Villains by Necessity (12 page)

The moment was all Sam needed. A thin paper pouch of dust arced through the air and burst open on the dragon's muzzle. The dragon blinked, sneezed, then began pawing at its eyes and nose furiously and lashing about wildly with its tail. Kaylana gave the assassin a startled look. He was hefting a dagger. "Blinding and sneezing powder," he whispered, "only thing I had enough of. Won't last long." So saying, he hurled the dagger. It flashed in the air, spinning madly, missed the dragon's thrashing head by an inch, rebounded off the far wall, and thunked instead into the fine pink membrane of a wing. He cursed as the dragon roared and leaped out of shelter again to try another throw. The dragon, hearing the crunch of his feet on the gravel, lashed out furiously with a taloned paw. Sam dodged the claws, but the reptile's palm smacked him off his feet, sending him crashing into a pile of loaf-sized stones, where he lay stunned.

Arcie, meanwhile, was creeping up the canyon wall with surprising ease. From this raised vantage point, he swung at the dragon with his morning-star, thinking as he did so that he was being extremely foolish and would have been better off staying at home. The blow caught the blinded dragon a nice clip on the side of the face, and the creature's head whipped around, its muzzle crashing into the stone wall. The jarring blow shook the Barigan from his perch, causing him to lose his weapon, and dropped him neatly onto the top of the dragon's head, just behind the horns. He had only a second to reflect on the novelty of this when the dragon tossed its head violently.

He slid, scrambled, and ended up hanging from one of the great fan-like ears, clutching the leathery skin as the dragon shook its head, trying to rid itself of the effects of the powder and the weight of the fat thief on its delicate ear.

Kaylana gripped her staff and smashed at the dragon's hind toes, the only part of it she could reach. The staff missed, smacking into the gravel, as the dragon lifted its foot to change position. Kaylana struck again, but her aim was off, and the staff crashed into one of the diamond-hard talons. The resulting ringing shook Kaylana's teeth and the staff trembled, but the dragon yelped as a bruise flowered under the nail. The dragon's foot kicked as its head whipped down to deal with this sneak attack. Kaylana sprang away, wooden shield raised in defense.

Valeriana, meanwhile, was edging over to where Sam lay motionless. If she could recover her amulet from the fool's body... but suddenly something heavy hit her between the shoulder blades, and she went down like a poleaxed hippogriff. Arcie made a mental note to thank the sorceress later for breaking his fall. He jumped to his feet and staggered-one of his ankles seemed to be sprained, or broken.

The dragon at last sneezed flame prodigiously and opened its eyes, red and streaming, but focused. Seeing the only threats still standing were a young woman and an unarmed Barigan, he opened his gaping jaws wide to flame and bite and tear the dreadful creatures of evil that had disturbed his peaceful nap ... when the sound of hoofbeats made him freeze in surprise. Kaylana and Arcie turned, and even Sam and Valeriana managed to raise their dazed heads.

Walking calmly into the battlefield was a large, glossy black warhorse. Its great hooves crunched the gravel, sounding loud in the now-silent canyon. Dark plate and chain barding glittered and rang, echoing the armor of its rider-a tall, massively built figure, encased from head to toe in black plate armor. It, a man, likely, by build and armor, looked neither right nor left, but faced the dragon. He wore a black-plumed full helmet, with the visor down. No chink of flesh or fold of clothing showed anywhere. At his side hung a huge black-hiked sword.

One arm held a solid black shield on which there was no device. The other hand held a lance, raised, tattered black pennant flapping in the wind. The dragon hissed.

The four companions scrambled out of the way as the great horse snorted and pawed the ground, and the dragon growled, visibly unnerved. It shrilled out in a trumpet voice.

"Who is this dark knight in black armor, who dares to challenge me?"

Slowly the lance lowered, until it pointed at the dragon's chest. The only sound was the faint creaking of the knight's armor. The warhorse snorted and stomped, like a bull. The dragon was visibly unnerved. He had met villains and wicked fighters before; he, Lumathix the Rose-Gold and his kin were the dragons of Goodness and Light and had fought in the War against the creatures of Darkness. And all those creatures were full of curses and wicked words, or the occasional plea for mercy. But the small villains that had awakened him, and this newcomer, did neither. He decided to get it over with and not worry about it.

"Die, spawn of darkness! Feel the wrath of Lumathix!" he roared shrilly and blasted out a tongue of flame.

The knight's horse turned broadside to the fire as the knight raised his shield. The center of the cone of fire struck the shield and spread out and away, leaving rider and horse unharmed. In a moment the stream stopped, and the dragon was left staring at an undamaged knight on horseback with a smoking shield, who was now turning to face him, that nasty looking sharp lance pointed at his soft underbelly. Wordlessly, the knight-his lance lowered and couched-clapped his heels to his horse, and the animal lunged forward eagerly into a galloping charge.

Lumathix squeaked faintly. He was too large to turn around in the narrow canyon, too bulky to fly straight up, and far too heavy to jump. He turned to meet the attack in true dragon offensive, with teeth and claws and fire. He was so intent upon the charging knight he didn't see the other villains moving to either side of him.

As the dragon lunged to meet the knight's charge, pain seared at his foreleg, as three poisoned daggers, in rapid succession, sunk into the tender, delicate skin below his armpit. Simultaneously, a pebble struck his shoulder and exploded, bruising him. Another followed, and another, ordinary stones enchanted by Valeriana and fired with professional accuracy by Arcie's pocket-sling. Kaylana struck the ground with her staff and called out a phrase of power, coaxing the very nature of the rocks themselves, and the gravel on which the dragon footed his lunge turned to shallow, slippery mud. He toppled forward, roaring, as the knight reached him. The knight with his horse at full gallop splashed into the mud, dodged a claw swipe with a sideways swerve, and slammed the shield up into the face of a ferocious bite, crashing sparks from the dragon's mouth and sending a tooth chip flying. The blow knocked the knight's aim off, however, and the lance, instead of plunging into its heart, drove deep into the dragon's uninjured foreleg and snapped. The knight then drew the huge sword, but Lumathix had had enough. Battered, bruised, limping on both legs and his beautiful rosy scales all covered in mud, he scrambled around the knight and down to the exit of the canyon, a last lash of his tail barely missing the knight. They heard his heavy clawing feet scuttling down the passageway and then heard heavy wingbeats as the dragon took to the air. All was tense for a moment, as they feared it would appear over the canyon to roast them, but the sound died away in the distance. The four adventurers turned to look at their unlikely rescuer.

The knight swung down from the saddle and gave them a nod. Then he turned to his horse, and tenderly picked up its huge hooves one by one, making sure the animal had not been injured in the combat.

The party was in something of a quandary. People in plate armor were generally champions of good and justice.

Nothing was more irritating to the hardworking evildoer than a knight in shining armor. But this fellow looked to be cut from a different cloth.

Sam staggered up to the knight, who stood to face him.

Sam was looking his most evil: gasping, and frothing just a bit, a trickle of blood at the corner of his mouth. He spoke in a harsh rasp.

"I'm an assassin, and behind me are a Druid, a thief, and a black sorceress." Sam heard a faint scrambling noise to his rear. "We're nasty. If you don't like it, you can either get back on your horse and ride out of here, or you can try to fight us, and we'll snuff you."

The knight raised his helmeted head to peer over Sam's shoulder. Fates, the fellow was huge. His black plumes stirred in the air a good bit more than a foot and a half over Sam's head. Risking a sideways glance, Sam saw that the only one of his companions who had remained "behind" him was Kaylana, leaning against a rock and looking heavenward in disgruntlement. The knight looked at Sam, looked out the way the dragon had gone, and extended a gauntleted hand. Sam froze.

With mailed fingers the knight touched a tattered fold of Sam's black cloak, then slapped the palm of his hand lightly into the face of his black shield. Then he patted Sam's shoulder.

Sam straightened up and wiped the blood from his mouth. "Oh, all right then," he said, in his normal voice, wondering why he understood. The knight swung up into his saddle. Sam turned and walked back to where his companions had been. "It's all right! He's one of us."

Valeriana and Arcie stepped out of concealment, regarding the knight curiously. Arcie hopped up on a boulder to speak on a level with the newcomer.

"Ho there, stranger! T'were some pretty fancy jousting there," he spoke, grinning wide. This fellow didn't seem to have much worth stealing, unfortunately; no gems on the sword or armor, a dagger there, yes, but not a particularly fine one. No pouches. The horse would fetch quite a bit, but Arcie didn't think it would be worth the trouble of stealing. The knight inclined his head slightly in acknowledgment of the compliment, but said nothing. This intrigued Arcie. "You're a quiet fellow. You don't talk?"

The helmet turned slowly from side to side.

"Guess you can't tell us your handle then, aye, silent knight? What are we to call you?"

The mailed shoulders moved in a gesture of noncommittance.

"You don't care? Aye well then, I'll think of something ..."

Arcie inspected the knight. "Take off your helmet so's we can see what as you look like, then."

The helmet moved again in negative. "No? Why nay?

Oh, I forgot, you really can't explain ... Put the visor up?"

Again a negative. Arcie frowned in frustrated curiosity.

Kaylana, who had been listening, called up to the „ Barigan.

"Leave the knight alone, Arcie. He has just saved our skins. It is not civil to go prying into his personal habits in return."

"But, Kaylana," argued Arcie, and then gave up. He gave the knight a parting glance. "You are a fellow in there, aren't you?"

A nod. Arcie looked relieved. "Thank the fates.

There's getting to be far too many pushy women around here." He hopped down from the rock and scampered over to where the others were gathered in conference.

The knight followed on his horse. The others looked up as the mounted knight approached. Valeriana spoke, addressing him.

"You have been following us, have you not?" A nod.

"You know what we seek?" A nod. "You wish to help us?" Another nod.

"Agreeable chap," commented Sam. Kaylana elbowed him in the ribs.

"Well, that saves a lot of tedious explanation on our part," said Valeriana. "What about on yours?"

"He canna speak," piped up Arcie. The knight confirmed this with a nod. "He won't take off his helmet, neither."

"And yet," mused Valeriana, "I pride myself on knowing things. I cannot see his thoughts, nor can I see what manner of man-or monster-it is that dwells within that armor."

Kaylana added, "He speaks not. Thus I cannot say if his words are true."

"But his armor shows he is of darkness and had he wished us dead, he would have left us to the dragon. He is obviously a skilled warrior. We may well have need of such. I think we should allow him to accompany us."

"Sounds all right," consented Sam.

"Well enough," from Arcie.

"Very well," allowed Kaylana. The knight bowed from his waist graciously. The horse whickered, and Nightshade gave a rasping croak.

"Unless anyone has any objections, we may as well camp here. I do not think the dragon will return," said

Kaylana, kicking thoughtfully at the pebbles.

"Are you sure?" asked Sam, looking up at the sky uncertainly.

"Fairly so," replied Kaylana. "I think it was just napping here. See, there are no bones, no fewmets, no old claw-marks. Its lair must be elsewhere."

"Oh. That means no horde of dragon gold, then?" asked a disappointed Barigan voice. Valeriana scoffed.

"Small fool. If the dragon's hoard were here, we wouldn't have driven it off with such relative ease."

"I shall call the stag and horses back," announced Kaylana. "It may take a while for them to arrive, however ...

I hope they have not fled out of range." She began gesturing in midair with her staff, eyes narrowed in concentration, as her magic searched for the auras of their mounts among the many animals in the area.

The knight tethered his horse to an outcropping of stone and began untacking it as the animal cropped the sprigs of wildflowers growing out of the wall. After a moment, a bag of oats was unslung from the saddlebags and placed before it. Kaylana quickly tended the Barigan's sprained ankle and the others' cuts and bruises. Arcie and Sam then set out to scavenge for deadwood to build a fire, and something to cook on that fire.

They wandered up the canyon. Twigs were scarce, and it was not long until their search took them out of earshot of the others.

"I don't feel proper about yon knight, Sam," mused Arcie, picking up a small branch.

"I'd rather have him on my side than not, that's for sure," replied the assassin, debating whether a bird's nest high up the wall was worth the climb.

"But see you well, we dinna even know what he looks like! He could be a horrible skellyton ..."

"Not very likely," responded Sam. He decided to climb. The twigs would be useful, if nothing else. "Not in this world, if what the two ladies say is true."

"Or a monster or just all hollow inside! One o' these days," plotted the Barigan, tugging at a small branch wedged into a crack, "I'm going to knock his helmet off, accidentally of course."