“What is it?” she asked.
“I thought I had lost you,” he admitted.
“I had to be certain.”
“I promise I’ll never give up on you. I’ll fight for you, Brianna, and I’ll never stop loving you.”
“Oh, Zollin,” she said, and then he kissed her.
Passion overcame them both, desire mixed with relief, and as their fear drained away, they moved closer to one another. Finally, Zollin pulled back and looked at Brianna. Her face was red, her hair mussed, but she was smiling.
“What?” she asked, giggling.
“I really do want to marry you,” he said.
“So marry me. I want to be with you forever.”
“Let’s deal with the dragon, then we’ll have a wedding wherever you want it. We can go back to Tranaugh Shire or get married in Orrock. Whatever you want to do.”
“I don’t care,” she said. “But I would like our friends to be there: Kelvich, Quinn, Mansel. We can do something small.”
“Alright, so we’re getting married?” he said, still not believing what he was saying.
“Yes, Zollin. I want to marry you. No more reservations, no more doubts; I love you.”
“And I love you.”
They spent the night talking and making plans. It was the first time since Zollin had been planning to leave Tranaugh Shire that he actually thought seriously about his future. He had dreamed of marrying Brianna, but he hadn’t thought it was possible. Now it was not only possible, but it was going to happen. He wanted nothing more than to destroy the dragon and get back to his father and friends as quickly as possible.
Sometime around midnight they both went to sleep. They woke at dawn and set out for the Northern Range. Their first obstacle was to get over the river. The bridge Quinn and Zollin helped to build had been burned to keep the Skellmarians from having an easy way to attack the people in the Great Valley. They rode through the village, looking at the progress the townsfolk were making. Then they came to the river and Zollin used his magic to lift himself over the water. He actually enjoyed the freedom of lifting himself up into the air. It was a bit like swimming. The strain on his magic was like holding his breath underwater, but once he was in the air he felt completely weightless.
Next he lifted the horses over. The animals panicked and Zollin had difficulty settling them down once they were across the river. Finally, he tried to lift Brianna across the river, but he couldn’t do it.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“I don’t know,” he said.
“It’s the ring,” she said, remembering the White Alzerstone ring he had given her in Tranaugh Shire.
She pulled it off and looked at it. She rarely ever took it off, even when they were still in Tranaugh Shire and she was betrothed to Todrek. The ring was plain silver, barely more than a sliver of metal that made up the band and a white rock that was polished. It had the invaluable ability of repelling magic, and Zollin had given it to her on an impulse and she had kept it, as if she somehow knew it was more than a gift.
“I don’t know why I keep forgetting that,” he said.
She smiled and threw it to him. He watched as it tumbled through the air and he lifted his hand and caught it easily enough. He sat it on the ground and then he lifted Brianna across the river. Lifting someone else took much less energy than lifting himself. Still, once he was finished, he was hot and tired. Brianna immediately bent over and picked up the ring. She smiled at him as she slipped it on her finger.
“I never take it off,” she said.
“I’m glad,” he said, returning her smile.
“It gave me chills when you slid it on my finger in Tranaugh Shire.”
“I don’t know why I did it, but I’m glad I did.”
“Me, too,” she admitted, kissing him lightly on the cheek.
He felt like nothing could go wrong at that moment. He was hungry and went to get something to munch on from their supplies. He looked in their saddlebags and was discouraged by what he found.
“We don’t have many rations,” he said.
“Well, there was no food for the people in Brighton’s Gate to share with us. I thought we’d be able to resupply, but it looks like we’ll have to push on and do the best we can.”
“I guess you’re right,” Zollin said, discouragement entering his mind for the first time that day.
“I don’t know how he did it, but Branock did something to give himself and his horse extra stamina.”
“Kelvich didn’t teach me that spell.”
“It wasn’t a spell,” Brianna said excitedly. “At least, it wasn’t just a spell. He said he used some kind of plant or weed.” Then her countenance fell. “Blast it all,” she said in frustration. “He said it didn’t grow this far north.”
“It still gives me an idea. One of the things Kelvich and I did was to use my sense of magic in plants and flowers to detect which ones contained magical properties. Usually I could even sense what they were used for. I’ll just have to stay alert to what we find as we search for the dragon. Perhaps I’ll find something useful.”
“And how are we going to find the dragon?” she asked. “It could be anywhere in the mountains.”
“Well, I figured I’d be able to feel the beast if I tried hard enough. I can send my magic out and feel animals in the night, or even those hibernating in their dens. It may be a long shot, but maybe I’ll be able to sense the dragon.”
“And what do we do if you do find it?”
“We kill it,” he said.
“You say that as if it’s easy.”
“Maybe it will be. I’m betting the dwarvish steel will penetrate its scales.”
“It punched right through the soldier’s chainmail that I shot at.”
“You didn’t tell me what happened that caused you to shoot one of the soldiers,” Zollin said.
“They were stealing the deer that I killed.”
“You killed a deer?” Zollin said, prompting her to explain.
“I was on my way to Tollver’s farm,” she told him as they rode up the steeply winding trail. “I came across a small herd of deer, and Ollie told me before I left that they hadn’t had any luck hunting. I figured I could bring them back some venison, so I shot the buck. Then I went to the farm and got our winter clothes and a cart. It took some work, but Lilly and I got the buck in the cart and were on our way back to the village when three soldiers came up and started demanding that I give them the deer. I told them I wouldn’t, and they tried to take it from me. So I shot one of them. I was about to shoot another when the third one hit me over the head. When I came to, I was trussed up and lying in the cart next to the deer.”
“Wow! Remind me not to cross you when you’ve got your mind set on something,” Zollin teased.
“It wasn’t fair,” Brianna demanded. “The soldiers can’t just take whatever they want. The villagers have to eat, too.”
“You and I just don’t have much luck with the army,” Zollin said.
“You don’t have much luck at all,” a husky voice said from behind him.
Zollin spun around, throwing up a defensive shield around himself and Brianna. The voice belonged to a large Skellmarian warrior, and he wasn’t alone.
“I am Bozar and you are my prisoners now. Take their horses,” the battle chief said to the other warriors that were just now coming out from behind rocks and scrub bushes on either side of the trail.
Zollin looked over his shoulder and realized they were surrounded.
“What do we do?” Brianna asked, her voice pitched high with fear.
“We do what they say. I’ll keep you safe, but I want to learn as much as we can about them before we push on.”
“Your man has some sense,” said Bozar. “Climb down off your horses, and I will show you everything you care to know about the mountain tribes.”
There was a look of cruel mischief in Bozar’s eyes. Zollin swung down from his saddle and helped Brianna down f
rom her horse. Two men with thick, shaggy animal skins over their massive shoulders stepped up and took the horses’ reins. Zollin could smell the men, a mixture of sweat, smoke, and body odor that made bile rise in his throat.
“Tie them up,” ordered Bozar.
“That won’t be necessary,” Zollin said. “We’ll come along peaceful enough.”
“Tie them!” the barbarian shouted.
Zollin was grabbed from behind by massive hands that pulled his arms backward roughly. Zollin gritted his teeth and kept his eyes on Brianna, who was treated no kinder than he was. The Skellmarians tied their hands with rawhide strips that chafed their skin, then searched them for weapons and valuables. One of the warriors found Brianna’s ring and pulled it off her finger.
“No!” she cried, but the Skellmarian just laughed.
He said something in a language that Zollin didn’t understand, then tossed the ring to one of the other warriors. It was a woman, which surprised Zollin, but the woman was dressed just like the others. She had an ancient-looking axe hanging from a leather belt, and her long hair was in a thick braid just like the men’s. She caught the ring and laughed. Then she tried to put the ring on her finger. It was too small, so she took it off and laid it on a rock. Then she pulled out her axe and raised it high.
“No!” Brianna shouted. “Please don’t!”
The warrior woman ignored her and swung her axe down with precision that reminded Zollin of Quinn driving a nail. The axe hit the bottom of the band and snapped the silver in two. The woman then pried the ring apart so she could fit it on her finger.
Bozar set out once again, and the Skellmarians ordered to keep up with Zollin and Brianna pushed them off the mountain path onto the rockier terrain behind the war chief. Zollin used his magic to loosen their bonds. Brianna felt the straps grow loose, but they didn’t fall off. She thought she could probably pull her hands free, but she knew that wasn’t what Zollin wanted. She only hoped she wouldn’t be separated from him.
Zollin did his best to keep up with the Skellmarians, even though it was difficult to make their way up the steep slopes and keep their footing on the shifting gravel of the mountainside. The horses were led away in a different direction, since they could not climb over the mountain like the Skellmarians. Zollin was worried about Lilly and his own mount, but he knew they would have to leave the horses at some point. He tried his best to stay positive, even though he was afraid. The magic inside him was churning hotly, but he did his best to hold it in check. He wanted to find out as much as he could from the Skellmarians before they knew he was a wizard.
It took almost an hour to reach the clearing where the Skellmarians had set up their camp. It was a large, open space at the foot of several mountains. It was obvious that many Skellmarians had left the camp, although whether they were out on patrols or hatching a plan to invade the valley, Zollin didn’t know. Zollin and Brianna were brought to a small tent made of poorly tanned animal hide. They could smell the stench of sickness: vomit, sweat, and putrefaction. They were pushed down onto their knees and made to wait until a very pale and thin-looking man crawled out of the tent. He rose slowly to his feet and stood swaying as he tried to regain his balance. He had a disgusting looking stump where his arm ended just below the elbow. It was blackened as if they had cauterized the wound with fire. Greenish puss oozed from various spots on the stump and black streaks that looked like lightning bolts stretched up his arm.
Zollin didn’t recognize the man, but he recognized the wound. It was the Skellmarian leader who had fought Mansel. Zollin has used his magic to keep the barbarian from cutting Mansel down, and the young warrior had taken the opportunity to cut off the Skellmarian’s arm. Zollin also realized that the wound wasn’t healing properly. The flesh was highly infected and would eventually kill the man. He wondered if he should offer to heal the Skellmarian leader. He wasn’t sure if that was a good idea or not. Of course, he couldn’t regrow the man’s arm, at least he didn’t think he could, but he could heal the stump and remove the poisoned blood.
“Who are you?” asked the Skellmarian leader.
“My name is Zollin and this is Brianna. We mean you and your people no harm. We’ve come across the valley to hunt the dragon.”
The Skellmarian leader laughed. It was a weak sound, and the other warriors joined in only halfheartedly.
“You are hunting dragons, eh? I think you are spies.”
“No, we are here for the dragon. I’m a wizard. I can—”
But the news that Zollin was a wizard was all the Skellmarian chief heard.
“You are the devil in man skins,” the chief said. “I am Toag, High Chief of the Skellmarians. You shall die slowly.”
“Chief,” Zollin said. “We are not here to fight you.”
“Then you are smart, devil man. None have forgotten your witchery to the Ruggle Clan. Your blood will run for many days to pay that debt.”
“It doesn’t look like you have many days left in this world,” Zollin said, trying not to sound as frightened as he felt. He nodded toward Toag’s stump. “I can heal your arm.”
“I make no deals with devils. The mountain gods forbid it.”
“I’m not a devil, I’m a wizard. I can help. I want to know about the dragon so I can slay it. Surely you do not want the dragon to kill anymore of your kinsmen.”
“I am not concerned with dragons,” Toag said. Then he turned to one of the warriors standing behind Zollin. “Tie him to the tree of pain.”
Chapter 32
Zollin felt rough hands take hold of him. His arms were pulled back and someone grabbed him by the hair. His magic lashed out almost on its own. Sizzling blue energy shot across his body and the men who were touching him were knocked off their feet. Zollin and Brianna’s bonds fell away and Zollin ran to her. Skellmarian warriors surrounded the couple and one by one they attacked. First came a crazed-looking warrior with a bald pate and a long braid from the hair around the crown of his head. He had a large, curved sword and he rushed forward, screaming his war cry. Zollin flipped him high in the air. His body shot up and over the crowd to come crashing down with a sickening crunch on the rocky soil.
Next came a huge man with a club that looked like a small tree. Zollin stood still, pouring his strength into his invisible defense. The giant swung his club, and still Zollin didn’t move. Brianna ducked and covered her head. The club looked like it hit Zollin in the head, and it should have smashed his skull and turned his brain into jelly, but his defensive shield held and the club broke into a thousand pieces. The giant looked dumfounded. He stood staring at his weapon, and Zollin waved his hand as if he were shooing a fly away, but in fact he smashed a wall of magic against the giant warrior and sent him crashing to the ground.
Another warrior came running forward, but the ground turned to liquid in front of him and he fell into the molten rock, his leg snapping and his flesh roasting. He died without a sound. The next warrior took two steps and threw his axe. The Skellmarians were skilled fighters with small axes that they used as climbing tools and also as weapons. The axe flew end over end and should have lodged in Zollin’s chest, but it swerved in the air and circled around the wide-eyed Skellmarians only to hurtle back toward the warrior who had thrown it. Zollin watched sadly as the warrior’s eyes grew round with shock and then the axe slammed into him, knocking him off his feet as it buried itself in his chest.
Then two warriors who were obviously brothers, both wielding large swords, approached. They came slowly, spreading out to attack from two sides at once. Zollin set their swords on fire. The flames appeared suddenly, and both men dropped their weapons. Then Zollin levitated each man a few inches off the ground and sent them crashing together with such force that both were knocked senseless.
“Stop!” Zollin cried. “I have no wish to fight you. I have come to hunt the dragon.”
“He is a devil,” shouted an old woman. “He must be destroyed.”
The Skellmarians shouted their enthu
siastic agreement, and Zollin realized that if he didn’t do something soon, he would tire out before all the warriors were dispatched. He let his magic come roaring out of him, like a volcanic explosion; he sent a shock wave of power out in circle around himself and Brianna. The Skellmarians fell back like a human wave. Only one remained standing. The woman who had taken Brianna’s ring had been at the forefront of the circle, and when everyone else fell, she remained. She was scowling at Zollin and when she saw that she alone remained, she drew her sword. It was a rudely made, short, curved sword. She also drew her pickaxe, the same weapon she had used to cleave the band on the ring. Zollin realized that he had no weapon and that his magic would not work on the woman as long as she had the ring.
Five Kingdoms: Books 01, 02 & 03 Page 111
