Scourge of the Dragons (27 page)

“I was hoping you would see things that way.
You see, I am Malcolm, leader of the People’s Militia. We are
always looking for new recruits. Would you care to join up?” The
man asked.

“That isn’t really an option that is
available to us. We are looking to rid the world of a menace and it
requires us to travel to the four kingdoms.”

“You’re that elf everyone is talking about.
Are things really as bad as you say?”

“I wouldn’t say it if they weren’t. The four
kingdoms don’t stand a chance against my father and the dragons. It
is highly likely that they’ll set their sights on the smaller
kingdoms once they’ve conquered the four. That leaves you in a
tough position,” Hadrin replied.

“That it does. I think I know the answer
though. You do whatever you need to do. I’ll recruit as many of the
militias as I am able. Where should we meet you?”

“Head to the four kingdoms, you’ll find us
there.”

*

Wrotan watched as Theodorus held up his map
and began making several marks. He let out a sigh as he rolled up
the map and placed it in his pack. Josephine, the healer that
Theodorus had recommended, looked to her fellow wizard for
information. They spoke in whispers for several minutes before
turning to the others. Mariah and Amber already looked impatient,
but the hunter had been able to keep his cool. He had dealt with
magicians before and knew that they liked to take their time and
discuss things. It had taken some getting used to, but he had
managed. He called the others over as Theodorus approached him.

“I am not certain that you want them to
hear,” the sorcerer said as they approached.

“They have my assurance that Kade will be
brought back safely. Whatever worry you may instill can be assuaged
by me,” Wrotan said.

“Let us hope that your skill is as great as
your confidence. All signs point toward the owner of this belt
being in the Magic Forest. The leprechauns and fairies will not
like his meddling.”

“That is the best news we’ve heard in some
time.”

“Are you insane? Do you not know how
dangerous the fairy folk are?” Josephine asked.

“We entered their lands on our way here.
They seemed quite cordial to us,” Lamont replied.

“Perhaps it will be simpler than we imagine,
but I request that we travel without Lamont,” Theodorus said.

“Lamont, Amber, and Mariah will meet up with
the others. I will travel with the two of you to find Kade,” Wrotan
said before the spirit monk could protest.

“Wouldn’t it be best if I went?” Amber
asked.

“It will be a simple task. You have nothing
to worry about."

Though the others were not entirely pleased
with the decision, they didn’t argue with the hunter. The two
groups said their goodbyes, telling one another that they would
meet up soon. Wrotan was unsure of why the magicians were so
adamantly against the fairy kingdom, but he knew it would be best
if the others weren’t involved. He wasn’t sure that he would be
able to protect them and save Kade if things got ugly. The hunter
motioned for the two wizards to follow as he headed for the south
end of the forest. They had a bit of a trek through the southern
side of the forest before getting to the Magic Forest and he wanted
to get to Kade as soon as he could.

*

“The hunter has returned,” Finian said as he
approached the King.

“So soon?” Padraig asked.

“He has two magicians with him.”

“You are certain of this?”

“They bear the robes of the Arcane
Academy.”

“We must not assume that Wrotan is an enemy
just because he is traveling with two of them. Nevertheless, I must
investigate the situation with care. Make sure that Zaira stays
behind. If the hunter does decide upon treachery, the kingdom
cannot afford to lose us both.”

The King let out a sigh as he headed to
collect his sword and armor. His sword flowed with magical
properties that allowed the wielder to fight with enhanced
capabilities. The armor was specifically designed to protect him in
a battle that included the use of magic. He could scarcely remember
that last time he had been worried that their combined power would
fall short. Wrotan was no simple hunter like he claimed. If the
stories painted by his companions were true, his skill combined
with that of two magicians would be difficult to overcome. He
cleared his mind as he exited his quarters. With any luck, Finian
would have already set forth in his task to distract Zaira.

“Father, this is far too dangerous a task
for you to undertake alone,” his daughter said as he headed down
the hall.

“It seems that you have outdone Finian once
again. You don’t make it easy on me. The danger is exactly why you
need to stay behind. If anything were to happen to me, this kingdom
would need you,” Padraig said.

“You know that I have no interest in ruling,
father. Why can’t you choose another?”

“I have another in mind, but there are two
obstacles to his candidacy. Now is hardly the time to discuss
it.”

“We will discuss it after we deal with
whatever disturbance you are trying to keep me away from.”

“There is simply no winning against you, is
there?”

Padraig smiled and turned for the door
before she could answer. He knew her well enough to know that it
would do no good to argue. Instead, he took advantage of her
presence and sent the other warriors away. If the two of them
together couldn’t beat back this threat, there was little chance
ten guards would help. They headed out of the city and out into the
forest. Wrotan and the two wizards were already nearing the edge of
the kingdom borders when they intercepted them. Zaira hung back and
nocked an arrow as her father stepped out from the trees. The
hunter smiled when he saw the King, but his companions were
expressionless.

“Stand back, Wrotan,” the male sorcerer
said.

“Theodorus, let me handle this. King Padraig
and I are friends,” Wrotan said.

“Josephine, be a darling and take care of
the one in the trees that is planning on skewering us with
arrows.”

The leprechaun King drew his sword and
stepped between the three intruders and his daughter. Josephine
stepped back and held up her arms, as if to motion that she wanted
nothing to do with the fight. Theodorus used his magic to destroy
the bow in Zaira’s hand and then shoved the King back with another
spell. Padraig pushed himself back onto his feet and stepped toward
the mage. His opponent used a spell to pull both of his adversaries
toward him. He threw his hands up in the air and lightning began to
crackle between them. As he was throwing his arms forward, a sword
blade protruded out from his chest. He gasped for air as he
collapsed to the floor. The lightning he had been wielding shot off
into the forest, colliding with a tree. Wrotan pulled his sword
from the fallen wizard and turned toward Josephine.

“Choose your words wisely,” he said.

“I am here to heal your friend, not go to
war with the fairy kingdom. Theodorus’ fight is not my fight,” she
said.

“That is good enough for me,” Padraig said
as he sheathed his sword.

*

Hadrin put his fingers to his mouth and made
the agreed upon call. The scouts returned with call and he led the
others toward the camp. Bertram and Hrimgur had managed to bring
together a decent size army in their absence. The elf Prince smiled
as he looked over the camp. Things were coming together far better
than he had initially expected. The leaders of each group were
meeting together in the central command tent. One of the sentries
informed Hadrin, Alandra, Nicolai, and Charise that they were all
invited to attend. The Prince pulled back the tent flap and
motioned for the others to enter first. He let out a sigh of relief
as he entered the tent. The tent was far gaudier than he would have
ever expected. Larger dwarven carvings lined the outside of the
tent. They matched the smaller carvings that had been placed on the
individual tables. It was a nice way to break up all the books that
Cristoph had brought.

“You’ve arrived, good. We are attempting to
ascertain the best way to attack our enemy. This collection of
tomes is second only to that of the Arcane Academy. Our hope is to
find something that will give us some sort of tactical advantage
against the elves and the dragons,” the spirit monk said as the
others approached.

“Bertram and I will take care of the elves,
the rest of you need to find us some sort of advantage against the
dragons,” Hrimgur said.

“It will not be a simply task. A single
earth dragon and his drake allies nearly ended our uprising far too
early,” Hadrin said.

“What news of Wrotan and the others?”
Bertram asked.

“We were hoping that they would meet up with
us while we were still in Reddington, but we’ve had no such luck.
It is likely that they will arrive here within the next few
days.”

“That should give us some time to find a
weakness to exploit,” Cristoph said.

*

Wrotan watched as Josephine approached Kade.
The fairies and leprechauns had been taking care of the young man
for a few days, but they saw no change in his condition. They did
everything within their power, but they knew that his ailment was
beyond their abilities. The wizard started by placing a hand on
Kade’s chest. She nodded to herself before moving the hand up to
his head. Her eyes went wide as she backed away from the bed.
Everyone eagerly watched as she collected herself. She turned
toward the hunter with a questioning look on her face. He glanced
around the room before looking back at her and nodding.

“This is far beyond me. There is only one
way that I know for certain that can break whatever enchantment
they had on him,” she said.

“Had? Is it not still on him?” Padraig
asked.

“Yes and no. They put an enchantment on him
to control him, but he found a way to fight it. Unfortunately, the
process splintered his mind. The only way to fix it would be to
enter his mind.”

“What are we waiting for?” Wrotan asked.

“It is far too dangerous. I would never
enter another’s mind without invitation,” Josephine replied.

“I never asked you to. You need to find a
way to send me.”

*

Kade found himself drifting on an island on
a great ocean. There were over a dozen other islands around him,
each one with its own unique feel. He already knew that thinking
about moving to another island would allow him to do so, but he
couldn’t figure out why that was true. Nothing seemed to make sense
on the great ocean, but he had long since stopped questioning it.
He felt himself pulled toward one of the islands and closed his
eyes. When he opened them, he was standing on that island. There
was a lone man standing there facing him. He looked familiar and
foreign all at the same time. Kade rubbed his eyes, but the man did
not leave.

“Who are you?” The young man asked.

“Wrotan. Don’t you remember me?” The hunter
asked.

“Impossible, I’ve been alone on these
islands for years. There are no boats. The islands are my
prison.”

“Perhaps I came from beyond the
islands.”

“Do you take me for a fool? Do you think I
have not seen the edge of the world?”

“I would never think you a fool. You spoke
before about a prison. That is the truth, but not how you think. We
are inside of your mind. The shadow dragons tried to control you
and you broke free, but the result was a shattered mind. You and I
must work together to bring it all back together.”

“Why should I trust you?” Kade asked.

“What other choice do you have?” Wrotan
asked.

“I could kill you. It would be easy if this
is truly my mind.”

“Am I the first person you have come
across?”

“Yes, though I’ve seen glimpses of others.
They always go away when I approach. The years have been
lonely.”

“You’ve not been here for years. The fairies
claim to have put you in a deep sleep less than a week ago. It is
possible the madness claimed you before that, but I would wager
you’ve been here no more than a month.”

“Truly? This is the best news I’ve heard in
some time. Tell me, how are Amber and Julian?”

“You remember?” The hunter asked.

“I’ve never forgot them. Not the two of
them. They were my closest friends. Are they here as well?”

“Amber wanted to be, but it is too
dangerous.”

“And Julian?”

“The shadow dragons killed him.”

Kade took a step back as Wrotan delivered
the news. It hit him in the very core of his being. Hatred,
sadness, and guilt welled up inside of him. His hands shook as he
fell down to his knees. He buried his face in his hands as he wept.
Wrotan placed a hand on his shoulder and slowly the guilt and
sadness began to melt away. Kade grabbed a handful of sand and
threw it into the air. He pounded his fist into the sand. His hands
continued to shake as he slowly stood up. The only upside was
knowing that Amber was alive and well. He did everything he could
to focus on that, but it was no small task. Wrotan took a step back
to give him a bit of room.

“They will pay for this,” Kade said.

“That much I promise you,” Wrotan said.

“How do we get out of here?”

“There must be something left of the spell
they cast on you. We need to find it and cleanse your mind of
it.”

“It won’t be easy. There were two of them,
one was a dragon and the other was a warrior of some kind.”

“What do you know of this warrior?” The
hunter asked.

“His leader was known as Sheltek. They’ve
infiltrated the four kingdoms and stand ready to fight back against
the dragons, but the majority of their forces have yet to get
through to our world. We face two enemies, Wrotan, not just one.
Somehow they are able to change their appearance to live among
us.”