Wizard's Blood [Part Two]

by Bob Blink

  Chapter 178

  Asari stopped by the quarters shared by Jolan and Shyar earlier than Jolan would have liked, but he wanted to be there to see the group off, so he had crawled out from between the covers a bit earlier and showered. Shyar had wisely elected to stay in bed, claiming she would be present when the group returned later in the day and needed to catch up on her sleep. Jolan grinned. She used to be an early riser, but gradually he was teaching her the advantages of later rising. Today that training had resulted in her being able to grin at him from her position snuggled between the pillows as he groggily forced his way erect a bit earlier. By the time Asari had knocked, he was feeling almost human, having washed and slipped into fresh clothing.

  “You’re still planning on going with them this morning then?” Jolan asked Asari as they made their way down and out of the dorm building.

  Asari nodded eagerly. He was wearing his baseball cap and Jolan could see the pair of Rayban sunglasses he had acquired back on Earth protruding from his pocket. “Den-Orok says I can learn to fly the skimmer easily enough and can fly part of the way back today. That way even though I won’t be in the pilot class, I’ll still know how to pilot it. If I handle it well enough, he said that he and I will bring the second set of them back.”

  Jolan grinned. Asari certainly had the interest. It was too bad he wasn’t back on Earth where he could easily enough learn to fly and do so whenever he wished. Jolan was also amused at how close the bond was between Asari and the two dragons, especially Den-Orok. He wondered if the bond was strengthened by Asari’s special status as a dragon friend, or if it was just the way things had worked out. Whatever the cause, he hadn’t seen his friend feeling so satisfied and content in a very long time.

  They made their way to the Council Building and then headed down into the tunnels that took them over to the military compound where they met Major Wylan and the two dragons. They were discussing the location that had been selected for the four skimmers based on the dimensions and vertical landing capability of the flyers. The Major was going to have to rearrange some of the equipment in the area, but that could be done by his troops during the day while the dragons were returning from the Lost Territories.

  “Ah, good morning Jolan,” rumbled Iach-Iss when they arrived. Den-Orok nodded a greeting as well. Both looked at Asari, but didn’t voice anything, making Jolan even more certain that some things could be passed between the dragons and Asari even if his friend wasn’t telepathic. Jolan was certain he could receive some thought from the two creatures.

  Major Wylan nodded at Jolan and Asari, as he reviewed again where they would put down the two skimmers. “It’ll be cleared before you return,” he assured them. He then smiled and hurried off to get work started so his promise would be fulfilled.

  There was one more order of business before they returned to the Council Building portal center. Kavel and Buris appeared at almost the same time Jolan had the thought, and the five of them headed over to Iach-Iss’ scout ship where the large hand-held weapons were stored. Inside the ship, Iach-Iss casually reached into a storage bin in the back and lifted one of the devices out and handed it to Kavel.

  The dragon had handled the weapon as if it were feather light, when in fact it weighed almost twenty-five pounds, and was a bit of an ungainly mass.

  “I can see why you suggested two man teams for these,” Kavel said as he tried to decide how the weapon should be held.

  Den-Orok came to his assistance and showed where the sighting mechanism was located and how the weapon would be fired once the unit had been switched on. The design fit well for the dragon’s size and strength, and the triggering worked with their double thumbs, but was a bit awkward for humans to use.

  “You say we can remove some material from the ‘stock’ here to make it easier for us to use?” Buris asked as he observed the problems Kavel was having with the device.

  Den-Orok nodded. “You can experiment with this one and decide where you think it would be helpful to remove material. Tomorrow we can see what you have in mind and decide if doing so would impact the unit’s operation. If not, we will modify one and then see how it works. Just do not activate the unit while you are examining it. It is fully charged, and someone could get killed.”

  Buris and Kavel indicated their understanding, and together they left with the device that would hopefully soon begin thinning out the wizard triads that had been turning the war against them. The rest of the devices would remain on the scout ships until the dragons returned. By then, Major Wylan would have a special armory set up. Then, after appropriate modifications, they would begin training crews. Iach-Iss would give weapons training, while Den-Orok would start training the first men selected to fly the skimmers.

  The immediate chores taken care of, the group headed back into the tunnels and walked toward the portal room. The guards on watch in the tunnels had become used to the two dragons by now, but they still watched with a mixture of awe and nervousness as the huge creatures made their way down the tunnel. A bit later they stepped into the portal room where Morin had been told to expect them.

  “Drag….ehr… By the Gods Jolan,” they are bigger than ya said,” Morin stuttered and quickly corrected himself when they walked into the controlled area where the portal watch team waited. He had seen the dragons from a distance like many others, but this was the first time he was actually in their presence when the full impact of their size became obvious.

  Jolan smiled and introduced the two dragons to Morin, who smiled and quickly observed the differences in the two creatures that would tell them apart. He knew that Morin would know each by name if he were to meet them again.

  “As I told you yesterday, Iach-Iss, Den-Orok, and Asari will be using the portal to return to the Lost Territories. They will return later today by aircraft. It will be instructive for you to observe their departure, but I have been told you will be unable to monitor the portal they open and use. It requires special codes to access that only they have.”

  “That would be a handy trick if we could apply it to some of the portals we want to use,” Morin observed.

  “Unfortunately, those who built the system are no longer with us,” Iach-Iss rumbled. “Our home portal was specially designed this way and we don’t know if others can be modified in a similar manner. That is one of the things we can have a look at when we locate the control center. At the very least we think we can take control of many of the portals away from Ale’ald which should greatly hinder their operations.”

  The two dragons and Asari stepped into the portal while those in the control room watched.

  “Safe flight,” Jolan said as they turned to look back at him before suddenly disappearing.

  Moments later Morin came over and said, “You are right. We didn’t record any portal opening up, and we could not even tell they had used the system. I hope Ale’ald never learns how to do that.”

  “I hope that we can. Once they return fom this trip, I need to push them to have a look at the portal control center, assuming we can find it. Den-Orok said he’d been there once, so it shouldn’t be too hard.”

  Morin looked at Jolan. “You continue to change things. Dragons have been a mystery for a thousand years, and shortly after you show up here, we suddenly have them as allies.”

  “All the credit here belongs to Asari,” Jolan corrected him. “As a Dragon-Friend, Asari was able to sense where to go, and more importantly cross through the defensive barriers the dragons had around their home area.”

  “Dragon-Friend?” Morin asked. “That sounds like more than it appears.”

  “I don’t actually know what all it entails, but it traces all the way back to the days when all of the dragons were familiar sights in the Settled Lands. It is hereditary and represents a special bond that existed between the dragons and a select group of humans.”

  “And our lad Asari is one of these people?”

  “The dragons tell me they can sense five or six in the whole of the
Settled Lands that retain a touch of the heritage. Asari seems to be the strongest, and was the only one motivated to actually seek out the dragons when they awoke from their suspended sleep.”

  “Asari’s little adventure almost got you killed from what I heard,” Morin said seriously. “How are you doing?”

  “I’m here because of the dragons,” Jolan replied honestly. “Their technology was all that was able to save me. That and the fact Shyar was able to keep me alive in a Mage’s Box until they were able to find help.”

  “I thought only you could make one of those.”

  “My wife is full of surprises,” Jolan said smiling.

  “That’s another thing. Ingari is really annoyed that you would run off and get married where none of us could attend. She told me to warn ya she expects a full wedding party as soon as matters settle down a bit. You and Asari seem to constantly find ways to keep things stirred up, but there has to be a time when all this excitement will die down a bit.”

  “Done,” Jolan agreed. “Now I have a few things to do, but I’d consider it a favor if your people would keep a special watch on the portals the next few days. Any activity that shows up I’d like to know about. We know the enemy is aware of the dragons, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they try and initiate some action before we get too settled in with them.”

  Jolan set off to find Nerila and Rifod and tell them what the dragons were hoping to do with the portals, and see if they had come across any information that might be of help in the effort. Altz was supposed to be minding the store while Nerila was recovering from the birth of her twins, but Vaen had told him that Altz’s health was failing of late. Jolan knew it had something to do with some experiment Altz had performed some years ago to extend his own lifespan, but hadn’t had time to pursue the matter. He’d offered to see if he could help with the ring, but Vaen had told him the problems were related to aging. In this case an accelerated onset of old age. The ring didn’t consider that a disease and would be unable to help.

  * * * *

  It was getting dark and Jolan and Wylan were a bit apprehensive when they received a call on one of the communicators the dragons had left with them. It was Asari calling and indicating they were a few minutes out and would be landing shortly.

  “The skimmers aren’t near as fast as the scouts,” Asari said, his voice crystal clear over the communicator. “We were also a bit slower finding a few items and getting them loaded. Probably should have called and let you know, but I was busy flying most of the way here.”

  Jolan couldn’t help but hear the satisfaction in Asari’s voice as he made the last pronouncement. Jolan suspected he was already capable of flying the aircraft, which would make him the first official pilot of the Angon-Seret airforce. Well, Jolan had seen he had the proper touch when he’d given him the brief lesson in the Cessna back on Earth.

  True to Asari’s estimate, the skimmers suddenly appeared almost directly overhead and dropped rapidly toward the ground and the previously agreed to landing point. When they reached an altitude of a hundred feet, they slowed their descent and then settled more slowly to the ground, touching down quietly and without fuss. The vertical landing was very handy and would be very useful in practice. Not needing a runway for take off and landing would be a real boon for the behind-the-lines activities the vehicles were certain to be heavily involved in.

  As the two vehicles settled in, side-by-side, Jolan could see a grinning Asari at the controls of the far skimmer, with Den-Orok standing quietly beside him watching his newest student perform. The vehicles looked to Jolan like a dragon version of an oversized pickup. The front was a small cab enclosed almost entirely in more of the transparent material that formed the outer hull of the scouts. Behind the cab, which had three of the large dragon-sized seats, was the cargo area. It had a bed that was three times the length of a normal pickup, and at least twice as wide. Three foot high railings surrounded all sides, but all looked like they could be removed to allow access for loading or off-loading cargo. The vehicles settled down on some kind of wide wheel-supports that appeared to be balls partially submerged into the structure of the vehicles. Jolan suspected the wheels made moving the parked vehicle around quite easy. Both of the skimmers were partially filled with equipment and containers, which had to be what Asari had been referring to earlier.

  Moments later the two dragons and Asari had stepped out of the vehicles and greeted the reception party with grins.

  “If the others learn as quickly as Asari, you will have a functioning airforce within days,” Iach-Iss said with a happy rumble. “He was flying within minutes of our departure, and didn’t want to give up control.”

  “I’m amazed at how easily you located and landed right where we agreed, especially since it is starting to get dark,” Jolan said.

  “Programmed coordinates,” Den-Orok explained. “We took a satellite location reading here this morning,” and he tapped the small object in the center pocket of his tunic, “and entered that into the on-board control. The guidance indicated which way to go and when we were overhead. We came in high to minimize how many would be aware of the vehicles.”

  “We can’t use that ourselves,” Asari explained. “It uses the dragon language which is very odd looking. Den-Orok says they wouldn’t be able to reprogram it for our language, and I don’t think anyone will be able to learn theirs in time to be useful. We’ll just have to rely on visual sightings when we fly.”

  Jolan knew he could, given the crystal that Iach-iss had given him, but he knew that hadn’t been the intent of the dragon. That was a secret between the two of them for later.

  “What do you have for cargo?” Major Wylan finally asked when he had a chance to get a word in.

  “We brought some of our personal items, including additional clothing so we won’t need to run back to our base so often. We also brought some of the monitors that can be used to observe the enemy. That was what took so long. We made a few modifications to them to make them a bit easier for you to use. Fortunately, we have had some experience doing that before, so we knew how to proceed. You can have your men offload them and move them to where you will want to use them. First thing tomorrow I will show you how they can be used. Asari and Den-Orok will be going back to the Lost Territories to get the remaining two skimmers. The day afterward we can start training on the skimmers and the weapons.”

  * * * *

  The next couple of days were a whirlwind of activity as the dragons tried to get multiple activities started at once. The monitors were very much like the ones Asari’s father had found hidden in the mountains near Trailways, but these allowed the user to select the location to be observed anywhere in the Settled Lands. They were easy enough to use, and after a few hours of demonstration, Wylan’s men were able to use them without additional guidance. Jolan discovered one limitation he hadn’t expected when he tried to use one of them. He couldn’t select any area more than a hundred miles or so outside the perimeter of the Settled Lands. With the satellites, he had expected to be able to monitor any place on the surface of Gaea, and said as much to Iach-Iss.

  The dragon rumbled his deep laugh. “That was one of the modifications we just made. We limited the range of the devices. Being able to monitor all of Gaea is not necessary for the task at hand and would be a distraction. Besides, as I said to you once before, the exploration of one’s world is something that should be an adventure, not handed over so easily.”

  Kavel and Buris had come up with changes they would like to see in the weapons and, with one small change, Den-Orok agreed the stocks could be cut away in the desired areas without impacting the function of the devices. Buris was about to have one of his assistants make the modifications on the first weapon, when Den-Orok smiled and shook his head.

  “You will find the material very difficult to cut,” he warned. “Wait until I bring something from our quarters. I meant to bring it here with me, but was distracted.”

  While Den-Orok was gone, Bu
ris tried to cut the material himself using several different techniques. The dragon had been right. Whatever the weapons were made from, it defied being more than lightly marked by the sharpest and strongest of the tools Buris had available to him. The device Den-Orok brought back interacted with the material somehow and made it soften, which in turn allowed the laser-like cutter to slice through it with little difficulty. The first weapon was modified to their satisfaction within an hour, and once they had the design and technique down, the others went far faster.

  The task of training pilots went a bit slower, and while Iach-Iss worked with Kavel’s men training them on the new weapon, Den-Orok and Asari trained the first group of pilots. By the end of the week enough men understood the weapons and the skimmers that the dragons could be freed of the task and were finally available to pursue other items that Jolan and Vaen felt needed attention.

  Chapter 179

  Jolan looked out the window as the wind gusted, shaking the trees outside the Council building and blowing dead and dried leaves across the grass that surrounded the building. Clouds were building in the distance, and it was likely they would get rain before the day was out. It wasn’t cold enough yet for snow, but that couldn’t be very far behind. They were well into fall, and in a sense had been lucky. The colder weather was behind schedule, which had left them free to pursue important matters, but gave the enemy more time to prepare as well. It might be best if the snow would settle in giving them the winter with the dragons to properly prepare.

  He turned and headed back down the hall to the conference room where the others were gathering. Today was the day they would return to Tilano, but this time they would travel by the scout ships which Cheurt’s forces would be unable to track. That would allow them to slip into the area and complete their searches without giving away the location of the city. Yesterday Asari and Den-Orok had over flown the area and mapped the city to be sure there was a landing spot they could use for the scouts under the glamour. With the coordinates of that spot locked into the scouts, the team was ready except for a final meeting to be sure everyone was in agreement with the plan.