“Few can,” Greyson said. “Together, however, there is a way. Tell me more of the wood women, as you call them.”
Helvie related the incident with the dark dryads, and Fergus, having joined them late, added a few details. Only Lucina remained silent, not adding to the discussion, instead remembering the battle and her failure to prevent it.
“Yes, I know of whom you speak,” Greyson said, stroking his beard.
“They took our men,” Helvie finished.
“Yes, the men are alive, though you won’t see them again, most likely, in your lifetimes. The dryads mark time differently than humans do, and it’s not short. Still, the question remains why they would work with the dragon. That is the part that confuses me,” Greyson said.
“It is unlike you not to know,” Dunric said.
“Yes, very seldom do my friends fail to tell me of events happening in and around the Greenfeld. There must be something especially egregious for the dryads to work in any way with the dragon,” Greyson said.
Most understood that the old druid was referring to the animals that lived in the forest and around it. They would know most everything, but the alliance between dryad and dragon seemed to have remained secret, until now. “What do you suggest, then?” Helvie asked.
“Originally, I wanted to help free the siege from Vulkor and allow your father to task resources to the quest to rid the Greenfeld of the dragon. However, Fergus convinced us to come here and look for the children and yourself. Now that you’re here, the only thing left to do is to search for the children,” Greyson said.
“Do you think they still live?” Dunric asked, bringing a few gasps from the few townsfolk allowed to attend their meeting.
“Surely you will make the attempt?” Fergus asked, knowing his ultimate responsibility was to his people.
“Of course, though we can’t say for sure what or where they are. If they were taken to the abodes for the dryads, they will be babies still, but won’t be back to our realm until most everyone here is old and dead,” Greyson said.
Several people shifted uncomfortably at the bad news. Helvie spoke for her people. “If I hadn’t been there, then Lucina would have been free to fight the dragon and perhaps free the children. This is all my fault. I should have listened to her and Godfrey’s counsel on the matter and stayed here.”
“Don’t be so harsh on yourself.” Lucina finally spoke. The need to defend her ward even in self-accusation was too much to ignore.
“Your protector is right; hindsight is never kind. Don’t look at the past. Instead focus on the future. We will search the forest and free the children of this town, if at all possible,” Greyson promised.
“Thank you,” Helvie and Fergus said in unison.
Before anyone could speak further, the door opened violently and Edric entered, breathing heavily. “What is it?” Dunric asked.
Edric took a deep breath of air and steadied himself. “The Northmen have arrived.”
Chapter 15
Scouting
The Kesh had spent one day hitting Vulkor with both their siege equipment and their magical attacks. Amsor had concentrated on the front gate, blasting the rock there over and over again, with a fury that was unmatched in the history of both the realms involved, Ekins and Vulcrest.
The catapults lobbed balls of tar, set on fire, over the high outer walls and caused the city to burn in places. The cries of alarm and call for well water to extinguish the blazes gave testament to their effectiveness. Still, after an entire day of burning, the city refused to yield.
“So have they left yet?” Egden asked, walking up to the command center from his tent late that morning.
“Yes, my lord. They took only a hundred soldiers with them, leaving the rest under the command of General Gores,” Solvang said, greeting his liege from the relative safety of their mini stockade.
“I find it hard to believe that they would allow us to command their troops,” the prince said.
“You would be correct,” Gores said, looking off to the side at the Kesh commander, Kelin, the wizard.
“I thought you said they left,” Egden said, eyes wide in surprise at the sight of one of the Kesh magic-users.
Solvang was quick to explain. “I meant Amsor and the other wizard. Of course they would leave one of their own here with us.”
“But you said we were in command,” the prince said.
“No, Amsor said that, and in truth, they have left the attack to us. This Kelin fellow has pretty much kept to himself and hasn’t interfered with any of our orders.”
“Orders?” Egden asked, his eyes narrowing.
“Well,” Solvang said, stepping closer to his prince to ensure his words weren’t overheard. “Amsor did say we were to simply continue the siege and not make any assault until his return.”
Egden’s eyes widened, and he put his hands on his hips and looked over to the Kesh wizard, “So we are to babysit the Vulcrestians, then?”
“My lord, such a word is not necessary here. Think, rather, that we are to keep our enemy captive, until such time that a proper assault can be launched with minimal loss to our troops,” Solvang all but whispered.
Egden never took his eyes off of the Kesh. “What other orders were we given?”
Gores took a moment to survey the battlefield, before he responded. “The mage wanted us to . . . babysit you through the assault.”
“You just had to go and say it, didn’t you?” Solvang scolded the general, and Gores simply smiled in return. Both men chuckled until they noticed their prince was scowling.
“He didn’t really use that word . . . did he?” Egden asked.
“No, my lord,” Gores said. “He actually didn’t tell us anything. He was instructing his wizard over there, and we simply overheard him.”
“And?” Egden pressed.
“You’re not really going to tell him, are you?” Solvang turned to Gores.
“I’m afraid so,” Gores said, turning to face his prince. “The mage told his wizard to ‘keep a tight leash on the Ekins, and especially their prince.’”
“Well, it keeps getting worse.” Elly turned to Edric after scooting back from the edge of the small rise. Far in the distance, a large force was approaching on horseback, though they were nearly a league distant.
“Hard to tell who they are, though I didn’t recognize the baron’s banner,” Edric said, turning to face the two Initiates.
Beth looked at Elly. “Do you recognize the banner they are flying?”
“No. We should, though. I can hear Master Greyson scolding us now for forgetting our political studies,” Elister said, smiling at the thought. Then whistling into the air, Elister walked away from the small rise to ensure the approaching group couldn’t see them.
Quickly a bird descended and landed on Elly’s outstretched arm. It was a smaller falcon, cousin to the great northern birds that carried the same name. Speaking softly to the bird, Elly cooed and then smiled as the bird flapped its wings and took flight.
“That’s not fair, Elly,” Beth said. “I’m not sure how you can speak with those birds.”
“Well, you coo and sing to those plants of yours,” Elly said, gracing his colleague with a smile.
“Yes, but they don’t exactly speak back,” Beth explained, walking over to the horses that they had borrowed and stroking the mare’s neck.
“Then what do they do?” Elly asked.
“They sent emotions to me, letting me know how they felt.” Beth smiled back.
Elly scratched his head. “Other than the larger trees, I don’t hear or feel anything from the forest trees. That is very special.”
“Not as special as your talent,” Beth said.
“You both will look back on this day and remember,” Edric said, smiling at the two druids.
They continued their banter for a few minutes more before the small falcon returned and cawed gently while Elister nodded. He smiled at the bird and then stroked its neck gently, allowing it to depart on
its own accord. Once gone, Elly turned to his companions. “Kesh.”
“We better tell Master Greyson,” Beth said, looking for Edric for approval.
“Agreed, let’s go,” Edric said, but before they could depart, they heard a faraway sound that struck terror into them. A sound that Beth had heard before.
The three crawled back to the rise, actually lying flat on their bellies for the last few feet, until the Kesh group was visible. Approaching the head of the column was the three-headed beast that had chased Beth and Wulfric days before. It wasn’t attacking the column, however. It almost looked like a dog that was happy to be reunited with its owner.
The column halted momentarily as some activity was observed, though the details remained hazy to them. What was clear was that once the column started again, the three-headed beast, larger than any horse, bolted at a full run straight toward them.
“Let’s go,” Edric commanded.
His companions needed no encouragement, crawling back quickly, and then mounting their steeds, they took off at a full gallop toward the town of Blackwell.
“Who’s faster?” Elly asked over the roar of the wind as the trio raced away.
“Let’s hope it is us,” Beth said. “Otherwise, we’ll find out how well we each fight one of its heads.”
“Did they see you?” Gloria asked Dunric as the Ranger trotted back from the edge of the forest.
“Yes, the plan is working,” the tall Ranger said.
“Are you sure that your master knows what he’s doing?” Gloria asked from atop her mount, handing the reigns to the Ranger as he jumped into the saddle and put his feet into the stirrups. He could ride bareback, if he had to, but the horse was saddled by the people of Blackwell, and they didn’t take the time to change that.
“I would say the plan is working too well,” Diamedes noted from atop his smaller mount, a mare that was calm until the war cries echoed from over the hill. The first of the barbarians could be seen running over a slight rise near the forest. Spotting their target, they adjusted slightly and headed right for the trio.
“They run quicker than I thought possible,” Dunric stated, giving the Northmen a quick glance.
“You should have discussed this in more detail with your companion, Edric,” Gloria stated. “I could have told you about their speed. They nearly killed us out there in the wilds.”
“Yes, Edric told me,” Dunric said, pulling his bow from his back and nocking an arrow.
“What are you doing? We need to go, now,” Gloria urged.
“Wanting to see if I can slow them down,” Dunric said, loosing the missile and tracking it into one of the lead barbarians. The result was hardly noticeable. A few of the leaders unslung shields as they ran and, if anything, they increased their pace.
“That didn’t look effective,” Diamedes noted.
“No, I’d say that spurred them on, if anything,” Dunric said. “That information can be useful as well. Let’s go.”
“What do you mean?” Gloria asked as the trio galloped away.
“They can be goaded,” Dunric said with a smile. “That could prove most useful for what Master Greyson has planned.”
“I hope you’re right,” the warrior woman said. “If not, you’ll find out too soon how well they fight.”
The two scouting parties returned to Blackwell and met in the road to exchange notes.
“So the Kesh ride with a heavily armed party and at least one wizard, while the Northmen sweep through from the northeast. That means that if your reports are correct, they should meet up here by sundown,” Greyson said, rubbing his chin and receiving nods of approval from his Zashitors and Initiates.
Lucina and Helvie had gathered the townspeople with the help of Fergus, and they had gathered to the southeast, near a large barn. “Everyone is ready to depart,” Helvie said.
“It appears we can’t flee east; the Northmen are there. We can’t flee west; the Kesh are coming, and of course, the north goes straight into the forest, so we must hope the south is clear.” Lucina nodded in that direction.
“That is the plan,” Greyson said. “You can lead your people south and take them to the baron’s road that heads to the central lands. From there, you can either wait for Vulkor to be liberated, or you can head east, to the relative safety of Duke Uthor’s lands.”
“No,” Helvie said. “I want to stay here and deal with those invaders. That is my duty.”
“You remember what your duty did?” Fergus asked. “You must understand, Princess, that Lucina can’t fight if she has to protect you, and your father would never forgive us if any harm came to you, even at the expense of our entire town.”
“That’s not fair,” Helvie said. “Besides, this time, we fight. I’m done running.”
The group looked to one another, and then all eyes found themselves moving to Greyson. The old druid simply commanded respect, and his words sounded wise. It was obvious that the man would make the final decision, if any, and the rest of the group would heed his counsel. “Our good lady Helvie has the right to stay, if she so chooses, though she must accept that the price of her decision may be her death.”
“I understand,” Helvie said.
“Hardheaded to the end,” Lucina complained, shaking her head.
Helvie ignored Lucina’s protestations. “This is my father’s land; this is my land. I must do this.”
Greyson nodded, and most of the group was resigned to the choice.
“Mayor Fergus,” Greyson began, using the formal title for his old friend, “you will lead your townspeople, then, to the main road. Do you accept?”
Fergus nodded. “Aye, I’ll accept responsibility for their safety.”
“Good, I’ll have one of our group escort you for a ways and ensure that your path is clear. You’ll have to leave within the hour to keep a good distance between you and the invaders,” Greyson said.
“We can’t get very far with that magical creature on our tail,” Fergus complained.
“Don’t worry about the Tridra,” Greyson explained. “It’s magically animated and tasked with hunting and killing only one person here.” All eyes moved to Beth. “It won’t care about you, your people, or anyone else as long as no one interferes in its task.”
“What happens if someone does?” Fergus asked.
“Then it will kill anything that stands in its way, or that attacks it,” Greyson said with more than a little finality.
“I hope you’re right, old friend,” Fergus said. “I don’t think any of us could stand against it.”
“You won’t have to,” Greyson said. “Beth will lure it away, allowing you, and all of us, to escape its destruction.”
“I will?” Beth asked, turning pale.
“Yes, but not alone. Wulfric will go with you,” Greyson said, looking at the Ranger. Wulfric nodded. “You will also not be without aid. Galapolos will assist you.”
“Is that necessary?” Wulfric asked.
“Yes. Only he can keep you ahead of the Tridra. In the end, you may very well have to face it anyway, but let’s hope there is a different fate in store for you,” Greyson said.
“That doesn’t sound too assuring,” Tristan muttered to Beth.
“Galapolos will help, though,” Elly added.
“Wulfric will also do his best,” Dunric said, placing a hand on Beth’s shoulder and giving her a reassuring squeeze.
“No doubt, though we’ll move quickly. No one here is a laggard when it comes to work, and a quick march we will make considering the circumstances,” Fergus said. “I just hope you’re right about the magical beast.”
“As do I,” Greyson said. “Excellent, then. Go on and prepare to leave.” Greyson smiled at his old friend.
Fergus left, walking quickly to the south where his people were gathered, awaiting orders. They had been told to gather only food and weapons and to be prepared for a forced march.
“They seem exposed,” Wulfric noted out loud.
“Appearances can be deceiving, my young Zashitor,” Greyson said, not taking his eyes off of the mayor and watching the man dwindle in the distance. “You can be assured, however, that they are taking the safest and most prudent course of action considering the circumstances.”
“So their safety is not assured,” Gloria noted.
“Can you ensure the safety of Helvie, the baron’s daughter?” Lucina asked formally of Greyson.
Greyson turned to Gloria and then Lucina in turn. “No, their safety is not assured,” he began. “Neither can I, nor the Fist of Astor here, ensure the safety of our good lady Helvie Vulcrest.”
“Then why this elaborate plan? I mean, why not arm everyone and take up defensive positions in the town? At least this way we can take many of the invaders with us.” Gloria laid a hand on the hilt of her sword, allowing a scowl to cross her face as she said the word invaders.
“Most interesting, considering this isn’t even your realm.” Greyson looked at the warrior woman.
“There is a debt to be paid to the barbarians,” Gloria explained, “for killing some of my people in the caravan. I owe nothing to Vulcrest, but the barbarians will be paid in kind and in full.”
“I must say, the way she fought, I do believe she’s intent on her word,” Diamedes added, smiling at the woman who saved his life.
“I for one approve of her words,” Lucina said, gracing Gloria with a look of approval and honor. “My sword will serve both Vulcrest and the lady Gloria’s debt.”
“Gloria will do.” The warrior woman nodded at Lucina. “So, no assurances, then. We must risk what we risk and allow fate to decide.”
Greyson’s pleasant demeanor faded, and he looked at the women for a long moment before speaking, his tone serious. “There is one assurance when facing Northmen, Kesh, and a dragon.”
“I don’t like the tone of his voice,” Helvie whispered to Lucina, who hushed her.
“What would that be, Master Greyson?” Gloria said, gripping her hilt tightly.
“Death,” Greyson said.
The Green Dragon: A Claire-Agon Dragon Book (Dragon Series 3) Page 17