The Final Redemption by Michael Manning (little red riding hood ebook free .txt) 📕

of the fact that they blew back to endanger hispassengers. “No! We need a strong shield. Like the one around thecastle.”

“I will do it,” declaredDoron.

“Link yourselves,” suggested thedragon. “I think it will take more than just one ofyou.”

“More than me?!” answered Dorondubiously.

“More than all of us,” saidGareth.

It was Millicenth who finally shutDoron up and convinced him to coordinate with her and Karenth.Together the three of them formed a powerful shield around theflying dragon. Walter assisted as well, but his strength was hardlynoticeable compared to theirs.

“I can’t sense anything now,” frettedWalter. The shield had completely obscured hismagesight.

A bright flash blinded them then, eventhough they were flying away from it. A split second later theworld seemed to flip upside down. The shield was gone, vanished,utterly and completely, and they found themselves tumbling throughthe air, clinging to the back of a dragon hopelessly out of controlin a hurricane of wind.

Spinning through the sky,Penny found herself thrown free, flying on her own, like somestrange wingless bird. Events had progressed so quickly that fearhadn’t had time to solidify in her, but she knew with a strangedetachment that she was falling to her death. What a stupid way to die, shethought. It never occurred to her to scream, not that she coulddraw a deep breath. The air was blasting into her face.

Millicenth found her somehow, glidingtoward her like a brilliant white swan through the turbulent rush.Penny couldn’t remember ever having been glad to see the goddessbefore, but at that moment, she was.

Caught in the Lady of the EveningStar’s strong arms, she was carried toward the ground. The rush ofwind seemed to be dwindling, but it was still great enough to makenormal flight difficult.

Once they landed, Penny had a numberof questions. “What the hell was that?” was her starter.

“Whatever your husband was doing, itfell apart,” said the goddess.

“I thought the world was ending for amoment,” groused the countess.

“It may have come close,” conceded thegoddess, “at least for this part of it. He seems to have stoppedit, though.”

Karenth appeared then, flying low tothe ground, and he was carrying Walter Prathion. “Are you alright?”asked Walter when he had gotten close enough to make himselfheard.

“I think—perhaps,” shouted Penny overthe distance.

“Where is the dragon?”

That was a good question. It took thema few minutes and a careful search to find Gareth. They found Doronfirst, a quarter mile away, but Gareth was almost a half a milebeyond that. His wings had allowed the wind to throw him muchfarther than the others. He was caught in the top of a large oaktree, but he seemed to be uninjured.

The others gathered at the base of thetree, and Gareth began climbing slowly down. He was using his morehuman form.

“Wouldn’t it have been easier to flydown?” suggested Walter from the ground.

Gareth dropped the last few feet toland beside him. Something about his appearance was oddlyoff.

They all stared at him for a longminute. Penny was the first to break the silence, “You have redhair.”

“Much like my mother’s,” said the manin front of them. He idly stroked a wild red beard with his hand,as if discovering an old friend.

“You’re—human, aren’t you?” askedWalter uncertainly.

Gareth Gaelyn nodded, “That seems tobe the case.” Reaching out with one hand, he opened it and let afine white dust sift between his fingers.

“Was that your aystrylin?” inquiredWalter cautiously.

The archmage gave him a smooth glance,but said nothing.

“The explosion?”

Gareth sighed, “No, though I thoughtmy end was upon me. As I was hurtling through the air, I decided tofinish my days as I had begun them. I made the choicemyself.”

“Why?” said Penny curiously. She hadheard his story several times through both Mordecai and MoiraCentyr, but there had never been a hint of any desire to restorehis humanity.

“I had been quietly considering it forsome time,” he admitted.

“And you didn’t talk to anyone aboutit?” she questioned.

Gareth gave her a flat stare. Despitebeing fully human again, his personality still remained ratheraloof. “I keep my own counsel, woman,” he replied inirritation.

She resisted a sudden urge to grab hisbeard. Taking a deep breath, she focused on their more immediateconcerns, “How will we travel? Can you still transform?”

The archmage answered immediately, “Icould, but it would be—unwise, more so now that my aystrylin hasbeen used. It would probably be safer to have one of the godlingshandle it.”

After a moment’s discussion, Karenthreshaped himself. His flesh flowed like a strange liquid andsprouted feathers while expanding simultaneously. When he hadfinished he was in the form of a giant eagle. He had convenientlyincluded a saddle with three places for riders.

“I have often wondered something,”offered Walter suddenly with a pensive look, speaking toGareth.

“Why are the gods so freely able totransform? It seems that even for you, one of the Gaelyn line, itholds many dangers,” said Walter.

“They do not change the way that wedo,” replied the red headed mage. “Their natures are fixed by theenchantment that binds them.”

“Couldn’t you do something similar toyourself?”

“No!” responded Gareth quickly. “Thatsort of thing is very close to what happened to your Count. Myfamily was one of the few to use physical transformations, partlybecause of our gift and partly because of the risks. We kept to theforms of living creatures to minimize the risk.”

“The eagle is a living creature,” saidWalter, pointing to Karenth.

“Eagles are, yes,” agreed Gareth, “butthat is not an eagle, nor is it properly alive.”

“Now I’m truly confused,” said Walterscratching his head.

“Karenth has created a body shapedlike an eagle, but it has no heart, no blood. Cut it and you willfind only more of his solidified essence inside,” explainedGareth.

“But he is alive…,” saidWalter.

“Not to interrupt your eruditeconversation, gentlemen, but I think we should be going,” suggestedPenny.

Gareth climbed up, taking the middleseat. Penelope rode in front of him, and Walter took the placebehind. “Ask Moira later,” he told Walter. “She may be able toexplain it better.”

Millicenth and Doron shrank rapidly insize, until their bodies were no larger than a child’s doll. TheLady of the Evening Star floated upward and landed in front ofPenny, settling in as though she actually were a child’s toy. Doronchose to secure himself slightly behind Karenth’s featheredhead.

Beating his wings, Karenth took