The Dragon's War

by Samantha Sabian

  “How extraordinary,” Gimle said.

  “For someone who is immune to magic,” Astrid observed, “Raine is certainly surrounded by it.”

  And for whatever reason, this observation made Skye very happy.

  Despite their leisurely pace, the troop made very good time and arrived at the locale Raine and the Tavinter had scouted for their camp long before the sun set. It was a clearing that bordered a small lake, and the tents went up rapidly, erected by the Royal Guard. Senta watched their progress with a critical eye, but was pleased with the skilled construction. There was no hurry now, but a battlefield situation could require such speed, and no opportunity for training was ever passed up.

  The Ha’kan carried provisions, but now Senta wondered if that was necessary, for Skye’s people came out of the forest bearing all sorts of game, nuts, and berries. Skye herself wasted no time, but trotted down to the lake and was soon reeling in fish. Gimle joined her and Senta looked on with a trace of envy.

  “Why don’t you go join them?” Halla suggested.

  Senta opened her mouth to articulate all the reasons why she couldn’t, then snapped her jaw shut. The camp was set up; the perimeter was secure. They had enough food for twice their number on a journey twice as long. The Tavinter had scouted the surrounding area for miles. There was a dragon and a Scinterian leaning casually against a tree at the edge of the clearing.

  “Perhaps I will,” Senta said, then headed down to the shore.

  The Queen watched her stern General jog to the lake with a youthful enthusiasm she had not seen Senta display in years.

  “And why is it we don’t do this more often?” Halla asked Astrid.

  Astrid was seated in a comfortable lounge chair before the makeshift fire pit the Royal Guard had constructed out of stones.

  “I have no idea,” Astrid said as Halla sat down beside her. “The fresh air is invigorating.”

  Halla’s eyes drifted across the campsite to settle on Raine and Talan. “Those two are amazing.”

  Astrid turned to the pair, who sat apart from the general assembly. Although the Ha’kan had often seen them together, it was rare to see them in such an intimate and unaffected manner. The silver-haired woman ran her fingers through Raine’s hair, and the adoration that Raine felt for the dragon was unmistakable. The violet in her eyes was apparent even from a distance. And the fact that the Scinterian treated the dragon so playfully was extraordinary since Talan was a creature that inspired nothing but terror in most.

  “They are indeed.”

  One of the Royal Guard approached Raine and stopped a respectful distance away. Raine acknowledged her with a tilt of her head.

  “Do you wish us to set up a tent for you?”

  “No thank you,” Raine said, “we prefer to sleep in the open.”

  “As you wish,” the Guard said, and bowed as she stepped away. The First Ranger had expressed the same desire.

  “Speaking of which,” Talan said, “I should go hunt before it gets any darker.”

  “Are you sure you’re not going on patrol?” Raine asked teasingly.

  “I will keep my eyes open for Hyr’rok’kin, but I trust the Tavinter scouts. No, I could consume the entire trip’s provisions in a single sitting, and I doubt there are enough fish in that lake to fill me.”

  “Ah, that is true,” Raine said, getting to her feet. She gallantly extended her hand to help the woman who needed none, and pulled Talan upright. The two walked to the far side of the lake. Talan leaned down to kiss Raine, then the two separated. The woman in the fiery red armor disappeared in a flash of yellow light, and an enormous fiery red dragon appeared in her place. The dragon took two great steps and was airborne. Talan had purposely moved some distance away as the great wind generated by those mighty wings would have knocked the tents to the ground and undone all of the Royal Guard’s hard work in an instant.

  The entire encampment had stopped as one to take in the sight of the dragon, but things returned to normal as Raine strolled back to the camp. She brushed the dust and grass from her breeches, then joined the Queen and High Priestess at the fire pit.

  “Is Talan going somewhere?” Halla asked.

  “She’s just going to get a bite to eat,” Raine said.

  “But we have so much food here.”

  “She eats, um, a lot.”

  “Oh,” Halla said delicately, “of course.”

  “You don’t like to be away from her,” Astrid said, observing the subtle change in Raine’s demeanor.

  “I would stay by her side constantly if I could,” Raine said, “but in truth, we are never apart.”

  The words caused Halla to look closer at the Scinterian. It was a superbly romantic declaration, but also something more, as if it held some deeper truth about their relationship.

  “Look what I caught!”

  Skye came up with a string of large fish, which she proudly displayed. Senta and Gimle followed, each also bearing a string of fish.

  “Skye’s fish seem to be much larger than yours, First General,” Astrid said.

  Senta took the good-natured teasing as intended. “I will defer to my First Ranger in just about any wilderness skill. Besides,” Senta said with a wicked glance at the High Priestess, “size isn’t everything.”

  “A lesson I had some difficulty teaching her years ago,” Astrid said to Halla.

  “Perhaps I was deliberately slow because I was enjoying the lessons,” Senta said.

  Raine enjoyed the conversation of the Ha’kan. There was a constant, sensual undertone that could flare into overt sexuality at any moment. It was playful but unobtrusive, sensuous, but not excessive. And even Talan had found the Queen’s earlier comment about “riding the dragon” humorous, although she had been quick to point out that it was generally the dragon who rode her.

  The evening meal was consumed with relish, and the campsite settled into quiet contentment. Muted conversations mixed with the buzz of insects, the hoot of owls, the howl of wolves, and the various stirrings of night creatures. All went to bed early with full stomachs and a delicious tiredness. Halla was drifting off to sleep, her head on Astrid’s shoulder, when Senta came through the flap of the tent. She put her hand gently on the Queen’s arm.

  “Is something wrong?

  “No,” Senta said quietly, “we are very safe. There’s just something I want you to see.”

  Halla and Astrid stepped gingerly from the tent, barefoot. The Tavinter were sleeping on bedrolls about the campfire. Skye’s bedroll was empty because she stood staring at something in the clearing, her slender form outlined in the moonlight. Gimle stood next to her, and Astrid and Halla joined them.

  “By the gods,” Halla murmured.

  Talan’alaith’illaria, Queen of all Dragons, lie in the clearing at the edge of lake, taking up a vast amount of space and blocking out half the night sky. She was peacefully sleeping, wings tucked, her long tail stretched out and her massive head curled about so it rested next to her stomach. The great body rose with every slow breath, then fell with every exhalation.

  And tucked between her head and her stomach was a beautiful woman, a woman who slept soundly despite rising and falling with every prodigious breath, despite being surrounded with sharp, jagged spikes, despite the potential of being crushed by that colossal weight. She had an arm draped over the bony, plated ridge of the dragon’s brow, unconcerned for the world around her. The woman slept the deep sleep of someone completely safe, completely comfortable, and completely loved.

  The Ha’kan were deeply moved by the sight, and it stayed with them, even in their dreams, the rest of the night.

  Chapter 9

  The troop continued to make good time and travel without incident to the imperial border. The Ha’kan had notified the imperials of their intent to travel through their land and been granted ingress, but Raine had not expected to be greeted by anyone. She shielded her eyes from the sun as she examined the cloud of dust approaching them. The Tavinter had
not sounded the alarm, so she was not particularly worried.

  It was an imperial troop, all heavily armored and impressively armed. At the head of the troop was a large woman with fair hair and ruddy features, attractive in a rough-hewn sort of way. Her expression was normally stern and had worn lines into her face, but when she smiled, those lines disappeared and she was surprisingly good-looking. She was smiling now.

  “Knight Commander,” Raine said in greeting.

  “Raine,” Nerthus said. She nodded to Talan. “Your Majesty,” she said with deference.

  Nerthus was rarely polite to anyone, so the courtesy and respect of this greeting was significant. Talan was petrifying in her natural form, but to Nerthus her human form was even more intimidating. The silver-haired woman could deliver a look of such disdain that it shriveled all in her path. Nerthus had more than once been the target of such a stare.

  Idonea rode up beside Nerthus. “We were going to meet you further on, but this was the Emperor’s idea.”

  “How so?” Senta asked, leading her horse next to Raine’s. The Queen had also come forward, and Nerthus bowed from the waist, still on her mount. The men behind her were surreptitiously trying to get a look at the Ha’kan.

  “Your Majesty,” Nerthus said again.

  “Knight Commander,” Halla responded.

  “The Emperor has traveled ahead,” Idonea continued, “he may already be in elven territory. It’s so rare that anyone is granted access to their land, I think he’s taking advantage of the opportunity.”

  “But he wanted to honor you with an escort,” Nerthus said. “And the Baroness as well.”

  Talan snorted.

  “Don’t believe I deserve the honor?” Idonea said, feigning insult.

  “I don’t believe you need the protection,” Talan said.

  “Thank you, mother.” She examined the stallion that Talan was sitting on, then leaned over and slapped it on the flank. “Nice horse.”

  “We are grateful to you,” Queen Halla said to Nerthus, “and if we don’t require your protection, we will certainly enjoy your company.”

  “Thank you, your Majesty.”

  The imperial troops fell in behind the Ha’kan procession. Talan and Raine still led, and Idonea joined them. Nerthus and her second in command were slightly behind them. Senta rode up beside the Knight Commander.

  “Did you ever think you would see such a convoy through your lands?”

  Nerthus was grateful for the First General’s interaction. The Ha’kan were all a bit overwhelming.

  “No, I never would have even dreamed of such a thing.”

  And her men were in complete agreement. Although they had been hand-picked, chosen for their professionalism, experience and presentation, they all were fighting not to look like starry-eyed youth. The Ha’kan were extraordinary, and the stories that revolved around the all-female race did not do them justice. They were as beautiful as everyone said, but they were much larger than imagined, and imposing. Those that had dismissed accounts of their proficiency in battle revised their opinions. The Queen and her Royal Staff were wrapped in sensuality, so gorgeous it was hard not to stare. The slender Tavinter was like an ethereal sprite, a young forest goddess, and when her people slipped in and out in the forest, it was astonishing.

  And then there was the dragon and the Scinterian, which really, there were no words for. And when wolves joined their procession, the men knew that this was a story they would tell for generations.

  The troop ambled on peacefully. The Royal Guard engaged the imperial troops in conversation, and soon they were talking of battles and strategy, weapons and tactics, all the interests of warriors since the beginning of time.

  Skye entertained the Queen and High Priestess with the tales of her people, and Gimle was impressed with the detail that Skye recounted from memory. Skye had initially been a poor student at the Academy, but when Kara had discovered that Skye learned best by hearing, Skye went to the top of her class. The Tavinter had few written records and passed down their history through an oral tradition, so Skye’s ability to memorize was phenomenal.

  Idonea inched up between Raine and Talan.

  “So do you have any fears of an attack at the Ceremony?”

  “Of course,” Talan said, “Every leader of Arianthem will be there. But I also fear an attack in our absence.” She nodded to the sky. “I have my sentries out as well.”

  Idonea looked up and at first did not see anything. Then the dark speck moved between her and the sun, and she focused on the object. It was flying far too high to be a bird.

  “The dragons are out,” Idonea said.

  “Yes,” Talan confirmed. “They scour the land for signs of Hyr’rok’kin, but they are also looking for Volva.”

  “That bitch,” Idonea said, “I’d like to choke the life from her.”

  Talan glanced to her daughter. Most who dared threaten an Ancient Dragon would draw only laughter from her, but Idonea had grown strong, and she was proud of the girl.

  “Not if I get to her first,” Raine said darkly, and the blue and gold markings rose on her forearms.

  “Well,” Talan said, “hopefully we’ll all get to kill her together, like one big happy family.”

  In two days’ travel, they came to the edge of the Deep Woods. They would make a short detour into the forest before they would return to the main highway and begin to head upward towards Mount Alfheim. Talan left them, taking to the skies, and Raine led the troop onward. Both the Ha’kan and the imperials were glad for the presence of the Tavinter. They moved through the forest unerringly at a dizzying pace.

  Skye signed to an apparently empty patch of forest, and her scout confirmed what she already sensed.

  Raine had sensed it as well. “The wood elves?”

  “Yes,” Skye said, “they’ve made contact up there and will join us soon.”

  “Good.”

  And true to the scout’s report, it was not long before a group of elves appeared in the woods ahead of them. Raine dismounted and spoke to their leader, a tall, fair-haired male who spoke to Raine in elvish.

  “Well met, Scinterian.”

  “Cool in summer and warmth in winter,” Raine said, delivering the traditional greeting of the wood elves.

  The wood elves were notoriously reclusive and not demonstrative, so it was with some surprise the imperials watched the elf embrace the Scinterian. The affection of the wood elves for the warrior was evident.

  “She doesn’t have an enemy in the world,” Nerthus noted.

  “Not in this world,” Idonea said, and Nerthus bit her tongue.

  Raine continued on foot, talking quietly with the elf while the horses behind picked their way through the thick forest. The sounds of an encampment began to drift to them on the gentle breeze. Livestock was bleating, there was the clang of a hammer on metal, and as they got closer, the murmur of voices could be heard.

  The wood elves stopped as one as the large procession came into the clearing. Raine approached Senta and Nerthus.

  “They say you can set up camp over there,” Raine said, waving to an area just east of the camp.

  “Raine!”

  A curvaceous, auburn-haired woman approached on the arm of a slim, dark-haired wood elf.

  “Dagna,” Raine exclaimed, “Elyara!”

  The three women embraced, and Dagna held Raine at arm’s length. “Let me look at you. You look as young as ever.”

  “Even the elves age faster than Raine,” Elyara said.

  Both Dagna and Elyara had accompanied Raine on her quest to the Underworld decades before, and had been attached to one another ever since. But Dagna appeared much older than both of them as humans aged much faster than the other races of Arianthem.

  “And how is the Bard of the Imperial Realm?” Raine asked, using Dagna’s official title.

  “Fabulous,” Dagna said, “and as Bard I have been granted access to the Ceremony of Assumption so that I may record the event for posterity
’s sake.”

  “Excellent,” Raine said, “so you will be coming with us?”

  “Yes,” Elyara said, “and I will be going as well.”

  “Let me guess, you will be representing Y’arren.”

  “Yes. A great honor for me since I am not of her clan by birth. But she does not wish to leave our lands during this time.”

  “As much as I will miss her on the journey,” Raine said, “in a way I’m glad she’s staying behind.”

  Elyara glanced over at Skye, who was engaging with a few of the elves. She lowered her voice. “And Isleif is failing fast. I don’t think Y’arren will leave his side until he passes from this world.”

  “I’m glad Skye will get to see him.”

  “It may be the last time she sees him,” Elyara said sadly. She caught herself. “Enough of that. This is a time for celebration. The wood elves have never entertained the Ha’kan before.”

  Queen Halla approached on the arm of Senta. Both Elyara and Dagna bowed deeply.

  “Hello, Elyara, Dagna,” the Queen said kindly.

  “Your Majesty,” they replied in unison.

  Raine proffered her arm to the Queen, and she and Senta made the exchange. Raine escorted her through the throngs of wood elves who peered at the lovely woman with circumspect curiosity. Raine and the Queen approached a tiny, wizened old elf that stood at the bottom of a staircase between two pillars. She had startling green eyes and wore a green cloak embroidered with the symbols of nature’s magic.

  “Queen Halla,” Raine said, “may I introduce you to Y’arren, matriarch of the wood elves.”

  The Queen gave a deep curtesy to Y’arren, and a pleased murmur swept through the throng of elves at the sign of respect from the powerful leader. Y’arren solemnly returned the bow, then her face broke into a beatific smile that illuminated her face.

  “So formal, my goddaughter,” she said to Raine, then addressed the Queen. “I see where your daughter gets her grace.”

  “Thank you,” Halla said.

  Y’arren reached out her hand and the Queen took it, then the two began to walk up the stairs together. Raine smiled at the sight, the tall, elegant leader of the Ha’kan and the tiny wood elf walking and comfortably holding hands.