The Dragon's War

by Samantha Sabian

  “Aye lass, that we can. Fifty thousand of the finest warriors you’ll ever see. I need only get word to them.”

  “Skye, can you send word to your scout for Lorifal?”

  Skye nodded and the dwarf joined her as they quietly discussed the message the Tavinter would send to the dwarves.

  “It seems we have a little time,” Raine said to Talan. “You should go and rally your kind. I will leave now with Drakar.”

  It was not a quarter of an hour before Raine stood with Talan on the terrace which they had arrived on but a few days before. Drakar stood a respectful distance away, and a throng of people beyond him. Raine stood with a heavy heart, and Talan was inordinately stiff as both tried to present a composed departure for those watching. They embraced, briefly kissed, then Talan turned to leave.

  “Weynild.”

  The name stopped the dragon in her tracks, and it caught Idonea’s attention. It was a name that only Raine used, the one she had known Talan by first. And it was a name that Raine only spoke in intimate moments, primarily when they were alone or with family. It was an endearment, and to Idonea, it was a terrible omen.

  The dragon turned around and crushed the Scinterian in an embrace, kissing her deeply, passionately, with an anguish that Idonea had not seen in her since Raine had set out on that quest so many years ago. And Raine’s eyes were closed as she clutched her lover and pressed against her, but when they opened, they were the color of lavender in the fields. Talan took two steps away, her hand still holding the one that clung to her, then they released one another and Raine turned away. With extraordinary resolve, Raine willed the color of her eyes away, the blue and gold marks rose on her forearms, her biceps, her shoulders, and her back. And when she turned around, she gazed at the dragon with clear eyes and a steadfast determination.

  Talan disappeared into a flash of yellow light so brilliant it blinded all present. But Raine stared into the light, enjoying the pain it caused her. The fiery red dragon appeared, then roared as it leaped skyward. It climbed with rapidity, then wheeled about to turn eastward. It grew smaller and smaller as the Queen of all Dragons went to rouse her kind from their sleep.

  “I know that the dragons will rally to my mother’s side much more than mine,” Drakar said, “but I’m surprised that she would part with you.”

  “We’ll be together again on the battlefield,” Raine said, “and she can always reach me if I need her.”

  “Right,” Drakar said, “so shall we head south?”

  The imperial troops watched fearfully as the black dragon appeared from the north, but it was the sharp-eyed wood elves who told them they had nothing to fear. The dragon circled once, then landed in an empty spot of the desert. A figure slid from his back, the dragon transformed, and then the two approached. Once Bristol could make out the identity of the dragon rider, he fairly ran to her.

  “Raine!” he exclaimed, never so happy to see anyone in his life.

  “Bristol!” Raine said, clapping him on the shoulder.

  “I was getting a little nervous there,” Drakar said, “I thought your archers were going to open fire.”

  “Bristol,” Raine said, “this is Talan’s son, Drakar.”

  Bristol shook Drakar’s hand. “My apologies for that,” he replied, “the troops are a little edgy. A group of dragons flew overhead not too long ago, heading in the direction of the Hyr’rok’kin. They appear to have joined them.”

  “Was one of them gold?” Drakar asked.

  “Yes.”

  “It figures that bitch would turn up,” Drakar said, “I’m going to enjoy killing her.”

  “The gold one is called Volva,” Raine explained, “she is one of the last remaining Ancient Dragons, one that stood against Talan in the Great War.”

  “And now she will again, in the Second Great War.”

  Bristol’s forbidding title indicated he knew how significant this war would be.

  “My mother will not make the mistake of letting any of them live this time,” Drakar said.

  Another man approached and Raine was happy to see it was someone else she knew.

  “Torsten!”

  The Tavinter scout hugged Raine, ecstatic to see her.

  “Skye is not far behind me,” Raine promised. “I only beat her because I came by dragon.”

  “And the Ha’kan are not far behind me,” Torsten said.

  This was news to Bristol, and he didn’t recognize this man who had just arrived. Raine stepped in.

  “Bristol, this is the serving First Ranger of the Ha’kan—”

  “—until Skye gets here,” Torsten interjected.

  “—and second in command of the Tavinter people.”

  Bristol appreciated the man’s loyalty. “Well met,” he said, clasping the man’s forearm.

  “The Ha’kan have been riding like the Valkyries,” Torsten said, “led by their Princess. They are but a few hours away.”

  This was glorious news to Bristol. He had greeted the arrival of the wood elves with enormous relief and thankfulness.

  “And nearly all the Tavinter are converging on this spot,” Torsten said.

  “Wonderful,” Bristol said.

  “The Alfar are also on the way, eighty thousand strong.” Raine said, “And the dwarves as well.”

  Bristol could not believe these reinforcements. He had looked across at the growing army and it had filled him with dread.

  “Some of the dwarves are already here,” Bristol said. “’Tis strange, they appear out of nowhere.”

  “Yes…strange.” Raine said, drifting off, then changing the subject. “And Talan will bring the dragons loyal to her, so we will offset the winged Hyr’rok’kin and their dragons.”

  “I heard of the bat-like creatures,” Bristol said darkly, “and the catapult they used against the dragons. We’ll have to figure out how to neutralize that. I brought some of the mages from the Mage Academy. They are nothing like Idonea or Elyara, but they are considerably stronger since Idonea’s intervention.”

  “Idonea and Elyara travel with the Alfar. They will be here soon, as well.”

  “Do you think everyone will get here in time?” Torsten asked.

  Both Bristol and Raine looked across the sparse landscape of the Empty Land, to the cloud and black dot at its far end. The fact that they could see it at all was a testament to its massive size.

  “They will rest, for it’s not an easy climb up from the Veil. The Reapers and other wraith-like creatures can simply manifest, but the flesh-and-blood Hyr’rok’kin must hike. It’s not an easy march across the Empty Land, either,” Raine said.

  “It took us several days,” Bristol added, “and we were but a small band.”

  “We were lucky to get this much warning,” Raine said, “this most recent army was almost upon us before we saw them, and we had but a few hours.”

  “I’m guessing it was more than luck,” Bristol said shrewdly, “given that you left sentries behind after your last battle.”

  “I might have left a few watching,” Raine said, “and I’m guessing Skye did the same thing given that the Tavinter knew so quickly.”

  “She relayed instructions that we were to watch this area day and night,” Torsten confirmed.

  “That sounds like her.”

  “So everyone is coming,” Bristol said, still unable to grasp the alliance that Raine had formed. “The elves, the dwarves, the Ha’kan, the Tavinter, all coming to fight on imperial soil.”

  “This is a battle for Arianthem,” Raine said. “It rises above states and territories. We don’t have an army of Scinterians this time, and the dragons are far fewer in number. But we are united as never before.”

  And for the first time since the cloud had appeared on the horizon, Bristol felt a ray of hope.

  Raine stood watch, staring out over the desert, a solitary figure that many looked upon when they felt their courage falter. She stood for hours at a time, accepting the food and drink that was brought to her,
but maintaining her vigil.

  The Ha’kan forces were the first to arrive. They were magnificent, riding in on horseback, a wave of red and gold, the Ha’kan banners fluttering in the wind. The infantry marched behind, stretching as far as the eye could see. Bristol was humbled at their rise to aid.

  “Raine!” Dallan exclaimed, dismounting from her horse. Both she and Rika went straight to the warrior.

  “Dallan, Rika,” Raine said, clapping them both on the shoulders. “Thank Sjöfn you are here.”

  “’Tis true we worship the Goddess of Love,” Rika said, “but today we will call upon Tyr.”

  “A good idea,” Raine said. The God of War would probably be more useful on this day.

  “The Tavinter relayed word that Isleif is dead,” Dallan said, “is Skye all right?”

  “It’s hard to say. She mourns him deeply, but that Tavinter reserve fell in place right away. I’m guessing she travels with your mother because otherwise she would already be here.”

  Dallan nodded. The Tavinter could move faster than anyone she had ever seen.

  “Fortunately, the elves are swift as well,” Raine continued, “and Maeva has sent a large force, possibly eighty thousand, no doubt under the command of Feyden.”

  Bristol approached and greeted the Ha’kan warriors with the same relief and humility he had greeted all of the responding aid. The sight of the Ha’kan army, led by the dashing Princess and her First General, had heartened the imperial troops. Rika surveyed the vast expanse of the imperial army with a practiced eye.

  “You have almost two hundred thousand here, no?”

  “That’s about right,” Bristol said, impressed with the woman’s acumen. She was young, but she knew what she was doing.

  “Where would you like us to stage?” Rika asked.

  “I was thinking over here to the south, guarding our left flank. That way imperial forces can bear the brunt of a frontal assault since we are the most numerous. And the elves and dwarves can fall in to the north as they arrive, on our right flank.”

  For the first time, Rika and Dallan turned their attention to the massive force on the horizon. It was hard not to feel a coldness, even a trace of despair looking at the enormous army. Although both Dallan and Rika had been in battle, this enemy was different: these were Hyr’rok’kin, the awful, flesh-and-blood manifestation of the Underworld, the abominations that vomited into the mortal realm.

  “We were envious when we heard we missed your last battle,” Dallan said quietly. “It was a foolish envy.”

  Raine was silent for a moment, her ice-blue eyes reflective. “My father’s people were not afraid of death. They welcomed every opportunity to cheat it. The only Scinterians they mourned were those who did not die in battle. They even had a phrase for death, ‘ior’dann’aka,’ which means ‘the lover who will not be denied.’”

  Raine turned to Dallan and Rika. “I already have one of those.”

  Both women slowly grinned. They would follow this warrior anywhere.

  “They’re moving,” Raine said, turning to Bristol.

  “What?” Bristol said.

  “They have begun moving. Slowly, but they are beginning to advance.”

  “Will everyone get here in time?”

  “I believe so. My only concern is the dragons. They are the swiftest, but they are also coming the farthest.”

  “We should compare resources,” Bristol said to Dallan and Rika. “My command tent is over here.”

  The two Ha’kan left with the Knight Commander, and Raine returned to her solitary vigil, staring far across the desert.

  The elves arrived in grand style, imposing in their green and gold armor, flying the banners of the Alfar Republic. They were accompanied by the Ha’kan Royal Staff. Dallan ran to greet her mother, then stopped herself short, as did Rika.

  “Your Majesty,” Dallan said formally. “I return the throne to its rightful leader.”

  Rika pressed her forearm to her armored breastplate. “First General,” she said with the same formality, “I return the army to you.”

  A smile played about Halla’s face. “We are honored to accept.” She then hugged her daughter, and the First General clapped an arm on her future successor.

  “Well done, you two,” Senta said.

  Dallan turned to Skye, and crushed the young woman in an embrace before she held her at arm’s length. “I am so sorry, Skye.”

  “Thank you,” Skye said simply, then turned her attention to the dark cloud on the horizon. “They are moving.”

  It was unsurprising that the keen-eyed Tavinter had seen what only Raine had perceived thus far.

  “Yes. Raine said they are moving slowly, but they are moving.”

  Feyden dismounted and greeted his old comrade, Bristol.

  “Bristol, this is Commander Ayen. He will be leading the elven forces.”

  “Not you?” Bristol said.

  “No,” Feyden said, “I have no doubt as to my skills as a warrior, but he is a better general than am I. I will leave him to the strategy of the troop movements. I,” he said nodding out at the solitary figure standing watch, “will be fighting at that one’s side.”

  “Understood,” Bristol said. He turned to Lorifal.

  “Most of your people are already here,” he said.

  The Knight Commander was joined by Nerthus, who assumed command of half the imperial forces. He invited the Ha’kan Royal Staff and the dwarven and elven commanders to his tent where they further discussed resources. Torsten reunited with Skye, and the Tavinter had a heartfelt reunion with their beloved leader. Idonea, Dagna, Lorifal, and Elyara stood with Feyden, all watching the solitary figure.

  “She has been standing like that for two days,” a nearby soldier proffered.

  “Let me go see what this is about,” Idonea said, and began picking her way carefully across the harsh landscape.

  “It’s funny, isn’t it,” Dagna commented. “Idonea fairly despised Raine when we set out on that quest so many years ago, and now they are so close.”

  Idonea came up beside Raine, and Raine acknowledged her presence with a brief nod, then returned to her vigil. There was a tension about the Scinterian that Idonea had never seen before, a tightness in her posture, a conservation in her movement that suggested she might snap in two if she moved too quickly. Her breathing was slow and even, but purposefully measured, like the breath of someone laboring underneath an enormous weight.

  “What?” Idonea said at last.

  The silence stretched out and Idonea did not think Raine was going to respond.

  “The hand of fate,” Raine said, “I feel as if the hand of fate is reaching out and closing in around me.”

  “You have always told me that you will make your own fate.”

  These words had a pronounced effect on Raine. They provided succor, encouragement, reminded her who and what she was.

  “Thank you,” Raine said, truly grateful for the words. She hugged Idonea, then returned to her steely-eyed watch.

  Idonea moved a short distance away to join Drakar, and her brother hugged her more chastely than he had in his entire life. They both watched Raine stand staring across the bleak landscape. Although the exchange had brought comfort to Raine, the words had done no such thing for Idonea.

  The army was getting closer. The call to general assembly was sent forth, and all the armies obeyed. On the left flank were the Ha’kan, a hundred thousand strong. On the right flank were the elves and dwarves, a hundred and fifty thousand in all. And in the center were two hundred thousand imperial soldiers.

  The Tavinter archers would target the flying Shards. The Ha’kan archers would target the lumbering Marrow Shards. The Alfar archers would target the Hyr’rok’kin foot soldiers, and the wood elves would target the Reapers and any other magical atrocities, for the woodland warriors bore an arsenal of enchanted weapons.

  And at the front of this glorious army stood Raine. A short distance behind her stood Idonea, Elyara, D
agna, Lorifal, and Feyden. Soon, Idonea and Elyara would move back to where they could wield their magic out of harm’s way. They had debated leading with Idonea’s wave of sand, but decided against it. It was a killing blow, effective because they had mounted a charge and slaughtered the fallen. But they did not want to wade into the midst of this enemy and possibly be surrounded, and given the size of the approaching army, that was very possible. Elyara could raise temporary barriers, but she could not raise walls sufficient to keep this army out.

  Raine could see the Horde very well, now. Not enough to make out individuals, but enough to make out individual features of the army. She could see the outlines of the catapults, the slithery presence of the Reapers, the bulk and size of the Marrow Shards. She could see the bounding of a pack of hell hounds, straining against their leashes. By her calculations, just in terms of numbers, they were outmatched two, possibly three-to-one. There were more than a million Hyr’rok’kin approaching on the horizon.

  Raine went through options in her head once more. Because of the numbers, she had outlined clear circumstances for an orderly retreat. The Ha’kan would head south, the imperials due west, and the elves and dwarves would disappear back into the Deep Woods. They would all continue to fight, falling back in planned, coordinated maneuvers. Splitting the forces would be dangerous, but Raine was betting that the Hyr’rok’kin were not disciplined enough to maintain ranks in a perceived rout, and they would be easier to fight scattered. The elves and dwarves would have good cover, and the Tavinter were particularly good at laying traps in their wake, so the Ha’kan would be protected. The imperials would need help, and Raine would be their rear guard if retreat became necessary.

  Her steel-blue eyes returned to the catapults. Retreat would not be the first option. Skye would try and take out as many of those as possible. This thought brought her head around and her gaze to the heavens once more, scanning the northeast for signs of the dragons. They still had not been seen, and that could be a real problem. Right now they had only Drakar. An enormous gold dragon flew leisurely over the Hyr’rok’kin troops, accompanied by several lesser dragons. Gimle thought she could protect the troops from their fire with her wards for a short time, and Idonea thought she could deal with some of the lesser dragons with her spells. But that would drain Idonea, and that still left Volva. Raine had spoken quietly with Skye about the possibility of needing her to clear a path to one of the catapults without destroying it. That way Raine could lead an assault squad, her, Feyden, Lorifal, and a handful of others, to capture the catapult and use it against the enemy dragons. Her eyes returned skyward. That is, if her love did not arrive soon.