Dragons, Power, Courts, And War (Book 2)

by Vic Broquard

  He also pointed out that the planet on which the women had been kept was called Voss. However, he continued to credit Aldrick with the women’s rescue. Why? He did not want any word to get back to the reds and blacks on just how the women had been recovered. He suspected that the dragons had spies in many of the barons’ courts. He ended with, “Continue to be vigilant. Stay alert for more abductions, especially random ones here and there. As always, report these to me.”

  “So you expect more, even though they shut down their operation on Voss?” asked Baron Strom Clav.

  “Absolutely. The whole point of their interspecies breeding program is to quickly increase their population. We’ve pretty well blunted it thus far.”

  “Are these women really all going to become Archmages within a few years?” asked Baron John, who had the largest number of women currently being trained in Brn. Many of the Neutral barons were keenly interested in this answer, for Archmages were exceedingly rare on their worlds.

  “Who can say? So far, the women are on track to very likely make mage status. How much further they can progress we do not know.”

  The barons wanted a more complete report and Zdenka was called upon to discuss the progress of the women and also their new procedure to abort the dragon fetuses without harming the women. All were amazed at her vivid description of the Roman Candle Effect. That used up the morning session.

  In the afternoon session, the entire Strike Force One was introduced and Evsen presented a detailed report of their actions. They’d managed to kill four dragons during the summer, with only the single loss of one fighter from Rehor. However, the incredible drain on healing potions was duly noted. Evsen pointed out that on the average each dragon slain required fifty healing potions and a couple weeks of recovery time for the fighters. That this was a steep price to pay for so little results finally registered with the barons.

  The rest of the afternoon, they discussed ways to improve the effectiveness of the force. If they had one or more of Karel’s rods and a handful of Archmages, they would be a significant fighting unit. However, when asked who would be willing to give up their precious rod and their Archmages, none of the barons volunteered, just as Zoran predicted. The first day of the meeting was spent on all these many reports, bringing everyone up to date.

  There was no entertainment planned for the evening. Baron Atir did not want any repeat of what had happened before. Instead, the barons held private conversations, while the baronesses did likewise. Zoran heard nothing new from any of the barons, just same old questions.

  They had just assembled for the next morning session when Baron Atir’s guards came running into the meeting. “Dragons! Dragons are coming!”

  Donatello, the brown, strode into the meeting room, throwing several guards who attempted to block his way across the room. He was angry, fuming in fact. He strode up to Baron Atir and tore up a document. “Our agreements are now null and void, Baron Atir. Your Strike Force One attack on our defenseless young shall not go unanswered!”

  Baron Atir nearly fainted. Hastily, Zoran moved to face Donatello, standing in front of the shocked Atir. “Excuse me, Donatello, is it? I am Baron Zoran Vladislov. What is this about an attack on your young and women? Our Strike Force One is here with us. They have not been out in the field for at least the last week. When did this attack occur?”

  “What? You deny that your fighters did not do this heinous crime?”

  “I do not believe that they did, but, please, when did it happen?”

  “Yesterday afternoon! Three infants are dead along with one mother!”

  “Sir, there must be some mistake here. Yes, we do have a Strike Force One, but all of those fighters were right here in this room all day yesterday, giving us a report yesterday afternoon on just how little they had actually accomplished. Every baron here can vouch for them as well as everyone else. Please, if you have any means magical or otherwise to discern that we are being truthful with you, do so. Our force most definitely did not do this deed. There must be another explanation; it could not have been them.”

  Donatello’s anger subsided a little. “Perhaps your fighters being here was merely some illusion created by your Archmages.”

  “No, our Strike Force One members were and are really here. They have not as yet ever slain a pregnant mother or any young or baby dragons of any color. All summer long, they have only slain four adult reds and nearly gotten themselves killed four times. I can bring them forward and you can question them yourself if you desire.”

  “But we had two browns who witnessed the fourteen human fighters doing this wicked deed. How can that be?” Donatello countered.

  “I don’t know. Do you have any enemies? Could the reds or blacks have been behind it? Some of them have seen our Strike Force One.” Zoran wracked his mind to figure out a viable alternative.

  “I suppose that might be possible,” Donatello finally admitted.

  “Look, sir. As far as I know, humans and Brown Dragons have never even had a quarrel, let alone any reason to harm each other, have they? I admit that I do not know how your relations with the humans on Chana have been, but I’ve heard nothing but kind words about the browns from Baron Atir here. What could we hope to gain by murdering your children? Rather, our problems are with the reds and blacks who continue to abduct our women trying to breed them to create more of their kind,” Zoran elaborated a bit.

  “You are the one who is training all those hundreds of new Archmages?” Donatello asked. He realized that he was facing the man whom Werner, the black, claimed was doing just that. He was curious to see if what Zoran answered agreed with what his spy in Brn reported.

  “It is true that the women who carried the reds and black’s offspring and who we saved have an unnatural ability to learn magic. Yes, seventeen of them have reached mage level after about a year of study. However, not one of them is even close to making Archmage and most of the women are just beginning their magical training, learning the useful Adept spells. Whoever is claiming that we are making hundreds of Archmages is grossly exaggerating the situation. Yes, in time we do expect many of these special women to perhaps reach mage level. We all know that achieving Archmage is an extreme rarity in all the Federation. There are only forty-three Archmages in the entire Federation and some of those are old men.”

  “Interesting. Okay, then at this time I will tentatively accept your explanation that your people were not responsible for the slaying of our children. I will call off the many raids planned for your villages, Baron Atir. However, I may be too late for some. You must understand my position in this. Good day.” He turned and walked out of the room, followed by a shocked silence.

  “What just happened?” asked Baron Atir. “Are our villages being attacked by the browns?”

  “We should adjourn and at least check on your people. If there has been an attack or two, we all should lend a hand helping the survivors,” Zoran spoke up before anyone else could. His suggestion was accepted. The meeting adjourned and Baron Atir rushed off to issue orders to his men and fellow barons. A long afternoon followed. Three villages had been attacked by the browns. However, their deadly breaths consisted of bolts of electricity which impacted a relatively few people, compared to the scorching flames of the reds, the cone of slime or acid from the greens or blacks. A number of healing potions salvaged several lives. At the end of the day, twenty had lost their lives, but ten thousand people were now terrified of dragons, much to the dismay of Baron Atir, who was unable to calm their fears.

  That evening, Zoran let the others in Brn know what had happened and had Verushka relay it to Aldrick. At the time, he had no idea just how critical that message had been. He would learn of that later on.

  The third day was spent trying to work out what had happened the day before and its consequences. Zoran was relieved in that once again he’d prevented an escalation of conflict between humans and dragon, but he wondered just how long he could do it.

  The fourth day, they
finally got back to the business at hand. Each baron outlined how their advanced preparations of subterranean cities were coming and their level of supplies. Then, they quickly handled their routine trading deals, the boring part, as far as Zoran was concerned.

  As Zoran prepared to leave that evening, Baron Atir came to his room. “Baron, once again, I owe you my eternal thanks. You saved the day with the browns. I thought for sure that we’d just gone to war with them. I wanted to give you a little something to show you just how much we on Chana appreciate what you’ve done and are doing for us. It is called the Tara Diamond.” He handed Zoran the largest diamond that he’d ever seen.

  “Thank you! What an incredible diamond.”

  “Yes, it comes from our northern diamond mine. It’s value can only be estimated at a half million. May it adorn your incredible wife or perhaps you wish to enchant it. God speed.”

  Jarka ogled over the diamond after the baron left. “Look at the size of it!”

  “Dear, I can’t possibly wear something that expensive. Perhaps we should enchant it, maybe see if Archmage Jakob can enchant it,” Zdenka suggested.

  Chapter 30 Foiled Again

  Donatello, the brown, was shocked to hear the report. The humans had just slaughtered several of their young and a mother? He could not believe it. He sent word to his counterpart on Anwyn, Pietro, and headed off to inspect the site himself. The grizzly sight of dismembered young caused an anger to rise in Donatello, an anger he’d never felt before in his four hundred years!

  He questioned the three browns who had witnessed the slaughter but had not been able to get to them in time. “Fourteen humans with mighty weapons — they appeared here and began hacking the children to death. The mother who tried to defend her young was not even given a chance to fight back. They chopped her head off and left. It happened so quickly.”

  “Hum, how quickly? We fly fast. I can’t understand how you could not have gotten to them before the humans could get away,” Donatello asked. He was angry, but also confused. Had he not been angry, he might have detected the discrepancies right there, but the viciousness of the attack was sufficient to raise anyone’s anger, even his.

  Pietro, the brown, appeared and was equally dismayed. “We cannot let the humans get away with this!” he declared, hatred building in his large frame.

  They discussed what retribution actions they should and could take. While others handled the burial details, Donatello, the brown, said, “Tomorrow, I want you to go summon the United Council. Tell them what has happened here and ask for a declaration of war against the humans. Call for a vote, Pietro. Meanwhile, I will launch some retaliatory raids on some of their villages. However, we should sleep on it, Pietro. In anger, we often make gross errors in judgment. Our strikes must not be made from anger, but as coldly calculated strikes.”

  After sleeping on it, Donatello, the brown, ordered three villages to be attacked. However, he wanted to personally visit the baron and tear up the contract, the agreement under which they were both living. He wanted to let Baron Atir know just how angry he was at the wanton murdering of their children. He did just that, however he returned with huge doubts in his mind. Thus, he sent a messenger off to the United Council meeting that he’d requested.

  Donatello, the brown, then returned to the scene of the crime and studied the area. He re-questioned the three witnesses. It still didn’t add up. “I want you to go back to where you first saw this happening and fly here just the way you did yesterday. I’ll raise and lower my head as a starting signal.” The three obeyed their leader.

  “Hardly a minute had passed. You three got here in less than a minute, I swear. How could humans have done all that you say they did and depart in less than a minute? Duska are swift, but not that fast. Something is very wrong here. Dig up the mother’s body, please.”

  Later, he examined her head and neck. “Hum, this does not look like a sword cut. Not even their huge swords that they wield with two hands could so sever her head in one clean cut. It’s blade is hardly long enough. Besides, the strength needed has to be far beyond that possessed by these puny humans. This is making even less sense to me. Okay, re-bury her. I am going to the United Council myself. He lifted off and stepped into the Shadows.

  Around nine, the many dragon representatives gathered for the surprise United Council meeting. “Why have you called for a special session, Pietro. This had better be good,” growled Werner, the black.

  “Yes, it had better be good!” declared Dario, the red, acting as annoyed as he dared.

  “The humans have just slaughtered three of our infants and murdered their mother! That’s what. On Chana. Donatello ordered me to request this council. He is off leading retaliatory raids on the humans of Chana as we speak!” Pietro, the brown, stated hostilely.

  “Calm down, Pietro. Tell us the full story,” a shocked Aldrick, the gold, ordered. Pietro, the brown, took a deep breath and then described what he had seen. He told of the three eye witness accounts that claimed the crime was done by the human’s Strike Force One, the fourteen fighters who had been on a crusade of dragon slaying all summer long.

  “There must be some mistake here,” Aldrick, the gold, tried valiantly to defuse the rapidly escalating emotions. “Some things do not add up. Donatello visited Baron Atir and found the humans were holding their High Council meeting. Further, everyone there swears that all of the members of their Strike Force One were present at the meeting both the day before and the entire day of the attack. In fact, they were addressing the council members at the time of the attack. Something is not right here. We should delay making judgments until all of the facts are in.”

  Pietro, the brown, disagreed. “Donatello ordered me to ask for a declaration of total war on the humans of the Federation. I am to call for a vote on it.”

  “Yes, of course, it is your right to do so, Pietro. None of us would dare say otherwise,” Burk, the gold, responded. “However, we ought not act in anger or in haste. If Aldrick says that something is perhaps not as it seems, we, as the superior beings, ought to investigate first.”

  “As bad as this is, Pietro, I believe that Burk is right. We should examine the discrepancies before we vote,” Barnabus, the grey, cautioned.

  “I agree. It may be crucial to discover how these humans can be in two places at the same time. This sounds like a hideous new weapon or magic the humans have created. We should study it before we act,” Bolivar, the blue, added.

  “How many crimes against dragon-kind will you all suffer before you finally act?” growled Dario, the red. “We reds love our children and would strike back at anyone who harmed them. I don’t care what magic they may or may not have. I say let’s vote and get on with it.”

  Cezar, the white, was a bit unnerved by what Aldrick, the gold, stated. “I think that Burk has a valid point. We need to know how it is that these humans can be in two places at the same time. Can both of them attack at the same time doing double damage? Are we then to face them twice? What if we slay one of them, will the duplicate one also die or not? It seems to me that we must know this before we act. It could be critical information for us to have when we battle the humans.”

  Werner, the black, wanted to groan, but kept a straight face. Somehow this was all working out wrong yet again! He’d been purposely silent, hoping that the vote would come and he could simply vote yes and not be seen at the center of the declaration this time. Once again, the damnable Neutrals were making a complete mess out of what should have been an open and shut situation. Hence, he kept unusually quiet and let the Neutrals carry the discussion for some time.

  Alistair, the green, finally spoke up, “Werner, you’ve been uncharacteristically quiet. What do you have to say?”

  “Vote and be done with it,” Werner replied sarcastically.

  Just as they were about to vote, Donatello, the brown, arrived. “Sorry for being late. I have gathered more facts.” He then outlined what he’d observed and what had been said by the barons.
At last he said, “I move that we study this in more depth. We need to find out if the humans have some new magic that allows them to be in two places at the same time. Do they have some new super weapon that can cleave the head of an adult dragon with one strike? Do they have some new super spell that allows them to move at least ten times faster than they normally do in a battle? We must know the answers to these questions before we can make an informed decision. I call for a vote on this.” It carried unanimously and the meeting adjourned.

  The browns, blues, and greys hung around after the other dragons left. Donatello, the brown, spoke up, “I have more news for you. I talked with this Baron Zoran human about the supposed hundreds of Archmages that Werner claims that he is making. I sent in a spy to Brn to learn what he could about them. Both are in agreement. While these nearly two hundred women are learning magic at a rapid rate, their progress is the normal one followed by all magic students. Only seventeen have even reached the mage level and most are barely on the useful Adept spells. It is my opinion that Werner is exaggerating the threat a good deal. However, we ought to continue to monitor it ourselves.” The others agreed and all returned to their planets and homes.

  Werner, the black, and Dario, the red, landed on a huge boulder in the middle of an alpine lake, not far from Dario’s cavern. “Well, that went awry. Damnable Neutrals. They never have the guts to act,” Dario, the red, complained bitterly. He had so hoped this would be the beginning of the war which would wipe out all of the humans.

  “Something must have gone wrong. No matter, Dario. Our new breeding program is ready for execution. We begin tonight. Let us focus on increasing our numbers for the time being. We still have another plan to try, but winter is almost upon us. I’d rather wait until warmer weather. I hate the cold,” Werner, the black, replied.