Omensent: Rise of the Shadow Dragons (33 page)

"At least we've made it half way up
." Raven said in a tired voice.

Damion glanced up towards the top of the escarpment, ignoring the stares of the passing tribesmen. "We would have already made it to the top if it wasn't for all of these people
," His voice had an irritated edge. "and they all seem to want to move as slowly as possible."

"I guess liv
ing on a cliff side has made the people here move as cautiously as possible where ever they go." Veren grunted, huddling deeper into his fur cape in an effort to keep the chill at bay.

"This is as close to
a city as this backward wasteland gets." Raven told them with a shrug. "Half of the population in the country lives in the two towns or the out lying areas."

They were preparing to continue their trek towards the top of the escarpment, but found their way blocked by a group of thirty or so savage looking
warriors dressed in flowing robes the same color as the sand that continually drifted on the breeze. Their leader was a large barrel chested warrior with a elaborately curled mustache and weathered skin from a lifetime of living in the desert. He carried a brutal looking spiked club loosely in one hand, and approached them with a confidence of a man who had a small army at his back.

"Here we go
!" Raven groaned, shaking her head wearily. She turned to give Damion a pleading look. "
Please
don't do anything spectacular! We'll end up with every tribesmen in the area on our trail!"

Damion stepped forward to meet the leader, his face calm and posture relaxed
. "Is there something you need?" He asked in a deceptively mild voice.

The barrel chested man stared at Damion for several long moments. "Why have you come to our lands?" He asked in a aggressive tone. "Why are you here?"

"We are just passing through." He answered politely, staring down at the smaller man.

"On your way to purchase slaves in Arleia?" He asked, his voice suddenly taking on an oily quality
. "The only reason anyone travels to Arleia is to purchase slaves." He smiled, revealing a mouthful of rotten teeth. "I can save you the time of making the trip! We have a number of slaves that should fit any of your needs!"

Damion's calm demeanor suddenly dropped aw
ay. "We are
not
slavers." He growled, leaning down to stare at the man in the eyes. "We have other business."

The man took a step back fearfully, then seemed to regain his courage. "If you are not slavers, then what business do you have with the snake people?" His expression had suddenly became suspicious.

"Our business is just that,
our
business." He answered shortly, fixing the man with a look that promised death. "Take your men and move along."

The barrel chested man
's expression grew outraged. "You dare to order me?" He gestured to the group of warriors at his back. "I would think that one such as you should know when he is outnumbered! I would watch what I said if I was you!"

Damion
turned to give Raven an irritated look, but the young woman shook her head. He grit his teeth, then turned back to the smaller man. "Just leave us to be on our way. We still have far to go before we reach our destination."

"I have a better idea
!" The man's eyes suddenly narrowed. "You look like you would fetch a handsome sum at the market! They would love to have you working in the salt mines!" His men began to crowd around their leader menacingly.

Damion
looked over to Raven, who shook her head firmly, then snarled and turned back. "Friend," He growled, trying valiantly to keep his tone even. "I don't like slavers, and I don't like being delayed. You
really
don't want to detained us any further. Take your men, and let us be on our way."

"No, my friend," The barrel chested man gripped
his club tighter. "I think you and your friends will be coming with us!" He looked back at his fellow tribesmen. "We can get a fortune for this freak, eh boys?" His men rumbled their agreement.

Damion's face fell flat. He turned to look at
Raven one last time, his eyes filled with suppressed rage.

The young woman rolled her eyes and sighed, then held her hands out helplessly and
reluctantly nodded.

"I tried to warn you."
The huge warrior snarled angrily as he turned back to the leader of the tribesmen. The man ignored him, and charged forward with his club held aloft, preparing to beat him into submission, but Damion suddenly launched himself forward, and lashed out with a crushing kick that caught the man full in the chest. The man was sent crashing back into his fellows tribesmen, his ribs and breastbone shattered. His limp form knocked nearly half of his men from their feet, sending them crashing to the ground, where they lay groaning and cursing in pain.

The
numerous onlookers that happened to be passing scattered in fear, warning those they passed to stay clear of the upcoming battle.

"I guess we had better get ready for this
!" Veren growled in resignation, drawing his sword.

The tribesmen untangled themselves from their leader's limp body, then began to fan out, preparing to attack from all sides.

"I've had enough!" Damion snarled, facing the men barehanded, not bothering to even draw his sword. Energy began to sizzle from his fingertips as he drew in his magic, preparing to obliterate the tribesmen who had suddenly stopped in their advance with wide eyes.

"Behold!" Raven suddenly declared i
n a ringing voice, dropping the reins to the horses and rushing forward, her eyes slightly desperate. "You have angered the mighty Sorcerer of the South, who spreads sickness and blight upon all those who cross his path!" She stopped next to Damion, who had a startled look on his face.

"What are you doing?" He asked in confusion.

"Trying to keep you from destroying the platform!" She hissed back. "We
are
on a cliff side, in case you had forgotten! Just continue to look menacing!" She threw her hands above her head dramatically. "Woe be to they who incur the wrath of He with the power!" Damion emphasized her words by holding his hands before him and allowing the energy from his magic to sizzle back and forth between his fingertips.

The tribesmen stared in fear for o
ne long moment, then one by one they dropped to their knees and pressed their heads to the platform in submission. "Stay your hand, mighty one!" One on the men cried in terror. "Forgive us for our insolence!"

"Silence!"
Veren roared, quickly taking up the pose. "You are not worthy to address the great one!" He turned to Damion and struck an exaggerated pose. "What say you, great and mighty Sorcerer of the South? What be the fate of these men who dared to impede your journey?"

Damion's anger evaporated in amusement as Raven and
Veren continued to strike absurd poses. The tribesmen seemed not to notice, but remained on their knees, awaiting their fates to be delivered. "You men followed a fool!" He roared, trying not to start laughing. "You preyed on the innocent, took those weaker than yourselves against their will, and forced them into slavery!" He looked over the trembling men in half amusement, half pity. "This
will
be thy fate for your transgressions! You
will
release every slave that you and your tribe hold, and return them to their homelands. You
will
also repay your transgressions by insuring that no man
ever
passes through here as a slave again!" He released his magic, causing a wave of sparks to shower down upon the men. "Only by following my command shall ye find salvation from a horrific death!"

"You!"
Veren pointed to one trembling man. "Take several men and clear the way for our passage to the top. The rest of you, hasten now to obey your new master's command, lest ye suffer an awful fate!"

The men all scramble
d to their feet and rushed off in a panic, desperate to obey his commands, dragging the lifeless corpse of their formal leader behind them.

"Hamming it up a little there, weren't you?" Damion asked, turning to the others. "How did you know they would fall for that?" He asked, fixing Raven with a curious stare.

The young woman flushed a bright red. "I didn't! I just blurted the first thing that came to mind! I nearly fainted in relief when they all fell to their knees!"

"You sure scared the
fight right out of them!" Veren laughed. "The back of their robes suddenly turned brown! At least now they'll do something useful with their wretched lives!"

"So what do we do now?"
Raven asked, still giggling.

"We take advantage of them clearing our path, and finish our climb to the top." Damion replied
with a shrug, retrieving Storm's reins, and leading the warhorse towards the next ramp leading towards the top.

They found the way forward much easier to navigate once the robed men cleared the way for their passage, and it only took them an hour to reach the last platform before they reached the
top.

"Do we stop here, or press on?"
Veren asked in a weary voice.

"We need to press on." Damion said regretfully. "If we hurry, it should only take us a couple of hours. We can find somewhere to rest once we reach the village above."

There was a sudden commotion at the edge of the platform, and several people began to gather in a crowd. There were several cries of horror, and a number of them began to race back down the walkway towards the base of the escarpment.

Snowfeather appeared
from the darkness a moment later
. "The village below is being attacked! A shadow dragon materialized from out of nowhere, as hundreds of dragonspawn appeared from the night! They are killing everyone!"

"We had better check this out
!" Damion quickly led them towards the edge and peered down. They stood in stunned silence as they saw the village below engulfed in flames. Hundreds of dragonspawn had descended on the unsuspecting people below, slaughtering all those they encountered. In the center of the village stood a shadow dragon, which was breathing fire over the fleeing tribesmen.

"What should
we do?" Raven's voice was subdued as the screams of the dying reached their ears. "Should we try to help them?"

Damion watched helplessly for a long moment, then
handed Storm's reins over to Raven. "Keep moving towards the top. I'll catch up with you."

"Damion! Wait!" The young girl attempted to catch his arm, but it was too late.

He launched himself over the railing, far past the edge of the platform, then allowed himself to freefall as he surveyed the scene below. The shadow dragon continued its rampage while the dragonspawn flooded into the town, finding only pockets of resistance as most of the tribe, men, women, and children, fled in blind fear from the nightmare that had descended on them from the darkness. Many were trying to fight their way up the ramps to the questionable safety of the platforms, while others fled blindly into the unforgiving desert.

Damion
fell for nearly a half mile before he drew in his magic, and slowed his descent until he lightly touched down just outside of the village. Most of the structures on the outside of town were fully ablaze, and the shadow dragon continued its destruction while the dragonspawn overwhelmed what little resistance the tribesmen were able to gather.

He raced forward, pulling the Dragon Sword from its sheath,
intending to face the dragon head on, but was forced to stop as several dozen dragonspawn appeared to block his advance. He charged forward, the sword blazing as it sliced through the air carving a path through the creatures, shearing through scale, flesh, and bone with ease. Five dragonspawn fell before the others could even react, but even then, they didn't put up much of a fight. He cut four more down before they scattered in fear.