The General

by M. A. Abraham

  Lorne walked beside his father, as they moved from one work post to another, watching how he took in every detail. He had thought he was thorough in how he conducted his interrogations, but he could tell he still had a lot to learn from King Felix. The old fox not only ruled by intimidation and brute force, but by knowing where to get the best information. They inspected the work being done to rebuild the structures leveled by the Dragon, then went to see General Anton to find out how he was coming along. They received a list of supplies he needed for their pains, along with a lot of complaints about everything he could probably think of at a moment’s notice.

  General Anton wasn’t pleased about anything. He didn’t like his accommodations or his assistant. He didn’t like being forced to labor while he was still healing and hurting. He didn’t like being segregated from his men. When King Felix asked what else he was unhappy about, he mumbled something about learning Dragons were real. It seemed that was one piece of information he felt he could have happily lived without. Now he had a better idea about how dangerous and destructive they could be, he felt obligated to rid the world of them. At the same time, he had the feeling if he were to take what he knew out into the rest of the world, few if anyone would believe him, just as he hadn’t believed these men in the beginning. Yet, he figured there would still be those with the idea they would check this out for themselves.

  After King Felix finished questioning everyone in the castle about the day of the attack and finding out how they were faring, he turned his attention onto the fighting men.

  “There aren’t many who can tell us much more than what we already know,” Lorne informed King Felix.

  “I am aware of this,” King Felix replied. “But, if only one can tell us something different, we might be able to fill in the missing pieces, if there are any.”

  “Which missing pieces of many are you talking about?” Lorne asked. He wasn’t sure he was following King Felix’s thinking on this matter.

  “What happened to the Female Elf you call the High Lord General of the Elven Armies? Where did the White Dragon come from and why didn’t we see it come out of the sky like we did the Golden ones?”

  “I even put out rewards to anyone able to give me more information and I came up empty,” Lorne admitted. In the end, I assumed the Elven General slipped through the ranks when they scattered at the appearance of the Dragons. It is possible the White Dragon took her back to their lands like some suggested and that was what it came for. No one would have given her as much as a thought when the attack was happening. They were too concerned with saving their own necks. I can’t say as I blame them either. Even we ran for cover when the Dragons began to appear in the sky,” Lorne pointed out.

  “Yes,” King Felix admitted. “But we were still alert enough to note a few small details despite everything. Someone, somewhere, had to have seen what really happened on that field.”

  They spent the following week going from man to man to question each one but still found nothing more than what they already knew, as Lorne suspected would be the case. In the end, they decided they never would know what actually happened for sure. Anything they would come up with after all this time would be sheer speculation on their part.

  CHAPTER XXVII

  Back at the Fortress in the Valley:

  Evart was a little singed by the flame that had incinerated Ricard, but he wasn’t hurt, at least not physically. He was, however, in a deep state of shock caused by the violent and swift actions of the Dragons. His mind was having trouble grasping everything that had happened to him over the last few days.

  “Drink this,” Alexis gave Evart a cup filled with a concoction she believed was probably alcohol or something like it. Cormar had handed the glass to her, so she doubted if it was anything medicinal. Cormar was not a healer. Nonetheless, she figured it couldn’t do any harm. He needed something to shock his system to get him moving again.

  Evart moved automatically, bringing the cup up to his mouth then gulping the contents down in short order. When it burned its way down his throat, he wheezed and fought for air. He coughed and then gagged as the liquor threatened to come right back up. When he could breathe and talk again, he asked, “What was in that?”

  “I have no idea,” Alexis confessed. “I was just told it would shock you back from wherever your mind was.”

  “It definitely did that,” Evart complained. “It also tasted like turpentine.”

  “Well, it worked, and it didn’t kill you,” Alexis stated. As far as she was concerned this was all for the good. Now they could deal with whatever was ailing Evart. She curled up on the bed beside him and held him while she crooned, “What did they do to you to return in such distress?”

  “They destroyed everything,” Evart’s voice was quiet and laced with the shock he still could feel the aftereffects from. His body shook, and as he spoke, he buried his face in the curve of Alexis’ neck. “Hold me. I saw it all. Everything went up in flames. The wagons got so hot they blew apart. And so did Ricard,” he gave a choking sob.

  Alexis stroked Evart’s head as she held him and rocked him gently. She didn’t need to be told what must have happened to Ricard. She could put two and two together well enough for herself. Evart told her everything had gone up in flames. This meant the Dragons had gone on the attack. Dragons used fire to fight their enemies. It made sense to assume that if the Dragon Killers had been destroyed in this way then so had his brother. He would come to terms with what had happened soon enough. They would then deal with the matter and move on. For now, he needed some proper sleep.

  Sleep was exactly what Evart did and it seemed to be exactly what his body and mind needed. He didn’t do it without suffering any effect from the attack he had witnessed, but the moment he felt Alexis by his side, he settled down and rested more peacefully. He slept for two full days and nights before waking. The first person he checked for when he opened his eyes was Alexis, the second was Sonja. He planned to tell them everything immediately, but they insisted he eat and refresh himself first.

  Alexis rushed off to order a bath for Evart, while Sonja fetched food from the kitchen for the three of them. Evart took a quick bath behind a hastily set up screen and, when he was finished, he joined the girls at a small table in the adjoining room.

  The moment Evart sat down, he began, “I don’t know quite why, but the Dragons attacked Andoria. They destroyed the Dragon Killers, but not before one of them was severely injured. After that happened all hell broke loose. A shimmering White Dragon went on a rampage. It was the one that destroyed the Dragon Killers, while the others rescued the wounded Golden Dragon. It was in danger of crashing into the ground. The White Dragon killed Ricard when it flamed the wagons holding the Dragon Killer weapons.”

  For a few minutes, Evart seemed to curl into himself, as he relived the scenes as they unfurled in his mind.

  Alexis and Sonja watched as Evart placed his elbows on the table and buried his face in his hands as he fought to pull himself together. They already knew a portion of the story. They had been told how the High Lord General Gabriella Eagle Claw had been captured, and T’Harris had flown to her rescue with the rest of the squad in full pursuit. They knew he had been hurt, and how in a fit of rage, Gabriella’s Dragon had forced her into a shift. The Dragon had then gone on the attack. They had also learned the Elves had no idea what to think of her Dragon, because it was so different. There was something strange about it no one wanted to talk about, not that they were surprised. They could think of nothing normal about Gabriella Eagle Claw, she was just that special. They didn’t want to say anything about this to anyone either, because they weren’t supposed to know anything about any of this.

  There was something else Sonja and Alexis knew about Gabriella Eagle Claw and T’Harris, something they were willing to wager Evart wasn’t aware of. Those two were Life Mates and had bonded before any of this had happened. It was also reported they were in seclusion while he healed, another thing they consider
ed strange, although the Elves didn’t act like anything extraordinary was happening. They ofen found it difficult to tell what their Elven friends were thinking. In their estimation, as much as the Elven people were friendly and good, they were rather odd.

  Evart eventually took a deep breath and continued to speak through tears that continuously coursed down his cheeks. “I doubt if I will ever forget the sound the Dragon made as it went on the attack, or the flames as it flew through the air to blast heat and fire in its path. I don’t know how much damage was done to the armies, I am tempted to think plenty. There were men and women trying to find cover anywhere they could as they screamed and ran. The wagons didn’t provide any protection. They exploded like they were struck by some of the black powder our people are beginning to use for weapons. When the Dragon Fire engulfed Ricard, his body burst into a pillar of flame.

  “I couldn’t move, and the stench of his burning flesh nauseated me. I saw his eyes looking toward me. They were filled with raw pain and hatred. I think he felt I had something to do with what was happening. I didn’t, though. He tried to reach me, even as he was burning, but the White Dragon got to me first. She wound her claws around my body and flew off with me. I am not a coward, or at least I don’t like to think I am, but I will admit to being scared.”

  “She?” Sonja asked, “How do you know the Dragon was female?”

  Evart looked at Sonja and, with a slight shake of his head, he admitted, “I have no idea. I just do. Compared to the others in the air at the time, there was something feminine about her. She had a grace and power that screamed woman. Yet, there was nothing soft about any of her actions, as there would be with a girl. She meant business, and her every move declared it loudly.”

  Alexis’ mind was working on different possibilities. She had seen the High Lord General Gabriella Eagle Claw in battle and that Female Elf left no one believing she wasn’t deadly serious about what she could do. She also was remembering how the Guardians of the Empire shifted forms, from Dragon to Elf and was adding the two together. This was all done with information they were not supposed to remember, yet they had despite everything. She noted how no one had seen any of them change for several months now and wondered if this was being done so people would begin to believe they had imagined these things. Now, it seemed like when the Guardians showed up, they would arrive on Dragon back and the beast would leave the moment the other disembarked. Even she had begun to wonder if what she had seen before was an illusion. They all knew the Elven people were capable of making others believe things that didn’t exist did. They called them power illusions. She also wondered what they hoped to gain by this fabrication, especially after being so open about their capabilities in the past.

  The answers to Alexis’ questions eluded her, as most of those about the Elves seemed to. She was seeing less of them around the Fortress lately too, and she thought this was because they were busy elsewhere. Then again, she spent more of her time in the kitchens than anywhere else. She was missing Matrium terribly and felt closest to her when she worked with the others there. Matrium had always been active, as most Elves were. It seemed they found things to keep themselves occupied, even when others thought there was nothing to do. It was something her own people could take an example from. In comparison, those around them seemed lazy.

  Alexis sighed, she felt she was being unfair to her own people. Just because they weren’t in motion al of the time didn’t mean they weren’t doing anything. It was that their ways were different and there wasn’t anything wrong with a person resting. She had mentioned it once to Ilénè. She had laughed in her musical way and brushed the matter aside. Elves, she said, often rested, but they didn’t need the same amount as Humans. The reason was simple enough to be true, so she had let the matter drop. Exposure to these people had taught her there really wasn’t as much difference between them as she first believed. It was more a frame of mind than anything else, as long as you could get past the fact they could create magic, you could deal with the rest.

  “You didn’t move or scream? How did she know how to find you?” Sonja wondered. “How did she know to bring you to us to be taken care of?”

  “I have no idea,” Evart admitted. “I was never so scared in my life, and the nightmares… I fear they may never go away.”

  “Perhaps our alliance with these Elves is coming at too high a price,” Alexis considered.

  “I don’t think befriending them is the wrong thing to do, Alexis,” Evart assured her. “The other options would be for us to die under the fist of tyranny, which would be worse.”

  Sonja nodded in agreement, and her words supported Evart’s statement, “The tyrants, in this case, would be our own family members. The Elven forces aren’t evil, not like Lorne and our father. The Elves are strong in ways we can’t imagine and that makes them scary to us is all.”

  “You sound like you have been spending a lot of time around Captain Danson,” Evart noted.

  Sonja blushed enough to give her secret away. She knew better than to dignify Evart’s statement with a verbal denial. She was certain it would be even more foolish not to say anything though, “We don’t see eye to eye on many subjects, but he seems to be a good man.”

  “Good enough to make my sister fall in love with him?” Evart caught on immediately. He knew he had struck a chord when Sonja’s blush grew even deeper.

  Sonja sighed, then admitted, “I can’t say I don’t have feelings for him. That would be a lie. He has never, however, been anything but honorable in the way he has treated me.”

  “He better not have done anything dishonorable,” Evart spoke forcefully. “If I ever find out he has shamed you in any way, I will gut him myself.”

  Alexis chuckled, even as she hugged Evart close. “You would have to get into line. The Guardians have taken us under their wings, and they treat us like family. If any man tries to single us out, he is soon faced with a major problem, beginning with King Cormar.”

  “Has Cormar taken an interest in either of you?” Evart wondered. With Sonja, his concerns were that of a brother. With Alexis, it was of a lover, although they had never been intimate. It was, however, only a matter of time before they made their relationship official. He would be faced with having to explain it all to Lorne and King Felix then. The moment the thought crossed his mind, he realized, he no longer needed to justify his actions to anyone back at his former home. To those living in Andoria, he would be thought to be as dead as Ricard. They probably thought he had met the same end as his brother. This meant that as long as the other members of his family lived, he would never be able to return there. It was a good thing he had alternatives. Cormar and Lindquist would welcome him in their home and treat him as a treasured ally for as long as he wanted to stay, even if he could never return to his homeland.

  CHAPTER XXVIII

  In the Elven Empire:

  As T’Harris roused from his healing sleep, he carefully turned towards Gabriella, so he could hold her closer. He needed to touch her, feel her breathe, and kiss her soft lips. Mostly, he needed to see for himself she was safe in his arms. His beautiful, fierce Life Mate. He studied her features as she continued to slumber, noticed the stress lines on her face, and knew her sleep was not a peaceful one. She had not had things easy over the last while, and for this, he blamed himself. It was his own fault he had not been there for her.

  In an effort to assure Gabriella that things were going to change between them from this point forward, T’Harris sent her vibes of caring and love through their link. As he did this, he sent a message to King Gerolth to tell him he was not going to return to the island where they were training. From this time forward, he would be at her side, supporting his Life Mate and guarding her as a true Life Mate should. His assurances did not seem to settle her. Instead, she seemed to grow more restless and moved to free herself from his grasp.

  Gabriella’s slight protest was cut off by a chuckle from T’Harris and a kiss, as he tried to wake her with a sof
t caress. She sighed, as she arched into his embrace and ran her hands over his biceps to cup his shoulders before winding her arms around his neck with a breathy moan. She was fully awake but didn’t want to say anything and perhaps ruin the moment. She had nearly lost her Life Mate, the father of their children. At this moment, he meant more to her than life itself. She would do anything for him and so would her Dragon.

  “Gabriella,” T’Harris whispered between kisses, “My own true love, my Life Mate. I failed you, I am so sorry.”

  “You never failed me,” Gabriella disagreed. “You can do nothing about things you know nothing about.”

  “I don’t deserve you,” T’Harris continued.

  “I need you,” Gabriella gasped, as she wrapped her legs around his waist. “Fill me, bathe our children in our love. They need to know their father as well as their mother. All we ask is that you love us.”

  “Never doubt it,” T’Harris declared. As it was for Gabriella, he felt the same for her. He needed her with every fiber of his being. He could feel the heat burn white hot between them, and he couldn’t deny either of them the joining their bodies craved. With a single thrust he entered her and allowed the motions of their lovemaking to explode around them as they rode the waves of their passions for each other. He called to her, and she responded in kind. They both knew what had just happened was more than love. It was a healing and a completion of the bond they shared.

  Even after, T’Harris continued to hold Gabriella close. It was as if letting her go was beyond his power. He was sure she would understand, as she always seemed to.

  “It is time I rose to greet the day,” Gabriella finally informed T’Harris. “After we sing our devotions, there are things I must tend to. It doesn’t matter how much I would rather remain right where I am, it is impossible.”