He shook his head in confusion. They could have easily slaughtered the girl, and then finished off the Dragon Lord and brought Him the Dragon Sword, but instead, they chose to flee from a helpless mortal girl. The very thought was inconceivable!
He watched as the sun dipped below the horizon, a burning anger building deep within Him. Once again, the Dragon Lord had somehow managed to slip from His grasp. It was becoming quite apparent that someone else was interfering in His plans, and that someone could only be the Serpent Mother.
"Estheryal." He growled softly, glancing up at the constellations that were just beginning to make their nightly appearance.
"Did you call?" An amused voice asked in a slightly mocking tone. The Serpent Mother materialized nearby, Her golden scales gleaming in the fading light.
"What is it that you think you are doing?" Draco slowly turned to face the newcomer. "Why are you interfering in my plans? Don't you want our children to survive and flourish? Don't you want to see our children once again reign supreme over these pathetic mortals?"
"The path that you have chosen will only lead to our children's destruction." The golden dragon disagreed in a patient tone, settling down before the Dragon God. "You have already endangered them all, dragons and mankind alike, with your actions. Because of you, all of the gods are free to return and walk amongst their people once again, and many have returned to the wars that once nearly consumed the very world you wish our children to reign over." She stared at Him with disbelief. "Can you really not see that the only chance our children have of surviving the wars that are already beginning to take place is if you turn away from this path that you have chosen to lead our children down? It's only going to lead to their destruction."
"Your petty threats and predictions of doom will not frighten me, Estheryal." Draco snarled, turning His back on the golden dragon. "Our children will destroy the mortal scourge that has infested the lands, and take their rightful places as rulers of this world once more."
"You cannot continue to do this. You must turn away!" The Serpent Mother implored. "This is madness, Draco!"
"That I cannot do." He grumbled, turning to face her again. "I will continue until I have achieved my goals, no matter the cost." His eyes suddenly narrowed. "And you will cease interfering with my plans."
"That I cannot do." She threw His own words back in His face. "As long as you continue in your mad quest, I will continue to strive to thwart you. I will not allow this madness to continue." She fixed the Dragon God with a deadly glare. "Be warned. If you continue with this madness, there will be far greater consequences than even you can conceive." She stared at Him sternly for several long moments, then slowly faded into nothingness.
Draco continued to stare at the empty air where the Serpent Mother had just stood, His mind working quickly. He knew that Estheryal had been interfering in His plans, as She always did, but this time, something was different. He could tell by Her tone that She was genuinely concerned by His actions, which was quite unlike the Serpent Mother. She usually interfered in His plans merely for the enjoyment of annoying the Dragon God, but this time He could sense that She was trying in earnest to convince Him to turn away from His carefully devised plans. This, more than anything, troubled him.
He turned back to stare out over the churning waves, His eyes lost in thought.
**********
"There is a large force heading north along the trade road towards Sevria." Captain Repheth reported to Shirk and Lady Skie as he leaned against one of the posts to Lady Skie's bed.
"They will be the reinforcements from Crete." Shirk muttered wearily. The old bandit had refused to leave Lady Skie's side since the attack a couple of weeks earlier, going as far as handling all of the business of running the castle out of her spacious chambers.
"I thought so too," Captain Repheth told them in an unsure voice. "but our lookouts report that a large portion of the force is made up of dwarves."
"Dwarves?" Lady Skie sat up from her pillows. "Are they sure? The dwarves never leave their caverns."
"The lookouts swear they are dwarves." Captain Repheth held out his hands helplessly. "I thought they were jesting, but they insisted that they were telling the truth."
"What's happened?" Dar asked as he entered the room and climbed up onto the bed next to Lady Skie.
"Our lookouts report that a large force is traveling north along the trade route." Shirk grunted with a frown.
"Reinforcements from Crete?"
Captain Repheth shrugged. "We thought so at first, but then we were told that a large part of the force was made up of dwarves."
"Dwarves?" Dar suddenly burst out laughing.
"What so funny?" Shirk demanded in a surly tone.
"King Garth must have decided that he and his people weren't going to be left out of the upcoming battle." Dar laughed again. "He must have gathered some of his kinsmen and joined with the rest of Damion's army. He and the other dwarves are probably heading to Sierra to help fortify the city."
"You actually think that King Garth is with his forces?" Captain Repheth asked skeptically.
"I know he is." The childlike sprite's face was bright red from laughter. "Garth isn't the type to miss out when there's fighting going on. He'll be at the head of the group, I guarantee it!"
"Well, we should know soon enough." Captain Repheth told them. "They should be here by midday."
"I guess we should get prepared to receive them." Lady Skie threw back her covers and started to climb from her bed.
"What do you think you're doing?" Shirk asked, jumping up from his seat.
"I going to make myself presentable so I may greet our visitors." She told him, ignoring his disapproving glare. "It's not often that we have royal visitors."
"I really don't think you should be up and about just yet." The old bandit objected, his voice worried.
"Don't be ridiculous. The clerics have told you that I was fine. All of them." She cast him a dark look. The old bandit had insisted that all four of the castle clerics examine her each and every day, just to insure the young woman would fine, ignoring Lady Skie's assurances that she was already feeling much better. "Besides, I've had enough of lounging around in bed all day long."
"But..." Shirk started, but she cut him off.
"I'm not going to shut myself off from the rest of the world just because you're afraid I may be attacked again." She glanced over to Captain Repheth. "You are sure that you have captured or killed every single Etazk in the city, correct?"
The old man smiled. "I'm sure. We've turned this city over time and time again, just to be safe. There isn't an Etazk within twenty miles of Sevria."
"I would still feel better if you stayed here where I know you are safe." Shirk told her, a pleading note in his voice.
"I cannot remain shut away in this room for the rest of my life." Lady Skie told him, a note of steel in her voice. "I know you are only trying to keep me safe, but it's time that I quit lounging around in this bed. There's still far too much that still needs to taken care of before the Etazk finally strike."
Shirk sighed in resignation. "Very well, but only if you agree to have a guard escort you wherever you go. I won't have you putting yourself in danger again."
"If it makes you feel better, dear one." She agreed with a smile. "Now I suggest you all go and make yourselves presentable. We don't want to look like a bunch of beggars when go to greet the dwarven king, now do we?"
"We'll go visit the baths as soon as we go look in on Axel." The old bandit promised, motioning to Dar and Captain Repheth to follow him. "We'll meet you back here, in a couple of hours, and then go down to greet this dwarven king." He led the others from her chamber, then stopped just outside and whirled around to face the captain. "I want her to be escorted by our best men everywhere she goes. I don't care how much she complains. Just make sure that no one is able to get close enough to try and harm her again." He glanced down at Dar. "How are your ribs feeling?"
"Muc
h better, thanks." Dar replied, watching the old bandit with a curious expression.
"Good. I want you at her side. She trusts you, and you've already proven that you can handle things yourself if the need arises."
"You know," The fiery haired sprite grinned knowingly up at the old bandit. "You seem awfully worried about Lady Skie's well being. Why is that?" His grin grew even broader.
Shirk glared down at him. "Never mind that. Just make sure you stick by her side. I..., I mean, we, don't want a repeat of what happened last time."
"Of course." Dar giggled in enjoyment.
"Shut up." The old bandit growled, ignoring Captain Repheth's look of amusement.
They hurried down to Axel's private chambers, where they found the young man sitting propped up in his bed working intently on an elaborate carving of a rearing stallion, which he was crafting from a large piece of dragon bone. He looked up and smiled as he saw them entering the room, then quickly set the carving aside and began to brush the bone shavings away.
"Good morning," He greeted them happily.
"Good morning." Dar greeted him, noticing the young man was looking much healthier. "You look like you're feeling better."
"Much better, thanks." Axel smiled, then lifted his shirt to show them his wound, was almost completely healed. "The clerics say I should be up and about in another week or so. It hardly even hurts anymore." He frowned. "It's a shame they couldn't do anything about the scar."
"You don't want to loose the scar." Captain Repheth advised him sagely. "Your scars are a badge of honor. You should wear them proudly. Besides," He suddenly grinned. "Women love scars."
"Really?" The young man scratched his head thoughtfully, a slow grin spreading across his face. He looked over to Shirk. "How is Lady Skie?"
"Stubborn." The old bandit grunted wearily. "She's insisting on going down to greet the forces that are making their way up the trade road. Apparently there are a large number of dwarves with them, which leads Dar to believe their king is also somewhere among them. Lady Skie wants to be down there to greet him when he arrives."
"The King of the Dwarves is coming to Sevria?" The young man looked excited. "When will he be here?"
"Sometime around midday." Shirk replied, surprised by the young man's sudden excitement.
Axel stared at him for a long moment, then suddenly threw back his covers and started to climb from his bed.
"What do you think you're doing?" Dar asked, rushing to his bedside.
"I need to get out of this bed." The young man had an almost desperate look in his eyes. He suddenly winced and grabbed at his side, then fell back into his bed, an expression of overwhelming disappointment on his face.
"What is it?" Shirk asked in alarm. "What's wrong?"
"I wanted to present one of my carvings to the dwarven king. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity!"
"I'll make sure he gets your carving." Shirk told him with a frown. "It's the least I can do after you saved me from that Etazk." He looked around the room at the various carvings. "Which one should I give him?"
"That one." The young man immediately pointed to a foot high figure of a dwarven warrior wielding a battleaxe.
The old bandit quickly wrapped the piece in a large piece of scrap linen to help keep it safe, then, after assuring Axel he would be sure the dwarven king received the carving, he and Dar hurried off towards the baths.
They met up with Lady Skie outside of her chambers an hour or so later, then quickly made their way down to the guardhouse that had been constructed directly above the gates that led through the battlements that protected the city.
It wasn't long after midday when the large force finally appeared in the distance, led by a hard faced warrior, an overweight man in traveling clothes, and a short stocky dwarf with a long, fiery red beard that was tucked neatly into his belt.
"I knew it!" Dar laughed in delight, leading the others out of the guardhouse and hurrying down to greet the dwarven monarch.
"Dar!" Garth roared in greeting, stumping up towards the city gates. "I was wondering if you were going to be here!"
"Your majesty," The childlike sprite gave the dwarf a surprisingly graceful bow, then laughed and hurried forward to greet his old friend. "How's Gretta?"
"She's well. She is looking after things for us while we help drive the Etazk back to where they belong." He looked over to Lady Skie. "And you must be the beloved Lady Skie Meadowdown. You are a legend among my people, my dear lady."
"I am?" The young woman asked, blushing slightly. "Whatever for?"
"For helping to raise Damion, of course. He is a hero among our people, as are you and your father." The stocky little dwarf turned to stare curiously at Shirk.
"This is Shirk." Dar supplied helpfully. "He assisted Damion in tracking down and destroying the shadow dragons in Arleia, then decided to return with him to Sevria. He's been a part of our little family ever since."
"Damion has spoken of you." Garth told the old bandit, grasping his hand in greeting. "He thinks quite highly of you."
"I'm honored, your majesty." The old bandit gave the dwarf a stiff bow.
"These are my traveling companions," The fiery haired dwarf turned and gestured to the two men who were accompanying him. "This is Ignan," The fat man bowed gracefully. "and Zayan." The hard faced man nodded to them politely. "They were essential in gathering the forces to help face the Etazk."
"You are all welcome here." Lady Skie curtsied to them.
"I have a gift for you from one of our citizens, your Majesty." Shirk gave the dwarf the bundle containing Axel's carving. "An artist by the name of Axel carved it from dragon bone. He would have been here to present it to you himself, but he was injured while attempting to thwart an Etazk assassin that had snuck up behind me with a dagger. He asked me to make sure it was presented to you as a gift."
The dwarven monarch carefully unwrapped the bundle, then gasped as his eyes fell upon the incredibly detailed carving. "It's magnificent!"
"Axel is quite talented." Dar told him as the dwarf carefully examined the dwarven figure. "His carvings are growing quite popular, and are fetching outrageous amounts of gold." The childlike sprite chuckled. "When he heard that you were coming, he nearly killed himself trying to drag himself out of bed. He was devastated that he wouldn't be able to present it to you in person."
"Please, send him my thanks." Garth murmured, his eyes still taking in the details of the carving. "And tell him I would like to meet him as soon as we have this business with the Etazk settled. A craftsman that can create something as detailed as this is rare, and his works would be highly prized among my people."
"Don't tell Sly that." The childlike sprite snorted in amusement. "He has been making fistfuls of gold by supplying Axel with dragon bone for his carvings. If he gets wind that the carving would be prized among your people, the prices for the pieces will triple."
"How was Damion when you last saw him?" Lady Skie asked in a worried tone.
"He was angry." Ignan answered with a frown. "Word reached us that Kainpre had been had been overrun by the Etazk, which forced us to change strategies."
"Kainpre has fallen?" Dar gasped, his expression stunned.
"I'm afraid so. A fairly large force of Etazk somehow managed to infiltrate the city. They slaughtered the soldiers guarding the gates, then let the rest of their forces into the city." The stocky dwarf shook his head sadly. "It was a slaughter."
"How did the Etazk make it so far south?" Shirk asked in disbelief.
"Apparently the small groups of Etazk that kept breaking away from the main force made their way to the southwestern coast." Zayan informed them in a grim tone. "We suspect they must have discovered a hidden cove somewhere south of Kainpre, and ferried their men to shore in smaller boats." He scratched at his unshaven cheek. "We're guessing that they've been arriving in small groups for quite some time now. Once they finally had a large enough force, they marched on the walled city."
"Were there
any survivors?" The old bandit looked as though he may be sick.
"If there were, they're still being held by the Etazk."
"Damion and Bativa took the tribesmen south to go deal with the Etazk in Kainpre," Ignan said, picking up the story. "We're bringing the rest of our forces to Sierra to help fortify and defend the city until they arrive."
"What news is there about the Etazk in Salastar?" Lady Skie asked, her face pale.
"Their entire force has sailed out of Salastar and is currently on course towards Sierra."
"How many men?"
"At least a hundred thousand."
"A hundred thousand?" Shirk choked. "How long do we have before they arrive?"
Garth frowned. "Two months, at the very most."
"That's doesn't leave us a lot of time to finish our preparations." Dar murmured, his childlike face worried.
"How many men do you have with you?" Shirk asked, his mind working quickly.
"Around fifteen thousand." Ignan supplied helpfully. "Ten thousand regular forces, and another five thousand dwarves. Damion and Bativa took around twenty thousand tribesmen south with them to Kainpre."
"That means we're still dangerously outnumbered." Shirk frowned. "I fear there's little chance we'll be able to hold Sierra."
"Don't give the city up as lost just yet." Garth laughed heartily. "You'd be surprised at how much my kinsmen can accomplish in two months time. By the time we're done, the city will be virtually impregnable."
"Let's hope so." Dar said, his childlike face still worried. "I don't much fancy the idea of having an army of religious fanatics pounding on our gates."
"Will you be stopping here to rest before moving on?" Lady Skie asked curiously.
"I'm afraid we can't." Garth sighed regretfully, motioning to the line of grim faced warriors who continued to trudge passed the gates without slowing. "It takes a lot of careful planning when moving a force of this size, and we still have quite a ways to go before we finally reach Sierra."
Omensent: Revealing the Dragon (The Dragon Lord Series) Page 27