Rise of Centuria Read online

  Rise

  of

  Centuria

  James A. Harris

  & D.C. Creedon

  Rise of Centuria

  Copyright © 2018 James A. Harris & D.C. Creedon

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  This story is a work of fiction. All characters, places, and events depicted within this novel are fictitious.

  In loving memory of

  Helmut J. Roehrig

  Peter J. Carroll

  and

  Robert L. Creedon

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Epilogue

  Rise

  of

  Centuria

  Chapter One

  Ptolemy grabbed a hold of the mast to steady himself as the wooden airship shook violently in midflight. Surrounded by grotesque red and black demons with wrinkly skin, the horrors reminded him of when he was a demon. Watching the demons move around on the ship, he shivered in fear and disgust.

  He remembered a battle in the Great Plains between the demons and the humans, before he regained consciousness on the airship, greeted with a claw holding him down. Although in human form himself, Ptolemy was not bothered by any of the demons around him. They seemed to have lost all their fight and showed no desire to harm any humans, at least at the moment. Or perhaps they knew that Ptolemy was once a demon too. Ptolemy was not the only human aboard the airship either. Pepper, a once loyal warrior in the Centurian army under General Gathar’s command and King Katimi’s rule, was the ship’s captain. Ptolemy looked up at the black demon wearing royal robes and spat in his direction. The former king of Centuria, Katimi, now a demon, had fled the great city when they needed him most.

  Pepper paced the deck with much more confidence than Ptolemy. As the ship rumbled and shook, many black demons grabbed a hold of something to steady themselves, but Pepper was able to instinctively adjust and continue walking back and forth without grabbing onto anything for support. Ptolemy watched Pepper with envy and wished he could do the same. The wretched stench of rotting flesh and death wafted over the deck. The odor and the rocking of the ship challenged Ptolemy’s ability to keep his last meal where it belonged.

  Ptolemy looked up into the sky at the dark clouds around the ship while turbulent winds blew. The flying spiders and pixies around the ship dispersed, the expected storm had frightened them away. Pepper reassured Ptolemy that it would not be long before they were in the clear. Unconvinced, Ptolemy stayed near secure objects on the deck for when the ship rocked harshly.

  Bright blue lightning struck within the increasingly darkening clouds, but this wasn’t a natural storm with the usual clouds and thunder. Ptolemy knew there was something not right about the skies above. The steady crackling thunder that grew before fizzling out, cold biting winds, and fear building inside Ptolemy’s young ten-year-old mind made him shiver. The fine hair on the back of his neck stood on end and goose pimples popped up all over his body. He felt something terrible was about to happen.

  As captain, Pepper called out the order, “Prepare for an attack!” The demons scrambled, and then organized, and then scrambled again as they prepared themselves and the ship for another battle. Ptolemy wondered what they were about to battle when moments later, a blue leviathan rose up from the airship’s port side out of the dark clouds.

  Its wings beat hard, causing turbulent winds with each blue-sparked breath that flew out of its body like lightning. The dragon stared down at the red remnants and the black betnoirs with gleaming eyes, one green and one gold. It opened its mouth wide, revealing dozens of long, sharp teeth, some broken. A swirl of orange light spun between its palate and tongue forming a sphere—a fireball. With a jerk of its tongue, the dragon spit the fireball out, burning a hole through the top deck. Loud, ear-piercing shrieks of pain and agony erupted from below the decks. Ptolemy covered his ears as they popped from the loud explosion. He became disoriented as his head spun and his ears rung.

  Pepper looked at the blue dragon with disgust and attacked. He threw his sword at the leviathan’s face leaving a gaping wound around the gold eye and Pepper without a weapon. The dragon turned swiftly to face Pepper directly, fueled with rage. Blood trickled from the wound on the dragon’s face as it opened its mouth again with another fireball ready to spit. Pepper jumped aside as the fireball was hurled at him and it exploded against the bulkhead. The flames danced and singed Pepper’s clothes and eyebrows. As the dragon became more furious, the lightning glowing from its body increased in brightness and intensity. Ptolemy, still dizzy and stumbling, shielded his eyes.

  The demons circled Pepper to form a wall between him and the dragon. Others jumped onto the dragon’s back and wings from high points on the masts. They called out instructions to each other in clear human tongue, “Protect the captain!”

  “Do not let the dragon through!”

  “Aim for its eyes!”

  “You, up there, secure yourself on the dragon’s back!”

  The demons worked quickly and the two demons on the dragon’s back drove their claws through its blue scales. A blinding burst of light erupted from the dragon’s hide as it roared in pain.The chaos of the battle continued for what seemed like hours but only lasted a few minutes. Ptolemy closed his eyes again for a moment and hoped the fighting would end soon. With his eyes closed, his hearing became amplified. A loud explosion made his ears pop again, followed by wood splintering and the smell of burning lumber. Ptolemy opened his eyes, ears ringing, head feeling light, and looked across the top deck. The other half of the airship was gone. The wooden planks directly in front of him were no longer there and he nearly fell off the ship. Terrified, he looked down, only to strengthen his fear of a very long drop. The lower deck was now visible through holes in the main deck. The black dragon keeping the ship afloat was still chained to the half of the airship in flight, but it struggled to break free.

  Ptolemy started to run for cover, grabbing for his saddle, when the blue dragon slammed its back into the ship, forcing the demons to let go and causing more destruction to the ship. Ptolemy lost his footing and fell face first on the deck knocking two teeth loose. Blood quickly filled his mouth. The ship tilted in midair and began to fall. As Ptolemy fell, he could see that the blue lightning dragon had freed the imprisoned black dragon. They flew away and disappeared into the dark clouds.

  Ptolemy hit a tree branch and felt it snap beneath him. He dropped several feet before hitting another branch again and again until one caught his fall and put an abrupt end to his descent.

  * * *

  The blue dragon and the black dragon hid in the storm clouds for several hours, waiting for nightfall. After the sun had set they flew out knowing the darkness would help give them some cover. Stars twinkled in the dark sky above the clouds. The moons were barely visible this night, ma
king the stars appear brighter than usual. The dragons knew how to follow the stars to navigate their way back to the floating city in which their kind secretly lived. The blue dragon, although battered, thought the rescue was too easy. Something felt wrong, but the blue dragon couldn’t quite grasp what made him feel that way.

  After following the path of the stars back to the floating city, both dragons were ready to retire for the night. Seeing the city gave them a sense of peace and freedom, especially for the black dragon held captive by demons for over six months. The black dragon broke the silence between them.

  “Reznek, you have my upmost appreciation for what you have just done. I will see to it that your actions are recognized.” He gave the best smile a dragon could.

  Reznek’s chest puffed out as he felt a great amount of pride. “You would have done the same for me, for any dragon.”

  The black dragon replied quietly, “Not any,” and he fell silent again.

  They were greeted at the town square by many dragons, including the head of the city, Dainela. Dainela was made head of the city because her incredible magical powers surpassed all of the other dragons that resided there. When questions arose about how to live the dragon way, she was the one they turned to. Reznek slowly walked over to Dainela, bowed down, and spoke, “Your Majesty, I have brought back one of your kin.”

  Dainela grunted and replied, “Yes, you have, but the great spirit of the wind, Usha, is not happy. She warned us not to intervene with the affairs of the humans and demons. A just punishment will be given. I am sorry, Reznek, for what you have done was a great deed for us dragons. You will be rewarded from us in due time. For now, go to the temple and seek the spirit of the wind. See what she wishes to be done…” she paused for a moment, sadness appearing in her eyes. “I wish you the best of luck.”

  “As you wish,” Reznek said respectfully. After another bow to Dainela, he made his way to the temple crafted by dragon's fire and the purest gold found on Palatovia. The temple was an enormous, spectacular sight, even for the dragons. The pillars were tall, perfect spirals topped with statues of dragons in flight with wings spread. The entrances were made wide and tall for the dragons to easily enter in their natural form. Many dragons found it a waste of good magic to transform themselves into humans, the lesser beings, like Reznek often did. He was one of the few who enjoyed turning into human form and immersing himself into the lifestyle of a different species.

  Waiting inside the gold temple, Reznek felt a cold chill down his back. The winds picked up and passed against him. Usha, the spirit of the wind, had entered the temple. Although not visible to a naked dragon’s eye, Reznek felt her presence and imagined what she possibly looked like. He imagined her to be a transparent purple dragon draped in clean, white silk covering her wings and a sky blue hood around her gentle face. The wind shifted and blew directly in his eyes. It felt warm.

  Then he heard the whispers of the great spirit, “You! You have intervened with the affairs of the humans and demons and tilted the balance of power. For seven days you will not fly. Seven days for you to think about your actions. We have been watching you, and we see you enjoy taking presence in the human form. Do you favor such beings?”

  There was a long moment of silence as Reznek contemplated the question. He stared at the wall in front of him as if looking Usha directly in the eyes. “I do enjoy the pleasantries they have.”

  “I see.” She spoke to him in a kind voice as if her voice was simply a gentle breeze. Then it changed. A strong gust of wind blew through the temple so strongly that it made Reznek shutter. She rasped, “Seven days.” Another strong gust of wind blew into Reznek and whistled as it exited the temple. The air became cold and still. Reznek could no longer feel her presence of the spirit of the wind, and his body felt heavy like stone.

  Reznek, by instinct, spread his wings and tried to fly out of the temple. Even with all his might, he was unable to lift his large dragon body off the ground. He felt a rush of disappointment. Usha meant seven days without flight literally, he thought. He took a deep breath, let out a growling sigh, and walked to the town square of the floating city.

  Dainela was still in the square with many dragons around her seeking guidance. Standing in the line to await his turn with Dainela, Reznek ground his teeth behind closed lips. Stars twinkled in the night sky above them, he looked up, and was already missing the ability to take flight as he pleased. He wondered if that is how the humans felt when they dreamed about dragons. Lost in his thoughts, the line had dwindled down and he did not notice until Dainela called his name.

  “Reznek! Reznek! Do you bring good news from the spirit of the wind?” she said with a smile.

  “I’m afraid not, Dainela, for I have been stripped of the privilege to take flight for interfering with the human and demon affairs.”

  “Oh!” Dainela’s smile faded. “I’m sorry.”

  “For seven days I am grounded to think about my actions.”

  “Very well, let’s make the most of the seven days. I greatly appreciate the sacrifice you have made, yet I have a favor to ask. It will be a difficult quest and may anger the spirits more, but it is one I believe only you are capable of accomplishing.”

  Reznek stood tall feeling proud again and listened carefully as Dainela explained to him what needed to be done. He agreed to the task and vowed to keep it secret. Dainela continued explaining the details of the quest to Reznek after casting a spell around them so their conversation could not be overheard. When they were finished, Dainela flew Reznek down to the mainland and they parted ways. Reznek transformed into his human form and set off to begin the task entrusted to him.

  Chapter Two

  They were all in shock at the sight before them. Thoris, Risaldora, Ben, Ungo, Buun, Drake, and Simon stood by Gathar’s side staring down at the hole that was once Centuria, their beautiful home city that once flourished under the reign of the missing king, King Katimi. Nothing but steep hillsides surrounded the piles of rubble and ground covered in dust. Gathar gave the order in a raspy but commanding voice, “We must search for survivors. Move out.” No one questioned his order, and they carefully climbed down to the site with their horses at their side to begin the search.

  Hours went by and they found no survivors. No bodies. Nothing but debris and dirt. Gathar called out, “Regroup!” As they gathered together, they exchanged their findings, and Gathar continued, “We must make way to Salidon to seek more help and to find out what has happened here.” His attention was drawn away by something shiny and moving in a nearby pile. The sun had positioned itself just right for the reflection to catch his eye.

  The group noticed that his attention had been interrupted and looked in the same direction. They turned toward the shiny object to realize it was a trident. A trident that looked like it was made by the nes kaliba. It continued to twist and turn in the rubble, pushing aside broken rock and dirt as Gathar walked cautiously toward it. The handle was buried under heavy stone. Gathar called out to the rest, “There is someone down here! Come quick and help me move these stones.”

  “Be careful,” Risaldora said to them as they helped Gathar move the heavy stones surrounding the top of the trident.

  “We will,” said Thoris. Enough rocks were removed for them to see a hand holding on tight to the handle of the trident. Ben reached down and squeezed the hand to let the survivor know they were there to help. Ungo and Buun worked together to lift some of the heavier rocks in the pile. Gathar and Drake tried talking to the survivor as they pulled the rubble off. There was no response except for the occasional squeeze of the hand and turning of the trident.

  The minutes seemed like hours as they desperately tried to free the buried survivor, and they hoped that removing the pile of heavy stone would not make things worse. Gathar’s intuition told him that it had to be done, and he followed his instincts in matters like these when whether or not taking action would lead to serious, sometimes fatal, outcomes. The group believed in Gathar, and
they also believed that whoever it was below wanted to be rescued.

  The last few rocks were pulled off the survivor and a bright purple glow surrounded her. It was a protection spell, seen by few, and known by fewer, an ancient magic. She wore a white gown covered in dirt, and the expression on her face when sunlight shone upon it changed from one of hopelessness to gratitude. Gathar immediately recognized her, “Nydraia?”

  Before she could answer, Risaldora noticed that Nydraia’s clothes were torn and revealing so she took off her robe and placed it in Nydraia’s hands. Nydraia did not need an explanation and said, “Thank you, Risaldora. That is very kind of you!” Nydraia quickly put the robe on over her tattered white gown.

  Then she answered, “Yes.” Gathar pulled her close and embraced her. She felt uncomfortable and wrapped one arm around him in return.

  “Are you injured?”

  “No, I am fine. How are the others?”

  “You are the first survivor we found.” Her chest felt tight and her expression changed again. As her eyes adjusted to the bright sunlight, she looked at the destruction surrounding them.

  “Oh my!” Her knees buckled, but Gathar grabbed her before she fell. “We must save them.”

  Gathar replied, “We have searched the city and found no signs of the others.”

  She choked, “This can’t be.” Gathar placed a hand on her back while still supporting her weight with the other.

  “We will not give up on them,” Risaldora said. “Our plan is to visit Salidon and seek help and more information about what happened here. Will you join us?”

  “I see no other choice at this time,” Nydraia said. “The crystal I was meant to protect has shattered. I must warn the world leaders of what troubles may come of it.” Her face turned pale, and she quit talking. Gathar hoisted her up onto his horse and told her to hang tight.