Omensent: Wrath of a Dragon God (50 page)

"Not really
." Raven answered distractedly, watching her husband stare across the arena at his opponent. "I don't think he liked how you finished it."

Grediff came hurrying up to them, his face pale
, and his eyes wide with shock. "Is it true?" He asked the old wizard, staring down at Damion in astonishment. "Is he truly the Dragon Lord, the man who united the Dragon Gem and the Dragon Sword, and released the scarlet dragons back into our world?"

"It's true."
Sly assured the battle master. "Damion is the Dragon Lord," The scruffy little man smirked. "and he's about to remove your king's head from beneath his crown."

The gruff old man
didn't reply, but continued watch the huge warrior in stunned silence.

They watched as Damion looked around at the suddenly silent crowd, then up at Damarius, a disgusted look on his face
, before finally returning his attention to his opponent.

"
I thought for a moment that he was going to turn you into a toad." Sly commented to the old wizard with a snort. "The look he directed at you just gave me the shivers! Perhaps you shouldn't have revealed his true identity to all of Teir."

"I figured if his opponent kne
w exactly who he was up against, he may throw down his weapons and yield." Damarius looked crestfallen. "I hadn't considered how Damion might react," He glanced around at the crowd of Teirsians, most of whom were still staring in amazement down at the legendary warrior that had suddenly appeared to challenge their king. "but at least the people reacted exactly how I had planned. Perhaps Mika will react similarly, and throw down his weapons."

"King Mika cannot yield." Grediff commented absently. "To yield is the ultimate sign of cowardice
for a Teirsian warrior. Besides," He added as an afterthought. "he always demands that his battles be fought to the death."

"Is that a common custom?" Raven asked, her eyes still on her husband, who continued to stare calmly across the arena
at his opponent.

The gruff old man shook his head. "I
t was unheard of before Mika became king." His expression was one of disapproval. "This arena was once a place of honor, where a warrior came to pit his skills against his fellow warrior in combat, but Mika corrupted that when he decided to allow warriors to fight to the death." He suddenly smirked. "I think he may be regretting that decision right about now."

"If he's not regretting it right now," Jarom snorted, his eyes dancing in amusement.

"He will be very soon!" Jacom laughed, watching as the two warriors below slowly began to move towards one another with deadly intent.

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

He lazily drifted on the cool air currents high above the massive mortal city of Teir, enjoying the sensation of the rushing of wind across his massive wings.

He stared down curiously at the sprawling city, amazed such
primitive creatures could create such an extensive civilization. He had always looked upon humans as a mere scourge upon the world, but had to admit that they were surprisingly skilled at creating things from stone, wood, and steel.

Once they emerged from their caves, their cities began to pop up on every continent in the world
. Now, some their cities stretched for leagues in every direction, and much of the wild lands had been tamed to be used for farming to supply food for their ever growing population.

The more
he watched, the more he became convinced that his plan was the only way to insure that his children would remain the most powerful creatures on the planet. Unless something was done quickly, the human race would continue to spread, infecting and destroying every corner of the world.

He stared down at the enormous coliseum in the center of the human city below,
his unearthly eyes easily picking out the Dragon Lord, who appeared to be preparing for some sort of ritualistic battle.

He snorted in derision. Such an activity had no real value, but
did
provide a distraction that should keep the human occupied long enough for the witch to escape the city with the Dragon Lord's child.

He had grown quite concerned when
he saw how close the human was to the witch the elder spirits had chosen to obtain his prize. No matter what had been thrown at him, the Dragon Lord had somehow managed to overcome and triumph, and was now within a league of where the witch now hid with his only child.

But this distraction should prove to be just what the witch need
ed to escape into the highlands without being tracked. As long as he was preoccupied with the petty nuisances that apparently came with being human, there should be no further need for concern. The witch should now be able to escape with the child with very little effort, and be free to make her way to the highlands to the agreed upon place where the child would be handed over to him.

He snarled in sudden annoyance. As long as
he was still bound to the agreement
not
to take a direct hand in the events of the mortal world, he could not take possession of the child just anywhere. It had to be somewhere that the elder spirits held dominion, and that could only mean the highland temples, the only place in all the lands still consecrated to those who dwelt in the netherworld.

He tilted one wing and slowly began to
glide east towards the highland temples. It was almost time to claim his prize, and begin the next chapter in his children's rise to domination.

Chapter 1
8

Damion slowly started
across the arena towards the armor plated King of Teirsia, who still looked stunned by the pronouncement of his opponent's true identity. He stared back at the legendary figure that was slowly moving towards him with eyes that were suddenly full of fear.

The silence that had descended over the crowd was finally being broken by hushed whispers and fearful murmurs, which slowly began to grow to a deafening roar as the people began to cheer, watching in anticipation as the two warrior stalked towards one another with dreadful intent.

When Damion was a dozen paces from the huge armor plated warrior, he calmly reached back and drew the Dragon Sword from its sheath, his eyes locked on the suddenly nervous king.

Mika snarled in sudden anger, and his lips curled back to reveal a mouth full of gold teeth. He raised his large shield, then took a battle stance, his oversized axe poised to strike
.

With a roar of rage
, he charged at Damion, the massive battleaxe whistling as it sliced through the air, but Damion easily danced clear of the deadly blows, his expression calm, but determined.

The crowd roared in approval
as the men began to circle one another, each carefully watching the other, looking for the slightest opening in which they could finish their opponent.

Despite Grediff's warning, Damion
still was taken aback by how quickly the huge king could move, performing intricate moves with the giant axe that would confuse and confound any normal warrior. But Damion was anything but normal. He skillfully evaded each attack with the same calm, almost detached expression, causing the huge king to flounder after him ineffectually.

The crowd around them began to stomp their feet as they cheered, causing the entire coliseum to begin vibrating violently. The noise was deafening as they co
ntinued to cheer on the warriors while they battled. Many screamed out curses and insults in an effort to taunt and distract the fighters, while others shouted encouragement and advise, hoping to see their favorite warrior rise to victory.

The armor plated king continued to attack the much larger warrior, who simply danced clear of his onslaught, a look of disdain on his face. He soon began to grow winded,
and his movements began to slow.

Damion continued to dance nimbly around the vicious monarch, watching all the while as the overweight king began to grow more winded, and his attacks more erratic. After ducking yet another
wild swipe, he finally decided enough time had been wasted, and suddenly dropped into a crouch, his eyes narrowed dangerously.

The crowd erupted once more, s
tomping their feet harder and faster, sensing the end of the battle was soon to come.

The huge
king was breathing in great gasps, the weight of his heavy armor, shield, and battleaxe weighing down his every move. His eyes widened in sudden fear as Damion launched forward, the Dragon Sword held high, and he desperately raised his shield in an effort to ward off the blow, but the legendary sword sliced clean through the heavy steel, sending the top half of the shield toppling to the ground.

Mika stared
in dismay at his useless shield for several long moments, then with a snarl of disgust, he tossed it away and took his battleaxe in both hands. With a roar of rage, he charged forward, trying with all his might to finish the legendary warrior, but once again, the man merely danced around his attack.

The people cont
inued to cheer and stomp their feet in unison, eager for the finish that was sure to come.

Damion sidestepped another wild swipe,
and lashed out with the Dragon Sword once again. The legendary sword sliced through one of the Teirsian king's armored forearms, severing the arm clean at the elbow.

The king howled in agony, dropping his battleaxe in shock, and grabbing his injured arm, his eyes wide with disbelief.

Damion spun behind the king quicker than the eye could follow, slicing the overweight king across the back of his knees, sending him crashing hard to the cobblestones of the arena.

Mika pushed himself
to his knees using his one good hand, still howling in pain and fury. He tried to spin around and grab a hold of his tormentor, but the enormous warrior merely bashed him in the side of his head with the hilt of his sword, sending him crashing back to the cobblestones in a daze.

Damion calmly watched as
the dazed monarch pushed himself back up to a kneeling position, then walked around to face the injured man, and leveled the Dragon Sword against his throat. "Yield, Mika," He growled just loud enough to be heard over the roar of the crowd. "Yield, and I'll let you live."

"I cannot yield." Mika spat, still gasping for breath. "I will not dishonor myself by surrendering.
I will die a Teirsian warrior." He looked confused. "Before you kill me, tell me why you came against me. Is Teirsia your next step in taking over the world?"

"Don't be ridiculous." Damion snorted in derision
. "I don't want to rule the world, I just want my daughter back."

"Your daughter?" T
he Teirsian king looked confused.

"A highland witch abducted my daughter Leia, and fled here to Teirsia in an attempt to escape. We followed her here to Teir, and suspect she's somewhere here in the city."