Omensent: Wrath of a Dragon God

by Barry Gibbons

  They set off through the city at a trot with Damion and Storm at the lead, and Snowfeather gliding high overhead, his keen eyes alert for anything out of the ordinary.

  The streets of Naquia were already growing crowded with merchants and travelers who had journeyed from all over the world to purchase the cheap wares produced by the gnomes. Several long caravans traveling towards Sherish soon blocked their progress, slowing them to a walk for a half mile or so, until the narrow road through the city finally widened enough to allow them to pass the lumbering wagons.

  Raven let out a strings of vile insults when she passed each teamster, clearly irritated by the delay. Thankfully, the teamsters chose to remain silent, obviously understanding that the young woman was not someone to be trifled with.

  They stopped around midday when they reached the markets, and led the horses over to a large fountain to drink while Sly quickly replenished their supplies, then they set back off towards the edge of town, using Storm's sheer size to part the crowd and make a path for the others.

  When they finally reached the edge of town, Damion called for everyone to halt, then slid down from his saddle and approached a pair of armed men who had set up camp near the edge of the road.

  The pair of warriors, who were both dressed in heavy ring mail armor, strode forward to meet him, their eyes wary, and their hands on their weapons. Both had dark skin, and tightly braided hair which trailed down their armored backs, and they each carried a pair of short swords, which they had belted securely to their waists.

  "Hail, friend." One of the men greeted him in a thickly accented voice, looking Damion up and down with assessing eyes.

  "How may we be of assistance?" The other man asked in the exact same tone, also examining the huge warrior closely.

  Damion looked a little closer and noticed the men's features were completely identical in every way. "We were hoping you may be able to answer a few questions for us."

  "Of course." One of the men answered with a friendly smile.

  "We'd be happy to help." The other added with the exact same smile.

  "We're looking for some travelers who passed this way several nights ago. We were hoping you may have seen them."

  "There have been hundreds of people that have passed this way since we arrived." One of the twins told him, shaking his head doubtfully.

  "It's unlikely we'd have noticed them." Replied the other, shaking his head in unison.

  "It was a man and a woman on horseback." Damion persisted. "The man was large, almost as big as myself. The woman was dressed in a long hooded robe, and was carrying an infant."

  "You mean the witch and her khalkan?" Both of the twins asked in surprise.

  "You saw them?" Damion asked, suppressing the urge to shout in triumph.

  The two men exchanged a long look.

  "Perhaps you should join us." One of the men stated finally.

  "Please, tell your friends that they are also welcome." The other man told him. "We have much to discuss."

  Damion waved the others over, then they followed the strange pair to their campfire, where the fierce looking warriors had been lounging about lazily.

  "Why are you following that witch?" One of the twins asked, gesturing for them to take a seat near the fire.

  "Most sane people run the opposite way from the highland witches." Added the other, taking a seat next to his brother on the opposite side of the fire pit.

  "The child that the witch was carrying was our daughter, Leia." Raven told them, taking a seat on the bench. "She was abducted from her crib by that fiend and her puppet. We're trying to catch up with them to save her."

  Damion quickly told them their story, though he avoided revealing his true identity. "We've followed them this far," He finished their tale with a shrug. "We were going to head to Sherish to try and pick up their trail."

  The twin warriors had listened to the story, their expressions unreadable, then remained silent for several long moments after he had finished, their eyes lost in thought.

  "The witch that stole your child indeed passed this way a week or so ago." One of the twins told them finally, his voice grim.

  "She and her khalkan approached us and tried to enlist our services." The second twin continued in the same grim tone.

  "What did they wish of you?" Damarius asked suspiciously.

  "They wished us to ambush a small group of travelers who were pursuing them." The pair intoned together.

  "So they wanted you to stop us?" Sly asked in a tense voice, his hand slowly sliding towards the hilt of his sword.

  "They did." One of the twin warriors told him in a calm voice.

  "We refused." The other warrior told them in an equally calm tone.

  "Why?"

  "The Knights of Sarath do not work for the minions of the elder spirits." The first man told them, his expression proud.

  "The Knights of Sarath only undertake the noblest of quests." The second twin explained, his expression equally proud.

  "The Knights of Sarath?" Damion asked curiously.

  The twin warriors smiled.

  "We hail from Sarath, which lies far to the west of Naquia." The first twin explained, still smiling.

  "Our order is the most respected in all of the eastern continent." The second man mirrored his brother's smile. "The Knights of Sarath are the fiercest warriors in all the land."

  "I've heard of the Knights of Sarath." Damarius admitted. "They are honorable men, sworn to help protect the innocent."

  "For a price." The twins chimed in together with identical grins.

  "Tell me," Raven asked them, her voice desperate. "Did you see my baby?"

  "We did." The first twin told her in a gentle voice.

  "She is well," The second twin added. "but she seemed quite displeased with her captors."

  The young woman stifled a cry with one hand, and buried her face in Damion's armored chest.

  "We need to catch up with them." Damion told the knights, gently embracing his wife. "We have to get our daughter back from that crazed woman!"

  "Chasing that woman will only lead you to your deaths." One of the twins told him seriously.

  "Highland witches consort with the darkest of spirits, who grant them the power of magic." The second twin added just as seriously. "They are some of the most powerful magic users in the world."

  "We'll see about that!" Damarius snorted derisively.

  "Her magic doesn't frighten us." Damion assured them grimly. "They are not the only ones who have such abilities."

  "Did you happen to overhear which way the witch was planning to travel?" Sly was still watching the warriors suspiciously.

  "To the east, of course." One of the twin warriors told him.

  "The highland temples in Teirsia is the only place she can run." The second twin added. "It's the only place she will be safe."

  "We need to find a way to gain ground on them." Damion told them, his expression still grim. "We cannot allow the witch to reach the temples with Leia."

  "We may be able to help you." One of the twins told them suggestively.

  "For the right price, of course." The second added with an identical expression.

  "How can you help us?" Damion asked warily.

  "We know these lands better than anyone."

  "And we know of a number of short cuts that could help you catch up with your quarry."

  "Give us a moment, if you will." Damion led the others a few paces away. "What does everyone think?" He asked them in a quiet tone. "Do you think we can trust them?"

  "The Knights of Sarath are renowned warriors," Damarius pointed out reasonably. "and once bought, they will continue to serve faithfully until their objective is complete, no matter how long it takes."

  "If they can lead us to these short cuts they spoke of, we may actually stand a chance of catching up with Leia's abductors." Raven's expression was set. "I don't see how we have any other choice but to hire them."

  Sly still looked relucta
nt. "Something doesn't seem quite right about those two. It's seems a bit of a lucky coincidence to find them waiting here at the side of the road with the very information that we need."

  "I don't see that we have any other choice." Damion decided with a sigh, returning to where the twin warriors stood waiting. "Exactly how much are your services going to cost us?"

  "A thousand gold pieces." The two men answered in unison.

  "A thousand gold pieces?" Sly choked, his face growing bright red. "That's outrageous! We could raise a small army for a thousand gold pieces!"

  "The price has been set." One of the twins replied, his voice taking on a religious overtone.

  "The price must be paid." The second twin added in an identical solemn tone.

  "We can't afford to give you a thousand gold pieces." Damion told him, shaking his head firmly.

  "How about a trade?" Raven asked suddenly, rummaging through in one of the pouches that hung from her belt. After a moment, she produced the small figurine Sly had given her weeks before. "This little trinket was carved from dragon bone, and is quite rare." She handed the small dragon carving to one of the twin warriors.

  "This is an incredible piece!" The man exclaimed in wonder.

  "And this dragon bone is unlike anything we have ever seen!" The second man added, his expression one of wonder.

  "That single piece is worth at least three times what you asked for your services." Raven told them, her expression shrewd. "That should be more than adequate payment."

  The twins exchanged a long glance, then simultaneously drew their swords and dropped to one knee, offering the weapons up to the young woman in a formal vow. "We are yours." They intoned in unison.

  "Done, then!" Damarius seemed to approve of the arrangement. "I trust you will be able to help us avoid any problems that may crop up?"

  "Fear not, wise one." The first twin assured him, rising to his feet and returning his sword to his sheath.

  "There are few who dare to challenge the Knights of Sarath." The second twin added, also rising to his feet.

  "So," Sly asked, still watching the twins warily. "do you two have names?"

  "This is Sir Jarom of Sarath." The first twin gestured to the second.

  "This is Sir Jacom of Sarath." The second twin gestured to the first.

  They both bowed gracefully to the companions in unison. "We are at your service." They spoke as one, an easy smile on their faces.

  "This is Damion and his wife, Raven." Sly introduced the companions. "The old fellow there is Damarius. I'm Sly," He fixed the pair with a dangerous gaze. "and I'll be the man who kills you if you betray us."

  "Let's get moving!" Raven snapped impatiently, returning to her horse. "We can still put a few miles behind us before it gets too dark."

  The twins quickly gathered their belongings and extinguished their camp fire, then mounted their horses, and led the way down the well traveled road at a mile eating canter.

  It was nearly midnight when they finally crested a hill to see the lights of the enormous city of Sherish stretched out before them.

  "Do you think the witch passed through the city, or tried to bypass it to avoid being seen?" Damion asked the twin warriors, who stared down at the sprawling city with bright eyes.

  "They almost certainly passed through town." One of the men answered, not taking his gaze from the twinkling lights below.

  "It would have taken them far too long to go around." The second man explained, his eyes also locked on the city.

  "Let's get moving then." Raven told them. "We can make it into town if we hurry."

  "That is not possible." One of the twins told her, sliding down from his saddle, and leading his horse off of the road.

  "The city guards seal the gates at dusk." The second twin explained, dismounting and joining his brother. "They will not open them again until dawn."

  Raven sighed impatiently, then she and the others dismounted and began to set up camp.

  They gathered around the fire a little later to enjoy a hearty meal prepared from the supplies Sly acquired in Naquia, and took the opportunity to get to know their new companions.

  "So, twins, huh?" Sly grunted, staring at the pair curiously. "How exactly are we supposed to tell you apart?"

  "Easy." One of the men laughed in amusement. "I'm Jacom, the intelligent one."

  "And I'm Jarom," The second man chuckled. "the handsome one."

  Everyone laughed at that.

  "What were you doing waiting beside the road back in Naquia?" Damion inquired curiously.

  "We hire ourselves out as protection for merchants and travelers worried about being set upon by bandits." Jacom explained.

  "We had just finished escorting a wealthy merchant and his family from the Valley of the Oroni to Naquia." Jarom elaborated. "We decided to linger a while to try and find more work."

  "Are there many Knights of Sarath?"

  Both men frowned.

  "Not as many as there once were." Jarom answered sadly.

  "The life of a knight is one of hardship." Jacom's tone was regretful. "Few men nowadays have the makings of a true Knight of the Sarath."

  "I thought knights were bound by oath to defend the weak and helpless," Raven asked in confusion. "yet you charge people for your services. How is that knightly?"

  The twins both burst out laughing.

  "We are bound by oath, true enough," One of the men chuckled. "but that oath is to get payment, up front."

  "The Knights of the Sarath are not the knights you may have read about in children's bedtime stories." The other man snickered. "Our order is known for being the finest warriors for hire on the eastern continent."

  "So you're mercenaries?"

  Both men frowned.

  "We are not mercenaries." Jacom disagreed.

  "We are Knights of Sarath." Jarom told her, raising his chin proudly.

  "Pardon me for saying this," Sly told them, shaking his head. "but I fail to see the distinction."

  "A mercenary will hire his sword out to anyone, at any time."

  "The Knights of Sarath will only work for those they deem worthy of their skill."

  "And you decided that our cause was worthy?" Damarius had leaned back on his bedroll wearily.

  "Your child was abducted," Jacom's face had grown grim. "by a witch, no less. That foul act should not go unpunished."

  "We have had some experience with the highland witches in the past." Jarom's grim expression mirrored his brother's. "Several of our brothers have been lost to them over the years. They had their souls stolen, and were forced to act as their khalkans."

  "Is it true they feast on human flesh?" Raven asked in revulsion.

  "In a sense. They use magic to drain their victim's very essence."

  "Afterward, all that is left is a bit of dust."

  There was a sudden rustle of feathers as Snowfeather drifted in from the darkness and settled onto Damion's broad shoulder. "Am I seeing double?" He hooted, staring at the twins, who had jumped to their feet in surprise.

  "These are our new friends, Jacom and Jarom." He told the huge owl out loud. He looked at the brothers, who had matching expressions of amazement. "This is Snowfeather, my familiar, and one of my oldest friends."

  "Your familiar?" They both asked quizzically.

  "He and I have a bond that allows us hear one another's thoughts, and feel what one another feels."

  "I hate to put a stop to your introductions, but there are a dozen or so armed men closing in on the camp!" Snowfeather fluffed his feathers with urgency. "They're less than a hundred yards from here, and have split off into small groups to surround you!"

  Damion cursed viciously, then leapt to his feet as Snowfeather launched himself back into the air. "We have company!" He growled to the others, tearing the Dragon Sword from its sheath. "Snowfeather says there are a number of armed men heading this way!"

  Sly, Raven, and Damarius reacted instantly, rolling to their feet and producing their weapons.r />
  The twins hesitated only a moment, then drew their swords and turned to stare out into the darkness. "How many?" They asked in unison, their voices mere whispers.

  "Snowfeather said there are about a dozen of them." Damion growled back. "They've split into groups to surround us."

  "Someone douse the fire!" Sly hissed, his keen eyes searching for any sign of attack.