The Exodus Sagas: Book II - Of Dragons And Crowns (69 page)

“Tell them to slow down
,
Zen! I can barely see and here we are, trapsing
up a mountain at daybreak with
Willborne’s finest closing behind us. Where did Saberrak go?!” Gwenneth could not see how far the minotaur was ahead, but she knew he was following James, they all were.

“I can tell em to slow down, but James has got his head all around that girl from the tavern and ain’t listening to anyone! He thinks she’s bein’ sacrificed in this here mountain
!” t
he dwarven priest was having trouble keeping breath as well, let alone catching up to Saberrak.

“Then why the hell would we come here?!”

“Dunno Gwenne, be the army behind us an all, there be nowhere left to go! James is mad, wants to see for himself, damn fool!”

“Who cares? We did not come here to save peasant girls or refound someone’s religious beliefs! We are passing through to that damn mythical city of yours, and that is all!” Gwenneth was losing patience, losing energy, and not at all thrilled about the sounds of horns and drums from an army that seemed a bit too organized this early in the morning.

“Keep it down, both of you!” Saberrak whispered loudly to the wizard and the dwarf, his form appearing out of nowhere in the near dark. “Where is Shinayne?”

“I don’t know, this is ridiculous! Where the hell does James Andellis think he is going?” Gwenne whispered back.

“Regardless, this army was coming for us. Look, they are fully dressed and prepared this early? We are lucky to have gotten out of Bailey alive, so if it is to be a stand on the mountain, so be it. I would rather tire them
out on the slopes than face them in the open.” Saberrak caught his breath on reflex, for strangely he was not tired at all. He looked to the belt with the fist emblem that Ansharr had given him, and then jumped to the side with axe in hand ready to strike. Something moved not five feet from him that was not Zen or Gwenne.

“
I would like to know
,
in advance the next time
, when
we are planning a journey at dawn to the top of a sacrificial mountain, agreed? Not that following you all is difficult, but this deserves some explaining. And two small armies to join in our hunt, wonderful work everyone.” Shinayne sheathed her curved elven blades and took knee next to the others. Her sarcasm s
h
ould have to wait for a retort, for as soon as she sat, Saberrak was on the go up the mountain again.

“And here he goes off again, someone
mind explaining all of this?” t
he elven swordswoman dashed off up after Saberrak, waiting for Zen and Gwenneth to respond.

“Almost to the top Shinayne, then we will talk with James, allright?” Zen pushed on, not wanting to waste breath on a hard march.

“James is up there already? What for?
Where is Capitan Norrice and his men?
This is insane you both realize, we will be surrounded within minutes. How will we get off the mountain with the armies of Willborne at the base?” Shinayne T’Sarrin saw the small plateau and faint torchlight ahead. The
n
she heard James, Saberrak, and another female voice
arguing
.
She waited for her two slower friends, then looked down the slope at the two brigades meeting up at the base of the mountain. She knew horses would not fare well traversing up here, yet that left hundreds on foot that she knew they could not defeat or hold off.
For now, they had not advanced which gave them at least a few minutes to sort things out before they were captured.

“What was I supposed to do Saberrak?
!
Let her die, let us wait to be captured and suffer the same fate?
!
I had to decide, I listened to my gut and---“ James was cut off once more.

“How did you know they were going to come for us? And why not wait and devise a plan together? Now we are out of the cage and into the arena whether we like it or not!
Cornered, and surrounded!
” Saberrak huffed, checking the blade of his axe for chips. He stared at the young blonde girl in white that had led James to the mountain. “Well, might as well go inside that cave and see what this is all about then.”

Shinayne looked around the plateau, seeing several sets of stairs into a cragged cave mouth of at least twenty feet in height at the top of a cloud
smothered peak over Bailey. The torchlight was real enough from sconces along the cavern opening, which told her someone had recently been here. Seeing Zen and Gwenne catch up, the elf walked toward the minotaur and the veteran knight that held the young Agarian woman. “Now, tell me what by Siril’
s sword we’
re doing up here, and tell me quickly!”

“James and Azenairk started a fight at a tavern in Bailey over this girl.” Gwenneth spoke first.

“No, we were attacked and some locals tried to rob us at cr
ossbow point. We merely took
em down.” Zen retorted.

“Why were you at a tavern, James? And this girl is half your age you realize.” Shinayne snapped.

“I was…
did not drink, if that is what you are implying. And she was to be sacrificed here, today, in this place. They do this every year, a sacrifice to their God for a good season. Someone had to do someth—“

“So running with h
er, to the place that this foul
deed is to occur, without your friends
,
was your best laid thought?” Gwenne shot back, noticing the girl get more frightened with every moment.

“You see those torches human? Someone has been here, and is probably inside already. Now we
are a threat. Some people might
not tolerate interfering with their—“Saberrak was interrupted by the elf.

“They were going to kill us as well horned one, so ease up a bit. I overheard Lord Marcell and some priest named Veuric arguing in the keep about some Katrina Lady and that we are wanted and whatnot. I do not agree with coming here in the slightest, but staying there would have been our end for certain.” Shinayne looked around the clouds, not liking the feeling of being watched that crept all over her.

“Why didn’t you tell us that, elf?” Azenairk blurted in a bit of mild frustration.

“Well if you all would have waited, I would have. Instead, I had to track you from the keep to here, in the dark. Why did you leave anyway, and where is Norrice?”

“We were attacked, pointy eared one. I sent Norrice back to Erinsburg, but the mass of soldiers would have been hard to get around. I am not sure if he or his men made it. All I know is they swarmed into the keep with some lady yelling orders. James fled, I follo
wed, they followed me. How did you escape, elf
?” Saberrak looked to the cavern that Shinayne was starin
g at, having the very same idea that they were being watched.
He heard more men marching and shouting from the base of the mountain, likely up to them.

“I ran out east, took cover, I am not so easy to see or follow unlike all of you. Well, what say you Saberrak? Into the cavern of
a God that demands sacrifice?” s
he heard the resolute huff of the minotaur, then Shinayne drew her blades and looked to James.

“I am not convinced that any sort of deity lives here, but whatever is here, if anything, needs to die.” James drew his blade and strapped his shield tight.

“I heartily agree with ye all, but what about the girl?” Zen pointed at her with his warhammer, not realizing it
,
and the girl cowered behind James Andellis. “No, no, no, I did not mean that lass, for Vundren’s sake!”

“James, I want to go home.” Taira whimpered in lieu of the
se strange companions who seemed formidable
, she just wanted to wish it was all a bad dream.

“Do you hear that?” Gwenneth raised her staff, letting yellow light spring out of the emerald affixed to the top. “Prayers.”

“I hear them too, from inside. Not dwarven, that be for certain.” Zen took his enchanted helmet off, then back on again.

“Not elven either, or Agarian. But prayers and hymns of some sort
,
being chanted by several men.” Shinayne heard the faint choir inside paying homage to someone, just not in any language that she had heard. “Gwenne, have you ever heard---“

Gwenneth walked forward silently, not looking to see who would follow, eyes unblinking. She heard the words, focused and continued her slow walk into the cavern. “It is the draconic tongue. They are praying to a dragon
who
they believe is God.
”

“Taira, is it?” Saberrak waited for the nervous nod of affirma
tion. “Has anyone ever seen this
God, your God
,
on this mountain?”

“No, of course not.
God is heard but never seen. Heard but never seen, heard but never seen, heard…” s
he replied as if it were divine fact
, over and over, in terror
.

Gwenneth stopped. “Then they don’t know that they pray to a dragon, and that would explain a bit about
the
sacrifice
s
and secrecy.
I would guess someone knows, has to.
What should we do then?”

“An army behind us waiting, a dragon posing as a deity, and we are the seasonal offering
? I say we pay our respects inside and shed a bit of light
on some religious issues at hand.” Shinayne walked in beside Gwenneth, followed by the rest.

“Stay behind me, no matter what happens Taira.” James drew his griffon winged broadsword and slowly stalked in behind Saberrak.

“I fo
r one, think that this was a poor
idea. Just for the record. If I see what I think I’ll be seein’, ain’t light I’
l
l be shedding with my hammer here, Vundren mark my words.” Azenairk fiddled with
the box in his pocket, then raised
his warhammer. He looked down the mountain to the hazy view of the army that waited
beyond the low clouds
, then to the cavern, paused then walked in last. “Perhaps it’s friendly, ya never know…”

LCMVXI
ILCMVXIILCMVXIILCMVX

Lord Marcell looked to his left at Katrina Willborne, then to her
red
minotaur bodyguard
named Faldrune
, and finally to Veuric who was on his way up
the slope with a retinue of a dozen armed
men to intervene. He knew, should this go poorly for any reason, the most powerful woman in Willborne would have his head. His mind thought of how he and most nobles despised her warmongering and self glorifications. Her family name, lost in the records of history, had not been Willborne at all. Yet she had named herself so to gain sway and popularity beyond her military might in the kingless country of so-called free cities. Agarian native for sure, but her mercenary dealings had left a sour and fearful taste on most noble tongues. Everyone of right to the throne hated her, envied her, yet none dared stand against her.

“
Marcell, you are certain that no scroll was left in their room?” Katrina did not look to the Lord of Bailey, just stared ahead at the lone mountain.
She would not look at failure, not ever.

“Certain Lady Willborne, and no sign of whatever the dwarf carries either
, no box or deed found
. They must have whatever treasures they own with them, up there. We searched thoroughly.” Marcell Keervin hated when she failed to make eye contact, it unnerved him.

“Katrina, let me take a brigade up there, just a hundred soldiers. I will get what you seek, and the women for ransome. I will leave the others in their own blood for daring such a transgression against the kingdom.” Faldrune the red drew his spiked mace and spiked shield to prepare for battle.

“No, my mighty warrior,
no. There is no escape from that
mountain. I want the God of old appeased if possible here. Our people need a good harvest, good rain, and all the blessings we can provide. Let Veuric see
that the sacrifice goes on as planned, God will decide. If not, then we will take them when they flee, or
when they
starve to death. I do not want to anger the mountain.” Katrina patted her armored bovine general on the shoulder from atop her steed. She had no desire to see what she knew to
be in that mountain, and she knew that no group of less than a small army had a chance survival.
She knew what was there, and he would not take kindly to any visitors.

“What is it about this scroll and that which the dwarf carries
that makes them
so sought after in three countries, Lady Willborne?” Marcell tried to make small talk, here with his army and hers around the base of the mountain for
half
an hour now.

“None of your concern. If you were truly concerned, you would have captured them as I instructed. Now you seek to writhe your way out of failure with words
,
Marcell. I am a woman, I am not an idiot. In fact, I am far more intelligent than you could fathom, so save your words for those secret noble meetings where I am ridiculed by every failure of a man in Willborne. If any of them, including yourself, had real Agarian blood or balls
,
one of you would have drawn swords with me by now. So since I keep this country
alive with a shred of hope
,
alone, I wi
ll also keep my concerns. Do I make myself clear?” a
gain, without a blink or a glance his direction, Katrina spoke her mind.