Belboz Loses

Fred looked at him suspiciously. "Right. You'll better provide proof of that."

Isn't my word enough?" Belboz queried.

Fred gave a snort of derision. "You're a necromancer. Your word means nothing without proof. So you'll better provide some or else."

Belboz sighed heavily. "You knights of the realm. So distrustful of everyone." He cast a spell and what he called a viewing-portal appeared. It showed the dragon asleep in his lair. Belboz muttered another spell and the dragon vanished. The viewing-portal image changed to show a scorched and blackened landscape on which the dragon now laid, still fast asleep.

What is that place?" Fred asked.

"Argon'vey," Belboz replied. "The other realm world of all dragons." He indicated the portal. "Minestus there is a Lesser Dragon. They have no magical ability whatsoever. The Greater Dragons generally ignore the Lesser ones, and only the Greater can leave Argon'vey of their own accord."

Fred rubbed his temples. He was beginning to get a headache. "So what made you summon the dragon in the first place?"

"Many years ago I used to live in Alleria," Belboz said. "I lived alone with my tomes of spells. As long as I didn't cause trouble, I was left to my own devices. You recall having a younger brother, Charles?" Fred simply nodded. "Well. The fire spell that killed him came from one of my books. He used to visit me and once took a spell book of mine without me realising. When King Emry found out, he exiled me to these caves. I was very resentful to begin with, so summoned the dragon to cause havoc."

Fred was silent for a moment. He couldn't recall much about the death of Charles - either the details he had were hazy, or he hadn't been given the whole story before. He couldn't decide which. Still, he had a more pressing question. "If what you've told me is true, then why did you let it carry on for so long? Surely your resentment didn't last for nearly thirty years?"

"To be honest? I'd forgotten that I'd summoned the dragon in the first place," Belboz confessed. "For a while now, I've thought it's always lived in these caves. You turning up somehow jogged my memory."

So Fred left the Necromancer. He promised to tell King Emry what really happened, though the mention of the King set fresh questions for him. Did King Emry know Belboz was behind the dragon all along? If so, why did he keep it quiet? Why did Charles take one of Belboz' books without his knowledge? The spells in that book were probably too powerful for someone of his tender years.

1. He retraced his steps, mounted his horse, and began the ride home.

Add New Option

Go Back

View Forward Story Tree
View Back Story Tree