly, waiting for me to come to an end. He is mellow, almost always.

  “Apologize…for earlier…” my heart races as it finally comes out. At least now I’m released more than guilty. He discreetly smirks, yet not fully contented—probably wondering if that’s my ultimate apology. Fine, I’ll give you some more.

  “I’m really grateful. You saved me from the dragon…and the lava…and the…fall in the arena…” holy crap! And there’s more—and the earthquake, the hollow, and when I was a child. I owe this fellow my life. “W-the point is… I think you deserve my respect. SO, I vow not to disrespect you like I previously did. I won’t call you that ever again…” I stop. If I continue he’ll think my life belongs to him.

  “I’m glad you’ve acknowledged it. And I hope you can keep your promise. I do not ask for anything else,” he's so mature, it’s intimidating. Then again, he’s an instructor for a reason. He clears his throat, still with his hands across his chest. He looks away at some rocks. The silence that falls upon us is so deep it’s bothersome, creating tension. I start to get itchy. I’m sure the bugs are eating me.

  “You should sleep.”

  “Can you stop sending me to sleep?” I snap. He lifts an eyebrow, lethally handsome. I grimace. I’m such a sass mouth. I should really wash my mouth with soap. “I’m sorry…it’s that I’m hungry…” saved by the hunger topic. “Did we not bring anything?” I try to sound nice. He sighs. “Why did you think I can break nature’s magic law?” He blurts out. His question startles me. All this time, was he thinking about that? “Oh…because of the coconut tree we created seven years ago. Remember…” my cheeks redden as I speak of those times. Maybe because when I first met Khysso, I wished on a star to one day wed him. Everything I did, I did wanting to come back to him. That encounter with him seven years ago, changed my life forever. But things are different now. He’s nothing I imagine he would be. Besides, he belongs to that woman. Thinking about it my stomach burns again.

  “Yes, I do. What about it?”

  “Do you know people eat from it?” His calm expression swiftly changes. He grimaces. “That’s impossible. Nature’s magic law does not allow anything that’s created by magic to be consumed.”

  “Exactly my point. I thought that maybe it was you who did it. But…now, I’m very confused. I don’t understand why…”

  “Perhaps that tree was a coconut tree before, and we mended it. Elf magic can repair nature. It would not be strange if we can do that together.” I shake my head.

  “No-no, that tree was an acorn tree not a palm tree, which reproduces coconut. Coconut trees aren’t found in the northern lands. They come from tropical lands in which are extinct due to our climate. Srogeri says it’s strange a
nd very suspicious. The elves see it as a sign from the gods. It’s odd…very odd.” I say sounding like a smart ass. I can tell he doesn't appreciate the conversation. “Whatsoever. It is foolish. I am going to sleep.” He lays his head to the trunk, and closes his eyes.

  “Aren’t you curious, Khysso? A tree we created still produces delectable coconuts. Isn’t it strange? It’s not you and it’s not me…then, why can it be consumed?” He completely ignores me. I gasp. “Wait…what if together we can break nature’s magic law. We did conjoin our magic when we produced the tree, and we are magically compatible, very rare.” As absurd as it sounds, the puzzle matches greatly. He snorts, mocking my conclusion. He opens his eyes.

  “Nature’s magic law cannot be broken. It’s the law of the universe, and not even a million of wizards, elves, sorcerers, or witches together can reach to break it. Yet, they have learned to accept nature’s magic law, wherein, signifies you cannot generate what's not there, excluding elemental conjuring, without fading in hours—minutes or seconds of an hourglass, depending on the greatness of the power—you CANNOT consume anything created by magic. That’s the way it is. Thus, your theory is preposterous.” I grind my teeth. I dislike his smart-ass tone. “Now please, let me rest,” he lays his head again, this time he moves his body away from my sight.

  I lay down on the solid ground. Khysso lent me his coat to use as a pillow, but his fresh scent is disturbing as it only reminds me of him. I can’t find comfort so I whirl back and forth. The howling of the night breaks my doze every few seconds, but the ground is also too uncomfortable hurting my spine. A louder growl interrupts my catnap. I rise and stressfully exhale. I throw Khysso’s hood near him. The way he sleeps surprises me. He sits with his hands across his chest. The insects on the tree possibly are crawling on his body, yet he does not move a muscle. I gawk at him; even as he sleeps his fairness is superb. A flash of our past enters my mind, when we played on the lake, with no nuisances. He laughed that day, and smiled beautifully. I can’t believe that boy is this man.

  I’m in need to release all the water that I drank earlier, so I purpose myself to go for a walk— a place far away from his sight so he won’t see me urinate. I go to a corner by a wall and release my needs, but nearby growl stirs me back up. “What the bloody-hell is that sound?” I gaze around. There are two paths; one to return and another escalates further into the mountain. I bite my lips. I get an urge— I want to go up that peak and without questioning, it’s what I do. I speed walk, and reach the top of the mountain, which it’s not too far from our resting area. There's nothing in the top but edges to the downhill world—an amazing orangey motion that gently converts into day. The view is chillingly beautiful. It takes my breath away. I hear indistinct growls that appear to come from below the mountain. I walk to the narrow edge, and carefully, I gape down. I wheeze for air. I'm outraged by what my eyes captured. Thousands of arclaws are clutched like ants, howling. They wave their hands high above their heads, as if dancing to the sunrise. “Holy crap…so many,” I whisper. For the first time ever, I have encountered an arclaw. I watch carefully that they don't notice me, for the span is not too lengthy.

  I intently watch under. I’m stupefied by how they resemble humans. They walk among one another. I see mothers with their children, husbands with their wives, but they aren’t humans. The women are easier to identify, with their long leathery wings. Their skin colors differs from a light bronze, to a pale gold, their heads wild with hair, some dark, others as bright as the sun. Their fangs on top and bottom burst out of their mouths. Their forehead has three lines of deep wrinkles, the ears long but thicker than an elf, and the eyes lifted like a reptile.

  Some female arclaws are nearly nude, demonstrating their tops, as others wear animal fur covering their privates. The male arclaws are heavier, with muscles bursting out. They wear small bottoms, their faces similar to the female breed but masculine, and with facial hair. Their ears are shorter, and their height varies from six feet to eight feet tall. Arclaws have claws on their hands and feet, instead of nails. If it isn't because of their need for flesh, and gory wars, they can be part of us.

  The echo of the growling shifts into a sad, gloomy wail. The disgust I feel perishes, and for a moment, I don’t see them as the enemy, but as beings with emotions. “Judyala…” his voice impacts me so strongly my foot slips on the edge, and I fall behind. Khysso dashes to me. He grasps my hand and roughly pulls me to him. My chest thrusts against his body. I'm breathless. “You seriously have a death wish…” He breathes fast. His heart races, he too panicked.

  “You scared me,” I wheeze in a small voice. I gulp. If I were to fall, I’ll be their breakfast. “Thanks,” I whisper looking into his green quivering eyes. Our closeness is acute, one of his hands on my hips. His breath prickles my face. I blush, and jerk away from him.

  “How did you find me?” I avoid looking into his captivating eyes. He chuckles.

  “Wherever there’s danger is Judyala. Easy recognition,” he derides. I roll my eyes at him and go back to the rim. “It’s my first time seeing one. I was curious.” I concede. He sighs harshly, and stands next to me. “I wonder why they are dancing.” I murmur. He shakes his head. “They’re not dancing. They long for the second sun. The sun is their strength, their god. They can easily resist heat. We never attack them during the day, for the suns makes them strong— I think they’re praying to it, asking for wishes…” he says oddly. “Wishing what?” He shakes his head in dismay,

  “I'm not sure, might be their world or food. I once heard the arclaws are from a world where the weather is always hot. A place with many oceans, and where the vertebrates; reptilians…insects are all outsized.”

  “Outsized?”

  “Yes, just picture lizards, frogs, rabbits, but two hundred times greater than a human. Imagine flying bats, eagles…all larger than what we have. That’s the world they belong in…so I heard.” He says softly looking down at them. That’s a world I don’t want to be part of. Huge frogs… nasty.

  “You think they cry because they’re hungry?”

  “I don’t know really, perhaps. They reside in this mountain. They can’t survive by eating raw-food like us. They need meat and here there are no animals. Not even lizards. This is why they are so emaciated.” In Duolic, we have nothing to eat but grains and seed pods. It's strange to find meat as only the wealthy can afford it, but somehow, Morgan always found a way to bring steak, or white meat four times a week. “Yeah, I don’t blame them for eating humans.” I say to myself. Khysso's eyes move to me. By his wily stare, I can tell that he didn’t like my words. I nervously laugh. “I should head back.” I turn away.

  “Wait!” he calls. I somewhat tilt my head to him. He lazily looks at me.

  “Want to try it?”

  “Try what?”

  “Want to see…if we can break nature’s magic law?” My eyes widen. I’m astounded by his proposal. I thought he was in denial. He said it was unattainable. I want to repeat his words, simply to annoy him. But my curiosity helps me overlook my pride. “What do you have in mind?” He glances down, then right back at me.

  “Give me your hand,” he reaches out a hand. I bite my lips. I timidly give him my hand. He slowly drags me to him, easily provoking redness in me. “I’m thinking of summoning mammals, vertebrates. Simply go with my energy. If we can break the rule, then they can consume the animals. If not, then—"

  “Wait!” I yank my hand away. “You want to bring cute fuzzy animals, so they can consume it. That’s sick!”

  “Then think of ugly-fuzzy-animals, you five year old girl,” he taunts me. I gasp. “You want to do this or not!” he snaps. His way of thinking disturbs me. I’m thwarted by his response. But I’m also curious to know if united our powers can reach the impossible, break nature’s magic law. We are magical, but we don’t have the power to create materials or provide nourishment from our creations. We can’t become wealthy. The formation of gold is unattainable. We can’t create a bei
ng, or make a person love another. Changing objects is sometimes forgiven but hard to accomplish. These are the magic rules. The things the nature of magic will never allow us to do.

  “Fine… but I’m doing reptiles and amphibian.” I give in. He partly smiles. He slides a hand to mine, our fingers interlocking. I blush, hoping my redness isn’t too obvious. His touch is different from any man I’ve encountered. It brings a fire in me, creating a heavy burden on my emotions. It’s like falling from a never ending hollow, and there is no landing as long as I stay with him, but if he leaves me, I’ll hit ground. It’s an uncomfortable feeling, and I desire for it to fade.

  “Ready,” he whispers. We look below and breathe in, and in a gentle puff we let out air. We shut our eyes, and let the energies of the universe conceal our bodies. The warm energy he sends to my body is relaxing. It creates in me something so beautiful it’s indescribable. I concentrate on what I want, reptiles and amphibians, but his idea penetrates mine. He seeks outsized creatures. Not able to fight him, it’s exactly what we summon. We open our eyes, and gaze beneath. Two enormous amphibians and one outsized lizard crawls the land.

  “Pray it works, for it does not, we are dead. Arclaws hate misleads.” Khysso murmurs. I gasp and glare at him, “what!” I growl. “Now you say this!” he laughs, mocking my fear. I glance down, now crossing my fingers. Please don't fade, please don't fade. And as I fret, he stares seriously, as if he knows the outcome. The arclaws scream fanatically, attacking the outsized creatures in group, and terribly devouring it. They’re main point, the creature’s intestines. “T-they…are…eating it.” I whisper amazed. I can’t believe it. This means…together, Khysso and I are capable of the impossible. We can break nature’s magic law.