Forest of Kings by Jack Knight

Author:Jack Knight [Knight, Jack]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-08-06T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 11: Surprised

Xion drifted between sleep and the nature trance. He was briefly aware of every living thing around him, and then in total darkness, repeating the cycle so many times, Xion could not even guess at how long he was actually asleep.

The vision broke through the cycle, and Xion was glad he could see something again. He was just disappointed by what he saw.

He had been hoping for a hint at what Draxis was planning, instead he saw Paarathax and Xorn again. Xorn was lying in a small clearing, with Paarathax sitting on the ground, reclined against one of the trees on the clearing’s edge.

“... wasn’t her,” Paarathax finished part of his sentence just after Xion became aware of the two of them.

Xorn blew a stream of black smoke out of his nostrils, they shot forward several inches and then trailed toward the sky, growing less opaque until they disappeared several feet from where they started.

“You wasted all of that time,” Xorn growled. “You could have been using that time to stop the king.”

“No,” Paarathax said calmly, “the chosen one will stop Draxis. And, if I hadn’t gone, I would have regretted it my entire life.”

“Your life ends when the king finds out you are still alive,” Xorn pointed out.

Paarathax shook his head. “He knows what I’ve been doing,” he argued. “He will keep me alive to torture me for information.”

“Is that what you want?” Xorn asked.

“Of course not. I just need to not get captured,” Paarathax answered.

“You said the king is close to his goal, how is the chosen one going to stop him?” Xorn demanded.

“Obviously,” Paarathax said simply, “one of us needs to help him.”

“I will not be seen in the company of the king’s greatest enemy,” Xorn growled.

Paarathax laughed. “A boy, not even of age, is Draxis’ greatest enemy?”

“You know the prophecy, Draxis was there when it was first spoken, he knows the boy is destined to be his downfall,” Xorn said.

“That’s not exactly what the prophecy says,” Paarathax pointed out.

Xion would have gasped if he had been in his own body. Paarathax knew the words of the prophecy, too? Why was everyone so opposed to telling him the truth? It was about him, he had a right to know.

“I think the word ‘replaced’ is what frightens the king most,” Xorn mused.

“Maybe,” Paarathax sighed, “but the point is, the chosen one needs help.”

“Then help him yourself,” Xorn insisted.

“It should be you. Just go and tell him where the tomb is,” Paarathax argued.

“How do you think it will look for a dragon to enter Evergreen? Especially when Draxis’ little helpers have just discovered their general was almost killed,” Xorn asked.

“Don’t go as a dragon,” Paarathax suggested.

Xorn roared and unfurled his wings. “I will never lower myself to the form of a human!”

“I think you might want to reconsider when you realize what’s in the dragon’s tomb,” Paarathax said with a mischievous grin.

Xorn slowly folded his wings against his back and growled.

“Are you old enough to remember Xeraxia?” Paarathax asked, chuckling.

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