Dragon's Keep: The Complete Dracengard Series

by Christopher Vale

  Sir Terrance turned to Lance Corporal Ganesh. “Take charge of the prisoners,” he commanded. “Get them out of sight and into the dungeons as quickly as possible. I do not want any of those filthy monsters getting any ideas.”

  “Yes, Commander,” the Lance Corporal replied. Sir Terrance dismounted and handed off his reins. He bounded up the steps to the castle and through the large wooden double doors flung open by the guards.

  Once inside, he knew he should report to Lady Anne as soon as possible, as he did not want word to reach her that he had returned and force her to seek him out. She would be quite irate. He had known her since she was a child and making her angry was very bad indeed.

  Terrance strode down the long corridor until he finally reached the stone steps that would take him to the next floor. He ascended the stairs to the second floor and once there found a young steward strolling the halls. He inquired about Lady Anne’s whereabouts, was informed that he would find her in the library, and dashed off to do so.

  ***

  Anne strolled through the library surrounded by shelves of books with colorful bindings. The room was a large circle with shelves reaching high up to the ceiling. There was a second floor that overlooked the first and could be accessed either by ladders or a single small spiral staircase at one side of the room.

  The library was dusty and smelled of mildewing paper. Anne had spent little time there in the past as reading books was normally a pastime of men. She was literate and highly educated of course, but random reading from the library was not something she had ever done before. As she sauntered along staring at the rows and rows of books, she was astounded at the different subjects they covered. There were books on the history of Avonvale and every other kingdom in the realm. There were books of different animal species, books of maps and topography, recipe books, books on military strategy and tactics. An amused smile crossed her face as she toyed with the idea of taking one of those to her brother to study. He could most certainly use it, but would most certainly be offended.

  She ran her fingers over the cloth and leather spines of the books as she meandered along beside the shelves. She stepped back and looked up at the shelves holding thousands and thousands of books. The library must have a book covering just about every subject known to man, and there were simply too many to find what she was looking for.

  “My Lady,” she heard a voice from behind her and turned to face Master Groth, the librarian. “Had I known you were coming I would have made it a point to await you in the main room,” he said as he bowed deeply at the waist. “I was in my offices, cataloging. I do so hope that you will forgive me.”

  “Of course,” Anne said graciously. Master Groth was an old man with long white hair that encircled the bald spot atop his head and hung in stringy rows down to his well-worn brown cloak. He straightened and smiled, his lips curving beneath his scraggly white beard.

  “It is an honor to have you here, My Lady. Tell me, is there something that I can assist you with locating?”

  Anne stepped back from the shelves and spun around observing the entirety of the room. “You can actually find what you are looking for in here?” she asked.

  “Of course, My Lady,” he said. “If I do not know where it is from memory, I can find its location in our catalog.” Anne smiled at him. “What is it that you are looking for?”

  Anne tilted her head slightly to the right. “I am looking for a book about shades,” she said.

  Groth’s smile faded from his lips and he stared at her speechlessly for a moment until she raised her eyebrows in anticipation. “Shades, My Lady?” he asked. “Why would such a shining young woman as you be interested in such a dark subject as shades?”

  “The reason is my concern and not yours,” Anne replied coldly. Her eyes cut right through the librarian and he bowed respectfully.

  “I did not mean offense, My Lady, but if you would tell me the purpose, it would help me to determine which book would be most helpful. For example, if you wish to banish a shade from your home, a book of incantations would be most useful.”

  “Just a book with general information, Master Groth,” she said.

  “Yes, My Lady,” the old man replied. “Please sit, I’ll just be a moment.” He directed her to a wooden chair behind a small wooden desk. Anne sat gracefully and straight, awaiting his return. He hurried back as quickly as he could with an old, dusty and worn leather backed edition entitled, “Shedom, demons and other creatures of darkness.” Groth set the large book down on the desk with a thud, sending dust bursting into the air, and opened it to the the table of contents. He ran a bony finger down the yellowed paper as he searched for the correct page number. “Shades and other dark spirits,” he said finding what he searched for and then flipped the pages to the correct page number. “Shades are malevolent spirits…” he began but Anne interrupted him.

  “I am quite capable of reading,” she said curtly. “If you will excuse me.”

  “Yes, of course, My Lady,” he replied and bowed respectfully while backing away.

  Anne gazed down at the faded ink on the worn page and she could tell the book was very old. She began to read silently to herself.

  Shades are malevolent spirits that appear as dark figures or shadows. A shade can verbally communicate but cannot physically touch anything. Shades normally appear near or after great tragedies of death and destruction which has caused some to believe that they are the spirits of the dead. However, others believe that they are the essence of shedom. Those who have communicated with shades state that the shades attempt to have them murder and kill other humans in especially horrific fashions. Others have relayed that shades demand sacrifices in blood to bring back their physical form. Thus, it is believed by some that when the shedom were killed by seraph in the Realm Wars, their darkness was not destroyed completely. The little that remained fed off of all the death and destruction and evil in this realm. When it consumes enough evil, this darkness begins to take shape in the form of a shade. It is believed that a blood sacrifice can complete the transformation of a shade to a shedom and that the shedom will serve the one who resurrects it.

  Anne leaned on her hand reading the passage when she heard footsteps echoing on the hard floor and looked up to see Sir Terrance walking toward her. She slammed the book closed before standing gracefully, smiling at him. “Sir Terrance, you have returned,” she said with a welcoming voice as she stepped around the desk to stand before him.

  When Sir Terrance was a few feet away he stopped and dropped to both of his knees, bowing his head. Anne looked down at him. She breathed in deeply. “You kneel on both knees,” she said. “You must fear I will be displeased with your news and feel the need to beg forgiveness. At least I hope for your sake that it is my forgiveness that you need, for if it is mercy you intend to beg for you should be bowing much lower.”

  “We were successful in our mission to destroy the Greynault forces, My Lady,” Sir Terrance said. “Our losses were less than expected and we even captured several loyal to Theron Greynault, including Sir Galt, his cavalry commander.”

  “But?” Anne replied, the question hanging heavily in the air.

  “Unfortunately, Sephene, the whore that dared insult your honor, was killed and eaten by drakmere. In fact we would have had many more prisoners including Breston Greynault, but for the drakmere. We had captured a few score, but the drakmere took them in the night. I was of course horrified, as were my men. In a fit of rage, we descended on them and killed every single drak as they fed on our captives. Please forgive me, Your Majesty,” he said. The fact that he used her presumed title and not her current one did not go unnoticed by Anne.

  Anne stood watching him, breathing heavily, and weighing the news she had just received. “You are certain Sephene is dead, that she was eaten by a drak?”

  “Yes, Your Majesty, I saw her body with my own eyes.”

  “And Greynault Castle?”

  “Razed,” he said. “The Lady Greynault
and her younger children have clearly fled with their servants. The castle was deserted and my men destroyed it.”

  “I want the remaining Greynaults hunted down and killed,” Anne commanded.

  “Of course. I have already dispatched men to do so.”

  “Very good, Sir Terrance,” Anne said. “You have displeased me with your loss of Sephene Greynault. I do not fault you for slaughtering the draks. They are disgusting creatures anyway, but we must not let this get out. His Majesty needs their support.”

  “Of course, Your Majesty.”

  “I am pleased with the overall outcome of your mission, that it went so well otherwise, and that the Greynault forces have been destroyed. You understand that you were not completely successful and you were right to be honest with me. Now, kiss the hem of my dress.” Sir Terrance bent over bowing low to the ground and kissed the hem of Anne’s dress. “I forgive you, Sir Terrance.”

  “Thank you, Your Majesty,” he said.

  “You will, of course, do better next time at following my commands?”

  “Of course, Your Majesty.”

  “And I trust that I can always count on your loyalty and obedience?”

  “Yes, Your Majesty.”

  “Very well, you may rise,” she said.

  Chapter 18

  The Vagabond sailed swiftly across the Glass Sea. The water was calm and smooth as glass as its name implied. The sun shone brightly reflecting off of the water and was almost blinding. Dillan and his crew had sailed the sea numerous times, generally sailing around the coast and out of the sea into the Infinite Ocean. From there they would follow the coastline north to the Kingdom of Talisaria, where the Strom River began. Following the Strom River southward they would return to Riversmeet or continue past, and make the journey again. Dillan knew of some small islands in the sea, but they were mostly barren rock, few having any inhabitants to speak of, and certainly none were large enough to be Avalon. He had heard rumors of a winged dragon that fishermen along the coast of the sea had claimed to see dating back centuries, but neither he nor any of his crew had ever seen one.

  Dillan stood on the bridge piloting the ship himself. His pilot stood off to the side staring at the compass and checking the map in an attempt to determine their current location. Mr. Starron stood on the foredeck of the ship leaning against the rails and watching the seemingly endless waters before them. Ashleen stood beside Dillan encouraging him to keep going whenever he began to waiver in his determination.

  Dillan felt as though he were sailing blind, something he did not particularly enjoy. He was trusting his gut instinct as Ashleen had suggested, but preferred to trust his knowledge of navigation. Dillan would occasionally ask the pilot their location and the pilot would bring the map over and point to the area he believed they were in. Dillan would nod and keep pressing forward. It was their second day in the sea, the crew having dropped anchor for the night so that Dillan could rest as no one could relieve him without a heading on which to sail and Dillan did not have one to offer.

  Terrwyn was on deck continuing her sword training with Sir Tomfrey taking over as her instructor so that Ashleen could offer moral support to Dillan and prevent him from getting cold feet and heading for the coast. More than once he suggested that they simply sail out of the sea and into the ocean and follow the coast north and they could all seek refuge in the White Fortress. While Ashleen longed to return to the safety and certainty of her home’s high walls, she knew they must find Dracengard or all would be lost. She did not travel all of these miles and lose so many brave Paladin along the way just to sail north and return home without even attempting to find Avalon.

  Willem sat cross-legged on the deck of the ship holding his Dracenstone and running his fingers across its rough surface. His stone was a beautiful silver color, like the sea that stretched out before them. Ashleen had told them that baby dracen were stirring inside, but as far as he could tell it still appeared to be nothing more than a stone. A beautiful stone shaped like a perfect oval, but nothing about it felt like an egg. He looked back up at Dillan and Ashleen standing on the bridge. Ashleen appeared confident; Dillan did not. He hoped she was right and that Dillan could find the way. He smiled to himself at the thought of Dillan giving in to the idea that a magical gut feeling would guide him to a mystical island. He knew that a month earlier Dillan would have dismissed such as fantasy, Willem probably would have too, but seeing elves and shedom had a way of changing one’s mind.

  Willem heard Terrwyn yelp and looked up to see her clenching her neck. Tomfrey was explaining what she had done wrong and why she would be dead if he was holding a real sword instead of a mop handle. Willem chuckled to himself knowing that Terrwyn was not accustomed to being treated in such a manner. Apparently, Paladin did not care about the rank of the pupil they were instructing. He had to give Terrwyn credit though, she was doing a fine job and was taking everything very well. She was no longer the prim and proper lady he had once known. Their adventure had changed her as it had all of them. She was becoming a warrior and Willem could tell she was learning quickly, much more so than he would have expected.

  Willem’s thoughts turned to his father, King Ulrich, who had recently died. He remembered his father watching his own training with the sword master when he was a boy, encouraging him to work harder when Willem had felt like he would never master the sword. Willem had been trying hard not to think of his father, as he was not ready to mourn him yet. Dillan and Terrwyn had both recently lost their fathers as well and he knew that he was not alone in his desire to keep the losses from his mind. Terrwyn was doing an excellent job of turning her sadness at the loss of her father, and now sister, into anger and focusing it on defeating the Wizard. Willem was astounded at Dillan’s demeanor. One would never know that he had lost not only his father, but his entire family and possibly every citizen of his kingdom recently. Willem did not know how he did it.

  Willem’s thoughts were interrupted when he glimpsed Starron turning back toward the bridge to shout at Dillan. “There is fog ahead, Captain!” the first mate called. Dillan squinted through the blinding light reflecting off of the smooth water and could make out a delicate sheet of mist in the distance.

  “I see it Mr. Starron,” Dillan called back. He turned and looked at Ashleen. “This might get a bit tricky,” he said.

  Willem stood and walked to the fore of the ship to stand beside Starron and peer out at the approaching fog. All hands were at the ready, awaiting the commands of their Captain.

  The ship slowed as they approached the fog with Dillan nervously entering an area of the Glass Sea he had never navigated before. He wanted to turn, to avoid the fog, but he was committed to Ashleen’s advice and his gut told him to sail straight into it. The fog soon covered the ship like a soft white blanket and Dillan realized it was much thicker than he had originally believed.

  “Rocks ahead!” he heard the lookout shout from the crow’s nest.

  “Mr. Starron, can you see them?” Dillan shouted to his first mate.

  Mr. Starron leaned forward and squinted his eyes through the mist. “Aye, Captain!” he shouted in return. “A large outcropping is astarboard!” The ship sailed forward, past the outcropping, and Ashleen spied an old ship wrecked upon rocks further away, time having eroded its sails and much of the hull. She glanced at Dillan who was concentrating, his eyes steely as he stared forward, his jaw clenched and his mouth drawn into a tight bow.

  The Vagabond sailed between several outcroppings of jagged rocks, and everyone held their breath more than once as the ship came dangerously close to their jagged edges. The sailing was perilous as the fog appeared to grow thicker and thicker as they made their way further inside, until they could barely see more than a few yards ahead of them.

  “Here’s where we see if your faith in my seraph senses is misplaced,” Dillan said to Ashleen without turning to look at her. She laid a comforting hand upon his shoulder and noticed his knuckles were white from gripping the wheel so
tightly.

  “My faith is not misplaced. I have no fear at all,” she lied. The truth was that Ashleen, like everyone else aboard, was terrified, but she knew she could not show it. She knew that Dillan’s faith relied on her keeping her own and if he stumbled they could all wind up dead. “But you do need to breathe,” she whispered and then heard him release a slight trickle of air.

  Ashleen’s eyes drifted to Terrwyn who was leaning against the railing near the port side bow watching the rocks as the Vagabond sailed past. Willem was on the starboard side doing the same. Ashleen’s eyes caught Tomfrey’s and he smiled at her confidently, his faith in her was enough to make her feel more secure in her faith in Dillan.

  “We’re coming out of the fog, Captain!” she heard Mr. Starron cry and she began to notice it thinning as well.

  The visibility increased quickly and Ashleen heard the lookout cry, “Land ho, straight ahead Cap’n!” Murmurs arose from the crew and as the fog lifted and the beautiful clear waters came into view surrounding a lush green island straight ahead, a cheer rose from all aboard. Ashleen slapped Dillan hard on the back. He stared at the island in amazement as they sailed out into glistening sunlight.

  “You did it, Captain,” Ashleen said. Dillan turned to her smiling broadly.

  “I can’t believe it,” he laughed. He then turned to look at his crew who were all cheering him. He caught Terrwyn’s eye and noticed her staring at him and laughing excitedly. The Paladin aboard began to applaud and soon everyone was joining in. It was as if everyone felt as though they had been snatched from the jaws of certain death.

  Ashleen stared at the white sandy beaches of the island ahead and saw a large golden temple rising up from the island, its polished walls glistening in the sunlight. “Avalon,” she smiled.

  “I never thought I’d see the day,” Dillan said.

  “I hope now you truly have faith,” Ashleen replied.