Omensent: Wrath of a Dragon God (32 page)

"Very good." A woman's voice hissed from amidst the small fire. "You are far more intelligent than even the spirits realize."

Everyone turned to stare at the fire in disbelief. The flickering flames suddenly began to grow, leaping higher and higher, and a figure began to form inside of the flames, indistinct at first, then slowly growing more distinct as the fire continued to leap toward the sky.

"You have made it much farther than I would have ever thought possible.
" The woman continued, her image appearing solid in the wavering flames. "It isn't often that a person is able to avoid the fate the spirits have laid out for them."

Damion was on his feet in
an instant, his lips curled back in a bestial snarl.

The woman that appeared before them
was surprising tiny, with long coal black hair, and eyes like twin balls of violet fire. She wore a long hooded cloak which covered her every inch of her pale, nearly transparent flesh. "You have continued to follow us, even though you were commanded to remain in the south. You play a dangerous game, Dragon Lord."

"Release my daughter!" Damion roared in fury. "Release her to us, and we'll let you live!"

"That I cannot do." The witch shook her head firmly. "The elder spirits have demanded her presence at the highland temples. The dragon god plans to favor her with His presence."

"What does the dragon god want with my Leia?" Raven cried fearfully, rushing forward with frightened eyes.

The figure in the flames shrugged. "His plans do not concern me, nor the reasons behind them. I am guided by those who dwell among us, the elder spirits, who witness all that happens in the mortal world. It is
they
who demand the child be presented, and it is
they
who guide my steps."

Damion roared at her in frustration, then leapt forward into the flame
s, trying to seize the tiny woman by the front of her robes, but his hands merely passed through the figure as she weren't even there.

"
Damion!" The twins both roared in shock, rushing forward to try to drag him from the flames, but they both stopped as he suddenly stepped clear of the roaring fire, completely unharmed. "By the gods!" They exclaimed in disbelief.

The figure in the flames laughed as she watched Damion's futile efforts. "Turn away, Dragon Lord. Heed the warnings of the elder spirits
, and return to your home, lest your suffer the dragon god's wrath!"

"Never!" Damion roared in fury. 'I will hunt you down, even if I have to chase you to the ends of the earth, and when I finally get my hands on you, you
'll suffer a fate that will make the elder spirits tremble in terror!"

For the first time, the young witch seemed unsure of herself.
"Y-You would ignore the demands of your god? Draco Himself has demanded the child to be brought to Him at the highland temples. Who are you to defy His
commands?"

"I am her father!"
Damion snarled furiously. "And I care nothing for the commands of the dragon god! I will find you, and free my daughter, even if it kills me in the process!"

"I
t will, Dragon Lord." The witch warned ominously. "Turn back, or face the wrath of your god!" With that final warning, the image suddenly wavered and vanished, and the flames dropped back down until they had returned to normal.

Damion roared in anger and frustration
, casting his gaze about for something to destroy, until Raven placed a gentle hand on his arm, bringing him back to his senses.

"Calm down," She told him in a
composed, almost emotionless voice. "There will be time enough for that when we finally get our hands on her." There was a cold fury in the young woman's eyes.

"
Why would she appear to us like that?" Sly asked in confusion. "To try and scare us off with a few vague threats? She must have known that would never work!"

"
Perhaps not." Jacom told the little man, his eyes still locked on Damion. "The people of Teirsia are a superstitious lot that fiercely believe in the spirits, even those who worship Triton, the god of war."

"If a highland witch was to tell a
Teirsian that the spirits gave them a command, most would follow that command without question." Jarom continued, also watching Damion closely. "She may have expected you to follow her orders, believing you would react as any Teirsian would."

"That
could
explain her visit." Damarius grunted. "If she has never traveled outside of her homeland, she may expect everyone in the world to behave like Teirsians. That's not too far of a stretch, if you consider highland witches spend most of their time communing with the spirits. They're not known for having a real firm grip on reality."

"She may also be feeling the pressure." Damion grumbled, still trying to rein in his anger. "We discovered the tracks of two adults and a child in the soft soil at the abandoned campsite we visited. We also found this." He pulled out the tiny smock they had found discarded in the brush. "
We think Leia was wearing this when she was taken."

"That means we're still hot on their trail." Sly said in satisfaction
. "She must have realized we were closing in, and tried to frighten us into returning home." He snorted, then shook his head. "I'm almost feel sorry for the naive young girl. I don't think she even realizes what will happen to her once we finally catch her."

"
Don't feel too sorry for her." Damarius warned. "That young girl is capable of inconceivable destruction. Remember that maelstrom that she conjured. It took an incredible amount of power to perform such an act. I have the feeling the elder spirits have given her more power than any normal witch would have." His face was grim. "We should be extremely cautious from here on out. If she knows that we're this close, she will probably attempt to slow or stop us soon. She won't chance failing the elder spirits. She will use every ounce of power they bestowed upon her to try and keep us away from Leia."

"
Well, it won't work!" Raven declared fiercely. "I don't care how she tries to stop us! We're going to catch that crazed witch, and get my Leia back, then I'm going to teach her the true meaning of pain!" She flexed her fingers eagerly.

Damion stared at his wife in disbelief. He had never heard such fury in the young woman's voice before, and it more than startled him. After several moments
, he realized that he was smiling broadly, and a feeling of pride suddenly filled his entire being. He knew his fiery young wife was a more than capable warrior, but to see such passion filled him with delight. He reached out and gently drew her into a soft embrace.

"Did you
happen to discover anything else at the abandoned camp?" Sly asked him curiously.

Damion shook his head. "There wasn't much to
find other than Leia's smock. The campsite is only three or four days old, though, so I figure we must be gaining on them." He noticed that the twins were still staring at him. "What?" He asked in exasperation. "You're staring at me like I've sprouted a second head."

"You jumped straight into that fire," Jacom started, his expression still one of shock.

"But the flames did not harm you." Jarom finished in a dumbfounded tone.

Damion chuckled. "I have the blood of dragons in my veins. Fire can not harm me."

The twins exchanged a long look, then simultaneously dropped to their knees before him. "Forgive us our doubt, Dragon Lord." They apologized in formal tones. "We should have never doubted you."

"Get up."
Damion rolled his eyes. "You two look ridiculous on your knees like that."

The twins quickly rose to their feet, though they still watched at Damion with wide eyes.

"What do we do now?" Sly asked with a huge yawn.

"We try to get some rest." The huge warrior said with a shrug. "We'll take turns standing watch, and
then set off at first light. With a little luck, we may be able to catch up with them before they get much further."

************

"There is a group of thirty or so riders on the road ahead."
Snowfeather warned Damion, swooping down low to catch his attention.
"They're stopped in the center of the road, and appear to be waiting for someone."

Damion quickly relayed the warning to the others.

"It's probably an Aliono patrol." Jacom grunted in a grim voice. "They could be trouble."

"It would probably be best if you allow us to handle this, milord." Jarom told him, his expression worried. "The Aliono can be troublesome, but they usually avoid interfering with the business of the Knights of Sarath."

They continued forward at a trot until they caught sight of the patrol, still standing in the center of the well maintained road, blocking any further advance. They reined their horses in a dozen or so feet away from the fierce looking warriors, who watched them with suspicious eyes.

The warriors were
all dressed in a heavily embossed armor made up of heavy plates of thick steel, and carried long, wicked looking javelins. Their horses, though not as large as Storm, were still much larger than a normal mount, and had been fitted with their own heavy armor.

The twin knights rode forward to greet the man leading the patrol, an evil looking war
rior with a short cropped beard, and large watery eyes, who nudged his horse forward to meet them.

"What is your business in these lands?" The man asked brusquely, cutting across any formalities.

"We are passing through on our own business." Jacom told the man coldly.

"Who are you to question the
us?" Jarom asked in a haughty tone. "All in this land know what befalls those who interfere in the business of the Knights of Sarath."

"We have been charged with locating the source of a number of disturbances
that have happened here in this area recently." The man told them in a gravelly voice. "There have been reports of strangers in the area, and a number of locals have suddenly disappeared."

"We have seen nothing out of the ordinary
." Jarom told them shortly.

"Nor have we seen any of the locals," Jacom informed
him in a superior tone.

The man sneered at them, his distaste obvious. "How do I know that you and your companions
are not responsible for their disappearances? The Knights of Sarath are known for being little better than common mercenaries. How can I be sure that
you
are not the ones preying upon the locals."

Both knights hissed in anger.