Omensent: Rise of the Shadow Dragons (10 page)

They emerged into a large hall
that was lined wall to wall with stone benches that were packed with people. They sat staring expectantly at a raised platform at the far end of the hall where two people sat on extravagant thrones. A number of other people hovered about the seated pair, each wearing a worried expression.

"The man
on the throne is King Atorius, and the woman is his wife, Queen Ann." Veren murmured as they hovered at the back of the room. "The three on the right are the king's military advisors. The man on the left, Sorsos, the Royal Sorcerer."

Damion stared at the
rather pudgy, self indulgent looking king and his plump wife with unimpressed eyes. They both had dark skin like Veren, and oddly slanted eyes. They were clothed in long golden robes and each of them wore a gem encrusted crown of gold. They stared out over the crowded hall with slightly blank looks on their faces.

He turned his gaze towards Sorsos, who was garbed in a robe of
brilliant purple and blue. His long black hair hung in elaborate curls, and his meticulously trimmed beard had been groomed to perfection. He wore a neutral expression on his gaunt, almost skeletal face, but his eyes seemed hard around the edges. In one hand he wielded a long staff elaborately carved into the shape of a snake, which he tapped against the ground occasionally causing the crowd to lower their voices to a murmur.

Flanking either side
of the platform stood a dozen men in heavy plate armor which had been polished to gleam. A golden crown had been painstakingly engraved in their breastplates, representing the seal of the royal house of Jaghera. Their polished helms were topped with large feathered plumes and each man carried a long steel tipped pike, and had a short sword belted to their waists.

"Don't underestimate the king and queen."
Veren cautioned. "There's a lot more to them than meets the eye."

"So what do we do?" Damion asked nervously. There were a number of people looking his way now.

"Once we have their attention, you'll have to explain who you are, and how the attacks are not of your doing."

"I thought you had this handled?"

Veren shrugged. "I can't do everything."

"What if they don't believe me?"

"Convince them! But whatever happens, stay calm! I'm sure Sorsos will try and denounce your claims."

They slowly began to make their
way towards the raised platform and the crowd of people gathered began to murmur excitedly as more of them began to notice Damion. He heard the word 'freak' whispered several times as they made their way through the hall, and many he passed stared at him with frightened expressions.

Veren
motioned for him to stop when they were about twenty feet away, then stood quietly as he awaited to be acknowledged by the throne. It wasn't long since the entire hall had gone quiet to await what happened next.

The king's face grew clouded as he looked out over the assembled
crowd, which had fallen dead silent. He quickly spotted Damion towering over those near him, and then his eyes fell on Veren.

"Commander
Veren!" The king exclaimed, jumping up from his throne in surprise. "It was believed that you were dead!"

The one eared man bowed deeply. "Not quite yet,
your majesty."

"It had been reported that your fa
rmstead had been found in ruins!" The king gestured for him to step forward. "We had sent riders to request your return to advise us in our current crisis, but they found nothing but destruction! It was assumed you had lost your life!"

Veren
shook his head gravely. "I survived, your majesty." He said simply.

"What happened?" The
queen inquired in a serious voice. "Farms and villages all over Jaghera are being destroyed and we can't seem to locate the cause! At first we thought it was the Deirians attacking, but we're getting reports that it's happening there too!"

"I'll do my best to tell you everything, your majesty, but it may be a little hard to accept."

The royal couple exchanged worried looks.

"A little ove
r a year ago I returned to my farm to find my home in flames." Veren started grimly. "Out of the darkness appeared a dragon as black as the night around it. It destroyed my home and killed my family."

The king's face grew pale, and the queen gasped in horror.

"I tried to track down the beast, but it vanished into the night." He continued in an emotionless tone. "After searching for several days, I decided to cross the sea to the southern continent." He laughed humorlessly. "I had heard the rumors about the man who released the dragons back into the world, and how he now controls the great serpents."

"The Dragon Lord!" Sorsos sneered arrogantly. "
As I have already advised the king and queen, I believe he is trying to use his beasts to take over the world!"

The king threw the colorfully dressed man a
n irritated look.

"I decided to visit the town of Sevria in the Godstear Mountains, where he
was said to make his home inside of the Serpent's Keep. I waited until I managed to get close enough to him, then I struck, intending to kill the man I thought was responsible for the death of my family."

The crowd in the hall listened breathlessly as he told his story, and the only sound to be heard was that of
Veren's deep voice.

"So
you're saying you killed the Dragon Lord?" The king exclaimed in shock.

Veren
shook his head. "Not exactly." He turned and gestured to Damion, who had been standing quietly in the background. "Your majesty, allow me to present Lord Damion Omensent, known by most as the Dragon Lord."

There was a number of shouts of surpri
se and alarm as the people closest to Damion scrambled from their seats in terror. Many of those gathered broke and ran, disappearing as fast as they could into the suddenly crowded hallways.

The king's face was stunned, and he had taken a step back hesitantly. Sorsos, on the other hand, took several steps forward to stare at Damion with burning eyes.

"Damion managed to avoid my attack and defeat me." Veren continued once the remaining crowd had settled down. "Instead of killing me, he showed mercy to me."

The king wa
s staring at Damion with shrewd assessing eyes. "So you claim to be the Dragon Lord?" The pampered man asked with a look of disbelief.

"I don't claim to be anything." Damion replied, trying to stay calm under the glares of the assembled crowd
.

"But you
are
the one the stories speak of? The man who released the dragons from the Dragon Gem?"

Damion sighed heavily, then nodded. "I am."

The king's face grew stern. "Then you are the cause of all of the destruction and disorder that has overtaken our land!"

Damion's face grew stiff, but he nodded again. "I am."

A murmur swept through the crowd, and King Atorius's face grew outraged. "You do not even try to deny these charges?"

Damion was quiet for long moment. "I do not deny the charges because they are true." He answered in a clear voice. "It is my fault th
at your lands are being attacked and your people killed." He ignored the cries of outrage that came from the crowd and continued. "It is because of my actions that the beasts attacking you were freed, though it was
never
my intent." He looked to Veren, who nodded for him to continue. "Three years ago I joined the Dragon Sword with the Dragon Gem and released the scarlet dragons back into the world. But when I released them, I also released the shadow dragons back into the world.
They
are what is causing all of the destruction."

King Atorius stared at him skeptically. He looked from Damion to
Veren, then back to Damion. "If it wasn't for Commander Veren vouching for your identity, I would never believe such a implausible story."

Sorsos stepped forward, his eyes alit with a
desperate need. "If this truly is the Dragon Lord, then we must subdue him and seize the sword for ourselves!" His eyes were bulging insanely. "With the Dragon Sword in our possession, we can call off the beasts that are plaguing our land!" He gestured imperiously to the soldiers who stood watching with wary eyes.

The solders drew their swords, then slowly began to advance.

Damion looked up at the king with a serious expression. "I do not wish to hurt your men," He told the monarch with a cold voice. "but I will take steps to make sure that the Dragon Sword never falls into anyone else's hands."

Veren
cursed, throwing Sorsos a hateful look, then he drew his sword and placed himself between Damion and the advancing soldiers.

King Atorius looked shocked. "Commander! What is the meaning of this?"

Veren looked to his king, though he did not lower his sword. "I cannot allow you to hurt this man!" He declared firmly. "I have sworn a life debt to protect him, and I will fulfill that pledge, even if it costs me my life!"

The king seemed stunned. "You've sworn a life debt to him?"

"He spared my life after I attempted to take his! My life belongs to him!" Veren stared at his king with pleading eyes. "You must believe him when he says he does not control the shadow dragons! The Dragon Sword that he wields only controls the scarlet dragons! Damion is a good and honorable man, and the deaths that has occurred from his actions weigh heavily on his conscience! He is doing everything in his power to bring an end to the terror of the shadow dragons!"

King Atorius
still looked unsure, but Sorsos lost all sense of composure. "Seize him!" He commanded the soldiers, who had faltered in their advance.

The soldiers looked from
Veren, to Sorsos, to their king, unsure what to do.

Sorsos snarled in frustration, then whirled back to face Damion. "
I warn you, Dragon Lord!" He bellowed at Damion in a dramatically exaggerated voice. "Surrender the Dragon Sword, or face the wrath of Sorsos, the most powerful sorcerer in Jaghera!" He struck a suitably impressive pose.

Damion was suddenly struck by the absurdity of the colorfully dressed man. He couldn't help himself when he burst out laughing, causing a couple of nearby spectators to also giggle nervou
sly. "You have to be kidding me!" He snorted derisively.

Sorsos'
s face grew outraged.

"Damion, be careful!"
Veren hissed. "Sorsos is reputed to be most skilled in the art of wielding magic!"

"This charlatan?"
Damion snorted contemptuously. He stared at the gaudily dressed man with disdain. "He is not a sorcerer. He is a fraud! There isn't even trace of magic about this man!"

Veren
looked stunned. "Are you sure? I've seen him perform feats of magic with my own eyes!"

Damion shrugged. "Trickery and s
leight of hand. Believe me when I say this man is a fake. He has
never
tasted true magic."

"Lies!" Sorsos screamed, his voice suddenly
desperate. "He lies to try to confuse and manipulate! All know that my power is unrivaled!" He waved his hand and there was a bright flash of fiery white light, and an impressive puff of billowing smoke. "Behold my power!" He struck another absurd pose. "I give you one last warning! Surrender the Dragon Sword, or suffer my wrath!"

Several of the crowd whimpered fearfully,
and the king's military advisors fled the platform, but Damion only laughed again. He glanced over at Veren, who stared at him in incredulity, then to the king, who had slowly began to back away from the confrontation. "This man is a fraud!" He stated once more, making sure all in the hall heard him. "He has fooled you into believing his story with tricks and slight of hand! He has no magic! He is just a clever impostor that dresses like a jackass!"