Omensent: Princess Of Dragons (Book 5) (40 page)

One of the dragonspawn's heads suddenly snapped around and focused on Xaxis.

"Uh oh!" Leia groaned as the beast suddenly pointed towards the massive dragon circling in the darkness overhead. "I think they've spotted us!"

They watched as first one dreadspawn leapt into the air, followed closely by another, and another, until over a dozen of the vicious looking creatures were rocketing towards them, their snake-like eyes burning with murderous intent.

Chapter 14

"What do you have to report?" The silver haired elf asked as the much younger elf hurried into the room with an anxious expression. "Did our brothers succeed in eliminating the Dragon Lord and his companions? Where is the Dragon Sword?"

"I'm afraid that our brothers were unsuccessful." The young elf reported in a hesitant tone. "We're not sure how, but the Dragon Lord and his companions somehow managed to kill most of the brothers, and the rest they took prisoner."

"He managed to defeat a dozen of our most skilled warriors?" Yrinn asked in astonishment. "How is that possible? He is only a human!" The silver haired old elf shook his head in disbelief.

"It looks as though the stories about the Dragon Lord's powers may be true after all." The young elf held out his hands helplessly. "He and his companions had made camp in a small clearing hidden behind a grove of trees when our brothers attempted to ambush them from the dark."

"And?"

"And it appears that the Dragon Lord and his companions were laying in wait for them. They killed most of them, then took the rest prisoner, including Makken."

Yrinn frowned. "That's disturbing to hear. Makken is a master assassin. He should have been able to handle the job by himself." He looked back to the young elf. "What happened after they took our brothers captive?"

"There weren't any witnesses, so we're not exactly certain." The young elf held out his hands helplessly. "We think the Dragon Lord and his companions attempted to question them."

"It wouldn't have done them any good." Yrinn said in a confident tone. "Our brothers would have died before talking."

"I'm not so sure." The young elf murmured worriedly. "I'm concerned that one of our brothers may have broken down and talked. As soon as dawn broke, the Dragon Lord and his companions made their way here to the city."

"The Dragon Lord is here in Oakenvale?" The silver haired elf looked surprised. "That is unexpected. I never believed he would survive to make it this far." He frowned. "What did he do with our brothers?"

"We found their corpses tied to a tree back in the clearing where they had made camp." The young elf frowned. "It appears as though they took a bit of the Widow's Kiss."

"Then their deaths shall be praised by their brothers." Yrinn grunted in satisfaction. "To give themselves to our god in such a manner will surely earn them their places at Hetris's side. Make certain that the others hear of their brothers' display of devotion. It will serve as a good example of what the dark god expects of them."

"What should we do now?"

Yrinn began to pace the room as he thought. "We need to get our hands on the Dragon Sword. Our lord commands that it be handed over to Him, no matter what it takes." He turned back to the young elf. "Where is the Dragon Lord now?"

"He and his companions, along with Etha Brody, were met by Marken Deeproot. They spoke with some guards for a moment, then they went to Marken's manor house. We have a number of our brothers watching the place as we speak."

"That's good." The silver haired elf nodded approvingly. "That gives me a bit of time to commune with Hetris, and alert Him to what has occurred. In the meantime, gather what brothers still remain here in the city." He watched as the young elf hurried from the room.

"You have disappointed me yet again, Yrinn." A chilling whisper hissed from the shadows. "You assured me that the Dragon Sword would soon be mine, yet you have been unable to obtain my prize."

"It seems that the tales of the Dragon Lord's powers are true, after all." Yrinn replied, turning to look at the dark silhouette which lingered in the shadows nearby. "He was able to not only defeat our best warriors, but he somehow took a number of them captive. They all took a bit of Widow's Kiss, so I'm fairly certain that they refused to answer his questions."

"No," The shadow growled angrily. "The Dragon Lord forced Makken to speak before he could take the poison. He revealed the location of this place to them."

"That weakling!" Yrinn cursed violently. "I hope his death was slow!"

"It wasn't," Hetris murmured in a voice scarcely above a whisper. "but his punishment in the afterlife shall be eternal." The shadow drew back into the darkness until it was hardly visible. "This place is no longer safe. It is time for you to return to Celestia, and prepare for the final step of our plan."

"What about the Dragon Lord?" Yrinn asked in confusion. "Shouldn't we strike while he is close, and take the Dragon Sword for ourselves?"

"That may not be wise." The dark shadow warned him. "The Dragon Lord has overcome many of our most skilled warriors. He has proven to be far more dangerous than any of us dreamed. We cannot chance facing him, not while I am still so weak."

"Then grant me the power to defeat him." Yrinn's eyes burned. "Grant me that which you promised me, and I shall lay the head of the Dragon Lord, along with his fabled sword, at your feet!"

"The time has not yet come." Hetris told the silver haired elf. "You have not earned that which you desire. You have yet to complete the task given to you."

"I will finish what I started." Yrinn promised the dark shadow. "I will turn my people over to your worship, and eradicate Petra's followers. Their goddess shall feel what it is like to be powerless. Without followers, She will be as helpless as you were when I summoned you for the first time."

"You had better hope that you do not fail." Hetris growled in a dangerous voice that chilled the blood. "I'm beginning lose faith in you, Yrinn. I'm thinking that I may have been too hasty when choosing my high priest."

"Do not lose faith yet, my lord," Yrinn murmured, his expression thoughtful. "You will see Petra laid low, and witness your children's rise to power, just as we agreed." A shrewd gleam came into the elf's eyes. "But if you
were
to grant my request, I could bring this entire world into your fold, and raise you above all other gods. Your power would be absolute!"

"I will grant your request when you have fulfilled your end of our agreement, and not a moment before." Hetris told him in an unyielding tone. "You have yet to prove yourself to my satisfaction, and until you do, I will
not
relent."

"Very well, my lord." Yrinn sighed in resignation. "I shall continue to strive to prove myself." His expression became hesitant. "Have you heard any word from the Royal Tower?"

"I have." The shadow withdrew even further into the darkness. "Our friend remains safe, though things have become even more restricted, making it more difficult for them to advance our plans."

"Why? What has happened?"

"I sent one of your sisters, Freedi, to repay the Dragon Lord for his insolence, and things did not go as planned."

"What happened?"

"Her orders were to eliminate one of the Dragon Lord's companions, but she failed, and was taken prisoner. They gave her a bit of potion to make her speak, and attempted to question her, but Freedi did not know anything of any real value."

"I helped to convert Freedi to your worship myself when I first returned from exile." Yrinn frowned. "Where is she now?"

"She is being held in the crypts beneath the Royal Tower until they can question her further. But they will not get the chance. I will be tending to her myself."

"My lord?" The silver haired elf asked in confusion.

"Freedi failed in her task, and she must pay for that failure." Hetris growled. "Let her death serve as an example to the rest of your brothers and sisters. Failure with not be tolerated." A pair of eyes glowed red in the darkness for a brief instant, then disappeared. "Return to Celestia and gather your brothers and sisters. The time has almost come for my children to come forth from the shadows, and strike at the heart of Petra's faithful."

"Very well, my lord Hetris." Yrinn bowed his head respectfully. "And what should be done about the Dragon Lord?"

"Send the Vile Ones to deal with him."

"Th-The Vile Ones?" The silver haired elf gulped uncomfortably. "Are you sure that you want to release them? They are a bit... uncontrolled. Once they have been released, they tend to be indiscriminant with their mayhem."

"Just do as you are ordered." Hetris growled. "Let's see how the Dragon Lord deals with having the most savage of my children thirsting for his blood."

***********

"The city is packed with people!" Damarius exclaimed, glancing out of one of the huge windows and staring down at the milling crowd below. "It's looks like it's going to be quite some celebration."

"It usually is." Queen Serena agreed, glancing down at the crowd with an excited expression. "Elves from all over the island descend on Celestia for the festival. There is singing and dancing, food and fine wine, and numerous archery contests. And on the very last day of the festival, couples gather in front of Petra's statue to be joined in the presence of our beloved goddess." She smiled. "I look forward to the Spring Dawning every year. It's one of the few times that I get to go out among my people. I am expected to preside over the contests, choose the best wine, and give my blessing to the newly joined. It's the most exciting thing that I get to do as queen."

"I would suggest that you appoint someone to see to your duties this year, Serena." Captain Harper told the elven queen bluntly. "It's not safe for you to be out while these blood elves are still on the loose. There's no way that we would be able to protect you from an attack."

Since arriving with his men to oversee the queen's safety, Captain Harper had quickly put aside the titles and formalities, and began to address the beautiful elven queen as he would an old friend. He was soon entertaining her with off color jokes that made her laugh uproariously, and blush in embarrassment. He also gave her prudent advice on everything from dealing with stubborn servants, to her own self protection.

"I'm not going to avoid my responsibilities and send someone in my stead." The elven queen told the old sea captain in a firm tone. "I'll not give the blood elves the satisfaction of knowing that they have scared me into hiding."

"If you won't appoint someone else to do it, then we'll need to take special precautions to ensure that you're safe." Captain Harper insisted. "The blood elves have already proven that they can get close enough to strike if they wish. If we're going to avoid that happening again, we'll have to make sure that no one is able to get close to you, and that will mean you'll have to be escorted by my sailors everywhere that you go."

"The elven people will not like that." Dar warned him in a knowing tone. "To have their queen guarded by a bunch of humans who prevent them from getting near their queen? It would cause an uproar!"

"I don't really care how they feel about it." The old sailor told him in a flat tone. "My men and I are here to make sure that Serena is safe from attack. The sensibilities of the elven people are not my concern."

"I'll be fine." Queen Serena assured him dismissively. "Yrinn and his blood elves do not frighten me."

"Even after everything that they have done?" Delilah asked in surprise. "They have murdered hundreds of elves in the last few months, and with this latest attack on Damarius, they've proven that they can even get close enough to assassinate you! Aren't you afraid?"

"No, I am not afraid." The queen told her, lifting her chin proudly. "The children of Hetris will not harm me. Petra's love will keep me safe."

"Well, I hope your goddess doesn't mind if we help out a bit." Captain Harper told the queen. "If anyone even attempts to get near you, my men are going to nail them to a wall."

They returned to their seats on the oddly shaped throne and enjoyed a leisurely lunch of fresh fish in a delicate cheese sauce, and a fine wine from one of the local vineyards. They were just finishing their meal when there was a sudden bellow of outrage from just outside of the throne room doors, followed by a number of furious curses. A few moments later, the doors to the throne room opened.

"The nerve of some people!" Gilroy of Willowdale complained as he appeared through the doors looking slightly disheveled.

"What happened?" Queen Serena asked curiously.

"Those sailors stationed outside of the throne room insisted on searching me again!" The stern looking elf explained with a scowl. "When I refused to allow them to search me, they seized me by my ankles, flipped me upside down, and shook me until they were satisfied that I didn't have any weapons hidden anywhere on my body!"

"Why didn't you just let them search you?" Delilah asked as everyone else started laughing. "You understand why we were forced to take these precautions. Why not just let them do their job?"

"It's a matter of principles." Gilroy told her irritably, giving the others a dirty look. "I have been an advisor and loyal servant of Queen Serena for over a century now. I shouldn't have to be groped by a bunch of foul smelling sailors every time that I wish to speak with the queen."

"I run a very tight ship, Gilroy." Captain Harper informed him, still chuckling in amusement. "My men know that when they are given an order, they had better follow it to the letter, or else they may find themselves trying to jog along next to the ship while we're out at sea."

"I still think that they're taking their jobs a little too seriously." The stern faced elf complained sourly. "To shake an elf by his ankles? I have never been treated in such a manner before!" He stomped over to his customary seat next to the queen, still muttering furiously under his breath.

"Has there been any word from Damion and the others?" Dar asked Gilroy curiously.