Dragons of Summer Tide (The Dragons of Hwandor) (45 page)

Ambassador, the Imperial Princess Arindina walked into her apartments on the top floor of a home near the palace. The building had been purchased many generations ago to house the representatives of the
Empire of Khatstan. While it was large and well appointed by local standards it was not anywhere near as lavish as the surroundings to which an imperial princess was accustomed. Princess Arindina did not notice anything in her surroundings since she was in a world of her own – a world that now included a small black dragon with wonderful green eyes.

The princess could already feel the gifts that the dragon bond bestowed. Already her hearing far surpassed that of any normal human. She could feel that she was becoming even better able to bend others to her will. And there was the feeling that she could bring a silent quick death to anyone through a simple small dragon bite. If possible she was becoming even more perceptive of people and what they think and feel.

She finally understood why this barbarian king didn’t appear to be struck by her charms. But she knew that she had a weapon to gain some control over this new king. She and her spies had been working to keep the new king alive as his own people tried to assassinate him. But Arindina was a master of courtly intrigue and she was a long term planner and she knew that this was going to be a long and interesting winter here in this barbarian kingdom. But first things first, a little piece of information had just arrived from her spies and the she had something for her new little treasure to do. And so she carried Green Eyes outside onto the balcony and watched as the tiny black dragon took flight and quickly vanished becoming a shadow in the night.

*****

Barroon settled in nicely in his small room at the floating inn. Just the thing for which he had been searching – a small inn owned by a widow. Barroon knew that he could be a happily married man by midwinter and a propertied widower by spring. He thought to himself of how he had followed these dragons all the way to the end of civilization. With winter coming he would need to stay here in this city and so he should make an effort t become a man of some position. A widow with property was exactly what he needed in order to become a man of means this winter. He smiled as he thought about what it would be like to be a husband and owner of the Inn of the Water Dragon. With an inn he could show the face of a respectable businessman and behind that mask he could build some wealth and power in the shadows. Just as he had done as a young man back in the empire.

*****

The human king had gone out into the night in order to return to his palace after he had heard all that the humans and elves could tell him. The king had also shared some information with the companions though certainly he had a great deal more information being kept to himself. The young king was impressive and something about him felt inspiring and now Pelinar had agreed to a task while the three elves were in this human city – actually the elven warrior had offered his skills to the task at hand.

Pelinar lay there in his but still yet awake in the darkness listening to the steady breathing of Talyat beside him. It had been months since he had heard that comforting breath right next him. Pelinar thought back to the year that he spent learning underground battle tactics from the dwarves and how to clear tunnels in order to make them safe. The tactics of the dwarves call for the use of many warriors rotating constantly in order to use pressure upon the denizens of the tunnels to clear them. Pelinar did not have an army of dwarven axes to command so the tactics would have to be modified to suit a small party of fighters – a small party that would however include a dragon warrior, mages, dragons all guided by the eyes of a night dragon and a blind child. Sleep may not come this night at all thought the elf warrior.

*****

Shira lay down in her bed and she could feel an exhaustion overwhelming her and so she quickly began to drift off to sleep. As her mind sank into darkness she, for a moment, thought of the tall handsome red haired king. She wondered if the king had made it back safely to the palace or if he were still one his way. He had really only left a few moments before.

Cyool felt the urge to know what was happening to the tall re haired man. She could feel that her bonded had drifted off into sleep. The dragon stirred a bit and then she had to satisfy her curiosity before she could sleep so she quietly leaped into the air and flew out over the city.

*****

His Majesty King  Palavwar Bal Djundarbin, had only ruled for a week since coming of age. In the last three years he had survived numerous strange accidents while he waited to take over his dead father’s throne. In those three years control of the kingdom and the palace had been wrested from the royal family and the young king was struggling to assert his authority and maintain peace throughout the kingdom. And now he finally had some plans in place which may take his opponents by surprise and shift the power back to the throne and a new Conclave of Nobles.

It was with all of this spinning around the young king’s mind that he stepped out into the night. The tall red haired young man stood in the forecourt of the Tower of the Mages thinking about the meeting that he had just had and all of the things that he had learned. The meeting had taken half on the day and half of the night and now the king stood in the quiet of the night just after midnight. The streets would be nearly empty as the king was returning to the palace with his guard of six men. His Majesty walked across the forecourt to the gate where his guard would be waiting.

As the king approached the gate he heard the sergeant let out a sharp whistle that would signal the other five guards that the king was ready to return to the palace. The young king stepped through the gate into the street and only had to wait a few moments before his personal guard was once again assembled around him. Then the group of men set off toward the palace with the king at the centre as the sergeant walked in front and one man walked in back with the other four men forming a square around the king two men to the left and two men to the right. There were no taverns or inns operating within the walls of the old city so the streets were quite and very empty.

Sergeant Corless was walking directly in front of the king, knowing that the five other guards were waiting for his signal – their orders were very clear. Corless made sure that the street was clear of potential witnesses and that it was very dark to make his move. It was an old movement taught in the sword exercises it was known as the turning serpent and it was designed to quickly draw a blade and attack a target to the rear. With the practice of years Corless gently slipped his hand up to grab the hilt of his sword and he drew his blade in front of himself as he stepped forward with his right foot.  As his right foot landed he planted it and started to turn to the left, his left foot did not take a normal step and instead the man stepped around behind himself turning to his left and exposing his blade to lunge back in the direction from which he had just come. Without warning the man was now lunging back toward the king in an expertly executed attack.

The young king saw the warrior ahead of him turn and lunge and he reached for his own sword but knew that it would be too late. The king had his blade only half cleared when the oncoming blade of his guard passed within an inch of his shoulder and continued to travel and buried itself into the chest of the guard behind the king – a guard who had a long dagger in his hand just inches from the back of the king. The king had only a moment to realize that the sergeant had just saved his life as he continued to clear his own blade. Seconds later the king and the sergeant were fighting for their lives against the four remaining guards turned assassins.

Corless had clear orders for he and his men to make sure that the king did not return alive to the palace, and it was the sort of thing that he had done often in his life.  Long ago he had traded his honour for gold and since that day he had many times traded the lives of others for more gold. But when he turned he looked for a moment into the eyes of a king – a king that he had seen stand as dragons attacked while he had himself cowered from the beasts. In that moment Corless knew that he himself would die this night but he also knew that he would do so having fought beside his king. The ringing of steel filled the night as two men were pressed hard by four seasoned attackers. As if this were a signal, six more guards charged out of the shadows to aid their four companions. Corless realized then that with ten men against two there was no way that he would be able to save the young king this night. Then wing beats sounded from overhead and a shriek came down from the darkness above.