“Yes, master Zealous.”
“Where are we?” Rika asked, standing at the top of one of many gently rolling hills. We all looked around to try to get a bearing on where in Neverwind we might be, but the terrain we unfamiliar to most of us. But it looked familiar to me.
“It appears to be in the hilly areas north of Farrador. I grew up there, and I remember some of the outlying lands looking similar to this.”
“That would make sense, considering we entered the portal west of where we went into Devigon, logic would say that we would be west in Neverwind from where we left this world.”
“What’s that smell?” Nyssa asked.
I sniffed the air, and there was a distinct smell of smoke. But it wasn’t only a wood smoke, it was the smoke of burned rubbish, and things best not burned. The smell of a funeral pyre. Burning bodies.
The smoky haze laid cloudlike over the horizon. It seemed to be coming from the north and west.
“If the little man is right,” the wizard quipped, “then what we are smelling is that of Bane burning. And that tells us one thing…”
“The sorcerer and his dragon are on the move.”
“Correct, Wellington.”
“We may be too late.”
“Maybe too late for Bane, but I bet he won’t stop there. If he took Bane, then he probably already took Angkrage. Which means he will be on the move to take Farrador. We must go to Farrador.”
“Gnath and I promised we would deliver Lady Rika to Edenkeep, and we will do exactly that. Our time to part ways has come.”
“No,” Rika protested. “I will go with the wizard to Farrador. You are welcome to join us, but I wish to see this through.”
“Not to pick nits, but you promised us a thousand d’nars to get you to Edenkeep…”
“You will get your pay. But I think this more important, don’t you think?”
“I’m beginning to think we’ve been had.”
“Go Farrador,” Gnath blurted. “Go Farrador.”
“Well, my big friend says we go to Farrador, so we go to Farrador.”
Rika walked over to Gnath and took his arm. “I knew I could count on you.”
“Good grief.”
I swear Gnath stood up straighter, pumped out his chest a bit, and began walking south like he was lord of the land. And we all followed along. I was happy for the big guy, but concerned. He was like a big kid. And I could tell his crush for Rika was hitting him hard.
“Look!” the wizard exclaimed, pointing to the west. “Above the hills and the tree line.”
We all stopped to look, and there it was, right where the wizard was pointing, was the unmistakable silhouette of a flying dragon, doing circles in the sky. And then, as though it had found something it had been looking for, dropped below the tree line and did not come back up.”
“That’s a bit scary,” I said.
“Well, now we know for sure. There is a dragon.”
“Do we go after it?”
“I think our best move is to go to Farrador as we planned. We can warn the city of the impending attack, and maybe get a plan together to take the dragon out and do away with the Sorcerer as well.”
“You make it sound easy.”
“Oh, I guarantee you it will not be easy.”
“Good, because I was getting awfully tired of things going too easy for us. Can you really kill the dragon?”
“I will do my best. But first things first, we must get to Farrador in time, or we might as well dig a hole and hide in it.”
“Holes don’t sound all that bad, honestly…”
“You are welcome to stay behind if you like.”
“And do what? I’ll stick this out and see what happens.”
“That’s the spirit.”
As the sun set in the west, the sky was ablaze with color. Bright oranges and reds and purples arched in the sky around the setting sun. To the north, another glow began to appear, and as the sun slid completely from sight, the second glow created its own cascade of colors across the sky.
“Bane,” the wizard said. “They’ve torched it. And I’m certain they won’t stop there.”
“How many days by ship is it to Farrador from Bane?” I asked.
“Two days, I think. It might take us that long to get there ourselves. We will rest here and get an early start. We have had a long day, and we will need our strength in the coming days.”
“Hungry,” my large friend announced.
“You are right,” Arick said. “We’re all hungry and I’m going to do something about it.”
With a wave of his hand and a few short incantations, several piles of fruit on the ground before us; grapes, apples; pears, oranges, and several other exotic varieties I had no name for.
“That should get us by for the evening.”
“Meat on a stick?”
“Sorry, my big friend. You will have to make that yourself. I am no chef.”
Gnath looked a bit sad but sat down on the ground next to a medium pile of fruit. He grabbed an orange from the offering and took a bite out of it, peelings and all, and chewed it up slowly. In two more bites, he finished the orange and went on to savor an apple. The rest of us joined him and began to gorge ourselves on the sweet and tangy fruits. Before long we had eaten our fill and were settling in for a night’s rest. Rika found her place nestled inside Gnath’s bear hug, probably the safest place within the hills outside of Farrador.
Chapter 26
Word of the attack on Bane came by way of caravans of fleeing refugees. Many badly burned, some carrying stretchers of dead or dying loved ones, all were hoping for protection and compassion from the people of Farrador. Though Farrador was not known to be the most charitable of cities, they weren’t known for being heartless either. When death comes from the sky, any place is better than staying in a burning city being overrun by an army of murdering barbarians, and when the Farradorans learned of what had happened, uniting with the refugees seemed like the right thing to do.
Gnath and I, and the rest of our band of misfits joined the caravan heading to Farrador in the early morning hours. few had awakened to the sound of sobs and moans of the injured. Arick went about casting minor healing spells on those that could use it but held back in casting any big spells, those that could have healed the worst of injuries, because he needed to preserve his magic energy, or some such thing. Magic was never something I understood, so when he starts explaining things, he might as well be speaking Kakarian. To explain it by saying it’s magic is enough for me.
“It would drain me for days if I set about healing every injured person in the caravan of refugees. I need to save my energy for when the real battle begins.”
“Do you think you can take this dragon as easily as the one you killed two-hundred years ago?”
“Easy? Who said it was easy?”
“I didn’t mean—”
“It damn near killed me. It drained me of every ounce of magic I had; I was unconscious for several years. Easy? You try it.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize.”
“That part of the legend never gets told. So, do I think I can kill the dragon? It might cost me my life, but I have to try. Any other questions?”
I didn’t answer. I detected a hint of fear in the wizard’s voice; a level of apprehension I hadn’t heard from him before. I honestly had never thought that slaying a dragon would be easy, but I also had no idea that the act of killing the dragon could, in turn, kill him.
“Don’t worry. When the time comes, I will give everything I have to defeat this beast. But you and your friends better be ready to finish it off if I fail. And don’t take time to tend to me, there will be nothing you can do for me.”
The seafaring town of Farrador did not consider itself a threat to anyone, but when word started filtering in of an attack on Angkrage and Bane, the king of Farrador, Lord Baminex put the word out that he would not take an attack sitting down. An army was beginning to assemble in columns al
ong the road outside the city. A formidable army by any definition, the Farradoran Legion, under any normal battle situation could hold its own against the best. But this was no normal circumstance they had found themselves in. The history of their city being burned to the ground, its population being destroyed by Dragonroth two centuries earlier reminded them that they were outnumbered, one to twelve hundred.
News of the Wizard of Whitshire spread through the caravan, and then to the town before anyone even asked who he was. Someone must have heard us talking. I looked at Arick, ignoring the whispers circulating about.
We filed into the city past the outer walls, manned by archers and warriors spaced only feet apart. They watched us as we passed below, but they seemed to zero in on the wizard, some pointing and nudging the man next to him. It was becoming uncomfortable for me, I’m sure Arick was feeling it far worse.
We weren’t very far into the city when the crowds of people ahead of us began to part, and before us stood a man who appeared as royalty, complete with a velvet cape and gold crown, with two fighters in polished dress armor standing on either side of him.
“Halt and bow before his royal majesty, King Baminex, Lord of Farrador,” one of the polished knights demanded, though which one was unclear as their faces were covered by their visors.
We stopped as ordered and offered a simple bow of respect. The king looked at Arick first, then he looked us all up and down, finishing with Gnath. He cocked an eyebrow when he met eyes with my huge friend, but then went back to look at the wizard.
“So, you are the Wizard of Whitshire?”
“So, you are the King of Farrador?”
The king was taken aback for a moment, then laughed. “Yes, I am King Baminex. Am I correct that you are the one that can take down the dragon?”
“You are correct that I did so two hundred years ago. To say I can do it again at this age remains to be seen, but I am here to give it my best.”
“Then it seems you are our best hope at stopping the monster here, at Farrador. You will become legend once again.”
“We will see…”
“The Edenkeep fleet is but a day away. If they hold true to their previous strategy, we believe the dragon will not attack until their ships are in our harbor and bombarding us. Will you help us with a plan of attack?”
“I would be honored. Could I ask that you arm and equip my friends here? We have been stripped of all but a few weapons in our travels. If your armorer could help us out, it would be greatly appreciated.”
“Hungry.”
“Gnath…!”
“Of course. You must be hungry from your travels. Come, join us for a meal and we will talk strategy.”
“Meat on a stick?”
“Ah, the ogre likes meat on a stick. My favorite too. Come.”
Gnath ignored the ogre reference at the promise of nourishment. It’s good to know he can show restraint when necessary.
With bellies full, the wizard, Nyssa and I sat down to talk strategy with the King. Gnath and Rika stayed at the table to pick at the bones and share the last few skewers of meat.
Though the King’s Navy had barely one-hundred ships of war, most merely frigates compared to the Edenkeep ships-of-the-line, they were fast and maneuverable. The king knew that if he could have them out of port, and attack when the aggressors least expected it, he might have a chance at holding off their attack. The order was given to prepare the ships for battle, and to sail the following morning.
Still, his optimism was overshadowed by his knowledge that his fleet was outnumbered ten to one, and then there was the dragon. How do you combat a damn dragon? If the wizard did not come through, all hope, fleet or no fleet, will be lost.
Captain Alibaster, commanding officer of the frigate Silent Reign, lead ship of the Farrador Navy, looked to the northern horizon as the sun was rising in the east. A thick plume of smoke still rose into the sky in the direction of Bane.
“Bos’n Cornwallace, bring us west around the southern coast of Pelcastle Skerry. We will swing north around the west side the island and attack the Edenkeep fleet from behind while they focus on attacking Farrador.”
“But Captain, the seas are excessively rough on the west side of Pelcastle Skerry. We could lose some ships if we are not careful.”
“Bos’n, we will lose all of our ships if we are not brave enough to do what needs to be done. Send the word and start the fleet westward!”
“Aye, Captain.”
Ahead, the captain could see a storm was building. He wondered to himself if he was making a fatal mistake with the small, but loyal Farradoran fleet.
Chapter 27
Captain Mancovoni of the Edenkeep vessel Maiden Quest looked out at the horizon as the fleet of warships traveled south around the Cape of Prosperity. Pelcastle Skerry, though not in view, was to their south. Because of its geography, the island made a natural breakwall for the port of Farrador. Ships east of Pelcastle Skerry could travel safely in calm waters, while those outside of the break would have to fight the eastern currents and waves that could make sea travel treacherous.
The trip around the Cape of Prosperity, though not nearly as bad as the trip around the Cape of Faith to the north, was still an uneasy ride, and many sailors found themselves tied to the side of the ship as to not be washed overboard as they vomited into the raging sea.
Aft, in the captain’s cabin, the sorcerer Zaleus and Captain Mancovoni shared a meal of freshly cut steaks and wine, as well as potatoes and greens. The captain didn’t always eat this way at sea, but with the sorcerer onboard, he felt he should keep him as comfortable as possible.
The cabin was adorned with many nautical items, many from the ancient days of sailing. Some of the artifacts included models of the very ship they were riding on, and such things as old sextants, paintings of naval battles, and bottles with unread messages in them. The woodwork was highly varnished, the brass highly polished, and the paint highly… red.
“My compliments to your mess crank, Captain,” the sorcerer said, taking note of the amount of surface area painted red within the cabin. Did they not have any other color they could have picked?
“Thank you. I will pass on your compliment to our mess cranks.”
“Do you think we will be within attack range of Farrador by morning, Captain?”
“We have been fighting a headwind ever since we rounded the cape. The winds are coming from the southeast, which right now is working against us. We will not be able to tack effectively until we start heading east. At this rate, we might not be in range of Farrador until tomorrow evening.”
“Wind? That is what is holding us back? Why didn’t you say something sooner, Captain? After our fine meal, I will see that the winds cooperate with us, and we will be there by morning.”
“You can do that?”
The sorcerer sat back in his chair, placed his eating utensils on his plate and let out a long sigh. He looked at the captain with contempt.
“Do you not know what a sorcerer is?”
“I’m sorry, Master Zaleus. I wasn’t thinking.”
“I hope you’re not losing your wits. We have many more battles to fight. I can’t have you failing me now.”
“I am fine, sir. It won’t happen again.”
“Good. Now let us finish eating and see if I can brew up some wind for us.”
Gnath sat alone in the stables outside the main barracks where the others were invited to sleep for the night. Inside, they had no bed large enough for a being his size, which was not unusual. He was used to sleeping in stables or barns. It was better than the bilge of the Vermillion, the ship he was slaved on, and still ported right here in this very city.
Gnath took joy in admiring the large, two-handed sword presented him by the king. It’s jeweled hilt and tightly wound, leather handle, in concert with the highly polished steel alloy blade was the nicest item the big man had ever owned. The scabbard was equally as ornate, and Gnath vowed to wear it proudly at his waist.
But still, he felt alone. Until the wizard walked in.
“Gnath, how are you tonight?”
“Tired.”
“Tired, I bet. That’s a nice sword the king gave you. May I see it?”
Gnath hesitated a moment but picked up his sword and handed it to the wizard. The heft of the mighty blade took Arick by surprise. The ease of which Gnath handed it to him betrayed its actual weight.
The wizard looked the sword up and down, admiring the ornate beauty of its finish. “A fine sword indeed, Gnath. Worthy of a great warrior like yourself.” The wizard closed his eyes while Gnath looked on with childlike curiosity. He could not know what was happening, but he wasn’t about to interrupt. When the wizard had finished his quiet and unspectacular moment with the sword, he handed it back. Gnath accepted it and looked it up and down as though he were trying to see what might have changed. It looked very much the same as it had before.
“When the time comes,” the wizard continued, “trust this sword with your life. I fear I will fail in my attempt to kill the dragon. You, my friend, will need to step up and finish the fight.”
“Gnath will fight.”
“I know you will. Trust your sword, and guard it with your life. You will need it. Let me tell you a little bit about it.”
The next morning Rika and I met Gnath at the stables to escort him to breakfast at the king’s invite in the royal palace. We found my half-ogre friend sleeping soundly on a large pile of hay, arms wrapped around his sword like he was cuddling a loved one.
“Gnath, you big oaf. Get up. Let’s get some chow before the Farradorans eat it all.”
Gnath wasted no time getting up and affixing the sheathed sword to his belt. “Hungry.”
“I know, buddy. I figured you would be.”
As we left the stables, three burly locals in leather armor were standing outside smoking pipes and drinking what I imagined to be spirits of some sort from tin cups. It was obvious that they were a bit intoxicated already that morning.
The Dragons of Neverwind Page 14