(Dragonkin) Dragon Rider

by C. E. Swain

  "You spoke with Gareon in the camp in the southeast, did you not?" Banadar asked. "Are they on their way here?"

  "Yes, and I have sent men to escort them." Menimeth said. "I wish them to arrive safely."

  "You are not like other solders that we have seen." Caladon said. "Most are all about king and country, and cannot see the facts that are in front of them, for their noses."

  "As princes of Anrivar we have seen our share." Banadar added. "And he is right, I wish our solders were more like you."

  "That is kind of you to say, but I am most likely not what you think I am." Menimeth said to the brothers. "I am a warrior and solder of the empire, but the king is not so important as the empire itself."

  "But would the king agree with you?" Caladon asked. "All the kings I have ever met believed that they were, the kingdom."

  "And what they decided, was always best for their kingdoms." Banadar said. "What would your king do if he were to hear you say that he is not as important as the empire?"

  "He would do nothing, and if you are called before him, do not call him sire, or your majesty, or any of those titles." Menimeth told the brothers. "And if you must bow to him because of the rules of royalty, do it only once. He does not like it much."

  "He does not sound like any king I have ever heard of." Banadar said.

  "He is only the king because he has no choice." Menimeth replied. "But he does not want to be king."

  "But it is such a peaceful land, who would not want to rule here?" Caladon asked.

  "It is not so peaceful as you may think." Menimeth said to him. "Just yesterday we fought a battle against the forces of the mage king, and lost one quarter of the men we sent to fight. We defeated the forces arrayed against us, but the empire cannot afford to lose one hundred of its solders."

  "How many men did you face?" Banadar asked, very interested in the defeat of any forces of that evil mage.

  "We killed six hundred of the enemy, but the loss was nothing to Arnoran since they were sent to deplete our forces with their deaths."

  "Six to one!" Banadar exclaimed. "That is far better than any of the kingdoms in the east who fell to the mage king before us."

  "There is another larger force in the west that threatens us." Menimeth told them. "And we have no army large enough to defeat them at this time."

  "How many men are you talking about?" Caladon asked.

  "I am not sure, but I will know more soon." Menimeth informed the brothers. "Some of the information that I will need will be here in a few days."

  Menimeth showed the brothers to the castle, and ordered suites to be made ready for them. They had not eaten, so Menimeth had them taken to the room for dinning set aside for royalty, and given all they could eat. When they had eaten their fill, they were to be shown to their suites in the wing used for visiting royalty, and given whatever they needed. Later Menimeth would talk with them about the trouble in the west, and what they wanted for the people they protected. He could help them all in one-way or another, but they would be helping the empire in return.

  Menimeth walked to the garrison, and watched the new men as they trained. Chanry was at the archery range with his bow, and he was very good at hitting the targets. He could hit inside the circles easily, but he needed to slow down some to hit the center effectively Menimeth thought. He worked with the boy for some time, and Chanry improved his aim considerably. Walking across the grounds of the, much larger garrison, he came to the recruit-training course, and he worked with the new men of the army.

  The garrison had grown, and new barracks were being built to house all of the new men. The numbers of men who arrived in the cities had increased, and Menimeth was surprised at how many of the men joined the army. The four barracks that the garrison held for the solders of the realms, held two hundred men each, and all of them were full. Three more barracks had been built which were much larger than the ones in the garrison, and they were full as well. The new men of the army that worked on the new barracks slept in tents until the structures were finished, and at least sixty percent of them had come from the kingdoms to the southeast, and were veterans of the wars there. Menimeth needed those men and more, but he was happy with what he was getting. Several training grounds had been built to train the men, and they were separated according to their abilities. Those who were veterans retained their former rank, and were placed in the ranks of the army when their induction into the guard was complete, accordingly.

  Several officers were among the men who joined the army, and they were placed in special quarters for officers only. A special building had been built to house them, with individual rooms instead of a large room with beds, and they were placed in the rooms according to their rank. The building had its own cook and dinning room, and several servants to wait on the men. Officers were needed to command the solders in the field, as badly as the solders were needed to take the field, and treating the officers with the respect expected by them and the men, was crucial to the success of the empire. Those men that gained the respect of their fellow solders, would rise through the ranks more quickly, and end up leading them in the future. There had not been an army of the empire for many generations of men, but one would soon materialize from the remains of the defeated armies from the southeast.

  Three out of every five men who joined the army of the empire were veterans of the wars in the kingdoms south and west of lake Katherim. Some of them were no more than boys who were driven from their lands by the fighting, and were forced to fight just to survive. While others were various solders of decimated armies, who fled the battleground when their kingdom was defeated. However, there were a few who fought the enemy from kingdom to kingdom, as they were driven back by the endless number of solders sent against them.

  Men flooded to the empire when they heard of the victory in the north, and as the stories of the dragon rider spread throughout the lands of magic. Many of the solders that only retreated but never gave up, began to make their way to Glansford and the Dragon Guard after hearing those stories. These men were the ones the empire needed the most, because they would not quit when the fighting began. They would help drive the others as the fighting raged on around them, and could be the difference between winning and losing, as the battle progressed.

  Menimeth walked back to the Dragon Tower, and into the office used for public business, before returning to his rooms. There was nothing new to be attended to, and no one was there other than the secretaries who worked for the empire.

  Danorathin slept in the morning sun, and raised his head slowly when his master walked out into the courtyard. Seconds later, his head dropped to the ground, and he was once again asleep. Menimeth walked back into his suite, and the room set up as his private office, where he sat at his desk and began to look through the parchments, which it held. One of the parchments he looked at had the number of solders each realm supported, and the numbers of reserves that could be called on if necessary. He placed it with the latest numbers of men who joined the army of the empire, and that of the Lost Cavalry.

  Chanry entered the office with the lists he had made, along with the key to the vaults. He had grown in the last few months, and was getting much taller. He was almost ten years old now, and the armor Menimeth had made for him was stretched to the limit of its design. The time had come to look for better armor for the boy Menimeth thought, and perhaps a sword as well.

  "This is a very long list." Menimeth said, as he took the scroll from Chanry. "You appear to have been very busy"

  "There are four more levels below the first one." Chanry said, but there was one door I did not go through."

  "Was something wrong with it?" Menimeth ask, concern in his voice.

  "No, but it is for you to open I think." The boy replied. "It had the golden dragon, and the words Drathin-Grado on it as well."

  "Dragon Lord." Menimeth translated.

  "And that is you!" Chanry said with a bright smile. "Dragon Lord."

  "What else did you f
ind?" Menimeth asked, as he looked at the list.

  "Two more vaults, but they only had chests of gold in them." Chanry said, with a disappointed look. "And some other coins."

  "If you can find some armor that will fit you, bring it to me." Menimeth said. "And look for a sword that you can lift, as well."

  "But I can lift this one." Chanry informed his master, walking to the chest, and removing the sword from inside.

  "But it cannot be removed from its scabbard." Menimeth told the boy. "So it will be hard for you to use."

  "But it comes out so easily." Chanry said, as he slipped the sword from the scabbard and held it up for his master to see.

  Menimeth was shocked at the sight of the sword, which glowed with a bright white light, in the hands of the boy. He watched as Chanry held the sword out in front of him, and the sight was almost comical. The sword was almost as long as Chanry was tall, however, he held it out like it was his knife.

  "Do you not think the sword to be too long for you right now?" Menimeth asked.

  "Only a little." The boy replied.

  "Place it back into its scabbard and bring it here." Menimeth said.

  Chanry did as he was told, and handed the sword to his master, but Menimeth could not pull the sword from its scabbard. He tried several times before he handed it back to Chanry, who slid it from its scabbard with ease.

  "The sword must be yours." Menimeth said to his adopted son. "But it will be awhile before you can use it the way it was intended I think."

  "It will not be so long as you think." Chanry said. "I am growing very fast, for a boy."

  "That you are." Menimeth agreed, smiling at the boy with pride.

  "I will use it when I get older." Chanry told his master. "There are others in the lower levels that are smaller, and several were lighter than this one."

  "Then bring me the one you like the best." Menimeth told the boy. "And anything else you would like to use."

  Chanry went to the secret door, and stepped through before closing it behind him. Menimeth continued to look through the parchments on the desk, and separated them into stacks. Some were more important than others, but all of them needed his attention. Soon Brylen would take care of most of these problems, except the ones that required the king of the empire in person, and Menimeth would be free to protect the empire better.

  Some of the people that entered the city that day looked for work in the castle. Most were hungry, but some were just looking for a better life. Menimeth was walking through the lower halls, where the business of the empire was conducted, when he heard the people in the office waiting room. He wore his cloak still tied from the morning chill, and his armor could not be seen, so he walked into the room where the people waited, and sat in one of the chairs across the room from them.

  It was not long before they begin to talk about the changes to the empire, and Menimeth joined the conversation when they did. Mirena was an attractive woman of about thirty-two or three, who believed in the empire from the way she talked. Some of the others were getting tired of waiting, and talked of the need for more help around the offices. Mirena asked them if they knew how to do the work, but none of them did. Most had been servants in a castle somewhere, and would continue to be one for the time they were here.

  Geovin was different from the rest, as was Mirena. They were much smarter than the others in the room, and if it had not been for the wars south of the great lake, would not have been here at all.

  "What the city needs right now," Mirena was saying, "is a trading post for the refugees."

  "Why a trading post?" Menimeth asked, curious as to what the woman's response would be.

  "Because the people who are unfortunate enough to be refugees, have little or no money, but possess items that can be traded." She said. "To the merchants in the market of Corlindum those items are worthless, but to others they are not.

  "And you could run this trading post?" Menimeth asked her.

  "Not by myself, but with the help of Geovin, it could be done." Mirena replied.

  "Yes we could do it if we had an inventory, and a building to put it in, but that is not likely to happen." Geovin said. "Oh, and money to operate with until we can start doing business."

  "Yes, there is that." Mirena said, and started laughing.

  The other people that waited in the room became annoyed with the woman when she laughed, and told her it was disrespectful to act that way in the castle. When the secretary walked into the room, Menimeth motioned for her to help the other people first, and she escorted them into the room next door. When they were alone, Menimeth looked at the man and woman who sat across from him, and after several seconds, stood to leave.

  "Where are you both staying while in the city?" He asked them.

  "We are in the same camp to the east of the city gates." Mirena said. "But at least it is on the opposite side from the garrison."

  "Make a list of all you will need to open the trading post, and a building will be found for you to use." Menimeth said. "You will be staying in the castle for now, and I will see that all the arraignments are made. Oh yes, you will need a name for it."

  Menimeth walked from the waiting room, and ordered two rooms in the guest wing, made ready for Mirena and Geovin. They were escorted to their rooms minuets later, and stunned, thanked the servants many times. That was one problem that would be taken care of he thought. He was looking for Caladon and Banadar when he heard the people in the waiting room, and now he continued his search. He found them in the marketplace in Corlindum, where they walked from shop to shop like boys.

  "So, you are the king." Caladon said, as Menimeth reached them.

  "I told you I spoke for the empire." Menimeth replied, smiling.

  "That you did." Banadar said. "But you never said you were the king."

  "I did not believe it to be important at the time." Menimeth replied. "But you know now, do you not?"

  "Well, yes." Banadar said. "But you are not like any king I have ever heard of."

  "How many kings do you know who ride a dragon?" Menimeth asked the brother, smiling.

  "You have him there." Caladon said. "He did not know dragons existed until we met you. However, he is right, you are not like other kings."

  "You do not force the commoners of the land to serve you, and most of them do not know who you are, from what we have been hearing." Banadar informed him.

  "The empire does not serve me, but it is I who serve the empire." Menimeth said. "And all who are within its borders."

  "Tell us more about this threat you face, Caladon said. "Forces of the mage king, did you say?"

  "Yes, in the west." Menimeth replied. "And soon we will drive them from our land."

  "We will do what we can when the solders from our camp arrive." Banadar said. "Some of them will join your army I think."

  "We could use all the help we can get." Menimeth told them. "But it is only the beginning. When Arnoran has taken all of the lands he once held, he will turn his attention to us."

  "But that will not be for several years." Caladon said. "There are many kingdoms south of ours that he must still retake."

  "Yes, but we must be ready when the war comes to us." Menimeth said. "And first we must defend the west."

  Two weeks later, the new trading post called The Dragon's Nest opened, and started to help the people of the refugee camp beside Corlindum. The solders and refugees from the brother's camp in the southeast began to arrive in a steady stream, and continued throughout the day. It was two days, before all of them reached the cities, and the solders set up their camp across from the garrison. The refugees were placed in the camp beside Corlindum, and given all of the food they could eat and a better shelter than they had in the past, but the sister of Caladon and Banadar was escorted to the Dragon Tower. She was given a suite down the hall from her brothers, with a view of the river from her balcony, which was the best in the castle. The rooms had been decorated for a woman sometime in the past, but did not appear t
o have ever been used.

  Kyler, Javen, and Feran, arrived the day after the last of the refugees from the brothers camp had reached the cities, and were taken to their suites in the castle. Kyler and Javen were very surprised at the changes the city had undergone while they were away, and at all of the people that came and went from between the two cities. It was empty when the regents departed, and the two friends with them, but now it looked as if it had always been used. The men settled into their suite of rooms to rest, shaking off the affects or their long journey from Argnon.

  Later that day, the three captains of the empire walked to the garrison with Menimeth. They were dressed in the armor given them by Litlorn as they always were, and stood out from all of the other men in the garrison. Chanry followed his master as usual, keeping an eye on those around them, and one hand on his belt knife.