By the time Encer had finished his rounds the afternoon was gone. He hadn’t seen Verkal but that might have been due to his avoidance of the house he knew the commander to be residing in. Encer was thankful that he hadn’t built himself the largest house in the community. The largest house had been requisitioned by Verkal and the residing family had been relegated to servants in their own house. Half of the troops in the village were housed in the living room and the bedroom had been turned onto Verkal’s headquarters.
Torroth was awake and Inadar was feeding him when Encer returned. Mytera informed him that Torroth had been awake for an hour or so but was as weak as an infant. He had not said anything and really seemed not notice anything around him. Torroth eventually dropped back into sleep and the family had dinner. That evening no one showed up to complain about the soldiers and Encer retired early.
Encer’s slumber was rudely interrupted by incoherent shouts from the other room. Springing to his feet he grabbed the nearest weapon which happened to be the stick he put his wet boots on to dry. Armed with this unlikely weapon he charged into the other room. Torroth clad only in the scant cloth tied around his midsection was staggering towards the fireplace mumbling something about saving Morden. The young man struggled only for a few moments in Encer’s grip before going limp. Mytera hadn’t been exaggerating when she had described how weak the man was. Torroth was sobbing uncontrollably and awake by the time Encer had pulled him back to the bed. Encer pulled up a chair and waited until Torroth had fallen asleep again. It wasn’t from the man calming down but from sheer exhaustion. Morning dawned a few hours later and Mytera discovered Encer slumped in the chair and Torroth’s fever broken.
When Torroth awoke Mytera propped him up and he was able to feed himself. No one showed up to demand his presence not that Mytera would have permitted him to go so Torroth rested. He was still pretty quiet accept for his apologies for the trouble he had put them through. He did however perk up when he saw Inadar peeking around the corner at him. He eventually was able to coax a few words out of her or was it the other way around? Encer couldn’t tell. He kept an eye on the lad while he plied his wood chisels.
Several hours had passed in this manner when the door burst open and a soldier demanded everyone’s presence in the village square. Verkal was mounted on his horse and the items taken from the villagers were lying on a table beside him. He waited until the last villagers had arrived before announcing the reason for the gathering.
“My men went back to the mouth of the valley in the light and found fresh dragon tracks all over the place. At first I began planning an evacuation of the village with my men defending you people.” Verkal paused as if to let this show of benevolence sink in. “I then realized that my handful of men would not stand a chance against the dragons that left the tracks so I set about finding another way to help you get to safety.” Encer found Verkal’s veneer of concern to be thin in its best spots.
“I had my men search your houses in an attempt to find whatever is keeping the dragons from attacking you and mercilessly killing you all.” Encer was now sure that Verkal had indeed been looking for an artifact that either controlled or repelled dragons.
“If whatever has been keeping the dragons away this long is still working why should we leave?” A young man asked impertinently then ducked behind a stouter bystander.
“Because.” The word devolved into a long protracted hiss as Verkal searched the crowd for the source of the question. “If it stops working then you will all be killed by the dragons that are angry already at being denied their prey.” Verkal made a feeble excuse in an attempt to disguise his true intentions. Most present knew that it was not out of fear for the villager’s safety that the man acted. If he could get his hands on an artifact that either controlled or repelled the dragons then he would become the most powerful individual on Den'dra.
“We have no knowledge of such an artifact.” Encer stepped forward and addressed Verkal.
“Pardon me if I don’t take your word for it. You once told me that the fugitive was not hiding here.” Verkal sneered at Encer and turned back to the crowd. “Tell me what it is you use and how you use it and I will leave you in peace.” At last Verkal no longer tried to hide his intentions. The silent throng before him was irking in its stubborn refusal to grant his orders.
“If we do then you will take it and leave us to the dragons.” Encer was prepared to withstand whatever punishment Verkal would mete out for having said what everyone was thinking.
“You miserable peasants have no appreciation for what you have. It could be used to end our wars and make humans the most powerful race on this continent. You however would prefer to use it to protect a worthless village. I won’t let such power be wasted.” Verkal dismounted his horse.
“What is it?” Picking up the iron shod walking stick he continued. “Is it something you say while you are holding it?” Picking up the dragon pendant he turned. “Or is it as simple as having it near you? Tell me!” Infuriated by the continued silence Verkal dropped the items he was holding and drew his sword. A couple rapid steps later he seized a child from the edge of the group and held the mother back at sword point. When he had reached the center of the group again with his soldiers at his side he put up the sword and drew a dirk and held it to the child’s neck. The mother screamed and if Encer had had his sword on him he would have parted Verkal’s head from his body’s company. It was only by the drawn swords of Verkal’s escort that the crowd was held back.
“Tell me or I will drain this brat’s blood onto the snow. I will then take another one and do the same until someone tells me. And just in case you get any ideas about feeding me a story, I will be taking all the children with me when I test the validity of the artifact.” The mother was sobbing on her knees now. There was a hue and cry raised but to no effect. Encer could see In Verkal’s eyes that he was willing to do whatever it took to attain his goal even if it meant spilling innocent blood.
“It’s Inadar, she is what is keeping the dragons away.” Encer didn’t know who had spoken but he realized that the girl wasn’t at his side any longer. His frantic search was cut short as she was thrown out of the crowd towards the soldiers and Verkal. He released the child he had held at knife point and motioned a couple of his soldiers towards Inadar. She was seized and standing in front if Verkal a moment later.
“One brat is as good as another as far as I am concerned.” Encer held Mytera back from doing what he himself wanted to do. Facing the soldiers and as unarmed as he was there was no chance he could recover Inadar.
“The dragons left her and since then they have kept us from leaving the valley.” Encer would have throttled the speaker if he had been within reach. The already hopeless situation was worse and better at the same time. Verkal stared at the girl in front of him with a new look of greed and disappointment. He wasn’t going to kill her until he got what he wanted but Encer knew what the man did to Gifted.
“How do you do it?” Verkal held his sword tip to Inadar’s throat.
“I... I don’t do anything.” Inadar was clearly terrified and was shaking like a leaf.
“The dragons left you so you must be special. I will take you apart piece by piece until I find out how you do it so you might as well tell me now. If anyone told you not to tell me it was because they were selfish and didn’t want to share.” If it hadn’t been such a dire situation it might have been comical. The man was holding a sword to a child and demanding the secret of controlling dragons while lecturing her about people being selfish. Oddly Inadar stopped shaking and stood erect. Looking up into the cloudy sky she began speaking.
“Iradaemi, Rothlt, Setur. Coemathu, burenthu. Elm'riso quir undesthrack.” The words were clearly uttered but incomprehensible. Another language. Inadar turned white as a sheet and fell to the ground before the soldiers at her side could catch her. Verkal was left standing over her with a confused expression. Before he was able to gather himself a thundering roar shook the
valley.
*****
“Iradaemi, Rothlt, Setur. Save us, protect us. Heed my call and destroy the iron shells.” Iradaemi kept repeating the call as she beat the air with her wings. Her patrol had been near Dragon’s Hamlet as usual. Following the sudden terrified call she made her way north with all the speed she could summons.
Dragon hatchlings while formidable in their own right to anything smaller than a domestic dog had a defense mechanism like most creatures. A newborn fawn has no smell and blends into dead grass to hide from predators. A newborn gazelle can run like the wind scant hours after birth. Dragons can call other dragons of their bloodline to their aid in times of danger. It made sense that Inadar was able to call any dragon she chose because she was a dragon lord and descended from the bloodlines of the first dragons. With age the gift usually faded but some dragons were still able to communicate over great distances if the blood bond was strong enough.
Iradaemi crested the ridge and roared a warning to any who would harm the dragon lord hatchling. Clouds still obscured her vision but in a moment she broke through into the clear air above the village. Below absolute confusion reigned. People fled in every which direction for their lives. The meaning of iron shells presented itself when Iradaemi spied one of the soldiers clad in plate mail. A moment later she found Inadar lying on the ground in a clearing in the center of the village.
Rage built up and was released in a roar that pealed in echoes off the mountains in Iradaemi’s voice. It was echoed by Setur who had just arrived. Smashing into the ground near Inadar Iradaemi scared the horse away and advanced on the iron shell that stood over the hatchling dragon lord. With sword in hand the man hesitated a moment before fleeing. His path took him away from Inadar so Iradaemi began searching for other threats. A couple iron shells were advancing at her flanks with shields held at the ready and swords unslung.
Iradaemi laughed to herself. The dragon lord hatchling had called for blood and so it would be. Spinning she caught one with her tail and smashed the other in her maw. Setur smashed down on a couple more that were advancing from behind her. The screams had grown distant and only a few people remained in the vicinity. Most of these were iron shells. Setur set to work on these and soon only their crumpled bodies remained, the threat neutralized.
Iradaemi returned to Inadar while Setur was busy. She lowered her wings and wrapped her tail around her effectively hiding Inadar behind a wall of muscle and scales. An iron shell archer was able to release a few shafts at her before Setur dealt with him. She wasn’t worried because her winter scales had grown in close and hard. Arrows hardly scratched her even with their iron tips. Inadar was all that mattered.
Setur had rendered the white snow torn and stained a crimson shade of red. The last of the iron shells had fled by now. Only a few people remained. One was standing in the door of a house. A blanket cast over his shoulders but naught else accept for a cloth around the midsection. Setur stalked over and sniffed. The man had the same smell about him as the others but he lacked the iron shell.
Inadar had said save us and protect us. That meant she was referring to more than herself. Only the iron shells had been identified as a threat. This man had the smell of weakness and sickness about him. Setur watched as the man collapsed into a heap at the bottom of the door. Lacking the iron shell he was no threat. The rest of the humans in the vicinity were known to Setur by sight as well as smell. Iradaemi was standing over the dragon lord hatchling so he decided that it was safe to go in search of more iron shells. Standing back from the human inhabitations he took wing.
From his new vantage point he could see several more iron shells fleeing through the snow on foot. Only one was trying to escape on horseback. This one Setur marked as a higher priority. It took little to no effort to catch up with the iron shell. He recognized this one as having been the one standing over the dragon lord hatchling when he had arrived. Plucking the man out of the saddle was the work of a moment. The rest were fleeing for their lives and presented no challenge. Sickened by the lack of sport Setur turned back to the village after dropping the iron shell in his grip.
Rothlt soared over the rim of the valley a minute later. Iradaemi was still standing over Inadar when he set down in the clearing. One glance was all that it took to tell the tale of what had happened. Seeing only soldiers dead he was satisfied. He still required the villagers to raise the child. Setur set down and the three dragons ambled over to inspect Inadar.
“Some of the iron shells escape. I can hunt them down if you desire.” Setur flexed a claw that had sustained a bruise from one of the iron shell’s swords.
“Harass them but make sure that a few survive to warn the other humans. If we are fortunate they will bear the tale that dragons killed everyone in this village. Otherwise they might return with armies.” Rothlt was satisfied that Inadar was unharmed. Iradaemi uncoiled herself and stepped back as Inadar began waking up. Upon the dragon revealing the child, Encer cautiously edged closer.
Nearly suffered a heart attack when the three dragons turned on him he again questioned the wisdom of his choice those many years ago. When none of them attacked he slowly walked closer. Ignoring his instincts he walked past the blue and the grey dragon. He felt their eyes boring into his soul every step of the way. Inadar was just starting to sit up when he reached her. The black dragon barred his passage for a moment and inspected him. Again Encer’s heart nearly gave out.
“It’s OK. They only want to protect me.” Inadar stepped past the black dragon to Encer’s side. “He takes care of my mommy.” Encer marveled as the girl addressed the dragon. Even more surprising was when the dragon glanced at the other two dragons and they all took a step back from the two.
“Your storehouse.” Encer began convincing himself that the strain had driven him to insanity. The black dragon motioned towards the blackened ruins and Encer managed a weak nod. “You hunger in white cold?”
“N... no. Our trappers can provide meat.” Encer realized that everything he had suspected about dragons had been true and that for some reason the dragons were revealing themselves to him.
“Dragons give food humans. Humans care for hatchling. Dragons save and protect from iron shells.” The black dragon spoke and waited for comprehension.
“I... we...” Encer’s heart was palpitating and his head was getting light
“It’s ok. They won’t hurt us. They only hurt the soldiers because they thought that they were going to hurt us.” Inadar was pulling on Encer’s hand and looking earnestly into his face.
“Hatchling speaks true.” With this statement the dragon reared up on his hind legs and lifted into the air. The other two did likewise leaving Encer and Inadar alone in the center of the clearing surrounded carnage.
Not entirely sure what had happened Encer walked with Inadar through the reddened snow back to their house. Mytera was inside with Torroth. Encer was somewhat surprised to see the young man sitting at the table and dressed. He looked up fearfully when Encer came through the door. No one said anything as Encer took his coat off and hung it up. Inadar was the first one to break the silence.
“Setur likes you. He said that for a human you are...” Inadar paused as she searched for a word. “He said you are fearless. Most humans aren’t so fearless.”
“Who is Setur?” Torroth asked before Encer had a chance.
“The blue dragon.” This left three jaws hanging loosely.
“I thought it was going to kill me. All I could think about was wanting to die then it walked away.”
“Not an it. Setur is a boy. Iradaemi is a girl and Rothlt is a boy but he is much older so they all listen to him.” Again three mouths hung open. Encer was having difficulty believing that he could be surprised still yet the familiar sensation was again upon him. He began to understand why the dragons were protecting her but only had a hint of an idea why.
“Torroth, don’t you have any family back home?” Mytera had evidently had enough talk about dragons.
&nb
sp; “It was just my brother and me. My parents died in the plague four years ago.”
“Then you can stay with us. Setur will be happy.” Inadar chimed in gleefully.
“I don’t want to intrude...” Torroth wasn’t able to finish before Mytera cut him off.
“Nonsense. It’s not like you can leave in your condition. You need to rest for a few more weeks. On top of that the dragons haven’t let anyone leave as it is. Besides, you're not the same type as the rest of the soldiers were. I honestly don’t know how you got into that group.” Mytera finished with an air that anyone who knew her recognized as the last word on the matter.
“I and my brother were really good at fighting. Verkal saw us sparing one day and the next we were assigned to his unit.”
“Good. You can teach me how to fight.” Inadar looked out from under her long black lashes and silky black curls like her statement was as normal as any.
“But you’re a girl!” Torroth exclaimed. Encer was about to agree with the observation when Inadar retorted.
“I am not. Take it back!”
Chapter Six
Skeln lay in the hollow beneath an old tree protected from the wind. Sleep was slow in coming despite his exhaustion. When he did finally fall asleep he was haunted by dreams involving black carriages and men in chain mail armor. Endless forest trails fraught with missteps at every turn was the nightmare he was dreaming when he suddenly woke.
The soft sound of footfalls met his straining ears. He imagined the sound of chainmail rattling as his mind filled in the gaps between reality and imagination. It took a moment before he realized that what he was hearing wasn’t consistent with the footfalls he expected. Another chilling realization was that he was hearing canine footfalls and by the sound of it a large pack.