“Oh yes.” The scruffy man assured him. “They never leave one another’s side. I tried to broach the subject with Shirk a few times, but he always ignores my questions. He can’t fool me though.”
“Did you ever ask Aunt Skie about it?”
Sly’s face fell. “Once. She asked me what I had heard, and then threatened to rip my beard out hair by hair if I didn’t mind my own business.” He suddenly smirked again. “She seemed awful flustered by my question, though, almost like a thief caught with his hand in someone else’s purse. There’s something going on between them, mark my words.”
“So what if there is?” Damion shrugged, unconcerned. “Shirk is a good man at heart. He would never do anything to hurt or dishonor Aunt Skie.” He suddenly frowned. “I wonder if Damarius suspects anything.”
“I doubt it. He spends most of his time down in the vaults conducting his crazy experiments. I doubt if he even realizes we’ve been gone.” The little man suddenly snorted in amusement. “Can you imagine how he’ll react once he finds out?”
Damion couldn’t help but chuckle at the thought of the old wizard discovering his only daughter was secretly being courted by the disreputable old bandit.
Damarius, Lady Skie’s father, was an eccentric old sorcerer, and one of Damion’s oldest friends. When the huge warrior began displaying the ability to use magic at a young age, Lady Skie had taken him to live in Damarius’s secluded cottage, where the old wizard had taught him how to control his magic and develop his powers. Damarius now resided in the lowest levels of the Serpent’s Keep, also known as the Vaults, and spent most of his time tinkering with his various experiments and inventions.
“Well, Shirk had better hope he doesn’t find out.” Sly murmured, taking another drink from the wineskin, and then settling back against the tree stump. “Damarius would probably turn him into a slug.”
They lingered for a few more minutes by the fire, then adjourned to their tents for the night, leaving Snowfeather and the two soldiers to stand watch over the camp.
Chapter 2
“Finally!” Sly sighed in relief as the enormous granite wall that surrounded the town of Sevria finally loomed into view. “I was beginning to think we’d never get home!”
“Does this mean you’re finally going to quit whining?” Damion asked mildly.
“Yes,” Sly told him unabashedly. “Yes, it does.” He nudged his horse into a canter.
They followed the scruffy little man between two massive dragon skulls which had been mounted directly onto the granite battlements, and through the only gate leading to the small mountain town.
“Welcome home, Lord Omensent.” One of the soldiers guarding the gate greeted Damion respectfully. “Did you have a pleasant trip?”
“It was enjoyable enough,” Damion replied, reining in his huge prancing warhorse. “It would have been much nicer if Sly hadn’t complained the entire trip.”
“Blah, blah, blah.” Sly grunted, nudging his mare with his heels. “I’m heading on into town for a drink. I’ll meet up with you later.”
Damion chuckled as he watched his old friend trot off towards town, then looked back to the soldier. “Were there any problems while we were gone?”
“Nothing serious.” The soldier shrugged. “We had a couple of merchants try to sneak their caravans out of town without anyone noticing, but they didn’t even make it out of the gates. Lady Skie was quite put out with them. It wasn’t the first time these merchants had tried to avoid paying their taxes. She fined both merchants an outrageous amount, and then banned them from selling their wares in Sevria for a year.”
“That seems a little harsh,” Raven observed, then she shrugged. “but I’m sure Lady Skie had good reason for banning them for an entire year.”
“The merchants in question were notorious for selling those inferior gnomish wares that have been flooding the region.” The soldier shrugged, unconcerned. “Their goods won’t be missed.”
They moved on through the battlements towards the huge castle that towered over the town. Named the Serpent's Keep by the local people in honor of the huge beasts that carved the castle from the mountainside, it stood as a symbol of the bond between the majestic scarlet serpents, and the man who freed them from their enslavement.
They were nearly halfway to the castle when a huge reptilian creature stepped from the shadows and hurried towards them. The beast was nearly eight feet tall, with a heavily muscled body that was covered in thick black scales that seemed to almost absorb the darkness around it. It had a large head topped with two spiraling horns, and a long whip-like tail that lashed by and forth restlessly.
“Massster,” The huge shadowspawn hissed, dropping to one knee. “You have returned.”
“Slither,” Damion told the shadowspawn with a sigh. “I have told you a hundred times that you do not have to call me master anymore. You can just call me Damion.”
The huge warrior had spared the beast's life several years before, after it and a number of other dragonspawn attacked him. In exchange for his mercy, the shadowspawn swore eternal loyalty to Damion, and quickly proved to be a valuable asset when it came to dealing with the dragonspawn. When Leia had been kidnapped from her crib, the shadowy beast managed to track the kidnappers to the northern coast, enabling Damion and the others to pick up their trail with little difficulty. When they finally returned with little Leia, he rewarded the shadowspawn's loyalty by releasing it from its pledge, healing its crippled arm, and even giving the beast its own set of chambers in the lower levels of the castle. After a bit of apprehension from the people of Sevria, Slither had settled in, and even managed to form a bond with many of the soldiers who guarded the city.
“Yesss mas... Damion.” The reptilian beast quickly stood. “Did you encounter any trouble while on the road?” The beast hissed, seeming pleased by the companions' return.
“Nothing serious. Were there any problems with the dragonspawn while we were gone?”
“Nay.” Slither shook his head. “The ssspawn have been quiet. Many have gone into hiding. They believe Draco returned to Hisss place in the heavensss becaussse He wasss dissspleasssed with them. They fear Hisss coming punissshment.”
“At least it keeps them out of our hair.” Raven said with a shrug. “With them busy trying to avoid the Dragon God's wrath, they'll be too preoccupied to bother any of the caravans traveling along the trade route.”
“Where are you heading this evening?” Damion asked the shadowspawn curiously.
“SSSlither isss going to visssit the tavern.” The huge beast licked his lips eagerly. “They have a hog roasssting on the ssspit that looksss quite appetizing.”
Since taking up residence in Sevria, the huge shadowspawn had adapted surprisingly quickly to living among humans. Many of the locals who were terrified of the great beast quickly grew to like him as he made himself indispensable, helping with everything from the protection of Sevria, to assisting the townspeople with their everyday chores. The people repaid his aid by providing the beast with all of the food and drink it could consume.
“Whatever you do, don't try challenging Sly to another drinking contest.” Raven warned the shadowspawn with an amused smile. “It took a half a dozen men to carry you up to the castle last time.”
“SSSlither will not try that again.” The shadowspawn swore to the young woman. “It'sss unnatural how much ale that little man can consssume.” The huge reptilian beast turned its gaze to Leia, who was perched atop her father's prancing warhorse. “And how wasss your trip, little one?”
“It was fun!” Leia smiled at the shadowspawn happily. “The dwarves were really nice, although they were even shorter than I expected.”
In the years following the young girl's abduction, Leia and Slither formed a bond that surprised everyone in Sevria. The young girl spent a great deal of time with the huge shadowspawn, who always escorted her wherever she went to insure her safety, and stood guard outside her chamber door at night to make sure there w
ere no further attempts to abduct her while she slept.
“SSSlither isss that happy you enjoyed your trip, little one.”
“Have you seen Shirk and Aunt Skie this evening?” Damion asked curiously.
“They were in your office up in the cassstle when I lassst sssaw them.” Slither shrugged.
Damion thanked the massive shadowspawn, then nudged his prancing warhorse with his heels and led the way up to the castle.
They found Lady Skie and Shirk in Damion's office, enjoying a quiet candlelight dinner for two.
“Looks romantic.” Damion commented as he, Raven, and Leia entered the room, causing both Lady Skie and Shirk to jump guiltily.
“Damion!” Shirk exclaimed, jumped to his feet. What little bit of the old bandit's face that was visible behind his vast beard was flaming red. “You're finally back!”
“How was your trip?” Lady Skie asked calmly. She looked completely unflustered by their being caught having a romantic dinner with the old bandit.
“It was good.” Damion told her, smiling as Leia dashed over and climbed into Lady Skie's lap with a squeal of joy. “Being elevated to King of the Southern Dwarves has brought out a confidence in Garth that wasn't there before.”
“Were you able to come to a new trade agreement with them?” Shirk asked, returning to his seat.
“We were. They will be sending caravans full of household goods along with their shipments of weapons and armor from now on.”
“That's good news.” The old bandit grunted. “It's well known that dwarven goods are all of the highest quality, and we've been getting bombarded with complaints about the shoddy gnomish goods that have been flooding the area. Hopefully this will solve the problem.”
“We heard that you had a problem with a couple of merchants trying to sneak away without paying their taxes.” Raven commented, taking the seat next to Lady Skie.
Lady Skie's face fell. “Both caravans attempted to depart in the dead of night in the hopes of avoiding paying their taxes, but the gate guards stopped them before they could escape.”
“We heard.” Damion laughed. “The soldiers at the gate informed us. They mentioned you banned them from selling their wares in Sevria for a year.”
“She not only banned them,” Shirk chortled. “She fined them a thousand gold pieces each for being repeat offenders.”
“I thought it would teach them a lesson.” Lady Skie shrugged. “They'll think twice before trying to skip out without paying their fair share, and perhaps it may dissuade other merchants from attempting the same.”
“Sounds fair to me.” Damion agreed. “How did the merchants take it?”
“They didn't take it well.” Lady Skie smiled sweetly. “One of them completely lost his composure and began to hurl vile insults at me, until Shirk slammed him into the wall hard enough to rattle the foundations of the castle. After that, the men were more than happy to pay their fines and their taxes, just so they could get away from him.”
“I should have gutted him on the spot,” Shirk growled. “and then took the gold from his carcass.”
Lady Skie tried to conceal her smile, but failed.
A young man suddenly entered the office and stopped with a surprised look on his face. “Lord Omensent? When did you return?”
“Hello, Axel.” Damion smiled at the young man, who had served as a castle page for several years before Sly took a liking to the boy and made him his assistant. Since then, Axel had become indispensable in the day to day running of the castle. “We just arrived home a few minutes ago.”
“How did things go?”
“It went well. The dwarves have promised to begin sending more caravans. I'll brief you on everything later.”
“Have you eaten lately?” Lady Skie asked Leia, who began picking at the food left over from her and Shirk's romantic dinner for two. “Are you hungry?”
“Starving.” Leia told her with a emphatic nod. “Dad wouldn't let us stop for supplies in Crete, so we were forced to scavenge for food the entire trip back.” She gave her father a sour look.
“It wasn't that bad.” Damion told his daughter in exasperation. “You're just being melodramatic.” His stomach suddenly gave a loud growl. “But a hot meal definitely sounds good right now.”
“I'll see to it immediately.” Axel told them with a half bow. He turned to leave, then stopped. “I almost forgot. There's a rather odd looking fellow here asking to see you. I was going to inform Lady Skie of his arrival, but since you're here, you may want to see him. He claims to know you.”
“Does he have a name?”
“He says it's Captain Harper. He claims he's assisted you on a number of occasions, but he looks a little unreliable to me. I wasn't sure if I should believe him or not.”
“Captain Harper?” Damion exclaimed in surprise. “That old pirate is here?” He laughed in delight. “Go ahead and send him up immediately.”
"As you wish, milord." The young man hurried from the room, only to return moments later with a bearded man who was dressed in a bright blue vest adorned with large gold buttons, and a thick heavy gold chain that hung to the middle of his paunchy gut.
"Captain Harper!" Damion laughed in genuine glee. "It's great to see you! What are you doing so far inland?"
"I came to see you." The old sailor grunted in a tired voice. He suddenly smiled as Leia slipped down from Lady Skie's lap and rushed over to throw her arms around him. "Hello, little one. You've grown quite a bit since I last saw you."
"Did you bring me anything?" She asked excitedly.
The old sea captain laughed, then withdrew a small wrapped bundle tied shut with a bright red ribbon and handed it to the young girl, who squealed in excitement.
Leia quickly removed the ribbon and unwrapped the bundle to reveal a beautiful set of combs that had been carved from tortoise shell. "They're wonderful!" She threw her arms around Captain Harper once more, and then hurried over to show her gift to her mother.
Damion had met Captain Harper several years before when he and his late friend Veren, set off across the sea to the northern continent in an effort to track down the brood mother of the shadow dragons. The good natured old captain had also been instrumental in helping them chase down the witch who abducted Leia.
"So, how is life at sea, Captain?" Shirk asked curiously.
"It's as exciting as always." Captain Harper shrugged, dropping heavily into one of the cushioned chairs that surrounded the meeting table. "The sea is much like a wife. One minute she can be calm and serene, and the next minute, she can be a roaring maelstrom that threatens to rip you limb from limb."
"That's a woman for you." Damion nodded knowingly.
"Hey!" Raven, Lady Skie, and Leia all exclaimed simultaneously.
"What brings you to Sevria?" Shirk asked, taking a huge drink from his tankard to cover his laugh. "It's not often that you tear yourself away from that ship of yours to come and pay us a visit."
"There have been some things going on in the world which I thought Damion should be made aware of." Captain Harper grunted, his expression becoming serious. "It all started a few months ago when I agreed to take a shipment of iron ore from the Pleiades Islands, which is about forty leagues west of Jaghera, to the port city of Salastar, on the western continent." He wrinkled his nose in distaste. "I'm not really fond of the western continent, nor its people, and was going to turn the job down, but the offer they made was far too generous to turn down. So I accepted the contract, and agreed to transport the ore."
"The western continent, huh?" Shirk asked curiously. "Is it true that they are all religious zealots over there?"
"That's a rather odd question coming from a man who grew up worshipping snakes." Lady Skie murmured, a playful smile hovering about her lips.
The old bandit blushed. "I just meant I've heard some strange stories about those folk."
"And most of them are probably true." The old sea captain grunted, scratching his beard thoughtfully. "The Etazk are a breed
of their own. They worship Etaz, God of the Underworld. He is one of the most powerful deities known to our world, mostly due to the fact that He has hundreds of thousands of followers. The stories say that the entire western continent was brought under his dominion thousands of years ago. His people supposedly slaughtered millions in the name of their god, purging the continent of every nonbeliever. Once every infidel had been slaughtered, Etaz commanded the Etazk to split the continent up into three different countries. Kazka, which is controlled by the military, Nazka, which is controlled by the merchant class, and Etazka, which is controlled by the church. All three countries are ruled over by a high priest who has absolute control over his people."
"Is it true that they sacrifice virgins to their god?"
"Not only virgins." Captain Harper frowned. "Etaz apparently commands his followers to make regular demonstrations to prove their faith and devotion to Him. To appease Him, the Etazk bend a human sacrifice backwards over an alter and carve out their heart. They then place the heart into a bed of burning coals as a blood offering to the God of the Underworld."
Leia gasped and threw her hands over her mouth. "That's horrible!"
"They are a horrible people." Captain Harper agreed with the young girl. "There are no common folk among the Etazk, except women, who are looked upon as property. The men either serve in the army, become a merchant, or enter the priesthood."
"If there aren't any commoners, who does all of the work?" Raven asked in confusion. "I mean, somebody has to mind the fields and care for the livestock."
"The military is also their main work force, but they use slaves for any remedial work that they feel is beneath them."
"What about the children?" Lady Skie looked appalled.
"The children are immediately given over to the priesthood, who raise the children until they reach the age they can begin their training. The strongest children always end up in the army, while the most intelligent are trained to become merchants or priests."
"Where do they get their sacrifices from?" Leia asked in a subdued voice.
Omensent: Revealing the Dragon (The Dragon Lord Series) Page 2