by Aaron Pogue
I turned to my general, curious what he'd say. It had surprised me that he never even brought it up.
He only shrugged. "I am the leader of these men. I take my pride in their accomplishments. I could swing one sword at the beasts, or I could train up thirty swords to swing themselves."
Lareth grinned. He looked from Caleb to me and shook his head. "You choose them well."
"No," I told the wizard. "He chose me. And I am grateful every day."
Caleb grunted and climbed to his feet. "I'll send your men. You'd better bring them back."
"I'll bring them back," I said. "If any of them falls, I'll die inside."
Caleb only shook his head, resignation in his eyes. Beside me, Lareth asked, "And if you fall?"
"If I fall, there's no reason to keep up any of this. If I do not come back today, surrender to the king."
Caleb snorted and went out. Lareth stayed a moment longer, his eyes searching my face. "You really mean to do this?"
"This is why we're here."
"Do you even know where to begin?"
"The hunters spent an afternoon interviewing refugees. I know at least twelve locations in the hills out west of here, and I could probably find a den in any given mile if I went a little closer to the sea."
He licked his lips. "Then I suppose you're as prepared as you can be." He started to turn away, then said, "Just...please be sure you come back home tonight. If you should fall, I won't surrender to that king. Even Seriphenes could not protect me now."
"Then I'll be back. You can count on it. Even if it's just to keep you from gaining that army again."
He didn't laugh. He didn't grin. He nodded, satisfied, then turned and left. I watched him go, then went to find my dame. Isabelle did not fight me half as much as my lieutenants had. She nodded understanding, said she'd miss me, then sent me off dizzy from her kiss.
My Captains of the Hunt met me in the warm light of early morning, just below the shadow of the tower. Every one of them showed up, the thirty who had trained from that first day. They stood in a loose half-circle waiting, shuffling their feet and talking nervously among themselves. I was the last one to arrive, and I wasted no time.
"Gentlemen," I said, "this army was made with one purpose in mind, and you have been trained for a week now to serve that purpose. I count on those of you assembled here as the point of my blade. I have prepared you as best I can, honed you to a fighting edge, but tonight I'll have to test you in combat. I will not always be able to go out with you, but I will do everything within my power to make you successful. Understood?"
They nodded. No one spoke.
I hesitated, then, but there was no more need for speeches. "To the battle, then." I closed my mind and looked with the wizard's sight, stretching my focus as far out as I could. I stared out over the vast array of the king's encampment, still mostly sprawled across the roads up north. They'd stretched to fill the plains, but Caleb promised that in time they'd creep around to east and west until they had surrounded the whole tower.
That could become a challenge, but I had hopes for this night beyond the murder of one monster. I had high hopes. But first we had to get away.
I found a place out in the unforgiving highlands to the west, more than a mile from the fortress and well beyond the farthest edge of Timmon's camp. Then I reached out to the glowing power of my hunters, wildfires I could not begin to tame or bend but that I could embrace, and sent my will along the vast network of earth energies to that point that I had chosen. I tugged and leaped at the same time, and the world washed away around us.
Then we were standing on a high ridge in the early light of day. Far away beneath us we could see the king's soldiers, and that drew nervous exclamations from my men. My mind was already scouting on ahead, tracing the flow of earth and wind to find the spot the farmers spoke of. I found it: a rocky ledge beneath a wild pass where trees grew thin and tall. I grabbed and tugged, and two more miles flew by.
It only took a glance to see the signs of dragon activity—clear in the way they marked their territory, clear in the lack of animal life among the hills, and most obvious in the remains of their meals. Here and there in the night, swarms of flies buzzed around bloody, mangled carcasses of sheep or cows, left out in the open but untouched by the scavengers that no longer roamed the night.
As we stalked the empty mountainside, making our way by the silvery light of the full moon, the men whispered among themselves as they noticed the same signs. I smiled to myself each time they pointed out a charred tree in the center of a stand or a boulder cloven with the five-pointed star.
I could sense excitement among them at knowledge made real, and for a moment it overwhelmed their nervousness. As we moved up the slope I recognized more and more telling signs, and I finally took over the lead, moving more slowly, more cautiously, as they whispered behind me. None of them seemed surprised when I suddenly held up a hand to halt and pointed at the small, dark crack of a cave on a hillside some twenty yards above us.
From there I didn't need the refugees' reports, the hunters' carefully constructed details. From there, I only had to close my eyes and look to see the heavy, sucking shadow hanging underneath the earth. A dragon's lair. I traced its shape within my mind, and I could feel the quiet, hostile power of the place. I'd meant us to sneak in—we'd dressed for stealth—but now that I looked upon the lair, I thought of my own.
Even now, even miles away, I felt the sentiment of the place. I could pick Caleb from the crowd, hard at work and venting anger to mask his fear. Lareth was atop the eastern tower, staring north and drinking. Isabelle alone was not afraid, but she was thinking of me. I could feel her slippered footsteps on the spiral stairs.
Stealth would do no good. If we meant to raid a dragon's lair, we had to go in force. I nearly took us home to reevaluate the plan. To make new tactics for the new approach. Instead I caught their attention with a wave of my hand. I weighed them in my eyes. Then I told them gravely as I could, "Our plans have changed. We charge the beast and kill before it comprehends."
I met each gaze, and no one looked away. They knew too much to play like they were brave, but none among them looked away. That was enough for me. I caught the quiet breeze and draped it around them all in threads, and as I worked I spoke.
"The moment we attack, he will lash out. After that, if we score any strikes at all, he'll try to escape, or at least to rise out of range of our weapons. Do not allow him to get off of the ground, or he will overcome us all. Remember his weaknesses, remember his strengths, and be prepared for anything."
There was fear in their eyes, which was good, but it was tempered with excitement. These were men of action. "Remember, you have been trained to deal with him, and he is only one against thirty. And I am fighting with you. Remember your training, work together, and we will win the day." There were nods all around the circle, and I took a deep breath.
"We will not bother to sneak in, but I've still hidden you from his sight, so once the fight's engaged remain as silent as the shadows. Four-fifths of his awareness of you will be sound. Attack where he is weakest, and always anticipate his next move. I will draw his head, you move for his flanks." They all nodded once again, impatient to begin, and I'd done as much as I could.
I made two Chaos blades, drawing nervous grins from the hunters, then caught their eyes and caught their fires and threw us in.
We landed in a cavern ten paces tall and thirty long, and all along one side a fetid pool. The dragon at its edge was fully-grown, but all alone, and it was sleeping when we appeared paces away. I took one step toward it, swords already raised, but behind me the redhead whispered, "Haven's name."
I shouted, "Down!" as one cauldron eye snapped open and hit the stone floor hard just as the monster struck. A body larger than a house uncoiled and sprang into the air as fast as I could blink. It soared above my head and blasted the air with searing flame.
The men were quick, though, and I was quicker, reaching out and
dragging the very essence of the dragon's flame from his mouth and tying it in place around the room so that glowing pillars of pure fire raged in place and provided light for my men to fight by. The dragon coughed, a painful sound that shook his whole frame, and landed with surprise clear in his eyes. My men were already on their feet again, and as the dragon swung its head back and forth angrily, they began to form a loose circle around it.
The fight began.
The dragon's rich green scales would have concealed him well within the forest, but in the harsh light between the gray stone walls, he was easy enough to see. Anxious to keep his attention away from my men, I dropped the threads of shield around me and lashed out with them like a whip. He threw back his head and roared at the assault, but then his eyes were on me. He came waddling forward, mouth opening and closing as he approached. I watched him warily, gauging his pace, and at the last minute I snapped the threads around his eyes like a blindfold and swung my sword.
He jerked instinctively away, bellowing again in anger and frustration, but I could see the airy energy melting against his own power. The flash of my steel was a signal, though, and even as his tongue flicked and he stumbled a blind step forward, my men darted in, soft leather boots whispering across the cool stone floor.
I struck a blade against the floor, a noisy clang, and watched his head snap back at the sound, then I lunged and stabbed the other blade high, just as the monster struck down toward the sound. My blade bit deep behind his jaw, but too far back for a kill. At the same time my hunters fell upon him from both flanks, darting past his flashing talons to strike at exposed ribs or underbelly.
He tried to roar when their blades began to sink home, but it came out a wet howl, pitiful and weak, and the men laughed. The great head turned then, the beast's eyes straining to pierce the wash of energy around the men, and I took advantage of its distraction. I moved in and struck fast, opening a long gash under its left eye. The dragon snapped his head at me like a whip, the tip of its long fang missing my head by an inch.
My men fought on, and slowly the beast weakened from the blood lost. Twice more the dragon tried to turn its rage against the men on its flanks, but each time I hurt it sorely, and it turned back again. I fought unshielded, without any energy to hide me from it eyes, but it was all I could do to keep the beast's attention on me as they hacked it down.
The long neck pulled back a fourth time, eyes rolling toward the hunters, and I thought at last I had lost its attention, but then the snakelike tail shot forward, and only my reflexes saved me from the attack. I dove to the side, rolling, and came up in a full sprint, but the dragon was already striking with its head, deadly teeth flashing down to bite me.
I waited until the last second, running hard, then caught myself short on a sudden wall of air as the scaled head smashed into the stone floor a pace ahead of me. I held the air for only a heartbeat, and when it dissolved I fell forward, dove forward, and grabbed one of the short horns above the eyes that protected its skull. It was a desperate bid, but I held on tight as it reared up and flung its head back.
A moment later I found myself hanging in the air a dozen feet above the ground, staring the dragon in the eye. I felt the thudding Chaos raging distantly inside and let a laugh escape at what I saw in the expression.
"You recognize me," I said. The dragon tried to throw me off, shaking its head wildly, but I tied myself in place with bonds of air and dropped one blade to hold the other in both hands. I dipped my head in mock salute. "Tell the others I am coming."
And then I drove the sword hilt-deep into the dragon's eye.
17. The Changing Tide
The dragon's black blood sprayed, burning my arm and face, and the beast screamed a liquid gurgle as it twitched. All along its body, my hunters struck as well, sinking swords into its plated hide, and the furious attacks were too much even for the ancient creature. It cried out once and then again as the great head came crashing to the ground. I let myself fall free and landed on a clattering pile of coins and treasure.
When that din settled, silence reigned in the cavern. No one else moved as I lifted myself up and crossed to the dragon. Though dim, a light still shone in its eyes, so I took up my sword from where it had fallen in the fight and drove it down into the skull behind the horns. The body stiffened, then collapsed with a sigh.
And then the hunters breathed. Perhaps they laughed, perhaps they cheered. I don't recall. I felt the shock of newfound power from the monster I had killed, and fought against the raging tide of Chaos.
I turned and made my way to the cooling pool. I bent and carefully washed the burning blood from my arm, dipped my face in the icy water. I noticed two or three others doing the same, silent amid the celebration. I nodded encouragement to them, then rose and turned my back on the dragon. I looked where I had fallen.
The dragon's hoard was piled high against the wall. I had known all along there would be one—I'd rather counted on it—and I had expected something to compare with Vechernyvetr's ransom, but this was more. The whole cavern wall was one long pile built at least as tall as a man, of gold and silver coins, of gems and polished jewels. Garrett Dain stepped up behind me, and I heard others gathering around. I reached out to the light, doused the handful of glowing pillars, and spread the fire in a single thin line along the whole length of the hoard.
Dain whispered, "Lareth thought too small. I could buy a kingdom with a third of that."
I nodded. It was true. And in this moment I would learn how much they'd learned. I could imagine one man rushing for the gold, I could imagine bloody fights among these men. There was wealth enough here to merit such treachery.
But no one moved. I counted seconds under my breath, but there was no rush. Only a gradual hush, the sound of men overwhelmed. Then Dain said, "I guess there's more."
The redhead answered him. "There'll be more dragons, too. Did you see the way it moved? Did you see the hate?"
Someone else said, "Did you see it recognize Lord Daven?"
I trembled at the words. Perhaps Dain saw it. He said roughly, "I saw it die. And that's a sight I'd love to see again."
"A thousand times," the redhead echoed. And then I know they cheered.
I stepped away, across the line of fire to stand among the spoils and turned to face them. I counted thirty men, upright and alive. I breathed more easily again and raised my voice. "This battleground is yours. You've won the day. We've killed a dragon and despoiled its lair."
I kicked out almost casually to spill a fortune in coins to the floor and nodded down at it. "This is part of their power. It will be ours. It's quite a handsome reward, but it's the smallest one we'll take away from this. We've seen the enemy. We know these methods work, and you've seen firsthand that my information is correct. We know that we can win."
One of the hunters stepped forward, "Sir?"
"Yes, Captain?"
"The day is young. Let's kill another."
I grinned. "Patch your wounds if you have any, and clean your swords of the dragon's blood, then we move. We have three hours before midday, and I have promised to return by then. How many dragons do you think we'll get to kill?"
Some said three. Some said a dozen. In the end we had little trouble finding fights. Not every battle was as spectacular as the first—once that first shock wore off the men did better at first strikes, and when we caught a dragon sleeping it rarely had even time to slash its claws before it fell. We killed five adult dragons in that first morning and would have done more but the last lair surprised us with a little brood. Three drakes and a dame, and she scored one lucky strike with her tail that pierced my thigh down to the bone.
Dain bandaged me. I fought hard to hide the pain and told the men to gather as much gold as they could carry. We'd brought empty leather packs just to that end, every man among us, and between them we packed up the brood dame's hoard.
Then with clenched teeth, I wrapped us all in threads of will, reached out to the sentiment of home, an
d took us back in just one leap. We landed in the courtyard of Palmagnes, triumphant heroes, and I felt the cold, whispered breath of gold wash over the stones.
I'd known I would. I'd known it in my bones. The treasure we brought home enriched my lair, and my senses stretched beyond the walls. I couldn't taste emotions in the enemy's camp, but I could feel their footsteps on the soil. I could see the sneaking scouts Othin had sent to search my southern walls, but they would find no gaps in my defense.
I could see into the mountains, too. One little hoard had bought me most of a mile in all directions. Even as my leg screamed out in pain, I sat and grinned to think what we could do. We'd won five lairs, and though none matched the wealth we'd seen within the first, every one of them would grow my reach. We would step right past the siege with just a thought.
And better still, I would find them now. I wouldn't have to search, to jump and hope. I'd sit within my tower and feel the lairs that dotted my domain. Caleb came, concern in his eyes, and Isabelle gasped when she arrived to find him pulling bloodied bandages away. But I could only smile and say, "We've won. We've won. We're going to win the war."
The fever came on strong and burned as bright and hot as all the oathsworn fires in my soul. I'd meant to get patched up and take some gatherers back out to bring in treasure or at the very least to send them out and bring them back. I didn't get the chance. Delirium washed over me, shivers and sweats, and for the rest of the day I lay wretched in my bed.
Worry washed like troubled waters all throughout the fortress. It rolled behind my scattered thoughts, a distant fog, and right up close I saw the anxious faces of my lieutenants as they came and went. The hunters came as well, in ones and twos to ask with quiet whispers if they could see me. They had nothing to say. They'd linger over my bed for a moment, looking chewed on, then shake their heads regretfully and go.
Isabelle sat with me through it all. She piled sheets on me when my teeth rattled and ripped them all away when I began to burn. She held my hand, and hers felt cold as ice and that seemed wonderful. She touched my forehead, stroked my hair, and brushed her fingers lightly on my burning neck.
