Lady Squire- Dawn's Ascension

by Leonard D. Hilley II

  Along the city walls, she noticed several dozen archers restlessly walking back and forth. They were on high alert. The front gates were closed and secured. The city warning bell had indicated a possible attack, but no army was approaching . . . yet.

  When she looked toward the Highland Plains, the shimmering blue light flickered. The swirling dark clouds were thicker there. The light had to be where the origin of this impending storm began. Thunder rumbled across those plains, rolling faintly in her direction. Her first inclination was that magic was involved. What else could cause such disruptions?

  Rather than step out into the open toward the cobblestone road where she’d be spotted, she slinked along the tree line and shrubs, watching the gates and the front walls in much the same way she’d stalk a deer.

  From the other side of the road, a horse snorted several times. Because the edge of the road sloped down a steep embankment, she was unable to see the horse from where she stood. It snorted again, and her curiosity got the best of her. A horse only snorted when it detected danger. Something troubled this one.

  Due to putting herself into sight of the archers, she thought about remaining in the shelter of the trees, but then she worried that the horse might actually be Trevor’s. And if so, where was he?

  Sarey eyed the archer line on the closest wall. They seemed more concerned with the growing storm and shimmering blue light than watching the roadway. Indeed the unusual combination was enough to make her want to figure out what was causing both of them simultaneously. She’d still be looking and trying to discern what was unfolding, if not for the fact of worrying that the horse was Trevor’s and he lay injured or dead nearby it.

  A huge blast of lightning shot down from the sky right over the glowing blue light. The brightness caught the archers’ attention. Even at her distance from the wall, their excited chatter was audible. None of them were looking in her direction.

  Sarey placed her bow over her shoulder and ran across the road. At the top of the steep bank, she dropped and slid down the hillside. The horse turned her direction, nickered, and started walking toward her. Trevor was nowhere in sight.

  A shallow path of water flowed from a grated hole at the base of the castle wall. This was one channel of the underground sewers. The size of the openings appeared too small for her or Trevor to squeeze through, so where did he go?

  She eased her hand to the horse’s nose and gently rubbed it.

  “Where’s Trevor?” she asked in a whisper, placing her cheek to the side of its nose.

  An arrow struck the ground only a few inches from her boot. Commotion stirred on the castle wall. Another arrow zipped past her head, narrowly missing her and the horse. She grabbed the reins and swung up into the saddle. While tapping the horse’s sides with the heel of her boot, she fired an arrow toward one of the archers. The arrow pierced his throat. The man clutched the arrow, staggered backwards, and fell over the wall.

  The horse galloped up the steep side of the ditch and onto the white cobblestone road. She fired again, but struck the front of the rock wall. She kicked the horse’s flanks, and it ran faster.

  A slew of arrows hailed down short of the road. She was out of their range. She pulled her forest green hood up over her head. Placing her bow back over her shoulder, she tried to count the number of archers along the wall. Although she wasn’t certain what the blue light was or how dangerous the storm might be, her gut instinct wanted her to ride out to discover what it was.

  Sarey half expected to see more troops marching toward Hoffnung from the south, but none had arrived yet. The dwarves were camped north, but they hadn’t shown any sign of moving closer to Hoffnung. She wondered why.

  The drumbeats during the past few days were very near to where that glowing light was now. But she knew dwarves didn’t have magical abilities. At least no wizards or mages. Either they had gained powerful allies, or some very deadly enemies had emerged, preventing the dwarves from traveling to Hoffnung.

  Sarey had heard the cannons fire. It was unclear what they were firing at.

  Galloping along the road, she glanced toward Hoffnung’s front gates. They were shut for the first time she had ever seen. More archers were posted at the top of the gates and along the next front wall. Going toward the gates was suicide. And yet, she still didn’t see any evidence of Trevor. His body wasn’t outside the gate or along the wall, so none of the archers had successfully killed him. His body would still be there, left as a warning to others.

  Sarey counted the archers as she rode past. None of those lined upon the front wall were Vykings. Where were they?

  She stopped the horse and placed her right hand above her eyes as she scanned the wall. More arrows were fired in her direction but all struck the ground a hundred yards short of her position. She laughed softly at their wasted effort. She supposed sitting upon a horse in full view was mocking them, but they weren’t going to open the gates just to pursue one person. She doubted they’d open it for a whole battalion. With archers above the gates and walls, they held quite the advantage.

  Patting the horse’s shoulder, she kept her attention on the gates.

  “Where are you, Trevor?”

  The odd light must have frightened the archers along the walls. They were on edge, nervous. These had fired upon her without even knowing if she was an enemy or just a traveler. She wondered how many innocent people would die simply because they had walked or ridden into the archers’ ranger.

  Sarey scanned along the outside of the walls, just in case she had overlooked Trevor. Not seeing him, she looked down the road to where the path cut off to Esgrove, and he wasn’t anywhere to be seen.

  A cannon fired, drawing her attention away from the walls and roadway. When she turned toward Highvale Plains, she gasped.

  The bone dragon.

  But from her distance, because it was too small, it looked like a white dragon floating in the dark sky.

  From the time she was little, she had fantasized about seeing a dragon. Her father had told her of those he had seen, but that was years before her birth, when he was a lad. Seeing this one . . .

  She marveled.

  Sarey found that she didn’t want to look away. She needed a closer look, no matter how dangerous the dragon might be. The joke that she had often heard in the tavern was, “If you ever happen upon a baby dragon, cherish the moment, for it will be your last.”

  “Why?” she asked the bard.

  “Because the momma will roast you,” came his reply with a twisted grin.

  Tapping the horse with the heels of her boots, she coaxed the horse into a gentle trot, leaving Hoffnung behind. She wanted to see this dragon, and whether or not it was the real reason why the dwarves had spent nearly a week camped along the plains instead of marching to Hoffnung.

  As she rode, her concern for Trevor lingered. Where had he disappeared? The horse had been upset. She didn’t believe he’d abandon the horse so close to the castle. With no sign of Trevor, the only other place where he might be was the shallow water that flowed from the castle wall. Had the archers not fired at her, she might have been able to get closer to the iron-grated wall. Perhaps he had managed to somehow find a way to the other side?

  Sarey thought about Bausch. He and Lehrling had been gone for weeks, which was much longer than normal. Unlike Trevor, Bausch had seemed quite impressed by her archery skills and not resentfully jealous. She smiled, remembering that night when she dropped the one Vyking that Bausch, Lehrling, and a dwarf fought. Perhaps she hadn’t saved their lives by killing the Vyking, as they did have him outnumbered, but she had shown she was more than a simple barmaid. The one thing that kept her longing to see Bausch again was that he didn’t resent her for being good with a bow.

  She couldn’t wait to see him again.

  Chapter Eighty

  Taniesse, Odessa, and Neela met with the three Dwarven kings.

  The three sisters watched the bone dragon circle in the sky.

  Ulthor said, �
�My son says that you can rid us of that dragon.”

  “Boldair is your son?”

  “Aye. He also said that you trusted him to lead a regiment into Hoffnung.”

  Taniesse nodded. “He’s a prince. Is there any reason why I shouldn’t?”

  A glum expression hung on Boldair’s face. He stared at the ground.

  “He’s not a strategic fighter. Never has been. He’s nothing more than a treasure hunter,” Ulthor said.

  “Is that so?” Taniesse asked. Her piercing eyes flickered as she stared into Ulthor’s.

  “Sorry to disappoint,” Ulthor said. “I tried me best to get his interest in learning battle tactics. He’d rather be off exploring caves with a pickax and searching for gold.”

  “King Ulthor, it might interest you to know that the regiment I’ve hired him to lead wouldn’t have even been hired if not for Boldair.”

  Ulthor’s thick bushy, eyebrows furrowed. “How’s that?”

  “He’s the one who found my treasure and stashed it safely away so thieves wouldn’t happen upon it and steal it.”

  “Your treasure? What are ye talking about?”

  An amused smile crept on her lips. She turned and walked away into the snow, her cape swirled as she moved. “Ulthor, you mean to say that you don’t recognize me?”

  “Should I?”

  “It has been a long time. But I thought dwarves had incredible memories. A dwarf carries a grudge forever, right to the bitter end. You never forget what you consider an injustice, even if you’re blinded from realizing the truth.”

  “Milady,” Ulthor said. “I have no grievance with you or your sisters. I know not what you speak of. King Staggnuns requested that I and King Thorgum gather our forces together to aid in this battle.”

  “Staggnuns’ request to you came at the urging of my sister, Odessa.”

  “He made no mention of that.”

  “No matter.”

  Ulthor looked at Boldair. “What treasure is she speaking about?”

  “Ask her,” Boldair replied.

  “Look,” Ulthor said. “I’m sorry that I don’t recognize you. Tell me your name. Perhaps that will help?”

  “My name is Taniesse.”

  Ulthor swallowed hard at the mention of the name. His face paled. He nervously looked from her to Boldair. “Impossible.”

  “Why?”

  “That be the name of a great dragon. One I killed long ago. King Staggnuns and I were talking earlier about that kill.”

  “Indeed we were,” Staggnuns said with narrowed eyes. “But as I recall, you have no trophy as proof.”

  Ulthor glanced toward Staggnuns, Boldair, and Thorgum. “What is this? All of you in some sort of lark to make me look bad in front of my son and the rest of ye? Bah! We don’t have time for this.”

  “The loss of Hoffnung has hurt all of Aetheaon,” Taniesse said.

  “No doubt, milady. I agree with that,” Ulthor replied, nodding. “But what’s all this about a treasure and a dead dragon have to do with retaking Hoffnung from its captor?”

  “Everything!” Taniesse said, her eyes growing fierce and her voice nearly thundering. “You sought to kill me for what reason? The great dragons have been in alliance with King Erik’s knights for a generation. Why did you think it necessary to kill me?”

  “I—I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “We are the protectors of Hoffnung, with a blood treaty to the former Hoffnung king. There must have been a reason why you wanted me dead.”

  Ulthor paled, swallowed hard.

  Taniesse tossed her black sword to the ground in front of Ulthor. Then she held up her hand and showed she was missing a middle finger. “Do you recognize that?”

  Stunned, he looked at it but remained silent.

  “On that day, when you tried to kill me, you had met with someone upon that mountain. Tell them who!”

  Boldair’s brow rose, as did the other two kings, Dwiskter, and the gathering dwarf warriors.

  Taniesse stepped farther away. She spoke draconic words, releasing her from her human form. A few seconds later, she transformed into a dragon. “Tell them whom you met with or one ball of fire ends you where you stand.”

  Ulthor shook.

  Boldair stepped toward his father, stood toe to toe with him, and looked him in the eyes. “What is she talking about, father? All me life I’ve held the utmost respect for ye, even though you always held contempt toward me. What were you doing on the mountaintop that day?”

  Boldair eased his hand upon his father’s battleax and pulled it away from his grip.

  Ulthor took a deep breath. “I spoke to the Dredgemen leader.”

  “About?”

  “Rewards. Gold.”

  Boldair frowned. “Rewards? For what?”

  “For allowing their escape.”

  “Escape?” Staggnuns asked.

  “Aye. After King Erik disappeared, I gave the Dredgemen passage through our tunnels to escape before all the raiding armies returned to search for Erik. That’s why no one ever found them.”

  “They slaughtered King Erik,” Boldair said. “How could ye? With all the criticism you give me about treasure hunting, you allowed a race of murderers to get away because they rewarded you with gold?”

  “Tis why I harp on you about gold hunting. Once the greed gets ahold of you like it did me, ahh, there’s no redeeming yourself.”

  Taniesse took heavy steps toward Ulthor. “What hand did you have in King Erik’s death and the disappearance of his body?”

  “None. I swear.”

  “You tried to kill me why?”

  “Because I thought that you had heard my agreement.”

  “In all of those horrid blustery winds? No one could hear unless you were close together and yelling at one another.”

  “That’s probably true.”

  “My sisters and I have a pact with King Erik and the Dragon Skull Order. Not only did you try to kill me, you were collaborating with the Dredgemen, allowing their escape. We will never know if you had a hand in Erik’s death or not.”

  “I didn’t.”

  “And why should we believe that? My sisters and I believe you did have more to do with Erik’s death and disappearance than what you want anyone to ever know. That’s why we went into hiding, disguising ourselves like humans so we could find the truth.”

  “You believe Erik is still alive?” Staggnuns asked, rubbing his beard.

  “We have no proof either way,” Odessa said. She took a step and her emerald armor shimmered. “But with the possible ties Ulthor and the Dredgemen had, we speculate Ulthor attacked Taniesse because of our ties to Erik. Our bond allowed us to know where he was, but we were never able to sense his presence during the searches and his body was never found.”

  Ulthor’s face flushed red. “If you didn’t hear my agreement with the Dredgemen, how’d you even know about it?”

  “I did see you two together, but I never heard what was said.”

  “How does that show ill intentions on my part?”

  “All of the kingdoms in Aetheaon despise the Dredgemen, especially since they’re the result of demons breeding with goblins. Being miners, they are direct competition with dwarves. You weren’t fighting their leader, like anyone else would have been. Neither of you had weapons drawn. And immediately after, you tried to kill me.”

  Boldair stepped toward Ulthor and glared at his father. “You’re a disgrace to the Dwarven race, and not worthy to sit upon Nagdor’s throne.”

  Thorgum glared at Ulthor. “So this is why you didn’t wish to contribute burros and miners?”

  “Aye! The rights be mine already!”

  Boldair pointed his ax toward his father. “Not anymore.”

  Ulthor lowered his gaze. “While I did help the Dredgemen escape, I swear I had no part in whatever became of King Erik.”

  “To where did they escape?” Neela asked.

  “They used the tunnels, but where they chose t
o emerge is unknown. No other race or city will give them refuge. They might have set sail to islands. Who knows?”

  Taniesse looked at Staggnuns and Thorgum. “I’ll leave Ulthor’s fate to you two and Boldair.”

  Staggnuns nodded. “We’ll hold council once the battle is over.”

  “Very well,” Taniesse said. “Inform me of the punishment.”

  The undead dragon roared and crashed down upon a third cannon.

  Staggnuns glanced toward Odessa. “Could you destroy that blasted thing? We can deal with Ulthor’s repercussions later.”

  Odessa smiled.

  Taniesse spread her dragon wings and beat the air. “Sisters? Let’s put the dead dragon’s bones back to rest.”

  ***

  Sarey rode the horse at a full gallop. The closer she came, the larger the bone dragon appeared. She kept her attention upon the great beast. Soon, she realized that it was composed only of bone and had no flesh. An undead dragon?

  She pulled back on the reins and stopped the horse.

  Three dragons ascended into the sky, encircling the bone dragon. All three blew huge waves of orange-red flames at the undead dragon. It twisted, roared, and tried to escape, but the heat of the flames charred its bones. Being undead, it probably felt no pain, but the magical force compelling it to attack resisted. In desperation, the bone dragon exhaled a bluish cloud, but the next wave of flames ignited the old dead dragon bones. Its skeleton crashed to the snowy ground in a smoldering heap, slowly deteriorating into dark ash.

  Sarey noticed the large army lined up in formation near the glowing portal. The larger Dwarven forces began assembling and marching to meet the other army at the portal. Sarey tapped the horse and headed toward the battlefront, hoping that she’d find the person in charge. She never expected to see Lady Dawn or Caen because they had traveled south to Woodnog in search of other Dragon Skull Knights.

  The glossy sapphire oval shimmered. Spindling

  She decided to approach at a slight trot, in case these troops were as nervous as Hoffnung’s guards and might shoot her before she got close to them.