by Hans Bezdek
I took off the Time Shield, placing it over my left arm and trying to get it to activate. If we could go back to before the dragon screeched, maybe we could hide and the beast wouldn’t see us.
“Is it working?” asked Dhot, bombs in hand.
“I don’t think so,” I said, shaking my arm up and down.
“Wha… where am I?” asked Braun, sitting up and rubbing his eyes.
“Kind of in the middle of something,” said Cassandra.
Braun’s eyes widened as he looked at the three of us, jumping to his feet. “Ye three! Ya thought ye could take me prisoner in me weaker form, eh?”
“We can explain later, but for now we’ve got company!” I shouted as the red dragon touched down behind the dwarf. The dragon was the size of the black ones we fought in Mela, and watched us curiously.
Braun raised an eyebrow as he turned. “A red one, eh? It looks like we’re near Feldarkr, and ya came out from the southeast… ain’t that right?”
“You are correct,” said the dragon, a deep rumble in his voice.
“Didn’t find the Mace ya were lookin fer, did ya?”
“You must be the keeper of that monastery, then,” said the red, bending lower to examine the dwarf more carefully. “I was greatly disappointed to not find it.”
“How did ya know to go lookin there fer it?” asked Braun, taking a step closer towards the dragon. I was surprised by the dwarf’s composure. Most creatures actively ran away from any sort of dragon, especially those colored red and black. While Braun’s other side was perpetually nervous and prone to whimpering, this one seemed quite the opposite.
“We have our sources,” growled the dragon. “Although they seem to be not as trustworthy as I assumed.”
“If ya be so kind as to tell me the name of yer source, I can send him a message fer ya,” smiled Braun.
“That won’t be necessary. I do not sense that Grimkell’s Mace is on you. Do you or your friends know where it is?”
“Me friends?” he asked, looking back at us. “Ha! These three? Nay, these not be me friends.”
“Actually, we kind of are now,” I said.
“Huh?”
“Your other side has been working with us,” explained Cassandra. “He’s a bit strange, but nice enough.”
“Me other side be workin with ye?” he asked. “But why?”
“You familiar with the prophecy of the Winged One?” I asked. The dwarf nodded. “We all believe you… er, he, is the runt of Brumark.”
“Runt of Brumark? Me? Ha!” laughed the dwarf. “There’s no way. All that prophecy gunk is a bunch of baloney anyway. No one believes-”
“The Winged One?” repeated the red dragon, turning to us. “That must mean you’re the ones that Ulrich has been keeping an eye on.”
“Keeping an eye on?” asked Dhot. “No he hasn’t. We’d have seen him.”
“Who’s Ulrich?” asked Braun.
“The soon to be ruler of all of Yaerna,” answered the dragon. “And yes, goblin. Ulrich has agents all over to do his bidding, whether or not he is there.”
“Ruler of all of Yaerna?” scoffed Braun. “I dunno what yer smokin, but ain’t no one gonna rule over all the different races and territories.”
“I’m afraid you’re right, which is why there will have to be a culling of the people groups,” smiled the dragon. “Which will begin here, if none of you know where Grimkell’s Mace is.”
“You’re not getting it out of us,” I said, holding the Time Shield up.
“Ye know where it is?” asked Braun.
“We told you, we’re friends now,” said Cassandra.
“If you won’t tell me where the Mace is, there’s no point in letting you live,” said the dragon. Fire immediately formed in the dragon’s mouth as he finished speaking.
“Fire breath!” I shouted, running for Braun. Dhot and Cassandra dashed off in each direction, spreading out as much as possible.
The dragon let loose an onslaught of fire as I jumped in front of the dwarf, bringing my Shield up to absorb the flames.
“Oi! Watch it!” shouted Braun at the dragon as the breath ended.
“You realize he’s trying to kill you too, right?” I shouted back at him.
“Why would he that?” laughed the dwarf. “I’ve done nothin to him.”
“Yes you have,” growled the dragon, lashing out with his tail.
I again caught the attack on the Time Shield, but was thrown back several feet from the force of the blow.
“What’re ya talkin about, ya silly lizard?” asked Braun. “I ain’t with these freaks, regardless of what they say.”
“I know you were the one guarding over the Mace,” hissed the dragon, swiping out at the dwarf with a claw.
The dwarf tried to jump out of the way, but took the tip of the claws on his arm. Braun shouted out in pain, while Cassandra ran at the dragon from his left.
The Shattered Sword was glowing blue as it came down at the dragon, slicing open a section on his side.
The dragon roared, spinning his tail at her. Cassandra hopped over it, running at him again with the Sword held high. The dragon brought his wings close to his body, flinging them wide as the elf got near. She wasn’t able to dodge this, and was sent flying into the snow.
Braun took the time to get to his feet, before hurrying past me.
“Where are you going?” I asked.
“Back home,” he grunted. “This battle ain’t fer me.”
“Back home?” asked the dragon, barking with laughter. “You mean the wreckage that used to be the Konall Monastery?”
“Wreckage? What do ya mean?”
“I tore that place apart looking for Grimkell’s Mace,” smiled the dragon. “I was upset when it was nowhere to be found, and took my anger out on the tower. I hope there wasn’t anything too sentimental in there, since I left it in a flaming pile.”
“Konall Monastery is destroyed?” said the dwarf slowly. His eyes narrowed and he glared up at the dragon. “Ye’ll pay fer this, ya worm!”
Black balls of magic appeared in Braun’s hands as the dragon laughed at him.
“Maha!”
A set of explosions went off in unison along the dragon’s back and wings. I watched Dhot run around to the other side of the roaring dragon, pulling out more bombs and going for the opening Cassandra made.
Unfortunately, the dragon also saw him, and sent the goblin tumbling away with a backhand.
“You rodents are getting on my nerves!” hissed the dragon, stomping towards the goblin.
I cupped my hands together, trying to summon my electric ray as quickly as I could. I wasn’t sure if I’d have enough time to pull of the spell before the dragon reached the goblin, but I had to try.
“RA!” cried Braun, running past me and launching a succession of dark energy blasts at the dragon’s head.
The dragon roared again, trying to bring his wings over his face for protection. Dhot’s explosions had done enough damage to the dragon’s back to keep him from accomplishing this, though, and the dragon prepared another breath of fire.
Simultaneously, Dhot threw an object between himself and Braun as the dragon bent down to unleash his breath. An explosion of energy went off from Dhot’s device, knocking the two out of the way of the flames.
I finished mumbling the necessary words as the dragon cut his breath short, and unleashed my ray at the center of the dragon’s body.
The dragon grunted as he was pushed back by the beam, lightning arching all around him.
“This won’t be enough to kill me, fool!” shouted the dragon over the beam.
“It’s called a distraction!” I shouted back.
The dragon eyes narrowed in suspicion at me as Cassandra hopped on his back. The dragon just began to turn his head as the glowing Shattered Sword cut through the dragon’s neck, separating his head from his body.
I stopped the ray as the dragon’s head crashed down into the snow.
“
Good job everybody,” said Cassandra, hopping off of the dragon’s body as it crumpled beneath her.
“Thanks for stepping in when the dragon caught me off guard,” said Dhot to Braun. “There’s many places I’d like to visit, but a dragon’s stomach isn’t one of them! Maha!”
Braun grunted, but didn’t look particularly pleased.
“I’m sorry about your home,” I said. “You should come with us to Feldarkr. We can figure out who told the red dragon about where the Mace was.”
“I ain’t goin to Feldarkr,” declared Braun.
“You’re not?” asked Cassandra. “But the dragon said he burned your home down.”
“Don’t bother me much,” shrugged the dwarf. I found this a little hard to believe, since it was what incited him to start fighting the dragon. There was no point in arguing with him about it, though. “I’ll figure out someplace else to stay. Might head to Ostad.”
“But something has been holding a power over the people there,” I said. “Doesn’t that worry you?”
“Of course it worries me!” exploded the dwarf. “Why do ya think I gave the survivors of it Grimkell’s Mace?! Whatever has happened to them will happen to me people, too. There ain’t nowhere that is safe.”
“That’s why we’ve got to figure out what’s causing this,” explained Cassandra. “We can stop it if-”
“Ye ain’t gonna figure it out,” said Braun, shaking his head. “I’ve been looking into it whenever I’m in me form, and I haven’t been able to find much at all. There’s no way a group of outsiders can do it if I can’t.”
“The dwarves of Feldarkr are your own people,” said Dhot. “If you believe this curse will be cast on them too, how can you not help them?”
“Those blasted fools ain’t me people,” said Braun quietly. “They hate me, and I them. They can all go mad fer all I care.”
“But-”
“Leave me alone!” he shouted, storming off. “Ye can go off to yer deaths with the people of Feldarkr, but I’ll choose me own path.”
Dhot and I took a step towards the dwarf, but Cassandra held her arms out. “Let him go.”
“But we need him!” I said. “He’s part of the Gathering!”
“It’s no use while he’s like this,” she explained. “He’ll just attack us. Even if we shadow him until he turns back to his more timid self, there’s no telling when he’ll go dark again. It’s not safe for us to be with him if both of his sides aren’t with us. Maybe he isn’t who we were looking for after all.”
Dhot and I were quiet. We both knew she was right. There was no point in chasing after him if this was going to become a normal thing.
“Maybe you’re right,” I said slowly, watching the dwarf disappear into the distance. I felt so sure about Braun, and hoped the elf was wrong. If she was, he’d come back one day. “Let’s get to Feldarkr and get some rest.”
Chapter 15
We spent the night in an inn near the entrance of Feldarkr. After spending the last several days either traveling or in Ostad, it was hard to sleep in the city. I had gotten accustom to the silence, only broken by Dhot’s occasional snoring, and wasn’t getting much of it here. Dwarves seemed to pass by my windows at all hours of the night, loudly talking to one another about their business and lives. More than once I thought Braun had the right idea by staying away.
We woke up early, meeting in the front of the inn.
“Pleasant night of sleep fer ye?” asked the dwarven innkeeper.
“I’m not sure if pleasant is the word for it,” I mumbled, stifling a yawn.
“It was lovely, thank you,” said Cassandra politely.
“Anythin ye’re in town fer?” asked the dwarf. “I’d be happy to help point ya in the right direction.”
“Have you heard any about the blue dragons?” asked Dhot.
“Aye,” he nodded angrily. “They be takin from our town without payment, and then attack us when we try and collect! Word has it that King Julfr isn’t happy with em. Might have to send a well armed group to teach that lot a thing or two about payin their bills. Why d’ya ask?”
“We’ve heard similar things,” said the goblin, looking up at Cassandra and me to help take over.
“Have you noticed or seen anything strange going on at all in Feldarkr or the surrounding lands?” asked Cassandra. “Something out of place, perhaps?”
“What, aside from the red dragon?” he asked.
“You saw the red dragon?” I asked.
“Who hasn’t,” he shrugged. “The things been spotted flyin around every once in a while. Last I heard he was seen headin south, but that was two days ago now. Coulda sworn I heard somethin screechin and roarin last night, though. Wouldn’t surprise me if the blasted thing is nearby.”
“You sure did! Maha!” laughed Dhot. “Why, we-”
“Thanks for your help,” I said to the dwarf, pulling back on Dhot before he could start bragging about our victory last night. “We’ll be sure to recommend your inn in the future.”
The three of us walked outside, where the goblin finally shook me off.
“What was that for?” asked Dhot. “I was going to tell him about our battle! Dwarves love to hear about a fight, especially when dragons are involved!”
“Keep your voice down,” I said, looking around.
“Why?”
“Because that dragon was working work Ulrich, and he had a source in this town,” said Cassandra.
“We’re sure it was from here?” asked Dhot. “Couldn’t he have come from another town?”
“The only people that knew of the location of Grimkell’s Mace were in the throne room, remember?” she asked. “Word might have spilled out to someone else in the city, but I doubt it’s gone out to other towns yet.”
“The dragon was also headed back here,” I noted. “It sounded like he was going to punish whoever told him about the monastery for misleading him.”
“Okay, okay,” he grumbled. “What’s next, then?”
“The king?” I suggested.
“Why don’t we ask around some more on the way?” asked Cassandra. “The source couldn’t have been the king, or the Mace would’ve been taken long ago.”
“Good point,” I said, looking around at the dwarves milling about on the street. It was still early enough for the place to not be too busy, but there were more than enough people to question.
The three of us split up, agreeing to meet back up further down the road after two or three hour. During that time, I talked to any dwarf I could. Most would ignore me, but a few were polite enough to talk with me for a short minute. All of them had heard about the issues with the blue dragons, and more than half of them were visibly angry about it. Some even said what happened was enough to go to war over. A handful mentioned seeing a red dragon flying around, and wondered if he was in league with the blues.
After the hour was up, I met back up with Cassandra and Dhot.
“I got nothing,” I said plainly.
“Most of them just wanted to know why I was here,” said Dhot. “When I explained what happened with my town, they said they wouldn’t be shocked if the blue dragons were somehow involved.”
“There does seem to be a growing animosity towards them,” agreed Cassandra. “That’s all I really gathered as well.”
“Looks like we may be out of luck then,” I sighed.
“Excuse me,” said a poorly dressed dwarf. “Could any of you spare some quat?”
“No,” I said, turning away.
Cassandra pulled out a few bills and handed them to the beggar with a smile.
“We could use that money, too, you know,” I said.
“It’s good to help those in more need than ourselves, you know,” she said.
“Yeah well, this isn’t going to help us figure out what’s driving the dragons crazy,” I said.
“Driving who crazy? The red and blacks?” asked the beggar.
“No, the blues,” I sighed. “We already know what�
�s driving the black and reds crazy.”
“Aye, that be an easy one to figure out,” nodded the beggar. “They be gathering information and weapons fer their new ruler.”
The three of us all shared a look.
“Uh… excuse me?” I asked. “How did you hear that?”
“I live me life on these here streets,” shrugged the dwarf. “I hear all sorts of stories. People don’t pay me no mind, so I spend most of my days listening.”
“Looks like helping people can end up helping us after all, huh?” smirked Cassandra.
“Can you tell us what you know?” I asked the beggar, ignoring the gloating elf.
“Sure I can… fer a price,” smiled the beggar. It looked like he didn’t know about the invention of toothbrushes.
“But we just gave you money!” I said.
“Nay, the nice elven lady did. Yer the one askin me these questions.”
“Cassandra, you ask him then,” I said.
“You can’t tell me what to do,” she said, crossing her arms.
“What? I’m not trying to tell you what to do-”
“That’s what it sounded like to me,” said the beggar.
“Stay out of this-”
“It did kind of sound like you were ordering her around,” agreed Dhot.
All three of them stared at me.
“Whatever,” I groaned, pulling out some quat and handing it over to the beggar. “Now tell me everything you know about the black and reds, and anything you know about the blues.”
“Told ya all I really know about them black and reds,” he shrugged. “There have been sightings of their kind every once in a blue moon, but it has increased over the last month. Our dwarven brothers to the east are growin anxious. I overheard one dwarf mention that his cousin’s friend’s brother’s neighbor saw a group of Greeners making a deal with a black dragon.”
“That seems like a reliable source,” I said sarcastically.
“As far as the blue dragons are concerned,” continued the beggar, “I don’t know much. They have always treated us fairly until just recently. While I understand many of me people don’t like that… well, I’m getting a bit concerned.”
