Dragonlord Chapter 112: Valyrian Freehold P2 (Patreon)

Jon was worried and thrilled at the same time. Often, he’d be delighted to find himself that he was crossing the Smoking Sea to journey into Valyria. It was an adventure not even the famed Seasnake or Lomas Longstrider could claim to have gone. He’d be the first with his brothers to set their eyes on Valyria for a long while. With the Old Gods’ blessing, they’d be the first to tell the tale of their journey into Valyria.

He could see several men his brother hired meticulously writing everything they could see as they crossed the Smoking Sea. By Harrion’s order, everyone in the crew spent some time explaining everything they saw and learned a day to the record keepers. Their job was arduous, no doubt, but the same was true for Jon and the others who had to endure the record keepers’ scrutiny every day.

Despite his brother's strange order, the men and women in their entourage were happy to obey it, as they were paid aplenty in silver for their troubles. His brother also paid handsomely to the record keepers. There were plenty of exciting stories to be told amongst the airship crew, and he supposed having them in the written word would be useful in the future. He hoped his brother would be gracious enough to change some of the embarrassing parts of their journey. He didn’t want Lord Stark to learn about his minor indiscretions at Pentos.

In his defence, Lady Alerie was breathtakingly beautiful and the things she could do with her mouth…

Jon gazed dreamily ahead as his thoughts strayed to the Pentoshi courtesan, chasing away any dark thoughts and worries about the journey ahead. He wished he could’ve been at Pentos, where the sun gleamed bright and warm sea breezes greeted him every morning. Or even Tyrosh, where the streets smelled like rosewater and women all looked like silver-haired goddesses in long silk dresses.

Instead, he was in the doomed land of his ancestors, where their ghosts rested.

‘Ghosts…’ Jon shivered at the very thought.

He blamed Harrion for his innate fear of ghosts. It was his brother’s pastime to scare him and Robb with ridiculous stories of ghosts in the crypts of Winterfell. He remembered those sleepless nights all too well when he spent the night staring unblinkingly at the door of his room in fear of the Builder’s ghost. To make matters worse, Harrion occasionally made strange and scary sounds outside his door to scare him further.

But he grew out of that fear and realised it was all his brother’s doing. Then he had the misfortune of accompanying Harrion to Skane. It was on that island he saw those flying wights, and he knew ghosts were real, as were the White Walkers.

And now, he couldn’t help but wonder what horrors awaited them in Valyria.

Sundancer let out a snort of flame, bringing back Jon from his musings. Jon stared at Sundancer with a considerate look.

“Even you know how dangerous it is, don’t you?” Jon asked.

But the dragon didn’t answer; it merely stared at him as it lazed on the ground.

“Oh, come on. You know it’s true. You've been moody and silent since we crossed the Smoking Sea.”  

Still, his accusations fell on deaf ears as Sundancer turned his gleaming golden head away from him and pretended to sleep.

Jon let out a huff and walked away from his dragon friend. He didn’t know why he tried with his dragon or his brother. Both were stubborn and arrogant. Honestly, he was surprised Sundancer didn’t bond with his brother. They were so alike!

He put back all the protective clothes before he climbed out of the charmed trunk. Once he came out, he saw Fenris resting outside the trunk. Even his brother’s wolf was downtrodden after crossing the Smoking Sea.

“I don’t even know why he does half the things in the first place. Do you?” Jon asked, staring at his brother’s companion.

The wolf snorted and closed its eyes while lazily stretching its limbs.

“Why are you muttering nonsensical things and staring at that direwolf like an idiot?” Robb asked, startling Jon, who found his brother eyeing him strangely from the doorway.

“You know, I blame Harrion.” Jon led with that shamelessly.

Everything around him was made by Harrion and pulled into his schemes. So, Jon was sure his strange behaviour was also Harrion’s fault.

“I’m sure it is. Now, get out here before Fenris decides to make dinner out of you.”

“He wouldn’t do that. Fenris likes me.” Jon said petulantly.

Even so, Jon swiftly exited the room and never looked back at the black direwolf. His brother’s direwolf was the self-appointed guardian of the ice dragon. He had even seen Fenris sneak into the enchanted trunk hosting Winter without any external aid. Somehow, the direwolf was smart enough to do that on his own. When he reported this strange behaviour to his brother, he didn’t seem too bothered.

‘Nothing bothers Harrion, and that’s the problem. Fear is useful. It keeps everyone from making mistakes.’ Jon thought.

Unfortunately, caution and fear were two words Harrion detested with a passion.

“Where is Harrion?” Jon asked Robb as they walked towards the command bridge, “Is he still in bed with Alaenera?”

“No. He is with Elsera, helping with her magic. I do not know what they’re doing, but he asked us not to bother them.”

“You have to stop this journey, Robb. You saw what awaited us at Oros. It’ll be far worse on the other side of the Smoking Sea. Something much worse stirs in that land, and it will destroy everything if we don’t turn away now.” Jon pleaded desperately, hoping to convince Robb now that they were away from Harrion’s earshot.

“Have you been having dreams?” Robb suddenly asked in concern, “Harry mentioned those creatures in the shadows – the shades could invade dreams. He warned us, remember.”  

“Yes, he warned us about dark whispers in our minds, but this is not like that.” Jon shook his head. “I’m telling you, nothing good will come from this journey. Why are we even going to Valyria? There is nothing there that could be useful to us.”

“It’s probably true nothing substantial survived the Doom.” Robb nodded thoughtfully, “But don’t you think it’ll be a wonderful accomplishment to visit Valyria? No one has done it so far.”

“All the more reason we should stay away from that place.” Jon muttered darkly.

“Where is your sense of adventure? You were thrilled and agreed to this adventure when we planned it.” Robb shook his head with an amused smile, “What has changed?”

“Did you not see what happened at Oros?” Jon asked incredulously.

“I did. Harry took care of those bad spirits.” Robb said with a shrug of his shoulders.

“Don’t you think that whatever is out there in Valyria is far worse than the shades we encountered at Oros?”

Robb paused and looked thoughtful for a moment before answering his brother.

“You could be right. But we have the airship, its many weapons, and magical protection. There is nothing to worry about.”

Jon gave up trying to convince Robb to take his side. Besides, he was too late.

“Land!” Jon shouted, seeing land further south.

He squinted his eyes against the thick smoke and foggy air as he looked at the land ahead. They had crossed the Smoking Sea straight from Oros. According to the map, if they followed a straight course west, they were supposed to land in another city called Tyria. He couldn’t see anything resembling a city from the airship, but then again, this was the desolate land that hosted the capital city of the Freehold. He doubted any city could survive the carnage that brought Valyria down to its knees.

Jon watched Robb take one of Harry’s charmed telescopes and look ahead into the approaching land.

Instantly, he became worried when Robb’s face became paler.

“Brother! What is it?” Jon asked urgently.

“Get Harrion. Now!” Robb shouted the order to one of the men who rushed to the ship's lower decks.

Jon took Robb's telescope and looked at the land ahead. He adjusted the scope of the lens and magnified the image to see what was across the sea. His lone eye widened as he raked on the blood-red skin of a double-headed being with four arms. He couldn’t help but gulp as the telescope in his hand showed these demons lining up on the other side, looking straight at their ship as if they could see the ship.

His eyes widened even further when these demonic creatures gathered large balls of flames in their hands.

“Oh no!” Jon whispered in horror, “This is far worse than Skane.”

*****

Harry hurriedly climbed the stairs with Elsera in tow. They had rushed out of the training room after wearing the charmed clothes and goggles once the guard informed them they were nearing land.

Suddenly, the whole ship shook, making them stumble on the steps.

“What was that? Did the ship crash into something?” Elsera asked with worry as she held on to the railing dearly.

“No,” Harry muttered as his senses spread across the airship, “Someone has launched an attack against the ship.”

“Who’d dare attack us at this height?” Elsera asked in disbelief.

“It’s not who but what.” said Harry.

When the shaking subsided, Harry climbed the rest of the stairs, and Elsera did the same.

Harry’s eyes widened when he saw several streaks of flames bombarding the airship once he climbed on the deck. The shield surrounding the airship remained intact and staved off the fiery balls trying to destroy the ship.

Seeing more fiery balls coming from the west, Harry brandished the elder wand with its tip glowing an eerie white. The temperature around the ship rapidly plummeted as he rapidly amassed his magic to perform an elemental spell. He stood at the ship's bow, facing the land ahead, and let his magic loose.

A wide arc of gales of frozen wind swept out of the tip of his wand. The fireballs that threatened to slam into his ship froze halfway, with their flames fluttering into nothingness. The balls of fire fell unceremoniously into the sea below as gales of ice wind slammed into the land under Harry’s watch. He could feel the fire of the demonic entities in the land diminish as he asserted his will over their nature. Even the smoke from the Smoking Sea parted as a frozen sheen could be seen on the waters below.

Harry maintained the spell as gales of frozen air swept the land, and the airship steadily sailed into the old city of Tyria. The demons that inhabited the land fell on their knees with their flames weakened. But unlike most spirits or demons he had encountered in the past, he could feel no souls from the demons below. He channelled magic into the Resurrection Stone and tried to assert control over the demons, but his magic didn’t bind.

“What are those things?” Elsera asked, her face twisting with disdain as she gazed at the demons.

“The fate that befell those with Valyrian blood,” Harry said grimly, “Their souls remain entrapped by the one who wrought this destruction on this land. They are mere puppets.”

“They feel so… so…wrong.” Elsera whispered.

“They are. Now, destroy them.”

“Me?” Elsera asked in surprise.

“You’re ready.” Harry said confidently, “These demons lack a soul. Destroying their bodies should cut off the strings using them as puppets.”

He saw Elsera hesitate but she was by no means a coward. Elsera Snow had been dying to prove herself, to distinguish herself from being known as the bastards of Lord Forrester.

“You’ve wanted to make a name for yourself untainted by your father's actions. The magic in your body is yours to command. It can make you rise to the greatest heights, or you can remain as you are,” Harry whispered, subtly encouraging the girl.

He could see Elsera gather her wits and unleash her magic upon the land below. Harry released the hold on the freezing spell and watched transfixed as a wave of black aura pressed down heavily on the land below. All the shadows in the city converged on a spot, and from it emerged warriors made of pure energy.

“Destroy!” Elsera whispered.

But Harry could feel the command, a tidal wave of magical power washing over the entire area. The warriors emerging from the shadows sprang to action and began cutting down the demons one by one. But Tyria was a huge city, and his freeze spell could only reach so far.

“Arm the scorpions with blasting bolts. We’ll cleanse this city before we move into Valyria.” Harry shouted.

The men and women on the ship sprang into action. Without wasting any time, the salvos were ready and primed to attack the enemy. The hatches on the sides of the ship opened one by one, and the blasting bolts were trained on the city below.

The shadow warriors that Elsera made quick work of the trapped demons in ice, but soon, they were met with more demons infesting the ruined city of Tyria. Harry gave the order once those demons converged on the position of Elsera’s shadow warriors. The airship let loose the blasting bolts, and a wave of destruction was unleashed on Tyria.

The demons stood no chance as they were blown into bits and pieces as waves of destructive energy slammed into the ground. Some demons climbed on fallen buildings and high ground in the city to fling their cursed flames at the airship. Harry focused on those and blasted them out of the air by banishing them or using focused wind vortexes. Jon also pitched in, using the banishing charms on the incoming balls of flames.

“Have you overcome your fear of ghosts?” Harry asked amusedly as he swept his wand with a sharp jab, summoning ice spears and banishing them into the demons below.

“No. But I don’t want the ship to get destroyed and get stuck in this accursed land.” Jon shouted over the sound of bombardment.

“Shouldn’t we release the Wildfire? That should burn these demons to cinders.” Robb suggested as he held on to one of the posts and joined Harry and Jon.

“No. These things have mastery over fire. I don’t want to accidentally empower them using Wildfire,” said Harry.

He summoned a torrent of water and let it loose on the city below. The smoking sea's proximity helped draw water from a major source, even though the seawater was poisonous. He let the seawater flood the city, sweeping away the demons from the top of the buildings and high ground. The foundations of the city and its buildings could not sustain the onslaught for too long and began to crumble down one by one.

What remained of Tyria after Doom and centuries of neglect fell, and Harry sealed it all by using the freezing curse once he flooded the entire city with seawater. Some demons escaped being trapped in ice as they swiftly retreated once the seawater rushed in. But those demons didn’t stay and fight. They ran into the safety of caves and under the cover of large boulders along the hills outside Tyria.

The sky reddened almost unnaturally before Harry could order to pursue the demons and hunt them to the last.

“What is happening?” Elsera said worriedly, “I’m losing control over the shadows.”

Harry frowned as he sensed the tethers of magic that connected Elsera to her shadow warriors weaken and collapse.

“Harry, look!” Robb pointed at the land below.

His frown deepened as he saw the land below crack open while a fiery red glow shined beneath the ground. The cracks began spreading across the land, cracking open hills and mountains like eggs.

“Take the ship up.” Robb shouted.

Their ship lurched as Anya pulled the ship upwards, and the land below broke apart. A low groaning and growling reached their ears as Tyria broke apart from the mainland and fell into the Smoking Sea. It was as if someone had cleaved the ancient city away from Valyria and pulled it underneath the sea.

“We should leave now.” Jon said immediately, watching the cracks spread into the interior, “It’s as if we have awakened the Doom. We need to leave this place now.”

“It’s a little late for that.” Robb muttered, pointing southward.

In the distance, a huge mountain glowed with an eerie red glow. Harry scowled as he felt waves of a familiar aura crashing into his sensory range.

“Is that…one of the Fourteen Flames?” Jon asked in fear as he stared at the glowing huge mountain that stretched high into the sky.

Harry knew it was no volcanic reaction. A god was awakening from its long slumber. He could feel the dark intent of the god that was waking, and if that was not enough, the Resurrection Stone on his ring finger was tingling.

‘A god with necromantic powers.’ Harry thought.

Harry summoned the flying carpet towards him and flew straight towards the red glow in the distance before anyone could object or stop him. He could hear their shouts, but Harry used the sonorous charm to issue orders for Anya to keep the ship at a safe distance.

Turning his back to his brothers, Harry flew straight towards the rumbling volcano as fast as possible. The smoke and molten rocks being spat out of the volcano proved to be a hindrance, but Harry kept a large shield over himself and the carpet. Before he reached the volcano, he saw a massive dragon emerge from the volcano with fiery lava rolling down its body.

“That is no normal god.” Harry muttered as he stared at the necromantic god in dragon form.

He supposed that if the drowned god could take the form of a kraken, a death god could take the form of a dragon.  

The dragon let out a roar and dived straight for Harry. He didn’t hesitate momentarily as his magic rushed to the tip of the Elder Wand.

“Avada Kedavra.”

The sickly green energy of death slammed into the dragon’s head. To Harry’s relief, he saw the dragon dip low and fall off its flight path.

‘Huh. So, the killing curse works against the gods. I was not wrong.’ Harry thought with relief.

But that relief was short-lived when the dragon suddenly regained its bearings mid-fall by beating its wings against the air. But it landed heavily against a hill, smashing into rocks and blackened soil.

“You are not a Valyrian. Why are you here, sorcerer?”

Harry was taken aback as the dragon-god’s voice echoed in his ears.

Harry strengthened the shield around him as he faced the dragon, eying him from the hill. He applied the sonorous charm on himself before he spoke, hoping to avoid a conflict.

“This land is teeming with demons and necromantic constructs that defy the natural order. Their continued presence endangers the rest of the world, and I’ve come to put an end to these foul magics.”

It was not necessarily a lie. He mostly came here out of curiosity and wanted to salvage anything that survived the Doom.

“This is the domain of death. No mortal can lay claim to it. Begone sorcerer, or I shall rain destruction upon you and yours.”

“Do you think yourself to be Death?” Harry asked amusedly.

“I’m the Doom that broke the back of Valyria. I’m the harbinger of all calamities. I’m Doom. I’m Death.”

Harry stared at the dragon, puffing its chest with a straight face for a moment before he laughed.

“You are nothing more than the collective dreams of men and women of this place. They dreamed of death in the form of a dragon, and you were born. You’re not Death. You’re not even Death’s long-lost cousin.” Harry mocked while shaking his head at the dragon.

“The Valyrians, too, laughed, Sorcerer.” The dragon growled darkly, “They, too, thought they could live forever and hoped to bind Death. But no chains can bind me. I am Doom!”

The dragon let out a terrifying roar, jumped off the hill, and flew straight towards Harry.

All traces of emotion left him as the tip of his wand cackled with energy. With a bang, a massive bolt of lightning struck Doom head-on, which blasted away a wing from its body. The dragon let out a painful howl as it fell once more. But this time, Harry didn’t give the dragon any respite. He unsheathed Godkiller from his hip and banished the blade straight into Doom’s head.

The golden veins on the blade glowed eerily as it sank into the draconic head of Doom. There was a huge flare-up of power before Valyria fell silent. Doom fell on the hill with a distinct thump, never to rise again.

Harry scoffed as he watched the corpse of the supposed death god flicker and fade away. Its divine energy slowly got sucked into Godkiller, leaving nothing behind.

“God of death. More like the god of drama.” Harry snorted.

He summoned Godkiller into his hand and looked around at the shattered land of the Freehold. There was work to be done, and without a drama queen spirit with an over-inflated ego to distract him, Harry hoped to find some goodies from Valyria.