Scourge of the Dragons (17 page)

“It wasn’t luck. I believe Bertram knew what
he was doing with that savage counterattack and you knew exactly
how to take advantage of your enemy’s main weakness.”

“You make it sound glamorous. We were better
prepared, it is as simple as that.”

“That isn’t normal. The average swordsman
does not prepare for extreme situations. You have a skill that not
many others can master.”

“What exactly should I be doing with this
skill?” Wrotan asked.

“Once we are finished here, you could use
your skills to defend those who truly need it. I understand that
the wilds are your home, but the people there can fend for
themselves. You could make a real difference in the city,” Mariah
replied.

“I wish it were that simple.”

“Not everyone will see you as an outsider,
you will find a place to fit in.”

“It isn’t entirely their fault. I played a
part in it as well.”

“What happened?”

“That is a story for another time.”

*

Hadrin covered his nose as the smell wafted
toward them. Something was seriously wrong up ahead. Bertram
signaled to his paladins and they all spurred their horses on
faster. The elf made no move to show up at the scene any quicker.
His companions were of the same mind. Their altercation with the
caravan had taught them not to rush into situations too quickly.
The sight was almost worse than the smell. An entire swath of the
forest had been torched, all for the sake of finding a handful of
dwarves. The bodies were charred beyond what a normal fire could
have done. Alandra held back to ensure that Amber was ok. Hadrin
and the others rode ahead.

“What could have done this?” The Prince
asked as he rode up to the leader of the paladins.

“Only two things can cause this sort of
damage. We are looking at either dragons or magicians,” Bertram
replied.

“It is likely the earth dragons. They’ve
been at odds with the dwarves at times throughout history. The
dwarves have been attempting to retake mount Kargon and I have no
doubt that the dragons aren’t happy about that,” Wrotan said.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been in a situation
where I wanted to add more dragons into the mix. Are we certain
that traveling to the dwarven lands is our best course of action?”
Mariah asked.

“We really don’t have much choice. Even if
we can stop Kade, the four kingdoms and the elves will side against
us. If we are able to assist the dwarves, they may help us in
return.”

“Good thing we have a hunter with us,” one
of the paladins said as he approached with a dragon claw.

“You don’t hunt dragons. They hunt you,”
Wrotan said.

“True or not, we have little choice. One of
my men found Lamont’s knife. We are on the right track, but it
looks like the path leads to dragons. Even if there was no sign of
Lamont, this attack was an abomination,” Bertram said.

“These are not your typical dragons. They
are earth dragons. Whether or not any of their kin are assisting
them remains to be seen. That having been said, the shadow dragons
will undoubtedly seek their allegiance.”

“How is an earth dragon different from the
ones we saw with my father?” Hadrin asked.

“They’re mainly underground beasts. This
does not mean they will not come above ground, but they prefer to
burrow. They are significantly less agile and they have no wings.
Unfortunately, they are also much hardier,” the hunter replied.

“Have you faced one before?” Amber asked,
trying to take her mind off the devastation that surrounded
them.

“No, but I’ve spent time among the dragon
hunters of the four kingdoms. Most people take their tales as
nothing more than exaggerations, but I don’t doubt that most of
what they told me is true. Luckily for us, earth dragons are the
easiest to fight with small numbers. Precision and speed are the
key. We need to strike fast and true.”

Hadrin nodded as he walked closer to the
carnage. There was something about seeing the dragon’s handiwork
with his own eyes that really brought things home for the Prince.
He sighed as he continued to examine the scene. By his count, there
were more than a hundred charred corpses. The dragons had attacked
without care for whether their target had been man, woman, or
child. Hadrin clenched his fist as he thought about his father’s
involvement with the beasts. In his eyes, the King was just as
guilty of the slaughter as the dragons that had unleashed the fire.
Save it for the dragons, he thought as he opened his fist.

*

Obrin took a deep breath before stepping
toward the shadow portal. The dragons had begun using them to
travel across great distances. He hated the feeling of stepping
into pure darkness, but the result was always easier than any other
form of travel. The fertile farmlands of the borderlands greeted
him upon his exit from the portal. Several elves hailed him as they
came down the hill toward him. He raised his hand in greeting. They
quickly surrounded him and rushed him back up the hill without a
word. Finrul’s camp was quite the sight to behold. The elves had
set up large watchtowers on the highest hill within sight. There
were small patrols constantly checking to ensure that the enemy
couldn’t take them by surprise.

“You seem to have learned from your earlier
blunder,” Obrin said as they brought him into the sorcerer’s
tent.

“That I have. You see, the humans are a
devious people. They will use whatever means necessary to weaken
their opponents. We can’t let that happen,” Finrul replied.

“I told the dragons that you would make up
for the mistake, my faith was well placed. Ungaroth was hoping that
the conquest of the borderlands would be finished sooner. What is
holding up our plans?”

“We were told to give Kade as much time as
possible in eliminating the dragon hunters. Has that request
changed?”

“No, the dragons are also disappointed with
how long he is taking. They underestimate the human’s ability to
adapt. None of this is why I am really here. The dragons want me to
ensure that your men are comfortable using shadow portals.”

“How can we be comfortable using them if we
haven’t a clue what they are?” Finrul asked.

“They sent me to teach you how to create and
use them. It will be up to you to effectively use these shadow
portals,” Obrin replied.

“What do they want us to do with these
portals?”

“They want you to use them to surprise the
enemy. Shadow portals allow you to travel instantaneously. Because
you are new to this type of magic, I advise you keep the distance
to within eyesight. Preferably you can find a decent vantage point
to open the portals for your men to give them the upper hand in
even the most dire of situations.”

*

Kade watched as column after column of
troops passed. Something had alerted the four kingdoms, making his
mission that much more difficult. The morale of his Knights had
taken a significant hit when they spotted the armies on the move. A
full battalion of dragon hunters had yet to be seen, but several
had been seen interspersed throughout the armies. They are marching
toward the elves, Kade told himself as he moved further into the
forest. A handful of his Knights stayed behind to keep an eye on
their enemies as he headed back into the main camp. He sighed as he
looked over his troops. His two hundred Knights were among the best
warriors in the land, but the enemy’s numbers would crush them like
a bug. They needed to find a way to lure out their targets without
bringing the armies into the mix.

“What news, sir?” Attos asked as Kade
arrived at the camp.

“The four kingdoms are marching for war.
They pass by the edge of the forest. Some of the dragon hunters
ride with them, but we are not yet certain where the bulk of our
targets reside,” the young leader replied.

“I sent some of our men out to try to get
information out of the locals. They will bring us back what we
need.”

“While I do not appreciate you doing this
without my consent, I am glad that the scouts are already on their
way. Well done, perhaps it is time that I give you more
responsibility. Would you be interested in taking command of the
scouts?”

“It would be an honor, sir.”

The young leader nodded as he dismissed
Attos. Things were beginning to shape up rather nicely. He felt a
strange need for eliminating the dragon hunters, but as each day
passed the feeling seemed to get further and further away. There
were days when he wondered why he served the dragons. He grabbed a
paper and quill and began to write out a new set of instructions
for his Lieutenant. His hand quivered for a moment, but then
stopped as he finished out the first sentence. Whatever fight was
going on inside of him, his dominant will seemed to be winning
out.

*

“What can you tell me of the spirit world?”
Wrotan asked as he rode closer to Bertram.

“Not much. Lamont and Cristoph are the real
experts in that sense. They may not always agree, but you can be
certain that one of them is right most of the time. I’ve seen them
get quite heated in their arguments about the specifics. Lamont
believes that there are two parts to the spirit realm, one good and
the other evil. Cristoph believes it to be one realm that is
neither good nor evil, but rather that it has good and evil beings
that reside in it. I am certain that Lamont will be able to give
you more information on the topic,” the paladin replied.

“Perhaps you can tell me of the
paladins?”

“That I can. The spirit monks were not
always in need of defenders in their numbers. They were accepted by
the people long ago. That all changed rather quickly. Our monastery
was at the edge of the lands of two warring kingdoms. There was no
strategic value to our building, but the kingdoms each wanted to
use it as a sort of watchtower to keep an eye on their rival. We
were forced to defend ourselves. Out of the flames, the order of
paladins was born. Ultimately, the spirit order was overtaken. We
spent decades under the rule of tyrannical kingdoms. The lands
switched hands many times and, one year, we saw an opening. Our
paladins lead the rebellion and we were able to win back our
freedom. We have been an integral part of the spirit order ever
since. It may seem strange that a group that abhors violence has
soldiers, but there are times when fighting is the only
choice.”

“I hate to interrupt, but we appear to have
company,” Hadrin said as he joined the two at the front of the
pack.

“It seems that we have found Lamont and the
dwarves. Good, they must be in need of assistance against the
dragons,” Bertram said.

The dwarves looked battered and beaten, but
they still raised their weapons as the group approached. Wrotan
watched them carefully as he brought his horse to a stop. They
talked among themselves for a few seconds and then one of the
dwarves started running back toward the makeshift camp that they
had set up. The lone dwarf returned with a human and several
dwarves. They made their way past the line of dwarven defenders and
hailed the travelers. Bertram raised his hand when he spotted the
man. The hunter followed the paladin’s lead and dismounted as the
dwarves approached. He was surprised to see that even the dwarven
leaders looked battered. The main difference that he noticed was
that their leaders still had the fight in them.

“Hail, humans. Lamont has informed us that
one of you is Bertram. The paladin and his order are welcome here,
but not the others,” one of the dwarves said.

“While I understand your apprehension, I do
not think it is wise for you to turn away help,” Bertram
replied.

“We have no choice. Our enemies will do
anything to defeat us. This could be another of their tricks.”

“I can assure you that Wrotan and his allies
are not in league with the dragons.”

“Why are the elves here?” Lamont asked as he
approached the paladin.

“We would be glad to tell you the story once
those dragons are dead,” Wrotan replied.

“How did you know there was more than one?”
One of the dwarves demanded.

“I’m a hunter, I was conditioned to know my
prey.”

“You’ve hunted a dragon before?”

“No, I’m not crazy. Every hunter worth his
weight in gold knows the basic rules of hunting a dragon, the first
of which is not to hunt them. I’ve lost enough friends to those
beasts to know not to hunt one, but that doesn’t mean I can’t do
it.”

*

“Why exactly are you traveling with them?”
Lamont asked as he pulled Bertram aside.

“You know how Cristoph does things,” the
paladin replied.

“We both know how you operate. You wouldn’t
go along with his plan unless you agreed with it.”

“One of them survived a trip to the spirit
world. He might just be the one we are looking for. Cristoph wants
me to keep an eye on him and see if he would be willing to assist
us.”

“What else?”

“They are on the hunt for a young man that
may hold the key to defeating the shadow dragons and their allies.
His mind is being controlled by the dragons.”

“What is the significance of this?” Lamont
asked.

“Unlike the others, he is human and never
came into direct contact with the scourge before contracting it. We
believe that this will reveal much about our enemies. My turn now,
why are you helping the dwarves?”

“I’ve told you about my theories about the
shadow people, yes? I believe they have an enemy or had an enemy.
You see, the dwarves had recently discovered what they thought was
an ancient dwarven stronghold. I think that the dwarves were allied
with the spirit people. This is our chance at finding the enemies
of the shadow. If I could just examine the ruins, I might be able
to find a way to contact them.”

“An unknown enemy appears and threatens the
known world and you are chasing ghosts?” Bertram asked.