by Don Perrin
“This will have to be quick and short,” Huzzad said, speaking in a low voice. “I’ve just come from a Wing Commander’s Order Council and I don’t have much time. You’ve been betrayed, Kang. Groupcommander Zeck isn’t going to send the troops he promised.”
Kang felt his disappointment as a dull ache inside him. “He has rescinded the order? What was his reason?”
“He didn’t have to rescind the order, Kang. His officers knew he was lying to placate you so that you wouldn’t cause trouble.”
Huzzad leaned close, put her leather-gloved hand on Kang’s arm. “The reason he lied to you. Can’t you guess, Kang? Can’t you figure it out?”
Seeing his blank look, Huzzad smiled sadly. “No, it would never occur to you. You—the ‘monster,’ the ‘lizard-man,’ the ‘perversion.’ We—the so-called ‘civilized humans.’ Surely you must have asked yourself who is arming and training these goblins, Kang. Paying them—and paying them well—feeding them, supplying them.”
Huzzad sighed, her tone was bitter. “Now you have the answer. The Knighthood, Kang. Not the Solamnic Knighthood. The honorable Knighthood of her late Majesty, Queen Takhisis.”
Kang took the blow in the gut. Her words drove the breath from his body. “I don’t understand,” he said bleakly. “Why? Because we refused to dig latrines for them?”
“The females, Kang,” Huzzad said. “They know about the females. One of those dwarves, the runty one who gave you the map …”
“Selquist,” said Kang.
He remembered the scrawny runt of a dwarf thief. An outcast from dwarven society, Selquist had been the one to find the map that led to the draconian females. The slimy dwarf had no idea what the treasure was, but it looked valuable and so he set out to claim it and Kang and his draconians had set out to reach the treasure first. The escapade had nearly gotten them all killed, but all’s well that ends well. Or at least Kang had thought it had ended well. Apparently, he’d been wrong.
“Yes, that’s it. Selquist. He sold you out. He went to the Knights and told them everything in return for a rich reward. The Knights are scared. Now that you have females, you can propagate. An all-male race could be controlled. Male draconians are strong and powerful, certainly, but you revered us. You were content to obey our orders, to live by our rules. And if there were rebels among you”—she shrugged—“they would be few and they could be easily removed. But now that you have the ability to reproduce, the Knighthood fears that you and your people will seek to determine your own destiny. And that makes you a threat.”
Determine our own destiny. The words shot across the darkness of Kang’s despair like a blazing star. Suddenly, all his thoughts, his dreams and plans were illuminated. He could see them clearly, give them a name. Destiny. His own destiny. The destiny of his people. He was enchanted, so enthralled and so moved that he lost track of what Huzzad was saying.
“Why are you telling us this now?” Granak was asking. He sounded suspicious.
Huzzad lifted her head proudly. “When I joined the Knighthood, I was given the Vision by our Queen. I believed in the Vision. I have led an honorable life, and have been promoted and decorated for it. I am true to the oath of loyalty I took, both to my fellow Knights, to our Queen and to those who fought with us as allies. I have ensured that those under my command do the same. But times are different now. I think I am the only talon commander in this entire Knighthood who still believes in the Vision.
“As for Groupcommander Zeck and the rest”—Huzzad sneered—“they are nothing more than thieves and bullies. They fight among themselves. They wrestle for power. They terrorize the populace. And for what? Not for glory. Where is the glory in slaughtering peasants? In betraying our allies? They are in it for themselves. For power, for wealth. The only Vision they see is one made of shining steel.
“Leave first thing tomorrow, Kang, and don’t take the main road. Keep to the woods until you reach the Endrikseen Pass Bridge. Zeck won’t murder you inside the keep. There are still powerful draconians in the world, some serving Malystrx and the other new dragon Overlords. This place is rife with their spies. Zeck would be forced to answer for your deaths if you were killed here. But if you’re waylaid on the road …” She shrugged.
“I understand. Thank you, Huzzad,” Kang said quietly. “You are an honorable ally and a true friend. If you ever need help, you can call on me and my regiment. That’s a promise.”
She drew the hood of sopping wet cloak up over her head. “I have to leave now. I’ll be missed.”
She started for the door. Granak, at a nod from Kang, stood aside to let her pass. Pausing, her hand on the handle, she turned to him. “You don’t think I’m going soft and weak like some sugar-coated Solamnic, do you, Kang?”
“Do you dream of growing old by the fire, Huzzad?” Kang asked. “Old and wrinkled, white-haired? Bouncing grandchildren on your knee?”
“No, I don’t,” she said. “But you do, Kang.” She reached out her hand to him. “Good-bye. Good luck.”
He grasped her hand, squeezed it warmly. “Thank you, Huzzad. More than I can say.”
She was gone, shutting the door behind her.
“Should we leave now, sir?” Granak asked urgently. “I can go wake the others.”
“No,” said Kang, considering. “If we left now, it would look suspicious. We might get Huzzad into trouble. We’ll wait until morning. Try to get some sleep, if you can.”
“I don’t think that’s very likely, sir,” Granak said and settled himself with his back against the door.
Kang sat down to think and watch for the first signs of the cold, gray dawn. Destiny, the blazing star, was still there, still shone bright in his mind. But it was far distant, more distant than any real star in the cloud-covered heavens.
Standing between him and his dream of a future for his people was an army of goblins, an army trained by some of the best warriors in all of Ansalon.
Kang and his men left the keep in the gray dawn. They were offered breakfast, but Kang refused, saying quite truthfully that they had a lot of territory to cover and that they would eat the trail food they had brought with them on the road. His stomach clenched at the thought of the mutton they had devoured so carelessly last night. A bit of poison slipped into the meat and no one would have been the wiser. Yes, they would have, Kang reflected. If he died, Groupcommander Zeck would have had to explain the shattering explosion when Kang’s bones blew up. Much quieter to kill them on the road and blame the goblins. Not even Slith would think to question their disappearance. Certainly General Maranta would not.
“He’d probably figure we deserted,” Kang muttered to himself.
He wondered briefly what Huzzad had meant about new dragon Overlords, served by powerful draconians. He wished they’d had more time to talk, but he didn’t propose to hang about and discuss world politics.
He and his escort took the main road for as long as they were visible from the walls of the keep. Rounding a curve, they continued on the road down a steep hill. When they could no longer see the towers of the keep, Kang was certain that the watchers on the walls could no longer see them.
“Do you think we’re being followed?” Kang asked.
Granak and the others sniffed the air.
“No, sir,” Granak said.
“Of course, they wouldn’t,” Kang answered his own question. “Why should they? They know where we’re going. They’re down the road waiting to ambush us.”
At this point, the road ran alongside the river. Kang continued on a short distance until he found a place where the river narrowed slightly. The water was ice cold and ran swift after the rain, but the draconians were all strong swimmers. Taking care to obliterate any tracks they had left on the muddy ground, Kang plunged into the water and swam ahead, using his powerful arms to fight the current that sought to carry him back in the direction of the keep. They reached the other side, hauled themselves out, and proceeded along the riverbank. They could keep the road in sigh
t and yet not be seen.
The pass Huzzad had mentioned was beyond where they had met up with that mounted patrol. Kang figured that they should reach the bridge some time late that afternoon. Once there, they could safely return to the road.
They traveled along the river’s edge, screened from the road by the trees and the expanse of the river. They could hear and sometimes see people traveling along the road, Knights on horseback and once a company of pikeman. They saw no signs of any ambush, however, and Kang was starting to think that Huzzad had been wrong. Not about Groupcommander Zeck. Kang had no doubt the groupcommander would be happy to be rid of him. But ambushing a few draconians probably just wasn’t worth the effort.
“After all, the goblins are going to kill us anyway,” Kang said to himself.
Having made up his mind to this, he was considerably astonished to hear voices coming from the direction of the stone bridge at Endrikseen’s Pass.
The bridge was high above them, screened from their immediate view by some overhanging willow trees. Kang raised his hand, brought his group to a halt. They could all hear the voices now, as well as horses’ hooves making a hollow drumming sound on the wooden slats of the bridge. The draconians crept closer to where they had a good vantage point.
Kang still couldn’t see all that well. He recognized one of the voices, however.
“What do you bastards mean by drawing swords against a superior officer?” the voice raged. “Put your weapons away and stand aside. I have no time for such nonsense. I ride on urgent business from the groupcommander.”
“That’s your human friend!” Granak said softly to Kang. “The one who warned us.”
Kang nodded, waved Granak to silence, trying to hear.
“On the contrary, Commander,” said a deeper voice in return, “I happen to know that Groupcommander Zeck issued you no such order. You were seen in the corridor where the dracos were housed last night and, when this was brought to the groupcommander’s attention, he remembered that you had once been on friendly terms with these same dracos. As it has turned out, the draconians were apparently warned that they were in danger, for they have left the road and no trace can be found of them. You are being taken back on charges of treason—”
The Knight’s words were cut short by a battle cry and the sound of ringing steel.
Kang waited no longer. Huzzad was in trouble and on his account. He would stand by her, as he had promised. He relished the chance to take his revenge on these treacherous Knights. Drawing his battle-axe from its harness, Kang bellowed a roar, to let Huzzad know that she had friends and to let his enemies know they were now facing five warriors, not just one. He and Granak and the other two draconian guards clambered up the bank. Huzzad was on the north side of the bridge. Kang and his draconians ran onto the bridge from the opposite direction. One Knight, the officer, and eight men-at-arms occupied the center of the bridge, caught in the middle. Kang and his group were outnumbered two to one.
Huzzad was already fighting four of the soldiers, striking to the left and the right with her sword, forcing them to keep their distance. She was holding her own until one dropped his sword to pick up a large rock. He threw the rock at her, striking her on the forehead, beneath her helm. The blow did not fell her, but it left her dazed and disoriented. Her attackers closed in, dragged her from the saddle.
Roaring a challenge, hoping to distract them from Huzzad, Kang thundered across the bridge. Behind him, Granak raised his voice in a murderous howl. The two baaz added their shrieks. At the terrifying sight of rampaging draconians, two of the human soldiers promptly dropped their weapons and fled. The Knight bellowed orders. Four wavered, but stood their ground, torn between fear of the draconians in front and their officer behind. The four who had attacked Huzzad were attempting to haul her off the bridge and into the woods beyond.
“You take the Knight,” Kang ordered Granak.
The huge sivak descended on the line of guards, swinging his enormous sword with deadly effect, intent on reaching the Knight who stood behind them. Two of the guards went down in spatters of blood, bone and gore. One, seeing death upon him, chose his own way out and jumped from the bridge into the river. Granak knocked down the fourth with a blow of his fist, trampling the man beneath his feet. He and the Knight met in a deafening clang of metal.
Kang dashed after Huzzad’s captors. Hearing his clawed feet behind them, the four dropped their burden to draw their weapons. Huzzad lay slumped on the wooden planks. Kang had no time to check to see if she was breathing. He slid his sword through one soldier’s body, yanked it free, and—taking care to hop over Huzzad—attacked the next. He caught a glimpse of metal flashing behind him, but he was intent on his opponent and could not turn around. The two baaz had their commander’s tail covered, however. Kang heard a shriek and a splash. The man he was facing dropped his sword and fell to his knees.
“Mercy!” he cried, staring at Kang with terror-filled eyes.
Kang recognized the cowardly cur who had thrown the rock at Huzzad.
“We’re monsters, remember? Lizard-men, uncivilized.” Kang grunted and lopped off the man’s head. He kicked the still-quivering body into the river.
Turning, he was startled to see the Knight officer breathing down his neck. He raised his sword, about to attack, when the Dark Knight began to wave both hands and jump up and down in the air.
“It’s me, Commander!” Granak’s voice came from the Knight’s mouth.
Kang relaxed. A sivak can take on the form of the person he has just killed, a fact Kang knew as well as he knew his sivaks but which he occasionally forgot in the heat of battle.
“Should I keep the illusion of Dark Knight, sir?” Granak asked. “In case there are any more.”
Kang looked up the road and he looked down. Seeing no signs of anyone coming, he shook his head. “No, I don’t see anymore. Change back. You give me the willies looking like that. Everyone all right?” he asked, glancing swiftly at his small troop.
The two baaz grinned, Granak nodded his head that was now once more the head of a sivak. No one was wounded. They had all enjoyed the fight. Satisfied that his troops were well, Kang knelt beside Huzzad, eyed her worriedly. He had no idea what was wrong with her. What little he knew about human anatomy came from seeing it leaking out of their ripped up corpses. Huzzad’s face was covered with blood, but profuse bleeding was typical of humans, who had such soft, thin skin, and did not necessarily mean she was dead. He reached out a clawed hand, gently shook her shoulder. She didn’t waken, but she was warm to the touch and breathing.
“What do we do with her, sir?” Granak asked, puzzled.
“We take her with us,” Kang said. “She saved our lives. We would have walked right into that trap if it hadn’t been for her. We owe her one.”
Kang started to lift her, but Granak respectfully elbowed his officer aside. “I can manage her, sir,” he said and scooped her up effortlessly in his arms.
The four draconians set off at a run. Kang was determined to continue into the night. They would not rest until they had returned to the fort. He might have begrudged the time he’d wasted on this fool’s journey, except that now he knew the nature of this new foe.
“Just what I need,” he muttered as he ran. “Another enemy.”
* * * * *
Kang and his small band traveled through the night and encountered no further trouble, except from Huzzad. She regained consciousness about three hours into their journey and ordered Granak to set her down on her feet. She could walk, she maintained. She could keep up. She managed a few tottering steps, at which point Kang told her that she was slowing them down, She had two choices. They could either leave her here, to make her own way through the goblins, or they would carry her.
Huzzad glared at him. “I won’t be hauled about like some precious elf princess!” she said.
“Don’t think of it that way, ma’am,” Granak said politely. “Think of me as your horse.”
Huzzad sta
red at him, then she began to laugh. Grudgingly admitting that Kang was right, Huzzad allowed Granak to pick her up again, but she insisted on riding “piggy-back,” with her hands clasped around Granak’s neck, giving him more freedom of movement. The draconians set off again.
The journey was not a pleasant ride for Huzzad. She grew increasingly pale and bit her lips against the pain the jarring was causing her. She said no word of complaint however, just gritted her teeth and did what she could to make the trip easier for Granak.
Kang’s admiration for her, already high, increased.
The draconians arrived back at the fort just as dawn was breaking. The guards at the gates gaped in wonder at the bloodied human accompanying them, but passed them through on Kang’s word that she was a friend. He noted that they dispatched a runner and guessed that within a few moments General Maranta would know that they had returned and brought a human with them.
“Where should I take her, sir?” Granak asked.
Huzzad had lost consciousness again, much to Kang’s relief. He’d been sorry to see her suffering.
The answer was obvious to Kang. She was a female. He would take her to the females. Kang hoped that the female draconians would know how to care for this injured human, although he no longer possessed the illusions he had once held on that subject.
Kang entered his troop’s newly completed barracks. He was proud to see that this building—erected in two days—was far better constructed than any other building in the fort. His engineers were now busy repairing and strengthening the wall of the stockade. Slith waved a hand and came loping over.
He regarded the comatose Huzzad with startled curiosity.
“Who in the Abyss is that—Wait! I remember her. That Dark Knight dragonrider. Where’d you find her, sir? What happened?”
“I’ll tell you in a minute,” said Kang. “First let me get her settled. Then I want a full report of what’s been happening while I’ve been gone. Any sign of our missing troopers?”
Slith shook his head. “No, sir. But some more draconians have arrived. Another regiment.”
