“We have noticed,” Lariel acknowledged. He then informed Tethak, “We have summoned Orien to our presence. It shouldn’t take him long to arrive. When Kestriel and Ilénè come, which should be approximately the same time Orien does, we will pass out your individual assignments. When everyone is ready to leave, Seladair will open a gateway to the Elven Nation. He has done this before so he is best suited to the task. The rest will be up to you and the team accompanying you.”
The Emperor Lariel’s last words gave Tethak hope there would be time for him to go look for his Life Mate. He understood the benefits, as well as the pitfalls to this. As an Elf, he would be able to feel their Life Mate bond and could track Anamara to wherever she was being held prisoner. As a Dragon, he could cover great distances fast, but he would lose the guidance of their bond thread. Still, it would shorten his search, he was certain of it.”
“Remember,” King Gerolth spoke personally to Tethak, “This is not entirely about your reunion with Anamara. You will be held responsible for the success of all parts of this mission. Being a Guardian of the Empire has its benefits, but it also comes with huge responsibilities.”
“I understand,” Tethak replied. He hadn’t doubted any of what King Gerolth was telling him. He had already figured that as the leader of this foray into the Elven Nation, the onus would be on him to make sure things went well. It would be his responsibility to make this work. Most of what he was expected to do would be an exercise in using common sense as well as patience. He had no doubt Orien would mingle with the Elves in the Elven Nation and learn what he could about them. After he finished extracting all the information he could from the Elven population, and Kestriel and Ilénè finished speaking to the Dragons, he would send them home to report. It didn’t even mean they needed to return together. They could go back when their individual missions were complete. He hoped whatever they found would satisfy the Emperor Lariel and King Gerolth, because he wouldn’t be going back with his fellow Guardians. He intended to remain behind to find his bride. There was no way he was going to travel to her world and then leave without her. It was a promise he made to himself and sent to her over their Life Mate link. He would always come for her no matter where she was or what it took to get there.
It didn’t take as long as Tethak thought it might for everyone to gather and Emperor Lariel to let them know what their parts of the mission entailed. Seladair arrived first. He opened a small bolt hole and slipped through. It seemed like one minute there was nothing where he now stood and then he was there, smiling in amusement at his surprised expression. Kestriel and Ilénè arrived in a flurry of wings. She wasted no time sliding from her perch on his back, while he seemed to shift before her feet struck the ground. It was an action he was sure Gerolth had designed for them then drilled into perfection. Orien sauntered into their midst, silently slipping from one shadow to another. He carried a full quiver of arrows on his back and a Yew bow hung across his chest. He had made the bow during his spare time, and it showed signs of his artistic character. It was something he was proud of and offset his chagrin that he wasn’t proficient enough with his sword to have earned a place amongst any of Gabriella Eagle Claw’s sparring partners. They got the impression he would if he practiced more though, for he wasn’t far off. In the meantime, they knew he intended to continue to accept T’Harris’ tutorage.
Kestriel and Ilénè were assigned the task of seeking out the elderly Dragons to find out what they could about Gabriella’s Dragon and what the unusual shades of white meant for them. They weren’t certain if the Dragons would be able to help, but it was the best they could think of. They had first consulted Chania, but she couldn’t help as an Oracle. Kestriel explained that even his Dragon had told him it had never heard of another this color before, but it wasn’t considered an ancient Dragon, so that held no credence. Their best chance was to consult with Alleria to see whether she could give them any information.
When Emperor Lariel looked at King Gerolth for his input, the Dragon King agreed with Kestriel. As old as his Dragon was, it also had never heard or seen an Iridescent White Dragon. If any of the Dragons might have any idea about it, Alleria would probably be the one to ask. As they all knew she was still alive in the Elven Nation, and she surrounded herself with others as old if not older than she, they considered her their best resource. They had the feeling she would enjoy looking for the answer, if for no other reason that it would give her life meaning again. She had served no purpose, as far as she was concerned, since the Drazon War and needed some form of involvement.
Orien accepted his place in the mission with silent stoicism. He didn’t seem overly enthusiastic about getting involved with the population in the Elven Nation, but he was resigned to do his duty. Emperor Lariel noted how controlled he was and decided the exposure to others would probably do him good. He was giving everyone the impression that he was at a point in his life when he might be considering going into seclusion. It was not a good thing for his Dragon or for him. Yes, Lariel decided, this was the perfect task to bring this Elf back out of his shell. A look at King Gerolth confirmed his thoughts, as he caught the slight nod of approval from the Dragon King. He didn’t need to be told the reason. Orien’s Dragon was fighting for supremacy and Gerolth undoubtedly got the impression it was winning.
They all knew what Tethak intended to do. He would lead the expedition into the Elven Nation and do whatever it took to get the information they needed to put things together. But, everyone was certain the main part of his attention would be on the search for his Life Mate. No one blamed him for this. If they would be in his shoes, they would be no different.
The moment Seladair opened the portal to where he had sent Anamara back in the Elven Nation earlier. Tethak led his team through and onto the sand of the beach where she had reentered her home world.
King Gerolth stood and watched Emperor Lariel during the entire time. He knew Lariel wasn’t finished with him and the moment they were alone, his suspicions were confirmed.
“I want to know everything you do about Orien,’ Lariel ordered. “My instincts tell me he is at a crossroad in his life. Can you explain why I feel the way I do about him?”
“It is probably because he is in the same condition most of the unmated Guardians are. There are a few that aren’t fighting the effects of being united with a Dragon for so long, but they are not amongst those that have been one of us for several millennia. Those Guardians, like King Thilmior’s sons and King Cormar are newly joined, so the effects their Dragons have on them isn’t as profound. You won’t be affected at all when yours emerges, because your Dragon won’t break free for a while yet, and you have already connected with your Life Mate. Deneene will ground your Dragon as nothing else can.”
“My Dragon?” Lariel’s eyes grew wide at the thought.
“Yes, and considering he is not too far from coming out, you have probably felt him occasionally during the odd power surge,” King Gerolth explained. “The most pronounced of those would be when you get angry, so you might watch out for those times.”
Lariel knew immediately what King Gerolth was telling him. He remembered the unexpected surge of power he experienced when he had raged at the counsel in the Elven Nation. His Dragon had been furious, and he had subconsciously pulled it up short to make sure it didn’t get away on him. This was a conversation he intended to continue with King Gerolth later, for not only did he need time to accept what he had just learned, but it was his wedding night. He stood, took Deneene’s hand in his as he bid King Gerolth a good night and left the room.
King Gerolth smiled, as he watched the Emperor Lariel lead his beautiful bride from the throne room. His Emperor was going to need time to get used to the idea of harboring a Dragon inside of him. Eventually, he would get used to the thought, but it might take him until he experienced the first change to accept it fully. Some men had difficulty with the fact, while others embraced it. What he knew for certain was Lariel’s Dragon was going to dwarf
his when it emerged, as would its power. It was something his Dragon and he accepted without problem, for Lariel was the Emperor, and he considered it only a logical conclusion to what was going to happen in the future.
CHAPTER XXVI
ANDORIA:
King Felix lay in his bed still wondering how things could have gone wrong so fast. Three weeks had gone past since the Dragons had flown in from across the mountain range and decimated his fighting forces. He hadn’t been in much shape to rise from his injuries ever since. Lorne, from what he was told, wasn’t in much better shape. He had still risen to see to the Kingdom, but he could tell his lone remaining son had been badly hurt. With this thought came remnants of memories of the battle, such that it was, between the Dragons and the Dragon Killers. He had watched while Evart had remained frozen with fear at the sight of the monsters, despite the battle raging all around him. The young man had seen it all before he had been plucked off the machine by the great white beast. He hadn’t even gotten off one scream before it carted him off to what he was sure had to be his death. He didn’t blame his youngest son for his actions, the boy hadn’t been brought up to battle in the way his brothers had been, but he could have wished for a better end for him.
The thought of how the Dragons had decimated his war machines so thoroughly horrified King Felix. Yet, it wasn’t the recollection of how those weapons had blown apart under the pressure and heat of the Dragon’s flames that really bothered him. It was the sight of Ricard turning into a towering pillar of fire when the massive White Dragon swooped from the sky to shoot white heat at his boys. They had been there one moment, then gone the next. Now only Lorne remained. His sons were gone, and he decided he had mourned them for long enough. It was now time to rise and begin the process of rebuilding his Kingdom and castle. As he remembered, the Dragons had destroyed a part of the castle grounds as well. He hadn’t even roused to check on the damage they had done when he first woke from the painful slumbers that had claimed him when it was all over.
With the idea of examining the part of the castle grounds that had been destroyed by the Dragons at the very least, King Felix forced his body to move. He could have sworn there wasn’t any part of his body that didn’t hurt. By the time the first servant came through the doorway, he was sitting on the side of the bed, trying to talk himself into crossing the room. As he stood and began to move forward, the frightened maid gave a shriek.
It didn’t take Lorne any longer than a moment to show up at King Felix’s door. He wasn’t sure whether to frown or laugh as he father stood glaring at the terrified servant. He was halfway across the room and wasn’t wearing a stitch. The moment he noticed the amused expression on his son’s face, he grouched, “You would think the silly chit had never seen a naked man in her life before.”
Despite knowing King Felix had to be in a lot of pain, Lorne couldn’t contain the laughter this comment brought. He had been a lot luckier than his father in that he hadn’t gotten as badly burned, so he took command of the Kingdom while his father recovered. Neither were back to their usual selves, but they were still in good enough condition to hold power over the others.
As King Felix and Lorne slowly made their way through the room and halls of the castle, they could see signs of things slipping back into the type of condition it had beeb the last time Evart had left. This time, however, they knew he wouldn’t be coming back. They weren’t even sure whether he had been burned alive like Ricard, or carted off for some other reason they didn’t want to think about.
“Have you heard anything about General Anton?” King Felix asked. It hadn’t taken him long to find out his son had been ruling the Kingdom over the last three weeks while he was convalescing, but he was letting him know in subtle ways that he was back at the helm.
“The general is in a makeshift laboratory getting ready to manufacture more of the black powder,” Lorne reported. “He isn’t happy about his living conditions either.”
“Things are rough all over,” King Felix commented. “How about the fighting men, how are they faring?”
“We lost a few hundred of them, which was considerably less than I expected,” Lorne admitted. “I thought there would be a lot more and that others would be deserting us in droves after the sight of those monsters, but it seems to have had the opposite effect. Word of the attack has spread and new recruits have been arriving to help us fight the menace. We have even received offers of help from Kingdoms we hesitated to tackle because of their strength. Things seem to be looking up.”
“Did you accept any of them?” King Felix asked hopefully. He wasn’t sure if it was the best idea, but he understood better what they were facing now that he had seen these beasts for himself. The more support and manpower they had, the better things would be for them in the end. It might even give them the edge they needed to win.
“It took me a while to decide, but in the end, I did,” Lorne admitted. “Facing off against that Elven General isn’t going to be easy. When I think of how we had her in our grasp and lost her, I could scream.”
“She got under your skin, I assume,” King Felix chuckled.
“She is absolutely gorgeous,” Lorne stated. “She is even more beautiful on the battlefield. I have never seen anyone handle a set of swords like her, man or woman.”
“I noticed, and I can’t say I was immune to her charms either,” King Felix admitted.
“Ricard and I spoke about her once when we were both half-drunk,” Lorne remembered. “We both had the same thought about how we would like to take her in every possible way before cutting her pretty throat. She is a devious, conniving bitch.”
“She has left you bleeding on a battlefield more than once,” King Felix pointed out. “Something like that is difficult for any man to accept at the hands of a woman.”
“At this point, I would be satisfied to rip her head from her body and leave her to rot in the sun,” Lorne snarled.
“How did she escape?” King Felix wondered.
“No one knows for certain,” Lorne replied. “The only thing anyone seems to agree upon is that she disappeared around the time the White Dragon showed up. Everyone close to her location were either gravely injured, or burned to a crisp. The popular thought is that the animal flew off with her in its claws because it was holding someone in its claws when it flew away.”
“I assume you questioned a lot of men about this,” King Felix noted. He wondered why. Lorne had spoken about her through hatred. Yet, he had gone out of his way to find out her whereabouts, why?
“She is dangerous, Father,” Lorne reminded King Felix. “If we are to face off against her in battle, I want to know if it will happen for sure. The only thing I know is that where she stood no man or beast survived within one hundred feet of her. I am only glad we were still on the outskirts of the main force when the Dragons attacked. Otherwise we would have experienced more casualties and fewer injuries. The injuries we could recover from.”
“How many were injured, and how many are still recovering?” King Felix asked for an update.
”Several thousands,” Lorne sighed. “It wasn’t pretty, and it still isn’t. We have been busy rebuilding the smithies, even though we lost both of our smiths. As luck would have things, there were a few amongst the fighting men and they have already begun to work on the forges. It seems even Dragon Fire doesn’t have much effect on those. It did melt most of the tools though. The new smiths had some with them and were quick to begin building more.”
As King Felix received Lorne’s report, he looked at the damage in the outer bailey. He could see the signs of improvement in the construction. But at the same time, he could tell they still wouldn’t hold up to an attack by Dragons for very long. He seriously doubted if anything they built could. It would, however, offer some form of protection against the onslaught if it happened. It was something he feared would, especially after what they experienced a few weeks prior.
As King Felix reached the area where the most damage had
been done to the smithies, he noticed one of the assistants that used to work under the original Black Smiths. The youth had suffered a few injuries, but these hadn’t been bad enough to keep him from work. This meant he would or should be able to give him details. He wondered if Lorne had thought to question him. “Has anyone spoken to you about the day of the attack?”
The youth shook his head, and in a voice quivering with fear, he answered, “No one speaks to me.”
“Do you remember what happened the day of the attack?” King Felix asked.
“I was close to the kitchen, where they store the coal when it happened,” the apprentice spoke. “We were going to be working on a new Dragon Killer design later and needed coal for the fire. It was my task to make sure there would be enough available, I was loading the wagon to take more to the workplace. I was almost finished when this massive White Dragon came from the other side of the wall and blew white-hot fire at the smithies. The stones heated, glowed, and then flew apart. I hadn’t felt anything so hot in my life. The explosion blew me off of my feet against the outer wall of the castle. When I came to, all I could hear was the screams of the dying and injured. The Dragon was gone, and where the smith had his workplace, a black hole existed where none had before.”
King Felix was disappointed. The young apprentice hadn’t given them any more information than they had before. It told him there probably was no more to be had than what they already knew. The Dragons needed to be dealt with before anything else, or they would never be able to defeat the Elven armies. He wasn’t going to admit he feared they might not be able to do this either. Not at this time. Everything Lorne and Ricard told him about them gave him the impression they should walk away from this fight. The problem was, they had never backed down from another army before in their lives, not even once. They weren’t about to begin to do it now.
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