Omensent: Princess Of Dragons (Book 5) (36 page)

He waited until they had all gathered on the platform, then he pulled a lever that had been built into the polished wooden floor. The platform shuddered, then slowly began to rise into the air.

"How far up is the city?" Raven asked curiously.

"About three hundred feet or so." Brody answered absently. "High enough in the canopy to avoid being seen from the forest floor below. You forget that you are so high up in trees after a while, though."

The platform continued its slow ascent up into the canopy, until they finally reached another, much larger platform which had been constructed atop the massive branches of the ancient oak tree.

Before they could even step from the platform, a dozen heavily armed elves hurried up to block their way.

"Hold it right there." One of the elves ordered in a hard tone. "State your business."

"What is this?" Brody demanded with a scowl. "Since when are visitors to Oakenvale greeted in such a manner?"

"Since the attacks by blood elves drove us to look upon every person with suspicion." The elf replied shortly. "Now state your business, or be gone. We have no use for outsiders here." He glanced towards Damion and the others meaningfully.

"These outsiders happen to be guests of Queen Serena herself!" Brody snapped, stepping right up into the guard's face fearlessly. "They have journeyed here to aid us in rooting out the blood elves! Now stand aside so we may continue with our quest!"

"Why would the queen ask outsiders for aid?" The elf asked skeptically, still staring at Damion with distrust.

"That is none of your concern," Brody growled in a dangerous tone. "Now you and your men stand aside so we may continue on our way!"

"I'm afraid it
is
my concern." The elf growled back unflinchingly. "The city elders have charged me and my men with protecting Oakenvale from any who would cause harm, whether they be blood elves or outsiders."

Brody and the elf stood nose to nose with one another, neither willing to back down, while the rest of the heavily armed elves watched the tense exchange with their hands firmly on their weapons.

"Etha Brody?" A rusty sounding voice called, causing everyone to look around in confusion. "Get out of the way, you bastard spawn of dwarves!" The same voice demanded irritably, causing several of the heavily armed elves to hastily step aside, revealing another, much older elf, who was easily a foot shorter than the others around him. He wore a plain brown robe and soft looking sandals, and carried a thin, delicate looking cane lightly in one hand. Though his head was completely bald, the surprising amount of white hair which sprouted from his pointy ears, and his outrageously bushy eyebrows, more than made up for what was missing. "Etha Brody!" The old elf laughed a cackling laugh. "That
is
you! It's been quite some time since your last visit! You didn't go and forget about me, now did you?"

"How could I forget about my oldest and dearest friend, Marken?" Brody broke out into a broad grin. "I've just been away on business." He embraced the old elf fondly.

"Business, you say?" The old elf laughed again. "From what I've heard, you and Ava Delilah left the island to go off in search of the Dragon Lord," He gave Damion an appraising look. "and if I had to guess, I'd say that you found him."

"The Dragon Lord?" The elven guard turned to stare at Damion with wide eyes.

"Aye, that's the Dragon Lord, alright." The old elf nodded, tottering up to the huge warrior and looking him over with appraising eyes. "The stories all describe him quite specifically."

"How in the world did you find out about our trip to find the Dragon Lord?" Brody demanded in amused exasperation.

"I hear things." The old elf replied vaguely, still staring at Damion with interest.

"This man is really the Dragon Lord?" The elven guard asked again in an awed tone.

The others elves immediately retreated several steps, their eyes frightened, and their hands still on their weapons.

"He is," The old elf told him in a impatient tone. "and this is Etha Brody, Head Ambassador, and one of the queen's most trusted advisers."

The elven guard glanced back to Brody, his expression suddenly uncertain.

"If I were you, I would allow them to continue about their business
before you waste any more of their time." The old elf suggested pointedly. "If you continue delaying them, they may decide to take their frustrations out on you and your men."

The elf stared at Damion and Brody indecisively.

"We really are here to help." Raven told him earnestly. "We want to stop the blood elves just as badly as you do, but you have to let us continue on our way. Please, have your men stand aside, and let us do what your queen brought us here to do."

The elf stared at Raven for a long second, then gestured for his men to allow them to pass. "If there is anything that I can do to assist you in your quest, all you need to do is ask. My men and I will be at your disposal."

"Yes, yes, Fabian," The old elf waved him off impatiently. "I'm sure they'll run straight to you if they need any help."

The elf nodded to Damion once, then he and his fellow guards turned and hurried away.

"Fabian is a good lad," The old elf murmured as he watched the elves leave. "but he can be a tad overzealous when it comes to guarding Oakenvale." He shook his head. "Those damned blood elves have caused complete chaos in the last few months. There have been several attacks here in the city, including one that involved a young elf maiden who murdered her entire family, and then began attacking random elves who happened by. Things have been very tense here ever since."

"That's why we're here." Brody told him. "We've been attempting to track down the blood elves, and we were hoping that you may be able to help us." He turned to look at the others. "This is Marken Deeproot, my oldest and dearest friend. I've known him since I was a child."

"Since you were a babe, actually." The old elf smiled. "I still remember the party that your father threw to celebrate your birth."

Brody chuckled. "This, of course," He gestured to the to Damion. "is Damion Omensent, better known as the Dragon Lord, and his wife, Raven. And that is Shirk, the Dragon Lord's friend and advisor." He gestured to the bearded bandit, who was leaning against the brass railing that surrounded the platform, and peering down at the forest floor below with a sick expression.

"It is an honor to meet you all." The old elf bowed respectfully. "The stories about your adventures are quite popular here on our island, although some still refuse to believe that the Dragon Lord is a real person."

"You'd be surprised at how often I hear that." Damion told him with an amused smile.

"Do you think we can go somewhere private where we can talk?" Brody asked the tiny old elf, his tone suddenly serious.

"Of course. We can talk at my manor house. No one will bother us there."

Damion and the others finally stepped off of the elevating platform, and got their first good look at Oakenvale.

"Wow!" Raven gasped, staring in amazement at the sprawling city that lay before them.

"Welcome, my friends, to Oakenvale, the city in the trees." Brody smiled with delight at the looks of astonishment on their faces.

Oakenvale was unlike any city the companions had ever seen before. All of the buildings had been built around the massive trunks of the ancient oak trees, and were all interconnected by a series of hanging bridges which stretched throughout the treetops like a giant cobweb. Most of the buildings had multiple levels, and had been constructed out of wood which had been stained a beautiful honey color, and polished until it shined. Huge windows, some stained with colorful designs, decorated each building, allowing the sunlight to flood inside. The roofs had all been finished in bright sheets of beaten copper, while the railings which protected the city's inhabitants from stumbling off of the edges of the platforms were all made of polished brass that had been twisted and bent into elaborate designs which enthralled the eye.

"This place is amazing!" Raven said in a breathless tone, watching as numerous colorful song birds swooped through the treetops playfully. "I've never seen anything like it!"

"It's the only city of its kind." Marken told her, staring out over the city with an expression of pride. "Many of the buildings have been here since it was first constructed almost two thousand years ago."

"What about the bridges?" Shirk asked worriedly, edging over to examine one of the hanging bridges which had been constructed out of thick rope and heavy wooden planks. "Are they all two thousand years old as well?"

"The bridges are all maintained on a regular basis." Marken assured him with a harsh laugh. He looked at the old bandit closely. "You look a little green in the face, if you don't mind me saying. I'm guessing that you're not accustomed to heights?"

"Not unless you count the upper floors of the Serpent's Keep." Shirk grunted, keeping a tight grip on the brass railing to ensure that he didn't topple over the edge. "I prefer to keep my feet planted firmly on the ground."

"Why don't we hurry along to my place, then." The old elf suggested. "After a couple of glasses of wine, you'll forget all about the fact that you're three hundred feet above the ground."

They followed the tiny little elf as he quickly made his way across a nearby bridge, and deeper into the treetop city.

"Is it true that your father was a dragonspawn?" Marken asked Damion curiously as they made their way across a platform crowded with elves who looked surprised to see outsiders in their midst.

"No, I'm afraid not." The huge warrior chuckled. "Both my mother and father were human."

"How did you end up with your... well, you know." He gestured to Damion's brow scales.

"My mother was already pregnant with me when she was attacked by dragonspawn." Damion explained in an emotionless tone. He had long ago gotten used to explaining his odd appearance to the curious. "She survived long enough to give birth to me, but their attack left its mark."

"In more ways than one, if the stories are to be believed." The old elf commented shrewdly. "Do you truly control the dragons?"

"Some of them, yes." Damion nodded. "The Dragon Sword controls the scarlet dragons, but it doesn't control the other great serpents."

"What do you mean
other
great serpents?"

"I mean the other dragons. The Dragon Sword can control the scarlet dragons, but it holds no influence over the shadow dragons or the veiled dragons."

The old elf stopped mid-step and stared at him with a confused expression. "Shadow dragons and veiled dragons? What are you talking about?"

"The shadow dragons are dark creatures that were banished from this world thousands of years ago, and only returned a decade or so ago. They were nearly wiped out by the scarlet dragons, though." Raven explained, still looking around at the treetop city with an expression of wonder. "The veiled dragons were created just recently by the Dragon God, Draco."

"Why would the Dragon God want to create another species of dragon?"

"Because He needed new children to carry out His bidding." Damion explained as they continued following Marken from platform to platform, moving ever deeper into the massive treetop city. "He has no control over the scarlet dragons as long as I possess the Dragon Sword, and most of the shadow dragons were destroyed or driven into hiding. Without them, the Dragon God was left with only the dragonspawn to carry out His plans."

"The dragonspawn are complete savages." Marken frowned, pausing to shoo away a pair of elves who had stopped to stare at Damion with wide, fearful eyes. "They appear here on the island occasionally, and we're forced to hunt them down before they cause any damage."

"Apparently they're not
all
complete savages." Brody remarked thoughtfully. "The Dragon Lord's daughter, Leia, has a shadowspawn for a bodyguard."

"What's a shadowspawn?" The old elf asked in confusion.

"They're similar to dragonspawn, but larger, and far more intelligent." Damion explained. "Their scales are as black as night, and have the ability to absorb the surrounding shadows, making them virtually invisible in the darkness."

"They sound like formidable creatures."

"They are." Brody assured the elderly little elf. "Leia's bodyguard, Slither, left quite an impression on me and Ava Delilah."

"I've always thought that dragonspawn were nothing but savage brutes who delight in destruction." Marken murmured with a thoughtful expression.

"Most are." Damion assured him. "And most are not very reliable, which is why Draco decided that He needed new children to carry out His plans. He kidnapped my daughter, and used her blood to create new dragons that we named the veiled dragons. They're similar to the scarlet dragons or shadow dragons, but they have the ability to camouflage themselves by shifting the colors of their scales to mimic their environment."

"Surely you're jesting?" Marken asked skeptically. "A dragon that can make itself invisible?"

"Trust me when I say that he speaks the truth." Brody assured him fervently. "I had the opportunity to meet one of the veiled dragons. His name was Xaxis, and the Dragon Lord's daughter likes to ride him around like he were a pony."

"Truly?" The old elf turned to look at Damion. "I thought that you said that you had no control over the veiled dragons."

"I don't," Damion chuckled. "but when the Dragon God used my daughter's blood to create the veiled dragons, He inadvertently created a link between them. She can feel what they feel, and know what they are thinking, even over vast distances. And they look at her as though she were their mother. They would do anything for her."

"I see that much has happened in the world in recent years." The old elf remarked with wide eyes. "Things are happening that even we elves cannot ignore."

"You don't know the half of it." Shirk grumbled, his face still an odd shade of green as he carefully made his way across another hanging bridge. "But if it's all the same to you, we'll save those stories for when we're not about to plunge to our deaths."