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

by Karine Green

  "Has anyone laid eyes on the Mad King yet?"

  Lowell shrugged. "We only saw his personal caravan traveling with the Red Wizard."

  Lowry perked up. "The small hoard they are traveling with are heavy infantry, some are on Stone Dragons, but who knows where their ultimate loyalty will lie. There are no horses."

  Daphne sighed. "So we don't know for sure if Lahay is with them?"

  It didn't escape Mack's attention that she seemed relieved for just a second before she frowned. He also noticed that she’d just called him Lahay and not Mad King.

  "Would he leave the comfort of his cara...," Arlen started.

  Daphne swore. "Lahay knows that caravan stands out. Without airborne dragons around, it meant something, but now it is just a target to be destroyed from afar...a two-year-old pup could take it out on his own. Say nothing of trained military dragons. Lahay would know that. He is a brilliant strategist for waging war. It will not be as easy as simply killing him while he reclines in his caravan. Frankly, I am stunned that the bulk of his army was together like that at Yellow Hollow. That must have been the Red Wizard's doing. Lahay would never make such a mistake. Because of that, I doubt he is with the Red Wizard."

  "Do you mean to say he is a Secular wizard?" Mack asked, wondering how this was possible- then he remembered what Yogan had said: Dark Secular Wizards had held the Stone Dragon pups captive.

  She shook her head. "That has nothing to do with it. Seculars don't condone his behavior, and yes there are a few Seculars born with magic. However, once they come to understand their magic they usually move to Spiritual villages to train. Lahay's parents could not afford this, not that they cared to. What I am saying is that he grew up neglected, tossed aside, with no training on how to use the magic. That alone makes it easy for him to toss the rules out, so-to-speak. He never learned them. He never attended the first magic class, and the Seculars shunned him because he was magical. He was left to find his own way. Meaning he will use whatever dark magic he has to as an ends to a means."

  Mack nodded. “I understand.”

  Dunia frowned. “He took the Stone Dragon pups at Pumice Plains.”

  “Not all of them.” Daphne shook her head, smiling. "I was able to move about five of them to safety at Sea An'Tia before the rescue – I didn’t know, or I would have left them there. We can return them home after the war."

  "When I head back to the Youth Sanctuary, I'll have someone send a bird so we can pass the information onto Yogan. It’ll be my first official bird-sending." Mack noticed Arlen move over to sit next to him, as the groups tossed out ideas for the strike team. Something about the way he stared at Mack suggested he had something secret to tell him.

  "Mack," he whispered.

  He turned his ear toward Arlen and leaned over to hear him whispering.

  "Daphne has a scent I know -I mean remember. I have met her before. But, that isn't possible."

  Mack nodded, walking over to the side. He knew Arlen had only met one witch prior to Blue Valley and that was the Brown Witch. He whispered back, "I think we need a second set of dragons, for a decoy team, or rather a backup team. The first team will fly in as dragons normally would. The second team will wait out of sight, and disarm any traps, or take over should the first team fail."

  Arlen nodded. "I am on it."

  "Dragon only, no humans. I'll explain why later. They will report only to you, even if I ask them, they are to deny being part of your team, and, therefore, should deny it to anyone under my rank." Mack walked back over to the group and turned his full attention back to them.

  Misty leaned forward to whisper directly to Mack "No one has seen the Brown Witch. That means no one knows where she is. Arlen is the only dragon in the group who has met her."

  He nodded.

  An Air Dragon pointed to a rough map he rolled out, and placed in the middle of the circle. “Majesty, they should be in this area here.”

  A full debate began over the merits of full on assault versus using the strike force. Mack listened to them for a moment while they hammered out for themselves that the strike team was the best choice. Then they all turned and looked at him.

  “What do you think, Majesty?” The Air Dragon asked.

  He gave them a thoughtful look. "The only information we know is the approximate number of troops and dragons. Nothing is known about how to use the terrain where they are at which is a bamboo forest. The lay of the land will affect your attack plans. That is why I have full faith General Dunia will appropriately adjust any battle plans to accommodate the terrain and any issues it may give your team. Ninety percent of the team is Elemental...based on terrain, your assignments may vary. Such as, Fire Dragon's clearing the thick brush and the enemy dragons with riders. The Earth Dragons may have to move trees, or the Water Dragons may need to make use of a nearby stream to control the enemy Stone Dragons. These decisions need to be made on the scene. We will not use blind battle plans. The Generals and their immediate staff have the authority to make tactical changes. For the overall bones of the plan..."

  He sat down on his hindquarters and continued.

  "I think we'll start with a precision strike, unfortunately, we do not have enough information as to whether or not the Mad King or the Red Wizard would be the best initial target. There is, however, considerable intelligence to support concentrating on the Red Wizard first. But, I will also leave that to the General to decide once you arrive. Plan B will be the full-on assault. The reason is that I don't want the captive Stone Dragons put in harm's way any more than they already have been." He looked Daphne in the eye, and gently tried to sniff. Betrayal had a definite stench, but he could smell nothing on her. Could she block her scent? "How should we approach the Red Wizard?"

  He desperately wished that the White Witch had come back with him. He wanted to talk to her before the strike team got underway.

  If this is the Brown Witch standing right here, then we have bigger problems than we can imagine; as in, what happened to the real Daphne? And why would the Brown Witch bring the dragons back to Blue Valley when they can take whatever territory they wanted to rule. Maybe she couldn’t get rid of the Mad King on her own? Why would she need us? We are barely adults. But she has fully trained and experienced Elemental Dragons. What difference would we make?

  She nodded, seemingly unaware of his sniff of her. "The Red Wizard's power is fire based, the counter is water or earth. Air only fans the flames, and I mean that literally. Just remember the pyroclastic flow problem we told you about. That is the last thing we want. It is illegal without the express one hundred percent vote of both the Dragon Monarchy and Noble Dragon Cabinet, with the Magical Council. When Air comes in, make sure the flames are fanned in the right direction. Don't just fly in willy-nilly. The Water Wizard, Blue cannot be here with us, and the Blue Witch's position stands open with not even so much as a novice candidate coming up in the ranks. That means we must use a Water Dragon to directly take on the Red Wizard, and then General Dunia can neutralize him with her Earth magic. The Air Dragons can wreak havoc upon Lahay's remaining army and keep the path clear for the Water Dragons."

  Mack was still hanging on her just saying willy-nilly. That was not a saying used in this realm. It was used in the other realm.

  Dunia cocked her head sideways, like something had confused her. "Where is the Red Witch?"

  Daphne shook her head. "She was murdered at the start of the Great Losing, her apprentice along with her. She would just be an equal and opposite force no different than two equally matched non-magical humans fist fighting. Further meaning, only a lucky blow would win the match."

  Mack frowned. Lucky blow; win the match. Those were boxing terms. They don't box here. It would be frowned upon. She wasn’t from here. He was convinced of it. She was from the other realm, or she had at least been there.

  They finalized things and resupplied while Arlen headed off to find his backup team.

  Mack thought for a moment, all these dragons tr
ust her, and she obviously kept them alive. Not just alive, thriving. If she’s the Brown Witch, what’s she doing? The Stone Dragons can’t fly, so only the winged dragons could escape with the Green Witch. How did she get the Stone Dragons to Sea An'Tia? He looked at Daphne, who smiled back at him. She had taken them from the Mad King's castle. She must have. That meant she could come and go as she pleased from the castle.

  He trotted over to Dunia and Zeke and updated them on his suspicions.

  She bowed her head. "I think we need this cleared up before we embark on a military mission with her. I mean if she is the Brown Witch, we cannot have her interfering, or worse."

  Zeke shook his head. "The Green Witch sacrificed everything for the dragons. But if she is the Brown Witch, her plan just put Arlen and Dunia, your two highest ranking ministers within the Mad King's reach."

  “She helped us vanquish his army,” Misty said.

  “True.” Dunia nodded, "But she marked you, as King ... For all to see…the last Royal Dragon." She used her tail to point at Mack’s crown.

  Mack shook his head, "I know, but, all you have to do is look around and see the healthy, well-adjusted dragons around us, who are not afraid of her. Since Arlen had a bad experience, why don't the four of us go talk to her, while he and Ridder are busy? We want no biting incidents, especially with his history of it." He walked toward Daphne.

  Dunia nodded and followed him over to Daphne, who was mending the only injury suffered by the dragons during the main battle. One of the Mountain Dragons had a small cut from a spear point. Apparently, he had flown in too low over the stampeding Stone Dragons, and one of the riders who survived had scratched him with his spear trying to escape. It seemed more like a paper cut, and the Mountain Dragon seemed embarrassed to have it tended to.

  "Daphne," Mack said approaching her. "May we have a moment?"

  The Mountain Dragon bowed to Mack and quickly scurried off.

  "Of course, Majesty," she said, offering an awkward smile. "I know Arlen recognized me. I saw him trying to steal a sniff. The womanizing pratt."

  "Pratt?" Mack was surprised, "So, it is true? You are the Brown Witch. That would explain why you haven't been seen with Lahay, and how the hoard knew the nobles had come back."

  She shook her head. "I am Daphne. The Brown Witch is dead. I have been impersonating her to take the condemned Stone Dragons into hiding at Sea An'Tia. The Red Wizard had ordered them ground into food for the other dragons, and that lollipop, Lahay did nothing about it. I used deer and bear for the food, then I took the dragons to my home in Sea An'Tia. Someone needed to save them because the others could fly away. The Stone Dragons could not, and that Red Bastard knows a fire magic spell to track Stone Dragons if they run. I needed to make sure they could hide in Pumice Plains. Didn't you think it a bit odd they could live in the village with minimal persecution when compared to what the rest of the population went through?"

  Dunia scowled. "They have been living in fear."

  "Yes, living, would be the important phrase there. Do you have any idea of the magic I had to use to do it? What I had to do to replenish my magic? Some self-degrading things. You do not understand the lengths I went to convince Lahay not to slaughter them, especially once he thought they were the only dragons left. He considered it cruel to let them so-called naturally go extinct as if he didn’t cause the population decrease in the first place.” She swore, and then re-focused. “I convinced him they would be excellent for the knights of North Dragons Ridge to ride. And, that he would have the only dragon army, against knights on horses. If you missed it, horses fear dragons. Everything fears dragons."

  "You mean to make them slaves, and..." Daphne cut Dunia off.

  "I mean, they are alive, to rebuild their families, their villages, their lives. Alive to be free, to have a military and a civilian population. That's what I mean. Dunia. General, Please, you must understand, the Stone Dragons would have succumbed to genocide. I couldn't bring them all to Sea An'Tia without blowing my cover. They would be dead...gone...extinct, do you understand? They can't breathe fire, even if they can swim in lava. They can use Earth and Fire magic, but not create it. They can't fly, even if they can run like the wind, and Wren's mother was a perfect example that they can't run forever. Lahay and the Red Wizard thought they were less than the other dragons, and because of that, he would have cut them down like dead crops in the field, all without a second thought. If Arlen would have waited another three hours that night in the palace, I was working on a transport for him to Sea’An’Tia. I had a spy in Pumice Plains, he would hide Arlen there, but he escaped before I could get the plan going. And, then true to Wayne's form, immediately started on trying to repopulate the entire Water Dragon breed on his own."

  "Dunia," Mack put his tail around her. "She is right. If she had left the Stone Dragons to the mercy of Lahay and the Red Wizard, we wouldn't have Wren and Shway, or Sarnia, who is a gifted teacher. Regardless of...," He whipped his neck around to move in close to Daphne. "Wayne, did you just call him Wayne?"

  Daphne smirked, without reacting to a questioning dragon inches from her face. "Yes, his other foster mothers couldn't keep him under control so I posed as Nancy. Not that it helped that two-timing weasel. He was getting a royal – noble - beating for moving in on another guy's gal."

  "Arlen is going to flip out," Misty said, looking around for him.

  Mack shook his head. "We'll have to make him understand, later. Meanwhile, I am not sure about Daphne...is that your name?"

  Daphne nodded. "I poisoned the real Brown Witch. I got the idea when I was mistaken for her at the market in North Dragons Ridge.”

  Mack squinted at her, cocking his head to the side, sniffing to see if she was telling the truth.

  She folded her arms and tapped her foot. “I am Daphne the Green Witch. I knew LaDeara had taken you and the other nobles to safety. All I had to do was keep the hoard safe, and Lahay distracted with The South Dragons Ridge resistance until you were of age."

  Mack nodded. "Well, Daphne the Green Witch, Arlen has a well-documented history of eating humans he is perturbed with. I am not sure of your safety on this mission. He didn't exactly speak highly of Nancy."

  She shrugged. "The feeling was mutual. For all that is sacred, that boy has a way of sweet talking his way under any female's tail. And, whether or not he is in dragon or human form doesn't matter. You would think he would have done like you and Dunia did; furthered your education. No ... he just bed-hops from one hussy to the next. Then he takes advantage of poor Sarnia and Rini/imprisoned and tortured young dragon-females. I have choice words for him too. For the record, I am the only legal mother he has and the only one who has treated him like a son."

  Dunia motioned her head toward Arlen. "Let's go find him and tell him."

  "Hold off." Mack shook his head, "Arlen needs to finish an assignment. He will find us when he is done. Meanwhile, we can focus on how to explain this to him. He loved Rini, and blames Lahay and Company." He pointed at Daphne using his tail, "for her death. I do not know how he will react to this."

  Rider Down

  Arlen was trying to resist biting the Brown -- whoever she was. “Nancy...She was Nancy! The whole time!”

  Mack and Dunia nodded.

  "Alright!" he said frustrated. He understood Daphne's rationale for what happened, but couldn't get passed the personal price he paid, plus the personal price to his son. "It's One in the morning, let's just go while we have the cover of darkness."

  At least, Mack had told him to keep the secret team in place. That made him feel good. He trusted Mack ... The King, he corrected himself. It was time to use Mack’s title. If Daphne/Nancy was out of the loop on his second team, then he was confident the King trusted his judgment over hers.

  I won't let the King down. I have been a screw up my whole life. That is over. The King's trust in me is not misplaced, and neither is Sarnia's. I will never betray her again. If she will truly reunite with me, I will be her husband.r />
  He glared a Daphne, Two-timing--gigolo, he remembered her words spitefully as he continued to glare at her. She unyieldingly glared back. Yup, that's Nancy.

  He could feel Ridder shifting things around in the saddle. "We don't want them to get too far?"

  "They're on foot, we're flying. They won't get too far," Arlen said, trying and failing to sound calm. He was angry.

  He felt Ridder's hand on his neck. "We all lost people. Daphne saved those she could without cutting off her ability to save others going forward. Anytime such an atrocity occurs, there is always someone who has to make the terrible choice of saving only a few versus saving no one. Now, let's focus on the real enemy, and go crush him. The Red Wizard is the one who took your mate and Wren's mother."

  Arlen nodded. "Is everyone ready," he called out. "The sooner he's in the ground pushing up daisies the better."

  There was a collective “Ready”, and they took off. Daphne rode with one of the Mountain Dragons. The secondary group would take off in thirty minutes and hang back.

  They flew out for about an hour before one of the Fire Dragon's said they saw the remnants of a buried campfire. Sure enough, the Mad King's caravan was camped for the night. They were scattered into the surrounding trees in five groups.

  Arlen was impressed with the Fire Dragon's ability to see a buried fire at nearly two thousand feet in the air. Concentrate, see it. Fire is opposite to water; I should be able to see it. He refocused on the ground and smiled as the remnants of the fire came into his field of vision. It’s cool to be a Water Dragon.

  ~~~

  "Circle really high, and tight," Dunia said, not trusting the situation enough to land because the caravan itself was surrounded by the five encampments.

  Thankfully it was cloudy, so the moons would not showcase them circling. Otherwise, landing would have been a necessity to preserve their cover. She came to appreciate what Mack had said about deciding to complement the situation.