The Dragons of Argonath (10 page)

They left the ford and pony track to the imps and turned east on the higher trail. The heather thinned out, and the rock grew more barren, and there was just the dwarf forest of bent and contorted pines. Wood flox, bright pink and yellow, were in bloom all around them.

They passed a rock wall that had been carved in some dim antiquity with the figures of men and lions, a time, perhaps, when lions still roamed the primeval forests of the Argonath.

After the rocks they left Beggars Hill and descended into the upper part of the Inth Vale. Here it was a shallow bowl, and they dipped down through the dwarf pine forest into a belt of bigger trees along the creek and then back up on the next ridge.

Now they gained a view of the wider lands to the east. Below, in the near distance, lay the woods of Kroy. Just to their south the Curling Stream made its way past the woods to the green rectangles of Lurnow's famous fields, the most fertile wheat fields in all Blue Stone, or so it was said. And away to the south was the small town of Brennans, visible by a smudge of smoke from the brick kilns there. Brennans was the capital of the region, about twice the size of Quosh or any other village. Relkin had thought about going there with word about the raiders, but that would just slow the process of taking the alarm to Cross Treys. And Cross Treys was the only place that could mount an effective response.

"Look!" Bazil pointed down.

There, crossing the Curling Stream on a logging bridge, was a party of imp riders much like the one they'd seen earlier on the other side of the ridge. Relkin felt the hair on his neck rise.

"Not the group we saw before."

"Yes. Something big is going on." They were effectively cut off from the trail down to Barley Mow in the west and the trail to Brennans in the east.

"Too many imp."

"I think we want to get to Cross Treys as fast as we can."

"Better pick up the pace."

They hurried on the hunters trail along the ridgelines, climbing toward the three rock knobs of the Big Rack.

It was about halfway up the slope toward the rocky nobs that they came across the trail of blood. It slanted up from a gulley on the eastern side and then went on up the trail ahead of them.

Bazil sniffed the air cautiously.

"Men pass here, not long ago."

"Imps?"

"No. This is man blood."

"Someone is bleeding pretty badly, and being helped along." Relkin studied the ground closely. "See there, a foot dragged. And there's several footprints back there where the ground is soft."

They both drew their swords, Bazil resting Ecator lightly on his shoulder as they cautiously went on over a hillock and down into a small swale. There they suddenly came on a small group of men gathered around one of their own, who was lying on his back. The men started up instantly, and swords flashed in their hands.

And then there was a shout, and one of them came forward, calling out, "Relkin and Bazil!"

Relkin recognized Lessis the witch with stunned eyes. She wore finer clothes than was normal for her, but they were the usual uniform grey.

Bazil recognized her too.

"By the fiery breath of the ancients, this dragon knows we in hell of a lot of trouble now."

Bazil and Relkin were quick to comprehend the situation, the presence of the Lady Lessis concentrating their minds with remarkable rapidity. In their lives she had always managed to live up to her nickname of the "Storm Crow." The huge man lying on the ground was a member of the Imperial Guard. He had a severe chest wound and was plainly dying. The emperor had survived an ambush. Imps and strange new trolls had been involved. Imps on horseback had been seen. A major operation had been launched to try and slay the emperor, and it was still going on.

Indeed, the emperor himself was standing nearby, and at the appropriate moment Lessis introduced them. The emperor was a powerfully built, middle-aged man with white hair and grey beard. He had kept his figure, bore no signs of a paunch, and seemed quite unafraid despite the desperation of the moment.

Relkin was awed, if only for a moment. He had never dreamed he would actually meet the Emperor Pascal himself. But now he saw that the emperor was still just a man, albeit one with an aura of strength and power. Bazil was less awed, but still impressed, despite dragonish disdain for the trappings of human hierarchy. Bazil had heard often enough about the emperor, who dwelt far away in the Isle of Cunfshon. From spratlinghood he had understood that he trained and would eventually fight in the emperor's name.

Then Relkin remembered his manners.

"We have food, Lady," he said, gesturing to the packs they'd put down on the trail.

"Food? That is wonderful news, child. I swear that your steps have been guided by the Mother herself."

They were interrupted by a screech above their heads, and a crow came flapping down to land on Lessis's outstretched arm. It rested there for a moment to report, and then flew away. Relkin had seen Lessis among her birds before. Relkin had seen Lessis do things that could make it hard to sleep nights if you thought about them too much. Trooper Loder, on the other hand, had only heard legends of this sort of thing, and he was plainly awed.

Lessis spoke quietly to the emperor and Thorn, informing them of what the crow had told her. Neither seemed surprised by this turn of events. Relkin watched them and assumed that they too had witnessed Lessis's magic before and were almost immune to surprise now.

They shared out the meats and the bread for a quick meal. Everyone in the small party was ravenous after walking all night and day.

Taking a turkey leg and a hunk of bread, the emperor sat beside Bazil and asked questions about dragon life in between bites. Bazil did his best to reply truthfully, as the emperor had requested. It was the first time anyone had ever asked him to sum up certain aspects of the life he had known.

And, in truth, he had enjoyed his term of service, despite the dangers he'd been exposed to. He knew he had achieved great fame. Certainly he'd seen enough hard fighting to pay his way in the world. And now, thanks to their travels to faraway Mirchaz, they had gained riches. Old Macumber damn well ought to be proud. As a sprat, Bazil had been quite average, and he'd grown up to become a leatherback of ordinary girth and weight. But with the great sword in hand, he had cut himself a position in the history of the Argonath that was quite unique.

His answers gave the emperor a unique and invaluable window into the world of the wyvern battledragon.

The wyverns fought because the Padmasa enemy were Enthraans of the death magic, and they lusted to use the deaths of dragons for their mightiest sorcery. The wyverns had been hunted almost to extinction when the men of the Isles had come to teach them how to fight back. The wyverns were virtually the equal of men in intelligence, and though they were a conservative breed, they saw the wisdom of an alliance. The dragons had entered the legions willingly, seeking survival and revenge. Their complaints about the service were few, but widely held. Mostly they hated boredom and the bland food. There was never enough akh! This was a burning question for every dragon in the service. There was usually plenty of noodles, plenty of bread, but never enough akh.

"Dragon never have to sleep on empty stomach in legions, but food needs akh."

The emperor absorbed Bazil's words with a calm, serious expression, and then promised to look into the persistent shortage of akh. Bazil fell silent as he concentrated on one of the hams. It did not last long in the hands of a wyvern dragon.

Elsewhere Koring sat by the prone figure of Blade. Lessis came to take another look. Relkin knelt beside them.

"He will not last long," he said.

"Correct, Master Relkin," said Lessis. Ambassador Koring's eyebrows shot up. She actually knew this youth? "The wound passes into the pulmonary processes, the left lung is collapsed. He has lost too much blood. I do not think great Blade will awaken again. The world is a little less safe as a result."

Relkin had to agree. Blade was a natural warrior and a giant, well over seven feet tall. Not Katun of Mirchaz, or Kreegsbrok of Padmasa would have cared to match swords with Blade. Not even Thorn would have enjoyed such a contest.

Sadly they stood up and moved away, leaving Koring beside the fallen giant. Thorn approached, hastily swallowing some bread and sausage. He had several questions for Relkin concerning the surrounding countryside.

"You lived here as a youngster, I believe."

"I did."

Thorn had a general idea of the terrain all along the route of the Imperial Progress, but Relkin had the knowledge of a local. And Relkin bore the unmistakable mark of someone that had seen a great deal of combat. Thorn sensed it immediately.

"So what's the quickest way out of these hills?"

"If we go on up to the Big Rack, we can cross over on this same trail and go on down into Minden."

Thorn nodded. "There's a legion camp up there somewhere, isn't there?"

"Right, that's Cross Treys camp. We're actually on our way there right now. We need to get back by dark, or we're in trouble with Dragon Leader Cuzo."

Thorn's lips twisted into a smile.

"Then, we'll go there with you. The emperor should be safe there."

"There's a whole squadron of dragons there, if that's any help."

"Dragons? Good. The enemy has a new monster, something we've never fought before."

Relkin was instantly alert. "What are they?"

"Don't know, not as tall as trolls, but quicker, and they wield sword. About the size of bears, I'd say."

"Wield sword, you say. Sounds bad."

Thorn nodded. He understood well the dynamics of combat between troll and dragon. Dragons were always outnumbered; they needed their speed and intelligence to overcome the enemy.

"We can be up to the Big Rack in about an hour, get down to Minden in maybe three, maybe four."

"It's steep?"

"Part of the way, but nothing the dragon can't handle."

Ambassador Koring informed everyone that Blade had just that moment died. Thorn knelt beside his comrade to check his eyes and then his pulse.

"It is true, great Blade has passed on. May the Mother care for him in the afterlife."

The emperor came to kneel briefly by the body of the giant who had served in his guard for so long and so well.

"We will all miss his strength and courage."

"We don't have time to bury him," said Thorn.

"We will come back for him. There is nothing else we can do," said Lessis.

Relkin thought that Loder, the Kadein cavalry trooper with the huge slash across his forehead, needed treatment. He mentioned this to Lessis and indicated his pouch, in which he always carried needle and thread, plus antiseptic in the form of Old Sugustus stinging lotion.

"It is a good idea, but you must be quick. We should not linger here; the enemy searches for us. The crow reported riders to our west. Probably one of the groups that you reported seeing."

Loder submitted to having the wound cleaned and stitched shut. He winced a few times, but made no outcry as Relkin cleaned the wound and then sewed the skin together. It took twenty stitches, some of them too big for Relkin's taste, but they could be redone later. For now it just had to hold together for the march.

Dragonboys had to be fast, it was a prerequisite of performing surgery without anesthetic, and the stitches were in place in a matter of a few minutes. A dressing took another two or three and then Loder was able to stand up, a little unsteadily, but no disgrace to the honor of the Kadein cavalry.

They discussed trying to disguise Blade's body as that of the emperor, but were dissuaded by Lessis. They will know that Blade, of all men, is not the emperor. Blade stood a head taller than any other man alive.

Thorn was growing anxious.

"We ought not to stay in one place so long. The pursuit cannot be far behind."

Thorn took point, Bazil and Relkin brought up the rear, Bazil moving on all fours and trying to keep to cover wherever possible. They moved through thick heather and dwarf montane forest along the twisted cuts and traces of the trail as it wound up the ridge to the knobs of the Big Rack. The sun had reached his zenith, but the clouds were thickening and the sun was hidden much of the time. A cool breeze blew out of the south. The Ersoi Hills had become dark and ominous-looking.

Around them it was still a beautiful day, and the sun broke through occasionally to light up the knobs of bare rock above, turning them a bright ocher. The shoulder of the hill was streaked with green where the forest grew thicker along the watercourses and purple where the heather was in flower.

They climbed steadily. For Relkin the day had taken a surprising turn, but that always happened whenever the witch Lessis showed up in their lives. The wind blew steadily out of the south. Several times they saw hares darting away from them. A hawk spiraled down to report to Lessis, completely ignoring a rabbit that sped away.

Lessis was immediately concerned by what it told her.

"Animals that have never been seen before are moving along the eastern side of the hill. Also there are riders."

Concern mounted in Thorn's eyes.

"Can we get past them and down to Minden?"

"I will send a crow to check. Crows are better at the details."

The emperor and Thorn exchanged a look. Lessis whistled, and a crow appeared within seconds. She whispered to it, and it flew away again.

They had reached the high point of the trail, the bare knobs of rock just above. Now they looked down over the eastern flank of the hill and Kroy Woods, which were spread out below.

The crow returned in a hurry with disheartening news. Soon afterward they were able to see black specks appear in the distance, coming down from the knobs of the Big Rack.

"Twenty, thirty or more imps, and the other things, that look like bears but aren't."

"How could such large parties get here without being detected?"

"They must have come by sea," said Lessis. "They landed on the Ersoi shore."