Scourge of the Dragons (19 page)

“I had always thought that dragons had
scales.”

“They do. An earth dragon’s scales are
underneath the hide, though not in every section. Their weaker
parts, like the neck and underbelly, have no scales. Other dragons
are even weaker in those areas.”

“Can we truly hope to defeat the elves and
their dragons? What about the four kingdoms?”

“We will find a way. Hopefully this victory
will help us in that. The dwarves should be able to craft armor
from the remains of the dragon.”

*

Obrin stepped through the portal and waved a
greeting to Queen Ophelia and King Lothrin. The sea and forest elf
armies were camped out on the massive plain. It was an impressive
sight, even for one used to dealing with dragons. The night elf
King made his way over to the other two royals. They were already
discussing their part in the coming invasion. Their dragons, though
weaker than the night, shadow, and sun dragons, were an integral
part of keeping the human armies contained. Obrin held back a
chuckle as he listened to the two talking about how each would
bring far more honor to their people than any other battalion. He
cleared his throat as he approached the war table. The other two
turned their attention to him.

“It is good to see a united elven alliance.
The humans are tough, but we will be victorious,” Obrin said.

“Can you be so certain?” Lothrin asked.

“The shadow dragons have given me what we
need to defeat even an army larger than our own. Our shadow portals
will allow us to strike at them at will. We will be able to attack
before they can marshal their defenses.”

“What of their dragon slayers?” Ophelia
asked.

“We have secret weapon in that fight. Even
if he does not stay on as long as the dragons hope, he has already
dealt a devastating blow to the four kingdoms,” Obrin replied.

“What are you speaking of?”

“The shadows have taken control of a young
man’s mind. They used him to commandeer a group of Knights to
destroy the kingdoms from within. He seems to be slipping from
their grip, but a good portion of the damage has already been
done.”

“Your shadow dragons are too reckless. They
do not understand the intricacies of war,” Lothrin said.

“There is some merit to your outrage, but we
cannot question Ungaroth and his kin. They have provided us with
more than what we need to defeat the humans. Prepare your troops,
we leave as soon as the portals are functioning,” Obrin said.

The night elf King left the table and turned
toward the countryside where the armies were located. He spread his
arms out in front of him. A small portal opened in front of the
armies. It began to expand to be able to account for large portions
of troops entering. Obrin motioned toward the portal and waited for
his fellow royals to order their troops through. Lothrin and
Ophelia joined him and they all waited as the two massive armies
traveled through the portal. The forest King and the sea Queen
entered first, leaving Obrin to observe his handiwork. He took a
deep breath before stepping through the portal. The others were
waiting for him when he arrived on the other side.

“Where you have taken us?” Ophelia
asked.

“North of Reddington. We leave the
borderlands and the wildlands alone. They are not our concern yet,”
Obrin replied.

“This is the dragon’s plan?” Lothrin
asked.

“It is, for now. Once we’ve taken the four
kingdoms, the dragons will give us our next assignment. Not even
they know what lies beyond the human kingdoms. Perhaps they will
have us clean up the rest of the area or they might have us move on
to better things. As for you, they may or may not ask for you to
accompany us after the fall of the humans.”

*

Hadrin watched as Lamont and Bertram huddled
together. He approached them, but they held up their hand so he
would know to stop. Wrotan, Alandra, Amber, and Mariah joined the
Prince. The spirit monk and the paladin finished their conversation
before turning to the others. They stepped forward and Lamont
looked to Bertram once again. The paladin nodded to him and
motioned toward the others.

“Bertram has convinced me that it is best
that I inform all of you that I have been in contact with Cristoph.
We can use the spirit world to communicate with one another,”
Lamont said.

“Why didn’t you tell us before?” Hadrin
asked.

“I was not certain that I could trust you.
Bertram told me of his dealings with you and changed my mind about
it. Cristoph is pleased that we were able to help out the dwarves.
He informed me that you need to know how to enter another’s mind.
While it is true that I know the secrets of magic, the ability to
enter one’s mind is beyond me. You will need to seek the expertise
of the arcane academy.”

“As unfortunate as that is, we always knew
that might be the case. We best leave as soon as possible,” Wrotan
said.

“The dwarves have requested that we stay for
another week and help them destroy the nest of drakes. After that,
we are free to return to the spirit monastery. From there, you can
head south past the borderlands to the arcane academy. That is a
trek that you will be forced to make alone. Lamont and I are not
welcome at the academy,” Bertram said.

“Will the spirit monks be willing to join
the battle against the elves and humans if necessary?”

“The paladins will be glad to join in that
task, as will some of our allies. However, the majority of the
spirit monks have sworn not to take up the sword.”

“We are thankful for whatever assistance you
can provide. I understand that it is not your place to fight our
battles, but these two forces will stop at nothing to ensure that
the world in under their thumb.”

“True as that may be, not all the monks will
see it that way.”

*

Kade looked back at his troops. A strange
sense of unease had overcome even his toughest Knights. He
frantically searched his mind to find out when and how it started.
The days since the attempt on his life had gone by quickly. Their
path was much clearer now that the elves had brought forth the
brunt of their army. The young leader’s inner struggle had only
intensified since his strange dream about the dragon and the
humanoid. A part of him knew that the source of the men’s unease
came from his own inability to fully control his rage. His mind
felt as though it were not his own and it caused him both anger and
confusion. The men needed a leader that didn’t need to worry about
such things.

“Attos, after the coming battle, you will
take charge of the Knights for a time,” he said.

“Is that wise?” His second-in-command
asked.

“The men are loyal to you, and I seek an
answer to a question that I have yet to figure out.”

“What would you have us do?”

“You and the men deserve some time off.
Enjoy the local taverns, but do not wander too far.”

“I’ve seen that sort of talk before. How bad
will the next battle be?”

“There is no real way of knowing yet. It
shouldn’t be too much longer until we reach their position. I do
expect casualties.”

Attos nodded as he sat up taller in his
saddle. The young Knight always did his best to look intimidating
on the outside, but Kade could sense his fear. It was a strange
feeling, being able to know another’s emotions just by looking at
them. The connection with the dragons had first brought about his
knowledge of the ability. He honed his skills and was now able to
tell what complete strangers were feeling. It came as an advantage
on the field of battle. Kade placed his hand on Attos’ shoulder and
returned the nod. He withdrew his hand before spurring his horse
forward. The dragon hunters would see his full power before
engaging the Knights. He rode up over the hill and nearly fell out
of his saddle. The dragon hunters and dragon Knights had amassed an
army in the valley below. By his estimation, they had more than
twenty thousand troops.

“Company halt!” He yelled as he brought his
horse to a stop.

“We can’t possibly hope to overcome that
many,” one of the Knights said.

“Nor do I expect you to. We are done doing
the dragon’s dirty work. Come, let us make haste before they decide
to give chase.”

“Won’t the dragons be furious?” Attos asked
as he pulled his horse alongside Kade’s.

“I’m not even certain that the dragons can
overcome this force. They may not all be dragon hunters, but those
that are will be trained specifically to kill dragons. Whichever
side is the victor, the inhabitants of the land will lose,” Kade
replied.

“Which side do we join?”

“Neither. The people need us more than
anyone else.”

Kade spurred his horse forward and motioned
for the others to follow. The dragons would know of his treachery
before too long and the last thing his men needed was for him to
draw the attention of the dragon hunter’s army. His inner battle
was being waged between the dragon and the humanoid, but he felt as
though his true self was missing from the ordeal. Memories of his
old life were distant and fleeting, but there was no time for him
to determine the cause. He and his men were about to be on the run
from both the humans and the elves. The thought sent a shiver down
his spine. No matter the victor, the Knights of Ardevale and their
new leader would be branded as outlaws.

*

Cristoph nodded to the two guards before
closing the door. They knew the importance of keeping others out of
the room when he was visiting the spirit world. While there was no
inherent danger in being in the same room as a person who was in
the other world, there was a slight chance of the others being
drawn in with him. It only seemed to happen to those who had
visited the spirit world before. He had convinced the others that
it was something to be researched in the future when the world was
not quite so tumultuous. The truth was that he was afraid of the
spirit world in many ways and felt that, if he could limit the
amount of people visiting, he could also keep from drawing too much
attention from whatever unknown entities had access to the world.
None of that mattered now, though. Lamont had agreed to meet with
him on a weekly basis and it was important to keep the line of
communication open. The monk took a deep breath as he sunk back
into the chair.

“Brother Cristoph, you’ve arrived,” Lamont
said.

“Indeed, I have. How are the dwarves
faring?” Cristoph asked.

“Quite well, we’ve run the drakes out of the
mountains and are preparing to head south to the arcane
academy.”

“That is excellent news, but I am afraid you
will have a difficult time getting there. The elves have armies to
the north and south of Reddington.”

“It has already begun?”

“They’ve engaged some of the borderlanders,
but not the four kingdoms.”

“Good, we still have time. If the east is
blocked, do we dare go west?” Lamont asked.

“The four kingdoms have their focus on the
elves in the east. A small party should be able to slip through the
countryside without too much trouble.”

“I will suggest that. Bertram will return
with some of the others while I continue on with Wrotan, Amber, and
Mariah.”

“Is it wise to leave the elves out of
it?”

“You know the arcane academy as well as I
do. They’ll see that the elves are on the offensive and think that
any elf traveling in their lands is a spy. We cannot risk them
turning us aside. I know that the others want to save their friend,
but I will be looking for allies in the coming war.”

“Be safe, my friend. You know as well as I
that the Arcane Academy is not a safe place for spirit monks,”
Cristoph said as he began his return to his study.

The other monk’s words left him troubled.
There were few times in history that the spirit monks had embraced
war and none of them had ended well. He wasn’t about to stop anyone
from volunteering to join the war on either side, but the spirit
monks’ official stance would be to denounce the war. Cristoph let
out a sigh as he stood up from his chair. There was much work to be
done. The monastery needed to be prepared in case of an attack.
Beyond that, the spirit monks would be flooded with refugees from
all sides of the war. He pushed open the door and motioned for the
guards to follow him.

“We need to inspect the monastery for
weaknesses. Send for the stonemasons and the carpenters. Even if
our home is sound, we need it to be impenetrable. I want a small
contingent of paladins sent into the caves to clear them of any
dangerous beasts. We will need the area in case we are flooded with
refugees,” Cristoph said as several monks approached him.

*

“We are eternally thankful for your
assistance against those wretched beasts,” Hrimgur, spokesman for
the dwarven King, said.

“The upcoming war will sow chaos in the
world. Our friendship will go far in ensuring that there are safe
havens in the world,” Bertram said.

“We can do one better. Our armies, or what
is left of them, will fight at your side should the need arise.
Safe travels, friend Bertram.”

“You have my thanks. I will inform Cristoph
of the situation. Thank you again for the mounts.”

The paladin took his leave and headed over
to his companions. They watched as Lamont and the others said their
farewells to the dwarves. Their victory had taken a toll on the
dwarves and the paladins. Exterminating the nest of drakes had cost
three of his best fighters. Lamont’s lack of concern over the
losses sustained by the dwarves and the paladins worried Bertram.
He let out a sigh as the others approached. Aside from his
paladins, the closest ally he had in the situation was a man that
he was unsure if he could trust. The group moved out, taking one
last look at the dwarven halls before they left.