Omensent: Rise of the Shadow Dragons

by Barry Gibbons

  "Let's just hope Damion returns soon." Dar said, his boyish face bleak. "I really don't want to wake up one morning to find an army of dragonspawn camped outside!"

  Chapter 7

  "We should reach the border of Deiria around midday tomorrow." Veren commented as he and Damion set up camp for the evening in a sheltered grove near the edge of the road.

  They had spent the last three weeks riding hard through Jaghera, obtaining provisions as they traveled from several of the farms that dotted the countryside and camping in the open fields that were already being readied for planting.

  Damion looked up from tending the horses. "Do you think we'll encounter any problems crossing?"

  The one eared man shrugged. "We'll have to pass through a couple of checkpoints to cross the border. The terrain becomes rougher the closer we get to the border. The trade road runs through the pass that is one of the few ways between our countries. The border crossing there is closely guarded by both our people and the Deirians. There is a small village in the neutral area between our borders. We'll be able get more information there, and replenish our supplies."

  Damion nodded. "Let's hope we don't encounter any problems. I'd rather not be delayed. We've still a long way to go before we reach Arleia."

  They finished making camp, then Damion sat back against a tree with a large piece dried beef. He gazed up into the night's sky, his eyes automatically finding the constellation of the dragon god, Draco, which seemed to shine brighter than usual as it stared down from the heavens above.

  The sound of ruffling feathers caught his attention as Snowfeather drifted in from the darkness, a large rabbit clutched in his beak.

  "Damion!" The great snow owl sounded agitated. "There are a dozen or so dragonspawn heading straight for the camp! They're being led by a couple of shadowspawn!"

  Damion leapt to his feet, and drew the Dragon Sword. "Dragonspawn!" He hissed a warning.

  Veren leapt to his feet, then he and Damion simultaneously melted into the shadows cast by the fire and waited for the dragonspawn to appear. It wasn't long before several of the dragonspawn burst into view, their snakelike eyes searching the camp for victims.

  Damion stepped from the shadows and lopped the head off of the closest creature sending it flying off into the darkness. He cut down two more, then drew in his magic and released a blast of force that sent yet another flying backwards into the darkness. Four more burst through the underbrush and into view, snarling in rage, but he quickly cut them down with a series of deadly blows.

  Veren leapt from the darkness and sent a heavy dagger whistling through the air, lodging it deep in a charging dragonspawn's throat, then quickly fell back as two shadowspawn burst into view. "Whoa! They're bigger than I thought they'd be!" He drew back to Damion's side. "Got any advice?"

  Damion nodded. "Take the horses and stay out of the way! This is probably going to get messy!"

  Veren fell back to where the horses were picketed and gathered them by their tethers, then quickly led them away from the campsite.

  The two shadowspawn stared at Damion from across the fire for several long moments, then, without a sound, they moved forward, each circling to opposite sides, clearly intending to attack from both sides simultaneously. One of the creatures suddenly lunged forward, swinging a heavy steel clad club, while the other launched itself at his legs, its razor sharp claws slashing.

  Damion easily side stepped their attacks, and kicked the first creature hard in the chest, sending it flying backwards through the air, where it crashed hard into a tree. The second beast leapt forward once again, slashing at the air in front of his face with razor sharp talons. He danced clear if its wild swipes, and lashed out with the Dragon Sword, lopping off one of its arms at the elbow. It shrieked in agony, grabbing the stump where its arm had been, then stumbled back as the other shadowspawn lurched forward, still dazed from its collision with the tree.

  Damion waited until the creature was within striking distance and then launched forward, the Dragon Sword held high. The dazed creature raised its arms instinctively to ward off the blow, but he suddenly dropped the blade low, running the beast through. It shuddered once as it stared down in disbelief at the blade lodged in its chest, then he ripped the sword free, allowing its body to fall limply to the ground.

  The other shadowspawn hissed in fury at Damion, still holding the stump where its arm had been, then it turned and fled into the darkness, seeming to almost melt into the night.

  Damion watched as it disappeared, then he turned and kicked the dead shadowspawn over onto its back. It looked quite similar to the one that they had encountered on the way to Sierria.

  "Ugly creatures." Veren grunted, leading the horses back into the ruined camp. He wrinkled his nose distastefully. "I guess we're going to have to find another place to camp. That smell is going to make it hard to sleep!"

  Damion laughed. "It doesn't smell much worse than you! Why do you think I always try to stay downwind of you?"

  "Three weeks in the saddle does tend to make a man a bit fragrant!" Veren laughed. He handed over Storm's reins. "Let's move. With a little luck, we may be able to get a little sleep before dawn!"

  They reached the border between Jaghera and Deiria around midday the following day and found it heavily guarded with a score of grim looking soldiers mounted on swift looking horses. They were able to pass through the first checkpoint with little difficulty thanks to Veren, and they proceeded on into the village at a cautious trot.

  The village was like many others that Damion had visited since leaving the protection of the sheltered valley in which he was raised, with booths filled with goods lining the streets, and operators calling to passersby in the hope of hawking their wares. Wagons laden with goods on their way towards foreign markets crowded the streets, forcing them to stop several times to wait while the passing teamsters stopped dead in their tracks to hurl vile insults at one another.

  Damion noticed that there wasn't much difference between the Jagherns and Deirians, except for one obvious characteristic. Jagherns had much darker skin, probably from their many years of toiling in their fields, while Deirians were far more fair skinned from spending their lives wandering through the shaded forests of their homeland. Despite their rather minor differences, the two races intermingled here with little friction as they went about their daily business.

  They located a neatly kept inn ran by a jovial Jaghern and his short chubby wife, and after taking advantage of their bathhouse and scrubbing away the layers of dirt that had gathered on the journey, they made their way to the common room where they enjoyed a meal of hearty stew made from beef and vegetables, freshly baked bread, and home brewed ale that the innkeeper proudly informed them was his best batch to date.

  "This is almost as good as the ale the dwarves brew." Damion commented, draining his mug. "Sly would absolutely love this stuff!"

  "Thank you kindly, milord!" The innkeeper said happily, bringing them another round. "I obtained the recipe from a Dierian many years ago, then spent nearly a decade perfecting it. It's a labor of love! I can sell you a cask to take back home to you friend, if you'd like!"

  Damion sighed regretfully. "I'm afraid it will be a while before I'm able to return home." He was struck with a sudden inspiration. "Do you know of any messengers willing to undertake a fairly long voyage?"

  The innkeeper smiled. "I believe I could locate someone for you."

  "What do you have in mind?" Veren asked curiously.

  "I thought I would send Sly a gift, along with word of what we had discovered so far." Damion grinned. "I'll compose a letter to accompany several casks of ale back to Sevria."

  Veren looked to the innkeeper. "Any news from Deiria?"

  The man's face fell. "The news coming from across the border is not good. Many different areas of their forests have been set aflame and continue to burn uncontrollably, and several of their villages have been destroyed. The Deirians are terrified!"

  "Have they
closed the border?"

  The innkeeper shook his head. "The border remains open for now, although strangers to their lands are closely watched."

  Damion handed the man several coins, and thanked him for the information, then sat back with his tankard. "At least border is still open." He murmured as he watched the man waddle off.

  Veren grunted in agreement. "We'll still have to deal with the roving patrols, though. Some of them enjoy harassing travelers, especially foreign travelers."

  The following morning, Damion spent several minutes composing a letter that would accompany three large casks of ale back to Sevria, then after handing the letter and a large pouch of coins to pay for the provisions that they had obtained from the innkeeper's wife, he and Veren retrieved their horses and set off towards Deiria.

  They were stopped briefly as they approached the Deirian side of the border by a number of pale skinned Deirians armed with long bows, but after answering a few quick questions they were allowed to proceed, though the warriors continued to watch them closely until they were finally out of view.

  "That went better than I expected." Veren said once they were out of earshot. "That could have gone much, much worse!"

  "It's not like we have an army at our back." Damion pointed out. "I doubt they would be too concerned with a couple of ordinary travelers on the trade road."

  "You're not exactly what I would call 'ordinary', Damion." The one eared man laughed.

  Their next encounter was with a patrol of a dozen Deirians mounted on swift looking horses which were tiny when compared to Storm. Damion and Veren were approaching the edge of an extensive forest when the patrol rode out of the shadows to block the trade road with arrogant expressions.

  Their leader, a thin faced man with pale blond hair, stared at them disdainfully for a long moment. "What business do you have being here in our lands?" He asked, sneering at them belligerently.

  "We are just passing through your lands," Damion answered, trying to ignore the man's impertinence. "and our business is our own."

  "Well, you had better reveal what that business is, or you can just turn around and go back!" The thin faced man snarled, his pale face growing red.

  Damion stared at the man for a long moment, his patience quickly wearing thin. "Stand aside and let us continue our journey." Damion growled menacingly. "I haven't the time for any more delays."

  The man seemed somewhat taken aback by the ferociousness in Damion's voice, then suddenly seemed to remember he had a dozen men at his back. "And if we refuse?"

  Damion drew himself to his full height, towering over the much smaller man. "Then I'll remove you from our path!"

  The Deirians drew their long bows with practiced ease and leveled arrows at Damion and Veren.

  Veren groaned. "Does this happen a lot when you travel?" He asked, slowly edging his horse behind Storm.

  "I'm afraid so." Damion replied, drawing in his magic.

  Another group of riders suddenly appeared from the forest and rode up to join their countrymen.

  "What is the meaning of this?" The leader of the new group, a young dark haired woman demanded, her chestnut eyes flashing. She was dressed entirely in black leather and spoke with the tone of someone who was used to having her commands obeyed.

  The thin faced Deirian had suddenly grown pale and his companions lowered their long bows. "Th-These travelers refused to answer our questions when asked what their business was in our lands, milady."

  "And why did you stop them in the first place?" The woman snarled. "What harm could two travelers possibly do?" She drew her horse along side his, then backhanded the man hard across the mouth. "We have more pressing concerns to worry over right now!"

  The thin faced man reeled from her blow, but somehow managed to keep his saddle. "Of course, milady." He answered through freshly split lips. "I just thought..."

  "You're not supposed to think! You're supposed to follow orders! Our forests are burning and our settlements are being attacked!" She backhanded him across the mouth once more. "Yet here you are picking a fight with a couple of innocent travelers!" She backhanded him a third time and he finally slid unconscious from the saddle.

  "I think I'm going to like her!" Veren murmured to Damion.

  "Pick him up and get him out of my sight," The woman snarled to the man's companions. "and return to you assigned duties! I do not wish to return and find you harassing any more travelers!"

  Several men scrambled down from their horses and helped their dazed leader to his feet. He somehow managed to make it back into his saddle, then he and his men sullenly disappeared back into the forest.

  The dark haired woman turned her flashing eyes on Damion and Veren. "And now, you will tell me what your business is in our lands!"

  "We're just passing through." Veren said assuringly, moving his horse back along side Storm, who stood pawing the ground aggressively.

  She looked at Damion in sudden interest. "And your destination?" She stared at him, her eyes calculating.

  Veren responded before Damion could even open his mouth. "We're heading to Arleia."

  "Arleia?" She exclaimed in surprise. "You don't look much like slavers."

  "We're not." Damion said firmly.

  "Yet you still claim to be traveling to Arleia? Interesting." The dark haired woman continued to watch him closely.

  Damion sighed. "We are investigating these attacks that are happening all over the continent." He explained, noticing absently that the young woman was quite attractive. "We had heard rumors that the attacks first began there."

  The woman's face suddenly grew cautious. "And what do you know of these attacks?"

  Damion shook his head. "Not enough. That's why we are journeying to Arleia. We were hoping to find the cause of all this destruction."

  "I have heard rumors that the attacks originated in Arleia." She admitted, twisting a lock of her dark hair around one finger unconsciously. She looked to Veren. "And you, Jaghern? Why do you wish to find the source of these attacks?"

  "Because my family was killed and my farm destroyed in one of those attacks." Veren answered her in a carefully controlled voice.

  A flash of sympathy crossed her face. "I'm sorry for your loss. We have also lost many in these attacks."

  Damion looked at her curiously. "Have you heard anything that would be useful to our search?"

  The raven haired woman ignored the question, and glanced up into the evening sky. "Night is coming. Unless you plan to travel through the darkness, which is inadvisable, I'd suggest you make camp soon. You may return with us to our campsite, if you wish. It's a few miles into the forest."

  Damion glanced to Veren, who shrugged. "We may as well. We're not going to make it much farther before nightfall."

  "Very well." The young woman wheeled her horse around and led them into the forest, her men following close behind.

  They followed the trade road deep into the forest for nearly an hour, then the young woman suddenly reined in her horse and guided the beast up a nearly invisible game trail that led deep into the forest interior.

  After about ten minutes of carefully picking their way along the scarcely visible trail, they emerged into a large well established campsite that had been constructed in a natural clearing. A large stone lined fire pit had been built in the center of the clearing, surrounded by a number of crudely made wooden benches, and a small stream ran alongside providing an ample supply of fresh water. A half dozen heavy canvas tents had been erected on one side of the camp, while a small corral had been constructed from fallen timber next to the stream for the horses.

  "This is a well prepared camp." Veren commented approvingly as he slid down from his horse and led it and their pack horse to the corral.

  "We have been using this campsite fairly often in the recent months." The young woman stated, dismounting and handing the reins of her horse over to one of her men. "We have also been investigating these attacks for quite some time now. Our ruling council has ord
ered every available warrior to look into these disturbances, but so far, no one has been able to discover anything."

  Damion slid to the ground, and removed the saddle and bags from Storm's back, then led the shaggy warhorse to the stream to drink.

  Several of the Deirian warriors stared in astonishment at Damion, who stood two feet taller than their tallest warrior, but he ignored them and continued to groom Storm's smoky grey coat.

  When he was finished, he led Storm to the corral and made sure the huge brute was well fed, then joined Veren and the Deirian warriors near the fire.

  "I never caught your names." The young woman stated as she walked up to join them.

  "I am Veren Verilian of Jaghera." Veren replied with the nod of his head.

  She nodded, then looked to Damion. "And you?"

  "I am Damion Omensent. I am from Sevria, on the southern continent."

  "And I am Raven Nightshade, daughter of Evien Nightshade, Chief of the Black Feather clan." She gestured to her men. "We are only one of many groups that guard our lands from attacks."

  "How many clans are there in Deiria?" Damion asked curiously.

  "Twelve. Their leaders combine to make the Council of Deiria."

  "Twelve?" Veren exclaimed in surprise. "I thought there was fifteen clans here in Deiria?"

  She nodded sadly. "There were, but three clans have been completely wiped out by these mysterious attacks!"

  "And your people haven't any clue on what could be causing the destruction?" Veren asked.

  The young woman shook her head. "Just rumors and speculation. I've heard stories of large forces of dragonspawn, but nothing that could wipe out an entire clan, unless you believe in fairy tales about dragons."

  Damion and Veren exchanged glances, but said nothing.

  Two warriors hustled forward and conferred with their leader for a moment, then disappeared into the dark forest surrounding the clearing.

  "Our scouts have spotted a pack of wild pigs not far from here." She said told them with a smile. "We'll be dining on pork tonight!"

  Within the hour, the two warriors returned with a pair of freshly killed boars over their shoulders. The other warriors quickly joined in to help gut and butcher the beasts, and it wasn't long before the smell of roasting pig was wafting through the air.