Dragon Alliance: Rise Against Shadow

by J. Michael Fluck

  “Lord Ashram, an Alliance gold dragon is attacking the fortress; you must come out and help us defend the castle.” Ashram’s apprentice sorcerer ran into his master’s bedroom chamber with Lodar close behind him.

  “I am in no shape to do anything now; go and face it yourself,” Ashram screamed back to the young dark-haired sorcerer.

  “Ashram, you are the cause of this attack by not dealing with it in the unsettled lands, the castle is getting pounded!” Lodar shouted back.

  “Then get your cowardly men to fire the ballistae and chase it away. If it is attacking alone, it is here for a simple raid, now leave me to my rest,” the sorcerer commanded as the two hurriedly left before Ashram could cast a spell at them.

  “What are we going to do?” the apprentice asked Lodar.

  “You are going to face that dragon while I get my men mobilized to mass ballistae fires on it,” he scowled at the young sorcerer, who gulped in fear.

  Gallanth soared away from the fortress and began to turn back for a final return strike. “I wonder if Ashram will come answer our challenge to his home fortress,” Mkel said.

  “I smell his presence, but he is still deep within the castle,” he responded. Gallanth made a lazy turn and headed back toward the fortress. A lightning bolt came from the middle of the courtyard in front of the keep, striking his shield.

  “An apprentice sorcerer of Ashram, foolish to engage us,” Gallanth spoke as his golden eyes glowed in preparation to fire a sunburst beam. Mkel quickly loaded a mithril pointed bolt in his crossbow and began to acquire a good aim on the sorcerer. Gallanth fired the sunburst beam before he even flew over the fortress wall, striking the apprentice sorcerer’s shield and smashing it. As Gallanth flew over the wall, Mkel fired his bolt, which streaked toward the sorcerer. The bolt sunk into the black-robed sorcerer’s chest just above his heart. He gasped in pain and then sunk to his knees and doubled over, dead. The mithril tip also nicked the dark crystal on his staff, which started to vibrate and then erupted in a violent explosion, killing several soldiers near him.

  Gallanth roared, and a billow of searing hot dragon fire emanated from his open jaws, engulfing the stables, dozens of Morgathian soldiers, and several wagons on the riverside of the courtyard in flames. The remaining Morgathian soldiers on the wall had managed to ready two ballistae and fired as Gallanth streaked over the wall. The first spear missed altogether, and the second managed to strike him in the upper tail but barely penetrated his tough hide and fell out. It only was able to get past his shield because it was fired at extremely close range. He gave two flaps of his great wings to gain altitude above the range of the remaining Morgathian ballistae, and then he roared an insult, calling them cruel cowards and headed back to Thurex’s lair to gather the treasure.

  Mkel swung his crossbow around, took aim at one of the ballistae, and fired an exploding bolt. He hit it just left of center, blowing it apart and sending its crew flying. “That will keep them thinking for a while,” Mkel said with pleasure.

  “It will serve as a reminder that their lands are still susceptible to our attacks. Hold on, my rider,” Gallanth added as he inverted in flight and sent a meteor swarm spell, with its six fiery projectiles hurtling toward the fortress wall. Each struck the side of the fortress, blowing three large holes in the wall. This coupled with the structural damage already done to the two towers collapsed a good section of the castle wall. Mkel grinned at the results as they flew back up the steep valley.

  They landed back on Thurex’s ledge and walked into the cave and the red dragon’s treasure chamber. He stood in the middle of the pile of gold, silver, and gems, and spread his wings.

  “First I’ll make it hard for another chromatic to use this lair,” he said to Mkel, casting a shatter spell through an enhanced roar on the cave entrance that likely echoed down the valley. The spell caused the rock over the entrance to shake and begin to crack. He and Mkel then focused on the plain by the fresh battlefield. Gallanth could see no one was in the vicinity through the general’s seeing crystal, and in a flash, they and the treasure were gone.

  They emerged back at the rear of the battlefield, surrounded by the demon dragon’s treasure. General Daddonan’s chief of staff ordered guards posted around it immediately, so as to not tempt the legionnaires. Talonth emerged almost beside Gallanth, with a slightly smaller pile of booty.

  “Good strike on the sorcerer’s fortress, my brother. We would have joined you, but I sensed at least two wings of chromatics inbound to challenge us for their kin’s treasure, the silver dragon said to Gallanth.

  “We have seen enough killing among dragons today, but there is always tomorrow,” Gallanth replied with the best sense of humor that a dragon could muster. Both dragons then leaped into the air and disappeared simultaneously, just at Strikenth appeared with another pile of treasure. Within time, all thirteen chromatics’ treasure hoards were returned, with Strikenth and Padonan dripping wet from the last mission.

  “Get a little wet, Lieutenant?” Mkel yelled over to Padonan.

  “The black dragon had his hoard underwater, vile chromatic stench,” Padonan replied with a smile, as he tried to wipe the swampy water off of his dragon hide riding armor. “A bath we will need, my friend,” he told his dragon.

  “I agree,” Strikenth replied.

  “How much do you think you all collected?” General Daddonan asked as the dragonriders dismounted.

  “Gallanth estimates that there is over three and a half million coins, of which a tenth are platinum, a third are gold, and the rest equal amounts of silver and copper. He has also sensed over eight hundred gems of worth,” Mkel conveyed his dragon’s assessment. “The dragons will consolidate the piles, and they want each legionnaire to grab one hundred drachlars, or the equivalent of that amount,” Mkel explained. “Plus we still must collect the treasure from that demon blue dragon, along with the black and green that we killed over Handsdown. That will only add to the booty we have gathered.”

  “Captain, I understand that, but do the dragons realize that there are over three thousand soldiers on the field, and several hundred more back at Handsdown and on the support corps wagons heading here now?” General Daddonan inquired.

  “Yes sir, they do, and they estimate that it will take almost four hundred thousand drachlars to give that amount out, which will leave roughly three million or more for us of to divide four ways. As for the gems, we will also divide them in four parts as well, sir,” Mkel explained, although he could clearly see that the general was not overly excited about this new plan for the redistribution of the booty. But since the dragons had fought for it, and collected it, he did not have much choice. Mkel knew that this was like giving the soldiers a year’s pay as a bonus, which after this fight; they all felt they deserved.

  “Well, if that is what the dragons want, we will comply. Colonel Sykes, make this transfer happen in an orderly manner,” the general ordered.

  “Yes sir,” the senior colonel replied with a salute, turning to organize the transfer with the commanders on the ground. The dragons began to push the piles of coins and treasure together as the Battle Point soldiers began to stir and line up for their bonus. The dragonriders then quickly remounted, and after Gallanth gave Talonth and Strikenth the image from the black and green dragons from the previous battle, they took off. Their treasure was quickly collected and brought back to the field without incident, besides the normal spells and traps that protected the hoards. The demon blue dragon had a fairly substantial treasure, being just over three hundred thousand coins, and a good crop of gems. The other two dragons had very small hoards, with barely one hundred thousand from each of them.

  The soldiers were very happy as they lined up and collected their coins, each legionnaire either bowing or verbally thanking the three dragons and riders for the gift. “Now those are happy soldiers, and out here the Enlightened senato
rs won’t know to tax them on it,” Padonan said to his fellow dragonriders and the Draden group standing with them, who laughed at his joke.

  “They deserve it after this fight. This is probably the biggest battle the Alliance Army has fought since the Great War. There have been skirmishes of battalion strength, but not a whole legion committed. The dragons have been the Alliance’s hammer for the last thirty years,” Lordan explained.

  “You are right, Colonel, but with the incidents of the last two days, I think that trend is unfortunately over. I am concerned about the recent events, plus what that drow sorceress told us, as well as the appearance of these demon, berserker, and talon dragons. I feel the Morgathians are up to something big,” Jodem further surmised.

  “Well, time will tell, but you all know that the Enlightened senators will attempt to explain this as an anomaly. If not just to justify their latest budget cut proposals to the military,” Toderan said with disgust. “Especially that imbecile Senator Tekend from Ferranor and that wolf-bitch Senator Hilrodra from Atlean.” Toderan almost spat the words.

  “Tell us how you really feel, my friend, but I wholeheartedly agree with you and would rather fight another demon dragon than have to testify in front of them at the end of the week,” Mkel lamented.

  “You will do fine, my young friend. We will go over your speech when we get back to Draden,” Jodem said confidently to his charge.

  “Yes, we all wish you luck with the likes of them, Captain,” General Daddonan said, giving a nod of encouragement.

  “We all know you will do well, for you will be talking from the heart,” Lordan added.

  “It seems strange that I am invited to speak in front of the senate, just because of my father and his sacrifice,” Mkel asked.

  “It is really for your work for veterans’ rights and your research with the University in Draconia and their scholars for war effects on veterans. It was instrumental in getting more funds from the senate for their benefits and medicines,” Lupek gave his friend an encouraging comment.

  “Well, for the wife of a former premier, Hilrodra seems to forget that her inept husband is out of power. It does astonish me that the POEs are as popular as they are, with their anti-Alliance and antidragon views and attitudes,” Padonan added.

  “I agree with Toderan’s words regarding the nature of the two prominent senators and their seemingly fanatical devotion to their political causes, along with their desire for the dismantling of the military and the redistribution of the Weir’s earned wealth to all of their mindless followers,” General Daddonan said.

  “At least we still have the majority in the senate to trump the black iron tongues of the Enlightened, and Premier Reagresh is on our side,” Tegent said with a smile.

  “It’s hard to understand how a veteran can have that much hatred for the very organization that they served and gave them the ability to become a public official in the first place. It’s almost as if the arbitrator guilds are involved in a conspiracy against the very country that they represent, and they have the majority of the magistrates with them. Since they can’t win with an open forum of their ideas and policies at the ballot, they are attempting to match and usurp the good will and prestige that the dragons promote through gifts of other citizens’ gold, court rulings, and legal actions,” Mkel theorized.

  “There seems to be a trend in the way your magistrates have been conducting their rulings in your courts that is definitively anti-Alliance and antidragon,” Dekeen said. “You humans are strange beings, in that some members of your species not only do not appreciate what gives them freedom and prosperity, but actively plot and scheme against it. Their attitude would be a mystery, but it is easily explained by a false sense of guilt from their success, and an intense emptiness they have in their souls.” Dekeen surmised with his normal elven objectivity and rapier-like perception.

  “As always, your analysis of the situation is as penetrating as your arrows,” Mkel agreed with his elven friend.

  “Something will eventually yield. The Alliance can’t continue on the course that was set by former Premier Bilenton,” Toderan theorized.

  “Yes, our problems definitely began under Bilenton’s tenure in office,” Mkel said, “and we are still feeling his unique legacy today: less than a third of the legions we had during the Great War, and less than half the warships for the navy. We are lucky that he or the Enlightened senators could not touch the Weirs’ treasure accounts and that we have a degree of independence from the senate and the rest of the Alliance military, as far as funding and action.” Mkel expressed his feelings regarding the former premier and the current internal political fight that the Alliance was embroiled in. “I know that Premier Reagresh has been attempting to correct these issues and a great deal more, but it is an uphill battle with the Party of the Enlightened causing so much trouble in the senate.”

  “You all should feel grateful for your independent status that your Weirs enjoy,” General Daddonan said. “Being at the mercy of the senate for funding can be a problem at times. Luckily, here at Battle Point, we do have a small amount of autonomy being a thousand miles from the Alliance border. However, it is not as much freedom as the dragons and Weirs maintain. I envy you on that point.”

  “Well, sir, it looks like most of your men have had their fill of dragon booty,” Colonel Lordan said to General Daddonan. “All we have to do now is divvy up the quality gems.”

  “Gallanth senses just over eight hundred gems that could be used for either dragonstones or the dragons’ synthensiums. I know your land dragons have used many in this battle, but so have our mates. We will have to separate them judiciously, sir,” Mkel said to General Daddonan.

  “You’re correct, Captain. I trust your dragons have already identified all the gems they would like,” Daddonan inquired.

  “Yes sir, they are very vital to our efforts. Gallanth burnt through three in just this fight alone,” Mkel answered.

  “It still amazes me how the dragons can derive so much energy and power from such a small object,” Daddonan rhetorically asked.

  “It’s all about their synthensium, sir. That special organ they possess, coupled with their unique blood, gives them this ability; thank the Creator they can, or we would all be dead men,” Lordan explained.

  “All magic is derived in some way from dragons,” Dekeen commented.

  “You are right there, Colonel,” Daddonan said. “Their power has defended us time and time again. From the great gold and silver metallics, to our humble land dragons, we owe them much.”

  “I wouldn’t underscore the land dragons too quickly, sir. They have been the mainstay and backbone of the Alliance Army since the Great War. They can take on almost any opponent, save chromatics, and usually come out on top,” Mkel said, defending the land dragons’ contribution.

  “Don’t get me wrong; I truly appreciate what our land dragons have done for us,” Daddonan stated quickly, “especially those we have in service here at Battle Point. The threat of them, our hippogriffs, and cavalry keep this region in check, between the nomadic Kaskar horse clans to the north, and the constantly warring middle kingdoms to the south and east. Their strength has allowed us to be the true middle ground and the center of trade, which greatly contributes to our prosperity out here in the frontier of the unsettled lands.”

  “We understand, my good general; wait,” Jodem started to speak when he suddenly turned to the west, at the same time Gallanth raised his head and turned in the same direction.

  “Valianth is arriving, with Lionoth and Tigrenth right behind him,” Mkel said, getting the thought from Gallanth.

  “Their power of foresight is amazing,” General Daddonan exclaimed. “Valianth, who is with him, Captain?”

  “General Becknor and Colonel Therosvet are mounted on Valianth. Bagram and Delker are alone on their dragons, sir,” Mkel answered
with a half smile, for he was glad to see Delker, as well as his mentors and leaders. Delker had been a soldier and a young sergeant in the Draden Weir’s infantry company under Mkel’s command. He then was chosen to soul bond with Lionoth after his rider died of old age, at two hundred twenty. He was sorry to see him go, but the Alliance and Lionoth gained a good dragonrider.

  The three Capital dragons emerged from teleport and then circled around the battlefield, eventually landing behind Gallanth and the two silvers. General Becknor and Colonel Therosvet sprung off Valianth quickly, very spry for their age, Mkel thought to himself. Bagram and Delker were also quick to dismount their silver dragons. They walked over to the assembled group at a brisk pace. Gallanth nodded to give his respectful salute to the second most senior dragon in the Alliance, second only to Michenth himself, even though it was widely known that he was slightly stronger and larger than Valianth.

  “Sir,” Colonel Lordan and Captain Mkel quickly put their right fist over their heart, giving the dragonrider salute to General Becknor, being the highest ranking military officer and dragonrider. General Daddonan walked over to meet Becknor and shook his hand.

  “Becknor, my friend, good to see you out here in the middle of nowhere,” General Daddonan greeted his comrade.

  “I heard you have had a tough fight out here in the last three days. Valianth relayed the messages from Strikenth and Gallanth that you fought two full wings of chromatics. There were also these new demon dragons and a talon dragon type? We also saw images of the Morgathian behir snake dragons, the man/dragon creatures called dragon spawn, and a whole army led by a Morgathian sorcerer. Master Wizard Jodem reported the presence of drow and Shidan assassins. I’d say you all were busy,” Becknor stated in his greeting. “Captain Mkel, the good Battle Point general was lucky you and Gallanth were visiting when you did, or there might have been a drastically different outcome of the events of the last several days.” Becknor shook Mkel’s hand with his normal warm but quick smile. He then shook Lordan’s and Padonan’s hands and acknowledged the rest of those assembled, congratulating them for their successful fight.