Omensent: Rise of the Shadow Dragons (56 page)

They found Uuna and Eena, along with the children, still patiently waiting for them to arrive, and the young girls sque
aled in joy when Damion appeared, swarming around him happily. They all looked much healthier, and explained that Muddy had looked to their every need, taking a special interest in making sure that the malnourished children were provided with all of the food that they could eat.

"
I know what it's like to go hungry." The dwarf shrugged. "I figured I could make sure that they were all well fed while they were here."

After spending several days resting up, not to mention enjoying surprisingly large amounts of the dwarf's delicious food and ale, they regretfully continued on their journey after promising the dwarf to someday return.
They decided to keep the wagon that Uuna and Eena had used to transport the children to escarpment, but sold the remaining oxen and replaced them with a pair of their pack horses, which were able to travel far quicker than the plodding oxen.

The trek down the series of newly repaired ramps leading to the bottom of the escarpment was uneventful, although several of the local's eyes widened in recognition as they watched Damion pass. They soon reached the lower village, and
were happy to discover that the inn and tavern that had only been lightly damaged in the dragonspawn attack.

Ole greeted them as the approached. "I was wondering if I'd ever see you again!" He laughed, grasping Damion's hand firmly. "It isn't often I get to rub shoulders with the Dragon Lord!"

Damion laughed sheepishly. "I guess my secret is out."

The tattooed man laughed. "You can say that! There isn't many people in the world who can take on a dragon!"

They lingered at Ole's place for another day, then returned to the road and continued making their way through the scorched desert landscape of Veiria. They were all quite pleased when they finally reached the blessed shade of the forests of Deiria.

They were stopped
momentarily as they reached the border separating the two countries when a large group of riders approached, led by Jarvik Poisonoak, the elder of the Blood Claw clan.

The thin faced man's expression was stern as he reined in his horse before them, though he made no attempt to
reach for his weapon. "So you return to your homeland once again, Raven Nightshade." He greeted the young woman in an neutral tone. He looked to Damion, his expression slightly fearful. "Milord. I am glad I have the opportunity to meet your acquaintance once again."

"You seem to have recovered a bit of your composure since we last met, Jarvik." Damion replied with surprise. "I would have never guessed that
you would greet us with such courtesy after our last encounter."

Jarvik exhaled heavily. "I truly hated you for what you did to my son Melvik." He told Damion
plaintively, his tone unapologetic. "Once you left our lands, I immediately set off to witness what your magic did to him with my own eyes." His gaze remained locked on Damion, as if he were the only person in the world. "When I first gazed upon him, I cried for him, and cursed your very existence! I remained there at his side, unable to wake him, yet unable to leave him to his fate!"

Damion continued to hold the man's gaze, unsure exactly why the clan elder was recounting this story, but he remained silent, allowing him to continue
uninterrupted.

"It was the third day
after I had arrived to witness my son's fate, and I was preparing to give up hope and to return to our place along the border, when we were suddenly attacked by dozens of dragonspawn." His expression was suddenly one of wonder. "Melvik suddenly awoke, as did the forest surrounding him!"

Damion nodded. "That was the
responsibility placed upon him when I transformed him into a guardian of the forest. He sleeps until evil draws near, then he awakens to fulfill the tasks given to him."

"And awaken he did! The entire forest seemed to fall silent as the trees around the dragonspawn suddenly came to life! Heavy branches suddenly began to lash out, while vines as thick as my forearm snake
d out from the underbrush to grasp the dragonspawn and drag them back into the darkness of the forest! Within seconds, the creatures all lay dead, and my son gazed down upon me!" The man suddenly had tears streaming freely from his eyes. "He said that he had found his place, and was content insuring the safety of his beloved forest for the rest of eternity!"

"He will do far mo
re good for his people now." Damion told him in a solemn tone. "He claimed all he ever wished to do was insure his people's safety."

"That he did." The thin faced man agreed. "He always seemed just a bit more overzealous than most when it came to what he considered to his responsibility.
" He dashed away his tears with one hand. "He seems to be quite content as his new role as guardian!"

"I truly hope that
you do not bear me or my companions any ill will. Our hand was forced by his actions."

Melvik shook his head. "I bear you and your friends no
animosity in my son's fate, Dragon Lord." He looked to Raven with a grave expression. "Sadly, I cannot say that about your father, milady."

"My father, you say?" It was clear the the young woman wasn't surprised.

"I'm afraid he has declared you a traitor to the Black Feather clan, and put quite a sizable bounty on all of your heads. He also attempted to convince the council that every clan should make your capture a priority, but stories of the Dragon Lord have reached even their ears, and they wanted no part in confronting you."

"My father is an idiot!" Raven spit in a scathing tone.

"Since your father is so opposed to your presence, I would be happy to offer you sanctuary with
our
clan." His gave her a malicious smile. "Anything to stick one in his craw!"

Raven laughed, then shook her head. "I have already made other
arrangements." She threw a sidelong glance at Damion, then blushed.

Melvik took notice of this look, but was wise enough to stay silent. "I know you are probably eager to return to your journey, but I must insist you return
with me so you may enjoy the comforts of my clan, even if it is only for a brief time. I know exactly how taxing traveling in Veiria can be."

They happily took him up on his gracious invitation, and returned to his clan's village to enjoy
a delicious feast and a soft bed, which was a welcome change from sleeping on the ground.

The women of the Blood Claw tribe immediately took to Uuna and Eena, and the children seemed quite content with their new surroundings. It didn't come as much of a surprise when Eena calmly announced that she and her sister would be taking the children and remaining behind with tribe. "They have g
raciously offered to take us in and make us a part of their tribe." The elderly woman explained as they gathered in the common room of a small tavern. "The girls seem to love it here, and the women of the tribe absolutely adore them. I think it would be best for them if we remained here where they can be properly cared for."

They returned to the road the following morning after exchanging
many tearful goodbyes with all of the children.

"We owe you our lives, milord
." Eena told Damion as she and her sister each took one of his hands. "We shall always remember the man who showed us more kindness than any other."

Damion smiled gently. "Just take care of yourselves, and make sure that the girls are well looked after. If you
ever need anything, send word to us in Sevria."

The two sisters hugged him briefly, then hurried off to look after the girls.

Melvik bid them farewell after insisting to provide an escort through Raven's father's lands to the border. "I know how your father's mind works, and he will do his best to catch you if he finds out you have returned." He smiled an evil smile. "He'll think twice if you are being escorted by fifty of my clansmen though."

The
rest of the journey through Deiria was uneventful. They encountered several patrols as they made their way south, but none of them chose to try and stop such a sizable force. They finally reached the small village in the neutral area between the borders of Deiria and Jaghera a few weeks later, and Melvik's clansmen and the companions bid one another farewell.

At Veren's fierce
insistence, they lodged in the same well kept inn that they had stayed during their first visit to the village, and was immediately greeted by the same jovial innkeeper, who rushed forward with a huge smile on his face. "Greetings, my friends!" He welcomed them. "I'm so pleased to chose to return!"

"We couldn't pass up a
chance to have a fine meal, and, of course, enjoy some of your delicious ale!" Veren told him, rubbing his hands together eagerly.

The innkeeper laughed. "Of course! I'll
informed the kitchen to bring you out a feast, along with some ale, then I'll see to your horses!"

The
y enjoyed their feast that evening, washing it down with vast amounts of the innkeeper's home brewed ale, then settled in for the night. The next morning, after enjoying a sumptuous breakfast of eggs, bacon, ham, fruit, and freshly baked bread, they gathered their horses, and prepared to set off.

"Milord!" The jovial innkeeper rushed out of th
e inn. "Will you be wanting a few more barrels of my home brewed ale to accompany you on your journey?"

Veren's face suddenly brightened, and he looked at Damion with a slightly pleading expression.

Damion shook his head regretfully. "It wouldn't make it a mile before it was consumed. But perhaps once I return home and get settled in, we can send for a few barrels."

"I look forward to hearing from you then." The man bid them farewell, then quickly bustled back into the inn.

By the time they finally reached the Jaghern city of Livingston, the weather had taken a turn for the worse. The winter was drawing close, and the farmers of Jaghera had switched their focus from farming to preparing for the upcoming cold.

They made their way through the crowded city streets to the royal
castle, then quickly made their way to the main hall. The king and queen were overjoyed to see them, and immediately dismissed everyone from the hall, and led them to their private quarters.

"You must tell us everything that happened!" Queen Ann insisted, rushing forwards to embrace Veren and Damion, her eyes brimming with tears of happiness. "And you had better not leave out a single detail!"

They spent the next several hours recounting the events that had transpired since they had last spoken, and the royal couple seemed completely stunned by what they heard. When the story was finally finished, the pair just sat staring at the companions in shock.

"So now the scarlet dragons are searching for those shadow dragons who
managed to escape." Damion finished with a shrug. "With the brood mother dead, they won't be causing any more havoc. They'll be too busy concentrating on trying to survive!"

King Atorius had been rendered speechless, but Queen Ann seemed quite pleased by the outcome of their quest. "That means there shouldn't be any further attacks on our farmsteads! The people will
be quite relieved by that! They have been so nervous lately that they will run in terror from a sparrow flying overhead!"

"The shadow dragons will no longer be a problem." Damion assured her. "Tempest and the other scarlet dragons will make sure
that they don't dare show themselves."

"This is happy news indeed!" The king agreed with a broad smile. He turned to Veren. "Does this m
ean you shall be returning home and taking up your former post as Commander of the Royal Forces?"

Veren shook his head regretfully. "I'm afraid I cannot, your majesty. I still owe a
life debt to Damion. Jaghera holds too many memories for me. Sevria is my home now. Besides," He smiled, and nodded at Damion. "I'm pretty sure he would get lost on the way home without me!"

Chapter 20

They arrived at the port city of Whilhom a couple of weeks later, and after locating an inn that wasn't already crowded with a bunch of rowdy drunken sailors, Damion and Veren took a stroll along the extensive docks in search of a ship preparing to sail to the city of Sierra on the southern continent.