Omensent: Wrath of a Dragon God (56 page)
Read Omensent: Wrath of a Dragon God Online
Authors: Barry Gibbons
"Have you located the witch that has my daughter?" Raven asked desperately.
"Nay," Scale shook his head sadly. "though I haven't given up searching. I have the suspicion that she may using her magic to help avoid being detected, but she cannot keep it up forever. She'll be forced to show herself eventually. I have been trying to stay close to the temples, just in case."
"Are the temples close?"
"They are about an hour's flight to the north and east of this place," He considered it for a long moment. "Perhaps another day's ride on horseback, I would guess."
"How were you able to kill those witches?" Damarius asked curiously, staring across the clearing the charred and mangled cor
pses. "I thought the Dragon Sword prevents you from ever harming a human."
"It does," The huge beast rumbled. "but highland witches are no longer human. When they began consorting with the elder spirits, they shed their humanity, and bec
ame something much more foul and corrupted." He turned to look down at Damion. "I hope that you do not disapprove."
The huge warrior smiled and shook his head. "No
, under the circumstances, I think you acted appropriately."
"I should warn you that something is
definitely afoot at the highland temples." Scale warned in gravely. "Though I couldn't
see
anything out of the ordinary, I could
feel
the presence of something of immense power. I had planned on settling in the plaza of the temples, figuring I could handle anything the witches could throw at me, but as I drew close, I could sense an otherworldly power that literally radiated from the temples. Try as I might, I couldn't bring myself to land within the temple complex."
"That must have been Draco." Damion nodded in understanding. "He could easily conceal himself from mortal eyes. He probably knew that you were there
upon my command, and didn't want you becoming involved."
The great beast nodded in agreement. "That was my suspicion as well." He drew himself up proudly. "What would you have me do, Dragon Lord?"
Damion considered it for several moments. "Return to your search for my daughter." He decided finally. "If you spot them, do your best to slow them down without injuring Leia."
"As you wish." The great beast leapt into the air and quickly disappeared from view.
They pressed on as quickly as they could for the rest of the day, then Damion called for them to stop along the banks of a shallow stream. "Look there." He pointed to the fresh carcass of a dead horse. "It looks as though they may have lost one of their horses."
Sly slipped down from his saddle, and went to the dead beast
's side. "It's still warm." He reported, laying a palm on its neck.
"That means they can't be far." Damion murmured
. "Let's keep moving."
They continued to press on
as the darkness fell, moving as quickly as they dared, but it soon became too treacherous, and Damion was forced to call for everyone to halt for the night.
At Damion's request, Snowfeather immediately set off to continue the search while they settled down to rest and refresh themselves. He was gone for several hours before finally returning, dropping down from the darkness to settle on a nearby rock formation.
"Did you locate them?"
Damion asked, sitting up from his bedroll.
"Nay."
The huge owl hooted dispiritedly.
"I couldn't find any trace of them, but I have the oddest feeling that they're close. I just couldn't see them anywhere. I
did
locate the temples, though. They're about twelve miles from here. The entire complex is completely surrounded by granite formations, concealing it from being seen by all but those who know its location."
The huge warrior glanced around to see everyone staring at him expectantly.
"Well?" Sly demanded impatiently. "What did he say?"
"He said he can't locate them anywhere, but
he believes they're close."
"And the temples?"
"They're about twelve miles from here. He says the entire temple complex is constructed in a large clearing that is surrounded on all sides by several large granite formations, completely concealing it from view,
except
from above."
Raven
suddenly leapt to her feet and rushed to her horse.
Damion hurried after her, grabbing her by her arm to prevent her from leaping up in her saddle.
"Let me go!" She screamed at him, her eyes full of tears.
"No, Raven," The huge warrior told her firmly. "I won't let you go running off in the darkness. It's too dangerous!"
"I don't care how dangerous it is," She told him fiercely. "I want my daughter! I want my Leia back!"
"And we're going to
her back." He promised her gently. "But we have to stay calm, and keep our wits about us." He slowly drew her into his arms. "We can't loose our patience now, not after coming this far. We're going to save her," He smiled. "then you can vent your frustration on her abductors."
"I'm going to pluck that witch's eyes from her head so she can watch while I chop
the rest of her into little pieces." The young woman snarled savagely, a fire burning deep in her eyes.
Damion
chuckled. "That's my girl." He gently led her back to her bedroll. "We'll set off again at first light. We need to get some rest. You're going to need your strength when we finally catch up with Leia and her abductors. "
The next morning, Raven had them back up, fed, and
ready to go before the sun even broke over the horizon. As soon as it had grown light enough for them to safely travel, the young woman leapt into her saddle. "Let's move." She growled, her expression grim.
The others turned to look at Damion, their eyes questioning.
"You heard the lady," He told them, climbing up onto Storm's broad back. "Let's get moving. We don't want to be late. There a witch out there that's waiting for my wife arrive to kill her. Let's not keep her waiting."
Chapter
20
"I've spotted them!"
Snowfeather hooted frantically, swooping down from the sky.
"There's a woman and child on horseback about a mile from here!"
"Snowfeather has spotted them!" Damion roared to the others, spurring Storm into a run. He led them through the dangerous countryside at breakneck speeds, desperate to close the distance between themselves and Leia's
abductors. They finally rounded a curve in the trail and found themselves on the banks of a shallow river.
On the opposite side of the river, her mouth open in surprise,
sat a young hooded woman on horseback with a small child struggling furiously in her arms.
With a roar of rage, Damion yanked the Dragon Sword from its sheath and spurred Storm forward, intent on destroying the woman who had turned his entire world upside down.
The woman screamed something unintelligible, then waved one hand in a sweeping gesture.
The invisible force that
suddenly struck the companions swept them all from their horses, sending them crashing hard to the ground.
Damion landed in the center of the river with a great splash. He r
esurfaced, coughing and choking, cursing his own stupidity. He had been so enveloped in his battle lust that he had allowed himself to be caught completely off guard.
The witch
waved her hand once more, but this time the huge warrior was ready for her. Drawing in his magic, he allowed the invisible force to rush passed him harmlessly, then started forward, his eyes full of murder.
The witch's burning eyes grew wide with fear, and she screamed once more, then
she wheeled her horse around and drove her heels into its ribs, dashing off up the trail as fast as the beast could carry her.
Damion roared in fury, then started after her on foot, but found his way blocked by a huge bald warrior dres
sed in a thick bull hide armor.
The man
stood nearly as tall as Damion, with a heavily muscled torso, and huge arms. He carried a heavy long sword in one hand, and a long, wicked looking dagger in the other. His face was expressionless as he stared at Damion. "So, you must be the Dragon Lord."
"And you must be the witch's puppet." Damion growled viciously.
"You have been quite the thorn in my mistress's side." The man continued in an emotionless tone, seeming unconcerned by the enormous warrior before him. "She has been extremely vexed with you and your companions."
"Glad to hear our efforts haven't been in vain." He started forward, his eyes full
of the promise of death.
"I have to admit that you have
surprised us with your tenacity." The bald man told him in a conversational tone, even as he launched forward with a vast overhand blow of his long sword. "I would have never expected you to be able to overcome the combined powers of my mistress
and
the elder spirits. The stories about you don't do you justice."
"Your mistress should have studied me a little closer then."
Damion told him, easily dancing clear of the blow. "If she had, she would know that there isn't anything I wouldn't do for my daughter."
"We've noticed." The man leapt forward once again, slashing at Damion with his heavy long sword.
"We were especially impressed when you survived the shadow warriors sent to deal with you. Not many mortals could have walked away from an encounter with the spirits of the netherworld."
"
I've been in tougher fights." Damion said as he parried the attacks. He ducked under a wild swipe from the Oroni's dagger, then lunged forward, lashing out with the Dragon Sword, slashing the bald man across the chest. The fabled blade easily sliced through the thick bull hide armor, leaving a nasty gash in its wake.
"Impressive!" The bald man complimented him, showing no indication that the injury caused him any discomfort. "I can't remember the last time a foe managed to strike a blow against me."
"You talk too much." Damion growled, blocking another blow. He suddenly lashed out with a bone crushing kick that caught the Oroni full in the gut.
The bald man doubled over, his breath whooshing from his lungs, and
then stumbled back several steps, waving his long sword in a wide arc to keep Damion at bay.
"Quit playing with him, Damion
," Sly bellowed irritably, struggling to get back to his feet. "The witch is getting away!"
Damion glanced back at the others, who had all managed to make it back to their feet and were rushing to gather their horses. He turned back to the Oroni warrior, who was still
gasping for breath desperately, then launched himself forward, the Dragon Sword held low.
The Oroni's eyes grew wide, and
he somehow managed to stumble clear of the deadly thrust that had been aimed at his heart. He swung a vast overhand blow with his heavy long sword, which was easily deflected by the huge warrior, then followed up the blow with a lightening quick thrust of his wicked looking dagger.
Damion
gave the warrior a look of pure contempt, then slapped the dagger away with such force that it drove itself deep into the Oroni's thigh, causing the huge man to bellow in pain. He tried to lash out with his long sword, but Damion merely danced clear, and lashed out once again with the Dragon Sword, catching the bald man across the forearm and severing his hand from his body.
The heavy long sword dropped to the ground
with the Oroni's hand still grasping it, and the man grabbed the stump of his arm, which was pumping large amounts of blood onto the shore. He slowly dropped to his knees, gasping heavily for breath, then he slowly began to laugh, though his face still remained strangely emotionless. "It's too late." He told Damion. "My job is done. My mistress has almost reached the temples, where she'll hand the child over to the dragon god, Draco, fulfilling her pact with the elder spirits, and sealing your daughter's fate." He laughed again. "You and your companions have failed, Dragon Lord. My mistress..." He abruptly stopped mid-sentence as an arrow suddenly struck him dead center of his forehead with a loud thud. He slowly toppled forward to the ground with nearly a foot of the arrow protruding from the back of his head.
"He just didn't know when to shut his mouth, did he?" Raven snarled, lowering her bow.
Sly laughed a barking laugh, then leapt back into his saddle. "Let's move!"
Damion
glanced one last time at the dead warrior, then leapt back onto Storm's broad back and spurred the great warhorse forward.
They charged up the trail as fast as their horses could carry them, ig
noring the dangers of the rocky and uneven terrain, and the fleeing witch soon came into view. The hooded young woman was flogging her horse unmercifully in an effort to escape, but her exhausted horse seemed to be slowing nonetheless.
"The temples are just ahead!"
Snowfeather warned Damion with a frantic hoot, swooping low over the huge warrior's head.
"The path leading into the complex lies between those two stone formations!"
A dark shadow suddenly passed over them, and the enormous form of a scarlet dragon appeared overhead, swooping low in front of the fleeing witch in an effort to slow her escape.
"It's Scale!" Damarius cheered.
The companions continued to charge forward as they watched the great serpent bank sharply, preparing to dive towards the hooded woman once more, but the witch
suddenly made a strange gesture, and a sizzling bolt of energy erupted from her fingertips. It struck the massive beast full in the chest and exploded with tremendous force, sending Scale hurtling to the ground with an earth shaking crash.
A child's
terrified scream suddenly echoed through the highlands, and they could see a tiny figure struggling to free itself from the witch's gasp.
"Leia!" Raven cried, desperately trying to close the gap between herself and her daughter's abductor.
"She's almost reached the path leading into the temples!"
Snowfeather squawked desperately.
Damion looked ahead and saw the witch abruptly alter her course, spurring her dying horse towards a narrow gap between two massive granite formations. "Storm!" Calling upon the huge
stallion's loyalty in desperation. "Faster!"
The enormous beast shuddered, then su
ddenly leapt forward, quickly outdistancing the other horses as they shot after their quarry.
The hooded woman reached the narrow path leading into the temple complex and charged through, Damion and Storm mere steps behind.
They raced through the narrow pathway and emerged into an enormous clearing which was completely encircled by the colossal granite formations, keeping it well hidden from the rest of the world.
The highland temples had been constructed in the center of the enormous clearing. Built from huge blocks of granite harvested from the surrounding formations, they appeared to be thousands of years old
. Dozens of smaller structures surrounded three main buildings, while in the center of the complex was a large open plaza. A huge alter of fire had been erected upon a raised platform in the heart of the plaza, and stood spewing enormous flames high into the air.
The witch charged passed the smaller outbuildings, screaming
unintelligibly as she continued to whip her horse forward. Dozens of hooded figures suddenly appeared, pouring out of the buildings and rushing into Damion's path in an effort to stop him.
Storm didn't even slow as he
smashed through the witches, sending several of the hooded figures crashing into their comrades, while others fell beneath his churning hooves.
Damion didn't even look back, unwilling to give up the pursuit. He
just hoped the others could handle the witches while he continued after Leia's abductor.
The
witch emerged into the enormous plaza with Damion and Storm mere yards behind the fleeing woman. She reached the altar of flames and let out a triumphant whoop of glee, reining her horse so sharply that it reared back, nearly tossing her from the saddle. She leapt to the ground with Leia still in her arms struggling to break free, and rushed to the raised platform, her face flushed with victory.
"No!" Damion roared, launching himself from the saddle and rushing towards the raised altar.
The witch reached the flaming altar, then whirled around, a dagger made from obsidian clenched in one fist. "Not another step," She snarled at him, grabbing Leia by her hair and placing the dagger against her neck. "or I'll open your daughter's throat." A small trickle of blood dribbled down from where the sharp blade had already started to slice into the child's soft flesh.
"Daddy!" Leia screamed in terror, tears streaming down her cheeks.
Damion froze mid-step, his teeth bared in frustrated rage. "Release her!" He growled, his eyes locked on the burning eyes of the witch. "Let her go, and I'll let you live!"