Hilde smiled, “No, my dear husband is still sound asleep. Seems he’s not as young as he likes to think he is.”
Garlan laughed.
“I hope I’m as energetic as he is when I’m over six hundred years old.”
“Anyway, I haven’t had much cause to go flying with Venia since we got back from Terranasia, so I take every chance I can get.”
She walked over to Venia and stroked her on the neck and said, “Don’t I girl?”
“We don’t fly together nearly enough, m’lady.”
“At any rate,” she said turning back to Garlan, “as I remember, I am tasked with being your bodyguard until this war is over.”
“I was hoping you had forgotten that.”
“Now what kind of bodyguard would I be if I forgot my duty?”
She looked at the robin sitting on Garlan’s shoulder and smiled.
“I see I may not be the only one looking after you.”
“Oh yes, Keelee, this is Hilde, Lady of Greenvale Castle and wife of Master Jarell. Hilde, this is Keelee, sister to Grace and Tilly, from the Land of the Dragons.”
“Pleased to meet you, Keelee.”
Keelee twittered her welcome to Hilde and then settled down on Garlan’s shoulder.
The Guildenians finished their work and bid the four of them a good flight and left. Hilde and Garlan climbed and got themselves seated and turned their dragons toward the empty field and took to the air.
As they rose into the sky, leaving the lights of the camp behind them, they rose high enough for the sun to reach them from behind the mountains to the east. It was already shining on the Eastern Desert and raising the temperature of that cursed land. It took less than ten minutes for them to reach the mountains that separated Wyndweir from the desert and they turned their flight to the south and toward Black Mountain.
As he looked down from the back of Golrath, Garlan could see the Eastern Desert stretching out from the base of Black Mountain. He could see the volcano situated on the far side of the desert, still spewing lava from the crack he had put into it almost a year ago. He still remembered the day he had been presented with Blaze, his father’s sword and had tested it by firing a shot over the mountains and straight into the side of Mount Thunder.
The four of them circled over the Eastern Desert, advancing a short way into the cursed land, so Garlan could see if there was anything happening below. It was just as desolate and empty as he remembered.
Garlan could see the cliff where Sigarick had fallen and where Marnell had been taken down. It brought back a flood of memories of that day, memories he couldn't block from his mind.
He decided it was time to get to work. He guided Golrath back to the top of Black Mountain and they settled down just short of the tents that were set up for the troops. They didn’t have a dragon on post with them at this time. Morgath was flying cover over Jong and his replacement troops and three dragons had stayed in Terranasia with the small contingent of troops left after the battle there.
There really wasn’t much room on the small plateau so Golrath and Venia had to stay near the edge of the cliff, with their tails dangling down toward the valley floor below.
Garlan jumped down and patted the dragon on the neck and started walking toward the group of soldiers that had watched them approach. As he drew nearer, Captain Taynor held out his hand, which Garlan shook firmly.
“Master Garlan, it is good to see you have returned to us.”
“Thank you, captain. We came to have a look around and I wanted to familiarize myself with the battlefield once more. Any news for us to take back to the others in Rosemoor?”
“I can’t say there is much to report. There has been nothing, but quiet from the other side of the desert, though we can see the lights from their camp at night. Their numbers grow each day.”
Garlan looked around and saw there were only a dozen or so troops on the mountain top.
“It’s not right to have so few troops sitting up here on this mountain,” said Garlan.
“It’s not really much to be concerned about. We haven’t encountered any trouble from the troops across the valley in all this time we’ve been here watching them.”
‘I understand that,” he said as he motioned for the captain to follow him and started walking across the top of the plateau and came to the western edge.
Hilde followed along after them and from their vantage point, they could see for miles into Wyndweir and now the land was beginning to glow in the morning sun.
Garlan pointed down to the valley below, to some fields near the base of the mountain.
“We should probably maintain a company of troops in those fields right there. They would be a lot closer to you and this mountain top than the two day march they are right now in Rosemoor.”
Taynor nodded and said, “Then we could start rotating the troops on and off this plateau every day instead of every two weeks.”
“Correct. And, having some of the dragons down there, they would only be seconds away if something were to happen here.”
“I just hate the thought of dividing the army that is presently at Rosemoor. One large army is better than two small ones.”
“That may be true, but our numbers look like they have grown to equal what Kerrick appears to have at his disposal. But, mostly I am not comfortable leaving you and your troops up here on this mountain, two days away from any help we could offer you.”
They started walking back toward the middle of the plateau and Taynor said, “It would be good to descend from this mountain more often. It’s not bad duty up here, but it does get a bit boring merely looking at the enemy’s camp every night.”
“I’ll take it up with Jarell and the others when we get back there. And Jong and his replacements should be here by tomorrow afternoon.”
“Understood, sire,” said Taynor, who then turned and walked away to take care of other business.
Garlan walked over to the edge of the cliff and looked down. He could clearly see the ledge where Sigarick and Marnell had been standing and where they had fallen the year before.
Keelee twittered on his shoulder, asking if that was where Marnell had fallen. She was quite sad when he told her it was.
“It’s not good for you to allow your mind to dwell on that ledge, Garlan.”
He turned as Hilde walked up beside him and nudged his shoulder with hers.
“I couldn’t do anything to help them last year and spending the last six months in the Land of the Dragons, at her side, I couldn’t do anything to help her either.”
“I’m sure you did a lot more than you think.”
The two of them walked around the perimeter of the plateau one more time and then climbed back on their dragons and headed back to Rosemoor.
As they flew along the mountain tops, Garlan was able to look to the east and just make out where the enemy troops were camped. He knew that just to the east of them, there was a small cave and an even smaller wizard, cowering in fear that his days might soon be coming to an end.
If Garlan had his way, it was going to be quite soon.
Chapter 24 ~ He Just Won’t Stay In His Cave
Within five days a couple hundred troops had been moved to the base of Black Mountain and had begun daily rotations with the troops at the top of the mountain. Three dragons were relocated to the camp and were tasked with keeping an eye on the skies on the other side of the mountain.
Garlan had taken up a post on the top of the mountain and devoted his days there, even though the troops kept advising him to relax and spend his time in the camp below.
He found no reason to keep Golrath there, on over watch, so he sent him back to Rosemoor, so he could be used in the rotation watching over Terranasia.
Hilde spent most of her time at his side, making good on her promise to be there to protect him and fight next to him until there was no reason to fight anymore. But, at the moment, there was no reason to fight.
Garlan kept trying to persua
de her to go and spend time with her husband, but she informed him that her duty lay with him and that Jarell supported her in her task.
She did sneak off every couple of nights or so, to fly back to Rosemoor for some alone time with Jarell, but she was always back the following morning, by the time Garlan awoke.
The other dragon riders stayed in Rosemoor. By this time, there were seven riders and all of them were as skilled with the bow in the air as they were on the ground. It would take them less than an hour to reach Black Mountain if needed, so Hilde wanted them watching over Rosemoor.
She also had them flying in pairs, over the mountain to Terranasia on a daily basis and checking on the troops that had been left there. She didn’t want any surprises with enemy troops being able to just march right in and wipe out the small number of troops that had been left.
Gwen always seemed to be volunteering for that duty and Hilde was reasonably sure it had something to do with a young man that lived on the side of a mountain.
There was nothing happening on the other side of the Eastern Desert. Every night, they could see the lights of the enemy camp, but that was all. There was no movement at all, no signs of an attack.
Just as before, there was no indication of Kerrick’s condition since he had been sent back to his lair, wounded again with arrows from Hilde and Gwen. As far as anyone knew, he could have died this time, but Garlan knew that was a false hope. Until they actually saw his dead body, he would never fall into the trap of believing him gone.
Garlan also worried about what might happen to Marnell if Kerrick were to be killed while she was still trapped in the prison of her mind. There was no guarantee that she would be released from his spell if he died.
He was sitting on a rock watching the sun come up in the east. Even though he knew the sun was shining, the dark clouds that hung over the desert kept its light from reaching the ground. The night gave way to a perpetual twilight that made it hard to see anything at a great distance.
He was also enjoying a brief respite of not having Keelee sitting on his shoulder. She had gone down the mountain to see what kind of breakfast she could find in the camp below. The cooks of Guilden were always happy to see her and take care of feeding her.
During night the troops on the plateau could see the lights of Kerrick's camp, but during the daylight hours, their sight was cut to just a few miles. This always worried Garlan. If there was going to be an attack, this was the time for it to happen.
He looked up when he heard a screech and saw Venia circling around to land on the edge of the mountain top. He merely sat and watched, not showing any worry, even though there was barely enough room for her to land. She proved to be as expert a flier as any dragon in the sky, when she set down, with her wings coming within a foot of Garlan’s head.
Once Hilde jumped down, Venia turned and fell off the cliff and then soared to a peak a few hundred yards away and that’s where she would stay until Hilde called to her. It was also because her eyes were sharper than any human’s and she took it upon herself to keep an eye on the desert, a job she took very seriously.
Hilde walked over and sat down on a rock next to Garlan.
“So, how is that husband of yours?”
Hilde laughed, “He is just fine, Garlan. He sends his love.”
Garlan laughed at that statement. He still had a hard time believing Jarell knew what love was, but was extremely happy that he had found Hilde to take his mind off Marnell.
“Still looks to be a quiet day?” she asked.
“It appears that way. Seems like Kerrick isn’t in any hurry to get this war started again.”
“Part of me thinks that’s not a bad thing. He can stay in his little cave and rot for all I care. However, leaving him there to rot, prolongs how long we have to stay here on this mountain top. It also expands how long he maintains his hold over Marnell.”
Garlan looked at her and said, “To be honest, I’m not too worried about Marnell. She seems to be able to take care of herself, even locked behind that wall she’s constructed. I think Kerrick has even gotten to the point where he’s scared to go in there and confront her.”
He gazed off into the distance, not wanting to admit how much it hurt to talk about his wife like that.
“I just miss her,” he said softly.
Hilde leaned over and laid her head on his shoulder.
“I know you do. And we will get her back.”
They sat for a few more minutes, not saying anything to each other. The darkness of the Eastern Desert was lifting as the sun rose higher behind all the clouds and smoke.
“Master Garlan! Something is coming!” said Venia, straight into his mind.
Garlan snapped out of his thoughts and jumped to his feet. He did it so suddenly Hilde almost fell over. He took a few steps toward the edge of the cliff and Hilde stepped up beside him. She was startled when she heard Venia screech and take to the air from her perch on the other peak.
“What is it?” she asked.
“I don’t know. Venia is the one that sees it.”
He raised his right hand and cast a large illumination sphere and directed it out over the desert below. He thought he could detect some movement on the valley floor. As he strained to see what it was, the illumination sphere was extinguished by some other cast.
He knew in his gut that something was coming and it wasn’t going to be friendly. He turned and looked at the small camp behind him, where the troops were just getting themselves started for the day.
“We’re not prepared for this,” he said.
He cast a small thunder ball that cracked loudly over their heads. The rest of the troops immediately crawled out of their tents and grabbed their weapons.
Captain Taynor came running up, not even dressed in his battlewear. Wearing nothing more than his nightshirt and dark, long underwear, he was still a fearsome looking warrior, brandishing his broadsword.
“What do we have, sire?”
“I’m not sure, captain. But Venia sees something she doesn’t like.”
He cast another illumination sphere toward where he had seen the movement, but again, almost immediately, it was put out by a cast from somewhere up in the sky.
“Get the troops ready. We’re about to have visitors.”
Taynor turned and raced back to the tents, ordering the troops to prepare for battle and get to the edge of the cliff. Then he decided he would be better off facing this coming fight in his battlewear, so he ducked into his tent and began getting dressed.
Venia circled a couple more times and then headed for the cliff, to pick up Hilde. As she landed and Hilde was climbing on, Garlan ran up.
“Before you get involved in this battle, go to the troops at the base of the mountain and tell them we require their help.”
“We should stay here,” said Hilde.
“If we don’t receive any help, we will be severely outnumbered.”
Then he looked at Venia, “Make sure to do this before you allow her to stay here and fight.”
“I will do that, master,” said the small, green dragon.
“Moreover, you might consider sending out a call for help from the other dragons. Tell them to get here as fast as they can.”
“Already on it,” said Venia, as she turned and fell off the cliff.
She fell about two hundred feet and then caught the wind with her wings and she and Hilde soared back up and over the summit, heading for the camp on the other side of the mountain.
Garlan directed his attention back to the valley floor. Within a couple of minutes, he was surrounded by the rest of the troops, including one suitably attired Captain Taynor.
He tried the illumination sphere again, and again it got extinguished almost immediately, but not before the troops caught sight of a group of Kerrick’s soldiers coming toward the mountain.
“What in the world?” asked Taynor.
“Well, that doesn’t make any sense at all,” said Garlan.
What
they had seen was no more than a couple dozen troops coming across the desert floor
“It is possible they’re troops that snuck away from Kerrick’s encampment and want to join us in our fight.”
“That is a possible explanation, captain, but it doesn’t explain why my illumination spheres keep getting put out.”
They searched the skies, but there was nothing they could see in the dark clouds above them. Whatever it was, was above the clouds, hidden from their sight.
Garlan reached up behind his head and pulled Blaze from its scabbard. He held it up in his right hand, with the red crystal up. Next he cast another illumination sphere toward the sky just over the troops. It went exactly as he thought it would and was ready. When the cast came from above to extinguish the sphere, he cast a red fireball toward the place he felt the cast had come from.
He kept the cast small, not wanting to expend his energy, but he wanted to see what kind of reaction he would get. The red fireball disappeared into the clouds and for a second there was nothing.
Then the earth shook with a screech from a dragon. In fact, it was two dragons. The clouds parted as two large, red dragons broke through them and aimed directly at the troops massed on the edge of the cliff.
Garlan snapped Blaze back over his head and back into its sheath, preparing to battle with nothing more than the magic he could conjure with his hands.
As the red dragons bore down on the troops around him, he heard another screech from behind and looked to see Venia flying across the top of the mountain and setting her sights on the invading dragons. Garlan wanted to order her to stay away from them, but it was too late. As she flashed past, he could see Hilde pulling an arrow from her quiver and nocking it on her bow.
“Oh, this is not going to end well,” he murmured to himself.
“Have a little faith in her, sire,” said Taynor.
“Having faith in her will only go so far. Her courage and willingness to fight might have found a match in two red dragons.”
They watched as the three dragons closed on each other. Garlan knew there was no way he could ask Hilde to stand down and the chances of her or Venia even listening to him were slim. As the three dragons came closer to each other, fireballs and arrows flew.
The Wrath Page 24