Damion stared at the others in disbelief. "And you just let her run off to go join in a battle?"
"Of course not!" Shirk objected with a scowl. "She and Slither scampered up that beast's back and took off before we could stop them! If we hadn't caught a ride with Tempest, she would have left us behind!"
Damion turned back to Leia, his eyes blazing. "What in the world were you thinking?" He turned Raven. "Did you drop her on her head when she was a baby?"
"Hey!" Leia exclaimed indignantly, causing the others to laugh.
"Leia?" Sly exclaimed as he, Damarius, and the others hurried up to join them. "What are you doing with this beast?" He suddenly spotted Slither, Shirk, and Dar, who were watching him with amused expressions. "Wh... What's going on here?"
"Leia used her influence over the veiled dragons to convince them into helping us destroy Etaz's army." Dar explained to him with a grin. "They took care of those flying creatures, then decided to go ahead and take care of the fleet that was still waiting to offload their soldiers."
"I really didn't want them to," Leia suddenly frowned. "but I didn't see any other choice. They had you dangerously outnumbered. I finally realized that there wasn't any other way." She sighed regretfully, then shrugged. "Oh well. It was either them or us."
"Well, I, for one, am quite happy that you decided to intervene when you did." Damarius told her in an weary voice. "I don't know how much longer we could have held out without your help."
Damion noticed how exhausted the old wizard and the others appeared, and quickly decided they should all retreat somewhere to rest.
Leia turned to look up at the huge veiled dragon. "You can go now, Xaxis. Thank you for all your help."
"Call upon us whenever you have the need." The huge beast rumbled, lowering his head down to nuzzle the young girl like a puppy for a moment, then it turned and leapt back into the air, instantly disappearing from sight as its natural camouflage mimicked its background, allowing it to vanish without a trace.
They slowly began to make their way through the carnage to the tavern Sly and the others had been using as a headquarters, leaving their men to continue celebrating their hard fought victory.
"I am so glad that's finally over!" Damarius groaned, collapsing into a chair with a loud sigh. "I can't remember the last time I was so tired!"
"I'm not surprised." Sly grumbled, filling a tankard full of ale and taking it to the old wizard, who drained it dry with pausing for a breath. "You were the hero of the war. If it hadn't been for you and your magic, we wouldn't have even had a chance." The scruffy little man refilled the tankard for the weary old man, then stumped over and dropped into his own chair with a exhausted sigh.
"It appears that you were able to get the city prepared in time." Raven commented, quickly pouring drinks for everyone else and passing them around. "You were able to hold out just long enough to allow the rest of the forces to arrive."
"That's mostly due to the Damarius and dwarves." Sly grumbled, taking a long drink from his tankard. "Between his contraptions, and the new battlements the dwarves constructed, we were able to keep the Etazk at bay." He frowned. "At least until the priests conjured up those damn flying beasts. Once they appeared, everything began to go downhill."
"It looks as though we won!" Bativa roared as he, Captain Harper, and Ignan suddenly entered the tavern, followed closely by Zayan, Langsten, and Fedrio. "I knew those zealots wouldn't be able to stand against us!"
"It also helped that Leia showed up with her pet dragons." Sly snorted, giving the young girl a wink.
"Aye," The huge tribesman agreed with a broad smile. "That definitely made things a bit easier."
"So it's finally over?" Ignan asked in disbelief. "The Etazk are gone?" His ill fitting armor was splashed with blood, and he had a ragged cut on one cheek, but otherwise appeared to be unharmed.
"They're gone," Damion nodded, causing the merchant to nearly collapse to the floor in relief. "and it will be centuries before the ever try something like this again."
"That's good," Fedrio frowned, his gaunt face sad. "because we lost thousands of men in this battle to save Sierra, many of them the farmers and laborers who produce the food and goods that keep many of us from starving. Without them to bring in the crops and transport them to the various markets, many people will starve. It will be decades before we finally recover from what has transpired here."
That definitely put a damper on their spirits.
"How many men does it look like we've lost?" Leia asked in a subdued voice.
"Too many. We won't be certain for a few days, but I would guess at least half of our men were killed or injured during the battle. Add those to the men we lost in Kainpre, and are losses are pretty staggering."
They all sat in silence as the enormity of the gaunt faced man's words settled in.
"So what happens now?" Ignan asked, his face grey from exhaustion.
"We start the cleanup." Sly grunted. "There are a lot of dead bodies outside of that door. "A couple of days in the sun, and those bodies are going to start to rot, spreading pestilence and plague among the people. Once the bodies have all been disposed of, we'll have to turn our focus on rebuilding the city and its battlements."
"Why bother?" Juco asked in confusion. "With the Etazk dead, the city is no longer in any danger. Why rebuild the battlements?"
"Just because the Etazk army has been destroyed, doesn't mean Sierra is safe." Damion murmured darkly. "Etaz is only one of the gods who have returned to walk among their people. I have the feeling this is only the beginning."
Chapter 20
Cleanup of the harbor city of Sierra took several months as the survivors of the massive battle labored the remove all of the debris and dead bodies that littered the town, and to clear the harbor of all of the debris that had been dumped into the water to prevent the Etazk ships from landing.
The bodies of the Etazk invaders were tossed into massive bonfires at the edge of the city, which burned day and night for weeks, while the bodies of the defenders that gave their lives in the defense of their city were respectfully loaded into wagons to be taken back to their families. There was soon a long mournful line of wagons slowly creaking their way south, set with the grim tasks of delivering the bodies back to their loved ones.
The rebuilding of the harbor and dockside fortifications progressed rapidly thanks to the dwarves, who agreed to remain behind to help repair the damage inflicted by the Etazk priests, but the city itself was almost a complete loss.
"I guess it will give us the chance to redesign the city." Fedrio sighed one evening as they watched a group of dwarves demolish a building that had been partially destroyed by one of the flying gargoyles that had accompanied the Etazk. "I've always thought the person who had originally designed the city must have been drunk when he laid out the streets. Now we have the chance to correct it."
"What happens when the lords that fled finally return?" Damarius asked him curiously as he and the gaunt faced merchant busied themselves laying out a new design for the harbor city.
"I doubt they return." Sly grumbled with a sour expression. "They fled like cowards to avoid being killed by the Etazk, abandoning the city to its fate. If they do return, they're going to find that their titles no longer have any meaning here in Sierra."
Out of the handful of locals and city watch that had remained behind to defend their homes, only a few dozen survived the battle. Those that did unanimously voted Fedrio as the new Lord of Sierra, knowing how much the gaunt faced man had done to help protect the city and its people.
"I'm more concerned with getting word out that Sierra has survived and the Etazk have been destroyed, rather than what the former lords may have to say." Fedrio grunted worriedly. "We need those ships to start arriving once more. The former lords emptied the cities coffer when they fled, and it's going to take quite a bit of gold to rebuild the city."
"The Fearless Lady is almost ready to sail." Captain Harper assured him, his ex
pression still surly. He had discovered to his horror that his beloved ship, the Fearless Lady, had suffered extensive damage from the dragon's fire while anchored at the docks, though, thankfully, it had not been completely destroyed. "Once my men have finished with the repairs, we'll set out and start spreading the word that the Etazk have been eliminated. The ships should start returning after that."
"That would be much appreciated." Fedrio thanked the extravagant old sea captain. "The sooner the ships start returning, the better."
"How's Brutus?" Leia asked Ignan as he and Zayan returned from visiting the wounded.
"It looks like he's going to survive," Ignan reported, taking a seat across table from where the young girl lounged in her father's lap. "though I doubt if he'll ever walk again. An Etazk warrior snuck up behind him and stuck an axe in his spine. He can't feel anything below his waist."
"I can't believe I actually feel bad for him." The young girl frowned. "He may be an insufferable jackass, but he and his men did put their lives on the line to help defend the city. You have to respect him for that."
"Don't worry about Brutus," The chubby merchant reassured her with a dismissive wave. "The soldiers from Crete now look upon him as a war hero after seeing him bash his way through an entire mob of Etazk. Even after being injured by that axe, he continued to drag himself forward, taking a number of other Etazk's legs right out from under them." He smiled. "Brutus's days as a bandit may be over, but he now has a whole new career as a war hero."
"I'm just glad to hear he was able to make himself useful." Raven murmured in distaste. "It'll help to make up for all the years he spent preying upon innocents."
"The repairs to the battlements have finally been completed." Garth announced proudly as he stumped into tavern. "And it's about time too. My kinsmen are eager to return to the blissful sanctity of our caverns."
"When will you be setting out?" Damion asked curiously.
"First thing tomorrow morning." The dwarven monarch stumped over to a cask of ale that Sly had dragged from the back room and filled a tankard, then dropped into an empty chair. "It's quite a long way from here to our caverns, and we had better get moving soon before it begins snowing in the mountains." He shuddered. "Dwarves don't do well in snow."
"I think we'll tag along with you until we reach Sevria." The huge warrior decided, chuckling as his daughter suddenly let out an exaggerated sigh of relief. "It's about time we head home."
"Finally!" Sly exclaimed with a scowl. "I've been listening to Raven and Leia complain nonstop for the last week! It was really starting to grate on my nerves."
Both Raven and Leia turned to fix the scruffy little man with dangerous gazes, but he merely ignored them and refilled his tankard with a satisfied sigh.
"Are you going to remain here in Sierra to help rebuild the city?" Fedrio asked Damarius curiously as they continued to stare at the plans spread out on the table before them.
"I'm afraid I can't." The old wizard answered in a regretful tone. "I need to return to Sevria. I have been away from my studies long enough."
"How about you?" The gaunt faced merchant asked Ignan, who was busy gnawing vigorously at a piece of dried beef.
"I'm afraid I'm going to have to take my leave as well." The chubby man murmured, stuffing another piece of beef into his mouth. "If the men that work the fields don't return to their farms soon, there won't be any harvest at all this year, and that could mean a lot of people going hungry this winter." Ever since the Etazk had been destroyed, the formerly overweight merchant had been eating nearly everything he could get his hands on, seeming to be intent on regaining all of the weight he had managed to shed during the previous months.
"It shouldn't be all that bad." Damion told him. "Bativa promised to send some caravans to help bolster everyone's supplies."
They had bid the huge chieftain a sad farewell a couple of weeks earlier. He had been eager to get his kinsmen home so they could return to tending to the cattle that was the lifeblood of the Deolan people.
"And if I know Shirk," The huge warrior continued, his eyes narrowed in suspicion. "the old bandit stuffed Sevria's supply houses to the rafters before this all started. I'm sure we'll be able to spare some of it to insure that no one goes hungry."
"Where is Shirk anyway?" Sly asked, looking around curiously. "I haven't seen him in a few days."
"That's because he and Dar left for Sevria over a week ago." Leia told him, rolling her eyes. "You'd know that if you'd look up from that ale barrel once and a while."
"I find what happening in the barrel much more interesting than what's happening outside of it." The scruffy little man smiled at the young girl impudently, then ducked as she snatched an apple off the table and threw it at his head.
"What's going to happen with the survivors from Kainpre?" Raven asked worriedly. "There wasn't much left standing when we left."
"Some of them have chosen to remain here in Sierra to help us rebuild." Fedrio told her, still staring at the plans on the table. "The rest are going to try and rebuild Kainpre."
"They have quite a bit of work ahead of them then." Damion frowned, remembering the utter destruction he had witnessed in the ruined city.
"Some of my kinsmen have agreed to aid in the city's reconstruction." Garth informed them, draining his tankard with a satisfied sigh. "It's going to take them a few years to rebuild, but considering my kinsmen sell a great deal of their merchandise in their markets, I think it's in everyone's best interest for the dwarves to aid in the rebuilding."
"And what are you planning on doing now that the war is over?" Damion asked Juco, who was busy trying to teach Slither how to gamble using dice.
"I figured my men and I would remain here and Crete and establish a headquarters here. We can make quite a bit of gold providing protection for the various merchant caravans that arrive here in the city."
"I wish you would reconsider and take my offer of working with me as a member the city guard." Langsten told him in a hopeful tone. "I can use a good man like you to help keep order in the city." As soon as Fedrio had been elected the new Lord of Sierra, the gaunt faced man immediately promoted him to Commander of the city watch, a charge he obviously took quite seriously.
"I'm just not cut out for that type of work," Juco declined with a helpless shrug. "but if you ever need the Silent Shadows, we'll always be available," He suddenly grinned. "for a price."
They set off for Sevria the followed morning amidst a mass of dwarves and men, many of whom bore scars from the recent battle. Though the war had been won, no one took any real joy in the victory, knowing the massive casualties that had been suffered by their own forces. Many of the men were eager to return to their simple lives as farmers and merchants, and forget about the horrors they had endured during their nightmarish war with the Etazk, while others seemed to take great pride in their service to the realm, and were quite happy to talk about the battle for hours on end, embellishing their stories a bit more with every telling.
They arrived in Sevria a week or so later and found Lady Skie, Damarius, Shirk, and Axel anxiously awaiting their arrival.
"Finally!" Shirk bellowed as they approached the gate leading into the city. "I was beginning to think that you were going take up residence in Sierra, and stick us with looking after Sevria!"
"We wanted to make sure Sierra was well looked after before setting out for home." Damion told him with a shrug. "The city was pretty much destroyed during the battle, and they needed help cleaning up the mess."
"How much of the city is actually still standing?"
"Less than a quarter," The huge warrior slipped down from his saddle, then lifted his daughter from her place atop Storm and gently sat her on the ground, where she promptly hurried over and threw herself into Lady Skie's arms with a squeal of glee. "but much it was leveled before the battle to provide materials for the city battlements. They're pretty much going to have to start from scratch to rebuild the city, but Fedrio actually seemed delighted at t
he chance to redesign the city."
"What is this?" Sly suddenly asked as Axel limped up to greet him with the assistance of a finely carved cane. He jumped down from his horse and lifted the young man's shirt, revealing the large jagged scar left behind by the Etazk assassin's blade. "What th..." He stopped, then whirled around to face Shirk with blazing eyes.
"Now calm down, Sly," The bearded old bandit held up his hands, his eyes wide with panic. "Let me explain what happened." He quickly explained how the Etazk spy had snuck up from behind and how Axel tackled him before he could strike. "If it wasn't for Axel, I wouldn't be here right now!"
"Don't worry, milord," Axel laughed, patting Sly on his shoulder. "I'm almost completely healed now, and Captain Repheth tells me that girls love scars, so it's really not all that bad."
"You're just worried that you might miss out on all that gold you have been making from Axel's carvings." Dar snorted, watching as the little man continued to look the young man over carefully.
"Carvings?" Garth exclaimed, his eyes suddenly going wide. "Is this the young man that sculpted that beautiful carving?"
"It is, your majesty." Shirk nodded. "He didn't get the chance to greet you on your way through to Sierra, but he wasn't going to miss his chance this time."
"I'm honored to meet you, your Majesty" Axel bowed to Garth respectfully. "I hope you enjoyed my gift."
"I did indeed." Garth assured him with an approving nod. "It's rare to see such skill, even in a dwarven craftsmen."
"I'm honored, your Majesty," The young man looked overjoyed. "I have always admired dwarven craftsmanship, and have tried very hard to make certain my creations are something worthy enough to meet a dwarf's approval."
"Is the approval of the dwarven king good enough for you?" Dar asked with a broad grin.
"Yes, I think it is." Axel couldn't seem to stop smiling.
"You know, your carvings would fetch a fortune among my people." Garth told him confidently. "If you were to bring a few to our caverns to display to my kinsmen, you would be sure to leave a very rich man."
Omensent: Revealing the Dragon (The Dragon Lord Series) Page 36