Dragon Blade

by J. D. Hallowell

  “Nothing we can do for them except try and keep those archers at bay. Are you ready, Dear Heart?” Delno asked.

  “I will be by the time we are close enough. Hang on.”

  Delno could feel the flame bladder expand as Geneva banked towards the archers. He erected a shield that would protect her from the majority of the arrows that he was sure would come. Erecting such a shield was a tricky business in itself. Put the shield far enough forward that it completely protected the dragon’s head and neck, and it would block her flame, possibly even throw it back in their own faces. Put the shield too far back and he might as well not even bother. The big trick was to protect the unarmored wing membranes. Fortunately, a dragon’s head is well protected with thick plates, providing she doesn’t get hit directly in the eyes. Delno, thinking of trying to use two shields at once, directed a second shield in a kind of transparent cover over Geneva’s eyes. He did that to see if he could maintain two shields, but it was a lucky thing he did, as a volley of arrows that were aimed at her head, and especially her eyes, bounced harmlessly off and fell to the ground.

  Geneva made her pass and her fire was devastating. Over a dozen men died as she flamed the line of archers. The rest turned and ran, but this time they scattered rather than clumping together, making themselves less likely targets as Fahwn made a pass right behind Geneva. Delno had Geneva relay to Adamus to hold and wait until the Bournese regrouped rather than make his pass right behind Fahwn.

  “Thank you, Love. That second shield saved me from being blinded. It would seem that our enemies have been coached on how to fight dragons since last we fought them,” Geneva said.

  “I was thinking the same thing,” Delno replied. “Tell the others to make sure their eyes are shielded, too. This is not going to be an easily won rout; it looks like we will truly have to fight.”

  “I have already told them to shield their eyes. What I would like to do is find out who is instructing our enemies and target them,” she answered.

  “That’s a tactic they won’t be expecting,” Delno said as he watched the archers beginning to regroup. “Can you see the enemy’s command tent, Love?”

  “I see a group of three tents with people coming and going with great purpose. Wait: there is the enemy general we released standing just inside the open flap of one of the tents.”

  “Well, then,” Delno said, “that is our next target. Tell the others to keep on the archers; we have to give the men on the wall a chance to put out that fire. It seems to be burning out of control and catching much faster than I would have expected.”

  Geneva did as he directed, then angled her flight directly towards the tent she had spotted the enemy commander in. She stayed high enough to remain out of arrow range until she had to commit to her run. On impulse, Delno examined the area magically and found that there was someone inside using magic. Whoever it was apparently didn’t expect to be attacked in the command tent, because the magic wasn’t directed at Geneva. It appeared to Delno that the magic user was concentrating on increasing the fire at the wall. Delno made no attempt to interrupt the magic user as Geneva dived down and flamed all three tents. The magic user and the commanders didn’t know they were in danger until it was too late: the canvas was no protection at all from Geneva’s fire.

  At the same instant, Fahwn and Beth made simultaneous runs against the archers. On this run, however, Fahwn attacked the front rank while Beth attacked the rear from the opposite direction. It required a bit of precision on the part of the dragons, but it left the archers nowhere to run. This time, only a dozen men escaped and they fled in complete panic. The infantrymen who had been massing for an assault fell back, unsure what to do. Everyone on the Bournese side appeared to be waiting for orders that would never come. Delno had the other two Riders remain in the air while he returned to speak with General Dreighton.

  As Delno dismounted, the general came to him at a trot followed by his staff. “That was a good bit of flying, Rider,” he said. “We have the fire under control, but the logs are burned nearly half way through. If that display of yours hasn’t discouraged them from further attempts to take the bridge before we can get the stone works into place, then we may have no choice other than destroying Stone Bridge itself. The king was quite clear: ‘Either build a stonework that will hold, or destroy that damned bridge,’ I believe, were his exact words.”

  “Well, General,” Delno replied, “I can’t guarantee that they won’t try again soon, but they will be a bit slower to do so without their commanding general and his senior staff.” Dreighton and his staff officers looked a bit shocked by that news, so Delno continued, “I believe that we also got at least one of the advisors sent by our enemies from the south as well: he was using magic and was the reason the palisade burned so hot so quickly.”

  He then dismounted and told Dreighton everything that had transpired during the battle. The general was at first shocked that Delno had made the attack on the command tents, but quickly decided it was for the best. It seemed that all of the old rules of engagement that Bourne and Corice had abided by had now been set aside. It also seemed that since it was Corice that had dealt two devastating blows in less than a week, the Bournese would most likely be hard pressed to field another competent commander to the bridge for several days at least. That should give the workers time to get much of the stone work done before they would have to repel another attack, since the masons were working round the clock.

  Fahwn and Beth were doing fine since the air currents were good, and soaring meant they could conserve energy. Geneva relayed that both dragons felt that they could stay aloft for several hours if need be. Delno had them remain aloft until he was sure that the battle was truly over and the damaged timbers were reinforced from the Corisian side. Then he asked Adamus to stay at the bridge as air support if the need arose, while he and Rita returned to Larimar.

  Chapter 15

  As they glided down to the city walls, Delno and Rita both noticed that there was a light blue dragon sitting near Marlo. Geneva relayed to Fahwn and Rita that the newcomer was Saadia, who had decided to join them.

  “We are much later than we had thought we would be, Love,” Geneva said. “Don’t be surprised at what you find when we land.”

  No amount of coaxing could get any more information out of her, though Delno could feel that she was quite amused at whatever the situation was.

  Nat was standing near Marlo looking quite pleased with himself. Delno could tell that he had some news to share by the look on the half-elf’s face. He smiled and returned the physician’s wave. Then he noticed that Will was standing near Saadia. In fact, he had his hand on her shoulder, and the two appeared to be quite comfortable with each other.

  He was astounded at the implication and turned to Geneva. “You could have told me that my brother had bonded with Saadia,” he said aloud.

  “And miss that look of surprise on your face? Never!” she replied.

  Will, smiling broadly, waved at his older brother. As Delno walked over to him, he saluted. Delno returned the salute and smiled.

  “Well, I see you and Saadia have met,” Delno understated.

  “It was the most amazing thing, Delno,” Will replied. “I came out here with Nathaniel to meet Marlo, and while we were all talking, Saadia came. Marlo was in contact with her, and I was just watching her fly to the wall, thinking that she must be the most beautiful dragon in the world. She landed and introduced herself rather shyly, and we started talking. She was craning her neck around to get a better look at me when I turned to see the source of a noise behind me. There was a bright flash of light, and then I had a burning sensation over my right shoulder blade, and we were bonded.”

  “I was watching the whole time,” Nat said. “I was actually disappointed, if you want the truth. That’s two bondings I’ve been present for and didn’t actually notice anything extraordinary. I really must work on my awareness. I’m beginning to realize how much slips past me when I am preoccupied.
”

  “While you are certainly right about your preoccupations, my friend,” Delno said through his laughter, “I believe that there isn’t much for observers to see. For the most part bonding takes place between the two who are actively involved, and there isn’t any real show to watch.”

  “That may be,” Nat replied, “but if you remember, I didn’t know I was bonded until you saw the mark and explained it to me. I miss far too much worrying about my medicines.”

  “Yes,” Rita said, giving the healer a kiss on the cheek, “and the rest of us are much better for it. As Delno said before, if it weren’t for you, we would be defending a tomb.”

  Nat smiled at the compliment. “Oh, that brings me back to my news. The plague is completely under control. Those who are still a bit sick are being treated and will be back to normal in a few days. The city is now safe from the disease.”

  “That is indeed wonderful news, Nat, but I am not at all surprised.” As Nat’s face fell, he quickly added, “There’s good reason I sent for you, my friend; I had complete faith in you and your healing skills. That you have brought the plague under control so quickly only shows that my faith was as well placed, as I knew it would be.”

  Nat beamed.

  Delno turned to the newcomer and said, “I apologize for not being here to meet you personally, Saadia, but the Bournese attacked the new fortifications this morning, and we had to deal with that before we could leave Stone Bridge.”

  “It is all right, Delno Okonan,” Saadia replied. “If you had been here, I might not have met my Partner. I am happy with the way that things have worked out.”

  “Yes, and my brother also appears happy with the arrangement.” Then he turned to Will and said, “I have never known you to work the slightest magic, Brother. How is it that you came to bond with a dragon?”

  “Never known me to work magic? Do you remember playing hide and seek as children? Ever wonder why I always won?” Will responded. “I have always had the ability to hide if I don’t want to be found. You can look right at me and not see me, even in broad daylight.”

  “I thought you just knew the best hiding places,” Delno laughed and clapped his brother on the shoulder. Will winced a bit, but still smiled, and Delno apologized for forgetting about the fresh dragon mark.

  “I would love to stay up here and talk with you and Saadia, but I must see the king,” Delno said turning and striding away.

  “We will have to talk much before you leave Corice, Brother,” Will called out to his brother’s back. “I know nothing about being a Rider, and I have a pregnant dragon to care for.”

  Delno stopped as if he had run into a brick wall. “Pregnant!” he exclaimed. “I had no idea she was pregnant.”

  “It’s not as though dragons can be held to the same standards as humans,” Will said defensively.

  Realizing that Will had taken his words to mean he was unhappy with circumstances, he said, “You misunderstand me, Brother. This is wonderful news.” He smiled at both Will and Saadia. “How many eggs, and what are the sexes of the hatchlings?”

  Will looked a little confused, like a child in school who should know the answer to the teacher’s question but doesn’t.

  “Three eggs,” Saadia replied. “One male and two females. I will lay the eggs within three weeks’ time, I think. I am not as sure as I would be if I were older; this is my first clutch.”

  “For a day that started out so tragically, it is turning out to be a day of wonderful news,” Delno said. “First, my younger brother bonds with a dragon, and now I find that we are to have new hatchlings soon. We will have to make arrangements for you to clutch someplace comfortable. Tell me, what do you require?”

  “When the time comes, I will require a peaceful place to lie down and lay the eggs, but that is still weeks away. I will need to hunt today or tomorrow. I flew a long way since last night and my body was already somewhat depleted from producing the eggs and their shells.”

  “Then you shall have all the food you require,” came the king’s voice as he appeared at the top of the stairs that led up to the wall from the watchtower door. All of the men on the wall snapped to attention. The king addressed Saadia directly: “How much food do you require, my dear? I will see to it that you get it.”

  Saadia looked at the king for a moment, and then smiled a draconic smile. Most men would have paled at seeing all of those teeth displayed at them like that; Dorian simply returned the gesture.

  “I am hungry enough to eat at least one of those animals you call cows, and perhaps one or two pigs as well,” she replied.

  “Very well,” the king responded. “Do you wish to kill your own down on the field, or would you like me to have some men slaughter the animals and bring the meat to you here?”

  “I appreciate the offer to bring the meat, but bringing the animals to the field for me to kill will be fine, thank you.”

  The king turned to a soldier standing at attention nearby and said, “You there, corporal.”

  Delno didn’t think the man could stand any more rigid without snapping his spine but the corporal actually managed to straighten just a bit before responding to his liege lord, “Yes, Sire.”

  “Take however many men you need, and secure a nicely fattened cow and two pigs, and then have them staked out in the field close enough to the wall that our new friend won’t have to fly far to get to them,” Dorian said, and then added, “Also, make sure they are all at least a dragon length apart, so that she has no trouble with them while she feeds.”

  “Yes, Sire.” The man immediately turned to do his king’s bidding. Dorian called out to him, “If anyone gives you any trouble, refer them directly to me, and I will deal with them. Then report back to me at the palace when the job is done; I will have more for you to do.”

  Dorian turned to Delno, “If he does a good job, I’ll promote him and put him in charge of making sure the dragons and Riders have everything they need.”

  “Uncle,” Delno said with some concern creeping into his voice.

  Before he could finish his thought, Dorian cut him off and said, “I know, Nephew. I may not be as strong in magic as you and your brother, but I can feel the concern in you now. The Riders can’t afford to feel indebted to any kingdom. I am not giving you presents here. You have done great deeds in defense of this country, and a few cows and pigs are small payment for such service. As long as I am king, Dragon Riders will be treated as royalty in Corice. I turned away from a Rider once before, and it has cost me my twin sister, and left my kingdom open to attack from our northern neighbors ever since. I can’t go back and rectify that directly, but I am not a man who repeats his mistakes.”

  Delno nodded to his uncle and he, Rita, and Nat accompanied Dorian back to the palace to discuss the morning’s events.

  Chapter 16

  Once back in private chambers with his great uncle, Delno told Dorian of all that had transpired at the bridge. Dorian was a bit unsettled by the news that Delno had directly attacked the command tents.

  “Directly attacking the commanders has always been considered uncivilized by both kingdoms, until now,” Dorian said.

  “In case no one has noticed,” Delno said a bit sarcastically, “war isn’t exactly a civilized activity, especially if you are one of the common soldiers who has to bear the brunt of the fighting.”

  “You’re right, of course, Nephew,” Dorian said in a softer tone. “Often commanders have to put aside personal feelings and send men to die; it is easier to disregard that awful fact if you think of the men as tools rather than individuals. Perhaps if we kept our focus on the fact that they are men, we wouldn’t be so quick to wage war in the first place.”

  “We can take some small comfort in the fact that we aren’t the ones waging this war, Uncle. We are merely defending ourselves and our country.”

  Everyone was silent for a long time and then Rita said, “We will have to make provision to have someone here to help train the new Riders once Saadia�
��s offspring are hatched and bonded.”

  “Are we even sure she wants them to be bonded?” replied Nat. “After all, she herself was born free and made the choice later; perhaps she will want the same for her daughters.”

  “Oh, she wants them to bond at hatching, alright,” Will said as he entered the chamber and joined them. “She has felt the loneliness of being un-bonded since she was hatched, and doesn’t want her daughters to go through that. She is convinced, as are others from what she has told me, that dragons were designed to bond with humans, and that not doing so feels like an unnatural act.”

  “Well, that would certainly fit with all you have told me about the history of dragons, Nat,” Delno said. “They are a created species that was designed from the beginning to bond with and enhance the ability of both species to use magic. I am beginning to think that the territorial solitude they impose is more in keeping with that design than to keep them from depleting an area of food. After all, dragons are an intelligent species: if they wished to raise large herds for the purpose of keeping a good food supply available, they could certainly do so.”

  “That’s an interesting theory,” Nat replied. “But why would the dragons say it was because of the food supply, then?”

  “Is that question actually coming from the man who told us about humans practicing self-delusion in order to accept what would otherwise be distasteful?” Rita asked with a smile.

  Nat smiled back and said, “I am merely trying to look at the situation from different angles, my dear.”

  “Well, theories are all well and good,” Delno responded, “but they don’t help us with our current problems. We have two dragons about to lay two female eggs each. We have two candidates in Orlean to present to those eggs, but none here in Corice. Even if we do find suitable candidates, we have no experienced Riders to leave with any of the newly bonded pairs if we are to field as much strength as possible in Horne.”