Damion raised his hands helplessly. "I can't be sure. Most of the men on the Deolan Council are notoriously difficult to deal with, and will undoubtedly be against going to war. Luckily, my old friend Bativa is a member of that council. If I can impress upon him the seriousness of the situation, I'm sure he'll help us persuade the others."
"What about the dwarves?" Raven asked curiously. "Do you think they should be warned?"
"We should inform them of what has been discovered," Damion answered after a moment's thought. "but I don't think we should count on them for anything other than moral support. Most have never even stepped foot outside of their ancestral caverns."
Shirk came stumping into the room followed closely by Sly and Axel. "I've alerted the Captain of the Guard, and ordered him to start sending out more patrols." The old bandit informed them, settling down in a chair next to Lady Skie with a weary sigh. "It probably won't really make much of a difference, but I would rather err on the side of caution in this situation." He noticed Dar sitting across the table from him. "Dar! When to you get here?"
"I arrived in town an hour or so ago." The childlike sprite smiled. "It looks like I have arrived just in time for all of the fun."
"Yeah, fun." Sly snorted, flopping down in a vacant chair. "It's always entertaining to have tens of thousands of raving maniacs lusting for your blood."
"I was just getting ready to send a servant to find you." Damion told his old friend. "Are the messengers ready to head south?"
"Aye," The scruffy little man nodded. "There are twenty riders ready to set off. All they need is the messages. I figured you'd want to write those yourself. Your name tends to carry a bit more weight for some reason."
"I'll take care of them as soon as I've eaten." The huge warrior assured him, gesturing to several servants who had entered the room bearing trays loaded down with food and drink.
"Hello, Axel." Lady Skie greeted the young man who continued to stand near the doorway. "How are you this evening?"
"I am doing well, Lady Skie. Thank you for asking." The young man replied in a soft voice. "The demand for my carvings has been keeping me quite busy."
Axel had started working at the keep as a page at the age of twelve, until Sly took notice of him and made him his personal assistant. He had quickly proven himself to be talented lad with a quick mind, and an gift for carving amazingly lifelike images out of dragon bone. His pieces had become quite well known, and were sought after by people throughout the world.
"I would have thought you'd have run out of dragon bone years ago." Damion murmured through a mouth full of boiled potatoes.
"He did," Sly snorted in amusement. "but I sent word to one of Shirk's friends in Arleia and told him that I would buy every scrap of dragon bone they could gather from the temple where the shadow dragons were defeated. We've been receiving shipments regularly for the last several years now. It's been quite profitable."
"I had been wondering where you had been getting your gold." Shirk grumbled. "It's been a while since you last tried to get a loan."
"Lord Quickhand and I have an arrangement." Axel told him, laughing at the surly expression Sly cast at Shirk. "He supplies me with all the dragon bone I need to create my carvings and helps me sell off the finished pieces at the highest price, and we split the profit. It's made us both quite a bit of gold."
"And what are you going to do when your supply from Arleia finally runs out?" Dar asked curiously.
"I figure I'll just send Damion out to track down a shadow dragon for us." Sly smiled at the big warrior, who laughed helplessly.
When he had finished his meal, Damion quickly scribbled out a number of letters for the messengers to carry. "Have the men deliver these to the dwarves, Kainpre, and all of the outlying towns. I'll have Captain Harper carry word to Sierra for us when he returns to his ship. He's also going to carry word to King Atorius and Queen Ann in Jaghera for us."
"What about the Deola?" Sly asked, taking a long drink from his tankard of ale, then burping thunderously.
"I'm going to go pay them a visit myself." The huge warrior frowned. "I don't think we would be able to convince them of the danger otherwise."
"Won't Bativa be able to convince the rest of the Council that they need to begin to prepare themselves for war?"
Damion raised his hands and shrugged. "It's hard to say. It may take a bit of convincing to get them to help us. Some of the men on the council are unreasonably stubborn. They may try to just pull their tribes back into the safety of Mercedia."
"Do you think they'll listen to you?" Raven asked in a worried tone.
"They'll listen." Sly assured her with a barking laugh. "The last time Damion stood before the council, he blasted one of them clean across the room!"
Raven turned and gave her husband a curious look.
"The man was obnoxious ass." Damion explained with a shrug. "It took everything I had to keep myself from turning him into a toad." He sighed heavily. "I'll set off for the grasslands at first light. If I'm lucky, it won't take me long to locate Bativa's tribe. Once I have alerted him to what we have discovered, we'll continue on to Mercedia. Hopefully the council will be willing to listen to reason."
"I'll have Axel prepare our horses." Sly grumbled sourly. "I'll not have you go running off on your own."
Damion shook his head. "I want you here to guard Raven and Leia. I don't know how long I'll be gone, and I'll sleep better knowing you're watching over them."
"I don't think so." Raven told him in a firm tone, her dark eyes flashing dangerously. "You'll not leave your daughter's side as long as there is an army full of magic users on the loose."
"You're not suggesting that I take her with me to meet with the Deola, are you?"
"No, I'm saying that we will take her with us to meet with the Deola. She'll be far safer this way."
"I'm not sure if that is wise." Sly disagreed, scratching his scruffy beard thoughtfully. "Damion didn't make very many friends in the Council the last time he went before them, and some of them may still be holding a grudge against him."
"I thought the Deola were your friends." Shirk murmured, looking questioningly to Damion.
"The Deola are made up of several different tribes." The huge warrior explained, finishing up the last letter. "Each tribe is led by a chieftain, and the various chieftains make up the Deolan Council. My old friend Bativa is the chieftain of the northern Avonte tribes, and highly respected among his people. Some of the other chieftains are not very fond of me, though." He frowned, then looked to his wife. "If you insist on bringing Leia to the grasslands, then we'll need to gather a few of the castle soldiers to escort us."
"Why? We can just have Sly, Dar, and Damarius join us. I'm sure Lady Skie and Shirk can handle things here while we're gone."
"Not again." Shirk whined. "I was planning on trying to get caught up on all the sleep I've lost out on in the last few weeks."
"Of course we'll look after things, dear one." Lady Skie told her in a reassuring told, ignoring Shirk's groan of protest. "Shirk and I have lots of practice keeping things running smoothly around here."
"What about Slither?" Raven asked Damion suddenly.
"What about him?"
"What do you think about taking him with us to help protect Leia?"
"Take a shadowspawn into Mercedia?" Sly exclaimed with a barking laugh. "Are you mad?"
"Hold on, Sly," Damion told the little man, his mind working quickly. "Perhaps it isn't such a bad idea. Slither and Leia have a bond between them, and there's no question that he would lay down his life for her to keep her safe."
"Don't you think having him along might draw a bit of attention our way?" Sly asked pointedly.
"No more than Damion usually gets when he walks into a room." Raven countered logically.
Sly opened his mouth to argue, then suddenly stopped. "That's true." He admitted with a frown. "I didn't think about that."
They all turned to look at Damion.
"Th
e more I think about it, the more I like the idea." The huge warrior told them after several moments of thought. "Having Slither along may help get the Council's attention. It's been a while since my last visit with them, and it probably won't hurt to remind them of exactly who I am. It may help to ward off any arguments down the road."
"When will you depart?" Lady Skie asked, her face worried.
"At dawn." Damion sealed the last letter with a bit of wax, then looked to Axel, who had been sitting quietly by the door. "Take these to the messengers and make sure they leave immediately. Time isn't on our side right now."
"Of course, milord." The young man hurried off towards the stables.
"I guess we'd better gather what we'll need while we're gone." Raven told the others. "It may be a while before we return."
Sly sighed heavily, then stared mournfully at his half empty tankard. "I'll go inform Damarius that we would like his company on this trip, then I'll go prepare the horses." He hastily drained the tankard's contents, then heaved himself up from his chair. "I have the feeling this is going to be a very interesting trip."
Chapter 5
The golden robed man hurried into the dark chamber, his pulse racing. The God of the Underworld would not be pleased when He discovered what had transpired. The loss of their fleet would set them back months! All their careful planning had been destroyed in one fell swoop, leaving them unable to start the invasion the dread god had ordered them to launch.
He quickly made his way to the center of the dark chamber, where a huge fire of shadowy black flames burned atop a stone altar. He dropped to his knees before the shadowy flames and pressed his face to the floor, then waited patiently for Etaz to acknowledge his presence.
"Is everything prepared?" A raspy voice asked in an endlessly echoing voice.
"The armies have been gathered as you commanded, Master, but I'm afraid there is a problem."
"What kind of problem?" The raspy voice grew harsh, and the ground beneath him began to tremble.
"A warrior appeared in our midst claiming to be the Dragon Lord," The man in the golden robe reported quickly, bracing himself for Etaz's wrath. "He had a dragon with him, which set the all the ships we had out in the harbor aflame. The entire fleet is lost!"
The shadowy flames instantly doubled in size. "Our fleet has been destroyed?" The ground began to shake even more violently.
"It has, Master," The man cringed fearfully. "There was nothing we could do to stop it. The warrior appeared out of nowhere and disrupted a performing of the sacred rite, then started asking questions to those assembled."
"What kind of questions?"
"He wanted to know if we were planning to go to war, and if so, who with." He hesitated. "He also wanted to know if it the rumors of you returning to the world were true. We tried to subdue him, but he was capable of wielding powerful magic, and somehow managed to slip away when the dragon attacked."
The shadowy flames burned even higher, licking the stone ceiling of the temple, then slowly began to recede. "Draco." The raspy voice whispered in a endlessly echoing voice. "Draco must have something to do with this. He must have sent His children out to disrupt my plans!"
"Why would the Dragon God take an interest in what we are doing?"
"Because He has always taken a great pleasure in seeing my plans fall apart around me." The raspy voice was dripping with contempt. "But this time the Dragon God will pay for His interference." The flames leapt towards the ceiling once more. "Gather all of our forces, and set plans to invade this Dragon Lord's homeland."
"But, Master," The golden robed man cringed fearfully. "How will we move our men? All of ships have been destroyed!"
"Then build more!" The voice boomed deafeningly. "I want our men ready to move when the time is right!" The flames slowly died down, and the ground ceased to tremble. "We'll just see how much the Dragon God enjoys witnessing His Dragon Lord as he is bent backwards across one of my altars."
**********
They all gathered at the stables the following morning at dawn to say their farewells. The castle servants had loaded the supplies and readied everyone's horses before they arrived, and Damion found his enormous shaggy grey warhorse waiting with an unhappy look in his intelligent eyes.
"Storm bit another servant." Sly grumbled in a sleepy tone. "I think he was expecting to get some rest now that we're back in Sevria."
Storm snorted unhappily, and stared at Damion with accusing eyes.
The Deolan warhorses were prized throughout the world for their sheer size and aggressiveness, and were jealousy guarded by the Deola. The massive stallion had been a gift from his old friend Bativa, after Damion had saved him many years before from being killed by a goblin.
"I thought I asked you not to bite the servants." Damion sighed, staring at Storm with disapproval. "They are going to stop feeding you if you keep it up."
The huge warhorse bared his teeth, then snorted once more.
"I know we just got back," Damion told him in a reasonable tone. "but we've had some things come up."
Storm continued to stare at him unhappily for several long moments, then he finally sighed in resignation, and stepped forward to gently nuzzle the huge warrior.
"I don't think I've ever seen a man and his horse have such a strong bond." Shirk mumbled, his face exhausted from lack of sleep. "I've watched that brute terrorize the stable hands for several years now, but when Damion is around, he turns into big a puppy!"
"Storm is just amusing himself with the servants." The huge warrior defended the massive warhorse, stroking its neck gently. "He wouldn't actually hurt them." He frowned. "At least, not seriously."
Leia hurried up to her father, then raised her arms and stomped her foot commandingly.
Damion laughed, then reached down and picked his daughter up and gently placed her onto the warhorse's back.
The young girl had been overjoyed when she discovered that she would be accompanying them back to the grasslands once again. They had passed through the massive multi-level city of Mercedia on their way to and from their visit with the dwarves, and she had been amazed by all the wonders that she had saw there. Damion and Raven had spent a great deal of their journey through the city chasing their daughter through the crowded streets as she scampered from one merchant stand to the next, her eyes wide as she took in all of the strange sights, sounds, and smells.
"I still don't understand why you want me to come along." Damarius stated in a grouchy tone as he heaved himself up into his saddle. "I'm sure Damion can handle anything that you may encounter, and I'm at a critical stage with the new formula I've been working on."
"Your silly little experiment can wait, father." Lady Skie told him in an exasperated tone. "You can continue trying to blow yourself up when you return."
"We need you along because you are, by far, the wisest man in the lands." Raven told him, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "And we may need that wisdom when dealing with the Deolan Council."
"Oh," The old wizard looked flattered. "In that case, I'm happy to come along."
Damion looked around and frowned. "Where's Slither?"
"SSSlither is here." The huge shadowspawn stepped from the shadows.
"Are you sure you're up for this?" He asked, noticing the beast seemed a bit nervous. "We'll understand if you're not comfortable accompanying us."
"SSSlither will join you." Slither hissed firmly. "SSSlither doesss not fear the world outssside of SSSevria."
"That's good," The huge warrior nodded approvingly. "but be prepared for anything. I'm sure the shock of seeing one of the spawn walking among them will cause concern among the Deola. But as long as you remain with us, I doubt anyone will bother you." He looked to Captain Harper. "Are you all set?"
"Aye," The old captain nodded confidently. "I'll take care of things on my end. After I spread the word in Sierra, I'll locate a ship heading east to carry the warning to Naquia, then set sail for Jaghera."
Damion
shook Captain Harper's hand warmly, then looked around at the others.
"Are we ready to go?" Dar asked, climbing atop his pony.
"About as ready as we're going to be." Sly grumbled sleepily.
They all quietly said their goodbyes, then stared at one another for several long moments, until, with a heavy sigh, Damion climbed up into his saddle with Leia, and nudged the massive warhorse with his heels.
"Snowfeather," The huge warrior called out silently to his familiar. "We're heading out."
"Where are we going?" The huge snow owl appeared from one of the upper windows of the keep, then glided gracefully down to settle upon Damion's shoulder.
"South. We need to bring word to the Deolan Council about the Etazk."
"You're going to visit the Deolan Council?" The huge snow owl hooted hesitantly. "Are you sure that's a good idea? You didn't really get along that well during your last visit."
"We really don't have any choice. Without the tribesmen, we don't stand a chance against the Etazk."
They quickly made their way through the sleepy mountain town, passing the occasional local who had risen early to prepare for the day, and through the massive battlements which protected Sevria from the untamed wilds of the Godstear Mountains, then set off towards the south with Snowfeather circling high overhead to keep a watch for any dangers.
"Are you sure you wouldn't rather try riding for a while?" Damion asked Slither, watching as the huge shadowspawn trotted along side of their horses with surprising grace.
"Nay." Slither hissed with a shake of his head. "SSSlither can move much further and fassster than a horssse."
"Suit yourself." The huge warrior shrugged. "Just let me know if you need to stop for a while to rest and catch your breath."
It took them ten days to finally emerge into the foothills that bordered the Godstear Mountains. They made good time as they hurried along the well maintained trade road, passing the occasional caravan of wagons that were slowly making their way north towards Sevria. They stopped every evening and set up camp in one of the fortified encampments that had been constructed along the trade route by the crews that maintained the road, then continued their journey again early each morning, eager to reach the grasslands of the nomadic Deola.
Omensent: Revealing the Dragon (The Dragon Lord Series) Page 6
