Broadswords - 32. The Stakeout

Broadswords

Chapter Thirty-Two
The Stakeout

Daegon eyed the stranger warily, but otherwise paid him no attention. After all, his main concern was Elan and what had happened to him. And of course, to fill him in on the events that had transpired over the past several weeks. While he wasn't keen on the royal family discovering where he'd been, he knew he needed to share the information regarding a brand new, magically-created breed of dragon with another slayer. The Elsior's Dragon was still alive, after all. It would only be a matter of time before Elsior tracked him down.

"Can I speak with you privately for a moment?" he asked, but with an inflection to make it clear it wasn't an option. Both of the other men seemed to pick up on it, as neither of them argued, and the one Daegon didn't know stood up from his chair.

"I should go check on the inn, anyway." Daegon couldn't be sure, but it seemed as if the fellow was avoiding eye contact. He did, however, look at Elan. "I'll come back tomorrow morning to sort out the final details." With that, he quickly exited the room.

Daegon waited until the door fully latched behind the man, and turned to face Elan. "Who was that?"

"Don't you know Kep?" Elan asked, adjusting himself in his bed. "Oh, no, that's right. He said he knew Birten but hadn't met you. He's a local inn and barkeep and a friend of Birten's, and he's been pretty integral in the things that have been going on in Jhirdyr while you've apparently been traipsing along on some unofficial mission." Elan raised an accusatory eyebrow.

Though he couldn't recall Birten mentioning any such friend, nor did he know what could possibly be going on in Jhirdyr since he had been away, one thing was clear: Elan already knew about the mission. How had he found out? Had Harmon come clean about it?

"How did you know about that?" Daegon asked. He knew there were far bigger issues to deal with, but he couldn't help but ask the question.

"Not important. What is important is where you were, what you were doing there, and why it took you so long to return," Elan listed. And being a dragonslayer himself and knowing how a slayer's mind worked, Elan seemed to know what Daegon was about to ask next and added more. "I can fill you in on what happened to me and what's going on in Jhirdyr afterward. It's a long story."

Sighing, Daegon admitted defeat and explained everything. Harmon visiting his home, meeting Elsior and the village's clear disdain for him, the discovery of why, Birten's disappearance, Elsior's Dragon, and finally his imprisonment and eventual rescue from the cave.

Even though Elan was generally very stoic, Daegon could tell that the recounting of the past few weeks disturbed him. Especially the bit about Elsior and his creation.

"Are you saying you've encountered an actual Dracomancer?" There was the slightest hint of fascination in his voice, but it was majorly masked by his ability to avoid displaying emotion.

Daegon shrugged. He had never been studious in magical abilities whatsoever. He doubted he had ever met a mancer until his encounter with Phërion and Roark. And apparently Elsior. That was something that was more up Birten's alley. Regardless of his unfamiliarity with the subject, however, it appeared that Elan was a little more knowledgeable.

"If this fellow is indeed a Dracomancer, which it absolutely sounds like, he may be the first to have developed it past a divination stage. This could spell big trouble for the slayers of the world. If new breeds are being created…. We don't know anything about what they might or might not be susceptible to. Or if they can even be slayed at all."

While he always enjoyed a challenge, the thought that the Elsior's Dragon might be undefeatable hadn't really crossed his mind. It was a chilling concept.

A thought seemed to strike Elan out of nowhere. "I wonder…" he trailed, the volume of his voice dropping. He appeared to be having a conversation with himself internally, his eyes darting back and forth.

"Wonder what?" Daegon asked.

"Well," Elan began, "I guess it's a good lead-in to what's been going on while you've been away. Kep, the man that just left, discovered a very unusual dragon's nest in a cave just north of the kingdom. Unusual in the fact that there are twelve infants within."

"Twelve? How is that possible?"

Elan continued. "That's what we've been trying to determine. I've had several theories, each as unlikely as the last. However, based on the information you provided, I'm beginning to wonder if the dragon you encountered is connected to the ones in the cave. Being a breed we know nothing about, it could be very plausible that it has the ability to lay multiple eggs at once."

There was no way that was possible. It was unheard of. "That doesn't make any sense."

"But the creation of a new breed of dragon does?" Elan lifted an eyebrow. "If this guy is what you're making him out to be, he seems to be rather powerful and very dangerous."

"This dragon is huge, gargantuan. It couldn't have been this close to Jhirdyr without having been spotted. Unless you've left that part out," Daegon said.

"Unless someone transported the eggs to the cave directly," Elan countered. That didn't make much sense, either. Dragon eggs had a tendency to be quite sizeable, and if they were indeed of this new breed, they'd probably be larger than any other eggs they'd ever encountered. It would take several trips to do so, and if they'd been brought from Dorre to Jhirdyr, it would take months. Daegon knew Elan must be aware of that. Then again, if Elan was indeed onto something, there was always the possibility that the eggs had been transported magically.

It was becoming a lot to process. "So what's the plan?"

"That's something Kep and I have been trying to figure out. Since, until now, we didn't even have a clue what breed they might be, we haven't had much to go off. And even if we are correct now, we still are pretty much at a loss. I realized that someone must be feeding them, though, and Kep was going to go scope out the cave to see if he can't catch whoever it is in the act. It's not much, but it's all we have for now." Elan locked eyes with Daegon. "I think you should accompany him."

"Why?"

"He's got a lot of heart and I can tell that he's in this with us, but he has no experience with this kind of thing. He runs a bar. Maybe he's broken up a few fights or something, but I can't imagine he is an expert in reconnaissance. And if he were to come in direct contact with whoever is involved in the happenings in the cave, I'm sure he would need protection."

Daegon hated the thought of it. He'd already had experiences twice in the past with developing inexperienced people to become capable. He'd had his share of dealing with novices. But he knew he didn't have much choice. Especially if this man was a friend of Birten's. He needed to ensure his safety.

"Fine," he said simply. He agreed to meet Elan and Kep at the castle the next morning to begin the process, hopeful that they would make some kind of progress.

As he bid Elan his farewell and headed home, he tried to avoid thinking about Birten. But he was unsuccessful. He didn't know where he was or how he was doing. All he could do was try to stay positive. But given his normal demeanor, that wasn't always the easiest thing for Daegon.

The next morning, after a night of restless sleep, Daegon arrived in Elan's room in the castle prepared to set out to the cave. He'd brought a pack with basic supplies, considering he didn't know how long they'd have to be out there. Having lost his horse in Dorre, he hoped that Kep had a reliable source of transportation or else they'd have to hope the stables had a few decent steeds they could rent.

Kep was already there, and apparently Elan had already informed him that Daegon would be going along. He was just as awkward as the previous day, again not making eye contact. He did, however, direct a question to Daegon. "Is… is Birten coming, too?"

Not wanting to have to verbalize the information again, Daegon cleared his throat. Elan took the hint, and piped in. "Oh, right. So… Birten was separated from Daegon when they were on their journey and had been held captive somewhere. He apparently escaped, but his current whereabouts aren't known."

Hearing that, Kep finally looked Daegon in the face. He blanched, an unspoken question obvious in his eyes. Daegon nodded to confirm what Elan had said, and Kep's face fell immeasurably. He didn't say anything. It seemed that this man had quite a bond with Birten, and why Daegon had never heard of him was curious. He was sure he'd find out during their trip.

As they finalized their plans, he quickly learned that Kep didn't have a horse of his own. Elan offered the use of his; however, Kep made a valid point that while they would be able to stay out of sight as men, they wouldn't have as much luck with a horse. Even if they stationed it a decent distance away from the cave, there was always the possibility that it would get spotted or draw attention to itself. Daegon had to admit that even though it might be an excessive precaution, it might be safer to go on foot.

And so they did. The journey wasn't an excruciatingly long one, but Daegon was still pretty wiped out from his time in Dorre. He would much rather have the luxury of taking a horse, or not going at all for that matter, but he did not complain. He knew it was something they must do.

Kep was rather tight-lipped as they walked, and Daegon wasn't able to get much out of him. He did learn that Kep and Birten met at Kep's bar. Daegon wondered if it was that time Birten came home reeking of ale – if so, they hadn't known each other long. Why Kep seemed to be so attached to Birten was odd, if that were the case.

Other than that, most of Kep's responses were one-word answers. He wasn't being rude by any means. He acknowledged everything Daegon said or asked. It was quite clear he was sullen, however, which was likely the reasoning for his lack of conversation.

Upon arrival at the cave, Daegon asked Kep to show him the chasm that housed the dragons. He did so, hesitantly, and lingered back as Daegon approached the pit. There didn't seem to be much activity from down below. No bursts of flames erupted from the depths but he could hear the echoes of movement within the darkness. There was something down there, alright.

They left the cave soon thereafter, and Daegon found a spot that was far away from the entrance where they wouldn't be spotted but that they had a clear line of sight to witness anyone entering. The foliage provided enough coverage to where they could crouch comfortably yet remain hidden.

And the waiting began.

They remained in the bushes for three days before any activity occurred. Kep had thrown out the suggestion of checking back every so often, and maybe head back to Jhirdyr, both to check in on Elan as well as find out of Birten had come back. Though it was hard to deny the proposal, Daegon knew that it would significantly reduce their chances of catching anybody at the caves. After years of being a slayer, he knew that emotional ties must be put on the backburner and that the task at hand was more important overall than allowing themselves to fall into that trap.

They remained relatively silent and unmoving over the course of those three days, taking shifts keeping watch at nightfall while the other rested. But finally, midday three days in, they both heard the sounds of twigs snapping at someone's feet. Daegon had kept a rather sharp eye out yet hadn't seen the man approach the area. It was as if he'd appeared from nowhere.

With bated breath, they both watched as he disappeared into the cave. When he felt enough time had passed to break the silence, Daegon was the first to do so. "Shit…."

"What is it?" Kep asked. "Do you know who it is?"

"I do. His name is Deke." Elan's theory was right.