Omensent: Wrath of a Dragon God (41 page)

The old woman smiled happily, revealing a mouthful of perfect teeth. "Very good! It makes me quite happy to hear th
at the old stories are still being passed down through the ages."

"I don't remember you ever telling me that story." Damion looked at the old wizard curiously.

"I guess I had forgotten." Damarius shrugged. "My grandfather told me the story when I was just a child. It was the name Gwynth of the Gods that jarred my memory."

"It's actually more of a title than a name." The old woman smiled in amusement. "I can't even remember what my name
was when I was still a mortal." She gestured to a large table near the edge of the pond which had not been there moments before. The table was literally groaning under the weight of all of the food, which covered every inch of surface space. "Please, have a seat."

Dam
arius, who had an enormous smile on his face, literally dashed over to take a chair at the table, his mouth drooling in anticipation.

"Where did that come from?" Raven
asked in surprise.

"I thought we might eat while we talked." The old woman told her, gliding with unearthly grace to the head of the table.
"We have much to discuss."

"We don't have time for this, I'm afraid."
Damion told her regretfully. The smell of the freshly roasted beef reached his nose and set his mouth to watering. "We have to keep moving if we hope to have any chance of rescuing Leia."

"D
on't worry about that, Dragon Lord." The wrinkled old crone assured him with a knowing smile. She gestured to a bird twenty feet or so above their heads, which was frozen in place in mid-flight. "This particular moment will last as long as I need it to."

Damion stared at the bird for several moments in
wonder, then slowly started towards the table. "Are you sure it's safe to eat?" He asked the old wizard a bit hesitantly, eyeing the delicious feast with open longing. It had been a while since they had taken the time to have a good meal, and the sight of so much succulent food made his stomach rumble loudly.

"Of course it is." The old man grunted, piling his plate high with meat and potatoes. "As I told you, she is Gwynth of the
Gods. She is a neutral. She is one of those chosen to carry the words of the gods. She will not harm us."

That was good enough for Damion.
"I should probably see to the horses first."

"Don't worry about the horses." The old woman gesture
d towards the horses, who had somehow been stripped of their saddles, and were now grazing in a shaded pen that had not been there before.

Damion
smiled, then took a seat at the table across from his young wife and began to pile his plate high with food.

"I am glad to see that you have made it here." The old woman told them, her youthful voice sincere. "The one for whom you are searching has attempted numerous times to stop y
ou from making it this far, but, much to my delight, you have managed to overcome her deviousness." She poured herself a glass of deep red wine and took a long sip. "Oh my, that's good!" She smiled at their curious looks. "I am only allowed to enjoy such things while on the mortal plane." She explained, taking a drumstick of roasted chicken. "This meal is as much for myself as it is for you. It's been a while since I was asked to deliver the words of a god, and it has been far too long since I was able to enjoy the simple pleasure of a fine meal." She took a huge bite of her chicken leg, then grinned impishly at the others.

They sat together in silence
for several long minutes, enjoying the unexpected meal that the strange old woman had provided.

"You mentioned
before that you bore a message from the gods." Damarius asked finally, brushing a bit of potatoes from his beard.

"Yes." The old woman nodded, refilling her goblet with wine. "A message for you, Dragon Lord." She stared at Damion with a serious expression.

"A message from whom?" The huge warrior asked, staring back at the old woman without fear.

"A message from
the Serpent Mother, " She told him, her eyes locked on his. "Estheryal."

Damion glanced at the others, then back to the old woman. "Estheryal has a message for me?" He frowned. "If it's to tell me to abandon my search for our daughter, you can just go back and tell her to forget it! I'll tear this world apart to rescue my Leia!"

The old woman smiled. "Just the opposite, Dragon Lord. Est
heryal bids me to encourage you
not
to give up your search. Moreover, she sends you a warning. No matter what happens, you must make certain that your only child is
not
given over to the Dragon God," Her wrinkled old face fell into an expression of unspeakable sorrow. "even if it means you must do the unthinkable."

"The unthinkable?"

"The dragon god is planning to use your daughter to begin a new race of dragons so His children can once again rule the world." Gwynth sighed sadly. "If Draco fulfills His plans, then this world will be lost. You must stop Him before He can carry out His plans, even if it means you must sacrifice your only child to do so."

"You mean kill Leia?" Raven exclaimed in horror, jumping up from her seat. "You want us to kill our
own daughter?"

The old woman frowned. "If Draco is able to gain possession of your daughter, she will be in for a fate far worse than death, my child. Believe me when I tell you that a quick death would be
merciful when compared to what the dragon god would do to the poor girl."

"There is no way that we would murder our own child." Damion told Gwynth firmly
.

"Then the world will surely be lost."
She told him in a grim tone.

The huge warrior stared at her
helplessly. "Can't Estheryal do anything to stop the dragon god's plan?"

"
She can not take a direct hand in the affairs of the world." The old woman reminded him gently. "As long as Estheryal is bound by the pact, She cannot help."

"
Isn't there anyone in the mortal world that can save Leia?" Damarius asked desperately.

Gwynth nodded. "Only one
." She turned her gaze back to Damion.

"I will
not
murder my daughter!" The huge warrior nearly shouted. "I don't care if it means the world will be destroyed! That is my child, my own flesh that you are asking me to slay! I would sooner kill myself!"

"Then you must prevent her captors from handing her over to the dragon god
." She told him firmly, taking another sip from her wine. "It is the only way to save both the world
and
your daughter."

"Then that's exactly what I'll do." He growled, his eyes flashing red with anger.

The wrinkled old woman laughed a youthful laugh. "I can see why Estheryal likes you so much. You have fire!" She chuckled again, then grabbed another leg of roasted chicken. "If you're going to be successful, then you had better eat up. It may be a while before you all have another decent meal."

Taking her words to heart, they returned to the feast before them
, intent on stuffing themselves with as much of the sumptuous meal as they could.

When they finally had enough, they all leaned back in their seats
with a sigh.

"May I ask you a question?" Damarius asked Gwynth politely, patting his belly with a contented air.
"Didn't Draco already violate the agreement between the gods by returning to this world?"

The old woman frowned, an action that only deepened the wrinkles on her face. "Technicall
y, no. The gods agreed to leave and never take a direct hand in the events of mortals, but they
do
return on occasion to look in on things. It's not a violation, but it's a short step from breaking their oath."

"Is there any advice Estheryal can give us on how to
stop the witch from reaching the dragon god?" Raven asked, her face pale.

The old woman sat in quiet thought for several long moments. "
Although He is a god," She started finally, her voice far away. "Draco is not perfect, by any means. He considers mortals nothing more than a scourge, a disease that infects the land. He underestimates what their capable of, and that may come in useful." She sighed regretfully, then rose to her feet. "I'm afraid, that's everything I have to tell you. I must now return, lest another deity need my services."

They all rose to their feet to find their horses already saddled and waiting.

"Remember, my friends," Gwynth warned them as they pulled themselves up into their saddles. "The fate of this world depends on your success. If the dragon god gains control over your child, this world will be lost to mankind, and all others who call this fair world home." She raised one hand in farewell.

They started off down the trail, the
ir minds on the enormity of what they were doing.

"I forgot to ask," Damion started
, turning back. "Do you..." He stopped, staring in surprise at the empty clearing. There was no sign of the old woman, nor the sumptuous feast that they had just enjoyed. He turned back to the others, a dubious look on his face, then nudged Storm with his heels, and set off down the trail at a trot.

*************

They finally arrived at the area where the trail rejoined the trade road two days later, just as the sun was setting, and found Sly and the twins patiently waiting for them to arrive.

"Glad to see you made it." The little man greeted them
. "I'm guessing you didn't find any sign of the witch."

Damion shook his head. "How long have you been waiting here?"

"Since yesterday evening. We considered continuing on, but decided to give it a day or so to make sure that we hadn't managed to get ahead of them. We were just preparing to set off again."

"Let's get moving then."
The huge warrior ordered, the sour taste of disappointment in his mouth. "We can fill you in on what we discovered along the way."

They set off down the trade road, moving as quickly as they dared in the failing light
, while Damion began to fill Sly and the twins in on their encounter with the old woman. It was well after dark by the time he was finished.

"Gwynth of the Gods?" Jarom asked in disbelief.

"Are you sure she wasn't just some delusional old woman?" Jacom asked, his expression skeptical.