Broadswords - 16. The Sanguistis

Broadswords

Chapter Sixteen
The Sanguistis

"You're Elan?"

Elan looked at the man before him. He was shorter, slightly pudgy, and rather handsome. His skin was a soft shade of brown, and utterly flawless. He still seemed panicked. "Yes. And you are?"

"My name is Kep," he said. He ran his fingers through his beard absentmindedly. "I run an inn with my brother several streets over."

Several streets over meant in the less luxurious part of town, and Elan was well aware of it. And based on the state of his clothes, the dirt under his nails, and the bottom-of-the-barrel horse that looked like it was about to keel over, there was no doubt about it.

"Fine, Kep. Take me to this dragon you've found. But let's take my horse," he said, eyeing the one Kep had ridden up on.

Given that the horse didn't look like it had much more energy left in it, the two men walked it to the stables. Once there, Elan had his personal steed fetched from the private stables and tipped the attendant. "Let's double up," he said. "I'd rather not pay to rent you a better horse than your previous one. In case you're wrong about the dragon, I'm not about to lose money over it. And I'm assuming you're not particularly prepared to spend that kind of money on a rental." Kep remained silent, looking sheepishly at the ground.

They mounted the horse, a solid white mare, with Elan in front. He took the reins and led them toward the kingdom gates. "Don't you need your squire? And a weapon?" Kep asked.

"I don't need my squire until I've assessed the situation. And I have a weapon, here," he said, gently tapping the blood dagger which was carefully attached to his side. He had yet to use it, but had been carrying it with him since he'd purchased it.

"A dagger? Isn't a sword a more adequate weapon for dragonslaying?" Kep asked.

"When I go on slays, I bring an assortment of weapons. Don't concern yourself over it. This is just a consultation. I'll likely not need a weapon at all," he responded. He could feel Kep behind him, jostling as if he were about to fall off the horse. He assumed that he was trying to hold onto the saddle for support. "Hold onto my waist. If you fall off once we pick up speed, you won't be much good to me. Unless you're afraid to touch a man in such a way."

He felt Kep's hands tentatively wrap themselves around his waist. As the horse broke into a run, his fingers gripped harder. They were strong hands. He could tell that Kep was the type of man who had put in an honest life's work. Through his tunic, he could feel an almost calloused texture to them. He was turned on by it, and decided that he might try to bed him once they were done with the cave. Though he wasn't in the same caste as those Elan usually slept with, there was something about going to town on this working class fellow that intrigued the slayer.

"It's just a bit into the woods," Kep said as soon as a cluster of trees was visible in the distance. He adjusted his hands as he said this, and his fingertips grazed Elan's leg. He decided he would definitely try to bed him.

"What did the dragon look like?" Elan asked. He'd like to be at least somewhat prepared in order to begin formulating a plan.

"I didn't see it," Kep responded.

Elan almost stopped the horse. He would go no further if this wasn't a sure thing. "What do you mean, you didn't see it? If you've just found a footprint or some droppings, that's not enough to confirm a dragon is out here. It could be from ages ago."

"I didn't see the dragon itself, but I saw its flame."

That brought his confidence back up. Sure, if he saw fire in the woods, it could have been a traveler who'd lost control of their bonfire. But chances were more likely that Kep was correct. Based on the location of the woods, though, it would be the closest dragon to the kingdom in a very long time. A slay like this would ensure that his lead in the rankings would be even more maintainable. The others would have a hard time catching up to him if he had a slay that prevented a direct attack on the kingdom.

"How did the flame look? Was it structured or more erratic?"

"It was pretty inconsistent. There was a lot of steam that came up with it, too."

The type of breath was important in determining what type of dragon it might be. Based on Kep's description, he could narrow down the possibilities. The addition of the steam didn't really help much; it could indicate an infant or an elderly dragon, as their firepouches were in different stages of fire control and capacity than an average adult. It could also just mean that the depths of this cave were extremely cold and the heat of the flame caused the vapor.

As they neared the treeline, he slowed his horse to a walking pace. Kep revealed to him where he had a place to light torches, and they got off the horse in order to do so. Thankfully, Elan always kept a few supplies in his saddlebags, torches included. He lit two, one for each of them, and waited as Kep stamped out the fire and hid the pit. He wasn't quite sure why it was necessary, but he let him do his thing.

Kep led them into the woods on foot, and soon they'd located the cave. After tying the horse where Kep suggested, they made their way inside. Elan could sense Kep's nerves heightening as they stepped further into the cave.

The flames of their torches burned brightly, casting shadows around them. Once they'd gotten a certain distance in, Kep cautioned him that they were nearing the chasm in which he'd seen the dragon's breath. He also warned that it was a steep fall if they got too close.

Taking his word for it, Elan proceeded with caution. He could hear noises from within, and it certainly sounded like there was a dragon in their midst. A low hiss began to form, and he held out his arm to stop Kep from going any further. "Hold on."

Seconds after they stopped, a pillar of fire rose from the chasm. It was a beautiful eruption of oranges and reds, the heat of which could be felt against his skin. The steam that Kep had described surrounded the fire in a shroud, and Elan was able to officially narrow it down. The heat, instability, and type of steam meant that they were dealing with a young dragon.

He was about to say something to Kep, to explain his find, when something he didn't expect happened. A second flame shot up from the darkness. "Shit…." Kep muttered, his torch hand beginning to visibly tremble. His reaction was very much appropriate, whether or not he knew it. One infant dragon was a complicated feat, but two was a whole new test. Even in his well-rounded career, Elan had never taken on two at once. Infants or otherwise.

It was unusual, too. If these dragons were borne from the same mother, it would be a first. Never had Elan heard of a dragon laying more than one egg at a time. Once a dragon did lay an egg, they were generally unable to lay another for around four months, depending on the breed. Once laid, the eggs usually took two months to hatch. But based on the way both streams of fire appeared, these dragons were around the same age. Elan was knowledgeable enough in dragon anatomy to know that they were closer in age than a full egg cycle.

The more logical explanation would of course be that the dragons were not in fact siblings, but had been hatched of eggs laid by different dragons altogether. That, too, was still a stretch. Dragons were generally very territorial and would not conjugate in the same area like that. While more probable than the first option, it still wasn't making sense to Elan.

Either they'd located the offspring of a one-of-a-kind dragon, they'd located a nest somehow utilized by more than one mother, or there was something else at play.

"I think something is amiss, here," he verbalized. "Hold this." He handed Kep his torch. He unlatched the holster at his hip and pulled out the blood dagger. He knew he wouldn't be able to use it on the dragons quite yet, but he had a feeling it would still prove useful in the current situation.

As he inspected the weapon, Kep began nervously babbling and spouting off questions. "So… there are two? That has to be pretty uncommon, right? Or do you see that sometimes? What are you thinking? Woodland Reds? Stoutnecks? Baileyvales? Carpenter Dragons?"

"Kep, take a breath. I don't know yet." While his knowledge of dragon breeds was clearly impressive, the incessant questions were beginning to annoy Elan. Kep stopped talking, but his hands were still shaking.

Elan's own hands were steady, despite the fact that he was about to use the Sanguistis for the first time. He held it in his left hand and with a deep breath, thrust the spike through his right palm. It hurt, but not as bad as he'd expected. He could feel the radiation spreading into his hand, his arm. Perhaps that helped quell the pain. He wrapped his fingers around the hilt and held it firmly.

He could hear Kep gagging beside him, likely trying not to be sick. He ignored him. A warmth unlike any other began coursing through his body. He felt different. He couldn't really explain it in any other way than that he felt more aware. No blood ran from the wound; it was as if the dagger was imbibing it, using it to become more powerful.

The promise of being more aware of his surroundings was kept. He could sense Kep's nervous energy more strongly. He could feel a kind of innocence about him. Though the peddler had indicated that it would help him with his foes, it was now proven that the weapon could pick up on the emotions of everything in the vicinity.

However, it was the dragons that he sensed most. He felt in tune with them. Split seconds before another burst shot into the air, he knew it was going to happen. He could sense their confusion, their naiveté. These dragons were freshly hatched. They couldn't be more than a week old.

The biggest thing he had been made aware of, however, was that there were not two dragons. There were twelve.