Sands of Time - 11. Chapter 11

Killian stared, mouth agape, at Lucas. ‘Did he just say they were dragons?!’ The question ran through his mind like a runaway moose camel. Obviously, that couldn’t be true. His eyes darted around faster than Malachi’s ringing hammer blows, looking for either Xavier or Garnet. He found Xavier standing by the door to Olpha’s cottage. He had just motioned for Lew to join him, but Killian barely noticed it. He was focused solely on Xavier.

As the ‘magic sight’ filled his vision, he saw the swirling colors as they crashed into Xavier and then were pushed back out, ebbing and flowing like everyone else, but brighter, much brighter. Not more or less, but just brighter. He was having a hard time wrapping his mind around what he was seeing, but he certainly wasn’t seeing a dragon. He KNEW what one of those looked like. Up close and personal.

A moment later, a grin appeared on Killian’s face. “Oh, that was mean!” He cried as he slugged Lucas hard on the shoulder. “You almost had me going there for a moment. I mean, really… dragons? You can do better than that!” The serious look on Lucas’ face made him falter. He was kidding… Right? He had to be.

Lucas sighed, knowing that Killian did not believe him about Xavier and Garnet. “I know you think I jest, so we will just have to wait for Garnet to come back, then you will get to see him shift firsthand.”

“Whoa. Stop! You can’t be serious. Garnet can really shift? He’s going to shift… Right here?… For everyone to see? How do you know!?...” Killian was lost in an ocean of questions and a sea of doubt.

Lucas smiled ruefully. “Xavier and Garnet have a plan in place to deal with the prisoner, which is why I’m trying to prepare you for what’s going to happen. Until then, let us change the subject and talk some more.”

Killian reluctantly nodded, still not sure what to think about all the dragon talk, but it would have to wait for now, he assumed. “Okay… about what?”

“Well, I am sure you have questions about the tattoos, so while we’re waiting, shall we discuss that?” Lucas took off his desert robes, then rolled up the sleeve of his tunic. He was about to point to the tattoo of his axe hammer but stopped when he saw Killian staring at his armor. “What,” he asked with a grin. “Is it stained?”

“What?” Killian stuttered. “Oh no. Well, I was just wondering if that’s really Dragon hide?”

“Yes?” He replied hesitantly.

“Did… Did you kill it?” Killian asked, then went on without letting Lucas answer. “Can I touch it?”

Lucas grinned, nodded, and leaned closer to Killian, who hesitantly reached out and touched the shiny brass-colored shoulder guard. “That scale there came from right above its heart.” Lucas then pointed to the other shoulder. “That one was made from the Temple Plate, the same one Syth removed from the Green so you could kill it.”

“That is amazing,” Killian said, then ran his hand over the scale that had been shaped to be the breastplate for his armor.

Lucas couldn’t help but grin as he lowered his voice. “The front and back were fashioned from the scales that protected his testicles.” Lucas’s grin got even wider. “And before you ask, the thigh guard scales came from its…”

“No!” Killian exclaimed, wide-eyed but with a grin beginning to take shape. “You did not!” He hissed, trying not to laugh.

“Damned straight, I did.” Lucas laughed. “He was not going to be needing it any longer.” The two boys fell over laughing.

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“Lew,” Xavier called out to his new friend. “Would you join me please?”

“Of course,” Lew replied as he and Nimbi jogged over to where he stood in front of the door to Olpha’s cottage. When they got close, Xavier opened the door and motioned them inside. The weather outside wasn’t bad, but it was still a welcome change to enter into a room that was warm.

Nimbi found a spot in the corner near the fireplace and made herself comfortable. Lew looked at the fireplace since he had seen no smoke, and there was no fire. All he saw was three stones. It took him a moment to remember the fire stones, and he couldn’t help but shake his head again in wonder at the magic these children possessed.

Being the first time in Olpha’s cottage, he took a moment to look around. The room they entered seemed to take up more than half of the building and was dominated by a large table that Olpha was currently standing behind. The table itself was covered with books, pages, inkwells, and a number of other items that Lew could not identify.

Olpha seemed oblivious to their presence, so instead of issuing a greeting, he simply nodded in her direction and turned toward Xavier. The smile on his face faded as he saw the somber look on the young king’s face. “Come, let us sit,” Xavier said and moved over to where a side table was located. Xavier motioned for Lew to take a seat, but Lew hesitated. Surely, he could not sit while Xavier still stood, but as Xavier made no move to sit… Uncomfortably, Lew cautiously sat on the edge of the low stool.

Xavier picked up the pitcher that was on the table and poured two goblets full before placing one in front of Lew. He took the other and then sat across from the confused Pantherling. Xavier sipped his drink for a moment before he sighed and placed the goblet on the table. “Relax.” Xavier said with a humorless grin, “I’m not going to eat you or anything.”

‘Odd choice of phrase.’ Lew thought to himself but relaxed a little.

“There are some things you need to know that, frankly, I had wanted to wait a while before telling you, but our new… umm… guest has made me push up my timetable.”

“I see,” Lew said while clearly having no clue at all, which made Xavier smile a genuine smile.

“You remember the equipment you received when we first met? I do not mean the bow, but the rest?” Lew nodded as he took a sip from his goblet. His eyes widened a bit as the fruity flavors caressed his tongue. He could not place any of the flavors, but they were delicious.

“I agree, it is an exceptionally good juice. Sadly, unless we get to the Desert soon, AND they still know how to make this, we will not have many more times to drink it. But I felt this conversation called for something special.” Xavier took another sip, which caused Lew to take another as well. Xavier couldn’t help but giggle as they both released a satisfied sigh.

“Your equipment,” Xavier said when he was done. “Do you remember where it came from?”

Lew hesitantly nodded, and when it was apparent Xavier wanted more, he sighed and spoke. “You said it belonged to the Green Dragon that was killed.”

“But you do not believe it?” Xavier asked although it was clear what the answer was. Lew’s eyes got wide in fear. Should he tell the truth and admit that he does not believe something Xavier said… before the panic could set in more, Xavier waved it off with a grin. “Do you remember how we said it could have come from something that is as large as a dragon?”

“You said the dragon had been wearing the skin of a Lizardman…If I remember your wordings correctly.” Lew said, still unsure of where this was going and feeling decidedly uncomfortable.

Xavier nodded but did not say anything for a moment. Just as the silence was getting uncomfortable, Olpha’s voice crashed through the room. “Xavier, quit stalling. Lew doesn’t know us well enough yet. You are a King; he is not going to disagree with anything you say. He’s not going to lie, and he is not going to tell you the truth. He will only say what he thinks you want to hear. Now tell him what you came here to say before he has a brain freeze. I swear by all the gods, if he does, I do not care how big you are; I will rip every scale off of your hide!”

Xavier’s eyes went wide as they both looked over to where Olpha was standing behind her table, not even looking up from the book she was writing in. “Right!” Xavier quickly looked back at Lew, the color having drained from his face slightly.

“I am well aware that you did not believe what we said, and honestly, knowing what we do about this time now, I am not surprised. But you must realize. Dragons CAN shift their skins.

"In our time, it used to be a secret kept only for the Royal Great Dragons... but in this time, that secret seems to have been taught to just anybody. At least among the Greens... even a lowly Warrior had access to it."

Xavier took a deep breath before he pointed out towards the fire ring, where the prisoner was sitting, being guarded by Syth. “The Halfling out there is another Shifted Green Dragon, although this one is merely a Warrior and not a particularly powerful one at that.

"I guess it makes it easier for them to mingle with humanoid races without being detected and still have access to their Dragon form when joining a fight.

“He was sent to steal the horns of the Green Dragon we killed so that their magic doesn’t fall in the hands of anybody outside of the Green race.

"We are keeping him with a metal locking collar around his neck to make sure he doesn't shift on us. It would just strangle him if he did."

“How… How do you know?” Lew asked softly, not at all sure if he really wanted an answer to that.

“There are several clues, but only four ways to know for sure.” Xavier began after another sip of the juice. “The biggest clue is the eyes. A Shifted Dragon will always carry the eye color of their scales. In this case, the Halfling’s eyes are a very bright and vivid green.”

Lew nodded. “I had noticed that and thought it odd. Not because of the color, for I have seen others with eyes of that bright green, but it’s rare for a halfling to have that color.”

“As I said, the eye color is simply a clue. As for how to know for sure. There are four ways. The first is simple. They shed their skin before your eyes. The second is to have it verified by a dragon since a dragon can see another if they are taught what to look for.

“The third is to look in the spirit realms to see what form they have there. Any spirit and of course any shaman or spirit warrior can find out that way.”

Lew got a sinking feeling in his stomach as past comments were starting to fall into place. “And the fourth?” He asked with a suddenly parched mouth.

“The fourth one is easy,” Olpha replied as she picked up a small box and came over to sit next to Lew. “Look at his eyes. Ever see any human-like person with eyes like that?” Lew slowly shook his head.

Xavier was grateful that Olpha had brought the box of reviving salts with her. He locked his gaze with Lew’s. “The fourth is when they look you in the eyes and tell you… ‘I am a dragon.’”

Lew stared at Xavier. Noticing again the sand color of his eyes, all of the pieces fell into place in a blinding rush. He started to feel a bit faint from the mental overload but mentally shook himself and fought it off. “I see.” He said weakly.

“Not yet, you do not,” Olpha said softly and not sarcastically, which was different for her. “However, shortly, you will get to see it first hand when Garnet shifts.”

“And… Why is he going to do that?” Lew asked, knowing he did not want to know the answer but needed to. Since he has pledged himself to Xavier, it seems he will have to get used to the thought of seeing dragons up close.

“He is going to make the little green out there a bit more cooperative.” Xavier began, then grinned evilly. “That is unless he wants to become lunch.”

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“Uhhh.. Sir,” Sigvat said to the ground behind Syth. When Syth turned his head, the Rhinoling spoke again. “Me’sa hopes you noine bees upset, but me’s thinks ya might want some?” he then held up a full waterskin.

Syth moved to where he could see Sigvat and the prisoner before he smiled and took the waterskin. “Thank you. That was very thoughtful of you. You did well.” Syth said softly, which got a huge grin from the boy. Syth took several long drinks from the waterskin and purposefully let some dribble down his face covering, in full sight of the Halfling.

Movement caught his eye on the outside of camp, causing him to turn and see Garnet and Aegir walking up the trail. Judging by the grin, the bounce in Aegir’s step, and how he kept looking over at Garnet, the lad had taken the news well, which made Syth grin even more.

He moved closer and motioned for the tall Rhinoling to bend down, then whispered in Sigvat’s ear. “I want you and Grima to move over behind Malachi’s wagon. I promise you that you will not be in any danger. Even if things look scary, don’t be scared. OK?”

The proud smile on Sigvat’s face fell to a look of fear. He leaned down and whispered back. “You’s promise?”

“Yes, I promise,” Syth answered, and even though he was wearing his desert robes with the full face shield, so only his eyes were visible, Sigvat could tell that he had a smile on his face. He nodded, took the waterskin back, and quickly clomped over to where his sister stood. He spoke to her briefly before they both scampered over and crouched down behind the cart. Syth gave them a firm nod before he moved to stand in front of the prisoner again.

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“Well, he took that better than we could have expected.” The comment brought Killian back from his fit of laughter, and he looked to see Garnet and Aegir walking back into the camp.

“What’s gotten into him?” Killian asked, unable to hide a smile at the excitement that the boy was showing.

“Garnet just took him for his first trip into the spirit realm. It is not possible to hide your true skin there, so Aegir knows a whole lot more about his mentor than he did this morning. He seems to be taking the fact that Garnet is a dragon much better than most would in this time, I believe.” Lucas’ grin got bigger as he saw a slight hand signal from Xavier and then watched as Syth moved around to stand before the halfling prisoner and started to take off his desert robes. “Oh… THIS is going to be fun.”

“What?” Killian asked.

“Just watch,” Lucas said softly. “But when you see Garnet start to take his armor off, switch to your magic sight. Watching a Dragon shift is one of the most beautiful and colorful things I have ever seen.”

“You’re serious, ain’t ya!” Killian gushed, momentarily forgetting how to speak correctly, then clamped his mouth shut just as Syth activated a translation stone and pulled back his face covering. What Killian did not see was Xavier close his eyes and start to concentrate, Lew and Nimbi flanking him.

“DROW!” The Halfling exclaimed indignantly as he jumped to his feet. Then, with a grin plastered on his face, Syth pulled off the rest of his desert gear. “YOU’RE JUST A WORTHLESS KID!” When the halfling saw what Syth was wearing, he sneered as he stepped forward, ready to attack.

Syth was still grinning as he slowly drew his renders and then spoke. “Yes, I’m Drow and a kid… And I am wearing the hide of one of your brethren. Yes, we all know what you truly are,” Syth said, still grinning, now though, it was almost an evil, malicious grin. “We also know that with the magical collar around your neck, you can not shift, at least not without decapitating yourself halfway through… Not that that wouldn’t be entertaining.”

Syth patted his scale chest plate and grinned. “Though he was a True and much more powerful than you will ever be, he still fell to my blades. I’m not sure what gave me more pleasure. Killing him… or skinning him.”

“Dat be impossible!” The halfling retorted angrily. “Der ain’t no way a snot-nosed little brat drow killed a Green dragonling, let alone a True.”

“Yet the truth stares you in the eye.” Syth sighed derisively. “I knew the Greens were given the lowest of intelligence, but to deny the truth as it looks you in the eyes.” Syth moved forward and got in close to the Halfling, who was trying to back up further, but the collar wasn’t letting him. “You know what we Drow are capable of, so I will let you imagine what fun I had with him before skinning him.” He looked over towards Xavier. “I hope the Great will allow me to do as I wish to you… Once he is done with you, of course.”

The Halfling stumbled back and fell flat on his butt as if Syth’s words were a physical assault. The Halfling quickly scrambled back to his feet and tried to act brave and contemptuous. “If’n it weren’t fer dis collar…” He sneered, spittle flying from his mouth.

“You would do what?” Garnet growled from a little ways away. He started to remove his armor, handing it, piece by piece, to Aegir, who was grinning next to him. He checked to make sure he had the Halfling’s full attention as they watched Syth step back a few paces, his grin getting even more evil if that were possible.

“You are lucky that the Great does not want you injured… yet.” The Halfling stared at Garnet, his bravado slowly fading. When Garnet handed the last piece of armor to Aegir, he made a motion with his hand, and the boy ran, his arms filled with armor, over to where his mother was standing. Garnet spoke again through gritted teeth. Those who were watching saw Garnet breathing heavily; the anger and rage on his face was an almost palpable force. “However, when he is done… Hopefully, the Great will allow me to feast.”

Aegir made it to where his mother was standing next to Thane and their animals. “What is going on?” Madelyn asked.

“Oh, mama.” Aegir, nearly dancing with excitement, whispered. “Mentor is gonna do it… Right here!”

“Now!” Lucas hissed quietly to Killian, “Watch Garnet.” Killian just nodded absently since he was already watching the colors of magic start to move. Without warning, there was a dazzling explosion of magic from out of Garnet’s body as the aura of a True dragon flared into Killian's view. The exquisite beauty of what they were seeing left both boys speechless.

Garnet let out a scream of primal rage that turned into a roar as he slowly returned to his birth skin. His torso elongated, as did his head and face, and every part of him grew. Three horns exploded from his skull as his jaw elongated and became full of lethally sharp daggers for teeth.

A tail erupted from the small of his back as he went down to all fours. From his shoulders, wings burst out and upwards, unfolding to their full span. His neck grew long and thick, while his normal granite-colored Orakin skin turned tan and dusty, and scales flared up suddenly from all over his body.

The roars that came from Garnet subsided briefly before he took a deep breath and roared again as his body finally slammed fully into his Dragon Skin. His head flared to the left, away from where everyone was gathered, and he let loose with a sandblast that destroyed trees for a good 30 meters. He mainly did this so no one saw the tears of pure agony that were falling from his eyes.

When his roar died out, his large head snapped back and got right in close to the now cowering Halfling. “Now, little mouthful… You were going to do what?” Garnet growled and panted in the Dragon tongue. Trying, somewhat successfully, to cover the pain he felt in every ounce of his body.

No answer came as everyone’s eyes were drawn to the side where Thane was standing holding a now passed-out Madelyn. Bruin was standing before the pair, with wings spread, crouched low, ready to do battle to protect her. “No hurt, good lady!” Bruin called out in his stilted version of Dragon. Even Faelwen was standing next to Bruin, albeit a step back, crouched low, stinger held high, ready to strike.

“Thane!” Xavier cried out, standing next to Lew, who was staring wide-eyed at Garnet, oblivious to his very damp loin cloth.

“Oh no…” Thane said while lowering Madelyn to the ground. He then looked up at Xavier with a sheepish face. “Sorry… I forgot to tell her…” He then quickly moved to calm the two protective animals.

“Awesome!” Aegir muttered, also wide-eyed, staring at Garnet.

The Halfling, also with a soaked loin cloth, spun and looked at Xavier. “I tell ya what ya wanna know! I promise.”

Xavier held his hand up, which caused Garnet to pull his head back half a meter. “Yes… Yes, I am quite certain that you will.” Xavier said with a stoic face.

“AIEEEEEEEEEE!” His head flashed to the side as he heard an unfamiliar voice scream in terror.

In one of the trees that were next to the now-destroyed part of the forest, a small being was hanging from a high limb. The scream came when he lost his grip on a branch and fell. The being bounced off of no less than four large branches before it landed hard on an even larger branch about 4 meters off the ground. It jerked once, fell silent, and then stopped moving.

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Sigvat took one last look at Syth’s smiling eyes and, taking the friendly master’s wink as a sign that he should go, he grabbed the waterskin and quickly clomped over to where his sister Grima was waiting. “Cum on Grim. Masser Syff says we gotta hide.”

“Why?” Grima asked reasonably.

“No talk now, Grim. Masser Syff says gets over da cart, der. We’s can talk ober der. Cum on! We’s hurry!” Being younger, Grima naturally had more questions she wanted to ask her brother, but she also knew that when a master said to do something, that came first. Rhinolings can move surprisingly fast when they need to and within a matter of moments they were crouched down behind Malachi’s cart, barely fitting behind it.

“Why’s we here Sig? Sumpen wrong?”

“Dun’no Dar. Thinks sumpen’s gonna happen. Masser Syff says we be safe here and not get scaird.”

“Kay... But I’s scaird now.”

“Me’s too... Little bit.”

“What’s gonna happen Sig?”

“Dun’no Grim, but we’s can peak and see.” With that Sigvat and Grima cautiously raised up so they could look over the top of Malachi’s cart.

“Why’s Masser Syff teasing da prisoner Sig?”

“No sure Grim… Hear’s what Syff say’n.” The pair listened intently for a few moments before Grima excitedly whispered.

“Masser Syff thinks da prisoner is like Cedrick, Sig! He thinks he’s green drahgun like our uder masser was.” Sigvat thought about their previous master and shuddered. Cedrick hadn’t been as cruel as the black dragons, but he was mean and always yelling at them or beating on them.

“Yah Grim, me thinks you’s right... Uh Oh... Look... Da big orc be taken his armurs off... An’he looks mad... Real mad!” For a brief moment, their attention left Garnet as they watched Aegir running over to his mother with a double armload of his mentor’s armor. Suddenly, a massive roar drew their attention back to Garnet.

Grima cried out in excitement. “OH! LOOK SIG! DA BIG ORC BE DRAGUN TOO! OHH... SO PRETTY!”

Sigvat had to agree with his sister “No green... Um, no black... Mudder of we’s only tells about black, green, and umm... umm... An Silbers too.”

“Big.” The girl added. “Bigger’n Cedrick... Biggest big’un me can ‘member see’n.”

Suddenly, Garnet let out another roar and released a blast of his tree-shredding breath weapon. Both of the kids instinctively ducked for cover. They missed almost everything else that happened after that. Syth had promised that they would be safe, but neither of them was prepared to put that promise to the test. They both flinched and spun around when they heard the scream from behind them.

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The silent observer looked out over the branches and softly cursed; he had to get higher. Slowly, quietly, he climbed higher in the tree. Thankfully, there was no new snowfall, or this would have been much more difficult. When he got to a height where he could clearly see the stranger's camp, he sighed, rested, and watched. While he was not afraid of heights, he knew he was higher than he had ever free-climbed in a tree before, and that made him a bit nervous.

He wished he had brought a sand glass so he knew how long he rested on the branch with nothing of note going on in the camp. He smiled as he remembered one of his teachers commenting that watching was truly one of the most boring but one of the most useful tools a spy could master. So he waited, and he watched.

The bigger Illorc came back into camp with the young human boy, and from this distance, their arrival in the camp seemed to kick off several events. The half-elf, who appeared to be the leader of the group of kids, looked over and smiled at their return. Whatever was about to happen, the young boy was bouncing with excitement. It made him smile slightly as he remembered that same excitement which had come so rarely where he lived.

The half-elf then looked to the Drow and nodded. The boy was at his normal station, watching the prisoner, and with the nod, he started to pull his head-wrapping off. The watcher couldn’t help but smile as he knew the reaction this would get, and it did. The Halfling was livid when he saw that his guard was a Drow.

He was so intent on watching the fun with the Drow that he almost didn’t see the larger of the two Illorcs taking his armor off and handing it to the boy. Once the boy ran off, the Illorc joined in the conversation, and that is when things went really weird.

No amount of training could have prepared him for what he started to see. As the Illorc screamed in rage, it seemed as if its body shimmered and started to grow, and grow, and grow. He’d never seen an illusion this detailed that actually showed one figure transforming into another. Most of the time, it was quick, but this wasn’t. He couldn’t tell how much time passed, but it wasn’t quick.

When whatever spell caused the weird shimmering was done, a huge and strange looking dragon stood where the Illorc had. It was a dragon unlike any he had ever heard of. It reared its head back and roared, then it swung towards where he was hiding. He was certainly not prepared for the sand storm that erupted from the illusion’s maw and destroyed several trees to his right, as well as completely shredding some of the branches on the tree he was hiding in.

He panicked, lost his grip, and felt his body slide from the branch, barely keeping his handhold on the branch above his head. Thankfully, other than a grunt, he made no noise. Unfortunately, he realized very quickly that he would not be able to hold his grip long. He readjusted several times, trying to get enough purchase to pull himself back up, but wasn’t able to. He looked below and didn’t find what he had hoped to see: another branch close enough for him to swing to or even drop and land on. As his fingers lost their grip, he said a brief prayer to Rovnar and fell.

“AIEEEEEEEEEE!” He couldn’t help but scream in terror as he knew a fall from this height was probably fatal. THUD! The impact with the first branch knocked the wind out of him and probably broke a few ribs. CRASH! He couldn’t dwell on that as he hit the second branch with his leg in a bad position. Breath in his lungs or not, he screamed again as he felt his left lower leg bones break through the skin. THUMP! He didn’t know how many branches he hit after that, but he knew at least one punctured through his shoulder. And another snapped his arm in half. The two times his head hit unyielding branches left him in pain, dazed, and confused.

When he came to a stop, he could only moan in agony and realized, not with a small amount of shock, that he wasn’t dead. At least he hoped he wasn’t dead with as much as he hurt. What felt like days passed as he hovered on the edge of consciousness, and then he felt himself being picked up by a huge clawed hand. As he was lifted, he stared right into the eye of the illusionary dragon. It was beautiful, he thought. It was like looking at shifting sand in the sunlight… Now, how could an illusion pick me up? That was his last thought before there was nothing but blessed blackness.

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“Lay him down,” Olpha directed firmly as Garnet’s steps echoed through the clearing. The only other sound that could be heard came from Malachi’s forge, which went largely unnoticed.

“Syth, Grab the rhinolings. Calm them down, and guard the prisoner,” Xavier shouted out, then turned his attention to the figure that Garnet was carefully lying on the ground.

“Looks human,” Olpha stated as she looked him over, but so far, she had not allowed anyone to touch him. “A kid like us.” She looked up at Xavier, a question in her eyes. A question he was wrestling with himself.

He had already taken stock of the visible injuries, and they were severe. He knew the injuries he could not see would probably be worse. So, the question that Olpha was asking Xavier to answer was a tough one. Do they try to save him or let nature take its course?

From just what he could see of the broken body, his chances for survival were split. His chances for a full recovery? That was low. They were on a war footing. At any moment, there could be an attack on them. In this time and area, it was a guess as to what might attack them. Obviously, this boy had been spying on them. Were there others? Was he aligned with the green dragon? Xavier had already checked, and the boy was not a dragon. That would have made his choice easier.

Was he just a kid from the town, wanting to see what was going on out here? In his world, clothes did not make the man, but it seems that in this time, perhaps they did. However, this boy was dressed like any commoner Xavier would expect to see on the streets of a city. He wore a common street sword that did not look like it was of any quality; he wore a dagger, too, also of no note.

Should they expend the time, energy, and resources needed to heal a child who might never walk again? Of course, that question only became relevant if he survived… And that was hanging in the balance right now.

Seeing the indecision in Xavier’s eyes, Olpha knelt next to the boy, intent on seeing what other injuries were present. She pulled her dagger and started to cut open his heavy coat since trying to unfasten it would move the boy too much. She started at the bottom and quickly sliced the coat open. She slowed as she got to his neck and carefully finished the cut; there was no need to add more red to the already blood-soaked coat.

When she pulled the coat apart, the Seandrian teens present all gasped and turned to look at Garnet. Laying on the boy's chest was a bronze disc pendant of a black-handled dagger with a red cross guard and blade. The pommel of the hilt was a golden color with a red ‘13’ emblazoned on it. It was made of common materials and inexpensive, but care was taken in the crafting, as is befitting of a holy symbol.

Garnet took two quick steps backward and unfurled his wings. Those who had not seen them before gasped in amazement as on the underside of each of his wings was the same symbol, save his did not have the number on the golden pommel.

The daggers stood out beautifully on the sand-colored leathery hide, making them appear to almost be ready to leap off his wings. Killian saw that the dagger looked to be made with crushed gemstones of black and brilliant red. The gold coloring looked like actual gold was crushed and used to color the top.

Xavier looked back at Olpha and nodded once. “Okay,” Olpha said as she stepped back and started to cast a spell. Madelyn, who had revived from her faint but was still feeling shaken by what she’d seen, noticed that Olpha did not even have a book on her. When Olpha finished casting, the boy rose gently into the air and then followed Olpha into her lodge. “Xavier, Garnet, Thane, get in here, everyone else stays out.” She paused and looked apologetically at Madelyn. “Uhhh, would you mind helping as well?” Madelyn nodded and moved to follow the others.

Once inside, Olpha looked at Xavier and barked, “Clear off my table.” She then looked at Thane, “Get my Healthman’s kit.” While no order was given to Madelyn, she jumped in and helped Xavier clear off the table. Having something to do, helped her to reclaim her composure. Once that was done, Olpha gently maneuvered the boy onto the table and, like a feather, let the spell lay him on the table before releasing him, and then the spell faded away.

Her knife was in her hand again as she went about cutting off the rest of the boy’s clothing. Everything stopped when Madelyn saw a pin that was attached to the inside of his belt lining and gasped out, “By the gods… he’s a member of the Watch!”

“Watch?” Xavier demanded. “What is this Watch?”

“Uhmmm.” Madelyn hesitated as she gathered her thoughts. “Where to start… It’s the Junsac Barony Watch.” She paused again before continuing. “They are charged with defending the Kingdom of Eaglelonia… by any and all means necessary.”

“Do we heal him?” Olpha asked, looking suspiciously at the boy.

“We will not heal a Dark Arts practitioner,” Xavier stated firmly.

“Oh no, they are not like that; although their enemies may think they are as bad as Demons, they are not followers of them. What I can and will say for now, is we do not want them as an enemy.”

“Will you give us more information later?” Xavier demanded, even if he did try not to make it sound like a demand.

Madelyn nodded as Garnet, who was in his Orakin skin again, walked into the Lodge, clothed in a simple robe. “Good enough,” Xavier said as he looked at Olpha, who was already back to cutting the clothing off.

✶✶✶✶✶
 

Oblivious to the drama unfolding outside, Malachi was still chanting, deep in his trance, drinking deeply from his waterskin when he needed to, but nothing else. The Pantherling spirit that was working with him had changed the design of what Malachi originally planned to make, but, as sometimes happens in the magic trances, he never noticed the shift.

This was only the fourth time the magic of the weapons pulled him into the smith’s trance and the first time a spirit ever visited him. He had heard about it before from his father and many of the other Legendary Smiths in the Iron Fortress, but this was his first. Not that it mattered at the moment. What mattered was that the weapon was completed.

He had intended to create the weapon, then at a later time, try and find a mage to do the enchantments, but the Pantherling was weaving magic into the metal even as it was being forged.

Several times, Malachi would heat the metal up, pound it into form, heat it again, and then hold it while the Spirit etched runes into it. He would then reheat the metal, and the process was repeated. The Drow Soul Steel resisted being changed, but together, they were able to force the change. The Magic in the Soul Steel likewise fought the change, but the Spirit was able to bend the magic to a new form.

When Malachi stepped back from the Anvil, he saw a completed quarterstaff made entirely of Soul Steel lying there. He took a drink of water and dumped some over his head. When his vision cleared, he saw the Pantherling Spirit staring at him impatiently, holding out an ingot of Elvin Silver Steel. Looking at the second furnace, he saw it was going, and an ingot of Dwarven Blue was already heating.

“We are not finished yet.” The spirit said, and Malachi could only nod as he pushed the Elvin Silver into his furnace. He did not know what was going to be forged. All he knew was that it would be made of Eldwar, something he had crafted only a handful of times in the past.

✶✶✶✶✶
 

Thane left Olpha’s lodge, sighing as he ran his hand through his longish hair. He was the last one left in the lodge, besides Olpha, the rest having departed after Olpha told them what to use magical healing on. He stretched his back and stopped. The sound of hammering in the air was expected; what wasn’t was a delicious smell. He looked towards the cook fire and saw Madelyn had been busy since she was dismissed. He only had to take a few steps before his friends surrounded him, all of them looking at him with questioning eyes. “Olpha thinks he will survive, at least until tomorrow, when we can do another round of magical healing.”

“Good,” Xavier said with a nod. “Dinner is just about ready; how about we all fill our plates, let Grima, Sigvat, and the animals keep the Halfling in line, and we can return to the cottage so Olpha can be a part of this discussion? I, for one, am ready to learn about this ‘Barony Watch’.”

Half a sandglass turn later, they were all seated comfortably inside, the Green prisoner being tended to by the critters and the Rhinolings. Mugs full of drinks and plates full of food. “Normally, we would not talk shop while we eat,” Xavier began once everyone was seated. “However, I feel this may be of an urgent nature, urgent enough to suspend normal niceties.” Getting agreeing nods from everyone, Xavier turned to Madelyn and asked. “So, what can you tell us about this Barony Watch?”

“Well, to begin to understand them, you need to understand how they came into being.” Madelyn started. “You see, the Junsac Barony sits on the edges of the Wild Lands. For many lifetimes, Junsac had to fight for its very survival against all manner of creatures and groups coming out of the Wilds and trying to get into the Kingdom of Kronar. Out of desperation, the Baron created The Watch and gave them almost unlimited power to defend the Barony. Anything that they view as a threat is destroyed. They are some of the most secretive, ruthless, devious, and just plain scary warriors in all the lands."

Garnet cocked his head to the side in confusion as a question blurted out. “I am certainly one that does not look at what I see and count on that being all there is to a person; however, that boy does not appear to be one of the ‘most ruthless, devious, and just plain scary warriors in all the lands’... However, I’ll give him high marks for being secretive. None of us were aware that he was anywhere around us.”

“My guess would be,” Lew spoke up for the first time, “That he is one of their younger members. Not much is really known about the watch and how their inner dynamics work. What I do know is that they are well known for destroying anything that they perceive MAY be a threat.”

“I have heard it said that not even other members of the watch know who the other members are.” Killian joined in. “There is always a chance that a Watch spy may be around anywhere at any time… Watching. Watching and reporting back anything that may look strange or suspicious.”

“Mablin and Gradon had hoped that being this close to the edge of kingdom territory, they would not keep such a close eye on things, but…” Madelyn motioned towards Olpha’s Lodge. “But I think we now know differently.”

“So what do we do?” Xavier asked, his mind running in several directions.

“At the moment,” Madelyn responded after a few moments of hesitation. “I do not believe there is anything we can do. We need to be prepared that there may be more of them, as I have heard that the Watch normally operates in teams. Other than that, we wait until this young man wakes and take it from there.”

“That is IF he wakes,” Olpha said. “I give him much better odds than earlier, but it is still not a guarantee that he will survive. If he does survive until the next round of healing, then I will be more comfortable with his chances.”

“Okay,” Xavier said with an air of finality. “For now, we wait and watch.” His eyes met those of his Blood Brother. “We all need to be more vigilant on watch, and no one goes anywhere alone.” Garnet smiled and nodded in agreement.

“So, have you decided what we are going to do with the Green?” Olpha asked after Madelyn’s delicious meal was over.

“Not yet,” Xavier said after taking a drink of mead. “I do not believe he will be providing any more information, though.”

“Oh?” Was Garnet’s reply.

“Well, the different questions that I had you guys ask yielded much, although honestly, I do not know what to make of most of it.” He paused and shook his head briefly before he grinned at Garnet. “Surprisingly, when you had your little chat with him, it did not reveal anywhere near what I thought it would.”

“You mean I did not scare him enough?” Garnet asked in a shocked tone.

Xavier smiled at the memory. “Oh, he is certainly afraid of you, but he was still able to keep a closed mind. Actually, it was Syth that made him reveal his inner thoughts. Just the thought that a Drow child was wearing a True Green incensed him beyond all rational thought.” Xavier grinned while the others laughed.

“I am not sure if that is a compliment or not; however, I don’t suppose one can expect much more than that from a Green… So, I shall take it as such,” Syth replied dryly, causing Olpha to spit her drink out, all over Lucas, while many of the others laughed loudly.

When Olpha was done coughing, she glared at Garnet. “WHAT has Rovnar done to our poor, innocent, and straight-laced Drow?”

Garnet laughed louder as Xavier and Aegir both fell off their seats in their gales of laughter. “If you truly believe that Syth is poor, or innocent, or straight-laced, then I think you need to pull your head out of Lucas’...”

“HEY NOW!” Madelyn called out through her own laughter. “Children present.”

“Oops.” Garnet smiled and then proved that, yes, Orakin can indeed blush.

“Yes, oops,” Xavier said, still chuckling. “Now, back to the matter at hand, the Green. I am open to ideas.”

“Teacher Madelyn,” Lucas pipped up from his normal perch on Olpha’s lap, still wiping mead off his face. “How do you think Sir Mablin would react to another Green carcass skinned, de-boned, and the meat preserved.”

Before she could answer, Garnet spoke up. “We could use some of the skin to make armor for all of our new friends. He may only be a warrior, but I still think we should be able to get five sets of armor out of his hide and scales.”

Xavier seemed to be considering while Aegir was all but jumping out of his skin. Even Killian was looking excited at the idea of having Dragon hide armor, even though, as a Ferret Sect Warrior, he did not wear armor. Finally, Madelyn spoke up.

“While I’m sure he would be very appreciative of the offer, it really would not be a good idea.” Lew was already nodding in agreement before she continued. “The reason we all stayed out here was to not attract any unwanted attention to ourselves. Having Mablin suddenly show up with another Dragon Carcass… well, that would definitely bring a lot of unwanted attention.”

Every one of the Seandran kids nodded in agreement, not having thought about that. “And THAT is why it is always good to have a mom around,” Lucas quipped seriously, even if everyone smiled and nodded at the comment.

“Well, I guess Garnet gets to have a little snack before bed,” Syth commented in his normal deadpan voice.

Not being sure if he was serious or not, Lew raised his hand and spoke. “Your Mag… uh, I mean… Xavier. I have a suggestion if you are willing to hear it.” Lew was still a bit uneasy after the rather rude awakening he had this morning. Getting used to having dragons around was much easier than this business of talking to royalty.

“Of course, please,” Xavier said, managing to keep his tone neutral.

“I have been giving this some serious thought since I watched Garnet shift.” Lew rose to his feet and started to pace a bit, his tail flicking back and forth quickly as he tried to find the proper words. “Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined that Dragons could naturally shapeshift, yet here we are. I feel an urgent need to make sure my Silver Allies are aware of this. I can not imagine that they do not know already, but I feel I must make sure.”

“I can understand your need and the reason behind it,” Xavier said softly. “How exactly would you go about doing this?”

Lew paced for almost a full minute as he formulated a plan. Silence reigned in the small cottage, save for the rhythmic pounding of metal from Malachi’s cottage. When he stopped, his eyes were focused on Nimbi, yet he spoke to Xavier. “I know that there is at least one Pantherling Elder in Silverton. I would go to them and seek counsel.”

“They would be able to get word back to the Silvers?” Xavier asked.

Lew nodded. “Yes, they would. Of course, they would want to verify my words somehow.”

“How would they do that?” Syth asked with a knowing look to Garnet.

“One or both of us would have to shift for them,” Garnet replied, looking at Xavier.

“That would be one way.” Lew agreed. Not hearing anyone object, he continued. “My thought is, I would have to get them to accompany me out here so they could witness Garnet's shift. No reason to let anyone see that Xavier is a Great as of yet. Then, they would want to take the Green to Prince Milan for questioning.”

“Prince Milan?” Xavier asked, wondering why a Prince instead of the King.

“He is the Crown Prince of the Silvers. More importantly, he is a Legendary Echelon Mind Master,” Lew replied and noted the rise of Xavier’s eyebrows. “Begging your pardon, Sire…” Lew cringed at his slip of the tongue and hurriedly plunged on. “I was thinking that Prince Milan just might get more information out of this green, without damage, than you have been able to… And he needs to know about the greens being able to shift their shapes and hide in plain sight.”

“I see.” Xavier softly commented, and then he couldn’t help but tease Lew a bit for his slip of the tongue. “I shall be sure to inform Xavier when next I see him.”

His mind was already spinning. “How long would it take for you and Killian to ride into town?”

“I am not sure,” Lew answered hesitantly. “I have never actually been to this city before.”

Before eyes could shift to her, Madelyn answered. “Almost a full day from here. They would not be able to move very fast once they hit the slums. Faster than a wagon, but still not as fast as one would like.”

“Okay,” Xavier said as he sat forward, eyeing all those in attendance. “Let us discuss how we will make this happen.”

“Before you begin,” Madelyn interrupted quickly. “I hope this does not offend any of you; however, while it is very clear that your group can take care of yourselves with a focus that is rarely seen, especially in ones so young. What you seem to lack is the experience to know when you are pushing too hard.”

While Madelyn paused to wet her throat, Xavier nodded in understanding, yet his eyes said he had no clue what she was talking about. “What I am trying to say is this. Today has been a very… eventful day. It is, therefore, my advice that we should rest for the evening and tackle all of this bright and early in the morning when you all have a fresh, clear mind to discuss important matters.” After a brief moment, Xavier sat back and nodded. Followed quickly by a yawn and laughter from all those around the campfire.