Sands of Time - 18. Chapter 18

The predawn twilight found everyone gathered around the fire circle in small groups, enjoying their Dagger Boar breakfast. Mablin grunted as he sat down at the fire pit. He had filled his plate with Dagger Boar and the vegetables that had been added. He actually wished his caravan were here since he had bread in his wagon, but he would make do. As soon as he sat, Sigvat came over to him with a mug full of a fruit juice blend that the Seandrians enjoyed. He nodded to the boy as he took the offered mug, then looked over at Ardi, who was sitting nearby. Having seen Hontel already there, he kept his voice low and didn’t say anything that might give away a secret. He had finally gotten over the shock of being told last night that there was a Watch member in the camp. He had simply decided to try and avoid him if at all possible.

“You know, I spent almost a quarter turn trying to convince myself I had been dreaming,” he said with a grin. “It did not work. However, I will enjoy watching Gradon learn certain things.”

“You are mean,” Ardi said with a grin.

“Why thank you, and admit it… You will have some fun with that, too.” Mablin replied. He was about to say something else when Aegir and Slaygo ran over and rather exuberantly refilled their plates before running back to the other side of the fire pit.

As the boys sat down, Garnet sat, his plate piled high with the Dagger Boar meat and only a few vegetables. Sigvat was right there with a new mug full of fruit juice, to which Garnet gave the boy a nod and a smile. He decided to take a drink first, which was exactly what Malachi was waiting for. “You know, the story last night was REALLY good. Gave me some ideas for the forge.”

Garnet didn’t have an issue with his drink, but he did glare at the youngest member of the Seandrian group, which only made all the others laugh, save for Hontel. “What story?”

“Oh, Madelyn, read us the story, ‘The Legend of Thorn and Rogue.’” Syth almost bubbled and grinned as he watched Garnet squirm a bit.

“Wow, that’s one of my favorites,” Hontel enthused. “They even made it into a Ballad. It’s one of my favorites to play. I got my lute in Olpha’s cabin; she even fixed it for me after the fall. If you want, I could play it for you.”

“NO!” Garnet exclaimed, then in a much quieter tone. “No, thank you.”

“Perhaps another time,” Syth piped up. “I am positive that Xavier would LOVE to hear you sing it.”

Garnet glared at Syth, then turned and gazed at Hontel. “You know, if you are going to travel with us for a time, we may have to get you Dragon Scale Armor to fit in with most of the rest of us. What color would you prefer?”

“Dragon Scale?” Hontel whispered in shock.

“Why yes,” Thane jumped in. “It seems to be a favorite of this group.” Then, with a grin, he added, “It has become somewhat of a fashion statement, really.”

Hontel thought they must be joking, so he smiled and decided to play along. “I am a proud and devoted Channeler of Rovnar. There is only one color of the Dragon Scale I would seek out if I could. Red.”

“EXCELLENT CHOICE, my young priest!” Came a loud voice from behind, causing all the non-Seandrians to spin around.

Malachi, Syth, Thane, and especially Garnet dropped their heads and muttered as one, “Well shit!”

✶✶✶✶✶

At the same time, on the other side of the fire pit, another conversation was taking place.

“Yes, Ardi. Things are very much different now than they were in our days.” Xavier replied after being asked.

“They even know things that have been lost to time,” Madelyn interjected. “For instance, Bruin is actually Kin to the Brass Dragons. He also knows the Dragon tongue and may, when he gets old enough, actually be able to have a field.”

Ardi’s eyes got wide as she looked down at the Kulkodar that was lying next to Madelyn. “That is incredible.”

She may have been about to ask something else, but a strange voice interrupted her. “EXCELLENT CHOICE, my young priest!” Ardi, Mablin, Madelyn, Lew, and Killian, who had been silent up till now, all turned to look in that direction.

Olpha, Lucas, and Xavier just hung their heads. “Well, shit!” They chorused.

“Who is that? And where did he come from?” Mablin asked as he looked between the newcomer and Xavier. Grima asked the same questions of Sigvat who just shrugged and shook his head.

“Who is that?” The Halfling, wearing bright red armor, screeched indignantly.

“Oh, hush you!” Olpha said as she climbed to her feet and looked at the three adults and Killian… And sighed. “You may as well come on over. Things are about to get… interesting.”

“Why do you say that like it is a bad thing?” The Halfling grinned. “I happen to find ‘interesting’ to be fun!”

“That is because you are as mad as a squirrel eating fermented acorns!” Lucas called over.

“Well, maybe… But just a little.” The man said with a laugh. Then he looked up at Olpha with an approving eye. “Wow… You got bigger.”

“Flattery will not keep my axes from meeting your head, especially if you pinch my behind again.” She glowered down at the man, then turned to the adults and Killian. “Lew, Sir Mablin, Teachers Ardi, and Madelyn,” She paused as she looked at, then grinned at Killian. “And SIR Killian, I would like NOT to have to, but unfortunately, I do have to introduce you to Rovnar.” She paused as she looked at him, then grinned at Lucas. “And you, Lucas, you will behave yourself, or you will not be getting anything for a month… Not so much as a frown.”

“But…” Lucas started to protest then his shoulders slumped, and his face transformed into the perfect example of a pout.

“Rovnar… As in…” Mablin started to stutter, to which Xavier replied.

“Regrettably… But there is only one Rovnar.”

The man looked at Xavier, “You know Xavier, there can be only One!”

“And thank the rest of the gods for that!” Garnet spoke up.

“You wound me, my trusty first Priest.” Rovnar hammed it up by clutching his chest and feigning injury.

“What are you doing here, Rovnar? Are there no others for you to bother?… Like the Demon Lords.” Garnet demanded.

Rovnar laughed hard enough to force him to put his hands on his knees. “Ohhhh… Certain Demon Lords are in far more trouble than even I could manage. Well, maybe not more trouble, but…”

Thinking about Pyrothermal having just been destroyed, Syth shook his head. “Frexla?”

“Got it in one!” Rovnar said as he pulled a blade off his belt and started to twirl it between his fingers.

“What did the bitch of fire do?” Garnet asked.

“She came into the mortal realm and kidnapped two brothers of that red-haired Halfelf.”

“Kandric?” Both Xavier and Garnet half stated and half asked.

“Yeah, him. I don’t think I want to be Frexla if he gets his wish. I hate to say it, but he is one very powerful mythlet!”

Olpha whispered, “Powerful enough to tangle with a Demon Lord?”

“He has challenged her and, with his Alliance, has already slain a quarter of her lower demons. There are already people worshiping him. So he could be… I don’t know if he knows just how powerful he really is.” Rovnar looked around quickly and lowered his voice. “I mean, I WANT to root for him, but he really is a DICK!”

“Really?” Garnet asked sarcastically. “This coming from you?”

“Yeah, weird, right?” Rovnar responded, then grinned. “Anyway, I have a favor to ask…”

“It will cost you.”

“...of you, Garnet? What do you mean it will cost me? I am your god.”

“Ask for a bill of sale! Maybe it’s not too late to return or trade him in.” Lucas shot out just before a six-fingered hand clamped itself firmly over his mouth.

Meanwhile, everything about the group changed. They all felt themselves get sucked into a portal and heard a slight ‘pop’ as it closed. They suddenly found themselves on a badly rutted road, the edge of which looked like a Cypress swamp on one side of them and a forest on the other.

Garnet looked around and saw that everyone there was suddenly armed and armored. Packs on their backs, as well as the skimmers and horses being picketed nearby. The ones used as pack animals were loaded down, and the rest saddled. Even Malachi’s new wagon was there, complete with his horses ready to go. Garnet shook his head as he looked down at the Halfling God. “Not really taking no for an answer?”

“Do you even need to ask?” Rovnar grinned. “Now, what is this going to cost me? I have other matters to attend to, so make it quick.”

Garnet shook his head, then started to speak softly. “If I ask for some type of information, you will give me some kind of cryptic answer that I will not understand until after the event has passed.”

“Yup!” Rovnar grinned. “It seems your rather lengthy vacation did not affect your memory.”

“Vacation?!” Garnet stammered out but shook his head, deciding not to argue the point. “If I ask for something tangible, I better be very specific… so…” Garnet paused for a brief moment before he nodded, then locked eyes with his Patron. “I want appropriate armor for my apprentice.”

Garnet heard Aegir gasp, and Rovnar inclined his head with surprise. “What kind?” He asked.

“Drow ‘Len ta’shock’ Armor. Self-sizing, self-repairing, weightless.” Garnet demanded as he glared down at Rovnar

“Not asking for much are you?” Rovnar said as he stared back into Garnet’s eyes, trying to make him back down. When that did not happen, he moved over to look Aegir over.

Aegir went rigid, then relaxed into what Garnet had called a ‘resting position.’ He kept his eyes straight forward, which allowed him only to see the top of Rovnar’s red helm.

Rovnar made two laps around the lad before he smirked and moved over to stand before Hontel. He lifted the newly created Holy symbol. “Nice little bobble.”

He then looked over at Malachi with a smile. “Very well made, I might add.”

He looked it over for a moment longer before gently laying it back against Hontel’s chest. He looked up. “Close your mouth boy, you’re looking like a fish.”

Turning to Garnet, he was stone-faced. “I see you had it made in the old style instead of the modern one. So teach him the old ways.”

Hontel didn’t hear any of this. He was still trying to process the fact that his god was actually here and had touched him. He clutched the medallion in his hand, and a warm glow flowed through him. There was no doubt about it this time. His career with the watch was over. He had to report this, and then they would sack him using insanity as the reason.

Rovnar shook his head as if to clear it. “Anyways, there is a Great Red that has gone rogue. He wants to claim the Red Throne and has the backing of a few Trues and a few Warriors. If this rogue succeeds, it will throw a firebrand into the Alliance…”

“What Alliance?” Mablin asked.

“I thought you hated the Reds!” Syth almost shouted.

“I do. But they can be useful on occasion. You guys really should try to keep up with the current times! Anyway, stop this Rogue by any means you can.” Rovnar laughed as he traced red and black runes in the air.

A portal opened, and everyone could see and hear that a battle was going on in front of what looked like a Falconling to the Seandrans. Rovnar’s last words were, “I have to be somewhere else right now, but I’ll send the rest of your caravan as quick as you all get out of the way…”

As Rovnar stepped through the portal, they saw him merge into the Falconling as the portal closed.

Xavier’s jaw dropped. It was one of his nightmares. Meanwhile, Lucas hoarsely said, “That can’t be…”

Wagons and people started popping into existence, pushing the group off the trail and into the frigid and muddy waters of the swamp.

Mablin looked at everyone before speaking, “Is he always like this?”

“Mentor? What is this that I am suddenly wearing?”

“Eleven thousand years, and he somehow managed to get even MORE obnoxious!” Garnet said, shaking his head.

He looked at Lucas. “Take Lew. Scout the area and see where we are at. Find a defensible place for the caravan while you are at it.” The two nodded and rushed off deeper into the swamp.

“Where is we Sig?” Grima asked, to which Sigvat shrugged.

“Dunno Grim. Mes nebe bin here afor.”

✶✶✶✶✶

Back at the caravan, Dimitra finished slicing the bread and looked over her shoulder to see her husband and oldest son carrying in more wood for the cookfire. She looked around and everything seemed to be in order. The caravan cook and her family were always the first to get up so that breakfast would be ready for the guards at the end of the night shift. She looked at her youngest son who was stirring a large kettle hanging on a metal tripod over the fire. “How are the lentils doing Yanni?”

“Dey’s be doin’ good…” He looked at the other kettle hanging on another tripod. “...An da stew be’s smellin’ really good. I’s be tinkin’ dat it’s ready.” Yanni smiled with pride at his mother. There wasn’t a lot that he could do to help, but pot stirring was his specialty.

“Morning!” Gradon called out cheerfully as he slowly cooked his bacon over the small fire. The last guard shift was coming in, and many others were rising from their tents and seeing to their duties. It appeared to be a good morning, with the sun just breaking over the horizon. It was not too cold, and no new snow was on the ground.

His temporary second in command, a Secondary Echelon Swordsman Half-Orc named Urim, sauntered over and spoke to Gradon. “All dem on watch be back. Nuttin ta report.”

“I doubted there would be this close to Silverton and a Caravan this big; only the brave, stupid, or well-prepared are going to try and attack us,” Gradon said while skillfully flipping his bacon.

Urim nodded in agreement. “Me’s hoping fer a nice, quiet run.”

“What in the…!” Gradon exclaimed as his bacon suddenly disappeared in mid-flip.

Urim spun, his hand pulling a large bastard sword off his back while crying out, “TO ARMS!” His eyes were swiftly searching for a target but found nothing. All he heard was the crashing of guards rushing to arm themselves for battle.

Tasos dropped the load of wood he was carrying and raced to Yanni, scooping him up without stopping and dumping him in the small compartment behind the driver’s seat of the chuck wagon. “Stay put and stay down till I come to get ya!” Then he grabbed the ironwood cudgel from under the seat and rushed to stand by his mother, who was brandishing the large knife she had used to dice the meat in the breakfast stew.

“Wow… that was a bit of an overreaction to some stolen bacon. Here!” a disembodied voice said, and then a wrapped package of meat fell at Gradon’s feet. “Oh, and Gradon… Not bad. Needs some pepper, and don’t burn it so much!”

“What in the name of…” Gradon got out before he watched Urim disappear. A moment later several of the wagons vanished, then the rest. Next thing he knew, he was clutching the skillet in one hand and the package of bacon in the other on a badly rutted road, the edge of which looked like a tree-filled swamp on one side of them, and a forest on the other.

Gradon dropped the pan and drew his sword, his eyes dancing around, trying to take everything in. Just off the path, into the swamp a bit, he saw Lucas and Lew rush off, weapons drawn.

“Gradon?” The man spun and saw Mablin standing there in his armor, sword on his side, looking like he was ready to go into battle.

“Mablin?” The man stuttered. “What in the name of…”

“DAD!” Aegir cried out as he ran towards his father, who was stunned to see his son. Somehow, he was now wearing new armor. And this armor was impressive.

The chainmail shirt looked like it might be Drow Steel which was harder than dragon scale, but supple and lightweight. It was the color of the darkest night. He wore no helm, but leather protected his neck. If it were possible, the leather was even blacker than the chain. The shoulders were a set of interconnecting plates and scales that ran smoothly down to his elbow. That’s where the color shifted in a smooth gradient from black to dark blood red. The bracers were tinged a dark blood red, and the gloves matched.

The chainmail continued below his weapons belt, which was again dark red and held a short sword. Slung across his back was a small crossbow. Coming out from under the chainmail was a set of scaled grieves, also made out of the black metal. Strapped to each of his thighs were bandoliers full of bolts for the crossbow. His shin guards were black at the knee which gradually changed to a deep blood red at the ankle. His footwear consisted of deep red scales on top, and the soles were of supple but strong dragon leather that protected him but still let the soles of his feet feel everything underfoot. Finally, he was carrying a metal staff that Graydon had never seen before.

“You won’t believe everything that’s happened!” Aegir cried as he skidded to a stop next to his father.

“What are you wearing?” Gradon said at the same time.

“Commander?” Urim asked, trying to figure out what was going on.

“Aegir!” Garnet called out in a hushed but urgent tone. “We need to prepare you for what is to come. I must explain your new armor to you; who knows what ELSE Rovnar may have done. You may speak with your father after if we have time.”

Aegir’s head swiveled back and forth between his father and his mentor. Finally, his better sense won out over his need to tell his father everything. “Sorry, Dad. We’re going to go fight dragons!” He spun around and dashed off towards Garnet.

“Rovnar?... Dragons!” Gradon cried out with wide eyes, then turned on Mablin, who could only nod. Both Madelyn and Xavier, along with Bruin and Faelwen close behind Madelyn, had moved over when they heard Aegir talking to his father.

“Yes, unfortunately, the lad is correct. We need to explain what has happened.” Mablin gravely replied. “And we may not have a lot of time.”

Madelyn was nodding her head. Not being aware of his actions, Gradon handed her the package of meat. Madelyn accepted the package with a raised eyebrow and then chose to ignore it. “I promise to explain more as time permits,” She began, then drew a deep breath. “I know this will come as a shock, but we were actually visited moments ago by Rovnar.”

Knowing her husband the way she did, she paused for his reaction. “Rovnar?” he squeaked out. In turn, the three nodded.

A thud behind them made them turn to see Urim’s sword had slipped from his hand, and he was now leaning heavily against a wagon. “I thinkin' I’s need me some hazard pay,” he said weakly.

Gradon slowly turned back around and eyed all three before settling in on his wife. “Explain what you can, and do NOT leave out what it is that OUR son is wearing.”

She took a deep breath, knowing her husband was close to losing his cool. He had always been a bit overprotective of Aegir, and this may be too much for him to handle. “This morning, Rovnar actually showed up. He said he had a favor to ask of Garnet, to which Garnet said it would cost him…”

Gradon’s eyes went wide, causing Xavier to snicker. “You have to truly understand Rovnar to know that doing something for free is totally against his way of thinking,” Xavier raised his hands into air quotes. “‘Even if it is something you would have done anyway, always get something out of it. Anything less is dumb.’ I can not tell you how many times I heard him say that growing up.”

“You actually did know Rovnar before he was a god?” Mablin asked softly, though his eyes were wide.

“Oh Yes, and we can tell you some funny stories, but later, right now, we have dragons to deal with,” Xavier said, keeping his voice soft enough so that only those around him could hear.

“Right.” Madelyn agreed, then continued her recollection of earlier events. “Garnet asked for something called ‘Len ta’shock’ armor for Aegir. My translation crystal translated that as… ‘Soul Hunter?’” She finished up by gesturing towards where Aegir was deep in conversation with his mentor.

“Okay…” Gradon drew out, then took a deep breath. “Now, what is this about dragons?”

“The favor that Rovnar asked was that we take out some Red Dragons,” Xavier said. “That is not surprising since Rovnar despises the Reds. Now is not the time to get into the whys, but know that he wishes nothing more than the destruction of all Reds, even though he knows it is impossible. Either way, these particular Reds must have done something to really annoy Rovnar so that he could send us to destroy them.”

“Now,” Mablin took up. “I know there is no way that you would stay here to guard the wagons but pick six to eight to go with us. We will leave Ardi in charge while we are gone. If I do not miss my guess, we are in the swamp highlands near Slome, so there is danger around. When you are set, meet up with us over by where Garnet is.”

Gradon gave a stiff nod, “Highlands? Splitrock Knolls, then.” Gradon then turned and walked off.

Yanni peeked over the top of the driver’s seat in the chuck wagon and didn’t recognize anything he could see. Everything was different! “Dad! Mom! Taz! You’s be’s out der? “Where is we? What happen?!”

Eros tore his eyes away from the Cypress Swamp that shouldn’t be there and stepped over to the front of the wagon. The first thing he saw was the fear-filled eyes of his youngest son. He reached over and rustled the boy’s hair. “I think it’s alright son. We don’t seem to be under attack or anything like that… But we sure are not where we were… I can see the bosses upfront talking with some strangers… So we should know what’s going on pretty soon… Until we do though you stay where you are.”

Before Yanni could reply he heard his mother’s voice “Oh, for the love of all the gods! Taz, help me get the kettles of food up here before they tip over!” His mom had her priorities, and it was a sure sign that things weren’t nearly as bad as they looked. He just smiled at his dad and nodded.

Ardi walked purposefully past Urim. “Suck it up Urim, and pick up that sword. You signed on with the Dragon Killers. Now’s your chance to see them in action.” Urim gulped and said nothing as he picked up his sword and meekly followed her.

✶✶✶✶✶

Lucas and Lew had been scouting around the caravan for almost three-quarters of a sand glass turn. They were in the cypress swamp when Lucas held up a closed fist and crouched low. Lew quickly followed his movement and looked around for Nimbi. He spotted her up in a tree a few meters away. Finally, Lucas took a breath and motioned him forward while still crouching. “We have done three circuits around the caravan, and I do not like what I see.”

“Why not?” Lew asked softly, a bit out of breath due to how swiftly Lucas could silently move through the terrain.

“As far as I can see, Rovnar put the caravan in the most defensible spot in the area,” Lucas responded with a shake of his head. “It is the highest ground around and not very muddy. It is the perfect place for the caravan to be. That worries me.”

“Why?” Lew asked softly.

“Because Rovnar is NEVER that nice,” Lucas answered without looking back.

Unsure of how to take that comment, Lew asked something else he was curious about. “How can a lad from the desert look so comfortable in the swamp?”

Lucas turned and looked at him with a shrug. “I have yet to meet a terrain that I was not good in.”

Lew was about to ask why when Lucas suddenly went rigid and held up a closed fist, forcing Lew to stay silent while looking around. That is when he felt, through his bond with Nimbi, that she too had heard something. At first, he did not hear anything, but then his Pantherling ears started to pick up what sounded like quiet footsteps somewhere in front of them.

After several seconds, Lucas’s face broke out into a feral grin. He put a finger in front of his mouth and started to move even deeper into the shallow swamp silently. After several meters, Lucas stood up fully but continued to move stealthily through the boggy quagmire.

Lucas figured they had traveled almost two entire kilometers from where the caravan was when he heard a voice call out in the dragon tongue.

“I see nothing out here,” the voice said as they both stopped and lay down in the mud.

“I didn’t think there would be anyone wandering around in the Knolls, but you know how the boss is.” While the second voice was replying, Lucas used hand signals to tell Lew to stay where he was while he moved forward to investigate.

The pantherling nodded but wanted to know what was going on, so he closed his eyes to steady his breathing. Then, he reached his mind out to Nimbi to see what she was seeing.

Thankfully, Lew had been practicing with this since a Panther does not see things the same way a Pantherling does, mostly colors and such. He saw a large cave entrance at the base of a large limestone cliff, as she jumped from one tree to another. He could tell that it had only recently been uncovered, as there was a large swath of Swamp underbrush lying off to one side.

He also saw three Dragonlings standing in front of the cave. With all the mud on them, he was not sure what color they were, but by their horns, he knew they were Reds. One was obviously the scout, while the other two were guarding the entrance. They quietly spoke for a few more minutes before the scout went into the cave and the guards retook their positions.

Lew let go of Nimbi’s sight and shook his head so he could understand what his own eyes were showing him. A few moments later, Lucas returned and, without a sound, moved past Lew, motioning for him to follow. Lucas said nothing the entire time they headed back to camp, and Lew wasn’t going to ask.

✶✶✶✶✶

Prince Millen sat comfortably on the great silver dias that was his throne, in the mostly empty great silver cavern that was the Silver Dragons’ Council Chamber. He was examining the papers spread out in front of him on the ornate floating silver slab that served as his work surface.

Acting as prince regent, and head of state for his father, the aging and ailing king, could be, and usually was, a tiresome and tedious task. However, the power he held filled him with a warm glow. For all intents and purposes, he considered the entire domain to be part of his personal hoard, and everything that was his, was jealously guarded.

One of his personal secretaries came up to him and set down three items. “Excuse me, your Highness, but these were just delivered and are marked High Priority.”

He glared at the secretary, and then he glared at the three new items on his workspace. “This had better be important!” he growled. “What the hell are they?”

“Apart from the obvious my lord, I don’t know. They are marked for your eyes only.”

“I can see that!” Snapped the prince as he reached for the new items. “Just more damned clutter for me to sort out.” He glances at the secretary. “Are you still here? Go do something useful for a change… Get out!” Without replying, the secretary turned and quickly scurried out of the chamber.

He set the green dragon horn that was part of the new pile to one side, wondering why it was there, and examined the other two items. One was a report from a Pantherling Elder that had just been taken. He set that aside, next to the horn muttering, “Shit… More idle chit-chat, gossip, and much ado about nothing.”

Next, he picked up the last piece which appeared to be a letter. He examined the wax seal that held a tan ribbon binding the document. The signet was one he had never seen before. “Just what I want to deal with… Another minor nobody wanting more than he has a right to…” However, what happened next had his full attention.

When he broke the seal, the sound of a small chime filled the air, and the letter began to unfold itself. This was old magic… very old magic indeed, and Millen recognized it immediately. He had read of things like this. but had never actually seen it used.

Within moments he was holding a large seamless piece of parchment that had all the hallmarks of a royal decree. It had the same strange signet at the top. Even though the letter was rather lengthy, he was immediately engrossed. When he reached the bottom there was a single signature… “Xavier… Who the hell are you?”

Millen set the letter down, grabbed the Elder’s report, and devoured every word. He roared as soon as he finished it, as only a great dragon can roar. “WHERE THE HELL IS EVERYBODY! WHY ISN’T ANYONE EVER AROUND WHEN THEY ARE NEEDED?” Across the chamber, a door appeared in the seamless silver wall. It flew open and all five of his secretaries rushed in. Without a pause, he started giving orders.

He pointed to one of the secretaries “You! Get my brother in here. NOW! I don’t care what he’s doing!”

Then he singled out another one. “You! Get the Chancellor! Don’t accept any excuses!”

He pointed at the third as he picked up the horn. “You! Take this to the engraver and have him fashion a ring that I might wear. I want the horn and all the shavings returned with the ring!”

He glared at the remaining secretaries. “You two! Stay right where you are in case I need something else!… And stay out of the way!”

With those tasks completed, he sat back down and started to reread everything. He was on his sixth read-through when the Chancellor, somewhat flushed for a silver dragon, rushed in.

“You sent for me, your Highness?”

The only answer he got was a brisk growl “Here… Read this!” Millen held out the letter. “And when you are finished… Read this!”

Millen’s younger brother, Prince Syl’b-urn, sauntered in, with his usual good humor, right behind the Chancellor. He smiled at his frowning older brother. “Bit of a problem this morning is there?”

Millen wasn’t in the mood to verbally spar with his younger brother right now and just ignored the jibe. “When the Chancellor is finished with what he’s reading, you read it! And then read this!” He held up the Elder’s report.” The hall was silent for a short time while the two dragons did as they were bidden and read. When Millen gauged that his brother was nearly through with the second document he pointed to the fourth secretary. “Have that prisoner brought in here! I want to see him for myself.”

A little less than half of a turn of the sand glass later the three of them were discussing the situation. “Well, there was the report from our ambassador to Wyhrem’s Court, that mentioned the situation there.” Said the Chancellor.

“I have to admit that I was pretty skeptical about that,” replied Prince Syl’b-urn, when he was interrupted by the doors to the hall opening. Two Dragonling guards entered, with a small figure in chains between them.

“It’s about time!” Millen barked and then fell silent as he and the other two studied the halfling prisoner as he approached them. His hands were shackled, he was in leg irons that clanked with each step and there was a black bag over his head. “Not much of a threat there…” muttered Millen and then he scanned the creature’s surface thoughts which brought him up short. When they were about four meters away “That is close enough. Get that sack off his head!”

One of the guards reached out and pulled the black bag off of the halfling. Finally freed of the stifling head cover that had blinded him for most of the trip here, the prisoner shook his head and blinked his eyes trying to adjust to the sudden increase in light. He looked around desperately trying to get his bearings.

He was in an immense cavern but it was unlike anything he had ever seen before. Everywhere he looked, everything was silver, and fifteen pillars of fire spaced around the gleaming walls made it as bright as day. When he looked up he could see that even the stalactites hanging from the ceiling were silver. When he looked down, the floor he was standing on was solid silver as well.

Then he noticed the three dragons quietly watching him. His eyes grew large when it registered that the one in the middle was none other than Prince Millen himself. Then he felt the touch of a mind master in his head.

“NO! NEVER!! YOU’LL LEARN NOTHING FROM ME!... I DIE TO PROTECT MY BROTHERS!!”

That’s when it happened. The halfling suddenly began to transform in front of the three stunned onlookers. In the space of a single heartbeat, he was no longer a halfling but a full-sized green warrior dragon. The manacles and leg irons the guards used were more than strong enough to restrain a halfling but the pressure of his transformation and growth broke through leaving open wounds on his wrists and ankles. It was the magical collar he still had around his neck that did what it was designed to do. As the halfling transformed and grew, the collar held form and did not break.

By the end of a second heartbeat, it was all over. Laying on the floor between the two stunned guards was the decapitated body of a green warrior dragon. They watched as a strong dragon heart continued to beat, and a dual fountain of blood pulsed out of the severed arteries creating a large red pool on the gleaming silver floor of the chamber.

Finally, the heart stopped beating. “By all the gods! I don’t believe it.” Hissed the shocked Chancellor.

“I do… Now… Seeing is believing is it not?” replied Millen’s younger brother.

Millen said nothing for a while, his mind was racing with all of the implications. “Messy, and effective…” was his first observation. “…But it is an elegant proof…” He looked at the letter again, “Don’t you think?”

Shaking himself, he returned to business. “OK. Will someone take the horns and get rid of that damned body?” He looked at the remaining secretary who was still patiently awaiting instructions. “What the hell are you still doing here? You did not see or hear anything… understand?” He looked at the guards. “Neither did you two! Got it?… Now all of you get the hell out of here and return to work!”

“Allow me to take care of this.” Prince Syl’b-urn replied to an earlier command and reached down and with a word, and a quick twist of the wrist broke off the Green’s horns. Then he quietly spoke in an ancient tongue that few among the Silvers knew. The solid silver floor beneath the body began to move and ripple like water and the body sank until it was no longer visible. Then the floor returned to its solid form without leaving a single mark to indicate that anything had ever been there.

Millen nodded to his brother when the body was gone. “Syl’b-urn, I want you to take charge of this. Now that we know what to look for, find out how many others like him are in our cities and towns, bring them before the mind masters for verification, and then deal with it. Next, have the archives searched for anything they can find out about this kingdom of Seandra. Also, find out whatever you can about… This… This, ‘Xavier’”.

“I’m on it… It definitely has my curiosity piqued as well.”

Millen looked at the Chancellor. “Reassign those guards and the secretary to someplace that’s remote and out of the way. Do what you can to contain this. It’s way too soon to have to deal with wagging tongues.” He paused and then barked out “And get me a new secretary while you are at it!”

✶✶✶✶✶

Later that morning Prince Syl’b-urn was in his private chamber looking at the first results from the search in the archives. There was an enigma here and he needed answers. He rubbed his brow ridge and closed his eyes in thought. When he opened them again, he picked up what was easily the most delicate item on the workspace in front of him.

It was an ancient fragment of parchment. He studied the glyphs which were almost unreadable and incomplete. They spoke of an ancient king, an ancient lineage, covered in sand… a child with three faces that had knowledge beyond his years coming forward. There was also something about a father’s lost key, but the glyphs were so badly broken or just plain faded that the rest was completely unintelligible. He looked up at the ruin seeker who had found it during the search he had ordered.

“You are absolutely sure this is authentic?”

“Yes, your Highness, it is the oldest piece we’ve found so far that relates to the search you ordered. It may be a copy of an older document, but it is authentic. It is the oldest that we have found so far and predates everything else we have discovered by at least six thousand years, being ten thousand years old. Amazingly, it hasn’t turned to dust.”

“And this?” he asked, picking up a second piece of aged parchment.

“That is a very old list of the races that allied themselves with Odin. It is from the same era as the other document. You will notice that it mentions ‘Sand Dragons’. I confess that I’ve never heard of them except in much more recent anthologies and collections… And those are obviously just fables, myths, and legends dating back to roughly four thousand years ago.

“If these documents are true… And I think they are. When combined with that wave of death magic of thousands, that we all felt… They may be the thirteenth race of dragons. The ones that were lost to all knowledge… This could be what the fragment mentions... ‘an ancient lineage, covered in sand’”. The archivist shook his head. “These two documents may well be the written proof that Sand Dragons really existed once.”

The young prince rubbed his brow ridge again. “Yes… You may very well be right.”

“We’ve also found a few other possible matches but we are still studying them, and trying to determine whether they are applicable.”

Syl’b-urn put the parchment down. “Keep me informed. You may return to your studies.” The rune seeker bowed and left to return to the archives.

Once he was alone again he closed his eyes and murmured “A child with three faces?… What can that mean?”

✶✶✶✶✶

Taking the entrance and outer chamber of the cavern had proven to be easy. Lew and Syth had taken out the dragonling guards with well-placed arrows. Oddly, they encountered no one else as they moved through the outer chamber and deeper into the cave.

“Olpha, some light if you please,” Garnet called out shortly after entering the first of the cavern’s inner chambers. It was simply immense, which made sense since it sounded like the Great Red made his lair here. That in itself was surprising because they were in a swamp, which was not an area one would expect a Red to take as its lair.

Olpha did not bother reaching for her spell book, as she had memorized this one and had cast it several times. She reached into another pouch and pulled out a medium-sized Fire Demon’s Heart made out of Topaz. As she cast the spell, the topaz glowed brighter and began to grow. When the spell finished, everyone, save for the Seandrains, gasped as a one-meter-in-diameter gleaming ball of light rose from where she stood. When it reached a height of two meters above her head, it split into three glowing balls, one going five meters forward and the other five meters back. The three glowing orbs provided more than enough light for everyone to see their immediate surroundings.

Mablin was so stunned by the spell that he didn’t realize that he spoke out loud as he thought to himself, “I want that spell.”

Olpha turned and smiled at him. “My father came up with this for us when we were playing in the caverns above the city. He made another one that would probably light up this entire cavern, but I am not quite skilled enough yet to cast it.” Mablin could only shake his head as she drew both her battle axes and moved to stand next to Lucas. At the same time, the rest of the party was getting organized.

“Uhhh.. Master Siff, where me go?” Syth heard from behind and slowly turned. For the last minute, ever since he heard the clumping getting closer, he had been trying to figure out the same thing.

He was surprised to see Sigvat wearing and holding weapons. Twin long swords hung at his waist, and in his hands was a huge, single-headed axe. Syth recognized them immediately. They were the weapons the young Rhinoling’s parents were carrying when they had attacked Mablins caravan. He looked around for Quake, Sigvat’s War Dog, but then remembered how long it takes to bond with a creature at such a low level.

“Sigvat,” Syth began, “You do not have to be here; you are not even fully trained.” Syth faltered, not sure how to say what he wanted, and finally just asked, “Why?”

“Cause you be here,” Sigvat responded simply. Syth’s eyes went wide, but a smile crossed his face. He did not speak yet but simply nodded. The lad had bravery; there was that much, at least. Of course, he would have to watch him, but they were already keeping a close eye on that inexperienced group anyway.

He thought for a moment before he reached up and pulled a small brooch made out of crystal and shaped like a dragon. He reached out and affixed it to Sigvat’s weapons belt. There was a brief flash of light followed by a glow that covered Sigvat and disappeared as it sank into his thick hide.

“Very well… Garnet is having Aegir, Hontel, and one of the youngest caravan guards take the front. This way, they get combat experience and can fall back into our envelope if they are facing anything powerful. You should be with them. The brooch I just gave you will act like a light set of armor. It will not protect you from everything, but it will offer some protection.” With a reassuring smile, he patted his young ward on the shoulder and pointed to where the others were.

“Just remember, Garnet is in charge. Obey his orders immediately. We will be right behind you, and do not hesitate to fall back when you need to.” Sigvat nodded with a grin, then clomped his way up to where Garnet was standing with the three aforementioned youths.

Garnet paused what he was saying as Sigvat walked up. He glanced back to Syth, who nodded. Garnet raised an eyebrow in surprise but nodded in welcome to the lad. “Sigvat, as I told the others, you will be in front, fighting the small things that usually hit first. Guardsman Darren will be staying with you and is a guilded Swordsman, so you will listen to his orders as if they were coming from me. Do you understand?”

Knowing that Garnet was one that Syth said he should not speak around until his speech improved, the large boy only nodded. “Good, now. Remember, Darren is in charge. If he tells you to fall back, you do it… Without hesitation.” This time, he looked at all three of the youth there, who all nodded.

Hontel hesitated before he nodded. “Hontel, I know your guild rank is equivalent to the Guardsman, however, you agreed to be treated like the others until we see what you can do. Please do not take offense to this.” Hontel took a deep breath but nodded in agreement. “Good, now prepare yourselves.”

Both Hontel and Aegir brought up their crossbows to make sure they were loaded and ready. Next, they checked their other weapons to make sure they were easy to draw. Aegir was still getting used to the fact that his armor weighs nothing. He ensured that both halves of his staff were in their holders on each hip and were secure but ready to be pulled if needed.

When he was satisfied, he looked up at Garnet and nodded. “Good, now, remember your training and fall back if you need to. None of you have anything to prove in this fight.”

He waited till he got firm nods from all of them, including the guard before he moved back to his position next to Xavier and looked at the rest of their party.

“Olpha, Lucas, Malachi… Corner two. Olpha, remember, Malachi is there to be the melee; try to throw at least a couple of spells.” This got chuckles from those who knew her and confused looks from the rest. As for Olpha’s response, it was only a rude gesture before she turned, and the three jogged a few meters away and to the left.

“Thane, take your group to Corner Three.” Thane nodded, drew his scimitar, and jogged a few meters back and to the right, Suiadan and Amakiir right with him. “Sir Mablin, if you would pick one of your melee guards and join Thane, you would be the magic support for that corner.” Mablin looked a little confused but still picked Derwin, a Primary Step Three Warrior Adept, and together they moved to be with Thane.

“A Triangle?” Gradon asked, not able to hold his curiosity.

“Yes, Teacher Gradon. Being three-cornered means we can turn instantly while still holding ranks. Each corner has both strong magic and melee, so it does not matter which corner is advancing. We also place Syth in the middle so his archery skills can back up anyone. Finally, if one corner faces a large group, the other two can fan out and attack the flanks or move up and join ranks.”

Gradon’s eyes widened as he looked around at the setup. Then looked back at Garnet with a grin. “That is an excellent setup, one I had not heard about before. I am eager to see just how well it works. Where would you like me.”

Garnet nodded in thanks, knowing that Gradon had done that to help solidify his leadership position. “If you would join Sir Mablin, please. Teacher Madelyn, would you please join Olpha… And Sir Killian, if you would join Syth in the middle.”

Madelyn smiled and nodded as she adjusted her weapons. Then she moved to join Olpha, Lucas, and Malachi, with Bruin and Faelwin at her side.

Killian felt his face heat up at once more being called by his echelon but moved forward while Garnet split up the rest of the caravan guards. Once he was next to Syth, he made a quick check of the Gladius at his side. He’d gotten used to wearing it. He wore it every day since they had given it to him, but he was still trying to get used to the idea of using a weapon in combat. He was a Ferret Sect Warrior, his body was the weapon. Still, a frozen flame sword might prove helpful.

✶✶✶✶✶

“Is this how you normally set up?” Gradon asked Thane as he watched everyone get their weapons ready and check their gear one last time.

“Yes, it is,” Thane said as he twirled his scimitar, making sure it was comfortable in his hand. “It is the best formation for the numbers we had, and Garnet has shown us how useful it can be even with more significant numbers.”

“Very interesting,” Gradon said in consideration.

Gradon’s following comment was cut off before he spoke as Thane grinned. “Here we go.” Gradon turned to see Garnet signal forward with his strange sword. Thane’s next comment caused both Mablin and Gradon to miss a step. “The guards you hired seem nervous. Think it would help if I told them we were only going after a few dragons? No big deal.”

“Boy, that does not help me… and it will not help them,” Mablin said through gritted teeth. “When we get done, assuming we are all still alive, I think you and I need to have a serious discussion on building troop morale.”

Thane didn’t reply as they moved into the next chamber of this impressive cave system. He wanted to whistle at the size of this cavern. Olpha’s lights barely touched the edges, and the floor in the middle part of the cave was rubbed down from all the traffic. Thane decided to keep his thoughts private as he realized, but the way the floor was cleared, that the Great they were sent to kill was truly massive.

✶✶✶✶✶

Olpha nodded to Madelyn as she and her beasts walked up. The large Orakin couldn’t help but give Faelwen a hard smack on the side that got a contented pur-like sound and a ruffling of her carapace.

As they started walking towards the entrance to the next cavern, Lucas spoke softly to Madelyn while eyeing her slightly glowing, bejeweled mace. “Usually, Malachi would stay back to help guard us spell casters, but with Olpha here, I think the casters are going to go to them.”

His grin was a little disturbing to her. He truly looked like he was having fun already. He hefted his large ax hammer while Olpha drew her battle axes. Madelyn had heard Gradon and Mablin discuss how the handles on her battle axes were made to allow her to cast while still holding them. Seeing them up close and personal, she knew why the two men were so impressed. Madelyn’s primary concern, at the moment though, was why Olpha’s book was still secured in her pouch. Was she not planning on throwing any spells?

✶✶✶✶✶

Syth looked over to Killian as he walked up to him. The boy seemed a bit nervous, so Syth smiled at him. “You got this,” he said as a bit of reassurance. Killian took a deep breath, nodded to Syth, and then started forward with the rest of the group.

“If you have any questions, just follow my lead,” Syth said as he nocked an arrow. As he walked forward, he jumped slightly a few times. When Killian looked at him strangely, Syth grinned, “It helps keep me loose.”

Killian could not argue with that logic and did a few hops himself. However, as soon as they entered the next cavern, it was time to get down to business.

Up front, Lew sent Nimbi off a bit to the side and front as they entered the cavern. His new sword rested on his side, ready to be drawn if needed. In his hand was the Dragon Bone bow that Xavier had given him. He pulled a standard arrow and nocked it, readying to shoot forward or to the left if needed.

This would really be the first fight that he would be ready to protect Xavier. And by all the gods, yes, including Rovnar, he would do so.

Up front, Aegir scanned the area in front of the group with his crossbow. While he couldn’t see to the end of the cavern yet, he hadn’t seen any sign of an enemy. “Ya scared?” Sigvat softly asked. Well, softly for Sigvat.

“Yeah,” Aegir admitted.

Me’s too.” Sigvat confided as he switched his grip on the ax that used to belong to his father. “But don’tcha worry none. Me’s gotcher back.” Aegir was about to answer when suddenly, what sounded like hundreds of voices screamed at once, and he heard the charging feet, even if he couldn’t see anyone yet.

Garnet heard them before he saw them. Before he even knew exactly what they were or even how many, he was shouting orders. “Hold! Protect your corner. Thane, let us know if you need help.” The only response he got was Suiadin’s joyous roar as he charged into the mass of what Garnet could now tell were Kobolds, maybe a hundred or more. The dog-headed diminutive creatures were not known for tactics beyond trying to overwhelm their victims.

It didn’t take more than a few seconds before Thane’s group was surrounded. But between Gradon’s and Thane’s swords, the guard's war pick, and Mablin’s spells, not to mention Suaiden’s charging about with tooth and claw while his poison stinger lashed about impaling the yapping attackers, they were not in any real danger. From his position in the center, Killian used the spell that Lucas had taught him to cast an airless bubble, creating a swath of dead Kobolds between himself and Mablin’s group.

It did not take long before the Kobolds charged at Garnet and his group. He couldn’t help the grin that split his face as his khopesh split three in one swing. He spared a quick look towards the front as he heard some fighting going on up there, but he quickly saw that Aegir and his group were only being attacked by a small few.

From his place in the center, Syth released an arrow at the mass of Kobold’s that came pouring in between the open spot between Thane’s and Garnet’s groups. A massive fireball erupted, leaving a pile of charred bodies that any other attackers would have to climb over, slowing them down.

Moments later, Garnet heard another set of war cries, this time from behind him. These were not the yips and barks of Kobolds; rather, they were snarls and screams. Before he could turn and look, he heard Olpha call out, “Goblins! And a lot of them.” The fact that he heard joy in her voice made Garnet grin. He outright laughed at her next comment: “DAMMIT Lucas, if you kill them all before I get a chance to…”

“I would never, my sweet!” Lucas called out with laughter. “However, I think Goblins are weaker in this time, just like everything else.” barely a moment later, he called out again, only this time, the laughter was gone. “Olpha! Archers!”

Olpha didn’t respond verbally, well at least not more than a laugh. Like a well-practiced dance, Olpha backed up while Lucas and Malachi stepped in front of her. As soon as the Goblin Archers fired their first volley, Madelyn finally got to see her casting spells while still armed with her battle axes. The way the handle was designed allowed her to wiggle her fingers and rotate her wrists without having to drop either weapon.

When she finally released the spell, a wedge of air shot from her hands and flew towards the arrows. As the wind wedge met the arrows, half harmlessly moved to the right and the others to the left. A moment later, she was back into the fight.

The other thing Garnet heard forced him to take a quick glance in that direction. There he saw Bruin protecting Madelyn’s flank with his razor-sharp bronze wings slashing through the oncoming goblins like they were hot butter. His energetic cursing in dragon tongue was somewhat muffled by the frequent mouthful of goblins that had failed to get out of the way.

Back up front, Aegir had already fired off his crossbow, and instead of trying to reload, he just let it swing down to his side as his hands found his new fighting sticks. He watched as Sigvat stomped on one of the goblins before he faced off with two of the small, ugly, humanoid creatures. Aegir easily evaded the first swing and took out that goblin with a strike to the back of its knees, then followed it up with a strike across its throat just as it hit the ground. When he turned back to the other one, he saw that Sigvat had grabbed it and literally tore it in half, so much for his axe.

As the goblins kept coming the two of them quickly adapted. Sigvat lost all awareness of any purpose other than killing goblins. His father’s axe flew back and forth taking out swaths of goblins with each stroke while his feet stomped on any that were merely wounded. For his part, Aegir was weaving in and out, back and forth, always managing to not be where a goblin struck, and always being in a position to lash out with his fighting sticks, which now had the blades extended.

This was the dance that the spirits had taught Aegir.

The battle raged on, though Aegir had no idea how long they had been fighting for. While it didn’t seem like a very long time, his body felt like he’d been fighting for ages. He was thinking about joining his fighting sticks together to form his staff when the cavern seemed to shake with a mighty roar.

The attacking Kobold and goblins faltered which cost many of them their lives. All eyes flew toward the front of the cavern as a Red Warrior Dragon made his presence known. Before the roar was completely over, the dragon charged… right towards Aegir and his group.

“Oh shit…” Aegir breathed out in dread.

“I just did.” Was Hontel’s overly honest response.