Chapter 17

Once I had brought Komad to Draco, Komad's trial began. The trial was the beginning of the end. Komad didn't defend himself or try to pass the blame to someone else. Instead he asked Draco and I two simple questions.

"What do I gain by killing foreigners and Why would I steal ammunition and a rifle when I know how to make both"? Komad asked us in a serious tone.

Draco and I were shocked because we hadn't thought about either. Draco asked Komad that if he could gain by killing them would he have. The answer was not unless they threatened Sharnem. Draco said that there was enough evidence to convict him no matter what he said. Komad was given three days to say goodbye to the people he cared for. Draco executed him to make an example of those who would betray the Fallen Stars and Sharnem. After the execution, which was brutal even for a dragon, Draco felt remorse for killing Komad the way he did. Draco had ripped the arm with Komad's brands off and beat him into a puddle with it. The entire time Komad didn't scream, he stood there with more pride than anyone would have expected for a supposed traitor. I buried what was left of Komad in the Meadows of Light near the Mountain of Light so that Crastros and Veronia could visit his grave. The grave overlooked the ocean to the East. I did this for Komad because he loved the ocean and watching the sunrise from the cliffs near the Mountain of Light. Komad had also befriended Crastros and Veronia who enjoyed watching the sunrise over the ocean as light began to flood all of Sharnem.

After I had buried Komad I returned to the caverns and slept. When I awoke it was to the deafening silence. This was odd because when we didn't have a mission Saca was training. He was not the quietest person when it came to training. He would yell and you could hear the sounds of blows landing on the dummies he had put up. The silence was an unusual cacophony and for that reason I walked over to the training area to find Saca's decapitated corpse. His body was still warm and upon further examination there was a trail similar to if he had been dragged. I followed the trail only to find his head staked to a wall and Enho's shredded remains. I was only able to identify the remains as hers because I found the locket that I had made her. I was distraught and yet I was able to keep my composure because I had to make Zelphar pay for it. The only thing that Zelphar had overlooked and it caused his betrayal to be exposed was that Enho had written his name as she died. She had only written four letters Z-E-L-P which was all I needed to accuse him. The final nail in his coffin was that he used an elven arrow to stake Saca's head against the wall.

I ran back to the main area in the caverns only to find that Sten had been fatally injured. When I went over to him he said,"Zelphar has betrayed us and was planning to kill Draco from the beginning". Before I left him to stop Zelphar he gave me the sword he had carried through the ages from when he stopped Truse the first time. When he gave me the sword he also imparted his power as a porares. His last words were,"I have seen Sharnem grow and change. I have protected for these last two thousand years and I believe that I have earned the right to see my friends again". When he imparted his power to me it was his ability to heal wounds and the wings of azure flame that he had received from the Spirit of Fire. I left the caverns and used my new wings to arrive at Fallen Star Keep in time to watch Kernon get hurled through one of the outer walls of the keep. I caught him after he bounced off the ground twice. After I set him down I went into the Keep to find and end Zelphar.

As I entered Fallen Star Keep I was met with a ghastly sight. It was similar to how Crastros had described the first Troares attack on the half-breeds. As I was walking through the courtyard in a daze. I saw Crastros fighting Zelphar in front of me. At that moment my blood began to boil at the sight of Zelphar. I don't remember what happened after I launched myself at him. Crastros described to me when I awoke the next day to my perception.

"The hate in your eyes was enough to turn the world to ash. You flew at him and put his head through a wall. As he was pulling himself out of the wall you drew the blade that Sten gave you. You waited until after he was out of the wall before you cut of his branded arm. During that fight you were like a demon. You bashed the pommel of the sword into his face every time you got close to him. You used the flat of the blade to crush his other arm. After he was defenseless you cut off his head and hurled it against a wall with enough force to make it explode like a melon. You passed out after that" Crastros explained to me.

"How long have I been asleep" I asked in a sorrowful tone as I remembered that I need to bury my friends.

"It's been thirteen days and we have buried the dead including the fallen Lightburn" Crastros told me.

"I want to visit the graves of the Lightburn" I said in a demanding tone.

When Crastros and I arrived at the graves of the Lightburn. I knelt at each stone and paid my respects until I ended at Enho's headstone. As I knelt I broke down and shed enough tears to fill the ocean. The only thing I regretted was not that I hadn't been able to see Zelphar's betrayal, but it was not being able to tell Enho how I felt. Her shredded body was the reason I lost control when I saw Zelphar. I let out a mournful howl unbefitting of my title. Later that day when I went to Meadows of Light I found a patch of wild flowers, I picked several dozen flowers. Then I went to the Krall Oasis and pick a few dozen more flowers. After I picked the flowers I went back to her grave and wove all of the flowers into a crown that would have put a king's golden crown to shame. After I was done I place the crown at the base of the headstone and then I went to Draco to ask him to allow me to leave Sharnem.

The reason I asked him to let me leave was so that I could do the one thing that Enho never got to do but always wanted to. She had always wanted to see the world outside of Sharnem. Enho especially wanted to see Druiga and the Audine, a vast field of natural glass, under Tasanmi, a continent of burning deserts. In the end Draco allowed me to leave under the one requirement that I go to Druiga and request to join your team.

"That is one really far fetched story but, you wouldn't be here if you were lying" Soaryn said in a low tone.

"You are welcome to join us Kaor, we would love to have the Draconic Prince of Sharnem on our side" Aerd said in a sincere tone.

"Thank you" was all I said.

In the three years that I have traveled with them I have never met anyone who was stronger than me. So the next time I go back to Sharnem I will have many stories to tell you Enho. Maybe I will tell you the one where we killed a wyrm the size of a mountain on Kotosyn or about our adventures in the Audine.