Omensent: Princess Of Dragons (Book 5)

by Barry Gibbons

  "Who is this Hetta?" Damion inquired. "Is she truly a witch?"

  "Hetta is one of the oldest elves on our beloved island." Delilah explained, a faint look of disapproval on her face. "She's over nine hundred years old, and claims that she speaks with the spirits of our ancestors. She says that she has the ability to see the future."

  "Can she?" Damarius looked intrigued.

  "It's hard to say. Many elves say that she knows details about their lives that no one else could possibly know, while others say that she is nothing but a fraud. She has quite a reputation among our people, at any rate. As for her being a witch, I cannot say. I do know that she is neither follower of Petra, nor Hetris."

  "I guess it's as good a place to start as any." Shirk grumbled. "How far is it to Willowdale?"

  "About three days ride to the northeast." Queen Serena told him. "I'll have an honor guard assembled to escort you."

  "Thank you, your majesty," Damion started with a shake of his head. "but I'd rather we handle this without an escort. We'll draw enough attention on our own without a dozen soldiers following us everywhere we go."

  "But what if the followers of Hetris attempt to attack you again?" The queen asked in concern.

  "Let's hope they try." Damarius said with a wry smile. "If they attempt to attack us again, we'll take a couple of them alive, and force them to reveal where this Yrinn is hiding. The sooner we find him, the sooner we can put an end to all of the attacks."

  "I truly hope that is over soon." Delilah agreed. "The Spring Dawning is less than a week away. It's the most important ritual of the year for Petra's faithful."

  "The Spring Dawning?" Raven asked curiously. "What is that?"

  "It's a festival." Queen Serena smiled, her eyes twinkling with excitement. "It's meant to celebrate the renewal of spring, our goddess's favorite season. Elves from all over the island converge on Celestia for a celebration that lasts for an entire week. It's quite the spectacle."

  "I fear this year's festival may have to be canceled." Jenen said regretfully. "The danger that the blood elves pose to Petra's faithful may force us to call off the festival."

  "Nonsense." The elven queen scoffed. "We will not allow Hetris and His followers to keep us from honoring our beloved goddess. The very thought is unbearable!" She shook her head firmly. "I will not insult Petra by canceling the festival. The Spring Dawning will take place as it has every year."

  "As you wish, your majesty." The old elf agreed with a sigh. "I just thought that with it being such an important occasion, Hetris and His followers would surely attempt an attack."

  "We will not cower in fear from the blood elves." Queen Serena declared in a ringing tone. "The celebration is for the people as much as it is for Petra, and they need a distraction to help take their attentions away from their fears. We will just have to hope that the Dragon Lord is able to root out Yrinn and the blood elves before the festival. If not, we will just do our best to keep everyone safe while we honor our goddess."

  "Don't worry, your majesty," Damion assured the beautiful elven woman earnestly. "We'll track down this Yrinn, along with his followers, and bring them all to justice. We will not leave until he has been brought before you to answer for his crimes."

  "Do not take Yrinn lightly." Jenen warned in a serious tone. "He is a fearsome warrior, a clever tactician, and an absolute savage with a long sword. He killed six of our most skilled warriors when we attempted to take him into custody for planning to usurp the throne."

  "Are attacks against the crown common here?" Raven asked the queen.

  "They were virtually unheard of before Yrinn's treachery." The queen murmured with a troubled expression. "I've often wondered if there is something about me that made him attempt to overthrow me. A weakness, or flaw in my character which made him believe that I was unfit to lead our people. I have attempted to be a kind and just ruler who always tries to think of the people's well being, but perhaps I haven't been as good of a leader as I thought."

  "That is nonsense." Jenen assured her gently. "Do not let Yrinn's treacheries cause you to doubt your own judgment. He is to blame for what has befallen our people, not you, your majesty."

  Queen Serena looked reassured by the old elf's words, but didn't reply.

  "Since you do not wish an escort, and do not know these lands, might I suggest that you ask Etha Brody to accompany you to Willowdale?" Delilah asked Damion in a prudent tone. "He knows this island and its people better than most, and should be able to lead you where ever you may need to go."

  "That's not a bad idea." Damion agreed. "We know that we can trust Brody."

  "Where is Etha Brody anyway?" Dar asked suddenly. "He hasn't returned since he went off to have the servants prepare quarters for Damion and the others."

  One of the elves that had been standing guard outside suddenly hurried into the throne room with a grim expression. "There has been another attack, your majesty!" He reported to the queen breathlessly. "A pair of elves appeared out of nowhere and murdered a member of the House of Ash, then fled the city." He looked to Delilah. "It happened in courtyard right in front of our divine Petra's temple! The savages spilled blood upon holy ground!"

  "This is horrible!" Delilah cried, her eyes filling with tears. "They dared to desecrate divine Petra's temple by murdering one of Her faithful in Her presence! How could they do such a thing?"

  "Was anyone able to identify the murderers before they fled?" Queen Serena asked, her face pale with anger and sadness.

  "I'm afraid not, your majesty." The elf shook his head. "They were wearing hooded cloaks and had red cloths across their faces, concealing their features."

  "That sounds familiar." Damarius noted. "Those two blood elves that snuck aboard Captain Harper's ship used red cloths to conceal their ears so no one would realize that they were elves."

  "Has Etha Brody been informed yet?" Dar asked, his expression troubled.

  "He is speaking with the witnesses at the temple as we speak." The elf informed him. "This has caused quite an uproar among the townspeople, and he's trying to keep everyone calm."

  "We should go and see what he has been able to discover." Damion stated, rising to his feet. "He may have learned something that can be useful to our search." He looked to Dar. "Would you care to join us?"

  "I think that I should remain behind with Serena." Dar decided after a moment's thought. "The blood elves are still running around loose somewhere, and I don't want her left defenseless."

  "That's not necessary." The elven queen told the childlike sprite. "I am perfectly safe as long as I remain here under guard."

  "Be that as it may, I'd still feel safer if you had a bit more protection." Dar insisted stubbornly. "We don't want to take any unnecessary chances."

  "You have a point," Damion agreed with Dar. "Why don't we have Damarius remain behind as well. He should be able to handle anything that may arise."

  "It wouldn't hurt to have a sorcerer around to help protect the queen." The red haired boy agreed. "Blood elves are masters of deception, and an extra set of eyes may catch something that the rest of us miss."

  "Excellent!" Damarius exclaimed happily. "It shall give me the chance to learn more about the elves and their society from the queen."

  "Let's get moving then." Damion said, gesturing for the others to follow. "If we're lucky, Brody may have discovered something useful."

  "I'll lead you to the temple." Delilah murmured as she rose to her feet, her expression still grief stricken. "I need to commune with Petra, and seek Her guidance in this matter."

  They quickly followed the elven priestess down the stairs and out into the courtyard, which still had a number of curious onlookers lingering about in the hopes of catching a glimpse of Damion and the others.

  "The temple is to the east, facing the sunrise." Delilah informed them, shooing a number of the onlookers out of her way and hurrying down one of the broad avenues. "Our divine lady has always loved the sight of the first rays of sunlight as t
hey spill over the distant horizon, so we constructed Her temple so that it had an unobstructed view of the sunrise." Her expression clouded for a moment. "It was a colossal undertaking. It took our stonemasons nearly twenty years to clear away a huge granite outcropping which blocked the view of the horizon, but, in the end, it was worth it. Petra was overjoyed when it was finally complete."

  They passed more elves as they hurried through the streets, many of whom stared in open amazement as they realized that there were humans on their island. Others dropped what they were doing to follow along at a distance with suspicious expressions. Some few cheered as they spotted Damion towering among the group, and waved to the massive warrior with happy smiles as he passed by. He returned their waves and smiles, hoping to put the others a bit more at ease, but many merely frowned at his display of friendliness.

  "That's the temple just ahead." The elven priestess pointed to an enormous roofed pavilion which housed a massive statue of a woman dressed in golden robes surrounded by a variety of trees and wildlife.

  Shirk let out a low whistle. "That's an impressive statue. It must have taken a team of sculptors years to carve."

  "There was only one sculptor," Delilah told him absently, hurrying towards a crowd that had gathered near the feet of the statue. "and it took him over a century to complete."

  They quickly reached the gathered crowd, where they found Brody gently consoling an elderly elven woman who was crying over a body that had been covered with a long cloak.

  "What can you tell us?" Damion asked, taking Brody aside so as not to intrude on the grieving widow.

  "Not much, really." Brody sighed sadly. "He had visited the altar to leave an offering when a pair of elves attacked him with daggers. They cut him down, and then fled to the east. Our trackers lost their trail at the edge of Pine Lake."

  "Why would they do this?" The elven woman suddenly sobbed in grief. "My Awin never harmed anyone! He was a good and honorable elf! Why would they do this?" She began sobbing even harder.

  "Awin was a good elf," Delilah agreed softly, kneeling down and taking the widow into her arms. "He was kind, and gentle, and he loved all of his brothers and sisters, as Petra teaches we should. Find solace in the knowledge that he is with our divine lady now, for he now surely sits at Her side, basking in Her loving embrace."

  The old elven woman clung to her for a long moment, then looked up at Damion, who was watching with a sad expression. "A-Are you here to stop the blood elves?"

  "I'm going to try." Damion nodded, his voice sympathetic.

  The elven woman's eyes grew hard and her expression angry. "If you find the elves who did this to my Awin, you must promise to kill them! Do not allow them to get away with this! Avenge my husband, and send those blood traitors into the arms of their foul god!"

  "You have my word." The huge warrior promised with a firm nod.

  "And make certain that you do it slowly!" The elven woman added with a snarl of rage. "I want them to scream before they die! They do not deserve the mercy of a quick death!" With that, she collapsed back across her husband's corpse with a wail of pain.

  "We have to bring an end to these killings," Brody said in frustration, leaving the elven woman in the care of Delilah as he led them away from the growing crowd. "but it appears that they're targeting elves at random now. There no way of knowing who their next victim will be. It doesn't make any sense!"

  "It makes perfect sense." Damion told him knowingly. "What better way to paralyze an enemy than to spread fear among their people, and sow the seeds of discord and mistrust."

  The sudden rustle of feathers drew their attention Snowfeather, who dropped from the sky and settled lightly on Damion's shoulder.

  "Where have you been?" The huge warrior asked absently, his mind still preoccupied with the attack.

  "I was resting in a nearby tree and heard a commotion." Snowfeather chirped, rearranging several feathers that had been dislodged by an errant breeze. "When I flew over to investigate, I spotted a pair of hooded ruffians attacking that poor elf there. They fled when others came to investigate the dying elf's cries, so I decided to follow them."

  "Where did they go?" Damion asked eagerly. "The elves that were tracking them lost their trail near the edge of a lake."

  "That's because they hopped into a waiting rowboat and made their way across the lake to a small cottage." The snow owl informed him knowingly. "If you hurry, you may be able to catch up to them before they move on."

  "Snowfeather followed the attackers to their hideout on the other side of the lake." Damion quickly informed everyone. "They are holed up inside of a small cottage."

  "What did these elves like?" Brody asked intently. "Were any of them older, with long silver hair?"

  "I never saw their faces." Snowfeather hooted. "They were wearing long hooded robes that concealed their features."

  Damion quickly relayed this to the others.

  "One of them could be Yrinn." Brody speculated, his eyes narrowed in suspicion. "This lake house may be where he and his blood elves have been hiding out."

  "Snowfeather says that they were still inside the cottage when he left to find us. If we hurry, we may get lucky and catch them before they manage to disappear."

  "We'll have to be quick." The elven ambassador told them, leading the way back towards the Royal Tower. "The lake is only a few miles from the city, but it'll take a while to make our way around to the opposite shore. There aren't any boats on the lake large enough to carry our horses."

  They made their way back through the city until they reached the local livery, and quickly gathered their horses.

  "Let's move." Damion told the others, leaping up onto Storm's broad back effortlessly. "We don't want them to slip away before we get there." He glanced at Snowfeather, who was still perched on his shoulder. "Head back to the cottage where you last saw the elves, and make sure that our quarry doesn't depart before we arrive. We'll meet you there as soon as we can."

  "Don't take too long." The huge owl hooted, launching himself into the air and setting off towards the east.

  Brody led the way out of the city following a wide cobblestone road which led to the east. After less than half an hour's ride, the road met up with another cobblestone road, this one running north and south.

  "Which way should we take?" Raven asked, peering back and forth undecidedly.

  "South." Brody told them confidently. "It's the shortest route around the lake."

  They nudged their horses into a brisk canter, and quickly made their way around to the far side of the lake.

  Brody reined in his horse when they reached the first cottage, which was nestled snugly in the center of a grove of pine trees. "How are we supposed to know which cottage the blood elves are hiding in?"

  "It's the one that Snowfeather is circling over." Damion told him, pointing to the huge owl, who was circling over a distant cottage.

  "Are they still inside?" Raven asked, looking to her husband expectantly.

  "Let me check." The huge warrior turned to look at the distant owl, his eyes narrowed in concentration. "Are they still inside?"

  "I think so. No one has left since I returned, and there has been movement inside."

  Damion relayed this to the others, then they quickly made their way towards the distant cottage.

  "What's the plan?" Shirk asked as he drew one of the heavy broadswords that he had strapped across his back.

  "I figured that I would just take the direct approach." Damion shrugged. "I'll go inside, and find out if the blood elves and their leader are still there, while you, Raven, and Brody make sure that none of them try to escape."

  "Make sure that you take Yrinn alive." Brody reminded him. "I'm sure that the queen would like to have a few words with him before he pays for his crimes."

  "I'll see what I can do." Damion slipped down from his saddle and calmly strolled up to the door of the cottage. "Knock, knock." He called in a loud voice an instant before he lashed out with a powerf
ul kick that reduced the wooden door to splinters.

  "Not very subtle, is he?" Brody noted with wide eyes.

  "Damion has never been one to use the subtle approach," Raven told him with a smile. "but he still always manages to get the job done."

  Damion calmly stepped over the wreckage of the wooden door, and entered the cottage, where found a pair of surprised looking elves wearing hooded cloaks staring at him in incomprehension. "Hello, gentlemen." He growled in a menacing voice. "We've been looking for you two." He looked around. "Where is Yrinn?"

  "H-He's not h-here." One of the elves stammered, staring at Damion with a fearful expression. "He..."

  "Shut your mouth!" The other elf hissed angrily, producing a dagger that was still stained with the blood of the elf that they had murdered in the temple plaza.

  To Damion's surprise, instead of attacking him, the elf turned and seized a handful of his companion's hair, then sliced his throat with a single swipe. Blood sprayed from the wound in a great fountain, then the mortally wounded elf shuddered and collapsed to the floor.

  "No you don't!" Damion snarled, leaping forward and seizing the surviving elf's wrist as he attempted to put the blade to his own throat. He gave a powerful wrench, breaking the elf's arm with an audible snap, causing the dagger to fall to the clattering to floor.

  The elf screamed in agony, his eyes wide with shock, then he fell to his knees cradling his broken arm.

  "Where is Yrinn?" Damion repeated harshly.

  "I will tell you nothing, outsider!" The elf spat, still grimacing in pain.

  "Oh, you'll talk." The huge warrior grabbed the elf by the scruff of his neck, and then dragged him outside. "Yrinn isn't here." He reported to the others, tossing the elf to the ground at their feet. "but we should be able to get a few answers out of this one."

  "I will tell you nothing!" The elf snarled again, still cradling his broken arm.

  "Adrin?" Brody stared at the injured elf in disbelief. "No! It-It can't be!"