They buried Gee and Randal together.

  The drakken remained silent, allowing the others to mourn. They were not so close with the deceased, and some of them had beeen by the pair, but they uood what it meant to the Royal Guards and the Iyrman.

  “I will go alone,” Akrat said, finally, turning to face the others. “Without Gee, the rest of you may die. Daegyar is injured, and I finish this alone. You must live to tell the tale.”

  “That’s not your choiake, Iyrman.” Kendrick turned from the graves, his gaze falling to Akrat. “The blood which illed, it was from my men, and the prieeds to be paid by my sword.”

  “We no longer have Gee’s magic, Randal’s great strength, and Timothy is ioo. Our strength has decreased too much. I have failed to protect you, and I will tio fail.” Akrat shook his head, uo accept any more deaths on his hands.

  “John, tomorrow, you’ll return with Timothy. The drakken will guide you back.” Kendrick didn’t even look back to John, keeping his eyes focused on Akrat.

  “I ’t do that, Captain,” John said. “Charles, Gee, Randal, they were my rades too.”

  “Take her back,” Kendrick said, turning to face John, holding out Randal’s sword. “You and Timothy will return and send word back. The Kingdom may think we’re dead, but you will inform them of what happeake a few weeks to rest up, aurn to North Fort. I’m not asking you, John. It’s an order.”

  John grimaced, staring at the sword, the same sword Akrat had wished buried, but the Captain had requisitioned for Timothy, who the man had given his life for. He ched his fists. “Yes, Captain,” he said, shamefully. Not only would he be uo get his revenge, but he’d have to carry the sword, which should be driving itself into Dark Wing’s heart.

  They made camp for the night, the solemaking them. The group took watch two at a time. Dark Wing would not return, not when he was so heavily injured. Akrat was half dead, but it would not dare to fight two warriors who were still at their peak strength, each with a magical on.

  Midway through the night, Bili squealed out. Akrat leapt up into a, grabbing his bde, tossing his b aside.

  “Akrat?” called a familiar voice, who had noticed the b as the fmes illumi.

  Akrat’s eyes so the person who called out to him, his eyes seeing through the darkness with ease due to his orcish blood. “Tamin?”

  Standing before him was another Iyrman, oh a white circle on his forehead, and white arrows heading outwards. He was a human about his age, who wielded a longsword made of a fusion of bone aal, which was currently at the throat of Bili.

  There were three other Iyrmen as well, each with their ons at the ready. The Royal Guards and the soldier drakken had spurred into amediately, grabbing their ons to face their foes. Kendrick faced an Iyrman which wore the skull of a deer, wielding a pair of shortswords made of bone. John faced another Iyrman, who had his staff out ahead of him casually, knowing that he could easily beat the boy, whereas the two drakken soldiers were fag one who used a spear, poised like a viper ready to kill.

  “I didn’t expect to see you here,” Tamin said, letting the boy go, and stomping over to embrace Akrat.

  “I did not expect you either,” Akrat said as they hugged. “I have not seen you sihe battle.”

  “I did not see you after we chased the silver wyrm,” Tamin said. “I almost thought you had died.”

  “No,” Akrat said, smiling slightly. “Thanks to the,” he was about to state the he Iyrmen called them, but quickly repced it with Aldspeak, “Royal Guards.”

  The other Iyrmehed their ons when they had heard, seeing how these people seemed to be allies. They still didn’t approach the camp, however.

  Kendrick sighed, havi as though he was seds from death. He stared at the man with the deer skull, noting the pattern on his forehead. A bck tilted cross, and several eight poiars.

  “What are you doing here?” Akrat asked.

  “We are chasing Rogryaen,” Tamin replied, his lips f a smile. “Why do you look,” he said, motioning to Akrat, “like shit.”

  “We are chasing Daegyar,” Akrat replied, his lips f the same smile.

  The Min and Rat families had been old rivals. Even their older siblings, Kasomin and Shakrat, cshed like two savage stags against one another.

  Tamin gnced around, noting the pany he was keeping. Kendrick was strong, about as strong as he, but none of Akrat’s panions could match the other three Iyrmen at his side. “Your story will be more impressive than mine,” he said, the pair g forearms. “Shall we share stories in the m?”

  “Yes,” Akrat replied, nodding his head. He ihem to share the camp with them, which they accepted.

  They first slept, with the Iyrmen assisting on watch. They also healed Timothy, who gnced around in shock.

  “Sleep,” Kendrick said. “Just go to sleep.”

  Timothy nodded her head slowly, closing her eyes to sleep. She was still light headed, uo remember mubsp;

  When they awoke in the m, they shared a meal and their stories, with Timothy finding out what happened.

  ‘Five Deathsingers,’ Bili thought, blinking. ‘Wow…’ He was admiring all of them, seeing their powerful forms.

  “You buried them like Iyrmen,” Tamin said, ruminating on the words. Charles had been accepted as an Iyrman, though he was cremated, and the two had been buried like Iyrmen. Akrat had accepted them as Iyrmen, which was well within his right as an Iyrman, and suews would o be brought to the Iyr. “Once we deal with Rogryaen, we will return to the Iyr to pass oory.”

  “Thank you,” Akrat said, nodding his head. As much as they were rivals, they were both still Iyrmen.

  “We will leave you to Daegyar,” Tamin said, ohey had exged their stories. He csped the Iyrman’s fain, saying his goodbyes.

  “You won’t join us?” Kendrick asked, gng at all the Iyrmen. “If we join forces, we could take on both dragons.”

  “This is not my story,” Tamin said, shaking his head. “I ’t take this away from you.”

  Akrat smiled. “The us mee-“

  “Dragon!” a drakken soldier excimed, pointing up to the sky.

  From the heavens emerged a dark dragon, swimming through the air. His scales glittered a mesmerising blue, as though he were made of lightning, and he opened his long maw.

  “Rogryaen!” Tamin excimed, his eyes beaming up at the sky wyrm, drawing his bde of bone and steel.

  The other Iyrmen each drew their ons, as lightning rained down from the heavens.

  The drakken each leapt aside, as Timothy withdrew to a nearby tree, readying her bow. Her fingers were unsteady, still affected by the fact that Gee had died, and that she had dropped and caused the death of one of her panions too.

  Kendrick drew his sword, which glowed slightly as the magi through it, and John lit the bde of his fallen rade alight. Their rage would not allow them to run this fight, but it was not the only rage which would cry into the heavens.

  “It seems you’ve e for your death, oh Lightning Sun!” Tamin decred, his teeth bared like a beast. “You will be sin today by me, Tamin, son of Setmin!”

  The dragon nded on the mountain’s wall, talons crushing into it as it turo face them. “You’ve been following me long enough, little boy,” he said, trying to recover his lightning. His head snapped aside, as two of the Iyrmen ran up along the wall oher side of him, and then bore into his side with their ons.

  Rogryaen howled in pain, battered by staff and spear, before its body nearly froze from the inner power of the pair, who jabbed deep into him and tried to seize his body for a moment. The dragon swiped its tail towards the pair of them, feeling the burning of two wounds, but they flipped over the attack with ease.

  ‘These Iyrmen are more powerful than I expected, I should settle this quickly.’

  Rogryae into the air, his powerful wings oher side of him as he circled around towards the drakken, who had fled to one side. He crashed atop them, crushing the two adults, and almost tore into a young drakken boy with a shortsword, but he felt something pierce his hind leg.

  A pair of shortswords pierced into his leg, causing him to shake violently and almost fall aside as the magi through them, causing his scales to dry and fke. The skulled Iyrma one of his bdes ihe dragon, stabbing him once again.

  Tamin and Akrat both charged together, bdes in hand, cutting into the creature’s side, sshing its stomach open as it howled in pain. They were spurred on by their rage, Tamin with a wild grin, and Akrat with his face torted in utter rage.

  A dragon had e to quench his rage.

  They weren’t the only few elling their rage, as two more bdes cut through the dragon, pierg through its back, causing it to screech out wildly, the entire area shaking with its mighty cry.

  “Bastard dragons!” Kendrick cried, recalling the snapped head of Randal and the gruesome appearance of Gee. “I’ll sughter you!”

  John’s bde cut in deep, and the fire spread through the wound, and soon the dragon’s blood started to pour all over the few who had struck it.

  ‘I thought I could get at least two free bdes from the pair which weren’t Deathsingers, but it seems I’ve made a mistake.’

  “Surrender!” the dragon decred, quickly, and an arrow pierg its neck. “Surrender! I yield to the Iyrmen!”

  Kendrid John, who were full e, forced their ons i wao surrender? While they were still shaking with rage?

  “Surrender?” Kendrick asked. “You-“

  Akrat pced a hand on Kendrick’s shoulder, stopping him. Akrat’s face was still full e, but this was not their prey.

  The group had violently assaulted the dragon, not quite bringing it to death, but harming it enough that it had to think twice about the battle. Though it was an older dragon, it still wasn’t quite at the peak of its life, and would wish to tio cim more treasure for the few turies.

  “What is the offer?” Tamin asked. He was the star of the story, so Akrat had to allow him to make the offers. The other two Iyrmen, with their staff and spear, quickly stepped up beside the dragon, ready to strike it down if the offer was not acceptable, and the skulled Iyrman remained on his back, holding the handles of his bdes tightly.

  “Half my hoard,” the dragon offered, “and I will e to assist you once.”

  “Three times,” Tamin said. ‘Wait until Brother Kasomin hears about this! A dragon, which will enter into the phase perhaps in two hundred years, owing us three favours!’ Already he could hear it, the praises to be sang about he and his family.

  Rogryaen the Lighting Sun stared at the warriors. It had only retly made a name for itself in these parts, and soon all would hear how he bargained for his life. However, he would still be alive.

  “I will accept.”

  With that, the Iyrmen withdrew from the dragon, putting away their ons.

  “That’s it?” Kendrick asked, bde still deep within the dragoared at them in utter shock.

  “Half his hoard and three favours from the sky wyrm is a fair price for its life,” Tamin said.

  “You believe it will keep its side of the bargain?”

  “He will,” Akrat said, nodding his head. “The Iyr never fets its debts.”

  “If it refuses to e, it will be hunted down forever by we five, as well as those who wish flory.” ‘Or by our families.’

  “Iyrmen are hungry flory,” Kendrick said. Even so, his rage was still boiling deep within him.

  “I will bring you to my ir,” the dragon said, turning into a humanoid form, a young man, with twe horns atop his head. He looked like a handsome drakken with greater horns, and he wore a thick cloak around himself. He wore no ons, armours, or boots.

  The three young drakken immediately wao bow their heads in fear, but with the Deathsingers here, they did not.

  They buried their dead drakken, who had died in bat against a mighty foe.

  The dragohem to its ir, passing by a few vilges. They rested in the vilges, speaking of their tales, and upoering the st, asked for assistah bringing back the hoard. Awenty drakken joihem, each carrying rge packs to help with the hoard, a portion of which would be given to each of them.

  “This feels so surreal,” Kendrick said. “We’ve beaten a dragon.”

  “Yes,” Akrat said.

  “You’ve kept your promise.”

  “No,” Akrat said. “I will help you sy Daegyar.”

  Kendriodded his head slowly. Even now, the rage was still boiling within him. Three of his men died like heroes, but they were still dead. He saw them every night in his dreams, haunting him with their wails. He shook his head.

  O the ir, Rogryaen had the ce to sy them, but he didn’t want to take his ces, not sihe songs would be sung, and the Iyrmen were empowered by another lot of drakken.

  Glimmer gold and silver, jewels of all shapes and sizes, as well as a myriad of various items made of every preaterial in the nd littered the floor. The Iyrmen immediately grabbed a few jewels, and theo work on finding any magical ons they reised.

  Kendrick found a small neckce, oh was made of string, with a white pearl which swirled with a tiny golden fish in it. As he looked at it, the skulled Iyrman’s head came into focused behind it, and he pulled away.

  The Iyrman just nodded. “Good choice,” he said, his voice deep and low, like a shadow.

  “What is it?”

  “It has many names, but it will save you from death, oo half vitality.”

  “We get picks of the hoard too, don’t we?” Kendrick asked. “For our assistance.”

  The Iyrman nodded, before slipping away to find himself something.

  “Here,” Akrat said, tossing Timothy a bow.

  Timothy looked at the bow and then to Akrat. She took it, staring down at it. It was made of some kind of metal, but it was extremely light.

  “It is a good bow,” he said. “It will help in sying Daegyar.”

  She nodded her head slowly, gripping the bow tight, feeling its magic stick to her.

  John walked all around the mountains of s, before he noticed the hilt of a bde. He reached doulled out a handle. Just a ha was carved out of gold, but it was much heavier, with a star across the hilt.

  “Starrysword,” Tamin said, eyeing up the on, nodding his head.

  “Do you want it?” John asked, staring at the Iyrman.

  “It is yours,” Tamin said.

  “What does it do?” John inquired.

  “Starrysword?” Akrat asked, walking over. “ I hold it?”

  John passed it over. Tamin and Akrat admired it for a long moment. They had heard the tales of the on.

  “The sword turn into a beam of light which explodes in the distao light,” Akrat said.

  “What?”

  “It will reappear if you call for it within the day, or it will reform where it had nded,” Tamin said, nodding his head.

  “It is a great on,” Akrat said, handing it back.

  “Is it that good?”

  “Yes,” the pair replied. “It’s entment is beyond basic.”

  Rogryaen frowned, watg as they were all taking away the preagical items he had gathered over turies. Of course, he’d wait a hundred years or so tain them from the others, but the Deathsingers would keep the ons for much longer, and he’d have to give up on them if he wao keep his life.

  Akrat scoured the pce, trying to find a bde for himself. That’s when he felt it, something calling to him. He turned on his heel, gng all around. He followed the trail, and then stuck his sword into a pile of gold, before pulling out a sword.

  It was a dark blue gem, Sapphicule, with lightning c through the ey of it.

  ‘No! Not my precious!’ Rogryaen frowned. ‘I was going to give that to my daughter…’

  “You will sy Daegyar,” Akrat said, nodding his head slowly.

  The young drakken trio looked around, staring at all the wealth. “Wow…” They took some gems for themselves, sihey were told they take a few things.

  “Here,” Akrat said, handing a shortsword to Bili. “It is of a basitment, but it will grow with you.” Akrat also found him a set of breastpte armour, a pair of braces, and a shield, each with a basitment. Though they were numerous, Akrat decided not to take too much for himself.

  Bili accepted them, having not expected it. “Thank you!”

  “These e with a responsibility,” Akrat said. “You must live up to that.”

  “Yes!”

  Kendrick walked over to Timothy, who turned around to look at him. It wasn’t as though he could sneak up on her, but he still felt a little sad about how easy it was for her to pick up on him. He held out the neckce, before pg it on her. “It’ll save you in your direst hour. If it ever goes off, just run.”

  Timothy nodded her head slowly, before hugging him quickly.

  Kendrick smiled. “I’ll make sure you get back safe and sound, alright?”

  Timothy looked up at him, seeing the look of grim determination in his eyes. She frowned, but nodded slowly.

  With everyone equipped, and the items gathered, mostly gems and magical ons, they returned back to the vilge, leaving the dragon to take the rest of his hoard ale elsewhere.

  When they settled in the vilge, they sorted through all the rewards, parting all the gems so that each group had their own treasure.

  “Will you take my share back to the Iyr?” Akrat asked.

  “I will.” Tamin nodded his head.

  “Take our share too,” Kendrick said, handing over a few gems from his Royal Guard.

  Tamin looked to Akrat, who nodded his head, and the Iyrman took the gems. “I will speak the tale,” Tamin said.

  “Thank you,” Kendrick replied. They retained a few gems for themselves, though he handed his to Timothy.

  They rested for a few days. Though the songs were sung, and the people celebrated, with the drakken feeling the liberation running through them, the three Royal Guards remained solemn.

  “Good luck, Akrat,” Tamin said, shaking the man’s forearm. “I will speak of your tale when I return.”

  “There is er respect,” Akrat said, shaking Tamin’s forearm, before his group set off. Akrat watched, seeing the four Iyrmen go with their treasure and stories.

  Kendrid the other Royal Guards watched them too. Kendriew this would be the st time they’d meet.

  “We will sy Daegyar,” Akrat said, renewed now that he had this bde at his side, cimed from a dragon which surreo him. What a tale it was already, but it did not calm the rage within his other heart.

  “Yes,” Kendrick said, nodding his head. ‘Or I’ll die trying.’

  Akrat turo Bili. “We will go alone,” he said, speaking to the young drakken. The other two of the trio had accepted that they would be left behind, but Bili was still pouting. “You have a responsibility now, with that armour and that on. You must protect the people. If we are gone and Daegyar attacks, it will be up to you.”

  “I will,” Bili said, nodding his head. “e back, Deathsinger.”

  “I will, and I will tell you the tale.” Akrat smiled. He took the boy’s shortsword, and handed Bili his old sword, the sword which had been given to him by his mother, Ikrat. “I will return to s bdes with you again, so wait for me.”

  Bili smiled. “I will.”

  With that, he left, taking with him the Captain, John, and Timothy. It would be only those four who would sy Daegyar. This time everything had ged, because now they would have no distras, either around them, or within them.

  They followed Akrat’s lead, going back to where they had met Daegyar st time. Arkat had told them his pn, and though it was dangerous, they had accepted the risk. They were once again on the same ridge, which caused Timothy to stop.

  “I won’t let you drop,” Kendrick said.

  She nodded her head, but she could feel the ay attack her heart. She remained sandwiched between John and Kendrick, who formed a shield around her front and back. If she would fall, Kendrick would step forward to grab her.

  “Are you a little mouse again?” Kendrick teased, pg a hand on her shoulder. “Rex.”

  Timothy almost smiled, but they heard a harsh exhale esg Akrat’s lips. She pursed her lips together, g her fist.

  All fell silent for a moment.

  They waited for a breath, before the poison mist washed over them. The Royal Guard dropped to a knee, leaning up against the wall as they inhaled deeply before the poison came against them. It ihem, but this time, they did not care as it set within them. Even as the dragoried to take them, they pushed it off, and even if it had takehey would have rested up against the mountain.

  Timothy shuddered, feeling the poison fill her. She gnced over the edge, which caused her to panice again, seeing the white mist.

  “I am Akrat son of Ikrat,” Akrat excimed, r through the mist, digging his bde into the dragon, “and I have e to kill you, Daegyar!”

  Daegyar howled in pain, having not expected the Iyrmen to charge through the mist towards him. He bsted the poison mist away with his powerful wings, snarling as Akrat glued to his side with his bde.

  Timothy shook her head, the roar of the Iyrman fog her. She reached out, the bow f in her hands as she drew the b back, aiming it up towards the dragon. With no arrow, she let the string loose, which let out a wisp of magic, which flew through the air.

  ‘One.’

  It struck Daegyar’s side, though barely tickled his bck scales, but the message had bee. Even this little mouse, known as Timothy, was going to fight this time.

  Akrat roared, as Daegyar flew out of reach of two bdes, the dragon carrying him off. “e Daegyar! Let us fight to the death! I swear to you, only one of us will live this day!”

  The dragon roared. “You have made a mistake, Deathsinger! I shall sy you and then your foolish whelps who have followed you this way!” He carried Akrat off, over the mountain wall.

  “You try!” Akrat brought out a shortsword, the very same he had taken from Bili, before stabbing the dragon in the side, using it to keep him pio the dragon. He pulled his lightning bde out of the dragon, before jabbing Daegyar stantly as they flew around.

  Daegyar had tried to take the Iyrmen away far enough so they wouldn’t be intruded upon, but the bde ierg so deeply within, and the lightning was surging through his entire form, causing him to twitd quiver.

  Blood tio spill from him, and it eventually dove downwards, towards a rocky clearing, trying to sm Akrat across the stone.

  Akrat leapt off, grabbing his sword with both hands, before fag the dragon, which still had Bili’s sword within it.

  “You are alone now, Deathsinger,” Daegyar snarled, nding oorying to not twit pain. He roared, the roar eg all along the raravelling to the three Royal Guards.

  “Alone?” Akrat cracked his neck before r, adding to the echo, and charged forward towards the dragon. He ducked us talon, moving to its side, where it would be blind. However, Arkat khat the dragons had a greater sense, and so as the draght its cw to where he was, having thought the Iyrman would be tricked by its psuedo blindness, he tore into the talon with his crag sword.

  Daegyar wailed in pain. “Deathsinger!” Their csh almost echoed throughout the entire mountain range, with Akrat fighting with the spirit of the three dead Royal Guard. As the dragon bsted him with poison again, and crashed against him with teeth and cw, he did not yield.

  Daegyar’s wounds were heavy, but he was still a mighty dragon against a young Iyrman. He tio sm down against the Iyrman, cutting into flesh deeply once again, though Akrat didn’t seem to falter.

  ‘Soon! Soon you will fall, Deathsinger!’

  Akrat’s vision blurred, and he could barely grip his sword. He tried to leap over a talon, but was smmed down into the ground by it. He stabbed Daegyar, but he was slowly being crushed u.

  ‘No! No! I am so close!’ He thought about the promises he had made, which fuelled him for aab, but he could hear the snapping of bone as he was crushed. He snarled as his eyes narrowed, his vision blurring. In his st moments, all he could see was the bess of death, whose name was Daegyar.

  ‘Two.’

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