“It’s one hundred miles to the Maldavian border, and another six hundred to Padama. On average, the horses can travel thirty miles a day, if they don’t become lame, and provided we don’t run into trouble. By the time we reach the capital, the King may be dead,” Ramla said. “Can you not use your magic to speed our travels? The wizard and children vanished by mysterious means; can we not do the same?”
“Transportation spells are difficult, especially with this many men. I’d give our horses wings, but I fear Karnok will reverse any spell I cast, and falling from such a height would kill us. The moment I use magic, Captain Ramla, Karnok will come for me. This time, he might not send giant snakes; I can’t be sure what he’ll send, or whether he’ll come himself, but it will be dangerous for all of you.”
“Danger is what I live for, Mistress. I am used to catching criminals, and I suggest we set a trap for this sorcerer. Once we have him, you can dispose of him as you see fit, and then hasten our journey to Padama. Agreed?”
“Agreed, sir. What is your idea? I’m listening.”
“It’s simple. I’ll send five riders in different directions, while someone wearing your armor rides ahead. Alone. When the sorcerer takes the bait, you and the rest of my men will close the trap.”
“I assume you are volunteering to be the bait?” Taliesin asked, and the captain nodded. “Captain Ramla, you are very brave. If I thought I couldn’t trust you, I’d turn you and your men into pebbles, and leave you on the road.” She did not intend to give Ramla the ring of Tarquin Draconus; however, she was able to peel off a single small scale. It weakened her armor each time she removed a scale, which she’d done only once, for Hawk, but she held back, wondering if this was the right decision.
“Apparently, you have had little dealings with the men of Erindor. Our word is our bond, and I give mine—I will help you catch this sorcerer. But I cannot promise I will let you kill him; I want that pleasure for myself. For Dahkla. In the meantime, Mistress, allow my men to raise the cobra banner and hold it high. It will be seen from afar, and more Erindor soldiers will join us. There is safety in numbers. My lieutenant, Achmed, can be trusted, and if I die, he will make certain the Red Cobras get you home.”
Taliesin wanted the sorcerer dead and didn’t care who killed him. The captain set the plan into action with quick orders, and riders split away from the main group and headed down separate paths. She placed the red scale in Ramla’s hand, and then turned her ring, making her own armor vanish. Ramla handed Taliesin his cloak before he pressed the single red scale against the back of his hand, which was all it took for red, dragon-scale armor to appear. His spiked helmet grew small wings, and a nose guard in the shape of a tail appeared. The only difference from the armor she’d worn was Ramla’s copy lacked strength and density. Taliesin placed his cloak around her shoulders. She removed the map from around her neck for another quick look, and again willed it to appear as a board. Once it was on her lap, Taliesin located Karnok ten miles north, waiting in a ravine. But he wasn’t the only enemy in the area; two Wolf Packs coming from the northeast had passed Sertorius’ army on the King’s Road, and continued to move quickly toward her.
Lieutenant Achmed rode forward and saluted Taliesin. Ramla lifted a red banner with gold trim in the air, galloped ahead of the Red Cobras, and quickly disappeared from sight. Taliesin hoped Karnok would take the bait and make an appearance before the Wolfmen found them, and more Red Cobras would arrive to help.
With Achmed in the lead, they rode through rolling hills towards the ravine and passed a small village. Five Red Cobras rode out of the village and joined them. The scouts returned, each followed by several Red Cobras met on the road, and circled to the far side of the ravine.
The villages in northern Erindor were close together and had not been attacked by Sertorius’ army. To Taliesin’s surprise, more Red Cobras continued to flow toward them, until more than two hundred men in red cloaks rode behind her and the lieutenant. The Red Cobras were not the regular soldiers in the Erindor army, as she had first thought, but a special group assigned to protect the country folk and to enforce the duke’s laws. She glanced at the map again; the Wolf Packs had changed course, and were heading toward the ravine where Ramla was, and she glanced in concern at Lieutenant Achmed.
“Your captain is in trouble,” Taliesin said, as two more riders approached from the west, their horses stirring dust in their wake. “The Wolf Clan must have been summoned by Karnok, and now come to his aid. I must go to Ramla. Stay on this course, Lieutenant Achmed, and join us as soon as you can.”
“Captain Ramla would not approve, Raven Mistress,” the officer said. “He wants us all to arrive at the ravine at the same time; I know how he thinks.”
“If I don’t leave now, your captain will be killed. I’ve lost enough friends, and I refuse to lose another.”
Taliesin tied the map around her neck, placed her hand on her horse’s neck, and imagined large black raven wings. Feathers sprouted from the horse’s shoulders, but instead of a flying horse, she turned the animal into a colossal raven. She gave a tug on the reins and smiled as the animal obeyed and flew into the air. The horse was intelligent and handled well. She passed over another village, saw riders in red scrambling to mount their horses, and continued toward the ravine. Taliesin coaxed her mount to fly faster with a tap of her heels, and whispered as she leaned forward, telling it to fly lower. The giant raven dipped and entered the shallow ravine, where she spotted a lone rider in red armor on a white horse. As the bird flew over Captain Ramla, he waved at her, and shouted in alarm. Taliesin glanced forward as the bird let out a piercing screech, its talons clutching a gold lance protruding from its side. She tapped her magical ring and her red armor appeared as the bird spiraled downward, and Ringerike gave a soft hum of warning. Taliesin waited until the last moment before she jumped and landed on her feet, while the unfortunate bird crashed into the ground, feathers flying in all directions.
“Taliesin!” Ramla cried out.
The captain rode toward her at full tilt, his horse jumping a ditch, until he reined in beside her and held out a firm hand. Taliesin took his hand, and he pulled her onto his horse. Ramla’s timely response saved her from another golden lance that slammed into the ground next to them. The hairs on her arms rose as Karnok, draped in a black cloak, appeared before them, a gold lance in his hand. As he raised it into the air, the lance he’d previously thrown jerked out of the ground and flew at them. The sorcerer vanished from sight, but the lance he’d lifted also raced toward them.
“Do something,” Ramla shouted. “They’re gaining on us!”
“Like what?”
A backward thrown arm knocked Taliesin off the horse. She bounced three times in her dragon-scale armor before she came to a halt, dirt in her eyes and mouth, as the lances stabbed into the ground on either side of her. Uncertain of Captain Ramla’s intentions, she jumped to her feet and drew Ringerike as the lances vanished. The sorcerer appeared in the tall grass ahead of her, and smiled wide before he turned into a giant black adder.
“Must it be snakes? I hate snakes!” she shouted.
Taliesin spotted Ramla turning his horse to return and help her, but she didn’t wait; she ran toward Karnok with her sword raised overhead. The giant black snake lifted its head, eyes glowing bright red, and lunged. A blue light, shaped like a shield, appeared in front of Taliesin and blocked the snake’s attack. She swung the sword, cutting deep into the snake’s body, and received a blow from its tail that sent her flying through the air. Ringerike pulled her upwards to keep her from hitting the ground, and with a hard yank, turned her to face Karnok.
“I have summoned the Wolf Pack,” Karnok hissed. “All I need to do is keep you occupied a while longer, and you will be surrounded.”
Taliesin reached out with her left gauntlet, imagined Karnok caught in her grip, and watched as the snake’s entire body stiffened. The enormous head bobbed, and the tip of the tail twitched, but the rest of the ad
der was caught in her invisible grip. Her sword raised, prepared to strike. Karnok morphed into a man. He bled from a cut in his side and gazed at Taliesin in shock as he tried to wiggle his fingers. Frustrated, his eyes widened instead, and twin fireballs shot toward her. The blue shield reappeared and the fireballs ricocheted, setting the grass on fire. She swung Ringerike and felt a strange ripple in the air as Karnok futilely attempted to deflect the blow. The sword struck true, and sliced Karnok’s head from his shoulders with a spray of blood, sending it flying into the grass. His body dropped with a thud.
“Well deserved,” Taliesin muttered, with a flick of her sword that caused tiny droplets of blood to land on the grass. She leaned forward to wipe off the remaining blood, and flinched when a horse snorted. She dropped to the ground as a white horse sailed over her prone body, followed by three furry shapes.
Three giant wolves had arrived ahead of the Wolf Pack patrols and were pursuing Ramla, who turned his horse to fight. His scimitar flashed in the morning sunlight as he impaled the lead wolf, but horse and rider were dragged to the earth by the other two. Ramla managed to rise to his feet, but his horse remained down as he swung his scimitar at the wolves. Taliesin ran toward her friend, using magic to enhance her speed, and plunged her sword into the back of one of the beasts. The captain sliced off the third wolf’s head. She stabbed the wolf again and then ran to the first wolf as it tried to rise. The Raven Sword plunged into its body, killing it, and she drew back her arm as it turned into a naked man.
“That was a close call,” Ramla said. He walked to his horse, knelt in the grass, and lifted his sword. “Forgive me, old friend.”
Taliesin turned away, unable to watch Ramla slit the wounded animal’s throat, though he ended its pain. She heard Ramla’s sobs and gave him a moment to compose himself, but distant howls caused the sword to quiver in her hand. Taliesin grabbed the captain’s arm, and without speaking, pulled Ramla away from the dead horse, and they ran toward a line of sycamore trees. They took shelter behind a large sycamore and panted to catch their breaths as the howls grew louder.
“I’m sorry,” Taliesin said.
“We had a plan. Why did you change it?”
“I spotted two Wolf Packs headed toward you, so I came to help. Karnok must have summoned them before he faced me,” Taliesin said. “The good news is the Red Cobras have flocked to the banner, and as long as Sertorius doesn’t send reinforcements, we can rejoin them. The bad news is fifty men travel in a single Wolf Pack, and if they find any Red Cobras along the way, those numbers will grow.”
Her sword vibrated seconds before a twig snapped, and a low growl alerted Taliesin and Ramla they were no longer alone. Taliesin heard the deep, rapid breaths of a wolf from the other side of the tree. She motioned for Ramla to remain where he was and stepped around the tree, gasping as the wolf rose onto its hind legs and morphed into its Wolfen form. It did not care she was Wolfen, and let out a vicious snarl as it drew up to its full seven feet. With a jerk, Ringerike pulled from her hand and drove into the creature’s belly, taking it to the ground, where it turned into human form. It was an Erindorian, which meant either one of the scouts had been caught and turned, or fresh recruits had come from a nearby town or village.
“Do you know this man, Ramla?”
“You don’t mean the Wolf Clan has already claimed their first victim,” he grumbled as he came around the tree. He stared down at the body. “Yes, it’s one of my scouts. We’d best head toward the rest of the….” He fell silent.
The captain pointed behind Taliesin, a look of abject terror on his face, and she spun. Dozens of wolves flowed over a ridge, entered the ravine, and quickly ran toward where they stood among the trees. She needed to get them both out of there, but they didn’t have horses; however, she did have Ramla. Taliesin had seen only one dragon in her lifetime, Bonaparte, a gold dragon who lived in the ruins of Ascalon and was the last of his kind on the continent. An enormous reptile, beautiful and terrible to behold, he was able to change his appearance into the likeness of a human. Bonaparte was her friend, and had given her his true name, Tristakus, which enabled her to call him in time of need; but this was not the time. She pointed her finger at Ramla, imagined Bonaparte, and watched, amazed as the captain turned into a red dragon, not gold, right down to the triangular spiked-tail. Ringerike lifted her upward and she landed on the captain’s back, wedged between two large scales.
“I’m not sure what you expect me to do, Raven Mistress, but for the moment, I think I may be sick,” the captain said, belching. Smoke sputtered out of his jaws in three large clouds that reeked of the last thing he’d eaten.
“I expect you to fight, Captain Ramla,” Taliesin said, “for the Wolf Packs have found us, and if we’re to survive this day, we must both perform miracles.”
* * * * *
Chapter Six
The Wolf Packs merged as they raced toward the dragon. Ramla clumsily turned, his tail lashing trees with a loud crash. Taliesin stroked his neck, trying to calm him, for unless she coaxed him into the air, the wolves would be on them within seconds.
“Don’t be scared, Captain,” Taliesin said, though her voice trembled. “Imagine you can fly, just like a bird, and flap your wings.” She patted his neck. “Try it, but whatever you do, don’t fly too low or look at the ground.”
“You’ve done this before,” he crowed, flapping his wings.
“Many times,” she lied. “Come on! You can do this, Ramla!”
Ramla flew upwards with absolutely no grace or clue about how to behave as a deadly dragon. Taliesin gazed over his side and watched the wolves as they reached the center of the ravine. They ran in circles as the dragon lifted higher with each stroke of his reptilian wings. The captain’s shout came out as a loud roar, and a cloud of smoke rolled out of his jaws. He tested his new skills and flew south, followed by the pack, gaining confidence and speed. Ramla swooped toward the Red Cobras as they arrived in large numbers, and turned to roar at the oncoming Wolf Pack. He dove at the lead wolves, talons extended to scoop up two, and scattered the front lines. As Ramla rose, crunching the wolves in his grip, the Red Cobras pointed their scimitars and spears, and they charged the pack.
Taliesin had a view for miles in all directions from her vantage point atop Ramla. She focused to the west, where a large cloud of dust churned. The dragon noticed as well, and while men and wolves fought below, flew toward the cloud. Taliesin gasped at the sight of Sertorius’ banners; his entire army of green-cloaked Garridan troops and the Knights of Chaos approached the ravine. Karnok had apparently summoned all allies in the vicinity, sacrificing his life to give Sertorius time to arrive.
“Your men are outnumbered, Captain Ramla! Only you can turn the tide! You must attack Sertorius’ army! Think like a dragon! Fight like a dragon!”
The captain flew straight at the front lines of the advancing army. Black smoke belched from his mouth as he coughed. He tried again and spewed flame from his jaws, striking the knights in the lead. Fire spread from man, to horse, to grass, fanned by his wings as he passed over the army.
The Garridan troops fell back, while the Knights of Chaos, uninjured by fire, rode forward to assist the Wolf Pack. Ramla decided to fly after the knights and breathed fire at their backs. Taliesin swiveled and saw the Garridan cavalry move around the infantry to take a defensive position at the northern end of the ravine. She gazed upwards, caught sight of clouds, and with a wave of her hand, sent them rolling to the north. A flash of lightning appeared as a storm brewed and held back the cavalry, while Ramla continued to breath fire at the Knights of Chaos.
The Red Cobras grouped together as the enemy knights, led by Sir Barstow, charged with lances lowered. The Wolf Pack ran with the knights, and Taliesin knew the Red Cobras would be killed if she didn’t help her new friends. The dragon overtook the knights and Barstow turned and lifted his lance as Ringerike burst into a bright blue light.
The knights, one hundred in all, veered from the Red Cobra
s, split into two groups, and wheeled their horses around, as the Wolf Pack attacked the Red Cobras. Sir Barstow raised his lance higher as his horse slowed, allowing the rest of his knights to ride forward. Taliesin wondered what the fat knight was doing, until she heard a loud swooshing and turned to see hundreds of arrows, from archers hidden behind the cavalry, whiz straight toward Ramla at a tremendous speed. He flapped his wings hard and created a gale that blew the arrows to the ground, then turned his head to spew fire at the Wolf Pack. Taliesin turned her head to avoid a cloud of smoke and spotted Sir Morgrave and the Knights of Chaos maneuvering to attack the Red Cobras’ right flank. Meanwhile, members of the Wolf Pack burned, while others, snapping and snarling, attempted to break through the Red Cobras’ lowered spears.
“Protect the Red Cobras,” Taliesin shouted.
Red-hot flames burst from Ramla’s jaws as he swept low, creating a large shadow on the ground, and struck Sir Morgrave’s knights. The dragon continued to belch fire as he turned to attack the giant wolves. The Wolf Pack raced off with howls of pain and fury, leaving behind their scorched companions. The knights baked in their armor, and riders and horses sizzled on the ground as Ramla landed in front of the Red Cobras. His strong wings beat the air as his long neck lowered, pointed ears flat against his skull, and with a roar he breathed more flames to the left and right, scorching wolves, Wolfen, and knights.
Taliesin heard the thunderous pounding of hooves, turned toward the right flank, and saw Sir Barstow and Sir Duroc arriving with more knights. She pointed Ringerike at them and the sword shot a wave of pure magic from its tip that knocked riders and horses to the ground. Sir Barstow nosedived over the head of his horse and planted his face in the ground, while Sir Duroc’s horse toppled onto its back, crushing the knight beneath its heavy body.
Queen of Magic Page 7
