A scream filled the air. Footsteps approached. He opened his eyes to see the dragonrider behind him. At the man’s side sat a massive red dragon.
Devarius cursed.
The dragonrider smiled. “Good morning.”
Chapter 6
Captain Vesryn strolled into the camp, his silver cape fluttering in the breeze behind him. Ten dragonriders stood at attention as he walked the thin path between them. He stopped at the end and turned around, studying each of the men. They were hard warriors, good men. And they’d been scouting the land for the traitors.
“I do not need to remind you how important it is that we find these traitors.” Vesryn watched his men’s expressions. “We have been tasked by the general with bringing in these scoundrels. If we fail, we’re to report directly to the emperor. We mustn’t fail.”
The other dragonriders gulped.
“Leave no rock unturned. We’ll stay at camp for another day waiting on correspondence from our other riders before we separate and continue our search.”
Flapping wings broke Captain Vesryn’s concentration. None of his dragonriders should have been returning so soon. They’d been told to return the following day with any news. If one found the traitors, they were supposed to send word ... but not return. A blue dragon and its rider descended into the camp. He did not recognize the beast or the man. Vesryn had never seen a blue dragon before. He’d thought all dragons were red.
The captain stood at attention with his hands crossed behind his back as the man climbed off his dragon and approached. He wasn’t part of the Dragonia Empire army. His armor was mismatched, like it’d been taken off several different men. The man walked straight toward Vesryn, not bothered by the ten dragonriders standing at attention.
He withdrew a parchment, which he handed over, disdain clear on his face.
Vesryn grabbed the parchment as he looked up and down at the man. “Who are you?”
“My name is Derkas.”
“The mercenary?” Vesryn snarled.
“I see you’ve heard of me.” Derkas smirked.
Vesryn unrolled the parchment. When he finished reading, his fists clenched and he crumpled the letter in his hands. “We don’t need aid from a bloody mercenary. We are doing just fine on our own.”
“So you’ve found the traitors then?” Derkas asked.
“Not yet.” The grinding sound of his teeth could almost be heard by the furthest dragonrider.
Derkas raised a brow. “Progress?”
The ten dragonriders stared at Vesryn, their fingers twitching over their sword hilts. “The general seems to think we’re in need of aid from this mercenary. I have orders to discuss our plans with him, and give him anything else he ... requires.”
“Do you have any progress?” Derkas challenged.
“We have ten dragonriders out scouting the nearby villages from Dundair down to Kaedur.”
“Could the villagers have traveled that far already?”
“Not likely. We’re concentrating most of our efforts on these northern villages.”
“Good. Let me know if you find anything.”
“As you wish.” Vesryn rubbed the pommel of his sword.
“What are your plans once you find them?” Derkas asked.
“Take them to the general. I’ll let him decide.”
Derkas nodded.
A bird flew over the horizon toward them. Everyone turned their attention to the lone pigeon with a small piece of paper tied to its foot. The captain turned around and held out his arm. He fished in his pocket for some seeds to give to the bird. The pigeon gratefully ate out of his hand as Vesryn pulled the piece of paper from its leg. After reading the note, he dropped the rest of the birdseed on the ground.
“Prepare the camp. We’re leaving,” he instructed his men.
“What is it?” Derkas asked.
Vesryn scowled as he tossed the note at Derkas’s feet.
Derkas knelt to snatch the note and read it.
Found traitors. Captured. Kaed. Awaiting orders.
Derkas pressed his lips together as he handed the note back to the captain.
Vesryn spat on the ground. “As it turns out, we don’t need you. I told you I had everything under control.”
“Do you now?” Derkas whispered.
Vesryn turned away from the mercenary. “Come on, men, snap to it. Take down the tents, pack up your belongings. We leave tonight.”
“Should we send a message to the general?” a dragonrider asked.
“No. Not until I have them in my custody.”
“As you wish.”
Vesryn strode to his tent. It was time to take it down. He organized all the stakes in a pile and carefully rolled the fabric tight, packing it in a bag along with the stakes. Vesryn kept his possessions in pristine condition and well organized, something he didn’t trust his men to do for him. Once everything was in a neat pile, he turned around. He wondered if the mercenary planned to travel with them. Since he received direct orders from the general, he needed to make sure the traitors were indeed captured. Vesryn did not look forward to having a mercenary watch his back. At least his mission was nearly complete. He scanned the camp. Everyone was busy tearing the camp down and organizing the supplies. Derkas was nowhere in sight. One of his men walked past him. Vesryn reached out and grabbed the dragonrider’s arm.
“Where is the mercenary?”
The man’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t know, Captain.”
Vesryn strode over to his other men and cleared his throat. “Has anyone seen where the mercenary went?”
All of the men looked to each other, then glanced around the camp and back to their captain.
The mercenary was gone. Vesryn cursed under his breath. There was a reason he didn’t trust mercenaries. “Finish packing. We need to leave at once.”
Chapter 7
Devarius clenched his fists as he struggled against the chains securing his wrists. There was no escape. Besides the dragonrider chaining all thirty of them together, a dragon stood watch over them. Devarius studied the beast. He’d never been so close to a dragon before. The creature both horrified and fascinated him. It was massive, larger than the barn they had hid inside. The saddle on its back looked small compared to the rest of its body.
He looked away from the dragon. While the creature was beautiful, it was also terrifying. He searched for anything he could use, or do, to get away from the dragonrider. Devarius saw nothing. He hated the wait, but there seemed little else he could do. His companions hadn’t spoken since being captured. He hoped they would continue to stay silent. Most were too petrified to speak.
“What are you going to do with us?” Devarius asked.
The dragonrider turned away from the fire. He held a blade in his hand as well as a grindstone; he grinned. “I do not know. That will be up to the captain when he arrives. I’ve already sent word. I suppose I could question you before he gets here.”
“You will not find answers,” Devarius replied.
The dragonrider lifted an eyebrow. “Is that so?”
Devarius didn’t respond.
“I am quite good at extracting answers. Even if I can’t determine anything, the captain will.”
“What is your name?” Devarius asked.
The dragonrider smiled. “Tirask ... and yours?”
“Devarius.”
“Well, since you seem to be the leader, I should be asking you the questions.”
“You won’t receive any answers,” Devarius repeated.
“I suspected as much. That’s why I never planned to question you.”
Tirask walked to the rest of the party and studied each person in turn. He stopped in front of a trembling Dasyra. A slick grin spread across his scarred face. She glanced nervously to Devarius, her eyes pleading with him to do something. Devarius could do nothing, and was afraid the dragonrider had found their weak link. Tirask grabbed Dasyra, unfastened her chains, and dragged her away from the others. He unshe
athed a dagger as he held Dasyra by her blonde hair. The dagger pressed lightly against her bare arm, piercing skin. He slid the dagger across the length of her forearm as she wailed.
“Where are you traveling?” Tirask asked.
Dasyra didn’t answer. Tears streamed down her face. She choked over sobs.
The dragonrider grabbed her other arm and began carving into it.
“Stop!” she yelled halfway through.
“Are you ready to talk?” he asked.
She nodded.
“Where is your party traveling?”
“Laeraed.”
Devarius sighed inwardly. He was thankful he hadn’t told the entire party of his intention to travel past Laeraed to Vaereal. Only he and Paedyn knew that information.
“Whom are you to meet there?” Tirask asked.
“I don’t know,” Dasyra hiccuped through sobs.
“I’m to believe you don’t know who you’re looking for?”
“We don’t know any actual Resistance.” She wiped her tears with her free hand. “We are only following whispers and hoping they’ll find us.”
“I see. And there are whispers pointing to Laeraed?”
“I don’t know,” she responded. “We planned to stop in every village along the way.” She looked to Devarius. “Devarius was hoping to learn where the Resistance hid.”
“A pity,” the dragonrider said. “Information on the Resistance would be quite valuable.”
“We have none,” Devarius said.
“I still don’t believe that ... but my captain has better torture methods. And I’m sure he’ll question each one of you.” He grinned.
A growl in the woods broke Tirask’s concentration. Crunching leaves and breaking sticks sounded from the forest. Tirask eyed the company suspiciously. He turned to face his dragon, who stood at attention with ears cocked toward the woods.
“Go, check out the noise.”
The dragon glanced to Tirask for a second before leaping into the woods.
“Dragons are intelligent? They can understand?”
Tirask’s face twisted into a snarl. “They can understand commands. They are nothing more than beasts. However, all beasts can be trained.”
Devarius’s eyebrows furrowed. The dragonrider didn’t seem to respect his dragon much. He pondered on the potential weakness to exploit.
A roar shattered the silence. It repeated, followed by another. The second roar had a higher pitch, like it came from another creature. Tirask turned toward the woods, his forehead crinkling as he licked his teeth. He stepped toward Devarius and the others, checking that they were securely chained to a tree.
The sounds of a fight between beasts ensued. Tirask growled, unsheathed his sword, and ran into the woods.
“What’s going on?” Paedyn asked.
“I have no idea,” Devarius replied.
The air around them grew cold. Devarius shivered, as did the rest of them. A blue fog seeped into the small clearing. The chains turned from gray to light blue. Devarius reached to touch the strange chains and recoiled. They weren’t hot ... but cold, so cold they burned his hand when he touched them. When the chains became a darker blue, his brow furrowed. He clenched his fists and pulled hard. The chains shattered, falling to the ground like chunks of ice. He paused for a second as he stared at the shattered pieces of metal on the ground. Shaking his head, he went to the others and began breaking their shackles. All of the chains shattered, but he couldn’t get the shackles off anyone’s wrist. They’d have to figure that out later.
He hesitated when it came to freeing Dasyra. Her wounds had stopped bleeding, but she lay unconscious on the ground. He debated whether or not to take her along.
“What is it?” Paedyn asked.
“I don’t know if we should release her. She’s been nothing but trouble since the beginning. And she’s our weakest link. Anything we learn, she will spill if they catch her again.”
“Yes, she will,” Paedyn agreed. “But we can’t leave her to be tortured.”
“What do you suggest?” Devarius asked.
“Drop her off at the next village.”
Devarius nodded. “I don’t know if we can continue to travel to the villages. She already confessed our path to that dragonrider. No village will be safe.”
“True,” Paedyn said. “But we’ll figure out something. I don’t think we should leave her.”
“You’re right.”
After breaking her chains, Devarius tossed her over his shoulder. When he turned around and noticed everyone standing, transfixed, waiting for his orders, he sighed.
“Come, let’s get out of here before that dragonrider returns.”
He dashed into the woods opposite where the dragonrider had disappeared. Everyone followed him.
Chapter 8
Captain Vesryn stood at the new camp, hands clasped behind his back. His eyes were slitted as he studied the ground. No one dared say a word. He strode forward, inspecting the shattered chunks of metal.
“You say you returned and this is all you found?”
“Yes, Captain.”
Vesryn leaned down to scoop up a pile of metal shards. He inspected them closely. It was a puzzle. He saw how many of the shards could fit together. Vesryn grabbed a larger shard, unsheathed his dagger, and attempted to pound its hilt onto the piece of metal. It remained solid. He frowned.
“How did these chains shatter?” Vesryn muttered.
“I don’t know, Captain.”
Vesryn snarled at the dragonrider. “What do you know?”
“I interrogated them, and while most weren’t helpful, one woman quickly confessed they were traveling south to Laeraed.”
“Laeraed? Interesting.” Vesryn paused. “She gave this information freely?”
“Well, no, Captain. I gave her a couple of minor wounds to loosen her tongue.”
“Where were these minor wounds?”
“Her forearms, Captain.”
“Hmm.”
Vesryn strolled in a circle, scratching his chin.
“Start from the beginning. You captured them, had them in camp chained—then what happened?”
“I heard a growl in the woods. At first, I was only mildly curious. I knew with my dragon, that no matter what kind of wild beast it may be, I would be safe. However, it continued to growl, and the growl grew louder, like it was approaching the camp. I sent my dragon after the noise to check it out.” He took a deep breath. “After a moment of silence, I heard growls again, coming from two creatures this time. I waited a while longer, but then I heard a loud noise; it sounded like the earth was cracking apart. I checked the prisoners’ chains to make sure they were secured to the tree, then I left the camp to find the fight, and to see if my dragon was all right.”
“What did you find?” the captain asked.
“My dragon sprawled out on the ground, rolling in agony. I rushed over to the creature, putting my hand on its stomach.”
“What did it feel like?”
“Excuse me?”
“The beast’s stomach. What did it feel like?”
“Hard, it’s always hard. Not as hard as its back scales, but—”
“Anything else? Anything out of the ordinary?”
“Uh—”
“Was its body cold?”
“Yes ... yes, as a matter of fact it was. Which is unusual—”
“For a red, fire-breathing dragon,” Vesryn finished.
“What are you saying? That an ice dragon attacked my dragon and stole my prisoners? There is no such thing as ice dragons. Are you suggesting a rogue dragonrider is plotting against us?”
“Not necessarily,” Vesryn whispered.
He studied the other dragonriders before turning back to Tirask.
“What is it?” Tirask asked.
“A mercenary came to our camp yesterday, with orders from the general for access to our intelligence, and to assist us.” Vesryn paused. “He had a blue dragon.”
Tira
sk’s eyes widened. “Do you think he’s plotting against the empire?”
Vesryn shook his head. “I think the general sent him to retrieve the traitors. After we lost the traitors the first time, I don’t believe the general trusts us.”
“But he trusts a mercenary?” Tirask’s face twisted with a snarl.
“Apparently.”
Vesryn climbed back atop his dragon. “No point in staying here, boys. We best be off.”
“Where to?” Tirask asked.
Vesryn pointed a finger. “You have one last chance before I send you to the general.”
Tirask nodded. “Yes, Captain.”
“Well, if what you said is true, they’re heading to Laeraed. We’ll split into three groups. Tirask and Nathiel... you’ll be with me, and we’ll go to Trevium.”
He motioned to four others. “You four travel to Uriah.”
His order was acknowledged.
Vesryn faced the last four. “And you four ... travel down to Laeraed.” He paused. “The rest of you, scour the forests near the river.”
He studied the faces of the ten dragonriders. “Fly low, search the ground as well. Perhaps we will get lucky and spot them. Find our agents in the cities and have them keep an eye out as well. Understood?”
“Yes, sir,” echoed through the camp.
“Then let us be off,” Vesryn said.
The dragonriders mounted. Wings flapped in front of Vesryn as the dragons took flight. Broken chain shards fluttered in spirals all around the camp. Vesryn watched as his dragonriders ascended into the sky, blocking the blaring light from the two suns. He stroked the neck of his dragon, before patting its side twice. It was time to go.
Chapter 9
Devarius stood at the mouth of a cave, watching a storm in the twilight. They were safe and warm for the night, but Devarius didn’t know for how long. He needed to bring them to Vaereal, but with every dragonrider in the empire searching for them, he didn’t know how he could.
“What worries you?” Paedyn asked from behind.
Devarius turned around. He half smiled at his friend. “How will we reach Vaereal without the empire finding us? Now that they know we’re traveling at least as far south as Laeraed, they’re probably searching every village from here to there. Besides, we’re hiding in a bloody cave dug in the ground, and they have dragons. If they know this cave is here, or if they spot it, they will search it.”
Dragonia: Rise of the Wyverns (Dragonia Empire Book 1) Page 4