The Blood of Altlock

by R. A. Miller

  “Yes…and no.” Brostaigid said, “The other four are not Gaelach. They would be representative of that dragon’s realm. I ruled over the Gaelach, thus my vessel was one of them. The vessel for Archamond, for instance, would most likely be human, as he was the God of man and forest.”

  “This happened a hundred years ago,” May said, “Can the vessel still be alive?”

  “The power is passed from mother to daughter.” Brostaigid said. “It stays in the bloodline until that dragon is awakened. As long as it takes.”

  As the party listened to Brostaigid, a loud commotion was heard from across the field. The dwarf grabbed his axes, Quin readied her bow, and Cora readied herself for a fight. Through the trees emerged a dozen men on horseback and more than two-dozen on foot behind them. The lead rider wore bright emerald colored armor and carried a large sword in one hand.

  The surrounding men were also wearing emerald armor, only less ornate. The battalion of soldiers ran towards Borimar’s party as if charging into battle. King Markus was now running across the field from the other direction, yelling for both parties to halt.

  “Borimar! Quin! Stand down!”

  The dwarf and the hunter continued to hold onto their weapons, but relaxed a bit. The newcomers rode up to the party, all with swords drawn and staring at the dragon.

  “What is the meaning of this?” Borimar asked.

  “I am Commander Sanderson of the Kingdom of Foxcrest. We have come at your king’s request. We’re here to help.”

  Borimar looked around the field at the dead that littered the ground, then turned back to Commander Sanderson. The Commander did the same, though was careful not to let the dragon out of his sight.

  “You’re a bit late, lad.” The dwarf said, “We won…I think.”

  “Is that really a dragon?” The Commander asked.

  “Aye.” May said, “And she’s with us. You might want to have your men stand down.”

  “My men will stand down when I tell them to stand down. Not when some woman tells them to.”

  Borimar drew back one of his axes but his arm was caught by Markus.

  “Apologies, Commander.” Markus said, “I am King Markus Farrell. I see my letter got to Foxcrest in piece.”

  “That it did, Your Grace. Though I’m afraid your man did not.”

  “I am sorry to hear it.”

  “But that monster, Bodon I think he called himself, didn’t fare any better.”

  “You were able to minimize the casualties then?” Markus said.

  “Only your man, Your Grace. My men took him down. It was fairly easy, actually. I’m surprised you had so much trouble with him.”

  Borimar was becoming enraged with each word from the Commander. May put an arm around the dwarf and tried to usher him away. The dwarf did not move.

  “We could use your help here, if you can.” Markus said.

  “Seems you took care of the threat,” Commander Sanderson said, “All that’s left is clean up. You’ve got your own men for that, right?”

  “There’s also rebuilding.” Markus said, “I have a hole in the east wall and several buildings are either on fire or already burned down. My people would be grateful for the help.”

  “We could use the Commander’s men on our quest.” Myra spoke up, getting angry looks from the dwarf and the hunter.

  “What’s this now?” the Commander asked, “Is that an elf?”

  CHAPTER 17

  It took more than an hour of explaining and convincing, but Markus was able to convince Commander Sanderson to leave men in Raven’s Hold to help with the chaos and repairs. The Commander and his two generals, Hamond and Nevens, agreed to help with the quest for the amulets.

  “Captain Vaughn,” Markus called for the Captain of his guard, “Find Commander Roth. Then prepare for traveling. You’re going to be escorting Borimar on his quest.”

  The Captain nodded and walked with a brisk stride back into the city gates. The excitement shone on his face and Markus was happy to see it. Quin approached Markus and motioned for a private talk.

  “You’re not going?” she asked.

  “No.” he said, “I am King of Raven’s Hold. My place is here, amongst my people. How would it look if I were to run off on some quest and abandon them?”

  “But you wouldn’t be abandoning them.” Quin said, “You would be keeping them safe by going to eliminate the threat.”

  “That’s not how they would see it. No, my place is here. Just like yours is with Cora. I want you to take point on this. Besides, she seems to trust you.”

  “For now,” the hunter said, “But what happens when we come up against Dremora again? It’s still hard to read her.”

  “All the more reason for you to go with her. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I must speak with Commander Roth.”

  Markus walked away to speak with his Commander, leaving Quin alone with her reservations. Cora approached, obvious eagerness in her eyes.

  “Are we ready?”

  “Almost.” Quin said, “Are you?”

  “Yes. We need to find that last amulet before Dremora does. It is the only way to stop her.”

  Both women looked over at Myra, and then smiled at each other.

  “Not the only way.” Quin said.

  Markus moved to the middle of the courtyard where they had gathered to fill in the Foxcrest men on what was happening. He put his arms up and called for quiet. When he had it, he addressed the company.

  “My friends, the time is almost upon us. At first light, you will all head out on your respective assignments. While you are being split into three parties, we have but one common goal. The queen of the vampyres is after an amulet that will allow her control over all magic and every dragon in the known world. Obviously this cannot be allowed to happen. But we have a few weapons of our own that she currently does not.

  “We have ourselves a dragon, the Great Crimson Dragon called Brostaigid. She will be accompanying Quin and Cora to Alun Doom, where the amulet we seek is said to reside. Borimar, my old friend, has agreed to also go to Alun Doom, by way of the north, to find someone he says can help.”

  “Aye,” the dwarf said, “Tymbr, if he still lives, he will be needed. He knows more about that frozen tomb than any of us.”

  “Our friend from the east,” Markus continued, “Commander Sanderson has agreed to take some of his men and the two elf children, and march on Elvintika from the north. The goal being to free the enslaved elves there and maybe cripple the vampyre forces with a surprise attack. This will be the most dangerous mission, Commander. Are you sure you’re up for it?”

  “What kind of question is that?” the Commander asked, “Of course we’re ready. I look forward to skewering more than one of those monsters.” The Commander looked at Cora as he spoke.

  “Cora’s nature is not on trial here, Commander. Vampyre or not, she helped save us. She also has the blessing of one of my oldest friends. That still means something to me.” Markus looked the Commander in the eyes. All he got back was anger.

  “Now, there is room for all in the castle. You will all need a good night’s rest. Commander Roth and my men will see to your horses and supplies. I have already sent another messenger to King Spencer informing him of what is happening.”

  The Foxcrest soldiers began to file towards the castle while the two elves went the opposite direction. Quin and May saw this and stopped them to ask what was going on.

  “Where are you going?” May asked.

  “To see Brostaigid,” Myra said, “I still have so many questions for her, and if we are to be parted tomorrow, I must ask them now. Don’t worry about us, we will sleep with the dragon tonight.”

  The two women looked at each other and back at the children. May knew they would be safe with the dragon, but it still felt like the wrong thing to do. Quin ushered her friend away from the children, who promptly ran off out of the gates towards Brostaigid.

  “I know what you’re feeling,” Quin said, “And I feel
the same way. We’re putting a lot of faith in that little girl. But if she truly has the dragon’s power inside her, she may be the most powerful weapon we have.”

  “But what about the dragon itself? If the girl has her power, what kind of power does the dragon still have?”

  “I guess Cora and I will find out.”

  ****

  Morning came too early for Markus. He had not slept during the night, instead he found himself worried about his friends. One of those friends now knocked on his door.

  “You may enter.” He called.

  The wooden door opened slowly, making no noise as it did so. A small woman clad in a green hooded shirt slid past the door, then closed it behind her. Markus smiled at his visitor and stood to meet her. She threw her arms around him and they embraced for several minutes before either one spoke.

  “Is everything alright, Quin?”

  “I just wanted to see you before we left,” Quin said, “To tell you goodbye.”

  “You will be back,” he said, “We will see each other again, of that I am sure.”

  “How can you know that?” she asked, “This is like nothing either of us has ever done before. Hunting trolls and goblins is easy compared to what you are asking me to do.”

  “I ask you to do this, because I have faith; faith in you, Quin.”

  Quin let go of Markus and stepped back to look in his eyes. In those eyes she didn’t see faith, or even loyalty. No, she was something else, something she shared with him.

  The hunter grabbed Markus by the face and kissed him. Markus was caught off guard but quickly allowed himself to get lost in that kiss. When Quin finally released his lips, Markus felt bliss. In that moment, she was all that mattered.

  “I love you, Markus Farrell.”

  “Quin, I…”

  “Your Grace.” The voice at the door broke the moment.

  “What is it?” Markus said, with notable frustration in his voice.

  “Everyone is ready and in the courtyard, Your Grace.” The guardsman stood at attention in the doorway, unaware of what he had interrupted.

  “Very well,” Markus said, “I am on my way.”

  He turned his attentions back to Quin, but she was already making for the door.

  “Quin,” he said, “Wait.”

  “Party’s waiting, Your Grace.” She said, “I’ll see you down there.”

  Markus dressed swiftly and made his way downstairs to the courtyard. He made his rounds to each party, told them how important their mission was, and thanked them for their service. When he got to Quin and Cora, he paused.

  “Quin, I’m sorry about earlier.”

  “No need,” the hunter said, “I understand. Too soon.”

  “No,” he said. Markus grabbed her by the shoulders and looked in her eyes. He saw the same thing he had seen up in his chambers. She did love him. “I love you, Quin, and I was a fool for not telling you sooner.”

  Quin said nothing but instead she kissed him again. The two embraced and kissed for what seemed like forever to Markus. It was not until Cora interrupted that they pulled away from each other.

  “It’s time.” The vampyre said.

  Holding Quin’s hand, Markus turned so that he could see each party of soldiers and women and children, and a single dwarf. This would be the last time he would see some of them. He silently prayed that it not be the last for Quin.

  “Friends,” he began, “The time has come to send you on your way. I want you to know that we will be thinking of you each night until you return. We pray to our God, Archamond, or whichever god you worship, for your safe return. May the gods guide you and bring you back whole.”

  The three parties set off, all looking back at the city of Raven’s Hold and Markus, waving. Markus paid close attention to Quin, Cora, and the dragon. Once the soldiers were well away from the dragon, Quin and Cora climbed aboard the dragon’s neck. Brostaigid made a mighty flap of her large wings, pushing off with her legs and taking to the air. Markus watched as the dragon faded into the horizon, and was gone.

  TO BE CONTINUED…

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  About the Author

  R.A. Miller’s mother always told him to watch out for dragons and trolls. Especially the trolls, because they like to skin you, then they’ll roast you, usually with a little red wine. Oh, wait...you want to know about HIM, the author. Right.

  There's this thing called storytelling that R.A. Miller can't seem to get enough of, it's like an addiction. He has to tell stories and nothing makes him happier than to get his stories out to awesome readers, like you. Whether he’s publishing on Amazon as R.A. Miller or across the Internet as EmeraldDragun, he loves telling stories and blogging about what's on his mind. He works primarily in the genres of horror and fantasy, but has also written stories in science fiction, romance, and children's fiction.

  He’s so very glad you decided to stop by. It means you are one step closer to checking out his work, of which he doubts you’ll be disappointed. Jump over to emeralddragunstudios.com and see what he’s up to, but remember...keep an eye out for them trolls…

  R.A. Miller on Twitter: http://twitter.com/emeralddragun

  Email: rallanmiller@gmail.com or emeralddragunstudios@gmail.com

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  To find out more about this author and other great releases in fantasy or science fiction, head on over to the EmeraldDragun Studios website at www.emeralddragunstudios.com and check out all of our featured authors.

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  The Most Special Amazing Thing You Can Do To Spread The Word

  Thanks for reading my book. You’re awesome!

  You have already gone straight to the top of the list of my favorite people in the world. A list currently populated by Stephen King, R.A. Salvatore, and my wife.

  But there’s one more thing you can do that will really help me out, if you have a few minutes…

  If you really enjoyed this story, even a little, please LEAVE A REVIEW TODAY.

  Reviews Do Matter

  I’m not a beggar and I don’t have a telethon to promote, but I’m a new writer still trying to make a name for myself in a sea of new authors. With so many authors out there it’s hard to get noticed, and reviews are one of the ways an author can separate himself from the pack and out of obscurity.

  I would be writing no matter what because telling stories is my passion and I want to share those stories with others. I’ve been writing for years while working normal nine to fives and serving lattes to smiling customers who don’t leave tips.

  The better my books do the better I can do. The more I can create new worlds and characters, the more ambitious I can be. It also means there is more for you to read.

  Only about 1% of readers leave a review for a book. Seriously.

  Some don’t like doing it.

  Some don’t realize how much of a difference it makes for today’s authors.

  Some don’t know what to say.

  Most of you may not have time.

  If you don’t have time, for whatever reason, I completely understand. I’m thrilled that you are reading and I appreciate the time you spent in Altlock.

  However, if you do have time, know that you are part of that elite 1% who are helping drive me to be noticed, since I know you want to see what happens to Borimar next.

  The biggest challenge of Indie Au
thors like myself is finding an audience. Reviews and word-of-mouth from readers like you on sites like Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble, and other similar sites do make all the difference for whether or not a new reader will find, and buy, my books.

  If you have a minute it will make an enormous difference in my Indie Author adventure. You don’t have to write anything long, just be honest. Three to four sentences why you like the book will be like pages of thanks to me.

  Thank you dear readers,

  R.A. Miller

  To find more of this author’s work visit his author page:

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