"Ah, damn." Sly sighed, reaching for his sword. "I have the feeling this is about to get ugly."
Raven, knowing that the violence was about to commence, suddenly spurred her mare forward until she was next to her husband. "Behold!" Her voice rang out, startling everyone, and causing all eyes to turn towards her. "Fall to your knees before the mighty Dragon Lord, lest he bring his wrath down upon you!"
All eyes shifted back to Damion, some full of fear, others full of disbelief.
"The D-Dragon Lord?" The evil looking man stammered fearfully, the color draining from his face. He looked timidly to Damion, who glowered down at him with a expression of promised death. "Y-You're the Dragon Lord?"
Damion merely stared at him menacingly, not bothering to answer.
"He is," Damarius declared in a ringing voice, riding up to join them. "and you men stand between him and his only child, who was abducted by fiends who now flee unrestricted through your lands!"
One of the men in the patrol suddenly came forward and whispered desperately into his leader's ear. The man's face suddenly took on a sick look, and his hands began to tremble.
"Stand aside now," The old wizard continued in a grand tone. "or forever shall your fates be sealed!"
A large number of the patrol quickly pulled their horses to the side of the road, clearly wanting no part in any further confrontation.
The patrol's leader looked back at his men, then slowly turned back to Damion, who continued to stare at him with a dangerous expression. "Please, forgive my impertinence, milord." He apologized in a fearful tone. "What can we do to make up for delaying you?"
"You can tell us if anyone else has passed through this way recently." Raven stated quickly, not trusting her husband's answer. "The people we are searching for may have passed through here a few days ago."
"We only arrived here today." The man apologized helplessly. "No one has passed us through here except for yourselves."
Raven frowned. "Has there been any recent reports of a highland witch in the area?"
"A highland witch?" The man seemed confused. "None that I have heard, and that is something that would be known to everyone. The highland witches are not welcome in Alioon, and are usually executed if discovered within our borders. The Aliono do not consort with dark spirits, nor do we tolerate those who do."
"Enough talk." Damion growled suddenly. "We're wasting time sitting here. Let's get a move on."
"One last question," Sly looked to the bearded man. "Where's the closest village in the area?"
"About twenty miles to the northeast, milord. There is a small fisherman's village built on the banks of the Arjio River."
"That should be our next stop then." Sly told Damion. "The locals in the village may have noticed them as they were passing by." He turned and looked pointedly at the leader of the patrol. "Thank you for your help, friend. That will be all."
The Aliono hesitated for a moment, but after another glance at Damion, he nodded, and gestured for his men to clear the road and allow them to pass.
The companions started back off down the trail, slowly passing the Aliono patrol, who looked quite relieved to see them leave.
"That was rather tense." Damarius commented once the patrol had disappeared from sight. "I thought for a moment it was going to get violent."
"If it wasn't for Raven's quick thinking, it probably would have." Sly grunted, nodding at the young woman approvingly.
"We've used that technique before," She said with a shrug. "I figured it might work again. With my love's towering reputation, most sensible folk won't risk a confrontation with him. I thought we could use it to our advantage."
"Brilliant!" Damarius congratulated her. "I'm surprised I didn't think of it myself."
They pressed on down the well maintained road until late evening, then Snowfeather suddenly dropped from the sky and settled on Damion's shoulder. "There's a small village just ahead. It appears to be a fishing village that has been constructed at the edge of a river."
"Did you happen to notice if there was any way to cross the river?" Damion asked silently.
"There is a bridge not far from the village that leads across the river." The huge owl hooted, preening his gleaming feathers. "It looks as though it may be the only place to cross for miles."
Damion informed the others of Snowfeather's discovery, then nudged Storm into a trot, eager to reach the village before they stopped for the night.
When they reached the tiny fishing village a few minutes later, they found the road leading towards the group of crude huts blocked by a rather flimsy barricade manned by a dozen of the local fishermen. They approached the roadblock, being careful not to appear aggressive, though their hands lingered near their weapons cautiously.
"Halt!" One of the fishermen, a portly middle aged man with sun baked skinned and huge hands, demanded in a harsh tone, stumping around the pile of rocks and sticks that had been used to create the roadblock. "We're not taking visitors. Just keep on moving down the road, and there won't be any problems."
"That's not a very friendly attitude, neighbor." Sly commented in a deceptively mild tone. "Do you always greet travelers this cordially?"
"Only since a number of locals here started disappearing." The man stared at them suspiciously. "A patrol rode through here this morning, but they didn't bother to leave anyone behind to help protect the rest of us, so we've taken matters into our own hands. No one is allowed through here until we discover what happened to the others."
"How long ago did they disappear?"
"Three days ago," The man answered gruffly. "Not long after some strangers arrived in search of rest and supplies."
"What did these strangers look like?" Damion asked in a casual tone.
"There were three of them, an Oroni warrior, a woman, and a young child. The warrior was a huge fellow who did all of the talking. The woman was dressed in a hooded robe, and took great pains to conceal her features. Most of us figured she was someone's wife who had ran off with another man, taking her child with her." The man's eyes narrowed shrewdly. "Which one of you was the husband?"
"None of us," Damion grumbled unhappily. "The child that they had with them was my daughter, Leia."
"They abducted your child?" The man didn't sound surprised. "That explains why the little tyke wouldn't stop wailing and struggling. The poor little thing didn't stop crying the entire time they were here."
"What did they do while they were here?"
"They rode in at dawn, three days ago, on horses that were half dead from exhaustion. They rented a room in the local tavern, and the woman and child disappeared inside the room while the man purchased supplies and new horses." The man shrugged. "They set off a few hours later."
"And when did those people vanish?" Damarius asked curiously, stroking the tangles from his long beard absently.
The sun baked fisherman shrugged. "We're not exactly sure. It was a day or so before anyone noticed that they were missing. That's when we sent word to one of the patrols who are stationed nearby."
Damion and the others exchanged looks.
"Are the man and woman who abducted your child responsible for our missing locals?" The man asked in an outraged tone.
"Possibly." Damion frowned. "Which direction did they head when they left?"
"They crossed the river and took the road leading to the northeast."
"We need to follow them." Damion looked down at the man, his expression grim. "We'll need to get supplies, then we will continue on our way."
"We're not going to stop for the night?" Sly sounded disappointed.
The huge warrior shook his head. "I want to keep moving for a couple of more hours. We're gaining ground on them, and every second we're on the road gets us that much closer."
"We can at least get a hot meal before we set off." The little man protested with a scowl. "It'll give the horses a chance to rest. We've been driving them pretty hard."
"Is there anywhere we can get a hot meal
, and maybe a few drinks?" Raven asked, cutting through their squabbling.
"The inn usually has something edible on the spit," The old fisherman answered hesitantly, still watching them with suspicious eyes. "but I'm still not sure if we should trust you. How do I know you're not the ones who are responsible for those missing?"
Damion sighed in exasperation, then, faster than the eye could follow, he drew the Dragon Sword from its sheath, and leveled it at the surprised looking man's chest. "Friend," He stared down at the man with hard eyes. "I'm beginning to lose my patience with you. If we wanted to harm you and your friends, we wouldn't attempt to hide the fact. Now," He lowered his voice to a menacing growl. "stand aside and allow us to continue in our quest."
The man's sun baked face suddenly turned deathly pale, and he took an involuntary step backward. "F-Forgive me, milord! O-Of course you may continue. M-May the gods aid you in y-your quest."
Damion glared at the man a moment longer, then slowly resheathed the Dragon Sword, and nudged Storm forward, guiding the huge warhorse around the barricade.
The others hurried to follow, ignoring the frightened looking men who were still standing guard nearby.
"That was a little harsh." Damarius commented casually once they were clear of the barricade. "I haven't seen you lose your temper like that in a long time."
"I'm getting fed up with all of these petty interruptions." The huge warrior growled impatiently. "Every time we're forced to stop and explain what we're doing gives the witch the chance to get that much farther away."
"Don't worry." The old wizard told him in a reassuring tone. "She won't get away. We'll catch her soon enough."
"And then I can finally get make her pay for what she has done." The huge warrior growled furiously.
"Not if I get to her first." Raven declared firmly, flexing her fingers suggestively.
Chapter 13
"Where do you think they are right now?" Dar asked Tempest while they lounged in the courtyard of Serpent's Keep, watching as the sun slowly slipped behind the mountains. The tiny Alena had been thrilled to discover his oldest friend would be lingering with them in Sevria, and had spent a great deal of his free time lounging in the spacious square with the enormous scarlet dragon. "Do you think they have located Leia yet?"
Tempest, who had been staring up into the darkening sky with thoughtful eyes, looked down at the childlike sprite. "I'm afraid I haven't any idea. He hasn't used the sword to summon me, so I can only assume that everything is well."
"I still can't believe anyone would be crazy enough to attempt such a thing. Who in their right mind would willing go up against Damion?"
Tempest glanced back up into the sky, her keen eyes scanning the night for the group of stars that were conspicuously missing. "I believe there may be far more to what has happened than what we currently understand." The great beast rumbled after several moments.
"What do you mean?" Dar asked with a puzzled expression.
Tempest continued to stare up into the night, her eyes lost in thought. "I have the overwhelming feeling the there is someone else pulling the strings."
"Like who?"
The great beast didn't answer, but merely continued to stare up into the sky.
After several moments, Dar wandered up next to the great serpent and followed her gaze to the empty patch of heavens where the constellation of the dragon god could usually be found, looking down upon the world with all-seeing eyes. "Do you think that Draco may have something to do with everything that has happened?"
"I'm not entirely certain," The scarlet dragon rumbled in a thoughtful tone, her eyes still lost in thought. "but I get the feeling that He is somehow involved."
"What would a god want with a child?"
Tempest shook her head. "Who knows the thoughts of the gods? They do as they wish, and their plans can sometimes be obscure." Her tone was grim. "If He is somehow involved with Leia's abduction, Damion and the others could be in grave danger. The dragon god does not look lightly upon those who disrupt his designs. If He is behind everything, even the power of the Dragon Sword may not be enough to thwart His wishes."
Dar looked grim. "If He has returned, is there any way for your brethren to locate Him?"
Tempest shook her head once more. "If Draco has returned to the mortal plane, He'll not reveal Himself unless He wishes to be found. He could be literally anywhere in the entire world, or multiple places simultaneously. Who knows what the limits are to a deity's power?"
"Deity or not, I still wouldn't want to be the one who had to face Damion, especially when little Leia is involved. He'll destroy anything that gets in his way to get to his daughter."
Tempest started to reply, but stopped. Her head whipped around to stare into the dark shadows nearby. "Show yourself, spawn!" She suddenly snarled, her eyes narrowed hatefully.
Dar twirled around to stare in surprise as a one armed shadowspawn suddenly stepped from the shadows, and into the light of a nearby torch.
"Slither?" Dar asked, his expression questioning. "What are you doing here in the city?"
"SSSlither ssslipped passst the humansss ssstanding watch. SSSlither wissshesss to take counsssel." The scaly beast looked up at Tempest hopefully.
"Speak, then be gone." Tempest growled at the shadowspawn, her dislike for the creature evident.
"The ssspawn are ressstlesss. Rumorsss that the dragon god'sss return are ssspreading, and many are gathering in preparation for war with the humansss."
"War with the humans?" Dar said, his tiny face growing pale.
Slither nodded. "Rumorsss sssay that Hisss return marksss the beginning of Hisss new reign."
"This can't be good." Dar muttered ruefully. "If the dragonspawn are gathering for war, no one is safe." He looked back to Slither, who had stepped back into the shadows to avoid being seen by a group of castle soldiers patrolling nearby. "Is there any way you can convince them that there will be no war?"
Slither shook his head. "The ssspawn are convinced that the dragon god'sss return marksss war. There have already been sssome isssolated incidentsss. The ssspawn are ready to fight, and it will take little to ssset them off."
"Gather as many of the dragonspawn that you can to help protect Sevria." Tempest told the shadowspawn. "We must make sure that the city remains safe."
Slither shook his head. "The ssspawn will not help. They believe the dragon god'sss return meansss war with the humansss. They will not go againssst their god. Thossse who have not gathered in preparation for war have went underground, fearing what isss to come."
"That may make things a little more difficult." Dar murmured with a worried expression. "It wouldn't be a good thing to wake up surrounded by a horde of blood thirsty dragonspawn," He made a face. "Again." He added, thinking back to the siege that they had been forced to endure the previous year.
"The ssspawn will not come to the home of the Dragon Lord." The shadowspawn hissed. "They will not risssk coming againssst Massster. They fear him asss much asss the dragon god."
"That's not a chance I think we're willing to take." The childlike sprite sighed. "I'll inform Shirk and Lady Skie, and alert the castle guard to double the wall sentries. We'll also need to send messengers out to warn everyone in the area that something may be afoot. We don't anyone being caught unprepared."
"I will try to convince a few of my brethren to intervene and help keep the dragonspawn from going on the attack." Tempest grumbled, rising to her feet, and stretching her powerful wings. "With a little luck, they may be able to keep them from doing anything rash." She looked down at Slither. "You have proven your loyalty to your master." She told the shadowy creature grudgingly. "You have proven yourself to be one worthy of respect. I shall be sure to commend you to Damion."
Slither nodded gratefully. "What ssshould SSSlither do now?" The hulking beast hissed questioningly. It was obvious that the shadowspawn knew that it was out of its element, and it was looking to them for guidance.
"See if you can
find any dragonspawn that will still be willing to fight for the Dragon Lord," Dar told the beast after a moment's thought. "then return to your watch over the city. They may still fear Damion's power, but we don't want to take any chances. Report any signs of trouble directly to us. I'll alert the soldiers at the gate to allow you free passage in and out of the city."
Slither nodded once, then on silent feet, the shadowy creature disappeared into the darkness.
"I will go to my brethren and attempt to convince them to set aside their natural dislike for the dragonspawn, and aid us in avoiding a war. I shall return before the sun rises." Tempest launched herself into the air with a powerful thrust of her massive wings.
Omensent: Wrath of a Dragon God Page 20
