"What's the feather duster have to report?" Sly asked, bringing his gelding along side Storm.
"The northern gate is just ahead." Damion told him absently. "Snowfeather says the highlands are little more than a labyrinth of granite formations that form a natural maze. He assures me that he'll be able to lead us through, though."
They hurried on through the deserted streets, and arrived at the remains of the northern gates just as the sun was peeking over the horizon.
"What have you been able to learn?" Damion asked as they rode up to a group of Teirsian soldiers, who were blocking the gaping hole where the northern gate once stood.
"It looks as though a highland witch used her magic to force her way through the gates, killing almost thirty of our men in the process." One of the men informed him respectfully. "Once the way was clear, the witch grabbed a small child from the back of a wagon, then she and an Oroni warrior stole a pair of horses and took off for the highlands."
"Has anyone been sent after them?" The twins asked in unison.
"We sent several patrols after them," The soldier nodded. "but we have yet to hear back from them."
"I'll be surprised if you ever do." Damarius informed him grimly. "The witch almost certainly destroyed them to keep them from pointing Damion in the right direction."
"How far is it from Teir to the highland temples?" The huge warrior asked, eager to be off.
"No one really knows." The man shrugged helplessly. "Very few Teirsians venture into the highlands in search of the temples, and even fewer actually locate it. The highlands can be a very confusing place to travel through. I've heard stories of people wandering through the endless labyrinth of granite formations for years without ever locating the temples. Some say the witches use their magic to conceal it from being discovered by outsiders."
"We'll find it." Damion growled, nudging Storm through the gate. "We don't have a choice."
They hurried through the gates and pressed on towards the north, an overwhelming sense of urgency driving them on. The granite formations of the highlands soon came into view, slowing their progress momentarily, but Snowfeather immediately launched himself into the air and began to guide them from above, silently directing Damion through the labyrinth with very little difficulty.
It was almost midday when Damion finally called for them to halt near the edge of trickling stream which carved its way through the rocky countryside.
"Why are we stopping?" Raven demanded, her voice shrill. "We need to keep moving!"
"The horses need to rest for a bit." Damion told her, trying to ignore the nearly overwhelming urge to press on. "We've been pushing them for far too long. Storm is breathing so hard he's about to heave me right off of his back."
Raven looked as though she wanted to argue, but remained silent, slowly slipping down from her saddle, and leading her horse over to the stream to drink.
"Why don't you ask Snowfeather to scout the area ahead." Damarius asked the huge warrior, wearily lowering himself to the ground, and leaning back against a large boulder with a sigh. "He may be able to spot the witch, or possibly even the temples."
"What do you think?" Damion asked the huge owl silently. "Can you go and scout the area for us?"
"I was actually about to suggest the same thing." Snowfeather hooted, launching himself into the air and disappearing to the north. "Stay here, and I'll return soon."
They all settled down to rest and refresh themselves while they waited for the huge snow owl to return.
Sly rummaged through their packs and produced some salted pork, which he passed out among the others. "Have you two ever been to the highland temples?" He asked the twin knights curiously, stumping over to flop down next to Damarius.
"Nay," Jacom told him in a grave tone. "We have never been able to locate them, though we spent a number of years searching."
"Many years ago, several of our brothers were hired to escort a pair of Teirsian merchants up into the highlands, and they never returned." Jarom explained, his expression grim. "We took a party and went up into the highlands in search of them." He frowned. "After searching for months without ever finding any trace of them, we finally gave up and returned to Teir. A few months later, we stumbled across one the brothers that had been thought lost in the company of a highland witch. She had cursed him, taking his spirit and forcing him to become her khalkan."
"What did you do?" Raven asked in a subdued voice.
The twins shrugged simultaneously.
"We killed them both." Jarom told her sadly.
"His soul had already been lost." Jacom explained sorrowfully. "He was no longer the man we once called brother. We had no choice but to put him out of his misery."
"That's probably the best thing you could have done for the poor fellow." Damarius murmured. "I shudder to think what he must have went through after having his spirit stolen."
"We spent the next several years hunting down and killing every highland witch we could find," Jarom continued with a sigh.
"But we were never able to locate the temples, no matter how long we searched." Jacom frowned. "We were finally forced to give up and return to the lowlands."
They waited for almost an hour before Snowfeather finally reappeared, swooping down from the sky, and landing lightly on Storm's saddle. "No luck locating Leia or the witch," He chirped, sounded a little winded. "and there isn't any temples or villages anywhere in the vicinity."
Damion relayed this news to the others.
"The temples are said to be quite some distance up into the highlands." One of the twins supplied helpfully.
"If the rumors are to be believed, it should take us four days to reach them," The other twin told them. "if it hasn't been concealed by magic. If it has, we may never find it."
"We'll find it." Damion told them confidently, rising to his feet and preparing to set off. "I can sense magic when it has been used. Their enchantments will not stop me from rescuing my daughter."
They set off once again through the granite labyrinth with Snowfeather gliding high overhead, leading them deeper and deeper into the the tangled web of narrow pathways and twisting trails of the Teirsian highlands.
They pressed on until late evening, then Damion finally called for them to stop beneath a large granite outcrop.
"We're going to have to stop here for the night." The huge warrior told them, sliding down from his saddle with a weary groan. "It's getting too dark to travel safely. Someone is going to get themselves killed if we keep stumbling along through the darkness."
"We should keep moving!" Raven disagreed with a scowl. "We need to risk it if we want to have any chance of saving Leia!"
"What good will it do Leia if we were to stumble right off the edge of a cliff?" He asked his fiery young wife reasonably. "I'm pretty certain they will also play it safe and find somewhere to camp for the night. These lands are treacherous, even during the day. I don't think the witch would risk injuring or killing Leia before she is able to be handed over to the dragon god. We can chance stopping here for the rest of the night."
"But..."
"No buts, Raven." He told her sternly. "I know you want to continue pushing on until we find her, but we need to play it smart. We'll stop here for the night, and set off again at first light. Besides," He gestured to Sly and Damarius, who were nearly falling out of their saddles in exhaustion. "I don't think they're going to make it any further tonight."
Raven's eyes filled with tears, but she brushed them away bravely. "You're right, of course." She told him after several moments of struggle. "I just want my daughter back."
"And we'll get her back." Damion promised her, taking her hand in his. "I don't care if I have to rip open the heavens themselves, I'll not let the dragon god take our child!"
They spent the next three days following Snowfeather's silent directions as he steadily led them deeper into the highlands, until finally, the huge owl dropped from the sky, swooping down to settle lightly on Damion's broad shoul
der.
"There is a group of humans dressed in hooded robes a mile or so to the north." He informed Damion with an squawk. "They have hidden themselves in two separate groups on either side of an opening to a large clearing. It looks as though they plan to spring an ambush."
Damion quickly relayed the news to the others.
"We must be getting close." Damarius observed wisely. "The witch must have called on some of her sisters to try and stop us from making it any further."
"Well, it won't work!" Raven declared ferociously, unhooking her long bow from her saddle. "I don't care how many of them there are, they'll not stop us!"
"Is there any way for us to avoid the clearing where they're hidden?" Damarius asked, brushing his brow lock from his eyes.
Damion shook is head. "Not if we want to continue any further. Snowfeather says that it appears to be the only path leading towards the north."
"Any ideas?" Sly asked, his expression bleak.
The huge warrior frowned and shook his head.
"We could try charging into the clearing and hope we catch them unprepared," Jacom suggested.
"Then once we're all clear, we can turn back and finish them off." Jarom finished explaining their idea.
"It won't work." Damarius grunted, shaking his head. "They can use their magic to attack us before we are ready."
They all turned to stare at Damion, who remained quiet for several moments. "Let's press on and see if we can get a better idea of where they have set up their ambush, then we'll make a decision."
They pushed on at a cautious trot with Snowfeather drifting high overhead, continuing to guide them through the tangled maze of granite, until they finally arrived at a narrow trail that passed between two enormous granite formations.
"The clearing is just on the other side of these formations." The huge snow owl hooted, dropping down to settle lightly on Damion's shoulder. "The witches are positioned on either side of the trail, ready to strike as soon as you appear."
Damion frowned. The walls of the granite formations were far too steep to climb, and the pathway too narrow to allow them to charge through at a run in the hopes of catching the ambushers by surprise. "I guess there isn't really much we can do." He finally said with a sigh. "I guess I'll have to..."
An enormous shadow suddenly passed over them, and an earsplitting roar shattered the air, echoing throughout the highlands.
"What was that?" The twins asked, nearly leaping from their saddles in fright.
The sudden screams of terror that erupted from the distant clearing made them all pause and stare up the narrow pathway in confusion. Thick black smoke began to pour up into the sky, and the screams intensified, then slowly died out until they fell silent.
"What just happened?" Damarius asked in bewilderment.
"I'm not sure." Damion continued to stare up the narrow path for several long moments, then was struck by a sudden suspicion. "I wonder..." He nudged Storm forward and led the others towards the clearing.
When they cautiously emerged into the clearing, they found a scene of complete carnage. Dozens of bodies lay scattered about, most of them charred and mangled beyond recognition.
"What could have done this?" The twins asked in unison, their expressions baffled.
"A dragon, of course." Raven told them, pointing to the enormous scarlet dragon who lounged on the opposite side of the clearing, watching them with expectant eyes.
They hurried across the devastated clearing to where the huge serpent relaxed comfortably.
"Hail, Dragon Lord." The enormous dragon rumbled respectfully.
"Hail, Scale." Damion greeted the beast gravely. "What happened here?"
"I have been circling over the highlands for over a month now, looking to insure that the witch that abducted your child doesn't reach the highland temples." The great beast explained, lazily scratching his belly with one talon. "I happened to be passing over, and noticed a group of highland witches preparing to ambush you and your friends, so," He shrugged. "I decided to foil their plans."
"Have you located the witch that has my daughter?" Raven asked desperately.
"Nay," Scale shook his head sadly. "though I haven't given up searching. I have the suspicion that she may using her magic to help avoid being detected, but she cannot keep it up forever. She'll be forced to show herself eventually. I have been trying to stay close to the temples, just in case."
"Are the temples close?"
"They are about an hour's flight to the north and east of this place," He considered it for a long moment. "Perhaps another day's ride on horseback, I would guess."
"How were you able to kill those witches?" Damarius asked curiously, staring across the clearing the charred and mangled corpses. "I thought the Dragon Sword prevents you from ever harming a human."
"It does," The huge beast rumbled. "but highland witches are no longer human. When they began consorting with the elder spirits, they shed their humanity, and became something much more foul and corrupted." He turned to look down at Damion. "I hope that you do not disapprove."
The huge warrior smiled and shook his head. "No, under the circumstances, I think you acted appropriately."
"I should warn you that something is definitely afoot at the highland temples." Scale warned in gravely. "Though I couldn't see anything out of the ordinary, I could feel the presence of something of immense power. I had planned on settling in the plaza of the temples, figuring I could handle anything the witches could throw at me, but as I drew close, I could sense an otherworldly power that literally radiated from the temples. Try as I might, I couldn't bring myself to land within the temple complex."
"That must have been Draco." Damion nodded in understanding. "He could easily conceal himself from mortal eyes. He probably knew that you were there upon my command, and didn't want you becoming involved."
The great beast nodded in agreement. "That was my suspicion as well." He drew himself up proudly. "What would you have me do, Dragon Lord?"
Damion considered it for several moments. "Return to your search for my daughter." He decided finally. "If you spot them, do your best to slow them down without injuring Leia."
"As you wish." The great beast leapt into the air and quickly disappeared from view.
They pressed on as quickly as they could for the rest of the day, then Damion called for them to stop along the banks of a shallow stream. "Look there." He pointed to the fresh carcass of a dead horse. "It looks as though they may have lost one of their horses."
Sly slipped down from his saddle, and went to the dead beast's side. "It's still warm." He reported, laying a palm on its neck.
"That means they can't be far." Damion murmured. "Let's keep moving."
They continued to press on as the darkness fell, moving as quickly as they dared, but it soon became too treacherous, and Damion was forced to call for everyone to halt for the night.
At Damion's request, Snowfeather immediately set off to continue the search while they settled down to rest and refresh themselves. He was gone for several hours before finally returning, dropping down from the darkness to settle on a nearby rock formation.
"Did you locate them?" Damion asked, sitting up from his bedroll.
"Nay." The huge owl hooted dispiritedly. "I couldn't find any trace of them, but I have the oddest feeling that they're close. I just couldn't see them anywhere. I did locate the temples, though. They're about twelve miles from here. The entire complex is completely surrounded by granite formations, concealing it from being seen by all but those who know its location."
The huge warrior glanced around to see everyone staring at him expectantly.
"Well?" Sly demanded impatiently. "What did he say?"
"He said he can't locate them anywhere, but he believes they're close."
"And the temples?"
"They're about twelve miles from here. He says the entire temple complex is constructed in a large clearing that is surrounded on all sides by several large granite for
mations, completely concealing it from view, except from above."
Raven suddenly leapt to her feet and rushed to her horse.
Damion hurried after her, grabbing her by her arm to prevent her from leaping up in her saddle.
"Let me go!" She screamed at him, her eyes full of tears.
"No, Raven," The huge warrior told her firmly. "I won't let you go running off in the darkness. It's too dangerous!"
"I don't care how dangerous it is," She told him fiercely. "I want my daughter! I want my Leia back!"
"And we're going to her back." He promised her gently. "But we have to stay calm, and keep our wits about us." He slowly drew her into his arms. "We can't loose our patience now, not after coming this far. We're going to save her," He smiled. "then you can vent your frustration on her abductors."
Omensent: Wrath of a Dragon God Page 33
