Return of the Dragon (The Dragon's Champion Book 6) (9 page)

“There is no honor to be found among them.”

Salarion stood and moved to the window. “That is not
entirely true,” she said. “Would a wolf assume that a fish is without honor
because it does not fight the bear?”

Maernok cast a glare at her. “Weak as the humans might
be, they are not fish.”

“Fear is a powerful oppressor,” Salarion said. “Some
are brave and fight back, but humans are easier to frighten than embolden. They
are oppressed by shackles they place upon their own minds and hearts.”

“And that is why they have no honor.”

Salarion sighed. She turned to say something but
Maernok cut her off.

“Orcs are born cursed. Before a baby orc takes its
first breath, it is predestined to spend an eternity in the flames of Hammenfein.
Such is our fate as assigned by the Old Gods of the humans. Yet, despite this,
we fight. We raise our young to embrace honor and glory.”

“That is because you are beyond hope,” Salarion said.
“And that is your blessing, not your curse. For the humans still hold on to
hope,
and it is that hope that strengthens their fear and
holds them down. They know they should have hope, so when it is taken from them
they are paralyzed, afraid of losing it entirely.”

Maernok finished his ale and set the mug down upon the
windowsill. “Then why not kill the governor and disrupt Gilifan’s dastardly
deeds here?”

Salarion nodded. “I have thought of the same thing,
but it would not work just yet. We must wait until Tu’luh is bound to the new
dragon.”

“Why?” Maernok asked.

“While Tu’luh is a spirit, he will be able to sense
our presence if we get too close. If we were to assassinate the governor,
Gilifan would likely send Tu’luh out to find us. Better to wait.”

“We will watch while people are led to slaughter?”

“What difference does it make to you? They are only
humans, as you put it.”

Maernok shook his head. “I only warred with the humans
in order to earn the right to kill Gilifan. I see no honor in merciless
killing. These people have not the strength to
raise
up swords in their own defense.”

“An orc with a conscience?”
Salarion teased. She moved to sit upon the bed.
“How
interesting.”

Maernok eyed her from head to toe and then went to sit
by the table in the room. “When Tu’luh is joined with the new egg, what is the
plan?”

“What do you know of Nagar’s Secret?” Salarion asked.

Maernok shrugged.
“Never heard of
it.”

Salarion sighed and curled her legs up under her
slender body. “To make it simple, it is a spell created by my father and
Tu’luh. It is designed to bind the hearts and souls of every living creature so
that they can be controlled. This is the power that Gilifan seeks. No one is
immune to the spell.”

“Then we should strike before he can use it,” Maernok
said quickly. “Even if Tu’luh’s spirit is watching, if both of us go in then
one of us can get to the wizard before it is too late.”

Salarion shook her head. “It isn’t that simple,” she
said. “To infiltrate the underground fortress I will need to use powerful magic
to disguise us both. Using my magic will draw his attention. The only way is to
wait until Tu’luh has been rejoined with the new hatchling. As for Gilifan, he
will sense me when I approach, even if I use a disguise. He put a marker upon
me the last time we met.”

“If you already met with him, why didn’t you kill him?”

“It’s complicated,” Salarion started. “But, I need
Gilifan to use the spell in order for Nagar’s Secret to be destroyed.”

“You would let him enslave everyone?”

Salarion shook her head emphatically. “I altered the
spell in a way that he will not detect. It will affect the spell’s range and
limit it to just a few square miles from wherever the magic is used. Then,
after the first use, its range will diminish to only twenty or thirty yards.”

“How could you do such a thing without him noticing?”

Salarion sneered slyly. “I am a dark elf, and the book
is written in my language. I altered a couple of words, and that is all it
takes. Then, once he uses it and it is discovered that the range has been
limited, he will have no choice but to transfer the power to some sort of
object like a staff or an amulet.”

“So instead of being able to hide with the book in a
far off mountain, you would force him to come out with the magic, thereby
giving the humans a chance to take the amulet or staff and destroy it.”

“Precisely,” Salarion confirmed. “Otherwise the whole
of the Middle Kingdom, the Eastern Wilds, and the orcish lands would be
enslaved within the blink of an eye. I did something similar when my father
first used the spell some centuries ago, but I did not hamper it enough. He was
still able to use it from a great distance, and many battles were fought before
the book was finally taken away from him.”

“Still,” Maernok pressed. “Why not gather an army to
here and fight?”

Salarion shook her head. “If we alert Gilifan to our
presence, or force him to run away as an army chases him, he will have more
time to inspect the book. He needs Tu’luh to use the spell, but he could study
the book in the meantime and discover my tampering.”

“But we could destroy the egg too, and then there
would be no more dragons.”

Salarion folded her arms impatiently and shook her
head. “Gilifan is able to lengthen his own life force, and he would either find
a way to resurrect Tu’luh, or he would scour the world searching for a new
host. Imagine if he traveled across the oceans and disappeared. How would we
stop him then?”

“You are not very different from him,” Maernok said
after a moment. “You are willing to sacrifice all the people in Pinkt’Hu just
the same as he is.”

“I do it to save many more souls, whereas he does it
to enslave them all,” Salarion countered.

“The blood is still upon your hands,” Maernok said.
“How can you justify such a slaughter? It is not honorable.”

“I am Sierri’Tai,” she said curtly. “I am willing to
do what it takes because I see the vast chasm of destruction that will engulf
the world if I do not follow through with my plan. I will stop Gilifan, and I
will break Tu’luh’s power, but to do that requires sacrifice. Gilifan must be
allowed to use the magic as quickly as possible so as to prevent him from
discovering my manipulation. Then, as soon as he has Tu’luh resurrected we will
strike.”

Maernok shook his head. “But if none are immune, then
we will be swallowed by the spell.”

Salarion shook her head. “I have a charm that will
render you immune to the spell,” she said.

“Me?” Maernok asked skeptically. “What about you?”

Salarion frowned. “I do not have the strength to
defeat Gilifan. I can use my magic to disguise us, and I will fight beside you
for as long as possible, but it is you who must destroy the wizard.”

“Why not use the charm yourself?”

“Gilifan is as wise as a serpent,” Salarion said.
“Long ago he put a mark upon me. He always suspected it was I who was
responsible for my father’s fall, but he could not prove it. Furthermore, he
needed my help. So, we made a pact. I promised never to slay him by my own hand
or by means of my magic, and he promised the same toward me. He thought he had
the upper hand, of course, because he knew that I am not immune to my father’s
spell. He knows that in the end I will be turned by the curse.” Salarion looked
up to Maernok with her sparkling, violet eyes and smiled faintly. “When he uses
the spell, then you must kill me. After that you will be on your own. For a
time after using the spell, Gilifan and Tu’luh will both be weakened. If you
can fight your way through the remaining mercenaries, then you should be able
to defeat the wizard.”

“If you altered the spell’s range, you could escape,”
Maernok pointed out.

“Then who would disguise you and get you into the
cave?” Salarion asked. “I am Sierri’Tai. I do what is necessary to achieve my
goal.”

Maernok nodded and the two sat in silence for a while.
Then, as he let the thoughts sink in he gave one final question. “How do I
destroy the magic once it has been transferred?”

Salarion smiled. “That is not easily done,” she said.
“The item must be given to the Champion of Truth. Only he will know how to
destroy the magic.”

“Who is that?”

Salarion laughed. “A boy,” she said. “He is far in the
east even now, preparing for the event. If you get the magical relic, make
haste to the eastern wilds.”

She didn’t bother to tell the orc that he would also
most likely die in the underground cavern. He was a seasoned warrior. Surely he
already knew the odds were against them.

Maernok smiled and nodded as if he could read
Salarion’s thoughts.

“I accept your plan. It will be a good fight,” he said.

Lepkin looked through the spy glass toward the south.
The cool, late autumn breeze ran over his knuckles and frosted his breath.

“Can you see them?” Lady Arkyn asked.

Lepkin nodded grimly.
“Just as you
said.
It appears they have brought their entire army north.”

Commander Nials held out his hand expectantly. Lepkin
gave him the spy glass. “
Mhm, that
is a nasty looking
bunch of brutes.”

“We are ready for them,” Al put in quickly. “Thanks to
your fire barrier we have had enough time to construct thirty catapults,
instead of the twenty we had planned on. We have enough stone for several
engagements piled behind each one and we have wool blankets topped with dirt
and straw to camouflage everything. Let them come up.”

Lady Arkyn cleared her throat.

Al blushed slightly. “And thanks to your arrows no
orcish scouts discovered our secrets.”

Lady Arkyn offered a smile.

Al rolled his eyes and turned for the ladder to climb
down from the tower. “I will command the dwarves. We’ll keep those dunderheads
from crossing the chasm.”

Nials turned and held a red cloth over the balcony. An
officer down below signaled back and then ran down the line. Commander Nials
turned back to Lepkin then and smiled. “It will be an honor to see the great
Master Lepkin wield his mighty flaming sword.”

Lepkin cocked his head to the side a bit and folded
his arms. “I gave the sword to the Champion of Truth.”

Nials frowned slightly and glanced down to the sword
hanging from Lepkin’s waist. “Well, I am sure you will manage in any case.”

“In Mercer’s absence, I have become the ranking
officer for the men of Ten Forts,” Lepkin explained.

Nials nodded and patted Lepkin on the shoulder.
“Heroes belong on the field, not in towers. Leave the strategy to me.”
Before Lepkin could reply Nials gestured out to the men below on
the field.
“We can’t win this war if we are split betwixt three
commanders. Let King Sit’marihu run the catapults with his dwarves, and I will
command the men. You are a great warrior, but you are no general.”

Lepkin bristled. Still, he knew that Nials was right.
Lepkin could only muster a semi-polite nod before turning away. He stopped just
before descending the ladder and looked back to Nials. The large commander was
already turning back to face the oncoming orcs. “Commander Nials,” Lepkin
began. The man turned back to regard Lepkin.

“Yes, Master Lepkin?”

“I will take the remaining dragon-slayers along with
Lady Arkyn. You can command the others, but I will be more useful if I have
autonomy.”

Commander Nials drew his bottom lip up and narrowed
his eyes as he considered the notion. Finally he nodded. “I would expect
nothing less,” he said.

“Additionally, I will be in charge of Lady Dimwater
and Marlin when they arrive.”

“As you wish.
Now, if you
will excuse me, I have a field to command.”

Lepkin nodded and descended the ladder.

He made his way back toward a smoldering fire pit
nearby and spied Virgil Gothbern. The dragon slayer saw Lepkin approaching and
rose to meet him.

“What are your orders?”

“How many dragon slayers do we have left?”

“We have four,” Virgil said.
“Except
Jubal is still recovering from the wound that the orc gave him.
So, we
have three that are able-bodied, including
myself
.
Eriem and Aelron have positioned themselves near the old bridge.”

“Let’s go,” Lepkin said. “Do you know where Lady Arkyn
is?”

Virgil nodded and pointed out behind Lepkin. Master
Lepkin turned to see Lady Arkyn jogging toward them, her bow in hand and her
quiver empty. “Where are we going?” Virgil asked.

Lepkin turned and sneered. “We are going to hunt officers.”

Virgil shrugged and nodded.
“Sounds
pleasant.”

The two waited for Lady Arkyn to reach them. Her
golden hair was kept in a neat braid that bounced with her steps. Her brown
trousers showed smudges of dirt and blood and her wool top was torn on the
side, revealing just a hint of her toned stomach as she ran.

“Take a few on your way back, did you?” Lepkin asked
noting her quiver.

Lady Arkyn nodded. “A few forward scouts,” she
confirmed.

“Refill your quiver, and maybe get an extra one or two
besides,” Lepkin said.

Lady Arkyn glanced over her shoulder at the tower.
“Nials assumed command, didn’t he?”

Lepkin nodded.

“I thought he might,” Lady Arkyn said. “He isn’t one
to share authority.”

Virgil frowned and looked to Lepkin. “You gave him
command of everyone?
But, why?
The men look up to you.
They have been loyal to you, and they have broken their backs preparing the
field for you.”

“Not for me,” Lepkin corrected. “We prepare the field
to defeat the enemy. The more experienced commander has assumed control of the
army. It is as it should be.

“What about the dwarves, do they agree?” Lady Arkyn
asked.

“Al will remain in command of the dwarves,” Lepkin
replied. “Come, we are wasting time. I have charge over a select group, and I
intend to sting the enemy where it counts.” Lepkin pointed to Virgil. “Go and
get the others. We’ll be heading far to the east. We’ll double back and then
select orc officers to drop.”

“Sewing confusion by cutting off the heads,” Lady
Arkyn commented. “I like it.”

“Good, then go and get arrows.”

*****

Lepkin, the three dragon-slayers, and Lady Arkyn all
crept along through a thicket of briars and brambles. It was slow going, but
they found if they stuck low to the ground there was enough space to maneuver
without getting hung up on the thorns. The enemy marched only sixty yards away
from them, marching slowly toward the chasm.

Commander Nials would wait until the orcs were close
before launching the catapults. The idea was to surprise and catch as many orc
warriors as possible.
Lepkin,
would try to circle
around and aim for a few of the captains to further complicate the orcs’ retreat.

“There,” Lepkin whispered as he signaled for all of
them to halt.
“The one with the gold trim upon his platemail,
riding the goarg.
That is the captain for this grouping.”

“I can take him now,” Lady Arkyn said.

Lepkin shook his head. “No, let them pass by until the
catapults launch. After the orcs have realized their mistake, then take him.”
Lepkin continued on slowly through the briars. “Virgil, you stay with Lady
Arkyn, the rest of you come with me.”

Lepkin, Aelron, and Eriem slithered over the dirt. The
sand and grit scratched and scraped against their armor. Occasionally the
brambles would shake as a thorn caught on one of them, but they were careful
not to tug against the briars. Instead, they would stop and use their fingers
to pry the thorn free. It slowed them considerably, but it didn’t attract
attention from the passing army.

As they neared the edge of the briars, they were
forced to stop. A dozen orcs were peeling off from the main group and moving
toward them. Lepkin signaled for the others to stop. They hugged low to the
ground, hoping that their black armor wouldn’t be visible through the brambles.
Lepkin hardly breathed for fear of making noise. The heavily armored orcs
approached, and then stopped short of reaching the brambles. They formed a
circle and two of them removed backpacks and pulled wooden blocks and squares
out.

Lepkin watched as they quickly assembled a field table
and then slapped a map over it. He couldn’t understand what they were saying,
but he assumed that this group was tasked with finding an alternate route
around the chasm. It was smart. Send the army directly in to draw
all of the
enemy out and make them reveal themselves while
you send smaller parties out to scout the terrain for alternate routes. Lepkin
assumed there was likely a similar group out to the west somewhere.

Master Lepkin slowly inched backward so he could
whisper to the others. “When the catapults fire, we are going to kill these
orcs.”

Eriem and Aelron both nodded. The three of them
crawled and angled themselves so that they could emerge from the briars without
too much difficulty. Then they waited.

It didn’t take long before shouts rose up throughout
the orcish ranks. These shouts were followed moments later by thunderous
crashes. The stones beat upon the troops and dirt as great drums. Lepkin
launched up, the other two joined him.

The dozen orcs quickly drew swords and axes.

Lepkin thrust his sword into the back of the nearest
orc. Eriem cut the head off of an orc to Lepkin’s left, spraying blood up and
out over the table in the center of the ring. Aelron drove a dagger into an
orc’s face and then moved on to slay a second with a single thrust of his sword.

Lepkin used his leg to push the corpse from his sword.
His left hand reached down and pulled the dead orc’s axe from its hand and
raised it up just in time to block a strike from his left. He brought his sword
back in quickly, smashing it into the orc’s armor, but it had little effect
other than to cause a great vibration in his arm as steel collided against
steel.

The orc came in with a left handed uppercut, but
Lepkin spun away. The orc pressed the fight, running forward and swinging his
axe in a sidelong chop. Lepkin ducked quickly and brought the axe in his left
hand down at an angle against the orc’s knee. A horrendous
crrrack
resounded from the orc’s leg as the joint bent inward and the axe lodged itself
inside. Lepkin brought his sword up and over his head, deflecting the orc’s
attack,
then
he stood and barreled his spiked shoulder
up and into the orc’s chest. The Telarian steel proved much stronger than the
orc’s armor. The spike pierced through, screeching and squealing as it pierced
through the metal and found the flesh underneath. The orc grunted, and his
limbs went weak.

Suddenly carrying several hundred pounds of dead orc,
Lepkin was forced to fight awkwardly as another orc charged in before Lepkin
could disengage himself. Lepkin wheeled around, presenting the dead corpse
pinned to his shoulder as a shield. The charging orc was repelled as his own
spear glanced off his fallen comrade. Then Lepkin pushed forward, driving his
feet and using the corpse to bumrush the attacker. They all fell to the ground,
but Lepkin pulled his legs in for momentum and swung from his waist,
effectively rolling into a sideways somersault that at once disengaged his
pauldron from the corpse and placed him within striking distance of the
attacker’s throat. He drew his sword across the orc’s neck and ended his life.

A sword-wielding orc was already upon him, bringing his
sword down in a massive chop. Aelron barreled into the warrior before the sword
ever connected with Lepkin and the two flew off to land several feet away from
Lepkin. A moment later a dagger ceased that orc’s shouts and all twelve were
dead. Master Lepkin rose to his feet and saw the mound of corpses around them.

“Grab the map,” Lepkin said.

Eriem seized the parchment and stuffed it through the
narrow opening at his neck to rest behind his chest plate. “We should move,” he
said.

Lepkin turned around to see massive stones raining
from the sky. Upon impact, dirt and orcs were thrown for yards around each
stone. The shrieks and shouts of those caught by the hulking missiles were
nearly drowned out by the quaking
thawump
as each stone crashed down.

“Look there,” Aelron said as he pointed up to the
north.

Lepkin turned just in time to see the captain fall
from his goarg. The beast had several arrows in it as well, but it showed no
signs of slowing as it charged directly toward the three. Lepkin and the others
quickstepped out of the way just seconds before the goarg growled and galloped
through where they had just been standing. Its hooves tore up dirt and clods of
grass as it ran on. The captain’s corpse was stuck with its foot caught in the
stirrup. Two arrows protruded from the small space between the helmet and
hauberk and blood dripped from the captain’s neck, painting a semi-solid red
line in the dirt.

“She hit the artery,” Eriem said.

Lepkin nodded. “Let’s circle back.

The three of them ran around the other side of the
brambles as fast as their armor would allow. Lady Arkyn and Virgil killed three
more orcs that came at them after the captain fell,
then
they hacked their way through the briars and out to meet Lepkin and the others.

“Come on, we need to go,” Lepkin shouted.

A group of nearly thirty angry orcs tore through the
brambles after them. The five of them sprinted in a north-easterly direction.
They were too far out for the catapults, so they didn’t have to worry about
inadvertently being crushed by friendly fire, but that also meant they would
need to handle the orcs on their own.