Hunt For The Hero (Book 5) (9 page)

CHAPTER 20

“I was scared,” Sasha said to Bayzog. “I, I’m so sorry.”

“Darling, it is alright. I understand.” His voice was soothing and he reached out and held her hands. “Please let it go. It will pass. It happens to all of us.”

“What if it doesn’t
pass?” she said, hugging him. Sobbing.

They were two days into
their journey to Morgdon and still had days to go. Sasha had been very quiet, strangely so, and it had irritated Bayzog. So he had pressed. Slowly. Gradually. Politely. Until she broke. A flood of tears had come.

“If it doesn’t, it doesn’t,
” he said. “We’ll just be cautious.”

She looked right into his face. Her beautiful features were
contorted with deep fear and worry. He’d never seen her so. Not ever.

“I was so scared. I just stood there, helpless and frozen. Watching and doing nothing. Yo
u have to be able to count on me, Bayzog, and you can’t now. Not ever.” She looked away and started to walk away. “Ever again.”

They’d stopped traveling for the day, but Brenwar and Ben were gone gathering food and making camp.
He hadn’t left her side since.

“Sasha, come back,” he said. “Let’s talk about this.”

“There’s nothing to talk about!”

He let her go. The river. The river where Nath Dragon almost drowned
had triggered it all. Sasha, after almost drowning herself deep in the tunnels of the crater, had become terrified of drowning again. Bayzog had wondered what happened in that moment he swam in and helped Nath and Ben in the water. Sasha wasn’t there and she’d loved water. She was even a better swimmer than him, though they didn’t go swimming often. But they did travel the lands from time to time and had been to the Dragon Pond several times. She had loved it there.

He tossed a rough sack on the ground and snapped his fingers. Slowly a tent
took form. He slipped inside and waited. It was best to leave her alone at times like this. He didn’t like her being out there alone, not after he’d lost her once, but he’d take his chances.

He pulled a golden locket out from his robes, opened it up and muttered an incantation. A small image of Sasha formed. He could feel how close she
was and feel her heart in his palm. He sighed. She was safe and he could sense Ben and Brenwar were nearby as well.

***

The peaks of the mountain ranges of the Dwarven city of Morgdon could be seen if Bayzog squinted his keen eyes. He felt uncomfortable with the unfamiliar, particularly with being an Elf in a Dwarven land. But Brenwar hadn’t seemed bothered in Elome, so why should Morgdon bother Bayzog?

Don’t overthink it. You’ve still got days to go.

He searched for Sasha. She rode in the
front, not far from where Brenwar led, towing Nath on his stretcher. They had hardly spoken since last night.

Despite the dry weather his
Elven bones felt cold. He wished Shum were still here. The Roving Ranger had brought him a great comfort. Shum had been older, at least by a few hundred years or so, and his wisdom was needed. Perhaps Shum could have convinced Brenwar that Nath would be better off elsewhere.

His eyes drifted back over
Nath, and he sighed.

He was
n’t sure if Nath being out was a good thing. It certainly left them vulnerable. In all truth, he was excited to see what happened. What kind of change would Nath go through? Would it make him stronger? More savage? It seemed the more Nath changed, the less control he had, but Dragons weren’t impulsive creatures.

He should have more control than he had. If he gets any
more powerful, he might not listen to any of us at all
.

He looked up to the clouds. They were dark
, and even though it hadn’t rained, he hadn’t seen much sunshine the past few days. Something didn’t seem right with the world. Not at all.

Be as prepared as you can be. Wise as a
Dragon. Slick as a snake.

It wasn’t an
Elven saying, but he liked it, wherever it came from.

“Bayzog,” Ben said, riding
up to him, “may I join you?”

Bayzog nodded.

“Why certainly, Ben.” Ben’s typically loose and smiling face was drawn tight. “Is there something on your mind?”

Ben’s eyes met Bayzog
’s and glanced away just before he said, “Evil.”

Bayzog felt his tongue catch in his throat but he didn’t show surprise. There were very few things that rattled him
, but this word coming from this young Man did. He offered a simple smile.

“Do you want to discuss it
, or were you making a confession of sorts?”

“Well, uh,” Ben said. His long face turned a little red. “I just don’t understand how…” He reached back and scratched his head. “Ah, never mind.”

“No, no,” Bayzog said, “It’s a good topic, Ben. Well, in the sense that it’s much better to talk about it that ignore it. You see, the way I understand it, evil doesn’t want us to discuss how to deal with it.”

Ben blinked his light brown eyes, leaned forward in his saddle and said, “Go on, please.”

“Alright then.” Bayzog cleared his throat and tapped his chest. It felt good to talk about something like this. “Ben, let me see if maybe I understand some of your thoughts, and remember I’m no sage, but I am part human, and at some point I was a young human like you. So it’s possible … well, actually, I’m certain I’ve asked the same question. What is evil? What is good?” He eyed Ben. “Am I on the right track?”

“I think so.”

“Maybe, just maybe, you are wondering how we know whether our actions are good or evil. Right?”

Ben nodded

“And you want to be sure about that, don’t you?”

“Absolutely.”

“Ben, there is no easy way to explain it, but I offer this.” Bayzog locked his violet eyes on Ben’s. “There is evil in all of us.”

Ben’s eyes widened like saucers.

“Sounds really bad doesn’t it?” Bayzog said.

Ben blinked a few times
. “Yes, but does that mean there is good in all of us as well?”

“Certainly.”
Bayzog grabbed his canteen, pulled off the top and took a drink. He offered it to Ben.

The young
Man shook his head and one of the horses nickered.

A stiff breeze came and blew hair in
to Bayzog’s eyes. “But it’s often buried deep beneath the surface, choking, you might say.”

Ahead, he noticed large birds dipping in an
d out of the distant tree tops. The bright leaves on the trees started to bend, and lightning flashed behind them. The hairs on his arms rose.

There’s that feeling again.

“It sounds more confusing than i
t should be,” Ben said.

“There is a fine line between the two, but a good heart will warn you.”

“How do you know which is which?” Ben asked. “There are so many things to consider. I mean, I’m good, aren’t I?”

Bayzog chuckled.

“Of that I have no doubt. Don’t let your mistakes confuse you, Ben. Or guilt either,” Bayzog said. “Those are traps evil prepares for you. It can distract you or immobilize you. Doubt and worry are deadly.”

“Oh,” Ben said. “But …”

Bayzog interrupted.

“Listen,
good wants you, all of us, to be free. Evil wants to enslave and control things. And when in doubt ask yourself this: which is easier? Doing the right thing or the wrong thing?”

Ben looked up at his brows and rubbed his chin. A moment later he said, “I don’t know.”

“Well, you’re a farmer, right?”

“I was a farmer
. Now I’m a soldier.” Ben’s brows buckled. “Aw, I’m not even that anymore.”

“Sorry, Ben, but let me continue. Is it easier to steal the food from the farmer or farm the food
yourself?”

“Steal it, I guess, but nobody better steal my food.” He shook his f
ist. “They’ll get busted up for that.”

“So
stealing’s evil, right?”

Ben sat up in his saddle and nodded his head.

“Right!”

“What about what happened with the Golden Ore in your village? Those brigands could have bought it or bartered for it, but instead they stole it. What do you call that?”

“Evil.”

“Would you ever do that?”

“No,” Ben said, shaking his head.

“Nor would I.”

Ben cocked an eyebrow and said, “Huh, now that I think about it, it’s always tougher to do the right thing than the wrong thing.”

“
Doing right builds character. That much is certain.”

“But,” Ben said, “do you think they know it’s wrong
?”

“At one time, maybe they did, but over time, evil debases the mind.”

“Hmmm,” Ben said, “are you worried that can happen to Dragon?”

Several horse lengths in front of them,
Nath’s big body was being towed through the tall grasses. His body was covered in cloth and his head was wrapped up in a cowl, still leaving his face and jaw exposed.

“I shu
dder to think such a thing, Ben. Nath’s been nothing but good, but those scales … his moods … they seem to be gaining control of him. The catacombs of evil are deep, and it’s easy to get lost if you go too far. Many never return. Guilt, worry and power can consume you.”

  “This is bigger than just Dragon, isn’t it?” Ben said. “But he has something to do with it.”

The statement was a surprise, but Bayzog found relief in it. Ben had wisdom, and that could help them.

Still,
Bayzog shrugged.

“W
hat about wars and such things?” Ben asked. “How do we know when they are right or wrong?”

“We are allowed to defend ourselves
, Ben. The important thing is that in the name of peace we don’t compromise with evil.”

“Why
?” Ben said. “What if it saves more people?

Bayzog looked right at him
.

“
Evil always does bad things, Ben. It never moves closer to doing good. Trying to compromise with evil only moves you closer to doing bad.”

“I guess so
,” Ben said.

They kept riding and Ben finally drifted away. Bayzog figured he’d given
him plenty to think about and even more for himself to consider.

What an interesting young
Man. The world could use more like him.

Still, Ben’s questions plagued him
more the farther they rode. Bayzog wasn’t sure he’d made himself clear, but hopefully Ben had understood.

There were other
examples he could have told, such as the stories of the Elves and Orcs. The Elvish strove to live by the highest standards, relishing in peace, knowledge, art, and beauty. Orcish standards were deplorable: fighting and wallowing in filth for power. That was evil to see.

But what about the evil that wasn’t so easy to see
? Beautiful, cunning and lethal. A beautiful flower whose leaves were poisoned. How did one prepare for that?

Ahead,
Brenwar had stopped. Shifting in the saddle, the burley Dwarf sniffed the air and combed his fingers through his beard.

Bayzog rode
up to Brenwar’s side, as did the others.

“Why are we stopping
?” Sasha said. “Is that a bad storm ahead?”

“The storm isn’t anything to worr
y about,” Brenwar said in his gruff voice, “just water for the trees and the flowers. It’s those birds.” He pointed.

They were circling now, floating on their wing
s above the trees, but moving forward. 

“Looks like vultures,” Ben said. “Or
other carrion eaters. I’d assume something’s dead below. You aren’t worried about birds, are you, Brenwar?”

Brenwar eyed Ben
and then made a sound. His horse started forward.

“Are you ready for anything?
” Brenwar unslung his War Hammer from his shoulder. “Because anything is coming.”

“What do you mean?” Sasha said.

Bayzog placed his hand over his brows and scanned the sky.

“Those aren’t birds,”
he said, squinting. “Those are Dragons.”

CHAPTER 21

“Maybe they’re good Dragons,” Ben said.

“Good Dragons aren’t so easily seen,” Bayzog said. “Remember the last ones we saw at the crater? They scattered.”

“Oh,” Ben said.

Bayzog’s heart pounded. Dragons were the most exciting things you’d ever see, but only because siting them was a rare thing. Like watching a flower bloom. This was different. Dragons flying in plain sight and coming right at them. Reason for concern.

“Brenwar,” he said, “Perhaps we should venture
on another course. There’s no rush, after all, is there?”

Brenwar grunted
. “Perhaps.” He tugged at the reins, taking a more westward direction. The Dragons, less than a mile away, stayed headed right for them.

This is not good.

Sasha came along Bayzog’s side. “I can’t tell if they’re Dragons or birds. They’re just specks to me. Are you certain they’re Dragons?”

“I am,”
Bayzog said, reaching over and grabbing her palm. “Stay close, Sasha, and have a spell prepared.”

“What kind of spell? Don’t I need to know what kind of
Dragons they are?”

Every
Dragon had a weakness. It might be an element such as water or fire. It could be a sound, loud or soft. Different metals and different magic. If you didn’t have what you needed in a battle of mortal versus Dragon, they’d rip you apart with their teeth and claws. In most cases that was all they needed.

“I’m not sure. Not without a closer look. What do you think
, Brenwar?”

“Yer eyes are better than mine,
Elf,” Brenwar said, squinting, “Tell me what you see?”

“Black wing
s and grey scales,” he said, “and a smooth oval head. A little more color in the tail, a dark red.”

“Oval head,” Brenwar said, rubbing his beard. “Hmmm, what about the bell
y?”

“Dark grey, almost black
, I’d say.”

The Dwarf
made an ugly sound in his throat and pulled his horse to a stop. Brenwar had at least a few centuries on Bayzog, and he was certain the Dwarf had more Dragon encounters than him by far. Bayzog also knew that Brenwar had been inside the Mountain of Doom, where he’d probably seen things an Elf could only dream of.

“
Those,” Brenwar said, “if they are as you say, then they are Grey Scalers.”

“Why do they call them that?” Ben said. “Because they have grey scales
?”

“It doesn’t matter why they call them that!” Brenwar huffed. “What matters is what happens if they come after us.” Brenwar eyed their surroundings.

The mountains were still distant. The closest forest was miles away. For now, it was just them, the Dragons, and the plains.

“Do you know how to handle Grey Scalers
?” Sasha said to Bayzog.

He shook his head.

All this time with Nath, and I’ve never bothered to ask him about all the different Dragons. You always think you have more time than you have. What a fool I’ve been.

“Whatever you
’ve got, Wizard, get it ready!” Brenwar hopped off his horse and slung his trunk on the ground. “Sorceress, see what you can find in there.” He fumbled with Nath’s wrappings and pulled out the bow and quiver. “You know how to use this?” he said to Ben.

Ben
nodded his head yes.

Brenwar tossed it to him. “Load it up then. And use the
Mithril.” He started to walk away and stopped. “And aim for the belly when they ain’t looking. And don’t fire until I tell you.”

“How powerful are those things
?” Sasha said.

“Just pretend they’re big scaly dogs with wings.” He winked at her. “A few good licks and we might scare them off.” He looked up at Ben. “Get off that horse
, will you? And kneel down in the weeds. They come!”