Omensent: Wrath of a Dragon God

by Barry Gibbons

  After thanking him once more, Damion shifted back into the form of a panther, and quickly made his way from Scale's cavern.

  When he finally made it back to their campsite, he found the twins nervously awaiting his return, while the others slept peacefully near the fire.

  "We think we saw a dragon!" They warned him as he sauntered in from the darkness. "It flew directly over our camp. We would have never even seen it if it hadn't swooped in low to get a better look at us."

  "Don't worry," He assured the knights in a calm tone. "It won't bother you, if you don't bother it."

  The twins looked at him in disbelief. "We don't think that really applies to dragons!"

  Damion laughed. "Trust me. It has more important things to do than nibbling on a couple of scrawny knights."

  "Hey!" Jarom exclaimed in protest. "We're not scrawny!"

  "We're just lean!" Jacom told him in the same outraged tone.

  They all stared at one another for a long moment, then they burst out laughing in amusement.

  "So you're not worried that dragon may return for an easy meal?" One of the twins asked once their laughter had faded.

  Damion shook his head. "It won't bother us." He assured them again. "Dragons do not feed upon humans, no matter what you may have heard in fairy tales. The scarlet dragons are some of the most honorable creatures in the world." He made a face. "The shadow dragons can be a bit of a nuisance, but there are not very many of them left now. The scarlet dragons have made sure of that."

  "I would have still preferred if that madman they call the Dragon Lord had left them sealed up in that magic stone of his." The one of the knights told him in a rueful tone.

  "The world already had enough monsters lurking in the shadows." The other knight agreed fervently. "That lunatic must have been completely unhinged to release those beasts back into the world."

  Damion smiled, but chose to remain silent.

  They set off the next morning after a breakfast of leftover beans and pork. Sly looked terrible as he drug himself up from his bedroll, and he spent a good portion of the morning heaving his guts into a small bush a few dozen feet from camp. The twins were merciless in their needling, seeming to take great pleasure in reminding the little man of his boastful words, and the fact that they had warned him repeatedly against sampling the strange concoction that the gnomes brewed.

  "Would you two please just shut up?" Sly asked miserably as they trotted down a scarcely visible trail that the knights assured them would cut a half day's travel from their journey. "I get it! I should have listened to your warnings, but I didn't. Now, will you kindly shut your traps?"

  "Enough." Damion told the twins, who were still grinning at the sick little man. "Leave Sly alone. You can see he's ill." He suddenly smirked. "It's not his fault he can't handle a few drinks."

  "That's not funny." Sly grumbled in a rusty voice. "I've never had anything like that dragon's milk before. I don't remember anything after the second swig!"

  "That must be some powerful stuff." Damarius commented, brushing his brow lock from his eyes absently. "Try to save me a little to test. It may have some hidden properties that may be useful."

  "Don't worry about that." The little man raised his wineskin, which was still nearly full. "There's plenty of it here, and I'm not planning on sampling it again anytime soon. I think I'll just stick with ale."

  They continued to follow the twins for several more hours, then the trail they were following abruptly joined a gravel road, which led across an open expanse of meadow lands which seemed to stretch on forever.

  "These are the Alioon pastures." Jarom told everyone as they pressed on down the well travelled road. "They stretch on for miles in every direction. We should be able to make up a bit of time as we travel through these lands."

  "The Aliono take great pains in maintaining their roads." Jarom elaborated on his brother's thought."We should be able to pick up the pace without fear of the horses injuring themselves in the darkness."

  "Why didn't we just follow the road we were on, instead of using that trail?" Raven asked. "The path you took us on slowed us considerably."

  "The road we were following circled the long way around a ridge that separates the land of the gnomes and Alioon." Jarom explained.

  "The trail we took passes between a small gap in the ridge." Jacom added. "It allows us to avoid fifteen miles worth of twisting and turning."

  Raven smiled approvingly. "A few more shortcuts like that and we'll be breathing down that witch's neck!"

  They picked up their pace and were soon flying across through the Alioon pastures. They stopped only occasionally to eat and rest the horses, then they would immediately set back off, trying desperately to catch up with Leia's abductors.

  Damion finally called for them halt that evening near a shores of a small lake. They quickly set up camp, then Sly and the twins began gathering firewood, while Raven prepared their dinner, and Damion and Damarius tended to the horses.

  "How are you holding up?" Damion asked the old wizard, who looked rather weary.

  "I'm fine, Damion." The old man assured him with a smile. "I'm a little tired, and calluses are beginning to form on my backside from my saddle, but otherwise, I feel great." He grinned a slightly foolish grin. "I know this isn't some lighthearted adventure that we're on, but this is the most fun I've had in the last half century!" He sighed happily. "I forgot what it was like to be on an adventure. It really gets the blood racing!"

  Damion laughed, relieved that his old mentor was holding up under the rigors of their travels. He had been worried early on that the old man may be unable to keep up their demanding pace, but, as always, the strange old wizard surprised him, keeping pace with them without complaint, and pitching in to help where ever he could.

  Snowfeather sailed in from the darkness on silent wings while Damion was tending to Storm, and landed softly on the warhorse's broad back, where he began to preen his gleaming feathers. "There is a small settlement on the opposite side of this lake." The huge owl hooted, carefully arranging a number of feathers that had been dislodged by an errant gust of wind. "I flew across the lake to investigate, but it appears as though it's only a small fishing village. I counted about twenty people in all, and none of them fit the descriptions of the witch or her bodyguard."

  Damion frowned. "They would probably try and avoid any place that was populated." He murmured aloud. "Is there anyone on this side of the lake?"

  "Nay, but there is an abandoned campsite about a mile from here. It looks as though it was used fairly recently."

  The huge warrior finished brushing down the Storm, and made sure that the great beast had plenty to eat, then he, Snowfeather, and Damarius, joined the others around their well concealed campfire to enjoy a savory stew the Raven whipped up from their provisions.

  "Did the feather duster see anything unusual nearby?" Sly asked, thrusting his chin at Snowfeather.

  Snowfeather squawked in indignation, causing everyone to laugh.

  "He said there's a small fishing village on the opposite side of the lake." Damion informed them, still chuckling in amusement. "He checked it out, but didn't find any sign of the witch or her khalkan. He did find an abandoned campsite about a mile from here. I thought I would check it out after we eat."

  "It's not wise to go wandering around these lands at night." Jacom cautioned him, shoveling a spoonful of stew into his mouth.

  "Dire wolves plague these lands, attacking anything that moves." Jarom explained, refilling his bowl with stew. "They run in large packs that have even been known to attack small villages. You definitely don't want to come up against a pack of those beasts in the dark."

  "You two aren't afraid of a few little wolves, now are you?" Sly snorted in derision, still irritated by their needling.

  "Dire wolves aren't like other wolves." Jarom told him in a serious tone. "They're as big as a pony, and far more intelligent than normal wolves."

  "They've been known to lead or
ganized raids on the smaller villages and farmsteads in the area, specifically targeting the children." Jacom added, his expression grim. "They seem to prefer the taste of the young. They'll rip an entire village apart to find a single child."

  "That's horrible!" Raven cried in disgust. "Why hasn't anyone done something about it?"

  "The locals do their best to fight them off, but dire wolves are wily creatures."

  "Dire wolves or not, I'm still going to go check out that campsite." Damion told them firmly. "Snowfeather said it looks as though someone stayed there recently."

  "I'll go with you." Raven told him, her eyes slightly haunted. The stories of the dire wolves snatching children from villages had clearly rattled her.

  Damion started to argue that she should stay, but stopped, seeing the expression of fear in her eyes. He nodded in agreement, then looked to the others. "Keep an eye on everything while we're gone. We should return in a couple of hours."

  "Aren't you going to take the horses?" The twins asked in confusion as he, his young wife, and Snowfeather, started off into the darkness.

  Damion shook his head. "We'll be able to move faster without them." They disappeared into the night without another word.

  The twins looked at one another for a long moment, then turned to stare at Damarius with questioning expressions.

  Damarius waved his hand, and shook his head. "It's just easier to smile, and not ask questions. Besides," He laughed. "like I said before, you'd never believe me!"

  Chapter 12

  Damion led Raven to a spot a hundred yards or so from the camp, then stopped.

  "What is your plan?" Raven asked curiously as she gazed out into the surrounding darkness, her hand firmly on her bow.

  "I thought we would just run there on foot real quick, check it out, then run back." He smiled at her innocently. "It shouldn't take us too long."

  "Be serious." She told him, rolling her eyes. "There's no way I'm going to run."

  Damion scratched his head thoughtfully. "How about you just ride then?"

  Raven smiled in spite of herself. "That would be fine, but what will I ride? We left the horses back at camp."

  Damion smiled mischievously, then drew in his magic and shifted into the form of an enormous black panther. He circled her slowly for a long moment, his large golden eyes watching her every movement, then he suddenly ducked between her legs and stood, easily lifting her from her feet.

  The young woman laughed in delight, and shifted around until she found a firm perch, then she gently leaned forward, and wrapped her arms around his thickly muscled shoulders. "Let's move." She whispered softly into his ear, sending a wave of shivers down his spine.

  Damion started off, slowly at first, but quickly building speed as they dashed through the darkness, his keen eyes easily guiding him through the gloom. Snowfeather soared high overhead, silently guiding the huge warrior towards the abandoned campsite he had spotted while scouting the area.

  They had only traveled a half mile or so, when an unfamiliar scent suddenly assaulted Damion's senses, causing him to slow cautiously, his eyes alert for any movement.

  Raven, sensing the danger, silently notched an arrow, her body tense and ready to react at a moment's notice.

  "Watch out!" Snowfeather hooted in warning, swooping low over their heads. "There are several huge wolves directly ahead!"

  A guttural growl suddenly broke the silence as a huge dire wolf slinked out of a nearby grove of bushes, its glowing eyes locked on them with dreadful intent. A second dire wolf, and then a third, appeared from the night, silently circling to opposite sides to cut off any retreat.

  Damion snarled viciously, then swiftly looked around, his mind trying to work out a quick escape. He soon saw that escape was impossible, however, finding the way they came blocked by yet another dire wolf, which had somehow slipped through the underbrush and emerged behind them, its teeth bared in a bestial snarl.

  Looking above them, Damion noticed the branch of an old oak tree, which hung low over their heads. Coiling his muscles, he sprang straight up into the air. At the exact same instant, one of the dire wolves sprang forward, its lethal jaws snapping at the empty air where they had just been standing an instant before.

  Raven let out a squeal of surprise as he shouldered her free from his back, and she grasped a hold of the tree branch and pulled herself up to safety, leaving the dire wolves to howl and snarl in frustration.

  Damion landed on top of the attacking dire wolf, his teeth and claws slashing and ripping. The dire wolf yelped in pain and fury as it desperately tried to dislodge him from its back, but he held on, latching onto the injured beast's neck with his powerful jaws. With a sickening wrench, he snapped the wolf's neck, then jumped free, allowing the carcass to fall twitching to the ground.

  He was surprised to find that only a single dire wolf remained out of the four that emerged from the night. The other two lay dead nearby with Raven's arrows protruding from their throats.

  The last beast, the largest of the four, snarled in rage, then charged forward, its teeth gnashing.

  Damion easily ducked beneath its snapping jaws, and lashed out with razor sharp claws which ripped into the wolf's side, leaving several long ragged gashes in their wake.

  The dire wolf seemed not to even feel the blow, and instead, whirled to renew its attack with surprising speed. It lunged forward, trying to use its massive body to knock him from his feet, but Damion met its lunge with a powerful blow which caught the beast across the muzzle, momentarily stunning it.

  Moving quicker than the eye could follow, he dashed in and latched onto its throat, sinking his fangs deep into the dire wolf's neck. With an almost contemptible growl, he ripped the wolf's throat out and spat it out onto the ground.

  The dire wolf continued to stand for several seconds as it tried to gasp for air through hole in its neck. Its legs began to tremble uncontrollably as blood poured from the terrible wound, forming a large puddle on the ground. It finally collapsed, kicking and twitching feebly, then fell still.

  Damion took several moments to catch his breath, then turned and looked up at his young wife, who was carefully lowering herself to the ground.

  "That's was exciting!" She hurried over to retrieve her arrows, then she returned to her place on top of his back. "Let's get moving before anymore of those creatures show up!"

  They reached the abandoned campsite a few minutes later, and found it had been constructed in a small secluded clearing, well hidden from prying eyes. There was the remains of a campfire in the center of the small clearing, and much of the brush and grass had been trampled down by someone large and heavy.

  Raven slid down from Damion's back, and the huge warrior shifted back into his own form.

  "Are you okay?" She asked him, her expression concerned. "Those wolves came out of nowhere!"

  "I'm fine." He assured her with a dismissive wave. "It'll take more than a couple of mangy wolves to take me down."

  They quickly began to search the campsite for any sign of who may have been staying there. After a few moments of searching, Damion found several sets of clear footprints in the soft soil. "There was at least two adults, and one child staying here." He commented, not allowing himself to get his hopes too high.

  Raven suddenly gave out a low cry, then dropped to her knees weeping.

  "What is it?" Damion asked in concern, rushing over to her side.

  The young woman handed him a tiny child's smock which she had found discarded in the brush. "This was Leia's favorite smock. Lady Skie and I had the castle seamstress make it for her a few months ago." She buried her face in her hands.

  Damion stared at the smock, both elated to know that they were still on their trail, yet furious his only child was still being held by lunatics.

  "How far behind them do you think we are?" Raven asked once her weeping had subsided.

  "Three or four days, judging by the state of things. This site is still fairly fresh." He breathed a silent
sigh of relief. "I'm glad to see that we're still on their trail. I was half afraid we had lost them, or they set off in another direction to throw us off."

  They finished searching the abandoned camp, but didn't find anything else of note. With a regretful sigh, Damion once again shifted into the form of a panther and waited as Raven took her place on his back, then he quickly set off through the darkness.

  They made it back to their campsite without any furthers encounters, and emerged into the light of their small campfire, causing everyone to jump fearfully.

  The twins leapt to their feet and drew their swords, their eyes wide with fear as they stared at the massive panther, but Damarius and Sly merely returned to their seats, their expressions calm.

  One of the twin knights suddenly spotted Raven, who was still perched atop Damion's shoulders, and lowered his sword in confusion. "Raven? What are you doing on that beast?"