Omensent: Princess Of Dragons (Book 5) (10 page)

"No charge." Slither grunted, handing the scruffy little man the empty tankard for a refill.

"Is everything ready for our departure in the morning?" Damion asked, turning to his young wife.

"I think so." Raven nodded wearily. "I've gathered everything that we may need, alerted the castle staff to the fact that Leia will be in charge while we are gone, and ordered the stable hands to have the horses ready to leave at dawn. I think we're as ready as we're going to be."

"Then all that's left to do is alert Tempest to what is happening, and ask her to stop in and check on things while we are gone." Damion drained his tankard, then rose to his feet with a sigh.

"Why not just leave it to Xaxis?" Raven asked curiously.

"He still a little young and inexperienced." Damion frowned uneasily. "He can be a bit unreliable at times. I think I would feel better if Tempest were keeping an eye on things." He glanced to his tired looking wife. "Why don't you go ahead and get some rest. It may be a while before we get to enjoy our own beds again. I'll join you as soon as I return."

He quickly made his way out of the castle, then paused for a moment, and turned to look up at the upper floors of the castle.
"Snowfeather, I'm going to go pay a visit to Tempest. Would you care to join me?"

"Why are you going to see Tempest?"
Snowfeather asked, appearing from the battlements above and gliding down to circle overhead.
"Has something happened?"

"We have received a request from the Queen of the Elves to come to their island and help them with a matter of some urgency. It seems that the god Hetris has returned and gathered His children, the blood elves, in an attempt to destroy the followers of the elven goddess, Petra. If we do not intervene, Petra's followers will be destroyed, and the blood elves will reach out to other lands and start spreading destruction. We'll be leaving first thing tomorrow morning."

"Another journey to save the world, huh?"
The huge owl hooted, gliding down to settle on the huge warrior's broad shoulder.
"It's getting a little old, don't you think?"

"You can say that again," Damion grumbled aloud as he started to make his way through town. "but I have to continue to attempt to put things right. It is my fault that the gods have returned and reignited their wars, and I must try to put an end to those wars before they engulf the entire world."

"Your sense of responsibility is noble and all, but you cannot blame yourself for what has happened. It was the Dragon God that violated the Pact of the Gods, not you. You cannot help that your refusal to surrender Leia caused Him to forget himself. Although,"
The huge owl conceded with a chirp.
"I
can
understand why Draco lost control like He did. You can be an extremely stubborn individual to deal with. Once you get an idea in your head, you absolutely refuse to let it go, even if it might get you killed."

"You noticed that, did you?" The huge warrior laughed. "I guess it's not one of my better qualities, is it?"

They quickly made their way through the massive granite wall that surrounded the city and kept its inhabitants safe from the untamed mountains surrounding Sevria, then they stopped as they reached the dark trade road.

"Want to race to Tempest's cavern," Damion asked with a smile. "or are you afraid that I might beat you again?"

"You only beat me last time because I stopped to snatch a nice fat rabbit that happened across my path, and even then, you barely beat me."

"Sure, sure." The huge warrior said sarcastically. "I think you're just getting old."

"Dream on, hairball."
Snowfeather hooted, launching himself from his perch on the huge warrior's shoulder.
"Snow Owls can live for over a hundred and fifty years, and I'm not even thirty yet. I'm still a teenager, by human standards."

"I'll see you there, then." Damion laughed, watching as his familiar disappeared into the darkness.

"I'll be waiting."

Damion laughed again, then carefully gathered in his magic and focused it inwards on himself, allowing his body slip into the sleek form of a black panther. The instant the transformation was complete, he dashed off into the night, eager to enjoy a quick run, something which had become somewhat of a rarity in the years following the Battle of Sierra. He sped down the trade road at breakneck speed for several miles, then suddenly cut off down a scarcely visible game trail, and set off through the heavily forested countryside, moving confidently through the darkness along a path that he had taken hundreds of times before, until he finally reached a steep cliff side which appeared nearly impossible to climb. He dashed forward and hit the cliff face at a full run, using his momentum to propel himself upward to a narrow ledge which jutted out from the stone. In two more powerful leaps, he reached the entrance to a large cavern that led deep into the cliff side.

"What took you so long?"
Snowfeather's smug hoot greeted him.

Damion looked around and spotted his familiar sitting on a nearby boulder.
"Not bad."
He congratulated the huge owl.
"I guess you
do
still have a bit of pep left in you. That means that you've just been a bit lazy lately."

"What do you expect? It's not as though I live the life of a normal snow owl, now is it?"
The huge owl began rearranging his feathers fussily.
"Compared to my life before our bonding, I live in the lap of luxury. I sleep in a nice warm bedroom, get constant pampering, and enjoy some of the finest meals that I could wish for. Of course I'm lazy!"

"Leia's been feeding you salmon eggs again, hasn't she?"
The huge warrior asked suspiciously as shifted back into his normal form.
"You've been eating those things by the gallon here lately! Do you realize how much they cost at this time of year?"

"I can't help it if Leia loves me more than you do."
Snowfeather chirped dismissively.
"She knows that it is my favorite treat, and the price never seems to concern her, only my happiness."

"Nice try." Damion laughed out loud. "The guilt trip doesn't work for you like it does Leia. You're just not as cute."

"I'll be out looking for a snack."
The huge owl told him, launching itself into the air once more and disappearing into the darkness outside.
"Let me know when you're ready to return to the castle."

Damion paused for a moment and drew in his magic, allowing it to gather about him before focusing it into a tiny ball of light which hovered a few feet above the cavern floor, illuminating the path ahead, then he slowly began to make his way deeper into dark cavern.

After several minutes, he emerged into a large cavern that was literally brimming with treasure. Huge piles of gold coins, massive lumps of pure silver, and thousands of priceless gems had all been heaped together in careless piles about the cavern. Damion carefully picked his way through the valuable treasures towards the rear of the chamber, where an enormous scarlet dragon was laying comfortably against the cool stone wall of its lair.

"Good evening, Dragonkin." The huge beast grumbled in greeting, raising her head to stare at her visitor. "It's been some time since our last visit. How is everything faring in Sevria?"

"It's as busy as always." The huge warrior replied, making himself comfortable on a huge pile of gold coins. "Between running the castle, dealing with trade agreements, and training Leia how to control her magic, I don't have a lot of time left for visiting with old friends anymore."

"How is little Leia?" The huge serpent asked curiously. "It is the anniversary of her birth, is it not?"

"It is," He nodded with a sigh. "and she's a little angry with me at the moment, to tell you the truth. We received a plea for our assistance from the Queen of the Elves, and we've decided to leave her in Sevria to help run things while we are gone. She didn't take the news well."

"The elves?" Tempest asked in surprise. "They haven't associated with any outsiders in over a thousand years! What could be so serious that they would ignore centuries of tradition and contact an outsider for aid?"

"It appears that a group called the blood elves, who are followers of Hetris, the God of Strife and Deception, have reemerged to threaten the followers of Petra, the Goddess of Fertility and Nature. I suspect that Hetris may have returned to stir up trouble. There have already been a number of atrocities."

"But why would the elven queen turn to you for help?"

"Apparently Dar suggested that they contact me." Damion shrugged. "I couldn't say no, considering the fact that I am to blame for the gods returning."

"You cannot continue to blame yourself for the Dragon God's actions." The huge dragon told him reprovingly. "You can't jump up and try to save the day every time that one of the gods decides to interfere with mankind."

"That's what the others keep telling me," The huge warrior admitted. "but this time it was Raven who made the decision to accept their plea for help. She was so moved by their plight that she couldn't bear to turn them down."

"Your wife has a gentle heart." Tempest smiled fondly. "You chose your mate well."

"I thought so too." He grinned. "Anyway, we have decided to leave Leia behind to run the city, with Sly and Aunt Skie's help, of course." He stared up at his old friend. "I was hoping that you would keep an eye on everything while we were gone. We're not expecting any trouble, but there have been some strange occurrences as of late, and I'd feel better knowing that you were keeping an eye on things."

"What kind of strange occurrences?"

"We started to get reports of goblins harassing the work crews maintaining the trade road, but when Slither went to investigate, he couldn't locate them. Then, when he tried to warn the dragonspawn of the goblins' presence, he was unable to find any trace of them either." He shook his head. "I don't know what's going on, but it's not like the dragonspawn to abandon an entire region. I have the feeling that something is up."

"That
is
strange." Tempest agreed with a thoughtful frown. "It does sound as if something may be afoot."

"So you'll keep an eye on things while we're gone?" Damion asked with a hopeful expression. "I would ask Xaxis, but he's still a little... flighty."

"Of course I'll watch over Sevria." Tempest agreed immediately. "I'll also see what I can find out about the sudden disappearance of the dragonspawn. Some of my brethren may know where they fled."

"That's a good idea." The huge warrior agreed with a nod. "Slither will undoubtedly wish to help too. He was quite perplexed when he couldn't locate any of the dragonspawn."

"When do you plan to leave for the Elven Islands?"

"At dawn. It's going to take us quite some time to reach the island, and the emissaries are eager to return home."

"Be sure to remain alert." The huge beast warned in a serious tone. "The blood elves are masters of deception. Do not trust anyone, and never let your guard down. It may be the only thing that keeps you alive."

Chapter 5

They gathered early the following morning in front of the castle stables to say their goodbyes after a subdued breakfast in which there had been very little conversation.

"Well," Sly grumbled in a sleepy voice as he bid the big warrior farewell. "You're off to save the world once again. Do everyone a favor a make sure that this is the last time, okay?"

"If I were only that lucky." Damion chuckled. "Do your best to help look after things while we're gone, and try to take it easy on Leia. She's going to be under a lot of pressure from taking on the responsibility of running the castle, and she doesn't need you causing her any grief."

"You take the fun out of everything." Sly muttered in a disappointed tone.

"Just do whatever you can to help her. She's never had to run the castle before. She'll need you and Aunt Skie to help keep her from making any rash decisions."

"I'll do my best." The scruffy little man promised.

"And don't
you
worry too much." The huge warrior told his daughter, who had an anxious expression on her face. "I wouldn't have left the castle in your charge if I didn't think that you were up to the challenge."

"I know," Leia nodded, her expression still worried. "but knowing that doesn't really make me feel any more confident." She stared up at her father. "Please be careful, and try to not take too long. I'm not ready to take this job on full time."

Damion glanced to Lady Skie, who was busy quietly speaking with Shirk, while Damarius stood nearby with a suspicious expression. "Just look to Aunt Skie if you start having problems, and if all else fails, follow your heart. It will guide you to the right decision." He glanced to Slither, who was standing behind the young girl protectively. "Make sure that you stick close to her, and don't let her go running off and get into trouble."

"Of courssse." The huge shadowspawn nodded immediately.

"Please try to keep yourself out of trouble," Raven pleaded with their daughter, rushing over to embrace her tightly. "and if, for some reason, you find yourself in danger, just try and think of what your father would do." She glanced around the courtyard with narrowed eyes, then suddenly raised her voice. "Xaxis! Where are you?"

"I'm here." The veiled dragon's deep rumbling voice caused them all to look to the far end of the courtyard, where they noticed an odd shimmer in the air. "What can I do for you, mother of my mother?" Xaxis asked in a respectful tone as he allowed his camouflage to fall away, making it appear as though he were materializing before them.

"Damion and I have to leave Sevria, and we may be gone for quite some time. I want you to stay close to the city, just in case something happens. Make sure that my daughter stays safe."

"Of course." The great beast vowed, drawing himself up proudly. "No harm shall befall my little mother as long as I still breathe."