by LeRoy Clary
The Last Dragon: Book Four
LeRoy Clary
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
The Last Dragon: Book Four
1st Edition
Copyright © 2019 LeRoy Clary
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
Cover Design Contributors: Bigstock
Editor: Karen Clary
Acknowledgments
Good books are written by several exceptional people, all of whom have my thanks. This group sets my limits and helps establish the foundations for my books, keeping me on track as they progress.
My beta readers, Lucy Jones-Nelson, Laurie Barcome, Paul Eslinger, Dave Nelson, Sherri Oliver, and Pat Wyrembelski, all found lots of things for me to correct, and to improve. Thank you all. I want to publish the best books I can, and they are certainly better with your help.
My wife puts up with me and deserves extra credit for her help with the covers and her ideas—and she gives me the time to write.
And my dog, Molly. She sits at my feet and watches me write every day.
Books by LeRoy Clary
The 6th Ransom
Blade of Lies: The Mica Silverthorne Story
Here, There Be Dragons
The Last Dragon: Book One
The Last Dragon: Book Two
The Last Dragon: Book Three
The Mage’s Daughter Series
The Mage’s Daughter: Discovery
The Mage’s Daughter: Enlightenment
The Mage’s Daughter: Retribution
Dragon! Series
Dragon! Book One: Stealing the Egg
Dragon! Book Two: Gareth’s Revenge
Dragon Clan Series
Dragon Clan: In the Beginning (short introduction)
Dragon Clan #1: Camilla’s Story
Dragon Clan #2: Raymer’s Story
Dragon Clan #3: Fleet’s Story
Dragon Clan #4: Gray’s Story
Dragon Clan #5: Tanner’s Story
Dragon Clan #6: Anna’s Story
Dragon Clan #7: Shill’s Story
Dragon Clay #8: Creed’s Story
TABLE OF CONTENT
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
CHAPTER THIRTY
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Contact Information
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CHAPTER ONE
The Slave-Master caught my eye from across the flickering flames of the small campfire. He said, “You look very satisfied with yourself.”
“More like trying to figure you out and getting nowhere.” My tone was not unfriendly, just cautious and truthful, considering the circumstances of our meeting.
His laughter rumbled in the cold night air. “Me? What’s there to figure out? I’m just a simple Slave-Master trying to earn enough gold for my next meal or two.”
I snorted in derision. “Liar. You buy and sell slaves, ruin the lives of people, and yet we find you are seemingly willing to help us kill the Young Mage and re-establish order in the three kingdoms. If that happens, we will abolish slaves, no matter how much mineral wealth lies underground in the mountains of Kaon, nor how many hands are required to dig it.”
I had kept my tone civil and calm despite my inward anger at his flippancy about a subject so vile. Somehow, we’d come to respect each other, if not become friends. Our beginning, with me the slave and him the owner, hadn’t eased the process.
The news that Avery, the personal servant of the Heir Apparent of Dire, had brought earlier stirred the entire camp to discuss those matters deep into the night. The lull in the conversation was because everyone was tired and still considering the impact of his revelations. He’d told us a minor revolt had begun in the small city of Vin, grown within a few days, and was rapidly spreading throughout Kondor. Troops supporting the rightful king’s heir were already marching across the mountain pass to the burned city of Trager to retake that city and restore a king to rule from the last surviving members of the royal family.
Avery had also told us that Prince Angle, the man who owned the duplicate sword of the one I wore, the sword that “sang” when near mine, had seized his rightful place as the crown prince. We had called him Fielding when we first met, and before we knew who he was. His real name was Prince Angle. When his father’s brother, King Flan the Revealer, had been murdered, along with the rest of the royal family of Vin. Believed to be dead, he changed his name and cleverly joined the army that chased him. He had hidden within their ranks as he watched and planned to overthrow the bastard government headed by the Young Mage.
The Slave-Master said, “I was hoping for a game of blocks with you tonight.”
“Have you been practicing? I would hate to spend a boring evening playing with a man that I’ve beaten every time we played.”
It was his turn to snort. He didn’t have to reply. We’d only played once—so my statement was the truth and he knew it.
My attention shifted to more immediate matters, although I was glad for Fielding and looked forward to meeting with him again and comparing stories about our swords, the only two in our kingdoms, or anywhere, that sang. When close to each other in battle, they emitted a keening so loud and distracting the two opponents couldn’t cross swords. Oddly, nobody else heard the sounds.
Those few seated around the campfire were the only people to know most of what was happening in the three kingdoms, Dire, Kondor, and Kaon—and they were our friends. I felt warmer than the lingering heat thrown from the orange coals of the campfire.
Anna’s words sprang into my mind and we spoke without using our voices, *The Slave-Master likes you, you know. Also, I think he has a crush on your sister.*
*Kendra?* I shot back.
Wry amusement came with her mental response, *Do you have any other sisters to confuse the issue of which one?*
I glanced Anna’s way to find a wide smile awaiting and couldn’t help returning it with one of my own. For days, the Slave-Master and Kendra had argued extensively over which of them was the strongest, the toughest, the most ruthless. His huge body concealed muscle and a mental toughness few realized. She exceeded his toughness by being canny, intelligent, and brutal when required. The idea he felt affection for her hadn’t occurred to me. I wondered if she reciprocated any feelings.
Turning to Avery, I said, “Say, how did you escape and find your way here? You didn’t know where we were. The Young Mage said he took you captive and had his men escort you out in the desert.”
Avery adjusted his worn and tattered Wandering Priest robe. He had used it to disguise his feelings in a similar way that he used to do with expensive brocaded tunics in Crestfallen Palace. The slight sneer he used to wear was missing, but I had no doubt it would soon return along with his superior attitude when we arrived back home.
He said, “I didn’t. The two Kaon warriors sent by the Slave-Master emerged from the near dawn as if by magic. They came out of the darkness with skill and silence. Those great curved swords were already swinging in huge arcs when I woke. The guards sent by the Young Mage never noticed the invaders until the battle was almost over. One Kaon warrior leaped to my side as I lay there, and he stepped on my head to keep me from standing and getting it removed, while his blade sliced through at least three of them with one massive swing. The other Kaon warrior was free to kill many more since he didn’t have to worry about protecting me.”
“Only two Kaon did all that? How many were guarding you?”
He glanced at the pair of warriors who were sitting on either side of the Slave-Master, their eyes always roaming, alert. They remained mute. He shrugged when they didn’t answer. “Twenty? Maybe a few more than that. After they freed me, and we began our journey here, we encountered a man traveling alone in the desert. It was Will, the hero appointed by the king to guard our princess. He recognized me, even in my priestly disguise. He was searching for Elizabeth to take up his duties again. So, we brought him with us.”
My attention drifted back to the fat Slave-Master who was eating again, stuffing his mouth full of food before chewing. His girth was twice mine. He’d told me once that the only way to become a leader of Kaon Warriors was to challenge and defeat one of them in single-battle to the death—and he was a leader, if not the leader of the Kaon. They didn’t respect any others.
His belly was larger around than my chest, his chin had another jiggling under the first, and even his fingers were fat like country sausages. I’d once played a game of blocks with him and knew he was relentless, conniving, sly, and unforgiving. Yet, how he managed to defeat one of the massive warriors in a contest to the death was beyond me. I’d make it a duty to find out when we defeated the Young Mage.
The man who called himself Flier sat on the ground beside Princess Elizabeth. Will, the protector that the King of Dire had ordered to watch over her, sat watchfully nearby, as always. My quirky mind made a list of us while trying to be brutally honest. We were a slaver, a princess, her protector, a former messenger for the King of Vin, a servant for the princess—actually two of us—the head servant for the Heir Apparent of Dire, and a little girl of about twelve or thirteen who talked to me in my mind without words.
There were others, of course, but they were not directly involved. The Kaon warriors might be of service to us as protectors, but the slaves chained together wouldn’t, unless we used them as decoys or misdirection.
That made eight of us in the ragtag “inner circle” that intended to battle and defeat the strongest mage who had ever existed. Of the eight, I might be referred to as a micro-mage with my meager magic abilities. Anna and I communicated without words, which was an advantage. And there was Kendra. She communicated in much the same way as Anna, but she did it with the last dragon in existence.
Well, if we added the dragon into the equation, I guess it made nine of us. Not exactly a motley crew to be feared, but neither was it a force ready to invade Kaon and destroy the Young Mage. Yet that was our intention.
The dragon was the tipping point in our favor in my opinion. The Young Mage had indicated he was scared of it, but with the help of the Slave-Master, we’d decided that perhaps it was not the last dragon in the world he was really afraid of, it was the possible presence of more dragons entering the world and ruining his plans. The eggs in the Waystones were the keystone to his power—and we controlled that with the dragon.
Armed with that information, we needed a plan of attack.
Anna started the new turn of conversation in a trembling voice, “He’s the strongest mage in history. We think he is young, but we really don’t know anything about him or his powers. All of you are just guessing.”
I looked at my sister and said, “She's right. The information we believe we know is all speculation, rumor, and conjecture. Before we go any farther, everyone here should understand and think about the apparition of the ‘Emma’ child he conceived and that lived with us for weeks without detection. The image of Emma had been so perfect, none of us had ever suspected she was not a real girl. Consider what sort of powerful mind could do all that.”
Avery said, “Don’t forget to factor in what that mind can do in the future as it matures. I can’t even imagine what else the Young Mage can do in ten years.”
The evil smile on the Slave-Master’s lips drew my attention. He’d had several important insights today, and I respected his abilities in planning and locating a foe’s weaknesses. I set my gaze on him and said, “What are your thoughts?”
All eyes turned to him, and his corpulent reclined body. As usual, he was again eating, a loaf of bread in one hand, the leg of a bird in the other. A mug of wine was in reach. “I think, and mind you it is only my opinion, a hundred Kaon warriors cannot defeat your enemy. He wants that sort of direct approach from you, that sort of attack on his stronghold. A thousand warriors will lose to him.”
“It went from a hundred to a thousand? You talk in riddles,” Princess Elizabeth snapped, clearly angry and tired.
I spoke quickly because I liked and understood the Slave-Master better than her. If not, at least I had more experience with him. “If not a thousand, then how many?”
“Ah, you’re learning Damon. Your deviousness is admirable and thus your name, indicating you are a tricky one, as all damons in mythology are. Now, my point is simple. The Young Mage expects a direct challenge, and he is prepared for it, possible even wants it. He’s trying to force you to do it. He spent weeks with a few of you while pretending to be a little girl, and while there, he watched and listened to everything. I repeat, everything. You unwittingly informed him of all he wanted and needed to know about you—and more. He knows your strengths and weaknesses, and how to defeat you.”
“Don’t stop now,” I said with more feelings of dread than intended.
The Slave-Master’s eyes flicked to each of us in turn. “I’m sitting here with people ready to leap on their horses and charge into Kaon, people who will swing their swords wildly above their heads ready to slay any who stand in their way—and that is both admirable—and stupid.”
*Don’t get angry at him,* Anna warned me in a burst of thought inside my head.
I saw the same anger rising in the others. Anna was right. He was provoking us for a reason. Before their anger could erupt, I said, “Everyone, calm yourselves. The way a message is delivered isn’t important, it’s the content.”
The Slave-Master gulped down his entire mug of wine and held it out while a slave refilled it. Then he said, “Any direct attack on Kaon will fail. Therefore, we must do it another way. I believe the princess over there already said it best. He’s young, ambitious, and what else was it? Overconfident?”
“So, what do you believe we should do?” I asked in a demanding tone.
He rolled his eyes in mild disapproval that we hadn’t guessed, then relented. “The Young Mage wants us to invad
e Kaon. Demands it. He’s taunting and inviting us. Therefore, we do not go there.”
A silence slipped over the group as lightly as if a silk sheet had softly drifted down from the night sky.
CHAPTER TWO
“He’s right, you know,” Avery said as he stood and paced. “The Young Mage is doing all he can to draw us into Kaon, right down to kidnapping me and taking Flier’s family hostage so we will seek revenge. He knew you’d discover Emma was an apparition at some time, and he probably influenced the Slave-Master to search the mountain pass where you crossed for new slave captives, even though nobody had crossed those mountains in a year. He wanted you captured and transported to Kaon in chains as his first option.”
The Slave-Master had the grace to nod once and agree that most of us had been fools in one manner or another. The Young Mage had manipulated us from the beginning—and was still doing so.
I watched Princess Elizabeth and Kendra as they started to believe that Kaon was the last place we should go to. The stern set of Kendra’s jaw told the whole story. Flier was already convinced. The others were coming around. But at least nobody was still acting ready to charge ahead to Kaon without more discussion.
I said, “Right now, the Young Mage has all the control, made the rules, set up the coming confrontation in a way guaranteeing he wins, and that’s what it’s all about. With a little luck on his side, the king of Dire would have died in what looked to be a natural occurrence, and the crown prince would have had a fatal accident soon after. Circumstances would have placed a King’s Regent on the throne of Dire until the next prince was prepared to rule, but of course, something would have happened to the prince to take his life. So, the Regent would have appointed a ‘temporary’ committee to help him rule. A council, like the Council of Nine that rules Kondor after their king died, would rule Dire.”
