Omensent: Revealing the Dragon (The Dragon Lord Series) (12 page)

"We could always have father turn him into a toad," Leia suggested, her tiny little face thoughtful. "or perhaps a
dung beetle."

"Oh god!" The tribesman finally reacted, dropping to the ground before them in submission.

"Get up!" Bativa commanded in a scathing tone. "You're a disgrace!"

The tribesman scrambled back to his feet, his face still white with fright.

"What is your name and clan?" The huge chieftain demanded, crossing his arms angrily.

"My n-name is K-Krass,
Chieftain," The man stammered fearfully. "I am of the Nacetre tribe."

"Ah, now your arrogance makes sense." Bativa turned to look at Damion. "He is one of Krel's tribesmen."

"Krel? That jackass that gave us such a hard time during my first visit?"

"The very same.
His arrogance seems to have rubbed off on his tribesmen." He turned back to the cringing warrior. "I'll be speaking with Krel tomorrow when the Council reconvenes. I suggest you do not cross our paths again, or I just may ask the Dragon Lord to go ahead and turn you into a toad."

"Or a dung beetle." Leia chirped, causing everyone but the tribesman to chuckle.

"T-Thank you, Chieftain," The tribesman glanced at Damion with fearful eyes, then dashed off into the passing crowd.

"
This is fun!" Leia giggled, causing them all to burst out laughing again. "I never knew it was so entertaining to bully people."

"
Feed him to Tempest?" Raven asked her daughter pointedly, trying valiantly not to smile.

"It got his attention, didn't it?"

"That it did!" Dar laughed. "I've never seen a grown man wet himself before!"

"He'll never overstep his authority again, that's for sure." Bativa agreed with a tight grin. "I'll be surprised if he ever shows his face in
Mercedia again!"

They
continued to follow Bativa for another hour or so, until they finally reached a strange looking platform that was built into a tall shaft that disappeared into the upper levels of the fortress. They checked their horses at a nearby livery, then the huge tattooed chieftain gestured for everyone to step onto the platform, and calmly pulled a lever that had been built into the floor. With a groaning shudder, the platform slowly began to rise up the shaft, slowly gathering speed the higher they rose.

“This platform will take us most of the way up to the council room.” The Deola chieftain explained
to Damarius, who seemed fascinated by the strange contraption. “It was built centuries before the upper levels of the fortress. It has a series of weights and counterweights that allow it to rise and fall, depending on which way you throw the lever.”

Slither
was completely captivated by the strange sights and smells of the upper levels of the fortress, and listened to Bativa's every word with utter fascination as the tribesman proudly explained the different functions of each level of the city as they rose passed.

They finally reached the upper levels of the colossal fortress that were reserved for strictly for the member
s of the Deolan Council, and quickly made their way through the broad avenues to Bativa's private apartments.

"I sent word ahead
warning them to expect us." Bativa informed them as he led them through a set of elaborately carved wooden doors and into a lavish entryway. "I thought we might enjoy a nice meal before getting some rest. We'll go to see the Council first thing in the morning."

He led them down a long corridor to a large dining hall that was dominated by an enormous table capable of seating at least thirty people. It had been constructed from a single piece of oak that had been inlayed with gold, silver, and pearl, and polished until it gleamed. The edges of the table had been
engraved with an elaborate scene of warriors on horseback, and the massive base carved to look like a herd of stallions stampeding through the grasslands.

"Gods!" Sly exclaimed, staring at the table in astonishment. "That table must have cost a fortune!"

"A small fortune, yes." Bativa admitted with a shrug. "I'm one of the Deolan Council. Certain things are expected of me, including owning ridiculously expensive items that could feed an entire kingdom for a month."

"That explains this place." Dar murmured, looked around at the richly decorated dining hall. "I shudder to think how much you have invested in this place."

"My tribe is quite prosperous. Our cattle and horses are considered the very best, even among the Deola. The price I get for just a few head of cattle could run Sevria for a month."

"Really?" Sly asked, dropping
unceremoniously into one of the cushioned chairs positioned around massive table. "That much?"

"Oh yes," Bativa assured him
, puffing out his chest proudly. "It's said when you eat the flesh of my tribe's cattle, it adds five years to your life." He grinned wickedly. "Of course, that's just a rumor we started ourselves to help spread the word that the Avonte tribe has the finest cattle in all of the four continents."

They settled down to enjoy a succulent meal of roasted beef and potatoes, washing it down with large amounts of foaming
ale, then, once everyone had eaten their fill, the servants led them all to spacious rooms so they could rest.

They rose early the next morning to make themselves presentable to go before the Council, then met in the enormous dining
hall to enjoy breakfast.

"Are you prepared to go before the Council?" Bativa asked Damion curiously as he piled his plate full of sausages and potatoes.

"As ready as I'm going to be." The huge warrior shrugged, filling his goblet with spiced wine, and then draining it dry. "I'm hoping that the other chieftains will have learned some semblance of manners since my last visit."

"Don't hold your breath." Bativa snorted in amusement. "The
y are all beginning to grow stubborn in their old age. It seems as though we cannot agree on anything anymore."

Damion sighed.
"I had the feeling this wasn't going to be easy."

They greeted Raven as she entered the hall carrying Leia, who was dressed in a pretty
pale blue gown, but appeared to still be half asleep. Slither followed behind them closely, obviously still doing his best to remain at the young child's side.

"Where's
Dar, Sly, and Damarius?" Damion asked curiously, taking his drowsy daughter into his arms. Leia's eyes remained closed as she nestled closer to the big warrior, though her nose started to twitch as she began to smell the banquet laid out before her.

"Dar
and my father said that they were going to try to rouse Sly." Raven informed him, sitting down across the table from her husband. "Apparently, he was up late getting drunk."

"I wasn't getting drunk." Sly grumbled defensively as he trudged into the hall carrying Damion's armor, which had been cleaned and polished until it gleamed. "I was busy cleaning and oiling Damion's armor. We need to look our best wh
en we appear before the Council. A little showmanship couldn't hurt. It might even help our chances in convincing some of the more stubborn councilmen." He gave Damion a sour look. "When was the last time you gave your armor a thorough cleaning? It took me half of the night to scrub off all of the rust."

"It's been a while." Damion admitted a bi
t shamefaced. "We've been on the move quite a bit lately, and I haven't really had much of an opportunity to get to it." He looked closely at the gleaming armor, which was made up of hundreds of overlapping steel scales. "You did a really good job, Sly. I should have you tend to my armor more often."

"Keep dreaming." The scruffy little man dropped the armor next to Damion's chair, then wandered over to flop into his own.

"Did you happen to see my father anywhere?" Raven asked curiously, pouring honey butter over a piece of fresh baked bread.

"I
'm right here, my dear." Damarius swept into the room followed closely by Dar, who had an amused expression on his childlike face.

It was obvious the old man had taken great pains in getting prepared to go before the Deolan Council. His long flowing scalp lock and beard had been carefully groomed, and he had discarded his normal patched and stained traveling robes for new flowing white robes that had mystical symbols embroidered in gold along the collar and cuffs.
He carried a unique looking staff which appeared to be made up of several pieces of oak that had been twisted and molded together into one piece, and topped with a strange crystal in the shaped like a writhing flame, a gift given to him by Damion a few years before. "How do I look? Do I give the impression of the wise and venerable wizard?"

"You look like a fairy
tale wizard." Damion assured him, snatching a sausage from a nearby platter. As soon as he tried to take a bite, though, Leia's eyes popped open and she quickly snatched the sausage from his hands and stuffed it into her mouth. "Hey! That was mine!"

Leia ignored him as she laid her head back and closed her eyes, chewing her stolen sausage with contentment.

"Where did you get that getup?" Sly asked, clearly trying to contain his laughter.

"I had it made after we returned from rescuing little Leia
." Damarius told him, not noticing as the little man covered his mouth in a desperate attempt to muffle his laughter. "I figured it might come in handy some day. This is the first chance I've had to wear it."

"It definitely becomes you." Raven assured him, hiding her
own amusement much better than Sly.

Leia yawned sleepily and rubbed her eyes, then suddenly burst out laughing as she noticed Damarius, who was still busy fussing with his robes.

"Don't listen to her." Dar assured the old man, who suddenly looked crestfallen. "You absolutely look the part." The childlike sprite looked to Bativa. "What do you think?"

"He'll
get the Council's attention, without a doubt." The chieftain replied with a perfectly straight face.

"Are you still up for joining us?" Damion asked Slither, who was busy shoveling sausage after sausage into his mouth. "We'll understand if you would rather stay here and wait for us to return."

"SSSlither will join you." The huge shadowspawn hissed firmly. "SSSlither will not leave little Leia."

"That's good." Bativa smiled happily. "I'm looking forward to seeing the
other council member's expressions when they finally see you. They're probably going to soil themselves!"

They
quickly finished their breakfast, then Sly helped Damion into his armor, and they set off following the Deolan chieftain as he expertly led the way through maze of street-like corridors. After a couple of hours, they finally reached an enormous set of winding stairs that led to the highest levels of the immense fortress.

"I hope you're ready for this." Bativa told them as he started up the stairs. "Don't be surprised if a few of the councilmen call to have you thrown out. Just stay calm, and let me handle it."

"He's talking to you." Sly grunted at Damion.

"Don't worry about it." The huge warrior
assured him with a dismissive wave. "I'm not as young and hot tempered as I used to be."

"Says
the man who once turned another man into a tree." Raven snickered in amusement.

"You can actually do that?" Bativa asked in surprise.

"Of course." Damion shrugged. "It's really not that difficult, once you know how."

The huge chieftain turned to stare at Damion for a long moment, then
shook his head helplessly. "I can never tell if you're serious or not when you say things like that."

Chapter 8

"Greetings, Chieftain Bativa." One of the tattooed warriors who guarded the doors leading into the Deolan Council greeted the huge chieftain as they approached.

"Good morning. Have the other council members arrived
yet?"

"They have, though they have only just arrived." The warrior looked at the others. "You have brought guests. Are the other councilmen expecting outsiders?"

"No, they're not," Bativa frowned. "but news has reached me that the rest of the Council needs to hear."

"I'm sorry," The warrior apologized with a pained look. "
but outsiders are not allowed to go before the Council. You know this, Chieftain. The only outsider to go before the Council in the last few centuries is the Dragon Lord."

Bativa sighed heavily, then
turned to look at Damion pointedly.

The tribesman stared at Bativa with a confused expression, then followed his gaze to the huge warrior, who gave the Deolan a cheery smile. "Dragon Lord!" He exclaimed, suddenly realizing who he was looking at. "Forgive me. I didn't realize it was you."

"Are you going to let us in now?" Leia asked, a note of impatience in her voice.

"Of-Of course you may enter." The tribesman agreed, looking down at the young girl with slightly wild eyes. He gestured for his fellow tribesman to stand aside, then bowed deeply. "Is there anything you may require?"

"As a matter of fact," Sly looked at the tribesman, his eyes speculative. "have a couple of casks of the best ale you can find sent to the council room. Everyone is going to need a drink after they hear what we have to say."

"
I'm sorry, milord." The tribesman held out his hands helplessly. "Any type of strong drink is strictly prohibited in the council room."

Sly turned to look at Bativa questioningly.

"Sometimes our discussions can grow... spirited." Bativa explained with a shrug. "It would not be wise for the council members to drink while having these discussions. War would break out between the tribes within minutes."

The
y
passed through the ornate doors and into a beautiful domed cathedral that had been built from floor to ceiling in a glistening white marble that reflected the sunlight that streamed through a half dozen huge skylights. The entire cathedral was void of any decoration, save for twelve ornately carved chairs that sat in a half circle in the center of the room. All but one of the chairs were occupied by Deolan tribesmen, many of whom were staring at the newcomers in surprise.

"M
y fellow councilmen." Bativa raised one hand in greeting. "I'm happy to see you're all here."

"What is the meaning of this?" One of the councilmen, an older man with a lean frame and elaborate tattoos covering his weathered face, demanded with a scowl. "Outsiders are
not
permitted to come before the..." He stopped mid-sentence as his eyes fell upon Damion.

"Hello, Krel." Damion smiled back at the tribesman, whose face had suddenly drained of color. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"Y-Yes, it has, Dragon Lord." Krel replied, clearly rattled by the huge warrior's presence.

"Why so formal? Please, call me Damion. We're old friends, after all."

Sly snorted in amusement, but managed to disguise it as a cough.

"
Allow me to present the Council of the Deola." Bativa told the companions grandly. "Thenke the clan chief of the Unta clan,” He gestured to the overweight, heavily tattooed man on his left. “Gredee of the Galaspe clan,” He continued down the line. "Suscep of the Noste clan; Wathre of the Hasht clan; Tonke of the Worashe clan; Cinte of the Calite clan; Druta of the Supece clan; Menke of the Asnote clan; Krel of the Nacetre clan; Fathre of the Decribe clan, and finally Jackal of the Alanoa clan.”

Each tribesm
an nodded his head as his name was announced, their eyes carefully appraising the companions. Several of them wore disapproving looks, clearly unhappy with their presence.

"And, of course,
" Bativa continued with a twinkle in his eyes. "Most of you are already acquainted with Lord Damion Omensent, Lord and Protector of Sevria, better known to the world as the Dragon Lord. And this," He gestured to Raven and Leia, who stood at Damion's side. "is his wife, Raven, and his daughter, Leia. The scruffy little fellow," He nodded towards Sly. "as some of you may remember, is Gabriel Quickhand, master swordsman. The red haired boy is Dar of the Alena, and the wise looking old fellow over there is Damarius the Sorcerer."

The councilmen looked to each companion as they were announced
, then back to Bativa.

"And this, my friends," The huge tribesman's eyes were dancing with mischief. "is Slither
of Sevria, little Leia's bodyguard." The huge shadowspawn moved forward to stand behind Leia protectively.

The
councilmen looked stunned at Slither's appearance, and several of them jumped from their seats, their eyes wide with fear.

"How dare you allow such a vile creature into our midst!" Krel bellowed at Bativa in outrage. "It could slaughter us all!"

"Watch who you call a vile creature, horssse-man." Slither growled in an offended tone.

Several of the councilmen's jaws dropped open in surprise at the discovery that shadowspawn could speak the common tongue, though
most were still peering around the empty cathedral for some means of escape.

"Calm yourselves, brothers." Bativa told the frightened tribesman in a placating tone. "Slither is not here to harm you, unless, of course, y
ou attempt to harm little Leia."

Even with his reassurances, it took the councilmen several minutes to regain their composure and return to their seats, and even then, the fierce looking tribesmen continued to cast fearful
glances at Slither.

"Why have you returned to the Council?" Krel asked Damion after everyone had returned to their seats. "Most of us had hoped we had seen the last of you after your last visit."

"Recent events have come to light that the Council needs to be made aware of." Damion told him with a frown. "Events that require immediate attention."

"What events would those be?"
Druta, chieftain of the Supece clan, looked intrigued.

"Have any of you good men ever heard tales of the Etazk?" Damarius asked the men in a wizened tone. "The followers of Etaz,
God of the Underworld?"

"
We've heard the stories." Druta nodded. "They are a race of blood thirsty savages that dwell in the west. Our people still speak of the battles fought against them during the War of the Gods." His expression grew sad. "Thousands of Deola were sacrificed by their priests, and had their hearts offered up to their dread god."

"Of course we've all heard the stories, old man." Krel snapped impatiently. "Surely you didn't travel all of this way to give us a history lesson."

"We came to deliver a warning." Damarius told the tribesman, his eyes hardening. "Etaz, the God of the Underworld, has returned to our world, and has gathered His armies once again. He plans to renew His war upon the world, and convert all nonbelievers to His worship."

"And those who refuse to convert?"

"You've heard the stories." Damion told Krel in a grim tone. "His people will slaughter all those who oppose them, and offer their hearts up to Etaz as an offering."

"How do you know this?"
Jackal, chieftain of the Alanoa clan, demanded in a weak voice.

Damion quickly
recounted Captain Harper's surprise arrival and his warning about the Etazk.

"So all you have is an unconfirmed report from some drunken pirate?" Krel asked doubtfully.

"Of course not, you blockhead!" Bativa barked at his fellow councilman scathingly. "Do you really think he would be here if he didn't know that there was a
real
threat? Have you forgotten who you are speaking with?" He gave him a disgusted look. "If you'd keep your shut mouth, he would be able to finish telling us what he discovered." He gave Damion an apologetic look. "Please continue."

"Like I was saying, Captain Harper appeared to warn us that the Etazk were gathering in the port city of
Salastar on the western continent. I enlisted the aid of one of the scarlet dragons, and flew to the west to see this army for myself."

"And?"
Wathre, chieftain of the Hasht clan, asked expectantly.

"And we found an army of
at least fifty thousand men gathered outside the city. It was obvious they were making preparations for war."

The councilmen began to talk excitedly among
st themselves.

"How were they planning on moving an army of such size?" Jackal asked after several moments of discussion.

"They had an entire fleet of ships waiting out in the harbor for them."

"Had?"

"We decided to burn the ships in order to slow their departure. It's going to take them a couple of months to rebuild their fleet, which gives us a bit of time to plan a welcoming committee."

"
Us
?" Krel asked pointedly. "What do you mean,
us
? The Deola have no reason to involve themselves in this war. We don't even know
who
they're planning on attacking."

"Everyone." Sly grunted at the councilmen with a serious expression. "The Etazk will take their war to everyone. Every race, every land, every people. Their god, Etaz, has commanded that they go forth into the lands and
convert or kill each and every nonbeliever that lives, and the Etazk will follow that command until all have been brought under His dominion, or have been destroyed."

"
And you're sure they believe Etaz has returned?" Druta asked skeptically.

"They do." Damion confirmed with a nod. "I heard it from one of their priests. He said that Etaz has returned to renew His quest to seize control of the world, and all of those who dwell upon it."

"There are Etazk priests among their army?" Jackal gulped nervously. "Do they really rip open their enemies' chests and offer their hearts to their god?"

"I'm afraid so." The huge warrior nodded regretfully. "I
was witness to the gruesome practice first hand. A priest chose one of their own soldiers and had his fellow warriors drag him up to an altar, where the priest butchered him like a pig for all to see. It was fairly obvious by everyone's reactions that it was fairly standard practice among their people."

"I thought the gods were bound by a pact
to never return to this world." Cinte, chieftain of the Calite clan, commented, his expression thoughtful.

"They were." Damion sighed, giving the others a resigned look. "Unfortunately, one of the gods broke the pact, allowing the rest of the gods to return to walk among their people once again."

This news did not go over well with the council members.

"Explain yourself!" Krel demanded once the yelling died down. "What did you mean the pact has been broken? How could you know this?"

"A few years ago, our daughter Leia was abducted from her crib by a witch whose job it was to take her across the seas to the eastern shores to the Highland Mountains, and deliver her up to Draco, the Dragon God." Damion explained, looking down at his daughter, who was staring at the councilmen with hard eyes. "We managed to chase them down and rescue her," He sighed heavily. "but not before forcing Draco to take a direct hand against me, which violated the agreement the between the gods, and opened the door for them all to return."

"
All
of them?" Jackal gasped in horror.

"I'm afraid so." The huge warrior shrugged. "Unfortunately, it was the only way to save our daughter from the
Dragon God."

This really didn't settle well with the Council. Many of the men still looked skeptical, others looked afraid, while still others appeared angry, staring at the companions with accusing stares.

"So what you're saying is that you have, once again, thrown this entire world into chaos." Krel snarled angrily once the shouting had died down. "It wasn't enough to unleash
two
different races of dragons upon our world, you have now forced the gods themselves to take action against you, breaking the Pact of the Gods?"

"Oh, and we believe the
re may be an entirely new species of dragon on the loose." Sly added, causing the councilmen to stare at the little man in disbelief. "A beast attacked Damion while we were on our way to Mercedia that was unlike anything we have ever seen before. It was able to change the color of its skin to mimic its surrounding, rendering it virtually invisible."

Damion and the other companions
turned to fix the scruffy little man with hard stares.

"What?" Sly asked them
defensively. "I figured while we were giving them the bad news, we may as well alert them to the dragon as well!"

"Is he joking?"
Thenke, the chieftain of the Unta clan, asked in a weak voice.