“You did not fully answer my question,” Karus asked. “What is the size of this enemy army?”
Cyln’phax swung her head toward Karus and flexed a claw, digging up some of the stone paving of the square.
Around twenty thousand, Cyln’phax said. Maybe a little more or less. I was very high when I spotted them and the fleeing dwarven army.
That didn’t sound as bad as he had feared. He had been concerned the numbers would be overwhelming, like he had seen in the vision the High Father had shown him. Yet, it still wasn’t good. The enemy army outnumbered his legion.
“And the dwarves?” Karus asked. “How many do you suppose there are?”
At the time, Cyln’phax said, maybe eight thousand. There may be fewer now, if they had a battle. Though vile creatures, dwarves are tenacious fighters. There is no telling how they have fared since I saw them last.
Karus considered that. The enemy army needed to be dealt with before they left Carthum. If the dwarven army was destroyed, the enemy might easily turn their attention his way. With a large train of civilians, Karus did not relish the idea of being the pursued. If, perhaps, he could somehow convince the dwarves to work with him, between the legion and the dwarven army they’d have near parity with the approaching enemy army. Perhaps they might even have an edge, considering Karus had a large cavalry wing at his disposal. Since this world seemed to lack horses, it gave him a tremendous advantage. Then his thoughts darkened. There was a sickness tearing its way through the legion. He had no idea what his effective strength was currently or what it might be in the coming days.
The column is only an advance force, Kordem added. A month’s march from Carthum waits a larger army, numbering in the hundreds of thousands. They are likely gathering sufficient supplies before the next major push.
“Wonderful,” Karus said. “Just wonderful news.”
“I no understand,” Amarra said. “Why good?”
“It’s not,” Karus said. “We have to quit Carthum sooner than I’d hoped.”
“I see,” Amarra said. “No good then?”
“Definitely not good,” Karus said, shook his head, and then breathed to himself. “One problem at a time, old boy.”
Your problems are only just beginning, Cyln’phax said.
“Thanks for cheering me up,” Karus said, though he quite agreed with the dragon. His greatest challenges lay ahead.
Pleased I could help, Cyln’phax said.
Karus blew out a long stream of air. When he returned, he would have to find ways to accelerate the construction of the wagons, if that was even possible. He understood, whatever efforts could be made, it wouldn’t be enough. He would be forced to quit Carthum before they were fully ready. Large quantities of valuable supply would have to be left behind. The fact that he would have to cut his losses and move early was yet another thing that worried at him. He had a lot on his plate.
“I don’t like running,” Karus said and then turned to the dragons. “Will you help us if it comes to a fight with the Horde?”
We are here to help Amarra, Kordem said. As our lord has commanded.
“That does not answer my question,” Karus said, “now, does it? Will you fight with us?”
The Horde is our enemy, Cyln’phax said.
“You will fight, then?” Karus asked. “Do I have that right?”
If the High Priestess desires us to do so, Kordem said, then we shall.
Karus turned to Amarra, looking for her input.
“I so desire,” Amarra said. “We all fight together. Yes?”
Kordem lowered his head, as if bowing to Amarra’s will. It is as we expected, mistress. We will fight along with your legion, Karus.
“I am grateful for that,” Karus said to the dragons. The question was how to use the dragons to best effect, especially now that he knew the enemy had dragons as well, wyrms.
You are a favored son of the High Father, Cyln’phax said and sounded somewhat grudging. I would not let you face the might of the Horde alone. I could not. The dragon looked at her mate. It would shame us.
Karus gave a nod as he eyed the dragons. Abruptly, both swung their heads to Karus’s left. He followed their gazes. He saw Si’Cara, along with Tal’Thor, emerging from the darkness. Both were carrying large packs. There was another elf with them, a male. He wore a robe. They stopped a few paces away and turned to face one another.
Amarra separated herself from Karus. She stood. Karus pulled himself to his feet. His old wound in his thigh ached. He massaged it with the palm of his hand as he looked at the elves. Si’Cara said something in a low tone. The other elf nodded and spoke in reply, and Karus could not quite make out what was said. But that did not matter. He supposed they were speaking in their own language. Si’Cara bowed her head respectfully, then started to make her way over to them. Tal’Thor remained behind, speaking with the other elf.
Pack slung over her shoulder, Si’Cara held her short bow loosely in one hand and a tightly tied bundle of arrows in the other. She appeared weary, weak even, as if run down and exhausted from a debilitating illness. She moved slowly, stiffly. Even though it was still dark, Karus thought she appeared extremely pale. It was clear the ordeal of having been stabbed and then healed had taken a lot out of her.
“I am ready.” Her voice trembled with exhaustion as she spoke Common. “The dwarf should be here soon, not long.”
Si’Cara can fly with me and Amarra, Kordem said. The male ranger and dwarf will go with Cyln’phax.
I shudder just thinking of allowing them upon my back, Cyln’phax said, sounding thoroughly disgusted.
“Fair enough.” Karus glanced over at the dragons and considered the traveling arrangements. He did not see a problem with it. He was just pleased they’d not outright refused to take along the additional passengers.
How can you say that? There is nothing fair about this, Cyln’phax said. A dwarf and an elf! It seems just wrong.
Nevertheless, that’s how it shall be, Kordem said.
Si’Cara glanced warily over at the dragons, then turned back to Karus and Amarra.
“I brought extra straps and ropes.” Si’Cara dropped her pack to the ground. She began pulling them out, then looked up at Karus. “As you asked, I also brought warm blankets for you both and one for the dwarf.”
Si’Cara removed three neatly folded gray blankets. They were made of wool and appeared thick enough to keep them warm. She set them on the ground next to her pack.
“Will they be good?” she asked.
“Thank you,” Karus said. “It will make the journey more comfortable.”
Si’Cara straightened and glanced over at Cyln’phax. Karus sensed her mood went from one of weariness to near excitement. She abruptly grinned and looked for a moment like a little girl about to get sweetmeats at the local fair. “Never thought I would ever go flying. I must admit I am quite eager.”
“Neither did we,” Karus said. “Can’t say, from what I’ve seen of it already, I am terribly fond of flying.”
She looked over at him dubiously. “Seriously? To soar like the birds must be glorious.”
“We were almost killed by wyrms and noctalum on our way here,” Karus said. “I found it somewhat less than glorious.”
She glanced back at the dragons and chewed her lip, perhaps a little less excited than a moment ago. “What’s life without a little risk?”
“Ah …” Amarra said, smiling at the elf. “Perhaps a little safer?”
“No,” Si’Cara said. “It’s boring.”
“I’ve had enough excitement to last me a lifetime,” Karus said.
A few feet away, Tal’Thor gripped the other elf’s forearm. He gave a slow but firm nod, almost as if he had just agreed to something. He stepped away and joined them. Tal’Thor had his short bow slung over a shoulder, as well as a tightly bound quiver of arrows. He set his own pack down next to Si’Cara’s. Her grin slipped from her face. She shot him a deeply unhappy look, but said nothing.
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br /> “Let me help you with your pack.” Amarra moved between them and bent down to pick it up.
“I can manage,” Si’Cara said quickly, stopping her with a hand. She hoisted it up before Amarra could get to it. Karus noticed the ranger’s arms shook slightly from the effort. He realized she was ready to drop. Pride was the only thing keeping her going.
“How about I help you get the pack secured on Kordem’s back?” Amarra suggested and offered a reassuring smile. “It’s quite a climb up. I think you will like him. He’s fearsome, to be sure, but a softie at heart.”
Cyln’phax gave an unhappy snort, which shot tongues of flame from her nostrils.
“Okay,” Si’Cara said, and together the two of them moved off toward Kordem.
Tal’Thor watched Si’Cara and Amarra walk off, his expression inscrutable. Cyln’phax was watching as well. Karus sensed a sourness from her.
“That’s our ride,” Karus said to the ranger. After what he’d done to Si’Cara, Karus would be damned if he’d lift a finger to help him. He could manage his own kit. “Better go and secure your pack.”
The ranger eyed the dragon. He sucked in a deep breath and started over to Cyln’phax. He did not seem to share Si’Cara’s excitement.
If there is any race I despise more than humans, it’s elves, Cyln’phax said, her head swinging to fix Tal’Thor in a baleful gaze. I like gnomes more than elves.
Tal’Thor came to an abrupt, uncertain stop a few feet from the dragon.
Karus wondered what a gnome was. He hoped they weren’t another enemy that he’d yet to meet.
You’re almost as slow and dimwitted as Karus, Cyln’phax said, which is saying something. Now stop dawdling, you fool, and get that bag of yours tied down.
Karus almost grinned as Tal’Thor glanced back at him in question. Despite his dislike for the elf, Karus offered a shrug. At least, Karus thought, he would no longer be the exclusive butt of Cyln’phax’s abuse. There was now another to share that burden, and for that tender mercy, he was grateful.
Karus glanced over at the elf who had accompanied Si’Cara and Tal’Thor and found him standing just two feet away. Karus almost jumped. It was the warden’s advisor, the one who had counseled killing them. He’d approached unheard and unseen. Where before he’d sensed menace in the other’s manner, now there was something else there. It was hard to read the elf in the near darkness, but Karus thought he detected a semblance of concern and perhaps a touch of worry.
“Yes?” Karus asked. “What is it?”
“I am Di’Cara,” the elf said and offered a slight bow.
Karus said nothing in reply. This elf was in the warden’s camp and was not to be considered anything close to a friend. So, he just waited for the elf to say more.
Di’Cara’s gaze shifted to Si’Cara briefly, lingering almost regretfully for a moment before returning to Karus.
“The fortress is no longer what it was intended to be, a secure place to hold treasures of wonder and items of dread,” Di’Cara said. He reached out a hand and gripped Karus’s arm, as if to show the importance of his words. He held it but a moment, then raised a finger and shook it in Karus’s face. “The fortress has been corrupted, twisted. The warden has kept this from our people.”
“What do you mean, corrupted?” Karus asked.
Di’Cara cast his gaze behind him, back into the dark forest.
“I have said too much. Be on your guard, Karus. The Warriors of Anagradoom will not welcome you as they once might have. Listen to my daughter in the days, months, and years to come. Be guided by her. She has seen much of this world and can help. You can trust Si’Cara with your life. She will not betray you, unless you betray her.”
“Your daughter?” Karus asked. Di’Cara looked no older than Si’Cara. In fact, they could have been brother and sister. Heck, he thought, elves looked too much alike.
Sadness swept over Di’Cara. His gaze abruptly became piercing and his voice trembled with anger. “I had hoped for so much from her. Now, she has no future. She is without house and family. My daughter has been cast out for taking your side.”
“If you are looking to place blame,” Karus said, “I would look to your warden. Besides, what kind of a father are you? I didn’t see you lift a finger to help her or, for that matter, try to stop the warden.”
The elf stiffened, his face becoming flushed in the darkness. He turned away and began striding off across the square in the direction he had come, robes rustling across the stone.
“I will do what I can to look after her,” Karus called. He wasn’t sure why he said that. The words seemed to slip out.
Di’Cara stopped and partially turned back. He held Karus’s gaze a moment, then continued on his way off into the night, leaving Karus feeling frustrated at not knowing what dangers lay ahead.
Elves, Cyln’phax said. Always lots to say and less than helpful.
Karus glanced over at the dragon. He could not agree more. Troubled, he looked back toward Si’Cara’s father and blinked in surprise. Di’Cara had vanished, as if he had never been. Under the moonlight, there had not been enough time for him to make it across the square and into the trees. Karus looked around, carefully scanning the darkness. He could see the rangers still where they had been moments before. They’d not moved.
Scowling, Karus turned his gaze to Kordem. Amarra was climbing up onto the dragon’s back, wearing Si’Cara’s pack as she made her way up. Si’Cara waited just below, looking upward.
Where had Di’Cara gone?
Karus scanned the square once more. Instead of spotting Di’Cara, he spied the dwarf emerging from the darkness, escorted by six of the warden’s pretty-looking guards. The dwarf wore only a tunic and carried no sword, nor any weapon. He paused at seeing the dragons, almost missing a step. One of the guards, clearly impatient, roughly shoved him from behind with his spear. The dwarf stumbled forward several paces, barely managing to keep his feet. He turned, fists balling, and said something harsh. Another guard hit him in the chest with the butt of his spear, knocking him to the ground. Two of the guards began kicking the dwarf, who was on the ground and helpless.
Karus became enraged at the sight.
“That’s enough,” Karus shouted in his best parade-ground voice and stormed over. “I said, that’s enough!”
Two of the nearest lowered their spear points toward Karus, menace and malice written across their expressions. One, whom Karus took to be the leader, called something back to him in Elven. This one’s armor was more ornate, more splendid than the others’. Whatever it was that was said, it did not sound terribly pleasant to Karus’s ears. He assumed he had just been insulted. Ignoring the words, Karus moved into their midst and roughly pushed one of the spears away as the guard attempted to block him.
He stared daggers at the elf, daring him to do something. When the elf did not move, Karus bent down and helped the dwarf up, grasping him by his arm and hauling him to his feet. Karus almost groaned with the effort, for the dwarf was surprisingly heavy for his size.
The leader spoke again to Karus. It sounded quite nasty. The expression only confirmed it.
“Care to say that to me in Common?” Karus turned to the elf. “Want to back up those words, you fancy prick?”
The leader took a step forward, but stopped. The hate was almost physical. Karus itched to draw his sword.
“He said some unkind words about your parentage,” the dwarf said in a voice that was deep, gravelly, and coarse. His Common, like Karus’s, was heavily accented. He coughed, spitting up blood onto his hand.
“He did, did he?” Karus said.
The dwarf nodded wearily. “Something about your mother breeding with a teska. My elf speak isn’t that great.”
From the old bruises on his face, along with fresh ones, it was apparent he had been beaten, perhaps even tortured. Compared to the other dwarves Karus had seen, he also appeared half-starved, as his cheeks were quite thin and hollow. His beard and hair were unkempt.
However, Karus saw in his eyes and in the way he held himself a sort of grim determination, a spirit that refused to yield. Here was someone who would keep doggedly going in the face of adversity. Karus liked him already.
“I am Karus.”
“Dennig,” the dwarf said and spat bloody spittle on the ground toward the feet of one of the elves. The leader hissed in reply. Dennig ignored him. “I take it I have you to thank for my freedom?”
“You do,” Karus said and then addressed himself to the leader, waving his hand. “You can go. No need to stay.”
“What if we don’t want to?” the elf asked.
“Then we’re gonna have a problem, friend,” Karus said and rested his hand upon the hilt of his sword. “And it’s not going to end well for you or your mates. On that, I promise.”
The ground shook as Cyln’phax stood, growling. It was an ugly sound, like a rabid dog might make, but much more intimidating and threatening. All eyes turned to the dragon. Having yet to secure himself, Tal’Thor was clinging to a spike on the dragon’s back. The dragon’s head whipped their way, and she took several steps toward them.
Should I kill them for you? Cyln’phax asked. Her voice boomed in Karus’s mind. It has been many years since I tasted elf flesh.
The guards backpedaled as the dragon came closer still. The ground shuddered with each step, her claws digging deeply into the stone paving, cracking and tearing the stone up. When they departed, serious work would need to be done to repair all of the damage. Karus noticed the rangers had remained where they were and had not moved or raised a bow. He thought that curious. The guards, on the other hand, had taken several steps backward, away from the enraged dragon, Karus, and Dennig.
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