Dragon Blade

by J. D. Hallowell

  “That’s a good point,” Brock stated. “One of our biggest concerns is that our Riders will get cocky. The men on the ground won’t have that problem, because, I believe, they will be out-numbered by a determined force of Roracks who will fight to the death. It’s in the air where we can still lose this war.” He paused and looked at all of the commanders. “Notice that I said that we can lose, not that they can win. We need to make sure we don’t get too full of ourselves and turn victory into defeat. No matter how badly we beat the other Riders, if our own ground troops aren’t able to consolidate that victory, we win nothing.”

  “It’s our job, as Riders,” Delno said, “to make sure that the enemy dragons don’t harass our army. Remember, Sheila and her un-bonded dragons have been told to target the Roracks and leave the Riders to us. They have specifically been warned that they are in great danger if they attack enemy Riders and shouldn’t do so unless they have overwhelming numbers on their side. Therefore, we have the responsibility of keeping the enemy Riders from doing to our ground troops what our un-bonded dragons will be doing to theirs.”

  “There is one last question,” Nassari said. “What about those Felanxes? They are smarter than the Roracks, and they seem to have an inborn hatred of us. They are harsh enemies. How many of them will we be facing?”

  “According to Paul and Kurt, there aren’t many. Warrick keeps six near his quarters as guards, and they are completely loyal to him, but only to him. It seems that Warrick, Orson, and the magic user I killed in Bourne had to work together to make those they had. They used large wild-cats and magically blended them with men. Somehow the men turned into the Felanxes, and all that remained of the cats were the dried carcasses.”

  “Si-shorn!” Walker exclaimed. Very few of the men present understood the elven swear word, which literally translated, meant “Gods’ Excrement,” but in reality meant so much more. However, there was no mistaking the emotion behind it. The elf was highly upset at the prospect of magically bonding unrelated species in such a way. Walker looked around, and then said, “Foul deeds by foul men.”

  “I tend to agree with you,” Delno said to the elf, “I have personally dealt with three of the creatures, and have found that they are indeed foul works, with an unnatural feel to them. Fortunately, there are only six left. Hopefully, none will escape us.”

  “There are dragons approaching, Delno. Marlo says that she doesn’t know them, but that they haven’t readied flame. They claim to be friends and want to land.”

  “Very well, Love. Find out who they are before we allow them to get closer.”

  Delno told the non-Riders present what was going on, while Geneva ascertained the identity of the new comers.

  “They are Derrick and Reena, and Chureny and Pauline. They are the bonded pairs who have lived in Horne for centuries. They have news about our enemies.”

  Delno exchanged looks with Brock, and the older Rider nodded. “Very well, Love,” Delno said, “ask them to land and join us.”

  Chapter 46

  “Brock,” Derrick said as he and Chureny entered the commanders’ tent. “We had hoped that you would come. I see that you have also brought reinforcements. How many ground troops, and how many dragon Riders have placed themselves under your command?”

  Delno was immediately reminded of Simcha by Derrick’s mannerisms. He quelled the urge to set the man straight forcefully. He was just about to speak when Chureny beat him to it.

  “Really, Derrick, you must learn to be more diplomatic. It is obvious by looking around that we are in the company of a group of commanders who have formed a coalition, rather than one Rider who is in command of this entire camp. Brock may be a good Rider, and he may still have some influence over his cousin who holds the throne in Iondar, but I certainly doubt he is in command of all of these northern men. Also, I am sure that the Elven contingent of this force is under Elven control.”

  “Well said, Rider,” Walker said to Chureny. “I am Walker Longleaf, and I am in command of the elves in this company. Colonel Winston Eriksson is in command of the men who have come from Ondar and Palamore. Captain Jameson is in command of those from the northern lands of Corice and Bourne. Our overall commander is this man,” he bowed toward Delno, “Delno Okonan, Rider of Geneva, lineage holder of her family.”

  The significance of Geneva’s name and title was not lost on either man. Nor was the meaning of Delno’s name. They both knew that Delno bore Corolan’s very unusual middle name.

  Chureny turned to Delno and said, “I apologize for my friend. We are not used to working closely with the men of Horne. Over the years, they tended to forget that it is we who have kept them safe until this war started. Then, when the rulers of Horne realized that they weren’t up to the task of keeping these Roracks in check, they basically turned their forces over to us to lead. Derrick simply made the assumption that the oldest Rider present would be in charge because that is what has been thrust upon us up until now.”

  “Very well,” Delno said, “we are here to deal with Warrick and his Roracks, not make new enemies. Let us get down to business and see how we can work together to defeat our common foe.”

  He didn’t exactly accept the apology, but he had made it clear that he didn’t want to pursue the matter. Both of the new Riders looked at each other for a long moment.

  Finally, Chureny shrugged and said, “Very well. We have just over two thousand troops who are still alive and capable of fighting. Most of the men we have left are not from Horne. However, their commanders have been killed, and they have joined under our banner. Our enemies are holding at a position less than two days march from here, but we haven’t the strength to attack. The Roracks are not moving against us, but they have massed—over seven thousand strong—and are simply waiting, as if they expect something to happen that will stir them into action.”

  Delno nodded, and then began telling Derrick and Chureny everything, bringing them up to date. The tale took over an hour to tell.

  “So, you see gentlemen,” Delno said, “what the beast-men are waiting for is me. When Warrick thinks he has me where he wants me, the final battle of this war will commence.”

  “So you bring a dozen Riders, one of whom is a powerful magic user,” Chureny said, “as well as over three score wild dragons. That is quite a feat. Your grandfather talked about the wild dragons being an untapped resource, but I never thought it would be possible to get them to work with us.”

  “Corolan made the initial contact quite some time ago, but he was killed before he could consolidate his ties with them. Oh, they really do prefer to be called un-bonded, rather than wild. They feel that the term wild is demeaning, and makes them sound uncivilized.”

  “Very well,” Derrick said. “We will call them whatever they wish to be called. But we must get this force moved as quickly as possible. If the Roracks attack our forces now, while your troops are lounging here, this war will be lost.”

  “First,” Delno let the annoyance in his voice come through clearly, “our men are not merely lounging here. Colonel Eriksson’s men are resting after having force marched through the night. The rest of our troops engaged a force of about four hundred Roracks this morning and then force marched nearly fifteen miles to join up with the Colonel’s soldiers. Our men are getting some much needed rest if they are to be of any use when we do reach the enemy.” He paused and Derrick moved to speak but Chureny silenced him by stepping on his foot. “Second,” Delno continued, “as we have told you, the beast-men won’t move against you so long as Warrick perceives me as being the greater threat. He will hold his forces around him like a shield until we get there.”

  “So you have told us, but what makes you so sure you are right? The Roracks have shown no sign of such restraint in the past,” Derrick said.

  “We know we are right,” Jhren said, “because we have seen the direct evidence when Warrick threw nearly four thousand Roracks at us in that failed ambush, even though, numerically speaking, we posed no
big threat to him and his forces. Then, after that failed attempt, he tried once again to get Delno to join him. When that didn’t work, he tried to use magic, in the Dream State, to attack Delno. He is obsessed with Delno as the leader on our side of this war. He believes that if he can kill Delno, he will be victorious, regardless of how many dragons or ground troops we array against him.”

  “The man would have to be completely insane to think that,” Derrick replied.

  “Yes,” Jhren said seriously, “he has gone utterly, raving, mad.”

  Chapter 47

  “Well, Derrick,” Delno said as they all conferred once again to finalize the plans for the upcoming battle, “it took us two days to get here and merge with your forces, but as you can see, the Roracks haven’t attacked yet. My presence is being kept hidden for the time being, so that this battle will run by our time-table and not Warrick’s. Our forces move into position even as we speak.”

  “Hmmph,” Derrick snorted. He and Delno had not learned to get along any better in the two days it had taken to get Delno’s combined forces into position, but they had come to terms with their mutual dislike and could work together. “I see that you have inherited your grandfather’s arrogance; I just hope that you also got enough of his common sense that your plan doesn’t get our troops killed wholesale.”

  Before Delno could respond hotly to Derrick’s comment, Chureny spoke up. “Really, Derrick! Stop making an ass of yourself. Delno has done extremely well, thus far. We have no reason to believe that he won’t continue to do so.” He turned to Delno and added, “You see, Delno, the problem is that so many people tend to see Riders as something somewhat above royalty, but just below the status of godhood. After nearly eight centuries of such deferential treatment, it is easy to forget that you were once the son of a humble craftsman and have no real military training of your own. When someone comes along who makes you realize all of that, even if he doesn’t mean to do so, it can put you off until you can get used to the idea that you are a man, and that there may be others more suited to command than you.”

  “Enough,” barked Brock. Then to Derrick he said, “Chureny is right, though. Delno knows what he is doing. Also, even though Jhren has a delightful personality, and his sparkling conversation is always intriguing,” nearly everyone, including Jhren, laughed at that, “those are not the reasons we brought him along. He will help cover the un-bonded dragons while watching any enemy Riders to make sure they don’t use magic we can’t handle. The un-bonded dragons have become much more adept at shielding themselves, though they aren’t as strong magically as those bonded with us. Once that part of his job is under control, he will use his own magic to help as needed.” He paused and looked around, giving anyone who wished to add anything time to do so.

  Delno spoke up, “We have had eleven more un-bonded dragons join us in the last two days, which brings their total strength to over eighty. Three more Riders have arrived to augment our bonded forces, bringing our total there up to thirty-one. All in all, we will have a very large, impressive force in the air. Once the un-bonded dragons have done their work on the beast-men, our ground forces will move in and mop up any who remain, while our bonded pairs keep the enemy Riders from causing trouble for our army.”

  Delno waited to see if anyone wanted to add anything or clarify any points. When no one showed any such interest, he said. “We all know what we must do in the morning. I suggest that we retire from this meeting and enjoy what rest we are able to get. I fear that dawn will come long before we wish it to.”

  Those assembled moved to vacate the command tent. Derrick held back and motioned for Delno to do the same.

  After everyone else had left, Derrick said, “Chureny is right. I’ve never been a military man. My father was a simple leather worker. I was chosen as a candidate by Geneva’s mother. It was an accident that she even met me in the first place. Then, after I was trained, I spent my time here keeping the Roracks at bay. My strategy was pretty simple. Whenever I found a large group of them, I would shield Reena while she flamed them. They were usually too damn stupid to even take cover. It’s been hard having this command thrust upon us. I’ve been so afraid of losing men due to my own incompetence that I have probably held them back too much. I just don’t want to get them killed.”

  Delno looked at the older Rider for a moment and then said, “I understand. I feel the same way. However, I’ve been placed in command, and it’s not the first time. I led men in Corice against the Bournese for two years. I don’t like losing men either, but men die in war, and someone has to order them to fight.”

  “How do you get used to it?” Derrick asked.

  “You don’t,” Delno said. “Sometimes, when I lay down to sleep, I still see the faces of those men who died under my command in Corice, and that was a while ago. I’m sure that there will be more faces added to those rosters after this is all over.”

  The two men just looked at each other for several moments. Finally, Delno said kindly, “Go now, Derrick. Get some sleep if you can. Tomorrow we hold Warrick accountable for his actions.”

  Chapter 48

  Delno made a final address to the Riders who had placed themselves under his leadership, as well as the commanders of the other forces. “Since Warrick will be specifically watching for me,” Delno said, “I will remain out of sight until the battle is well under way. Even seven or eight thousand Roracks can’t stand long against eighty or more dragons flaming them. Remember, an un-bonded dragon may not be as strong magically as a bonded dragon and her Rider combined, but her flame is just as hot and burns just as long. Once we attack the beast-men, Warrick will send most, if not all, of his Riders to reinforce his ground troops in order to protect himself. Our Riders will engage them, but not in single combat. I have no intention of fighting on Warrick’s terms. We will hit them hard, and we will fight in coordinated groups. If you are in a group that has lost members and is no longer effective, then join another group. Don’t go after any enemy alone. We are not here for personal vengeance. We are here to end this war decisively. Once we have taken the advantage and totally enraged Warrick, I will show myself and lure him out, and then we will end this. Once Warrick is down and we have possession of the compelling stone, the rest will, hopefully, be nothing more than mop-up.”

  Everyone looked around at their fellows, but no one spoke.

  “Since there are no questions, and we all know our jobs, we had best be about it,” Delno raised his fist in a sign of victory.

  The Roracks were crowded onto a plain that was nearly a mile across. They surrounded a stone building that was situated on the only high ground on the field. Most were reclining, as if they had been asleep and were reluctant to wake up.

  The building was all that was left of a fort that had been part of the original outposts built on the edge of Rorack territory to try and contain them. The building was large enough to house three dragons. According to Marlo, the structure was occupied by Hella and two others. She also reported that, as near as she could tell, there were about twenty other dragons in the rocky hills on the north side of the plain. The men of Delno’s command were in position on the south side of the plain, waiting for the dragons to do their damage and withdraw before they would advance.

  Jhren and Delno had worked together and crafted an illusion that kept Delno hidden from view. That, and distance, would, he hoped, keep him out of the fray, but still allow him to see what was happening so he would have first-hand observations to use in making command decisions.

  The first wave of un-bonded dragons flew down and began flaming the beast-men. There were eighty-one dragons in the formation, and they all hit their targets at once. From Delno’s hidden vantage point, it looked as if a quarter of the plain suddenly erupted in flames. Many of the beast-men died before they could even get on their feet. The dragons rose as a unit, looking almost like some colossal beast rather than individuals. They circled around to make another run.

  Delno expected the dragons
hiding in the rocks on the hills beyond the plain to take flight and protect the field, but they stayed hidden while the un-bonded dragons made their second pass. He had no idea why the enemy Riders waited so long, but it wasn’t until the un-bonded dragons were pulling up from their third pass, and nearly half of the beast-men on the plain were dead, that they flew into view.

  Nineteen enemy dragons gained altitude as the un-bonded dragons began to circle around for a fourth pass. It was clear that they intended to intervene, but as they rose into the air, a sudden, hurricane-force wind hit them. Most of them dropped like stones as they retracted their wings to get beneath the dangerous crosswind, before opening their wings again and arresting their fall. Four were not so fortunate; they misjudged and were killed when they hit the sharp rocks on the slopes.

  “Jhren says he doesn’t know if he will be able to do that again without depleting himself, but that he got four with that wind he conjured,” Geneva relayed Jhren’s report.

  “Acknowledged,” he replied. “Tell the others that now is the time for our Riders to earn their keep. Attack the enemy Riders and protect our un-bonded comrades.”

  “Done, Love. What about us? Should we begin moving out of hiding yet?”