He came to his senses with his head cradled in Rita’s lap. She was staring at him through the tears that were running unchecked from her eyes. He reached up and put his hand behind her neck and pulled her to him, and they kissed each other deeply.
“Is there some reason that you refuse to keep your arse in that saddle?” Brock asked. “We were just finishing up with Kern. If you had simply kept Warrick at bay for a few more minutes, we would have been able to come and help you.”
“I don’t think I could have lasted a few more minutes,” Delno replied. “I was running out of tricks, and had been forced to use my own energy to reinforce my shield once already by the time I decided to go after Warrick directly.”
Delno moved to get up and Rita held him where he was. “You just lie still,” she said. “Nat will see you again soon, and then you can get up.”
“Nonsense, woman,” he said. “I am fine now. I need to get back into this war. The last time I looked, and it couldn’t have been that long ago, we were holding our own, but it was still a contest.” He looked around and then added, “Why is everyone standing around? There are still Roracks to deal with.”
“Relax,” Brock told him. “As soon as Warrick died, the Roracks ceased fighting cohesively, and began to break up into small groups. Most of the small groups turned tail and ran with our men chasing them all the way to the hills. There are no beast-men left alive on the plain, and those who escaped have scattered.”
“Still,” Winston said as he walked up, “between the dragons and our ground troops, we killed nearly nine thousand of them today. It will be a long time before they return in sufficient numbers to cause problems again. And with that compelling stone gone, it isn’t very likely they will organize if they do recover their numbers.”
“The compelling stone is gone?” Delno asked.
“Yes, my friend,” Walker said. “Wanda flew me to the fort and I went in to look for it. It is the reason that my clansmen and I were sent to this war. I was to recover the stone or destroy it. We found the remains of Warrick and Hella in the fort, along with those cat-men that you and Nae-sah-rae told us about.” Walker and Nassari had become such good friends that the elf had insisted on changing the man’s name to make it sound more Elven. “However,” he continued, “the man and dragon, as well as the foul creatures, have been . . . changed. Jhren is still examining them.”
Before Delno could ask any more questions, Geneva said, “Love, are you all right now?”
“I am fine, Dear Heart, there’s no need to worry.”
“I wasn’t worried. Well, I was before, but I saw Nat heal you, so I knew you were fine physically. What I mean is, Nat and the others are healing the injured on our side, but there are many casualties, both human and dragon. Most of the Riders and dragons are assisting in the efforts, but most of them have not studied anatomy as you have, so Nat has asked for your help with some of the more serious cases if you are up to the task.”
“I am up to it, Love. Take me to them.”
Chapter 49
“I’m not sure exactly what happened to cause this,” Jhren said, as he and Delno examined the remains of Warrick and Hella. They were, quite literally, turned to stone, and had become part of the bedrock on which the fort was situated. The six Felanxes had also been turned to stone when their master had crashed into the old fort. The cat-men were standing around the central courtyard of the fort just as they had been standing when the dragon and Rider had hit. They were still gripping the vicious-looking, heavy blades that they carried, though those had been altered just like the bodies of the creatures.
“What’s your theory, then?” Delno asked.
Jhren seemed reluctant to answer. Finally he said, “Well, I’m pulling this out of my hat, because I only have limited experience with things like the compelling stone. . . .”
“I’m not going to hold your feet to a fire if you’re wrong, old man. I would just like to get an idea of what has happened,” Delno said.
“You always have been too damned impatient for your own good,” the wizard replied. “As I said, I’m just working with a theory here. I will need to do more study before I can be even marginally sure of anything.”
Delno looked at the conjurer for a long moment before Jhren finally relented, “All right. This is what I think happened. That compelling stone, if you shade the area you can still see it glowing faintly.” Jhren paused for a moment while he spoke to Carra.
Carra nodded, and extended her wing to shade the large raised area where the bodies of Warrick and Hella had fused to the stone of the huge central yard inside the old fort. Delno could see through the semi-transparent rock that had once been a dragon and her rider that there was indeed a faint glow coming from about the area where Warrick’s body would have been situated on Hella’s neck.
“Reach out and use your magical senses,” Jhren said.
Doing so, Delno realized that the energy he could see coming from the stone within the rock extended well down within the earth. His surprise showed on his face.
“Yes,” Jhren said softly, “that energy goes all the way down, and seems to be connected to the energy of the earth itself.”
Delno said nothing, but continued to examine the phenomenon with all of his senses.
“I managed to learn a few things while I was traveling with your grandfather,” Jhren said. Delno gave Jhren his attention, but couldn’t help but continue to study the stone. Jhren went on with his ideas, “This is the area where the mages who originally made the magical creatures—trolls, Roracks, and dragons—did their work. One of the reasons this fort stands here is because the energy of the place lends itself to controlling such creatures. The compelling stone itself comes from around here somewhere, perhaps from this very place.”
Delno stared, wide-eyed and open-mouthed, at Jhren.
“Oh, the compelling stone came from this very place, my good wizard,” Walker said as he approached. This book that I have recovered from Warrick’s quarters confirms that.” He displayed a very old tome he was carrying. “This is one of the books that was stolen from our libraries. There are references to this plain, and specifically to this building. This book clearly names this as the place where the compelling stone was made.”
Jhren looked at the book the way a greedy man would look at a precious gem held just out of reach. Walker smiled at him and let him look at the pages he had opened the book to. Jhren read as quickly as he could, as if afraid the book would be taken away without warning.
“According to this,” Jhren said, as Walker allowed the mage to take possession of the book, “this place didn’t start off as a fort. It was the site of the original experiments to create a magical creature that would bond with a person and combine powers with him. It is hinted at here that this place may even date all the way back to the Mage Wars.” Jhren was obviously in awe of what he was reading.
“That is not a confirmed fact, but it is possible,” Walker interjected. “Whether or not this building survived the Mage Wars that nearly destroyed everything cannot be proven. This building, however, is the oldest standing man-made structure in the world.”
Delno looked around with a new perspective. It was awe-inspiring to think of the age of the place.
“The mage, or possibly mages, who made the magical creatures made many beasts that were unfit, or completely uncontrollable, and had to be destroyed,” Walker continued. “The arrogance of those people is astounding. To treat their fellow creatures such. . . .” He shuddered and then switched back to his subject. “They finally made the trolls, which were little more intelligent than the stupidest of beasts. The trolls were highly resistant to magic, but were not magically active. They could be controlled through training and conditioning, the way a circus trainer controls dangerous beasts. However, the mages saw no point in trying to use them since they were worthless for the intended purposes. They didn’t destroy the trolls outright because they thought that they were heading in the right direction. Wh
ile they experimented on magically bonding human and Elven stock with them, some of the trolls escaped and moved off into the wilderness to establish themselves as viable species, or were later released. That point isn’t exactly clear in the book.”
Delno shook his head. “I’ve heard much of this. The species they got from those experiments are what we call Roracks, or beast-men. They, once again, found that they didn’t get the characteristics they were looking for, and then went on to create the dragons.”
“That’s partly right,” Walker said. “The beast-men were uncontrollable, and magic resistant. However, they at first thought that by controlling this new creation they might still salvage something. Also, regardless of whether or not the Roracks ever proved useful, they felt the need to have better control over any future creations.” He paused for a moment and looked at Jhren to see if the wizard wanted to add anything. Jhren, however, was deeply engrossed in the book, so Walker continued. “They used the magic of this place and created the compelling stone.”
“I thought they continued their experiments on creating a species they could bond with, and made dragons next,” Delno said.
“No,” Walker replied. “They abandoned the Roracks completely after a short time, when they learned that they couldn’t increase their powers by using the foul beasts. They did continue to use elves and humans as unwilling participants, but it is unclear what other species they added to get dragons.”
Jhren looked up and said, “That stone was drawn up from the very bedrock where it now, once again, resides. It seems to have fused itself back into the bones of this place when Warrick and Hella fell here, and it has fused them into the rock with it. I believe that Warrick poured so much of himself into the stone controlling the Roracks, that he, and Hella, in the end, simply became part of it, and now share its fate.”
“That sounds like a good theory,” Walker replied. “At any rate, as regards the dragons, they weren’t created until after the stone. When the mages did get the dragons, they thought that they had achieved success, until they found that the dragons were highly intelligent and morally resistant to being used as mere slaves to the mages’ desires. The mages then tried to use the compelling stone to control the dragons. Unlike their earlier creations, the dragons were not only intelligent enough to realize what the mages were trying to do, they were also able to use magic to defend themselves. The mages didn’t count on the dragons being as powerful magically as themselves, and the resulting battle caused the stone to be damaged. There were losses on both sides of that war and, in the end, the mages were weakened enough for the humans and elves to put a stop to the mages quest to create a magical creature to increase their power. This building was left to rot, while the dragons went their own way and disappeared from history for over a thousand years.”
“If this place was left to rot, why is it still so intact?” Delno asked, looking at the walls around him.
“Well, much magic was used in the construction of the place. It was, after all, owned by powerful mages. Later, when the Roracks resurfaced and began causing troubles, this place was converted to a fort since it was so conveniently close to the beast-men’s territory. For thousands of years it was manned by the ancestors of the people of this land. It was a fort for so many generations that those who manned it forgot that it was ever anything else.”
“Most interesting,” Delno said almost to himself as he walked around looking at the structure. Then he looked at the mound of new stone that had once been Warrick and Hella and said, “Most interesting, indeed.”
Chapter 50
Will stepped up on the small flat spot of rock at one end of what had become known in the last few days as Rider’s Mound. It had taken the combined efforts of Jhren and Delno, as well as Geneva and Carra, to turn this spot into a flat platform. The platform was now situated right over the glow from the remains of the compelling stone. It had also taken the combined efforts of the two Riders and two dragons to magically inscribe the words Will was about to read. The entire mound looked like obsidian, but was harder than diamond. Apparently, the magic that fused the bodies of Warrick, Hella, and the cat-men, into the stone had also hardened it.
Will raised his right hand to take the oath of the Legion of Riders. “I solemnly swear to serve my fellow creatures to the best of my ability and to uphold the just laws of any land I find myself in. I swear that I will not participate in any attempt to usurp power from the rightful and just rulers of any sovereign nation in an effort to gain power for myself or any master I have chosen to serve, and will make every effort to protect the sovereignty of any nation that is rightfully and justly ruled. I will abide by the just edicts laid down by the Council of Riders, membership in which this oath entitles me. Lastly, I swear that I will always do my best to act in a manner that will bring honor to me, my draconic partner, our respective families, and The Legion of Riders - which I now join freely and without coercion.”
Will went slightly blank for a second while the magic that Delno and Jhren had worked into the oath surged through him. Then he smiled at his older brother as he stepped down. He was the seventh Rider to take the oath. Delno had been the first, and Jhren had been the second. Then Brock, followed by Rita. Nassari had stepped forward at that point and he had been followed by Nadia.
For the next two hours, the Riders who had flown against Warrick stepped up and took the oath, one after another. As each person who took the oath stepped down, the platform glowed for a few moments before returning to its inert state.
Finally, after all had finished, Delno called for the prisoners to be brought forward. There were five Riders who had flown for Warrick who had not either fled outright or been killed in the battle. Chief among them was Kern. Kern had been a Rider nearly as long as Brock, and the two had often found themselves at odds concerning their duties as Riders over the years. Brock had usually found Kern to be harsh when dealing with non-Riders, and Kern had time and again accused Brock of being soft-hearted to the point of being soft-headed.
“Kern,” Delno said, “Step forward from the others. Your fate is to be decided first.”
Kern sneered, “Upstart! I was a Rider before your father was more than a wicked thought in his father’s mind. I do not accept your authority here.”
“Save your haughty speeches,” Brock said. “Our authority here comes from beating you and your master in your bid to take over the freely governed lands of men. We have beaten you soundly, and you now stand next to what is left of your former Leader.” Brock pointed at Rider’s Mound. Kern visibly flinched and refused to look at the rock formation. “Now be silent,” Brock continued, “and you may find some measure of mercy here.”
“I seek none of your mercy,” Kern said belligerently. “I am a Rider and, therefore, not responsible to you, or anyone else. Riders are independent, governed by none but themselves.”
“If you were a wise, compassionate man, I might agree with you,” Delno said. “However, you are a murderer.”
“I killed in war. Can you say that you did any differently?”
“I killed only those enemies who had openly declared war on me,” Delno responded. “Quincy had not openly declared war on you. He was merely trying to protect the people of Horne from the beast-men. You blasted him out of the sky from ambush before he even got a chance to know you were there. You laid in wait for him, and killed him with premeditation. We know this because Geneva and the other two lineage holders here were able to draw that information from Serrin’s mind. You may be able to convince yourself that you are something more noble than a backstabbing assassin, but your dragon actually feels regret over the incident.”
“I am a soldier, and I demand that you either free me or kill me now,” Kern replied. “I have no desire to listen to any more of your accusations.”
“Your dragon was injured . . .” Delno began, but Kern spoke up and cut him off.
“You mean she has been crippled, by you and your lap dog.” He indicated Brock.
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br /> “Serrin’s wings were injured when you and she fought with us. She refused to allow anyone to get near her to heal her. Dragons heal much more rapidly than humans do, and her injuries have set. She is crippled as a consequence of her threatening to kill any who got close enough to help her while the injuries were still fresh. She has since come to accept that she is to blame for her infirmity. She is incapable of anything more than short clumsy flights at this time, and she is completely incapable of carrying your weight. However, there may be hope for her.”
Kern looked up sharply. He was bitter that his dragon hadn’t been healed, and that her injuries left her disabled, but now Delno could see hope in his eyes as well as the underlying defiance.
“There are healers among the elves who have studied dragon anatomy much more extensively than anyone here. Walker thinks it is possible that, even if they cannot restore her completely, they may be able to help her. Such will take a long time, quite likely years.” He paused for a moment before continuing. “You have shown no remorse for all that you have done, and your deeds could be punished by death, and no one would fault us for such.” Kern stiffened, but didn’t say a word. “However, Serrin, now that she is no longer in proximity to the compelling stone that was being used against her, has shown great sorrow and regret for her part in all of this. She is still basically a good person. Perhaps it is unfortunate that she is bonded to you, for we would like to be rid of the threat that you might find a way to pursue vengeance. We can’t execute you, though, without sentencing her to the same. Therefore, since the Elves have offered to take custody of you while they try to help Serrin, Jhren will magically place a stone over your heart. The stone is one of a pair. If you try to stray too far from the mate of the stone you bear, you will be killed by the magic. If you remove the stone that is placed on you, you will be killed by the magic. The only way to remove the stone is if the person who holds its mate freely releases you.”
Dragon Blade Page 38
