Silver Dragon

by Jason Halstead

  "Don't waste your time. If they had time to leave, they didn't leave anything important to us," Tristam said.

  "But," Namitus began.

  "Come on," Tristam ordered. "We've got to find them!"

  "Dungeons?" Mordrim asked.

  "What is it with you and dungeons?" Karthor asked. "Come to think of it, we found you in one."

  "Dwarves like dirt," Garrick offered.

  Mordrim scowled and opened his mouth but Alto interrupted him. "Anyone entering or leaving the city is being searched. Let's get out of here and find whoever's left in charge here."

  He turned and started walking down the hall but his hip forced him to half drag his leg. He scowled and looked down at it.

  "I think it's later," Karthor said. "You're a mess. Whose blood is all over your cloak?"

  "I lost count," Alto admitted. "Ogres and goblins mostly. Found a giant last night."

  "A giant!" Tristam crowed. "You killed a giant?"

  Alto nodded while the man with the broken hip cursed as he tried to pull himself away from them. Alto looked at the man and narrowed his eyes. His sword twitched in his hand. "We need to kill those men."

  "Son, sheathe your sword; there's no threat here," Kar said.

  Alto looked at him and then glanced down at his sword. He glanced around a final time to see everyone looking at him. Feeling foolish, Alto sheathed the sword and let go of it. As soon as he relinquished his grip, he swooned and would have fallen if Karthor hadn't grabbed him.

  "That sword is ill-fated," Kar muttered.

  Alto glanced down at the blade and forced his legs to hold him upright. He pushed Karthor away. "Ill-fated? It's a powerful blade. Without it, my trials in the mountains would have not gone well."

  "You don't look like the victor," Karthor reminded him. He turned and glanced at the wounded, and scared, guards. "And what about those men?"

  Alto stared at them. "What about them?"

  "Still think they need to die?"

  Alto frowned. They'd seen them and had overheard them. Still, they were soldiers, not leaders.

  "The friend I had would have insisted on having them healed before his own wounds were tended to," Karthor added while Alto considered his question.

  "That man hadn't seen the truth of the world," Alto said. He turned to Karthor. "That boy didn't see the evil that lives in men's hearts."

  "Am I evil?" Karthor asked.

  "We're all evil," Alto spat. He waved his hand. "Heal them if you wish. They don't need to die, I concede that much."

  Karthor nodded. "I will, but first you. Let me help you."

  Alto nodded and waited while Karthor called upon the blessings of Leander. Alto felt the heat in his hip cool for a moment and then Karthor straightened. He frowned as he looked at Alto. "Saint Leander does not approve."

  Alto shrugged. "I'll be fine. Tend to the others."

  He tested his leg while the worried priest turned away to tend to the injured guards. It bore his weight better but he knew that the damage was far from healed. While he shifted his weight back and forth, Tristam came over and stood next to him. "What's going on?"

  "Too much," Alto said.

  "Always is," the seasoned warrior said with a grin. "I meant with you. Last we knew, you set out hoping to slay a dragon. You mentioned a giant, but nothing about a dragon."

  "I'm working on that," Alto said. "I need a few things first."

  "A few things?"

  "A new sword."

  "I thought the one you had was powerful?"

  "Not enough," Alto admitted. He wondered if it really wasn't strong enough to pierce the hide of a dragon or if the troll was playing games with him still. "Time for that later; we must find out what's going on here first. And find Patrina."

  Tristam nodded. "She's paying us for this—won't do us any good if she doesn't come back."

  Alto clenched his fist and forced himself not to reach for his sword. Getting paid was the last thing Tristam should be worried about when it came to Trina. "My sister spent a day with that knight and she's been ruined because of it. My family slaughtered. If gold's all you want—"

  Tristam held up his hand to stop the irate warrior. "Calm down, son! You should know I'm not like that. It's how I deal with things. Of course we'll find her."

  "Your sister's not ruined."

  Alto turned to see Garrick standing there. The barbarian looked down on him and scowled. "There was a woman in my village who was taken by a man during a raid from another clan. Before he could return to his village with her, my people hunted him down and took her back. My people do not abandon their own, but she'd been soiled by him, so none of my clan would touch her."

  Alto listened to Garrick talking, surprised to hear so much from the man even though he had no idea what he was talking about.

  "She bore the man's child but none in the clan knew of it, so she sought out my father before it was known so she could have his wisdom," Garrick continued. He locked gazes with Alto, his deep blue eyes piercing into Alto and holding him still while he finished his story. "My father took her as his mate and proclaimed the child his. It was the only child he had."

  Alto's eyes narrowed as the barbarian's story began to make sense.

  "The woman was a fine mother and raised a strong boy. She served as a fine wife and matron of my clan. Like you, she thought she was dead to the world and ruined because she was overpowered and taken against her will. It took the strongest man among my people to show her that her worth was no less and that she still possessed her own strength."

  Alto nodded and felt a touch of the rage that had been sustaining him for the past weeks slip. He reached out and gripped Garrick's forearm. "There are many kinds of strength," Alto said. "I hope to find the day where I find the kind where I have more than you!"

  Garrick grinned and returned the grasp of respect. "I've never killed a giant," Garrick offered. "But don't worry, I'll be hunting for one now!"

  Alto chuckled and turned away. Karthor was rising from the last of the guards who still lived. "Come, we've got to get to the bottom of this."

  "Where to?" Tristam asked him.

  "Not the palace, it's empty. There's hardly anyone left and those I saw were rushing to get out," Alto said. "I'm turned around trying to find you. How do we get out of here?"

  Tristam chuckled. "Follow me, my friend! It's good to have you back."

  Alto nodded. Was he back? It seemed he was, at least for a little while. Now all that was missing was Patrina. They started down the hall and Namitus surprised him with a quick embrace.

  "I was thinking about trying to burn the place down but was afraid I wouldn't know how to do it without your help," the rogue said.

  Alto joined in the laughter, and then saw Mordrim nodding at him. "I've pledged my hammer to Lady Patrina, but she told me how I'd still be rotting in that cell had it not been for you. I know her feelings for you, so until we get her free, my hammer's yours."

  Alto opened his mouth to respond when a thought came to him. "Does your hammer know anything about forging weapons?"

  Mordrim grinned. "Every dwarf knows how to run a smith! You don't become a man without working a forge and crafting your first set of armor and weapons."

  "I'm going to need your help then, my friend. When the time is right, I need a new sword."

  Mordrim shrugged. "Tell me when and we'll see it's done right!" He glanced at Garrick and jerked his thumb towards the barbarian. "We can use that lout instead of bellows to keep the furnace hot!"

  Garrick scowled at the dwarf but was stopped from retaliating by Tristam announcing their arrival at the front door. The wooden beam Alto had used to bar it lay on the floor of the entryway. "Somebody tried to lock us in?"

  "I used it to keep anyone from following me. Somebody else must have removed it," Alto said.

  "Then this is the way out."

  Alto moved to the door and pulled it open. He stared out onto the snow-covered town and saw what looked like it could
be all of the city guard arrayed in front of them. Baron Mackay and Master Victor stood at the front of the assembled guards.

  "Throw down your weapons!" Mackay called to them. "Your actions are either treasonous or an act of war."

  "You speak of treachery?" Kar responded loud enough for all to hear. "Our companion was taken in the middle of the night and all we get is fabricated excuses as to what happened!"

  "Your companion is there!" Baron Mackay turned and pointed to a wagon. The soldiers stepped aside to allow them to look in and saw Lady Patrina dressed in her armor and lying lifeless in the wagon. Mackay turned to the gathered soldiers and people who were hiding in buildings or leaning out of windows. "Lady Patrina's still clutching a scrap of a torn wolf fur cloak that looks the same as that worn by the large man amongst you."

  "Oh saints," Kar muttered.

  Alto's eyes widened and his sword flew into his hand. Tristam grabbed his shoulder and held him back, nearly earning three feet of steel in his belly in the process. "Garrick, your cloak!" Tristam snapped.

  Garrick whipped the cloak off his back and held it up. He spread the cloak out until a missing section could be seen torn out from the bottom of it in the middle of the back. Garrick's mouth opened and closed, and then he turned and glared at the baron. "I didn't touch her," Garrick growled.

  "Alto, back to the palace. We can hold it and find another way out. This is suicide!" Tristam hissed at him.

  Alto seethed and yanked his shoulder free. He pointed his sword at the baron and said, "You'll die for this!"

  Baron Mackay laughed. "I'll die? I'll see you all hanged and given back to the Kelgryn as proof of your treachery!"

  Alto started forward but a burst of multicolored lights in front of him forced him to recoil. Red, blue, black, and yellow hued smoke burst out, hiding the Blades from Baron Mackay.

  "Grab him!" Kar hissed.

  Tristam sprang forward and grabbed Alto. He yanked the stunned man back and pulled him back through the palace doors before he could overcome the confusing magic. The others were already in hiding and pushed the doors shut before barring them.

  Alto blinked and shook his head, and then glared at Tristam. "Open the door!" he seethed.

  "So you can die alongside her? No!" Tristam spat at him. "You think she wants you to waste your life? She believed in you, Alto. She knew you could do great things. She believed you could even slay Sarya!"

  Karthor stepped up beside him. "We'll see this injustice avenged," the priest promised. "Don't throw the fate of many away because of anger."

  Alto stared at them and then glared at the door. He slammed his sword back in his scabbard, knowing it was only confusing him and filling him with the urge to rush out and kill. He wanted to. He needed to. But if he ended up dying because of it, what good would it do? He had other vows he had to uphold, too. He shook his head and sank back.

  "What do I do?" he muttered.

  "We find another way out," Tristam said. "There are other doors out; Namitus found one in the guest wing they'd put us in the first time."

  "There's the dungeon," Mordrim offered.

  "Enough with the damn dungeon!" Tristam spat at him.

  The dwarf shrugged. "Most leaders have secret escape tunnels in case of a siege. The smart place for a tunnel is the dungeon. It's already below ground."

  Tristam blew away the dwarf's suggestion and turned to the door. "We've got to blockade this and find another way out. Find whatever we can shove against it. Now!"

  Garrick turned and found a large wooden bench in a nearby hall. He hauled it back in and moved it up to the doors. He stopped at the door and frowned. "What's that?"

  "What?" Tristam asked.

  Karthor tilted his head and held his hand up. His eyes widened and he moved closer to the door. "Open the doors!"

  "You gone mad?" Tristam asked.

  "I hear the horns of Leander!"

  "The what?"

  "The horns the Knights of Leander use to announce their arrival."

  "So a Knight of Leander showed up?" Namitus asked.

  "No, they're only used when the Knights of Leander are marshaled. There's an army outside the city!"

  Alto stiffened. "Teorfyr sent word to the Kingdom of the monsters in the mountains. This must be their response."

  "The Knights of Leander will seek out the truth," Karthor vowed. "We need only hold on until they get here."

  "The baron will see to it that we don't live that long. He'll burn the palace down around us if he must."

  Namitus glanced at Alto but the warrior was staring at the door.

  "Open the door," Alto said calmly. He glanced down at his side and said, "I'm not holding the sword."

  Garrick pushed the bench back and moved to the bar. "What's your plan?"

  "We attack."

  "You're mad!" Tristam said.

  Alto nodded. "I am, but if we're to die, we do it on our terms."

  "No, Alto has the right of it," Kar said. "They're as surprised right now as we are, I bet. We come out charging and we can disrupt them. Maybe even escape and hide."

  Tristam scowled but after a moment of shifting his eyes about, he ran out of alternatives. He nodded and turned to Garrick. "Open the door."

  Garrick grinned and drew his sword. The wooden beam fell to the floor a moment later and he stood ready to pull the doors open. He waited for everyone to give him a final nod and then he yanked the doors open. Alto burst past him, drawing his blade as he ran. The others charged after him, trying to catch up and protect him from his own rage.

  Chapter 16

  "What do you suppose is going on?" Durak whispered.

  Aleena shrugged, jostling the loose-fitting chain hauberk that sat on the thick layers of clothing she wore. "I'm to read the minds of the men behind walls now, too?"

  "So much for women's intuition," her peer jibed.

  "Be silent!" Celos growled at them as he rode past on his horse. He turned to rake his eyes over Aleena. "Is your armor too heavy?"

  "No, squire, it feels just right," Aleena responded smartly.

  Celos's nostrils flared and he turned to ride up to Sir Amos at the head of the column of Leander's faithful. He came to a stop beside the senior knight and waited while Sir Amos finished speaking with a priest, Father Lex, and another senior knight, Sir Wynn, who came with them. Aleena and Durak could not hear their conversation but they watched them finish it up and then turn to the barred gate of Highpeak.

  "Open the gates!" Sir Amos cried out. "We've come to offer Saint Leander's blessings and support. We are the Knights of Leander."

  The gates were quiet for a long moment, causing Aleena and Durak to look at each other in concern. Were they too late? Had Highpeak fallen again? "How many are you, Knights of Leander?"

  "I have near fifty men with me, twenty-two of those knights, twelve squires, four priests, and the rest are devout followers here to support the will of Saint Leander," Sir Amos responded.

  "You've arrived at a good time," the man at the gate said as the portcullis began to rise. "The baron's palace is under attack! Treachery from within, I'm told. They've ordered the gates closed but your men could help."

  "Leander be praised that we made it in time!" Sir Amos said. The portcullis came to a stop and was locked in place, allowing Sir Amos to spur his horse through the gate and lead the rest of the faithful behind him. The gate captain called out directions to Sir Amos as the knight rode past.

  Aleena let her trained horse follow the others through the gate and into the city. She'd learned the basics of riding in her time with the host of Leander but the thought of trying to fight from the back of a horse was daunting. Her horse knew enough to stay with the others, taking her through the streets of the city until she glimpsed a small army of men gathered in the road in front of a massive wood and stone building.

  They were milling about, from what she could tell, but none of it made any sense. Then she saw a man leap up onto a wagon in the middle of the gathered s
oldiers. He leapt back and forth, kicking the soldiers away and slashing with his sword or even using his shield to knock his foes away. When next she saw him, she saw the enemy warrior had captured a man and held a sword to his neck.

  The horn sounded again, announcing the arrival of the knights. They rode in, anxious to push their way through the crowd and offer what help they could. Aleena strained to see around the others but Celos and Sir Amos had both been explicit in their instructions. They were to stay out of any fighting but be ready to offer aid to any knight who was in trouble.

  Aleena's eyes swept over the chaos, trying to find a way to be helpful. She looked up and saw the attacker on the wagon struggling with the man he'd taken hostage. He used his shield as a weapon, slamming him and knocking him back. Aleena stiffened, recognizing the move. She rose up in her saddle for a better view and then gasped.

  "Alto!" Aleena cried out.

  "What's that?" Durak said, turning to look at her. He followed her gaze and frowned. "Your Alto? Is he the man getting his face smashed in?"

  "No," Aleena said. She spurred her horse forward and pushed through the knights and defenders of Highpeak. "Stop!" she shouted while waving a hand in the air. "Stop! There's a mistake!"

  "Back to your place!" Celos roared at her. He brandished his sword and pushed his horse in front of hers. "You forget yourself."

  "No." Aleena shook her head and pushed her horse into his. "That's Alto! The hero of Highpeak! The man who stopped the monsters in the mountains. The man who rescued a family in Portland from a burning building. He's not a traitor, I know it!"

  "Recruit, return to your post! Do it now and if you're lucky, you'll only be dismissed," Celos spat at her.

  "What's this?" Sir Amos said from where he sat astride his horse nearby.

  "Nothing, Sir Amos, this recruit forgot her place. Caught up in the excitement, no doubt."

  A roar from the battle distracted them for a minute. A soldier rose up above the others, thrown by something that knocked him back into the others. The opening created allowed Aleena to see a massive man clad in animal hides and wielding a massive sword. Was he one of the enemy? He looked to be one of the wild and savage northlanders she'd heard stories about.