There were simply far too many coincidences for the painting to be just dismissed, and Galdrac was now all but convinced that this picture was meant for them. Perhaps even for him to see, so they would know where and when to make their stand against the forces of the Darkness. What he had not told the King, however, was he was all but sure that the Prince was also on that painting and would need to be present when the battle took place; That though would have to be a discussion for another day.
Finley sat upon Arach’s back as he sped through the fresh morning air, looking down on the world from high up in the sky. As a result of Galdrac’s compromise, he now found himself heading far to the south of the human lands to an area apparently being overrun by orcs. At first, Finley had thought the King had lost the plot. Why would the orcs attack the humans? He then recalled the warnings in his dreams that Abalyon was trying to divide the races; something he was apparently having some success with.
Once he had gotten to know the King and Prince a little better, he actually thought both of them were quite nice people. Although meeting royalty was something he had never even considered, having done so was certainly an eye opener. While they were just people the same as everybody else, the way they lived was something different. Yet despite all their luxury and fine clothes, with people bowing to their every command, Finley for one was certainly glad he was not one of them. He could already tell that the King especially, was starting to feel the strain of the war. Why wouldn’t he? After all, everybody was suddenly looking to the man for an answer, even if he was as helpless as the rest.
Feeling the wind on his face, Finley closed his eyes and decided to see the world through Arach’s eyes. Once more the strange colours of the dragon’s sight appeared in his mind. If he understood it correctly, the red colours indicated the warmer objects, while blue meant it was probably something cold. He assumed from knowing which shades of each colour, Arach could determine exactly what was being seen; something he for one was not yet accustomed to doing. One advantage it did have over human sight was the ability to see objects beyond those at the front. For instance, with his human sight, he could see nothing but the tops of trees as they flew over them. However, dragon sight was entirely different. Not only could he make out the outline of the treetops, but he was able to see red shapes moving beneath them. In this instance probably a herd of deer, or at least that was the message he was getting from Arach.
Although not spending much time riding upon Arach’s back, Finley thought he had adapted quite quickly to it. In a way, he supposed it was much like riding a horse, but without a saddle and somewhat windier. However, as far as speed was concerned, even the fastest horse moved, but a fraction of the speed the dragon could, which meant journeys that sometimes might have taken days could be achieved within just a few hours. Finley realised from his new perspective just how big the area covered by the humans actually was. Little surprising that the King was struggling to keep everywhere safe, especially now Abalyon had the ability to send his flying balgraf to attack anywhere he chose.
After swooping down a little lower, it was Arach that sent him the warning that smoke was rising further in the distance. “That doesn’t bode well!” he mumbled before asking Arach if he could go any faster. The advantage of flying, at least as far as Finley could tell, was that many miles could be covered without Arach having to actually to do very little at all. With only the occasional flap of his wings, much of the time was spent gliding on the air currents, and although Finley didn’t understand fully how that worked, it certainly meant Arach could also travel much further than any horse.
As they neared, Finley could see the smoke drifting up into the air, just as Arach had told him. Swooping in across the tree tops he could see the source of the smoke. A small town had several of its properties burning, and scores of rampaging orcs seemingly gathered around a large stone building. “There are still humans on top!” Arach told him, as the dragon spread out its wings and circled around for another pass.
Finley looked at where Arach had seen the men, and could indeed see soldiers atop of the roof firing down at the orcs surrounding them. “Let’s help!” he muttered, willing Arach to stoop down low. “How about you give them some fire,” he added. The dragon did not reply, but tucked its wings a little further back and dived, picking up speed before spreading them out again to slow its descent. With a swift up and down movement of his head, Arach spewed forth a stream of dragon fire as he glided over the unsuspecting Orcs.
After a quick flap of his wings to regain height, Arach swung about allowing Finley to get a good look at what they had just achieved. Already the Orcs were running about in panic, with probably a dozen or more now only burning shapes on the ground. Those atop of the building continued firing relentlessly down on those trying to flee the flames. “Him there,” Finley said spotting an Orc he assumed to be the leader.
Stood off to one side was a large male Orc with a couple of others stood just behind him. Finley had always thought Karesh was big, but this Orc made his brother look like a child. Bellowing orders, it was soon apparent the Orcs were not yet done, with the one in charge ordering several with crossbows and spears to fire up into the sky at them. Fortunately most seemed to fall short of their current altitude, although Finley knew another swoop down would put them at risk; something Galdrac had told him not to take.
Ignoring all the old Mage’s advice he willed Arach around once more, “Let's take that one out of the equation,” he said to Arach focusing on the one in charge. The dragon tucked back its wings once more and dived down, like a bird of prey swooping on its unsuspecting target. Moving swifter than an arrow Finley was forced to hold on tight as the first of the crossbow bolts flew passed his head. Arach reached out his neck again and sent forth a stream of dragon fire down at those below, before spreading his wings and gliding back up into the air once more.
Only when they regained sufficient height did Finley feel at ease, although in truth most of the danger had seemingly passed. The Orc who he had identified as the leader was no longer there and was now just a mass of flames. The few remaining Orcs were already fleeing out of the town gates, some already nearing the treeline, and although Finley would have liked to have eliminated the threat entirely, he hoped they had achieved enough to once more make the town safe.
After circling around a few more times, he watched as those atop the stone building emerged from its doorway and out into the open. Assuming they were thinking it safe to do so, he should probably land and check they were all okay. However, being as none would have been familiar with a dragon, Finley knew he needed to be slightly cautious in his approach and decided to land at the far end of the town and away from those emerging from the building.
With stiff legs, he managed to slip down from Arach’s back. The dragon though was not focused on the people slowly and gingerly making their way towards them, but something else. Finley could sense the dragon was thinking of feeding and turned to see just what it was Arach was looking at. “Fine but do it discreetly and just this once,” Finley added as he spotted a dead Orc on the ground a few yards from their position. To distract the soldiers walking towards him from what Arach was about to do, Finley stepped forward with his hand raised in greeting.
“Hello!” he shouted already sensing Arach dragging the corpse of the Orc behind a building so he could be out of sight. He assumed the man at the front was the one in charge and waited for a response, but also kept an eye on a couple of others who walked just a pace behind. The group stopped about five paces from where Finley was standing, “Who are you?” the soldier at the front asked. “My name is Finley. I was sent by the King to come and help. Looks like a made it just in the nick of time,” he added waving his arm out to the dead bodies strewn across the narrow track between the burning buildings.
The man at the front stepped a little nearer and introduced himself as the Garrison Commander, before offering out his hand in greeting. Finley smiled and took the offer, feeling the
firm grip of the man’s hand as it shook his own much smaller one. “Is that a dragon you were riding?” came the voice from a much younger man, who Finley thought was probably just a few years older than himself.
“It is. Although I must ask that none of you goes too close. He needs to…rest,” Finley said changing the word he was going to use. The Commander nodded his understanding, turning to the younger man beside him, “Set a guard across this area. Don’t let anybody approach the beast.”
The soldier nodded to his superior before glancing over to Finley and then turning about to carry out his order.
Finley was quite surprised by just how many people had actually been inside the building, although most were civilians there were still a dozen or more soldiers and two sorcerers as he could see. One of those magicians was a young woman, whom he thought looked quite attractive, although he would never have the courage to say as much. Besides which, she barely even glanced his way, not that he was checking of course.
The townsfolk soon had the burning buildings put out, although the dragon fires appeared to burn themselves out much more quickly. Finley had already learned that this was down to the fire of a dragon burning much hotter than that typically used, meaning the Orcs that had succumbed to Arach’s attack were already little more than ashes. He wandered over to one such pile and used the toe end of his boot to rummage among the black smouldering ash. However, he quickly pulled his foot back as he spotted what he thought was a bone and didn’t want to see if it was still attached to anything.
Finley had thought his time south would have taken a few days. However, as it happened, he was lucky he got there when he had, or else the town would now be in the hand of the Orcs. As he had already achieved the goals set out by Galdrac and the King, he could now move back towards the capital Carison. Firstly though he thought it only prudent to have Arach scout around the area for any signs of trouble.
From the messages sent back by the dragon to Finley, the Orcs who had made the attack had fled back across the borders to their own lands. There were one or two stragglers which Arach offered to take care of, although Finley was not keen on the idea, more so because it put the dragon at risk than for any moral dilemma he might have had. Happy in the knowledge, the southern borders, for now at least were safe, Finley wanted to get back. Calness had been lucky, of that, there was no doubt, but it still stood, and although weakened by the attack, still had enough soldiers to maintain its defence.
After shaking hands with the Garrison Commander, and assuring him that he would let the King know of the situation, Finley clambered back onto Arach’s back. He waved his hand a little as the beast stretched out its wings and flapped, pushing upwards with its powerful legs. The small crowd that had gathered to see him off waved and cheered, as Arach lifted up into the afternoon sky. With a little luck and providing Arach was up to it, Finley hoped to be back in Carison by nightfall, and tomorrow he had plans to visit somewhere else.
Chapter 15.
Galdrac had been surprised that Finley and Arach had returned the previous evening. However, after explaining the reasons for that being the case, and passing the message on to the King, he had been given a room to rest in. With a suite that was larger than the entire house at Whitebridge where he used to live, he was also taken food and facilities to wash. After a good night’s sleep in a bed big enough to sleep four people, he had set out bright and early.
With the guards in the palace now all warned not to fire upon the dragon, Arach was able to land in the gardens at the rear of the building. While the presence of the dragon clearly still had many of the staff a little nervous, it did mean Finley could come and go without having to venture out into the city, and the likelihood of him getting lost. After eating a much larger breakfast than usual, and one much more accustomed to his tastes than the food of the Elves or Dwarfs, he set out with a spring in his step.
The sky was clear, the sun was out, and he thought, at last, they now had a chance of defeating the Darkness. The Orcs in the south had been dealt with, and already the King was keeping good to his word and having over a hundred more men lined up and preparing to go to Durn Raldun. Moreover, there was also supposedly two hundred more to head off to Neylarin later that day.
With more conscripts coming into the city daily, it was hoped those numbers would soon be recouped anyway. While the quality of the soldiers may not have been exceptionally good, it at least showed the Dwarfs and the Elves that the old alliances still existed and were as strong now as ever they were. With the continuing stream of food and supplies especially to Durn Raldun, Carison was a very busy place to be, and currently, the reason that hope still existed.
After taking to the air on Arach’s back, he lifted up high above the city before asking the dragon to fly eastwards. The journey should not take too long on the back of a dragon, and although Finley knew going back to Whitebridge was probably a pointless thing to do, he felt it was necessary if only to give himself peace of mind. In all honesty, he was not even sure how much of the place still existed, or whether anybody would still be living there. After all, being attacked in such an out of the way place must have come as a big shock to everyone.
Moving through the air at speeds, unsurpassed by any other animal, Finley closed his eyes and let the wind blow across his face. Using his link with Arach, he could pick out the trees and even the animals moving about underneath. After picking up one of the main tracks, he had Arach fly above it and to follow its path until they reached their destination.
As the village came into view, Finley was pleased he could still detect signs of people moving about below. Although unsure how those people would react when seeing a dragon drop down out of the sky, he thought it best to land on the outskirts, just a little way short of the bridge that gave the village its name. Thinking it probably prudent to have Arach circle overhead and out of reach, Finley took a deep breath and headed for the first place on his small list to visit.
Seeing the man who had helped him escape the clutches of his Uncle and those trying to force him into military service made him feel quite emotional. It seemed so long ago now, and that so much had changed, despite it only actually being a few months ago. The burly looking man seemed surprised to see him walking towards the foundry and merely stood there gawping for a few moments. “Hello Terrence,” Finley said with a smile and a lump in his throat.
“Well blow me down,” the man laughed, slowly placing the hammer in his hand down on his bench.
“It is good to see you looking well, Lad!” Terrance said jovially patting him on the back.
Finley returned the greeting but added in a more sombre mood that it was a shame it was not under better circumstances. Terrence looked around, seemingly puzzled by something. “Where is your horse? You’ve not walked all this way surely?” The man asked lifting his huge hand up to his chin.
Finley grinned, “No I didn’t walk. You wouldn’t believe me if I told you, Terrence,” he replied asking Arach to swoop in a little lower so the blacksmith could see him.
Finley grinned and pointed upwards and watched carefully for the man’s reaction as Arach flew overhead. “I travelled by dragon!” he said feeling quite proud of the fact.
“I didn’t see that coming. A dragon eh? I heard stories of the beasts, but I have never seen one.”
“Probably best if I don’t bring him any closer. He tends to get people panicking when he lands amongst them, and I don’t want to frighten them anymore especially after the attack,” he added remembering the reason for his visit.
Terrence suddenly looked saddened, “Aye terrible day that was,” he said looking off into the distance. Finley turned as two men came running in their direction, one of whom he kind of knew, the other not, but both with crossbows in their hands. “Reports of another balgraf flying over the village, we’re gathering up the militia Terrence,” the taller of the two men said catching his breath.
Finley had been told that dozens of militias had been set up in remo
te towns and villages as a way of helping the people protect themselves should an attack come. While not the perfect solution to the problem of defence, it did allow the King to keep his forces for other duties. “They say this beast is even bigger. Come on man get your bow,” the same man added sounding somewhat panicky.
“Relax. It’s not a balgraf, it’s this lad’s dragon,” the blacksmith said waving a dismissive hand in the air.
The two men looked somewhat uncertain at the words before the other man spoke. “Well, we best kill it, before it attacks.”
Finley immediately went on the defensive. “You so much as fire a bolt in the air at my dragon and I’ll…” he said through gritted teeth, getting quite annoyed. Why did people keep wanting to shoot at Arach?
The taller of the two men appeared to take offence at the tone he was being spoken too, “I am a member of the King’s Militia Boy, and I will shoot it down if I see it.”
Finley shook his head, he hadn't come back to Whitebridge to fall out with people, yet here he was doing just that. However, without so much as a second thought, he merely waved his hand, and the man went flying backwards and landed on his backside with a painful thump.
“Don’t annoy me!” Finley said trying to remain calm. It was evidently clear that it was not only the two men who were surprised by Finley’s actions, but Terrance was too. While he knew it was wrong to use his skills against people, a threat against Arach was also one against him, something which he quickly explained to the blacksmith. “So a druid?” The Smith asked, “But with Shaman skills as well. I’ve never known anyone have more than one discipline before. Okay, Lad, I get what you’re saying. I’ll sort these two out.”
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