Esclation
Ungaroth tucked his wings against his body as he started his dive. The other dragons followed his lead. Their attack was two pronged, Ungaroth led one frenzy of dragons and Elbereth led the other. He watched the skies for a sign of the gold dragon. Her job was to swoop in first and draw the attention of the castle defenders. A gold streak flashed across the sky followed by a rainbow of colors. The hybrid night and shadow dragon smiled as he quickened the speed of his dive. His ears picked up the sounds of the attack. Elbereth and her frenzy of dragons had unleashed a small barrage on the south side of the castle. Her group was significantly larger than the one under his command, but the night dragons and shadow dragons were the most powerful. Ungaroth let out a roar as he kicked out his wings. His entire frenzy of dragons glided in toward the wall. The archers along that side of the wall turned and stared in awe as the creatures descended. Each of the dragons flapped their wings at once, sending a gust of wind rushing at the defenders. The archers were sent flying off the back of the wall and crashed down onto the streets below.
The massive dragon launched a fireball at the keep. It slammed into the structure, sending a shower of stone through the area. His dragons began attacking various parts of the castle. Elbereth and her dragons made another pass, assaulting the defenders with a flurry of fire, water, and electricity. Ungaroth let out the loudest roar he could muster, signaling for all the dragons to land on the walls and wait for the final blow. A massive earth dragon burst out of the ground near the keep. The lone elf on his back, Obrin, lent his magic to the beast’s strength. They slammed into the keep with the full force of both of their power. The dragons began roaring as they tore off pieces of the wall and threw them at the keep. Obrin used his magic to deflect anything that could harm either him or the earth dragon. Ungaroth took off from the wall and called for Elbereth to follow.
He sent his plan to her via the connection that all dragons shared. Her reply was a mixture of awe and excitement. The two dragons continued their ascent up into the clouds. Ungaroth gave the signal as he folded in his wings and dropped into a freefall. Elbereth followed his lead and the two creatures picked up an incredible amount of speed as they zoomed toward the ground. Both dragons extended their wings and arched toward the keep. They slammed into the structure with such force that the keep exploded in a shower of stone. The gold dragon smashed through the far wall and bounced off the ground beyond. Her shadow companion vaulted over the wall and came to check on her.
“I’m am sorry, great one. I have failed you,” Elbereth said as she rose from the ground.
“Nonsense, dragons do not fail. We learn. Even the Queen of the dragons needs to learn at times. War is not your specialty, I should not have put you in that position,” Ungaroth said.
“How did you know it would work?”
“I had faith in our combined strength. One of us could have been injured, but it was a risk worth taking. Yes, the shadow dragons are our allies, but they shall not rule us.”
“We are not doing this on orders from the shadow dragons?”
“I take orders from no one. The shadow dragons wanted revenge on the humans, why I do not know. It allowed me to seize the opportunity to put a plan in motion to conquer the known world. Stay with me and you will be rewarded. Together we put on a display that not even the shadow dragons can ignore. We have established our dominance over dragonkind, they have no choice except to defer to us.”
“What if they attempt something even more masterful?” Elbereth asked.
“They haven’t the courage. Look at how they stare at us in awe,” Ungaroth replied as he motioned toward the shattered keep.
*
Mariah looked down at the plate that the fairies and leprechauns had laid out for her. The assortment of fruit was foreign to her, but she recognized some of the other parts of the meal. She had never known that most of them were edible. Lamont and Amber both gave her an apprehensive look, but Wrotan seemed undaunted by the strange food. He ate as he listened to one of the leprechauns tell him about the dryads and the satyrs. She had heard the tales of the forest peoples, but they were considered a myth in Reddington. The thought of her hometown gave her a feeling of longing. Things had snowballed out of control ever since she met Kade, Amber, and Julian. She still felt a measure of guilt for what happened to the last of the three.
“Is there something wrong with the food?” King Padraig asked.
“Not at all,” Wrotan replied.
“What is the problem?”
“There is no problem. My companions are still stunned to be here. Most human settlements do not consider whether the tales of old are true or not. The citydwellers focus on work, entertainment, and politics. Those in the more rural settings care more for their fields, their families, and their traditions. The world can be such a large place when you aren’t used to traveling through it.”
“I would think that travelers such as yourselves would be more likely to know about the forest peoples, is that not correct?”
“We are not all travelers, your highness. I was a guard in the town of Reddington in the borderlands. Amber, too, is from the borderlands. Lamont is a monk from the spirit monastery. Wrotan is a hunter who has traveled the human lands as well as the elven lands,” Mariah replied.
“My pardon, I assumed things of you. Please, each of you take a moment to tell me of yourself,” the King said.
“As I said, I was a guard. My job was to protect the next heir to the throne of Reddington until one of the children was fit to rule. Though I did not realize it at the time, I essentially resigned my post when Amber approached me asking for assistance. The majority of my life has been spent in Reddington itself. What little I have traveled prior to this journey has all been inside of the borderlands.”
“I know a bit about the borderlands, though I’ve not been there before.”
“I’m just a village girl from the outskirts of Reddington. The farthest I’d ever been from home was the town proper,” Amber said.
“As for me, I’ve made pilgrimages to some of the human towns, but not much beyond that. The spirit monks keep to themselves for the most part. Up until I traveled to the dwarven lands, I was mostly a scribe,” Lamont said.
“That leaves our hunter, I believe,” Finian said as they all looked to Wrotan.
“There is not much to be said about me. I am a simple hunter. My life has been spent looking for the next beast to slay. Unlike the average hunter, I am not in it for the sport. The lands are dangerous for those without a way to defend themselves. A traditional hunter tracks animals for his own gain. He might be looking for a meal or a fine skin to sell. It is not so with me. I travel to villages that are plagued by monsters. This has led me through most of the four kingdoms as well as the elven lands. As for who I am, I can think of one story that sums it up well. The elves had me hunt down a wolf that had taken three fingers from one of the children in the village. They had not realized at that time that the wolf was the pet, as much as a wild animal can be considered a pet, of a particularly nasty huntsman that preyed upon the innocent. I rid them of their monster and led the wolf to a more secluded place where he would no longer bother the village.”
The table went silent when they realized what Wrotan had meant by “monster.” Mariah was beginning to better understand what Wrotan had gone through. She had no doubt that the elves had turned on him after getting rid of the huntsman. What she did not know was whether or not there would have been a way to nullify the elven hunter without killing him. The Wrotan that she knew would have at least tried to do so, but she knew little of who he had been before she met him. She made a mental note to ask him about it at a later time. The others were beginning to notice that she and Amber hadn’t touched their food. She took a bite of one of the fruits and nodded to her companion.
“Hunting other humanoids is not always seen as a good thing, Wrotan,” Padraig said.
“Perhaps I was wrong to take justice into my own hands, bu
t nobody else was willing to bring him in. I did try to reason with him, but he was not the reasoning type,” Wrotan said.
“I did not mean to question your motives, only to say that there are many who would see it as undesirable. That is no excuse to make the weak choice. If the man was preying upon the innocent, then you made the right choice.”
“Let us hope that is true.”
“Enough about that. Tell me about your current quest.”
“We are traveling to the Arcane Academy to see if they can use their magic to locate a friend of ours. It is our belief that they will also be able to free him from his current state.”
“The magicians will help you, but be wary of their tricks. Often times, they will help you only if you agree to their terms,” the King said.
“Thank you for your advice. We have little choice in the matter. Our friend is enslaved by the vary evil that threatens the entire land. We hope that weakening their grip on Kade will also weaken their cause.”
“You speak of the elven army that invades the four kingdoms?”
“That we do. They are headed by a pack of dragons,” Lamont replied.
“Ah, dangerous beasts. If they are truly at the head of things, we may find ourselves drawn into such a battle. Enough about that, let us enough a good time while it lasts.”
*
Hadrin paused when they arrived at the gate. The keep was one of several within the city of Reddington. Five of them were owned by the noble houses, one housed the council chambers, and the final keep, the largest of the seven, was home to the royals. The council was made up of the five noble houses. Their influence was currently much greater than usual since none of the royals were old enough to rule. There was no reason to approach the council as a whole when they could petition each individual noble family. This particular keep was largely hidden by the greenery around the outer wall and the ivy growing up the gate. The others looked to the elf Prince as they waited outside the gate. Though he had taken on the role of leader, it was not something that he thought fit him well. This led to hesitations on several points, but he pushed forward. There were two guards standing just inside the closed gate.
“I’m looking for an audience with House Tranquil,” Hadrin said.
“Amos does not admit uninvited guests,” the guard said.
“On to the next.” The elf said as he turned away from the gate.
“Are we really giving up that easily?” Nicolai asked.
“Either the house is aptly named Tranquil and they wouldn’t be in favor of war or they are hiding something and wouldn’t make a good ally.”
“I can see the sense in that.”
The elf was surprised at how easily Nicolai had agreed with him. His real reason had been that he didn’t know how else to deal with the guards. They hadn’t spoken much since he had demoted the man, but Alandra’s insistence that he be co-leader with Charise may have changed his outlook. Hadrin had neither the time nor the patience to consider it. The outcome was favorable for both sides as it gave Nicolai some of his reputation back and it allowed Hadrin to make decisions without worrying about the paladin questioning him too much. He headed off toward the next noble house with renewed purpose. House Dominion was the closest in vicinity to House Tranquil. Based on the name and reputation, the elf Prince doubted that they would be willing to lend a hand. None of that mattered. Hadrin was set on appealing to anyone that would listen. He wasn’t the best at convincing others to do things, but he would not lose from lack of trying. Furthermore, House Tranquil’s rejection had embarrassed him. House Dominion’s keep, unlike that of House Tranquil, was displayed with prominence. The massive building loomed over the area like an all-seeing overlord.
“State your business,” one of the guards said as they approached.
“We seek an audience with House Dominion,” Hadrin said.
“Lord Landros does not take in strangers, but his son is often willing to see those that his father rejects.”
“Excellent.”
“Only two of you may enter.”
Hadrin turned and motioned for Alandra to follow him. He was unsure of how serious Landros’ son would be. The last thing he wanted was to be made a fool of in front of the likes of Nicolai. There was no reason for House Dominion to do such a thing to a visiting elf, but the Prince had little experience dealing with human nobles. The keep’s courtyard looked more like a death trap than a garden. There were two sets of barracks, each looked as though it could house as many as one thousand soldiers. The inhabitants eyed the elves with looks of contempt. Hadrin ignored the soldiers as he made his way to the main keep. The entryway was at least as large and extravagant as any of the elven castles that he had visited. Their escort led them to one of the smaller side rooms. There was a small table for four and a couch on the side. A young man no more than twenty stood up from the table as they entered.
“Elves, that’s a first. Please, sit. My name is Connor Landros, son of Richard Landros,” the young man said.
“I am Prince Hadrin of the night elves. This is my associate and friend, Alandra of the sun elves,” the Prince said.
“An elven Prince? Why didn’t you demand to see my father?”
“We are not in a position of power here. My father is at the heart of this war that is happening in the west. My goal is to stop him. He controls the night elf army, making me a Prince without a home. That is why we did not push for your father to meet with us.”
“My apologies, I meant nothing by it. You seek an army?” Connor asked.
“We know that the chances are slim here in Reddington, but we do have allies that are willing to pledge their support should the dragon army set its sights on the borderlands,” Hadrin replied.
“They’ve already been here. We saw no dragons, though. Their portals were more than enough to destroy the council’s army. The nobles each have their own personal armies and there are some scattered militias left, but we are mostly in a weakened state. I’m afraid my father would never allow his army to march at such a time. House Tranquil won’t go for it either. Perhaps House Martine or House Barnet. You could try House Guilder as well, but they aren’t known for going to war.”
“It seems we have much work to do. Your assistance has been most helpful.”
“I would do more, were I able. My father doesn’t like me accepting meetings in the first place, I wouldn’t dare outrage him any further.”
*
Obrin smiled as looked at the ruins of what used to be castle Markurin. The dragons had caused a level of destruction that was nearly unfathomable. He felt unstoppable with the creatures on his side. Two of the most powerful human kingdoms had been brought down with relative ease. The other two would have time to prepare, but there was little one could do to stop the dragons. That was the key to the entire conquest. The night elf King took one last look at their handiwork before opening a portal to castle Altarius. He stood up straighter as he walked through the portal. Finrul, Queen Ophelia, and King Lothrin were all gathered in the throne room when he arrived. They turned and welcomed him as he stepped into the room.
“Castle Markurin has been decimated. The dragons will arrive here shortly to prepare for the coming battle against the final two kingdoms. We will head out first and then you will bring in the army behind us. Is that clear?” He asked.
“Quite clear. How much time do we have to prepare the men for the next assault?” Finrul asked.
“I do not have a concrete answer for you. The dragons will presumably take somewhere between one to two weeks. “
“Isn’t that a bit long for dragons?”
“Not all of the creatures are seeing eye to eye. Ungaroth told me to expect things to be a bit longer so that he is able to send a message to those who are acting out of line. This should have no effect on how the three of you proceed. I will be here should any of you have any questions.”
“We are certainly glad to have you.”
The night elf King smiled as he turned
away from the others. His plans were quickly bringing him toward ultimate victory. There was still the mystery of what to do once the four kingdoms were subjugated, but that question was likely to answer itself with time. The castle was not quite the same as his own back in the night elf lands, but it was rather exquisite in its own right. Obrin preferred elven styles over that of the humans, but the living arrangements were only temporary. He made his way to the top floor and chose the room with the best view. To his surprise, there was also a study connected to the room he chose. He took one look over the city before heading back into his room to rest. The coming month would be crucial and the last thing he needed was to make a stupid mistake due to lack of sleep.
*
Wrotan and his companions thanked the leprechaun King for his kindness and bid him and his followers farewell. The short respite was just what the small group had needed. They left feeling refreshed and hopeful of the coming weeks. The Arcane Academy wasn’t far, which meant they would soon be able to locate and help Kade. It would be a small victory, but a victory nonetheless. The hunter was more wary than the others. He had only dealt with someone from the Arcane Academy on one occasion, but it had left him feeling that the mages cared more about their own interests than they did about helping others. That did not, however, stop him from sharing in the increased morale of the others. Amber had changed more than anyone. The prospect of seeing Kade again had become real to her.
“Stay alert. We want to help Kade, but not at the cost of our own well-being,” Wrotan said.
“Why would we do such a thing? Our main focus has been to assist your friend. It would be foolish to rescue one at the cost of another,” Lamont said.
“The Arcane Academy is home to some of the smartest minds in the known world. Some of them are not so quick to lend a hand. Others are known for getting people into deals that aren’t as savory as they first seem. I was simply giving out a warning.”
“If they are as shady as you say, why are we going to them for assistance?” Mariah asked.