“Why wouldn’t I?” the taller man sneered. “She’s been feisty ever since I met her and damn good with a club, let me tell you. I simply gave her an upgrade, putting the blade on the end.”
Placing his stone in his pocket, Rey poured a glass of water for each of them from their elvish wine bottle. “I think we have a fighting chance. Amicia did well with her enchantments.”
“Obviously, she did well,” Lamwen began, stopping short when she appeared next to her husband.
“How was the training?” she huffed without preamble.
“Fine,” Piers toasted with his cooling drink. “You have improved our odds for certain.”
“Then let’s make a little test run, shall we?” she suggested, pulling off her robe and hunting for her bow.
“Test run?” Jarrowan asked as he joined them. “I thought this was the test.”
“No, I mean against a real enemy. The northern pack will stand against us when we march with the trolls for the dwarf mountain,” she clipped, her voice holding undertones of anger.
“And how do you know this?” Piers frowned.
“I saw Yaodus today. I asked them to be ready to go in three days, and he said the wolves have been hanging around more than ever, causing problems,” she explained. “I think we should attack them now, when it will be a surprise, and get them out of the way.”
“Ok,” Rey agreed, fidgeting with his sword. “Where do we find them?”
“Search the woods with our orbs,” Meena suggested. “We all are adept at them by now.”
Each pulling out their device, or at least all who owned one, they combed the forest until Edeill had been located.
“He’s close to Sevoassi’s cottage,” Animir observed. “Do you think they know we have been there?” The thought of the pack hanging around and waiting for their return was disturbing, in the least.
“I fear that they might. We should transport there, since they are close, and we can move from that location,” Amicia suggested. “Everyone bring your stone and your weapon for a proper fight.”
Grouping together, each of those practiced at transporting claimed the hand or arm of one who could not, and together they traveled the distance in the blink of an eye. Arriving next to the gnome home they had hidden within after Amicia’s unfortunate transfiguration, they formed a ring and looked around.
“See anything?” Piers whispered loudly.
Using her orb, Ami pointed. “I believe they are this way.”
“As do I,” Meena agreed.
Moving towards them, they found the pack moving along the trail they had used back when they had ridden upon their backs. “Good. We can follow them until they make camp for the night,” Rey suggested.
“I think we should transport ahead, or at least part of us, and get on with the fight,” Amicia grunted.
“I’m with Ami,” Zaendra hissed. “I do not wish to wait in case something should go wrong.”
“All right. Ami, Rey, Hayt, and Zaendra all jump ahead of them. Stop for a chat if you like, and we will push in from behind,” Piers suggested.
“Sounds good,” Amicia agreed, offering her hand to her husband for the transport.
A moment later, the four of them stood upon the trail as the wolves came into view. Reaching out to the wolf, Amicia announced her presence. “Edeill.”
“Amicia Spicer?” he replied in surprise.
“Wonderful. You haven’t forgotten me. We’re on the path ahead of you, and would like to talk,” she suggested.
“You are here – now?” he growled, unsure what they could possibly need to discuss.
“Yes, straight ahead of you,” she repeated.
“And how do you know of our location?”
“Much has changed since we last met,” she hinted. “Perhaps we should come to you. Take a rest, and we will be right there.”
“I wouldn’t advise that,” he spat. “As you said, much has changed.”
Her face growing tense, she placed an arrow on her string as she announced, “He doesn’t sound happy to hear from me.”
“Then we won’t worry about the chatter,” the dwarf laughed, hoisting his new axe and preparing to swing it.
“Don’t forget your shield,” Zae said with a grin, equally anxious for the fight.
The wolves were on them before he could reply, the first leaping and landing on him squarely. To everyone’s surprise, the creature bounced, flying backwards and landing against a tree with a loud thud, followed by a series of yelps.
“It works!” Amicia shouted with glee, sending her arrow flying, then another.
The rest of their group close behind, they filtered into the small clearing from all sides, their swords singing as they swung them through the air.
With the aid of their enchanted stones, the wolves were prevented from landing a single blow, and their tough hides were no match for the special blades and arrows. Within a few minutes, two of the giant wolves lay dead and several more severely injured.
“What trickery is this!” Edeill growled as Ami and Rey held him cornered by a large trunk.
“I have become friends with the gnomes,” she grinned, raising her chin to indicate the ossci. “They have taught me much since we last met.”
His yellow eyes burning, he glared at Lamwen, the aura of the dragon unmistakable. “So, you have learned of your true nature.”
“Yes,” she hissed. “I have even carried my wings. One day soon, I will reclaim them forever.”
“If that is true, why do you still stand before me as a mortal of the rim?” the wolf growled in disgust.
“Because it suits me,” Amicia laughed. “I am Kaliwyn, heir to the throne of Eriden,” she proclaimed. “I do as I please.”
Edeill lowered his head, but he did not appear to be groveling. He looked as if he were plotting.
“Hear my words, wolf. I intend to let you go if you tell me what I want to know, on a given condition,” she insisted.
“Name your terms,” the alpha spat.
“Why do you torment the trolls?”
“Because Queen Cilithrand demands it,” he sneered.
“You take orders from the elf?” Amicia gasped in surprise, cutting her eyes over at Animir as she did so.
“She sent a party to meet with me long ago,” he explained. “We came to an agreement, and she has been sharing with me telepathically ever since.”
“When she has a job for you,” Animir speculated.
“You could say that,” the wolf agreed. “Anything else you feel entitled to know?”
“If I let you leave this place, we shall not meet again,” Amicia threatened. “If we do, I’ll take it upon myself to rid the forest of your existence. And be sure you don’t go anywhere near the trolls as well.”
Laughing at her, Edeill barked orders to his pack. “Leave the bodies and meet at the base of the waterfall.” Bowing to the girl, he howled, then leapt past her as he trotted down the trail.
Sides to be Won
“Why didn’t we kill them?” Reynard growled when they had returned to their camp at Falconmarsh.
“What?” Amicia replied, taken off guard by his anger.
“The wolves,” he snapped. “We had them dead to rights. We could have left their bodies where they lay and been rid of the whole pack. But instead, you let them go.”
“We’re not murderers, Rey,” she sighed. “We made our point and learned a bit in the process. I don’t think they will be any more trouble.”
“Trouble,” the Mate grumbled, not eager to join the argument.
“If you have something to say, lets hear it,” Ami stated more forcefully. “You used to trust my choices.”
“Aye, but I fear your judgment has become clouded,” their leader snarled, glaring at Lamwen.
Drawn to her defense, the man-dragon replied, “It is not our place to wipe out the northern pack because they do not agree with our cause. Kaliwyn knows what she is doing.”
“Ah, back to her d
ragon name, I see,” Rey spat, sharing his foul gaze between them. Turning his back, he marched into the forest, Lamwen in close pursuit.
“Is that how it is?” the newcomer snapped when he caught him. Grabbing his arm, he forced the other man around.
“How what is?” Rey replied tartly, glaring at him through narrow slits.
“You pick a fight with her and then run away.”
Rey clenched his jaw, causing the veins in his neck to ripple below the flesh. “Mind your own, dragon.”
“Kaliwyn is my own, or have you forgotten?”
“Amicia is my wife in name and practice. She does not belong to you in any way.”
“So, that’s what this is about, is it?” Lamwen observed, his eyes flicking down to take in the other man’s clenched teeth. Still toe to toe with him, he laughed boisterously, “You are angry that we share her.”
His fists clenched, Rey bit, “We do not share Amicia. I’m not sure how you convinced her to spend the night –”
“Watch your tongue,” Lamwen cut him off. “She may look like a mortal of the rim, but I assure you she is as dragon as I am.”
“That’s why you took human form, isn’t it?” Rey accused, stabbing him in the chest with a stiff digit. “You think you can steal her away from me. But you won’t.”
“I didn’t need to take this body for that,” Lamwen snarled. “She has loved me of her own accord. I have tasted her of her own free will,” he scoffed, “and will do so again.”
“Not if I can help it,” Rey pushed back.
Glaring at him, Lamwen’s mind raced. “You know, I have learned much since I took this form, living in the flesh and blood of a mortal. To be given a mate as a dragon is an honor. Most males live their lives alone, without the company of a female. You have been lucky, Reynard Daye, but somehow I doubt you have seen it.”
“What, so you want me to feel sorry for you?” Rey quipped.
“Not at all,” Lamwen replied, much calmer. “My eyes have been opened, if you will. I understand her choice and what lies before her. Kaliwyn is the queen of Eriden, or good as. It is not her place to extinguish the inhabitants of her kingdom. The war will end, and there is all that comes after that must be considered.” Taking a step back, he grew thoughtful, his gaze distant. “Perhaps I should rethink my primal desires and the pressure I have placed upon her.”
“That makes a lot of sense,” Rey grumbled, certain the other man was toying with him. “Do you have any idea how long I have waited for her?”
“I know exactly how long,” Lamwen coughed. “You forget I have hunted you for most of it. But I have no need to press her to abandon you so harshly. The time will come with or without my insistence.”
“Hardly,” Rey sniffed, angry tears forming in his eyes. “We have spoken our vows, and if you leave her alone, they will hold.”
“Oh, Rey,” the man-dragon’s voice fell as he shook his head. The human before him had become his friend, and his candor should be tempered with caring; Amicia had taught him that. “What do you think will happen when she retakes her dragon form? Your bond will be broken. Unless you intend to live the rest of your days as a dragon, but I daresay you would be disappointed.”
“Why would that disappoint me? To have my life with her, I can think of nothing sweeter.”
“Dragons are not like men,” Lamwen informed him, his anger purged. “Our rituals are quite different. No making love beneath the stars. As fantastic as it was to be with her, I know it will not be so when we have returned to Adiarwen. Even if she becomes my mate, our procreation is far less…” His voice drifted away as he searched for the right word.
His face shifting to a bright red, Rey accused, “I suppose your animalistic barbarism suits her better.” Lifting his fists, he stepped towards him as if to pummel him. Holding to a single punch, he split the other man’s lip and waited for the return blow, ready for an all-out brawl should he get one.
“I’m sure she enjoyed it,” Lamwen grinned, stepping back from the challenge. Dabbing the drops of blood, then licking at the flow, he held up open palms of surrender. He deserved the beating and would have enjoyed the fight, but there was far more at stake that they had to resolve. “But that is not the point, my friend. You may love her in your own way until her choice is made, but you cannot let your limited view of the world trick your heart, or hers. Do not berate her for her duties as our leader. She must act as our sovereign and the Supreme Dragoness without fear of reprisal from you.”
Wiping at his face, Rey’s rage slowly ebbed. “The wolves will tell Cilithrand what happened. They will stand against us at every turn, and our element of surprise will be gone.”
“We will adapt and deal with what comes,” Lamwen assured, indicating the camp. “Let us return to the others and decide calmly what course we should take. Do not let this disagreement between us cloud what we must accomplish.”
Noticing their gruff demeanors and Lamwen’s swollen injury when they returned, Amicia reached out to the dragon anxiously. “What did you say to him?” Her eyes roving over Rey, she could see no harm had come to him, at least nothing physical.
“I only shared the truth,” he grinned. Flicking his eyes over at her and brushing his lip gently, he praised his restraint inwardly. Aloud, he announced, “We should move up our timetable. Rey is right, our element of surprise will be lost, and we should adjust our intentions.”
“I’m still not certain this hopping around will work,” Piers growled, having brooded over the matter while the other two men quarreled in the trees.
Standing taller, Lamwen defended, “You are short-sighted, I believe. Yes, we want to win, but it cannot be at all cost.”
“Exactly,” Amicia agreed, stirring the pot that had begun to simmer. “I know you want to crush our enemies, but what good does it do to win if all that we hold dear has been destroyed? We cannot allow that to happen, and we certainly cannot be the force that brings such annihilation.”
“We should go to Riran and retrieve the sirens as quickly as possible,” Lamwen suggested, his gazed fixed on Oldrilin’s hunched form. “They have suffered greatly in these decades of uncertainty, and I fear their rescue is critical if they are to survive.”
“Agreed,” Amicia smiled at their small friend.
“If you’re going after the mermaids, then I should lead our troops to the glen,” Jarrowan suggested. “If the dragons are divided to search for the sirens, it will be more difficult for me to complete my task. I need to do this before they can be split.”
“Then we should perform your transformation this evening, that you may be recovered through the night and take your flight before dawn,” Amicia suggested.
His frown in place, the Mate grumbled, “All these plans.”
“It will be all right, love,” Meena interjected. “I see the logic in wishing to preserve as much of our kingdom as we can.”
“What about the trolls?” Piers insisted. “Will they be ready to march against the dwarves?”
“I told them three days,” Amicia nodded. “They will be ready to leave when we get there. And do not fret, we will use the transposition to transverse most of the distance if we are able. Until then, I will recharge the shield stones and ready our weapons. Rey and Animir can see that the sirens are settled along the shore, with the ossci’s help if they would like.”
“It won’t take three days to recharge the stones,” Rey challenged.
“I know. I have one other place I wish to visit, and I think I need to go alone,” she replied, hardly above a whisper.
“Then our plans are set,” Lamwen announced, ending the discussion. “Should we perform the transformation now or after the meal?”
“After,” Jarrowan grinned. “I have come to appreciate their evening stew.”
Laughter rippled around the group at his observation as they dispersed to enjoy what they could of what would be their last evening before the storm.
Return to Riran
“This
is the place where I made camp,” Rey informed her, showing Ami the location with her golden orb.
“It looks nice,” she agreed. “Will they have access to the water?”
“Yes. It’s not the sandy beach they enjoy now, but none of the shoreline on this side appears to be,” he sighed. “I think they can get by, though.”
“Then you and Animir will go and see that it is ready. A throne-stone for Olirassa and anything else you can think of to make them comfortable in their exile.”
Listening to her speak, Reynard could hear the sadness in her voice. Lamwen’s words had weighed heavily upon him during the night. “I’m sorry I doubted your judgment,” he whispered.
Cutting her eyes up at him, she scowled, “I don’t have time to worry about us right now.”
“I know, and that’s not what I meant,” he insisted. “I know you have a lot on your shoulders, and I certainly don’t mean to add to your burden.”
“Then do as I ask and don’t say anything else,” she clipped, inhaling deeply to clear her thoughts.
“Aye,” he grumbled, leaving her to locate Animir. Finding him and Oldrilin together on the north end of the valley, he spat, “You ready?”
“Yes. I have gathered what I can from the siren about their needs. We should be able to prepare a suitable place for them,” he grinned.
“Great. Then let’s get to it. They will be arriving between midday and early evening at the latest.” Turning to the siren, he asked, “Are you sure you don’t want to come with us? We don’t mind you being there,” he assured. “You won’t be in the way.”
Looking up with large blue eyes, she smiled, “Rey Daye make Lin’s new home?”
“Temporary home, yes. Come on. You can come back here with us when we return,” he offered.
Reaching for his hand, she accepted the invitation. Taking his other arm, the elf transported the trio to their destination, and they set to work on their task.
Dragon of Eriden - The Complete Collection Page 91
