Omensent: Wrath of a Dragon God

by Barry Gibbons

  Using every ounce of concentration to control the staggering force produced by the enchanted stone, he carefully reversed the blade, and gently placed it against the blind man's forehead. He released his magic through the stone, and the old man suddenly let out a startled yelp, his eyes going wide with shock.

  Everyone watched as the thick milky coating that obscured the man's vision suddenly drained away like milk running down the side of a glass, revealing the granite grey which had been hidden beneath.

  "I-I can see!" The man cried, rubbing his eyes in disbelief. "I can see!" The tears that fell now were tears of joy. He looked around at Raven and Damarius, then up at Damion, who had stood to return the Dragon Sword to its sheath. "It-It was you who removed the witch's curse?"

  Damion nodded. "She had laid an enchantment upon you that was uncommonly strong. It's a good thing we found you when we did. Much longer and even I wouldn't have been able to help."

  "We need you to tell us about the woman who cursed you." Raven's eyes were beginning to grow wild once again. "You said you saw her face. What did she look like?"

  The old man drew a deep trembling breath, then exhaled heavily. "She had very pale, almost transparent skin, and coal black hair. She was actually quite fetching, but her eyes, her eyes were something like I have never seen before!" He looked to Damion. "They were like twin balls of violet fire!" He shuddered. "I'll never forget those burning eyes!"

  "Violet eyes?" Damarius exclaimed in shock. "That's not possible!"

  "I swear to you that's what I saw, milord." The old man assured him in a weary voice. "I'll see that witch's eyes in my dreams for the rest of my days!" His stomach gave a loud growl. "I don't suppose you folks happen to have any food handy? I haven't had anything to eat in days!"

  "Why don't you have Sly see to the horses, and bring in our packs." Raven suggested to Damion. "We can camp here tonight."

  Damion nodded, then exited the small shack to find Sly and Slither still waiting patiently with the horses.

  "Discover anything useful?" The little man asked curiously.

  "One of the sailors that was aboard ship that brought the kidnappers here is inside. The woman apparently decided to punish him for seeing her face. She used magic to blind him. He's been stuck in this shack, slowly starving to death ever since."

  Sly let out a low whistle. "It seems this woman has a bit of a savage streak."

  Damion frowned. "It looks that way. It was an unusually powerful curse. I was forced to use the Dragon Gem to remove it." He sighed. "We're going to set up camp here for the evening and find out everything this man knows, then tomorrow we'll set off for Sierra to search for a ship."

  The little man nodded, then led the horses to an small corral that had been constructed next to the rickety shack.

  "What doesss Massster wisssh of SSSlither?" The one armed shadowspawn hissed questioningly.

  "Return to Sevria and keep watch over everything." He ordered the beast, his eyes narrowed in thought. "Tempest will be returning there soon to protect the city. Help her in any way you can." He grasped the creature by the shoulder. "You have proved yourself to be a loyal friend, Slither. I promise that I will find some way to thank you."

  "Thank you, Massster." The shadowy beast bobbed its head once, then disappeared into darkness.

  Damion went to the crude corral and helped Sly with their packs, then returned to find Raven and Damarius busily making the crude shack livable.

  Once the piles of trash and refuge had been removed, and Damion and Sly had finished repairing the door, Raven set about cooking a flavorful stew from their provisions, and they all settled down for a hot meal.

  The old sailor was quite obviously starving, and ate nearly as much as Damion. Once they had all eaten their fill, Sly built up the fire to help ward off the growing chill, then they gathered around to hear Garret's story.

  "It all started about a year ago." The man started with a sigh, staring at the fire as if were the most beautiful thing he had ever laid eyes on. "Our ship, The Barking Dolphin, had made port in Naquia. It's a port city about a dozen leagues from Sherish, the home of the gnomes. I've spent most of my years at sea transporting goods that those little creatures create to different countries all over the world, and we had just returned with a load of iron ore from the mines on the Icarian Isles. After supervising the unloading, the captain and most of the crew went to the inn that we traditionally visit when in port. We had just sat down and ordered some ale, when a man approached the captain to inquire about buying passage aboard the ship. The captain tried to tell him that we only transported cargo, but he insisted. The captain decided to hear him out, probably because the brute's sheer size. This man was one of the largest men I have ever seen." He glanced at Damion. "Not quite as big as you, though, Dragon Lord."

  Damion chuckled. "I see you've recognized me."

  Garret frowned. "It's not only just your description that makes me recognize you, milord." He replied cryptically. "The man convinced the captain to transport him and the witch across the sea by offering him an absurd amount of gold, and we set off almost immediately." He continued with a weary sigh. "Our ship wasn't the largest in Naquia, and we only had a twenty or so deckhands to keep her sailing true, but within the first week at sea, one of the men mysteriously disappeared sometime during the night." He shrugged and raised his hands helplessly. "Men sometimes fall overboard. We really didn't think much of it at the time."

  "But that's not what really happened, is it?" Damarius asked, his tone indicating he already knew the answer.

  "Not by far. It happened again the following week, and then again."

  "And where was this man and woman while this was happening?"

  "I never once saw them leave their quarters below deck," The old man swore, shaking his head in bafflement. "but I know in my heart of hearts that they were responsible for the missing crew. I tried to convince the captain that we were in danger, but I think he was too afraid of the giant brute to take action. By the time we found this cove, there was only myself, the captain, and two other sailors that were still alive." He shook his head. "We had planned on sailing back out the second those two stepped from the ship, but I made the mistake of looking into that witch's face, and..." He rubbed his eyes meaningfully. "I'm not sure whatever happened to the captain or the other deckhands. I figure they must have killed them too."

  "They not only killed them," Damarius told the old sailor, his face grim. "they also consumed them."

  "What?" Damion exclaimed, his face aghast.

  "The woman that this man is describing is a highland witch. It's said that they're cannibals. The legends say they feast solely upon the flesh humans."

  "That's revolting!" Raven cried, horrified. "They eat humans?"

  "It's what gives them their power." The old wizard told them with a nod. "They use their victim's essence to perform their ancient rites. It's also what changes their eyes."

  "What would this witch want with my baby?" Raven asked desperately. "Surely not to..."

  "Of course not." Damion cut her off, not allowing her finish her thought.

  "The ways of the highland witches have always been a mystery." Damarius shrugged. "I didn't even know they still existed. I figured that they had all been wiped out by now."

  "Where are these witches from?" Sly asked in a subdued voice.

  "Teirsia, on the eastern continent."

  "Teirsia?" The ragged sailor choked, his face draining of color. "I've known a few Teirsians in my day, and they're a people that I'd never want to cross!"

  Sly nodded in agreement. "I've heard of the Teirsians. They're a savage, war-loving people. Every man of Teirsia serves in the royal army. The old, the weak, and the maimed are considered expendable, and are usually killed, along with children who are lame, or considered to be too weak to be Teirsian warriors."

  "They slaughter their own children?" Raven looked as though she may faint, and Damion quickly placed a hand on the small of her back to st
eady her.

  "They're a brutal people." Damarius nodded grimly. "They have spent the last two thousand years in a constant state of war."

  "War with who?" Sly asked.

  The old wizard shrugged. "Everyone."

  "And the witches?"

  Damarius shrugged. "According to the old legends, they have several temples somewhere in the Teirsian highlands. No one I know of has actually ever seen it, though."

  "So the witches are the spiritual leaders in Teirsia?" Damion asked, still supporting his wife.

  "Nay." Garret shook his head. "The Teirsians worship Triton, the god of war. The priests of Triton are the ones who guide the Teirsians in their religious ceremonies. Women are not allowed to serve in the church."

  "Then who are these witches?" Damion asked in confusion.

  "What little I have learned about them over the years," The old wizard started, stroking his beard absently. "they are the women of Teirsia that have turned their backs on the god of war, and took up the worship of the elder spirits. The rest of the Teirsians do their best to avoid the witches, that is, of course, unless they wish to make a request to the elder spirits."

  "What about the man?" Sly's eyes had narrowed in thought. "What do we know of him?"

  "He's not Teirsian, that's for sure." Garret assured them. "I think he may have been from the Vale of the Oroni. He spoke with a heavy accent that may well have been Oroni."

  "Who are the Oroni?" Damion asked.

  "The Oroni are a primitive people who live in a lush valley near the northeast coast of the eastern continent." The old sailor shook his head. "They're almost as savage as the Teirsians. The two races have been at each others throats since time began, or so the legends go."

  "If the woman was a highland witch, then the man is undoubtedly her khalkan." The old wizard told them, brushing his brow lock out of his eyes absently.

  "Khalkan?" Damion shook his head. "I've never heard of a khalkan."

  "They are people who have had their souls stolen. What's remains is little more than a living, breathing puppet. The highland witches use these khalkan puppets as bodyguards and servants. Their minds are completely dominated by the witch's, so they tend to be used as the witches' voices when they are among normal folk."

  "So what happened after the witch blinded you?" Damion asked the sailor, encouraging the man to continue with his story.

  Garret shrugged. "Once that witch struck me blind, the one of the other sailors helped me stumble my way into this shack. He told me he was going to go find some fresh water, but never returned. I figured the witch and her man must have killed him. I tried my best to survive, but soon realized I was doomed. Then, about a week ago, the witch and her man returned carrying a crying child."

  Raven let out a whimper, and tears began to stream down her cheeks.

  The old man glanced at Damion, his face suddenly turning deathly pale, and he started shifting back and forth uncomfortably.

  "There's something else, isn't there?" Damion asked, noticing the man's sudden nervousness. "You've left something out, haven't you?"

  Garret gulped audibly, then nodded. "Right before those two boarded the ship, the bald man came into this shack and gave me a message." He looked at Damion. "The message was for you, milord."

  An icy shiver of fear ran down Damion's spine. "And what was this message?"

  "The man told me that you would eventually arrive here," The old sailor reluctantly told him, his expression one of a man who knew he was condemning himself to a gruesome fate. "and I was to tell you to return to your home. He told me to tell you not to follow, lest your daughter's life be forfeit."

  A cold knot began to form in the pit of Damion's stomach, followed quickly by a nearly overwhelming sense of fury. It took every ounce of self control that he possessed not to explode into a rage. After several moments of struggle, he finally asked, "Did he say anything else?"

  The old man shook his head. "He left without another word. I could hear as they cast the lines and sailed away, leaving me here to die."

  "Do you have any idea where they were heading?" Sly asked the old sailor, who had laid his head back against the wall of the shack wearily.

  "Back towards the east, I would imagine." Garret croaked in a tired voice. "That was what they hired us to do anyways."

  "What are we going to do?" Raven cried, staring up at Damion with fearful eyes. "We must get my baby back from those monsters!"

  "And we will." Damion promised his frightened young wife. "It doesn't matter where they flee, we will follow them and get our daughter back!"

  "What's the plan?" Sly asked with a worried expression.

  "We'll head out for Sierra at first light." Damion's expression was one of tightly controlled fury. "We'll find a ship willing to take us to the eastern continent, then pick up our search from there."

  "What if they didn't head east?" Raven asked in terror. "They could be heading north, or west!"

  Damarius shook his head. "That's very doubtful. If the woman was a highland witch, the only place she would go is to the highlands. Although they're not well known, enough people have heard of the highland witches to recognize them if they saw one, and then everyone would know that there was a witch loose in the area. Magic users are still viewed as evil in most lands, so there are very few places that she would not be in immediate danger if spotted. The only place where she would be safe is in her homeland."

  "Then that's where we're going." Damion decided, his expression like granite. "We'll head out at first light, and find a ship in Sierra that's bound for the eastern continent." His eyes flashed with suppressed rage. "And once we're there, we'll track down this witch, even if we have to rip the entire continent apart to find her!"

  "What about the witch's warning, milord?" The old sailor asked. "The bald man swore that they would kill the child if you followed!"

  "They wouldn't have gone through all the trouble of kidnapping her, just to murder her." Damarius pointed out reasonably. "They targeted Leia for a reason." He turned to Damion. "Didn't Slither say that the dragon god, Draco, was planning on retaking this world through you?"

  Damion frowned. "You think that the dragon god may be behind all of this?"

  The old wizard shrugged. "I wouldn't rule it out. These are momentous times in which we are living. I wouldn't be surprised if a god, or several gods, were involved."

  "That could be a problem." Sly grunted worriedly. "The gods deal harshly with those who ignore their commands."

  "I don't care what the gods command!" The huge warrior snarled angrily. "I will destroy everything that they put it my way if it means we get our daughter back!" He shook his head. "I need some air." He stood, and quickly made his way from the shack.

  Once outside, Damion slowly wandered towards the crudely constructed dock that reached out into the hidden cove. He hadn't felt this helpless since his father had been killed. He had desperately been trying to stay composed to keep Raven from completely losing her cool, but the thought of his daughter at the mercy of these murderers was nearly more than he could bear.

  "I haven't seen you look this angry since your father was murdered." Snowfeather hooted, gliding down from the darkness above, and settling gently on Damion's shoulder.

  "Where have you been?" The huge warrior asked aloud. "I haven't seen you in two days."

  "That shadowspawn kept looking at me like I was a light snack, so I thought it prudent to keep out of its reach."

  "Slither wouldn't try to eat you." Damion chuckled despite his anger. "He knows that you are my familiar, and one of my closest friends."

  "I hope so," The huge owl chirped dubiously, rearranging several of his feathers that had been dislodged by a gust of wind. "but I think I'll continue to stay well out of his reach, just in case."

  "Did you see anything unusual in the area?"

  "Everything seems quiet for now. There's a storm brewing out at sea that will probably make landfall sometime tomorrow, but otherwise, there's nothi
ng unusual happening."

  "Did you happen to fly anywhere near Sierra?"

  "Of course. It's only a few miles to the east."

  "Good. We'll be heading there first thing in the morning. We're hoping to be able to find a ship heading east that will be willing to take on a few more passengers."

  "And if you don't find a ship?"

  "Then we'll take one."

  Chapter 9

  They arrived at the port city of Sierra around midday the following day, after bidding farewell to Garret, who, to everyone's surprise, announced he would not be returning to the eastern shores.