The War of the Masters

Cyrus’s heart skipped a beat as he realized they were about to be eaten by a colossal gray dragon. T’Saunté shot forward just as the jaws clamped down, missing them by mere inches.

Peering over the massive dragon’s skull, Cyrus saw the jagged outline of a harrowing, armored Rider.

Kane.

Dark, crackling flames spewed from Kane’s dragon, bathing T’Saunté’s tail in a torrent of fire. Cyrus stifled a scream as the intense heat singed his back.

“How fast is Kane’s dragon?” he yelled over the wind.

“His dragon is incredibly slow, but T’Saunté’s wing is torn; we’re not flying at top speed,” Terra answered. “If that thing gets a hold of us, we’re done for. It’s almost as strong as my father’s dragon.”

Great . . . this just gets better and better.

Kane’s dragon jettisoned a second stream of fire, but T’Saunté nosedived in the nick of time, barely avoiding the intense flames. Picking up speed, T’Saunté shot low over the tree canopy, flying as fast as his ripped wing would allow. The fierce wind tore past Cyrus in a rush, making it difficult to breathe, but Kane kept up with them. Another volley of dark flames rained down from above. T’Saunté veered to the left, and Cyrus saw the swath of fire burn through the trees where they had just been.

We can’t keep this up forever, he thought grimly.

“There!” Terra shouted, pointing at a lake embedded in the forest.

T’Saunté ducked to the right and rocketed toward the water. Kane’s dragon followed from above, maintaining the strategic high point in the air. Barreling over the last tree, T’Saunté dipped down, flying only a couple feet above the crystal clear water. A bellowing roar sounded from above and another blast of flames hurtled toward them.

“Now!” Terra yelled.

T’Saunté swerved out of the fire’s path. The instant the dark flames collided with the water a loud hiss resonated through the air. A cloud of steam billowed into the sky, obscuring everything around the lake in a thick, gray haze.

Spreading his wings, T’Saunté caught the wind like sheets on a clothesline. Cyrus felt his stomach lurch into his throat as they came to a halt. Using his smaller size to his advantage, T’Saunté twisted his body in a 180 degree arc and flew back the way they came.

The rising steam offered them cover, but it worked both ways—Cyrus had no idea whether Kane was miles away, or right on top of them. For a tense moment, they watched and waited.

As they emerged from the mist, T’Saunté eased back and Cyrus stole a glance behind him. Kane’s dragon was still flying in the original direction they had been going.

Cyrus felt his muscles relax, and he breathed a sigh of relief. Even if Kane saw them now, T’Saunté had too much of a lead for them to catch up.

We made it.

“That was pretty clever,” Cyrus said with a smile. “Have you two done that before?”

Terra shook her head. “No, I just came up with that on the fly.”

“On the fly!” Lucky cackled from Cyrus’s pocket. “Get it, on the fly?”

“Wait, was that supposed to be a pun or something?” Cyrus said wryly.

Lucky shook his head and patted him on the shoulder. “Don’t worry about it, buddy,” he said in a sympathetic voice, “Give me time, I’ll teach you the ins and outs of humor.”

“Uh . . . Lucky, I think that one went right over your head.”

“Is that a short joke?”

Cyrus shook his head. “Never mind.”

Terra cleared her throat. “Now we just need to find your parents.”

“Oh, I know where they are,” Cyrus proclaimed. Seeing the puzzled look on Terra’s face, he explained further: “There’s a part of the forest out here that we all know well. My parents told me it was our family’s emergency meeting place, in case anything ever happened. If they haven’t been captured, that’s where we’ll find them.”

“That’s great news!” Terra said with a wide grin.

Cyrus pointed out a tall hill blanketed with thick, green trees. “Let’s land there and walk back. The trees should give us some cover.”

Terra nodded and leaned in to tell T’Saunté, but he was already swooping low before she could relay the message.

“Looks like he’s starting to like you,” Terra said with a wink.

“The feeling’s mutual,” Cyrus replied as he readied himself for their landing.

Once they touched down, T’Saunté immediately switched to his smaller form, and Terra took a moment to look over their wounds. She would have to wait a day or more before she could use the Breath of the Masters again, so she poured water over the burn on Cyrus’s back and covered it with a bandage from her utility belt.

“Ouch!” Cyrus said as the bandage slapped against his skin. When Terra raised an eyebrow, he added, “I mean, uh, that sunlight’s in my eyes . . .”

Terra grinned. “Yeah. I bet.”

“How are T’Saunté’s wounds?” he asked.

“His wing’s torn, but nothing too serious. Dragons heal quickly; he should be fine by tomorrow, I’d say. But until then, I’d rather he didn’t fly.” Terra brushed her hair behind her ear. “I hope you don’t mind walking.”

“Not at all. It’s about the journey anyway, not the destination. I’m just glad he’ll be okay.”

Terra smiled. “Let’s see if we can find your parents.”

It took them less than thirty minutes to reach the meeting place, and both of his parents were there waiting for him. When they saw the group approaching, they ran to and hugged Cyrus.

“We were so worried,” his mother told him.

“Bah, a dragon, a few Dire Wolves—all in a day’s work, anymore,” Cyrus joked. “Terra, I’d like you to meet my father and mother: Kendal and Madrina.”

“Pleased to meet you,” Terra said, shaking both their hands.

“The pleasure is ours,” Kendal assured her.

“Oh, my!” Madrina said suddenly. “Are those two with you?”

Lucky was riding on T’Saunté’s miniature shoulders. “Onward, my noble steed!” he shouted as they raced by. “We have more foes to vanquish and battles to win! To fame, glory, and the hearts of many Leprechaun women!”

Cyrus chuckled. “Yes, that’s Lucky and T’Saunté.”

“Confident little fellow, isn’t he?” Kendal asked.

“Words don’t begin to describe it,” Terra replied.

“The dragon’s wing looks like it’s been torn,” Kendal pointed out. “Madrina, do you think you can heal him?”

“I’m afraid not. I spent years studying human physiology before I could heal a simple cut. Unfortunately I don’t know anything about dragons,” she answered.

“Heal him?” Cyrus asked, puzzled. “What do you mean?”

Madrina looked at her husband, then back to her son. “I guess now is as good a time to tell you as any. Son, you and I have the blood of the Akieres clan running through our veins.”

“The Akieres? What are you talking about? What does that mean?” Cyrus asked.

“It means a multitude of things. For one, we have the ability to manipulate objects we touch with our hands,” she explained. “Do you remember how I lifted the wooden board back at the house?”

“Yes,” he answered, thinking back. “And I stopped a Dire Wolf cold with my bare hand.”

Madrina paused, clearly surprised, before continuing. “That is the power you and I possess, son. Though that’s hardly the extent of how we can use it. For example, we can heat up the molecules in an object, or cause an item to become brittle. But because you are a half-blooded Akieres, you can only channel this power through one of your hands.”

“But when I did that, the energy nearly killed me.”

Cyrus went on to explain what had happened to Terra and him from the beginning, including the Breath of the Masters.

“Hmm,” his mother considered, “yes, it sounds like if you expend too much energy it will rob you of the Breath’s effects, leaving you in a dying state. You’ll have to be careful.”

She paused and reached to her belt, unhooking what appeared to be a miniature pickaxe. The small blade and black wooden handle looked more like a child’s toy than a weapon.

“This is the Akieres Legacy Blade,” she explained. “Passed down through our family line, it is a training tool to harness the Akieres power.”

“How?”

“The blade is connected to a tightly wound chain, and can spring out like a projectile with the Akieres power. The force of the blade’s release depends proportionally on the amount of energy you channel into it, so use it wisely.”

Cyrus was grateful for the gift, but he still felt hurt that his parents had kept this secret from him all his life.

“Why did you hide all this from me?”

Madrina’s eyes turned to the ground. “Because it’s no longer safe to be one of us,” she said softly.

The sound of splintering wood made Cyrus jump. His heart racing, he saw an arrow made of pure crackling energy sticking out of the tree beside him. The dark violet arrow sizzled softly before winking out of existence.

Cyrus spun around and saw a young man standing on the ridge above them. He wore dark leather armor underneath a forest green cloak outlined in white. In his hands he steadied a vibrant purple energy bow with an arrow drawn, pointed directly at them.

“Stop right there!”