Omensent: Rise of the Shadow Dragons

by Barry Gibbons

"Aye!" Damarius agreed with a laugh. "Right before Skie stabbed it in the eye with a spear!"

  Everyone laughed at that.

  "The laborers have finished the repairs to your quarters, and we have had a new bed constructed to replace your old one." Lady Skie assured him, blushing slightly at their laughs. "We figured wouldn't be too happy if you returned only to be forced to sleep on the cold stone floor."

  "I especially would like to thank you for that!" Raven said with a wicked smile. "I just hope it's large enough for two!"

  Everyone laughed again as Damion's face turned flaming red.

  The next few months were hectic ones for Damion and the others. Winter was always a tough time for those who called the mountains their home, and there was always more tasks to complete than there were hours in the day.

  Things slowly began to settle down into a comfortable routine. Damion resumed his duties of overseeing the city, while Veren resumed command of the castle guard. Raven seemed to be a natural when it came to negotiating with the incoming and departing caravans, making sure that all the trading between merchants remained cordial, and of course, that all taxes and fees were paid.

  Sly and Shirk quickly became fast friends, and spent a great deal of their time frequenting the little man's favorite tavern, trying their very best to drink every drop of ale in town.

  Damarius surprised everyone by briefly departing to his cottage in the secluded valley to gathering his belongings, then returning to Sevria and setting up his workshop in the Vaults. "I think I have had enough of the leisurely life." The old wizard had explained with a grin. "City life is far more exciting."

  Dar continued to linger in Sevria until the first signs of spring, spending most of his time with Lady Skie, who had resumed her role in making sure the day to day activities in the castle continued to run smoothly.

  Life soon settled into a comfortable routine, and with spring's arrival came a resurgence of merchant caravans looking to make their way through the mountains in search of a place to trade their wares, keeping everyone quite busy making sure the growing city continued to operate efficiently.

  It was almost midsummer, and the sun had already set for the evening, when Raven came wandering into the bedchamber she and Damion were sharing, a strange look on her face.

  "Good evening, dear one." Damion murmured to her distractedly as he continued to flip through a trade agreement that had been proposed by a group of merchants from Deiria. "How was your day?"

  "Oh, it was about the same as always." She said in a mysterious tone. "I discovered an interesting bit of information, and came to a decision you may wish to be aware made aware of."

  "Oh? What's that?" He asked, still distracted by the trade agreement.

  "I have asked Damarius to officiate over a joining ceremony for us, and he agreed to perform it." She announced in a deliberately offhand tone.

  It took several moments for this statement to sink in. "Joining ceremony? For who? Who's getting married?" He suddenly smiled. "Let me guess, Sly finally asked that mule to be his wife, right?"

  Raven laughed, then shook her head. "No, the ceremony is for us." She blushed slightly, then took his hand and gently placed it on her stomach. "Call me old fashioned, but I believe that the parents should be joined before their first child is born!"

  "First child?" He repeated blankly, then his eyes suddenly widened with the realization of what she was telling him. "First child? I...I'm going to be a f-father?"

  The radiant young woman smiled at him lovingly, then gently caressed his cheek with one hand. "I was thinking we could hold the ceremony in the courtyard, and invite everyone in Sevria to attend."

  "I'm going to be a father?" He repeated in disbelief. "I'm going to be a father!"

  Raven laughed. "So what do you think? About the ceremony?"

  "I think it's a wonderful idea!" Damion agreed, still trying to grasp the fact that he was going to be a father. "Have you told anyone else?"

  She smiled, then shook her head. "I thought we would let the others know together." She lowered her eyes for a moment. "So, what are you thinking?" She asked, her expression vulnerable.

  "What am I thinking?" He repeated, his voice cracking slightly. He suddenly let out a whoop of joy that could be heard throughout the castle. "I'm going to be a father!" He gently swooped her up in his arms and kissed her softly on the lips.

  "Easy there, big guy!" She laughed. "I'm guessing this news pleases you?"

  Damion kissed her again. "I couldn't be more pleased!"

  "And the joining ceremony?"

  "We can have it anywhere you wish, any time you wish!"

  She smiled happily. "Then, why don't we go let everyone else in on the goods news!"

  Chapter 21

  The joining ceremony was held a few weeks later, after a bit of frantic planning by Raven, Lady Skie, and an assortment of women from the castle. People traveled from all over to witness Damion and Raven as they were officially joined as man and wife.

  Captain Harper made a surprise appearance, explaining he had heard news that the Dragon Lord was to be joined, and rushed to Sevria to be a part of the celebration.

  Bativa, one of the clan chiefs of the fierce nomadic Deola, and an old friend of Sly and Damion, arrived a week or so before the ceremony, traveling, oddly enough, with the dwarven prince, Garth Stonecrusher and his doting wife Gretta, who had made the journey from their subterranean home beneath the grasslands to the south.

  The day of the ceremony was nothing but a blur whenever Damion attempted to recall it years later. He remembered the music and dancers performing for the mass of people who had arrived for the special occasion, and the huge feast that seemed to go on for eternity. There was kegs upon kegs of wine and ale, supplied as a gift from Garth and the dwarven people.

  The ceremony itself seemed to Damion to be over as quickly as it began, concluding with Damion and Raven exchanging gifts. Damion presented her with an exquisite necklace of elaborately braided gold adorned with a delicately crafted pendant of numerous rubies arranged in the form of a winged serpent, while she presented him with an enormous gold ring engraved with the image of a dragon holding a flaming sword, the new Coat of Arms of the guardian of Sevria.

  When the ceremony concluded, the people released a deafening cheer for the newly joined couple, tossing flower petals into the air, where they showered down upon them in a ritual as old as time itself. The sky above the crowd darkened momentarily as Tempest and several other scarlet dragons passed overhead, breathing flames high into the air above the ceremony, adding their own blessings to the newly formed union.

  The celebration afterward lasted for three days straight, and resulted in some monstrous hangovers among the party goers and towns people. The people took outrageous advantage of the free refreshments and drank themselves into complete insensibility. Many of them slept where they fell, whether it was on a bench, or in the gutter at the side of the road.

  Damion and Raven watched the joyous chaos from the privacy of the balcony outside of their chambers. They had excused themselves from the celebration not long after the feast began, leaving their guests to their assorted idiocies.

  "It seems everyone is enjoying themselves." Damion commented, engulfing his new wife in a gentle embrace. "I think they would keep drinking all month long if they could."

  "I believe you're right!" Raven giggled, watching the people as they danced and cavorted through the streets. "But they all seemed quite happy for us. Look how many of our friends and loved ones came to witness our joining!"

  "And for the celebration afterwards, of course." He smiled.

  "Of course."

  They stood together in silence for several long moments while they watched the merriment below.

  "So tell me, my mighty Dragon Lord," She asked in a serous tone, finally breaking the silence. "Are you ready for the responsibilities that come with being a father? You won't be able to go traipsing off to save the world every time that something happ
ens somewhere in the world, you know that, right?"

  "I think the world can take care of itself for a while." Damion smiled. "My sole purpose in this world now is to look after you," He lay a hand on her slightly swollen belly. "and my child."

  "Good answer!" She murmured as she drew him close and kissed him gently.

  ************

  Raven gave birth six months later to a beautiful healthy baby girl which she and Damion promptly named Leia. She seemed to Damion to be impossibly tiny when he gently took his daughter into his trembling hands for the first time. She stared up at him, ensnaring his heart completely with a single glance of her piecing hazel eyes. Her hair was the same shade of black as her mother's, who looked tired, but elated at the same time.

  "She's beautiful, Damion!" Snowfeather chirped from his place on the headboard of the bed. "She looks just like her mother!"

  Everyone gathered around closely to await their turn to welcome the new member of their oddly assorted little group. There was many joyous tears as the newborn child gazed gravely upon those who she would grow up to call her family.

  Damion smiled down at his daughter, his heart nearly bursting with the love he felt for the tiny little child. "Hello, Leia, my little goddess," He greeted her in a soft whisper. "I promise you that I will always be here to watch over you and protect you, no matter what happens. There is nothing in the heavens or on this earth that could ever keep me from your side!" He kissed her tenderly on her forehead.

  "You have done good, Damion!" Lady Skie told him, tears streaming openly down her cheeks. "Your mother and father would be so proud of you!"

  "Thanks, Aunt Skie." He carefully handed the tiny bundle over to Damarius, who had been dancing around the room impatiently waiting his turn to hold Leia. "I just wish they could be here right now to see their first grandchild."

  "I'm sure they are watching from where ever they are, right now," She assured him. "and they are as proud of you as I am!"

  Later that night, long after everyone had finally left to find their beds, Damion was quietly sitting in a overstuffed chair that he had dragged in from the hall, watching Raven and the tiny bundle that was his daughter as they slept, when he suddenly felt an overwhelming feeling of dread overcome him. He slowly rose to his feet, ignoring the nearly overwhelming feeling of alarm, and tried to pinpoint the source of the disturbance he felt. He made his way to the balcony outside and looked out over the quiet city of Sevria for several longs moments. Not seeing anything out of the ordinary, he glanced up at the glittering stars high above, his eyes automatically searching out the constellation of the dragon god, Draco. He continued to search for the constellation for several seconds before he suddenly realized that the area that usually held the bright constellation was now completely void of stars.

  He stared up into the black patch of sky in incomprehension, the feeling of dread quickly returning. He suddenly seemed somehow sure in the knowledge that something terrible had just occurred. He continued to stare up at the dark void until the sun finally began to emerge to begin a new day.