Dragon Blade
War of the Blades: Book Two
J.D. Hallowell
Also by J.D. Hallowell:
Dragon Fate
War of the Blades: Book One
Praise for Dragon Fate
“Excellent . . . really well-written and compelling.”
—Geoffrey Kabaservice, author of Rule and Ruin
and the National Book Award-nominated
The Guardians
“If you are a fan of fantasy and dragon-lore, it would be hard to go wrong with Dragon Fate. . . . Action, adventure, and, of course, dragons. You will not be sorry for getting this book.”
—Adam Byrn Tritt, author of “Ezekiel’s Wheel”;
Tellstones: Runic Divination in the Welsh Tradition;
The Phoenix and the Dragon; and Bud the Spud
From Amazon.com and Amazon.uk readers:
“This book took me on an adventure-filled journey full of magic, intrigue and excitement. Overflowing with likeable and believable characters, Hallowell successfully depicts a traditional fantasy story that I thoroughly devoured in just a few days.”
“Dragon Fate is a well-paced, enjoyable story with consistent characterisation. . . . The characters are swashbuckling from the start in a way that keeps the interest levels sparked! . . . Some of the imagery is truly magnificent, as is the way some of the ideas develop throughout the story—and I liked the detail very much at these times. Overall, I found myself wanting to know more . . . bring on the sequel!”
“The plot was not only brilliantly revealed and constructed, but original and interesting to boot. The plot and the story as well as the depth to the characters is really what makes this book such a fantastic read.”
“Dragon Fate is a rollicking good story, with an ending which I am sure has been designed to leave room for a sequel.”
“One of the most delightful stories I have read in a while. I found that I was really drawn into the story and I could only put it down when my battery died.”
Smithcraft Press
1718 Ashcroft Street NW
Palm Bay, FL 32907
ePub ISBN 978-0-9793935-8-7
Dragon Blade © 2012 by Joseph Delno Hallowell. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations used in critical articles and reviews.
Dedication
Dragon Blade is dedicated to my family, especially my wife, Jennie, my son, Connor, and my daughter, Rashel, for giving me the motivation to write this in the first place and the encouragement to continue once I’d started, and to my readers, without whom writing these books would be a useless gesture.
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank everyone who has been involved in the process of bringing this to publication, particularly Craig R. Smith of Smithcraft Press for his design work, editing, and friendship; my son Connor, and my wife, Jennie, for their discussions, critiques, and patience; my brother Jim and my niece Kimberly for their comments and encouragement, and last, but certainly not least, the other authors and readers from Reddit, Goodreads, Mythic Scribes, and the Amazon forums who have been a wellspring of feedback, information, camaraderie, and support.
Chapter 1
The old man walked up behind Delno and hit him on the back of the head with the wand he carried everywhere.
“Ow, damn it, that hurts!” Delno yelled.
“Then pay attention to me,” Jhren responded.
“I was paying attention. You said to watch the clouds outside the window, and then see if I could cause them to move. I was doing that and had all of my concentration on the effort when you snuck up and attacked me for no reason!”
“You weren’t concentrating on the lesson; you were trying to use telekinesis, not magic,” Jhren replied. “I want you to use the words I’ve taught you and move the cloud with magic.”
“I’ve used your system of magic and I’ve used mine. . . .”
“Your system is telekinesis, not magic,” the old man said before Delno could finish.
“I’ve done both, and they both feel the same to me; what’s the difference?” Delno asked belligerently.
“The difference, in this case, as I’ve explained before, is the amount of power you can summon and how fast you can summon it.” Jhren shouted as if he were trying to get the words into his pupil’s head by sheer force of volume.
Brock walked in at that moment. “Well, it appears you two are getting along just fine,” he observed dryly.
“Oh, yes,” Delno said, “so well, in fact, that I’m contemplating killing this old conjurer quickly and putting him out of my misery.”
“At least if you did that, you would be doing something new and different,” Jhren spat back.
“You two need to learn to work together,” Brock observed.
“Tell that to him: if he hits me with that damned stick one more time, I’m apt to put it in a storage place he will find extremely uncomfortable.”
“Spare the rod and spoil the child,” Jhren sing-songed.
“First, I’m not a child,” Delno responded. “Second, I’ve always been taught that that adage refers to the curved rod of the shepherd used to gently guide the sheep. It does not refer to a bludgeon held by a sadistic tyrant and used to beat the poor animal senseless.”
Jhren shook his head and then said, “Get out; you’re useless this late in the afternoon anyway.”
Delno got up to leave. He grabbed the book he was studying from, and the paper he would need to make notes. Then he left the room.
Jhren stood for a moment before turning to Brock and saying, “He really is learning, he just has trouble seeing the difference between magic and mind tricks because at his level of experience, the two are nearly the same.”
Brock asked, “Was I any different?”
Jhren chuckled and said, “Yes, you were twice as thick-headed.”
Brock smiled and replied, “You just don’t like teaching adults. I’ll speak with him about the magic if you think it will help, but you can help by remembering that he’s not a child who can be bullied. He was a seasoned warrior before he became a Rider. Then he managed to get a dragon who wasn’t even two months old from Larimar all the way to Orlean on his own. One thing I’ve learned about him is that he is sharp, and harsh teaching methods have to be used sparingly.”
Jhren looked at Brock and said, “I know, my friend. The problem is that I not only like this young man, I owe him my life. He deserves the best training, and I am old enough now that I may not be around long enough to give him that.”
“What are talking about, Jhren? You’re not that old.”
“I’m not a Dragon Rider, Brock. I am ninety-four years old, but it’s not just the age; people live to be over one hundred all the time. Those two years under the tender care of my former apprentice have taken their toll. It’s late summer, and I don’t think I’ll see another spring. I have to teach that young man a lifetime’s worth of magic in a few months so that he is prepared for what awaits you all in Horne.”
Brock didn’t like talking about Jhren’s mortality, so he accepted the switch in subjects. “I wish you knew more about what’s going on down there. All you’ve given us so far are vague hints.”
The news they already had about Horne, though limited, was disturbing. The Roracks’ attacks were becoming more frequent, and they were well organized. Of the three Riders who normally stayed in Horne, Quincy had been killed. The report mentioned that magic was used, but was vague about the method, and there was no mention of anyone seeing the person or persons responsible. It simply said that the dragon was hit and forced down by magic, and once on the ground, she a
nd her Rider were overwhelmed by Roracks.
What little Jhren had overheard during his captivity was limited to what his apprentice had let slip on the occasions he had come to question the older mage. The most disturbing part of all was the hint, confirmed by Orson, that someone, or something, was using the Roracks as an organized shock force, which would logically mean that this was just the first stage of a much more involved strategy.
“I’ve given you what I have,” Jhren replied. “I was their prisoner, not their honored guest.”
Brock gripped the old man’s shoulder and smiled, then without another word he left the room. Delno was waiting for him, and fell into step beside the older Rider. They walked in silence for a few moments until they were well away from Jhren’s quarters.
“I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but you and Jhren weren’t exactly trying to be quiet,” Delno said. “I had no idea that he was still in such poor health; I wish he would allow Nat to examine him.”
“Don’t bring that up to him again, please,” Brock replied. “He doesn’t trust elves and as far as he’s concerned, a half-elf is just an elf who will make the world a better place by dying young.”
“I don’t understand what his problem is with elves,” Delno responded.
“Mages and elves tend to mistrust each other. Elves believe that mages tend to act without due respect for the natural world using magic for their own selfish ends, while human mages tend to think of elves as frivolous dabblers in magic only interested in flowers and trees. I personally think the problems go all the way back to the mage wars. I also believe that both sides tend to blame each other for being limited in how much magic one person can wield. The elves blame the mages for casting the spell that forever limited magic use, but history also tells us that the elves were instrumental in the development of the spell itself. It seems that now neither side has much use for the other.”
“Well, I won’t promise not to try to get him to see Nat; I think it would do him a great deal of good. No man lives forever, but dying before his time because he is just being stubborn is ridiculous.”
“Well, if you are going to bring it up again,” Brock replied, “do it when I’m not around.”
One of the two “prisoners” walked around the end of the hallway. Seeing Delno and Brock, he saluted as he approached.
“Lawrence,” Delno said tiredly, “you don’t have to salute me; I’m not your commanding officer.”
“But you are my keeper,” the man responded. He looked to be about twenty-one, but in reality he was nearly forty, and, therefore, Delno’s senior by over a decade.
“I am only your keeper in so far as you have to report to me or be remanded to the custody of the local jailer until we can decide what to do with you. That doesn’t mean you have to salute me.”
Simcha had chosen his subordinates more for their ability to obey orders than for any ability to think for themselves. They weren’t stupid by any means, but they were definitely followers, not leaders. Once it had been ascertained that they had not had anything to do with the theft of the Dragon Blade or the kidnapping of Jhren, their only real crime against Palamore was the negligible act of being Simcha’s messengers, which was only counted as a crime so they could keep the two men under observation until they were sure the pair wouldn’t fly off and join the other side in Horne. So far, both Riders denied having any but the most superficial knowledge of what was going on in Horne, and Delno and Brock tended to believe them. Once they were out from under Simcha’s influence, they seemed to be pretty decent fellows.
“However we put it,” Lawrence replied, “you have been put in charge of us, and we must seek your permission to do anything.”
“If this about you being allowed to fly, the answer is still no,” Brock stated flatly.
The look on the Rider’s face showed his disappointment. Delno placed his hand on the man’s shoulder and shook him once gently, “Lawrence, we’ve been through this, it’s only been three weeks since you and Adamus, under Simcha’s orders, engaged us in a heated battle over control of this city and country. People need a little more time than that to forget. There are those who have called for your execution. It is only because the Queen, at our request, has declared that your crimes are against Brock, Jason, Rita, and me that the government of Palamore hasn’t put you on trial.”
“But dragons need to fly.” He sounded more like a sulky boy than a grown man of forty years.
“Your dragons are allowed to fly; they just have to do it under supervision and without you on their backs.” Delno replied without sympathy. After dealing with Jhren all morning, the man’s whining was nearly intolerable.
Brock, hearing Delno’s tone of voice and sensing the problem, said sharply, “Lawrence, you’re forty years old; stop acting like you are twelve.” The man stood up straight as if he had been slapped. “You participated in an attempt to overthrow the rightful rulers of this country, and they have placed you our custody. Until we can be absolutely certain that you are rehabilitated, we cannot allow you to fly around the countryside free.” Then he softened his tone and continued, “It’s only been three weeks, man, and you’ve already been given freedom to walk about as you please. You’re going live at least two thousand more years; give it a little time.”
Lawrence looked at him openly and said, “I just miss Rhonna, and Adamus misses Beth. We talk to them in our minds, but it’s not the same as being able to actually reach out and touch them.”
Delno could understand the sentiment. Even though he and Rita were getting closer all the time, they both still needed time alone with their dragons. Just being able to talk to Geneva wasn’t enough; he felt the need for close contact if they were separated.
“I will give you this much, Lawrence,” Delno responded. “You and Adamus may go to your dragons and be with them. You will not be alone though; Leera, Fahwn, Gina, or Geneva must be there; one of our dragons for each of yours.” The other Rider smiled and nodded, but before he could speak, Delno cut him off and added, “If either of you tries to mount your dragon during the visits, you will not be allowed to visit again. If you actually get off the ground, you will be forced down by whatever means necessary, and, if you survive, your dragon’s wings will be permanently clipped.”
Lawrence was obviously horrified at the thought of such drastic measures, but he nodded and said, “We have no intention of trying to escape; we won’t abuse your trust.”
“Good,” Delno replied, “I’m giving you another bit of freedom. It’s one more step in the process of redeeming yourselves.”
As Lawrence went off in search of Adamus to tell him the news, Delno reached out telpathically to inform Geneva of the change and of the dragons’ responsibilities regarding it.
“That’s nice, Love,” she replied. “They get to spend time together while we get to watch out here alone.”
“Please, Geneva,” he responded, “I’ve had a very hard day, and I could use your support, not your sarcasm.”
“I am sorry, Dear One,” she said contritely, “it’s just been over a week since you and I have had any time together ourselves, and then you give the privilege to our enemies.”
“Former enemies, Dear Heart, former enemies. I’m hoping that these two Riders will not only prove themselves to be friends, but in the long run, I’m optimistic that I can actually teach them to think for themselves.”
“You are a kind, generous, and highly intelligent man, Love, but you can’t save the whole world by yourself.”
He laughed out loud and said, “No, Love, I can’t save it alone, that’s why I need to grow my allies rather than harvest my enemies.”
“Come out soon, Dear One; I miss you.”
He took leave of Brock and went in search of Nat. He had made one decision; Jhren would at least meet the half-elf. He found Nat with the king’s healer and asked him to come to Jhren’s apartment. Nat was skeptical but agreed to meet him there in two hours.
That being done, he went off i
n search of Rita.
“She is with Fahwn,” Geneva answered. She was obviously peeved that the only way she would be seeing him was that he was looking for Rita; the jealousy issue still hadn’t been completely resolved. He made a quick side trip to the apartment that he and Rita shared.
He found all three of them in the courtyard. Geneva and Fahwn were perched on the walls watching as Lawrence was spending time with Rhonna. Rita was on the catwalk, her head resting against Fahwn’s shoulder. He walked into the courtyard and headed for the stairs that led to the top of the wall.
Lawrence looked up almost dreamily and saw him. He waved and said, “Thank you, sir, this works just fine. Rhonna will leave in a few minutes, and then Adamus can visit with Beth.”
Delno just waved and continued walking, wanting neither to intrude on their communion, nor to get into a conversation with the man. He reached out mentally to Geneva: “Whose idea was it to have them take turns in the courtyard?”
“Mine,” Geneva said. “They need time together; they don’t need the temptation of meeting in an open field.” Her tone was gruff, and he knew she would be hard to placate with everything that had happened.
Since Rita was between him and Geneva, he stopped and kissed her lightly, then said, “We need to talk—after dinner tonight.”
She shrugged and said, “All right, Handsome. We’ll talk after dinner.” He ignored her puzzled look and moved quickly to his Bond-mate.
He walked right up and put his head on her shoulder. He just stood there like that for several moments, and then he said, “How long do you think it would take you to fly to the lake between the two fields east of the city?”
Dragon Blade Page 1