Wrath of the Dragon: (The Chronicles of Dragon, Series 2, Book 8) (Tail of the Dragon)

by Craig Halloran

  “You could have fooled me.” Nath kicked snow over the smoldering campfire. “I suppose we need to get moving and figure out what we’re in for. I’ve got a better feel for the terrain now that the snow has broken. We’re south at the peaks below the ruins of Barnabus. We’ll head toward some of the townships and try to get a feel for things. I’d hate to find out Fang brought us too far into the future.”

  “I hope we’re not in the future at all.”

  Walking in long strides, they came across a village just after dawn. Livestock roamed free. Most of the houses and barns were ramshackle. Overgrowth was everywhere. Nath and Selene hung back, observing the place for an hour. Men and women trudged along, heads down and in shabby clothing. Two women in sullied purple filled their buckets at the well. A durable young man pushed a plow in the fields. As best as Nath could tell, there were only thirty people in the village at best.

  “It looks safe. I’ll go speak with them.”

  “Don’t be fooled, Nath. The spirits could possess any of them.”

  “I’ll just make sure that I question one who is not a spirit. I think I have a pretty good feel for them.” Evading the eyes of the discontented people, Nath angled between the barn and field where the young man pushed the plow. The barn shielded him from view of the others. He snuck up on the boy.

  “Hello?”

  The broad-shouldered young man kept plowing.

  “Uh, hello, I said.”

  Still, the man kept at it.

  Nath put his hand on the man’s shoulder and stopped him. “Excuse me, I’m in need of assistance.”

  Slowly, the man turned to face Nath. His eyes were milky white. “I’m not much help to anybody, stranger. If you’re wanting food, I suggest you go elsewhere. We all have a hard enough time feeding ourselves.”

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you were blind.”

  “Well, if you’re sticking around, you best get used to it. We’re all blind, and better off for it.”

  “All of you? Why? What happened?”

  “Those titans.” He spat on the ground. “They gave us a choice to serve or pay the price. What is left here, well, we refused. Some mystics came and took our sight with a stone brighter than the stars. We resisted, but the others, including my sisters and father, did not. They served the giants and left us to rot in the cold.”

  “Are there any giants or titans around?”

  “I haven’t seen any, heh-heh. That’s a joke. No, we’re left for dead. We live like this. Many of us starved to death.” He took a handkerchief out and blew his nose. “Or got sick and died. The other towns won’t help, not even for money. They worship those monsters. The truth is, I’m glad I can’t see them, but I wish I could see my wife and child once more.”

  Nath wasn’t sure he wanted to know the answer to his next question. “If you don’t mind me asking, how long have you been blind?”

  “You know, I don’t really count, but nature tells me when it’s time for night or day. Of course, there’s a big difference between having the sun or moonlight on your face.” He stuck his handkerchief away in his shirt. “Oh, and don’t get spooked if you see our likes working in the middle of the night. We don’t know any better.” He scratched his head. “I suppose it’s been a few years, though.”

  “A few years?” Guzan! Not again!

  CHAPTER 17

  Nath and Selene layered up in garb that the dead people of the village had left behind. Selene had paled when he shared the news that Fang might have taken them forward in time by a matter of years. To make matters worse, he worried about his friends. He wasn’t there to protect them or give them warning. Worry ate him up inside.

  The villagers were nice people. Even though they’d been stricken with blindness, they tried to be as helpful as they could. They had no idea who Selene or Nath were, which was helpful in case any of the titan overseers happened by. Nath thanked them and moved on, not making a promise to anyone.

  From there, they headed from town to village, trying to get a better feel for things. The crops had died off in many places. Several of the small villages and provinces had merged together underneath the authority of the titans.

  Heads covered in the midst of a steady snow, Nath and Selene ventured among the people. Many of them were dark-eyed, possessed, and as ornery as they were dirty. Depravity had set in. The people offered sacrifices of goats and cattle to the giants that oversaw the city.

  It troubled Nath. Deeply. They moved on.

  “I can’t stand much more of this, Selene. Did you see those people? It’s disgusting. All of them are blinded in worship to those, those shades!”

  Selene led, picking her way through the forest, where even the varmints and birds had become scarce. “I never realized how evil corrupts people when I was so corrupt myself. I’m just glad my eyes are open now. It gives me strength on this journey, knowing we are fighting for a better world for all. Have you reconsidered summoning some dragons?”

  “With all of those wurmers streaking through the skies? Not to mention the ones we encountered nestled in the woodland.” He shook his mane. “No, not yet. I think it’s best we stay on this path that no one will suspect.”

  “You think we can make it back inside Dragon Home?” She pushed a branch aside, allowing Nath to walk underneath. “You heard the people. They believe the titans have conquered it. Even though it seems incomprehensible, they act very certain of it.”

  “That’s why I have to see it for myself.” If Nath slept, he’d have lost sleep over it. Seeing Dragon Home conquered was unimaginable, but he’d also seen the armies that surrounded it before he last left. There had been wurmers by the thousands filling the skies like a sea of birds. Monstrous giants gathered by the hundreds. The armies of men, orcs, and the other willfully ignorant masses numbered in the tens of thousands. If taking Dragon Home was possible, that was the kind of force that could get it done. “Seeing is believing, you know.”

  “I agree.”

  Two days later they made it to a point high in the hills where Nath got his first glimpse of home. The tremendous mountain almost kissed the clouds in the sky. With his keen sight he could see the armies gathered all around the mountain. The enemy was small in comparison, though formidable. The wurmers were specks in the sky that swarmed in waves like angry bees.

  “It doesn’t look like the mountain is conquered to me.”

  “Me neither,” Selene replied. “Let’s get a closer look.”

  “Aye, but be wary for spies in the woodland.”

  “Let’s just hope the woodland isn’t a spy by itself.”

  Nath and Selene came within a mile of the mountain and hid among the hillside rocks. They nestled east, away from the surging army that seemed determined to bust inside the mountain by forming a wedge in the middle. Giants used huge mauls and picks where they dug into the base of the mountain. Rocks and boulders were tossed into the lava pools that had once formed a natural moat around the mountain’s base. The giants had filled it with rock and made a huge bridge that led right to the mountain.

  Farther back at a safer distance from the intense heat were the soldiers. All of them were armored from head to toe. The weapons they carried were sharp, heavy, and crude. The wurmers seemed to number like the snowflakes in the sky. Among the army was a giant bigger than them all. Dragon bones and skins covered his body. It wasn’t Eckubahn, but another mammoth humanoid whose head was more monster than man. He stood watch over the bridge, barking commands at the soldiers and workers. He plucked a man that was teetering along in a casual manner up from the ground and stuffed him in his mouth then chewed the man up like a snack. The workers moved like they’d just felt the hot crack of the whip.

  “That’s disturbing. Perhaps we should take him down. I have Fang.”

  “It won’t stop them.”

  “No, but it will slow them.”

  “I see that fire in your eyes, Nath. Now’s not the time. We need to get inside. Do you know another way?�
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  “Oh yes, I know a way. There is always a way for me. The problem is, can we get to it?”

  “Perhaps you should go it alone? I’d be safer here.”

  “No, we’re both going. We’ll just have to do our best to blend in.”

  CHAPTER 18

  An orcen patrol of two chased after Selene about half a mile from the titan army’s main camp. Nath waited behind the trunk of a white pinwood tree, staying concealed as she ran past. He stuck out his leg, tripping one who hit the ground hard in a metallic clatter. The other orc stopped in time to turn and catch Nath’s fist smashing him square in the jaw. The orc dropped like a sack of oats with his eyes rolling up in his head.

  The orc that Nath tripped brought a whistle to his lips. Selene’s tail cracked him upside the head so hard it knocked the orc out cold.

  “That was easy enough,” Nath said. He started tugging the suit of mail armor from the orc he felled. “Well, what are you waiting for, Selene? Get dressed.”

  She kneeled down and began stripping off the armor with a sour face. “There needs to be a better way. They smell so rotten.”

  “Smelling bad is all part of the disguise. Not that I like it.” He took off the orc’s battle helmet that fully covered the pig-man face. It was a crude version of what the legionnaires wore, a metal face with many spikes. He covered his head. “How do I look?”

  “Like an orc with red hair. I don’t think you’re going to fool anybody with that mane of yours.”

  “Oh, it will work. See?” It had been a while, but just like Nath was able to change the color of his scales, he could change the color of his hair. It turned from a rich red to ruddy brown. He held some of his long locks up to his eye. ”Not very flashy, but we aren’t going to a wedding celebration, are we?”

  Selene struggled to pull one of the orcen boots over her scaly feet. “An orcen wedding, perhaps.”

  “Oh, that sounds disgusting. Do you know what they serve at those things?”

  “Sadly, I do.”

  It took a few minutes for them to get into the orcen armor. They buckled one another’s straps.

  Nath wriggled around a little. “Constraining, but not a bad fit.” Selene’s armor looked a little big on her slender form. Nath tightened it up as best he could. “I’m impressed that you got your tail in there.”

  “My tail makes a nice filler around my belly.” She patted her stomach. “See?”

  “Well done.”

  “What are you going to do with Fang? You can’t just waltz in there and not draw some attention. Will you leave the blade behind?”

  Nath eyed his steel. “I don’t know. Everything we do is a risk.” He took his cloak he’d taken from the village of the blind and bound Fang up in it. “Let’s just take it one step at a time.”

  Selene buckled on the orcen sword belt. “After you.”

  They made their way into the heart of the titan army’s activity. Selene commandeered a pick and shovel. Nath managed to find a wheelbarrow. He put more digging gear in the wheelbarrow, burying Fang underneath.

  Pushing it along behind her, he said, “See, I told you all we needed was a wheelbarrow.”

  “That’s the easy part.” She gazed up at the tremendous form of Isobahn, who overlooked the bridge of stone. “Don’t be so certain he won’t sniff us out.”

  “True, but hopefully the stink of the orcen gear will cover our scent.” In most cases his scent was undetectable by even the keenest of noses, but titans and some of the giants were different. They could sniff dragons out more often than not. Nath realized that to cross the bridge, he’d have to be careful. With Selene hustling ahead, he said, “Wait, slow down.”

  She turned. “What? It’s best to move right at him with our heads down.”

  “No, wait a moment. We need a distraction.”

  “We can’t just stand here and do nothing. You’ve seen him. He’s bound to notice that.”

  “Just give it a few moments.”

  Nath pretended to inspect the equipment in the wheelbarrow. In the meantime, he kept watch on Isobahn from the corner of his eye. The titan’s heavy stare seemed to have an eye on everything in the camp at once. Nothing escaped his attention, coming in or going out. A train of laborers carrying gear similar to Selene’s marched right by them, making headway for the bridge. Nath gave Selene a nod.

  Both of them eased into the ranks. The foreman at the front of the ranks of workers led them right to where Isobahn stood. The orcen foreman said on a proud voice, “We are the next shift ready to work until we die for the glory of the titans!”

  Head downcast, Nath could feel Isobahn’s stare scouring over each and every one of them. Selene stiffened beside him.

  He’s going to see us. I know he’s going to see us.

  “Carry on until you die,” the titan’s cavernous voice said.

  The work party of twenty durable bodies moved forward. The carts and wheelbarrows they pushed rattled over the massive bridge of stone and planks of chopped-down timber that dammed the moat of lava. The intense heat and steam had Nath sweating immediately. The strong smell of sulfur was an old friend to him. It was home. Almost there. This couldn’t be better.

  They were halfway over the bridge when Isobahn’s voice called out in their direction. “Stop!”

  The train of workers came to a complete stop.

  Isobahn continued, “There are too many workers in your party. There should only be twenty. There are twenty-two. Explain that, foreman!”

  The orcen foreman made a quick count with his finger. He stopped on Nath and Selene. Cocked his head to one side. “Those two I’ve never seen before.”

  Isobahn’s angry voice shook the valley. “IMPOSTERS!”

  CHAPTER 19

  With intensity, Nath said, “Selene, run!” In a powerful surge, he put the wheelbarrow through the thick ranks of workers. He plowed them over, toppling them to the ground as they howled. While they were down, he slipped Fang out from the bottom of the wheelbarrow and sprinted side by side with Selene across the bridge.

  “Stop them! Stop them!” Isobahn was crushing orcen workers with his feet in his rush to come grab them with his huge titan hands.

  The workers at the base of the mountain came to a halt. Necks craned as they tried to see what was going on.

  “Stay with me!” Nath said as they raced into the relative safety of a tunnel the laborers had made. At least Isobahn couldn’t reach them in here.

  Upon the hollering of Isobahn’s voice, the laborers—orcs, ogres, and men—strained to see who they were supposed to be going after.

  Once they were out the other side of the tunnel, Nath took full advantage of the moment of confusion, saying in his best orcen imitation, “They are on the bridge! On the bridge! I run to fetch the nets and weapons!”

  Some of the workers turned away. Others did not. Covered in oily sweat and hairy brawn, ogres carrying mauls bigger than men cut off Nath’s path.

  I don’t have time for this.

  With a blast of his hot breath, Nath set the ogres on fire. Ignoring their screams, he raced right by them until he found the channel in the rocks he was looking for. The narrow pathway led right up to a majestic doorway that could only be seen by the eyes of a dragon.

  “Hold them off,” Nath to Selene. “This takes a little while.” He could hear the pursuing forces scrambling and coming their way. He closed his eyes and placed his hands on the doorway that so elegantly blended in with the rock. In Dragonese he spoke words that came slowly at first before turning into song.

  Keeping the forces at bay in the narrow channel with her powers, Selene yelled, “Hurry, Nath!”

  Careful not to slip on a single syllable, he carried on, word after word, phrase after phrase until he was finished. The door in the rock didn’t move. “Sultans of Sulfur, they’ve changed the passwords.”

  Using a shield of energy to hold back the forces as long as she could, she said, “You can’t get in?”

  Nath d
rew Fang. “I’m afraid not, we’re doom—”

  The door opened. Powerful hands grabbed Nath and pulled him inside. “Selene, come!”

  “You don’t have to tell me twice.” She dashed after him with the spring of a gazelle and dove inside. The door sealed behind her, leaving only the appearance of rock and stone.

  “Well,” said a cheerful voice, “Look what the dwarf dragged in. Dragon!”

  Nath erupted with elation. “Brenwar! Ben! You’re alive!”

  “No!” Ben said, hugging Nath with all of his strength. “You are alive! They thought we lost you, Dragon. But I knew better!”

  “I never doubted it for a moment,” Brenwar grumbled. “But how you got here is another question entirely! Not that I’m complaining, but how did you do it?” Suddenly, Brenwar’s eyes filled with recognition. “Fang! We wondered what happened to him. He disappeared years ago.”

  “Years?” Nath said, noting the new gray hairs in Brenwar’s beard. He gave Selene a look. Her brows crinkled. “How many years?”

  “A little less than three,” Brenwar said, squeezing Nath on the elbows with both of his hands. “It seemed much longer.”

  “Not for me.” Slivver appeared in the corridor, as radiant as ever. “It might as well have been a thousand years. I began to worry whether you’d ever make it back. We tried to get to you, but The Deep made it improbable.”

  “You knew we were there?” Nath said.

  “It took some doing,” Slivver said. “After we lost you in Narnum, we managed to make our escape from Tylabahn’s deception and make it back here. Using the Chamber of Murals, some of us went back to Narnum, where we learned you were in The Deep. Eckubahn guarded that hole like a prized possession. We couldn’t get near it. So since you’ve been gone, we’ve kept spies in place, and kept an eye on it. It’s hard to believe it’s been so many years. The truth is, I’m having a hard time believing my eyes and ears.”

  “I can imagine so, seeing how for us, it’s only been days, not years, since we parted.” He waggled Fang in front of them. “I’ve a bad feeling that using Fang to move through time has a bit of a cursed effect. The more he’s used, the further in time he takes us. It was a concern before I used him.”