Two

A much shorter chapter -- I try to have each of my chapters sum up one individual event, not meet a particular length requirement.

“Zin!  Zin!”  Carric called to his friend as the older elf charged into the hallway, dropping his knives and drawing out his swords in a frenzy.  Adran, who stood next to Carric, just sighed, shouldered his own weapon, and ran through the doorway.  Carric placed another arrow on his bow.

“Zin,” the voice from in the hallway said, “It’s just me.”  It was a gentle voice, full of kindness but also determination that the three of them recognized to be the very dragon that had deceived them and pursued a war for the sake of absolutely nothing.

“Ilumina,” Zin shouted, “You have done enough wrong in this world!  Now your time is up!”  He roared in anger, and the dragon roared back.

“I hate to do this, Zin.”

“I know,” came the response a few moments later, “But I have to kill you.”

Ilumina shouted a curse and charged towards Zin, claws trying to rake at his head.  Zin jumped into the air and whirled his scimitars forward, trimming off one of the claws and keeping the others at bay.  He landed a few feet away from Ilumina, then brought his arm back as if to throw the deathbane.

Carric charged into the hallway, shouting to Ilumina that he didn’t have to kill him and pointing his bow at Zin’s shoulder.  If Carric hit, Zin wouldn’t suffer any long-term injuries, but he would not be able to continue the fight.

Adran growled at Ilumina and Carric for threatening to harm his brother.  Greatsword held high, he ran straight towards the dragon, slashing upwards to sink his sword into Ilumina’s foot.  “This fight must end now,” Adran said angrily, twisting the greatsword slightly and bringing a howl of pain from the dragon’s lips.

Zin stopped mid-throw, tightened his grip on the deathbane, and - still looking carefully at Ilumina for any sign of attack, said to his brother, “Why?  Why should I not kill him for what he made me think... for what he did to Voidsnare?”

“And if I hadn’t?” Ilumina asked simply.  “What would she have done if I hadn’t killed her.  Perhaps it was me that made her what she was, but that didn’t change it!  She still would have killed us all if I hadn’t finished her off.”

“You never told me the truth,” Zin murmured.  “You shouldn’t have lied to me.”

Ilumina roared again, swinging his clawed front foot at Zin’s head.  The elf swung his scimitars again, and was a whirl of steel as he swung through the air and brought them over his shoulders, raking lines of blood down Ilumina’s arm.

“I said stop!” Adran shouted.  “You’re both fools!”  He leveled his greatsword at Ilumina’s chest.  “Leave this place, now, and leave us alone.  Or I will kill you and save my brother the trouble.”

Zin slammed his swords together.

Adran quickly adjusted his position as Ilumina shifted, holding his greatsword at the dragon’s chest again.  “I said go away!  Begone or be dead!”  The swordsman had a determined look in his eyes, convincing Ilumina that he wasn’t afraid to kill him.

The dragon backed up slightly, staring Zin down.  “I will leave on the condition that you stop trying to kill me every time we cross paths.  If you once more try to kill me, I will not hesitate to claw you into oblivion.”  And then he left, his tail slamming on the walls as he went.  Idiotic, he thought.  How can they keep on trying to kill me?

Meanwhile, Zin had entirely different thoughts.  He desired to kill that dragon, and did not take the threat seriously, For he had grown overconfident recently and didn’t think that Ilumina would be able to kill him.  

“Just leave him alone, Zin,” Carric insisted.  “He’s not any of our concern anymore.”

Zin shook his head slightly.  “I am not so sure of that, friend.  You know what the prophecy said.  If he is to be responsible for the destruction of our race, then he is our concern.  We have to stop him, and we have to stop him soon.”

Adran slid his sword into its sheath once more.  “In any case, he’s twisted and evil, and I can’t let him hurt you, Zin.  You’re right, he tricked us all.”  As he said the words, shadows seemed to lengthen over the place.  The shadows foretold doom and trouble.