by Vic Broquard
“Me? Be a ruler? With you two? Control all Jing? Are you serious?” Her surprise sublimated into doubt. Perhaps the two were teasing her or this was some kind of joke. Never in a million years had she ever expected to inherit the throne of Jing!
“Yes, you are a Duska and you have been fighting for many of the same things that Wen and I have all these years. Now you have a chance to put things right and truly help our people on Jing. What say you? Ready to join us?” Chan asked.
“Yes, oh yes! Wait! If we are the three baronesses, then who will be the powerful barons?” she asked.
“Excellent point, Zong. As of this moment in time, we have no barons and won’t have until we three get married, if we ever do,” Chan replied. “Wen and Dana are in love, perhaps they may be the first to marry.” Wen flushed and Dana shuffled his feet about. “Dad says that a baron is not specifically required, as long as the baroness is a Duska and can handle the protection of the Circle, the palace staff, and the fortress security. This is especially true if we are not yet betrothed. Dad is backing us and has also told us that he will back you if you agree to become baroness of Jing. What say you, cousin?”
“Okay, I agree. Wow! Hey, I don’t know anything much about the Circles and their protection spells or anything,” Zong protested slightly.
Wen laughed, “Neither do we, Zong. Dad is going to teach us what we need to know, starting tomorrow. We have a major crisis on our hands. Soon now word is going to spread of the terrible tragedy that has struck us. The loss of the entire army, our rulers, and mages, could lead to wide spread panic or worse. We have to act quickly. We have the backing and support of Baron Zoran and several other barons as well. Can you come with us to the palace now? Dad can begin educating we three this evening yet.”
Zong hastily closed her shop and followed them to the palace, using teleport spells to avoid any trouble in the streets of Nanchan. Milan and Kate were both already working with the many palace guards, setting up new security protocols when the three arrived. “Hi, got some semblance of security going again,” Milan spoke up. “Oh, and Archmage Ivana will be joining us tomorrow. She will stay a while and help with magical enchantments. Later on, Zoran and the other Archmages will come to help open up the late Archmage tower, defusing his traps and such. Who is this pretty young woman?” he finally spotted Zong and gave her a good look. Chan thanked Milan and Kate and introduced their third baroness to the two.
After that, old Chen went over the basics of Circle security with the three women, but he tired easily and cut the evening’s session short. It was enough so that between the three and Milan and Kate, they managed to put new security arrangements around the three Circles of Ascension — enough for the immediate moment at least. All three women began to realize the enormity of what they did not know and yet had to know. That was what had caused Chen to become so tired. He too realized how much the three didn’t know about the fortresses, palace, and Circles. Much of it was entirely his own fault, for he had never educated them in such, only his three sons. By neglecting to give them even the basics, he’d sold them short on their birthrights. Now he needed time, lots of it, and patience too, he figured.
Aldrick and his golds worked far into the night. They took the green’s bodies back to Adapazan and gave them a proper funeral. Then, they began the grim task of picking up the remains of the soldiers, piling them into massive mounds and setting them ablaze with their fiery breaths. In the process, they also collected massive numbers of cheap swords, daggers, and armor. These, they put into piles just inside the mine. However, they also discovered a number of magically enchanted swords and daggers, along with several magical rings, gems, and amulets, along with mundane coins and gems. The coins and gems, they left on the floor of the mine near the huge mound of weapons. The magical items, however, they divided up among themselves. Aldrick looked upon them as payment for their services. After all, dragons prize magical items as much as their large gems.
Thus, when Milan came by the mine to check on things in the morning, he found that the golds had worked through the night and were now gone. Dozens of pyres were still smoldering however. He entered the mine and found the numerous piles and brought the gold and gems back to Nanchan, along with his report.
That day, the three new rulers issued a lengthy proclamation. It outlined what had happened to the former rulers and army. It told of their actions in retaking the mines and their assumption of the mantles of Jing’s baronesses. The proclamation also said that there would be no taxes on anyone for at least a year or more and that each town should send them a report of what aid and assistance the town needed to further its survival. Additionally, they advertised for new guards for the fortresses, stating that the pay would be quadruple what it had been under their father’s and brother’s rule and that the guards would never, ever be ordered to attack or fight dragons. The lengthy proclamation was duplicated and sent out to all towns and villages with at least a thousand inhabitants, with a request to forward it along to the smaller hamlets and farmsteads.
Archmage Ivana came as promised and they discussed how they could deal with the huge, debilitating shortage of mages on Jing. She promised to help train others until a more permanent solution could be worked out. Yes, the three new baronesses were constantly busy from dawn to dusk until the Spring High Council came. By then, they had some semblance of a proper government going once more and were prepared to stand before the High Council and defend their right and skill to be the official rulers of Jing.
Mage Jarka pointed out to Zoran that now another of his enemy planets had joined his allied planets. Only three planets remained in the enemy category, while the allied planets now numbered seven. “This is sure to be pointed out at the High Council meeting,” she declared flatly.
Chapter 17 Honani Makes Waves
“Dragons can breed with us? How hideous!” thirty-four year old Awinita, Honani’s wife, exclaimed. He’d just returned from visiting with Milan. The weather was tending towards spring and his group had expected him to return with easy-to-fill requests for more dragon blood and body parts. This past fall’s easy profits had quadrupled their funds in just a few months before the heavy snows came to many worlds. His group had anticipated more of the same now that the harsher weather was moderating.
“The Great Spirit must be in great turmoil over this,” Cheveyo, the Spirit Warrior. added his exclamation to the mix.
“Why are women always the victims anyway?” put in Askook’s wife, Donoma. “It’s bad enough that we carry ours for nine long months, but carry a dragon’s? I cannot think of a more despicable, horrid, abhorrent, repugnant, and repulsive thing!”
“It’s monstrous!” Cheveyo’s wife, Kachina, the Spirit Diviner, exclaimed, spitting into the pit fire in center of their hide hut. They were encamped out on the vast plains of Isi, far from any other nomadic settlements.
He went on to describe what Milan had said, particularly about the time factor. “If we are to locate any of these women alive, we have to move soon. Reds and blacks are our prime targets,” Honani continued. “We should focus our attention onto Rehor, Gerde, Alta, and Maeve. That’s where all the reds and blacks dwell, well also Isi, where a few reds live.”
“I would suggest that we focus on the reds first, since according to Milan they are doing the most and are being the nastiest about it,” Askook suggested. The other five agreed.
“I will see what I can to tonight when the children get to sleep,” Kachina, the Spirit Diviner, announced. She was their principle diviner, though Awinita also did some. Kachina was the youngest of the six at twenty-eight. She was also the frailest, a weak constitution. While Duska born, her body was thin, short, and not physically strong by any measure. She had a knack for raising children and usually the others relied upon her skills to watch their children while the five were off on their “adventures.”
On the other hand, her divination skills were unmatched by anyone within the Federation of the Sixteen Planets, tho
ugh no one even knew of her, save these five. In fact, many years ago, it was Kachina who got this band together. She’d seen that together, they were to do many great things. Thus far, she’d been right and none of the others ever doubted her in the slightest. Her predictions and “guesses” had always been right.
After dark, the men tossed another log on the fire, sprinkled several herbs over the flames. The sweet scent soon filled their domed hide hut and Kachina sat down on her deerskin mat, crossed her legs, closed her eyes, and began to focus her Duska senses. Ever outward she reached, out into the Shadow Lands. She approached Rehor and took up a monitoring position. After what seemed like an eternity to the anxious men, she moved on to Gerde. She was being methodical in that they already knew that there were more reds on Rehor than any other planet. Then came Gerde, Maeve, Alta and Isi, their world. If these women were being held on Isi, Kachina felt that she would already have sensed their presence. She intended to thoroughly search Isi last because of this.
Two hours after she apparently entered her trance, her body’s voice spoke, though she was hovering over Gerde at the time. Her voice sounded hollow and distant, “Terror, death, birth, fear, helplessness. Some are on Gerde.” Honani nodded to Askook and Cheveyo, who return his gesture. A few minutes later, her ghostly voice added, “High in the mountains. A cavern, unreachable by land. Birth and death, terror and pain. Go, go now!” Kachina’s body suddenly re-animated, her face twisted from the horrors that she’d just felt from so many women.
“I’ve never sensed such a horrid and repugnant-repulsive thing before. The women’s pains are almost unbearable! I saw the place. Touch me and go find it now. Get them help, but it may be too late, I fear.” Quickly, the three men and two women Mind Linked to her and saw her image of the mountainous cavern in which the women were being held. That’s what she meant by touch her.
“Well, no time like the present. Will you be all right here with all the kids?” Cheveyo asked.
‘Yes, I will imbibe some herbs and relax my nerves. I will be fine. You be careful. These are adult dragons that you will be handling, not infants as before,” she advised. She need not have. None of the five had any intention of fighting an adult dragon. They were not dragon slayers, just collectors of dead dragon body parts and infants who were too young to deal out much damage to them. The five packed their few things, donned heavy winter hide and fur coats, and Shadow Walked out of their large hide domed hut, appearing over Gerde together. It took them a few minutes to move around and spot the correct mountain peaks and a bit longer to find the actual high alpine cavern entrance, far above the tree line. Many feet of snow still covered the jagged rock of these mountains, on which it was treacherous to even set foot.
Honani cast Invisibility on himself and stepped out of the Shadows onto the stone floor of the entrance. His moccasins made no sound as he quietly slipped inside. Already, he’d rubbed a rag covered in red dragon musk over himself to disguise his scent, a trick all of his people on Isi used when hunting game. Invisible to sight, sound, and smell, Honani was confident that he could get in and out undetected.
Barely! He had to dodge out of the way as a female red came swooping into the entrance, very nearly landing on top of him! He followed her inside. The sight nearly caused him to gag and vomit. What was left of several human females lay discarded against a side wall; their bloody abdomens had been ripped open from the inside and their soft organs devoured by the newborn baby reds! The arriving red was given one of the newborn babies and she made quite a fuss over the small dragon, eventually taking it back to her home with her.
Honani saw many other women chained to walls. All looked pregnant to various degrees, though the terrified look in their eyes told him that they had witnessed the births and the deaths of their fellow women. He counted three adult males and a female red and then quietly left, following the mother red and her new infant out of the cavern. He stepped back into the Shadows, but was a bit reluctant to show the others what he’s seen. He sent, We best notify Milan and get our reward now, before it is too late.
The five waited until morning to contact Milan, being too risky to attempt to contact him in the middle of the night. They Shadow Walked to Brn, stepping out of the Shadows in the nearby pine forest to avoid being seen. While the others waited, Honani entered the gates of Brn and went in search of Milan. He sent him a Message, but the spell failed to activate. “Damn, Milan must be off-world. There is no time to wait. Best see if someone else will see me,” he muttered to himself. It was 17th of April and Milan was on Jing, not in Brn, Adapazan. Hence, Honani asked the gate man if he could have an audience with Baron Zoran.
A bit later, a guard escorted him into the Great Hall, where Zoran was having breakfast with his family and friends. “A Honani of Isi to see you, baron,” the guard said formally. Honani was a bit shocked to see Baron Zoran causally dining with his family and friends. Ordinarily, a baron would have made him wait until he sat upon his throne to conduct the business of the day. He felt a little at ease.
“Welcome, Honani of Isi. Care to join us? Come, have a seat. Is all well on Isi?” Zoran asked. Many eyes focused on the leather clad, man, who was holding his enormous leather and fur parka.
“Yes, Milan came to me with a proposition. If we could locate the women the dragons had abducted, he said that we would get a substantial finder’s fee. We’ve done that, found a cache of women being held by the reds, but I can’t Message Milan, as we agreed.”
“Ah, he is on Jing at the moment, helping the new rulers there get the planet salvaged. You’ve found women who have been abducted from other worlds?” Zoran both explained and asked. “If so, I will see that you are handsomely rewarded.”
“Yes, but I warn you, it is beyond description. Women are giving birth to baby red dragons, but they die as they do. It is monstrous beyond description. I can show you what I saw when I was in the cavern,” Honani answered. “If you want to save many of the women, you will have to act swiftly.” He allowed Zoran to Mind Link with him and he forced himself to replay the grizzly sights that he’d seen in the cavern.
Zoran’s face both grimaced and turned white. Zdenka knew that this tall stranger from Isi was telling the truth. At last, the location where the reds were holding the captive women had been uncovered. “Reds apparently come and go from the cavern, probably as the women give birth. Four adult reds seem to be running the show. I don’t know how you can possibly attack all four of them, but that’s the score. Have we earned the reward? If so, we will get on with looking for where the blacks are holding their captives.”
“How does fifty thousand gold sound?” Zoran asked.
“Most acceptable. Can you find the place on Gerde from what you’ve seen or do you need us to accompany you there?” Honani asked.
“How about you take us there, but you don’t have to step out of the Shadows if you so desire. However, if you and your companions wish to help us transport the rescued women after we take out the dragons, we’d appreciate your help. We need all the Duskas that we can get to help move the women, at least that has been the case so far,” he replied. “Right now, we’re short five, what with Archmage Ivana off on Jing with Chan, Wen, Kate, and Milan.” He wrote out a note instructing his paymaster to give Honani his finder’s fee. While Honani was obtaining the gems, Zoran contacted his ever-growing team, including the barons from Cosma and Terra, since some of these women may well be the ones abducted from their planets.
Last time, Zoran took old Chen and Bernard with him. He was short one and he asked Jarka to join him. Likewise, Archmage Nadia was short one, she took her husband Dusan with her, but Milan was off-world. They were short Archmage Ivana and the Valtr contingent. However, the other groups remained intact. Namely, Archmage Verushka took her husband Baron Tomas and her brother Evsen with her. Archmage Zdenka took Baron Jan and Baroness Reina with her. Archmage Marek took his wife Akira and Chika with him. Baron John took his Archmages Ben and Lisa with him. Baron Arcangelo took h
is Archmages Bianca and Alfredo with him. Baron Stefan took his Archmages Chesna and Patrik with him. Finally, the remaining barons and baronesses from Cosma, and Terra, all Duska, also came with them. All had high hopes that more of their women would be saved somehow. None of them were prepared for the ghastly, grizzly encounter that they were about to have.
Around ten, the group assembled, weapons and potions ready, particularly so with Archmage Karel’s Rods of Dragon Slaying. He personally checked the charges in each rod and that they were in good shape. Honani brought his companions into the Great Hall and they received many compliments and thank you’s from the barons for having located the abducted women. Just how they had done this feat none dared ask, though Zoran decided to ask Honani later on, once the critical situation was handled. Following Honani and his group, the large attacking party stepped into the Shadows, leaving Adapazan behind them.
God! I hate this, Jarka thought as she found herself nearly dumping the contents of her stomach as her tidy universe vanished into nothingness, disorienting her completely. She gripped Zoran’s hand hard.
As before, when they reached Gerde and the high altitude cavern, Zoran had those who were not being protected with Karel’s rods remain in the Shadows, close to the entrance. They were charged with Messaging the others if another red suddenly came to the cavern. After each cast Invisibility on themselves, each trio materialized out of the Shadows and onto the stone floor of the huge, gaping cavern entrance.
Unlike Honani, they were ineffective at hiding their footsteps or their odor. Zoran’s group only got some twenty feet inside when one dragon who was on guard duty started sniffing the air and listening. “Intruders! Intruders at the entrance!” he called out. He did not need to see them to know that humans were invading the cavern. Further, considering its prime location, he also knew that it had to be powerful Duskas at the very least or perhaps mages. The cavern was wholly unreachable on foot by humans, which was precisely why this spot was so carefully chosen and the enormous cavern dug from the bedrock of the mountain.
