by Vic Broquard
While the others were dashing around looking for other potential survivors, Zoran unrolled the scroll. He read silently,
Baron,
Bring 100,000 in gems to this village and leave them for us. You have two days to get them here. If you do not give us the gems, we will burn down another village and another until you do give us the gems.
Ambrogino
Sadly, no others survived. As the solemn faced group assembled near Zoran, he read them the extortion note.
“Damn! That was the name of the one that got away!” Baroness Archmage Verushka cursed loudly.
Baron Jan spoke up, “We’ll have to give them what they want. We cannot have another horrific disaster like this ever again, can we Zoran?” His face was white as a sheet; he’d never seen such destruction and death before.
“Don’t worry, I’ll handle this, Jan. Okay, everyone. Let’s give these villagers a proper burial,” he ordered.
Three hours later and dozens of Clean spells cast on themselves, Zoran and his immediate group met back in his private chambers. “You can’t think of honestly giving these foul beasts our hard earned gems, can you?” Karel declared angrily, though forming it as a question.
“We really can’t, Zoran. If we give in to their demands, when will they stop?” Zdenka advised him.
“Aren’t our people worth a few gem stones?” Archmage Nadia countered, visibly upset by the carnage she’d seen. Like Jan and many others, she’d never witnessed such destruction.
Before Zoran could reply, Aldrick arrived. “I just heard. Is it true? Red Dragons did this?” he asked.
“Yes, here read it for yourself.” Zoran handed him the scroll.
“Damn him. Zoran, I will take this up with the other dragon leaders soon. I will put a stop to this madness,” Aldrick promised. He bowed to the others and left quickly.
Baroness Archmage Verushka paced the room. She, like her sister-in-law Nadia, loved to pace out her problems and worries. When Zdenka was training them, their constant pacing nearly drove her crazy, but she said nothing. At least Nadia was not pacing now, she thought. “You know, Zoran, we could use a Create Object on some quartz crystals and turn them into some crude gemstones and give that to the dragons.”
“Hey, brilliant Verushka! Yes, let’s do just that! They wanted gems so we’ll give them gems. They didn’t specify what kind of gems,” Zoran replied. Everyone roared with laughter. Magically created gems were gems, but were not worth anywhere near as much as real gems. Besides, they would be impossible to enchant with magical spells.
Karel declared, “When they come to fetch these gems, we should lie in wait and kill every last one of the bastards!” He was extremely angry, Zoran noted, and not thinking clearly.
“If we do, Karel, we risk more villages being burned down. We need to find a better long range solution.” Karel nodded, as if accepting his Baron’s request. Nadia and Verushka agreed to work their magic on the quartz crystals, while Tomas agreed to find the quartz for them. Soon the meeting broke up.
As they were leaving, Karel whispered to Jarka, “Come with me, Jarka.” She gave him one of her coy smiles and did so, wondering what he had in mind. She, like him, hated to see these butchers get away with their crimes. He led her up to his private lab on the top floor, just below his many falcon cages on the roof top.
After sealing the doors and casting anti-scrying spells, Karel said, “Okay, Jarka. I have some things that I want to show you. I’ve been a busy man. Now this baby is not your usual bastard sword. I’ve infused the blood from that dead Red Dragon into the steel of the blade.”
“What does that do to its enchantment?” she asked becoming very interested.
“It has turned this blade from a merely magically enchanted blade into a Red Dragon Slayer blade!” Karel said proudly.
“How does it work?” she asked even more intrigued.
“Each time this blade draws blood of a Red Dragon, there is a chance that dragon will be instantly slain by this sword! Only works on reds, though. I need blood from all the other types of dragons to make similar killer swords. I aim to get some somehow,” Karel explained.
“Now these are magically enchanted Red Dragon Slaying arrows. They ought to work similarly to the sword. Mind you, I haven’t been able to test them yet, but I am convinced that they will work. I even made up a couple of daggers. This one is for you, Jarka. Your weight and balance. Each time you draw blood of a red, you may slay it instantly. Let me know if it works, please.”
“Thank you Karel! I have been very worried about fighting these dragons. I can have hardly any effect on them at all. My spells will be almost useless, unlike yours, Archmage,” she half-teased him. “With this, I have some chance, right?”
“Yes, it is magically enchanted and that alone will allow it to pierce its hide. However, the blood infusion may also magically slay it as well. We’ll see.”
“Fabulous, Karel! Thank you!” She gave him a hug and left him smiling smugly to herself.
Karel set to work now. He knew that Zoran was not going to counterattack these reds, but this was a golden opportunity for him to test his enchantment work. If Zoran wouldn’t get revenge, he would! Well, he knew that he would get one chance at this. He took one of the special arrows and began an additional chant, adding the name of the perpetrator, Ambrogino. He finished up late that night. After sleeping in, he ate, donned his specially made Cloak of Invisibility, and grabbed his long bow and the single arrow. As an afterthought, he also took one of his special daggers and a bastard sword, just in case.
He cast his In Case of Emergency spell on himself, on the off chance that he got caught in the dragon’s fiery breath. He also stowed one of Jarka’s healing potions and teleported away. He arrived at Curl’s Crossing completely invisible. After making sure that no one was around and observing the last dying smoke curls drifting upwards into the late July sky, he found his ideal position. A minute later, he had his bow and arrow at the ready. If this Ambrogino red should appear, he would get the revenge so sorely needed by the one thousand villagers!
“Well, there’s a hundred thousand worth, more or less,” Verushka stated dryly.
Nadia grinned. “Yes, but they sure aren’t going to be worth that much. They radiate the magic that we cast into them. Worthless really.”
“Let’s hope the reds don’t know that,” Verushka chuckled. “Come on, we should get these to Zoran. I am a little surprised that he is not going to attack them when they come for their loot. But it does make sense. If these manufactured gems will keep the reds content and leave us alone, then it’s worth not escalating this into a bigger problem.”
“Right. That’s dad’s big concern right now. All Adapazan will be demanding protection from the reds after word of this slaughter spreads. He’s hoping that he can placate everyone by providing the reds with these gems and keep the reds at bay. I wonder just how smart these reds actually are? Will they be able to tell the difference?” Nadia asked.
“Don’t know. I guess we will soon find out. I doubt that many Red Dragons possess sufficient spell casting abilities to Create Objects like we can, Nadia. If so, Zoran’s idea may well work for us.”
“Ah, Zoran, here you go. One hundred thousand in gems as requested,” Verushka smiled, handing him the bag. He looked awfully haggard this day, she noted.
Nadia saw this as well. “Want me to come with you?”
“No, this is a simple drop off. I’ll just drop the bag where we found the scroll and leave at once. I sure am not about to stick around and tangle with twenty reds by myself, dear child,” Zoran said with a hint of sadness in his voice. Nadia suspected that he was fighting his own desires to obtain justice for the slain villagers with the greater good of preserving the peace for all other villages on Adapazan. She was right.
Zoran stepped into the Shadows and back out, arriving at the charred remains of the small village. Smoke curls drifted lazily up into the clear blue summer sky. All was totally silent. He
dropped the bag, took a last look around, and stepped back into the Shadows. As he did so, he paused in the grey-black void. He suddenly remembered how his dad had often tried to sneak up on his Circle in the night, but had seen Zoran partially in the Shadows, mistaking him for a Shadow Assassin. It had driven the evil man insane in the end. He had an idea and remained in the Shadows. He cast Invisibility on himself and waited just above the village. He wanted to see if the dragons did appear in force and if they took and accepted the gems. This way, he would know right away if they found the magically created gems acceptable. If they rejected them and headed off to attack another village, perhaps he could warn the others in time to prevent another wholesale slaughter of innocent lives.
Nadia and Verushka paced the halls nervously, much as they had when they were getting their magic training from Zdenka years ago. “Dad ought to be back by now!” Nadia complained.
“Right, something may have gone wrong, though Zdenka has not had any premonitions, nor have I. I cast that one on myself too, just to be on the safe side,” Verushka explained.
Nadia grumbled, “That darn spell! I never could get the hang of casting that one. I guess I am not meant for premonitions of the future. Still, I’m going to contact dad — just to be on the safe side.” Dad, what’s keeping you?
Hush, I am fine. I have an idea that I want to explore. I am in no danger whatsoever.
Where are you?
I am Invisible and in the Shadows watching the pickup. If they do not accept the gems and then try to go after another village, I will alert you and everyone else. Maybe we can prevent another slaughter. Nothing happening at the moment.
Okay, but do be careful!
Zoran waited patiently as the hours passed. He had no idea that Karel was also waiting patiently down on the ground just behind the ruins of a building on the edge of the village. Karel was just as invisible as he. Around four in the afternoon, Zoran’s senses warned him of danger, and he spotted ten reds drifting through the Shadows heading for the village. He noted that their method of travel through the Shadows was quite primitive compared to his. This he found interesting and filed it away for later reflection. Perhaps one day this would be useful. He moved a little closer to the edges of the Shadows to watch the reds sailing out above the village.
“Ah, look. The petty humans have done just what I asked!” Ambrogino called out to his companions. “There’s our loot. You go fetch it. The rest of you, hover around him, just in case this is a trap. I don’t see a soul around, but with these wicked humans, you never can tell. I’ll stay up here where I can oversee the land all around us and alert you if I see anything amiss.”
The nine others acknowledged his orders and swooped down over the village remains. Seeing nothing amiss, one landed and snatched the bag in its huge claws, then launched itself airborne. Circling to gain altitude and rejoin Ambrogino, the dragons looked totally majestic, Zoran thought. If only they were not so intent upon evil towards us, he mused.
Just as the nine neared Ambrogino, an arrow flew up towards their leader. It flew as if it had a mind of its own! At first, Ambrogino could not believe his eyes! An arrow shot from a pesky human’s bow should not ever rise so high. Indeed, none of Storm’s archers could do such a shot. He nonchalantly moved a little to get out of its path. The arrow changed trajectory, still heading straight for him! A sudden blast of fear shot through his mind and body. Such should not be happening! Now he frantically flapped his wings, moving rapidly out of the way of the incoming arrow. He twisted his head around and saw the arrow was now almost at him! Panic. He did the only thing that he could think of — he dove for the safety of the Shadows. Thud!
Ambrogino felt the impact of the arrow, a sharp pain in his rear. “Well, that wasn’t so bad! Why am I so frightened?” he said to himself. Suddenly, he seemed to be on some flat, featureless plain facing what had to be a human mage. The man was glaring at him. He picked up the man’s intention: Die Ambrogino! Magic flashed. Ambrogino’s body died instantly but continued to float aimlessly just within the Shadows above Adapazan.
On the ground, Karel carefully observed the swarm of reds and calculated that the one hovering high above was the leader and likely to be Ambrogino. He took aim and fired his arrow. He remained completely invisible because of his enchanted cloak. To his amazement, the arrow rapidly continued its upward flight, going far higher than any normal arrow. He saw the dragon move out of its path and then grinned as his arrow changed course to match that of the dragon. Karel became even more excited as the dragon began to frantically fly out of the way of the arrow, only to have the arrow continue to close on it. “Damn, it’s going into the Shadows!” Karel muttered angrily, believing that the dragon would escape. So darn close, he mused, as the dragon disappeared from view. A split second later, Karel found himself on a grey featureless plain staring at the red dragon. It was a battle between the two. Karel glared angrily, thinking of all the thousand victims. He saw magical energies flash and knew that the dragon had been slain, even though he was now back on the ground where he had been standing. A smile slowly formed as he realized that he had broken the magical resistance of this dragon and his enchanted arrow of slaying had actually worked. He teleported home. Once in his lab, he growled, “Pity that the body is up in the Shadows. I could have used a lot more Red Dragon blood! It works, though. I will have to let Jarka know on the sly.”
The other nine reds circled around, but saw no one at all, just the spooky arrow. At last, they headed into the Shadows for home, but did not see Ambrogino’s body in the Shadows. As far as they knew, he never made it back and was presumed slain by unknown means. This gave them pause, and they did not make further demands for some time, as many attempted to reason out what had happened to Ambrogino. Besides, there was a small power struggle over who would lead the reds of Rehor now. A couple weeks later, a crafty old red named Corrado became their new leader.
Zoran watched the nine leave and observed that although they had flown right by their fallen comrade, they apparently did not see his body. He found this even more curious. He could see the dead dragon very clearly, yet the dragons could not. Again, he filed this away as interesting information, though he could not see any use for it as yet. However, he wondered who had shot that arrow? He looked around but still saw no one at all. Zoran was quite baffled by this and at last gave up and headed for home.
Upon his arrival, everyone wanted to know how it went, and he told them what had happened. “So you have no idea who shot that magical arrow?” Zdenka asked in disbelief.
“None whatsoever. I saw no one, just that arrow coming up at the red. I say, that arrow acted as if it had a mind of its own. I’ve never seen anything like it, dear,” he replied.
Zdenka bit her lip. “I’ve got to do some research. More at supper.” She dashed off to her room on the fifth floor of her tower.
Before long, Nadia and Verushka joined her. Zdenka had volumes open on her table. “What’s up, mom?” Nadia asked.
“That arrow. I think I know what it must have been. The key was Zoran describing it ‘as if it had a mind of its own.’ Here, read this. Tell me what you think.” She laid the book so both Archmages could read it at the same time.
“Wow! An Arrow of Slaying! Has anyone ever seen such a thing, mom? I mean it’s one thing to read about such powerful magical items and quite another thing to actually make one,” Nadia declared.
“What are the ingredients?” asked an astute Verushka.
“The blood of the type of creature or person it is meant to slay and the name of the creature or person,” Zdenka answered.
“Okay, that was a Red Dragon Slayer arrow and it killed Ambrogino, so whoever made it must have gotten some Red Dragon blood and also knew the name of that dragon. Mom, it has to be someone around us all! Did you make it?” Nadia asked shocked by her own deductions.
“Hardly, dear. I’ve never had any time left over from training all you mages. How about you two? Both of you have the skills
needed,” Zdenka asked pointedly.
“Sorry mom. That would have been a brilliant move, but I claim ignorance. I’ve been working on enchanting some gems for dad’s birthday,” Nadia replied.
“Don’t look at me. This is the first I have even heard of such things. Honestly, aren’t these things incredibly rare?” Verushka asked.
“Exceedingly. That’s why I hardly ever mention such to my students. Well, someone has been making things around here. Who else has this kind of skill?” Zdenka asked.
“Dad could have made it, mom.”
“Hardly, he’s been preoccupied with all these goings on around here. He’s not had time nor have I seen him researching such things. Who else could have the skill?”
All three women suddenly blurted out in unison, “Karel!” The three instantly cast a Mystical Door and stepped into Karel’s workshop.
“My, all three of you! What brings you to my humble workshop?” Karel asked.
Zdenka put her hands on her hips. Defiantly, she asked, “We know that it was an Arrow of Red Dragon Slaying that brought down Ambrogino. We didn’t make it. Did you, Karel?”
His face flushed and Zdenka had her answer, no matter what Karel would reply. “So what if I did?” he hedged.
“Well, that was one very impressive and superior work of magic, if you did,” Nadia answered before her mother could.
A smile creased his lips. “Yes, mighty fine piece of work indeed. Now if you ladies have nothing more that you need, I have a whole lot more work to do here. One day, we will be fighting these infernal dragons, and we will need ways and means of doing so,” he stated factually.