Dragon Alliance: Rise Against Shadow (36 page)

The whole group that was in the meeting hall emptied out except Jodem, who stayed with Vorgalla, attempting to neutralize the poison. Mkel was right behind Colonel Sheer, who was surprisingly fast for a man of his size and age, being six foot four inches and well into his upper forties. They crowded around the soldier lying on the ground. “Do not touch him!” shouted the colonel. “He could still be very dangerous.”

Mkel thought to himself that he looked pretty much dead, but it was better to err on the side of caution, for whatever he used, both on the drow and on himself, seemed like a very potent poison. Colonel Sheer ordered spears and swords pointed at the now still man’s hands, midsection, legs, and throat. With heavy gloved hands, the senior soldier present pulled off the assassin’s helmet and face scarf. He had darker features, with thick black hair and a large nose. His deep tan and distinctive tattoos under his armor were not normal for an Alliance legionnaire.

“This man was a Shidanese assassin,” Colonel Sheer exclaimed.

“The colonel is correct, the poison blow pipe dart and black scarab tattoo are very telling,” Jodem said as he walked up behind the group.

“Is the priestess dead?” Colonel Sheer asked.

“Yes. I could not save her. Maybe if our cleric Watterseth was here or I knew which type of poison he used, but it worked very quickly. Apparently the same poison he used on her, he used on himself. Judging by the purplish black liquid in the small reservoir in his ring and with him likely being a Shidan black scarab assassin, it was either wyvern poison, Death’s Dawn extract, or a combination of both to work as fast as it did,” Jodem exclaimed.

“Death’s Dawn?” Mkel asked.

“It is a rare lotus-like plant that grows in the deserts of Shidan and the Southern Ontaror kingdoms that is used both as a very virulent poison and for medicinal purposes. However, it is favored among their assassin guilds,” Jodem expounded.

“Captain, call all of the commanders and tell them what happened here,” Colonel Sheer ordered, “Have them check their men for spies and infiltrators. Any soldier not recognized by someone, or doesn’t have his identifying seeing crystal, is to be placed under guard until he can be identified. This assassin likely took the armor from one of our captured men to get inside our defenses. Get to it.”

“Yes sir,” the senior captain replied; he then saluted and turned toward the legion soldiers, grabbing his seeing crystal.

“Who do you think his target was, Wizard?” Sheer asked as he turned toward Jodem.

“It wasn’t me or Mkel,” Jodem said, “for even apprentice assassins know that a gold dragon and many master wizards have the power of foresight, which warns of such activities. Gallanth, Mkel’s sword Kershan, and I did not pick up a threat to us, which is the reason he succeeded in infiltrating this area. His target was the drow.”

“Why her?” Colonel Sheer asked.

“I assume that someone was afraid we would get her to talk, and it was only a matter of time before we learned too much, likely about their plan or the overall Morgathian connection. It had to be something they were willing to go to great lengths to protect, for the killing of a drow high priestess must have been ordered by the Morgathian Talon Council itself,” Jodem theorized.

“All right, let’s get this cleaned up and get back to the keep. We have things to discuss, and I need to talk to General Daddonan,” Colonel Sheer explained as he urged all present to move back to the hall.

The colonel started to explain to the general what had happened with the drow and the assassination through his seeing crystal. He replied to Colonel Sheer that he had set out with a regimental size force that would be at Handsdown by nightfall.

“Gentlemen, General Daddonan will be here by nightfall with almost half of the legion,” Colonel Sheer proclaimed. “We have to discuss the plan to rescue our captured men.” The group sat down at the central meeting table.

“How many total are missing, sir?” Mkel asked.

“At least a dozen; we are still getting final numbers on the missing from the company commanders and the small garrison that was stationed here,” Colonel Sheer replied.

“Do you have any information from the rangers and the hippogriff scouts, sir?” Mkel inquired.

“Thank the Creator for the hippogriffs’ and griffons’ keen eyesight. They are keeping the retreating attackers in sight, because our mounts have better vision than a manticore or an orc, and definitely better than those disgusting hymenoid creatures. So far they are still fleeing toward the southeast,” explained the colonel.

“Sir, I can have the whole Keystone Weir garrison here, battle ready, by tomorrow morning,” Mkel volunteered.

“I don’t know if we need them, Dragonrider,” Colonel Sheer replied. “We will have to see what the ranger scouts find, plus since these are Battle Point soldiers that are prisoners, Battle Point legionnaires will want to rescue them or die trying.”

“Yes sir, I understand, but we are available to you, as well as my council leaders, who are a very powerful group unto themselves,” Mkel added.

“Yes, I know of all of them. Your reputations precede you, and if their talents are needed, believe me I will call. Between the over five hundred soldiers I have here now, and the over two thousand on the march to reinforce us, I have confidence in our ability to handle this situation. Unless there are chromatics or giants, we should have enough strength. However, with you, Jodem, and of course Gallanth with us, I’m not as fearful of them as I used to be,” Colonel Sheer answered.

“The planner of this attack did not expect to have a gold dragon and a senior wizard so readily available to help the Battle Point legion,” he continued. “The unexpected arrival of you three and all our forces that you teleported in definitively upset their time table and plan. They are reeling but will regroup quickly. I don’t think they will hold the prisoners for long. Likely torture them for whatever information they can get and then kill them, or perhaps they will wind up as dinner for those dragon spawn or the orcs. That means we must strike them as quickly as possible. “Jodem, do you think they will bring in any more chromatics?”

“I cannot tell right now,” Jodem replied. “Gallanth is asleep and they are out of my range, even for my seeking eye spell.”

“General Daddonan also said that a dragon from the Capital Wing will be coming in tonight to aid us in the rescue, as well as several coppers in two days to claim the chromatic dragon corpses. Colonel Lordan will be coming as well, since he shares your border problems,” Colonel Sheer added.

“Colonel Lordan? That’s good news. Gallanth works well with Talonth, and he will be happy to see him,” Mkel explained.

“That will be impressive, to see the largest gold and largest silver dragons in the Alliance fight side by side,” Colonel Sheer commented.

“They haven’t had the need to since the Great War. Everything since then has been minor skirmishes,” said Mkel.

“I had the privilege to witness Talonth and the then Lieutenant Lordan, take on two large red dragons and send them both plummeting to their doom during the fight at Battle Point,” Sheer said. “That was after Gallanth went to attack the drow and Morgathian capitals. They both turned the tide for us. I didn’t want to bring this up, Captain, but I saw your father fight that day as well. He fought valiantly right up to the end. Michenth would be dead if it weren’t for him. You should be proud, as I know he would be of you. Has Gallanth ever determined how he wasn’t killed by the death rays from the dark crystals on the Morgathian capital’s black spires?”

Mkel was taken aback by this sudden story from the colonel’s youth; he didn’t quite know how to respond to it. He fought back his emotions enough to clear his throat to answer the Colonel’s question. “For some reason, sir, the crystals wouldn’t fire on him. In his state at that time, with his magic shield depleted, he would have certainly been killed if only one of the beams had hit him. He doesn’t know why, he only remembers being blinded by the rage of the loss of his rider and by the thirst for justice and revenge,” Mkel answered.

“Well, maybe one day we’ll see the Alliance flag fly over those dark spires,” Colonel Sheer stated with a blank look, like he was seeing other events or was in another place. He quickly returned to his normal focused self, as if the very brief interlude never had happened; Mkel could tell he felt bad for bringing that memory to him, knowing that it must be painful to hear about his father’s death.

“I hope you are right, sir, but I think some of the Alliance’s own people don’t want to deal with this problem anymore or don’t have the focus for the struggle,” Mkel said.

“You’re referring to the Party of the Enlightened and their mindless followers,” Colonel Sheer snapped. “Since the Great War, life in the Alliance has been made increasingly easy. The proliferation of the heating, cooling, seeing, and lighting crystals from the dragons’ own blood and the unprecedented bountiful harvests we have enjoyed with our partnership with the halflings, along with our trade relationships with the elves and dwarves, have made us the envy of the world. The teleportation circles make travel within our borders instantaneous. Our lands are now practically free of evil creatures and have been almost totally safe from any substantial outside threat, until very recently. People tend to forget that just over thirty years ago, we faced a force that almost annihilated us. The short memory of some in our republic is incredible. Thank the Creator that they are still only a minority, a very vocal one, but still a minority. There is a reason that the Founding Council members put in our Articles of the Alliance that you must have contributed to the republic, or be a veteran, to be eligible to vote or hold political office. Anyone who wants to serve is accepted; we find them a place. This all brings stability to our government and the Alliance.”

“The POE-aligned senators and other politicians appeal to the worst part of the human mind. They capitalize on emotion and the inherent laziness of many. The fact that they all served at some point in time seems almost like a betrayal,” Mkel added with disgust.

“Yes, but this focus on shortsightedness will ensure they will always have some degree of popularity, and it explains why arbitrators are a key part of their movement. They tend to exploit these emotions of the weak minded, self centered, apathetic, and pseudo intellectual types. Their views are counterproductive at best and borderline treasonous at worst,” Jodem interjected.

“The one thing that you must remember, young dragonrider, is that wherever the Alliance flag flies, with its the circle of triangles, dragon symbol, hammer, and leaf, truth, honor, and unity reign, hope remains, and tyranny fears,” Colonel Sheer said. “Our banner brings strength, justice, and above all freedom. The Alliance is the light, the benevolent force in the world, which especially Gallanth and his fellow metallic dragons help uphold. We all bring men, dwarves, elves, dragons, and an assortment of others together to promote freedom. No other force on this planet fights for the rights of not only its own people, but also for others that are oppressed and threatened. This as well as us spreading the benevolent peace that the Creator and his spirit wish for all, have created an unprecedented prosperity since the Great War and have saved millions of lives.

“As far as anyone who doesn’t believe this or in the Alliance’s principles,” Colonel Sheer continued, “to hell with them! They bask in the very comfort and the light of freedom that the blood of dragons and Alliance soldiers shed to keep. They should be grateful for what they have and not denigrate or castigate the very institution and force that provides them the ability to enjoy their prosperity. These individuals should be grateful they are allowed to even espouse their dissent, for in other lands such as Shidan and Morgathia, they would be either executed or made slaves for their words. These persons who have somehow obtained political office should be held accountable for their words as well.”

“I agree and understand, sir. Being mind linked to a dragon gives one a distinct sense of proportionality,” Mkel answered earnestly.

“I envy you in that regard, Captain,” Colonel Sheer said, “but one only needs to look at that flag flying over the fort with the central embossment of Michenth’s head on the white banner to know what freedom means. The triangles, the very symbol of the trinity of the Creator, his earthly spirit, and the Draconic presence, mean order to the universe. For many, especially those who have fought for it, this symbolizes the freedom and the goodness that the Alliance stands for, and for all that who have served and sacrificed in the past.”

Mkel understood the colonel’s sentiment, for he too always felt pride when he saw the Alliance flag flying over the Weir or being carried by the garrison’s standard bearer. Colonel Sheer suddenly grabbed his seeing crystal.

“Sir, we’ve found their camp. its sixty miles due southeast of Handsdown at the beginning of the hill country,” the ranger said in a low tone.

“How many have returned from the battle?” Colonel Sheer asked.

“Not many, sir. I count only three manticores, less than ten of those dragon spawn creatures, and one orc-mounted hymenoid. A very small number of dire wolf and horse cavalry are arriving as well, less than a platoon. They do seem to be getting a slow but steady stream of reinforcements from the east, however,” the ranger finished.

“How many?” the colonel inquired.

“I see almost a battalion of orcs filing in from a pass in the hills to the south. There is a scattering of drow and about two companies of human medium infantry with Morgathian armor, but no standards. A troop or so of heavy cavalry with a squadron of manticores and hymenoids is also in the area, and at least a platoon of those spawn. Wait sir, my other scout says he has seen groups of gnolls and grummish with the cavalry, as well as dozens of ogres and at least ten common giants. There are also two or three beholders with the drow,” the ranger continued.