Omensent: Princess Of Dragons (Book 5) (28 page)

"How did you manage to get away?" Captain Repheth asked with wide eyes.

"They were only dragonssspawn." Slither snorted disdainfully. "It would take dozensss of dragonssspawn to kill SSSlither."

"Dragonspawn or not, they still managed to tear you up pretty good." Leia told him as the castle healer hurried into the room and began to examine the shadowspawn's injuries. "You're lucky that they weren't those winged dragonspawn. You may not have gotten away."

"Dreadssspawn." Slither groaned weakly. "The ssspawn call them dreadssspawn."

"Dreadspawn?" Axel asked, his face going pale.

"SSSlither overheard the ssspawn talking about them." The huge shadowspawn nodded. "SSSlither attempted to find out more about them, but the ssspawn merely attacked."

"Well, you're not going to be going anywhere any time soon, at least not until that leg has healed up a bit." Leia sighed regretfully. "And I was hoping to take you with us."

"Where are you planning on going?" Slither asked an instant before letting out a hiss of pain as the castle healers began to clean the wound on his leg.

"I have to go to Mercedia and alert the Deolan Council to what we have discovered." Leia explained with a frown. "I would have liked you there at my side to help remind them of exactly who I am." She sighed in disappointment, then shrugged. "I'll make do. I'm sure that if Bativa's there, he'll help convince the council that the situation is as serious as we say."

"And if he isn't?" Juco asked dubiously.

"Then I'll just do what my father does and make things up as I go along."

"Oh dear." Lady Skie dropped her face into her hands wearily.

They assembled in the courtyard outside of the castle later that afternoon after Leia and Sly had finished making their preparations.

"I hope you know what you are doing." Lady Skie told Leia with a uncertain expression. "I still think that this may be a mistake. Mercedia is a dangerous city. You could be attacked, or worse. Your father would never forgive us if something were to happen."

"Everything will be fine." Leia assured her confidently. "We're just going to fly down there, deliver our warning, and then fly back. There's nothing to be concerned about. Besides, I'll have Sly with me." She gestured to the scruffy little man, then frowned. "What is that?" She asked Sly, who was attempting to force a small cask into his traveling pack.

"What is what?" He asked quickly, stepping in front of his pack in an effort to block her view.

"What is in that cask?"

"What cask?" Sly asked unconvincingly.

"
Sly
," Lady Skie started in a dangerous tone. "What is in the cask that you just stuffed into your pack?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Leia stared at him for a long moment, then stomped over and yanked open the little man's pack, revealing the small wooden cask that was protruding from its top.

"Oh,
that
cask. It's nothing. I just thought I would bring a bit of ale with me, you know, just in case I get thirsty."

"What are you up to, Sly?" Leia asked in a demanding tone. "And if you say nothing, I swear I'm going to leave you here to run the castle, and take Aunt Skie with me to Mercedia instead!"

"You wouldn't!" Both Lady Skie and Sly exclaimed in unison.

"Try me!"

"Okay, okay!" Sly surrendered with a sigh. "I finally perfected my ale, and thought I could take a bit with me to have investors sample while we're there."

"We are
not
going to Mercedia so that you can peddle your swill!" Leia bellowed at him angrily. "This is serious business! I don't want to deal with you slowing us down with this nonsense!"

"Swill?" The scruffy little man sounded offended. "I'll have you know that I've have spent years perfecting this recipe! I'll not have you calling it swill! Besides," He patted the cask fondly. "this ale is going help make me a very, very rich man."

Leia rolled her eyes. "Fine! Bring it with you. But I'm warning you, the very first time that we're slowed down because of that ale, I'm going to pour it in the gutter."

"And make sure that you stick by Leia's side every second that you're in Mercedia." Lady Skie told him, her expression still concerned.

"Don't worry," Sly assured her in a suddenly serious tone. "I know what I'm doing. I wouldn't let her go if I didn't think it were safe."

Lady Skie stared at him for a long moment, then nodded. She turned back to Leia. "Promise me that you'll be careful, little one. And try not to take too long. There is still a lot of work that needs to be done around here, and I don't want to have to handle it all alone."

"I promise." Leia smiled. "Make sure that Slither stays off of that leg while we're gone. I don't want him to injure himself any further by trying to pretend it doesn't bother him."

"I'll look after him." Lady Skie promised, giving the young girl a hug.

Leia turned to Juco, who was eyeing Sly's cask with an expression of longing. "Are you and your men heading back to Crete?"

"My men have already set off." The short little man told her with a shrug. "There are dozens of caravans waiting for their escort through the mountains, and we don't want to keep them waiting too long. But I thought I would hang around here for a while. It's been too long since I've been in a good fight, and it's sounds as though you're preparing for quite a battle. My men can look after things until I return."

"Your expertise would be invaluable." She told him with a relieved smile.

The sudden sound of something heavy landing in the courtyard drew their attention to an odd shimmer in the air nearby. "You called for me, little mother?" Xaxis asked, appearing to materialize out of the thin air as he allowed his camouflage to fall away.

"Sly and I need to get to Mercedia as quickly as we can." She told him, laying a fond hand on the massive beast's neck. "We need to deliver a warning to Deolan Council. Can I convince you to carry us?"

"Of course." Xaxis agreed immediately. "It would be my pleasure." He lowered himself down and allowed them to scramble onto his broad shoulders.

"I'm not so sure about this now that I think about it." Sly grunted nervously. "I'm not that great with heights."

"Too late to change your mind now." Leia told him, taking a firm grip on one of long horns protruding from the dragon's back, then nudging the huge beast with one heel.

Sly let out a blood curling scream of terror, and threw his arm's around Xaxis's neck desperately as the massive dragon suddenly leapt into the air with a single thrust of his powerful wings.

"Take it easy, Sly!" Leia called to the little man, her face red with suppressed laughter. "Just relax and enjoy the view!"

"That's okay." Sly told her, still clinging to the veiled dragon in desperation. "I'm sure that the view is very nice and everything, but if I look down, I'm going to vomit up my lunch."

"Please don't." Xaxis rumbled, sailing easily towards the south on the cool mountain breeze.

It was nearly dusk when the massive fortress city of Mercedia finally loomed into view, looking much like a solitary mountain rising up from a sea of grass.

"Have Xaxis sit us down near the bridge leading into the city." Sly told Leia, briefly glancing down, then clinging to the dragon's neck once again. "We're going to have to walk across to avoid causing a disturbance."

"The bridge leading into the city is five miles long!" The young girl protested in disbelief. "It'll be midnight before we reach the gates!"

"You don't want to throw the entire city into a panic by having a dragon appear right outside of the gates, do you?"

Leia scowled. "I guess not. It would have saved us quite a bit of time, though."

Xaxis touched down lightly a few hundred yards away from the pair of guardhouses which watched over the ancient bridge leading into the city, then he lowered himself down to allow them to climb down from his shoulders.

"This may take us a while." Leia told the huge beast as it lowered its head down to nuzzle her fondly. "I'll call for you when we are ready to leave."

"As you wish, little mother." Xaxis nuzzled her once more, then turned and leapt back into the air, vanishing from sight almost instantly.

They quickly hurried towards the guardhouses, then stopped as several heavily tattooed men carrying a variety of weapons emerged from the shadows to block their path.

"Halt!" One of the men called to them in cold tone. "State your business."

"We're here to speak with the council." Leia told him politely. "We bring news that they need to hear as quickly as possible."

"Outsiders are not permitted before the council." The tribesman told them in disapproval. "They do not have time to listen to tales from wayward children. Return to whatever gutter you emerged from, and bother us no longer."

Leia's expression fell flat. "What did you just say?" She asked in a deadly growl.

"I said leave, you filthy little creature!" The guard spat insultingly. "The council has no time for vermin!"

"Don't I know you?" Sly asked the tribesman suddenly, squinting to get a better look at the Deolan warrior. "Oh yes! I remember!" He suddenly burst out laughing. "You're the soldier who tried to stop the Dragon Lord from crossing into the city during our first visit to Mercedia, and then
again
a few years ago when we came to warn the council about the Etazk!" He shook is head in amused exasperation. "I thought that you would have learned some manners by now."

"The D-Dragon Lord?" The tribesman stammered, his face suddenly draining of color. "You know the D-Dragon Lord?"

"We do." The little man grinned, clearly enjoying making the man squirm. "That filthy little creature that you just insulted is his daughter, Leia."

"His d-daughter?" The tribesman looked as though he were about to faint. He quickly looked back to Leia, who was staring at him angry eyes.

"Yes, " She growled in a flat tone. "The Dragon Lord's daughter, Leia Omensent, the Princess of Dragons." She raised her chin proudly, ignoring the snort of amusement from Sly, who was doing his best not to burst out laughing.

"Forgive me, milady!" The tribesman cried, dropping to one knee in front of her. "I didn't realize to whom I was speaking!"

"What's happening in the city?" Sly asked, his face still red with suppressed laughter. "Any troubles that we should be aware of?"

"Nothing." The tribesman shook his head quickly. "There have been some reports of dragonspawn causing some disturbances in the north along the border of the grasslands and the foothills, but that's not really all that uncommon. Other than that, everything seems calm enough." He continued to kneel in front of Leia with a nervous expression.

The young girl rolled her eyes, then gestured for him to stand. "Does Clan Chief Bativa happen to be here in the city?"

"He is, milady." The tribesman replied, slowly rising to his feet. "He arrived just two nights ago to attend the Spring Council."

"That's good to hear." The young girl muttered in relief. "At least we'll have a little support when we go before the council."

"Is there anything else that I may be able to help you with, milady?" The tribesman asked respectfully, clearly hoping to make up for his rude behavior.

"We could use a ride across the bridge to the city." Sly suggested to the Deolan warrior. "It's a bit of a hike from here."

"I can have one of my men take you across in the carriage." The tribesman gestured to an ornate carriage that had been parked next to one of the guardhouses. "We keep it here for the clan chiefs who feel that walking, or riding on horseback, is beneath their station."

"Like Clan Chief Krel?" Sly laughed in understanding. "He's exactly the sort of ass who would expect that sort of treatment."

"He was," The tribesman agreed. "but Krel was killed last year by a bull. Beast gored him right through the eye." The man shuddered. "His son, Lek, is Clan Chief of the Nacetre clan now."

"Really?" The scruffy little man asked in surprise. "What's he like?"

"He's even more of an insufferable ass than his father was, if you can believe that." The tribesman told the little man with a shake of his head. "He seems to think that being clan chief makes all other tribesmen beneath him. He spends so much time with his nose in the air that he'd drown if a minor rainstorm were to pass."

"We've handled his kind before." Leia told Sly with a shrug. "We'll just have to deal with him like we would have dealt with his father." She looked back to the tribesman. "We will use your carriage to cross the bridge, and then continue on foot once we've reached the city. The streets will be too crowded for horses or a carriage anyway."

The tribesman ordered one of his men to ready the carriage, and Sly and Leia were soon enjoying a comfortable ride across the ancient bridge.

"We should travel like this more often." Sly put his feet up on the padded bench opposite his seat, then sighed in satisfaction. "It sure beats clinging to a dragon for hours on end."

"I prefer flying." Leia replied blandly. "You have a much better view when you're sailing along at a thousand feet in the air."

"The Princess of Dragons?" The scruffy little man suddenly asked with an amused expression. "Where did that come from?"

"Well, I thought since my father had a title, so should I." The young girl replied, causing him to burst out laughing. "I
am
the daughter of the Dragon Lord,
and
mother of the veiled dragons." She said in a defensive tone. "I felt I deserved a title of my own."

"But Princess of Dragons?" The little man chuckled again. "You couldn't think of anything a bit more grandiose?"

"I thought it had a rather nice ring to it." She said, looking slightly crestfallen.

The tribesman that was guiding the carriage brought it to an abrupt stop just outside of the main gates leading in and out of the mountain-like fortress city, then bid them farewell and headed back towards the guardhouses.

"What's your plan?" Sly asked the young girl curiously as they passed through the gates and slowly began to make their way down a crowded street toward the city's interior. "It's a three day walk to reach the lifts leading to the upper levels of the city. Do you want to try and put a few miles behind us, or would you prefer to find a nice clean inn and start fresh in the morning?"