Theft of Dragons (Princes of Naverstrom)

by John Forrester

  "Mistress Lassendre," Master Vhelan said, his face a mask of suppressed emotion. "The best witch in my group...and my wife. I never should have let her ride with the King to fight the Malathians. She's been turned by the Princes of Naverstrom. The green fire is their spell."

  The group went silent at the sorcerer's words and the wind whipped up from a warm western breeze. Sebine turned her eyes to face the wind and felt its gentle caress against her skin, and the sun was hot on her back from the east. She knew she had to lead them. They were one foot stuck in sadness, and the other itched to strike out in a blind, futile rage. She had to lead them.

  Her hands guided the reins and her will told the dragon to fly, go west and fly, and the red, beautiful beast flapped its wings despite the injury to its shoulder, and it turned and with a puff of smoke aimed its beak down and dove. A feeling of exhilaration and dizziness washed over her body as the dragon spun and plummeted through the misty clouds until they broke out and she surveyed the vast open farmland and fields that stretched across the bleak, landscape of early winter.

  Tael's black dragon flew up alongside hers and he gave her a warm, proud grin that filled her heart with gladness and love for him. His shoulder-length black hair whipped around under the wind.

  "We're young and we've found freedom and dragons!" He shouted, his voice excited. "The King is old and cursed and has no wizards of the Arcanum to fight for him. He's grown weak with the loss of most of the Hakkadian sorcerers. We'll learn magic and grow strong in the Malathian Kingdom, and we will kill the King some day soon."

  Though Sebine doubted his words about the weakness of the King, and believed that young men always overestimate their strength, she nodded and gave him a reassuring smile. Seeing him believe that there was hope right now was worth far more than speaking the truth. They would face the harsh realities of life another day. For now all she wanted to do was to fly and feel free, and to ride her dragon low over the expansive fields littered with grazing sheep and cows and goats. She had to coax her dragon away from the sight of the sheep, and she glanced at Tael who shrugged and allowed his dragon to plunge to the grassy field and it fire-roasted and feasted on a fat sheep.

  So she joined him and allowed her dragon to engorge on a sheep of its own. She leapt off her saddle and watched the dragon terrorize the bleating and fleeing sheep, and Tael did the same. The others joined in and their dragons savaged the protesting sheep. The party gathered up and rested in the shadow of a hay bale, laughing and grinning at the dragons devastating the flock.

  "They worked hard today." Master Vhelan eyed Sebine with a look of respect. "You took naturally to understanding and commanding your dragon. You'll make a fine dragon rider. Especially after our long journey to Shaar'el, the capitol of the Malathian Kingdom."

  "How far will we ride until we reach the city?" Tael slung around his pack, removed his Supplicant's Robes, and put on the leather pants and jacket he had stashed in his pack. He fished around inside and found some dried meat to chew on.

  The old sorcerer gave him a look that grandfather's usually give to young, inexperienced grandsons. "There will be many dangers along the way. We'll need to aim southwest to avoid the desert. We'll fly along the coast and only go inland across the desert that we must cross to reach Shaar'el. If we are lucky, we'll reach the capitol in ten days time."

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  A LAUGH ESCAPED Tael's mouth at hearing the sorcerer's words. Ten days riding a dragon? It was almost too good to be true. And flying over the beautiful, blue sea, ravaging flocks of grazing sheep, diving down jutting cliffs and lifting up just in time for the dragon's wings to skim the sea. This was exactly the kind of wild freedom he craved, with a dragon underneath and the sky clear and wide.

  "Ten days riding?" The Bishop complained, and rubbed his rotund stomach. "I'll be all skin and bones by then. Can't we rest for a week at a nice village along the Ferelian Sea? Are we really in such a rush?"

  Sebine's face went cold and mean as she eyed the priest. "My mother and your brother will be prisoners by the King, and you know that. Can you really stand the idea of the people of Trikar suffering under that tyrant's rule?"

  Draven yawned and patted the hay as if to prepare a spot for a nap. "They'll survive just fine... And the people always complain no matter how well you treat them."

  "Why did we take him along?" Princess Sebine fumed, addressing Master Vhelan.

  "Oh, let me see, maybe the part about lending credibility to our cause." The Bishop closed his eyes. "I do represent the Calathian Church and it does sanction our mission, albeit likely in secret at this point."

  Kealian grunted at his words. "And don't forget the Order of the Calathian Knights. We would have never joined this foolish act of futile resistance without the holy sanction of the Church." He grinned. "And of course for a chance at the King's gold."

  The way the knight spoke Tael had the firm feeling that the gold was far more valuable to the knight than the idea of sacred duty. Tael always had a suspicion of anyone who was too close to the gods. They reminded him of people on their deathbeds, their eyes shining of godly sights. The knight seemed far more interested in murdering for money than dying and being with the gods.

  "The truth is we must press on as fast as we can," Master Greyth said, scanning their eyes. "And strategize with the Malathians. If we fail to move quickly the forces of Naverstrom will be unleashed on the world. Prince Xanthes has been building an army, a horrific army born deep in the laboratories of Naverstrom, creatures created through the mixture of Elven seed and dragon eggs. The eggs have hatched years ago and I believe the army will soon be ready for war."

  Tael's grandfather sighed and rubbed the tiredness from his face. "Master Loral was investigating those laboratories in Naverstrom—that's how we know the story. He said the creatures are humanoid like elves and have their speed, intelligence, and inherent magical abilities. And from the dragons they possess a hard carapace shell around their body, along with an inhuman strength and ferocity. They are like living, breathing dark angels, with wings so they can fly—only for short bursts of time—but they can fly nonetheless. This was learned at a trip prior to the last one, when his stealth was uncovered and he had a demon planted inside his neck."

  Sebine grimaced at the sorcerer's words and Tael sat next to her, wrapping an arm around her shivering form. They had been up all night and ridden a long while today and fought hard, and now exhaustion seemed to take its toll on the Princess. He offered her some dried meat and she accepted it, thanking him with a smile and soft eyes that seemed to sooth him.

  "We should rest here early," Master Vhelan said. "We're all hungry and exhausted. I'll prepare a roast."

  "And I'll help," said Kealian, and pulled out a dagger and walked with the sorcerer towards a hill where the goats stared down at them, their tails twitching nervously.

  "What do you think we'll find in Shaar'el?" Tael studied Sebine's westward-facing eyes.

  "I once met a prince from the Malathian Kingdom... Prince Jaraz and his sister, Princess Marei." When she spoke the Prince's name Tael sensed something more than just a court introduction. A cord of jealousy struck his heart at the smile that blossomed on her face. "I doubt they'll be happy to see me. The last time I saw them was at my friend's wedding party in the palace. The Malathians fled for their lives. The King had ordered the Prince killed for dancing and talking with me. They resisted...well, Princess Marei did the most resisting, and the King called in the Hakkadians to attack them. It was a really ugly scene, but at least no Malathians were killed. I hate that disgusting creature...him, a king? There's nothing noble inside of him. He's base and twisted and cruel."

  Tael played with Sebine's long hair, absorbed at how shiny and soft it was to the touch. He wondered what Prince Jaraz looked like and what talking really meant. Whatever they did was enough to make the King furious, and it stoked up Tael's jealousy as well.

  "What are you thinking about?" Sebine grinned, and lifted h
is chin to stare into his eyes. "Are you jealous of the Prince?" A sweet giggle escaped from her mouth. "He was incredibly handsome and witty, and I will admit I flirted and danced with him that night. But that was before I met you... Don't you worry, my heart is yours."

  "Really?" He grinned at her with devilish thoughts and plunged his fingers into her hair and stroked along her neck.

  "Stop that...you'll make me go crazy." She winked at him and sent an elbow playfully against his ribs. "But I swear, don't you even think about flirting with his exotic-looking sister, Princess Marei, or I just might have to ask the Prince for another dance."

  "Exotic and beautiful, you say?" Tael pursed his lips and pretended to imagine what the girl might look like.

  "Hey! I warned you. Don't look at me like that. And she's a witch so stay away from her... Let go of me, what are you doing? Stop it you pervert." She laughed and beat at his shoulder and kicked him away and he rolled across the hay where he joined in her laughter and he felt free under the blue sky. The smell of roasting goat wafted into their nostrils and stirred a suppressed hunger and made Tael's mouth water.

  He pushed himself up and pretended to ignore the Princess, and then he twirled around and yanked her up to her feet, causing her to yelp in surprise and delight. They chased off after the roast and watched the flames lick the oil-lathered meat. The others crowded around and waited for the roast to finish, but the dragons just laid their heads on the grass and slept.

  After eating dinner, most of the party made beds out of hay and soon slept, even though it was still twilight. Tael and Sebine and Master Greyth sat stoking and studying the fire. As he glanced at his grandfather, Tael caught his eyes and thought he saw a flash of disappointment.

  "Grandfather? Do you believe we have a chance against the King?" Tael read uncertainty and confusion in his grandfather's face and felt worried.

  "With what we know, and with whom we've allied with so far, we've not a chance in hell of winning." The old man bitterly tossed a stick into the fire. "I've been fighting this King for years...even before your parents were killed. I tried to have him murdered when that demon-spawn was a still a baby, but the Church barred me and the other wizards called me cruel and heartless. Now they rue the day they didn't listen to me."

  "But what if we discover something powerful in Shaar'el that we can use against the King?" Sebine's voice was hopeful, despite the sullen face of Master Greyth. "Or forge an alliance with them?"

  "The Malathians are weak and any alliance with them would be worthless against the King's power, especially with Prince Xanthes ready to bring his army of half-elf, half-dragon beasts to feast under the light of the sun. And forget about finding something of power in the capitol. If they had it, their wizards and witches would have unearthed it ages ago."

  Master Greyth scratched his scraggly beard and his eyes went off towards the purple and pink sky, as if musing over an idea. "Though there are legends—ancient tales told by travelers who've visited the lands north of the Malathian Kingdom. I've heard a few of those tales from trips traveling by caravan from the Ferelian Sea to Shaar'el. Some of those desert nomads claim that there are old cities past the end of the desert, set in the foothills of the northern plateaus. And when a Malathian says something is really old he means ten thousand years old or more, as Shaar'el marks its foundation back almost nine thousand years ago, when men in Valance herded sheep and many in the north lived in caves and migrated north and south with the seasons."

  The old man clucked his tongue and wrinkled up his nose at the idea. "The travelers say no man or woman or beast dares step foot anywhere near those old, cursed cities. And though I've ignored many warnings like those as superstition—since they are usually untrue—the one time I heard a traveler's story about an ancient city to the north, I felt a strange power in the warning and I believe caution is worthy. Although with dragons and our sorcerer friends, perhaps we might be able to find something there, and possibly even survive whatever is waiting, lurking out there in the ruins...."

  "Or maybe not," said Master Vhelan, and he joined them at the fire. "I've heard of those same legends, albeit told by travelers from the far western wastelands, where Hakkadian lore says we once ruled. Searched those lands for years, I have, and to no success. And many of my searching brethren have failed to return from their wanderings. I often thought that perhaps they were killed by wild beast, or allured into a trader's life with some exotic wife at their side, or perhaps they simply wandered too far into the desert and suffered for lack of water. Or it could be that they simply went mad."

  Master Greyth raised an eyebrow at his story, but kept quiet and listened as he continued.

  "I often have had waking dreams of a vast and menacing city nestled in the low foothills of some gigantic, snow-capped mountain. There I saw Hakkadian citizens strolling down streets and shopkeepers selling wares and scholars scolding students while instructing them in a strange, incomprehensible magic. The city followed no laws of physics as it was created and upheld by the enigmatic Hakkadian magic of ancient days. Buildings hovered in the air, and people walked on walls and ceilings and floors and respected no sane order of gravity.

  "They believed that time was an illusion, a tapestry woven of memories and people and places, and that time was just another place to visit on that great tapestry. And the voice that spoke to me in my dream told me this was true. At the end of each dream he beckoned me to a swirling portal of pure white light and said this was the entrance to the tapestry of the universe. But each time I was afraid and fell back and woke myself. I still feel like a coward, too attached to this mundane world. I just couldn't do it, because I knew my wife was sleeping at my side, and I didn't want to leave her alone...."

  A vast ocean of sadness washed over his small, gaunt face. "And now she's gone."

  Tael noticed Sebine lean forward as if wanting to hold the small man, and was surprised to find a tear dropping down her cheek at the sorcerer's story. The group had gone quiet and now only the sound of the wind rustling over the field could be heard. Tael found his eyes drooping and heard the sweetness of Sebine's breath gone deep and smooth.

  "We must do it," said Master Greyth. "We must go there and search. There must be a power there in the ruins of that great city that can aid us."

  Chapter Thirty

  THE NEW DAY'S sun blazed red and gold and woke Sebine with eyes squinting at its power. She glanced around and saw Tael still sleeping by her side, and the soldiers and many of the sorcerers were asleep as well. Off at a distance, Master Greyth Shalinor and Master Vhelan stood side-by-side staring out over the field as the sun's first rays kissed the dew. Instead of enemies they stood together like old war friends contemplating a glorious past.

  She pushed herself up and ambled over to them, stretching the stiffness out of her back and legs from riding too long the previous day. The cool morning felt invigorating as she inhaled and savored the sweetness in the air. Soon the sleep eased away from her mind.

  The two old men stood calm in their gazing and did not turn as she approached.

  "The dew glimmers gold," said Master Greyth. "A good omen for our journey. And you see over there"—he aimed a finger at the sky—"the way the clouds have bunched together. What do you read in the pattern?"

  Hands around her eyes to block the sun off to the left and to focus her sight, Sebine studied the intricate intersecting lines and colors made alive by the rising light. After staring for a few heartbeats her mind rearranged those lines into what looked like a map, a map of some vast and great city. Then the wind stirred and the pattern was gone.

  She told them what she'd seen and they nodded in understanding and sighed as if there was no escape from their predicament. At the foot of the hay bale Tael stirred and looked around in a quick fright, then relaxed as he spotted Sebine. She chuckled at his sleep-strewn hair and the hay stuck over his cloak made him look like a bedraggled scarecrow as he strode over to her.

  "You're in good spirits th
is morning." Tael scratched his head and sent the hay flying from his hair, and shifted his gaze to the expansive sunrise.

  "We've left a mess back there in Trikar," Master Vhelan said, his voice resigned and bitter. "Left the people in the hands of an unrestrained tyrant."

  And you left your wife there, Sebine thought, feeling the emotion and sadness in his words and a haunting empathy came over her towards the old man. At first she'd thought him cruel and vile for demanding a blood oath, but now she saw his determination and drive to defeat the darkness of Naverstrom. She believed his indifference for himself shone light on his passion and purpose for his people. But she still doubted him, she still doubted all the Hakkadians.

  "The gulf is too wide now—an ocean of opposing force between us." Master Greyth turned away from the sight and looked west. "We've no choice but to journey and seek out that ancient city, the one the clouds have shown us so beautifully. She is waiting for us, beckoning us from ten thousand years ago, reaching out across the boundary of time. There's nothing to do but ride and ride hard each day until we can parlay with the Malathians." Master Greyth exhaled and sauntered over to the now cold fire. "If they'll listen to us."

  The group ate the remaining roast and roused the dragons from their contented slumber. Sebine found her red dragon staring with curious eyes at her as she approached. She glanced at Master Vhelan.

  "Do our dragons have names?"

  The old man studied Sebine's dragon with a fierce, fixed expression on his face. "She has a name, as do all dragons, if you can listen and learn their language. A language only heard by listening inside the mind. She likes you, this young one, she likes your kindness and beauty and grace. I told her you wanted to know her name and she agreed to tell me."