Spirit Blade: Book III of the Dragon Mage Trilogy (27 page)

“Zylor?” mumbled Harran in disbelief. “You can let me down.”

Zylor laughed. “Sorry. I just had to get a closer look at you to make sure.” He lowered the dwarf back to his feet.

“Give me a hand with these guards, Zylor,” grunted Olag. He was busy trying to drag the unconscious guards into the room to get them out of the hallway.

Within seconds, the guards seemed to float into the room together, carried by the invisible minotaur.

“Just put them over there,” suggested Olag, pointing to one side. He closed the door and faced Harran again.

“Olag?” asked Harran.

Olag grinned. “That’s me, in the flesh, not in my scaly hide.”

Harran slapped him on the shoulder. “You guys came for me!”

“Of course!” retorted the minotaur.

“Where are the others?” asked Harran.

“They’re still pursuing our quarry,” said Olag. “According to Amelia’s orb, we had to split up. Apparently if we all went after you, our quest would have been unsuccessful. Similarly, if we didn’t go after you, we would have failed as well. Our only chance of success was to split up like we did.”

“Interesting,” said Harran. “Is that why you were changed into a dwarf?”

Olag nodded. “Yes. I’m wearing Zylor’s talisman so the magic will keep me looking this way unless I draw my weapon.”

“And I am wearing the invisibility ring,” added Zylor. “That way I can fight without having to worry about the magic Olag is under right now.”

“I thought the ring was too small for you,” said Harran.

“So did I,” said Zylor, “but it seems the ring can change to fit the wearer magically.” Zylor’s voice became gruff. “Kazin didn’t tell me this before, so I could have used it previously instead of being under a spell making me look like a human.”

“Well, it seems to have worked out for the best this time,” said Harran. “I’m glad you guys came.”

“Here,” said Zylor. “Have a sausage.”

Harran looked to see a sausage placed into his hand. “Where did you get this?”

“It was in your pack when we found your horse near the herb shop,” said Zylor.

Harran laughed. “Thanks. I’m kind of hungry anyway.” He bit into it and smiled as the flavour sank in.

“I hate to cut this reunion short,” interrupted Olag, “but I think we should get out of here pronto. We can catch up on things later. Zylor, have you got the rings?”

The rings appeared on the bench behind Harran. “Here they are.”

“What are we supposed to do with these?” asked Harran.

“We simply put them on, rub them for five seconds, and we’ll join Kazin via their magic,” instructed Olag.

“OK,” said Harran. “Let’s do it. The sooner we get out of here, the better.”

The trio put on the rings and rubbed them.

“That’s funny,” commented Olag after rubbing his ring for more than five seconds. “It’s not working.”

Harran gave up as well. “Zylor? Are you still with us?”

Zylor grunted. “It seems Olag is right. These things do not work.”

They tried again without success.

“You know,” mused Harran thoughtfully, “sometimes the mountains interfere with magic. This dwarven city is so rich in minerals and gold that it might be preventing these rings from finding where we should be going.”

“That could be,” said Olag. “According to Kazin, these rings are supposed to bring us to the master ring Kazin is wearing. If the mountain’s walls are too thick or the city’s minerals are too plentiful, then we may have difficulty getting them to function.”

“Maybe Kazin is too far away,” suggested Zylor.

“It’s possible,” said Olag.

“Then what are our options?” asked Zylor.

“We’ll have to get clear of the mountains,” said Harran. “We’ll have to walk out of here.”

Zylor groaned. “I was afraid you’d say that. Thankfully I still have the invisibility ring.” He was not keen on being in the dwarven castle. “What’s the plan to get out of here?”

“I was counting on the rings to do their job,” lamented Olag.

“Somehow we’ll have to fool the guards at the entrance in allowing us to leave,” said Harran. “But they aren’t likely to let us go without a plausible explanation, certainly not while the meeting is in session.”

“Just create a distraction and I’ll take care of them,” snarled Zylor.

“That could cause an alarm,” objected Harran. “It’s bad enough these guards have been attacked,” he added, indicating the guards nearby.

“They’ll have a tough time explaining what hit them,” said Zylor. “One minute they stood there and the next they were unconscious.”

“Nevertheless, I will have escaped,” said Harran.

“Then we’d better go while we have time on our side,” urged Olag.

“Right,” said Harran. He went to the door and peeked out. No one was in the hallway. “Let’s go,” he whispered. He was about to head away from the assembly hall but changed his mind. “Wait. I want to hear what’s going on in the assembly hall for a few minutes.”

“Harran!” cautioned Olag. But Harran was already on his way.

“He’s got a mind of his own,” said the minotaur quietly. “You have to get used to it.”

Harran pressed his ears to the doors of the hall but couldn’t hear clearly. “These dwarven doors are thick,” he whispered. Cautiously, he pushed a door open a crack and peeked through the opening. There were two guards in front of the door, but they were watching the proceedings with rapt attention. Ironfaust was standing in front of the throne and the king and queen were not visible. There was a slight commotion as some of the nobles were objecting to the proceedings, but Ironfaust had the attention of most of the dwarves.

“My friends,” he said loudly, “I have taken command out of a duty to my people. We are placed in a difficult situation. As you know, the earthquakes are making it harder to stay in the mountains in safety. We may have to consider fleeing to the outside world for a time. If that happens, we will need allies to coexist with. Trade with the ogres, orcs, minotaurs and lizardmen is out of the question. The elves, though allies, are too far away, and if we need help, they will take a long time to come to our aid. The humans are new to these lands, but they would be the only trading partners we will have. If we let them fall at the hands of the warlock and his allies, they will come after us next. I propose we back up the humans in their war so that the evil creatures do not prevail. Our combined forces have a good chance of driving back the hordes that cover the land now. Our forces are well trained, and that training is wasted if we cower in the mountains where our homes are in danger of being destroyed by earthquakes.”

Shouts of dismay were drowned out by shouts of approval.

“I know this is extreme,” said Ironfaust, “but the truth of the matter is we are not as secure as we used to be. We need to fight for our survival. We will need the humans as much as they need us. We need not abandon our homes entirely. We can take our riches with us, but we will need to establish a place for ourselves in order to safely store that which is ours by right. I do not know where we will wind up, but staying here is not an option.”

More shouts and yells echoed through the hall as Harran slowly closed the door. “I’ve heard enough,” he said. He turned to go back down the hallway.

The others followed quietly. They went down several corridors and Harran was about to take a right turn when an invisible hand touched his shoulder.

“We should go left here,” whispered Zylor.

Harran blinked. “How do you -?”

A piece of parchment previously invisible was thrust into his hand. “My map shows the exit to be to the left,” explained Zylor.

Harran studied it for a moment and then chuckled. “So it is. I taught you well, Zylor.”

The companions went left and zigzagged their way back to the castle’s entrance using Zylor’s map. Miraculously, they never encountered anyone else. Before they rounded the final corner, they paused.

“Now we have to have a plan to get past the guards,” whispered Harran.

“You could wear the chainmail of the king’s personal guard and they wouldn’t question you,” suggested Olag.

Harran sighed. “I lost it, Olag.”

Olag grinned and opened his pack. He withdrew the chainmail. “You mean this?”

Harran’s eyes opened wide in astonishment. “How did you -?”

“You left this behind too,” said Zylor. The ice axe appeared before the dwarf.

“I - I don’t believe it! How did you guys find this stuff?”

“We’ll tell you later,” said Olag, “but right now I have an idea. Put on the chainmail.”

Harran hesitated. “I don’t think I should do that. That’s what got me into trouble last time.”

“Just trust me,” said Olag.

“Listen to him,” admonished Zylor.

Harran incredulously looked at the spot where Zylor should be standing. “What? I never thought I’d hear that from you, Zylor.”

“Just do as he says,” said Zylor.

“Just let me do the talking,” said Olag. “If my plan fails, we still have Zylor’s method as a back-up.”

Harran rolled his eyes. “I can’t believe I’m agreeing to this.” Nevertheless, he donned the chainmail. Zylor sheathed the axe to keep it hidden from view again.

“Let’s go,” whispered Olag. When Harran was ready, he led the others around the last corner and confidently strode toward the gate. Thankfully, one of the guards was the same as before. Olag addressed him. “Hello again! It looks like I’ll have to make a few more minor adjustments to Ironfaust’s chainmail.” Olag thumbed over his shoulder. “He sent his servant with me this time, since they are nearly the same girth. It should make my task that much easier.”

Harran frowned at Olag’s comment. Ironfaust was a fair bit fatter than he. But he nevertheless tried to look the part by pushing out his chest and gut.

The guard suspiciously eyed Harran, but could find no reason to suspect foul play. Begrudgingly, he looked over his shoulder. “Let them out. It’s Ironfaust’s tailor.”

The other guards shrugged and did as they were told. When the companions were clear, the gate doors clanged shut behind them. In silence the companions walked several blocks before they paused to catch their breath.

“You took a big chance back there!” said Harran to Olag. “Do you know how fat Ironfaust actually is?”

Olag shook his head. “No, I’ve never seen him.” He pointed to the chainmail. “But he must have fit into the chainmail at some point.”

Harran conceded that it was true. Ironfaust was in fact wearing the chainmail at this moment in the hall. Perhaps he wasn’t as fat as he thought - or Harran was fatter than he thought. The dwarf looked down at himself in shock. Then he shook his head. No. It occurred to him that the chain mail could be magically enhanced to fit the wearer like Zylor’s invisibility ring. That must be it. If so, it would never need to be altered to fit someone else. He shook his head again.

Just then footsteps could be heard. Someone was running in the direction of the castle. The companions didn’t have time to step into the shadows as a dwarf came running by. He saw them as he ran past and staggered to a halt when he saw Harran’s chainmail. Turning back, he jogged up to them all out of breath and saluted Harran with the traditional dwarven salute - slapping his left shoulder with his right hand.

“Sir!”

Harran returned the salute.

The dwarf caught his breath before speaking. “News from the eastern front, Sir.”

“Continue,” said Harran.

“Scouts have returned from the east with the news. A portion of the mountains has been leveled, and the minotaurs are gathering to encroach on our territory as expected,” said the dwarf. “If they attack, we will need our full forces to withstand their assault.”

Harran and Olag exchanged glances.

“When do you expect them to attack?” asked Harran.

The dwarf shook his head. “I don’t know. They are still gathering. But there are already enough of them presently to pose a threat to everyone on this side of the mountains.”

Harran and Olag exchanged glances again.

“Do the ogres know they are coming?” asked Harran.

The messenger shook his head. “Doubtful. The scouts reported no sign of ogres in the area. They seem to be occupied south and east of our location. I suspect they are planning a major attack on the human communities. If the ogres knew of the minotaurs preparing an invasion of their lands, they would abandon their conquest of human settlements in order to defend their home regions.”

“Thank you,” said Harran. He had heard enough. “Repeat your message to the king at once!”

The dwarf saluted again. “Yes, Sir!” Then he ran off for the castle.

“The king is -,” began Olag.

“I know,” said Harran. “But he’ll have to find that out on his own.”

Moments later another earthquake struck. This time dust and small debris fell from the ceiling in a fine cloud.

Harran looked up. “I suspect the dwarves will be vacating this region of the mountains sometime soon, for one reason or another, whether it is war or geographical change.”

“And the orcs and lizardmen, among others, will take over what’s left of these mountains in the future,” said Olag ominously.

Harran nodded. “It’s sad but true.” He looked back toward the castle in the distance. “It must have been a huge undertaking to disassemble the castle and take the gold with them.”

A hand rested on his shoulder. “But they succeeded,” said Zylor calmly. “They did what they had to do.”

Chapter 24

T
he chanting by the throng of lizardmages was an ominous sound. The combined magic being called upon made the air crackle with static. The warlock and his selected group of lizardmages stood to one side of the throng, waiting patiently for the first one to appear.

“There!” hissed on of the lizardmages.

“Good!” said the warlock. He waited until the dragon was within range. Then he held up his hand and the chanting ceased. At this point the chanting began among the warlock’s group. The rhythm of the chant grew in intensity while the curious dragon came closer. Then the warlock added his own voice to the chant. His powerful magic was noticed by all as he brought his spell to bear on the dragon. Too late, the dragon became aware of a spell being used against it. Too late, it shrieked and tried to veer away. The warlock completed his spell and paused. The dragon swooned and its head drooped. Lizardmages ducked and scrambled to make way for the dragon as it came down with a thunderous crash.

While lizardmages fled from the cloud of dust, the warlock ran toward it. He needed to reach it quickly to apply his next spell.

When he reached the site, the warlock was amazed - and pleased - to see the dragon disoriented but unharmed. The mind clearing spell had worked! Now the creature was open to mind control. He eagerly began chanting his next spell and enforced his will upon the great behemoth. When he finished his spell, he waited expectantly for a reaction. By now, some of the braver lizardmages had appeared and were ready to use defensive magic as per the warlock’s previous orders to protect him should the spell fail.

The dragon turned its head slowly to the warlock and blinked. It did nothing, so the warlock commanded it to rise to its feet. The dragon obeyed. Then he commanded it to lie back down. It complied. He ordered it to raise its front right claw into the air. It complied without question. The warlock laughed gleefully. It had worked! His plan to control a dragon had worked just as he had hoped!

Then he stopped laughing and approached the dragon amid hisses of fear from the lizardmages. He went up to the dragon’s head and stroked its neck. “You are a fine beast,” he murmured. “I will now ride you.” At this, the lizardmages hissed again. The warlock carefully climbed up the dragon’s wing to situate himself on the giant creature’s neck. “You will now take me on a short flight,” he commanded, “and you will ensure that I do not get thrown off.”

The dragon got to its feet and stretched out its wings. With a few graceful flaps, it launched itself into the air.

The warlock hung on tightly at first, but soon realized he could loosen his grip as the dragon rode very smoothly through the air. He decided he reveled in this kind of experience. This was how he wanted to get around.

Below he could see the tents and fires of his army. It was much larger than he had imagined, and he took delight in the vast army he controlled. Victory would now surely be his.

The warlock commanded the dragon to shoot out a flaming fireball and the dragon complied. The sky lit up and the warlock ducked as he and the dragon flew through the scorching flames. He would have to remember to tell the dragon to direct his flame to the side next time so they didn’t get hurt in the process. With a shout of triumph, the warlock turned his dragon back to the field where the lizardmages waited. It was time to repeat the process so that each of his spell casting commanders could obtain their own mounts. He would ensure the dragons would obey him first and guarantee they would not harm him before handing control over to the commanders. He didn’t trust lizardmages, but he needed them in this war.

The dragon landed easily in the desired area and the warlock dismounted.

“Prepare to draw in another dragon!” he ordered.

The lizardmages hurried to get in position for another attempt. The warlock wrung his hands in anticipation. This was too good to be true.

*      *      *      *      *

Galado surveyed his crew and their latest bodies. They looked much healthier than their previous bodies, which were well into the decomposition phase. But he had ordered them to make their previous bodies last as long as possible to avoid killing people and drawing attention to themselves. Thus they had gone west rapidly, and booked passage across Claw Lake to arrive south of the army garrison just west of the Jackal River. It was nighttime when they had encountered a patrol. The patrol consisted of eight people, two women and six men, who had stopped them to inquire as to their presence there. Galado had told them they were there to enlist, so the patrols had ordered them to follow them back to the base to sign up. As soon as their backs were turned, Galado’s men and women had sprung into action. Within minutes they had new bodies to use. That left two of Galado’s crew still in their old bodies.

After hiding the dead bodies and chasing off the extra horses, the entire group went back to the base, and were ushered in without question, since they were recognized as members of the patrol. From there they went straight for a short distance until they were out of sight of the guards at the gate. Then they curved off the main path to skirt the outside edges of the encampment.

By sheer luck, they heard noise off in some nearby bushes and stealthily investigated to find a couple having sex. Reacting quickly, they soon had the remaining bodies they needed to manage for a few more days.

“I’ve always wanted to have red hair,” commented the woman who took over the body of one of the lovers.

The old bodies were quickly buried in that same location so they wouldn’t be discovered. Two of Galado’s men always made sure to bring shovels for this purpose.

“Now we have to blend in with the army for a while,” said Galado. “We should try to find out battle plans, and work toward finding a way to get out of here and go further west. I will find my living self in that direction.”

“We could volunteer to go on patrol to the west,” suggested One. “By the uniforms of our patrol guard bodies, our arm bands have the same markings. We’re probably assigned to go together whenever our patrol is ordered to go out.”

“Good point,” said Galado. “It looks like you’re the leader of that group, judging by the star on your vest. You’ll have to inquire as to your duty roster.”

“Yes, Sir,” said One.

“What about us?” asked the one who had the red hair.

“You two will have to stay with me for now,” said Galado. “When the patrol gets permission to head out, we’ll try to volunteer to go along and hope there will be no issues.”

“You could pretend to sneak out to make love,” smirked one of the others. The rest of the group laughed.

“That’s not such a far-fetched idea,” said Galado seriously. He turned to One. “You’d better check in with your commander. Let them know everything is fine and then look into the duty roster. Find out when and if you’ll be assigned to patrol to the west. You may have to trade shifts with someone so we can get out of here sooner. I’ll take our loving couple here and see if we can find one of their tents. I need to get some sleep. We’ve been traveling nonstop for three days.”

“Right, Boss,” said One. “Let’s go,” he said to the others. They rode off to the main path and disappeared from sight.

Galado and the two lovers rode for a while in the hopes of finding one of their tents, but to no avail.

At one point, a commotion in one part of the camp sent a number of people running to see what the commotion was all about. Curious, Galado and the others, who he found out were Six and Ten, hurried to see for themselves.

A crowd was gathered in an area near several campfires. Even before pushing their way through the throng, Galado and his team spotted what the commotion was all about. Towering above them was the fearsome visage of a dragon. Roughly shoving people aside, Galado accessed a better vantage point in front of the crowd. Standing before the dragon was a human mage. He had a pointed hat and a serious expression. He was talking to the crowd.

“With the help of a number of these dragons, we hope to improve our odds of success. Now we will be able to direct the dragon’s wrath at our enemies!”

A number of those gathered cheered at this, obviously excited about having aerial support in their favour.

“There are not many of us yet,” continued the mage, “but more dragons are being brought under our control as we speak. We hope to have close to fifty by the time we are once again engaged with the enemy.”

Once again cheers were heard.

Galado was shocked. Fifty dragons? He had no idea the humans had managed to control one dragon, let alone fifty. This was something he did not know when he was preparing for battle against these forces. He had been killed before discovering this. With a shudder, he realized he was approaching the day of his untimely demise. He had to continue moving to find his original body quickly. Sleep would have to wait. He pushed his way back through the crowd with Six and Ten close behind.

He wandered aimlessly for a while and swore he could hear the laugh of the previous host of his body within his head. When he was tired was when that voice bothered him. He was not surprised. He needed to rest. Before long, One and the others came up to him.

“Well?” asked Galado.

One smiled. “Sure enough, our roster had us going out in patrol to the west. We are due to go out there the day after tomorrow.”

“No good,” said Galado. “We need to move sooner.”

One frowned. “How soon?”

“Tonight,” said Galado.

“Don’t you want to sleep?” asked Six.

Galado shook his head. “There’s no time. I have to reach my original body within a few more days. If I don’t, I will fail to save myself.”

“Understood,” said One. “The next patrol to the west is due to leave in two hours. I will try to find their leader and see if they will trade shifts with us.”

“Do it,” commanded Galado. “Take your group with you. Maybe you can shorten your search with more of you looking.”

One nodded. “Right, Boss.” He was about to leave, but turned back. “Do you want us to take over the bodies of the next patrol if they don’t want to trade?”

Galado shook his head. “It’s too risky. Just try to be very persuasive.”

“Right, Boss,” said One. He turned and left with the others of the patrol.

Galado turned to the lovers. “See if you can convince the guards to let you find a secluded area outside of the compound. If they refuse, try sneaking out. Don’t forget to obtain some weapons before you leave. It shouldn’t look unusual if you leave with weapons, since there is no security beyond the gate. Once you’re out, find a place where you can see the patrols coming and going and signal us when you see us leaving the compound. If you fail to see us, you will know we have failed to switch shifts. Then come back to the compound - and be sure to thank the guards so they are more likely to let you go out again another time should we have to do this again.”

“Yes, Boss,” said Six and Ten in unison. Holding hands, they left for the west gate.

Satisfied, Galado waited for One to return.

A half hour later, One came up to Galado and reported success. The patrol leader due to go out was not keen on the west run, especially while it was dark, and gladly switched with One, whose shift was in the daytime.

“Good,” said Galado. “Only one thing remains. I will need an outfit similar to yours in order to blend in with your patrol. Hopefully one extra person will not stand out in a patrol of eight.”

“I think we can manage both of those things,” said One. “I know where our patrol is camped. There are sure to be additional uniforms available. As for our number, we can keep the guards busy with small talk. No one will take the time to count our number. If they do, we will be milling about out of formation to confuse them. Horses tend to be skittish when dragons are present.”

Galado smiled. “Very good, One! It appears you’ve gotten yourself a body with a brain this time.”

One smiled. “We’re getting the hang of these bodies. It’s not so bad, actually.”

*      *      *      *      *

Elsewhere in the compound, a young man named Paul was making a sketch of yet another dragon.