Omensent: Revealing the Dragon (The Dragon Lord Series) (13 page)

"I'm afraid not." Damion cast Sly another sour look. "The beast I encountered was unlike anything I've ever encountered
. I managed to injure it, but not badly enough to kill it."

"So it's still running around out there somewhere?"

"I'm afraid so." The huge warrior shrugged. "And with its ability to blend into its surroundings, it will be virtually impossible to locate."

"Look at all of the chaos that you have caused," Krel berated Damion in an outraged tone. "Isn't it enough that your dragons now dominate ou
r skies, terrifying our people?"

"The dragons were wrongly imprisoned by a madman who was bent on ruling the world." Damion told him with a frown. "The scarlet dragons did not deserve that fate."

"But upon your releasing the scarlet dragons, you also allowed the shadow beasts to return to the world." Tonke, chieftain of the Worashe clan, pointed out, his expression disapproving. "There is no denying that your past actions have had far reaching effects on us all."

"N
ow you tell us that the gods themselves have turned against you," Krel continued relentlessly. "and again, the people shall bear the brunt of your actions. Countless people will die if the gods return to walk among us once more." He shook his head in disgust. "I hope it was worth it."

"Worth it?" Damion growled at him in a dangerous tone, his eyes flashing red with fury. "Was saving my only daughter from being taken by the
Dragon God worth it?" He looked as though he were on the verge of attacking Krel.

"Calm yourself, father." Leia placed a tiny hand on Damion's arm
to restrain him. "Let me handle this." She fixed the tattoo faced councilman with a stern gaze. "Do you truly not understand what would have happened if I had fallen into the hands of the Dragon God?" She waited for him to answer, then cut him off when he opened his mouth to speak. "Mankind would have been completely destroyed if my mother and father hadn't rescued me."

"Surely you're exaggerating, child." Cinte murmured in a subdued voice.

"I can assure you that little Leia is not exaggerating." Damarius murmured the councilmen, brushing his brow lock from his eyes absently. "Gwynth of the Gods herself brought us warnings from Estheryal. The Serpent Mother warned us that if the daughter of the Dragon Lord was delivered up to the Dragon God, mankind would surely be lost."

"Gwynth of the Gods?"
Wathre said skeptically. "Are you sure you weren't fooled by some charlatan claiming to be the messenger of the gods?"

The companions all stare
d at him pointedly.

"Remember who you're speaking to, you idiot." Bativa growled to his fellow councilm
an. "I doubt anyone alive could fool the Dragon Lord."

"Regardless of what some savage goddess and her servant may have told you, your actions have caused untold destruction and loss of l
ife throughout the entire world." Krel told Damion in a grim tone. "Now you wish the Deola to help you fight your war with the Etazk."

"It isn't
my
war." Damion growled back, his temper building by the second. "This war began long before any of us were born."

"But by your own admission it was
your
actions that allowed the God of the Underworld to return and renew His war!" Krel pointed out triumphantly. "And now you wish
our
people to become involved in a war that doesn't concern us."

"Doesn't concern us?" Bativa looked at his fellow councilman in astonishment. "Are you mad? Do you believe
the Etazk will just leave our people be? Don't you remember the stories of what happened to our people during the first war?"

"Of course I remember the stories." The tattoo faced councilman retorted in an offended tone. "I also remember that the Etazk are the very reason th
at Mercedia was constructed in the first place. Our ancestors wanted their descendants to have someplace safe to retreat from danger." He shook his head firmly. "We should remain aloof from this war, and allow..." He gave the huge warrior a condescending look. "
Damion
, to battle his own wars. If it looks as though our people may be in danger, we can pull our tribes back into the city. The Etazk can dash themselves against our walls for a thousand years without ever endangering a single Deolan warrior."

"You want our people to cower in fear while our en
emies run rampant throughout our lands?" Bativa asked, his voice full of outrage. "Have you become such cowards that you would hide rather than face you enemies head on?"

Several
of the councilmen voiced their agreement with shouts of approval, while the others still looked doubtful.

"My personal feeling are irrelevant." Krel snarled back. "It's our responsibility as members of the Council to insure the safety of our people above all else,
not
send our warriors off to fight in a war between a heathen god and a madman who has brought nothing but death and despair to the lands."

"You
could
pull your tribes back into the city, and cower in fear from the Etazk while they destroy everything and everyone around you," Damarius told the Council in a reasonable tone. "but once everyone else has fallen, the Etazk
will
turn their attention to Mercedia. It may take them a week, or a year, or a hundred years, but they
will
eventually succeed in forcing their way into the city, and by that time, there will be no one left to come to your aid. Mercedia will fall, your people will be slaughtered, and it will all be because you were too cowardly to stand and fight."

Krel's mouth dropped open in indignation,
and he looked as though he wanted to respond, but his anger seemed to have robbed him of the ability to speak.

"Messengers have already been dispatched to spread the word of the Etazk," Sly told the council, his eyes narrowed shrewdly. "and forces are already beginning to gather outside of
Crete, but without the aid of the Deola, thousands of innocent people will be slaughtered, and their hearts offered up to Etaz." He looked at the councilmen sternly. "You gentlemen should think carefully before you make a decision. It could mean the end of the Deolan tribes if you choose wrong."

"Our friend is right." Bativa agreed quickly before Krel, who was still foaming at the mouth with anger, could
say anything. "The news that you have brought to us is quite disturbing, and the Council should take some time to carefully consider what options are available to us."

"Agreed." Krel growled, his face still flushed with anger. "
Let us go apart and discuss these events in private." He turned his gaze towards Damion. "A word of advice, Damion," He sneered at the huge warrior, who fixed the tribesman with a gaze that promised death. "You should take a bit more time to consider the ramifications of your actions before placing the fates of all of mankind in jeopardy."

Damion stared at the offending little man for several long moments,
his fury boiling over, then he slowly began to draw in his magic, fully intending on obliterating the tribesman where he sat.

"Father!" Leia hissed, placing a restraining hand on his arm. "The fool isn't worth the trouble."

Bativa noticed Damion's expression, and quickly moved to intervene. "Please, my friends," He told them in a slightly tense voice. "Allow one of our warriors to lead you back to my private apartments while my brothers and I discuss what we have learned. We'll gather again at a later time so the Council can deliver its decision."

Damion gritted his teeth, then slo
wly allowed his magic to disperse.

Krel watched the huge warrior as he allowed himself to be led away by the young girl, and chuckled in self-satisfaction.

Damion froze mid-step, then whipped back around to face Krel, drawing in his magic as he turned. Focusing his gaze upon the laughing tribesman, he released his magic with an almost negligent wave, then turned and followed the others out of the cathedral, a satisfied smirk on his face.

"What did you just do?" Leia asked suspiciously as the huge warrior hoisted her up into his arms.

"What do you mean?" He asked innocently, though he began to blush furiously. "I didn't do anything."

"Father." She gave him a stern look.

"Really," He protested, blushing even harder. "I didn't do anything!"

"Father!"

"I
may
have given him a taste of his own medicine," Damion told her evasively. "but I didn't do anything... permanent to him. I just figured since he was being such a pain in my arse, it was only fair if I repaid the favor."

"What does that supposed to mean?"

But Damion refused to answer anymore questions as they followed one of the Deolan warriors back to Bativa's private apartments, where they settled down to relax and await the chieftain's return.

Bativa finally returned as everyone was gathering in the dining hall to enjoy another sumptuous feast, his face haggard.

"You look like you've been in the middle of a stampede." Dar commented as snatched up a sizzling turkey leg.

"That would
have probably been far more pleasant than what I just left." The huge chieftain grumbled, dropping heavily into an unoccupied chair. He ordered a passing servant to bring him some ale, then sat back in his chair with a weary sigh. "Dealing with those stubborn jackasses can drive a man insane." He turned and gave Damion a suspicious look. "Did you do something to Krel before you left the council room?"

Damion glanced at his daughter, who had fixed him with a stern gaze. "What do you mean?" He asked, trying his hardest to keep his expression neutral.

"Not long after you left, Krel began to complained of a stinging pain on his... well... on his backside." The chieftain finished, an amused look on his face. "It seems my fellow councilman has developed several dozen very large, very painful looking boils on his backside. By the time I left the council room they were nearly the size of walnuts!"

"Why would you ask Damion if he had something to do with them?" Raven asked in confusion, while the others began to laugh.

"Because Krel swears he didn't have them before you folks arrived."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Damion looked away loftily, causing everyone to stare at him suspiciously.

"Father!" Leia exclaimed in an accusing tone. "You gave the man boils?" She snapped her fingers. "Now I understand your comment about repaying him for being such a pain in the arse."

"Leia!" Raven exclaimed with a laugh. She
then turned to look at her husband. "Really? You couldn't hold your temper just a little bit longer?"

The others were all laughing uproariously. Dar pounded the table in his mirth, while Sly fell out of hi
s chair altogether. Even Slither began to laugh a strange hissing laugh that seemed distinctly out of place with the huge shadowspawn.

"It was either that or turn him into a toad." Damion murmured defensively. "That man is one of the most infuriating individuals I have ever encountered
!"

"I understand how you feel." Bativa assured him, taking a tankard of foaming ale from a servant and draining it dry. He handed it back to the serva
nt, who immediately hurried off with a resigned expression. "Krel has been a constant thorn in my side for over twenty years now. I would like nothing more than to bury an axe between his beady little eyes, but it's forbidden for councilmen to take up arms against one another."

"So what did the Council decide?" Sly asked after regaining his composure.

"Nothing so far." Bativa shrugged. "We'll reconvene in the morning to continue our deliberations. Hopefully we'll be able to come to a decision soon. It takes quite some time to assemble the tribes, and we have no way of knowing how close the Etazk are from setting out from Salastar."

"Actually, we do." Damion pointed out, spearing a large steak with his fork and placing it on the plate in front of him. "Tempest is keeping an eye on the Etazk for us. If it looks as though they're preparing to sail out from Salastar, she'll return and alert us
to the danger."

"That's something, at least." Bativa conceded with a sigh. "But if I can't convince the rest of the Council that it's necessary for our people to become involved, we're all going to be in a great deal of trouble."

They spent the next three days lounging around Bativa's private apartments while they waited for the huge chieftain to return with news. Each evening, Bativa would return with the same frustrated expression reporting that they hadn't been able to reach an agreement. It was early on their forth day of awaiting the Council's decision that a heavily tattooed warrior appeared to inform them that they had all been summoned back to the council room.

"Does this mean that they have finally came to an agreement?" Leia asked her father as they quickly made their way up the spiraling stairs that led to the cathedral.

"It's hard to say. The Council may just have a few more questions for us."

"Krel probably just wants a chance to throw a few more insults in our direction."
Sly puffed as he stumped his way up the stairs.