Scourge of the Dragons (13 page)

“That is a reasonable request, we’ll keep an
eye out for this false Wrotan,” Hadrin said.

“You will have my thanks, friend.”

They separated from their huddle and
motioned for one of the nomads to lead them on. Hadrin took in as
much of the surroundings as possible. Though Wrotan had attempted
to explain to them that the wilds were a fertile land, the point
had not quite gotten through to them. Seeing things with their own
eyes was the only way to convince them of the fact. The other large
surprise for the elf was seeing the fields of grain that had been
planted by the nomads. He headed to the front of the pack so that
he could ask Wrotan about it.

“If the people here are nomads, who tends to
the fields?” The Prince asked.

“Each individual tribe is nomadic, but they
all live off the land. One tribe may plant the grain while another
harvests it. They always ensure that there is enough food for their
neighboring tribes. It is the same with the fruits and vegetables
as well. There are eleven tribes in all and they rely on one
another to ensure that everyone survives. Relying solely on animals
is too risky with hostile neighbors. The result is that the eleven
tribes had never been at war with one another. They simply cannot
afford to fight each other,” Wrotan replied.

“Fascinating, though I find it somewhat
shocking that none of them have attempted to settle in one place
for a prolonged period of time.”

“The borderlanders see to it that they are
never in one place for too long. They’ve made several incursions in
the past few decades. Prior to those attacks, there were fifteen
nomad tribes. The eleven remaining tribes learned to stay on the
move and assist each other whenever necessary.”

“That sounds like a hard life,” Amber
said.

“It is often seen as one. We can only hope
that our time in the wilds is much less eventful.”

*

Obrin took a deep breath as Ungaroth swooped
down toward the sea. It had been far too long since he had properly
ridden a dragon. The two came down for a landing inside of Queen
Ophelia’s courtyard. Her guards readied their weapons and moved
forward to surround the majestic creature. The night elf King slid
off the back of the dragon and headed for the throne room. He
extended his hand out from one side of the body to the other,
knocking aside all the soldiers that had positioned themselves in
front of him. The Queen was waiting for him on her throne. He knew
there was an extreme fury behind her calm. Though her armies were
inferior and her dragons vastly outmatched, she posed the biggest
threat to Obrin and his allies.

“So the night alliance comes here at last,”
she said.

“As I am certain you already know, King
Lothrin has already accepted our offer,” Obrin said.

“Yes, the spineless weasel probably didn’t
even attempt to negotiate. Tell me, what of the sun elves?”

“They have been taken care of. One of our
agents is now in control.”

“I hear you awakened an old enemy, is that
wise?” Queen Ophelia asked.

“He too, has been taken care of. The shadow
dragons were able to finish him for good,” the King replied.

“Why should I pledge my support against the
humans?”

“We are willing to give the sun realms to
you.”

“What of the forest elves?”

“Lothrin accepted our terms. He will be
given part of the borderlands.”

“Who has claimed the wilds?”

“The wilds are to remain unspoiled.”

“Your response intrigues me. Did you know
that all of the dragons agree on that stipulation?” She asked.

“Is that so? I hadn’t known. Should I be
surprised? They aren’t called the wilds for nothing,” he
replied.

“They aren’t called the wilds because they
are useless. Think on that, night King. You will have the support
of the sea elves, but we would be foolish not to keep an eye on the
wilds.”

*

Kade spurred his horse into the courtyard.
He drew his sword and raised it high into the air. His golden armor
shined in the sunlight and his orange cloak rippled in the breeze.
The Knights of Ardevale let out a shout as they raised their own
swords in the air. They fell in line as the young man rode out of
the courtyard. A sharp pain shot through his head, forcing him to
crumple forward in his saddle. He grabbed his head with his free
hand and did his best to keep from getting thrown. The pain
subsided and he sat up in his saddle, acting as if nothing had gone
wrong. He thrust his sword forward as he spurred his horse to a
canter. The full power of the Knights of Ardevale rode west toward
the four kingdoms with Kade at their head.

*

Finrul slammed his fist against the table.
He crumpled the report and threw it aside. A good portion of the
sun elves had taken up arms against the dragons. They never openly
attacked the creatures, but they did everything in their power to
disrupt the dragon’s rule. The beasts blamed the sorcerer for the
problem. He paced back and forth as he tried to think of a
solution. The news of the death of their Empress had delivered a
devastating blow to the rebels, but it had not stopped them
outright. Finrul turned as he heard the door open.

“Revin, I hope you have good news,” he
said.

“I’m afraid not, sir. However, I do have an
idea,” the elf replied.

“Let’s hear it.”

“The rebels have successfully procured a
copy of our invasion plans. They are spreading dissent and claiming
that a war with the humans will destroy our people. I propose that
we use this to our advantage.”

“How exactly are we supposed to do that?”
The mage asked.

“The plan will require all five of your
Captains, three of whom you would trust with your life.”

“That can be arranged.”

“We draw up two different plans. The first
will outline the troop movements for two battalions. This is the
set that we allow fall into the rebel’s hands. It will be too good
for them to pass up attacking the supply trains for those two
battalions. However, we will have the other three battalions
waiting for the rebels to strike. Our enemies will have split their
forces in an attempt to sabotage our invasion of the borderlands.
They will be weak and we will take advantage of that.”

“How can we be certain that the information
won’t be leaked?”

“Only the three Captains will know their
true orders. Everyone else will be told that they are being sent to
bolster the other elven kingdoms. One battalion for each kingdom.”
Revin answered.

“You may be onto something. Make it happen.
Choose Trakin and Falore for the two Captains. I am not certain
they can be trusted.”

Revin nodded and bowed before leaving the
room. Finrul let out a sigh as the door closed. A victory like this
would break the morale of any remaining rebels, but it was not good
for elvenkind as a whole. He sat down at his desk and began to
write a message for the dragons. They preferred to be informed of
any plan before it was executed, but this particular plan required
that as few people knew about it as possible. The benefit of
writing to the dragons was that he knew that nobody would be able
to read the letter. They had taught him how to use dragon runes
when writing important messages. He was far from an expert at
writing in the ancient language, but it gave him a small thrill to
know that he was among the few that even knew how to write in
dragon runes.

*

The makeshift inn was abuzz with music and
laughter as Wrotan and his companions approached. Though it only
had two walls, a small bar, and a handful of tables, it served a
purpose just as well as any other inn. The hunter made his way over
to the bar as the others found an empty table. He cleared his
throat when the bartender failed to acknowledge him. The man shot
him a look of disgust and shook his head. Wrotan looked over at the
man who everyone was enthralled by and then slammed his fist on the
bar. The bartender hushed him as he came scurrying over.

“Is the service always this spotty?” Wrotan
asked.

“You are interrupting a rather interesting
story by a very important man,” the bartender replied.

“What’s this nonsense?” The storyteller
asked as he pushed his way through the crowd.

“My apologies, Wrotan, this outsider was
clamoring for a drink.”

“What did you call him?” The hunter
asked.

“He called me Wrotan, of course. I see that
you’ve heard of me before. Now will I be able to proceed with my
story?” The other man asked.

Wrotan gritted his teeth as he stepped
forward. He grabbed hold of the man by his shirt and dragged him
outside of the bar. The imposter tore himself free and turned to
the crowd. He started to say something when Wrotan spun him back
around and punched him in the face. The hunter threw two more
punches and finished up with an uppercut just as the imposter was
staggering back toward him. He was prepared to throw another punch,
but the man crashed to the ground. Several members of the crowd
rushed forward to check on the man. Wrotan made his way back to the
bar and motioned to the bartender.

“Not so fast, ruffian. You’ve gone and
punched out one of my friends. I will not let that slide,” one of
the members of the crowd said as he stepped toward the hunter.

“Is that so? As a friend of his, you must
have known that he wasn’t who he claimed to be,” Wrotan said.

“How dare you. Who are you to make such a
claim about a local hero?”

“I am Wrotan the hunter, but I am no local
hero. This fool has been using my name to spread rumors and gain
fame. Do you still claim to be a friend of his?”

“I do and I won’t let you sully his good
name by claiming that he lies. He could have beaten you had you not
ambushed him from behind.”

“Fine, you wish me to prove that I could
have beaten him? I will gladly do so. Gather your three best
brawlers and I shall confront them all at once.”

The man failed to reply and Wrotan turned
back to the bartender. He ordered he drinks for his party before
making his way through the crowd to the table that the others had
procured. Just as he was beginning to sit, a member of the crowd
grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him into the middle of a
circle. Several of the rougher looking members of the crowd were
already in the circle. They rushed toward him and he dodged the
first of them. He blocked a punch from the second and elbowed the
third in the face. Another group of three rushed forward and
tackled him to the floor. He shoved one of them off as one of the
others managed to land a punch to his ribcage. Mariah wrapped her
arm around one of them and pulled him off with a headlock. Alandra
followed quickly behind her and took out one of the others with a
punch.

“Enough!” One of the elders yelled as he
pushed his way into the circle.

“Shut up, old man. Your hospitality has been
appreciated, but we will finish off these fools with or without
your permission,” one of the brawlers said.

Wrotan shoved another of his opponents off
and got back to his feet. Though they were outnumbered, Alandra and
Mariah had managed to take out a few of the ruffians. The hunter
grabbed hold of the man who had talked back to the elder and threw
him to the ground. He dropped to his knees and elbowed him in the
face. His companions each took down another of the brawlers,
leaving only two. Wrotan ducked a punch from the closer of the two
and then pivoted forward and hit him in the side with a punch. He
shoved the man into an oncoming punch from the other opponent. The
elder stepped out into the middle of the circle and hit the last of
the attackers in the back of the head with his cane.

“I’m sorry that it had to come to this,”
Wrotan said as he approached the man.

“It wasn’t your fault, hunter. The
borderlands have been spilling over into the wilds for far too
long. This is the result of their failure to rein in their own
criminals. Your assistance was highly appreciated,” the elder
said.

“Things will only get worse. The shadows
dragons have returned and the elves are planning something. I doubt
they will bother you directly, but war creates refugees and
refugees tend to wander. You would do well to prepare for the
worst.”

“Thank you for the warning. It is not often
that people are willing to volunteer such information without
wanting something in return.”

“I need a miracle or, at the very least, the
ability to enter another’s mind,” Wrotan said.

“Magic is the answer that you seek. You
travel north, that means you are heading to the monastery. If they
are unable to assist you, look to the south. The Arcane Academy may
not be friendly to strangers, but they are your best chance at what
you seek,” the elder said.

“You have my thanks.”

*

“What is our task, Master of Ardevale?” One
of the Knights asked as he approached Kade.

“Our mission is to find the dragon hunters
and any that the dragon Knights. We are to eliminate them and leave
the four kingdoms open to invasion,” Kade replied.

“There are several groups employed by the
four kingdoms, it will take time to eliminate all of them.”

“They will come to us.”

“How is that possible?” The Knight
asked.

“I will show you,” Kade said as he raised
left hand into the air.

A small portal opened and several smaller
wingless drakes ran through. Kade dismounted from his horse and
approached the largest of them. He pulled off his glove and placed
his hand on the largest drake’s neck. His palm seared a mark onto
the drake’s neck. He sent an order through his mind and the beast
lowered itself so he could ride. Several of his fellow Knights
dismounted at his order and mounted the drakes. Kade ordered his
troops to follow as he rode toward the nearest village. His mount
let out a roar as they got closer. The town guards rushed forward
to intercept the oncoming Knights and their dragon mounts. They
fought bravely, but they were overwhelmed by the superior forces of
the Knights of Ardevale and their new leader. Kade made certain
that the drakes lit several buildings on fire before spurring his
own mount onward.