"I may be able to help you with that." Shirk told them, scratching one cheek absently. "Though I have never seen it, my men reported that there is a large plaza in the center of the ruins where the cultists gather to practice their obscene rites. If you're going to find her anywhere, it'll probably be there."
"What are you thinking?" Veren asked Damion, then suddenly held up one hand to cut the warrior off. "And don't tell me that you'll take care of it, then turn yourself into a cat, and go slinking off into the undergrowth! You're not going in there on your own!"
Damion smiled at his friend, then silently cast his thought out to Snowfeather, who had been silently circling overhead. "Would you go have a look at these ruins for us? We need to know exactly what we would be walking into."
"Of course." The great owl replied, veering off from his circling and heading toward Daconia.
"Let's wait until Snowfeather returns before we make any decisions." He told them while awaiting the huge owl's return. "He's going to scout the area, and let us know what to expect."
"Who's Snowfeather?" The bearded man asked in confusion.
Damion laughed. "Snowfeather is an owl. He sometimes acts as our eyes in the sky."
"You talk to the birds?" The old outlaw looked amazed. "You certainly are a man of many talents!"
Snowfeather returned a few moments later, and soared down to land lightly on Damion's shoulder. "I've located the child." He reported with a hoot. "She is in a slave pen near a plaza in the center of the ruins. The female that abducted her is standing watch over her. There are several dozen people dressed in long black robes gathered in the plaza, apparently preparing to perform some ritual."
"Are there any patrols, or anyone standing watch anywhere?"
"Nay, but there isn't really much in the way of cover once you enter the ruins. Most of the buildings have long since collapsed. Only a few of the larger temples on the far side of the ruins are still standing. Once you enter the ruins, you will be totally exposed."
"Snowfeather says they have Susa locked in a slave pen near the center of the ruins. Tara is there standing guard over her. The rest of the cultists all seem to be gathered in the plaza preparing for some ritual." His face grew grim. "Most of the buildings have collapsed, so it looks as though there will be little cover once we enter the ruins."
"How far is it to the slave pen?" Veren's expression was worried.
"About a half mile. The plaza where the cultists are gathered is just beyond."
The one eared man frowned. "That leaves stealth out. I guess we'll have to use a more direct approach."
"But if we do that, Tara may harm Susa!" Raven objected. "As long as she's near the slave pens, it's too dangerous to just storm into the ruins!"
"It sounds as though you need a distraction." Shirk commented shrewdly. "Something spectacular enough to draw the scar faced hag from her post. Once she's clear, we can sneak in and bust the little girl loose."
"That's probably the best course of action." Damion agreed with a nod.
"But what can we use for a distraction?" The young woman asked helplessly. "We don't have enough people to stage a false attack!"
"We don't need one. I will distract them, while you two release Susa." He turned to fix Shirk with a questioning gaze. "Can we trust you to keep an eye on the horses while we attempt to rescue Susa?"
"Of course. I'll keep them ready for a quick getaway."
He stared at the man for several long tense seconds. "You do understand what we'll do to you if you decide to try and steal our horses, right?"
The bearded man gulped, then nodded . "I understand perfectly, milord. I'll remain here with the horses until you return."
"That's the plan, then." Damion said decisively. "I'll handle the distraction, while you two sneak in and release Susa. Once you get her free, return here, take the horses, and go. Don't wait for me. I'll catch up with you."
"Where should we wait for you?" Veren asked worriedly.
"Don't stop." He told them firmly. "Just keep moving back towards Hthiss. If I don't catch up with you before you reach the city, find someplace to hold up for a little while. If I still haven't found you after a week," He smiled and shrugged. "Then continue on without me."
"Don't say that!" Raven cried, running to him and throwing her arms around him in a fierce embrace. "You must catch up with us! We can't go any further without you!"
He gently embraced the young woman. "If I do not return, Veren will take you and Susa back to Sevria with him. You'll be welcomed there with open arms." He softly removed himself from her embrace, then sighed heavily. "Make sure that you don't move until after I have managed to secure their full attention. Hopefully Tara will be drawn away from the slave pen long enough for you to grab Susa without being seen."
"How will we know when you have started with your distraction?" Veren asked curiously. "We need to know when we should begin making our way towards the slave pen."
"Oh, I don't think you'll have any problems figuring it out!" Damion smiled a mischievous smile. "I think it should be spectacular enough to get everyone's attention! Once I have started, I'll make sure to cause enough mayhem to keep the focus on me until you have made it to safety. With any luck, you'll be several miles away before anyone even thinks about checking the slave pen."
"Just be sure that you're careful." Veren warned him seriously. "Sly, Damarius, and Lady Skie would have my hide if I came back to Sevria without you!"
"Keep yourselves safe, and I'll see you soon." He drew in his magic and shifted into the form of a panther, then slipped silently off into the underbrush.
"I'll never get use to that!" The one eared man murmured as he watched Damion disappear. He sighed heavily, then turned to Raven. "I guess we had better move a little closer to the ruins and find a good vantage point. We wouldn't want to miss the show!"
***************
Damion cautiously moved through the underbrush parallel to the trade road, silently making his way to the edge of the temple ruins of Daconia. He paused for only a moment to be sure he would not be observed, then slipped into the clearing upon silent paws.
Daconia had obviously abandoned hundreds of years before, and most of the stone buildings and monuments had long succumbed to the elements, and had been reclaimed by the swamp. Here and there, partially submerged foundations would jut up from the thick mud, providing a small amount of cover, but most of the stone from the collapsed buildings had long ago sunk into the soft ground, and was now covered in hundreds of years worth of thick moss.
He carefully skirted the edge of the ruins as he made his way around to gain a better vantage point on the plaza, while Snowfeather ghosted through the forest next to him, silently warning him of any nearby cultists. He came to a halt in a patch of dark shadows directly across from the large plaza that the huge owl had described, and dropped to his stomach to observe the cultists, who for the most part, stood about the area idly, not seeming to pay very much attention to their surroundings.
In the center if the plaza stood a large altar that had been constructed on a raised stone platform. Piles of old rotted bones, pitted with age and encrusted with filth, were heaped around the altar haphazardly, mute evidence to the sick rites performed upon the stone platform. A large temple, still standing despite the centuries of neglect, stood off to one side bordering the plaza. Dozens of the cultists had gathered upon the stone steps leading up to the temple, apparently preparing themselves for one of their religious rites.
The slave pen, which was crudely constructed from some of the stone scavenged among the ruins, was located next to the crumbling temple. Tara stood watch a few feet away, looking oddly calm for someone who had been desperately trying to escape capture.
Damion watched the cultists for several moments, then noticed several of the black robed figures as they made their way towards the slave pens. One of the figures said something to the scar faced woman standing guard outside of the pen, then waited as Tara disappeared into t
he crude slave quarters, only to return a moment later, dragging a kicking child behind her. She thrust Susa towards the robed figures, who immediately seized her by her arms and began to drag her toward the raised platform, with Tara following along behind them closely.
Damion could clearly hear the young girl's screams of terror as she desperately fought to get away from the black robed cultists, but they merely continued to drag her towards the raised altar.
"You had better do something soon!" Snowfeather hooted from his perch on a tree branch above. "It looks as though they are intending to harm the young girl!"
"Just make sure you stay out of the way!" He warned his familiar. "I don't want you to be injured by what I'm about to do!"
"And what are you intending to do?"
"You'll see!" He answered cryptically. "Just make sure you keep a tight hold on your feathers!"
"Oh, great!" Snowfeather chirped sarcastically, launching himself into the air, and gliding deeper into the marshes. "You're planning putting on another ostentatious of power, aren't you? Just make sure that you don't end up turning this place into one big smoking crater!"
Damion drew in his magic and slipped back into his normal form, then walked boldly out into the open. He climbed atop the partially sunken foundation of a crumbled statue, then paused for a moment to allow the gathering cultists to take notice of his arrival.
One of the robed figures on the raised platform suddenly shouted a warning to his brethren, pointing to the spot where Damion boldly stood.
"Damion!" Susa cried, still trying to wrench herself free from the cultists grip.
"Release that girl!" He roared in a resounding voice that could be heard throughout the temple ruins. "Release her, and flee for your lives, or face the wrath of the Dragon Lord!" Confident that he now had their full attention, he drew in his magic, and focused it on the surrounding ruins.
Several of the cultists had drawn weapons, and were charging towards him, a murderous glint in their eyes, but he ignored them, and instead, continued to focus intently on the moss covered clearing.
The ground beneath the cultist's feet suddenly began to quake as he continued to focus his magic upon the mossy ruins, then once he had a clear picture of what he wanted in his mind, he drew the Dragon Sword from its sheath and held it aloft. Flames suddenly ran down the length of the blade as he focused his power and released it through the blazing sword.
The blast that rocked the ruins as the buried remnants of the crumbled temples suddenly exploded up from the thick blanket of moss threw nearly every cultist to the ground, where they lay staring up at the rising wave of stone and debris in shock.
Susa managed to tear herself free of the cultist's grips, and jumped down from the platform, dashing away as fast as her tiny little legs would carry her, but she wasn't fast enough. Tara suddenly appeared from behind the altar in pursuit. The young child tried valiantly to avoid capture, but the scar faced woman was too quick, and managed to seize the girl by her hair. She screamed in pain and horror as Tara began to drag her back towards the altar, ignoring the raging torrent of debris which swirled around the ruins chaotically.
Damion was just preparing to act, when an arrow suddenly appeared from the chaos, burying itself deep into Tara's shoulder, causing her to drop the slave girl, who ran for her life, disappearing into the safety of the marshes. He turned to see Raven retreating from the swirling debris, her bow grasped tightly in her hand. She quickly vanished from sight, presumably to search for the frightened young slave girl.
He looked back towards the altar and watched as Tara slowly reached back and wrenched the arrow free from her shoulder, then tossed it away negligently, and turned to gaze at him with hate filled eyes.
"Do you think you have won?" She suddenly screamed. "Do you think we care about that child?" She began to laugh insanely, still ignoring the swirling pandemonium around her. "She was only meant as bait to insure you followed me here to your doom!"
Damion stared at her in shock as her body suddenly began to elongate and darken, stretching to impossible proportions as her skin continued to darken, until finally, an enormous shadow dragon stood before him, staring down at him with contempt. The other cultists also began to transform, until every single robed figure had revealed themselves to be shadow serpents, then almost as one, they turned to face him, their eyes bright with triumph.
"I guess I've located the brood!" He muttered to himself.
"I knew you would never suspect what we had planned for you!" The huge shadow dragon rumbled at him in amusement. "Now you shall die, and we will use that sword to carry out our revenge on the scarlet wyrms!"
"So that's what all of this is about?" He asked in a conversational tone. "You want the Dragon Sword so you can take your revenge on the scarlet dragons?"
"It was because of them we were banished from this world, driven deep beneath the surface to sleep forever, until you released us from our slumber! Now we will use that sword to imprison and enslave our enemies, and repay them for what they did to us!"
"And where is your brood mother?" He asked, scanning the mass of serpents for a shadow dragon with only a single wing, as Tempest had described. "Was she too frightened to face me?"
The dragon snarled. "The mother fears nothing! And once she possesses that sword, revenge will be ours!"
He stared out at the dozens of shadow dragons, and an eerie calmness overtook him. He had set off from Sevria months before with the sole purpose of locating the brood and wiping their evil from the world, and now the brood stood before him, quivering with eagerness as they readied themselves for battle.
"Well, if you want this sword, you're just going to have to come through me to get it!" With that, he released the power of the Dragon Sword once more, causing the swirling debris to suddenly began raining down upon the beasts with bone crushing force.
The shadow dragons went wild, launching themselves forward to attack, only to be beaten back by the churning barrage. There were dozens of shrieks of agony as the crashing debris ripped through many of the shadow dragons' membranous wings, and crushed their bones, leaving many of them crippled and injured horribly. A number of the beasts tried to launch themselves into the air, but the swirling torrent prevented any flight, and they were forced back to the ground with their brethren.
With shrieks of fury, several of the shadow dragons suddenly charged forward, ignoring the jagged chunks of granite that continued to slam into their enormous bodies as they shoved one another aside to be the first to attack. Several of the beasts began belching fire as they advanced, engulfing the foundation on which he stood fearlessly, momentarily obscuring his vision, but he ignored the flames, confident in the fact that he was impervious to the heat, and continued to focus his magic on the swirling torrent of debris.
A huge block of limestone suddenly sailed through the flames, narrowly missing his head. He stumbled back, losing his balance, and releasing his hold on the flying debris, which came crashing down upon the raging brood, crushing several of the monstrous beasts under tons of granite blocks.
He dove to safety as one of the shadow dragons, the beast which had disguised itself as Tara, lunged forward, its razor sharp talons slashing the air. He rolled to his feet and sent a sizzling bolt of energy streaking from his fingertips. It struck the great beast full in the face and exploded, hurling it backwards where it slammed into several others. It scrambled back to its feet, screaming in insane fury, then lashed out again, reducing the granite foundation on which he had been standing to rubble. His exposed flesh was pelted with sharp jagged debris, opening a large gash over one of his eyes.
Damion fell back as he tried to wipe away the blood, which had began to pour down into his eye, partially obscuring his vision. The shadow dragon tried to take advantage of his injury and pressed the attack, but he was prepared for this and instantly dropped to the ground, avoiding its raking claws, and lashed out with a powerful blow.
The scream that the beast released was
deafening. The burning sword carved into the dragon's wrist, just above the forepaw, slicing through scale, skin, and bone effortlessly, severing it completely from the attacking beast. It stumbled back, staring at the stump at the end of its wrist, which was pumping enormous amounts of blood across the plaza. It shrieked again in agony, then tried to launch itself into the air, flapping its ragged and torn wings desperately, but Damion rolled to his feet and rushed forward, dashing up the fleeing beast's whipping tail, the Dragon Sword still blazing. The sword sizzled as it sliced through the membranous flesh and ropey tendons of the dragon's great sail-like wings, crippling the fleeing beast, and causing it to crash back to the ground. He jumped clear as it began to thrash about insanely in a desperate attempt to regain its footing with only three legs.
The horrendous wound on its forth limb was still gushing huge amounts of blood, and was beginning to effect the rampaging beast. Its thrashing began to grow weaker, and its movements became sluggish, but it still wasn't ready to give up its attack. It whirled around dazedly, slamming its tail into one of its brethren with bone crushing force, crushing the side of its head, then lunged forward, its massive jaws agape.
Damion almost laughed as he easily side stepped the desperate lunge, then drove the flaming Dragon Sword directly into the shadow dragon's neck and ripped it downward, severing the beast's windpipe, and ripping open a massive wound in its scaled throat.
The shadow dragon that had once disguised itself as the slaver Tara, screamed a gurgling scream of anguish and reared back onto its hind legs, grasping feebly at the fatal wound, then collapsed twitching to the moss covered ground.
He scrambled away from the massive corpse breathing heavily, then turned to face the remaining shadow dragons, many of whom were already move in for the attack. "This is going to take a while." He muttered to himself, preparing to meet their attack with brute force. "I guess I had better get started." He let out a roar of defiance, then charged forward, the blazing Dragon Sword held aloft.
Omensent: Rise of the Shadow Dragons Page 32
