“What do you mean—take care of?”

“We will drive them away. Once they are gone, you can fulfill your destiny,” said the voice urgently. “It is your destiny to slay the dragon. Only you can do this. We will help you. We will guide you to victory and greatness.”

For a moment, Alex could see himself in a strange dream, sitting on a beautiful golden throne, crowds of people bowing and cheering for him. He could see every wild wish he’d ever had coming true, his every desire fulfilled.

“Leave the others and come with us,” the voice said, low and persuasive. “We are your true friends. We are the ones who want to see you become all that you can be.”

“But the others . . .” Alex said. “What will become of them? What will they think?”

“They will think whatever you tell them to think,” the voice replied coldly. “They will do as you command, or they will die.”

Alex’s hand automatically grabbed his sword. The cold feel of Moon Slayer under his hand helped focus his mind, and the magical fire began to burn inside of him, clearing his thoughts as the dreams of greatness slipped away.

“Slay your enemies,” the cold voice said softly. “They mean nothing. Only your greatness matters. We will help you. All creatures will know you as their king.”

The words rang inside Alex’s head as the heat of the sword grew more intense. Bregnest and the others were not his enemies, they were his friends. They had not taken advantage of him, but had shown him great kindness.

“Slay them and join us,” the dark voice screamed in Alex’s mind. “Together we will rule all the known lands.”

Alex drew his sword, looking around as the magic heat burned like a raging fire inside of him. There was not one dark figure standing beyond the cold ashes of the campfire, but many. They stood motionless, watching Alex as though they were made of stone. But the sound of their evil laughter filled the air around him.

“I will slay my enemies!” Alex yelled back at the dark figures, the flaming heat of his magic sword burning away his clouded thoughts and doubts. “I will destroy them all!”

Jumping across the cold ashes at the dark figures in front of him, Alex saw Moon Slayer shining like a blue flame in his hands. He swung the sword at the figures closest to him, and as the blade passed through them, they melted away like mist. Terrible screams and howls of pain filled the air as he moved forward, swinging his sword at any movement.

Alex felt like he was on fire, but the power of the sword kept him on his feet, moving and hacking at the dark figures that surrounded him. The screaming grew louder, though the figures did not try to fight back or run away. Soon only one figure remained. One last shadow standing tall, waiting for Alex in a dark mist blacker than any night.

“Join us,” the cold voice begged. “We are your path to fame and glory. If you stay with them, you will become nothing. There is much more in you than you know. Only we can show you what you really are.”

“You lie!” Alex yelled back in anger. “You are full of hate and lies!”

Alex rushed forward, swinging Moon Slayer with all his strength at the last of his enemies. As the sword passed through the last shadow, a terrible shriek ripped through the air, filling Alex’s mind completely. The heat that had been burning inside him went out like a light, and he felt like his insides had turned to ice. He was so cold—so very cold and tired.

Alex tried to remain standing, but his legs felt weak and unsteady. He remembered the dream that had scared him out of sleep in Telous so long ago, the painful cold that had filled him. Struggling to turn back to camp and his friends, Alex stumbled and fell forward with his sword under him. He remembered nothing more.

chapter sixteen

The Dark Forest

              “Alex,” a voice called from far away.

              He was so comfortable and didn’t want to answer,

            but the voice kept calling. Maybe if he ignored it, the voice would go away.

“Alex, can you hear me?”

“Yes,” Alex answered reluctantly.

The voice seemed to be coming from the strange light behind him. Alex didn’t want to look at the light because his eyes were tired and the softly shaded land in front of him looked so pleasant. If he moved forward, across that low stone wall, then perhaps the voice would leave him alone.

“Alex, you need to open your eyes,” said the voice, desperate and worried. “Turn to the light.”

“Very well,” Alex said slowly, his brain struggling to remember the words as he spoke.

He turned away reluctantly from the gray lands and the low wall. Facing the light, he discovered it wasn’t as bad as he thought it would be. The light was gentle, soft and warm. Perhaps he would feel warmer if he moved toward the light.

“Alex, open your eyes,” the voice pleaded.

Slowly Alex obeyed, blinking several times to bring things into focus. He saw Arconn’s worried face above him. He looked old and sad, not at all like himself.

“Can you sit up?” asked Arconn wearily.

“I think so,” Alex answered, the words coming slowly.

With a great effort he tried to sit up, but his body felt so heavy. It would be easier to go back to sleep—back to the gray lands, the strange wall, and what was beyond.

“You need to get up,” said Arconn, lifting Alex to his feet. “You need to move around.”

“Very well,” said Alex, forcing himself to think about standing. For a moment he felt dizzy, and then he felt sick. His stomach lurched as he tried to move his feet, and he would have fallen if Arconn had not caught him.

“Come,” said Arconn softly. “Over to the fire, then you can rest for a bit.”

Alex struggled to walk, dragging his legs and feet forward as his stomach churned inside of him. He shook his head, trying to clear the cobwebs from his mind, but everything still seemed blurry.

“Drink this,” said Arconn, pressing a cup to his lips. “It will help with your dizziness.”

Alex sipped the sweet liquid and after a moment he felt steadier and less dizzy. His mind cleared a little as he sat down near the fire and wiped cold sweat from his forehead with his shirtsleeve. Things slowly returned to focus, and he could see the worried faces of his friends all around him.

“What happened?” Alex asked.

“We were hoping you could tell us,” said Thrang, looking at Alex in concern.

Alex suddenly lurched forward, his stomach retching and his whole body shaking with cold. The memory of the shadow figures returned to him, and a sudden cold stabbed at his insides.

“Shadows,” Alex managed to say through clenched teeth. “Shadows of darkness were here last night.”

“Wraiths,” said Arconn, nodding grimly. He wrapped a blanket around Alex’s shoulders, gently pulling him back into a sitting position.

Alex could see that his companions’ faces had gone white when Arconn had named the shadows, and they looked afraid.

“They are gone now,” said Alex, trying to cheer his friends. “They are gone, forever.”

“Can you tell us what happened?” Bregnest asked, deep concern for Alex showing in his face.

“I woke up in the night,” said Alex, shaking so hard his teeth chattered. “Nobody was on watch. I was about to wake you when they spoke to me.”

“You spoke with the wraiths?” Arconn questioned softly, his voice troubled.

“They wanted me to join them,” Alex said, nodding. “They wanted me to bring the Oracle’s crystal to them and join them.”

“And you refused,” said Arconn, looking into Alex’s eyes.

“They said if I joined them I could be great,” Alex stammered. “They said you were not my friends and that they would drive you all away so I could get the crystal from the dragon. They told me that you would do as I said or you would die. When they said that, I reached for Moon Slayer. I was on fire. I knew they were lying to me. I attacked them. They didn’t even try to run away. When I attacked the last one, the fire inside me went out, and I . . . I felt like I had turned to ice.”