Dragon Alliance Dark Storm : Dark Storm (17 page)

The trumpets then began to sound to signal the beginning of the competitions for the day, and Canjon and Amerenth moved to the central podium stand. “Citizens and Civilians of the Alliance, we start this second day of the games with the ever-popular aerial joust. Our best and strongest paladins and knights from all over the republic, representing all the weirs and legions, are here now to demonstrate their prowess as warriors of the sky, pitting their wits, strength, steel, and lances against each other. Let’s give a big round of applause for these brave and talented paladins!” Canjon exclaimed with exuberance as the crowds erupted. After the cheering died down, Canjon continued, “We will also be holding the crowd-favorite non-dragonstone archery championships with the most talented shooters from the military, citizenship, and civilians alike, all vying for the coveted golden oak leaf award of the elves. The land dragons and their crews will be competing in their spectacular and precise paired fight and maneuver competition, and the final events will be the hand-to-hand fighting and the elegant and exciting horse race.” With that, the spectators began to cheer again.

After the cheers died down, Canjon announced the competitors of the first three matches: the Eladran Weir paladin against the knight from the aerial legion, the 3
rd
Legion versus the 4
th
, and Draden Weir against the 34
th
Legion.

“The Capital Weir received a bye. How convenient,” Toderan said to himself as he started to walk to the staging area holding Alvanch’s reins. The Eladran and the aerial legion paladins’ winged horses then began to gallop and took to the air with the corresponding rise of cheers from the crowd. The two white-winged horses rose up in a lazy circular pattern until they reached the appropriate height of five hundred feet so all the spectators could see them, magnified in the image the wizards’ dragonstones projected. There were three mounted giant eagles flying overhead that could swoop down and catch any rider who might fall off his or her mount, even though they were all secured on their winged horses.

Two Capital Weir wizard apprentices had sent their seeing-eye spells up to the starting points in the sky, which projected an illuminated line the competitors would use as a guide for their charges. The junior wizards then made their own images appear. They called to the two competitors to angle to their positions, from where they were to begin their run at each other. As they made their last turn to get the proper attack angle, Mkel could see the green oak leaf and cross arrows on the Eladran knight’s mithril-alloy shield, while the aerial legion knight’s silvery shield bore the white wing cradling a blue sword of the Hurricane Legion. With a flash from both of the apprentice wizards’ images, they began their charge.

The Eladran knight was known to be a very tough competitor in the aerial joust, and his reputation for having impaled many a manticore and wyvern was well known, but the paladin of the aerial legion was also very deadly with a lance.

This
could
prove
to
be
an
interesting
round,
Mkel thought as he watched the match through both Markthrea’s sight and the image in his mind from Gallanth’s vision. He also knew Toderan was tracking this one closely as well, for he would likely face one of these knights later in the day. The pick of the competitors for the matches, which he knew was supposed to be random, seemed to have a strange twist of fate that day.

The knights closed in, both readying their shields and trying to take careful aim with their lances. It was both easier and more difficult than a ground joust with horses, for while the paladin didn’t have the gallop of the horse to contend with, even the strongest winged horse could not fly totally in a straight line with the fickleness of air currents. Just before they connected, both winged horses furled in their wings so as to not injure them in a collision. Both knights’ lances struck home smashing against each other’s shields and splintering into large toothpicks. They both held on to their mounts, which, given the speeds at which they struck each other, still amazed Mkel.

They slowed their flying speed, and each was given another lance by a Capital Weir squire flying a hippogriff, and then at the signal of the wizards’ images, they started another run. This time, the Eladran paladin slightly bested his opponent by a direct hit on the upper shield; it caused him to snap back, but he did not fall. The next round ended up as a draw, and Canjon announced the weir knight as the winner based on the judgment of the panel of older paladin judges. The Eladran knight raised his holy sword, which glowed brightly with the green silk scarf fluttering from the hilt. He nodded to his opponent in a gesture of thanks for a well-fought match.

The next match, between the 3
rd
and 4
th
Legion knights was equally close, but the paladin of the Blood Rock Legion was declared the winner. Toderan then took to the sky with the knight from the 34
th
Legion ascending opposite him. When they were given the signal, he motioned Alvanch forward at her maximum speed, using his legs to guide the winged horse slightly upward to get the most force from his lance’s strike. Just before the two paladins connected, both mounts retracted their wings and put their heads down. With the slightly downward angle and the natural strength that Toderan possessed, his lance hit the 34
th
’s shield with such power that he knocked his opponent off his saddle with only the securing straps holding him on.

Two of the giant eagles from the Hurricane Legion swooped down to ensure that if the knight fell off his mount, they would catch him before he hit the ground. The crowd went wild at the dramatic hit, which automatically won him the match. He reached down and petted Alvanch’s neck, “Good approach, my girl; we couldn’t have asked for a better run,” he whispered into his mount’s ear. She then lowered her head and let out a whinny and snort of approval. They slowly descended and landed back on the field in front of the staging area. He would have at least an hour or so before his next match.

Mkel and the Draden crew were cheering wildly with Gallanth letting out an approving roar.

“What a hit!” Mkel yelled out.

“Yes, his aim was true,” Gallanth added.

“Excellent round to our stalwart friend,” Jodem stated.

“Ha, a hit that could have knocked over a giant, I’ll have to give that annoying knight a pat on the back,” Lawrent conceded as he took another long draft from his tankard.

The next rounds were almost as exciting, as the Capital Legion’s top paladin just barely bested the Cavalry Legion’s knight in a very close competition, and in a surprise win, the 11
th
Legion’s knight edged out his competitor from Lancastra Weir.

As the aerial joust matches continued, the shooting competition started with dozens of the Alliance’s best archers and crossbowmen lining up on the firing line to the west side of the firing range. The land dragons and their crews were also simultaneously setting up on the east side of the firing line. Both events would be very close, but Mkel had a hunch that Draden Weir’s soldiers would do well, especially with the training and time that he and Jodem had given them. This was their first time in the games though. Sergeant Crystinj was going to compete with a masterwork crossbow that Eldir had made for her a couple of months earlier, and she was taking to it very well. Poteignr was still using an elven longbow, because, while he was very good with the new crossbows, the longbow gave the non-elven shooter a distinct advantage in speed. This was why all the Alliance military was in the process of converting, especially with the advent of the repeating variants.

The call came from Canjon for the archery competitors to move to the line and prepare for the first firing order. The line judge gave the signal to prepare to fire, and the target butts were raised at the twenty-five-yard range. He turned, readied the hourglass, and shouted the firing commands. “This will be twenty arrows in twenty minutes. All ready on the right, all ready on the left, all ready on the firing line. Shooters, you may load and commence fire,” he finished as he put his hand on the glass. All competitors raised their bows; those with crossbows could fire with an arm tension sling from the prone position. As one of the competitors fired the first arrow, he turned the hourglass.

Mkel was watching through Markthrea and also through Gallanth’s eyes, as a hail of arrows and bolts were let loose and streamed toward the targets. The images of the competitors were projected for the spectators as they shot, and then the arrow strikes on the targets were shown to give them the instant results. Crystinj fired an outside bull’s-eye worth ten points while Poteignr also fired a ten. All the shooters then began to nock and fire at will until all had fired their twenty arrows. They then walked out to retrieve their arrows after the officials had recorded their scores.

Crystinj did fairly well with a score of one hundred and ninety-five out of two hundred, and Poteignr scored two points better. Mkel thought this would put them both in the top ten, and his assumption was verified when the results were posted on the scoring board within minutes. The next round of firing was shot at fifty yards. This round went roughly the same, with the arrows striking home, but with slightly looser groups. Again, both of the Draden competitors placed in the top ten among all the shooters. The one-hundred-yard match started to separate the better archers, as the groups that were fired became wider, but Crystinj and Poteignr still held tight. The two-hundred-yard targets fired next, resulting in a growing percentage missing a few shots altogether. The distance slimmed the number of firers who maintained the highest scores. The last distance fired was the three-hundred-yard match. Mkel hoped his two young shooters would do well. He and Jodem had trained them specifically, knowing that these matches would be won or lost here, where the firing was toughest.

Crystinj took careful aim with her graduated sight, taking the time to ensure her sight picture was aligned and firmly grasped both the stock and the bolt magazine that rested solidly on the ground. She exhaled and held her breath and then deliberately squeezed the trigger, applying the even pressure as Mkel had taught her to do; the bolt was sent flying downrange. It struck the round bull’s eye just left and low of center, a commendable shot.

“An excellent first shot,” Gallanth stated, and Mkel agreed. They both continued to watch the rest of the match. As the competitors finished the last relay, the scores were quickly being tallied to ascertain a winner. “I believe your young apprentice won the long-range match,” Gallanth stated, which made Mkel smile. As the official announcement came, the weir commander jumped up and yelled; even Jodem smiled and shouted. Gallanth knew they were proud of the young lady. Crystinj was also the first female soldier to make the tryouts for the games in the shooting matches, which Mkel had to convince the Council of Generals to allow. She came in twelfth overall just a point ahead of Poteignr. While they didn’t win the overall match medals, they put forth a very good showing for their first time in a competition as big as this one, and they would be presented a smaller medal for placing in the individual matches.

Just after they announced the winners of the archery competition, Toderan was called for his last joust. He had made it to the final round, for after the first joust, he had drawn several less-experienced paladins. Now he faced the Capital Legion’s best knight after his opponent’s tough and narrow victory over the Eladran paladin. Toderan had known Bayowyn for many years, both having ascended the ranks of knightly Alliance order together. They were also both exceptionally good fighters and leaders; however, Bayowyn did have a slight propensity for arrogance, which in a way, fit the Capital Weir’s modus operandi. These two paladins and the Dragon Knight Galador, who had been rumored to be selected as the rider of the avenger dragon Vengenth, likely comprised the top knights in the Alliance.

Toderan knew this was going to be a tough match, but he also knew that Bayowyn was thinking the same thing. Canjon had just announced the match, and the crowd cheered with both exuberance and anxiety at the contest that was about to unfold. Both mounted their winged horses and were airborne seconds later. As soon as they got into position, the signal was given for the first round to begin. Toderan spurred Alvanch forward and attempted a slight left angle approach to come at Bayowyn from his strong side. His opponent had the same idea, so they came at each other from a similar angle. The force of the impact of both of their lances on shields was tremendous. The wooden long spears were shattered on the mithril shields, and both riders reeled from the impact. The first round was judged to be a draw.

The second and third round ended with a similar result. Since the championship match was decided by the best two of three wins, this was going to be a close competition. The fourth run resulted in Toderan getting a lucky strike on Bayowyn’s upper shield and slightly unseating him. It was not a decisive victory, but it was enough to win the round. The fifth relay was just as slim a win for Bayowyn. Toderan attempted a new strategy for the sixth run; he moved Alvanch on a slightly lower attack angle than usual. This was in an attempt to hit Bayowyn’s shield on the lower, slenderer portion to cause him to either drop it or be knocked back. The problem with this strategy was that it gave his opponent the advantage of speed and power in coming down with his lance, so Toderan’s aim would have to be true.

They started the relay as both pure-white winged horses began to fly toward each other. Toderan nudged Alvanch to dip slightly in his flight path and then come up at the last moment. Bayowyn was not used to Toderan giving an opponent an advantage and was caught off guard. This, coupled with the Draden Weir knight’s aim being almost perfect, caused Bayowyn to twist almost off his flying horse from the impact, but Toderan did get hit hard in the upper right corner of his shield and left shoulder. The relay went to Toderan, as the crowd cheered at the talent they had just observed in action. The seventh run would have Toderan again switch his strategy by moving in slightly from the left side, almost exposing his chest as the winged horses crossed paths. At the very last second, to avoid a bad impact, he lightly nudged Alvanch to the right and managed to catch, just barely, the edge of Bayowyn’s shield and part of the breastplate of his armor, snapping the lance in half as he brought up his own shield just in time to deflect his opponent’s spear. The relay and the match were awarded to Toderan, and the crowds went wild.