The newly trained dragon was a female, held inside one of the wagons. As Chara opened the wagon, a human lunged out at him with a sword, slicing him clean across the shoulder. The wound was deep but not fatal and Chara quickly crushed the human. A fresh scar across the imprisoned dragon's left flank brought renewed anger to the attackers and they searched the wagons thoroughly for any remaining human slavers. There were none. The young dragon was given the opportunity to join them and she took the offer eagerly. Ator chatted with her on the way back to camp, sharing his experiences at the hands of his own keeper and his joy at being freed.
After Ator finished his account of the attack and proudly showed all his friends his pea-sized wound, Chara expressed his happiness at having the little dragon in camp. He explained how Ator's willingness to share his own experiences helped the young dragon adjust to life in a Gypsy camp much easier than any of them had expected her to. Ator had also been instrumental in bringing both the dragon who surrendered and the dragon who was captured into service for the camp. He was relentless and his unintentional charm quickly broke down their barriers, especially those of the captured dragon, who had been forced to give up two children and took to Ator like a mother takes to a son. By the time Lana and her crew arrived, the captured dragon, known as Kuna, had practically adopted Ator and the new dragon, Jesik. The dragon who had surrendered, Dolan, was less friendly, but he did what he was asked and showed no inclination to rebel or cause a fuss.
The sun had been asleep for many hours when the group finally retired to their beds with plans to meet the next day. Chara and Sajan had been in talks about the upcoming attack already, but the addition of the son of Sigurd would be crucial and would solidify their union.
Chapter 19
For the next two weeks, the Flametongues and their new guests planned the attack on the training camp. Ideas were suggested and thrown out, but eventually they came to a consensus. This would be the largest attack the Flametongue Wanderers and Gypsies had ever orchestrated and there was much commotion in the settlement for the week before the raid. The number of dragons in the valley increased two-fold. Sajan returned to his caves after escorting Ychthorn and crew to the Gypsy camp and sent out runners to all the other Flametongue clans. Each clan sent several of its best warriors and nearly twenty dragons came from all over the Flametongue Deadlands. Sajan arrived four days before the attack was planned, bringing himself, his mate, three of his sons, and almost a dozen of his most trusted soldiers.
The day before the attack was a throbbing mass of controlled chaos. Non-fighters in the Flametongue Settlement were assigned tasks that would assist the attackers in some way. Chefs prepared light, healthy meals for human, Hidden, and dragon; leather workers mended old saddles and created new saddles as needed; metalsmiths repaired and replaced dented and damaged swords; healers, both Gypsy and dragon, cleaned, restocked, and prepared a building next to the armory to be used as an extra infirmary. Plans for retreat in the event of a rout were developed and hammered into the heads of all those who would be in on the attack. It was critical that they not lead the entire training camp back to the doors of the settlement if something should go awry during the attack.
The fighters were divided into groups. The clans were mostly kept together, as they were already comfortable with each other's fighting style. Chara led a group of attackers, as did Sajan and each of the clan leaders that arrived. Four groups were assigned to attack the main training camp from different vantage points and one smaller group would hit the hatchery to keep the keepers assigned there from aiding the training camp.
Two new buildings were erected by the houses where the dragons lived in the settlement. Intel suggested that upwards of three dozen dragons potentially resided at the training camp, including dragons in training, dragons that were occasionally captured from the Flametongue clans, dragons who were hired on as guards, and a few enslaved dragons kept on as servants due to their lack of fighting intuition. The buildings were created with security in mind, giving the Gypsies the ability to keep the dragons locked in their rooms if necessary. They would not delude themselves that every dragon at the training camp was a slave longing to be free. They often ran into a dragon who, though oppressed and forced into slavery, revered their masters and would die before letting harm befall them.
As the shadows grew long, preparations grew frantic. Lana and Ychthorn went for their last saddle fitting and took it for a test flight, ensuring that the eject feature worked properly and that Chelandra knew how to use the large sheet of cloth to float safely to the ground. Bolgor received a new set of solid armor, built to be light but strong. He and Prigol would be with the ground troops, who were divided among the four dragon groups. The ground crews would ride in close to the training camp via a specially designed transport system, comprised of a wooden platform suspended beneath a dragon, which would be released once the platform was on the ground. Bellithana would accompany Adaja, as the ability to throw long-range fireballs would be extremely helpful in the assault on the barracks where the humans lived. The village, where families resided, would be left untouched, but wood from the shattered buildings in the camp itself would be used to create a flaming barricade, thus blocking reinforcements from the village.
The attacking party set out just after the sun slipped below the horizon. It would be a two and a half hour flight from the Flametongue Settlement to the Flametongue training camp. Some of the human fighters dozed along the way in preparation for the long night ahead. Bolgor, who had grown accustomed to sleeping almost anywhere, dozed comfortably on the platform, propped up against a Gypsy he had only just met. Chelandra and Ychthorn silently discussed the plans that had been made and Thorn soothed some of Lana's fears for herself and her friends. Bellithana and Prigol both remained silent, preparing themselves mentally and physically for the trials ahead. A half hour from the training camp, the large group, numbering more than seventy dragons and twice as many humans, split into its respective attacking parties and made their way to their targets.
Ychthorn and Chelandra were in the main group, led by Chara, heading directly for the buildings where the trainees were kept. Nearly two dozen humans were positioned in slings beneath more than a dozen dragons, prepared to be dropped from a short altitude onto the roofs of the buildings. From there, they would infiltrate the structures, attempting to subdue any humans and release the dragons. Outside, the recently unburdened dragons would battle any of those who resisted or refused surrender. Sajan and his followers would attack the same group of buildings from the opposite side, with the parties meeting in the middle. Adaja would lead a group of mostly riderless dragons to the barracks, which would be incinerated as quickly as possible, some of the wood being torn from the buildings to make the barricade to the village. Bellithana, who specialized in fire magic, would target strategic spots with her fire balls. Balls of fire were more effective than fire spit, which burned and sizzled dangerously, but did not spread like true flame. Ator flew alongside Ychthorn and Chelandra, unwilling to leave his best friend after being reunited so recently. Ychthorn was secretly thankful that the dragon stuck by his side and he and Lana agreed to watch over the little guy as best they could during the battle.
The hatchery group struck first, engaging the hatchery attendants and effectively removing them from the main battle. The hatchery held two newborns, both under a month old, and plans were quickly made to remove them back to the Flametongue Settlement. The infiltrators were dropped as the hatchery was being overrun and Adaja's group attacked quickly after, preventing the men in the human barracks from reaching the training grounds. Chara's dragons prepared for battle as they saw men and dragons form up on the ground. The defenders rallied quickly, rising up to meet their attackers face to face. Teeth ripped and talons tore at exposed flesh, desperate to get a quick advantage in the battle.
Soldiers on the ground moved frantically, lining up three heavy wooden devices. The devices consisted of large bases holding a swinging arm. A
t one end of the arm was a bowl, which the men filled with heavy rocks. On the other end was a suspended weight, which, when released, would drop the arm quickly, launching the rocks into the air. The first few volleys from the devices missed the fighting dragons, but then the men readjusted their aim and they quickly began hitting their targets. As the attackers and defenders were so close, the rocks hit anything in their paths, doing damage to both sides equally. Orange dragons fell amid flame and earth, blood spilling across the men below, divots created in the hard sand where creatures landed heavily.
Lana perched atop Thorn's back, aiming carefully at the men controlling the catapults. She inhaled deeply and exhaled steadily, releasing the arrow, tipped with poison, as the last bit of air left her lungs. She hit her mark square in the chest and the man collapsed on the lever he was controlling. The device swung around, out of position, and the rocks flew into the side of the building.
A large hole was created in one of the cells and the dragon inside took the opportunity to escape. Ychthorn drew Lana's attention to the creature and they saw him head away from the fight before he turned to observe the battle. Seeing one of his captors nearby, the newly freed dragon dove straight at the hated beast, wings folded tight against his body, not even bothering to spit. He barreled into the defending dragon, ripping it away from one of Sajan's sons, whom it was in intense battle with, and both the defender and the freed dragon crashed heavily to the ground, teeth and talons tearing at each other audibly.
Beside them, Ator was lobbing acidic spitballs at the training camp's ground crew, large globs of the green spit burning holes in the earth. The little orange dragon mostly missed his targets in his excitement, but he hit one of the wooden devices dead on and the acid quickly ate through the wood, snapping the heavy beam in half and dropping the loaded rocks onto two men standing too close to the wooden bowl. The successful dragon was so ecstatic at his aim that he did not see the third arm being released, loaded with two rocks, each bigger than Ator's head. Ychthorn saw the rocks, but realized he would not reach his friend in time. He screamed a warning to Ator, who turned to look but did not have time to react as the rocks flew toward him. Ychthorn, in a fit of panic, threw an arm out, picturing the rocks dissolving into little shards. Ator and Lana watched in shock as the rocks exploded. Small splinters pierced through Ator's unprotected scales, but most bounced harmlessly off his armor. Lana pressed a hand to Ychthorn's side, questioning him.
"I'll explain later," came his brief response as a heavyset orange-red dragon rose to meet the pair.
Ychthorn and Ator squared off as the huge beast sneered at them in disgust. The giant creature spit a huge glob of fiery mucus over Ychthorn's head, aiming at Lana. She ducked as Thorn rolled and the spit flew well clear of the pair. Ator shot a ball of acid at their opponent in retaliation, but it went wide. Thorn closed with the large beast, minimizing its ability to release the deadly fire spit, and locked his claws onto the thing's chest. Lana pressed herself close to her friend, pulling a specially designed shield up over her head. She covered herself not a moment too soon, as she heard a talon scrape across the top of the metal covering. Thorn ripped at his opponent as Ator attacked from the other side. The little orange dragon was less than half the size of the larger orange dragon and Ychthorn kept the beast busy as Ator made quick, harrying attacks from behind.
Lana braved the flailing limbs and claws and took aim at the defending dragon. Her shot missed its mark but sunk deep into the creature's shoulder, causing him to pull back involuntarily. Seeing an opening, Thorn lunged, ripping a huge chunk of flesh from the dragon's chest as Ator landed a big wad of acid between its shoulder blades. Screaming in pain and terror, the beast scrambled away from his attackers. He spun in frantic circles, scratching at his back, trying to remove the vile acid that was eating through his flesh. In his terror, he forgot to beat his wings and he fell like a rock to the ground. Lana took careful aim and put an arrow through the dragon's skull, ending his anguished flailing and giving him release.
The attack on the training camp was quick and efficient. The two newborn dragons were removed and flown to the settlement before the main assault was finished and the hatchery was set aflame. Both the dragon barracks and the human barracks were destroyed. The training buildings were torn asunder and the dragons who would accept freedom were freed; those who would not surrender were shackled and chained and placed in slings beneath some of the stronger Flametongue dragons for transport back to the settlement. The mothers of the newborns were given an escort and were taken to their children immediately after they were freed. The others remained behind until all defenders and attackers could be accounted for.
The estimates of dragons at the training camp were deeply exaggerated. Less than twenty dragons total resided at the camp, including the newborns, trainees, mothers, and guards. Barely a dozen had survived, most of the lost being guards, who vastly outnumbered the trainees. Nearly all of the humans had been killed, with a handful surrendering and the rest escaping to the village or the woods. Scouts who had been placed along the barricade reported that the villagers fled to the nearby hills, but requests to hunt them down were denied. The Flametongues might be called savages, but they would not be chasing down innocent mothers and children, or anyone who refused to fight.
The attackers suffered their own losses as well. Nearly two dozen humans had been killed and eight dragons were slain. One of them was Sajan's second oldest son and Sajan and Adaja grieved deeply. Chara suffered another deep wound, but he was still able to fly. Retrieving their dead and wounded, the survivors slowly made their way back to the settlement. They arrived amid muted cheers and agonized sobs. The sun was rising as they tended their wounds and forced themselves to eat. All of the fighters crawled into their beds with heavy hearts, their sleep broken by all too real nightmares.
Chapter 20
Most of the combatants slept heavily, not waking until the sun was falling below the cliffs. Ychthorn had suffered several deep gashes in his chest and flanks from the battle and he bled through his bandages in the middle of the night. Chelandra walked with him to the infirmary, where a Gypsy cleaned the wounds and replaced the bandages, applying a soothing gel-like substance to the open cuts. After he was patched up, they found their way through the maze of dragons and Gypsies to Chara's fire pit, where their friends were eating boiled meat and potatoes from a large black kettle hung over the coals.
Ychthorn settled down next to Ator and Lana slid onto a thick log beside Bolgor. Bolgor slipped his arm around Lana's shoulder and pulled her close. He had several small lacerations on his right cheek, one just below the eye. One of the defenders had scooped up a clay ball that failed to explode and launched it back at the attackers. The resulting blast killed two Gypsies and Bolgor was plastered in clay shards. The man who threw the ball was also caught in the blast range and was thrown thirty feet onto a splintered plank. Bellithana and Prigol both escaped without injury, though the emotional stress of the battle had been just as great.
The group ate in silence, thankful that they had all made it out of the training camp in one piece. Many others had not been so lucky and funeral pyres were built that evening. They were lit after the sun had set and the entire camp, along with all the visitors, gathered around the mass of flames. The large group grieved for its lost companions, many of whom had just met within the last week. New and old friends alike shared the pain of loss and commiserated until the flames burned to shimmering coals in the dark. Then the Flametongues declared it time to celebrate the life of those who were now deceased. Barrels of Gypsy ale were brought out, meat that had been roasting all day buried deep in the coals was served on large platters, and musicians brought their instruments from secret hiding places.
The survivors from the training camp who had surrendered and did not pose a threat were invited to attend the party, which the Flametongues referred to as a "remembrance." Many of the captured humans were very friendly once they were no longer subjected to th
e duties of the kingdom and the majority of the freed dragons were more than happy to participate in their very first party, even if the premise of the party was less than enjoyable. The Flametongue dragons and Gypsies also went as far as offering ale and meat to those prisoners who refused to acquiesce. The guards of those prisoners were delivered a sweet, warmly spiced drink made from cactus juice.
The party lasted through the night and far into the next day. Lana and Bolgor wandered hand in hand as the sun hung high in the sky, the little valley settlement sheltered from the hottest heat by the surrounding cliffs. The couple found themselves standing at the edge of the lake, watching strange birds paddle calmly across the cool waters. Bolgor wrapped his strong arms around her waist and pulled her into his chest, pressing his lips to her hair. She melted into him, feeling safe and content in his embrace, and both of them blocked out the evils of the world until the sun sank below the cliff's edge.
The next two weeks were consumed with post-battle duties. Captured dragons and humans who refused to submit to the rules of the Secret Coalition were prepared for travel to several rehabilitation camps. The Gypsies at these camps were skilled at showing dragons and humans alike that they were not slaves and deserved to be free. The dragon military called them prisoner camps, which some Gypsies conceded could be the case if the dragon or human simply would not believe they were in the wrong. These same Gypsies would contend to the death that the prisoners were still treated better in these camps than any prisoner of the kingdom would ever be treated.
Blood of the Dragon: An NA Epic Fantasy Page 11