Dragons Descended Upon the Wicked (5 page)

“We needed some good news,” said Jeffrey. “But this, this is the best news I have ever heard in my entire life.”

“You did good, young boys,” said Tyler. “You’ve proven to be more useful than you look. Especially you newcomer, good job.”

“Thank you,” said Thomas.

The crowd smiled and cheered as the news spread throughout camp. Smiles were infectious and hugging was more than a normal occurrence for the three men as they tried to walk through camp. They had never been thanked so many times in such of a limited amount of time.

As the day went on and the sun began to set, the emotions around camp dwindled as well. The excitement wore off and a plan of action had to be addressed.

The king’s men and Nick sat calmly along the wall of rock that made up the north bend as Tyler sang a song about his home, their home: Genold City. Tyler was an all around talented young man, despite his know it all attitude and joking nature. At the end of the last note of his song Jeffrey stepped in and said, “Let us take a vote.”

“Take a vote on what?” asked Tyler.

“Well, a vote on whether or not we should go to Terrel,” said Tyler. “We haven’t had a vote since we all sat in the king’s room and deliberated matters. I don’t want to be the only one who makes decisions here; that is not my place. You are all intelligent and your hearts are in the right place. So, what do you all vote?”

One by one the king’s men said they were in favor of moving camp into the heart of Terrel. One by one they smiled and nodded their heads in agreement. Then they all looked at Nick. He looked back at them puzzled.

“What is your vote, Nick?” asked Jeffrey.

“Well, I have no say in the matter,” said Nick. “It’s not my right.”

“You have every right, Nick,” said Jeffrey.

He stood up and walked over to where Nick was sitting.

“Get on your knees,” said Jeffrey.

Nick quickly pushed himself up so that he was kneeling on both of his knees.

“The king’s men have spoken, Nick,” said Jeffrey. “We have voted you to be the newest king’s man, should you accept, of course.”

Nick was speechless. He could not even fathom the very idea that was bestowed upon him.

“I’ll need an answer, Nick, followed by your vote,” said Jeffrey.

“Yes...yes. Of course, I accept,” said Nick. “Thank you...thank you all for trusting me and honoring me in this way.”

“I wouldn’t have any one else by my side,” said Ron.

“You give hope to us all,” said Dani.

“You’ve proven your worth time and time again,” said Jacob.

“This is probably not the most appropriate time to say this,” said Tyler. “But I stole your sandwich the second day we were on the road. It was delicious. You are also a fine warrior, trustworthy, smart, and reliable. Can’t ask for much more.”

“You deserve this, Nick,” said Jeffrey. “I do not have any golden armor to give you, but I will see to it personally that you receive it when all of this is done. There’s only three of us who have golden armor anyways so you shouldn’t feel too left out.”

Nick was on the verge of tears. It meant the world to him that he was now a king’s man. He stood side by side with the world’s greatest and most noble warriors.

“You must say your vows,” said Jeffrey. “Simply repeat after me.”

“Okay,” said Nick.

“I am a king’s man,” said Jeffrey.

“I am a king’s man,” repeated Nick.

“My sword, my armor, and my honor is all that I need,” said Jeffrey.

“My sword, my armor, and my honor is all that I need,” said Nick.

“From this day until my last, I will defend my king, my land, my king’s honor, and my land’s honor,” said Jeffrey

“From this day until my last, I will defend my king, my land, my king’s honor, and my land’s honor,” said Nick.

“The gold I wear is like the sun,” said Jeffrey.

“The gold I wear is like the sun,” said Nick.

“It chases the night and makes it run,” said Jeffrey.

“It chases the night and makes it run,” said Nick.

“The word, the guide, and a soldier for the king; I am one,” said Jeffrey.

“The word, the guide, and a soldier for the king; I am one,” said Nick.

Jeffrey smiled down at Nick and rubbed his head. He held out his arm and hoisted Nick off of the ground. The king’s men took turns congratulating Nick one by one by shaking his hand.

“Now I’ll ask one more time,” said Jeffrey. “What is your vote?”

Nick chuckled a bit and then said, “I vote to go to Terrel.”

“Good first vote,” said Jeffrey. “Here, I have something for you.”

Jeffrey pulled out a small gold pin the size of a finger tip that was designed as a small crown. He put the pin on Nick’s black shirt.

“This was Reed’s pin,” said Jeffrey. “We have lost a friend, a warrior, and a brother. It might seem like this is too soon but we believe this will help with the grieving process. Wear this pin proudly, Nick.”

Nick rubbed his fingers over the gold pin and smiled once more.

“When shall we go to Terrel?” asked Nick.

“I think it is appropriate to gather supplies and be well rested before we begin our journey,” said Jeffrey. “It will take nearly three weeks to get there on foot, so we should plan accordingly. What do you all vote?”

One by one the king’s men placed their vote in favor of Jeffrey’s plan. Not only did Nick believe this plan to be the most well though out, but the plan actually complimented a few plans of his own.

***

Nick awoke in the middle of the night with Penny by his side. He quietly got up to his feet while being careful not to wake her up or anyone else around him for that matter. He slowly tip toed his way through camp. Everyone was so closely huddled to stay warm it was like he was going through a complex maze. He made his way north where the white dragon rested beyond the gate into camp.

He saw the white dragon peacefully sleeping, and thought to himself,
Dricos never told me how to wake up a sleeping dragon.

He rubbed his hand along the white dragon’s face. When that did not work he tried lightly tapping the dragon with his hand. After his first two failed attempts he leaned in towards the dragon’s ear and said, “Wake up!”

The white dragons eyes jolted wide open and it sprung to its feet.

“Easy there, it’s only me.” Nick placed his hand along the belly of the dragon and rubbed it.

“I never even checked but what are you, boy or girl?”

“Hmm...yes definitely a boy. You also need a fitting name.”

Nick thought for a moment, a massive male white dragon should be named...

“I’ve got it. I shall give you the name Esork. That’s what my father used to call me when I was a young boy. It means fear in the old language of men. I used to fear everything as a young boy from being in the dark, being home alone, and I even feared tiny insects. I finally changed when my father told me to not let esork rule my life. You will change lives and you will be the pure essence of esork to those who are damned.”

Nick climbed upon Esork’s wing and sat down at the base of its neck.

“Tonight we have a mission, Esork,” said Nick. “I’ll need your cooperation. I hope you can understand me.”

“Silner,” said Nick.

Esork took flight. The loud flapping of his wings surely woke up a few people from camp. When Esork flew high enough in the sky Nick directed Esork to fly south east. They were heading to Vincot.

The flight only took two hours. Nick commanded Esork to land far away from the main gate behind a hill. Nick patted Esork on the head and started to walk along the dirt road that lead to the gate. The last time he was on this road he had been riding away with the three king’s men who escorted him to Genold City. Now he walked down the dirt road alone as a king’s man himself. As he walked he felt eerily surreal. He would never know the same Vincot as he did when he grew up; the city was changed forever.

Nick stood at the base of the gate. A guard stood on top of the city’s wall. He was not wearing the usual Refect armor Nick had grown up to know.

“Hello there,” said Nick.

“What is it that you want, traveler?” asked the guard.

“I am no traveler; I live here,” said Nick. “I have just been gone for a few short weeks.”

“Well, I can’t let you in,” said the guard. “New rules have been in effect since you left, boy. You don’t have the mark. You are not allowed to enter.”

“What mark are you talking about?” asked Nick.

“You must have the letter, V, for Vincot, branded onto your forehead,” said the guard. “Those are the rules. If you’d like I can arrange your branding tonight. You just have to fill out a few forms down at the office. If you’re branded you aren’t allowed into any other city, though. Fair warning.”

“Never mind. I’ll be on my way then,” said Nick.

Nick turned his back to the city and started to walk back down the dark barren road. He clenched his fist at the thought of the innocent people who have been forced to be painfully branded to stay in the city. He could imagine the fear and torment each city that had fallen to the six must have gone through.

He made his way back to Esork and carefully crafted his next plan of action.

“I don’t even care if you understand me when I talk to you,” said Nick. “We need to get Penny’s parents. We are going to do so by you flying swiftly into the city and dropping me off on a rooftop. You’ll have to fly away when I land. You cannot stay in the city. They will panic and you will be attacked. Agh... I know you can’t understand me, but this is the only way, and it has to be done right.”

Nick positioned himself on to Esork. The weight of the world seemed to conveniently place itself upon Nick’s shoulders as he readied his command. He had made a promise to Penny, but he had also made a vow as a king’s man. He could not mess this up and land himself and those around him in considerable danger.

“Silner,” said Nick.

The dragon rose high into the sky just to the point where the clouds were directly over them. The darkness of night and the white clouds made the perfect natural cloaking device for the white dragon.

Esork flew over the city. “Tolt,” said Nick and Esork hovered in the same spot.

Nick took in a few deep breaths to calm his nerves. “Pon,” said Nick, and Esork descended directly down towards the city.

The wind was already rushing past Nick.

“Alazo!” yelled Nick and Esork descended from the heavens even faster.

Nick could not hear anything but the gust of wind as they approached Vincot at an alarming rate. It was much faster than Nick anticipated.

“Taltu! Taltu!” screamed Nick. Esork extended his wings and captured the force of wind. A few mighty flaps of his wings and they safely made it on top of Mrs. Tally’s Fine Jewelry Shop. Nick quickly jumped off of Esork.

“Get out of the city, Esork,” said Nick while he franticly looked around to see if anyone had noticed them land.

“Silner,” said Nick.

Esork spread his wings and took flight into the night sky. Nick crouched down and hid behind a few wooden crates on the flat wooden rooftop. Of course the dragon commands work even when I am not riding him, Nick thought to himself.
I should have thought of that first. We made lots of sounds...too many sounds. Someone had to have seen Esork. The night is late but a wary eye is always up in Vincot.

Nick crawled towards the back side of the roof that lead to the back alley of the store. Belfat Market was directly in front of him. If he wanted to leave the area without being seen, it had to be through the back alleys. Nick looked down from the rooftop and the jump was merely ten feet. His hands grasped the edge of the roof and he swung his body over and gracefully landed on the ground. He slowly crept towards the right side of the store that faced inwards towards the city.

A shadow was cast along the porch. He heard encroaching footsteps from the porch so he quickly positioned his body along the back wall of the store. The footsteps got nearer and nearer until they stopped right around the corner from where Nick stood. He slowly and quietly placed his right hand on the handle of his sword.

“I know you’re there,” said a man in a deep and dark voice. “Free your hands; there is no need for violence here.”

Nick pulled out his sword and positioned it along the man’s neck.

He was a Paplon male with light skin. He had no hair and was built with massive amounts of muscle. He squinted as Nick placed his sword along his neck.

“I said no need for violence,” said the man.

“Who are you and what do you want?” asked Nick.

“I am merely a simple man who holds simple questions for you, friend,” said the man.

Nick lowered his sword and placed it along the side of his body.

“You rode on a dragon,” said the man. “You must be a warrior. A fine warrior. Dare I say, as mighty as the king who rides the dragon? I just might.”

“Yes, that was a dragon,” said Nick. “I have somewhere I must be. The dragon is gone and there is no chance of any kind of attack. If you’ll excuse me...”

“I want you to fight for me,” said the man. “You don’t bear the mark, yet you are in the city. Reason enough to have you pitted against others in the arena.”

Nick raised his sword at the man. “I will strike you down where you stand. There is no way I will ever fight for you.”

The man smiled and raised his right hand into the air. Nick felt a sudden pinch in his neck. His right hand found a tiny dart sticking out of his skin. He pulled it out. The man began to move, left, right, up, and down. Everything began to blur. The sword fell from his hand, he could not clench his fist, and he could not control his body. He collapsed onto the ground. His eyes began to turn to black as if someone was shutting a window. The last thing he saw was the man crouching and smiling at him, and another pair of feet walk up to Nick’s face.

CHAPTER FIVE

Nick eyes opened. The light was all too bright and his head ached with pain. He rolled over and forced himself to keep his eyes open. For a few moments he could not see anything, only white light. As the seconds passed his eyes slowly adjusted. He was looking at a blurry steel cell gate. A few more moments passed and he saw everything as clearly as he ever had. He lay on a stone floor with a stone wall behind him. He was caged by black steel bars that completely surrounded him; they stretched from the ground to the roof. A young Reza girl, no more than fourteen years of age, sat directly across from him. Her hands were handcuffed, as were her feet. She wore white gloves that were secured by tight handcuffs. Nick looked down at his own hands and feet to find that he indeed had handcuffs, and chains around his ankles, but he did not have white gloves on. His captors saw him as a normal Paplon as any sane man should.