Shadmay said nothing. She stood still, as if ignoring his every plea.
Wayd wondered the same thing. Why is she helping me? And why did the horn sound?
“If the white dragon isn’t here, then you are not the unifier of the Draebek,” Shadmay declared.
Thraegar howled.
“Then we are finished here,” Braethrin yelled.
“You can’t be finished!” Thraegar suddenly hissed. “You are mine. All of you!”
“We will never belong to a Red Claw,” Delthezar screamed.
All at once they drew their weapons and began to circle one another.
“Call off the war, Thraegar. I won’t fight a war I don’t believe in,” Braethrin said. “Stop massacring my clan!”
“Never,” Thraegar yelled.
“Then we fight one another,” Braethrin declared.
“We fight,” Delthezar agreed.
Then they charged.
Tables overturned and Draebek screamed as the dwarves engaged. There were cries as several stewards were cut down. Clans broke into their clan lines, and Black Bears fought Red Claws and Dragons.
Thraegar dove for his axe. He grabbed it as he crashed to the ground, then rolled to his feet in a move befitting an acrobat. He swung his axe in an arc, and the Draebek in the room paused for a moment as they looked to Thraegar.
“I will ask one more time for you to follow me,” Thraegar said, his words laced with anger. “And if you don’t, the Draebek blood that spills will be on your hands.”
It was as if everyone was frozen in time as they comprehended the proposal.
Wayd looked at Gauden, and then at Shadmay and Korin. Gauden had grabbed his black staff and was holding it carefully. He looked like he was about to flee at the first opportunity that presented itself.
But Korin and Shadmay looked dismayed. Korin held his hammer, but he stood off to the side, watching the events unfold but not engaging. Shadmay kept looking at Thraegar and then back to Wayd. Wayd was sure it had something to do with the horn sounding. The dream, after all, had been explicit that it wouldn’t sound.
Regardless, the outcome was the same. Thraegar was identified as a fraud, and the Draebek union was unravelling. He looked at the other clan chiefs. They were measuring Thraegar’s proposal.
Then they charged, their battle cries filling the air.
Thraegar brought the Thornclaw axe above his head. Wayd realized a moment too late that he was loosely holding his sword and it pulled free, flying toward Thraegar.
Wayd heard grunts from the others and looked around. Their weapons were flying toward Thraegar as well. The only weapon that remained in the entire tent was Gauden’s staff. The only weapon without draestl!
The weapons fell around Thraegar, clattering onto the tent floor before they settled harmlessly to the ground.
The other clan chiefs paused, their charge eliminated. Their advantage was gone. Their cause crushed. They would have to defeat Thraegar with their hands.
“Thraegar,” Shadmay said softly, realizing what was about to happen.
But Thraegar was consumed with rage.
“I warned you,” he spat. “You betrayed me! You betrayed our kind!” he screamed.
Then Thraegar charged.
Delthezar Drat barely had time to bring his hands up before Thraegar’s axe came down on him. There was a sickening crunch as it easily passed through his head plate and sunk into his head. There wasn’t even time for the Draebek to scream.
The movement caused the others to jump into action. Braethrin Bor and the Black Bears turned and fled, but the remaining Dragons charged for the weapons at Thraegar’s feet, wanting nothing more than to avenge their clan chief’s death.
But they were overmatched. Thraegar swung his axe with alacrity and precision, and Draebek fell. Thraegar made quick work of the remaining Draebek.
Soon only Wayd, Gauden, Korin, and Shadmay remained.
Wayd stared in disbelief at the carnage.
“Thraegar,” Shadmay said. “What have you done!”
But Thraegar was filled with rage. He ignored her. Instead he turned his attention to Wayd.
“You,” he said as he thrust out an angry finger. “You did this. Why? I spared your life. I gave you Grindhold law despite my better judgment! Why? How did you even know about the horn? How did you even…”
Thraegar trailed off as he became lost in his own thoughts. Wayd was surprised that he once again felt pity for the Draebek. Thraegar looked beaten. Destroyed. Wayd had the fleeting thought to tell him that he had received a vision, but decided against it. Shadmay and Korin looked just as frightened.
So he decided to stay quiet. He took a deep breath, and waited to die. He couldn’t see any alternatives. There wasn’t a weapon nearby, and he knew that he would be killed if he went for one of them. All he could do was muster enough courage to die proudly.
“Wayd, to me!” Gauden yelled.
Wayd realized he was standing still, frozen by the events that were unfolding, but the command snapped him from his stupor. He turned toward Gauden and ran to him at the same time Thraegar charged.
Gauden stepped forward, his staff swirling. Thraegar raised his axe to try to summon the weapon, but it wasn’t made of draestl. It was made of something else entirely. Thraegar realized this, so he rushed with his axe raised.
The axe struck, but Gauden’s staff parried. Then Gauden countered the strike with an overhead strike of his own. The staff came down with force, but Thraegar stepped to the side and the staff glanced off his shoulder. It was still enough of an impact that Thraegar stumbled back, and Gauden continued his pursuit as he chambered the staff and struck again. But instead of dodging, Thraegar brought up a gauntleted hand and caught the staff in his palm. His fingers closed around it and he held it firmly.
Gauden was shocked as the force of his blow was instantly stopped. Shocked that Thraegar had the strength to do so. Then Thraegar pushed the staff to the side and struck with the Thornclaw axe. The axe struck Gauden and cut through the armor and into his chest.
Gauden staggered back as Thraegar recoiled for another strike. Blood poured freely from the wound, and he looked exasperated as he tried to keep his balance. He staggered, dropped his staff, then fell to the ground.
“No!” Wayd yelled, shocked at what he had just witnessed.
Thraegar began to laugh.
“Do you see what I’ve done? What I can do?” Thraegar teased with another maniacal laugh.
Wayd realized Thraegar was talking to him and swallowed hard
Thraegar walked casually toward Gauden, twisting his axe in his hands as he approached.
He’s going to kill Gauden, and then me.
“Any who fight me will be destroyed,” Thraegar said. “And I will unite the Draebek. It doesn’t matter if I haven’t found the white dragon. I will unite the Draebek. And they will either follow me, or die.”
Wayd realized that Thraegar was no longer talking to him, but rather to himself. He’s trying to make amends for the disruption and ruin he has caused.
“But I fear I won’t be able to unite them under the Draebek prophecy anymore,” Thraegar said as he turned his attention toward Wayd. “But I might have another way. What if I unite them under your head on a pike?”
Wayd felt a knot form in his stomach.
“Prepare to die, Waydsyn Scot. But first, you will watch me kill your friend. Goodbye, Gauden Thyme.”
Thraegar raised his axe as Gauden tried to move away. But Gauden could barely move. He looked helpless as he consigned himself to his fate.
Thraegar brought the axe down.
The Wolves attacked. They formed a wedge and moved forward as one, striking the Draebek as they watched the dragons fly into the air and abandon them. It took the Draebek only a moment to regain their wits, but rather than turn to fight, they began retreating toward their camp. Owen willed the defenders after them.
With each dropped Draebek, Owen found renewed vigor. He
still couldn’t understand what was going on, and numerous questions cascaded through his mind. Why did the dragons suddenly leave? Why were the Draebek retreating? It made no sense whatsoever. The defenders of Draestl were defeated. They should have overrun us!
But something had turned the tide of the battle, and Owen could only think of one person being able to accomplish that.
Wayd.
It had to be Wayd.
He felt another rush of adrenaline, and it was enough to propel him forward despite his broken and battered body. He moved forward, swinging his bloodied sword with vicious intent.
Soon they were at the rubble of the castle walls. Owen was astonished at the dragons’ destruction. The magnificent walls of Draestl were decimated to nothing more than piles of lonely debris and dust.
Several pockets of Draebek were using the ruins of the walls as a defensive barrier to slow down the defenders as their comrades fled. But it wasn’t enough. Owen watched as other companies of defenders began rushing forward. He saw Malithan and General Fadden leading defenders after the Draebek. Together as one, the defenders merged and pushed into the Draebek, ensuring that this retreat would last.
The Draebek continued to retreat.
Owen couldn’t believe it.
They are actually retreating! We will actually survive the day!
Then the oddest thing happened. He watched as one group of Draebek suddenly turned on an adjacent one. At one moment they were running next to each other, helping one another retreat, and then the next, they turned on one another and began cutting each other down.
As Owen and the Wolves engaged, the Draebek paid them little heed, instead focused on decimating the other. What is going on?
Then he recognized the emblems on their armor. He had noticed them before, but hadn’t paid them much heed. Now they screamed their differences. One was a red claw with a thorn on it, and the other a black bear.
The clans are no longer united.
Owen wondered what Wayd had done. It had to have been Wayd.
“Owen!” he heard someone yell.
He turned and saw Malithan yelling at him from a dozen feet away. Malithan looked like a bloody mess, but even from this distance Owen could see the determination in his eyes. And the excitement. They had all consigned themselves to death, and now they had hope that they’d live another day.
“We need to reform a perimeter. I don’t know what the Draebek are doing, or why they have retreated, but we need to prepare like this is some kind of evil ploy that will turn on us at any moment,” Malithan advised.
Owen turned from Malithan to the Draebek. They were ignoring the Wolves as they attacked from behind. Instead, the Draebek only focused on one another. If the Draebek are fighting one another…
He knew he finally had the chance he was looking for. “I need to go get Wayd,” he said.
“I know that’s what you want—I want it too!” Malithan began. “But this could be a trap, we need to pause and regather—”
“No,” Owen said. “This is the perfect time. If Wayd is alive, the Wolves will find him.”
He thought Malithan was going to argue, but the captain smiled at him and nodded. “Very well. We can assist as well.”
“Not just you,” someone new declared. Owen saw General Fadden, and behind him was the entire company of the Eagles. “It’s not every battle when the enemy starts fighting themselves and provides an opportunity like this. Let’s ensure their retreat is final. Let’s go rescue our prince!”
Owen felt so relieved that he didn’t have to fight them on this.
“Thank you,” he said.
They all nodded, then General Fadden gestured for Owen to move forward. “After you, Owen Delmsmith. I see that you have a knack for leading just like your father. Lead us to Wayd.”
Owen hated that he actually felt proud that he was finally compared to his father in a good way. He felt himself blush when a grin spread across his face so wide that he knew all around him could tell he was boasting.
Hey, I can’t get mad at myself for being great.
He turned, and together the forces of Draestl charged after the retreating Draebek.
The axe fell toward Gauden, and Wayd watched in horror as it descended at a rapid pace. It was happening too fast. He tried to move to intercept it, tried to will it to stop with a magic he knew he didn’t have.
But nothing was stopping it, and the axe fell.
There was commotion outside, but he ignored it. He had to focus on the axe. He started to close his eyes, but he willed them to stay open. He had to watch this. Had to know what happened.
The axe continued to fall.
“Stop!” someone demanded.
Korin.
The axe stopped a moment before striking. Thraegar retrieved it and turned on Korin. “What?” he snapped, his anger boiling.
Korin took a deep breath as he approached Thraegar. He was composed, but Wayd could tell from the way his eyes kept shifting from Gauden to Thraegar that Korin knew the precariousness of the situation. He had saved Gauden’s life the second time in two days, and this time by an inch or less.
“Why should I stop?” Thraegar hissed.
“Because,” Korin said softly as he continued to approach Thraegar. Shadmay began moving on the other side, stepping softly. Her face also appeared composed, but Wayd could see the fright and uncertainty in her eyes. “Listen to what is happening outside!”
It was the first time that Wayd regarded the commotion from outside. At first he thought it was the relaying of orders, but this was different. It wasn’t mobilizing sounds, but rather the sounds of fighting. Suddenly he heard screams, and the sounds of battle.
This close? Or are the Draebek fighting one another?
He knew there was a high chance that Braethrin Bor was leading the Black Bears against the Red Claws after what had just happened. He looked at Delthezar’s corpse and knew that Thraegar had lost the Dragons forever. But would the entire Draebek force begin fighting one another?
Then he heard “for the Wolves!” and his heart leapt. It wasn’t just Draebek fighting. It was the defenders of Draestl. Here? Inside the camp? A rush of hope filled him.
“All because of them,” Thraegar yelled as he pointed his axe back at Gauden. “Because of their betrayal!”
“Thraegar,” Korin pled. “Gauden and Wayd have no part in this. You are the one that lost the trust of the Draebek. You lied to them. You never found the white dragon. The truth has been exposed.”
Korin’s words were kind, patient, and understanding. Wayd knew he was trying to relax Thraegar.
But the words had the opposite effect. Thraegar gripped his axe tighter, his jaw became more rigid, and his eyes became dark.
But his attention shifted from Gauden to Korin. “How convenient,” he stated. It had so much venom in it that spit formed on his lips.
Korin looked confused. But before he could ask a question, Thraegar continued on.
“How convenient to plant those ideas in their minds!” Thraegar screamed. Sudden understanding spread across his face, and he had a look of anger change to betrayal and then fury. “Is that why I couldn’t find you yesterday? You were too busy planning your betrayal?”
“Thraegar,” Korin pled. “What are you talking about?”
But Wayd saw the guilt spreading across Korin, and it confirmed what he had thought all along. He looked at Shadmay, and she, too, looked frightened.
It was them. Why? Why would they do this?
“Why?” Thraegar asked. The pain in his voice was thick, and it made Wayd feel sorry for him. “You want the glory for yourself? You wanted the power?” Thraegar paused as he comprehended what he had uncovered. “You were using me for my name. All this time. I trusted you! I loved you like a father. You used me!” By the end, all trace of pain vanished and it was replaced with uncontrolled fury.
“No! Never,” Korin stated emphatically. He took a deep breath to try to calm himself, and held up one
of his hands to gesture Thraegar to relax. Wayd recognized his hammer in the other. “Thraegar,” Korin implored, “look at what you are doing to the Draebek. You are uncontrolled, obsessed with uniting them when you haven’t finished the steps required in the prophecy!”
Thraegar shook his head, confused. His demeanor softened. “But I have the Horn of Grind! I have the Thornclaw axe,” he said as he hefted the latter in the air. “It is enough. And they followed me. Shadmay,” he begged, “tell Korin. It is enough. Isn’t it?”
Shadmay shook her head. “Thraegar,” she said as she carefully chose her words. “The prophecy is clear, and though you’ve made great progress, you have not finished it yet. You were supposed to find the white dragon before uniting our people. But you’ve let your lust for power overcome your better judgement.”
The softness that had appeared in Thraegar vanished. Sudden understanding dawned on him. “No!” he exclaimed as he felt a renewed sense of pain and betrayal. “You were in on this too!” he stated. It wasn’t a question. It was an understanding.
“We need to step back and rebuild,” Shadmay stated. “You need time to regain your focus and composure.”
Thraegar shook his head, his face becoming more contorted with each moment.
“My time is now,” he finally said. “You both betrayed me. Betrayed me!”
“You were becoming like your father,” Korin yelled back. “Uncontrolled and vicious! Look what you’ve done! You killed Braeth Bor for a simple mistake, all because you were upset that Draestl was warned. But did it matter? No! We could have taken Draestl in a single day with minimal casualties. But you didn’t care. You had to make a point. Had to demonstrate your power. You’ve killed Delthezar Drat! He took us in—both of us—when we were starving many years ago despite knowing that he was helping an enemy clan. And you killed him! You are becoming every bit the same as Shraegar. And Shraegar was never fit to lead the Draebek. I will not allow it.”
“My father was powerful!” Thraegar yelled. “You want me to be weak? I will not be weak, I will be—”
Siege of Draestl Page 29