(Dragonkin) Dragon Rider

by C. E. Swain

  The ceremony did not last long, and the pyre burned down quickly, but warrior and solder alike remained until the fires were gone, and the pit, covered. The mound, which was created by covering the ashes of the dead, was forever a reminder of the battle for Argnon to those who lived in the empire.

  It was dark when the men returned to the tavern, and the mug of ale promised by the dragon rider. Menimeth sat in his usual chair with his back to the wall, surrounded by his friends.

  "The threat in the west has been eliminated, and the people can return to their homes." He said. "You have done your jobs well, and the west is secure because of it."

  "Many of the men fought beyond what we expected of them." Javen replied. "And should be rewarded for it."

  "We must first see to the fallen warriors from the realms, and then those from the defeated kingdoms." Menimeth said. " Then we will have a banquet and celebrate our victory. Some changes are being made, which will affect people throughout the empire, and men who can command will be needed. Give me the names of the men that you believe, should be rewarded, and why, when we return to Glansford. I will reward them accordingly."

  "Then that is what we will do." Kyler said. "For there are some that are true warriors."

  "There is one man I wish to know the name of." Menimeth said. " He was with the first army, and he fought with exceptional skill. He was all over the battlefield, fighting to save the lives of as many men as he could."

  "Was he a captain?" Javen asked.

  "No, he wore no rank at all, and he was young for someone with that level of skill." Menimeth replied. "And he had no fear in battle."

  "That would be Dalem." Javen said. "And he is older than he appears. He is from somewhere south of the empire, and he came to fight when he heard about your dragon."

  "I wish to see him when we return to the Dragon Tower." Menimeth said. "But before the banquet."

  "I will see that it is arraigned the moment we arrive." Javen replied.

  It was well into the day when Menimeth and Darik were able to cast the spells on the boxes that held the fallen warriors of the empire. The dragon fire spell and the dragon earth spell combined, turned the boxes into ironwood, which would last for hundreds of years. They no longer looked like wood, but like a polished black stone, and were lighter than before. The magic that held them closed, would protect the warrior as well as the box, and would allow them to survive long after the end of the war.

  Menimeth returned to the tavern while the men began to load the boxes onto the wagons, to wait for Commander Mareston's arrival. Litlorn found the blade, which had caused Captain Sangrivol's illness, in the pile of weapons of the enemy dead, and the sheath that had come with it as well. He believed that the man who had used it had died in the battle, but if he had not, at least the blade was no longer in his possession.

  When Commander Mareston arrived at the tavern, to speak with Menimeth about the items found in the wagons, he saw the blade sitting on the table and would not go near it.

  "Where did you find that evil blade?" Mareston asked. "It was sent from Kath, and was to be given to a dark elf when he arrived at the camp, but he never did."

  "It was used against one of my captains." Menimeth said. "But we do not know if the man who used it died in the battle, or just lost it while he was fighting."

  "The blade was not to be used against one of your Captains, but against you." Mareston replied. "And the mage Darik. I do not know how it works, but a great sorcerer was paid to kill you and the mage. If the blade was used in the battle, it was stolen from the wagons, and was not used by the man for which it was intended. "

  "Then there is no one among your men that could have used the blade in the battle by order of Chidren?" Menimeth asked. "Or this Avren you spoke of."

  "All of the men who were loyal to Chidren were killed in the battle." Commander Mareston replied. "Avren was killed by Chidren before we marched from the camp in the northwest, and all of Avren's men were killed at the crossroads in the attempt to ambush you. If the man who used the blade is among the men who will travel to the Wilderlands, he will most likely be one of the men that does not survive the dead lands."

  "What I asked to see you about is this chest." Menimeth said, as he set the chest on the table in front of him.

  Commander Mareston became white with fear, and backed away from the chest until he was against the wall.

  "Do not open that chest." The Commander pleaded. "Or we will all be undone. That chest holds a communication stone used by Chidren and Avren to speak with the mage king. There were three of them originally, but the master stone never arrived from the east, and Chidren destroyed one when he was recalled from the attempt to overrun the White Kingdoms."

  "Why did he destroy one?" Menimeth asked, but already knew the answer before he asked the question.

  "So no one could listen to his conversations with Arnoran." Commander Mareston replied. "Without the master stone, Chidren had to use one of the smaller, less powerful stones, and anyone with a similar stone, or the master, could listen to the conversation."

  "What did the master stone look like?" Menimeth asked.

  "I do not know, but I do know that it was in a chest that was locked, which the chests that hold the smaller stones were not." Commander Mareston replied. "By the look on your face, I would say you have the master stone in your possession but did not know it."

  "Then you would be right." Menimeth said. "We have had it for a long time, but did not have the time to investigate it."

  "If you open the chest, and reveal yourself to the mage king, use the master stone. If you are powerful enough, you can gain control of the stones from him, and you can use them against him." Commander Mareston said. "But beware, if you cannot gain control from the mage king, he will learn all you know, and you cannot stop him."

  " I will gain control of the stones from him." Menimeth replied. "But not now, it will have to wait until I feel that the time is right."

  "I wish you luck when you do open the chest." Commander Mareston said. "But I hope that I am far away when you do, and that the mage king does not discover our location because of it."

  "You need not fear." Menimeth said. "The mind of a dragon is not an easy thing to comprehend, much less control, and the mage king will discover that soon enough."

  "Then I will not worry about it." Commander Mareston replied. "I will concentrate on our city in the Wilderlands."

  "Thank you for your time." Menimeth said to the commander. "You may depart for the west whenever you want, and I wish you a good journey."

  "Thank you, and we will hope to see you again, soon." The commander said, and turning from the dragon rider, walked from the tavern.

  "We will be leaving tomorrow morning." Menimeth said to the three commanders from Alenvale. "See to it that all of the remaining boxes are loaded on the wagons, and shipped to Glansford. I will be in the castle if you need me, talking to Falendor about the banquet, but it will not take long. I will see you here later for a mug of ale, or two."

  Menimeth walked from the tavern, and across the great road, to the castle. He would not tell the regent about the changes he was making to the empire yet, but that would all change at the banquet. For now, he would ease their minds, and give them the news that the people could return.

  It was the end of the beginning of the second Great War, and the empire had passed the test.

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  The morning after the battle was unlike any in the history of the empire, as the men who followed Commander Mareston to the west began to prepare for their journey. With the last count, they had two thousand men that would make the trip, but some of the men were still wounded, and would have to be placed in wagons until they could recover. It would slow them down, and they would not be able to carry the supplies they needed, but Menimeth agreed to allow the wagons to return and get the supplies they had to leave behind. As the wounded men recovered and were able to leave the wagons, they would be sent b
ack to Argnon to be loaded with the supplies, and then return before Commander Mareston crossed the Dead Lands.

  The Elvin warriors led by Alazen had agreed to accompany Commander Mareston through the Dead Lands, and into the Wilderlands, before turning north and returning to the Elvin kingdoms. They would show Commander Mareston where to cross the Dead Lands with the wagons, and help heal those who were still suffering from their wounds. Alazen believed that all of the men who were wounded would survive, and recover long before they reached the last of the golden trees. He would supply the men with fresh meat, and show them where to camp at the edge of the Golden Woods while they waited for the wagons to return. Alazen agreed to teach those men who showed an aptitude for the wilds, how to hunt and track like the elves, and how to read the earth for signs of what lay ahead. Magic would have to wait until they trusted them more, but if they kept their promise to build a city of peace, then the elves would teach them all they could.

  The wagons that carried the fallen warriors of the empire that were not from the realms, had begun to depart Argnon the day before, and the last of them were gone before the day's end. The wagons that carried the wounded warriors that could not ride back to the garrison at Corlindum, departed Argnon the day before, as well, and Captain Sangrivol was with them. They were not that far ahead of the solders of the first army, which was now led by Commander Garavin, and had departed earlier that morning. Menimeth expected them to catch up to the wagons that had gotten a late start, before the end of the day, and camp with them that night. After that they would travel together, until they reached the garrison at Corlindum. There the wagons were to be unloaded, and the boxes placed beside the entrance to the tomb of the dragon warrior's of the old empire. When Menimeth returned, they would be placed inside the tomb with all of the ceremony of the warriors of old. Captain Sangrivol was to be taken to the Dragon Tower, and placed in a suite to be taken care of until a White sage could be located.

  The wagon, in which the chest and the other items that were discovered by the Lost Cavalry were found, was exchanged for one from the empire. All of the personal items, which had been placed in a separate pile from the armor and weapons on the battlefield, had been placed in the wagon the day before, and was now waiting with the fallen warriors from the realms, for the dragon rider to return. The chest and other items removed from the wagon the day before, were placed back inside, and secured, and the wagon was ready to depart. Commander Rayden and the Lost Cavalry returned to their camps south of the road, and prepared for the ride to Glansford as well. They were no longer needed in the west, because Captain Brannor had not lost any of his men in the battle, and believed it would help build his force, if they patrolled it themselves.

  Commander Rayden and the men of the Lost Cavalry rode north from Argnon later that morning, to ride to Glansford through the northern part of the western realm. Menimeth believed that if any of the enemy solders had escaped, they would use the northern route to try and return to Kath. He did not expect the warriors of the Lost Cavalry to find anyone, but if someone did escape, they would be easier for Danorathin to see once Commander Rayden passed them. He did not expect to find anyone, but it was better to be sure, than to allow a solder of the mage king to return to him.

  The Dwarf warriors, who had come with Donderan to Argnon, began their march back to Kradgov that morning, with the promise of recruiting more warriors for the battles to come. Donderan did not leave with them, but said he would return to Kradgov later, to help in the recruiting effort. Instead, he sat in the tavern and drank Blackbeer, as he waited for the dragon rider's return. Javen, Kyler, and Feran, along with Litlorn and Darik, sat with the dwarf, and talked about the return trip. Only the warriors of the third army remained in Argnon, because Commander Fracher and the second army had departed for Glansford as the dwarfs were leaving to march south.

  The warriors that made up the third army had removed all of the armor and weapons from the battlefield, and placed them in the storerooms in the back of, and behind, the Red Falcon. These, Farlin would take care of when he returned to Argnon, along with the people of the undamaged town, while he was taking care of the inn. Menimeth knew that Farlin would not stay in Argnon, but would have the man he hired before coming to Glansford, run the Red Falcon for a share of the profits. Farlin would return to run the Sword and Dragon in Glansford, to be near those he had grown closest to since Menimeth first appeared less than two years ago.

  All of the remaining warriors began to ready their horses for the return trip, as they waited for the dragon rider to return. They had been told to prepare to ride, dressed in the colors of their realms, with all of the banners of the empire unfurled. The warriors were to ride out as they had ridden in, but dressed in their best cloths, and with their weapons and armor polished. Each group would be remaining in their realms as they reached them, along with the fallen warriors that they escorted, to be reinstated in the realms guard. Some of the men would be allowed to return to the service of the empire, but not until sometime after the banquet, meant to celebrate the victory in the west.

  Menimeth woke early that morning, and listened to the sounds around him for several minutes, before rising and donning his armor. He could feel Danorathin as the great dragon spread his wings and looked off to the south.

  "What is it my friend?" Menimeth asked. "Does something bother you?"

  "No, but a man hides in a garden of golden trees." Danorathin replied. "It is where I go to hunt."

  "You can see him now?"

  "No, but he is less than two days ride from the castle. I saw him when I went hunting the day of the battle."

  "Why did you not tell me?" Menimeth asked, curious as to why he was not informed as soon as his dragon spotted the man.

  "He cannot get far enough away from Argnon to escape us. Danorathin replied. "And I thought the battle was more important than one man, at the time."

  "You were right of course." Menimeth said. "Have you seen anyone else? Maybe in the north or northeast?"

  "I have not seen anyone in the north, but I did see the regents son yesterday morning. He was riding south, and away from Argnon.""

  "I think we will tell the regent about his son, and will allow Falendor to go after him, but the man in the garden, I will speak with."

  "Then I will wait for you by the garrison gates." The dragon replied, and watched his master walk from the tavern to the castle. After sending a messenger with the news of the son's location, Menimeth returned to the gates of the garrison to find Danorathin waiting beside them.

  Menimeth and his dragon flew into the early morning sky, and headed southeast. The sun was just beginning to rise, and the men of the castle were doing the same, when he flew out of sight of even the tower. It did not take long to reach the garden, and the man who was in it, but the sun had not yet chased away the darkness of the night. Danorathin landed on the opposite side of the garden from where the man camped, and Menimeth made his way to his burned down fire. Menimeth sat across from where the man slept, and waited for the man to wake while he wondered who he was.

  Danorathin killed a fat little deer, and even the noise of the kill did not wake the man from his slumber.

  "The man must feel safe to sleep so soundly." Menimeth said to his dragon.

  "He did not seem so unafraid the last time that I was here." Danorathin replied. "He hid in the bushes while I fed, and watched with fear until I flew away."

  "The first time someone sees a dragon they are a little afraid." Menimeth said. "Unless they know the truth about them before they see him."

  "The fear he showed was not the fear of being eaten, but of being captured." Danorathin said. "But I do not know why he was afraid."

  "Maybe we should cook him some breakfast, and see if that will wake him." Menimeth said. "But I will need some of your deer, if you will allow it."

  "I can always kill another deer." Danorathin replied. "But the reaction you will receive when the man wakes, to find the king of the empire co
oking him breakfast, is one I would not miss for all of the deer in the empire."

  The great dragon stretched out on the ground with his head only feet from the fire, as Menimeth retrieved two large cuts of meat from the deer, and after locating a pan in the small sack of supplies, began to cook the steaks. The aroma of the searing steaks brought the man out of his slumber, but it was several seconds before he realized he was no longer alone. The look of shock on his face as he jumped from his blankets and backed from the fire, made Danorathin rumble with what almost sounded like laughter.

  "There is no need to fear me." Menimeth said to the frightened man. "You will not be harmed by us."

  "What do you want?" The man asked, as he eyed the dragon and His rider suspiciously.