Broadswords - 15. The Nest

Broadswords

Chapter Fifteen
The Nest

After obtaining details on the dragon, Daegon's fears were confirmed. He'd hoped that the beast they'd be dealing with was a simple Great Grey or even a Mountainous Majestic, but from Elsior's description, it seemed like they would actually be combatting a Dark Colossus.

The Dark Colossus was one of the more vicious types of dragon, and Daegon had yet to face one. They were larger than most breeds, typically twice the size of a Grey. Their scales were spaced close together, causing an almost chainmail-like effect. From his studies, Daegon knew that the scales alone made the Dark Colossus one of the most complicated to slay. Add their unusual speed and spiked tails and they became a formidable foe.

Daegon was up to the challenge, though. Between the quest being issued from Harmon and a new type of dragon being added to his repertoire, this would be one of his most epic slays. Unfortunately, as he hadn't put much time into learning the facts before setting forth on the journey, he wasn't quite as prepared as he should be. He spent the day discussing the Colossus with Elsior, determining some of its habits that the gatherer had noticed thus far.

He sent Birten to scope out the surrounding area. Any traces of where else the dragon had been might be helpful, especially in piecing together information that Elsior hadn't been able to provide. If they could learn how much of a radius it had traveled from its nest, it would indicate how restless it was becoming. The more ground it had begun to cover, the sooner it could mean a bigger attack was coming.

As the squire departed on horseback, Elsior led Daegon toward the nest. They wouldn't travel all the way there, of course, until the preparations had been made to execute the slay. But it would give Daegon a feel for the battlegrounds he would have to work with.

They walked side by side, relatively quietly as Daegon took in his surroundings. He'd already gotten the majority of the specifics regarding the dragon itself, and Elsior had explained his relationship with the villagers and with Harmon earlier that morning. Though he wouldn't admit it out loud, the connection between the prince and the gatherer was slightly surprising to him. While there had always been the hope in the back of his mind that Harmon was attracted to men, he'd never though it would turn out to be true.

But there he was, walking alongside a man who claimed to have been once involved with the royal son. Elsior was plain – not ugly, but not someone Daegon would have assumed Harmon would be interested in. Though he seemed kind enough, there didn't seem to be much depth to him. Regardless of the situation that had brought Elsior to this village, his character seemed too dull to pique the interest of someone in such a high-profile position as prince.

Daegon tried to visualize Harmon and Elsior in bed together. No matter how hard he tried to figure out how it would look, he couldn't. Daegon and Birten made sense. A dragonslayer and his squire, a brawny man and his smaller counterpart. Their lovemaking sessions were like piecing together a puzzle; it was rhythmic and everything fit into place. And Daegon and Elan, that also made sense. Two intense and ferocious men, hot and ravenous sex. He could even picture Birten and Harmon together, a likely sensuous combination. That thought of his squire and the prince lost in a sweaty tussle beneath the sheets began to arouse him, and he tried to stop thinking about it before Elsior noticed the bulging in his trousers.

Again trying to imagine Harmon and Elsior together seemed to do the trick; as he struggled to make sense of the combination, his excitement diminished. Based on the story he'd heard, he knew the men had been younger when they were intimate, and their pubescence could very well have been the primary motivation in their joint activities.

"We probably shouldn't go too much farther," Elsior said suddenly, bringing Daegon back into reality. He looked around, noting that they were still a fair distance from the base of the mountain.

"The nest is there?" Daegon pointed, his gesture indicating a nook near the bottom of the rock. Even after a quick scan, he knew it was the most likely place a dragon would settle given the layout of the mountain. There didn't appear to be any caverns or other large crevasses. Being the only apparent naturally occurring orifice, the dragon would be most comfortable there as it provided protection from three sides.

Elsior nodded in confirmation. They stared, but the dragon must have been deep within as there was no sight of it. Not that it would have spotted them from the distance, as one of the weaknesses of the Dark Colossus was its eyesight, but there was no point in lingering longer than they had to. Daegon nudged Elsior, and they turned back toward his house.

As they walked, Daegon filled Elsior in on the plan. "Considering that it has only attacked livestock thus far and not people, we still have time. Cattle is typically a first choice, as they have sufficient meat and they can't fight back. Dragons like Dark Colossi don't often attack humans unprovoked, due to their size and the fact that we don't have much to offer them as far as nourishment. However, depending on how far out the beast has traveled… that'll tell us if we need to fear an attack anytime soon."

"How does that tell us anything?" Elsior asked.

"A dragon tends to circle overhead to see what it has to prey on. It'll keep expanding the area it covers. Once it's gone out a sufficient distance without locating anything better, that's when you need to worry. At that point, it'll settle for the smaller game."

Elsior seemed to pale at the notion. "And in a dragon's case, smaller game means us."

"Precisely," Daegon said, eyeballing Elsior. He was starting to get a weird vibe from him. He wondered if Birten felt the same way. Considering the way the villagers had responded, he assumed Birten had been on edge since they'd arrived. He couldn't worry about that now, though. "Since there isn't much in this area besides Dorre, it's not going to find anything as filling as the livestock. Once it's gotten through that, humans are next on the menu. What other animals are ranched here, besides the cows?"

"Not much else. The livestock population was predominately cattle. One fellow has a few pigs, and another has a single goat. That's it."

Daegon knew that the lack of animals remaining in the area was not a good sign. Depending on what Birten found in his surveillance of the area, he wouldn't be surprised if the dragon had the village already set in its sights.

By the time they'd arrived back at Elsior's house, the sun was setting. Birten had not yet returned, which was odd, considering he'd traveled out on horseback while they had gone on foot. He really only needed to travel out enough to see where the dragon had landed on its flights, which would be quite obvious given its assumed size.

At the same time, Birten was more than capable. He didn't have to worry that he wasn't doing an adequate job; if anything, he was being extra thorough. Birten had always been one to ensure everything was how it should be before proceeding.

As they waited, Elsior began preparing dinner. "I'm predominately vegetarian, considering I don't have a fair enough relationship with the villagers to obtain meat. Not that there's probably much left," he joked grimly. "So I do hope vegetable soup will suffice."

Daegon, not one to complain about food regardless of its contents, nodded. He watched as Elsior filled a pot with items he had chosen from the baskets against the wall. He brought it to the table and laid out each vegetable, dicing them before returning them back to the pot. He added water and a smattering of various spices from the shelves.

"I'll have to go outside to cook this," he said once his preparations had been completed. He hoisted the pot off the table and carried it to the door. "Go ahead and relax. You've had a hectic couple of days." He trudged outside to heat their meal, leaving Daegon to his thoughts.

As he sat in the wobbly wooden chair, he found himself missing Birten. It was a rather unusual feeling for him, but he imagined part of it was that he was a much better companion than Elsior. He knew he was rather tough on his squire, too, and maybe some of what he was feeling was due to guilt.

There was also the guilt of his tryst with Elan. He wondered if Birten had done anything similar since they had been together. He couldn't fathom it happening. Birten was trustworthy and dedicated. Still, it didn't mean that the thoughts weren't there.

He felt annoyed with himself for thinking that way. He knew he was trying to justify his actions once again, this time by envisioning that Birten could be capable of doing the same thing. Really, they just needed to sit and talk. He wasn't sure he wanted to completely come clean, but they could do with a serious conversation. Daegon had never been one for opening up about things like that, but they'd been together for quite some time without ever truly discussing their relationship.

Elsior returned before Daegon could put too much more thought into it, and it seemed like the gatherer was good at interrupting thought processes. In this case, he wasn't overly upset about it. He needed to stop thinking about it until they were back in Jhirdyr, anyway. He had too many other pressing things to worry about while they were in Dorre.

"Done already? That was fast," Daegon said.

Placing the pot on a stone trivet on the table, Elsior furrowed his brow. "Not particularly. It was around a half hour. You must have been really lost in your thoughts." He produced a bowl and spoon from somewhere in the practically empty room, and served Daegon.

"Aren't you going to have any?" Daegon asked, picking up the spoon.

"Well," Elsior responded, scratching his head. "I, uh… only have the one bowl. And the one spoon. I'm not used to visitors. I will eat after you. And Birten can use it when he returns."

While some people might have offered to let Elsior eat first, Daegon didn't give it a second thought. He was hungry. Plus, he wasn't the pussyfoot type. He wouldn't play a back and forth until one of them caved. He dug the spoon into the somewhat mush of a soup, the bland colors dripping over the edges. He shoved the spoon in his mouth, almost insatiably, but immediately regretted it. The food was bitter; the earthy taste of the vegetables he expected was masked by whatever blend of spices Elsior had used. He had to refrain from spitting it out. He thought this guy was supposed to be a chef of sorts.

"You know, maybe we should wait for Birten," Daegon said. He replaced the spoon in the bowl. Elsior stared at him, but said nothing. A large grin was stuck on his face as if molded there permanently. It was unnecessary, and was pissing Daegon off. What was so damn entertaining? He went to lift his hand up to point in his face and demand an explanation, but he could barely move his arm. He was suddenly feeling immensely sluggish. "What's going…?"

He felt himself begin slumping to the side; the rickety chair wasn't sturdy enough to maintain the uneven weight and he toppled to the floor. His eyes began to flutter shut, and the last thing he saw was that infuriating smirk.

Groggily, Daegon rubbed his face. It didn't take him long to remember what happened, and he sat up. He was glad to have his motor functions back, but he needed to figure out exactly what was going on. Elsior had done something to the food, and there was no longer a doubt that he was up to something sinister.

It was pitch black. He couldn't make out moonlight anywhere, so it was clear he was no longer in the cabin. The surface below him was cold and hard. It was stone.

He heard a deep grumble from somewhere, and he knew exactly where he was.

He was in the dragon's nest.