Fate Rides Wicked: Volume I of the Lerilon Trilogy by Jonathan Biviano Page A

dragon.
    With a blur he changed into a man, this time with silver
skin so that he looked like an endaril. “This is the peace
you’ll get from Rangdor. Understand that while you may
not want to believe or follow prophesies, Rangdor takes
them very seriously. He would like nothing better than to
see the end of you.” Doleof stopped just in front of them.
    Tych took a deep breath, resigning himself to his fate.
“Come into the hut. We’ll talk in the living room after I
treat Lendril’s wounds.”
     
    Rangdor hovered in the midst of close to a hundred
winged creatures, from insects to demons. He talked to
them in simple psychic commands. He communicated this
to them: find the endaril, gather as much information as
you can and return to me.
    Then he turned his attention to the demons and spoke
aloud. “If you have the advantage, kill him. Otherwise,
break up his group, cause havoc and make life miserable
for him. He must die before the Council of Thirteen
meets.”
    “What is the Council?” asked a giant, horned demon
with four arms and wings.
    “Fool, read your prophesies. ‘When all thirteen human
kings meet, The power of the One will grow, And the end
of the Evil in the north, The continent of Li will know.’
I’m the evil in the north, Fairy.” He loved watching them
grimace at this name. “If he lives to see all thirteen kings
meet, the prophecy will be completed.”
    The demon still questioned it. “Why don’t you stop the
prophecy and go kill him yourself? And are you so weak
that a mere mortal could kill you?”
    Rangdor’s rage showed, as his eyes grew bigger. “He
is no mortal and he is not pure endaril. His roots are more
ancient than either of his parents. You, however, will never
meet him.”
    “No!” screamed the demon as a bolt of red energy
struck him in the head and he exploded. Rangdor’s eyes
sped around the room. “Have any of my other minions
decided to die.” No sound came from any of them. “I want
the two kleftek demons to stay, the rest can leave.”
    A flurry of wings filled the cavern with noise, then only
two demons, no taller than Tych’s legs but with powerful
wings and powerful spells, remained. Rangdor floated up
to them. “Go to the xadineft and forangen and tell them to
march north. Tell the commanders that I want them here
by winter or they will die. Tell all of them this except the
forces controlled by Lord Damarin. I want that human
scum to send his forces against the city of Crentin, in the
north of the Kingdom of Polentair. There our prize will be
drawn, and maybe catch an arrow in his head. Go! Go do
as I have ordered.” Rangdor turned and sped to an
especially dark corner as the demons raced up a tunnel.
     
    “You are no ordinary endaril, but this you know.”
Doleof sat opposite Lendril on the couch while Tych paced
in front of them. Lendril had removed the breastplate to
her armor and had her wounds bandaged by Tych. “In fact,
you are only endaril first, because you were born to
endarils. The other part of you will reveal itself as you
discover your abilities.”
    “Fine. What is my destiny?” Tych had returned to his
childhood stoicism, taking the news of his duality lightly.
    “To defeat Rangdor and rule Li.” Doleof paused for
this to sink in, but Tych just nodded. “To do this, you are
destined to unite the thirteen human kingdoms into one
army and march on Rangdor.”
    “An endaril could never rule humans. Besides, I would
only destroy the castle every time the energy broke free in
my mind.”
    Lendril listened quietly as Doleof continued. “The first
step is to see an endarilan wizard. He has been waiting as a
captive for you to appear. He will think of it as passing his
powers on, but what he will do is more of a process of
placing a pattern on your brain. When he is finished, you
will be a wizard also.”
    “It is impossible to be both wizard and warrior,
dragon.” Tych stared at