The king nodded his head solemnly. “It shall be done. We shall abandon the city. My army will be ordered to help my people vacate.” He frowned. “Will the enemy suspect a trap and be afraid to consume the poisoned food?”
“Not if it looks like the city was just vacated in haste. We shall have some of your soldiers keep fires burning and leave fresh food out, and slip out just ahead of the enemy. They will think you cowards, when you are just slippery foxes.”
The king tried to smile. Akira felt a great sympathy rise for him.
“I shall give the orders to abandon the city. I suspect many will rebel.”
Mage Morgan smiled. “I think my daughter and I can instill some fear in them. You must command your archers to not shoot arrows at us.”
The king looked at the smiling mage quizzically. “Why would my men shoot arrows at you?”
Morgan let Akira answer.
“Because we will swoop down upon your city riding fire-breathing dragons. We will use fear to motivate them to obey your commands. Now we must take our leave, if you will excuse us.”
The king’s surprise was visible. He shook his head as if to clear his ears. “But dragons?” He paused as if to say something, then thought better of it. “So, my priests were right about the prophecies. The time of dragons is returning?”
Akira nodded yes. She expected to be dismissed. She bowed, as did Mage Morgan.
The king looked at them. “It is I who should bow to you.” The king looked at Akira with fresh eyes. “You’re a mage also, aren’t you?”
Akira nodded again, wondering why the king suddenly studied her intensely. She wondered why hope suddenly sparked in his eyes. Despair was what she expected. Anger would have been justifiable. But hope? His hopeful look defied logic.
“I must inform the priests, that the time of dragons is upon us, and the sign is confirmed. “My people will not rebel when I command them to abandon the city.” The king walked up to Akira, lifted her hand, and kissed it. Akira was puzzled and looked towards her father, looking for an explanation. The king turned. Without another word, he left them with Froid who also, like the king, studied Akira, looking intently into her confused eyes. He too paid homage to Akira and her father with a slight bow. Froid spoke quietly, as if speaking to himself. “And there will come from the west, a warrior like none other before, with blue eyes, riding a magnificent dragon, to save the world from destruction. Those who follow the warrior shall be spared.”
Mage Morgan inhaled sharply. He looked into the eyes of Froid, as the old mage’s voice trailed off. He swallowed hard. For the mage knew what part of the prophecy of the Sarcenian priests that came next. He finished for the other mage, “The pure of heart warrior shall sacrifice that which the warrior loves most, to defeat an army that would enslave all mankind to serve a master with powers of darkness, a master with no heart, no reverence for the god of creation, and no love for the creations of the creator.”
Akira looked even more puzzled, then her face brightened. “This is good, is it not? The Sarcenians have a belief that makes it easier to get them to abandon their city. We must get to work quickly. You should have remembered their prophecy sooner, father. You must show yourself upon a dragon. It will make it easier for King Balboa to get his people to follow him out of the city.”
The mage nodded at his daughter. His blue eyes had a dazed look in them. Akira’s face showed a sudden worry. “It’s just a silly prophecy, father, is it not?”
“Perhaps, and perhaps not.” His eyes narrowed, as if trying to shield something from her. “But we shall use it to our benefit.” He gave Froid a warning look. The old mage understood the silent message. He said not a word.
Akira caught that look of warning. She looked away quickly. Her mind worked quickly. The Sarcenians would believe her father would save them! She thought about the looks the mages exchanged. Are they afraid I will be terrified for my mother’s life? For my mother’s life, I am certain, is nearest to my father’s heart, as it should be. This prophecy, if true is cruel. Akira forced her face into a hopeful expression. “It’s just a prophecy, Father, a useful one for us. You need not worry about losing what you love most, that which is near and dear to your heart. Right?”
CHAPTER NINE
The citizens of Sarcene wept, cursed, protested, but stoically followed their king in a sad and frightened procession out of the city. The sight of Mage Morgan astride a living breathing dragon flying above their fair city was proof to them their priests’ prophecies were not to be ignored. The sight of a man upon a dragon validated their trust in their priests. Akira suspected it gave them a measure of comfort no words could ever give.
Soldiers were left behind with orders in hand to kill anyone leaving the exodus procession to loot the abandoned city. The same soldiers and guards remaining behind, assisted Mage Morgan and Akira with the poisoning of the stores of food, and wine barrels left behind, haphazardly, as if abandoned in frightened haste.
The soldiers kept fires burning, dressing as peasants, passing in and out of the gates should any spies come ahead of the dreadful columns of living and dead soldiers marching to the beat of doomsday drums. If spies came, they would see nothing amiss.
The city would look recently, and hastily abandoned when the Dark One descended upon it. The gates would be open at both ends of the city. Akira knew her father was gambling Kalifar would have no need to break walls, would have reason to keep the city intact, to claim it for his own. She hoped the gods of the Sarcenians would hear the Sarcenian’s prayers. For if those gods heard and answered prayer the Sarcenians could someday return to their beautiful city, and find it relatively, if not miraculously, unscathed. She wondered what sacrifice her father would have to make if he indeed was the dragon-riding savior the Sarcenians believed was sent to them by their gods. A shiver ran down her spine.
Akira stood on the hill from where she first looked at the rose-colored walls in the distance. Behind the city, in the far distance, a dark cloud was beginning to rise out of the horizon. Beneath that cloud, she knew marched the Dark One, Kalifar, with his single-minded army, marching in time with the drums of war, wiping out every village in its path. Akira had peered over her father’s shoulder, to see into his globe. She saw advance war parties riding a few miles ahead of the main army, killing every human they could find.
Akira asked, “Why not just stay in formation and mow down everyone in their path?”
Mage Morgan explained, “If the inhabitants saw the full body of the army descending upon them they wouldn’t stand and fight, they would flee and deny the Dark One more dead, more ghosts with which to grow his army.”
Akira shuddered.
…
Sky Spirit, waited in the shadow of the hill Akira stood upon. They would take to the air as soon as Akira signaled from her vantage point to the guards and soldiers that the first wave of attackers was within a mile. Her father had flown earlier in the morning to lead the Sarcenians away from the city to safety. She imagined the awe and comfort they would have, considering their beliefs of a dragon-riding warrior saving them. She was still in awe of magic and dragons herself. She thought about her ‘innocently ignorant of all things magic’ childhood, and how in awe she would have been to see a dragon, let alone a dragon with an impressive fine figure of a man in long flowing robes riding it. It seemed as if her childhood was far behind her although she was about to start her eighteenth year of living.
In the distance, the dark cloud was higher in the horizon. It was time to light the signal fire and make a smoke smudge. She took her silver wand from her girdled waist and set the prepared sticks and wood on fire, then covered the flames with damp leaves and grasses. The smoke swirled up and billowed. She did not let the smoke rise for long. As soon as an answering mirror flashed from the distant pinkish-colored walls she smothered the fire, running down the hill to where Sky Spirit anxiously waited.
“Where to warrior?” asked the dragon as she tilted her wing so Akira co
uld run up it and settle herself in her saddle.
“To Trinity, the city of three rivers. We shall join the armies gathering there.”
“Um, warrior, what direction would that be?”
Akira felt stupid. “That would be in that direction.” She pointed to the mountains. “I’m sorry Sky Spirit, sorry that I assume you are familiar with the lay of the land, when you and your kind, for so long, couldn’t fly the skies freely. We both shall have to trust and follow my father’s instructions. My father told me we need to follow the mountains until we see a great lake. Three great rivers converge into one, and feed the lake. Where the rivers converge, we will find the city.”
“Will your father join us there?” asked Sky Spirit.
“Yes, when he has led the Sarcenians to safety, he will come back to Sarcene to see if our plan to weaken the Dark One’s army worked.”
Sky Spirit’s run to lift herself into the air was much smoother than Sky Stalker’s. Her run took a shorter distance to gain momentum. Akira appreciated that the smaller dragon was more agile on the ground than her huge father. Akira hoped it would also be the same in the air. As they took to the sky, she compared the small dragon she rode, to horses of the desert people, horses that were finely boned, swift, with great lung power, that could run circles around the massive war horses carrying heavily armored knights. Sky Stalker would have greater fire power than his daughter, just by virtue of his massive size, but his daughter would be like the horses of the desert people, swift, and agile. Despite the gravity of what was to come, Akira’s heart soared just thinking about flying.
Akira secured herself in the new saddle using the tether straps. Within minutes, dragon and rider took to the air. As tempting as it was to just sit back and enjoy the thrill of dragon riding, she focused on the mechanics of riding, the weapons she carried, how she would use them. She thought about Sky Spirit’s fire-breathing abilities and how to make the most of them. I can add my energy to her flames. Far better to use a weapon already at hand than create a new one. Akira searched her memories for a fire spell. She practiced it over in her mind until she knew she could rattle it off quickly. When she was satisfied with her recall, she allowed herself to enjoy her lofty view. The wind rushing past her eyes made them water. It occurred to her it would be wise to shield her face from the wind. The shield will need to be clear, like the glass windows only the wealthiest can afford. But breaking glass could cut my face and blind me. She frowned scrunching up her face. Akira suddenly brightened. Think like a mage you soft skull, she scolded herself. A spell cast for an invisible wall is a common spell. It will not drain my magical energy too much if I keep the wall small, like a small shield, just big enough to protect my eyes.
Akira started spell casting as she placed her hands in front of her face. It looked like she was polishing a mirror in front of her face. When she lowered her hands, disappointment clouded her face. Her vision was blurred by her creation. She sat straighter in the saddle. Again, she raised her palms and started spell casting a second time. As she cast her spell for the third time she remembered to welcome the wind’s energy, felt it flow into her body. It curled inside of her, then flowed to her hands. She lowered her palms and smiled. Her eyes no longer watered. They didn’t feel the wind. Her vision was not impaired. Stray strands of untamed hair, that escaped her war braids, whipped about, but not in front of her face. The small expenditure of magical energy was well worth having clear vision going into battle.
She reminded herself to always think like a mage, not as an ungifted being. Thinking like a mage would serve her well. Think like a mage. See though a mage’s eyes she told herself. Suddenly, a voice inside argued she would be wiser to use mage knowledge combined with all that she already had learned throughout her life. All knowledge is valuable the voice said. Akira listened to the small voice inside her head. Knowledge is power, it whispered.
Akira was glad to have an inner voice, glad that her inner voice spoke to her. She realized that inner voice’s thinking had been tutored by, influenced by the wise men of the order of the White Rose. Akira’s father was included in that group of men. Her respect for him was growing, action by action, and with that respect, came a budding, growing trust. The trust didn’t come easily. It hadn’t been easy to allow her father into her thoughts. Her deeply ingrained distrust of men was hard to bury. If she hadn’t been desperate to know if she had or hadn’t bewitched Dimitri, she realized she would never have allowed Talana and her father access to her memories and inner thoughts. Years of harsh treatment from her stepfather were hard to forget. Although she no longer painted all men with the same brush as being domineering self-serving curs who wanted to subjugate all females, there was still that natural instinct to rebel against men, distrust them, just because. Because they were men. Akira felt shame, and justification at the same time.
Akira sighed from her lofty seat in the sky. She looked past the steady rhythmic beating of her dragon’s wings. What beauty below, and as far as her eyes could see, would be destroyed if the Dark One couldn’t be stopped? All of it? She frowned. There was no time to enjoy the beauty surrounding her, beneath her. Akira determinedly practiced incantations and spell casts to keep from thinking of anything but how she could help the armies gathering at city of three rivers, named simply, Trinity. She wished she had a crystal ball, a magic globe, to see if the Sarcenians were safely out of the path of the advancing rigidly marching enemy
Her hand touched the stiff leather side pack, full of slingshot sized orbs glowing underneath a drawstring closure. They were fully charged with energy she had expended from herself, then replaced. She had three orbs in her tunic pocket, where she could slip her hand beneath her chain mail armor quickly and efficiently. Strapped inside of her soft leather boots were daggers. Sheathed and attached to her saddle opposite the orb container was a small battle axe with a wide blade. Although, not as proficient as she wanted to be with the weapon, she could almost hit the center of a target block ten paces away. In hand-to-hand combat, it was her unnatural ability to be in another spot as an opponent struck out with sword, or broad axe, that gave her a magic assisted advantage. I know I have the quickness for hand-to-hand combat, that makes up for my lack of size and weight, but I fear I may not have the stomach for hand-to-hand combat. Time will tell. I wish I had more time before I’m tested. I pray I can do what needs to be done when the time comes. I have nothing to fear but fear itself. I will take no pleasure in killing, and perhaps my stomach will not embarrass me.
When Sky Spirit landed on the outskirts of the city of Trinity where armies from the south, east, and west were gathering, there were some jittery battalions, wide eyed and in awe at the sight of a warrior on a dragon. A ripple of apprehension rippled through several camps flying different colors of at least five different kingdoms. Mage Morgan had sent word ahead of her, warning the kings and their generals, commanders to expect the unexpected, expect his daughter on a dragon, and to lower their bows, hang on to their spears, and welcome his daughter into their ranks as a secret weapon against Kalifar, the Dark One.
Akira was relieved to have an uneventful landing. She could tell Sky Spirit was tired. Akira unbuckled her tether straps and slid down Sky Spirit’s wing. To her surprise, Cronus rode up to her, leading Pegasus who was saddled and ready for her to mount. “
“Good to see you, woman!” Cronus could hardly take his eyes off Sky Spirit. “That was quite an entrance! I see there was truth in the rumor that all dragons aren’t dead.”
Akira reached out to clasp his big hairy arm in greeting. “It pleases me to see you too, looking fit and rested.” Akira walked to Pegasus, and stroked his soft muzzle. She whispered something in his ear. He snickered softly.
Cronus smiled. “I swear if I didn’t know better that nag is smiling.” Akira, turning on her heel punched Cronus’s arm. “Nag? Nag? You dare call my mount a nag?” She swung up effortlessly into the saddle and rode to face Sky Spirit. Men were cautiously starting to gather aro
und. “It will be easier for me to move among these men, on my friend here.” She patted Pegasus’s neck. Do you wish to rest here, or over by the lake somewhere?” Sky Spirit indicated with her head that she preferred the lake. Akira reached out and touched Sky Spirit’s nose spike. Guard my weapons well, my friend. Akira looked meaningfully at the side bag full of orbs.
The dragon blinked her blue eyes and nodded her elegant head. She started to move. The men who gathered to view Sky Spirit backed away. A commander ordered the men to return to their respective camps. He was brusque, barky. “What? God’s eyes! You all have your jaws dropping, catching flies, gulping like fish on the bottom of a boat … like you never saw a blessed dragon before!” For all his blustering bold words, neither had the commander ever seen a real live dragon. But hell, if he was going to admit. It seemed the secret weapon against the Dark One was a dragon. The dragon was impressive enough to make him smile, however he muttered to his attendant, “I hope the warrior woman is more than decoration on that beast. Damn, but she is a beauty.”
The attendant said, “Which one?”
The commander looked at his attendant as if to say are you addled? “Both you fool, both.”
Cronus led Akira through the different camps of men setting up tents. There were flags flying high representing the different kingdoms and territories. Curious and appreciative eyes followed Akira. When Akira and Cronus rode past a group of black-skinned warriors, Akira noticed another female warrior. Their eyes met. They didn’t smile at each other. Instead they gave each other a nod of mutual respect, for it was no easy matter for a female to be accepted into warrior ranks. Akira smiled after she passed the woman. Her smile got bigger as she recognized the White Rose flag, and saw Dimitri engaged in deep conversation with what were, judging by their highly-decorated helms, war generals. He didn’t see her slide down off her mount, and tether Pegasus with her unit’s horses. Dimitri’s men smiled at her. They were sharpening blades, checking weapons when she approached them.
Akira Rides Page 12