(Adventure Adrian and the Kings) The Herald Quest

Chapter Twenty Two

TWENTY TWO

The sand dune was larger than I ever thought possible, rolling over the horizon and never seeming to end. It didn’t help that my mouth was dry, my legs were burning and I could still feel the effects of the Shadow pressing down on my chest. It was harder than ever to breath and I kept noticing that with more time to think, your every nasty thought was magnified in this horrible place.

The grey powdery surface beneath my feet was doing strange things too. I glanced backwards to see my footprints had turned those patches of sand white and with each step I had almost cleaned the ground. Though it was nice to see a hint of brightness in these gloomy parts, it did leave an obvious trail that any evil creature could easily follow.

But then there it was in the distance. The black gate and the entrance to the Shadowlands. It had a simpler design than I’d imagined, made up of two curved pillars that crossed and joined at its highest point at least thirty metres in the air. I began to walk down from off the sand and on to the dusty pathway below.

The Noble Valley was amazing. It looked beautiful in the moonlight too. I wandered down the long track that stretched inbetween ten gigantic statues, five stone pillars facing each other on either side and carved into the shapes of kings from generations past.

I closed my eyes and somehow could picture what this place used to look like under my Father’s reign. I remembered the joyful scene every time our family would return home from a royal visit and the welcoming crowds that lined the valley to greet us.

The hoards of people would cheer and we waved gratefully from our royal carriage before heading back up to our grand castle. I could see my father’s face as he smiled down at me and said that ‘one day son…this whole Kingdom will be yours.’

And yet as I stopped halfway down the valley path and opened my eyes, I sighed at the reality right there in front of me. The statue of my father had been vandalised and its stone face destroyed. It seemed that Moargart would stop at nothing to remove all memory of the Great King’s reign forever.

Suddenly it dawned on me that I was passing down the dangerous path with more ease than the Priest had made out I would. It was a little too quiet. I mean, where were all these fearful knights that Valliant had warned me of? So I walked a little bit faster. I was nearly through the gate.

But just then I felt a shudder shoot up my spine and with horrid timing as always, I was in trouble. A terrible shriek echoed through the air from behind me. I glanced back and to my horror, a majestic black dragon was diving down towards the ground and was heading straight for me!

So I ran as fast as I could. The black gate was getting closer but so was the beast. It swooped down and tried to grab me with its feet but only managed to crash hard into my back. I flew through the air and landed with a thump before sliding on my belly through the dirt.

The dragon shot upright, stuck out its legs and landed in front of me with a massive thud. The ground rocked and vibrated hard but I managed to get to my feet and draw Utopia.

On the beast’s back sat one of Moargart’s best knights. A gatekeeper. The warrior was dressed from head to toe in shiny, black battle armour. My sword shone brightly through the night and so the dragon stepped backwards, away from my blade’s protective glow before letting out a deafening scream.

I held both hands over my ears until the beast’s roar had ceased and then quickly swung my sword through the air once or twice to warn the dragon away. But the creature wasn’t going to be scared off by some tiny boy waving what must have looked like a toothpick.

 The monster took in a deep breath and I was instantly wary. Now I’d seen a dragon’s main weapon in a handful of books and movies so I knew what was about to happen. I prepared myself for the attack. The beast blew its cheeks hard and launched a spear of white-hot fire in my direction.