Omensent: Rise of the Shadow Dragons (35 page)

The
companions were soon sweating heavily as they made their way through the chaos. They finally decided to take shelter in a substantial looking stone building that looked far older than any of the others in the town.

A surly looking dwarf
with enormous side burns met them as they entered, a vicious looking battle axe in his hands. "If your here to loot, you'd better think again!" He peered a little closer at Damion. "You're a big fella, aren't ya?"

Damion looked down at the fearless
little dwarf. "You know, I've never noticed that before!" He said mock surprise.

"Funny." The dwarf grunted, lowering his axe. "You're obviously not from around here. Looking for somewhere to escape the heat?"

"Aye," Veren nodded. "and some food and ale. It's been a long night!"

"That it has." The dwarf agreed. "I never thought I would live to witness two dragons fight to the death!"

"It
was
a sight to behold!" Veren agreed whole heartedly. "Do you happen to have any beds for rent?"

"That I do, my friends. And I also run a taproom
where I'm sure you can find all you require." His face clouded. "At least until that big scarlet beast returns to finish what was started!"

"I think we should be safe for a while." Damion assured him in a confident voice. "After that battle
, I doubt it will return anytime soon."

"I hope your right
. My family has been here for over five hundred years now. I'm not about to abandon this place just because a bunch of overgrown lizards decided to cause a little havoc!" He gave them an sudden smile. "The name is Muddy! Follow me and I'll give take you to one of the larger chambers. They have smaller sleeping chambers adjoining a common room. It should fit your needs quite nicely." He stopped a man in an apron that was hurrying past. "Have someone look to their horses. Let's not leave them out there in the heat any longer."

"This is quite some place your operate here, friend.
" Veren commented as they followed the dwarf down a narrow staircase that lead deep beneath the scorching desert surface. "Your family has been here for over five centuries, you say?"

"Ay
e. My great grandfather and my grandfather built this place with their own two hands." He laughed a barking laugh. "The locals all thought they were barking mad when they arrived and began to excavate, but once they were finished they had the best place in the entire desert to escape the blazing sun."

The companions could feel the air grow
noticeably cooler the far down they traveled. They continued following the dwarf down, passing several other floors that were bustling with activity.

"When they first built this place, they had only intended to use it as their private
residence," The dwarf continued. "but my great grandfather was a shrewd dwarf, and recognized an opportunity when he saw it. They expanded and added several extra floors and chambers. They even built a large stable and livery adjacent to this place. We have been in operation ever since."

They finally arrived at the bottom of the staircase into a well lit hall with tall, vaulted
ceilings. There were a number of heavy wooden tables and chairs placed around the room, filled with mostly locals. There was a large set of swinging doors at the far end of the hall where several barmaids appeared with large trays of food and drink, and disappeared with empty tankards.

The dwarf showed them
through a doorway that led to their chambers, then after making sure it was adequate to their needs, promptly demanded payment. "It's troubling times, my friends." He explained with a shrug. "You never really know who you can trust these days!"

"How much?"
Veren asked suspiciously.

"Eight silver."
Muddy demanded firmly. "Food and drink are extra, of course."

"Eight silver?"
Veren exclaimed in disbelief. "Are you serious? We just want to rent the room, not buy it!"

"Just pay him." Damion told him, slipping out out his armor with a sigh of relief. He looked to the dwarf. "Is there a bathhouse?"

"Two floors up. That's an extra silver." The dwarf smiled happily. "Once you have freshened up, you can take any table you would like in the hall. The serving girls will bring you whatever you need. I suggest the house beer. It's from an old family recipe." He quickly bustled off to return to his post near the entrance.

They returned to the hall a
fter scrubbing away the day's grime, and took a seat at a table not far from their chamber door. A serving girl bustled up to them a moment later, then disappeared to fetch them food and drink.

"So I was thinking,"
Veren began hesitantly, after their beer and food had arrived. "Why are we still traveling towards Arleia? If Tempest is going to investigate for us, why not find someplace to stop and wait for her to return?"

Damion shook his head. "We cannot stop. We need to continue on until we know for sure. Most of the rumors seem to have them emerging from Arleia. Until Tempest tells me otherwise, we keep moving forward. The brood mother must be destroyed!"

The one eared man sighed."I was afraid you would say that." He took a long drink from his tankard of beer. "I'm just saying, there are worse places we could choose to await her return." He took another long drink, then smiled mischievously.

Damion chuckled. "Nice try." He drained his
tankard. "Let's try to get some rest. We still have a long way to go, and this will probably be the last time we get to sleep on a proper bed for a while. I suggest we take advantage of that."

It was nearly midday when Damion heard someone slip into his tiny sleeping chamber, and his eyes instantly snapped open.

"Damion?" Raven whispered as she drew closer to where he slept.

"What is wrong?" He aske
d her in a quiet voice. "Is there a problem?"

She sat down on the edge of his bed. "I wanted to speak to you about what you said about me returning with you to Sevria. Were you serious about that? Did you really wish me to return with you?"

"Of course I want you to return home with me. Sevria would be lucky to have someone like you!"

"
But what would you have me do? I'm not sure what kind of position you may be thinking of placing me."

He gave her a devilish smile. "I was actually thinking of several different positions I'd like to see you in."

She  gave him a confused look, t
hen her eyes suddenly grew wide and her face flushed a bright red. "That's not what I meant!" She said with a gasp, covering her mouth with one hand.

Damion laughed. "Don't worry. We'll find you something that both suits you, and you are comfortable with."

She shrugged. "I've been a leading a patrol all of my adult life. It's what I know and love."

"There is your answer then. I'll put you in charge of the patrols
that protect the trade route through the mountains. Hundreds of caravans travel through our mountains, and they all need protection."

Her face brightened. "Really? You can do that?"

"Of course." He assured her soothingly. "You'll always have a home in Sevria. I promise you that."

She smile a radiant smile, then
leaned in and gave him a long lingering kiss. She slowly rose to her feet, her face still blushing a bright red, then quietly slipped from the room, leaving him with a racing pulse.

Damion lay there for several long m
inutes, his heart pounding. It had been several years since a woman had invoked such emotions. With the rise of those feelings brought back the painful memories of love and loss. It had been over four years since he had lost the woman he loved, a beautiful young elf maiden named Kariah. She had been killed during the battle to help release the dragons from the Dragon Gem. He had never thought those emotions would ever resurface again.

But now, here was this brazen
young woman, strong and proud, yet deceptively intelligent and breathtakingly beautiful. With that one small kiss, those feelings arose once more, sending his blood racing through his veins. He suddenly had the feeling things were going to get complicated. He finally fell into a fitful sleep plagued by dreams of his lost love.

They emerged from their sleeping chambers early that evening, then gathered together in the common hall to discuss their plans.

"All I'm saying," Veren started, obviously intending to continue his quest to extend their stay indefinitely. "It may be a while before we hear from Tempest. It would be far more comfortable to wait here for news, than continuing to traipse across the scorching desert to investigate a rumor." He nudged Damion's tankard a bit closer to the big warrior. "Once we hear back from Tempest we can decide where to go from there."

"You just want to linger over your tankard for a few weeks." Raven accused, ignoring the fact she was already on her third tankard of the day. "Men!" She rolled her eyes, then took another long drink from her
ale.

Damion had listened patiently as the one eared man
laid out his argument, then smiled when they looked to him for a decision. "We'll linger here a day or so longer to allow the horses to rest, then we'll move on." He told them firmly, causing Veren's face to fall.

Raven waved to one of the serving girls, then ordered them another round of drinks. "As long as we're
going to linger, we may as well enjoy it!" She explained defensively when Veren's face began to grow outraged. "Besides, we need to gather our strength for the journey ahead!"

They spent the rest of the night in the common room, eating and drinking
far more than they probably should have, then spent another restful day catching up on their sleep.

They once again gathered in the hall the following evening,
and was enjoying their meal with several tankards of the house beer, when their dwarven host came bustling down the stairs, a panicked look on his face.

"I'm sorry to bother you, my friends," He told them in a hushed voice. "
but you may want to gather your belongings as quickly as you can!"

"What is it?" Damion asked, surprised by the dwarf's demeanor. "Have the dragonspawn returned?"

"Nay, but this is just as serious. Apparently word has gotten around that you may have had something to do with the attack on the lower village. The tribesmen believe the dragons and dragonspawn are here because of you." He glanced up the stairway leading to the surface nervously. "I would advise you to gather your belongings so I can take you to your horses! I have my men getting them ready as we speak."

"Why are you helping us?
Veren asked suspiciously.

Muddy
cast Damion a shrewd look. "I hear rumors." He answered with a shrug. "In the last few years, I've been hearing stories about a man who is unlike any other. His footsteps have shaken the entire world, and he has brought something that was once lost, back into this world." He looked at Damion pointedly. "You're also going to pay me well for my help." He added as an after thought. "My friendship may be free, but my help will cost you." He gave them an impatient look. "Now move it! Those tribesmen could be here any minute now!"

They quickly gathered their belongings, then met
the dwarf at the stairway. They began to make their way up, when they heard a commotion several floors above.

"Damn!" The dwarf swore angrily. "They're already here!" He led them back down the stairs. "Luckily
, there is a back way to the stable through the kitchen. Let's hurry though! My people can only stall them for so long!"

They followed him through the large double doors at the far end of the hall, then
through another smaller doorway and down a long corridor to another staircase.

"There doesn't happen be a back way out of the stables as well, does there?" Raven asked as they hurried up the staircase. "If they're trying to catch us, then they probably hav
e someone watching the stables."