“A bluff is, quite simply, a lie, and I have never been any good at lying. If your armies are not withdrawing by tomorrow morning, then they will do so by tomorrow afternoon. That is no bluff, sir; that is simple truth. You and your men have not had the opportunity to see what dragons can do to ground troops. I have, and it is not a pretty sight.”
The men of Bourne withdrew to their lines and Delno turned to the officers from Larimar and said, “Now then, Colonel Dreighton, Captain Porter, I believe I promised you an explanation.”
The explanation took over an hour and then subsequent questions took that long again. When it was over, Delno was given permission to have Nat meet with the team of healers who had been trying to combat the sickness that was sweeping through the city. The group from Larimar, especially the civilian diplomats, were reluctant to allow the dragons closer, but Delno’s word that they would create no problem provided that they themselves, or their Riders, weren’t accosted was enough for the military commanders in the end. The dragons were given leave to perch on the walls of the city and the Riders were invited in to talk with the city council and the king.
It was decided that Nat and Nassari would accompany the Delegates back to the city on foot while the rest of the Riders and the dragons would wait for a signal that the men manning the walls had been told they were coming so that there wouldn’t be an inadvertent panic.
While they stood watching for the signal, Rita asked somewhat testily, “How long have you known that Geneva had her fire, and when did you plan on telling the rest of us?”
“That sounds more like an accusation than a question,” Delno replied. “I wasn’t withholding vital information from you, I promise,” he added a bit annoyed her tone.
Adamus stepped into the argument before it could get out of hand. “We simply felt that we should have known. You see, we’ve been flying a protectively tight formation on you since we disarmed Paul. If we had known, we would have given Geneva a bit of room and not worried over you so much.”
“I see,” Delno responded a bit chagrinned that he had taken offense, “well then, to answer your question,” he looked directly at Rita, “the first I knew of it was when she filled her flame bladder in preparation for making that strafing run. I found out about fifteen seconds before you did.”
Both of the other Riders just shook their heads.
“Well,” Adamus said, “I have to admit, it was a pretty good run for a first attempt.”
“For a first attempt?” Geneva was indignant. “That makes it sound as if there is considerable room for improvement. That was a pretty good run, period. I may lack practice, but I have observed the others, and I believe I have the basics figured out.”
All three Riders laughed while Geneva continued to stammer out her anger at such a comment. Finally Delno said, “Let that comment stand as punishment enough for the transgression of not telling us you had acquired flame.”
“I wasn’t sure until I filled my flame bladder if I had,” she responded. “So much has been going on. I was going to make a practice run to see first, but didn’t get the chance.”
“Well, Love,” Delno spoke, “no one is really angry with you. We just tend to forget that you are still maturing because you have come so far so fast.”
“She doesn’t have much more maturing to do now that she has her flame,” Rita responded. “The only thing left is mating; let’s hope that doesn’t happen in the middle of a battle somewhere.”
Geneva scowled as the Riders shared another laugh at the prospect. “At least I can control my urges,” she said to Delno.
Delno gave her a stern look and said, “Don’t say that out loud, Dear Heart; I had just gotten you two on good terms, and for my sake I would like to keep that peace intact.”
“Notice, Love, that I didn’t say it out loud. However, I would like the humor at my expense to be curtailed, especially since I acquitted myself rather well this afternoon.”
“Yes, you really did, Love; I am quite proud of you,” Delno replied in a tone that left no doubt as to his sincerity. “They are merely letting off their tension. They know we may face real war tomorrow, and they are afraid. They are afraid both of the prospect of injury or death to themselves or their comrades, and that they may have to be the instruments of death to hundreds of men. Both of those outcomes are terrifying. Forgive them for taking that out on you; you are just convenient.”
“I hadn’t thought about it that way, Dear One. I had thought that my actions deserved praise, and I got the opposite; it is confusing.”
“Yes, it is,” he said, “but we are the leaders of this little army of ours, and it is up to us to provide them with a place to vent their frustrations so that they can continue to function. I’m sorry, Love, that’s part of being in command. You will have to get your praise from me and allow the others to have their emotional outbursts from time to time.”
“I guess I am learning as I go,” she replied. “I will keep that in mind.”
“There’s the signal,” Adamus said as he watched a man standing on the wall waving a torch back and forth.
The four dragons took off together and flew to the walls of Larimar where they perched and set up their own watch.
As Delno dismounted, Nat came up to him and said, “I was right; they had no idea what was killing them. They have been doing well for their level of skill with herbs, but I have my work cut out for me if I intend to get this plague under control quickly.” Then he turned to the group of men who had followed him up the stairs and onto the wall. “Well,” he said irritably, “what are you waiting for, an engraved invitation? Help us get this stuff off of the dragons so that we can get to work.”
The men were clearly afraid of the dragons. In fact, Delno had his suspicions that some of them were afraid of the half-elf. Finally, two young men moved to help him divest Marlo of her burden of herbs and physician’s tools.
Delno and the other Riders helped remove the gear and the remaining raw plants from the dragons. “Leave the saddles on Geneva, Beth, and Fahwn,” he said, “we may have to be in the air quickly, and it takes time to rig them.”
Then he added mentally to Geneva, “Relay my apologies to the others about the saddles, Love. I wish we could remove them and just let you rest, but that army out there may have other ideas, and I want fighting straps in place if I have to take to the air in hurry.”
“We understand, Love,” she replied. “That’s why the saddles were designed not only for your comfort over long use, but ours too. Marlo wants to know why her saddle has been removed; she is willing to defend this city with us.”
“Tell her that I know she is willing, and I have no doubts of either her bravery or Nat’s, but his job in the city is of at least equal importance as our job outside the walls. In fact, his task is more important, and while she must be ready to take him anywhere he needs to go if the situation calls for it, they will not be directly involved in any fighting. While I would like to field four dragons, I cannot risk interfering with the mission set for her and Nat. Without them, we defend a tomb!”
Marlo straightened with pride and nodded once to Delno. Nat suddenly stopped in his work while he spoke mentally with Marlo and she relayed Delno’s orders. He nodded and smiled at his friend, then went immediately back to work.
Colonel Dreighton approached him then and told him that the city council and the king were waiting to speak with them.
Just then a lieutenant came up and said to Delno, “Sir, we have a problem with the dragons.”
Both the colonel and Delno turned to the man and Delno asked, “What kind of problem, Lieutenant?”
“Well, sir,” the man replied, “the dragons have taken up so much of the wall that we have no one watching that whole section. The enemy could sneak right up to the base of the fortification with no one to notice.”
“No one to notice?” Geneva said sharply. “Do I look like a sparrow perched here looking for crumbs?”
The man was startled
by being spoken to directly by the dragon. He was completely speechless and could only stare mutely at Geneva.
Delno laughed out loud and said, “Peace, Geneva, these people are not steeped in dragon lore like those of the southern kingdoms. He meant no insult.” At that statement, the poor man only nodded his head up and down, still unable to utter a syllable. To the lieutenant and those within earshot Delno said, “Dragons can see for miles, and they possess extraordinary night vision: they see during the night better than a man can see in full sunlight. If our enemies were holding a book out there, the dragons could tell you what was written on the pages from here. Also, they see heat as well as light, so they can see the body heat of a man hiding in the bushes before he can get within bow range of the wall. Lieutenant, this particular section of wall is better watched right now than it would be if you had two hundred men manning it.”
The man looked at the dragons with respect approaching awe in his eyes. Then he finally found his voice, “My apologies, Good Dragon, I meant no offense. I did not know that you were watching our enemies.”
“Apology accepted,” Geneva replied. “You may have your men bring their weapons and set their own watch as well; we will not harm them.”
“Well, that’s settled,” Delno said. “Bring up as many men as can fit comfortably on the wall, and they can help the dragons watch. If the dragons see anything, they will report it directly to your archers, which will save a bit of time over relaying the information through us.”
Then he turned to Adamus and said, “I would like to have all of the Riders in this meeting, but I need one Rider to stay on the wall with the dragons just in case there is trouble on the field. You’ve earned your place in the meeting as a Rider, but you’ve earned my trust enough to leave you here alone to watch the enemy. Which will it be?”
Adamus straightened and said, “I’ll stay on the wall, Delno; I’m not a big fan of meeting with royalty, and I thank you for the trust.”
“Good enough,” Delno replied, “you won’t miss much; if anything important happens, I’ll have Geneva relay it to you through Beth.”
Delno motioned for Rita to join him and then turned to Colonel Dreighton and said, “Lead on, Colonel, I believe we have defense plans to discuss with the king.”
Chapter 9
King Dorian of Corice was as tall as Delno, and his reddish-brown hair had acquired a bit more grey since the last time Delno had seen him. Still, he was holding up well considering that he was sixty-seven years old.
As Delno walked in, two guards barred his way and demanded that he remove his weapons before advancing. Delno, though annoyed, began to reach for the buckles securing his blades to his belt and motioned for Rita to do the same.
“That won’t be necessary,” the king said. “This man is a decorated hero and a citizen of this country. I won’t ask him or his companions to remove their weapons in my presence.”
It was the guards’ turn to be annoyed, but they stepped aside and let the Riders pass.
“Delno Okonan, the last time I saw you I placed a medal of valor around your neck for your efforts in saving my kingdom. It appears that you have once again come to the aid of your country at a crucial moment. I’m told that you not only bring those most excellent dragons to our defense, but a healer well versed in the arts of Elven herb-lore to cure this plague that is ravaging the city from within. You and your Riders are most welcome,” the king stated formally as he extended his hand to Delno.
“Your Majesty, I am ever at the service of my people,” Delno replied with equal formality though he didn’t bow. “Let me introduce one of my traveling companions. This is Marguerite Killian.”
“Please call me Rita; Marguerite is too much to say all at once,” Rita gave Dorian her most winning smile as she extended her hand.
The officers exchanged worried glances and the king stiffened a bit at the perceived lack of courtesy.
Geneva relayed communication from Rita and Fahwn, “Rita says that you may have put the man in a bad temperament by not bowing. He is used to being treated as a king, and this isn’t the south.”
“Tell her that this may not be the south, but Dragon Riders are still traditionally equals of royalty. Neither side need bow to the other. I don’t want our relationship with this man to start off as a subordinate one. I don’t want him or anyone else here thinking that we are merely war engines that they can command and use as they see fit. We are in charge of ourselves, and that must be made clear right from the beginning. Also, when the current crisis is over, we still need to meet with these people to establish real diplomatic relations. I don’t want them to walk into such meetings thinking of us as merely lesser diplomats; I want them to think of us as equals,” he replied.
Then the king shrugged, looked around and said, “I was told there were four Riders; am I not to have the privilege of meeting the other two?”
“You will meet them soon, Sire,” Colonel Dreighton responded, “forgive us for the slight, but we felt the healing of the people and the protection of the city should take precedence over etiquette.”
Delno added, “One is the healer you yourself mentioned; he has already set about his task of tending to the sick. The other is on the wall with the dragons so that a Rider is present should the need arise for a dragon to take flight while this meeting is in progress.”
“Ah, thinking like a true military man, Delno Okonan,” the king responded with a smile. Then he lowered his voice conspiratorially, “You know, I wanted to raise your rank to captain, but the damned bureaucrats vetoed it so strongly I had no choice but to capitulate. If you had stayed in the military, I was going to give you a Letter of Peerage and then promote you.”
Delno was a bit shocked at that revelation and only nodded. He had turned in his letter of intent to resign almost four months before his term of service ended. If he had waited and been made a Peer of the Realm, his whole life would certainly have been different than it was now. Of course, if that had happened, he would not be bonded with Geneva. He had no doubt that he was much better off that things had happened the way they had.
Delno, Rita, the two military officers, and the king walked toward a group of men and women. The group included Nassari, who seemed right at home in their midst. Delno had little doubt that this was the city council of Larimar. He also noticed that one man had a black eye and one of the women had tried to cover a large bruise on the side of her face with make-up, and none of them were carrying edged weapons of any kind. Apparently, Nassari had been telling the truth about the violence of politics and politicians in Larimar.
The council members bowed to the king as he approached the group. Then they all started speaking at once. They wanted to know what the military was doing about the army besieging the city. What was being done to stop the spread of plague, and, most importantly, what was being done about the dragons perched on the city walls? It took several moments, and still the Captain had to shout to finally get them to shut up and listen.
“I will answer your last concern first, since that is what appears to be foremost in your minds,” the king said. “The dragons on the walls of this city are here to help us. What is to be done with them is that we will treat them as honored guests who have come to help us break this siege. They, and their Riders, will be shown every courtesy of visiting royalty; treatment which, traditionally, they are entitled to.”
“There is no tradition for such as this in Larimar,” a voice said from the back of the group. “They are demon spawn and should be banished.”
The king looked over the group trying to identify the speaker and then simply said, “Dragon lore and the traditions that go with it have not been taught to the masses in this kingdom since the Exiled Kings moved north. However, it is taught to the royal family. These Riders are men and women, and the dragons, though magical, are also mortal creatures. They are not demon spawn, and they certainly aren’t evil.”
“We’ve never needed such as them to protect ourselves
before; why do we need them now?” said the woman with the bruised face. “Our soldiers can defend these walls from that rabble out there.”
“Never needed such before? Are you certain?” Delno asked. “You tend to forget the parts of history you find inconvenient. The Exiled Kings are revered for their fortitude and perseverance, but it has been forgotten that it was the Dragon Riders, my Grandfather Corolan in particular, who helped the Exiled Kings get out of the south and establish the two kingdoms here in the North over two thousand years ago.”
Dorian raised one eyebrow and looked more closely at Delno.
“Your grandfather?” the woman spat. “If that is so, that would certainly make you a long-lived family.”
“Dragon Riders share the longevity of the dragons they are bonded to,” Dorian replied as if reciting a passage he had learned from a book. “The magic that bonds the pair lengthens the life of the Rider while it shortens the life of the dragon. It is not unheard of for bond-mates to live over three thousand years. So it is entirely possible that this is the grandson of Corolan.” Then he turned to Delno and said, “If that is true, it makes you my great-nephew.”
It was Delno’s turn to be surprised. “Oh, it’s true, Your Majesty.” he replied. “My grandfather was slain by Roracks while in Horne. After she killed the Roracks, his Dragon Partner, who was pregnant, headed north to safe and familiar territory. I found her in distress above the falls, egg bound. I helped her deliver her one remaining egg and was bonded to the hatchling.”
“As I have been trying to tell you all,” Nassari said, “Delno is a fellow countryman who has brought these Dragon Riders to help us. You really need to get over your prejudices and put your superstitions aside.”
“I would still prefer to rely on our own resources rather than on the whims of magical creatures,” the man with the black eye interjected.
“Ten percent of my soldiers are already dead from this damn plague, and half of those remaining are sick,” Colonel Dreighton told them. “We have spent our resources, and the bank is nearly empty. I am in command, not because of my age and experience, but because I am the highest ranking military officer left to take the job. At this point, I will take whatever help I can get. I welcome these Dragons and Riders with open arms.”
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