The Dragonspire Chronicles Omnibus 2

by James E. Wisher

  “They’re marching through an open field right now,” Tonia said.

  Moz snapped his fingers. “Let’s get back to camp. I need to send a message to that Carttoom witch.”

  Chapter 10

  Shade rode at the head of a fair-sized army. They’d recruited six mercenary companies for a total of just over a thousand soldiers. Some had been eager to sign up and others less so, but after what happened to McGregor’s camp, Shade hadn’t had to call the boss again. That suited him fine. While he was by no means squeamish, watching a dragon burn people to death wasn’t really his thing.

  Anyway, it had been a successful first round of recruitment and if their efforts in Carttoom went smoothly, Shade felt certain the second round would be even easier. Maybe mercenaries would even come to them. That would certainly save him a lot of trouble.

  They’d reached the fields surrounding the ruins, but the shadows were getting long and there was no way they’d reach the city tonight. “Let’s make camp!”

  The companies were all experienced campaigners and they didn’t need instructions on how to set up a camp. While the soldiers worked, Rondo guided his mount over beside Shade’s.

  “Think we should inform Lord Black that we’ve nearly arrived?”

  “Why?” Shade asked. “We’re going to see him in person tomorrow afternoon.”

  Rondo shrugged and dismounted. As he looked off in the distance Rondo frowned. “I believe there’s a woman flying over there.”

  Shade nearly laughed then caught himself. With all they’d seen, a flying woman wouldn’t be the strangest thing by a mile. He squinted in the direction Rondo indicated. Sure enough, a decidedly female silhouette was visible in the light of the setting sun. Assuming it wasn’t Domina, then it had to be an enemy.

  “On second thought, contacting the boss might not be such a bad idea after all.”

  Rondo dug out the mirror and handed it to him. The two of them moved a little way away from the mercenaries and Shade activated the device.

  The boss must have been waiting because only seconds after the blood had soaked into the mirror frame, his face appeared.

  “There’s a flying woman watching us,” Shade said. “You didn’t send Domina out, did you, Boss?”

  “No. I’ve been hoping you’d make contact. While you’ve been gone, we’ve had some unwelcome guests arrive. The city is surrounded, sort of, by two small groups. They’re nimble enough to evade the dragon’s fire should I send one out to attack, but numerous enough to be a problem should we need to bring in supplies.”

  “Want us to handle them?” Shade asked. “I’ve got a thousand guys here. Should be enough to get the job done.”

  “Perhaps, though you’ll be facing a number of bards and wizards. Their magic could reduce your numbers to the point that we’d need another army. Where are you?”

  “Around half a day out from the city about to make camp.”

  “I’m going to send you some reinforcements. Don’t panic when it arrives.”

  “You’re sending a dragon?” Shade asked. It would be better than Domina, but not by much.

  “Yes. I’d come myself, but I can’t leave the girl alone.” The boss’s face twisted in distaste. “Useful as her power is, I never imagined I’d have to give her constant orders. It is tedious to say the least. Anyway, the dragon will guard your camp tonight then travel to the city with you in the morning. Let’s see if the enemy has the courage to do anything then.”

  The boss’s face vanished and Shade handed the mirror back to Rondo. “I’d best let the soldiers know we’re going to have company.”

  Rondo nodded. “I’m not sure if I’ll sleep better or worse knowing we’ve got a dragon watching over us.”

  Shade grinned. “I’ll sleep fine either way and you’ll worry all night either way, just like we have every night since we left.”

  Rondo sighed. “True enough. I’m really not cut out for this.”

  Shade shook his head and walked away. Rondo might not have been cut out for war, but Shade was glad he was along. For the comedy relief if nothing else.

  Moz and his counterpart, the female wizard from Carttoom – he was really going to have to learn her name, not that she seemed interested in offering it – stood side by side about a hundred yards in front of their combined force. Tonia was visible in the distance as she returned from her final scouting run. They had gathered in a field ten miles from the city, where they planned to strike the enemy army. With the wizards and bards working together, Moz doubted it would take long to send them running or if they proved especially brave, slaughter them.

  He glanced back at Callie who stood with the other bards. He wanted to invite her to join him so he could take advantage of her experience, but the wizard didn’t like Callie offering her opinion. Carttoom’s military structure was far more rigid than Rend’s, even on a small deployment like this one. It was annoying, but he went along to get along.

  There was a swirl of wind when Tonia landed in front of them. “The situation has changed.”

  “How much could it have changed in eight hours?” the wizard asked.

  “The army now has a dragon marching beside it.”

  “The black one?” Moz asked.

  “No, a red one about half its size. It’s still plenty big I’ll tell you.”

  “This is a problem, but hardly an insurmountable one,” the wizard said. “The beast can only protect one side of the army at a time. My wizards can fly around and hit them from the south. When the dragon reacts, your bards can strike from the north. We simply attack from different directions until the enemy is eliminated.”

  “That might be okay for you, but most of the bards can’t fly. If the dragon attacks them head-on, it’ll difficult for them to evade in time.”

  “Actually,” Tonia said, drawing a glare from the wizard, “we don’t have to be that close to the fight. The spirit masters can control their spirits from a fair distance, as long as they have line of sight.”

  “That could work.” There was a low hill about half a mile from the clearing. It would provide a perfect vantage point for the bards. “I’ll take my people up there. How long do you need to get in position?”

  “Our flight spells aren’t unlimited. We’ll take to the air when the army is in sight.”

  “That’ll be in about fifteen minutes,” Tonia offered.

  “We’d better get marching,” Moz said. “Good luck.”

  The wizard sniffed. “As if we need luck against this rabble. Just be sure your bards do their part.”

  She stalked off to rejoin her compatriots. Moz followed her example, Tonia falling in beside him.

  “I don’t think she likes you,” Tonia said.

  “I don’t think she likes anyone,” Moz said. “But like most people in Carttoom, she has a special distaste for rangers. How did the enemy army look to you?”

  “Like they were more afraid of the dragon than an ambush.”

  “So we’re not dealing with idiots, that’s good to know.”

  Tonia smiled and hurried to join the other spirit masters.

  Callie met him a few feet from the group. Moz filled her in as they walked toward the hill. When he finished, she said, “A dragon, terrific. Tonia was smart to suggest attacking from a distance, though it renders my power useless. The earth and fire masters are going to have to carry the load on this one.”

  Moz had come to the same conclusion. “It was always going to fall on them the hardest. I’m sorry about leaving you out of the meeting.”

  “Forget it. If someone from Carttoom wasn’t acting unreasonable I’d worry something was wrong with them.”

  They reached the hilltop and Moz explained the plan to everyone. When he finished he added, “Be sure not to attack until the dragon is focused on the wizards. Should it come for us, remember the fire assault protocol.”

  “Raise an earthen dome over everyone,” the earth masters said.

  “Turn aside as much of the fire
as we can,” the fire masters said.

  Moz nodded. “Good. This is an ugly job, but it’s one that needs doing. Remember, these people want to rule our kingdom. They’ve already destroyed the capital. Our job is to make sure they don’t destroy any more. I’m counting on you all and I know you won’t let me down.”

  The bards all stood a little straighter.

  Callie whispered to him, “Somebody might think you’d done this before.”

  “I’d hoped not to have to do it again.”

  Leonidas had been watching the slow, steady progress of Shade’s army through the dragon’s eyes for most of the morning. The hours he’d spent sorting potatoes as a child had been only marginally more tedious. At least sending the dragon appeared to have scared off anyone that might be thinking of attacking.

  He blew out a long sigh. Only a couple more hours and they’d be safe. If he’d known this was going to happen, he would have sent them along with Jax and the flying ship. Ah, well. Live and learn. Leonidas wasn’t used to being an emperor. He couldn’t be expected to get everything right the first time.

  The first fireball exploded a heartbeat later. There was no sound through the viewing window, but men’s bodies flew in every direction, confirming the attack’s power. A second blast followed seconds after the first.

  “Where did that come from?”

  Ariel looked up at him from her seat in the golden throne. “Don’t know.”

  “Well look.”

  She looked all around the throne room. “Don’t know.”

  Sometimes he wanted to strangle her, but ultimately the fault lay with him. The crown’s magic compelled her to do exactly what he said. If he gave vague orders, he couldn’t expect good results.

  “Have the dragon look for the source of the attacks.”

  The image in the window shifted left then right. Six robed figures flew twenty yards above the ground. As he watched a third and fourth fireball shot out to slam into the panicking soldiers.

  “Bloody Carttoom wizards. Order the dragon to kill them all.”

  The view shifted quickly as the dragon took to the air. As soon as it did, the wizards scattered in every direction.

  The dragon picked the leftmost wizard and rushed after her.

  Despite the wizard’s speed, she couldn’t keep ahead of the dragon.

  Fire rushed out.

  As it did, the wizard dropped and flames shot over her head, missing completely.

  Leonidas snarled as the dragon banked in pursuit.

  He felt a familiar pressure in the back of his mind. Shade was trying to contact him. He wasn’t accomplishing anything here. With a thought, he completed the connection, conjuring a second window, this one directly in front of him.

  “What is it?” he asked.

  “We could use some help here, Boss. We’ve got bards on one flank and wizards on the other. I don’t know what the dragon’s doing, but it isn’t helping us any.”

  Enough of this foolishness! “Hold on, Shade. Help’s on the way.”

  He dismissed the window. Trying to use the dragon for this sort of thing was clearly a waste of time. Controlling them secondhand wasn’t good enough.

  “Release the dragon and take a nap,” Leonidas said.

  The window vanished and a moment later Ariel slumped in the throne, her eyes closed and her breathing slow and even. Leonidas left the throne room and stalked out of the tower. The rest of his cadre were off completing the tasks he’d set for them earlier so there was no one to ask stupid questions as he marched out of the tower.

  Drawing on the ring’s power, he took to the air. Even from this distance he could sense the magic being hurled at his men. He flew toward it at maximum speed.

  The first wizard didn’t even have time to react before a crimson pulse sliced her in half.

  The second was stupid enough to hurl a lightning bolt at him. His ring absorbed it and his counterattack reduced the wizard to ash.

  He had their attention now. On the ground, Shade and his remaining mercenaries had made a defensive circle with their shields locked to block the incoming spells as best they could given the fact that the ground was heaving and tossing them around. That had to be the bards’ doing.

  Leonidas couldn’t absorb spirit magic, but he could kill the bards. He spotted them after a brief search. A dozen of them were standing on a hill around a quarter mile away. That was well within his range.

  He pointed and a crimson ray streaked out. The bards dropped and the earth calmed. Leonidas studied the area, searching for someone else to kill. He found nothing but clouds.

  Satisfied that the area was secure, he landed beside Shade.

  “Glad you made it, Boss. They were tearing us apart.”

  “Your bloody dragon was useless!” one of the mercenaries shouted. Lucky for him, Leonidas couldn’t tell who it was.

  “How many did you lose?”

  “Not sure yet,” Shade said. “About a third I’d say.”

  Leonidas grimaced. That would set his timeline back, but not significantly. “I’ll protect you the rest of the way myself. Let’s get going.”

  “Hold on,” one of the mercenaries said. “Shade said this was going to be an easy job. Now here we are getting blasted by wizards. Maybe we don’t want the work after all.”

  Leonidas looked the man over. He was a grizzled veteran probably around forty with a scarred face and well-worn armor. Not a coward then. Well enough.

  “It’s important you understand,” Leonidas said. “There’s no place for mercenaries in my new empire. You’re going to have the choice of joining my army or finding work on a farm. Should you choose to fight for my enemies, you’ll end up like McGregor. If you choose to fight me, you’ll end up worse. Decide now, all of you. But once you decide, there’s no backing out and no changing your mind. You can join me or walk away right now.”

  He looked from one soldier to the next, meeting their gazes one by one. A few wavered but none broke. At last he nodded and said, “Let’s go.”

  As he rose into the air, it became clear that relying on the dragons exclusively was a mistake. When necessary, he’d still have to get his hands dirty. The thought, oddly, cheered him.

  Chapter 11

  “They’re leaving,” Tonia reported.

  Moz knelt beside one of the bards grazed by that last attack. The boy’s arm had been half severed. Callie was busy with a young woman that had nearly lost her leg. He’d have to control the bleeding until she was finished.

  “Let them go. We did some damage, that’ll have to be enough.”

  Blood leaked through his fingers, so he pressed down harder. Hurry, Callie, I don’t want to lose this kid. Gods damn Leonidas Black and that cursed ring of his. Moz had planned on dodging a dragon not him. In truth, he’d never even considered the possibility that the leader of the whole group would simply abandon the tower and come after them. And this foul-up was the result. Not his finest moment by far. He’d send a message to the wizard once they returned to camp. Hopefully she’d at least be willing to talk.

  Callie shifted over beside him. “I’ve got it.”

  He let go and Callie began healing. The blood flow stopped at once. He stood and wiped the sweat from his brow. The enemy force had marched out of sight, leaving their dead behind like so much trash.

  Moz scratched his chin and pointed at two of the three rangers he’d brought to watch their backs as they fought. “Let’s take a walk.”

  The three men strode down to the bodies. Most had burned to death, but three looked like they’d been crushed by some invisible force. Scary what magic could do.

  “What are we looking for, sir?” asked Edred, a veteran ranger that Moz had served with before.

  “Disguises. If we look like one of their mercenaries, it might make sneaking toward the tower a little safer.” Moz shrugged. He was grasping at straws and from the looks his men gave him they knew it as well. Still, he refused to give up. In a war, you had to accept that not eve
rything was going to go your way.

  It took half an hour, but they collected enough odds and ends to put four uniforms together. They gathered their prizes and found the others up and ready to move. Even the badly injured bards were up and able to walk thanks to Callie’s magic. The dead were, unfortunately, beyond anyone’s help.

  Moz glanced at Albert. “Could you bury the mercenaries for me?”

  “Why bother?” the bard asked. “Those bastards hardly deserve it.”

  So young and already a hard case. “You’re right, but if someone comes looking, I don’t want them to be able to tell what I took. No one is apt to dig up the bodies just to make sure none of their uniforms are missing.”

  Albert touched the ground and hummed. The bodies slowly sank into the earth until you couldn’t even tell where they’d been save for the charred earth and grass above them.

  Moz clapped him on the shoulder. “Good work, thanks. Let’s head back to camp and get something to eat. The war continues tomorrow.”

  The walk back was dismal and quiet. The young bards especially now understood just what they faced. Not that things had been easy for them up until now, but this was the closest some of them had ever come to a real battle. He feared it was going to get worse before it got better.

  Their tents were in sight when Tamsin came running toward them. There was nothing to indicate a fight, but Moz tensed up all the same. Something had the girl worried and after this morning, he expected the worst.

  When she got close Callie asked, “What is it?”

  “That lady wizard showed up twenty minutes ago and she’s not in a good mood. I offered her tea, but she wasn’t interested. She’s stalking around Moz’s tent like a caged lion. I told everyone to keep their distance. I take it things didn’t go well.”

  “We lost two of our three earth masters,” Moz said. “But she lost three wizards.”

  “That’s not your fault,” Callie said.

  Moz knew it wasn’t his fault, but he felt the loss keenly all the same. He didn’t even take any comfort in the fact that they were Carttoom wizards and if they’d survived, he might have had to fight them himself one day. For now they were allies and he didn’t want to bury any more.