“I shall try it,” she said.
“Excellent,” said the blacksmith as he motioned for some of his helpers to assist him in putting the helmet on the small, green dragon.
After they had placed the armor on her head and buckled the straps, she gave her head a shake and the helmet sat perfectly where it was supposed to. There were narrow ledges of steel under each eye to defend them from any arrows from the ground. The soft parts behind her jaw and at the top of her neck were protected by material made of chain mail.
“Can you open your mouth without difficulty?” asked the blacksmith.
When Venia revealed that she could, he said, “Great. There should be no hindrance to your ability to cast fireballs.”
Hilde stepped forward to inspect her.
“You’re looking more and more like a warrior every day, Venia.”
“I don’t need armor to be a warrior,” said the dragon with scrunched up eyebrows.
“No, you don’t,” laughed Hilde as she rubbed her dragon’s snout.
One by one, each of the dragons were fitted with their helmet and armor and they all fit perfectly. These blacksmiths were definitely some of the best in the land.
Pendivall called an end to the merriment and issued the order to move out. He wanted to be within a couple of hours from the gates when they met with the scouts.
~~~~
Just after they had stopped for the day, only about an hour from the gates, the six scouts came into camp and went directly to the wizards and Captain Belgard.
“So, what are we up against?” asked Jarell.
The lead scout spoke up and said, “Sire, it looks as if the gates have been deserted. We crept in close, to the tops of the hills overlooking the gates and didn’t see any sign of the ogres or enemy troops. We were actually able to go to the gates, break through them and push them open. It doesn’t appear they’ve been abandoned for very long, but rest assured, there is no one there.”
Pendivall paced back and forth.
“This makes no sense. Why would they abandon the gates? When last we were here, there were at least a dozen ogres and troops defending the gates. That they would just pick up and leave without some sort of fight is beyond ridiculous.”
Brinn spoke up softly, “Could it be that Kerrick is so weak or even dead, that his hold on the lands has been lost?”
Everyone turned and looked at the young apprentice. He wanted to crawl into a hole and hide.
“That is a real possibility,” said Jarell, “but I still don’t like it. It smells like a trap.”
“I guess we continue on,” said Pendivall. “We’re not going to find any answers sitting here.”
“Agreed,” said Jarell. “We leave in the morning?”
Pendivall nodded and Captain Belgard left the meeting to go get the troops ready. Pendivall and Jarell sat at the fire with the other two and there was silence for a moment
Hilde broke the silence and said, “There is no way this fight has ended this quickly. I think Brinn may be correct. Kerrick has lost his hold for the time being, but I feel that is merely temporary.”
Pendivall looked at her and nodded.
“I fear you are correct m’lady. We need to get to the gates and through them and determine what is going on in Terranasia. We may discover a land that has been destroyed by the dark wizard, but we also may find a land that is getting back to what it was before he took it over.”
Jarell spoke up, “Whatever the case, I think Hilde and her riders need to get in the air at first light and scout the area ahead of our arrival.”
Hilde looked at her husband and nodded.
“Go as far as you think you can safely,” said Jarell, “and see what you find. Do not place yourself in any danger.”
Pendivall stood up and said, “Well, this old wizard is heading to sleep. I suggest you all do the same. First light will be here before you know it.”
He turned and walked away, and Brinn stood and got ready to follow him. At that moment he turned back to the other two.
“Do you really think this war isn’t over yet?”
Jarell looked up at him and shook his head.
“Not by a long shot, young wizard. I doubt we have seen the last of Kerrick.”
Brinn hung his head and took a deep breath.
Hilde smiled and said, “I’m sure she’s missing you as much as you do her.”
Brinn looked up at her and smiled.
“I do miss her, but I’m much happier she is still in Rosemoor and safe.”
Then he said good night and turned and walked away into the darkness.
Chapter 4 ~ Freeing The Already Freed
The following morning the camp was a flurry of activity. Oxen were loaded and meals were eaten hastily.
After the sun began poking over the mountains to the east, Pendivall and Jarell stood in a grassy clearing with the four mighty dragons and their gallant riders. The dragons were outfitted with their new helmets and they looked fierce and primed for battle.
“You are not to do any fighting,” said Pendivall to the dragons. “You are only on a scouting mission, to find out what is going on around the gates and just inside them.”
The four dragons all indicated their understanding and the riders climbed aboard their seats. Jarell walked over to Venia and ran his hand over her noble face.
“You be safe, Venia.”
“Are you not exhorting me to look after your bride?”
“If you stay safe, she will be safe.”
Morgath spoke up, “Caroline, hurry up and get seated.”
“I’m already seated,” came her soft reply.
Morgath laughed gently.
“I’m just kidding. You are so light I hardly feel your presence on my back.”
She leaned forward and gently patted him on the neck and said, “You’re just a big softie.”
Morgath laughed once more. Never in more than one thousand years had he ever been called a softie.
The wizards stepped back and gave the dragons room. There were quite a few troops gathered near the edge of the camp, witnessing the departure. It was still quite a magnificent sight to some of them, to not only see dragons, but to see riders on their backs.
All four dragons turned to face down a slight hill and within seconds, they had all lifted into the air. They circled around the camp a couple of times and then turned and headed to the northwest.
Jarell stood and watched and experienced a bit of apprehension rising up in his heart. He felt a hand come down on his shoulder and looked at Pendivall.
“She’s going to be just fine Master Jarell.”
“I know that. But, no matter how much we tell them to avoid any fights, you know that won’t make a difference. You know Morgath just lost his brother a few weeks ago and he’s looking for vengeance. And I know Hilde. She won’t turn away from a fight if it presents itself.”
“Well then, let’s hope the opportunity for a fight does not present itself. Besides, I’d feel mighty sorry for anyone that tried to pick a fight with those two.”
Jarell smiled wryly and nodded. He knew only too well Hilde could take care of herself.
~~~~
In less than an hour the four dragons circled over the gates to the land of Terranasia. Just as the scouts had said, they were standing open and unguarded. That had been typical for those times before Kerrick took over. Before he came along, the gates were never closed or guarded. The people of Terranasia were some of the friendliest in all the world.
Now, the gates standing ajar and unguarded just didn’t look right. The four sets of dragons and riders circled around the area a few times. They carefully searched the immediate area and saw no visible signs of activity.
Morgath called out and pointed to the north. There was smoke rising above the trees. It wasn’t much, but it was a sign of fire and being early in the morning, it was conceivably a village coming to life for the day.
They all wheeled and headed toward the sm
oke and reached it in less than five minutes. It was coming from a humble village of about twenty homes and buildings. Some of the buildings bore signs of damage, but most were unharmed. The riders could see people moving around within the village.
Hilde called out to the other three, “You stay here. Venia and I will see what is going on.”
Morgath didn’t like that idea, but he wasn’t going to argue with Hilde.
“Don’t worry cousin,” said Venia, “we’ll be fine.”
“Don’t make us come down there to rescue you,” said Morgath.
Venia laughed and gently turned and started carefully descending toward the village.
It didn’t take long for the people of the village to notice a dragon flying down upon them and some began running for their homes. Others stood their ground, but were ready to do fierce battle with all manner of gardening implements.
Venia almost wanted to laugh, but she kept it to herself. She knew these people had been through a lot and didn't want to add to their fears.
Dragon and rider settled to the ground about a hundred yards from the gathering crowd and Hilde jumped down. She hesitated momentarily, standing next to Venia, stroking her on the neck.
“Let’s take it easy on these villagers. We don’t have any idea what they have been through.”
Venia nodded and just settled down on the ground, laying on her belly. She folded her wings in next to her body to make herself look even smaller than she already was.
“I’ll be right back,” said Hilde as she started walking toward the group.
Venia wanted to look as friendly and innocent as a green, fire-breathing dragon can look, but she also wanted to stay alert and ready for anything.
As Hilde approached the group, one of the men stepped forward, bearing a rusty, old sword. She could see the fear in his eyes and decided the best way to allay those fears was to be as friendly as possible. She set her course directly for him, keeping her hands away from her own weapons. As she reached him, she pulled the glove off her right hand and held it out to him.
“Greetings, I’m Hilde of Greenvale Castle of Rosemoor.”
The man looked at her hand and then into her intense green eyes and then slowly reached out his hand to her.
“I’m Teven, the leader of this village. You wear the battlewear of the land of Wyndweir.”
Hilde looked down at her tunic, with its bright, gold, embroidered lion on the chest.
“Yes, I do. We have been at war on the other side of the mountains, with an evil that I understand you may be familiar with.”
Teven looked at her and cocked his head, not sure he understood.
“Kerrick the Dark?” she asked. “Has he not been in control of Terranasia for these past few months?”
“M’lady, we never have known who our oppressor was. One day we were living our lives as we have for hundreds of years and the next day, armies from Gallyneer, led by ogres, arrived and became our overlords.”
Hilde nodded and looked around. The people remained a bit fearful, but they could see that she wasn’t there to cause them trouble. But, the green dragon laying down, enjoying the rays of the sun, kept them a little on guard.
“Were you expecting to do battle today?” asked Teven as he motioned to Hilde’s weapons.
She looked over her shoulder at her bow, her arrows, her sword and her shield.
She smiled and said, “My husband tells me that I tend to overdo it with the weapons. But, I had no idea what I would find here, so I came prepared.”
“Your husband?”
“Yes, Master Jarell, Lord of Greenvale Castle.”
Teven jerked back slightly and looked at her.
“You are Master Jarell’s wife?”
“Yes, I am, as of a couple of weeks ago.”
“Where is that rascal?” said Teven with a giant grin on his face. “Oops, I shouldn’t say that in front of his wife.”
“Why not? He is a rascal and it’s one of the things I love about him. As to your question, he will be here before dusk. He and Master Pendivall lead a small army here at this very moment.”
“An army? Is he planning on doing battle with us?”
“No sir! Our intention was to breach the gates and find out what was happening here in the land of Terranasia. Our information was Kerrick had taken control of these lands and shut it off from the other lands south of the mountains.”
Teven turned and looked at the others in the group.
“Do you hear that folks? The armies of Wyndweir are coming to liberate us.”
There was a bit of grumbling and a few choice words from the group. Hilde was quite confused about why they were acting like this.
“Is there a problem?” she asked.
“No, not really. It’s just we’ve been under the thumb of troops from Gallyneer for six months now and it would have been nice to see some help then.”
“We only found out how dire Terranasia’s situation was recently, when Master Pendivall and a small group tried to enter through the gates and were attacked by a horde of ogres. We almost lost him and that entire group that day.”
“I am distressed to hear about that, but, as you can see, we are free.”
“That begs the question, where did Kerrick’s troops go? Why are the gates no longer guarded?”
“Your guess is as good as ours. We woke up a week ago and they were leaving. The Gallyneer troops were packing their things and the ogres were already gone. It was really strange, too.”
“What was?”
“The Gallyneer troops seemed profoundly sad about what they had been doing here and they were very apologetic before they left.”
Hilde smiled and said, “The troops from Gallyneer were not here voluntarily. They were pressed into service of the dark wizard after their own lands were overrun and destroyed. But understand, they did not come here willingly.”
Teven looked over Hilde’s shoulder and took a couple of steps back. Hilde turned and looked and Venia was walking toward them.
“You’re frightening them,” Hilde said.
“It is not my intention to frighten them. The only reason I have come forward is because Morgath and the others are getting tired of circling around.”
Hilde looked up and couldn’t see the other three dragons because they were above the clouds.
“Let them know it is safe to come down.”
Venia nodded and began to commune with her cousin.
“Who is Morgath?” asked Teven. “Safe for who to come down?”
Hilde smiled at him and pointed up. Teven and the rest of the group arched their necks, looking up and at first, they didn’t see anything. Then, with all the power and majesty they could muster, the other three dragons dove through the clouds and began setting themselves up for a landing where Venia had been earlier.
“Hoooo ...” breathed out Teven in surprise.
The rest of the crowd weren’t completely sure they should stay or run. The animals that were nearby had no such doubt about their course of action. They all took off as fast as they could, looking for someplace to hide.
As the three dragons settled to the ground, the three bowmaidens jumped down and walked to the group. Caroline walked up and stood beside Hilde and when Teven looked down at her, he sucked in a sudden breath. He couldn’t believe that children were being used in this war.
“How old are you, little girl?”
Caroline snorted and said, “I am close to three hundred years old, sire.”
“Oh,” said Teven, drawing that word out quite long. “You’re a Guildenian.”
“Yes, I am, sire.”
“We have conducted much business with the village of Guilden.”
“And we sincerely hope we can continue that relationship,” she said to him.
“That would be our hope as well. We actually have a Guildenian couple living here in the village.”
“Really, sire? Are they here?”
“No, I’m afraid not. They are
in their home. The man has been injured. The ogres had a special hatred of him when they were here and took great joy in tormenting and torturing him.”
Caroline wanted to cry, but she kept it in.
“Where is his home? Can you take me there?”
Teven turned and motioned to a young man, who stepped forward.
“Brendyn can show you the way.”
Caroline turned and looked at one of the other bowmaidens and the two of them left, following Brendyn into the village.
“She’s not just a bowmaiden,” said Hilde, “she is also a healer.”
The other bowmaiden stepped forward and said, “Sire, when she is finished in that home, I’m certain she will want to see any other injured persons.”
Teven sighed and said, “There are quite a few. The ogres didn’t think this village was very important, so they would beat on all of us for sport. The sole reason they were here was the gates are right down the road.”
The bowmaiden turned and walked back to the dragons and in a few seconds, two of them left, leaving Morgath and Venia standing there.
The bowmaiden came back and said, “I’ve asked them to go back to the army and get two more healers. They should be back within an hour.”
Teven nodded to her and they could see he was even having a hard time keeping his own emotions at bay.
“Well ladies, good manners dictate I offer you breakfast this morning and a place to get out of this sun. Our small village is still struggling to get back on its feet, but we always have room for a couple more at the table.”
“That would be nice,” said Hilde. “I know I’m famished.”
The bowmaiden nodded and said, “Absolutely.”
The group turned and started heading back to the homes, but a few of the children stayed and were staring wide-eyed at the two dragons that remained across the field. Hilde stopped and smiled at them. Then she looked at one girl that appeared older than the rest.
“Why don’t you take the children over there and let them see a dragon up close.”
“Is it really okay?” the girl asked.
“Sure it is. They’re both just a couple of puppy dogs.”
The Wrath Page 5