by Vic Broquard
The other trios were right behind him. Honani and the Duska groups remained behind, waiting in the Shadows. Their task would be to transport the victims to safety and to alert those inside if more dragons arrived. Katerina kept watch on the distant black while Akira watched the one resting on top of the peak above the cavern’s entrance.
Zoran’s trio materialized inside the cavern’s entrance some distance inside, leaving room for the others to set foot inside without being seen by the two watchers. No sooner had he materialized than an Alarm Warning spell detonated. “Intruders! Intruders! All hands, intruders!” This was followed by a long gong sound. Almost at the same time, a Force Wall went up over the opening of the cavern and a second one appeared some twenty feet ahead of Zoran, blocking their forward progress as well as their retreat. “Damn, we’ve set off a trap!” Jarka yelled. “We should be looking for traps now. What’s next? Arrows from above?” She, of course, was referring to the murder holes many of the barons had installed in the key entrance gates into their fortresses. The enemy would be trapped in the long, narrow halls, while the defenders rained arrows down upon their heads from arrow slits in the ceiling. She looked up, half expecting to see arrows raining down upon them.
Instead, she saw several large holes. “Damn! Look out, above us!” she cried out. All heads looked in time to see great blasts of Black Dragon Acid pouring down on them from above — a certain death, Baron Ailfrid was certain. He covered his head with his hands in a hopeless attempt to prevent his own death — his body eaten by acid. He didn’t even think to Shadow Walk out of the trap.
The rods worked to perfection, ten great spheres surrounded all of them, keeping the acid completely off of them, rather like umbrella in the rain. Unfortunately, the acid’s volume continued to build up. Soon they would be in a swimming pool of extremely caustic acid. Archmage Zdenka quickly shot a Disintegrate beam at the rear Force Wall, dispelling it. The acid began flowing to the lower elevation, on out the cavern’s entrance, drooling down the mountain’s steep side, creating a caustic cloud of fumes rising into the clear sky as it ate its way into the bedrock while it dripped on down towards the tarn far below. Zoran did the same to the Force Wall blocking their further passage into the chambers ahead. “Okay, off we go. Stay alert!” he ordered and they moved on into the cavern very slowly. The acid began eating into the soles of their boots, unfortunately. Jarka yelled towards the rear, “Someone back there, conjure lime and water over the floor or our boots are history!”
Ailfrid glanced ahead and to the rear, trying to absorb what had happened so quickly. He was still alive and unharmed, much to his amazement. Archmage Breana, on the other hand, grasped the scene and said, “Fast thinking. I will be more alert.” Zoran smiled, the Archmage would be a valuable ally.
Ahead, the long entrance tunnel gave way to an enormous cavern. Zoran saw why instantly. Five adult blacks had already moved from their positions above them and were now lined up just ahead of them. This huge space had a smaller exit to the far right, but was otherwise empty, perfect for the dragons to battle their intruders. This place had been well thought out. Zoran suspected very strongly that the reds had shared their information with the blacks who had prepared their defenses accordingly.
Knowing that their acid had done nothing to the invaders, the blacks resorted to using their spells next. As Zoran and the others set foot in the huge underground room, the five blacks cast their spells. Great Balls of Fire encompassed the trios; Caustic Gas Clouds filled the air around them; a Forked Lightning arced towards them, threatening to hit the front three. Once more, Zoran’s foresight prevailed. All these deadly spells were lower level ones and their Protection spells detonated, negating or countering the five deadly strikes, much to the chagrin of the five blacks.
The two guards are swooping down by the entrance. I think they are going to attack you from the rear! Katerina Messaged Zoran and Zdenka, distracting them, and causing them to have to delay their spells. Verushka and Nadia fired off their spells as did Karel and Breana. All had shot disintegrate spells. Unfortunately they had no time to coordinate their attacks and ended up with overlapping attacks. Two blacks died as the four beams eliminated large portions of their mammoth heads. The other three acted, leaping into the air and dropping down on top of the large group of invaders! Tons of dragon weight bore down upon them. Baron Ailfrid bailed out, Shadow Walking back to his own fortress! If Zoran wants to get killed, let him! he justified his cowardice.
Duska senses warned those who had them and their lightning fast responses allowed them to duck and roll out of the way of the crushing bodies of the three blacks. Similarly, the Archmages long used to lightning moves to dodge attacking spells just barely managed to avoid being crushed by the dropping massive bodies. Bernard and several others didn’t, due in large part to the confined space that they were in. One black landed squarely on Mage Bernard. While the Skin of Stone protected him and he took no actual injuries, he was knocked unconscious. The wind also knocked out of him and he suffered several broken ribs and internal injuries. Jarka leapt to the side of the dragon lying on top of her husband and began to stab it with her magical dagger. The conflict turned to one of physical blows now. Zoran reacted, drawing both of his enchanted short swords, cutting into the dragon resting atop poor Bernard.
Zdenka calmed down and cast her usual Crushing Fist around the head of a second one. Verushka and Nadia shot huge, devastating rounds of Magical Missiles into the third one, while many others began hacking at the dragons with their enchanted blades. One black’s huge gaping mouth with its razor sharp teeth found its target, Verushka, and it bit down hard, hoping to sever her head from her body. Once more, the Skin of Stone spell activated. Although shocked and stunned by the severity of the massive strike and bite, she was not decapitated as the black expected. The Skin of Stone kept its teeth from actually puncturing her flesh, but the force of its bite crushed her neck. She passed out. Another black tried to rip Zoran’s right arm out of his body, but the Skin of Stone activated, once more saving him, although he dropped one of his deadly short swords as that arm went numb on him. His left arm was dislocated, throbbing in pain.
Things were not looking too well for the group, as two more blacks came rushing up from their rear. “Oh this is just great!” Jarka cursed, wholly unable to get the black off of her husband, whom she figure was now quite dead, crushed by the huge black mass.
Just then, they heard other voices. “Need a little help?” It was Chan and Wen. Both had materialized upon the rear blacks necks, plunging their enchanted daggers into their eye sockets. Dana had come with them and was stabbing his huge enchanted bastard sword into the belly of the black that Wen was attacking. It moaned and swooned, collapsing on the ground, causing Dana to dive to get out of the way or be crushed as it fell. Wen teleported off it, landing nearby.
Again, Chan, holding onto the dragon’s neck, struck its other eye, plunging her dagger deep into its brain. Her dagger snapped and the dragon fell. She too teleported off it landing beside Wen. “Damn, there goes another dagger!” Dana handed her his.
Zoran took a hint from Wen and Chan. He teleported to the dragon’s neck and plunged his short sword into its eye, driving it deep into the dragon’s brain. It let out a hideous wail and slowly slumped to the stone floor, dead. However, it was still on top of poor Bernard. “Bernard’s under it! Help!” Jarka screamed, figuring the worst.
“Verushka’s in trouble!” Zdenka yelled to anyone who would listen.
As the chaos spread, several Archmages, including Breana, joined together and cast multiple Lift spells, moving the heavy dead weight off of the unconscious man. Zdenka suggested they dump it off the edge and the group continued to push the levitated mass on out and off the cliff, whereon they cancelled their many Lift spells. The carcass dropped like a rock, smashing into the huge boulders below, joining the dead human bodies.
Meanwhile, Nadia reached the unconscious Verushka and began pouring a healing potion do
wn her crushed throat, praying all the while. Dana saw Zoran leaning against a carcass of a black, his left shoulder dangling at a strange angle. He rushed to him. Taking a hold of Zoran’s arm, he said, “This is going to hurt a little.” He gave a huge pull. Zoran bellowed in pain, but the arm snapped back into its socket. Someone handed him a healing potion and he guzzled it and finally began looking around at the scene.
One by one, the remaining six huge dragon bodies were similarly disposed of, clearing out the cavern and entrance area. “Okay, recast protections. Our rods are about out of charges, so be careful! Let’s see what else they have in store for us. Jarka, you stay behind and look after our fallen.”
“He’s alive! I don’t know how, but he is!” she exclaimed, tears of joy streaming down her face. She poured a healing potion after healing potion into his mouth and forced him to swallow them. Then she moved on to several others who could use a bit of healing and repeated her actions, holding their heads and pouring her special potions into their mouths.
“Oh my head! What happened?” a moaning Bernard finally roused and spoke, his hands grasping his head. “I ache all over. Oh! Dragons!” he suddenly remembered the fight.
“We got them all. You are safe! I am so glad that you are unhurt, dear,” she exclaimed as the other three regained consciousness as well. “I think that we got them all and the others are exploring the cavern now, probably rescuing the women.” She then outlined the battle to the four.
“I am not okay! I feel like someone dropped a mountain on me,” Bernard complained. “My whole insides ache beyond belief!”
“They did drop a mountain on you — a huge black one,” she teased. “I’d better go throw up a Force Wall over the entrance in case more blacks arrive. It’ll slow them down a bit. Honani and Katerina haven’t said more are coming, but I don’t want to take any chances.”
After they all regrouped, Zoran led the way further into the complex. The tunnel soon branched to the right. Zdenka took her group that way, figuring it led to the murder holes above the entrance. It did and she quickly rejoined the others who had now entered a large chamber with four side chambers. They’d just finished checking the one on their right, which turned out to be a pantry-kitchen to feed the captive women.
“We have three more. Let’s divide up and check. Yell if there are traps or more dragons,” he ordered.
A minute later, Zdenka entered the middle chamber of the three that remained only to see a female black dragon working on cleaning up a newborn baby black. The dead human woman’s body lay nearby, a blood pool was nearly four feet around what remained of her body. “You beasts!” the black screamed. Before they could react, the black, still holding the newborn, Shadow Walked out of the underground room. She yelled “Dragon!” She then added that it had left with a newborn.
“Oh dear god!” Verushka whispered as she and her group came upon the women in the right chamber. She’d recovered from her crushed neck, thanks to the healing potions, but her voice was funny and weak still.
A woman was obviously about to give birth. The woman called out, “Alfreda, I think it is time for me, but it is hurting so! Please, help me, I can’t take the pain.” Verushka rushed to the woman’s side to assist, casting her Morph spell. “Oh, that is so much better,” the woman said.
The sights that the trios saw were far worse than they’d yet witnessed. “Why are they acting that way?” Jarka asked as she finally joined the others.
“The blacks have made good use of their Charm Person spells,” Verushka replied. “Here, lend me a hand with her.” She grimaced as she realized her voice still sounded strange.
Meanwhile Zoran finished explaining to everyone standing just outside the three chambers in which the women were housed. He’d brought them all in from the Shadows to help transport them all to safety. “Okay, we have two women in labor right now that we dare not move, not after what happened last time. The blacks have apparently learned from the mistakes of the reds. They cast Blind spells on the women and then Charm Person, thus the women willingly do what is asked of them. From what little we’ve learned from a few of them, shortly after they were Blinded, they were put to sleep, probably by a simple Sleep spell. They awoke missing their arms, with aching shoulders. As you will soon see, the blacks used their acid on the women, dissolving their arms near their shoulders. Jarka guesses that they then used some form of healing potion on the women. The blacks wanted to guarantee with absolute certainty that these women would carry their baby dragons to term. Prepare yourselves for the awful sight. All of the women are naked. We’ve left most of the Charm and Blind spells un-dispelled until we get them to our infirmary. Jarka says they will have less trauma that way.” Many gasps and groans echoed in the huge chamber.
He continued, “Based on skin colors and the little that we dared communicate, it appears that eight are from Jing. Eight are from Terra and Baron John has confirmed those. One is from Rehor; four are from Adapazan; and two are from Cosma.”
“But how?” Bernard asked. “Didn’t we find all our missing women?”
“It seems they have taken a new approach. With our four women, Bernard, they went to bed in their homes and woke up here as captives. I am theorizing that the dragons came in the middle of the night and abducted the sleeping women from their beds. We must now alert our people to anticipate such things and to begin reporting isolated disappearances. Not even I would have made the connection, Bernard, but we will now! That is also the story on the eight Terra women. Okay, you can now transport them to our infirmary. One from Cosma and one from Adapazan are currently in labor and we’ll have to wait on those, I am afraid.”
“Baron,” Archmage Breana spoke up, “we could teleport them to my tower down in the forest. I don’t like hanging around here. They could come back in force.”
“Okay, let’s make it so. Zdenka and I along with Jarka will remain with the two. Everyone else, head to Brn now.”
A few minutes later, Zoran, Zdenka, Jarka, and the two women allowed themselves to be teleported by Breana into her tower within Baron Ailfird’s fortress and Circle at Dunharrow Caern, deep within the forest, where it was springtime and warm. While Zdenka and Jarka attended the two women, Zoran stood by ready to do whatever was needed. Breana summoned Baron Ailfrid and forced him to witness the women’s plight. So stern was her countenance that the frightened baron could not help but do as she asked. He turned green and rushed to the bathroom. “Serves the coward right,” Breana chastised him as he left. Zoran grinned. “What do we do with the newborn dragons? Vanish spell?” He nodded.
“Little help, Zoran. It’s not accepting my Morph spell anymore,” Jarka called out. Both Breana and Zoran recast the spell much to the relief of the poor woman from Cosma. Shortly after that, the black dragon appeared, though it was still forced to be in its human form.
“Allow me,” Archmage Breana said, just as Baron Ailfrid reappeared. He saw it turn into its tiny Black Dragon form as it suddenly vanished from sight.
“My god! It was a Black Dragon in her!” He hastily left once more, very sick at his stomach.
Breana grinned. “What some of we Archmages have to live with,” she commented dourly.
An hour later, the other woman gave birth and within a few minutes, they all returned to Brn and the over-crowded infirmary there.
“Our first decision, Zoran,” Verushka explained, though her voice was still not fully recovered, “was whether or not to cancel the spells of blindness and charming. You see, they are totally calm, relaxed, and do whatever you say in spite of their awful condition. In some ways, having them calm really helps the care givers. However, we opted for truth. These women need to know the truth. Thus, one by one, we have been undoing the spells that the blacks put on them. You can tell when we are successful. Ah, there, that woman’s screams indicate the last of her spells have been undone.”
“Well, I’d scream too if I woke up and discovered all this had been done to my body and me,” Zdenka agreed.
“Yes, we then talk with the women, getting their names and stories, logging them as Jarka has ordered. Once that’s done, it’s off to get them bathed and their hair washed. When we finally get them into clean dresses, they are usually hungry. Once fed, we’ve been assigning them specific beds, putting their names and due dates on a card over their bed heads. Jarka, perhaps you can take a look at their scarred shoulders where the blacks used acid to burn off their arms. Can anything be done to improve the look of their shoulders?”
“On it,” she stated and left to do just that.
Verushka continued her report. “We saved the two who just gave birth. We expect two more will be due in the morning, with another woman due the next day and then another the day after. Those are from Cosma and Adapazan, by the way. The blacks have been smarter than the reds. They’ve planned the due dates cleverly. Instead of all the women coming due at the same time, they’ve staggered them at least a day apart. Around the 4th of May and continuing for eight days, the Jing women are due. Around the 15th of June and for eight days after that the Terra women are due. Clever, we will not be so swamped. Oh and one more thing, the women who have just delivered are also radiating the same level of magical energies that our seventeen women are. We should begin their magic training as soon as they’ve recovered from the birthing. Once they have mastered the Morph Self spell, they can then have arms as long as the spell lasts and that will help them immensely.”
Archmage Nadia added, “Dad, we have run out of helpers for the armless women. Can you see if you can obtain some helpers from Cosma and Terra to lend a hand with them?”
“Okay, but let’s have the fifteen women from Terra who have their arms and are not due until June lend a hand to the blind women and the new arrivals. Let them help out. Meantime, we’re going to need at least a dozen mages and or Duska trained women to help with the maternity problems. Too many are due at nearly the same times in June.” He set about to see what could be worked out with the other barons.
