by Vic Broquard
“Invaders! We are under attack,” screamed one dragon. In the deepest recess of Chamber One and lying on his own private pile of gold and gems, Axelrod was roused. He cast Invisibility on himself and headed off to see what was going on. Who could possibly be attacking them? They’d killed off every mage and baron on Jing. This could not be.
He saw thirty-three mages, men and women, attacking all his dragons with powerful spells! He grinned as four spewed their deadly rotting slime all over four of these trios, but his mouth opened wide as he saw the slime dripping off of a sphere some twenty feet around the trios! How can this be, he thought, his fear growing. Their spells were deadly, Disintegrates, he assumed. Rather than cast one of his own, he began sending Messages to his twenty mates who were below guarding their slave miners. He watched the eleven groups more closely as they fanned out, leaving behind the dead greens.
One by one, his other twenty greens came up out of the side tunnels, prepared for battle, spewing forth slime at those they saw nearest them. Axelrod watched with growing fear and dismay as their slime continued to have no affect at all. Then, he spotted the rods that one of the three was holding. Quickly, he saw similar rods in each of the groups. Panic set in as he watched all of his arriving dragons being slain. Magical Missiles and Disintegrate beams were killing his companions right and left. Even a Crushing Hand was pummeling one to death, eventually pulverizing its head into a soggy mass of brain matter! After watching twenty more of his greens succumb, Axelrod panicked utterly.
Zoran heard the sound of a dragon behind him and turned in time to see Axelrod spread his wings and Shadow Walk out of Chamber One. “One is getting away!” Hastily, he Messaged the others outside to be alert. One had fled the battle.
Outside, Milan stepped into the Shadows in time to see Axelrod leaving the planet. He followed the Green Dragon a ways until he was satisfied that the dragon was indeed leaving Jing and not attempting to counterattack from behind. He then returned and Messaged Zoran that the dragon had headed off-world, much to Zoran’s relief. Those waiting outside had no protection from the dragon’s rotting slime.
A half hour after it started, Chan killed the last of the greens that were in Baozhai. “Okay, now let’s go down the shafts, but stay alert for more dragons.” Chen told them to use five specific shafts, the ones that were still producing gem stones. Down they went. Periodically, they encountered smaller chambers. Finally about a mile below ground, they reached the sites of the current digging. Here they found the men who had been taken and turned into slave miners for the greens.
“Oh my,” Zdenka whispered to Verushka when she first saw the slaves being forced to mine for the greens. Poorly fed, if at all, tattered clothing, lack of sleep and sleeping on the hard stone floors, the men were in uniformly very bad physical shape with raw, festering, and infected wounds, to say nothing of their mental condition.
“Okay, men, we’ve killed all of the dragons. We are going to heal up any wounds you might have or illnesses and then get you back to your planet and homes. When one of us comes to you, please tell them your home planet. Right now, you are on Jing. Oh, I’m Baron Zoran Vladislov. With me are Barons John Witherspoon, Stefan Pavel, Arcangelo Mondo, and others from those worlds.” Several men cheered a bit, but most were beyond exhausted. Many just fell to the ground, dropping their picks and shovels.
Zoran had those who had been waiting outside the mine join them and they began sorting and handling the rescued men. He took the attack force and they completed a total search of the entire mine complex, rooting out any other greens that might be hiding. They found none, even though they carefully searched for Invisible dragons as well. Next, Zoran had the large group put their heads together to find a way to clean up this awful mess of dead. “We need a bright idea and fast.”
“Normally, the dead are cremated,” old Chen explained. “There is so little dry ground in which to dig a grave, but so many dead. . .” His voice trailed off, intense sadness loomed heavy on his mind. So much of this dead was his own doing.
The thirty-three discussed the problem. Cremation seemed the only viable route, but the sheer number of dead men was staggering. No one had any effective ideas. Finally, Zoran did. “Gang, keep a sharp lookout for greens coming back and Mind Link to me if they do. I have one possible thing that I can try.” He gave his rod to Bernard and Shadow Walked back to Adapazan.
“Aldrick, I have come to ask a huge favor of you and a number of your golds,” Zoran began after the usual welcoming words one must say to a dragon when arriving unexpectedly. “On Jing, we have a really big disaster to handle.” He outlined what the greens had done, what the barons had done in reaction, and what his group had done a short while ago. “Honestly, the carnage is beyond all description for both our species. The dead must be disposed of properly and I know that you desire that all dragons get a proper burial. Could you possibly lend us a hand with this?”
A while later, a dozen Golden Dragons appeared over Baozhai along with Zoran, who landed and explained what his dragons were going to do. Aldrick swooped down, morphed back into his human form, and stood balancing on the top of the circular stonework. Emil quickly joined them. “My god Zoran! It is worse than you said, so many lives lost,” Aldrick said softly.
“Many dead greens are down in the mine, a hundred feet down below too,” he added. “It is incredibly grim. Can you help?”
“Of course, we will handle our dead first,” Aldrick said, visibly upset, far more than Zoran had ever seen before. Emil was also. Never before had they seen so many dead dragons in one place. Yet, the nearly thirty thousand dead humans also made an permanent impression on these golds. Zoran could not tell if this was good or bad, only that Aldrick and Emil were quite emotionally upset over the massive loss of life. He hoped and prayed that his decision to ask the golds for help would not come back to haunt him later on.
When the golds entered the Chamber One, they also saw the pitiful condition of the slaves that the greens had taken, further adding to Aldrick’s upset, confusion, and internal turmoil. “Sir, we greatly appreciate the help that you and your friends are giving us,” Chan spoke up. “I just don’t know how we can possibly clean this disaster up by ourselves. Here, we usually cremate our dead because as you can see, there is hardly any really solid ground on which to bury them. I understand that it is also the custom among your kind to bury your dead, but I just don’t know where you could do that on Jing.”
“You are the Duska, who lost your hand to a green, aren’t you?” Aldrick asked. He’d been told about her, but had not met her before.
“Well, yes. My sister and I are now the rulers of Jing and we are going to try to establish peace here if we can,” Chan replied diplomatically, hoping that the gold would not be too offended with her. After all, she’d now killed quite a number of dragons. My late brothers foolishly tried to retake our mines back from the greens who stole them from us, driving us from our ancient mines. The greens were housing their interspecies breeding women here and abducted many men from our world and several other worlds to be their slaves working the mined for them. The men you are seeing being evacuated are those.”
“Yes, Zoran has told me about this mess — a fiasco on both races. We will deal with the greens first and then see if we can assist with the human dead,” Aldrick replied. His tone was rather morose, perhaps even sad.
“We haven’t yet gone to our second mine which the greens also took from us. Perhaps you could convince any greens there to return our mine to us peacefully,” she suggested. “I’d like to avoid any further loss of life if I can.”
“Admirable. Yes, perhaps some of you can take me there now,” Aldrick said what she wanted to hear. Old Chen, though, was the only one who knew its location. Zoran, Chan, Wen, and Chen led Aldrick to Honghui.
Aldrick entered the mine but returned a half hour later. “It seems that the greens that were here have already fled. I give you back your mine, Chan.”
“Thank you. I am g
lad that we did not have to have any confrontations here. Thanks, Aldrick. I owe you one. If you need something sometime, let me or Wen know and we will try to help as we can, sir.”
“Just Aldrick, please,” he said solemnly. He then returned to the burial detail.
“We’d best put the mine’s protection spells back in place,” old Chen advised. “Always, we kept an Invisibility spell on the stone entrance and a Go Away spell on the whole vicinity. It might be wise to put a Force Wall over the entrance as well, until you can get a strong force here to defend it, Chan.” Quickly, they did just that.
“We get about five hundred thousand in gold from this mine each year,” he explained to his daughters. “We usually get four times that in gems from Baozhai.”
“Well, if we get that much, think of the good we can do for all our people,” Wen said becoming more enthused about now being in the position of running Jing.
“Yes, but without the army to guard things and no mages and so few Duska, perhaps we are already doomed,” old Chen said gloomily. He could not see any way to guarantee the survival of Jing. It all seemed so hopeless at the moment.
A couple hours later, all of the men had been evacuated to Baron Stefan’s Infirmary on Valtr. The golds had already removed the dead dragons from inside the mine. “Okay, what do we do with all the gold and gems that we’ve found in here?” asked Milan. “I think the greens may have stolen it from your treasury or perhaps it is their personal horde. Be careful of those massive piles of slime. How are we ever going to clean that up?”
Old Chen spoke up, “Chan, there is a secret treasury in the fortress and Circle at Nanchan. You ought to take the valuables there where they cannot easily be stolen again. I will show you its location and the codes to use to operate it. I have much to tell you about the Circle, its protections, and the fortress. Actually, you will have to know about all three of them now. I keep forgetting about the Chaohu and Zhouhan Circles. I am afraid that Jie will be unable to do much of anything any longer. I left your brother with our physician.”
Zoran and his group volunteered to help them transfer the treasure, an offer that was very much appreciated. He estimated that there was about ten million to transport, an enormous sum. Once that was completed, Chan and Wen decided to remain there in the fortress at Nanchan and start to re-establish some government.
“Hey, mom, dad, Baron Zoran, I am going to stay here with Wen and help out,” Dana piped up. “They are incredibly shorthanded now.” While Zoran didn’t like to lose his top swordsman, he knew better than to say no.
Archmage Marek added, “Okay son. I am going to ask your sister Kate and her boyfriend Milan to stay with you for the time being to lend you more help. Don’t hesitate to come fetch me if you have need of an Archmage.”
“Thanks dad.”
“Oh, that would be great of you. We will. There is also the late Archmage Liang Don’s tower to open, de-trap, and search. I am really hesitant to enter his place myself. Think of all the traps and protections he must have in there,” Chan replied. Marek smiled, thinking she is right about that!
Zoran and the rest then Shadow Walked to Valtr to help out with the rescued men. Milan made a quick trip back to Brn to fetch his sister and their things. Meanwhile, Chan, Wen, and Dana looked in on their brother Jie in the infirmary. Involuntarily, all three gasped when they saw his face. It was hideously deformed from the rotting slime. His empty eye sockets really spooked the trio. “Chan? Is that you? I can’t see any more.” Jie tried to speak, but with no lips, his words were difficult to understand.
“Yes, it is me. Wen is with me and her boyfriend Dana Aceda. We’ve just killed all the green dragons and retaken both mines and the small fortress at Xiaosheng. None of us got hurt. We’ve got to run Jing now. There is so much to do and almost no people to do it. You try to get well, little brother. We’ll check in on you later on.”
“Am I awful to look at?” he whispered.
“Well,” Chan faltered. What could she say?
“Please, don’t lie to me, not like this. Please?”
“Well, yes, your face is frightful to look at, Jie. Maybe the physician can do something to help. Maybe we can work out some spells to help you. Give us some time, brother. Right now, just rest up and get well,” Chan attempted to instill some hope in her brother’s mind, though she honestly didn’t see any at all.
The palace cook had diner ready for them and the four dined together. This was the first time that old Chen had dined here in his old palace in ten years. Gang never invited him for diner of late. “Well, daughters, we have some hard decisions to make. There are three Circles of Ascension which by Federation Law must have caretakers, barons and baronesses or at least a steward and someone to handle the Circle and its protections. If we cannot figure out any other way, I will lend a hand with one of the Circles, but I am so lame that I am almost useless anymore.”
“Well, dad, Nanchan here is the largest and most important Circle and fortress, our only real palace. I think that Wen should run it. I only have one hand and need help with any number of things now. I can take the closer one, Chaohu. Who can we possibly get to watch over Zhouhan?”
“You see the problem that we face. The Spring High Council comes soon and you must be prepared to formally announce how the three Circles are to be protected. If you don’t, the Council will appoint caretakers. Lord knows who they will pick, but they have to be Duska by law.”
“Gang has a son, only I don’t know where he is at right now. He is only nine and thus would have to have an adult be his official regent. If that person is not a Duska, then you’d need one to guard the Circle,” old Chen added.
Chan thought a moment and then with a slightly flushed face said, “Dad, I have to ask you this. I don’t mean anything derogatory by it. Did you father any illegitimate children or did mom? I don’t want to go off-world to fill these positions if I don’t have to do so.” She tried to soften the embarrassment of her question and hoped that he would answer truthfully. Chan wanted to give their closest relations an opportunity to perhaps gain power and respect that had been denied them.
Old Chen grinned, “Mischievous and devious, are we, Chan? Honestly, no. I miss your mother terribly. I see where you are heading. You will make a good leader, daughter. I guess that we have no choice but to consider your aunts, uncles, and cousins. I bet they never expected to gain power on Jing.” Chan grinned, her opinion of her father rose slightly.
He continued, “As you suspect, there will likely now be a power struggle for control of the Circles, fortresses, and rulership of Jing. I have proven that I make very bad choices. I will stay out of the decision making process, Chan. However, I will back whomever you and Wen choose.”
“Thanks dad. Wen, we’d best put our heads together and make some key choices very fast. News of this disaster will spread rapidly,” Chan suggested.
“Hey, I know the perfect choice,” Wen blurted out. She’d just remembered their cousin who had begged them to be allowed join the Swamp Raiders, when she and Chan had become famous as Dragon Slayers, fighting the dragon oppression on Jing. Despite her pleadings, she and Chan had rejected their cousin because she was only fourteen at that time. Now she was nineteen. “Our cousin Zong Ying would be perfect.”
“Say, you are right. She would be,” Chan concurred, relieved.
Old Chen sighed, “I might have known.” Both daughters gave him a questioning and sharp look. “She has been a constant thorn in court politics for Gang for at least the last five years. He never could stop her protests against many of his decisions. In hindsight, I can now see that she was right more than she was wrong about those issues. She’s into making leather clothing for women.” He gave them her home-shop address here in Nanchan and the three headed off to find her. Although it was still early evening, her shop lights were on, but her Closed sign was on the door. They knocked anyway.
After a few minutes, they heard the door being unlocked and presently saw the scowled fac
e of Zong Ying peering out at them in the early dusk light. Zong’s frown quickly changed to surprise and then worry. “Wen, Chan! Wow! Oh, come in quickly. Did anyone see you on the streets? There’s a huge price on your heads now.”
“Hi Zong. Not anymore. Oh, this is my boyfriend, Dana Aceda. He’s from Brn, Adapazan. Zong, we need to talk,” Wen replied, trying to ease Zong’s fears and introduce the stranger to Zong. She’d definitely matured since she’d last saw Zong some five years ago. She wore a well-made leather top and pants, suitable for a fighter or one who needed durable, rugged clothing. However, she didn’t get very far with easing the young woman’s fears. Zong saw Chan’s missing left hand.
“Oh my god! Chan! What happened to your hand?” she exclaimed, growing even more worried.
“Green Dragon slime got me, not quick enough once. It’s okay, really, Zong. We have to talk.” Chan tried to defuse Zong’s fears, but Zong continued to stare at her arm for several more minutes as she began to explain what had happened in the last few days.
“So that’s what it was all about! We all saw all the soldiers leaving, but I figured they were after you guys. Dead? Really? Gang, Li? Jie mutilated? The Archmage too? The whole army? There had to be at least twenty-five thousand men in it!”
“Thirty thousand men, all dead. All the mages and the baronesses as well,” Chan added.
The shocked expression of Zong gave way to a look of fright. “Then who is running Jing now? The three fortresses, the Circles of Ascension? Are we leaderless now? Have the dragons taken over?”
“Dad is now backing Wen and me to take over leadership of Jing and two of the Circles. Wen is going to control the fortress, palace, and Circle here in Nanchan. I’m taking nearby Chaohu. We need another Duska to take over the third fortress and Circle, the one at Zhouhan. Zong, how would you like to become Baroness Zong Ying of Jing?” Chan popped the surprise question. Zong shrieked.