Dragon Alliance: Rise Against Shadow (68 page)

Mkel walked over to the wagons containing all the goods from Lawrent’s ships to get a better look at them, for there had been no time last night between ales. To his surprise, Lawrent was already up and inspecting the goods for today’s trading. “Well, surprise to see you up this early, raider,” Mkel yelled over to Lawrent as he walked up to him.

“You get enough sleep when you’re dead, my friend,” Lawrent smiled with life in his bloodshot eyes. “The ride back down the Severic is a lazy one and enough rest can be gotten then.”

“I understand, my old friend, it was good to unwind last night, especially after the last several days in Battle Point,” Mkel replied.

“A tough fight, I heard; wish me and my raiders could have been there.”

“There will be others, and likely sooner than later. Lupek and Deless witnessed a large gathering of fire giants and orcs in the Smoking Mountains after they tracked an orc raiding party that my cavalry routed. Something big is coming, the question is when,” Mkel explained.

“Ahh, you sea dog, where is the gold you owe me for the bet,” Ordin shouted over to Lawrent as he emerged from the staircase from the lower levels.

“What gold? Two of your dwarves passed out before my men,” Lawrent answered with a smile.

“Yes but there were more dwarves left standing at dawn’s first light than pirates,” Ordin responded.

“So what I am hearing is a draw for now and a rematch to follow, as I will defer my bet as well,” Mkel interjected. Ordin scowled but seemed to accept this mediation.

“Well, for now. Dorin finally freed a sliver of mithril off of that vein we’ve been working on and has been heating it for a good high alloy sword. The gem that we gave Gallanth last week would make a good dragonstone weapon, which could be ready by tonight,” the dwarf suggested.

“That is excellent news, I know who deserves this,” Mkel said, grabbing his seeing crystal, “Silvanth, are you awake, my lady dragon?”

“Yes, Master Mkel,” Gallanth’s mate answered.

“I was wondering if I might ask a favor of you?” Mkel inquired. “We have two gems of quality that are ready to be made into dragonstones by tonight, one for you to give the Freiland wizard apprentice and one for Gallanth. The recipient of Gallanth’s will be the ranger captain named Decray from Battle Point. Could you fly out to the walled city and bring him back here? Gallanth is still sleeping from the long fight we had in the east.”

“He is the one who led the griffons to your aid?” Silvanth asked.

“Yes, and he is also the one who Gallanth empowered his swords before the battle. Unfortunately, both of those blades were destroyed in a fight with a powerful orc warlord, but he saved many lives in the process,” Mkel explained.

“Anyone who comes to the aid of my mate is worthy to me,” she agreed;
“tell him I will be over the city in exactly three hours, I have other matters to attend to first.” Mkel knew she had many cooling stones to make and then eat and bathe.

“Remember, my dear Silvanth, it is midday there now,” Mkel teased his dragon’s mate.

“Then they will have their afternoon interrupted,” she replied in her normal nonchalant tone.

“At your pleasure, my dear Silvanth,” Mkel politely replied as he cleared his crystal and spoke General Daddonan’s name to connect it to the Battle Point general’s seeing crystal. He quickly but respectfully requested the general to have Decray ready to be transported to Draden Weir. The general was very pleased to see to the ranger captain’s upcoming award, not only for the honor but for the additional power a gold dragonstone weapon would bring to the legion. After Mkel ended the conversation, he went back to looking over the goods in the wagons and tables.

Silvanth sat in front of several bushels of quartz crystal stones, with one basket having mirror polished specimens. At each container, she took one of her front talon claws and, after piercing her hide ever so slightly, placed a gallon-sized drop of her blood onto the crystals. Immediately the bluish blood began to seep around and absorb into the crystals. Once all the blood was gone, she breathed a line of cold frost onto the stones. At once, all began to slightly glow, and then frost started to emanate from them. With the last bushel of the mirror-faced crystals, she spoke several words in Draconic over the basket after putting her blood onto them; they then started to glow intensely before subsiding. This was the process for making the cooling crystals and the seeing crystals, which drove the Weir’s economy and allowed for the Alliance way of life in providing cooling for comfort and food storage, as well as instant communication over long distances. Gallanth made the heating crystals in the same fashion, and the bronze dragons made the lighting crystals.

Mkel, a Draden arbitrator has just entered the Weir,
Gallanth told him telepathically,
and he brings evil with him. The Draden constables have captured the three responsible for the death of that orphan child from the fallen Draden regiment soldier. I will be down there in a moment.

“What does the mighty Gallanth have to say?” Lawrent asked. “I can always tell when you talk to him through your mind.”

“You are more perceptive than you let on to be,” Mkel noted. “There will be a quick trial with those three being escorted toward us from the Weir entrance.” Mkel turned toward the lake to see the group coming toward him with several guards; Jodem, Toderan, and Fogellem were also walking toward him from the council room. By the time they got to him and Lawrent, Gallanth had flown down from his landing and now towered over the group.

Mkel looked at the three who stood before him with utter contempt. The killing of an innocent, of a child, he could barely keep his rage intact. He wanted to slice them apart there and then. The gemstone on Kershan was glowing bright red, almost scintillating, reflecting his anger. Gallanth felt this and spoke up. “Bring the accused closer,” he said with a deep and angry tone. None that stood in judgment by gold dragon could tell a lie, and the three men began to tremble before him.

“Look into my eyes,”
he demanded of them; they all turned their heads away, as if trying to avoid staring into the sun. “I said look at me now!” His deep voice grew almost to a roar, with the force of the dragon’s words almost pushing them back, echoing throughout the Weir landing. They tried to resist Gallanth’s order, but their faces wrenched against their own will and turned toward him as he lowered his massive head, putting his chin close to the ground to look at the men at eye level. “You, Bashier, I see evil in your heart, you held the little boy down. Gremker, you also took part in this heinous crime, laughing at the horrific act as it was taking place and aiding Bashier. And you, Salas, what you have done can only be mirrored by the darkest of the chromatic dragons. I find you all guilty by your own thoughts and memories, and you will suffer unimaginably for this crime against the innocent.”

“Wait, I demand a civilian trial for my clients in the magistrate of my choosing,” the defense arbitrator from Draden said before being interrupted by Mkel.

“Dragon justice applies to a crime against an Alliance soldier or their family, which supersedes civilian law, arbitrator. You and your other guilt-ridden Enlightened
scheilsach
have no jurisdiction here,” Mkel snapped at the arbitrator.

“I will not be insulted by a dragonrider or any other …” the Enlightened arbitrator started to argue.

“Silence!” Gallanth roared. “Your warped sense of justice and misplaced guilt does not hold credence here. No creature can tell a lie in my presence, and these vermin are all guilty. The Articles of the Alliance bear truth to this even if you are foolish enough to doubt my word, arbitrator,” Gallanth scolded him.

“This is Alliance law as stated in the third clause of Article 13, you as an arbitrator should know this,” Fogellem, the Weir’s own arbitrator, spoke up.

“These men are civilians and not subject to Weir jurisdiction, for that child was not a veteran or active veteran’s family member,” the arbitrator argued. “I demand that …”

“You demand nothing! They fell under Weir law when they killed an Alliance soldier’s child, now leave this Weir before I have you in chains for contempt,” Gallanth demanded as he moved his slightly opened jaws toward the arbitrator; a low threatening throat growl emphasized his displeasure, and in an instant, the Enlightened arbitrator became overwhelmed with fear at the close proximity of the dragon. He ran away screaming at his frightful presence.

“Now vermin, you shall know your fate. Bashier, you shall join the raiders as one of their guests. If you survive the trip back to the sea, you will likely fill the bellies of the saragwin as a sacrifice if you are not worked to death at their oars. Gremker, for your role in this crime, I sentence you to death at next dawn by the dwarf axe. Ordin smiled at that statement, knowing his brother enjoyed dispensing justice. When the prisoner heard this, he pushed one of the guards away, knocking him down, but he was stopped cold when Kershan sprang from its sheath in a flash, flew into Mkel’s open hand, and then was thrust into his midsection. The large man stood there stunned at both the speed and pain. Mkel then sliced him down through his groin. The mithril blade cut so neatly and cleanly that the long wound did not bleed for a couple of seconds. As the man grabbed his abdomen and crotch, Mkel lifted his blade over his head.

“When you get to the underworld, tell Tiamat a gold dragonrider sent her another soul to feast on,” upon which he deftly sliced him from the left shoulder through the chest and out the opposite rib cage. Gremker stood emotionless for a second before his body fell into two pieces.

“Salas,”
Gallanth continued as if nothing had just happened, “for what you have done you will be cast into the pit of the otyughs, where you will be eaten alive over the course of several days. This will cause you excruciating pain as they rip out chunks of your flesh and then cauterize it with their acid spittle.”

“Guards, take them away
,
their very presence disgusts me,” Mkel could barely gather the words as he seethed in rage, still gripping Kershan, its dragonstone ruby pulsating with power.

Mkel’s anger must be calmed
, Jodem thought to himself. Toderan called for several soldiers and Weir servants to remove the pieces of Gremker’s body and clean up the blood.

“His body is to be cast into the otyughs pit,” Jodem ordered. “Salas will have the pleasure of his company while the foul creatures tear him to shreds.”

“Mkel, it is over now; breathe easy.” Gallanth’s words caused him to refocus and lower his mithril blade.

“Justice has been served; it’s time to move on,” Jodem said as he walked over and put his hand on Mkel’s shoulder.

“I will see to the boy’s funeral and to his relatives, Captain,” Toderan interjected.

“Stellaynan, Jorgest, take our guest to his new home,” Lawrent ordered two of his men, who grabbed the criminal, punching him in the stomach and the head as they dragged him to one of their ships.

“Are you all right, my friend?” Jodem asked Mkel.

“Yes, just not use to killing a man before breakfast,” Mkel answered with a slight quiver in his voice.

“I understand, but just remember that the blood of the guilty and the evil doesn’t stick to mithril,” Jodem said in a comforting tone. Mkel looked at the gleaming blade of Kershan and saw that there was not a drop of blood on it. All had quickly dripped off.

“My rider, ease your mind, justice has been served today. Jodem’s words ring true. Those men can no longer hurt anyone, and their evil dies with them. Go with your friends, get something to eat, and let this unpleasantness pass into history. We have a celebration today in the merging of man and dragonstone, Gallanth said lovingly to Mkel.

“You’re right, my dragon,” Mkel replied as he sheathed his sword.

“Ordin, I will meet you at the central hearth by the noon hour,” Gallanth said.

“Yes Lord Gallanth, I’ll have Dorin and the mithril there. It is almost heated to its peak now and is ready for your fire. Master Mkel, can you call Dekeen to bring Eldir and a good elf wood staff for the other dragonstone?” Ordin asked.

“Consider it done,” Mkel answered with a smile. After he called Dekeen, they all went to breakfast. Several hours later, Ordin and Dorin walked up from the lower levels, with Dorin holding the glowing piece of mithril. Gallanth, Mkel, Jodem, and Toderan were already assembled at the central hearth located by the main entrance to the dwarfs’ lower levels. Dekeen and Eldir had just arrived and were prepared for the arduous task ahead.

Mithril, being the hardest known substance in the world, was also the most difficult to work with to create tools and weapons. In its pure form, it was even harder than most dragon teeth and bone but had almost a living quality, making it tricky to form. Silvanth had not yet returned from Battle Point yet, so only the initial heating and forming of the metal could be done. Dorin placed the rough mithril rod in the center of the hearth on a blackened stone pedestal and backed away immediately. Gallanth moved closer to the hearth and, with a controlled blast, engulfed it in flame. He kept the stream of dragon’s fire billowing for several minutes. When he stopped, the mithril was glowing so bright that dark glass was needed to observe it directly.

Dorin and Eldir picked it up with special mithril-tipped tongs and placed it on a mithril-plated anvil just in front of the hearth. Everyone near the hearth had to activate their cooling stones to take the intense heat emanating from the special metal and the dragon fire.