The sun had been up for over an hour as they lifted off the ground. As Marlo circled, they hit a sudden cross wind that caused her to nearly roll over. Nat laid forward and clutched her neck, the way that Delno had been told to do by Brock, and let dragon’s instincts take over. He was facing the sun and it was unusually bright until she righted herself and turned away from it.
They flew nonstop this time until they reached the camp where Delno and his party were waiting for them: it was late evening and the sun was setting. Marlo had flown slightly more leisurely on the return trip for Nat’s sake, but even so, they made it back by the end of the third day since she had left. The Dragon had pushed hard and wanted nothing more at the moment than to go to sleep. She glided down and landed near the other dragons. Once on the ground, Delno and Rita quickly filled Nat in on all that had happened since they had parted company.
“Well, since there were only six Felanxes made in Llorn and we killed four while still in Ondar, the two that you and Marlo killed are quite likely the last of them in the north,” Delno said.
As Nat sat near the campfire drinking some of the herb tea he had made for himself and Nassari, he kept rubbing his chest. “What’s wrong, my friend? Were you hurt by the Felanx that attacked you?” Delno asked.
“No,” the half-elf replied, “Marlo was buffeted by a strong cross wind, and I think I abraded my chest on her scales while I was hanging on.”
“Better let me take a look,” Delno responded, “We’ll be moving on to Larimar tomorrow, and I don’t want you treating contagious patients if you have any open sores.”
Nat felt a little foolish being so concerned over a minor inconvenience, but he also recognized that Delno was right. He removed his shirt and Delno examined the injury.
“Nat,” Delno said in an astonished voice, “I can’t heal this.”
“You can’t? But I’ve seen you heal injuries that were much more severe than this,” Nat responded.
“That is no injury, my friend,” Delno replied. Then he put his hands on the physician’s shoulders, looked him and eyes and said, “That, Nathaniel, is a Dragon Mark.”
Nat’s eyes went wide, and he simply stared at Delno, unable to make coherent speech. Then he examined the mark much more carefully. Delno was right. It was a reddish color, like a wine-colored birth mark. It was dragon shaped in the vaguest, most abstract way.
“Soon, my friend,” Delno said, “That mark will begin to take on Marlo’s orange color with that distinctive yellow star shaped mark on her chest.” As Nat still stared at him incredulously, he added, “You’re a bonded Rider now.”
It took nearly two hours before Nat was ready for more conversation. He had walked to the edge of camp and stood staring at his Partner almost that whole time; not moving, just watching her sleep. Then he simply turned around and walked back to the campfire as if nothing had happened.
“Marlo told me everything she knows about the plague in Larimar while we were traveling together,” Nat said as if there had been no break in their conversation. “She apparently doesn’t know much; she could only get so close to observe without being seen. She really did try her best, though.” He added the last part almost defensively as if he didn’t want anyone thinking less of her because she hadn’t put in enough effort.
“Marlo has made an extraordinary effort at helping us.” Delno replied. “Just forewarning us was worth much, and then for her to go and retrieve you was more than we could have hoped for.”
“Of course, she bonded with him,” Paul spat out, as if doing so was some kind of insult.
“Yes,” Delno said, “she bonded with him. I find that a very happy coincidence for both of them. Why do you find it so distasteful?”
“It’s not natural that he should bond with a mature dragon, and he’s an elf,” Paul was able to make the last observation because Nat had taken to wearing his hair in a ponytail since leaving Orlean.
“Half-elf; the eyes would be slanted if I were a full elf,” Nat replied, as if instructing an idiot.
Paul glared at the physician and said, “There has never been an elf Rider.”
“I’ve heard that,” Delno stated. “It’s about time there was. I think Nat is a natural Rider, and I’m quite pleased with the fact that he and Marlo have bonded.”
“Two unnatural acts in one,” Paul replied, “a half-elf bonding with a wild adult dragon. Only humans should bond with dragons, and then only with hatchlings.”
“Really? ” Rita said, “Then how did humans first bond with dragons? Do you think some wild female simply surrendered her eggs? I find that hard to believe, and legends suggest that the first riders went into the mountains during the earliest wars with the Roracks and emerged onto the battle field weeks later on dragons, flaming their enemies to ash.” Then she wrinkled her nose and added, “That would be a neat trick for a dragon only a few weeks old.”
Paul started to make a reply, but Nat cut him off. “I have to say that, at this moment, I don’t really care about any of this. We were discussing the current situation in Larimar. Now whether this man’s,” he indicated Paul, “interruption was planned to disrupt our conversation, or whether he is just a racist isn’t important at this time: what is important is that I believe that I have an idea of what is afflicting the people of Larimar and how to cure it.”
Paul stared at Nat open-mouthed.
“You already know?” Delno said, “That is good news. Tell us more.”
“Well,” Nat replied, “as I was saying, Marlo told me of her observations. They weren’t made up close, but dragons can see many times farther than humans. From the markings caused by the disease, I believe it is a sickness common to Roracks. They catch it the way humans catch the common cold. However, when it spreads among humans, it causes death in more than half of those afflicted. Those who survive will have some immunity from further infection. There hasn’t been a serious outbreak in Horne for nearly a century because most of those in that country have developed some resistance. If it has returned, then we must work fast here and then send word to the healers who are in Horne.”
“Oh, yes,” Paul said belligerently, “we must drop everything and rush to Horne to our deaths. If the plague is no threat to the people of Horne, why do you seek to send your friends to their deaths trying to warn them, Half-elf?”
“Because,” replied Delno, “the men who have been sent to Horne to assist in the fight against the Roracks will have no such protection. Why would you want to keep us from contacting the healers there and saving those men, Rider from my enemy’s camp?”
Paul shot to his feet and reached for his sword, then remembered it had been taken from him. “I have given you information; I have stated my hatred for the leader of your enemies, yet you give me insult in return for my assistance. Now either give me satisfaction, give me leave to go my own way, or give me death. I will no longer tolerate such treatment.”
Delno looked at the man for a long time. Finally he said, “Go, and do not rejoin our enemies. I have spared your life once; if we meet again and you oppose me, I will not hesitate to kill you. You may take your possessions, other than your weapons, and Mariah may not fill her flame bladder within a day’s flight of this camp.”
The young Rider looked hard at Delno and then said, “I go, and I will not report to Warrick on you. I was supposed to be captured and spy on you; that you know. What Warrick doesn’t know is that I heard what he said about me. I do think that he is not the just man I had first believed him to be. I am also not ready to give my aid over to the camp of one who would readily take in half-elves as allies. I will go away and await the outcome of the coming conflict. When that is decided, I will make a more permanent decision concerning you and your plans.”
“Remember one thing,” Delno replied, “if you do not return like a beaten dog to your master, and I am not successful, Warrick will not forgive you for deserting him. If you do not go back, then I suggest that it may be in your best interest to aid my cause ra
ther than simply await the outcome. But that is for you to decide; I merely give you the freedom to make that choice on your own. But know this: If you do prove false and return to your master, then I will kill you the next time we meet.”
Delno turned his back on the man in final dismissal. He didn’t stop Paul from taking what supplies he owned, and Paul didn’t try to retrieve his weapons. Then the younger Rider walked to his dragon, and Delno informed Geneva that Paul and Mariah were free to leave, and the dragons need only ensure that Mariah didn’t fill her flame bladder.
Marlo was a bit angry that the enemies were allowed to leave peacefully, but Nat was in contact with her and quickly quieted her down. Then he went to her, and they stood together for a long time.
When Delno asked Geneva what was going on with Nat and Marlo, she informed him that the two were simply finding their own space with each other, and all would be well. Geneva approved of the bonding, too.
Chapter 8
The next morning Delno awakened everyone early. They ate a quick breakfast, and Nat prepared an herbal tea for Nassari. The tea would help keep Nassari from contracting the plague when they got to Larimar.
“What about you?” Delno inquired. “Aren’t you going to drink some of that tea, too? You haven’t been bonded long enough to be immune to disease. That part of the bond can sometimes take up to a year to become effective. That’s why Rita got that infection that your father had to treat even though she and Fahwn had been bonded for six months.”
“Oh, don’t worry about me, my friend,” Nat replied, “I get some immunity from being part elf, and I have been exposed to this sickness enough times in the past that I am already fully immune. I will be fine.”
Delno felt compelled to double-check Nat’s saddle before he would allow his friend to mount. Then, after ensuring that all of their supplies and equipment were secure, they got airborne. The dragons always seemed to revel in taking flight in the early morning as the sun was just coming over the horizon. They each stroked their wings hard to gain altitude as if trying to get higher than the others to be the first to actually see the sun appear on the crest of the world.
“You are in high spirits for one who is flying into a tragedy, Dear One.” Geneva said.
“Nat will set Larimar right in short order, Dear Heart, and it is delightful to see him with Marlo; they are a good match.”
“Yes, they are, and it doesn’t hurt that her bonding with Nat will help your plan to enlist the aid of the wild dragons, either.”
“I didn’t plan it this way, Love, but I’ll take any advantage I can get at this point,” he responded.
“Hers was a particularly tragic case, Love,” Geneva replied. “She was meant to be bonded and has lived just over a century in total loneliness. However, don’t expect that all wild females will wish to join up and bond with riders.”
“I don’t expect that. I do hope, however, that some of the wild dragons will see the sense of helping us and will join our cause. With their help, we gain allies of incredible power. I would like to force Warrick into submission, but failing that, I would like to defeat him with as little loss on our side as possible, and the way to ensure that is to have overwhelmingly superior numbers.”
“We shall see, Dear One, we shall see. It should be easier to get the wild females to aid your cause now that Marlo has joined. At least they will listen without prejudice.”
They flew on through the morning and only stopped very briefly for a mid-afternoon meal. An hour or so later, Nat spotted something that made him land. He and Marlo had located herbs that would help the plague victims. It was a relatively common plant that grew wild in the wetlands of Corice. Nat had all of the Riders gather and carry as much as they could. Then they flew on and didn’t stop again until Larimar was in sight.
Delno could tell right away that something was wrong, and not just the plague. The fires on the walls were lit and there was a large force of men and equipment just out of bow range on the fields outside the city. As they got closer, it was clear that the force was a besieging army, and they were building siege engines to blast holes in the city walls. Delno recognized the colors that the army on the field was flying. Apparently, Bourne had once again renewed hostilities against his homeland.
He had Geneva relay orders that Fahwn and Beth were to flame the ground far enough in front of the siege engines to avoid casualties but close enough to get the message across that they shouldn’t attack the city. As Beth went down to flame near one of them, Fahwn did the same with another. Just then Geneva said, “Hold on, Love.” There was a strange sensation behind him, and then he realized that she had filled her flame bladder and was preparing to make a strafing run at the third siege engine. Delno managed to make sure that Geneva firmly impressed on Marlo the importance of keeping Nat out of such activities, and then he was lost in the marvel of riding a flaming dragon.
The result of the display was just about what Delno had expected. The soldiers of Bourne were scurrying around like ants when you kick an ant hill. He had Geneva and the rest land close enough to the walls of the city that they would be out of bow range of the Bournese. He really hoped that his own people didn’t open fire on him.
The archers of Larimar held their fire, but watched the dragons and riders warily, ready to launch a hail of deadly missiles. The riders all sat motionless for a long time, and then Delno rummaged through his pack until he found his white shirt. He then waved the white shirt at both camps. It took nearly a quarter of an hour before he saw white flags being waved from either side. Seeing that both agreed to parlay, he dismounted and instructed the other Riders to do the same.
They still had to wait for over an hour before the diplomats from both armies appeared and began to make their way to the center of the field. The men of Corice and those of Bourne stopped nearly a hundred feet short of actually approaching the dragons. Finally, Delno, Nassari, and Nat walked to a spot that was midway between the two groups and about hundred feet to the side of where the dragons had landed. This seemed to satisfy the others and they approached the Riders.
The first thing that Delno realized was that he recognized the military officers from both armies. The two officers from Larimar had been commanders when he had been promoted, and the two from Bourne had both been present at the signing of the peace treaty between the two countries at the end of the last war.
Delno greeted the officers from Larimar first. The one wearing Colonel’s insignia had been a captain the last time Delno had seen the man; his surname was Dreighton. The other, now a captain, had been a lieutenant and his surname was Porter. Both men were astounded to find Delno Okonan here under such circumstances and wanted an explanation. Delno promised they would get that later.
Delno then turned to the group from Bourne. “As you can see, Gentlemen, I am from this kingdom. I am a veteran of the last war between our two countries . . .” he began, but was cut off by the Bournese general.
“I know perfectly well who you are, Delno Okonan. Even those in Bourne who don’t know your face have heard your name. You are the man who led fifty Corisians and held Stone Bridge against nearly six hundred of our troops, and all you got for your effort was a promotion to lieutenant. If you joined the Bournese Army, you would be given a position commensurate to your worth.”
“I arrive, it seems,” Delno responded, ignoring the attempt to sway his loyalty, “in time to lend assistance to my countrymen when they are in the middle of a crisis of plague, only to find an army from Bourne besieging my home as well. Why has Bourne attacked Corice?”
One of the officers of Bourne answered, “We seek recompense from Corice for the expense of the last war. We were never compensated for the losses we suffered in men, material, and money during that time. We have come to collect that debt.”
The officers and delegates of Larimar started to speak up, but Delno held up his hand for silence. “You seek recompense?” Delno asked. “Recompense for a war that you started without provocation
? You swept down out of the north and attacked this land, and we spent two years of bloody hell repelling your armies. You created a war which nearly bankrupted both countries, and now you seek reimbursement?”
“We don’t see it that way,” the Bournese officer said flatly. We merely moved into disputed lands; lands that belong to Bourne. We lost much in that war, and in the end we were forced to give those disputed lands to Corice in order to have peace. We have realized that doing so was a mistake and have come to rectify that situation.”
“Oh,” Delno replied, “and the fact that the treaty your king signed states clearly that there are no disputed lands doesn’t mean anything?”
“The king signed that treaty as much for the benefit of Corice as for anything else. It was a magnanimous gesture that he has since come to regret.” The man’s mannerisms were beginning to wear thin on Delno.
“Larimar is not situated in, or even near, any of those places. Are you quite sure that you haven’t been advised by outside parties that Corice has been weakened and is ripe for the taking?” Delno asked.
The man suddenly became uncomfortable. He shifted from one foot to the other, and he was no longer willing to look Delno in the eyes. “Our sources of information and our purposes are none of your concern,” he said. “What is of your concern is that I have more than enough men to bring this city to its knees. You will either surrender or be conquered.”
“And what is of your concern,” Delno spat back, “is how many of your soldiers you are willing to see killed by dragon fire if you don’t pack up and leave Corice immediately. That little demonstration we gave you this afternoon is nothing compared to the devastation we will wreak on you if you choose to pursue your present course.”
The Bournese general sneered at Delno, and said, “Dragon Riders are neutral in such affairs. They don’t get involved in such wars. There hasn’t been a dragon involved in a war in over two thousand years. You, sir, are bluffing.”
Dragon Blade Page 8
