By Taniesse.
Dawn’s thoughts were suddenly bombarded by anxiety. Who was this woman, and why did she plan to spend tons of gold for armies?
There must be some ulterior motive.
But what exactly?
Her horse’s eyes widened and it back its ears.
“We’re almost out it seems,” Odlon said. His dragon scale armor shimmered.
The wind blew and the smoky haze parted. Ahead the path was clearer. The trees were green on both sides of the road. For a moment, she felt relieved, but then three figures stepped into the center of the road.
Lady Dawn pulled back on the reins, stopping her horse. Everyone behind her stopped as well. The Dragon Knights drew their swords. Metal scraped in an eerie long sound behind them. All of the other soldiers had their weapons drawn as well.
The tallest figure stepped forward and smiled. “Lady Dawn. It’s good to finally make your acquaintance.
Chapter Seventy-six
“Who are you?” Dawn asked, watching the female warrior while expecting the worst.
The woman stood in less armor than Dawn would expect a warrior to wear. This tall female was muscled, her eyes fearless and intimidating.
“I am Taniesse.”
Dawn took a quick breath but held a stern expression, trying not to show the rising fear growing inside her. She had never seen such fierceness in a woman’s eyes like this female warrior possessed. Her irises were crimson red and flickered like tiny flames. Her hand rested upon the hilt of the strange black sword that hung on her golden belt.
Before Dawn addressed the woman, a new fear suddenly crept into her mind. This warrior had hired the troops Boldair led behind Dawn. She still didn’t understand Taniesse’s true motive. She had promised the mercenaries’ gold. Essentially, they worked for the warrior, not Dawn. At the simplest command, Taniesse could have them kill her. None of the Dragon Skull Knights or the elves could move in time to stop it.
Two women stepped up from behind Taniesse. The same fierceness glowed in their eyes. It was easy to see they were sisters because of their similarities.
“It is great to see you alive and well,” Taniesse said. “We have looked for you since Hoffnung fell to Waxxon.”
Dawn stared at this warrior with confusion and uncertainty. She didn’t know how to reply.
“You appear nervous, Lady Dawn,” Taniesse said.
“How do you know me, and why have you hired armies to help me kill Waxxon?”
“We were close friends of your father.”
Dawn’s searched each of the women’s stern faces. She shook her head slowly. “I don’t ever recall seeing any of you. If you were close to my father, none of you so much as paid my mother a visit during her reign.”
“We have reasons for that.”
“Like what?”
Taniesse smiled. “They’re not important right now. What is important is that we get you to Hoffnung immediately.”
“The journey is still days, maybe a couple of weeks, away.”
“On horseback and foot, yes. But my sisters and I have a quicker way.”
“How’s that?”
“By magic.”
Dawn swallowed hard. “You’re sorcerers?”
“Not exactly, but with our combined powers we can form a portal so you and your army can walk through.”
“A portal?” Dawn said. Her brows rose with her skepticism. “That would require an immense amount of power.”
Taniesse and her sisters smiled, but offered no words or counterargument. Their confidence and silence indicated they held such strength.
“This portal would take us inside Hoffnung?”
“No. Not inside. That would be too dangerous. But, you will be taken to the crossroads near the Highvale Plains. The dwarf armies are already there. More mercenaries from Legelarid will arrive at this point soon. My estimation is within the next few hours. Once they arrive, we will send them through the portal as well.”
“Why is this so important to you?” Dawn asked.
“In time, you’ll understand.” Taniesse’s gaze went to each of the Dragon Skull Knights.
Dawn noticed the kind regard this female warrior seemed to hold toward the knights. She voiced her assumption. “Because of my father?”
“Yes. He was a noble man. It is a shame that we . . . lost him. Aetheaon still mourns, as do we. In honor of him, we’re here to help you end Waxxon and the Vykings.”
“Forgive me for my hesitation, Taniesse, but are these women with you, your sisters?”
“Yes. These are my sisters. This is Odessa and Neela.”
Both women nodded and curtsied as each was named. There was something cold and reptilian in their stares.
Taniesse’s intent gaze flicked sternly toward Dawn. The warrior seemed trying to read Dawn’s thoughts. “With your permission, Lady Dawn, we’ll begin the ritual to form the portal.”
“Let me confer,” Dawn said.
“By all means,” Taniesse replied with a slight grin.
Dawn looked at Caen and then to Lehrling. “Do any of you know these women?”
Caen shook his head. Corwin and Yarrow did as well.
Lehrling frowned and whispered, “I know the names but no, I do not recognize them.”
“Can we trust them?”
“Aye, milady,” Boldair said. “You can trust them.”
Lady Dawn turned in her saddle and faced him. “And how do you know this, dwarf?”
“I have traveled with her for weeks now.”
“Her purpose and intent are . . . trustworthy?” Odlon asked.
Boldair nodded. “Of course. She’s expressed nothing other than finding Lady Dawn and ensuring that she is crowned queen. She wants Waxxon dead. Perhaps dead is an understatement.”
“What were your reasons for travelling with her?” Dawn asked.
Boldair ran a hand through his beard. His eyes glanced nervously toward Taniesse and then back to Dawn. “For recruitment purposes.”
“Why you?”
“My father’s King Ulthor.”
Dawn studied the dwarf and his nervousness. “You’re a prince?”
“Aye.”
“So she wanted you to look over the recruits?”
Boldair nodded. “Amongst other things.”
“And those being . . . what exactly?”
In a fierce even tone, Taniesse said, “My purposes for hiring Boldair are not your concern, Lady Dawn. Timing of your arrival to Hoffnung is, however, quite essential. We need to construct the portal so that we have time to transport you and these two armies through before the Legelarid troops arrive. So, either you trust us, or you don’t. What is your decision?”
Dawn studied each of the women’s faces, searching for some sign that they were what they said they were. She faced Boldair once more. “So, prince, is she powerful enough to do what she’s implying that they can do?”
Boldair grinned. “She’s far more powerful than the whole lot of us standing here.”
“She can do it?”
“Yes, milady.”
“Thanks, Boldair,” Dawn said. She turned her complete attention to Taniesse. “If I may ask one other thing?”
“Certainly.”
“What do you stand to gain from all of this?”
“The restoration of Hoffnung by seeing you on the throne.”
Dawn frowned. “Nothing more than that?”
“My sisters and I have used our gold and resources to ensure that Hoffnung remains in the Twillor dynasty. We’re funding this war.”
“You will be duly compensated,” Dawn said softly.
“We don’t desire such.”
“Everything comes with a price or some sort of condition.”
“Not in this case. It’s not about gold. It’s the principalities. As I mentioned earlier, you will understand the true reasons soon enough.” Taniesse’s eyes flickered.
“I’m not fond of secrets,” Dawn said.
“C
oming from someone who has kept a great deal of them to herself lately,” Taniesse said evenly.
Dawn realized her excessive questioning was testing the warrior’s patience, but she wanted to know her exact reasons. Waxxon had inadvertently made her skeptical of trusting people more than she realized.
The three women stood on the road, waiting. Each gaze regarded Dawn with intensity as if they could do nothing without her permission to do so. She wondered why. They had mentioned their loyalty for King Erik, which made her question what their relationship with her father really was. Why had she never seen these women? Why had her mother never mentioned them?
Dawn thought about her father’s hidden study in the catacombs of the castle. Nothing in his notes or on the table had made mention of these women. She also doubted that her mother had any knowledge of the study and what the origination of the Dragon Skull Knights was truly about.
“Very well,” Dawn finally replied.
The three women nodded modestly in Dawn’s direction. Taniesse took a few steps backwards but remained in the center of the shady road. Odessa stepped to the right edge of the path and Neela walked to the left side of the path. Their stances formed a triangle.
With keen curiosity, Dawn watched and waited, along with all of the elves and the mercenaries behind her.
The sisters extended their hands toward the sister to their right and left, forming a more prominent triangle with their arms. They tilted their heads upward and began chanting in a language unfamiliar to Dawn.
Lehrling gasped.
“What is it?” Dawn whispered.
He didn’t reply in words. He simply shook his head.
The sky darkened over the trees. A sharp gust of wind flowed through the canopy and spiraled downward, lifting leaves and debris upward into a small whirlwind. The twirling wind and leaf fragments grew stronger, darker. Lightning struck fiercely from the clouds.
The Dragon Knights patted the sides of their horses’ heads, trying to calm them. Dawn glanced behind her, expecting the troops to flee like they had when the sucker-tendril beast had slain several dozen warriors. But they stood steadfast, mesmerized.
Thunder echoed directly overhead.
The three sisters’ eyes glowed fiery red. Their faces shone.
Dawn swallowed hard. She whispered, “What is this?”
“Arcane magic,” Odlon whispered, shifting uneasily in the saddle.
“How is it different than other magic?” she asked.
“They are calling upon the forces of nature,” he replied.
“What language are they speaking?”
Odlon shook his head. “Not one I know of.”
Dawn gave a side-glance to Lehrling. “But you know it, don’t you?”
“I recognize it,” he said.
“Origin?”
Lehrling shook his head. “It’s an ancient language. One none of us can interpret.”
“And it’s familiar to you, how?” Dawn asked.
Tears came to Lehrling’s eyes, but he offered no words. His hand went to his dragon skull pendant. By instinct, he rubbed it between his thumb and forefinger.
Dawn opened her mouth to question him again, but a huge sucking sound turned her attention back toward the sisters. In place of the wind vortex was a shimmering large orb that spanned across the road’s width and towered upward, midway up the trees.
The portal.
The portal was broad enough for five horsemen to ride abreast and enter.
The circular opening sucked air inward, which made a constant roaring sound like whipping wind on a cold winter’s day. Light beamed around it.
Dawn’s mouth gaped. She saw it but found herself in disbelief.
Taniesse stepped around the portal, coming into full view again. “Hurry. Brace yourselves though. The climate change will be abruptly colder, but you won’t be there long. Once the Legelarid troops pass through, make your advance to the gates of Hoffnung. The quicker, the better. Trap the Vykings inside. Kill them all.”
“And you?” Dawn asked. “Will we see you again?”
Taniesse smiled. “My sisters and I will enter with the Legelarid troops. We are in this fight alongside all of you.”
Dawn rode closer to the portal. Through the opening she noticed campfires, snowy plains with lines of pines, and rows of armored dwarfs in battle formation.
With great apprehension, she stared into the portal, mustering the courage to ride through. Knowing that a leader required being the prime example, she took a deep breath, drew her short sword and glanced over her shoulder. “Onward!”
She tapped her horse’s flanks, encouraging the mare to enter the portal. The sucking air gently pulled at them. As the horse stepped across the threshold of the portal, the troops behind her rallied with battle cries and great enthusiasm.
The war for the throne was about to begin.
Odlon rode toward the portal and Taniesse stepped in front of his horse. Her eyes narrowed when she looked upon Odlon’s armor. “You are Odlon of Eyllisathem, are you not?”
Her two sisters stepped beside her. The three blocked his progression toward the portal.
“I am,” he replied.
“Interesting armor,” Neela said coldly. “Is it dragon scale?”
He nodded.
“And how did you acquire it?” Odessa asked. “Did you kill the dragon or purchase the scales?”
Odlon replied, “I killed it after it tried to kill me.”
“I see,” Taniesse said with an amused smile. “We must discuss this further once we reach the other side of the portal.”
“Why is that?”
“You might find it interesting to say the least. Or entertaining.”
“What?”
“Our conversation.”
They stepped out of his way and allowed him to pass. Before he entered the portal, the three commenced to laugh amongst themselves.
Chapter Seventy-seven
Under Haigla’s guidance, Zauber lifted his staff and faced the horde of undead Orcs and Dredgemen working their way down the icy slopes.
He read the witch’s thoughts as she patterned her spell.
“Fire has not worked,” he said softly.
“Ordinary fire didn’t work. But magical dark fire will.”
Zauber sighed. “It’s worth a try.”
“How else will we know?”
“We won’t, but what if it doesn’t work?”
Haigla mumbled. “We worry about that then.”
Dwiskter swung his ax, lopping off the thick forearm of an Orc skeleton with a blunt thwack. He set the ax head onto the snow and leaned upon the handle for support. He heaved in deep breaths while resting is forehead atop his hand. A growing pile of severed undeads lay on the other side of the mantlet he guarded. Dozens more lined up, trying to find a way past the barricade.
After a minute of resting, he turned his head and noticed Zauber. He regarded the wizard with a slight smile.
“You’re back?” he asked.
In a faint voice, Zauber replied, “Partly.”
The dwarf chuckled with a wide grin. “Aye, that be better than nothing.”
“Have your warriors step away from the mantlets,” Zauber said in a near trancelike state.
“Ah, now, we can’t be abandoning our line. King’s orders, ya know.”
“I understand,” Zauber said. “But for the sake of your lives, this spell does not discriminate. I suggest you find a protective spot well away from here.”
“A pretty nasty spell then?”
“Devastating. We don’t want to add any more casualties to the side of the living.”
Dwiskter nodded. “Agreed.”
The dwarf ran along the line of mantlet barricades, shouting retreat orders, and yanking weary dwarves to their feet. “Come now! Go! Magics are afoot!”
As Dwiskter moved, the other dwarves shook themselves alert and ran after him. The rows of backup warriors turned and marched away from the mantlet li
ne.
Zauber’s sapped mind and body wobbled as he fought to remain upright. Foreign energy surged through him. His body tingled. The witch was far more powerful than he had ever credited her.
With her dark fire spell unfolding inside his mind, heat coursed through his feet that had numbed due to the freezing cold. This fiery discomfort eased into his ankles and slowly pulsed upward. For a moment he feared that he was going to internally combust. The powerful flames welled inside him, growing hotter and hotter.
Sweat streamed down his face, soaking his curly black hair and beard. His feet began to sink. The hard icy snow was melting beneath him. Heat flushed his skin. Every pore in his body ached, oozing thick beads of sweat, trying to soothe and cool him. His hooded robe dampened.
The gray overcast skies dropped flakes of snow but they melted before they drifted close to him. The undead dragon roared, spiraled in the air, and cast its attention upon the wizard.
King Staggnuns shouted, “Zauber! Move!”
Dwiskter winced and cringed.
Dozens of dwarves stood ready with their shields and axes but were too far away to intercept the dragon’s attack.
“Ready the cannon!” Staggnuns commanded. Spittle flew from his mouth as his deep voice bellowed. “Shoot that damned dragon!”
Ulthor rushed toward the line of cannons with six heavily armored warriors beside him.
The dragon reared back its head and funneled a blast of icy air directly upon Zauber. The thick blue cloud billowed downward, but Zauber didn’t move. His eyes never indicated that he saw the blast coming or that he was even aware of where he stood out in the open.
The blue sheen of icy breath dissolved into rain pellets several feet above the wizard’s head. Before the raindrops even touched him, they vaporized into steam.
“Now!” Haigla whispered in his mind.
Zauber tightened his hand around the staff and extended his left palm toward the icy rugged terrain where all the undead enemies positioned themselves. Dozens stood in a singular line between the two collapsed ridges, trying to push their way through the heavy mantlets.
The dwarves looked on with wide eyes, but not from fear. They wanted to rush headlong into the undead and continue dismembering them but were uncertain of what exactly the wizard planned to do. Their runes only protected them so much.
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