“From what you are saying, it would appear we have no choice but to go to war with the Irkanians,” said the Emperor.
“It will take time for us to rally our forces and march towards the frontlines. As it is we have over half a million soldiers in the entire empire who can be gathered, however about one hundred and fifty thousand have never seen actual combat. Of those with combat experience less than half can cast a complex spell and another half are under equipped, putting us at a serious disadvantage,” said one of the military advisers of the Emperor.
“We can use members of the Order to fill in the weaker areas of our line. I would however like to keep them all in groups of three; in light of the threat Death Knights now represent, as proven in Zulia,” said Arthur Mulik, who I had failed to notice before because he had been quiet until that point.
“We can send a few Sentinels to supplement the Dragon Knights,” said Princess Keren.
“It would be very much appreciated,” commented Arthur.
“And which of you will join this fight personally?” I asked into the blue, wondering which of these people might be spineless cowards. I knew the question was out of place, but the quicker I knew the cowards from the warriors the faster this could go.
A few looked uncomfortable with the question, while the Emperor seemed amused.
“All dragons present will be joining the fight,” said Lord Vicis standing up.
“As will all elves here,” said Princess Keren, standing up as well.
“As will all members of the Dragon Knight Order,” said Arthur, also standing.
A few of the Nobles looked at each other and nodded.
“Why would I send my men, brothers, and sons to fight in a war and not be willing to go myself? After all I am the old man and they are the ones with so much left to live for,” said the tall man in black.
“Well said Lord Otto. How can we expect others to willingly be led by us if we will not participate ourselves?” said Lady Stansa.
One by one all the other Nobles or their representatives stood up pledging their support and will to accompany their people into battle until only two where left seated.
“That leaves only the Houses of Fire and Forest,” said Lady Stansa.
“I will personally be leading the first battle, while our forces are all together,” said the Emperor, as if it was a matter of fact. Several of his advisors began to protest but he held up his hand and they held their tongues.
“I shall go,” said a man wearing the same uniform as Eric, who was likely to be his father.
“And so shall I,” said a rather reluctant Lord Estern.
“Glad we have settled that,” I murmured to myself.
“Now to the real question, will Alexander and his fellow new Knights fight?” asked Lord Estern.
I hadn’t ever considered not going. I had already fought twice against Irkanians and Death Knights, and an insane ancient dragon. However Ilean and Evey did not have a Dragon Heart or Reaper, which put them at a severe disadvantage. And while Ilean was a Noble, she wasn’t remotely as strong as I currently was. For that matter very few people were as strong as me. But I alone could never hope to best Thanos. At best I could take on a Death Knight, so where did that leave everyone else who was weaker than me?
“Certainly a valid point question Lord Estern. Have you any ideas to put forth?” asked the Emperor.
“Your Majesty, while Alexander has proven to be an exceptional fighter he still lacks basic training in leadership and a vast array of magic proficiencies required to be even considered a Knight within the Order. He was made into a Knight because of the special circumstances in which he finds himself and his lineage. The two recently discovered Dragon Dealers are also far from what can be considered combat ready. As for these Guardians the Order has implemented… At best they can be considered a well-organized strike force, not the elite force they were promised to be. Therefore I can only propose we allow Alexander to participate in low risk operations and the rest be put in a crash course consisting of all combat magic they can possible learn in the span of three to four months,” he said. It was evident the man was in control of one of the academies as he was well informed of what I did and did not know, but he lacked backbone. Although it was understandable wanting to give the best the Empire had to offer time to become stronger.
“As much as I dislike agreeing with the Lord Estern, he has a point. My daughter and the other Dragon Dealer have barely begun their training. In the old days the average member of the Dragon Knight Order took well over two years to become a Dragon Knight. They have been at it for a little over a month. It would not be prudent to send them into combat just yet. The same could be said for Alexander except he has proven to be combat fit twice already,” said the tall pale man with blue hair, Ilean’s father.
“Both Dealers should train further at the Central Academy but my sons and daughters who have all been added to the Guardians are as good as any commander the army might have and are quite strong. I don’t see a reason to avoid sending them into battle,” said Lady Sansa.
It puzzled me to see a mother so willing to send her sons to war but the Houses of Storm, Thunder, and Air had for the longest of time been fighting Irkanians. It was almost second nature to them and was also why kids from their house were always among the best fighters, as they had been doing it for a very long time and were very well versed in the art of killing Irkanians.
“They are not ready,” I said. I hated the words I was about to say but I wanted to keep them from harm’s way if even if it was only for a little longer. “None of the first years in Central Academy are prepared for something like this. I would go as far as saying some second year students are not yet prepared. Irkanians are strong, ruthless, and savage. They do not distinguish between soldiers, students, kids, mothers, and the ill. Unlike us, they will not stop when injured or scared (that is if they even understand fear). I can fight them but I am the only first year that can.”
“Have you such little faith in your fellow classmates and Dragon Dealers? It’s true they are not as strong as you but my son is just as valuable as you,” said the man with the House of Fire Uniform.
“And he was still defeated by a natural. Alex is right, they are not ready,” said Lord Vicis.
Anger flared in the man’s eyes but before he could say anything, the Emperor spoke up.
“None of us are ready for this Lord Vicis. While your species is long lived and powerful ours is short lived and weak just like our elfish friends. We do not recall the full extent of the Irkanians power nor its vastness, but we do remember the stories passed down by our fathers and mothers. They frighten us all and you have already told us our best weapon; the Dragon Knights are not enough… Everything looks grim for all of us. I command everyone who can fight, must fight,” he said very somberly.
“Might I remind your Majesty you hold no real power over the Order, only the House of Time, Light, and Darkness do, and the House of Light has yet to speak its mind on the matter,” said Arthur with evident distaste for what the Emperor suggested.
“I wonder how you plan on giving lessons to them when you will need every single Knight in the battlefield and the professors will all be in said battlefield, as well as all the dragons,” replied the Emperor.
“You wish to play these games now of all times Clause? The rules of our pact with humans were clear, the Order is controlled by the Nobles when they do not have a qualified leader. You in turn control the rest of the Empire and the other Noble families help you keep the Empire in check,” said Master.
“Times change Lord Shadow. How is it the choice resides with House of Time when its only surviving member is a Dragon Knight?” spoke up the man sitting next to me. He was dressed in all white and had white hair. Another of the traits passed down by each family, their distinct hair color.
“There was a time when your house also had Dragon Knights among its ruling members or have you forgotten your wife already,” said the Dar
kness Noble.
“How dare you! You, the Darkness House, have not yielded anything beyond a mere Dragon Master in over two generations. The rulers of the cold north with the House of Ice, you know nothing of combat, you are all cowards and apparently powerless fools,” snapped the Light Noble.
In the calmest manner, the Darkness Noble lifted his finger and pointed at me. “Last I recall, all Nobles of the main lineage inherit the hair color of one of his parents and in the event they have both parents as Nobles it becomes a mix of both or drawing one concrete feature from each, like eyes and a mix of hair color. I see a Time Noble with black hair and brown eyes. Unless one of your family members had black hair, he’s the son of my son.”
I looked hard at the tall man dressed in black, then at the rest of the table, and finally into Lord Vicis’s eyes. If the memory I saw from Andraxsccl was correct, she knew all along who my parents were and she had kept it from me. I felt a slight tug in my chest as if starting to get mad, and I figured Andraxsccl was listening in on what was going on and was annoyed as well.
“My lineage and the fact I am a Dragon Knight aside, if it comes down to it I won’t send unprepared people into a warzone to die. From what you have all said here today, it is within my power to stop you from sending Ilean and Evey to the frontlines. I would rather we reach a consensus, but if it must be done I will order against sending two unfit for combat Dragon Dealers to the frontlines of a war we all know will be very long and bloody,” I said with the most ruthless face I could put on. I wasn’t sure I was very compelling.
“It annoys me greatly to have to agree with a boy but he has a valid point,” said the Emperor, apparently revaluating his previous line of thought, “I can’t in good conscious send a group of kids to their death.”
“I still believe the Guardians should be sent,” said Lady Stansa. I almost admired the faith she placed in her sons’ strength.
“They will burden me,” I said flatly, “I would spend more time worrying and protecting them then finding key Irkanian military figures to fight.” It was true enough. I had grown so powerful so quickly it was impossible for any of the Guardians to beat me in a fair match, I was confident of that, regardless of the addition of students from all years and those in specialties training. The Guardians could not measure up to even half of what those Dragon Heart powered Death Knights could throw at them. It was a harsh reality but I would be burdened by anyone but Dragon Knights, Sentinels, dragons, the strongest members of the Black Legion, and perhaps a few of the most experienced human commanders.
The room fell silent again.
“There could be a middle ground. We could send both Evey and Ilean to Blackstorm Keep and the Guardians as well. Blackstorm Keep is the citadel of our forces. Its defenses have never been breached; the spells which guard it are far older than any of us care to remember. It is relatively close to the frontlines but far enough should our lines hold, to be out of harm’s way. By many it’s considered the last line of defense of Alexandria and the inner cities. Should it fall, it won’t matter anymore where anyone was. There both the Dragon Dealers and younger and less experienced Guardians should be able to learn at a quicker rate from men and women who have fought against Irkanians, and it also keeps them near at hand should the worst ever happen,” spoke one of the more wild looking members of the military command staff.
“That is an excellent suggestion General Nark. It’s an offer that satisfies us all,” said the Emperor standing up. “It’s time to vote, those in favor?”
It was the only deal I was going to get so I voted in favor of it. To my surprised so did everyone else.
“Now that we have cleared that; how long will it take us to organize our forces?” asked Emperor Clause.
“It should take us roughly two to four weeks to get all our combat ready forces to the frontlines and give those that need it a crash course on what real combat is like. However it will take us over a month to fully equip them all,” spoke General Nark.
“Excellent. Arthur you will help Nark come up with a battle plan and strategies for all possible outcomes,” came the command from the Emperor. It was amazing to see how fast they had moved away from the argument which had erupted mere seconds ago over who gave orders to who and to start working on what need to be done.
As most of the Nobles and representatives rose to leave, Princess Keren asked a question which had not occurred to any of us.
“What of the Dwarves?”
“What of them Princess?” asked Lord Estern.
“Shouldn’t we request help from them as well. We could use the extra bodies.”
“We have not had contact with the dwarfish kingdom for several years now Princess,” said Lord Estern.
“I was told they had sent an envoy in hopes of meeting Alexander.”
“They did but it was a magical envoy. The supposed dwarves who brought us the message turned out to be stone constructs designed to look like dwarves, and once their mission was complete the magic that held them together broke apart. It is an old but effective way of conveying a message,” explained Lord Estern.
She only nodded in return and left with the rest of their envoy. Most likely they would head out to Blackstorm Keep and help with preparations, which was a shame because I wanted to speak to her but I was sure I wasn’t going to be allowed back to the academy just yet.
Princes Keren
Human politics always seemed so petty, too many people in too many useless positions. They argue over any and everything, though it is also understandable they would need a system of sorts to balance out the scale of power. It still irritated me to no end how long and pointless these meetings go. I would like to think, this one was different from those others I had attended.
“Princess, we will be arriving shortly,” said Commander Purge.
“Thank you.”
“I still don’t understand why you asked me to come along on this little side trip of yours.”
“I need the company,” I said teasingly.
“As if,” came the cold reply.
I have still not gotten used to his resemblance to his brother. I might have asked him to come along just to see Blight’s face in his, but I brought him here with more purpose. The ride from Alexandria had been very pleasant. This area of the Empire had multiple lakes which were beautiful and more than a few lush forests. It amazed me how easily the humans forgot about the nature that surrounds them but alas even among my own kind, there are those who forget the simple reasons to live, such as enjoying this view.
“I hope our request for a visit arrived before we do,” stated Clem.
“Why is that?” I asked her, forgetting for a moment she was still a Dragon Lord even if she was the mate of Tromuelan with whom I had enjoyed a friendship since I was very small.
“Well, because I like to lie close to the lake. All the best spots are usually taken unless you reserve one, and also because there are four very heavily armored Varnian dragons flying towards us,” she said matter of fact like.
“A dragon won’t attack another one without a reason,” I told her.
“Usually I would agree but during these times it is best to expect the unexpected,” she replied.
She did have a point.
It didn’t take long for us to meet the dragons.
“Greetings, Princess Keren, Clem, and Commander Purge. We were dispatched to escort you in.”
Although I had seen quite a few Elution dragons in my lifetime, I was unaccustomed to their Varnian counterparts, so many colors with small and thin bodies compared to Elution dragons. The dragon which had greeted us was a rich shade of blue. From what I understood the colors represent which magical kind they can use. Unlike Elution dragons who can use small bits of all kinds of magic. From what little was revealed under their armor, two of them were ice dragons, one was magma, and to my surprise one was a light dragon. A rare sight these days, as Lord Lux has a great distaste for humans and anything with two legs which seem to have
spread to the rest of his light brethren.
“Thank you,” I said as they guided us in.
Once we had landed, I dismounted from Clem’s back and stretched for a moment as did Purge. Two girls were walking towards us and from their uniforms I could tell one was Ilean and the other was Evey. The two resident Dragon Dealers of the Central Academy.
“You must be Princess Keren and the commander.”
“One commander among many,” said Purge.
“Pardon me, I am not use to this, usually it would have been Alex greeting you not us,” said the one with blond hair and green eyes. I could tell she was of high birth by the way she carried herself.
“We have to learn too at some point Ilean,” said the other one.
“That’s true.”
We stood awkwardly for a moment before I cleared my throat, “So, when can I get that tour I asked for?” I said.
“Oh that’s right, you have never been to the Central Academy. Let me show you. This is area here, The Sky Dome and Dragon Hold are the best part of the entire academy,” stated Ilean, as she started talking about her favorite places in the academy and explaining what life was like in the academy when you are a Dragon Dealer.
“And this giant crater is where Alex fought against the Irkanians that came after him. It used to be our training grounds but as you can see it can hardly serve that function anymore,” she said as she kicked a rock. There was something in the way she said it that made me realize she regretted not being able to do anything for Alex during his fight.
“How is he?” asked Evey, “We heard there had been an incident in Zulia while he was there but weren’t told what it was about.”
It didn’t surprise me it had been kept a secret from the general population but from members of the Dragon Knight Order? It would seem the humans had lost part of their faith in them if they were being kept in the dark about it. Even though it was not my place to tell them I thought they should be aware of Alexander’s heroic deeds.
Time Of The Knights (The Dragon Knight Order Series Book 2) Page 11
