The Inglorious Return

The quiet snap of dead branches and slight crunch of dried leaves awakened the hungry wraiths to the lost soul's presence.

A quarter moon cast long, goblin-shaped shadows through the ancient wood. The dark outline of a tall elf slipped between the trees. The queen’s regent draped in darkness noticed the apparitions but kept a steady pace to his meeting at the old warlock’s cottage. His second-rate nephew had always dabbled in the bizarre, but this haunt confirmed suspicions the whelp had now embraced the dark forces torturing his mind. A spectral breeze brushed against his rigid face, yet he continued to the top of the weed-covered ridge. His kinsman had to be put down.

The regent spotted the destination and halted. He had stumbled into a human graveyard. The decrepit tombstones and crosses crumbled with the slightest touch. What are human ghosts to an elf? Part human, his relative would be perturbed by the disturbance of the dead. Twisted branches and thistles grabbed his cloak, but the regent brushed them away. He stepped gingerly back to the trail and walked the crooked path to the askew front door. He knew better than to call out into the dark. The evil spirits listened for a name; any name to cling to and possess.

The elf cupped his hands and perfectly mimicked a screech owl. The noise startled several bats, which darted away from the attic window. He remained silent and sniffed the air.

Brimstone. Dragons.

He removed his heirloom saber, Inferno, without a sound. The shadows of the cottage hid his presence. One beast landed in the backyard and the other in the cemetery, but neither saw him. Methodically, the elf moved through the darkness to the back.

The moonlight revealed the menace to be a young ten-foot black dragon. With its elongated ears and flowery tail, it was a female and naive to the dangers of the world. The elf slid undetected to a broken garden fence. The savvy hunter tossed a rock to the left. The creature slithered toward the motion, but the fatal attack came from the right.

The regent sliced the tough dragon scales with the flaming sword and decapitated it. The searing heat from the blade cauterized the cut, so no dragon blood poisoned the ground. The victor caught the head and lifeless body before it thudded against the hard soil and revealed his presence to the other beast. He laid it in the garden. He would mount the skull in his study along with his other beastly trophies. King Arthel, the Dragon Slayer, had a nice ring to it. However, he had to eliminate his nephew first and depose his niece second.

An answering owl hoot startled Arthel. He spun around and hid in the shadows.

“Regent? Uncle? Uncle Arthel? Is that you?” A sickly coughing voice called out from the cottage.

An unfamiliar man wrapped in a stained blanket emerged. Arthel materialized with his sword blazing. The man jumped back, stumbled inside, and fell through the rotted wooden floor.

“Who are you, and why have you entered Elven territory?”

“Uncle, it’s me. Your nephew, David Castil Rebus. I have finally returned home from the West.”

Arthel hushed the man, “Quiet. There is another dragon lurking in the woods. Come forth, quietly, so that I may see your eyes.”

David scrambled and crawled to the elf. A moonbeam illuminated his face. His eyes glowed red, then blue, and finally green.

Arthel sheathed his sword. "You stole a human body?"

David coughed and replied, “No hug for your favorite nephew.”

“This is your glorious return!” Arthel mocked, “The queen has returned with the Bloodstone. Your plan has failed. You look and smell horrible.”

“I am the true ruler, not that illegitimate goody-goody…”

“You should not have come back. It is more dangerous than ever. Unless you finally want to listen to reason and institute the rest of my plan.”

“Uncle, I had the Bloodstone in my hands, but her dwarf stole it from me and gave it to….”

“A dwarf? Last time it was fairy folk. More excuses. I had to suffer due to your impatience. We could have killed the King and your superior sibling together and blamed it on the Kingdom of Ponn. You are a jester. The laughing stock of the realm.”

“Dearest Uncle, for you I only left five years ago, but I have been away for more than 75 years. Although I left here a boy, I have returned a powerful man.” David proclaimed and coughed hoarsely.

“My moronic nephew, you left here a powerful elf and returned as a pathetic human. You are nothing. Once again you are the pariah, lost in the shadows, an idiotic loser with dreams of unrequited grandeur. I’m trying to remember why I am in league with a buffoon instead of your hero sister."

David grinned,“My winning personality?”

Arthel slapped David across the face. Several teeth and blood flew into the cool air. The elf tossed David to the ground and kicked him in the face and stomach. Scarlet spilled on the cobblestones. The regent spat upon his groveling nephew and walked away.

“I have no more need for you than a pebble in my boot. I should have strangled you as a child.” Lord Arthel announced, “I have my army to rouse so I can supplant the real dynamic power in this family, your baby sister. Bested by your female sibling once again. Sad little David. Summon me again at your own peril.”

David mumbled, “You aren’t going to kill me?”

“You are beneath me. The wraiths shall finish you shortly.”

“Uncle, aren’t you forgetting something?” David called from the dirt.

Arthel halted and looked over his shoulder,“What could you know that I haven’t already considered four times?”

David struggled to his feet, wiped his mouth, and spat blood.

“My dragon.”

A powerful dragon tail smashed Arthel and catapulted the elf into the cottage. The brittle roof collapsed into a dust plume. A massive red dragon with black wings leapt upon its enemy and dragged him unconscious in front of David. The beast wrapped its powerful claws around Arthel and squeezed until he awakened. David laughed at his uncle.

“I’m curious, Uncle, do you have the heart to kill the queen?”

“You have made a grave mistake.”

“You see, I will have no problem killing the interloper because she is not the true heir, but you knew that.”

Arthel glared at David. “Is this the best you could conjure? A dragon? Release me.”

“However, I discovered your family secret.” David patted his uncle’s face.

Arthel’s eyes widened and struggled to break free. “Release me, you fool.”

“I’m the fool? Was it your scheme to destroy me and then rule with your bastard child?”

Arthel laughed at David, “My daughter is more capable than you could ever dream.”

“She doesn’t know, does she?” David smirked. “Enough chit-chat. Time to show you how capable I have become.” David’s bloody hands clasped upon Arthel’s skull. “This is how I survived for seventy-five years!”

Emerald waves of electricity pulsated into the elf. The regent screamed in agony, and then David’s body collapsed to the ground. The elf remained standing, and his eyes glowed green for a moment. The dragon released him.

“It feels so good to be back in an elf body. I feel alive!” David’s voice came from Arthel’s body.

The human on the ground struggled to one knee. He touched his face as if for the first time. He coughed up mucus and more blood.

“Nephew, what have you…”

The elf said, “It’s a bit disorientating at first, but it will fade away. Thank you for taking care of your body and mind. They shall serve me very well. I didn’t know you were married. Congratulations. I will have fun ravaging your young wife; tonight. Well, my task here is done, time for my conquest of the worlds to begin. Oh, thanks again for bringing my favorite sword. It is a beauty.”

The man’s breathing labored, and he collapsed to the ground.

“I do hate to see you suffer, Uncle. The end will come soon.”

The encircling wraiths ripped at the human’s flesh.

Arthel shrieked and wailed.

The elf snapped his fingers, and volcanic flames erupted from the red dragon. The fire incinerated the man in seconds. The flames engulfed the warlock’s cottage and the adjacent twisted trees. The regent mounted the winged dragon and soared away into the frigid night sky toward his seditious forces. The beast roared and sent fiery missiles into the surrounding forest. An unquenchable blaze stretched its wicked fingers toward the unsuspecting town.

From the back of the dragon, David proclaimed, “I'm coming for you, sister. Only I will rule!”