"They're called drakes," replied Hayley. "I've never seen one, but they do exist."
"And what are those, exactly," asked Abigail.
"They're related to dragons but without wings. They're said to be less intelligent, more like wild animals." She stared at the tracks before her. "I think you've got it, Abby. These tracks would be consistent with a drake."
"Glad I could help," the knight replied.
"Somehow," said Sir Barnsley, "I felt safer when I didn't know. Are you sure it's a drake?"
"Unless it's something else we don't know about, sure."
"So you're positive?" he asked.
"More or less," admitted Hayley.
"And how do we fight a drake?"
"I have no idea," said Hayley, "I've never had to fight one. We'll have to speak to Master Bloom, he's the expert in such things."
"How much further will we follow the trail?" asked Dame Abigail.
"This is as far as we go," stated Hayley. "We'll wait for the full expedition to be assembled. We don't want to encounter this thing by ourselves."
"What do we do now?" asked Sir Barnsley.
"We return to the hall and report our findings. We'll start pushing into the woods at first light tomorrow, the tracks are relatively easy to follow."
Anna and Gerald rode over to where Alric was astride his horse.
"Is everything ready?" asked Anna.
"I have my guards formed up and ready to go. What's the order of march?"
"Hayley and her escort will lead," offered Gerald, "followed by the Knights of the Hound and your men. Once the tracks get fresher, we'll spread out into a line."
"How do we kill this thing?" asked the prince.
"That's for Revi to explain," said Anna. "Here he comes now."
Revi Bloom rode beside his apprentice, Aubrey. "We're here," called out the mage. "I hope we didn't keep you waiting."
"What took you so long?" asked Gerald, slightly annoyed. "We've been waiting all morning."
"Never mind him, Master Bloom," said Anna, "we've only just arrived. What can you tell us about this creature?"
"If what Dame Hayley has told us is true, it appears likely to be a drake."
"Can we kill a drake?" asked Alric.
"Certainly, Your Highness, but it will be difficult."
"Care to elaborate?" asked Anna.
"I mean to say it will not be easy," countered the mage.
"Details?" pressed Gerald.
"Well, it's likely to be tough," replied Revi with a smirk.
"What he means to say," offered Lady Aubrey, "is that the skin of a drake is quite tough. Our weapons are likely to bounce off of it."
"Then how do we injure it," asked Gerald.
"It has a soft underbelly," explained Aubrey. "We'll have to get in what hits we can."
"Doesn't this thing walk on all fours?" asked Alric.
"Yes," agreed Revi, "making it all the more difficult."
"So you're saying what, exactly? We're supposed to have it roll over on its back so we can kill it?" the confused young price asked.
"However unlikely that is, yes, that would be the preferred method of doing it in," agreed Revi.
"Anything else we should know about, Master Mage?" asked Gerald. "Does it breathe fire, for example?"
"No," the mage replied, "though it will have very sharp claws. Its tail is likely not prehensile, so I doubt it will use it as a weapon."
"We disagree on that point," offered Aubrey.
"You're not exactly making me feel better about this expedition," complained Alric. "Is there any good news?"
"Look on the bright side of things," Revi offered. "Dame Hayley will have no problem following the trail!"
"What about magic?" asked Anna.
"Drakes are not known to use magic," offered the mage.
"Not known? How much about drakes do you truly know?" asked the princess.
"Very little, actually," confessed Aubrey. "It would be different if we were back in Wincaster with a library full of books, but we're going on memory alone here. We never expected to come across a drake in Weldwyn."
"Then we shall have to improvise," suggested Gerald.
"I don't like the sound of that," complained Alric.
"Gerald and Beverly are great at improvising," stated Anna. "Don't worry, Alric, things will turn out fine. Will your men stand against such a creature?"
Alric turned in the saddle to look at his guard. Their swords were scabbarded, but each carried a long spear and shield. "I believe they will, yes. They're loyal and brave, but all the same, I'd hate to lose any of them."
"Then we shall do our best to ensure that doesn't happen," said Anna, turning to Gerald. "Where's Beverly?"
"She's up front with Hayley, along with Arnim. Where's Tempus?"
"I had him stay behind with Sophie and Lady Nicole. He can be overly protective sometimes, and I don't want him getting killed by a drake."
"We will move out on your command, Highness," Gerald said, looking to Alric.
"Very well," he declared, "let's begin."
The host began moving forward, Hayley out in front. Her bow was strung, but she carried it parallel to the ground as she cast about for tracks. Beverly and Arnim stood nearby, their swords in hand, watching to either side, alert to any possible danger. The ranger cast her eyes about, waving the group forward a hundred paces or so and then signalled a stop while she once more looked over the ground in front of her.
The pace was leisurely, but all were on alert, for a creature such as this could spring upon them on a moment's notice. Anna rode at the back of the line, along with Alric and his men, while her knights followed the ranger's small group. Revi and Aubrey rode just between the knights and Alric's guard.
The morning seemed to drag on with the trek through the woods soon becoming monotonous. The woods were thick with underbrush, while the canopy of the leaves blocked the direct sunlight, lending an eerie gloom to the proceedings.
Beverly, astride her great warhorse, galloped down the line. "We are getting close, Highness," she reported. "Dame Hayley says we should ready our weapons. She suspects a lair will be about here somewhere."
"Is it likely to attack us from hiding?" asked Gerald.
"Hayley thinks it unlikely," replied the redheaded knight. "The creature attacks at night and appears to be nocturnal."
"So it may be sleeping?" asked Alric.
"Hayley suspects it will have a keen sense of smell," Beverly continued. "It'll likely smell us coming, or perhaps hear us. We should be ready to fight as soon as it's visible. It'll know the terrain in these parts, so under no circumstances should anyone run after it."
"Understood," replied Anna. "We'll heed the ranger's advice. Shall we begin to spread out?"
"Yes," agreed Beverly. "The soldiers should disperse to either side and try to keep some semblance of a line. They should be within arms reach of each other, it'll slow the pace, but if anyone sees anything, they must sing out. I'm going to send knights to either side of the line to cover the flanks."
Alric turned to Jack who barked out the commands to the troops. The line began to form while Beverly turned her mighty steed around, making her way back to the front of the column.
The troops took up their position and then began inching forward. The woods fell silent; everyone was holding their breath. Gerald could just make out Beverly on the left side of the line, anchoring the end. He glanced in the opposite direction to see Dame Levina holding her position with two other knights, but the foliage obstructed his view.
He caught sight of Hayley, moving down the line toward them.
"News?" he enquired.
"I think we've found the lair," she said. "It appears to be some old ruins of some sort."
"Ruins?" piped up Revi.
"Yes, overgrown stones, quite a lot of them, actually."
"What do you think, Aubrey?" the mage asked.
"That's likely the lair," she offered. "There are probably not very many cav
es in terrain like this."
"Agreed," said Revi. "The ruins will have some sort of cover, perhaps a partially built wall or floor that's still intact. Did you say it was made of stone?"
"Yes," confirmed Hayley, "though I don't recognize the style. It's like no stonework I've ever seen before."
"I should like to get a closer look," said Revi, "with Your Highness's permission?"
Anna nodded her approval, "All right, Master Bloom, but be careful. Hayley, take him down there."
"Yes, Highness," replied the ranger. "You'll have to leave your horse here, Master Bloom."
Gerald began to dismount.
"What do you think you're doing?" asked Anna.
"Going with them, Highness. Someone has to look after the healer."
"Good point," she agreed. "Gerald, be careful."
"I shall," he promised.
"I suppose," said Aubrey, "that means I have to stay here?"
"Precisely," said Anna. "You're a healer as well, we can't go risking the both of you."
"And I'm perfectly fine with that decision," Aubrey replied. "I'll happily let the others do all the work today."
"Come along then, Commander," said Hayley, "we have ruins to look at."
They advanced down the line until they were back out front. It was, to Gerald's eyes, a comical sight, for as he and Hayley crept forward, Revi insisted on hiking up his robes to free up his movement.
"You know," commented Hayley, "you don't have to wear robes all the time, Master Mage."
"I like the freedom it gives me," responded the mage, "and stop calling me Master Mage, you make me sound like an old man."
"But you are a Master Mage," she argued.
"Yes, but I'm not old like Gerald, here."
"Let's get on with this," interrupted Gerald, "and stop calling me old. Where are the stones, Hayley?"
"Just up there, you can see the first one on the right, covered in moss."
Gerald glanced ahead, spying his target. It was a large stone, easily two feet in height and equally as thick. There was something about it that didn't look right, but he was at a loss to recognize what it was. They moved forward until they could touch it.
"It's massive," commented Gerald. "How on earth would they get it here?"
"Magic," offered Revi. "They likely brought smaller stones and then merged them."
"You can do that with magic?" asked Hayley.
"I can't, but Earth Mages are known to be able to manipulate stone. It's said the Dwarven mages of the east build their city walls out of a single piece of stone."
"How would they do that?" asked Gerald.
"They would merge smaller stones together, much like melding two pieces of clay. Of course, it would take years for a wall of that size, but then Dwarves live a very long time compared to us."
"So why is the top of this stone so uneven?" asked Hayley.
"It's been blasted off, likely by magic," answered the mage.
"What kind of magic would do that?" asked Gerald. "Are we in danger?"
"Only from the drake. This likely happened hundreds of years ago, the rough stone surface has been smoothed a little with time and then overgrown with moss. I think it's safe to say whatever did this is long since gone."
"I can see another stone up ahead," pointed Gerald.
"Yes, there are all kinds around if you look carefully," added Hayley.
"It looks like a structure of some sort, though it's hard to say how big it was," offered Revi. "Let's move closer to get a better look."
"All right," agreed the ranger, "but remember, there's still a drake that hasn't been accounted for."
Further forward they ventured, and soon there were stones all around them. Out of nowhere came a rumbling, and they all crouched, expectantly.
"It sounds like it's coming from below us," said Hayley.
"It likely is," confirmed the mage. "Look!" He scuffed some dirt to reveal a stone beneath them. "It appears we are on a floor of some type. This whole area is just overgrown."
"I suggest we move back to safety," declared Hayley. "Whatever is below us could burst through at any time."
"Nonsense," argued the mage. "We have made a discovery of monumental importance!"
"What makes you say that?" asked Gerald.
"I believe we've found the ruins of a Saurian Temple," he declared.
"Seriously?" asked Gerald. "For Saxnor's sake, why would there be one here?"
"We're on the confluence of two Ley Lines," said Revi.
"What does that mean?" asked Hayley.
"For years mages have known about the Ley Lines; vertical lines that run roughly north and south. I have formed an opinion that there are also cross-cutting lines of force, roughly east-west if you like. The intersection of these lines unleashes all sorts of possibilities."
"Like what?" challenged Gerald. "Are we to have genies popping up in front of us?"
"No, but a mage could tap into this and unleash powerful magic," warned the mage.
Gerald glanced about the ruins, "Do think that's what happened here? That some powerful magic was unleashed?"
"Perhaps," said Revi, "but I sense something darker. Great magic was used here, that much is clear, it lingers even to this day."
"You can sense that?" asked Hayley.
"No, not really, but look all around you. What could possibly account for all this mayhem? Something powerful definitely finished this place off. Those stones have been blasted by something."
"Shall we retire?" asked Gerald, sensing another rumbling.
"What's that?" snapped Revi, turning to his right. He was looking at something through the undergrowth and moved quickly, crossing a small clearing.
Gerald cursed and ran after him, "Saxnor's balls, Revi, we're in danger here. You're putting all of us at risk."
The mage was examining a stone, scraping the plants away from it. "There's some writing here it-"
His voice was cut off by a scraping sound when the stone beneath him gave way, swallowing him up in the darkness.
"Revi!" called out Gerald, skidding to a stop.
"It's all right," a voice called from below. "I've fallen into some sort of chamber. I'm just going to conjure some light."
Gerald heard the mage muttering below as Hayley came up beside him.
"What happened?" she asked.
"Our blessed mage seems to have found a loose stone and decided to fall in."
"That's one way to get to the Underworld," she quipped.
"He's fine, he's casting a spell."
A moment later a bright light appeared below and then suddenly winked out of existence.
"What happened," called out Gerald.
"I cancelled the spell," spoke Revi in a hushed voice. "There's something down here. Something big."
"We need to get you out," called out Gerald. "Can you see the opening?"
"Yes," replied the mage, "but I can't get to it."
"Are you injured?" called out Hayley.
"Of course not," replied the indignant mage, "and even if I was, I'm a Life Mage, I'd simply heal myself."
Gerald looked to the ranger, "I knew this was going to be a bad idea."
"We need rope," said Hayley.
"We're going to need a lot more than rope," he replied.
"What do you mean?" she said.
"If we try getting him out, it'll attract the attention of the creature."
"So what do we do?" she asked.
"We get the others ready to fight. There has to be another entrance to that underground chamber. The drake had to get down there somehow."
"I'll start looking," she decided.
"No, get the others up here first. We'll have to draw it out and keep it busy while we pull out the mage."
"Are all mages like this?" she queried.
"For Saxnor's sake, I hope not," he exclaimed.
Thirty
Trapped
Spring 961 MC
"I thought Life Mages were supposed
to heal us, not lead us into danger," quipped Arnim.
"So did I," remarked Beverly, "but it seems we have little choice. We can't just leave him here."
"Can't we?" Arnim replied. "It would make life so much easier."
"Has Hayley found anything?" interrupted Anna.
"Yes, Highness, some distance up ahead there's a larger collapsed floor panel. It appears to open into a lower chamber of some sort."
"Do we go in after it?" asked Arnim.
"That would be suicidal," answered Beverly. "We need to draw it out in the open where we can take advantage of our superior numbers."
"We'll form a line back from the entrance," offered Alric. "The men will present spears, but we'll need to flush it out."
"I can do that," offered Beverly.
"Not alone, you won't," warned Gerald. "If it's as large as Hayley says, you'll need help."
"I'll go," offered Jack. "I can't sit back and be outshone by Dame Beverly."
"This is no laughing matter, Jack," warned Gerald.
"I never said it was," he turned to Alric. "What say you, Highness?"
"I agree with Jack," the prince returned.
"Then it's settled," said Beverly, "Gerald, Jack and I will enter the chamber. All we have to do is get its attention and then run out again."
"How fast does this thing move?" asked Jack.
Gerald shrugged his shoulders, so they all turned to Hayley.
"I have no idea," stated the ranger. "I'm sure Revi would know, though. Shall we go and ask him?"
"No," objected Alric, "we need to get moving quickly."
"All right, then," said Anna. "Take up your stations. We'll signal when everyone's in position, then you move. Aubrey and Arnim will stand by to lower a rope and lift Revi out."
"Shouldn't we do that first?" asked Jack.
"They need light to see what they're working with, but a light would attract the attention of the beast."
"Fair enough," said the cavalier. "Let us prepare to meet death."
Alric's guard formed a line in front of the opening, setting their spears as if to repel cavalry. Gerald, Beverly and Jack stood to the side, ready to make their way forward once signalled.
Jack looked at Beverly, and their eyes met for an instant. "If we're going to die today," he said in all earnestness, "then I think you should at least kiss me."
Heart of the Crown Page 31