Omensent: Revealing the Dragon (The Dragon Lord Series)

by Barry Gibbons

  "We got here as quickly as we could." Damion told him defensively. "It quite a ways from Kainpre to Sierra, you know." He scowled, staring up at the circling dragons. "What are they doing here?"

  "They appeared out if thin air and began tearing into the Etazk forces like they were possessed." The little man told him with a shrug. "They even destroyed their ships, killing off a significant portion their forces for us."

  "We think they may have been drawn by the sounds of the battle," Damarius told him wearily, still leaning on his staff for support. "but that doesn't really explain why they've only been attacking the Etazk."

  With the fleet destroyed and the remaining Etazk in complete disarray, Sierra's defenders quickly turned the tides of the battle, releasing all of their anger and frustration back onto their attackers, and driving them back through the gaping hole in the massive battlements.

  "I think we're finally getting the upper hand on these madmen." Garth grumbled in a tired voice.

  "Don't start celebrating just yet." Damion told him as an explosion suddenly hurled several tribesmen and their horses high into the air, where they crashed back down into the city's defenders.

  "That can't be good." Bativa frowned. "There must be more priests. I was kind of hoping they had all been killed already."

  "Not a chance." Damarius told him shrewdly. "The priests are sure to have held back while their main forces invaded."

  "You all stay here." Damion slipped down from his saddle and handed Raven his reins. "I'll take care of this myself."

  "Be careful." The young woman warned him worriedly. "Remember what Gwynth told us about their leader, Mohaad."

  He hurried through the mayhem to the massive hole in the towering battlements, cutting down several panicked Etazk warriors who were desperately trying to flee the Deolan tribesmen, then climbed atop a large pile of granite blocks that once been a part of the massive wall.

  "The priests are at the end of one of the docks." Snowfeather hooted, swooping low over the huge warrior's head.

  "Where have you been?"

  "I wasn't sure if I should try to follow you with those veiled dragons circling overhead. I finally decided to chance it. Lucky for me, they don't seem to be interested, at least for now."

  "What are the Etazk priests doing?"

  "They've created a protective circle around an old man who is dressed in golden robes, and are blasting anyone that draws close into tiny pieces."

  "That would probably be their high priest, Mohaad." Damion frowned, following the huge snow owl through the mayhem until they finally reached one of the long docks which stretched several hundred yards out into the harbor. "How many of them are there?"

  "At least fifty or so. They also have a half a dozen or so of those wolf-like creatures among their ranks."

  "Get out of here." He told his familiar, cutting down an Etazk warrior who charged towards him with battle crazed eyes. "Go keep an eye on the others. This may get a little out of control."

  "Stay safe, and try not to get yourself killed." The huge owl drifted off towards the others, leaving him to deal with the remaining priests.

  Damion started down the dock, using the Dragon Sword to carve a wide path through the Etazk soldiers, many of whom tried to flee when they saw him approaching.

  A group of six mounted tribesmen suddenly rushed passed, their huge horses riding down soldier after soldier, leaving a wide trail of carnage behind them. They charged the line of Etazk priests, who immediately reacted by sending dozens of bolts of energy sizzling through the air, instantly reducing the tribesmen and their horses to charred husks.

  Damion cursed, then hurried forward, drawing in his magic as he closed in on the ring of priests.

  A huge fireball suddenly erupted from one of the robed men's palms and struck the dock directly in front of the huge warrior, exploding with tremendous force. He was thrown backwards from the force of the blast, sending him crashing down atop several corpses.

  He scrambled back to his feet and rushed forward once more, focusing his magic onto the Dragon Sword, causing it to instantly burst into flames. He allowed the energy to build up into a crescendo, then suddenly stopped and raised the blazing sword above his head, causing the water on either side of the dock to rise high into the air, where it hung for several long seconds before crashing down upon the Etazk priests, washing dozens of them off into the cold churning water.

  Several of the wolf-like beasts suddenly charged forward, their glowing eyes locked onto the huge warrior, but Damion raised the Dragon Sword a second time, causing another massive wave to crash down onto the unearthly creatures, washing several of them off into the water, and knocking the remaining beasts from their feet.

  Damion instantly leapt forward and finished the beasts off before they could regain their footing, then turned to face the last remaining Etazk priests, who quickly close ranks around their high priest protectively.

  "It's over, Mohaad!" He yelled to the golden robed man, noticing as the older man's eyes widened with surprise. "You have failed! Your army has been destroyed! Order them to lay down their arms now, and we'll let you leave. If you don't..." He raised the Dragon Sword suggestively.

  "We do not fear your hollow threats, freak!" The older man roared at Damion, his eyes gleaming with an insane light. "Etaz will see us prevail! You and all the other infidels of this land will bow down to the one true god, or have your hearts carved out and given up to Him! I..."

  Damion never found out what else the madman had to say since an arrow had suddenly struck the old man in the direct center of his forehead with a meaty thump, sending him toppling backwards off of the dock into the harbor.

  "Never call my husband a freak!" Raven snarled after the dead man, lowering her long bow and strolling up to stand beside her husband with an angry expression.

  "Nice shot!" Damion laughed despite himself.

  "Thank you, dear one." She replied, her eyes still blazing with fury.

  They focused their attention on the last few remaining robed men, who had watched their high priest disappear beneath the dark water of the harbor in utter disbelief.

  "Let's finish this, shall we?" Damion murmured, starting forward, the blazing Dragon Sword held at the ready.

  "Enough!" An impossible loud voice suddenly reverberated through the mountains, stopping them in their tracks. The air before the priests began to waver strangely, then a small figure materialized before them radiating an unearthly power which caused the hair on the backs of their necks to stand on end. "I will not allow you to go any further!"

  "So," Damion murmured, ignoring the almost overwhelming weight that had suddenly seemed to press down upon him. "You must be Etaz." He stared at the God of the Underworld, somewhat taken aback by His diminutive size. Etaz was thin, almost to the point of being emaciated, with a long scraggly grey beard, and pale colorless eyes that seem to gaze into one's very soul. He was tiny, barely five feet in height, but the waves of unearthly power that continued to radiated out from Him gave one the impression that He was much, much larger.

  "And you must be the mortal who has been attempting to destroy my plans." Etaz snarled at him in a raspy whisper that seemed to echo unendingly. "You have caused me and my children quite a bit of problems."

  "I'm glad to see that my efforts haven't gone unnoticed." The huge warrior replied in a sarcastic tone.

  "Oh, they haven't." Etaz whispered, his wrinkled face angry. "I have been watching you quite closely. It was you, after all, that caused Draco to violate the Pact of the Gods, allowing me to return to this world once more." He gave Damion a reluctant look of respect. "I have to say, I would have never expected a mortal to be able to rile the Dragon God badly enough to cause Him to forget about the pact."

  "It's a gift." Damion told Him in a mockingly.

  "That it is." The God of the Underworld agreed with a dark chuckle. His face suddenly took on a cunning look. "I have a proposal for you, Dragon Lord," He whispered, His voice still ec
hoing strangely. "Fall on your knees and worship me. Pledge your unending loyalty unto me, and I shall raise you above all others, and make you the new high priest of Etazk. You will be the most powerful man that has ever lived, and together, we shall bring the mortals of this world into our fold."

  Damion stared at Etaz with an expression of disbelief. "Are you out of your mind?" He asked the God of the Underworld in a scathing tone. "Do you actually think that I would ever even consider joining with you?" He shook his head firmly. "I will never join with you, Etaz. I would give my soul up to Draco before I would join with you."

  Etaz drew Himself up, His face angry. "You shall fall on your face and worship me, or you shall die!"

  "I don't think so." A new voice growled in a deep resounding voice. The air above Damion and Raven suddenly shimmered strangely for a moment, then the enormous form of the Dragon God suddenly materialized, His iridescent scales shimmering in the early morning light. "You shall not raise your hand against my child, Etaz. Your plans of world domination have come to an end."

  "And you're going to stop me, are you?" Etaz snarled, his colorless eyes narrowing dangerously. "I think we already know that you alone cannot defeat me."

  "Whoever said that He was alone?" A second voice asked as the Serpent Mother appeared next to the Dragon God, her golden scales gleaming brightly.

  "Estheryal!" Etaz's expression suddenly became less confident. "Surely you're not going to stand with Draco against me! He is your mortal enemy!"

  "Draco is not my enemy." The Serpent Mother corrected Him in a stern tone. "Granted, we rarely agreed on things, but He is far from my enemy."

  "Like I said," Draco growled in a dangerously quiet voice. "This ends now. Take what remains of your army, and return to your own lands. If you do not," His eyes flashed. "We will release our children upon yours. Every single Etazk alive in this world will be hunted down and killed, and we both know that without worshippers, you will be powerless to ever threaten the world again."

  "You wouldn't dare!" Etaz suddenly drew back fearfully. "Such a thing is unthinkable!"

  "You had better start thinking about it." Estheryal warned him in an remorseless tone. "Put an end to this madness now, or watch as your children are destroyed."

  Etaz stared from the Dragon God to the Serpent Mother, then down at Damion, an expression of unbridled fury on His wrinkled face. Finally, with an inhuman howl of anger and frustration, the God of the Underworld shimmered and disappeared, taking the few remaining survivors of His once massive army with Him as He vanished.

  Chapter 19

  Sierra's defenders let out an enormous roar of victory as the few remaining Etazk vanished along with their god, leaving only their dead behind. Many of the men began to dance through the streets, overjoyed to realize that the nightmarish ordeal was finally over.

  Damion and Raven turned to look up at the pair of dragon deities who had appeared to force Etaz to abandon His conquest and return to His own lands.

  "You have done well, my child." Estheryal murmured to Damion, Her voice full of pride. "The God of the Underworld will be unable raise His armies again for quite some time. He has lost a significant portion of His worshippers, and almost all of his priests in this foolish quest to bring the world under His dominion. It shall be centuries before He even thinks of attempting this again."

  Damion didn't replied, but merely stood staring up at Draco with furious eyes, his hand still gripping the hilt of the Dragon Sword tightly.

  "I see you are still angry with me." Draco grumbled with a heavy sigh, settling down before Damion with a neutral expression. "I was hoping your fury may have dampened somewhat."

  "You tried to steal our daughter!" Damion snarled, his entire body trembling with anger.

  "I did," The Dragon God admitted with another sigh. "I tried to take your daughter so I could use her to advance my plans." He gave Damion a plaintive look. "This world was once ruled by dragons, and now our children on the brink of extinction. It was my wish to change that, to bring our children back from the brink, and insure that they continue flourish for eons to come."

  "I understand your reasons," Damion growled at him, still seething with anger. "I just have a serious problem with your methods."

  "Estheryal has made me see the errors in my plans." Draco told him reluctantly. "She has also assured me that to continue with my plans would insure our children's demise."

  "Is that why you intervened when Etaz appeared?" Raven asked, still wary of the massive beasts before them. "To make sure that the Etazk couldn't endanger the dragons once they took over the world?"

  "In part," He rumbled with a nod.

  Estheryal suddenly snorted in amusement, sending twin curls of smoke drifting up from Her nostrils. "Draco also rarely misses the chance to foil any plans that Etaz has. They've hated one another since the beginning of time!"

  "He started it." Draco grumbled, scowling the Serpent Mother.

  Raven couldn't help but giggle. "He sounds a lot like you." She murmured to her husband, who ignored her and continued to stare up at the Dragon God with angry eyes.

  "My main reason for intervening," The iridescent dragon continued. "was to protect our children, all of them." He looked at the huge warrior meaningfully.

  "I am not your child!" Damion bellowed, barely able to contain his fury.

  "You are one of our children." Estheryal told him in a gentle voice. "Like it or not, the blood of dragons runs in you and your daughter's veins."

  "I'm not thrilled with the idea either," Draco grumbled with a sigh. "but it is what it is, and neither of us can change it, so we had just better get used to it."

  They stared at one another for several long moments, then Damion finally placed the Dragon Sword back into sheath. "So I'm guessing you sent the veiled dragons to help us as a peace offering?" He asked the Dragon God finally, a note of anger still in his voice.

  "Actually, no, I didn't." Draco murmured, glancing up at the dragons who were still circling high overhead. "Someone else is responsible for that."

  "If you didn't send them, who did?"

  The Dragon God didn't reply, but instead gestured to a pair of dragons who were slowly beginning to descend.

  "That looks like Tempest!" Raven exclaimed in surprise as the beasts dropped low enough to be clearly seen. "What is she doing with the veiled dragons?"

  "I have no idea," Damion murmured with a frown. "but I have the feeling I'm not going to like the reason."

  "It is time for us to return to our places in the heavens," Estheryal told him as they watched the dragons touched down gently near the gaping hole in the battlements. "but know that I shall be watching over you. You have done well, Dragonkin." The form of the enormous golden dragon wavered for a long moment, then slowly vanished.

  "I daresay that shall meet again soon, Dragon Lord." Draco growled to Damion, obviously forcing Himself to remain cordial with the huge warrior. "I hope that when we do, we shall being fighting for the same cause, instead of against one another." He stared at the huge warrior for a long moment, then also slowly faded into thin air.

  "Damion," Raven suddenly clutched his arm. "Tha-That's Leia!" She pointed to a tiny figure that scrambled down from the shoulders of the veiled dragon.

  They hurried towards the young girl, who was quickly joined by Slither, Shirk, and Dar as they quickly scrambled down from their seats atop the dragons.

  "I will never do that again!" Shirk declared as they approached, dropping to his knees and kissing the stones beneath his feet. "I was certain that I was going to plummet to my death! I don't know how I managed to hang on!"

  "I thought it was rather fun." Dar disagreed, laughing at the dumbfounded look on Damion and Raven's faces. "It definitely got the adrenaline pumping!"

  "Wha..." Damion started, looking up at the veiled dragon, which stared back at him with apprehensive eyes, then to Tempest, who merely gave him a shrug. He looked down to his daughter. "What is going on here? What are you doing he
re with these beasts?" He couldn't seem to comprehend what he was seeing.

  "We thought you may need a little help convincing the Etazk to leave," Leia told him innocently. "so we came see what we could do to help."

  "But... But... How did you get them to help you?" Raven asked, staring at the veiled dragons with a confused expression.

  "It was something that Gwynth said to me before we reached Sevria." Leia told her. "When I asked her if father's army would succeed in defeating the Etazk, she told me she believed that they would, especially if they got a little help." She looked to Damion. "I had the oddest feeling that she was trying to tell me something, but I couldn't figure out what, until Tempest arrived." She looked to the scarlet dragon. "She told us about those flying creatures that the Etazk priests had summoned, and how they were wreaking havoc with the army. We knew she would probably be killed if she tried to intervene, but we also knew Sierra didn't stand a chance with help." She smiled. "That's when I thought of the veiled dragons, and what Gwynth had told me."

  "You mean..." Damion looked stunned.

  "It appears so, yes." The young girl nodded.

  "What are you talking about?" Raven demanded, still looking confused. "Will somebody please explain what's going on?"

  "It appears our little Leia has more than a little influence with the veiled dragons." Dar told her with a smile. "They were created with her blood, after all."

  "You mean that they..." She looked back to her daughter with wide eyes.

  "How does it feel to know that your a grandmother?" Shirk laughed, still looking a bit peaked from his ride atop Tempest.

  "I've told you that I could occasionally sense what they were feeling or thinking," Leia continued. "and when I realized what Gwynth had been trying to tell me, I tried to reach out to them, asking them to come to me in Sierra." She suddenly grinned. "There was quite the commotion when they materialized in the courtyard an hour or so later. Once I explained to them what I wanted them to do, they were more than willing to help us." She glanced up at the veiled dragon, whose skin shifted colors eerily for a moment, then returned to a dull shade of grey.