Remnants of the Order

by Hamish Spiers

  “Think nothing of it,” Ramonda said. “Anyway, we’ll talk more about it later. In the meantime, I suggest you make yourselves comfortable while we bring up the rest of your group.”

  Later in the day, when most of the ship’s crew were relaxing in the shade, Ramonda sat by the lake with Karn and Shaala.

  “Tell me about the Greater Realms,” she said, “what’s been happening there for the past few hundred years.”

  “When did you last visit us?”

  Ramonda smiled. “I think it was six or seven hundred years ago.”

  Karn smiled too. “Perhaps we can check in the Ensari library someday. There are books about you, you know.”

  He then proceeded to tell Ramonda about the rise of Strahd and the Angdar and then Marshal Artaeis. Then he talked about Dominicon, the defeat of Marshal Artaeis at Cirreone, the intervening years since then and, finally, Savenya and her companions.

  When he had finished, Ramonda leaned back and thought it over.

  “I’m not certain right now just how we can deal with these dragons,” she said. “But we’ll help you if we can.”

  “Thank you,” Karn replied.

  Shaala, who had been quiet until that point, then spoke up. “It’s very kind of you but may I ask why you are helping us?”

  Ramonda smiled. “It’s very simple, Shaala. You need help and we can provide it. What more is there to the matter?”

  XI. Ramonda’s Company

  “Baine, Helina and Haitarus will come with us,” Ramonda said. “I had also hoped that perhaps my husband Dramasdus and my son Erasaeil might be able to join us but they have not yet returned from their explorations of the lands to the west. And my daughter Elleiras, as far as I know, has gone off to join them.”

  “So there are more lands out there,” Shaala said.

  “Of course,” Ramonda said. “Many. I would hate to break any illusions you may have, but even when taken altogether, the Greater Realms form just a small part of the world.”

  “I’d like to see some of these lands one day,” Shaala said.

  Ramonda smiled. “Perhaps one day, you shall.”

  Shaala returned the smile. “It would be something.” Then she hesitated. “I wonder if perhaps we could persuade a few dragonets to come to the Greater Realms with us.”

  Ramonda shrugged. “I imagine we could. I know a few of them already want to come anyway. They are, after all, naturally inquisitive things. However, Baine’s worried they’re not strong enough to make the flight.”

  “They’re not that little,” Shaala pointed out. “They’re two yards long.” However, she could certainly understand why people might think they were little. She’d mistaken them for smaller creatures than they were really were when she had first seen them.

  “That’s true,” Ramonda said. “But I think Baine’s just worried that if ‘little dragonets’ can fly all the way there, they’ll undermine the impressiveness of the feat he and the others are about to accomplish. You have to understand that he’s a very proud dragon.”

  “Was he around before you set off for the Greater Realms the first time?” Shaala asked.

  “Baine?” Ramonda asked. “No. He and Helina are only around four or five hundred years old.”

  Shaala rolled her eyes in feigned shock. “Why, they’re practically babies.”

  Ramonda laughed. “Indeed.”

  The next day on I’estre was their last. Knowing the distance that they had to travel, they all woke well before sunrise. Then after breakfast, Ramonda, Baine, Helina and Haitarus changed into their dragon forms on the slope of the plateau and everyone climbed onto their backs.

  Fifteen dragonets accompanied them as they set off in the dark, gliding down from the plateau and over the sea. Two hours after they had set out, they saw the first rays of sunlight on the horizon and it cheered the travelers; they’d been saddened to leave I’estre so shortly after they had reached it and they needed something to lift their spirits.

  The dragons flew close to the water, with Baine and Helina occasionally skimming across the surface as they went. As the sun rose higher in the sky, Shaala and the others didn’t notice how much time was passing and before they knew it, the sun was right above them. Every now and then, they came across small islands and when they did, the dragons stopped so their passengers could have some short rests and even shorter meals.

  Then after a little while, the travelers realized that altogether, they’d been flying for eight hours. Ramonda then guessed that after just another two, they would be in Saharei. It was tiring but it was faster than sailing.

  Lorial watched Derin and Talon playing with the children out in the sun with a little concern. They were going to be burnt to a crisp if they weren’t careful.

  “Should that lot be out of the shade right now?” Gandon asked her, sitting down beside her on the wooden balcony.

  “I was just asking myself the same thing,” Lorial said. She smiled at Gandon’s wife as she joined them as well. “Hello, Akinyi.”

  “Hello, Lorial.” She had brought over a wooden bowl with some pieces of dried flat bread. “Would you two like some?”

  “Sure,” Lorial and Gandon replied more or less at the same time.

  Akinyi smiled as they each took some. “So, has there been any news yet?”

  Lorial nodded as she finished chewing a little bit of the bread. “Well, according to Morgiana, Karn and Shaala may be back today or tomorrow... with four dragons.”

  “It’s a pity they couldn’t have brought back every dragon on the island,” Akinyi murmured. “But still, it’s amazing these dragons would come at all.”

  “Yes,” Lorial agreed. She then noticed an attractive woman walking over to Derin and Talon, and she smiled as she recognized her. Natooka Tasutiki, Gandon’s younger sister. She was one of the most beautiful women Lorial had ever met and looked every bit as breathtaking now at the age of forty as she had when she’d been nineteen, back when she and Keld had first met her. Keld had told her that Gandon’s sister would break hearts and Lorial was fairly certain that over the years, she had.

  The memory of that meeting was still a sweet one for Lorial, even if the way it reminded her of Keld had made it somewhat bitter as well. Natooka had been quite taken with Keld but he was at that point already making plans with Kaolin. And, besides, she’d been far too young for him anyway.

  “What are you smiling about?” Gandon asked her, intruding on her thoughts.

  “Your sister,” Lorial replied, nodding to Natooka. “I was just thinking about her and Keld and the romance that never was.”

  “I remember,” Gandon said, but he didn’t smile.

  Then Lorial saw tears in his eyes. A year ago, if she had reminded him of that, he would have joked that Natooka was far too good for the likes of Keld. But not today.

  Lorial squeezed his hand. “We’ll bring him back, Gandon.”

  “Well,” Akinyi said, trying to lift their spirits. “Thank goodness that Natooka’s had the sense to tell Derin and Talon to get those children out of the sun. I can’t see what good Kelahil will be to Arahir if the Khalahi sun burns his skin off.”

  “What an attractive image,” Gandon told her.

  Akinyi shrugged. “That’s what it does.”

  “By the way,” Lorial asked, “has Natooka found someone closer to her own age yet?”

  “Not yet,” Gandon told her. “She’s a bit of a free spirit these days... and she’s one of Khalahi’s best scouts and trackers. If you want to go south for any reason, there’s no one better to have around to help you steer clear of the lion prides.”

  Lorial shuddered. “Scary.”

  Gandon smiled. “Well, not if you have a big strong man of Khalahi at your side.”

  “Yes,” Akinyi nodded, taking a small mouthful of the dried bread. “You can take this idiot with you and get him out of my hair.”

  Gandon laughed. “I love you,” he told her.

  “I love you too,” Akinyi replie
d without changing the tone of her voice or looking back at him.

  Lorial smiled at their exchange. She had always thought they were an adorable couple.

  Then, there was a loud cry from one of the children. Zecelia, Lorial realized much to her total lack of surprise.

  “Dragons! Dragons!”

  Lorial looked to the western sky and there, sure enough, were dragons – four of them to be precise – coming towards them.

  “Well,” she said to Gandon and Akinyi. “I guess the others will be rushing out to greet our guests. We’d better get down there.”

  “And Natooka had just got your husband and your brother out of the sun,” Akinyi sighed, shaking her head.

  They hurried to watch as the dragons came down to the ground. Virtually everyone in the city was waiting out in the open. They saw King Nabahar, Tal, and Morgiana, while Natooka was a short distance away with Derin and Talon. Ishtvan was also there with them as well, while predictably, Zecelia and Kelahil were pushing to get to the front of the gathered crowd.

  The dragons were truly magnificent – two gold and two bronze beings with their great wings spread out majestically. And all around them, there appeared to be a number of much smaller silver dragons. Lorial wondered what they were. They were very cute.

  Then the dragons alighted on the dry grass. The little silver dainties that had come with them kept to the air however, whirring around and making happy noises. The dragons’ passengers climbed off and people rushed forward to help them steady themselves. Others brought out flasks of water because they knew they would be thirsty.

  Then while all this was happening, the dragons seemed to disappear. It all happened too quickly for the crowd to really understand what they had seen but the dragons were gone and in their place were four naked people, two women and two men. All of them with beautiful bronze skin and a healthy glow that one couldn’t help but find attractive.

  The people of Saharei offered the dragons water and other things, which they gratefully accepted. Then Shaala introduced the dragons to King Nabahar, Tal and Morgiana.

  Lorial nudged Gandon and Akinyi and they moved their way through the crowd so they could hear what was going on as well.

  “We cannot thank you enough for coming to our aid,” Tal told their guests as he and his companions dined with them in Nabahar’s hall.

  “It’s as I say,” Ramonda told him. “On I’estre, we help others when they are in need. And right now, your people need our help.” She paused. “And this red queen of the north, this Savenya... She and her companions cannot be allowed to take away the things that your people have fought so long for.”

  “I’m glad we feel the same way,” Tal said. “However, there’ll be difficulties.”

  “Most certainly,” Ramonda agreed. “We shall have to consider how to deal with Savenya and her companions without endangering the people she holds to ransom. Karn and Shaala told me something of what’s going on in the Greater Realms but we will consider every detail before we prepare a plan for dealing with the situation. However, these are not all the difficulties you had in mind, are they? You refer of course to our ability to fight these dragons at all.”

  At her side, Baine stirred. “We can fight these dragons.”

  Ramonda smiled at him. “Tal does not doubt your strength, Baine, nor your skill. Nor does he doubt any of us. However, these dragons from Drach’nsvoiya are accustomed to fighting and we are not. When you snatch a goat from the side of the mountain, does it attempt to tear you limb from limb?”

  Baine shrugged. “Some of them make a spirited attempt at it, but I take your point.”

  “We will all need training,” Ramonda said. “Myself included.” She looked at Karn and Shaala. “You two brought down the lord of Drach’nsvoiya. You, Shaala, forged the weapons that were enhanced through the gift to enable them to pierce a dragon’s hide. And you, Karn, shot the arrow that pierced Dominicon’s eye. You two may well have a part to play in the final plan once we have decided what it’ll be.”

  “I wonder if there’ll be anything for us to do,” Tal said, referring to himself and Morgiana.

  Ramonda smiled at him but with a hint of sadness in her eyes. “From what I’ve heard, it may be that you have both played your part in the affairs of the Greater Realms. There comes a time when one must step aside and let others continue their work.”

  Tal nodded. “I think I’ve known this for a while now. It just isn’t an easy thing to do.”

  “No,” Ramonda agreed. “But that’s what has to happen.”

  Morgiana squeezed Tal’s hand. This moment had been a long time coming, she knew, and Ramonda was right. It was time to step aside... for Ramonda and her companions, for Karn and Shaala, and for the people of the Greater Realms.

  “In the meantime,” Ramonda said, glancing at the other dragons by his side, “it’s been a very long day for us so my friends and I need rest.”

  “Of course,” King Nabahar said, rising to his feet to arrange accommodation for his guests.

  “And tomorrow,” Ramonda said. “We will begin training.”

  XII. In the Southern Lands

  Shaala watched the next day as the four dragons of I’estre twirled about in the sky above her, feigning attacks against each other and practicing their defences.

  “Helina,” Shaala said, speaking to her through her mind. “You have no advantage in height there. If you go for his neck now, he’ll have you in the same way.”

  Shaala smiled as she watched the exercises. There was something almost fun about all this, with four dragons in the air and her and Karn spotting for them on the ground. She was spotting for Ramonda and Helina, while Karn was spotting for Baine and Haitarus.

  “Ramonda!” she called out in silence. “Let Haitarus go! You’ll both hit the ground.”

  “I’m sorry,” the great gold dragon replied as she and Haitarus broke out of their mock entanglement.

  Shaala shook her head at the display. For all her care and deliberation, it seemed to her that Ramonda could sometimes be as reckless as Baine. Also Haitarus was a very young dragon, she had learned, barely a hundred. Then she realized that she was forgetting her own resolutions about the training exercises. Yes, it was unfair to send Haitarus up against Ramonda, but if they only practiced fighting fair, then they were going to set themselves up for defeat from the outset.

  After an another hour passed, she and Karn decided that the dragons had trained enough for one day. It was getting quite late in the morning by then and the sun was beginning to burn. As one, the dragons came down, changing into their human forms as they landed.

  As Helina came over to her, Shaala handed her a robe that had been made for her. Then she handed another robe to Ramonda.

  A few yards away, Karn handed clothes to Haitarus and then he approached Baine. The handsome dragon was standing proudly in the sun, enjoying the admiring gazes of the Khalahi women who had gathered to watch the show.

  “Here,” Karn said, offering him a pair of trousers.

  “Oh, I’m fine,” Baine told him, declining the offer with a little smile. “I enjoy the feeling of the sun against my skin.”

  “Put these on,” Karn told him.

  Then together, they all went inside to have something to drink and get out of the hot sun. As they left, the dragonets came out to have their own turn at frolicking around, although one of them took a moment to chide Ramonda for scaring them all off with the dangerous stunts she and the other dragons had been carrying out. Ramonda laughed at the angry chattering creature and then soothed her with silent words until, placated, she flew off to join her companions.

  “All right,” Ramonda announced a little later. “Let’s talk about what we’re up against.”

  “Nine dragons,” Shaala said, speaking for the group.

  Tal and Morgiana were sitting nearby and while Tal hadn’t been able to stop himself from making comments and suggestions all throughout the training that morning, he was more restrained now.


  “Three in the north,” Shaala continued, “led by Savenya. Then there are three in the south and their leader is Karafae. And finally, there are three in the east led by a dragon called Elenskaer.”

  “Where have they set themselves up?” Baine asked.

  Shaala turned to a map that they had stretched over a part of the wall and pointed out the locations as she described them. “We only know where one of them is for certain. Savenya and her companions are here in a fortress on a mountain known as Wyvern’s Peak, which is the name we usually use for the fortress as well.”

  “She built a fortress and no one noticed?” Baine asked.

  “No, the fortress was built long ago by a mage called Askenroth. A rather nasty character but, to his credit, a long–dead one. Now, while we’re not sure where the others are, Karafae has to be somewhere close in proximity to Ensari and Kalishar. Also, the distance he is from these cities will be limited by the necessity for his Angdar to be within marching distance from them.”

  “And I suspect if they’re anything like us, these dragons will have made their dwellings in mountains,” Ramonda pointed out. “Look at the fortress Savenya chose for herself – a mountaintop dwelling. I doubt she could have chosen anything else.”

  “Yes, that’s what we suspect,” Shaala agreed. “So Karafae would be somewhere in the southern mountains of the Entruscian range. As for Elenskaer, she’s somewhere close to both Cirreone and the plains of Araseu.”

  Ramonda nodded, looking at the map. “So she’d be somewhere in the Ada’en Mountains.”

  “Yes, probably near Issalia,” Shaala said.

  Ramonda leaned back in her chair with a smile. “I think our little silver friends who accompanied us from I’estre may be able to help us here.”

  “I don’t know,” Baine said. “Would they be discreet enough? They’re not as small as everyone seems to think.” He glanced at some of the human women in the room who had been fawning over the things earlier, exclaiming how cute and adorable they were.