by C Woodward
Jerak decided to break the long silence, "Did that dryad fellow seem a bit odd to any of you guys?"
"What do you mean?" Amgati asked.
"Well, you know how he talked. It seemed rather strange," Jerak mentioned.
I shrugged, "Perhaps he has difficulty speaking. I’d rather not dwell on someone’s handicap."
Jerak protested, "I didn't mean it in that way. I just thought it was strange, that's all."
Amgati nodded, "Yes, it was rather strange. He did seem really distracted."
"Yeah. I wonder if other dryads are that way," Jerak remarked.
After a few minutes of silence, Jerak once again broke in, "I kind of wondered what the female dryads look like."
Amgati and I laughed.
Another night of eating what Jerak called "bark and twigs". Maybe I just naturally crave meat more because of my condition. At times, I pondered about eating some boar ribs or nice, lake fish cooked all crisp with swamp peppers. That gave the right amount of kick to it. Now, I was sick of these "bark and twigs". At least we had enough food and eventually we will reach the end of these woods.
The next day was just like the previous day. This time Jerak inquired what the drayken females could look like.
"I am surprised Jerak," Amgati mentioned.
"What do you mean?" Jerak replied.
Amgati chuckled a bit, "You have a much broader taste in women than I thought."
Jerak appeared shocked, "No! I didn't mean that! I was just curious."
I laughed, "Maybe we can ask Koj to introduce someone to you."
Jerak groaned, "You too? Is it wrong to be curious about what they look like?"
Amgati laughed, "Just be sure not to say anything to them that will cause you to get slapped. They might break your jaw."
Jerak frowned and gave Amgati a dirty look.
I decide to cut him a break, "Let me give you a good tip on speaking with women, well with human women." Jerak looked at me in surprise. I tried being kind. "Well, first off, don't compliment their figure if you catch my drift. They don't like that," I explained.
It was almost as tedious to explain all this to Jerak as our hike today. I recalled explaining proper ways to talk to a woman many times in the past but he never applied it. I feared this time wasn't an exception. It's hard enough to explain about when a woman slaps you on the face. It doesn't mean she is being playful.
Apart from giving Jerak advice, the day still went pretty slowly. I couldn't tell if we covered as much ground since it all looked the same. I wondered if Amgati was getting sick of it. He didn’t seem to show any signs of that though.
I had lost track of the days. I tried to recall how many days we traveled in the forest. I wondered if the druids got into such a stupor living here. I checked the seal on my chest before putting my armor on for the day. Ever since Milunus cast that seal on me, the growth had stopped. The center had a light blue tint to it, as if it was a thin layer of ice. It didn't feel any different to the touch.
Maybe I can get the Dragon spirit to fix this and then I wouldn’t have to worry about it. If we can get the dragons to help, it should be more than enough to stop Xum'gol, I hoped. He was powerful but having some feral dragons swooping in and some draykens like Koj should be more than a match. Maybe I was being too hopeful. I took a deep breath and put my armor on for the day.
"After all this mess, you think we can travel along the coast on our return?" Jerak suggested.
Amgati remarked, "I am told the coast is sheer cliffs. The trees go right along it."
Jerak pouted, "At least we can see the sky and the ocean. I kind of miss smelling the salty air."
Amgati sighed, "Not me, I am not very fond of the sea."
"Well, it's not like we’ll be working in a smelly fishing ship again," Jerak replied.
"It's not that, I hate the idea of being stuck in such a small space for all that time." Amgati explained.
I started to tune them out when I saw something wonderful. I spoke over them, "Look!"
A short distance away I saw the end of the trees and beyond that I saw a large series of mountains. They curved to the west. After a short walk, we reached the open sky and finally saw the Dragon's Back!
Chapter 9
"The trees actually end!" Jerak cried in joy. He stared up in the sky.
The sunlight was almost blinding after emerging from the vast canopy of the forest. We saw mostly rocky hills reaching the huge mountains. These trees were sparse and tiny compare to the great forest. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the warmth of the sun on such a clear day.
"You two act like you never seen sunlight before," Amgati joked.
Jerak replied, "It almost felt like we would never see the sun again."
I could tell even Amgati was happy to get out of the forest. He was too proud to ever admit that.
The path to Dragon's Back was littered with large rocks. There were several old stumps that appeared to be snapped off or burnt out long ago. It didn't surprise me if some dragons came this way to feast on any creatures that stray out of the dense coverage of the forest. We saw no sign in the sky now, all we saw were a few birds.
"It is quite a contrast, isn't it?" Amgati noted. He looked down at an old stump, "It never ceases to amaze me how such beasts can carve through like this."
Jerak peered toward the mountain, "I hope that Koj is right that they won't attack us."
I shrugged at him, "Yeah, I hope so too. He wouldn't say it without being sure."
Jerak chuckled, "Yeah, he was too excited to meet you to send you in harm’s way. By the way, what was that thing he gave you?"
I carefully pulled it out and unwrapped it, "It looks like a good luck charm."
Jerak reached and grabbed it. "Oh, that is a neat carving of a dragon. What does it say on its belly?"
Amgati leaned over, "It's the rune word for spirit." He laughed a little, "Rather fitting if you ask me."
"I kind of like it," Jerak admired. "Maybe I can trade one with the draykens once we reach their village," he pondered as he tossed me the carving.
"Hey! Don't just toss it!" I barked as I reached out to grab it. I carefully wrapped it up and put it back in my pouch.
Jerak frowned, "Sorry about that."
"We should keep moving. There is still a lot of ground to cover before it gets dark," Amgati instructed.
The air was much warmer than in the forest. Then again, we actually had the sun shining on us. Spirits were much higher now. Even I was coping better with my problems. I was doing my best not to dwell on it. It shouldn't take us more than a few days to reach the village. I hoped it wasn't hard to find.
The sun touched the western horizon as we searched for a suitable campsite. The winds from the coast and paranoia motivated Amgati and Jerak to pick a spot that was almost completely surrounded by boulders.
"There is hardly any room to place a fire here," I mentioned.
Amgati shrugged, "We didn't need one in the woods."
"Yeah but...” I said as my train of thought derailed. I got distracted by Jerak standing on a boulder. He was looking around in a paranoid manner.
"Do dragons hunt at night?" he asked.
Amgati shrugged, "Most creatures hunt at night, I doubt they are an exception."
Jerak climbed down from his rock, "Well, what if one decides to come by?"
"I don't know, sing them a song?" I replied sarcastically.
Jerak frowned, "I am serious. They might not see Amgati or me as friends."
Amgati sighed, "We could always ask Blake to mark this area with his scent. That way it will smell of him and they might expect others nearby were allies."
"You think that would work?" Jerak asked cheerfully.
I groaned, "Fine, if it makes you guys feel safe. I'll do my business around the camp."
I put my helmet on and marched out.
"Not too close! I don't want to smell it!" Jerak shouted.
I laughed, "Maybe I should put some on y
our pack like the elkvian repellant." I could hear Amgati laughing at that one.
I calmly found a spot to go. I didn't really need to go but figured I'll do what I can and convince them that I covered our boundaries. I couldn't blame Jerak since he had seen what a feral dragon can do. I was confident only due to my condition. I still felt kind of funny teasing him with it.
The moons were bright that night. It was nice to finally see the moons again and all the stars. I enjoyed that about camping in the open sky; all the mass of stars that clutter the sky. Back at home it is often cloudy around the lake. Sometimes during the year, it's foggy as can be at nightfall. I still missed home and Talestria. So much for not dwelling on it. Before I got mad at myself, I noticed something in the southern sky.
I quickly jogged back to camp. "There is something in the sky," I pointed out.
Jerak laughed, "Not falling for that one." He took a swig of water from his wineskin then his paranoia caught up to him. "Wait, how big is this something?" He leaned over to get a better look then hurried back to us, "There is something in the sky."
Amgati groaned and looked. He turned to us, "It’s not a dragon but a group of wyverns."
"Wyverns fly around Dragon's Back?" I asked.
"Perhaps they venture this far from Iron Mountain," Amgati pondered. He reached for his spear, "Best to lay low in case they are searching for a meal."
The three of us moved to a narrow gap while clinging to the side of a boulder to keep ourselves hidden. I wasn’t sure if these creatures had a keen sense of smell or hearing but at least we could deprive them from seeing us. I kind of regretted having done my business so close to camp. Perhaps if they smelled it they might fear that scent and stay away. Only one way to know for sure.
We waited patiently. My heartbeat felt like drums in my ears. We stared at the sky with our weapons ready. I saw how big those things were. I wasn’t motivated to fight even one wyvern let alone a group of them. They were getting close. We heard the flapping of their wings. We looked at each other and kept a tight grip on our weapons. The wyverns flew closer now.
My heart nearly stopped when I saw them moving past us. The three of us quietly took a deep breath of relief. Soon the sound of their wings faded. After a minute, Amgati peered out to get a better look.
He turned to us and whispered, "I don't see them anymore."
I leaned over to get a look. The northern sky was clear. They just passed through. I was so glad that they didn't notice us. I smiled, "Looks like we are in the clear." I let out a yawn, "Hopefully we can get some sleep." Then something loud shattered by us.
I jumped back in shock. It almost scared the crap out of me. We retreated back under cover, unsure of what just happened. We heard something else shatter.
Jerak reached over to where something landed. He pulled out a fragment, "It is a clay pot."
"What the heck is going on?" I responded in surprise. Another pot crashed. This one landed right next to my head.
"Something is dropping pots on us!" Jerak yelled. Another pot landed causing him to cower to avoid it. It landed on the rock. A glossy mess splashed out. Jerak sniffed it and in a confused tone, "Lantern oil?"
The gears in my head quickly went into motion. I shouted, "Move!"
I shoved Jerak out and pushed Amgati out of our cover. Another pot crashed, then another which was brightly lit. It landed near our cover and set it ablaze. We saw the wyverns high in the sky above us.
"To the camp!" Amgati ordered.
We dashed to our small enclosure. I hoped they didn't have any more pots of oil to drop on us. I could spot three of them circling above us. They seemed to be waiting. Maybe they ran out of things to drop on us. They got us out of our hiding spot but we still had the rocky terrain of our camp to discourage them from getting closer. I could only stare at them and wait for their next move.
"Blake!" Jerak shouted.
I turned to see the large mouth of a wyvern starting to bite my shoulder. There was another one! It had moved on the ground to the opening and reached for the nearest man inside; me. The strength of the beast easily pulled me out of camp. I could feel powerful jaws slowly trying to crush my body. The armor was able to prevent its huge fangs from impaling me but I felt like crushed can.
I made wild thrusts to the side of its head with my blade. The blade sunk into the side of the neck of the wyvern. Before I made a second stab, its jaws released me as it let out a vicious cry of pain. Its head flailed around while its wings flapped upward, knocking it's rider off. The rider stood up in drake steel armor. At this point, it was no longer a mystery. The Drake Guard were here.
"How?" I struggled to say as I flinched from the bite.
Another wyvern leapt at me. I jumped out of the way but found myself face down with its large claws pinning me down. I turned my head to see this wyvern's drool as if it saw me as a meal. Its head was held back to forcibly prevent it from taking a bite. I turned my head and saw my sword just out of reach. I tried to grab it. I hadn’t gotten close before one of the armored men kicked the sword further out of reach.
"It is almost disappointing to have the fight end so soon, fiend," a familiar voice taunted.
I looked up and saw that the rider was Fidalus!
Fidalus turned away from me, "What about the others?"
One man responded loudly, "We have them trapped in an enclosure."
I tried to turn to see what was going on but couldn't budge from the weight of the wyvern holding me. I could hear growling and shouting out of my view. Fidalus appeared to be losing his patience.
"There are four of you and two of them!" Fidalus shouted.
"They are throwing rocks, sir!" one the Drake Guardsmen replied.
Fidalus turned away from me, "Rocks? Are you that hopeless?! Get them!"
The wyvern pinning me down suddenly collapsed. I rolled around to break free. It took some work but finally I was able to crawl out from under the corpse. I spotted Amgati's spear stuck in the back of the wyvern's head. I stepped over the dead creature and pried the spear out of its skull. As soon as I did, another wyvern came at me.
I swung the spear to keep this one at bay. I saw two other ones coming. They struggled to force Jerak and Amgati from cover. I wished I could help them but I had my own trouble. The Drake Guard on top of this wyvern held a lance aimed right at me.
I stepped back to avoid the attack of the lance while trying not let the wyvern get a bite at me. I drove the spear at the wyvern to keep it away but never got a clear strike. I was not skilled at using a spear but I was now a fan of its reach right. As I kept stepping back, I had completely isolated myself from everyone else but the wyvern and its rider.
I had my back leaning against one of the many large rocks that cluttered the landscape. I didn’t have the luxury to see if I could move around as I was facing the ugly teeth of a wyvern. I thrusted wildly at both beast and rider hoping something connected. The beast was doing its best to avoid the spear tip while trying to allow its master to make jabs with his lance. The wyvern jumped to the side to get my flank. I turned just in time to feel the lance hit my armor. My armor prevented the beast from puncturing me but I felt the blunt force of it hitting my right shoulder.
I grunted in pain as I retained the strength to keep up an aggressive defense. My back was no longer blocked by a large rock and I was able to back away more. I glanced from the corner of my eye at the battle a short distance away from me. I saw a figure being flung near enough for me to spot that it was Jerak!
"Jerak!" I cried out as I saw him lying there.
Blood ran down the side of his face. He let out a painful cough and opened one eye slowly. He cringed as soon as he moved. No telling how many bones were broken.
I felt a burning pain in my chest. I let out a war cry and charged the wyvern out of pure rage. The beast clamped its jaws on me but full of adrenaline and burning rage, I shoved the spear through the base of the neck of the ugly creature. I cried out in both emotional and phys
ical pain as I kept the spear going through. I soon felt something hard and heard another cry of pain. This not of beast but of man. The spear must have reached the rider.
The weight of the dead wyvern worked against itself as it allowed the spear to go right into the armored Drake Guard rider. I leaned away just in time to have the creature fall to the ground. The spear's handle snapped from the weight but the broad blade sunk deep into chest of the rider. He grasped the spear for a moment before leaning over in his own death.