Brechalon

by Wesley Allison

  With one deft motion, Terrence pulled both his nickel-plated .45 revolvers from their shoulder holsters. He fired first one and then the other in rapid succession emptying all twelve cylinders. The first rider fell to the ground, hit several times, as did the great bird that he had ridden. The second rider, shot through the neck, tumbled to the ground. The woman that had been his captive plopped unceremoniously onto the dirt. The rest of the riders turned their birds, in a way that would have been impossible in the confined area had they been riding horses, and headed for the far side of the pathway between stalls, leaving their dead fellows and a single noisy giant bird behind.

  Quickly popping the cylinders of his revolvers open and reloading them, Terrence barely noticed the short redhead at his side. He tasted the metallic cloud of gunpowder smoke that hung in the humid air. By the time he had finished reloading the guns though, the mounted men had turned the corner and vanished, and he had time to take notice that it was the professor's assistant whom he had rescued from the second rider.

  "Are you alright, Miss?

  "Lusk, Egeria Lusk. You're going after them," she said. It was more a command than a question.

  * * * * *

  "Yep, it's me," said Senta. "I'm going to take you out, but you have to have your leash on."

  The dragon hissed. She opened the door of the carrier and the dragon climbed out onto the top. He turned his head and pointedly looked the other direction as she snapped the little chain onto the ring around his ankle. Once the little clip had snapped shut, Senta attached the other end of the chain to a bracelet on her right wrist.

  "See there. We're both chained by the wrist. Nobody's the boss."

  "Gawp," said the dragon, and then spreading its wings to balance, it climbed up her arm and onto her shoulder. It slithered down to lie across her shoulders, one hand and one foot holding onto her dress and one hand and one foot holding onto her hair. Senta stood up. The little dragon was now over four feet long from nose to tip of tail, but he was only about six inches thick across the belly and he was surprisingly light.

  "What do you want to do?"

  "Gawp."

  "Me too. This is sooo boring."

  The ship had been sailing parallel to the coast for the past four days and Senta was getting tired of it. What was the point of sailing all the way to Mallon, if you didn't get out and walk around on it? Twenty days was more than enough time to explore every square inch of the largest battleship and Senta had spent more than three times that length of time on the Minotaur. Not even murders, gunfights, and drinking wine until you threw up could take away the boredom forever.

  "Fina," said the dragon.

  "Alright."

  Senta walked toward the front of the ship. She had gone only about halfway to where Zurfina and the others stood watching the coastline roll past, when a figure stepped out of the shadows. A freckled face and striped shirt quickly identified the shady figure.

  "Hey Graham," said Senta.

  "Hi Senta. What'ya doing?"

  "Nothing. He wants to go up by the grown-ups." She indicated the dragon with her thumb.

  "Can I come?"

  "Sure. Just don't get too close, 'cause he'll bite you."

  "I thought he was tame."

  "You can't tame a dragon. Zurfina says you can't tame anything that's smarter than you are."

  "Who says he's smarter than me?" Graham was indignant.

  "Not just you, stupid. Dragons are super smart. When he gets big, he'll be able to talk and do magic and all kinds of cool stuff."

  "Brill," said the boy.

  Senta and Graham walked forward, the boy keeping several paces behind her at all times, until they reached the group of adults. Miss Dechantage was wearing a yellow dress with lots of lace and a matching hat, tied below her chin with a lace ribbon. Her dress was almost the same color as the suit Professor Calliere was wearing. It made him look like a very large banana. Mr. Korlann was much more dignified. His grey suit was so light that it would have seemed white, had he not been standing next to Miss Lusk in her white day dress. Senta saw Miss Lusk reach over discretely and touch Mr. Korlann's hand. Wizard Labrith was wearing a light brown suit and Wizard Kesi, for once not in colorful silks, was dressed the same. They both stood near the back of the group, all four of their eyes boring holes into the back of Zurfina's black dress. The two Dechantagne brothers were both wearing khaki safari clothes and pith helmets. The older brother looked like he was sick. Finally Father Ian had eschewed his traditional robes for a more modern suit with a clerical collar.

  "This is it just ahead," said Lieutenant Dechantagne, pointing. "You see the bay just here, and this land just beyond is the peninsula."

  "I'll send word up to the Captain," said the older Dechantagne brother.

  "Children are limited to the aft deck of the ship," said Miss Dechantagne, noticing Senta and Graham for the first time and looking down her nose at them.

  "Children with dragons may go wherever they wish," said Zurfina, without turning around.

  * * * * *

  "Kafira's eyes!" snapped Iolanthe. "Don't you know how to knock?"

  "Sorry Ma'am," said the soldier, nervously. "Sergeant Clark's compliments, Ma'am. There is a large force of lizardmen approaching from the southeast. The sergeant has already called for all troops to man the ramparts. And the lizardmen have rifles, Ma'am."

  "Where the hell did they get rifles?" wondered Calliere.

  "From our troops," said Iolanthe, gravely. "How many lizardmen are there?"

  "We don't know, at least a thousand."

  "Tell the sergeant to hold the wall," she ordered. The soldier then ran out of the tent. Turning to the women, she said. "Thirty five men aren't going to hold the wall for long. Get everyone moving. We're evacuating out to the end of the peninsula."

  "What are we going to do there?" asked Dr. Kelloran.

  "We're going to make our stand. Zeah, get some of the men and distribute as many guns and as much ammunition as we have. Go. Mercy, come with me."

  Iolanthe stepped out of the tent and marched purposefully toward the wall. Professor Calliere followed along behind her. When she reached the wall, she gathered up her dress and extensive petticoats into her left arm and used her right to climb up the ladder to the walkway that served as a firing platform twenty feet off the ground. Sergeant Clark was there.

  "Where are they?" she asked, panting for breath and peering out of a firing port.

  "Still mostly in the trees, but they're out there."

  "And your men?"

  "I've got them spread out fifty feet apart, but that means we've only got a fifth of the wall covered."

  "I can do the math," she snapped. "You aren't going to fight them from here. Just make them think you are. I want you to keep them cautious long enough for the colonists to get out onto the peninsula. Send four men to break the machine guns out of storage and set them up at that bottleneck four hundred yards north of the dock. That's the only place we have a hope of holding them off.

  "Mercy, you know the place, don't you?"

  Calliere nodded.

  "Good. You supervise. Get those machine guns set up."

  Calliere nodded again and rushed back down the ladder. Sergeant Clark called four men and ordered them to follow the professor. Iolanthe turned back to the soldier.

  "I'll send word to you when to fall back," she said. "Remember Clark. You cannot fall back until those colonists are out near the coast. If those tribesmen get past our trap, it will be a bloodbath."

  "I understand."

  Senta and the Steel Dragon Book 1

  The Voyage of the Minotaur

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  Encyclopedia of

  Senta and the Steel Dragon

  Accord Banner

  The Accord Banner of Greater Brechalon is the national flag. It is red, white, and blue.

  Accord Day

  Th
e most important non-religious celebration in Brechalon, Accord Day celebrates the anniversary of the unification of Greater Brechalon. It usually features fireworks and outdoor activities.

  Acorn, S.S.

  A large Freedonian freighter, the S.S. Acorn carried the first group of Zaeri refugees from Freedonia to Birmisia. It later made several other such voyages.

  Acad?mie Argei

  The premier school of wizardry in Brechalon, the Acad?mie Argei is north of the Great City.

  Achillobator

  A huge predatory Birmisian bird, the achillobator greatly resembles the utahraptor, but is covered in crimson feathers. Unlike utahraptors, which hunt in pairs, achollobators can be found in huge packs. They are found in the hilly interior regions of Birmisia.

  Admeta March, Milliner

  An expensive supplier of ladies hats and wigs, this shop is located in Brech City on Avenue Peacock.

  Adventures of the S.S. Flying Fish, The

  The Adventures of the S.S. Flying Fish is the published journal of Brech biologist Tzuriel Brownworth, detailing his journies through the Mullien Islands and describing the unusual fauna and flora encountered there.

  Adventures in an Unexplored Land

  A pulp adventure novel by Rikkard Banks Tatum, Adventures in an Unexplored Land is one of several tales of adventure hero Ryne Nance.

  Agria, Sable

  Noted Brech author, Sable Agria is best known for the novels Light of the Moon, Virgins in the Spring, A Marriage of Purpose, Song of Seven Secrets, and Three Marks for a Pfennig. She is considered a mainstream and her works are considered an important part of Brech education, though perhaps a bit too racy to be appropriate for ladies.

  Akkas

  An almost mythical civilization along the west coast of Sumir, Akkas may have predated Donnata and Argrathia. It disappeared about -3700

  Amorazine

  Amorazine is a love potion brewed by wizards or sorcerers.

  And God Looked Down and Smiled

  A novel by Momone Lathan, translated to Brech from Mirsannan.

  Andreasen, Marcus

  A Mirsannan-Brech author, Andreasen wrote many short stories, but only one novel: The Sivler Pendulum.

  Ankylosaurus

  Ankylosaurus is a dinosaur common in Birmisia. It is about 20 feet in length and weighs up to 6 tons. It has a low-slung body and is quadrupedal, with the hind limbs longer than the forelimbs. Ankylosaurus is herbivorous, with small, leaf-shaped teeth suitable for cropping vegetation. They are often found traveling in the company of Iguanodon herds.

  Ansegdniss, Palace of

  The Palace of Ansegdniss is located at the end of Crown Street in Brech City, just south of Saint Admeta Park. Originally built as a royal residence, for the past 250 years, it has been the official meeting place of the Parliament of the United Kingdom of Greater Brechalon.

  Anurognathus

  Anurognathus is a small species of pterasaur common throughout Sumir. In Brech City, it is common for people to feed them breadcrumbs in Hexagon Park.

  Ape Cult, The

  The Ape Cult is one of Encleps many organizations dedicated to worshipping animal spirits. The Ape Cult also practices human sacrifice and frequently attacks and kidnaps outsiders for these rituals.

  Archero, Kingdom of

  Archero was a kingdom on the west coast of Sumir from about -1100 until -168. Archero was the first to apply themes from the Zaeri religion to great architectural, literary, and artistic works. It was this, which so impressed King Marius of Zur, that he engineered the unification of Zur and Archero.

  Argrathia (Argrath)

  One of the world's oldest cultures, Argrathia dates from about -7600. Dominating the southeast portion of Sumir, on the shores of Lake Gar, it had expanded to an empire 1,000 miles wide by -6300. The New Kingdom of Argrath began about -5900, when a series of kings spread their culture to its greatest extent. Argrathia then began a long, slow decline. After the death of King Magnus in year 7, Argrathia reformed as one of the Zur successor states. In 27, Kafirism became the dominant religion in Argrathia.

  Argrathian Checkers

  Argrathian checkers is a strategy board game, which can be played by two, three, four, or six people, playing individually or with partners. The objective is to be first to race one's pieces across the hexagram-shaped gameboard into "home"-the corner of the star opposite one's starting corner-using single-step moves or moves which jump over other pieces. Like other skill-based games, Chinese checkers involves strategy. The rules are simple, so even young children can play. Despite the name, Argrathian checkers was not invented in Argrathia, but comes originally from Freedonia.

  Arps, Robinson

  The author of half a dozen novels, Arps is today remembered mostly for Mirsannan Pastoral.

  Arch of Conquest

  A large truimphal arch at the edge of the Old City on Prince Tybalt Boulevard.

  Army, Royal Brechalon

  The Royal Brechalon Army is the land warfare branch of the Brech Armed Forces of the United Kingdom of Greater Brechalon. It came into being with the unification of the the Brechalon Islands in 1707. The Royal Brechalon Army wears uniforms of blue, or in the case of cavalry, of khaki and blue.

  Arrow, S.S.

  The flagship of the Arrow Cruise Lines, Arrow and its sister ship, Comet, were later bought out by Merchant and Shannon Cruise Lines. Arrow assisted the rescuing of survivors after the sinking of the S.S. Mistress of Brechbay.

  Arsvold, Raamaya

  A Skagian writer of the 17th century, Arvold is known for his only work translated to Brech: The Fury of the Mountain.

  Augustus P. Dechantagne Park

  Augustus P. Dechantagne Park is located on the peninsula in Port Dechantagne and is named for the young officer killed by a lizzie spear in the Battle of Suusthek. If features a statue of the aforementioned Augustus P. Dechantagne, a gazebo, a copse of shade trees, and an open area where children and adults often play sporting games.

  Avenue Boar

  The center of the banking and finance industry in Brech City, Avenue Boar is lined with great marble edifices housing the stock markets and lending houses. One may also find here, businesses which hire out servants to aristocratic Brech families.

  Avenue Dragon

  Several blocks north of Avenue Phoenix, Avenue Dragon is lined with large buildings-government offices, corporate headquarters, and ancient aristocratic homes. Number One, Avenue Dragon is the address of the Dechantagne house.

  Avenue Hart

  A major street in Brech City. The most famous feature of Avenue Hart is the Great Church of the Holy Savior.

  Avenue Peacock

  Avenue Peacock is a major street in Brech City. It is the location of many exclusive shops that feature personalized shopping.

  Avenue Phoenix

  One of the major streets in Brech City, Avenue Phoenix runs from the Great Plaza to Hexagon Park and is lined with shops of every variety.

  Avenue Royal

  One of the major streets in Brech City, Avenue Royal runs on the west side of Saint Admeta Park. Avenue Royal is lined by numerous monuments, as well as Sinceree Palace.

  Axemom

  Axemom (-1660 to -1592) was a Priest-King of Neo-Zaerphon, and the High Priest of the Zaeri. He oversaw the construction of the Temple of Axemom in the city of Nurix.

  Axemom, Temple of

  The great temple built primarily during the reign of Axemom, the Priest-King, it was the center of the Zaeri religion from-1500 to about -500. Magnus the Great ordered it restored after his visit in -31. The temple, along with the city of Nurix, was destroyed in 88 by the Rundarians.

  Bad Syke

  A town near Friedaport in Freedonia.

  Ballar

  Though little is known of its beginnings, by -6000, Ballar was an expanding empire in the northwest corner of Sumir. Ballar maintained trade with many other civilizations and its culture became quite diluted, taking on
the traits of neighboring civilizations. About -2600, the Ballar Slave Class overran the Ballar ruling class. The resulting Kingdom of Zaerphon bore little resemblance to its predecessor. Stories of a class of warrior-priestess are common, but probably more legend than fact.

  Bamport

  A deep water port and airship base for the Kingdom of Freedonia, Bamport was located on a small island north of Enclep.

  Bangdorf

  Capital of Freedonia, Bangdorf is a city of nearly two million. The original city predates Freedonia, having been established about 520. Upon selection as the capital in 1794, a massive rebuilding project was begun that continued to the present.

  Barnyard, The

  The Barnyard is a novel by Willam Hormby in which the farmer and his family are captured and put on trial by the animals of the farm. Eventually the animals kill and eat the humans and then turn on each other.

  Battle Creek

  A small stream just west of Port Dechantagne, Battle Creek is named because it was the location of a battle between the sorceress Zurfina and wizard Suvir Kesi.

  Bentin

  Bentin is a small city in Greater Brechalon n the County of Cordwell. It is chiefly known for the Royal Military Base located just beyond the edge of the city.

  Beer

  Beer is an alcoholic beverage produced by the saccharification of starch and fermentation of the resulting sugar. The starch and saccharification enzymes are often derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat. Most beer is also flavoured with hops, which add bitterness and act as a natural preservative, though other flavourings such as herbs or fruit may occasionally be included. The preparation of beer is called brewing. There are dozens of brands of beer produced in Greater Brechalon, but this number is dwarfed by the varieties found in Freedonia. Beer is less common in Mirsanna, where wine drinking is much more prevalent.