“Rise my son,” said the king.
Talon looked up in confusion. His father was sitting in the king’s throne!
“What is going on?” asked Talon.
“Isn’t it obvious? I am now king,” replied King Horne.
“Truly? How did you accomplish that?”
“Deception, dishonesty, strange alliances and a little poison. The way most men become king.”
The initial shock of seeing his father on the throne started to wear off. Talon looked around, they were alone. It was obviously safe to talk or his father wouldn’t have boasted about his treasonous act of betrayal so nonchalantly. “What strange alliance?”
“As much as King Gramalt hated dragons, he had a strong distrust of the Sacred Blood. They prefer to have a king that they can work with in the fight against dragons.”
Talon nodded. That wasn’t surprising. The Sacred Blood were a powerful organization that had always worked in the shadows, but with the return of dragons they were becoming more active. That they would choose to help overthrow a king wasn’t surprising. He was just grateful that his father managed to be the one the Sacred Blood chose. “And how does the rest of the kingdom react to the untimely death of the king and his replacement?”
“As can be expected,” said King Horne. “Those loyal to the king and to us are mostly still with us. The south had already declared independence, and the wedding debacle and those damn dragons have Lord Lamar and his followers at ends with the king. There are a few generals among the king’s army that will make moves towards the throne, and a few more lords that will challenge my position. However, the last words out of King Gramalt’s mouth were a request for me to take the throne. So, the entire council witnessed and endorsed my being made king. I am king. Now it is a matter of trying to regain the entire kingdom. It won’t be easy. Gramalt’s bumbling already had the south in an uproar, General Ulman is heading south with his battalion now. He almost turned around when he heard the king was dead, but I believe he thinks I will hand over the throne to him when he defeats Lord Falbran’s armies in the south.”
“Isn’t that risky? Having his entire battalion going south. You know as well as I that a single battalion isn’t enough to defeat Lord Falbran. The southern armies will have twice that number.”
King Horne smiled. “Exactly. But General Ulman is a brilliant tactician. I have no doubt he will amass a considerable number of victories against the southern rebels before he is finally defeated. He will either be dead or defeated, either way he is no longer a threat to the throne.”
“And what of Lord Lamar?”
King Horne frowned. “That is a more delicate position. He had followed the lead of the southern rebels, and declared independence, but no blood has been drawn. He has made some sort of deal with the Chestmires, and they are now with him. We can’t fight the south and the mid folk at the same time. So, for now, our kingdom has shrunken. We control the northwestern part of Droll, from North port to Timeston.”
Talon smiled. “A considerably larger amount of land than I thought we controlled only a few moments ago.”
King Horne nodded. “Yes. It is a shame we couldn’t have taken the throne a few months ago, before the uprising. Then all of Droll would be ours, but in time it will be ours.”
“What would you have me do?”
“First, I want a report on what happened.”
“Dragons. We were tracking the boy and were about to catch him. Then he simply disappeared. The wolfhounds couldn’t find his scent, and suddenly they had him, or almost had him. For a day and a half, the wolfhounds ran him down, we couldn’t keep up with the wolfhounds, then we climbed a hill to find them dead, along with Deormod, and no signs of him. The trail simply vanished. And without the wolfhounds, we had no way of even trying to pick up his scent. Not that it would’ve mattered. Even wolfhounds can’t follow flying beasts.”
“It is as I feared. The boy has a dragon,” said King Horne.
“Yes. It certainly appears that way. No man could’ve killed those wolfhounds.”
The king nodded. “That was an expensive loss. Thankfully, the throne will provide more than enough compensation for our losses. Well, don’t worry son. You will get another shot at killing Lyric Finch. I am putting you in charge of our dragon hunters.”
“Dragon hunters? Why are we worrying about dragons now that we have the throne? Shouldn’t we be focused on the retaking of the rest of Droll?” asked Talon.
“All in good time. But we have aligned ourselves with the Sacred Blood. We must honor that commitment or I will be the next one they choose to remove from the throne. Our fates are now tied to the battle against dragons.”
“Are you sure that is wise? Droll was a dragon stronghold at one time.”
“It might not be in the future, but for now it is what got us the throne. Besides, you’ve already made an enemy of the dragonblood. To not hunt him down would be foolish.”
Talon couldn’t argue with that logic. He had no intention of letting Lyric Finch live, even if he was using dragons to defend himself. The question now was how to kill him? “Tell me about these dragon hunters.”
“You will lead them. There is armor and weapons for twenty-four warriors. You will lead a number three times that. For every suit of armor aside from your own, three men of comparable size will train for each position. The armor and weapons are expensive. When one dies the next takes his place.”
Talon could see his father’s logic. Men came cheap, you could hire a dozen men for the cost of a good set of armor. “What types of weapons? How do we use them?”
“You will see, they are set to arrive tomorrow. As for how to use them. The Sacred Blood have provided a trainer. Brother Abram will teach you, he is here now. Tomorrow he will start training you and your men.”
“It seems you have thought of everything father,” said Talon with a smile. His father was king, and that meant one day the throne would be his. All of Droll would be his.
36
Running his hand through his hair, Jobe Hollow looked at his Sacred Blood contact, Brother Nemas. “You screwed me.”
Brother Nemas raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”
“Shayla Finch.”
“What about her?” asked Brother Nemas.
“What about her? What about her? I don’t know, how about she is gods be damned dragonblood who has dragon magic. You could’ve mentioned that minor detail when you gave us the contract on her. I lost seven men.”
Brother Nemas rubbed an imaginary spot of dirt from his robe. “I specifically told you that she was dangerous and to take care when attacking her.”
“There is dangerous then there are dragonbloods. I did a little research on our Shayla Finch. You kidnapped and tortured her. You killed her father and her lover, and this is a woman who already had a reputation for being a vengeful bitch before she gained the power of dragon magic. The hate she must have for you. And now she’s going to be hunting me, as sure as you are standing in front of me, she’ll be coming for me.”
“And when she comes looking for you, you will kill her. I know you are an ambitious man, Jobe. If you kill Shayla Finch it will be worth it.”
Jobe slammed his hand down on his desk. “Worth it? A dead man can’t spend coins. I’ve had every man I have available watching for her. I’ve bribed everyone who can be bribed. Shayla Finch has disappeared. I can’t stop a woman I can’t find.”
“Brother Nemas sighed. “It is vexing, her disappearance. The brotherhood can’t locate her either. You will simply have to wait for her and set a trap.”
“That is easy for you to say. You aren’t the bait.”
“As you mentioned earlier. She hates the brotherhood. If she finds me, I suffer the same fate as you,” said Brother Nemas.
“That doesn’t comfort me.”
“Perhaps you simply need more incentive. The weapons you want, we will supply them all at no cost when she’s dead.”
Jobe took a deep breath.
The weapons were expensive, but they were the best. But how many men would he lost when Shayla Finch came looking for him? “That and a hundred gold coin.”
Brother Nemas said nothing, he just stared at Jobe.
Jobe met his glare and matched it. He was no fool. The Sacred Blood had screwed up when they didn’t kill her when they had her. Now they had an angry dragonblood running around lose with the power of dragon fire. They needed her dead and would pay. If they didn’t he’d pack a bag and head for the furthest isle he could find.
“Fine. But we’ll need proof of her death. You will bring me her head.”
“Done.”
Brother Nemas stood up. “I’ll be back in a few days. I have business in Vora.” He then reached into his robe and pulled out a small coin purse. He threw it on Jobe’s desk. “That is a down payment on the hundred-gold coin.” He then left the office.
Two men walked into the office after Brother Nemas left. “What did the Brother say?” asked one of the men.
Jobe leaned back in his chair. He counted the coins in the purse and threw it at the man on the left. “We just made a deal with the devil boys.”
Josian Valkor caught the coin purse. “You sure you want to do this?”
“What choice do I have? Either I run and spend the rest of my life worrying about a vindictive dragonblood or I stay here and kill her. If we kill her, we’ll be set.”
Keren Valkor smiled. His grin was marred by missing teeth and made him look even more sinister than when he frowned, if that was even possible. “I’ve never killed a dragonblood. Should be interesting.”
37
Brother Abram, the Sacred Blood member thinly disguised as a monk, was mid-age, thick and burly with a fire red beard and a shaved head. A tattoo over his left eye resembled that of a diamond with a sword separating it into two halves. Talon thought Brother Abram looked more like a pirate than a monk when he took down the hood to his robes.
Talon looked around the training field. Over seventy men, all separated into groups of three and four of a similar body size so that they might share the same armor, would be trained in the oversized weapons that the Sacred Blood had designed for hunting dragons. Talon watched as Brother Abram began their training.
“Hunting dragons is an ancient art,” said Brother Abram. “The Sacred Blood were becoming adept at killing the winged demons and were winning the war when a group of traitorous mages helped hide the dragons. For a hundred years, the dragons have hidden and regrown their numbers while we have forgotten the techniques and skills used to kill the beasts. But the Sacred Blood made sure to pass down the knowledge, and the tales of successful hunts. Detailed manuscripts of the most famous dragon hunters remind us what we are capable of when we work as a team. One man will almost never survive a dragon encounter. Only the most brave and lucky can hunt alone, most who try die. However, teams of men, working together as one can defeat a dragon. Unity, precision and accuracy, these are the skills you must master if you are going to truly become dragon hunters.” Brother Abram picked up one of the heavy shields. “These shields are cumbersome and heavy; a man can’t yield it with only one hand. Yet, they are strong and can withstand small blasts of dragonfire. To be a shield-man is a great honor. It takes strength and fortitude to go into battle knowing your only job is to protect your partner. That you must rely on others to yield the weapons.”
Talon looked around the men assembled. He could see a few were skeptical of Brother Abram’s description of the importance of being a shield man. But there were many heads nodding. There would be plenty that would accept the role without complaint. While most of the soldiers present had been trained with shield, they were used to smaller shields and having a sword. This would be a completely different style of fighting. And many would chafe at the unfamiliarity of not carrying a weapon. But they would learn fast. Brother Abram had the look of a skilled teacher who would allow pain to drive home his lessons.
“For those of you who don’t have the honor of becoming shield-men, there are two main weapons to be used against dragons. Dragon spears, and arrows. We have crossbows and long bows. At close range the dragon spears are your most effective weapon. The blades, over a foot long of black steel, are strong enough to penetrate dragon hide without bending and being snapped off. If you can pin a dragon down with nets, or get it angry enough to come close, these are your most effective way of killing a dragon. Arrows can also kill a dragon. A perfectly placed arrow can penetrate the soft skin in a dragon’s mouth and enter the brain, if at the right angle. This is a low percentage shot, difficult to make and requires being front and center in front of a dragon. Not always a wise idea.”
A few of the men chuckled. Not a wise idea indeed, thought Talon.
“Now, while dragon hide is too tough for most arrows to penetrate, their wings are thinner. You can bring a dragon down with enough shots to its wings. Once a dragon comes down your spear-men will finish the beast. The strongest of you will be given long bows. They have the greatest range, and can be fired the quickest. But these are northern longbows, they are difficult to pull. You must have great strength, and will have to train for endurance. The rest of the archers will receive crossbows. They are slower loading, but the average man will be more accurate with a crossbow. And accuracy is vital. If you are to bring a dragon down, hitting its wings is vital.” Brother Abram paused. “Many of you will die, but you will die knowing there is a special place for you among the gods. Many of the gods favor Garron, and our cause to bring him back by destroying all dragons. So, there is no greater death than that at the hands of a dragon in battle.” Brother Abram then stared at all the men. Many shifted around uncomfortably under his hard gaze. Suddenly he grinned. “But the greatest honor goes to those who kill dragons. Death will bring you a special place in the heavens, but victory will bring you glory and honor in this life and the next.”
Talon admired the way Brother Abram worked his audience. The men were all veteran soldiers, they had heard a hundred victory for the cause speeches if they’d heard one. But this one was different. Brother Abram didn’t focus on the kingdom, or bringing the king honor like most career leaders were taught to do. Instead he focused on what benefit the men got from being dragon hunters. Not all the soldiers were religious men, but most were, and the gods they followed varied depending on where they were from, and how they were raised, but by saying that most gods favored Garron, the man swung a broad net over them. A trained soldier was a dangerous thing. A trained soldier with a cause he fervently believed in was twice as dangerous.
As Brother Abram showed the men how to work in formation, Talon’s mind wondered. His father becoming king had changed things so dramatically for him. His father was old, and his health was deteriorating at a slow but steady pace. It wouldn’t be long before King Horne died. A few years at most, and he would be king. If they kept the kingdom together. With the south openly attacking them, and the Lamar’s and his ilk in the interior and north eastern lands also declaring independence the kingdom was effectively split into three. It would take a lot of work to reunite the kingdom, the southern armies of Lord Falbran would need to be defeated, and the other Lords like the Lamar and Martelle would need to be either placated with words or bullied into submission. Considering how the tournament had gone, the chances of placating the Lamars would be minimal. Building a stronger army, and defeating the southern lords first seemed the most logical route. The alliance his father had created would give them access to better weapons, the Sacred Blood were some of the world’s best arms dealers, and not just for exotic weapons for killing dragons. Keeping the Sacred Blood happy would require killing dragons, or at the least killing the dragonblood. Something he already had intended to do. If it weren’t for that damn Lyric, he’d be married to Sibylle Lamar and already have control of their lands. When he was done with Lyric he’d turn his attentions to Sibylle Lamar.
38
Four fireballs flashed through the air, each striking with a loud crac
kle and pop as they struck the ground.
“I think you are getting worse,” said Apophis.
“Are you kidding me? Did you see how fast I got those fireballs off?”
“You missed your targets with half of your shots.”
Shayla shrugged. “Yes, but I was trying to throw them fast.”
“Never trade accuracy for speed. Precision is the goal,” said Apophis.
Shayla grumbled under her breath. She took a deep breath and started again. She walked back to the starting spot and sprinted. She fired a fireball at the first rock, took two more quick steps and fired another, forcing herself to slow down she took three more steps, slowing almost to a stop to fire then took two more deliberate steps and fired at the last rock.
“Perfect,” said Apophis.
“Slow.”
“Do it three times in a row at that speed, and if you hit each target then you practice moving faster.”
Shayla nodded. As much as she hated going slow, Apophis was correct. It was more important to be accurate than it was to be fast. Especially if she was fighting in a city with wooden buildings. An errant fireball could be disastrous.
Apophis is usually right, mindlinked Caritha.
Oh, shush, you. Shayla had to grin. The more time she spent with Apophis and Caritha, the more she realized how much personality the dragons had. Apophis was as she imagined an alpha female would be, regal, wise and patient. Caritha on the other hand was not as patient and had a dry sense of humor. It took Shayla almost a week before she realized just how sarcastic the dragon could be. Half of Caritha’s comments had gone over Shayla’s head. But she was on to the dragon now.
Shayla returned to the start point and did the drill again. One thing she’d quickly discovered with Apophis was that she believed in repetition. Every drill or training technique was done hundreds of times before moving on to the next. Even the simplest things like how to lower heart rate with breathing were drilled into reflex. As times the repetition was annoying, but it was effective. Shayla had improved her ability to control her magic significantly since coming to the coast. When she fired the last fireball, she’d hit all the targets again. She knew she would hit them all again on the next two times.
Dragon Magic: Lyric's Curse 2 (Dragonblood Sagas Book 4) Page 20