Omensent: Rise of the Shadow Dragons (7 page)

It took
two days of easy riding to reach Sierria, and after asking a few of the locals, they soon learned of a wharf side inn called the Lost Wayfarer that was often frequented by many of the ship captains who made port.

Damion
drew the usual amount of stares and pointing as he passed, some from his slightly bizarre appearance, others from recognition. Damion ignored them all and continued through town until they found the substantial looking inn located only steps from the large dock.

The sun was setting over the open sea as they
tied up their horses to the picket outside, then Snowfeather sailed down to land gently on Damion's broad shoulder and they proceeded inside.

The inn was a well built structure, with a polished wooden bar on one side of the open common room. The heavy tables and chairs were made from the same polished wood as the bar, and the stone floors were scrubbed
scrupulously clean. In the far right corner of the room there was an elaborate staircase leading to the upper floors. The common room was crowded with sailors and ship captains that had made port, and though they were all a bit rowdy, none chose to bar their way as Damion and Veren made their way across the room to speak with the burly innkeeper.

The innkeeper, and his short portly wife, seemed to be good hearted people who seemed
to be unfazed by Damion's size, or Snowfeather's odd presence, but they insisted on reading from a long list of rules of behavior that they would not tolerate from their patrons. Finally, they rented them a pair of clean well tended rooms, but warned them that they not would tolerate any rule breaking in their establishment.

The innkeeper's wife
smiled sweetly up at Damion. "Will you and your companion care for dinner, milord? I've just pulled several plump geese from the ovens, and there's fresh bread baking as we speak!"

Damion's stomach gave a lo
ad growl, and everyone laughed.

"I'll take that as a yes!" She giggled as she bustled off to the kitchens.

"Shall I have my boys see to your horses, milord?" The innkeeper offered helpfully.

"
Yes, please, and can you please have them take our bags to our rooms, if you would." Veren asked politely.

"Of course. Will you need anything else?"

"Ale. Lots of ale."

The innkeeper laughed
jovially. "Of course." He poured them two large tankards of ale.

"Have your boys
be careful around the big warhorse." Damion warned. "He's a little aggressive, and very free with his teeth. They won't want to turn their backs on him."

There came a sudden yell from outside, and a teenage boy suddenly appeared at the common room door
rubbing his backside and wincing painfully.

"
Never mind. I think they may have already figured it out." He gave the innkeeper a smile. "Maybe I should take care of him myself." He went outside and led Storm towards the stables with the innkeeper's sons thanking him many times along the way.

After he had seen that Storm was well cared for
, he returned to find a feast awaiting him at a table near the substantial fireplace. He fell into the succulent goose ravenously, and both he and Veren ate far more than they probably should have.

Damion sighed as he sat back in his chair
, his stomach feeling a little tighter against his belt. "That was even better that Aunt Skie's cooking." He commented after burping so thunderously that Snowfeather nearly fell from his shoulder.

Many of the sailors nearby laughed with good
humor, then turned back to their conversations.

"I'll take that as a compliment to the cook
!" The innkeeper laughed as he brought them two more large tankards of foaming ale. "I'll be sure to pass it on to my wife. I'm sure she'll be pleased!"

Veren
smiled and patted his stomach. "Please do. Your wife sets a fine table." He leaned forward and looked at the bury man seriously. "Tell me, do you happen to know of any ships that may be heading to the north?"

The innkeeper turned
around and looked out over the crowd. "Listen up, sea dogs!" He bellowed in a booming voice.

The room fell silent
and everyone turned to look at him with startled eyes.

"Any of you heading to the
northern shores?"

"Aye!"
Answered one sailor, a short man with long braided hair and meticulously groomed beard. "I'm heading north." He wore a bright blue vest adorned with large gold buttons, and a thick heavy gold chain hung to the middle of his paunchy gut. His extravagant hat was adorned with a long feather, and the bright blue eyes hidden beneath were shrewd and calculating.

The innkeeper turned back to Damion and
Veren and smiled. "Anything else, milord's?"

Damion laughed, then handed the man several coins.
He drained his tankard as he watched the man return to the bar, then rose to his feet and drifted over to the sailor with braided hair. "May we join you?"

The sailor looked Damion up and down for a long moment, then waved several other sailors away and gestured to the newly vacant seat
s. "What can I do for you?" He asked, stroking his beard thoughtfully.

"We
're looking for a ship bound for Jaghera, or somewhere close by." Veren told him.

The man smiled easily. "It's your lucky day then
! I just so happen to have a ship and we're bound for Whilhom in Jaghera with a load of furs from the mountains."

"
Would it be possible for us to purchase passage for ourselves and our mounts?"

The
captain stared shrewdly at them for several moments, then nodded. "Twenty silver." He answered finally. "Paid up front."

Veren
started to object, but Damion cut him off. "Done. When do we depart?"

"On the morning tide. We're docked right outside."

Damion nodded. "We'll see you in the morning then."

They
met the captain the next morning at first light. Veren immediately tossed him a pouch of coins which the portly man caught with a smile. He reintroduced himself as Captain Harper, owner and captain of the ship The Fearless Lady. He gestured to the sturdy, but rather weathered looking ship, his face proud. "I know she doesn't look like much," He said lovingly. "But she is the finest ship to ever sail these seas!"

They led the horses towards the loading dock, then gently coaxed
them aboard the ship and down to the vessel's lower deck.

The captain's eyes grew large as Damion passed leading Storm by his bridle. "By the gods!" He exclaimed in disbelief.
"I've never seen such a beast!"

Damion laughed. "It takes a special horse to be able to carry me around."

The captain looked him up and down. "I do believe you're right! It would take quite some effort to move you from place to place!"

It wasn't long before they cast off from the dock and slowly moved out into the open water. The captain showed them to the
surprisingly spacious quarters where they would be spending a good amount of their time for the next several weeks, then, after inviting them to dine with him for their meals during their voyage, he quickly returned to the helm and the responsibilities of running his ship.

"
How long will it be until we make port in Whilhom?" Damion asked, still trying to get used to the pitching and heaving of the deck beneath him.

"About three weeks."
Veren replied, climbing into one of the canvas hammocks that were firmly attached to the walls. "It's quite a distance from Sierria." He had a far away look in his eyes. "You must brace yourself for the northern continent. It is not like your home."

"What do you mean?"

The one eared man absently ran his hand over his bald head. "The northern continent is made up of six separate countries, each with its own customs, beliefs, and laws. Many of the countries are in a constant state of war with one another."

"What is it like in
Jaghera?"

"Very orderly. The
royal family has always been obsessed with order. That's why the top occupation in Jaghera is the army. It takes a lot of manpower to enforce their rules, and they have rules for everything!" He laughed. "The farmers are even expected to layout their farms in a specific design, and plant their crops in perfectly straight lines! The people have grown used to the royal families little quirks, and do their best to follow accordingly."

"Are we likely to encounter any problems?"

The dark skinned man shook his head. "If we encounter any problems, I should be able to take of it. Twenty years in the king's army does have a few benefits. My name still carries a bit of authority." He glanced at Damion, who was still trying to get used to the roll of the ship. "You may as well get comfortable, milord. It's going to be a long trip!"

They dined that evening in the captain
's quarters. Captain Harper fussed over them as they ate, making sure there was plenty of food and wine on hand. They dined at a beautifully carved wooden table that was bolted securely to the floor. Their plates of food were placed on a ingenious device that allowed the platform to pivot back forth, keeping the plates level at all times.

"I hope everything is satisfactory?" The captain asked a bit anxiously
.

"Everything is fine, Captain."
Damion looked at the man closely. "Let me ask you something. Do you always treat your passengers with such extravagance?"

The captain smiled, then shrugged. "I know who you are." He said simply.

Damion nodded. "I had thought as much."

"The description
s of you are fairly specific. The stories I've been hearing for the last few years are pretty unbelievable!" He looked around to be sure they were alone, then lowered his voice to a near whisper. "Is it true that you found and united the Dragon Sword and Dragon Gem?"

Damion stared at him for a long moment, then slowly drew the Dragon Sword from its sheath.

The captain's face grew pale. "Then it
is
true! You released the dragons back into the world!"

Damion sighed, then nodded. "I did."

The captain's face grew awestruck. He shakily poured himself a goblet of wine, then finished it in one long gulp.

"When I released the scarlet dragons, I also
inadvertently released another race of dragons called shadows dragons." Damion continued. "They were banished from this world thousands of years ago, but now they have returned."

The captain poured himself another goblet of wine, then gave Damion a helpless look. "I'm going to regret meeting you, aren't I?"

Damion laughed. "I certainly hope not, Captain!"

"So why are you going to
Jaghera?"

"We know
one of the shadow dragons has been lurking in the area. We are going to try to track the beast down in the hopes we can follow it to the others."

Captain H
arper's eyes grew even wider. "I would tell you that you were insane, but I have the feeling you've probably heard that before!"

Damion nodded
ruefully. "I've heard it a time or two."

"And you truly think that if you are able to locate
these shadow dragons you will be able to stop them?"

"It wouldn't be the first time
that I was forced to tangle with a dragon."

"Then let's make a toast!" The captain raised his goblet. "To
legendary figures and the men that help hurry them along to their destiny! May we all live to regret being young and foolish!"