The Exodus Sagas: Book II - Of Dragons And Crowns

by Jason R Jones

  The wolves yipped and licked him, sensing his ties to nature and his injuries. The dirt and moss covered his leather clothing as he crawled past the canine guardians. He petted the male as he passed, then the female, and curled up in the back of their home and laid his head on his pack. The pups rummaged him over with licks and snarls of playful nature, yet Lavress could not participate. He felt for the book and his weapons under the pack, assuring himself they were still there. They were in the hard dirt, and he drifted into a forced meditation that would hopefully allow him to rest enough to travel again tomorrow.

  “Thank you my friends.” he whispered in the fey tongue of Seirena, sure that the words or intent would be understood by these animals of the wild. He fell asleep as the wolves kept close around him, kept him safe and hidden, and watched over him for reasons only divine instinct could explain.

  Exodus II:XVII

  Cavern Temple atop Mount Bailey, Willborne

  “This is absolutely evil, and far from any religious belief I have ever read. That pit there is filled with bones and skulls. The altar is, oh by Siril, this is foul.” Shinayne whispered as she carefully stepped around the stone table covered in stains of old blood in the torchlit cave. She looked at the size and horrific grandeur of the place, then again at the massive stone hole half full of remains of the dead. Her eyes closed at the sight of what she knew to be against any natural order or spiritual morals. Her stomach churned and her body felt ill in every area by just being here. The noble elf covered her mouth with the back of her hand and tried to center herself and not breathe.

  “There are three passages that lead off from here, which one?” Saberrak would normally have known, but the smell permeating the cavern blocked his instincts. He paid no mind to the old carnage, having seen worse in his slave days underground.

  “By Vundren, what the hell have these poor people been praying to all these years? How could they not have known and done something?” Azenairk felt great sorrow upon seeing the blood and knowing that centuries of this had endured.

  “Because they live in fear obviously.” Just as the words breached his lips, James turned in time to see a dark robed young man and a contingent of soldiers enter the cavern behind them. “We have visitors behind us!”

  Taira fell to the ground, shaking, repeating the words over and over in her mind. God is heard and never seen, heard and never…

  Backs to walls, crouching behind the altar, weapons drawn and ready, the five companions watched as ten soldiers took armed stance in front of the young Agarian man that stared at them. “You are on sacred ground, foreigners. I have come here ahead of the army to prevent any unnecessary bloodshed and to retrieve what you have stolen. The girl, please.”

  “Your men and Lord Marcell planned on us being thrown in here as it was, Veuric. Try and---“ Shinayne stopped her defiant words as she saw the ten soldiers and the man she knew as the priest Veuric, bow their heads, gasp, and get on their knees.

  Taira screamed a shrill horror into the cavern, Saberrak roared as he dove across, and James and Zen ducked and covered their bodies with their shields. Red glowing eyes in the dark preempted a carnivorous screeching warning cry as orange flames from a shadowy mouth spewed through the center of the temple cave. Shinayne rolled back to the wall and ran toward the massive black and red scaled horror. Gwenneth raised her staff as the emerald radiated a blue glow all around her. The deafening roar of incinerating heat engulfed the soldiers and the priest as their burning carcasses hurled from the entrance and scattered down the slope. The dragon closed its mouth and turned toward the blue glowing woman, smoke rolling out of its nostrils as it huffed another breath in through blackened fangs. The black tongue flicked in and out repeatedly as its eyes focused with shadowy slivered pupils on the female it smelled, its meal cowering in fear.

  “Huasix derth diarixith merrgith!” the echoing voice came from the entire hundred or more feet of the dark scaly beast as it stalked on all fours with wings and tail stretching out in the open cavern.

  “It just called for---“ Gwenneth stopped as the flames erupted directly over her arcane shield of cold, forcing her to concentrate all she had in repelling the flaming inferno that surrounded her.

  “Kill it!” he roared over the deafening blast of draconic fire. Saberrak charged in with his horns and head lowered just as Shinayne slid quickly past its left side under the wing. James stood, pulling Azenairk up with him and each went different directions toward the massive reptile. Taira lay with her ears covered in shock, screaming barely audible in the flaming cacaphony.

  Carice and Elicras plunged deep into the ribs of the dragon, releasing hot blood onto the cave floor all around Shinayne’s feet. Just as she pulled the enchanted elven blades free to strike down again, the whip-like tail caught her in the legs and sent her lithe form tumbling ahead with a crack. Her swords skittered across the stone, her wind knocked out, and eyes tearing as she tried to reach for the pommels.

  Saberrak dove headfirst into the chest of the mammoth dragon, horns barely piercing the scaly hide. He swung his axe with all his strength, using both hands, and saw only a blue haze as he landed cut after vicious cut into the beast. A giant clawed hand tore into his leg and shoulder as he was hurled through the stone altar and rolled with chunks of broken rock to a stop in the rear of the temple.

  The breathing stopped, though the room was quickly filling with choking smoke. James cut at the dragon’s throat as it reared back from its bleeding chest wounds. Azenairk Thalanaxe smashed his warhammer fearlessly into the bleeding ribs Shinayne had left for him. Gwenneth looked at the elf and the minotaur, seeing movement from both, she backed up toward the wall to put distance between her and the mighty wyrm. Concentrating on the sphere of cold, she pointed her staff and allowed her arcane words and chant to release crackling lightning from within her body and through her pointed fingers. The blast ripped through scales, muscle, and bone, leaving a blackened hole smoldering in the now fiendishly raging creature.

  “It was calling to---“ the arcane woman stopped again, having to crouch low and focus as the flaming breath showered her once more, stopping inches from her body as the heat met the magical cold. She saw tufts of flame shooting from a set of cuts in the neck and one in the side, yet the blast was still far too intense to for Gwenneth to do anything but concentrate on not being devoured in fire.

  Fighting off claws and dodging wicked teeth biting for him, James backpeddaled with shield raised. He kept its attention, as did the dwarf who was having his shield smashed with wings and a tail over and over from his pinned position against the wall. Shinayne ran at full speed and leapt up at the face of the dragon, its mouth opened wide in anticipation. She tucked and rolled and fell short of her destination purposefully. Both enchanted blades in hand, she stood fast and plunged upward through the jaws of the rampaging reptile. Not waiting for it to make a meal out of her, she turned her shoulder back and withdrew her swords, then turned her whole body round in a quick flash that sliced twice clean through the neck to bone. Steaming blood doused her and puddled rapidly on the floor as the dragon fumbled back trying to breathe one last time before its eyes closed forever. The brutal greataxe that chopped through the bone and small horns on its face between the eyes stopped the feeble attempt. Saberrak, staggered from injury, looked around to see if everyone was still alive and then to Gwenneth.

  “I do not care what it was trying to say, just kill it and---“ he heard the distant roar, a wicked hunting screech of ear piercing pitch not far from the cavern entrance. Saberrak turned from Gwenne to the front, blood running down his shoulders through his torn scale armor.

  “It was calling for its mate!” Gwenneth saw the broken cave temple grow very dark a moment later, as if something had blocked the cloudy light from the entire entrance. Everyone froze as the sound of heavy breathing echoed in the chamber filled with smoke and blood.

  LCMVXIILCMVXIILCMVXIILCMVX

  Katrina watched as a black winged shadow raced
through the cloudcover above the mountain. She had seen the flames erupt from the hazy peak where the temple entrance was. The lady of Willborne raised her hand to steady the men around her, and silence them, as they witnessed the bodies tumbling in trails of smoke lifeless down the side of the slopes. She feared nothing, and knew that Faldrune the red was the same, but the soldiers, veteran as they were, had never encountered a dragon. Let alone two. She hoped that no one would actually see what she and Marcell knew was in there. Katrina looked to a nervous Marcell.

  “I hope, for your sake, God does not descend in anger upon us Marcell.” she moved her stallion closer to his so that they would not be heard.

  “Divine justice is surely being dealt, my lady. A few fine words and chosen soldiers we can silence, will make amends when it is over, that is all we will require. They cannot survive, it is impossible.” Marcell looked to his sons, his boys that did not know the secret of the lone mountain. They were full of questions after hearing the roars and seeing the smoke and flame and bodies, as was any man here. “Still, better judgement would have me pull the soldiers back so that they see nothing more. Just in case. The Gods are surely angered with all of us around the mountain. Or something to that regard. I will spread rumor. Agreed?”

  “Agreed. You, myself, Faldrune, and your sons will stay. Have your captains reiterate what you just said and send them to Bailey. Then, we will wait.” Katrina needed no horror stories or rumors of wicked alliances beyond what she already had heaped upon her. The people must not know of the dragons, nor of her knowledge thereof.

  “I will see to it immediately, my lady.” Marcell turned his steed toward his sons, suddenly filled with self loathing at what he was about to explain to his children. If he were to let the people know, there would be a revolt, riots, and their blood in the streets. Centuries of deceit would be undone in a few bloody moments, and Willborne would slip further back away from a great kingdom. He had to explain this to his boys, now lordly men themselves, and get them to agree and understand his reasoning.

  LCMVXIILCMVXIILCMVXIILCMVX

  Careful steps from giant clawed feet preceeded the serpentine body of the male dragon who was sniffing and searching for its mate. Its bright red scales reflected the torchlight that clung to life in the smoke. His black forked tongue moved in and out as its head moved from side to side, eyes seeing nothing, yet smelling the blood for certain. His eyes opened wide as the flash of electricity bolted toward his face. Nowhere to move in the entrance to its home, the dragon charged forward as lightning cascaded through its neck and shoulder. He opened his jaws to release a stream of flame toward the outline of the being responsible for the attack just as a swordblade plunged down through its nose and out the bottom and through the tongue.

  James held on for dear life as he was smashed into the opposing walls from the flailing head of the second dragon. Saberrak joined him as he jumped up onto the side of the beast and grabbed hold of the scaly ridge between the wings. His twin bladed great axe in one hand, he drove the weapon deep into the demon reptile’s back where it lodged into bone and flesh.

  Taira ran for the entrance past the dragon, her terror overwhelmed her reason. Shinayne dashed out from her hidden position as well, lacerating twice then twice again into the chest of the giant struggling serpent as fire spouted from the sides of its mouth. Heavy hits from the hammer of Zen did painful work to the right eye and skull of the trapped wyrm as he charged in with his friends. Gwenneth could not get a clear shot with anything that would not possibly hurt her companions, so held still with staff raised waiting to unleash a horrid ray of acid should the dragon get its mouth open.

  The roaring beast hissed as blade after blade cut precious life from it, trapped, ambushed, and stunned blow after blow. Unable to defend itself, the dragon turned round and dove out the entrance to its temple home. The minotaur still clung to its back with an axe wedged in its hide and a human gripping a sword through both its jaws dangled from its face. Its tail thrashed to ward off any pursuers, hitting someone hard on its way out. A scream was heard by all, then another. It cared not, instinct and flight took over as the winged wyrm plummeted down the slope then flew from sight into the clouds.

  “Gwenneth! Do something!” Shinayne yelled as she saw the dragon careen off the edge and take flight into the clouds, Saberrak and James with it.

  Zen and Gwenne ran up to the edge with the elf, looking out at the fading shadow of their opponent. They looked down at the broken body of Taira a hundred feet below on the rocky slope. Zen ran down to her as quick as he could without losing his footing. Her legs were twisted behind her, feet touching the back of her head and the girl’s neck was at an akward angle up where it should not have been. Zen stepped around the bodies of burnt soldiers to get to the fair girl that James had saved from being sacrificed.

  Shinayne and Gwenneth stood silent, neither knowing what could be done for their friends. The ambush was perfect, yet no one expected the dragon to flee with their friends still holding on.

  “Azenairk?” Shinayne stifled her tears, sheathing her weapons and waiting for a reply on his inspection of the unmoving girl.

  “She’s dead.” Zen bowed his head, looked to the ladies on the plateau above, and then to the sky hoping to see James and Saberrak return.

  “What can you do Gwenneth? Something, anything.”

  “We need to get out of here before we are captured. I can track James from a good distance, at least a few miles if not more.” Gwenneth thought hard on how to escape from the inside, what tunnels may lead out, for she knew going down the way they came in would put them into the hands of Willborne.

  “How can you track James? Not Saberrak?” Shinayne waited for Zen as she watched Gwenneth walk back into the cavern.

  “Because James has my father’s sword, and my memory of that weapon goes back to when I was a child, when my father was still with my mother and still very much alive. I could sense that sword long before you arrived in Vallakazz, sometimes fond memories enchance one’s sight in the arcane I suppose. Either way, I can find them, just get us out of here first. Being captured will not help us get to them.” Gwenne strode down one of the three cavernous tunnels, then returned.

  “Does James know he be carrying your father’s---“

  “Does it matter, priest? No, it does not. It is a private painful memory that I care not to discuss with him, or you. And especially not now.”

  “This passage leads down, the others are just shit and bones.” Zen stood by the middle tunnel past the corpse of the female serpent. He knew they had just been chased up a mountain and faced two dragons. He was well aware that their friends were out there in danger. And the priest had just given the shortest prayer in his life to the girl they had hoped to save. Despite it all, he knew also that time was of the essence and they had to leave.

  Gwenneth and Shinayne followed him, both wanting to say something, neither knowing where to begin. Shinayne felt Gwenne’s hand on her shoulder for several moments, just a sign of reassurance that all would be allright.

  “Whoa, will ye look at that then!” Azenairk stumbled in the dark of faint tochlight as coins scattered across the floor of the tunnel. “That there be quite a pile.” the dwarven priest found his feet in the shadowy light, now brightened by Gwenne’s staff, and looked amazed about the passage littered with coins of silver and gold, weapons, armor, jewels, and boxes from ages that were strewn all about.

  Gwenneth kept walking, her focus on getting out of this deathtrap of a mountain was stronger than any amount of forsaken treasure. She followed the light of her staff past skulls in the walls and bones that covered her path. She heard Zen and Shinayne quickly filling their purses and pouches and turned. “Seriously, now at this moment?”

  “We have no supplies, unless you plan on returning to Bailey and rescuing our horses. So yes, we need some coin to buy enough to get us to Evermont.” Shinayne snipped back, then spotted a greataxe, immediately thinking of her missing horned friend
. Tears welled but would not release. “Zen, grab that for Saberrak, just in case.”

  “I’ve got it, and a few other things, let’s go.” Zen whispered as if someone were watching.

  The passage led out to the southern edge of the mountain, much lower after many slopes and twists through the inside. The three companions looked around the morning light of the outside world, seeing no army in wait.

  “Now give me complete silence please, I need to focus on my father’s sword to find them.” Gwenneth heard the jingling of settling coins stop, their breathing shallow, and she began to concentrate with both hands on the staff of Imoch. She saw the vision of the griffon hilt of an enchanted broadsword appear in her mind, a shield of magicked value as well near it, and sensed precisely where they were. Moments passed as her friends remained utterly silent watching the emerald glow atop her mighty staff. “Northwest of here, perhaps four miles past Bailey.”

  “We will have to be sneaky and take the long route around the city. Arm yourselves and kill any scouts on sight as quickly and quietly as possible. Follow me.” Shinayne led them down the mountain slope, keeping to every shadow as if their lives, and the lives of their friends, depended upon it.

  LCMVXIILCMVXIILCMVXIILCMVX

  “James! James!, Get up James!” Saberrak limped over the dead male dragon that he and the knight had crashed into the riverbanks northwest of Bailey. His left arm was cut, shoulders bleeding, and his left leg had hit the rocks upon impact and was numb and swollen. His energy and strength though, was amazingly intact despite all he had fought just recently. The gray minotaur held his axe low as a crutch and shook James by the shoulder with his free hand, hoping he would wake up. Streams of blood washed into the slow running river, blood from the enormous wyrm they had just rode to its death.

  Saberrak smelled men, several, and heard them in the distance to the north. James was stirring, yet he had not the time to wait. He pulled the dead wing of the dragon over his friend, covering and concealing him with a leathery black and red limb. He thought to hide here as well, perhaps under the other wing, but if the men approaching had seen them plummet they would surely search the dragon when they found it. He heard horses, a wagon or three, many men indeed coming from the north, not from Bailey.