The Great Losing: The Mad Dragon King (The World of Shestafa )

by Karine Green

  "Have you been standing there the whole time?" he asked. She was standing at battle ready, so was Ridder, as Arlen still slept next to him. Dunia was awake, chatting with Zeke, who had dismounted and was leaning on her neck like he did when the brace rubbed his leg stump the wrong way.

  Misty nodded. "I might be small, but I know my job. The Mountain Dragons have important information, or I would not have disturbed you. It looks like we missed an encampment about a hundred miles northwest of the original soldiers' encampment."

  He smiled. "Thank you," he said. He got up and stretched. "I guess I'd better officially go get the news."

  Dunia stood, carefully, as Zeke got back in the saddle.

  "Shall I wake up Arlen?" Ridder asked.

  "Yes, he would be upset if he missed this," Mack said, walking toward the group of Stone and Mountain Dragons, with Misty at his left hindquarter, still gripping the smaller of her two crossbows; it was pointed at the ground. He noticed it was loaded with one of the magic arrows.

  A large Mountain Dragon with his rider came over. "Majesty," he said bowing, "I am Fillieon. There is an encampment about a hundred miles, north. It looks like they have about a thousand men. That is where the Stone Dragons from the main camp were running to. Based on what the Yellow Hollow Stone Dragons said, they were not part of the main group. They appear to be heading north to Dragon’s Lance. The mountains will slow them down by at least two weeks, possibly three, if that is where they are headed."

  Arlen jogged over with Ridder scrambling to keep up. He sat down next to Mack. "That should be nothing compared to the hundred and fifty or sixty thousand we just stopped from marching into Blue Valley and slaughtering us in our sleep. They had three troops for every male, female, child, and pup in the entire valley."

  Fillieon nodded his agreement with Arlen’s assessment, "It's the Mad Dragon King. He has very strong magic, stronger than the other two. The Red Wizard is also with him. We couldn't see the Brown Witch, not even a trace of her. Majesty, we do not have magic. This will not be the same as going up against the non-magical Seculars of his army."

  "We have Elemental Dragon magic, which means you have access to it. We also have something better," Mack said, remembering another important principle from the Art of War about using terrain against the enemy. "They still can't fly. We have air superiority. Right now, they are at the mid-way point in a deep valley. Meaning they can't retreat, or move forward with ease. They will be stuck in a bowl if we strike right now. Meanwhile, another more important concept will put us ahead."

  "What is that?" Fillieon asked.

  "We have no choice but to win, because losing has a price so high that we can't afford to pay it," Mack said, sitting on his hindquarters. “Arlen, I need everyone to start coming up with ideas for a small strike team of ten. I am going to consult LaDeara and Daphne about how to counter some of the more powerful human magic we may encounter. Misty, if you can help form a rough map of the area, and be my ears, I would appreciate it."

  "Yes, Maje....," she said.

  "No! Misty, never do you address me as anything except Mack or Makani. You are my rider, and I am your dragon. That places you in a different league. If Méi is my right paw, you are my left."

  "Yes, Mack," she said, smiling.

  He stood up to take off. "I'll be back soon."

  "Wait," Dunia said, standing up. "We will escort you." Zeke nodded, as did Almasi.

  "I don't..."

  "We know you don’t need assistance, but the King isn't allowed to wander around; no different than the President of the United States would just hop over to a burger joint."

  Zeke nodded. "The Village Chancellor at South Dragons Ridge wasn't allowed to mill around without a security escort either."

  Mack sighed, accidentally stoking the fire. "Let's go. We need to move fast. I want this wrapped up, and people free to settle into their houses and barns. Life must move forward – that is my first official civilian Royal decree, someone write that down." He noticed several riders taking notes.

  Twenty minutes later they landed in the center of the Youth Sanctuary.

  "Where's Misty?" Méi said, with tears welling.

  "She's okay, she is coming up with a battle plan with Arlen."

  "Do not scare me like that," Méi said, snorting teeny little flames.

  Mack smiled, and then explained what happened, and how the Mad Dragon King appeared to be escaping to Dragons Lance. "I came to talk to LaDeara and Daphne, to get some advice on how to go up against magical humans."

  "They are over there." She pointed with her tail over to the main fire.

  Mack smiled, "Love you."

  "You too, but it doesn't mean you can scare me like that. I also heard a rumor it makes the Queen Consort grumpy. I feared the worst when I saw your empty saddle." She tried to frown, but a smile crept across her face. "Either way, that is fantastic news. His army is depleted to where he can't hurt us anymore."

  "Yes, I am sure for a very long time, but I want to make sure he is not able to hurt us, ever again. The job must be finished." He wondered if he was going overboard. The United States had hunted Osama Bin Laden at the cost of thousands of lives, and billions of dollars, long after he was no longer a threat.

  Maybe I should take this victory and move on.

  Mack knew that the Red Wizard was very active, and creative in his experiments, both human and dragon. It wasn't just the Mad King that needed to be stopped, it was his entire government. They were running the propaganda machine for the Mad King and spreading the hate that needed to be stopped.

  I don’t have the luxury of accepting a three-quarter victory.

  He also felt deeply regretful that the Mad King’s army had to fall first. It was tragic that he couldn't simply dispatch this evil triad, then he could have sent the army home to their families.

  He closed his eyes tight; he needed to focus. He could sort out the details of this night later...much later.

  “Are you alright?” Méi asked, gently head-butting him.

  He nodded. “Just tired. I’ll have plenty of time to rest later.”

  LaDeara and Daphne walked over, "Romayo said he overheard you saying you were looking for us."

  "Yes," he explained the situation to them. "We are going to send a strike team of ten dragons. Two of each of the flying dragons. We are hoping to intercept them..."

  "We?" Dunia asked. "I hope you don't think for one second that we are going to let you ... the king ... on a strike team."

  Romayo nodded. "It would be foolish of us to risk the king. It would destroy the village's morale, and take hope away if anything happened to you."

  "I, Arlen, and Lowell of the Mountain dragons will lead the strike team," Dunia said, pausing, frowning for good measure, and then bowing. "Your Majesty, royalty isn't allowed to be part of the strike team. We need you here to keep the citizens on track. They need their King; on his throne, here,” she pointed at the ground with her tail, “or they cannot carry out your first Royal Decree of moving forward."

  LaDeara nodded. "Agreed. You are their recognized ruler. They need you to maintain order."

  Mack stiffened. "I am king, not crippled. You need an Air Dragon with a trained rider."

  Daphne smiled. "Majesty, you know you have seven Air Dragons with trained riders. They accompanied you on Operation Katrina. We appreciate that our king will fight with and for us, but Dunia is right; you nor your rider can be risked. I will return with you to camp, but you must come back to Blue Valley to oversee the details in securing the village itself, because it is the ultimate priority. We must – all keep our eyes on the prize. Because, in the morning people, humans, and dragons, will need direction from their king, not his appointee." She stood there, looking at him.

  "But Misty has the magic arrows and is from Dragons Lance. She can show us safe places to..."

  "Majesty, I beg your pardon," Romayo said, patting Mack's front shoulder. "Dragon’s Lance is a three-day flight. The Mad King is
on foot, to the village. It will take weeks to reach. A small strike team, flying in, will reach him long before they reach the stronghold of Dragon’s Lance. We have time to plan." He moved to stand in front of Mack. "Please, Mack, we will need you here in the morning, after the patrols return; with a hopefully clear report. Let those whom you have appointed to your ministries do their jobs, while you do yours." He pointed at Dunia, and off in the distance to mean Arlen.

  He nodded, feeling defeated. Romayo was right. "Meanwhile, I need LaDeara or Daphne to return with me. The strike team will need advice on how to handle the Red Wizard and Brown Witch. I can't send them in blind. We have not been trained to deal with magical humans in a combat situation."

  "The Red Wizard is my cousin." Daphne sighed. "He has always been cruel. Don't forget, nuts or not, he isn't an idiot. The biggest way to keep yourself safe from him is to remember that insane and stupid have two separate definitions. He is very good at using magic to fight back, especially illegal magic."

  Mack made a face. "What makes it illegal?"

  "Planting false memories of the past, which effectively changes the past because people remember things in a different manner; perception is reality. This changes how they would react to a situation. That spell works on humans and dragons the same. He is also well versed on the principals of war you just described. His defeat tonight was because his scouts didn't get the information that Sea An'Tia's dragons had come to Blue Valley. You needn’t worry about someone sending him a messenger bird. I am the Green Witch...of nature. The birds won't deliver messages to him. I forbade them with a restraining spell. They will only deliver things I give them. Because of this, he is a master at scrying the future in any reflective surface.”

  "Hop on, we should get back and make sure the task force knows this information and has answers to any questions they may have. We need to strategize the raid." Mack gave Méi a head-butt before crouching down so Daphne could get in the saddle. "Are you alright without the rider gear? Oh, and just in case, me letting you ride isn't a dismissal of Misty as my rider."

  "I have a spell to harden my robes over the saddle. And, I understand the rider relationship better than anyone here. Remember I have had the hoard for more than a decade. I will not hold you to any contract. Besides, law abiding magical people may not be dragon riders, not legally."

  "Let me know when you are ready, and we'll get out of here."

  She climbed on Mack's back and cast a hardening spell on her robes. They hardened around the saddle. "I am ready, Your Majesty."

  Almasi took off first, then Mack, with Dunia bringing up the rear. Mack resisted the urge to smile. Cool I have my own motorcade – air-cade.

  About half way there, Daphne leaned forward in the saddle. "Majesty, the dragons I have here are a decoy hoard; to make everyone think this was the remaining population. Sea An'Tia has over fifty thousand dragons. I have the original ten thousand Blue and I rescued when they were infants. They are young adults now. I also have their pups, and other adult dragons I have helped escape over the years. The hundred and forty-four who came were here to verify you had returned. We have a scout flying back to Sea An'Tia now. You have about fifteen thousand original Shestafa citizens who will return once word gets back."

  "And then what? Attack Lahay? I think they are a bit late for that run."

  "No, love." Daphne patted his neck. "You visit them and assure your civilian population that it is alright to have more pups and settle down into their lives, back in their own villages where they so desperately want to return home to. You and Méi included. Those who returned with me, are the only ones who are battle trained. When we arrive, I will officially turn the military branch over to you, and after we dispatch Lahay, I will settle down, hopefully with a child of my own...in my own nation, with my own people and the dragons who live there."

  "Why didn't you say something before?"

  "You may be king by birth, but you rule by consent. They are ready for you to take the reins. But my dragons from Sea An'Tia do not know you. If I turn them over, they will follow you the same as they follow me. I needed to know you could do the job before I placed their lives in your hands. Besides, I am nearing my peak, and I have my own personal business to attend to if I am to have a family of my own and pass on my magic. Dragons aren't the only ones in danger of becoming extinct, you know magical humans have an even lower population count than dragons."

  He nodded. "Why didn't more come?"

  "Some wanted to, but the bottom line is that they are civilians, through and through. They are teachers, priests, road maintenance, shop keepers, farmers..."

  "Civilians." He felt stupid, of course, there would be civilians. Dragons were only a war machine in Lahay's world. In the real world, they had lives, careers, and families – that had nothing to do with eating and biting people.

  "Yes."

  He landed at their camp, and Daphne dismounted. She made a waving motion with both hands. "I have an announcement, everyone not on assignment should gather around."

  Misty came over, he bent down for her. "There is a development, you had better take the saddle." She mounted without question. He craned his neck to face her. "You need to be in the saddle when this happens. Where's Arlen and Ridder?"

  "Here," Arlen said, trotting up with Ridder on his back.

  "Sit here," Mack said, and then to Dunia, "You and Zeke here. I don't think positioning is that important but you and your riders must be close when this is pronounced."

  Five minutes later there were about seventy-five dragons and fifty riders around. The Green Witch raised, and lowered her hand to quiet everyone. "I brought you back to Blue Valley to see if your King had returned. After this victory, does anyone doubt the King has returned?" Daphne asked the crowd.

  A rumble of various replies indicated that no one disputed her words.

  Mack drew a breath in. This has been such a crazy adventure, but not even I doubt what is happening right now. It is so easy to be here. So, easy to fit in, make friends, get the prettiest girl to marry me, and have the best pups. Easy to be included, and not left behind, or forgotten. I want to be here. I want to be a dragon. He smiled.

  "Then with no further ado, may I present your Mother's crown." She removed a golden cuff from her wrist, and held it up for a second. She motioned for him to bend down. "We'll have a proper coronation for you and Méi in a few days, but right now, we need an official Dragon King, by me passing the dragon power to its rightful heir."

  Mack knelt down and Daphne slid the horn ring onto the horn on the right side of his head. When he brought his head back up there was a tremendous roar. He was nearly overwhelmed by the noise and fireworks.

  Daphne smiled and curtsied to Mack who nodded back. As things settled down, she raised her hands. "I will always be here for you, my dragons, but now you must return to your king, in his kingdom so he can make it your home again. May I present Makani, The Remembered King."

  Everyone bowed low.

  Mack turned and whispered to Misty. "Not you, you sit tall in that saddle. Like Méi, you will hold authority." He reared and spread his wings. "My army, General Dunia will lead a strike force to take down a small caravan to the north. It could be the Mad King, right now we do not know if he is with the caravan, but the Red Wizard has been spotted. I need a small specialized team of all breed of dragons. Let's start with two water volunteers. I will need one with and one without a rider. If you are a flying dragon without a rider, you must bring a Stone Dragon for a special surprise."

  "Me, and Ridder," Arlen said, sitting up. Ridder nodded.

  "Take your place behind the General," Mack said, smiling and nodding toward Dunia.

  Arlen walked over and sat on Dunia's right side. A rider-less Water Dragon stepped forward and sat next to Arlen.

  "Fire," Mack called out. "Who is the most qualified to carry out a specialized mission?"

  A Fire team ran up and bowed. "We have been riding together for twelve years, Majesty. Bleen
and Sanfow of Sea An'Tia Forest Fire Prevention and Control. This is my rider, Anna, Sanfow has no rider."

  Mack nodded. "Please take your place behind the General. We need one Earth Dragon without a rider. Do we have one?" So far, he had noticed that most of the Earth Dragons had riders.

  "Me, Majesty, Almasi, I am probably the only one." He ran over and squeezed in next to Dunia.

  "Majesty! Forgive our forwardness, we beg you. You will not be the Air Elemental team?" An Air Dragon offered. Her rider nodding in agreement.

  "Are you volunteering?" Mack asked, raising his stripe of an eyebrow.

  She bowed low, as did her rider in the saddle. "Forgive us for blurting out, but we cannot risk our King and his rider. We have been without proper dragon leadership too long, without a nation. We cannot do so again. I, Lundia, and my rider, Welem will go in your stead. We have ridden together for twenty-one years; Archery Infantry and Sea-Storm Damage Control team. This is my mate, Lux, he doesn't like humans, so he never took a rider."

  Lux nodded and marched over. "Our pups are grown, so we are a logical choice since we won't leave orphans if something goes wrong."

  Mack nodded. "Then take your place behind the General." He turned to the Mountain Dragons. "I need Mountain Dragons."

  Lowry and his bareback twin Lowell went to sit behind Dunia.

  "I will need anyone unassigned at the moment for the mop-up rotation at Yellow Hollow. Surely not everyone was at home. I am sure there will be survivors; they are to be brought back here to determine what needs to be done with them; and strike team- hang tight. Everyone else, as you were," Mack said, nodding to everyone, before walking off. He needed to read that protocol scroll.

  Is it proper to simply walk off like this?

  "What is the intelligence on the caravan's direction?" Mack asked those remaining.

  "Still headed north toward the stronghold of Dragon’s Lance," Arlen said, pointing with his tail instead of his paws.

  Mack smiled at him. For someone who claimed to hate being a dragon, Arlen seemed very comfortable in his own scales right now. His pups were a good influence on him.