"Very well. I am still listening."
The reptilian monarch inhaled, his eyes growing a little less fiery. "The gatesss of Zuu are still open for busssiness despite the rumblingsss of conquessst. Lanith still encourages business, although why ssso many fools would continue to go there, I cannot sssay. Merchantsss still bring their waresss to the city and othersss still come to purchassse the kingdom's fine sssteeds. That will sssoon change, but for now it worksss for us."
Darkhorse understood what he was suggesting. "I am to imitate a simple mount, thereby gaining access into the city. A reasonable suggestion, but surely Lanith's sorcerers will be watching for such a thing. If this woman who tricked Aurim was indeed the horse king's enchantress, then they will of course watch for me. I suspect that she is powerful enough to detect my presence. Better to leap in, rescue the lad, then depart."
"The matter of detection is not a problem, demon sssteed." The Dragon King extended his hand. He now held in it a medallion, the center of which was a green gemstone. "'Thisss is a variation on the tokens all travelers who enter Zuu mussst bear. Unbeknownst to mossst, they are also desssigned to detect any newcomer with sorcerousss abilities. Thisss one, in turn, will act asss a damper, shielding your powers from the senses of Lanith's sorcerers . . . even Saress."
"I would look a little out of place wearing such a thing and I expect that I could not absorb it within me, could I?"
"Your rider will wear it. Asss long as the pair of you are within range of one another, you will be protected. Once inside, you can contact a representative of mine."
It seemed a reasonable if still somewhat risky option, but Darkhorse had some misgivings. "Who is it who will ride with me?"
Yssa stepped forward. "I will, Darkhorse."
"Daughter, that wasss not—"
"I know Zuu better than even your spies, Father. I lived among the people." She spread her arms. "Look at me. I might as well have been born among them."
"Your mother's parentsss were from the kingdom, true. However, I cannot risssk having you —"
She would not be put off. "Who else could defend themselves so effectively?" Yssa turned to Darkhorse. "You've no choice but me, demon steed. Will you accept that or do I have to argue with you, too? The longer we wait, the more danger to your friend."
He was probably as leery as the Dragon King was of involving the female, but she was correct. Yssa was the one best suited to journey with him, the only one he could trust to also defend herself. Her knowledge of Zuu would be invaluable, too. "I accept your company, wo--Yssa."
"I do not," insisted the Green Dragon. "Yssa, I forbid you to—"
She snatched the medallion from his hand, then vanished, only to rematerialize a moment later next to the shadow steed. The Dragon King hissed, starting toward her at the same time.
Yssa leaped aboard Darkhorse, a riskier act than she likely realized. Darkhorse immediately shaped himself to better accommodate her weight, then turned to block the drake lord.
"She will not go with you, eternal! I have only regained her! I will not lossse her again!"
"The choice is mine, Father. You know how much I enjoy adventure!"
"You will ssstay!" Now a transformation came over the Dragon King. His arms and legs twisted, his hands curling into claws. He swelled in size and as he grew, leathery wings burst from his back and a tail sprouted from below. The vestiges of humanity quickly slipped away. The dragon head crest slid downward, remolding into the true visage of the reptilian monarch.
Within seconds, a huge emerald dragon had taken the place of the scaled knight.
Darkhorse backed several steps, but he was not daunted by the leviathan. Powerful though the Dragon King might be, the eternal had faced such strength before. If need be, he would defend himself, although the shadow steed hoped it would not come to that. The drake's concern was for the welfare of his daughter.
"Good-bye, Father!" Yssa called. To Darkhorse, she whispered, "Be prepared to leave here when I say so."
The dragon unfurled wings that nearly spanned the entire width of the great cavern. "Think what you do, Yssssa! Thisss is no tryst! Thisss is no game!"
"For once I agree with you, Father." The enchantress pointed at the massive dragon.
Light flashed before the dragon's crimson orbs. He roared, startled.
"Time to go!" Yssa called merrily.
Darkhorse followed her lead. The cavern faded even while the dragon sought to regain his sight. A moment later a vast field of wild grass formed around them. Darkhorse silently cursed his haste. He had transported both of them to the former Barren Lands.
The grass seemed to take note of Yssa the moment the pair appeared, straining toward her like a pack of puppies yearning to be petted. The eternal shifted ground, trying to avoid the tendrils.
"He always had such a temper," his companion remarked. "I knew that he'd grown careless, otherwise he would've never been diverted by such a simple spell. He'll give in now that he knows there's no stopping me." She peered around. "I wouldn't have thought you'd take us here."
"It was the nearest location that did not take us toward Zuu or back toward Penacles! Had I had a moment more, I would have chosen a better location. Away!" The last was directed toward the increasingly inquisitive blades of grass.
"They don't mean any harm." Yssa lowered one hand enough so that the grass could touch it. "They'd only harm a drake of clan Brown and there aren't many of those left."
"Nonetheless, I still do not like their inquisitiveness! Make them cease so that I can think!"
She whispered something to the plants, which immediately stilled. Yssa then smiled at the shadow steed, an action that did nothing to ease his tension. He was beginning to regret agreeing to take her on as his companion. If not for the fact that she knew Zuu so much better than he did . . .
"I only need a few minutes to create an illusion around us. We'll be a rider and mount from the southern horse ranches. All I have to do is weather myself a bit and make you look more like one of the browns they raise down there."
"I can easily form the proper disguise if you will but show me an image."
She nodded. "Good. The less spellcasting around us, the less chance of someone detecting it. The medallion's good, but it's got limits."
He twisted his head around to look at her. "Why are you doing this, Yssa? This need not concern you."
"But it does." That was all she would say, but a trace of anger in her tone hinted at something more. Her mood abruptly changed again. "Well, shall we begin?"
Yssa insisted on a quick journey to the south so that the shadow steed could study the horses raised there. Darkhorse needed only a few moments to inspect the creatures in order to make the adjustments to his form. His companion was delighted with his shifting abilities.
"Why do you always choose a horse, though?" she finally asked. "Why not some other form like that of a man? You could probably imitate one easily."
"I prefer this form. It has grace, beauty."
"But you could transform into something else . . ."
"With more difficulty than you imagine." That was not entirely true, but he saw no need for her to know all his capabilities. "I have adapted myself to the basic form of a horse, and having utilized that shape for so very long, minor transformations such as this are simple. It would require much more effort to adapt to a completely new shape, such as that of a man or a drake."
"A pity. It could've been handy."
The enchantress had also changed, although her transformation was simply an illusion. In order to avoid enshrouding herself in too powerful a spell, Yssa had kept her alterations minor, changing only enough to keep her from resembling herself. She still looked like a native of Zuu, but one more muscular and plain of features. Her outfit was simple and functional, the type worn by those more accustomed to herding horses rather than city life. Her clothing was real, albeit adjusted to conform with her illusionary appearance.
It was but a short leap to
the vicinity of the city. Yssa chose a location that would give them the privacy their sudden arrival required. After all, their disguises would not have mattered much if someone had noticed them materialize. Once it was clear that they had arrived undetected, the pair immediately traveled to the main road, there joining others with business in Zuu.
"Less business than usual," the enchantress whispered. The eternal could not reply, but he flicked his ears in a manner they had decided would indicate his agreement. The southern road to Zuu was indeed less congested than it should have been. Horse trading was still important to the kingdom, which meant that there should have been many travelers riding to and from the city. A few merchants rode south, no doubt to buy directly from the ranches, but their numbers were far less than what would have been expected at this time of year. Not all the horses bred in Zuu were used for Lanith's armies. There should have still been a thriving business . . . except that many of the kingdom's customers now faced the possibility that their former trading partner now eyed them as future vassals.
Not every inhabitant of Zuu had to be pleased by the king's decision to expand his domain. Many of the merchants had to be suffering greatly by now.
To their surprise, however, the gates were no more well protected than during Darldiorse's previous visit with Cabe. The shadow steed had expected more security, but while several of the king's guard did patrol the gate, they asked no more questions than previous. Darkhorse received one or two admiring remarks, but otherwise the soldiers did nothing to slow the pair.
Before they were allowed to enter, though, the,. captain of the guard, a graying, hook-nosed woman taller and broader than the Gryphon, handed a token to Yssa. "You know the rules, right? Keep it with you at all times. You might be checked for it at any time by a member of the guard. Understand?"
"I do." The enchantress took the token and dropped it in a pouch tied at her side.
Darkhorse hoped that the medallion given to them by the Green Dragon functioned well. Between Yssa and him, the pair surely radiated much power. Even sorcerers as simpleminded as the bunch that worked for the king of Zuu could detect them given half the chance. Sorcerous shields were of no help, either. According to Yssa, someone among the horse king's hired mages, probably Saress, had devised the tokens so that the very shields that would have normally hidden the presence of the spellcasters actually betrayed them. That meant that neither Yssa nor the eternal dared add their own shield spells to that of the medallion.
No one confronted them as they journeyed through the city, yet Darkhorse could not shake his uneasiness. Everything seemed perfectly normal, but each moment he expected a legion of ragtag sorcerers to materialize from the shadows. He also still worried about the mysterious force King Lanith seemed to command. Even here in the city the shadow steed could detect no trace of its presence and yet he was certain that it lurked somewhere nearby.
Zuu itself presented nothing but the picture of calm and cleanliness. People still went about their daily business, arguing over prices in the marketplace or meeting with companions at the many taverns and inns around the city. Guards rode through the streets, but their manner was casual. Merchants from a few other kingdoms inspected horses for sale, a sign that business had not slacked off as much as Darkhorse had first supposed. Some folk, it seemed, were always willing to deal.
Despite all the horses, the streets and buildings of Zuu were among the whitest and newest-looking that the shadow steed had seen in quite some time. He noted men and women at work picking up after the horses. Others were scrubbing down a stable, one of many such structures located all over the city. The people of Zuu seemed to think nothing of the manual labor, however disgusting it might have seemed to some. Everything Darkhorse had heard about the horse people was true; they were bloodthirsty in battle, yet they also maintained a great belief in keeping their homes in order. The stench of hundreds of animals should have overpowered Zuu long ago, but one could barely smell them.
Yssa tugged lightly on the reins. Darkhorse slowed, then allowed her to guide him toward a stable.
As she dismounted, the enchantress took the opportunity to whisper, "My father has a man here. If anyone can give us some information about the palace, it'll be him."
He wanted to ask how a man who worked at a public stable would know much about the king's palace, but the coming of a groom prevented him from doing so.
"Good day to you," said the young blond man. "Can I help?"
"Is Trenlen here?"
The groom glanced back. "Trenlen's inside, but he's busy. Perhaps I could help you?"
"I'd rather wait. Trenlen's an old friend of my father's. He'll want to see me. You could see to my horse, though." She handed the reins to the groom, tossing him a coin at the same time. "Give him a good stall and some water. I'll take care of everything else as soon as I'm done with Trenlen."
"It would be no difficulty to rub him down—"
She smiled at him. Despite the plain features created by the illusion, she still had an effect on the young man, who blushed.
"I prefer to do that myself. He's special."
"All right." The groom stroked Darkhorse on the muzzle. "Come on, boy."
It frustrated the eternal to separate from his companion. What good would it do for him to wait in the stable? However, he had no choice. He would have to be patient while Yssa spoke with this Trenlen. He considered altering his appearance. Reshaping himself into a more humanoid form would gain him better access to things . . . but he was loath to abandon a shape that had served him so well.
He would be patient for the time being, but if the enchantress took too long, he would have to take charge of matters, whatever the cost. Each passing moment meant increased danger to Aurim. If not for the fact that he knew that Lanith wanted the younger Bedlam for his Magical Order, the shadow steed would have fretted more. Lanith would not want to harm Aurim; the lad had too much to offer the horse king if only the latter could bend the spellcaster to his will.
Be strong, Aurim. Be very strong.
Darkhorse's last glimpse of Yssa was of the sorceress entering the building next to the stable. Then his view became one of stall after stall, most of them inhabited. As he neared the first, the mare within grew anxious. The groom shushed her, but then the horse in the stall next to hers also grew jumpy.
They sensed the eternal's difference. Outside, the animals would have paid him little heed, but when trapped in close quarters with him, many horses were wont to grow nervous. Darkhorse wondered whether he would be able to stay here after all.
The groom evidently had similar thoughts, for he encouraged the shadow steed to a quicker pace. Soon they were past the other mounts and into an unoccupied part of the stable. Even then the young man with Darkhorse did not pause. The eternal began to suspect that he was going to end up back outside, but at the very last stall the groom finally halted.
"Can't go any farther, boy. I don't know why you make 'ern so nervous, but they just have to be satisfied with you being all the way over here." The lad took a moment to stroke the etemal's muzzle. "Maybe they're just jealous because you look so good. I wonder if your mistress is trying to sell you to the master. Hope so. I'd get to ride you, then."
As much as Darkhorse appreciated the groom's good taste, he silently urged the boy to depart. While there was little the shadow steed could do from inside the stable, he could do nothing at all so long as his undesired admirer remained nearby.
Fortunately, the groom settled for watering him and then disappearing. By that time, the other mounts had settled down, although many turned a wary eye in his direction. Darkhorse ignored them, instead trying to decide what he dared risk.
Yssa had explained the range of her father's medallion and Darkhorse estimated that he was just barely within that safety margin. It was fortunate that the stable was not any longer; the shadow steed might have then risked the Order's notice.
Darkhorse was still debating his options when he heard someone approachin
g. It was Yssa, accompanied by a second, hulking figure with the look of a soldier upon him. The eternal tensed, suspicious that perhaps the Dragon King's talisman had not worked so well after all.
"I was beginning to think that you weren't in here at all," the enchantress whispered, her tone amused. "What did you do, scare all the other horses?"
"This is your partner?" asked her companion. Like many folk of Zuu, he wore his blond hair in a long ponytail. His round features were half-hidden by the thick, somewhat darker beard. "I admit he's a fine steed, but, my lady, that's all he—"
"You can speak to him, Darkhorse. This is Trenlen. He is one of my father's men."
"If you say so, then I am willing to risk speaking." The shadow steed chuckled as Trenlen's expression altered from disbelief to shock. "Greetings, Master Trenlen. You have a fine stable."
"I. . . thank you."
Yssa waited for the man to recover his wits, but when Trenlen continued to simply stare at Darkhorse, she finally snapped her fingers before him. "Pay attention, Trenlen. We can't remain here long."
"My. . . my apologies, my lady." Despite his best efforts to remain attentive, the man's eyes continued to drift to the eternal.
Sighing, the enchantress turned to Darkhorse. "We had a discussion concerning the palace and I think I've found out something of use to us. Lanith's sorcerers make their headquarters in what was once a part of the royal stables, but has long since been renovated. The king likes them near, but not too near."
"So Aurim is there?" Out of the corner of his vision, Dark- horse noticed Trenlen's eyes bulge. It seemed that each time the eternal did not behave like a real horse, the man was dumbstruck.
"No. I knew about the headquarters of the Order already and I didn't expect that your friend would be in there. Aurim Bedlam is too great a prize. Besides, he isn't one of Lanith's paid dogs. He's an unwilling recruit."
"So far you have told me nothing, then."
Legends of the Dragonrealm: Volume 04 Page 47
