“Eh, the constable part ain’t much to brag about. Although the people trust me since I don’t overcharge them on meat like the other insufferable merchants in this city,” Garth said. “And when I told them I knew where the angel of Aldron was, well, they naturally believed me and came along.”
“The angel of Aldron?” Violet asked.
“Ye were sent from above, miss! Yéwa’s healing power is upon ye!” A man in the crowd yelled out.
“Bless you, Lady Violet—you are a true angel. Long live the queen of Aldron!” Another woman cried.
The mention of her future title brought an uproarious reaction from the crowd. Many were likely unaware of her engagement to King Silas—a popular king among the peasantry. Murmurs of surprise among the crowd suddenly turned into a loud chant of “long live the queen! Long live the queen!”
Violet felt her cheeks blush. She desired to be anywhere but here in the midst of such adulation. Although she was thankful that, so many were no longer suffering with crow’s blight as a result of her efforts, she had never expected this kind of reaction. Caldwell seem to enjoy the moment, joining in the chant beside her. Eventually, Garth raised a hand to silence the crowd then gestured to Violet.
“Milady, do you wish to say anything?” He asked.
“Eh, I’m not—that is, I didn’t expect,” she stammered.
Caldwell, seeing her floundering, stepped in to help. “What your future queen means to say is that she is both humbled and grateful for your praise. We are overwhelmingly happy that you and your families are recovering from this terrible disease,” he said, sounding like a polished orator.
Violet turned to him and mouthed the words, “thank you.” He nodded and winked.
“I’d just like to add, milady, that should ye ever require the help of us common folk, you needn’t hesitate to ask,” Garth said. The crowd gave a thunderous applause and hollered their agreement.
“Thank you, Mr. Lewold,” she said, forcing a smile.
There was a sudden commotion near the back of the crowd which interrupted the proceedings. A rider dressed in page’s attire made his way through the assembly. He was young and eager to deliver a message to Violet.
“My Lady Violet, the king requests your presence at the palace immediately,” the boy said.
“Is everything all right?” Violet asked.
“I was only told to escort you back urgently, my lady. I know nothing more,” the page said.
“Go on. Morton and I will finish delivering the talo elixir to the remaining families,” Caldwell said.
Violet nodded. She thanked Garth again, and the butcher bowed in return. Then she followed the page through an alley and rode hard toward Gilead Palace.
Chapter 16
The journey to the Maguna Mountains had taken three long exhausting days and by the time the dull gray mountains were in view, Lucius thanked Yéwa incessantly. Traveling through the desert had taken a steady toll on him. He had changed his clothes several times to allow them to dry from the excessive sweat he’d drenched them in. Thankfully, the Uwadi had plentiful water supplies, and no one suffered from thirst or heat exhaustion. Though Lucius swore he came close to both. Now in the barren northern mountain range, the temperatures were considerably cooler. The absence of any grass or trees allowed the wind to whip violently around them. It whistled eerily through the numerous outcrops and bluffs that formed the base of the peaks and spires that Kraegyn called home. This was not a place that encouraged visitors nor did it seem like the sun ever shone amid the gray overcast sky. In Lucius’ mind, death itself seem to dwell here and it did not extend any welcome to them.
The Uwadi and the Drachengarde moved cautiously through this gray country, making progress inside the natural gully created by the mountains. They found a gravel trail that led them into the heart of the range where towering cliffs flanked them on either side. The defile widened and narrowed in several places, making it difficult for them to make progress through the tightest spots. Simeon suggested they press forward in a single file to proceed easily. But in one of the tighter areas, Lucius and the others had to dismount and lead their horses through the narrow gaps in the rock. Penna seemed quite uninterested to follow her master, but Lucius calmed the animal by gently stroking her muzzle and urging her forward with the lead rope.
Once they had cleared the narrow gap, the walls of rock widened once more and they found themselves with a stunning view of the towering Maguna peaks on either side. The winding gravel road guided them through the rough terrain and deeper into Ghadarya. Ahead of them a shelf jutted out from a cliff and provided a secluded area to rest under. The team of fifty men dismounted, laid their supplies on the ground, and placed buckets of oats and water for the horses. Lucius fancied the idea of starting a fire to cook a hot meal, but the prospect was quickly dashed by Siegfried.
“We have to move carefully through this place. Any loud noises or overt smells might alert the enemy to our presence,” the elf said as he sat down on a rock beside him.
Lucius frowned. “I guess that means we won’t be having a warm pot of coffee or bacon.”
“Not unless you want to be cooked by dragon’s breath later,” Dudley said, tossing a bag of rations at him.
Lucius caught the bag and loosened the drawstring. He grabbed a hard biscuit and cold piece of salted pork, biting into the latter reluctantly. The meal had become a staple since they’d left Kroshen and he’d quickly become tired of it.
After everyone finished eating, Dudley and Simeon called the men together to discuss their plan. Lucius joined the semicircle that faced the two leaders. Not for the first time, he noticed Dudley’s arm sling which helped his shoulder to heal from the wound he’d received by the Draknoir. Dudley struggled to hold the reins of his horse during the journey with the sling, but he adamantly refused any help offered. By rights, he shouldn’t even be in a combat situation like this. His injury, while not severe, would still make it highly difficult for him to wield a sword with his right arm. But the captain was quick to boast that he could wield a sword in both his right and left hands.
“Gentlemen, we’re in the heart of dragon territory and quickly approaching the known area that houses the dragon mother’s dens,” Dudley said. “Few men have escaped this place alive, so our maps and charts of the area are probably inaccurate. It is believed the gravel road takes us into the main entrance of the dragon’s cave complex within the mountains. But according to Simeon, this is incorrect.”
Dudley turned to Simeon, who nodded.
“The gravel road is a trap created by the dragons to catch any visitors unaware. If we continue on it for another mile or so, we will encounter more tight gaps in the defile before it opens up into a large pit. The problem is the pit will have a guard roosting along the cliffs. The cliffs on either side create an easy offensive position for the dragons and deters an attacking force. Thankfully, there is another way into their dens.” Simeon looked at the men before him and singled out one of the Uwadi warriors. “Naphtali, come forward.”
Naphtali was a warrior of light build around Lucius’ age with a head covered in black curly hair. He stepped forward hesitantly and stood by the two men. “Yes, Al-Abya?”
“You and your brother found a secret path in the defile that led to the dens, yes?” Simeon asked.
Naphtali nodded.
“Tell them where.”
The young warrior cleared his throat, appearing petrified to speak to the crowd. But he managed it. “Before the defile narrows again, there is a cleft in the rock face. We must climb to reach, so we will have to abandon the horses. Inside the cleft, the tunnel winds down to another path in the mountains and then the cave entrance. That is where we entered and found the eggs,” Naphtali explained.
“Interesting,” Dudley mused.
Simeon thanked the young warrior and gestured for him to rejoin the others which he did so eagerly. “Here is the plan I propose,” Simeon began. “A handful of men will act as scout
s through the cleft and report back. If the path is clear of dragons, a large group of you will proceed into the dens while the rest stay with the horses and stand guard.”
“Sounds like an excellent idea,” Dudley replied.
But Lucius tapped a finger to his lips as he processed Simeon’s plan. Before he knew it, he was blurting out the thoughts that rushed into his mind. “What if we encounter more than just the den mothers? There could be male dragons still roosting here. After all, if Memnon’s grand strategy against Aldron is the mature hatchlings, he’ll want more than the mothers protecting them.”
Simeon frowned. “The mothers are formidable in their own right, Lucius.”
“Yes, but they’re nursing young. Broughlin told us they would be weakened and unlikely to have eaten much during the gestation period. They won’t even be capable of flight,” he argued.
The information caused a murmur of discussion among the men. Lucius could sense his father’s annoyance when he barked an order commanding the Uwadi to quiet down. He took a deep breath and addressed his son. “All right, let’s consider what you say is true and there are more dragon sentries about. What do you propose we do?”
All eyes were on Lucius now and he instinctively shrunk in his seat. He wasn’t sure how to answer the question to the problem. But then it struck him unexpectedly. “Perhaps a diversion?” He said hesitantly.
Beside him, he could see Siegfried grinning.
“What kind of diversion?” Simeon pressed.
“You said the defile leads us inside a pit, right?” Lucius asked.
Simeon nodded. “That’s right.”
“If we find more dragons are guarding the hidden passage beyond the cleft, we could send men to the pit to catch the attention of the dragon there. Whatever commotion they make will likely divert any other dragons to the pit which would make the dens clear for another force to infiltrate,” Lucius said. He felt rather proud for coming up with the plan on the fly, but his elation didn’t last long.
“You’re forgetting one minor detail,” Simeon said. “The pit is a trap and whoever steps foot in it will be at a considerable disadvantage. Those men would face death and have little chance of escape. Much less if more sentries join the dragons already guarding the place.”
Lucius conceded the point and now felt foolish for not considering it. No military leader would intentionally place his men into a battle that would cost their lives needlessly. Perhaps his father was right and they wouldn’t need to worry about other dragons besides those guarding the pit. Naphtali had snuck into the dens without a problem months ago. It might just be that simple. He might be worrying about a problem that wasn’t there. And yet, something inside of him thought otherwise. He’d experienced too many situations in battle where unexpected problems cropped up. Maybe he was being overly cautious, but that was never a bad thing when facing a dangerous enemy.
“Unless we come across male dragons along the hidden path, we should proceed with the plan normally. Does that sound reasonable to you, Captain Dudley?” Simeon turned to the Drachengarde leader.
“Sounds logical to me,” Dudley answered with a nod.
“All right then. We’ll have four men enter the cleft during nightfall. The darkness will decrease the chances of being seen. I will lead the scouts and I’ll have Naphtali with me since he has already traversed the passage. Dudley with your permission, I’d also like to volunteer Siegfried to come along. Elves can see better in the darkness than men and he’ll be invaluable to us on this mission.”
“Technically, Siegfried isn’t a member of the Drachengarde so you’ll have to ask him if he wishes to accompany you,” Dudley replied, glancing at the elf.
Siegfried stood up from the rock he sat on. “I’ll be glad to help, Simeon. But on one condition.”
“What’s that?” Simeon said curiously.
“My brother is to be the fourth member of our team,” he said to Lucius’ surprise.
Lucius considered volunteering for the scouting mission, but he still felt ill at ease with his father after their exchange several nights ago. Lucius sensed his father was still disappointed in his unwillingness to lay claim to the throne in Aldron. That disappointment sowed seeds of doubt in how Lucius viewed his father. Perhaps the man didn’t care at all for him and simply wanted a viable heir to groom for his own purposes. Although he didn’t believe his father wished to take advantage of him in such a way, the thought had occurred to him. Simeon’s disappointment only fueled that suspicion. Already he could see a rift developing between them during their journey. They had spoken little since that night in the temple. And being confined in a narrow passage with his father held little appeal for him right now. Still, he wanted to contribute to the success of this mission. The dragon hatchlings and their mothers had to be neutralized if Aldron was to have any chance of victory against the Draknoir. For that alone he could deal with the strained relationship between him and his father.
Simeon regarded Siegfried’s request with some dismay, but he acquiesced with a nod. “That’s fine by me. But the real question is whether or not he wishes to come along,” Simeon countered.
Lucius stood up next to Siegfried then responded, “yes, I’d like to help, Father.”
“Good. We leave in a couple of hours, so get some rest,” Simeon said. With that, he and Dudley dismissed the men who shuffled to their horses and unfurled their bedrolls.
Like the others, Lucius found a suitable spot beneath the rock shelf to settle into for the night. Though his wool blankets were quite thick, they didn’t offer much comfort on the gravelly ground beneath him. He tossed and turned uncomfortably in his simple bed until his body eased into a groove in the hard ground. Relaxing at last, he closed his eyes and slept. Near the end of the first watch of the night, Lucius felt a hand shaking him awake.
“Time to go, Lucius,” Siegfried whispered as he stood over him.
Lucius nodded groggily then stood up. Around him, most of the Uwadi were asleep and huddled close together beneath the cover of the shelf. He stepped lightly around the sleeping men following Siegfried to a spot where four figures stood waiting. The moon was high in the black sky, providing ample light for Lucius to make out the men watching them approach. Dudley, Darius, Naphtali, and his father greeted them quietly.
“Darius... Dudley, why are you two awake?” Lucius asked curiously.
“We’re taking the second watch while you go on your little adventure,” Darius replied with a smile. His expression suddenly turned grim as he put a hand on Lucius’ shoulder. “Tread carefully. We needn’t lose the Ellyllei when we’ve come so close to Kraegyn’s downfall.”
Lucius smiled at that then turned to Dudley who still wore the arm sling.
“As Darius says, take care of yourselves. We’ll see you lads soon,” the Captain said with a curt nod.
“Let’s be off then. Naphtali lead the way,” Simeon said.
The young warrior set off on the gravel road leading the party into the deep shadows of the defile. For about a quarter mile, the trail remained relatively opened and allowed them a full view of the dark cliff faces surrounding them. Then the road dipped slightly, and the defile tightened. Large slabs of rock had fallen from the mountains centuries ago, creating a buttress over the narrow space they now traversed. As the rock walls around them closed in with each step, Naphtali pointed upward.
“There! We climb for a few feet then the cleft will take us around this place,” he said.
In the moonlight, Lucius saw the shallow cleft in the cliff face several feet above them. Naphtali climbed first, showing his prowess at scaling the jagged rock. Lucius followed, placing his hands into small handholds in the cliff face to lift himself. As he scaled higher, he realized how high they needed to ascend to reach the cleft. He resisted the urge to look down, steeling himself to keep moving. In the dim light, finding suitable handholds and footholds became daunting. Ahead of him, Naphtali reached the cleft and entered inside, disappearing from sigh
t for a few seconds. The young man’s cheerful face reappeared from the small space and he noticed Lucius struggling with the climb.
“Put your hand there. No, not there. Over there!” Naphtali commanded.
“You’re making this more difficult, Naphtali,” Lucius said anxiously. His foot suddenly slipped on a loose bit of rock and he clutched another handhold like a vice.
“Are you all right?” Siegfried said from behind him.
“Just peachy!” Lucius cried.
After a few more unwanted instructions from Naphtali, Lucius regained his confidence on the cliff and moved upward to the cleft. A few terrifying minutes later, he grabbed hold of Naphtali’s hand and collapsed on the small ledge of the cleft. His chest heaved with ragged breaths as he struggled to stand. In contrast, Siegfried entered the small entrance of the tight space rather calmly as though he’d been out for midday stroll.
“That wasn’t as difficult as I expected,” Siegfried said, exchanging a smile with Naphtali.
“Oh, speak for yourself!” Lucius said, wiping the sweat away from his forehead.
Siegfried shrugged.
When Simeon joined them, Naphtali took out a small torch and flint from his rucksack. He used the flint and steel blade of his dagger to light the torch. The fire illuminated the rocky walls of the cave in front them which descended downward into the bowels of the mountain. A slight draft blew through the passage and caused the flames to dance wildly about. Lucius wondered how long the path extended, but before he could voice the question, Naphtali was speaking.
“The cave goes for about a mile down. Then we will exit onto another trail before we see the dragon dens,” he said.
“Lead on,” Simeon said, waving him forward.
Navigating the passage proved to be a difficult exercise. Though they had ample light with the torch, Lucius stumbled over jutting rocks and stalagmites numerous times. The ordeal reminded him of his unpleasant experience in the mountain halls of Djoulmir. He sincerely hoped the cramped cave wouldn’t get any narrower as they progressed—he’d had enough of rocky enclosed spaces for a lifetime.
Keep of Dragons (The Azuleah Trilogy Book 3) Page 20
