Knights of the Dragon (of Knights and Wizards Book 1)

by A. J. Gallant

  Ella was now angry. “Father, Zedock is not leaving. I am not raising those dragons by myself. Besides, I love him. And what if our little ones hatch black? How will you explain that?”

  “I am not leaving my family, and you can’t make me!” shouted Zedock.

  “You either leave, or I’m going to kill you, it is your choice.”

  Zedock so wanted to stick up for his family, but he knew that the big red dragon was doing the same. If he got himself killed he would be helping no one. His courage was subsiding. What was stopping him from coming back when Krandar wasn’t around? “Well, since you put it that way I guess I’ll be on my way.”

  “Zedock no!”

  “Your father is going to kill me. Look at his eyes; he’s serious.” Zedock took to the wind with a sad heart, but he had no intention of abandoning Ella.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

  THE FRESHNESS OF THE MORNING AIR moved along with the sun’s rays as it pushed its way past the sparse red clouds. There was a slight chill but not bad at all for early morning. Silhouetted in the distance against the rising sun were three red dragons. A lonely tree smoldered having been struck by lightning during the night; might it foreshadow the fate of Leander’s future?

  Because they came under a spell that concealed them in the night the Yurrosy were not spotted until the morning sun dissipated the enchantment, and then there they were, tens of thousands of warriors outside the walls of Leeander. It was as if they had appeared out of thin air, the voices concealed as well. Suddenly a cacophony of words spoken over one another mixed and was brought to the ears of Leeander’s archers, breaking the relative silence of the morn. Their horses were tired and restless, the stench of blood and sweat from the men already reaching the soldiers on the castle wall. Loud voices and whinnies drifted with the distance sounds of catapults slowly rolling closer. Progress was slow and cumbersome, but they had the numbers to defend their actions. It would take days, perhaps even a week before they would be prepared to attack.

  The Yurrosy weren’t as enthusiastic as they usually were before a battle; they believed that Leeander had a powerful wizard, but they had no choice in the matter as Chromos had commanded the attack. That kingdom brought apprehension. Their sorcerer would soon show up, and they would be glad to see him; they assumed that this battle might very well depend on who had the most adept wizard. All those smiling faces looking down upon them from Leeander’s walls was proof enough that they would soon regret an attack on this kingdom. Why were they smiling with such numbers amassing on their border? Magic was more frightening than a sharpened sword in battle.

  The Yurrosy were tired and cranky as horse-drawn carts loaded with food made its way into their midst. One fellow beat his horse for not cooperating and paid the price; a hoof to the forehead killed him. An apple fight ensued, a way to get rid of some of the tension. Green apples were flying everywhere, and of course, the face was the preferred target. The sounds of the fruit connecting solidly with heads and faces made it up the soldiers on the walls. One of the captains finally made them stop.

  Spears stuck in the ground in defiance. Groups of archers were gathering together and discussing the upcoming battle, knowing that some of them would not be around to see the end of it; such was the way of war. The price always a heavy one. They pointed to different areas of the wall and one tall fellow shook his fist to show how they were going to crush the enemy.

  King Darius made his way to the outer bailey wall with a stern face until he was in sight of his archers, and then he faked a wicked smile. Berhtram was enjoying a ride on the king’s shoulder and squawked once; the raven was thoroughly enjoying the king’s company. Darius wore a red robe laced with gold and a crossbow over his shoulder along with his sword. He knew this day was coming, and now that it was here it was demoralizing staring into the face of such numbers, knowing that any one of them would be happy to take his head. He stared down for a moment or two but made sure not to linger. All he could think about was this was the beginning of the end.

  Should Stone and Alexa return now how the hell would they get back into the kingdom? They were in the process of surrounding Leeander. The archers stood waiting for the command to unleash their arrows. If it was their time then so be it. Darius walked past them with a heavy heart but wouldn’t let his emotions show. Surrender was out of the question. Then he wondered if the tables were turned, thinking that if they were facing a powerful sorcerer, what would they not want to hear or see? He had already talked to the men about mind games.

  Down below they had commenced setting up tents and other dwellings just out of reach of Leeander’s archers. Several groups of a hundred or more had clumped together and were apparently discussing the battle to come as this one and that one pointing towards the castle. Some appeared to be looking toward the towers. Leeander’s jovial mood made them nervous because they must have a most unpleasant surprise for the inevitable invaders. Darius had commanded his men to look happy.

  An enormous black dragon flew over observing the goings-on but then flew off without interfering. He would return when he heard the sounds of sword on sword. He produced a mighty wall of flame and then flew through it, playing.

  Darius walked over to the huge crossbow that they had set up on the wall, and he spoke to the knight that was manning it. “Alastor, you do know how that weapon works?”

  He bowed to the king. He was a little nervous as it was the first time he had engaged him in conversation. “Yes, your majesty. When a dragon appears we must point it at the dragon, the arrow must sight it, and only when the arrow turns red can we then unleash it and it won’t matter where the dragon is because the magic will seek out its heat and kill it.”

  “Yes, that’s the idea. That thing is so thick it won’t be easy to move around. It might be impossible to sight it. Adorok conjured that up when he was a lot younger, and there’s no saying that it’ll work, but we have to try.”

  “Yes, your majesty.”

  “If he were a young and healthy wizard a sky full of arrows would already be raining down upon them. Notice that they look nervous down there. They don’t know what magic will befall them.” The king continued his walk along the wall. “Men, are you ready to make them a little more apprehensive? We need to laugh at them.”

  On the king’s signal, they all started to laugh as if they had just heard the funniest thing; they laughed loud and heartily like they had practiced. Some of them gestured toward the Yurrosy and laughed. The sound of merriment traveled to the enemy and stopped them in their tracks. Every single one of them stared up toward the archers. Even their roughest and toughest were concerned, and it didn’t help that the horses were skittish. One of the horses ran off across the landscape, and there was no stopping it. Uneasiness went through them like a high wind through the grass.

  The commander raised his fist. “Steady yourselves men. Don’t forget that we have more than one wizard. Cynric should be along any time now. And then we’ll see who has the last laugh.”

  Whenever they approached a kingdom it was always fear that had greeted them; they would never attack unless they far outnumbered their enemy. There was no denying that Leeander’s joviality was unnerving. They had never seen anything like it. If it was up to them they would turn and forget the invasion, but, of course, it wasn’t. They listened and worried as the laughter subsided, and then the commanders ordered them to get back to work. Their wizard had been dispatched so where the hell was he? Being on the back of a dragon shouldn’t he have been here by now?

  The Yurrosy grew silent for a time as they got back to work, hoping that their demise wasn’t imminent. Captains went through the crowd trying hard to bolster their mood, but they were only moderately successful. When a crow screeched and fell out of the sky, landing dead amongst them that certainly didn’t fill them with confidence. Many of the soldiers were superstitious, and some of them would be happy for the battle to commence so it could finish. The mind could be a fragile thing before the battle,
imagining the worst but hoping for the best.

  They were never so happy to see Cynric flying out of a cloud on the back of a red dragon. A cheer went up. Now Leeander would also have to face the might of a wizard. Cynric flew over Leeander taking note of their defenses and searching for their wizard. He flew over the ward and past the keep, being perplexed at their mood in the light of such overwhelming odds, with more soldiers to come. Some archers tried hard to track him from behind arrow slits. He knew he was in danger by doing so, but he would not go against the king’s wishes; the plan was to make Adorok show himself. Cynric had an enchantment with him that would hopefully take care of their wizard, but for it to work, he needed to see him. It was a potent concoction that had taken him almost a year to complete.

  It was disconcerting to see Cynric flying over the kingdom. King Darius made them hold back their arrows as their inaccuracies might give confidence to the intruders. He was flying so fast that it was unlikely that they could hit him in any case. They had to endure his effrontery and appear happy while doing so. It worked, the face of the wizard did not look at all happy as he made his second pass over Leeander; he felt that an enchantment was going to knock him out of the sky at any moment. He knew flying over made him vulnerable, and so he flew as fast as the dragon was able.

  Cynric was nowhere near the sight of the crossbow until his third pass when he flew directly in its path. The arrow turned red, and it unleashed with a mighty twang, and it took to the air. The huge arrow that was more like a small tree with eagle feathers for fletching soared; it turned ninety degrees as it pursued the dragon and within seconds it had pierced the red dragon’s heart. It tumbled toward the ground as Cynric screamed. He couldn’t believe he was going to perish like this. The dragon fell out of the sky and was dead when it struck the ground; the wizard didn’t survive the fall either. Gravity had killed the great Cynric.

  Audible gasps of disbelief went through the Yurrosy. Had they observed the demise of their wizard? It was as if they were living a nightmare. The mighty Cynric was dead, surprising even King Darius. He knew the chance of taking down a dragon had been slim, and now the body of their great wizard lay crumpled on the ground in a pool of his blood. The Yurrosy started to move away from Leeander’s border but didn’t flee. They moved back about two miles as they would await word from Chromos. They sent a crow off with a message to their king detailing what had occurred and would have to wait for the response before they decided what to do next.

  It appeared that at least for now, luck was with Leeander.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

  MERRILL WAS TIRED AS HE DISMOUNTED from his horse but the horse was, even more, fatigued; he had fallen asleep briefly while on the steed and awoke as his head was bobbing around. Now that they had a wizard in tow they were attempting to rush home but discovered that they had been pushing themselves and the animals too hard.

  There were many obstacles in the lives of knights and now time and distance were also the enemies. It would be more than just inconvenient if they ran the horses to death.

  “Our poor horses have just about had it,” said Alexa. She so preferred to be out here than back in Leeander waiting for the inevitable. At least, she was doing something. Back there she had just about been ready to pull all her hair out; patience had never been her forte. The responsibility on her father must be squashing him like a foot on a bug.

  The area that they now traveled in enabled them to see for miles in all directions, but Stone worried about a dragon spotting them from the air. Being able to take to the air on the back of a dragon made hiding that much harder. If only they had a spell to release the dragons from their torment. Surely some wizard must be able to come up with one. They would protect Gabriel with their lives, but they were still a long way from home. It seemed to Alexa that Gabriel wasn’t the greatest sorcerer, but as long as he could do the job they would be happy. Their hearts and thoughts were with their families and friends back in Leeander, and they all prayed that they wouldn’t be too late. It continuously occupied their minds. Time waited for no one, at least not without a spell.

  Obed had put several arrows into a pterocrit as it had flown overhead, and Alexa had had to run to avoid from being crushed by the big bird as it hit the ground but it was more than enough food to feed all of them. That would have been terrible news to have to tell the king, that a pterocrit squashed his daughter. The bird was cooked over an open fire and cut up with their daggers. Protein was the fuel of a fighter. Lance, Merrill, Brent, and Obed ate silently. At least, they were on their way home and if they could make it Alonzo and Denton would be celebrated as heroes, but if they didn’t return then no one in Leeander would ever know of their fate. Of course, if Leeander were destroyed they would all be forgotten, eventually swept away by the winds of time.

  Stone and Alexa went away from the others and kissed. His rough hands touched her face and neck; their lips pressed into one another passionately. Stone never tasted anything so wonderful. The scent of her neck was magnificent. They couldn’t accomplish much more than kiss even though they wanted to become intimate. The thought that every kiss might be their last was tearing up Stone inside, but fate would dictate what would come next. Their destiny now entwined like fibers of a strong rope, and their lives would swing together.

  Merrill stopped chewing as his eyes widened; his eyebrows rose as he sensed magic in the area. He hoped it was Gabriel that he was sensing, but he didn’t think so. The magic appeared to have miles to it. The awareness felt like abrasive sand blowing in his face even though there wasn’t any. Was it distant supernatural activity? Because he couldn’t be sure of what it was he decided to remain silent about it. His talent was not always accurate, and where it had originated was a puzzle to him. It was a spell cast by Adorok years ago, and he had gotten too close to the magic that had swirled around the wizard and so ended up coated in the invisible particles.

  It was uncertain whether the wizard could power up their shield or not but they hoped it to be the case; otherwise they would have to turn around and head right back out. Any slim chance was better than none. They had no option but to fight until they could no longer do so. The road of a knight was usually up a steep mountain pass fraught with brigands, miscreants, and obstacles, not through a pleasant scenic forest path lined with songbirds.

  Alexa started a conversation with the wizard Gabriel when he suddenly stood up and looked to his left, dropping his piece of meat onto the ground. He could see the dust being kicked up on the horizon, perhaps more than two dozen horses riding fast. They were all talented fighters, but there was always a limit; there were too many of them to fight. In seconds, they had gone from enjoying their meal to being in a desperate situation. The archers could get some of them from a distance but still. They quickly mounted their horses but to their horror, they wouldn’t budge. Then an orange fireball came like an asteroid out of the sky, originating from the direction of their pursuers and when it hit it turned to ash and spread; all their horses lay down and went to sleep. A spell designed specifically for the horses so that they were unable to flee. It appeared that the sand in the hourglass of their lives was running out.

  Stone ran up to the wizard. “Gabriel, can you break the spell on the horses?”

  “I cannot and even if I could they are exhausted.”

  Stone’s heart sank; he could not bear to think of the fate that would soon be upon them, especially Princess Alexa. How could he endure to see her felled by a sword or an arrow? He felt like crying but of course, it wasn’t an option, nor would it have done anyone any good. He closed his eyes briefly, and the enemy rode closer and closer.

  “What do we do? We can’t outrun them!” Alexa was looking to Stone for answers, but there were none to give. “What do we do? Stone?”

  Stone knew that the number of soldiers that approached were insurmountable. “Attempting to outrun their horses would only tire us out. We wait, and we fight there is no other option. Unless Gabriel can take car
e of them?”

  All eyes went to the wizard, who by his demeanor wasn’t showing them any confidence. “I am afraid that my energy is mostly depleted and won’t return for several days.”

  Obed shook his head. “Silly me, I thought we were going to make it home.”

  They stood and watched and waited. When they were in range a single arrow was launched and struck Gabriel in the heart, and he fell dead, turning to dust with only his bones remaining. Sparkles of translucent light flickered and soaked into the ground. Their primary goal had been to kill the wizard. The magic that Alexa so desired for Leeander was gone. Obed took down four of the Yurrosy when Stone stopped him from releasing any more arrows. Surrounded by more than thirty of the enemy they were forced to surrender. Their luck had abandoned them. Stone knew that they would be prisoners and obliged to join them or else.

  Stone and Alexa and the others spent the night shackled together near a roaring fire surrounded by thirty soldiers. Interrogated and beaten though they all stuck to the same story, that they were nomads from the west. When the sun rose, Stone was caught trying to remove his shackles as three soldiers stared down at Alexa with lust in their hearts. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what they soon would be up to with the princess. One fellow released her shackles, and she punched him so hard in the solar plexus that he fell and couldn’t get up, gasping for air. The others laughed at him for being taken down by a woman. But she was overwhelmed, set upon by four of them; it was like trying to hold down a tiger, but they managed it.