Omensent: Princess Of Dragons (Book 5) (11 page)

They quickly finished saying their goodbyes, then Damion climbed atop Storm, who was prancing eagerly in place, and led their small party through Sevria and out onto the trade road.

"I hope we're not making a mistake by leaving Leia behind." Raven frowned, glancing back at the castle as they rode through the massive battlements that surrounded the city.

"You can't continue to coddle her like she's an infant in need of constant supervision." Damarius commented sagely. "At some point you have to let go and trust that she can take care of herself."

"Like you have with Lady Skie?" The young woman asked archly.

"That's different." The old wizard scowled. "You didn't find out that your daughter has been sneaking around behind your back with a disreputable old bandit who possesses little morals and no backbone."

"Hey!" Shirk objected in an injured tone. "I wanted to come speak with you about it, but Skie wouldn't hear of it! She seemed to think that you that you would overreact!"

Damarius slowly turned to fix the old bandit with a withering stare. "Did you say something?" He asked in a dangerously calm tone.

"Um, no," Shirk mumbled, shrinking under the old wizard's stare. "I didn't say anything. I'm just going to..." He nudged his horse with his heels and trotted on ahead, his face pale.

"You're being a little hard on him, don't you think?" Damion asked the old wizard in a reasonable tone. "You know that he would never do anything to hurt Aunt Skie."

"I know," Damarius grinned. "but I figured that I would have a little fun with him. He and Skie have been sneaking around behind my back for years now, and I've waited patiently all of this time for them to come to me for my blessing. Now that their secret is out, I intend to make them suffer for not coming to me first."

"So you've known all of this time?" Raven asked in surprise.

"Of course I knew." The old wizard snorted, causing his brow lock to fall into his eyes. "She
is
my daughter, after all, and I wouldn't be a very good father if I didn't know exactly what she was doing when I'm not around. Besides, I'd have to be blind not to see that something was going on between those two."

"Even after all of these years, you still surprise me." Damion laughed. "Everyone thought that you were clueless to their courtship."

"That's what you were supposed to think." Damarius chuckled, brushing his brow lock from his eyes absently. "I knew that if everyone thought I was oblivious to their relationship, then they would have no idea that I already knew." He grinned evilly.

"If you weren't really angry about their relationship, then why did you insist that Shirk accompany us to the Elven Islands?" Raven asked in confusion.

"It's a long way to the Elven Islands." The old wizard shrugged. "Tormenting Shirk should help keep me occupied while we're stuck on the ship."

"That's horrible!" Raven exclaimed, unable to keep the amusement from her voice. "Why would you do that to your own daughter? You saw how heartbroken she was when we were leaving!"

"She'll be fine. You know what they say, absence makes the heart grow fonder. By the time we return, Skie will demand that I give them my blessing."

"You're an evil old man, you know that, right?" Damion chuckled, shaking his head.

Damarius smiled. "Thank you."

They continued to make their way north along the trade road until the sun began to set, then set up camp in one of the fortified encampments constructed by the work crews who maintained the trade road.

"So did you enjoy your visit to Sevria?" Raven asked Delilah as she put the finishing touches on a savory stew that she had whipped up from their provisions.

"It was quite pleasant, thank you." The elven woman smiled. "I'll confess that I had expected to find Sevria to be a city like any other human settlement, with sewage overflowing into the streets, and refuge piled everywhere in great stinking heaps, but it was very neat and orderly. The people were friendly and well mannered, and everyone seemed to take a genuine interest in their neighbors. It was quite unlike other cities that we have passed through."

"The people of Sevria take great pride in their home." Damion nodded. "After the city was destroyed, they worked day and night to rebuild it. Then, when it was attacked again by an army of dragonspawn, they banded together to drive the beasts off and save the city. Those kinds of hardships bring people together."

"I, too, was impressed." Etha Brody murmured, taking a bowl of stew from Raven with a nod of thanks, and then sniffing at it with a doubtful expression. "I had envisioned the home of the Dragon Lord to be far more..." He glanced at Damion hesitantly. "primitive." He finished, obviously choosing his words carefully. "The tales of your exploits led most of us to believe that you were a complete savage, and I had expected your city to reflect that. I guess the tales were wrong."

"Don't be so sure about that." Shirk snorted in amusement. "I've seen Damion when he gets angry, and savage doesn't even come close to describing him." He made some show of thinking it over. "I think that bloody nightmare is a bit closer."

"Damion is as gentle as a lamb." Raven defended her husband, casting him a fond look. "He may look big and scary, but underneath that armor is..."

"A short tempered manic who enjoys using his magic to turn people who displease him into various different plants and animals." Shirk finished her sentence with a barking laugh.

The sudden rustling of feathers drew their attention to Snowfeather, who appeared from the darkness on silent wings and landed gently on Damion's broad shoulder.

"Wha...?" Etha Brody jumped up from his seat with a startled expression. "What, in the name of the gods, is that creature?"

"This is Snowfeather." Damion introduced the huge owl, who began to preen his gleaming white feathers fussily. "He is a snow owl. He is my familiar, and one of my oldest friends."

"There are a pair of goblins slowly making their way in this direction."
Snowfeather reported with a hoot.
"I don't think that they know we're here yet, but it's only a matter of time before they catch our scent."

"How far away are they?" Damion asked aloud, drawing strange looks from the pair of elves.

"They're about a mile or so to the north, moving through the underbrush at the side of the road in an effort to remain hidden."

"What is it?" Raven asked with a worried expression.

"There are a pair of goblins moving this way." He relayed Snowfeather's discovery to the others. "They're certain to pick up our scent. Once they discover where we are, they will surely return with reinforcements."

"How can you possibly know that there are goblins moving this way?" Brody asked in bewilderment.

"Snowfeather told me." The huge warrior shrugged.

"What are your going to do?" Shirk asked with a frown.

"The only thing I can do." Damion murmured, rising to his feet. "I'm going to kill them before they can report our presence to the rest of their clan."

"You're going to try and take them on by yourself?" Brody asked in disbelief. "Is that really wise? I heard that goblins can be quite formidable to face in battle."

"Don't worry about Damion." Damarius told the elf confidently. "It would take an army of goblins to even have a chance against him in battle, and my gold would still be on Damion to win."

"I will return once I have made sure that the area is clear of danger." The huge warrior assured them as he made his way towards the trade road. "Just make sure to be on your guard until I return." He drew in his magic and slipped into the form of a panther, then disappeared into the darkness on silent paws.

"How did he do that?" Brody demanded in disbelief, staring out at the darkness with a dumbfounded look on his face.

"Do what?" Shirk asked, staring at the elf with a puzzled expression.

"One second the Dragon Lord was standing there, and the next second he was gone, and a huge black cat stood in his place!"

"You must be seeing things, my friend." Shirk told him, a playful smile hovering about his mouth. "I think you may need to lie down for a bit until your mind clears."

"Quit messing with Etha Brody." Raven told the bearded bandit reprovingly. She turned to the elf. "Damion is a sorcerer." She reminded him in a matter-of-fact tone. "He can use his magic to shift into other forms. He usually chooses a black panther, although I'm not exactly sure why."

"It allows him to blend into the darkness with little effort." Damarius informed her, shoveling a spoonful of steaming stew into his mouth. "Damion grew up in a secluded valley that left him few options for entertainment, so a great deal of his spare time was spent hunting with Snowfeather. He began to use the form of a panther during these hunts because it allowed him to stalk his prey more efficiently."

"And he plans to use it to stalk the goblins?" Delilah asked in surprise. "Isn't that dangerous?"

"Everything is dangerous here in the mountains, but Damion knows what he's doing. This isn't the first time that he has dealt with goblins."

"We should still be on our guard, though." Raven warned them seriously. "Goblins aren't the only creatures in these mountains that can be dangerous." She noticed both elves appeared nervous. "But don't worry. Damion will eliminate these creatures and be back before you know it."

"What if he runs into a problem?" Delilah asked, her expression still worried. "How will we know if he needs help?"

"If Damion runs into a problem, we'll know." Damarius assured her with a knowing smile. "In fact, the entire mountain range will probably know."

**********

Damion hurried through the shadows on silent paws with Snowfeather drifting quietly overhead guiding him towards the place that the huge owl had last saw the goblins. It wasn't long before he heard the creatures slowly making their way through the underbrush near the side of the road.

He froze mid-step as one of the goblins suddenly stepped out onto the road and looked around, then he quickly retreated into the shadows as the second beast appeared, both appearing somewhat agitated.

"Ugly beasts, aren't they?"
Damion commented silently to Snowfeather, wrinkling his nose in displeasure as the goblins' odor began to overpower his sensitive nostrils.

The goblins were both short, stocky creatures, standing approximately five feet tall, with grayish green skin, and course shaggy hair that covered their oddly shaped heads and backs. They had pig-like faces with large yellow tusks that protruded from jutting lower jaws, and tiny pale eyes that seemed completely devoid of any color. They were dressed in a sort of makeshift armor that appeared to have been pieced together from scraps of metal which had been salvaged and tied together with strips of leather, and they were armed with rusty swords which looked as though they had been scrounged from a junk heap.

Damion watched as the two beasts quietly began to argue back and forth in a harsh grunting language that was punctuated by the occasional angry squeal.

"They seem to be having a disagreement."
Snowfeather observed, settling down on a nearby low hanging branch.
"It's been a while since we've seen goblins skulking around the mountains. What do you think they're up to?"

"Looking for an easy target, if I had to guess."
Damion replied silently.
"That's the only reason I can think of for them to be here. Most of them went underground once the dragons reemerged into the world. I think they feared that I would send the dragons after them in retaliation for them aiding Kaviel."
He watched as the argument between the two beasts grew more heated.
"It looks as though they can't decide on what their next move should be. One appears to want to press on, the other seems to want to go back."

They watched as the two goblins continued to grunt and squeal at one for several more minutes, then nearly a dozen more goblins suddenly appeared from the underbrush, causing the first two goblins to immediately fall silent. One of the newcomers, a huge brute towering at least a foot taller than any of the other goblins, shoved his way in between them with an angry squeal.

"That looks like their leader."
Snowfeather chirped as the much larger goblin began to snarl and grunt at the pair in an angry tone.

"I wonder what it's doing so far from its lair."
Damion pondered.
"Goblin chiefs rarely venture outside of their hideouts. They usually have their underlings do everything for them."

They watched as the goblin chief continued to berate the two creatures, then it suddenly turned and led its clan back into the underbrush.

"They appear to be heading back the way they came."
The huge snow owl hooted, launching himself from his perch and drifting over the goblins on silent wings.
"If you want to kill them, now would be the time."

Damion thought it over for a moment.
"It's not worth the effort."
He decided finally, turning away, and starting back towards the camp.
"As long as they keep their distance, I'm not too concerned. Besides, the dragonspawn will eventually take of them, if Slither's ever able to track them down."

"I'll go make certain that they don't decide to double back, and then go hunting for my dinner."
The huge snow owl volunteered.
"I'll return to camp once I've found something suitable to eat."

Damion quickly made his way back to the fortified clearing where they had set up camp, and then paused momentarily to shift back into his normal form. He had just started to step from the shadows and reveal himself to the others, when a woman's whispered voice caused him to pause once again.

"Out for an evening stroll?"

The huge warrior froze in place, his hand on the hilt of the Dragon Sword. "Who is there?" He growled in a deadly quiet voice. "Show yourself."

"I am here, Dragon Lord." An elderly old woman, her face so wrinkled and weathered that it was impossible to discern her exact age, stepped from shadows and into the moonlight. Her hair was white, having lost all color many years before, and was fixed in a tight bun that she wore on one side of her head. She wore a hooded traveler's robe over a long dress that had been crafted from a soft satin, and trimmed in a soft silver fur. An unearthly aura of power seemed to surround the old woman, causing the hair on the back of the huge warrior's neck to stand on end, hinting to the fact that she wasn't just any ordinary old woman. "You're still just as jumpy as ever, I see."