Omensent: Wrath of a Dragon God (59 page)

They lingered at the palace-arena for two days, most of which was filled with parties, banquets,
and celebrations, all held in their honor. The whole city of Teir joined in the festivities, cavorting through the streets happily, and cheering whenever one of them happened to pass.

They finally bid Grediff a regretful farewell, then set of
f towards the south, bundled up in several layers of soft fur to ward off the growing chill of winter. They reached the border between Teirsia and Alioon two weeks later, and after a brief stop to rest and resupply, they hurried on, eager to put as much distance behind them as they could before the snows reached the lowlands.

When the snow finally began to fall, they did their best to ignore it and press
ed on, though it slowed their progress considerably as they continued through the open meadows of Alioon.

It took them nearly two months to push their way through the hip deep snow that blanketed the countryside, then finally, the gnomish city of Sherish appeared in the distance.

They hurried into the city, thankful to finally be back in civilization, then did their best to push their way through the streets crowded with hordes of the tiny little gnomes. They finally stopped that night at one of the nicer inns that they could locate, completely exhausted from their long journey. They set off again early the next morning, eager to be off before the crowds returned to pack the streets.

"Do you think Captain Harper is still waiting for us to return?" Sly asked, huddling deeper into his heav
y fur cape.

"He'll still be there." Damion assured him with a smile. "I know he may seem a little eccentric, but
the captain is a man of his word."

"Let's hope so." The little man murmured. "It's a long swim from
Naquia to Sierra."

They finally reached the port ci
ty of Naquia two days later. They followed the twin knights towards the city, then slowed to a halt just outside the city limits when the two men suddenly reined in their horses and wheeled them around to face the companions.

"This is where we must part." Jacom sighed, staring at the others sadly.

"Our job is now finished, and your daughter safe." Jarom continued with a heavy sigh. "It is time for us to move on to others that are in need of our assistance."

"Are you sure you don't want to return to Sevria with us?" Damion offered. "We can use a couple of good men like you." He was genuinely going to miss the brothers, who
had been instrumental in their success.

"I'm afraid we can
not." Jarom frowned regretfully.

"There are still many people throughout our land who need the aid of the
Knights of Sarath," Jacom explained, his expression remorseful. "We can not turn our backs on our oaths."

"I understand." The huge warrior pulled Storm up along side the twins and clasped each of their hands briefly. "I'll never be able to thank you enough." He told them sincerely. "You have proven yourselves to be honorable men, worthy of great respect. We would never
have succeeded without your help. If you ever have need of my assistance, don't hesitate to ask."

They bid the two men a fond farewell, then made their way into the city, eager to find out if Captain Harper was still awaiting their return.
They hurried through the streets towards the inn where they had last saw the extravagant old sea captain, and found him at the exact same table where they had left him months before, conversing quietly with several other ship captains.

"
Damion!" Captain Harper roared in surprise when he caught sight of the companions. He leapt to his feet and rushed over. "Well?" He demanded eagerly. "Did you find your daughter?"

Damion smiled, then gestured to the tiny bundle of walking fur that stood next to Raven.

"Ha ha!" The eccentric old sea captain exclaimed in genuine delight, rushing over to scoop Leia up into his arms. "I knew that witch didn't stand a chance against you!" He gently pushed the young child's hood away from her face, then smiled as he beheld the beautiful young girl for the first time. "Hello there, little one," He smiled, his eyes brimming with tears. "I've been waiting a long time to meet you."

Leia giggled as his elaborately
curled beard tickled her face.

"How's the Fearless Lady faring?" Sly asked, stumping over to drop into one of the chairs vacated by the other sea captains. "She wasn't in the best shape when we left out of here."

"She's ready to sail whenever you are." He told them proudly, returning to his seat and placing Leia on one knee. "It took us nearly three months to make her sea worthy again. Her main mast had to be replaced, along with most of the decking, and one of the ribs in the stern had been splintered, but everything has been replaced, and she's ready to sail. She docked right outside."

"
Excellent!" Damarius exclaimed happily, dropping into a chair with a heavy sigh. "After everything that has happened, I'm looking forward to returning to Sevria for some hard earned rest."

"When can we set sail?"
Sly asked, taking a long drink from one of the tankards of ale left behind by the other ship captains.

"All I need to do is set in a store of supplies
." Captain Harper replied with a shrug, still using his beard to tickle Leia, who was giggling uncontrollably. "We can set sail with the morning tide if you wish."

"That would be fine
, Captain, thank you." Damion told him with a grateful smile.

"
I had better go and secure some supplies of my own." Sly grunted after a moment's thought. He hurried off to speak with the innkeeper.

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

"I don't care how much the merchants complain," Shirk growled at Fedrio, who had ventured to Sevria on behalf of the Merchant's Guild. "They have to pay their fair share, just like everyone else. Just because Damion isn't here doesn't mean we'll overlook when those scoundrels try to avoid paying their taxes while trading in Sevria."

"I understand your
frustration," The gaunt faced liaison told him in a reasonable tone. "but as long as the taxes remain as high as they currently are, the merchants are going to continue to complain. If you were to drop the tax just a bit..."

"Drop it?" Shirk snorted in amusement. "We were considering raising it.
It takes quite a bit of gold to pay the work crews that maintain the roads, and the merchants have the most to lose if we decide that it's becoming too expensive to continue paying the laborers. It's seems only fair to me that they begin paying a little more."

"You wouldn't!" Fedrio's
face turned pale.

"I don't know," The bearded thief's face took on a speculative look. "The more we discuss it, the better it sounds."

"Stop torturing Fedrio." Lady Skie chided Shirk fondly. She smiled reassuringly at the dangerously thin man. "He's only teasing you. We're not planning to raise the taxes," Her expression became stern. "but we will not be lowering them either. You can tell the Merchant's Guild that the next time one of their caravans skips out without paying, we'll start charging them double."

"Lady Skie!" The gaunt faced
man looked shocked.

They all turned to look at Dar and Gwynth, who came into Damion's office and joined them at the table.

"Are you two still arguing over taxes?" Dar asked in amusement, climbing up into the chair next to Lady Skie. "I figured you would have already settled that issue days ago."

"Lady Skie just settled the issue for us," Shirk grunted in a sulky tone. "and just when we were starting to have fun."

"Good evening, Gwynth." Lady Skie greeted the legendary old woman, who glided over to her side, a mysterious expression on her wrinkled face. "How are you this evening?"

Gwynth had continued to remain with them in Sevria as their guest
ever since the night she had appeared to them, though she disappeared from time to time without warning, only to return later, her eyes lost in thought. They had tried to query her each time she returned from one of these mysterious outings, but she always refused to answer any of their questions.

"I am well, thank you." The elderly woman had a playful smile hovering about her mouth.

"What's going on?" Shirk asked Gwynth suspiciously, noticing their guest's odd demeanor. "I know that expression. Either you just robbed a wealthy nobleman, or you're sitting on some information." His eyes narrowed. "And with that smirk, it must be something fairly important."

They all stared at her questioningly.

"You're a very perceptive fellow," Gwynth told the shaggy old thief with a youthful laugh. "Would you all like to join me in the courtyard?" She asked in an excessively innocent tone. "Tempest might enjoy a little company, and it's too beautiful an evening to be cooped up inside of this stuffy office."

They all continued to stare at her with baffled expressions, but the elderly woman merely smiled
, and waited expectantly.

They made their way down to the main hall of Serpent's Keep, then
through the main doors of the castle, emerging into the enormous courtyard where they found the massive scarlet dragon awaiting their arrival.

"Hello, old friend!" Dar greeted Tempest with a laugh, scampering up her back
to perch happily on one of her broad shoulders. "It looks like you've been expecting us."

Tempest glanced down at Gwynth of the Gods, her eyes dancing with mischief, but remained silent.

"What's going on here, Gwynth?" Lady Skie asked the elderly old woman, who was staring up into the clear night sky. She followed the old woman's gaze up towards the heavens to the constellation of the dragon god, Draco, which had returned to its place in the heavens a couple of months before. She had tried to question Gwynth several times on its meaning, but the elderly old woman always gave her the same frown, and refused to speak on the subject.

"You
do
realize it's freezing out here, right?" Shirk complained sourly, huddling deeper into his heavy coat.

"Don't worry," Gwynth told him reassuringly. "It won't be much longer now." She suddenly smiled broadly, a motion that exaggerated her deep wrinkles profoundly. "Ah, there they are." She said in satisfaction.

They all turned and saw a group of riders who were slowly pushing their way through the fresh snow towards the castle, led by an enormous figure who was mounted upon a huge prancing warhorse. A large white owl was perched sedately on one of the figure's broad shoulders, its feathers fluffed in an effort to ward off the chill.

It was several moments before anyone reacted, then Lady Skie suddenly exclaimed, "Damion! That's Damion!" She dashed off towards the riders, heedless of the
heavy snow that covered the courtyard.