Nigel let out a long breath and patted Jala on the leg lightly. “I was afraid something like this might happen when I fought at the last battle. I was hoping to keep the element of surprise until the actual attack on the city. Don’t worry though, this shouldn’t take long.” His tone was light despite the serious expression on his face.
“Do not underestimate Gun, he has served House Nerathane for a very long time,” the older man scolded gently.
“Of course,” Nigel said with a note of apology as he began to pull his jacket off. “Milady, might I introduce Lord Dresharn the Traitor,” Nigel waved a hand toward the dark haired man as he tossed his coat to the side and began to unbutton his vest.
“Well met, Lord Dresharn,” Jala said, her voice a bit off as she tried to fathom why exactly Nigel was apparently stripping by the roadside. A gasp from one of the knights drew her attention and she turned in time to see the three beautiful women shedding their clothes as well. Eyes widening she turned back in her saddle fully expecting to see Dresharn naked as well.
Dresharn smiled up at her and shook his head gently. “It saves on wardrobe replacement to shed the clothing. I have enough gold that I prefer to keep my dignity. I’d prefer we had more time for introductions, but there is a very large, very dangerous dragon winging his way in our direction.” His voice was low and held the tones of one well educated as he spoke. With a slight bow in her direction Dresharn walked forward well ahead of the horses and stopped.
Within moments, the others joined him. Nigel was bare to the waist and the three women stood in nothing more than their small clothes apparently not the least bit shy. The small group spoke quietly for a breath and then parted each moving a distance from the other.
“It won’t take them long to shift and then Gunny will wish he had never left Nerathane.” Jala looked down at the unfamiliar voice and stared in disbelief at the boy beside her. He barely looked over thirteen by human standards. His sandy colored hair was cut short and was tousled as though he had just crawled from bed. Unlike the other dragons he was not garbed in rich clothing and wore a simple linen shirt that hung on him in loose folds. His rough spun trousers were stained and patched at the knees and the boots he wore looked ready to fall apart.
“You are a dragon too?” Jala asked hesitantly and wondered if Dresharn had left his groom behind to guard them rather than another dragon as she had assumed.
“Name is Vosha, and yep,” the boy answered, his eyes on his comrades.
Jala nodded slowly, giving Valor a look of disbelief as she turned her head once more to Nigel. At first it seemed as though he was just standing there. Then Jala began to notice the muscles in Nigel’s back bulging. He stretched his arms straight out to either side of him as his back rippled once more. Jala was about to ask Vosha what was going on when the skin on Nigel’s back burst open. Pale shreds of flesh fell to the ground as Black scaled wings unfolded behind him. Jala stared open-mouthed, her words utterly forgotten as Nigel’s body twisted and grew at an alarming speed.
“I was in love right until this moment,” Noble mumbled from the ranks of knights behind her.
“Looks painful doesn’t it,” Vosha said with a smile as the dragons before them shed the last of their humanity like a snake shedding its skin. The entire transformation had taken less than five minutes.
Jala nodded, her gaze still locked on the very large black dragon that sat where Nigel had stood such a short time before. Swallowing heavily, she glanced at Valor. “I’m so very glad I’m not a dragon,” she whispered.
“Me too, I’d hate to watch you do that,” Valor returned with a smile.
“That would severely fuck up your naughty dreams about her,” Neph added with a snort of amusement.
“Look, Margundrak is close enough that you can see his spikes now,” Vosha said happily beside her.
“Spikes?” Jala asked in confusion and turned her attention once more to the sky. The boy spoke truthfully. The dark shape that had been no more than a speck minutes before was much larger now and she could barely make out the ridges that must be the spikes that Vosha spoke of. Her attention returned to the dragons and she studied them with fascination. The women had taken on scales the same color as the gowns they had worn, emerald, sapphire, and a deep ruby with tinges of silver tracing their scales. All three of them seemed petite and graceful compared with the towering giants Nigel and Dresharn had become. Both of the male dragons were black in coloration, though Nigel had gold tracing across his wings and neck while Dresharn was simply black.
“Now things get good,” Vosha said eagerly as the three smaller dragons moved forward at a sprint and took to the air, their wings beating fiercely to gain altitude. “The three sisters are nasty mean,” he informed her with a wide smile.
Nigel and Dresharn took to the air next, their massive wings raising clouds of dust across the field. The approaching dragon loosed another roar as he spotted his quarry and Jala clamped her hands to her ears at the volume of the cry. Her horse snorted and danced back and she could hear the knights behind her struggling to keep their own mounts under control.
“If he is as mean as he is loud, we are screwed,” Neph said dryly as he fought his own horse back under control. “Damn, I hate horses. I would give anything for a snow cat right now instead of this useless bag of steaks I’m sitting on,” Neph snarled as the mare continued to prance, her eyes rolling.
“Probably not the best idea to call a horse 'steaks' while sitting in front of a company of armed Arovan knights, Neph,” Sovann said softly.
Jala shook her head at the banter but kept her eyes fixed on the dragons as Nigel and Dresharn closed on the larger dragon. There was no sign of the three jewel colored dragons and she wondered idly if they had some sort of camouflage such as Marrow did.
“And now!” Vosha crowed beside her as three bright colored forms dived from the air above Margundrak. The emerald dragon struck at the head while the sapphire and ruby each hit a wing. The attack was blinding in speed and Jala watched hopefully as Margundrak seemed to falter in the air. The three smaller dragons scattered before their adversary had a chance to retaliate. Then Dresharn and Nigel were on him.
Margundrak reared back his massive head, rising in the air as Nigel hit him head on. The two dragons locked together in mid-air, raking and snapping at each other as Dresharn hit from the side, knocking Margundrak back with the force of the blow. Nigel quickly broke off his assault, his wings pumping frantically as he tried to regain altitude. Pivoting in the air, Margundrak spread his jaws wide as a blast of fire erupted from his mouth to bathe Dresharn in flames. Tucking his wings Dresharn dove as he tried to escape the worst of the attack. Within a breath of the flames, Nigel was on Margundrak once more forcing the larger dragon’s head up and away from his quarry.
Movement from above the two dragons drew Jala’s eyes and she watched in silent awe as the three sisters dove for the attack once more. With a deafening roar Margundrak knocked Nigel back away from him and spun in the air, his tail lashing as he faced the jewel toned dragons. The smaller females twisted in the air trying to avoid Margundrak as he turned his fury on them. His tail caught the sapphire hard with a crack that seemed to shake the trees below them and the smaller dragon plummeted from the air. With screams of anguish the remaining two sisters launched themselves at Margundrak, their claws tearing at his wings and back.
“Not good,” Vosha said sadly. “They are in a frenzy now.” The boy shook his head and his earlier excitement seemed to evaporate.
“Do they seem to be getting rather close to anyone else?” Sovann asked quietly.
“I think we should move back, Jala,” Valor said in agreement as the fight above them continued to rage.
Another screech split the air as Margundrak wrapped his massive claws around the ruby dragon. With a snarl the larger dragon shook her savagely and threw her toward the trees below. The ruby dragon tumbled twice, frantically beating her wings as her body crashed into the forest. Tree
s snapped beneath her as her body plowed a path through the limbs before disappearing into the forest below.
“Oh shit,” Neph whispered beside her and Jala’s eyes snapped back up to the air in time to see Nigel hit the larger dragon from above forcing him from the air, and directly toward the small hill they watched from.
“Move now!” Valor bellowed to those behind them as the two dragons plummeted. Jala stared in silence as Nigel raked at the other dragon with his hind legs while his massive jaws locked tight around Margundrak’s throat. At first she had thought Nigel would break off the assault and the aerial fight would continue. Now she could see he was ending the fight one way or another. Jala could hear the soldiers behind her retreating but at the speed the dragons were falling it wouldn’t be fast enough to get everyone clear. Silently she dropped from her saddle and moved forward, her magic already flowing through her. Raising both hands she summoned a wall of force. That in itself wouldn’t do alone, however. The walls of force spell was designed for stopping small objects such as arrows and they were attached to their caster such as a soldier’s wooden shield would be. If the dragons collided with the single wall the full impact would be reflected on her. Quickly, Jala wove a wind wall and then another wall of force repeating the process as many times as she could as she watched the massive forms grow closer by the second. If she could get enough layers it might cushion the blow that was reflected back on her. If not she was about to shatter every bone in her body in an effort to stop the dragons.
Margundrak hit the ground with such force that the earth beneath Jala bucked in protest. Time seemed to slow as she watched the two dragons slide toward her, their bodies tearing a trench through the earth as they slid out of control. Frantically, Jala added another layer to her cushioned wall and then dropped to one knee, her hands held out before her as she braced for the impact. By the nature of the spells she would feel them hit, there was no avoiding it. The wall of force spells were not designed for such use, but it was the only spell she knew that would stop everything. She might have managed to raise the earth to form a barrier to stop the dragons themselves, but then the debris from the impact would have rained down over her people. Margundrak hit first and his massive body seemed to fold in on itself. Pain shot through her and Jala squeezed her eyes shut as the dragon’s body rolled hard against her barrier forcing her back.
“You are fucking insane!” Neph bellowed behind her.
Her hands shaking, Jala rose to her feet and let her spells fade. Slowly she opened her eyes and stared at the lifeless body of the dragon that lay inches in front of her. With a nervous breath she stepped back, testing her arms as she moved. Nothing seemed to be broken. “Check our dragons in the forest. If they are still alive they will need to be healed,” Jala called over her shoulder as she moved toward Nigel’s massive form. To her relief she could still see his sides rising and falling as he struggled for breath. He was injured and most likely dying, but he was still alive and that was all she needed. “You know when I was younger, I always wanted to see a dragon,” Jala whispered to Nigel as she carefully laid her hands on his scaled sides and called on her healing spells.
The white walls of Avenesh gleamed in the morning light. The stone that had been used to build the city was heavy with crystal, making the entire place seem to shimmer before her eyes. “It’s beautiful,” Jala said softly, her mind reflecting back on the fallen cities that War had shown her. They had been beautiful as well. Now they were nothing but rubble, and soon Avenesh would join them if the Avanti chose defiance. “Wait here,” Jala ordered and kicked her horse forward. She stopped the gelding just out of arrow range and stared up at the gates of the city. Pulling on her magic she cast a simple spell to amplify her voice. “I give you one hour to surrender the city. If the gates are not opened within that time I will bring them down and any who fight will die. This is the only warning you will get and I will show no mercy to those who stand against me,” Jala called, her voice ringing clearly through the morning air. Turning, she rode back to join her friends.
“Why exactly are we giving them an hour to prepare?” Neph asked with a frown.
“They’ve had two bloody months to prepare, Neph I don’t think another hour is going to hurt us,” Jala replied dryly as she turned back to watch the city. If Sovaesh kept his word it was possible that Truce would surrender. After the reports she had received this morning she was really hoping he would. If he didn’t, she had no choice but to finish Avenesh as quickly as possible and that meant brutally. She couldn’t afford to waste time on a siege if her information was accurate. Delvay had fallen to the combined forces of Nerathane and Rivana and if she didn’t get to Arovan soon to stop the Blights they would fall as well. “Valor.”
“Hmm?” Valor moved his horse up beside her and waited patiently for her to continue.
“I need this city as quickly and painlessly as we can possibly get it. If they don’t open those gates in an hour we have to unleash hell on them,” Jala said quietly.
“Is there a reason for it?” Valor asked, his voice as low as her own had been.
“Shade sent me word from Sanctuary. Sebastian Blackwolf is there on behalf of Glis and Arovan. The Blights are beyond them in numbers and Seravae is raiding their coasts. They don’t have the strength to fight both and they don’t have supplies to feed their people. If we delay here, we won’t get there in time to save them,” Jala explained.
“Save them? Jala, if you take your army to Arovan who will defend Merro?” Valor protested, but she could see the glimmer of hope in his eyes.
“I’m sending Jail with the majority of my forces back to Merro. We will go to Arovan with a small specialized force and deal with the Blights. The Blights won’t face us in numbers so we won’t need an army,” Jala explained and smiled at him. “Did you really think I would leave your home to fend for itself?” she asked softly.
“Merro is my home and every other High Lord would and have left us to defend ourselves,” Valor replied with a faint smile.
“Your father was there for me when I needed him at the trial. Lord Arovan granted me the first of my army with his gift of your knights. I don’t leave friends to rot and I consider Arovan and Glis friends,” Jala said as she turned back to the city. “Come on and fold,” she whispered.
“I thought you said Margundrak would deal with them,” Cassia whined as she stared down at the summoned image of the army outside the gates.
“Shush, Cassy,” Donrey muttered, his eyes fixed on the tiny image of Jala Merrodin as she called her warning to the city. “Arrogant bitch,” he growled and let out a heavy breath. “Sovaesh, summon the reserves and tell them to prepare for battle.”
“Father, perhaps we should consider what she says. We have not fared well in any engagement against her forces,” Truce protested.
“You want to surrender?” Cassia snarled, whirling on her brother.
“I think it’s an option we should consider,” Truce pressed, his eyes flicking to his father’s face.
“Sovaesh did you not hear my command?” Donrey snapped, his eyes fixed directly on his son with a look of disgust on his face.
“I did.” The Assassin pushed from the wall and walked slowly to the desk. “There is something I think you should take a look at first though,” Sovaesh said as he dropped a folded parchment down in front of the High Lord. Truce leaned closer to get a look and frowned as he recognized the blue and silver seal of Morcaillo. The wax had been broken and it was obvious the document had been read.
“What is this?” Donrey demanded as he snatched the letter from his desk and unfolded it quickly. “Why wasn’t this brought to me before being opened?” he demanded. As his eyes scanned the document his expression turned to disbelief. “What is this?” he repeated, sounding confused.
“Every sin you have committed in my sight and enough poison to kill a horse,” Sovaesh answered calmly as he watched the High Lord spasm in his chair.
“Traitor!” Cassia screeche
d as she stumbled back from her father’s desk. “Kill him daddy. Use the chain and kill him!” she screamed.
A ragged breath tore from his father’s throat as Truce watched in sick fascination. Blood was beginning to fleck around the man’s lips and his skin was turning a dark red as if he couldn’t breathe. Calmly Sovaesh reached into the pocket of his coat and produced a silver chain. Pulling down his mask he smiled coldly at Donrey. “This chain?” Sovaesh asked as he dropped it to clatter on the desk. “You killed my son. You threatened my wife. You sent me to kill my own mother. Did you honestly think there would be no reckoning?” Sovaesh snarled as he stalked around the desk, stopping just behind Donrey’s chair. With a gloved hand he seized Donrey by the hair and pulled his head back savagely. “Do you see this?” Sovaesh snarled as he held a slender silver dagger before Donrey’s eyes. The weapon was finely crafted and more ornate than anything Truce had ever seen the Assassin use.
“Stop him, Truce. He is killing daddy!” Cassia sobbed, her eyes wide with terror.
“This is the dagger you skinned your daughter with, Donrey,” Sovaesh finished as he drove the dagger hard into the High Lord’s eye. The body bucked beneath the Assassin’s grip and Sovaesh released his hold on the man with a look of satisfaction on his face. Turning back to Truce, he smiled again. “Surrender to Merrodin, Truce, while you still have time, and rule better than your father did. He earned that death a thousand times over. Now call your guards and have me arrested. As you sister says, I am a traitor.”
Numbly Truce stared at the Assassin for what felt like eternity before he managed to shake his head slowly. “I don’t want to have you arrested, Sovaesh,” he whispered. In truth he wanted to hug the man or thank him at least.
“You have no choice, Truce. I just killed the High Lord. Your people will expect justice for that,” Sovaesh replied, his voice pitched for Truce’s ears alone.
The Elder Blood Chronicles Book 3 From the Ashes Page 50