"I haven't really given it any thought." He muttered distractedly. He pulled out a dagger and started to test the scale by stabbing it violently. The blade failed to penetrate the scale, even when he had Sly give it his best effort. "This is an incredible substance that your scales are made of! I must test it immediately!"
The test that the old wizard had in mind consisted of a three foot thick log that was buried deep into the ground about five hundred yards from one of the machines. When it was finished, only a dozen or so feet of the log was sticking out of the ground. Then once he had attached the dragon scale firmly to the log, the old man's experiment was ready.
There was a brief argument over who was going to be the one to make the shot when Dar, Sly, and Damarius all tried to climb into the machine simultaneously. They argued for a number of moments before Lady Skie finally ended the argument by climbing into the machine and taking the shot while they were busy bickering amongst themselves. They all turned and watched in surprise as the large projectile was launched from the machine faster than the eye could follow. It flashed across the open field with deadly accuracy, and struck the dragon scale dead center, exploding into millions of splinters. When they finally examined the scale, they found it completely unharmed. The steel tipped lance, however, had evaporated into dust, and the tip was found thirty feet away in a mangled mess.
"Damn!" Damarius snarled in anger. "These machines are useless if a shadow dragon attacks!"
Tempest had watched in amusement as the old wizard conducted his test, all the while pondering the designs and their future implications. "Would you be open to another bargain?" She asked the fuming wizard, who was still pacing back and forth cursing under his breath.
"What sort of bargain?" The old man suddenly stopped in his tracks.
"I will give you the secret to making your machine effective against shadow dragons," She lowered her head down to stare at the old man closely. "in exchange for your designs." She held the parchment up between two claws.
"My designs?" Damarius exclaimed in horror. "But that is the only copy! Without them, we can never make any others!"
"My thoughts exactly." The great beast rumbled. "You are a wise man. You can see what harm this weapon could bring if this design falls into the wrong hands, both to your kind and mine!"
"Listen to what Tempest says!" Dar urged. "We need to be able to defend ourselves! Besides, the world doesn't really need another weapon, does it?"
"But I worked for years to perfect those designs!" The old man protested stubbornly. "It was a labor of a lifetime!"
"Father!" Lady Skie said in a dangerous tone. "You have dozens of other designs for contraptions that you have dreamed up!"
"But this one actually worked!" He whined. He stood there conflicted for a long moment, then nodded his head in agreement. "Very well!" He surrendered, throwing his hands in the air. He gave his a daughter a dirty look, then turned back to Tempest. "Give us the secret to making our machines effective against the shadow dragons..." He groaned. "and the plans are yours."
"Done!" The huge dragon raised the parchment to her mouth, then breathed a small puff of flames which instantly consumed the old wizard's designs.
Damarius nearly fainted as he watched his work go up in flames. "I think I need a drink." He murmured in a sick voice. He looked at the dragon. "And what is the secret?"
Tempest stared at them for several long moments. "The only reason I reveal this secret to you is that I know that you understand the gravity of what is happening." She looked up at the massive castle. "This place is called the Serpent's Keep, built by my kind to represent the bond between the scarlet dragons and the man that released us from enslavement. This place will always be guarded by the scarlet dragons, so this secret must only be used against shadow dragons. It must never be used against my kin!"
"We understand." Dar told her, looking around at everyone to make sure they understood the gravity of her words.
Tempest rolled onto her side and plucked a scale from her belly, then placed it before the old man.
Damarius looked at the scale for several moments, then his eyes suddenly widened as he noticed the startling difference between the armored scale and the much softer belly scale.
They returned to the machine, the belly scale now in place of the armored scale. There was no argument this time as Lady Skie swept regally past the others and climbed up into the machine. She pulled the trigger mechanism and released another oversized steel tipped bolt with a heavy twang. Her aim was true once again, but this time the bolt the struck the scale and continued on through, striking the thick log behind the target. The force of the old wizard's machine drove bolt so deep into the log that nearly three feet was sticking out of the other side.
"And there is the secret." Tempest murmured in a grave voice. "The scales on a dragon's belly are much softer, and therefore vulnerable to attack." She rose from her place in the courtyard, and stretched her wings wide. "Use this knowledge carefully, and remember, the scarlet dragons shall always watch over Sevria."
"What are you planning to do now?" Sly asked the enormous serpent curiously.
"I'm going to investigate those rumors to the north." She replied in a rumbling voice. "With a little luck, I may be able to locate Damion. Perhaps he has discovered something that could prove useful to the search." She launched herself into the air, and quickly disappeared from view.
"Do you think she'll be able to find Damion?" Sly asked Dar as they watched Damarius wander down to take a closer look at the impaled dragon scale.
Dar shrugged. "Possibly. Damion tends to be rather evasive, until he decides not to be." He laughed. "Then the whole region knows where he is!"
**************
"The impudence!" The brood mother screamed in fury, her tail lashing out to reduce a boulder into dust. "This mortal dares to kill one of my own brood, and then threatens to hunt others?"
"Yes, Mother." Tar whimpered, cringing away from the crippled beast. "His message was for us to return to our banishment, or he would hunt us down and destroy the brood." The smaller dragon trembled as she stared up at the much larger beast. "He has already injured one of us, and killed another, and he has killed many of the spawn. They are terrified of him! They believe that Draco has sent this dragon man to destroy those that have displeased Him!"
The brood mother screamed again, belching flames high into the air. She turned to look down over the edge of the escarpment, which towered over a thousand feet to look out over the Veirian desert. "This dragon man must pay for his insolence!" She whirled to face Tar. "Send the spawn to deal with this man once and for all! I want his head brought to me, along with his sword! No mortal shall threaten the brood without suffering the consequences!"
"The spawn have been unable to stop him so far and the shadowspawn are having a difficult time keeping them in line!" Tar reminded her. "They fear this man because he has destroyed so many of their kind!"
"Then send more!" She roared, belching flames once more. "I want this human destroyed! I do not care if it takes every spawn to do it! He will not stand between the brood and our destiny!"
"The spawn have lost his trail, but they believe that he is moving in this direction. It may take a little time to locate him once again."
"Then turn the spawn loose on the rest of the humans! It is time for the brood to take their rightful place as rulers of this world!" Her eyes gleamed evilly. "He will eventually be forced to reveal himself again, and then the spawn can deal with him once and for all!"
"It shall be as you say, Mother." The smaller dragon launched herself into the air, and disappeared into the night.
"And once this dragon man is dead, and I possess the sword that controls my enemies, our vengeance with finally be complete!" She growled to herself, staring out over the desert, her glowing eyes lost in thought.
*************
"By the gods, it's hot out there!" Veren complained as he retreated back into the cool cavern. "It's unbeara
ble!"
"It's nearly evening." Raven told him as she gnawed on a piece of salted pork. "The temperature will drop quickly once the sun has set."
The young woman had warned them that the high temperatures during the day time would be oppressing, but that had not prepared them for the lethal heat that seemed to beat down from the skies like a hammer, sapping their strength and making it difficult to breathe. They had been able to find suitable shelter the first two days of their journey into the barren wasteland that was the country of Veiria, but on their third day they were unable to find anything that even remotely provided any sort of cover, forcing them to improvise a make shift shelter pieced together from large sheets of canvas.
After cramming the horses into the shade, there was very little room left for themselves. They spent an uncomfortably day crowded together, desperate for relief from the unrelenting heat.
Unable to endure Veren's complaints any longer, Damion finally stepped in and used his magic to create a dome of ice that encompassed the entire camp. It quickly melted away under the unrelenting sun, but it provided enough relief to get them through until nightfall.
The next evening they happened upon the cavern in which they were now camped. The entrance appeared to be nothing more than a large crack in the face of one of the many rock formations jutting up from the sand, but upon closer inspection they found that it led down into an immense cavern with a large crystal clear pool fed by a small trickle of water that flowed from one rocky wall. They spent the next several days trying to recover from their single day in the open, taking advantage of the ample supply of water while they had the opportunity.
"So are we going to move on," The one eared man asked Damion, who was lounging on his bedroll with Snowfeather perched on one knee, his eyes lost in thought. "or are we going to spend another evening here?"
"We'll leave as soon as the sun sets." Damion yawned in a lazy voice. "We still have a long way to go before we can escape this dusty hell." He glanced to Raven, who was carefully examining a map she had produced from her packs. "What is the terrain like to the east?"
"Pretty much the same as we've encountered so far." She shrugged. "At least until we reach the escarpment."
"Escarpment?"
The young woman brought the map over to Damion and pointed at a peculiar landmark prominently marked on the map. "It's a sheer cliff that rises over a thousand feet into the air and runs for hundreds of leagues in either direction."
"Is there any way up?" Veren asked as he began to splash water on his head and neck.
"Of course. There are a series of ramps leading to platforms built along the cliff side. They eventually reach the top." She made a face. "Unfortunately, there are a couple small villages at the top and bottom of the escarpment that are usually controlled by one of the tribes in of the region."
"I thought that you said that there weren't any villages in Veiria?" Damion said in surprise.
"They're not really villages. The various tribes living here in the desert usually have a couple of shanty towns built at the top and bottom of the escarpment. That's where we may run into a bit of a problem."
"Of course." Veren grunted sourly. "Nothing about this journey can be easy, can it?"
Raven laughed. "Depending on what tribe is controlling the villages, it can sometimes be difficult to gain passage. The tribes are continually at war so the villages occasionally change hands. Sometimes one tribe controls the top, while another controls the bottom."
"How far is this escarpment?"
"Another week or so of hard riding. At least there are a number of shelters marked along the way." She indicated several marks on the map.
"That's good." Veren said with a sigh of relief. "I was dreading having to spend another day in that sun!"
"We should be able to take refuge each morning before the heat becomes too uncomfortable." She assured him. "This is a fairly detailed map that I confiscated from a slaver many years ago. I have never used it because it's in the slaver language. I just happened across it a couple of hours ago when rummaging though my packs and decided to take a look. Once I traced our position to this small symbol, I followed our intended path and located a number of others that should also turn out to be other safe havens."
"Very clever." Damion commented, looking at the symbols she indicated. He looked at the strange alien script written along side many of the odd symbols marked on the map. "What is this slaver language?"
"It's the secret language used by the slavers." Raven's face grew somber. "Most people do not realize that the slaver's are actually a people apart from others. There are many countries that utilize the abhorant practice of buying and selling slaves, but the slavers themselves belong to no one. It isn't really known where they come from, but they appear to be a mix of all races. I've seen slavers from almost every land pass through my homeland, but they all knew the secret language."
"Why do countries use such horrible practices?" Damion asked, his face stern.
Raven shrugged. "It's always been that way."
"Sometimes it's a convenient way for a country to sell off some of the criminals in their prisons to make space for others." Veren informed him. "They're put to work in some mine or quarry to work off their crimes, or die."
Damion frowned. "So no one but slavers understand this language?"
"As far as I am aware. I've never met anyone else that knows how to read it."
They made their way out of the cavern as the sun was just disappearing over the western horizon and noticed that there was already a chill on the evening wind. They started off at a brisk trot, eager to put as much distance behind them as possible before the sun made its inevitable appearance, making their lives unbearable once again.
They traveled for six more nights before they suddenly ran into another problem. They had just rounded a curve in the trade road when there was a sudden buzzing sound and an arrow flashed past Damion's face, narrowly missing him. A dozen howling men dressed in filthy rags charged out from behind a formation of rocks brandishing a numbering of crudely made weapons.
Before Damion could even react, three of the men suddenly fell to the ground with arrows in their throats, as Raven, her hands flashing faster than the eye could follow, notched an arrow, drew, and released her bow in one fluid motion, her aim nearly flawless.
Storm charged forward trampling one dirt covered man down, while Damion swung the Dragon Sword in a vast overhand blow that split another's head open. Another arrow whizzed by his face, and this time he managed to trace its source. One of their attackers had held back, and was taking careful aim with a crudely crafted bow.
"Raven!" He gestured to the archer even as he cut down another man.
The archer suddenly dropped his bow, clutching feebly at the arrow that had appeared dead center of his chest.
Veren chopped down two more of the men before the last few finally broke and ran, disappearing into the distance, leaving their fallen behind.
"That was a bit close for comfort." Veren murmured, sliding down from his horse and finishing off the injured man that Storm had trampled. He cleaned off his sword on one of the dead man's rags. "Another inch or two and you'd no longer be here with us!"
"I noticed." Damion replied, cursing himself for dropping his guard. "I guess we had better start being a bit more cautious for now on." He glanced up to Snowfeather, who was returning from his hunt. "You missed all of the fun!"
Snowfeather gently landed on one of his shoulders. "I noticed! I'm sorry I missed it. I was busy trying to find something edible in this unpleasant sea of sand."
"Any luck?"
"A couple of small lizards. They didn't taste very well, but they were far better than the salted rabbit you've been giving me."
"It's better than nothing." He gestured to the dead men scattered around. "They came from that formation of rock just ahead. Do you mind taking a look for us?"
"Of course." Snowfeather launched himself into the air.
"Be careful!" He warned his friend in a slightly worried tone. "They have bows."
He waited for several minutes before Snowfeather finally reappeared overhead. "It appears that those who fled from battle ran straight to the haven we were seeking. There are a number of other men assembling, presumably to renew the attack."
Damion relayed this news to the others.
"What do you want to do?" Raven asked retrieving her arrows from her victims.
"What else?" He said with a large grin. "We attack them before they attack us!"
Veren laughed. "Sounds like a solid plan! How many are there?"
"Thirty or so. I'm going to try to make as much noise as possible when we attack, so don't get excited." He told them as they continued toward the rocky outcrop. "I would rather scare them off than slaughter them all."
"Here they come!" Snowfeather hooted from overhead.
The troop of poorly armed men dressed in rags appeared from behind a formation of stone, then froze in their tracks as a bolt of lightening blasted down from the clear sky, striking the ground before them with a tremendous crash. The lightening struck the ground again and again, leaving behind enormous smoking craters in the sand between the stunned attackers, and the companions.
"Wow!" Raven exclaimed in astonishment, struggling to keep her horse under control. "That's a new one!"
The charging men suddenly turned and fled in terror, disappearing back around the formation, chased by another bolt of lightening that crashed down at their heels. They followed the men around the formation as Damion continued to harass them with several more bolts that appeared from the clear morning sky. The last of the tribe, which had remained behind to watch over their camp, took one look, then scrambled to escape, leaving most their belongings behind in their haste to flee. They disappeared north into the desert, their frightened screams slowly fading into distance.
Omensent: Rise of the Shadow Dragons Page 17