(Dragonkin) Dragon Rider (28 page)

   "There is evil in the west that is not at the camp of the enemy." Menimeth said to Danorathin.

   "It is on the great road." His dragon replied. "And it travels south."

   "When we return from the northeast we will investigate it." Menimeth said. "What ever it is, it does not belong in the empire."

   "Dark magic is very strong in the one who walks the great road." The dragon said. "And he is not alone."

   "Then we must be careful when we investigate." Menimeth replied.

   "I do not think the one with the dark magic can sense us." Danorathin said to his master. "He concentrates on the south and east."

   "Then we will approach from the north." Menimeth replied. "And see if we can catch them unaware."

   The Dragon and his rider continued to the northeast in search of Litlorn, and the warriors of the realms he commanded. He believed the campaign to begin soon, and he wanted to help drive the outlaws east, and into the oncoming forces that advanced from that direction.

   Both man and dragon felt the barrier as it was erected, and the magic it possessed, but they were still far away from the warriors of the realms in the northeast. The spell to counter the one used to hide the brigands, would follow, and the assault would begin soon after. The farmlands were beginning to thin out, as the trees of the region closed in around them, and the mostly uninhabited north began to appear before them.

   Soon the farms disappeared altogether, and only the trees remained. Danorathin could see much farther than Menimeth, even though his master could see almost as far as the elves. It was the magic of the dragon he was born with that enabled him to see as far as he could, but his vision was still far less than his dragons.

   "Many solders of the enemy are approaching our smaller force from the west." Danorathin told his master. "They will soon be at the backs of the warriors of the empire."

   "How long before the enemies solders come within range of our men?" Menimeth asked the dragon.

   "About two hours by the time used by the race of men." Danorathin replied. "We will be there in far less time then that, but the warriors of the empire fight the enemy now."

   "I can see them," Menimeth said. "They are caught in a trap set by the outlaws it appears."

   "There is a way out to the south, but it will not be opened long." The dragon said. "The enemy moves to cut them off, and will do so within a few minuets."

   "Not if I can help it." Menimeth said to his dragon, and concentrated on the solders of the enemy that threatened his men.

   "Drathin-Voran-Cathantry-Adrada-Fathean." He said, and a wall of fire sprang up, cutting off the forces of the enemy, from the solders of the empire.

   The forces of the empire spotted the opening to the south and took advantage of the escape route provided by the wall of fire. All of the men escaped before the wall if fire dissipated, and they rode east to join Litlorn and the warriors that advanced from that direction.

   Menimeth watched as the solders of the enemy regrouped, and set out in pursuit. There were only a few miles between the two forces of the enemy, as they advanced on the unsuspecting men of the empire to the east, and the warriors of the empire needed to be warned. It was obvious to Menimeth that the forces of the mage king knew their plans for the assault, but did not know how they could. A trap had been set to catch the forces of the empire off guard, and destroy them.

   "Let us see what they have in mind before we show ourselves." Menimeth said to his dragon. "It could be the difference between winning and losing."

   "Should we not delay the enemy, to give our men time to reach the solders Litlorn leads?" Danorathin asked. "It can be done without giving ourselves away to them."

   "Falare-Netar-Restal-Drathin-laranta" Menimeth said the words as though he had used the spell many times, and the forest in front of the enemy's forces began to grow rapidly. Within seconds, brush blocked the way, and vines that created a wall fifty feet thick as well. It would not slow them down for long, but it would give the solders of the realms time to reach their companions to the east.

   "That should help." Menimeth said to his dragon.

   "It will slow them down, but it will allow the forces behind them to close the gap between them." Danorathin replied.

   "We need to find Litlorn, and warn them of the ambush they are walking into." Menimeth said. "We need to create an ambush of our own."

   Several minuets later, the dragon spotted the Elf and the mage advancing in their direction, leading the men as they did. The men of the empire rode in formation, and carried the banner of the king with them as they advanced. They were proud of their land, and were determined to clear it of its enemies.

   Danorathin landed in a small clearing just behind the last of the retreating warriors, which had escaped the ambush with the help of the wall of fire. Those that were wounded would continue east, while the rest joined their companions in the attack formation that advanced on the oncoming outlaws. Menimeth dropped from his dragon when he landed, and walked to the trees to await the arrival of his friends, and the warriors they commanded. He would have enough time to think about the trap the enemy had set, after they had defeated it. Any of the realms could be where the spy was located, but Menimeth believed it was in Argnon that the traitor resided. The conversation with Captain Brannor so long ago still echoed through his mind, and the time that had elapsed since the plans were made, seemed to point to it as well. The brigands had known the routes the patrols were taking, and he had suspicions of a traitor, then.

   Several minuets passed before Litlorn and Darik came into view through the trees, and Danorathin sat in the sun of the clearing, and looked to the west. Watching the solders as they cut their way through the overgrown forest Menimeth had created, he relayed the information to his master. Once again the realms were beset with foes, which gathered their strength to bring about the empire's destruction. The battle fought today would set events into motion, which would shape the future to come. Menimeth had a plan, but it would require a bit of luck to pull it off, and he needed Darik's help to do it.

   Menimeth stepped from the trees when his friends were close to the clearing, and stopped them from advancing farther. The time had come to discuss the plan with the men, and find out what they thought about it. They had very little time to prepare for the enemy that approached, but it would have to be enough.

Chapter Twenty-One

   Litlorn walked from the hilltop, and the exposed rock outcropping on its crest. He could see the line that separated the empire from the ruined lands clearly, and the foothills of the Shimmering Mountains to the north where it began. The trees abruptly ended at the edge of that barren and desolate land, and even the grass would not grow within its boundaries.

   Darik remained behind, to study the runes and symbols that had been crudely carved into the stone. He ran his fingers over the runes several times, and had them deciphered within minuets, and it was just as he said it would be. The spell was a Hunter's spell used for hiding the hunter, and he could counter it easily. The spell only worked as long as the hunters remained still, but it was not hard to be still for a few seconds. When the barrier was in place, and the warriors were in position, he would cast the counter spell, however, he must create the barrier first.

   Darik walked down the hill, to the boundary that separated the empire from the ruined lands, and looked around him. The Land before him was a stark contrast to the empire, and even the soil was ashen and gray. He raised his staff and the wind began to blow, and it grew stronger as he chanted the spell. "Dometra-Salvera-Covrenta." Several seconds later, the wind stopped abruptly, and a shimmering wall that separated the two lands, appeared. Darik lowered the staff, and looked at the wall he had created. It would not last more than a few months, but that should be long enough to stop the forces of the mage king from continuing to attempt to reach the west.

   They were ahead of schedule, and had arrived at their destination sooner than they expected because the solders worked together well, and followed orders without question. The realms dispatched their solders to Grimmen quickly, and all were in the city when Litlorn and the solders of the southern guard arrived.

   The hill was the beginning of the marked path that the enemy used to reach the west, and Litlorn wanted to talk to the men before they started the assault. He made his way back through the trees to the solders that waited at the base of the hill, and mounted his horse. They were close to their destination now, and did not want to alert the enemy to their presents too soon. Litlorn split the group into four equal parts, to allow them to cover more ground when the counter spell had been cast. Litlorn gave each group their orders, and instructed them on how he wanted to attack the groups that would be exposed by the counter spell. He wanted prisoners to take back to Menimeth, but not at the cost of the lives of any of his men. The empire needed all of the solders they could get, and he did not want to lose any here. Litlorn gave the signal, and the solders rode out and to the locations they were assigned. Litlorn and ten of the solders of the east would stay with Darik while he cast the spell, and then they would work their way west from here.

   When Darik was satisfied with the spell, and was sure it would last for several months, he returned to the opposite side of the hill. Litlorn and the solders were waiting there for him, and when he was mounted, they formed up in ranks and waited. Several minutes passed as they waited for the other groups to reach their destinations, before Darik began the counter spell. He raised his staff and said two words, "Vogadreth-Asavren" and a wave of magic spread across the land before them, following the path the brigands had marked.

   Litlorn looked into the distance, and spotted several groups of solders dressed as bandits ahead of them. He gave the order, and the solders of the empire, slowly moved forward to capture or kill the forces of the mage king. The groups of outlaws were bigger than before. No longer did they travel in groups of two and three, but in groups of ten to twelve.

   Litlorn and Darik led the way as they moved closer to their destination, and the solders of the combined force followed. The enemy was ahead of them, and they were looking forward to the coming attack with anticipation. The men rode with their heads held high, and were proud to be part of the new age. They had all heard the stories in their youth of the new age of the dragon, but never thought it would happen in their lifetime. Life was returning to the empire now that a king sat on the throne, and the men of the guard of each realm felt it.

   The first group of outlaws were caught off guard by the advancing solders, but fought hard when they realized they could be seen. The fight lasted only a few minutes, but two of Litlorn's men were hurt in the skirmish. All of the brigands were killed, and not one of them would surrender. That turned out to be the easiest camp that they found, until they linked up with the first of the strike forces sent ahead.

   Five men had been wounded, and two were killed in the first of the strike forces that they reached, and Litlorn was concerned for the other forces farther ahead. Only two men had died so far, but seven were wounded and two were hurt badly enough to be out of the fight, so Litlorn ordered a camp built. All of the wounded from the other strike forces would be sent to the camp to have their wounds treated, and anyone captured in the campaign would be sent here as well. Ten men were to remain in the camp to guard it and the wounded until their return, but Litlorn did not plan to let any of the brigands passed him that were not prisoners.

   Riding from the camp, Litlorn led the small force from the open foothills, and into the tree-covered land that made up the northern part of Borlund's realm. He was limited in the distance that he could see ahead of them, because of the thickness of the trees, but the other strike forces were ahead of them somewhere to the west.

   They did not encounter any more camps as they made their way west, and Litlorn found it odd. By his calculations, there should have been several more between them and the next strike force.

   When they reached the second strike force it was intact, but had not covered very much ground. They had not found anyone along the way, but several of their men were hurt when they set off various traps built by the enemy. The men had found several more of the traps, and disarmed them, but could only clear an area wide enough for Litlorn and the other solders that accompanied him to pass. Litlorn wondered why traps had been set, if the outlaws only used the north as a way to reach the west. It was not what he expected to see as he led the men west, and he knew something was wrong.

   It was not long before Litlorn and Darik reached the third strike force, which also had seen no one. They found no traps as they swept the area they were assigned to clear of enemies, but they had not looked for any along the way. Litlorn became even more concerned when it appeared they had missed most of the enemy, which sought to reach the camp in the west.

   Two hours later, when the solders of the last strike force began to reach them, Litlorn realized a trap had been set for them. Many of the first to arrive were wounded, but not enough to keep them from the fight ahead. The last to arrive, were the solders that protected them from any enemies that may have been behind them, and the returning solders reported a large force of the enemy, and the wall of fire that saved them as well. They believed it to be Darik who cast the spell, and thanked him for their lives.

   "Something is not right." Litlorn said to Darik, as he sent the badly wounded men on to the camp in the east. "How could there be a large force of the enemy, if they did not know we were coming?"

   "Because they did know we were coming." Darik said, as he looked at the elf. "And they had the time to gather their forces in one place to fight us."

   "They had the time for more than that." Litlorn said. "The camps that we found in the east, were designed to slow us down long enough to defeat one quarter of our forces, and possibly more."

   "There is more than one mystery here." Darik said. "Who cast the spell that saved our men?"

   Menimeth stepped from the trees in front of them, and startled, the men halted their advance. Litlorn had seen the dragon, but not his friend, until he was standing in front of them. The man was getting as good at that as his dragon he thought.

   "We did not expect to see you here." Litlorn said to his friend. "But we did not expect to see as many outlaws as we did."

   "There are more on the way." Menimeth informed them. "And there is a second and larger force behind the first, that is approaching from the west."

   "How can that be?" Darik asked. "It is one thing to consolidate the solders that are here, but another all together to bring forces to the fight."

   "The outlaws are passed the barrier, and the second group is less than half of an hour behind them." Danorathin informed his master.

   "We will have to discuss it later." Menimeth said. "The outlaws are on the move again, and we must have a plan if we are to defeat them."

   "How many of the enemies are in the forces arrayed against us?" Darik asked.

   "Around two hundred in the first group, and twice as many in the second." Menimeth replied.

   "Then we must defeat the first group quickly." Litlorn said. "To have a chance to defeat the second."

   "That is what we must do." Menimeth said. "Place fifty men on each side of the hill, and the rest here, hidden in the trees. When the outlaws reach the bottom of the hill, attack them with your bows first."

   "And when we have defeated them, do we advance, or hold our ground?" Litlorn asked.

   "We will retreat to a better defensive position, and make our stand there." Menimeth said. "Any that are wounded in the battle should be sent east right away, in case we are forced to retreat from our next position."

   "We will do as you command." Litlorn said, and gave the orders to his men.

   Menimeth and his dragon leapt into the air, disappearing over the trees to the east seconds later. The solders of the empire scrambled into position, and the bowmen readied their bows for the first assault. Darik and Litlorn stood in the center of the hill, and waited for the enemy to appear from behind the hill that sat between them.

   They did not have to wait long for the enemy to reach the hill and start down the other side. The first of them reached the bottom of the hill where the men of the empire waited in ambush, before the last of them crested the opposite hill. Litlorn waited for the last of the enemy to appear, before he gave the signal to attack, to avoid alerting the enemy solders that were behind the ones they attacked. The enemy was half way up the hill in which they stood, when Litlorn fired the first arrow, and a hail of arrows followed from behind him.

   Darik raised his staff, and a ball of fire tore through the ranks of the enemy, as the confused solders momentarily halted their advance. Another hail of arrows dropped many in the front ranks, before the outlaws attacked up the hill.

   The solders of the empire drew their swords, and with a yell, raced down the hill to meet them. The two forces came together with a clash of swords, and the brigands were driven back after several minuets of hard fighting. Darik stood on the hill at the edge of the trees, and lightning shot from his staff, as well as balls of fire, that ripped through the enemy as they advanced.

   Danorathin came in low over the trees, and dropped onto the startled solders of the enemy. Menimeth dropped from his dragon with both swords out, and they glowed with a bright white light as he attacked the solders that were closest to him. The solders of the empire came from both sides of the hill, and crashed into the forces of the Mage king on both flanks.

   Several men were dead at the feet of the dragon rider, and two more were dispatched, before he raised the sword in his right hand. Pointing it at a group of the enemy solders that were about to attack him, and spoke the words that came to his mind.

   "Kathasren-Varadin-Dreather." He said, and the brigands he cast the spell at screamed a death scream, and fell to the ground dead. Danorathin ripped through the outlaws with terrible speed and ferocity, as the frightened men tried to flee. Within minuets the fight was over, but not one of the brigands would surrender, and while solders of the mage king lay everywhere, some of the men of the empire were among them.

   Menimeth leapt onto his dragon when the fight was over, and Danorathin vaulted into the air, disappearing over the trees from which he had come. The solders of the empire retreated up the hill and into the trees, carrying their dead with them as they did. They could not delay in putting ground between them and the battlefield, for the larger force of brigands was close behind them. The enemy dead were left were they had fallen, and if the remaining forces could be destroyed, would be burned later.

   Thirty-six men were dead, while another twenty were wounded beyond the ability to help in the fight, and they were all taken to the camp Litlorn had set up in the east. The men that were able to fight were to return to Litlorn, and aid them in the battle to come. Menimeth watched as the larger force of enemy solders came over the hill, and discovered the battlefield. They stopped to investigate, and that gave Litlorn the time he needed to put the distance between them, and his solders.

   Menimeth was waiting for them when they reached the first of several clearings in that part of the Northern realm. The trees were far thicker behind them, and in the direction of the camp, so Menimeth laid out an ambush that had several parts to it. If it worked out the way he planned, it would give them the advantage they needed to defeat the enemy without many losses.

   The solders of the enemy were moving east again, and were more cautious as they advanced. Twenty bowmen on horses waited in the trees to the south, and watched as the enemy approached. When the outlaws were even with their position, they dropped twenty men with the first volley. They dropped another twenty with the second volley, before riding south to escape the perusing bandits.

   Those brigands that chased the bowmen were caught in a hail of arrows several minuets later, that they could not escape. All of them perished in the barrage, and the forces of the empire melted away into the trees. They regrouped to the east of the remaining forces of the enemy, and set up the next ambush. They had killed more than one hundred of the enemy in the first ambush, and hoped to do the same in the next.