by Sam Ferguson
A few servants hurried about the yard, placing the final covered platters on the table and then scurrying back into the house out of sight. Erik glanced around, looking for Jaleal, but the gnome was nowhere to be seen. Erik smiled to himself. He felt a little more secure with the gnome on patrol. No one, not even Patrical, could sneak up on them without Jaleal alerting everyone first. So Erik took in a deep breath and let go of all of his worries as he expelled the air.
“Normally, I would have a book with me,” Marlin said apologetically. “Absent that, I will have to improvise some, which is a bit unconventional, but then again so is the couple before us.”
Everyone chuckled a little bit.
Marlin looked to Lepkin and Dimwater and smiled. “When I look at the two of you, I don’t see the physical smiles, I don’t see the stolen glances or the casual handholding between the two of you. As you all know, I have lost my natural sight. What I can see, however, is the love between the two of you. I have always been able to see it, even before you allowed yourselves to express it openly. The energy within you cannot be tamed, and your love flows out of you like water bursting through a dam. The covenant and promises you make to each other today, will enable the two of you to become one, as is natural. Though you have waited many years for this moment, I can see that it is made all the sweeter by your knowledge that this is true love.”
The prelate then reached up and wiped a single tear from the corner of his eye. “Forgive me, I don’t usually cry at these occasions.” Everyone laughed again. “So, let me counsel you to never let anything come between you. Let no man, no obstacle, no enemy—”
“And no dragon,” Tillamon put in half-jokingly. Everyone looked to him for a second and he just shrugged and motioned for Marlin to continue.
Marlin cleared his throat. “Let no power on Terramyr break the bond that I see between you now. Cherish each other, promise to support each other, and love each other with all of your heart until the day that you die, and may you spend your silver years together in the halls of Volganor.” Marlin pulled a pair of rings that Tillamon had given him earlier, out of his robes and held them out to Lepkin. “If you so swear, then take these rings and place them on each other as a token of your affection and promise.”
Lepkin and Dimwater took the rings and slid them over each other’s ring fingers.
“By the power vested in me by the Ancients, I pronounce you husband and wife, never again to be separated in this world, or the next.” Then Lepkin bent down to Dimwater and the two shared a kiss and embrace. Tillamon let out a shout and a hoot. Then Marlin put his hands up in the air and whistled loudly. Tatev clapped, and Erik stood silently smiling.
The group went quickly to the tables where Tillamon had set up a feast that would have fed two hundred people, and was far more than the group could eat in several sittings, let alone one night. Servants came out to the garden and played harps and flutes, and then added drums and trumpets as the dusk turned to night. Torches were lit around the garden, lighting the yard like golden stars suspended among them. Erik had never seen Lepkin smile so much in all the time he knew him. For a while, it was as if time had stopped. The world beyond Stonebrook ceased to matter. The only agenda was enjoying the moment.
As Erik watched Lepkin sweep Dimwater into a dance near the fountain, he knew that he had chosen correctly. Life was not about surviving, it was about finding the joy in living. This was something that Tu’luh could never understand.
Erik finished a glass of apple cider and then walked out beyond the gazebo. He looked up to the few stars that had peeked in through the night’s dark blanket and wondered where his mother was. As happy as he was for Lepkin, he couldn’t help but think of the tragedy that had befallen his family. As he stared off at the horizon, a funny feeling crept upon him. It started at the back of his neck, the hairs tingling and standing on end. Then it moved to his spine and his shoulder blades tightened.
Something was coming.
“Enemy in the south!” Jaleal shouted from the rooftop.
The music stopped instantly. The servants all ran for the tables and lifted large silver platters. At first, Erik was confused. Why were they going for the food? Then he realized they were not simple servants. Each of them pulled crossbows, short swords, and tomahawks from the newly uncovered platters.
“Clever,” Erik said as he ran back to the doorway.
Tillamon was already there with Erik’s sword. “I may be old, but I still have a few things to teach you,” he told Erik as he tossed the sword out to him.
Dimwater and Lepkin prepared themselves as well as additional servants came streaming out of the house armed and equipped for battle.
“What do we have?” Lepkin shouted.
“Drakes, several of them,” Jaleal replied as he jumped to a nearby tree and then appeared at the ground with spear in hand. “I am going to go and ring the alarm.”
“Good,” Lepkin replied.
“Come on,” Tillamon shouted. “Out to the west. Let’s draw the beasts away from the town.”
Within moments the small force was jumping Tillamon’s fence and sprinting into the fields beyond the town, startling the nearby flock of sheep and nearly giving the two shepherds heart attacks. Dimwater cast a trio of fireballs at the drakes in the sky, catching their attention. The ploy worked. All of the beasts swerved, changing course and flying directly for them.
Marlin shouted to a pair of guards that had fallen behind, but his warning came too late. A black drake, about twenty feet long from nose to tip of tail, dropped down out of the dark sky and crushed the two men in an instant. It finished them with a quick blast of fire and then ripped into one of them for good measure.
“Chew on this, you old vulture!” Tillamon shouted as he leveled a crossbow at the drake. He pulled the trigger and the shaft flew straight and true. As it impacted with the side of the drake’s head, the shaft exploded into a small flash of light, scorching the monster’s eye and forcing it to recoil in pain.
Erik stood dumbfounded. “What was that?” he asked.
Tillamon winked and loaded another shaft. “Special toy I invented at Ten Forts, it keeps the little buggers away.” He leveled and fired the next shot. This time it went down the screaming drake’s gullet and the explosion appeared as a tiny blast of red deep inside the beast’s neck. It fell violently, flopping and writhing on the ground for several seconds before going completely still. “That’s one for me, Lepkin, how many you got?”
Lepkin didn’t bother to answer. A trio of drakes were flying overhead, circling the group. Tillamon’s hired guards took aim and fired their crossbows, but most of them missed. Tillamon swore and cursed at the servants, telling them how to aim better. Off in the distance the town’s alarm bell rang loud and clear. Tillamon shouted louder, bellowing orders and swearing that if his men didn’t finish the drakes before the town’s guard got there, they would all be fired and replaced with three-legged dogs and one-eyed grandmothers.
Erik might have laughed at Tillamon’s motivational tactics if not for the large, brown drake that kept diving at him from above. The boy could see that Dimwater and Lepkin were engaged with at least three of the beasts, Jaleal had not yet returned, and Tillamon and his guards were too far away to run to. He had to deal with this one by himself. His mind raced back to the firedrake that had nearly killed him at his home. For an instant, he felt dread and terror grip his throat and seize his feet. Then, as if someone threw water on him while asleep, he shook it off and fell back into his training.
He jumped left, avoiding the drake’s teeth, and then he ducked low to the ground, dodging the spiked tail as it swept in and the drake passed by. Erik then jumped up and ran after the creature. He had a plan. As the drake ascended and turned around for another swoop, Erik summoned his ball of light and sent it up straight at the drake’s face. The monster balked, turning its head to the side as it descended quickly. Erik then summoned the white fire over his blade and jumped into the air, swing
ing at the drake’s eyes. He connected, slicing through the beast’s scales and forcing it to flop on the ground. It thrashed its tail and wings wildly. One wing slammed into one of Tillamon’s servants that tried to run in to finish it off. Erik jumped over the tail as it whooshed beneath him. Then he somersaulted to the left as the drake’s hind leg scraped the air where he had been. Erik then rushed up under the drake, confusing it by jabbing the point of his sword into the monster’s metal-like scales. The sword couldn’t cut through the drake’s armor, but that was not what Erik wanted, he was only trying to distract it. As he ran out from under it, he swung his sword like an axe at the right foreleg. The drake turned and roared, calling up a hot fire from inside its throat. Erik jumped up, thrust his sword up through the roof of the drake’s mouth and into its brain. It collapsed, dead as a large boulder.
Erik pulled his sword free and turned to scan the skies.
“Watch out, something is coming in from the west!” Marlin shouted over the battle sounds. Erik turned just fast enough to see a black mass lunge toward him. He jumped left, narrowly avoiding a wickedly large paw and a set of razor sharp claws. Something growled and turned before him. He wasn’t sure what it was. It was feline in shape, but it was easily twice as large as any lion or panther he had ever read about. The black cat lowered its head, ears back flat against its head and fangs bared underneath jet black lips.
A fireball slammed into the beast, ripping it apart and reducing it to ashes. Erik turned to see Dimwater offer him a quick nod. He returned the gesture and then took stock of the situation around him. Unlike the battle at Lokton Manor, this one was shrouded in darkness that spells and torches did little to penetrate. He had to listen as much as use his eyes to discern the enemies around him. He summoned forth another ball of light and let it pierce the cover of night. A trio of large, black cats shied away from the sudden brightness and Erik took advantage of the moment. He rushed forward, slicing through one with his flaming sword, then twirling around to run his blade through the second cat’s neck. He pulled the blade free and maneuvered toward the third. Something unseen slammed into Erik’s chest, knocking him backward and throwing him off his feet. Luckily he maintained his grip on his sword, but the force with which he slammed into the ground stunned him.
The massive cat pounced, and would have landed squarely on top of Erik had Dimwater not seen the peril he was in and let loose another spell. A whirlwind of fire ripped the beast from its trajectory mid-jump and hurled it high into the air, screaming and howling as it disappeared into the night, never to be seen again.
Erik rolled over to his stomach and pushed himself up to his feet. He heard movement coming in from behind. He turned to see a pair of armored men rushing in toward him. At first he thought they must be Stonebrook guardsmen, but once he saw the menacing whites of their eyes, he knew they were not friendly. He quickly raised his sword to a high guard, mentally calculated the number of steps before the men would reach him, and devised a quick plan to counter. The man on the right wielded an axe, and would likely make a diagonal chop in order to hem Erik in and not accidentally hit his partner. The man on the left, however, wielded a heavy broadsword and was running at a full out sprint. Erik guessed that the swordsman would likely lead with a stabbing thrust. Erik drew in a breath, waiting for the perfect moment. He watched their feet and it seemed as time slowed down so that each step forward appeared to last for many seconds at a time.
Then, as the men came within range, Erik moved. He feigned to the right, drawing the swordsman’s blade over to the side, and then he darted left, arcing down with his own sword and pushing the enemy’s blade out wide to the right, and placing the man’s arms directly into the axeman’s path. The axe came down hard, severing the swordsman’s left arm just below the wrist. The swordsman fell in agony and the axeman stood stunned. Erik moved in with a straight stab to the axeman’s chest, and then as he pulled his sword back he drew the blade across the swordsman’s neck, ending both of them with one efficient attack.
In the blink of an eye, Dimwater was next to Erik and holding him still. Her left hand was up in the air and an opaque, bluish shield formed overhead. The spell sizzled and crackled as black arrows fell from the sky and dashed themselves against the magical barrier.
“Marlin says there is quite a force out there,” Dimwater said. Erik looked around, relieved to see that there were similar shields over all of his comrades. He looked up to Dimwater and could almost feel her straining concentration.
“I can try to summon another light ball,” Erik offered. The sorceress nodded her head. Erik dug deep into himself, taking a breath and closing his eyes. He opened his mouth and let out a feral roar that sounded far too large and powerful to have come from inside his body. A great heat welled up in his chest and shot out from his mouth to illuminate the surrounding area far beyond his previous two lights had done. All around them were scores of men, several more of the large cats, and above circled many more drakes.
“Look there,” Dimwater said as she directed him to the east. Erik looked and saw dozens of men in uniform approaching the battle. Some were on horseback, while others were on foot. “The Stonebrook guard,” the sorceress said. “That should help even the odds somewhat.” She then set her hands to work, weaving another spell and muttering words that Erik didn’t understand. When she finished, she threw another ball of light up to mix in with Erik’s. “That will keep the light burning so we can see,” she said with a satisfied nod. “Let’s end this.” She pushed Erik to the east. “Let’s provide Tillamon some support.”
He nodded and darted across the field, dropping another warrior that was charging Tillamon’s men. Erik heard Tillamon shouting orders at his men, and they responded by aiming their crossbows to the sky. Lepkin and Jaleal were already placing themselves between Tillamon’s group and the enemy, dropping any foe foolish enough to attack from the ground while Tillamon and his men worked their crossbows against the enemies in the sky. Dimwater held off the enemy arrows and fired back with spells of her own when the enemy paused to reload. Erik joined with Lepkin and Jaleal, fighting face to face with the warriors that charged them.
They were not Blacktongues, like Erik was used to fighting. These men were different. They all wore full armor, some made from leather and skins while others wore chainmail or steel plates. Even with all of Erik’s training, and with Lepkin and Jaleal at his side, it was a struggle to fight through these warriors. Fortunately, the Stonebrook guard proved an effective fighting force as well. They tore into the enemy flank and savagely cut through their lines. Soon Erik found himself pressing forward, wading into the fray shoulder to shoulder with Lepkin and Jaleal as they pushed in, forcing the enemy back.
Jaleal dropped three of the large, black cats by himself. His spear was a flash of silver in the night, bringing death to all it bit. Lepkin was equally as deadly, beheading two of the large cats as they lunged for him and then whirling into the fray, dropping any enemy warrior within the reach of his sword. The two of them worked so efficiently, that Erik almost had time to watch them slice, hack, and stab through the enemy forces. As soon as the Stonebrook guards made their way to the enemy archers, Dimwater soared just overhead on a cloud and rained fire and lightning down upon the enemy, utterly destroying the last of the large cats and obliterating the enemy forces. The last of the firedrakes fell crashing down only moments after the group finished off the final three archers and sent the remainder of the enemy force scurrying off into the darkness.
“Shall we pursue?” one of the guardsmen shouted out.
“No,” their captain replied from horseback. “Not unless Master Lepkin says otherwise.”
Lepkin sheathed his sword. “We have no need,” he said. “We know who sent them, and we know what they want. There is only one course of action left.”
Dimwater floated up on her cloud until she almost disappeared into the night sky above the reach of the magical light floating above the field. Erik watched, wondering wha
t she was going to do. He wasn’t surprised when he saw a trio of fiery tornados fly from her position in the sky, darting quickly toward the fleeing enemy. As the flaming cyclones swooped down to devour the remnants of the army, balls of fire fell from the sky overhead, blasting the entire area around the enemy. Within seconds, no one remained alive.
“Your wife has a bit of a mean streak in her,” Tillamon said as he approached Lepkin. “I like it.”
Lepkin wiped a rivulet of blood oozing from a cut on his cheek and turned back to Tillamon. “Not mean, just efficient,” he corrected. “This enemy is not one that we can reason with.”
Tillamon nodded. “Well, they should have known better than to crash a sorceress’ wedding!” The old man realized that his jest didn’t sit well with Lepkin so he quickly changed the subject, pointing to Erik. “What do we do with him?” the old man asked.
Lepkin frowned. “They will be back, very soon. This fight is probably not over just yet. Go and prepare to leave, as we discussed before.”
Erik nodded, extinguished the flames on his sword and made for the house. Jaleal, Marlin, and Tatev were quick to follow suit. Dimwater, on the other hand, descended from her cloud and landed near the ruined tables that had been overturned in everyone’s haste to fend off the attack.
“By the gods, if I get my hands on that dragon, I swear I will rip him apart with my bare hands!” She bent down and picked up a small hunk of candied ginger and then walked into the house. Everyone inside stopped to look at her. “Everyone else may go about your business, but my husband is expected upstairs. Now.”
The group silently turned to look at Lepkin. The man blushed and a frown of dread crossed his face for an instant.
