Dragon Alliance Dark Storm : Dark Storm (2 page)

As directed by the evil arch dragon queen Tiamat, the Morgathian prefect Stalenjh planned this attack, which was to begin to piecemeal the more powerful Alliance military and the metallic dragons. However, the skillful maneuvering, leadership, and power of the Battle Point legion, Mkel and Gallanth, their powerful weir council friends, and two silver dragons and riders were able to turn the tide and crush the Morgathian incursion. Ashram had managed a narrow escape from Mkel and Gallanth by sacrificing part of his life force through his dark crystal staff, barely teleporting back to his home castle in time.

Before the counterstrike against the Morgathian incursion, Captain Mkel’s ranger platoon leader, Lieutenant Lupek, and his elf companion had conducted a reconnaissance of a gathering fire giant army that could threaten the eastern border of the Alliance. Mkel and Gallanth knew that all the coastal weirs were occupied with pirate incursions and roving Morgathian warships. The powerful Capital Wing from the republic’s principal city of Draconia was also busy conducting a diplomatic mission in the desert kingdom of Shidan. This meant that his friends and his soldiers, along with Eladran Weir, had to stand alone against this onslaught. Shadow was now gathering from all sides, but Draden Weir still had a few friends left.

After returning to Draden Weir from the battles in the unsettled lands, Mkel was happy to receive a visit from his ally and friend Lawrent. He and his men had sailed up the Severic River to conduct their semiannual visit for trade, training, and merriment. The tall barbarian was Draden Weir’s partner from the Alliance allied island kingdom of Freiland that lay a thousand miles to the west of the Alliance’s west coast. Mkel always looked forward to his visits with his vivacious and loud friend, but especially now with the trouble brewing in the east. The trade had always been good with the Freilanders as well, but it was a two-edged sword with the raiders being sometimes overly rambunctious. The trading did go well, and friendships were renewed. However, Lawrent told Mkel and Jodem, the wise Draden Weir wizard, of the increasing numbers of pirate ships attacking the sea lanes and the undersea war between the mermen and the vicious saragwin.

These vicious amphibian humanoid creatures resemble a cross between a man, fish, frog and lizard. They are green to greenish black in coloration often with black or dark stripes. Their scaly skin, webbed clawed fingers and toes, a webbed tail, toothy mouths with shark like teeth make them look like the sea devils to which their name means in elvish. Lawrent also told them of the escalating civil war between the tribes of the large Canaris Twins mini continent, suggesting that it smelled of Morgathian provocation.

Shadow was on the rise as the ruling magitocracy of the Morgathian Empire, the Talon Covenant, had been summoned by their evil arch dragon ruler Tiamat to her huge fortress overlooking the sprawling but oppressed Morgathian capital city of Aserghul. The five-headed dragon queen and her Usurper Five, the most powerful of each of the five species of chromatic dragons, called all of the empire’s provincial overlords in for the gathering. These Talon sorcerers with their lead dragons and chief death knights were among the most feared force of evil and destruction known to the world. It took the combined might of the Alliance and all of the metallic dragons and their riders to defeat them and their armies at the last battle of the Great Dragon War, at what was now the site of the city of Battle Point. The prefect of the Talon Covenant, Stalenjh, was Tiamat’s direct voice to both the covenant and the empire itself, because of her injuries from the Great Dragon War, inflicted by her former mate, Michenth, the arch dragon of the Alliance.

After an internal squabble between a provincial death knight and Uthrex, the red dragon of Tiamat’s court, the arch dragon queen had killed her detractor. She then demanded the plan to move against the Alliance on the fringes of their lands and their allies be implemented immediately. The Covenant’s concern over the Morgathian defeat at Handsdown and the larger battle afterward, where the Talon sorcerer Ashram’s army and two squadrons of chromatics were destroyed, was cautiously brought to her attention. The dragon queen forcefully dismissed this notion as she commandingly dictated her multipronged plot. She focused on the metallic dragonriders of the Alliance as the main target of her vengeful plan, being the architect of the pending destruction.

To address the dark storm on the horizon, the Alliance Dragon Council, which included the lead dragon and rider of each weir, had been called together to bring light to this gathering shadow. Unfortunately, the Battle of Handsdown had proved to create more questions than answers. The dark elf priestess that Mkel and Gallanth had captured told of an ominous plan being unfolded against the Alliance. However, as Mkel’s weir wizard Jodem was interrogating her, she was mysteriously killed by a Black Scarab Shidanese assassin. Her information had seemed to be of more value than her life, which for a powerful female drow cleric was unusual. The Enlightened’s involvement with this unsavory event seemed too connected to be coincidental and was wrapped in intrigue and treachery.

The pending Honors Day Games, one of the largest sports competitions and the traditional celebration of the veterans, alive and dead, who sacrificed for the freedom of the Alliance were just days away. A series of competitions based on military skills, from jousting by horse, from the air, with sword and other weapons tournaments to archery and heavy long-range weapons matches—both traditional and dragonstone empowered—the popular dragon strike match, the dragon race, the dragon ground thunder game, and several Alliance armed forces displays and demonstration were all scheduled for the entertainment of the Alliance citizenry and to honor the veterans. A hopeful distraction from the events of late, it was a time of celebration and thanks for what the Alliance stood for: freedom and honor.

As Mkel and most of his weir council had arrived at the Capital Weir in Draconia with Lawrent in preparation for both the Dragon Council meeting and for the Honors Day Games, he was able to see some of his fellow Weirleaders and friends he had not seen in some time. A large meal was put on by the Capital Weir for the other twelve Weirleaders and their dragons and friends, which turned into a festive reunion. However, business was at hand, and General Becknor, rider of the Michenth, called for the Dragon Council to convene.

“Mkel, the councils are forming,” Gallanth said to Mkel, his booming voice heard clearly over the dinner conversations. Mkel looked over to Jodem, who was already getting up from the table, as did Dekeen and Ordin. “Senior Sergeant, we must go,” Mkel said to Toderan.

“Sir, I thought the council meeting was only for dragonriders and wizards,” Toderan said quizzically.

“All the weirs’ leaders are to attend, so why would I exclude my senior soldier and taskmaster?” Mkel said with a smile.

Toderan immediately got up and started to walk toward Gallanth. The men of Draden Weir and the regiment cheered when one of the weir soldiers stood with his tankard raised and shouted, “Long live Gallanth!”

As they echoed the cheer and raised their tankards, Gallanth responded by saying, “You should do yourselves more favor, but I and my rider are honored,” and bowed his immense head.

They all walked across the great expanse of the Capital Weir grounds toward Michenth’s chamber. All the Capital dragons were already assembled in the massive hall, and the weir dragons were now gathering. Mkel yelled over to Lordan, who walked over to greet him with Talonth right behind. The riders and dragons greeted each other, both still bearing a few scars from their battle at Handsdown that had not completely healed yet.

“Remember this occasion, my young friend, for there hasn’t been a combined council of the dragons, wizards, elves, dwarves, and men since the Great War. These are difficult days ahead, but also momentous ones, for trying times bring out the best in men and dragons,” he said with his usual friendly smile as he looked up to Gallanth and Talonth.

“I have to agree with you, sir. Although it is for dire concerns, this gathering is still really impressive. Queen Eladra and King Denaris!” Mkel caught sight of the elven king and queen as they entered from the other side of hall. Even from that distance, Eladra’s presence was unmistakable. Her iridescent violet and turquoise eyes were mesmerizing. Both her and her husband’s presence commanded as much attention as a dragon’s.

“Even she has trepidation regarding the host of recent events and the confusing signs she has been seeing through her foresight,” Jodem said, openly speaking his thoughts.

“Much is happening, and our enemies are everywhere, foreign and domestic,” Dekeen explained.

Gallanth entered the conversation as they walked into the great arch dragon’s hall and moved to their place on the opposite side of the large amphitheater gathering area in front of Michenth’s chambers. “We must all have faith, my friends. That and love of country and the Creator will bind us and keep us strong.” All the weir dragons quickly settled into place in the circle of thirteen, with Gallanth sitting opposite of Michenth, and Talonth and Trikenth on each side of the gold dragon.

The weir lead dragons arranged themselves in the circle, with their position in relation to Michenth mirroring their weir’s geographic relation to the Capital Weir and Draconia on a map of the republic. Valianth and Falcanth were to either side of Michenth, with the remainder of the Capital dragons in an outer ring behind them. The mithril dragon took the final few steps to his position, his wounds from the Great War and the dark crystal weapons still clearly painful to him, as evidenced by his severe limp. Those wounds were healing slowly and were still present even thirty years later. What evil power they must have had to cause the mightiest dragon in the world such injury, in spite of his tremendous healing powers.

Mkel, Dekeen, Ordin, and Toderan sat in front of Gallanth while Jodem moved to the center of the amphitheater area to a huge, expertly carved crystalline table for the thirteen high council wizards; three senior generals and admirals; King Denaris and Queen Eladra; and King Drekar of Minara, the dwarf capital city in the Ferranor Mountains. His long gray beard was tied neatly with a gold cross hammer broach that hung well below his waist. Ordin was distantly related to the dwarven royal family, but it went back several generations—several hundred years.

King Drekar walked over to Mkel and his comrades. “Greetings, mighty Gallanth, Rider Mkel, and Draden Weir comrades,” he said as he gave a slight bow to Gallanth and grasped Mkel’s hand. “Ordin, my dwarven kin from the east, I heard you had a great fight at Battle Point, and you felled many giants.”

“Yes, Lord Drekar. We sent a whole tribe back to the underworld, with a little help from Gallanth,” Ordin answered with a smile.

“It has been since the Great War that I have crushed a giant. I envy you and your hammer, my brother,” Drekar reminisced.

“If I could slay half as many giants as you, my king, I would be honored,” Ordin replied.

“Don’t be an understating elf; I heard you personally slew several of the foul brutes.”

“Ordin fought well. We could not have been successful without him and Donnac. He and my inner weir council stood alone against a whole giant clan until Gallanth and I could get back to them,” Mkel explained.

“Ordin has always and continues to be an integral part of our weir. King Drekar, his strength and fortitude are a rock from which we anchor,” Gallanth said in compliment to Ordin.

Mkel had been brought up on stories of the Great War. Ordin himself told Mkel of a battle that King Drekar was a veteran of, where he had led a small contingent of dwarves from his main army and was ambushed by a clan of not less than thirty fire giants with a company or more of orcs. The dwarven king personally slew twelve giants that day with his powerful pure mithril ax hammer, which was powered by a large diamond dragonstone given to him by Michenth. They survived the ambush, but over half the dwarves were slain and Drekar was wounded. He was carried off of the battlefield by his personal guards back to his main army, leaving in his wake thirty broken and sliced giants—and fire giants at that!

“I have faith in you all, for I feel that conviction will be tested soon. We must be seated now, as business is at hand, but I will have ales with you all later.
Raproch
, my friends,” the dwarven king said as he raised his dragonstone ax hammer; he complimented them with the dwarven word meaning “honored and respected comrade or warrior.”

All nodded an acknowledgement, even Gallanth. Mkel noticed the carved inscription on the hammer and blade of his weapon. It read in dwarf language, “
Saeud
Slamalous
.” He whispered to Ordin, asking what that meant, to which Ordin replied, “The Hammer of the Creator.”

“Friends, may we have our places, for we have much to discuss.” Michenth’s booming voice echoed in the amphitheater. Mkel noticed he could modify his voice slightly, for it had an almost inner echo or reverberation to it now, as opposed to when they had talked to him earlier. It was as if the very quality or sound of the dragon’s voice crackled with power. The attendees, dragon and humanoid, quickly took their seats or places. “I would like to welcome everyone to this special combined council of my dragon kin, our esteemed wizards, and our elven, dwarven, and human allies and friends. My rider will list the imperatives of the agenda we must address.”

“We have much to be accomplished, so we will address the simpler matters first. Before that, let us stand and give our honor pledge.”

All the dragonriders stood, drew their dragonstone weapons in a salute, and began to recite the pledge in unison; the dragonstones glowed brightly. Mkel decided to draw Kershan, so as not to overly advertise Markthrea and his role in the games. “We, as dragonriders and soldiers of the republic, do pledge our lives to the Articles of the Alliance, with the light and truth for which they stand, and our honor and courage to defend her with the strength of the Creator.” With that, they placed their weapons of power on the stone tables in front of them.