Omensent: Princess Of Dragons (Book 5) (54 page)

"I'll worry about that when they finally come home." Leia said dismissively. "Right now I'm more worried about getting word to everyone that the horde has been eliminated."

"That reminds me," Lady Skie started, looking back to Sly. "How did things go in Mercedia? Was Leia able to handle dealing with the Deolan Council?"

"Let's just say that it was no worse than when Damion would meet with them." Sly snorted in amusement. "Although, I think they now fear Leia even more than they fear her father!"

"That bad?" Captain Repheth asked, desperately trying to hide his amusement.

"Those men are the most infuriating group of jackasses that I have ever encountered!" Leia scowled angrily. "They spent half of the time complaining about father! But Clan Chief Lek," The young girl let out a furious growl. "I just wanted to turn him into a radish, and toss him to the livestock!"

"But you didn't," Lady Skie stated, then her expression became uncertain. "did you?"

"No," Sly laughed, pounding the table in delight. "She hung him from the rafters by his ears!"

"You didn't!" Lady Skie gasped in shock as the others burst out laughing.

"She most certainly did!" The singed little man chortled. "Lek kept casting threats and insults at us, even after the rest of the council warned him against angering her. After one too many insults, she ended up dangling him by his ears high above the rest of the council, until Bativa finally convinced her to drop him." He shook his head rueful amusement. "I've never knew a man's ears could stretch so long! He looked like an ugly old hound dog!"

"Leia!" Lady Skie looked at the young girl with an expression of both disapproval and amusement. "Did you
really
have to do that?"

"Yes," The young girl told her without batting an eye. "Yes, I did. I was not going to sit there and let that pile of goblin dung insult me and my father, so I decided to remind him just exactly who he was speaking to."

"And did he learn his lesson?" Captain Repheth asked expectantly.

"Actually, no, he didn't." Sly chuckled, wiping the tears of mirth from his eyes. "He and a bunch of his lackeys tried to accost us just outside of Mercedia, but Xaxis decided to intervene." The little man started chuckling again. "You should have seen the look on Lek's face when that great brute suddenly materialized out of the thin air before him!"

"What did Xaxis do to them?" Lady Skie asked apprehensively, knowing how the huge beast looked upon the young girl like she was his mother.

"He just gave them a little scare." Leia assured her with a tired sigh. "The last time we saw them, they were all fleeing for their lives." She frowned. "I still think I should have turned him into a radish, though."

"Why do you and your father have so many problems when it comes to dealing with members of the Deolan Council?" Lady Skie demanded of Leia in exasperation. "Every time that either of you go to meet with them, there is always some sort of conflict!" She shook her head wearily. "Damion always has problems with Clan Chief Krel. They have hated each other since the second they laid eyes upon one another."

"Chieftain Krel was killed some time ago." Sly informed her, taking a long drink from his tankard, then burping thunderously. "Apparently, a bull was feeling a bit feisty and decided to gore him right through the eye. Lek was his eldest son, and his successor."

"That explains a few things." Captain Repheth murmured.

"Indeed," The blistered little man agreed with a nod. "Lek is every bit the stubborn jackass that his father was, except he's not quite as bright. Hopefully, he's learned his lesson, though I seriously doubt it. He really didn't strike me as being very perceptive."

"Well," Lady Skie started with a sigh. "I guess all that's left to do is let everyone know that the horde has been destroyed. There's no need for everyone to prepare for war anymore."

Leia let out a groan.

"What's wrong, little one?" Lady Skie asked in confusion. "You should be happy! You managed to save everyone from a terrible fate!"

"I know," Leia started with an exasperated sigh. "but I just got back from notifying the Deolan Council to the danger the horde posed. Now I have to go back and let those jackasses know that we have taken care of the problem!"

"Look at it this way," Juco told her with a mischievous grin. "Maybe this time Lek will give you a reason to turn him into a radish."

Chapter 21

"Get Delilah and Gilroy out of here!" Damarius ordered the others as he rushed forward to join Damion, who had appeared from behind the raised temple platform and strolled calmly out into the center of the courtyard. "Damion and I'll handle this!"

"I'll help them!" Shirk told Raven and Brody as he charged after the old wizard. "Take them and go!"

Raven and Brody quickly grabbed Gilroy and Delilah and hurried away from the chaos, leaving Damion, Damarius, and Shirk to deal with the blood elves.

"Kill him!" Yrinn screamed as he backed away from Damion with a fearful expression. "Kill the Dagon Lord in the name of Hetris!"

All of the blood elves who were not preoccupied with Captain Harper's sailors immediately gave up their pursuit of Petra's faithful, and turned to focus solely on the huge warrior.

"It's about time that you got here!" Damarius yelled to Damion as he leveled his crystal topped staff and released a sizzling bolt of energy that struck one of the blood elves square in the chest and exploded, hurling the elf backwards several yards before he crashed down in a lifeless heap.

"We've been busy running around this damned island on some wild goose chase!" Damion roared back, chopping down a pair of elves as they charged towards him with their weapons held high.

"Wild goose chase?" Shirk asked as he split an elf's head with a vast overhand blow.

"The elves never wanted our help with locating Yrinn and the blood elves." The huge warrior growled angrily, sending another elf's head bouncing across the courtyard. "This has all been an elaborate ruse to draw me here so the elves could obtain the Dragon Sword."

"I've had my suspicions." Damarius admitted, making a sweeping motion with his staff, causing a wall of flames to burst forth from the cobblestones and engulf several blood elves who were charging towards him with crazed expressions. "Something about this entire crisis just hasn't felt genuine. It's had the feeling of a poorly rehearsed play."

Damion cut down three more followers of Hetris with three vast overhand blows, then drew in his magic and focused it into a blazing fireball. He sent it streaking across the courtyard where it struck the cobblestones at the feet of several more blood elves and exploded with earthshaking force. The blast ripped the elves to shreds, and sent jagged chunks of cobblestone whistling through the air, shredding several more of the unlucky attackers. The remaining blood elves were all forced to duck for cover as chunks of their brethren suddenly began to rain down upon them from the sky.

"Where's Yrinn?" Damion asked as dozens of elven soldiers suddenly appeared from the crowd and charged to the attack, quickly cutting down the remaining blood elves.

"There!" Shirk pointed to the silver haired elf, who was attempting to flee the temple courtyard.

Damarius cursed. "He's heading towards the tower!"

They set off after the fleeing elf, who quickly reached the far end of the courtyard and disappeared through a large archway.

"Watch out!" Shirk suddenly bellowed, shouldering Damarius aside as an arrow came whistling out of the nearby shadows. It struck the bearded bandit in his upper chest, just below the shoulder, causing him to drop his broadsword with a snarl of pain.

"Shirk!" Damarius hurried over to the injured old bandit, who was cursing in agony. He quickly examined his shoulder, gingerly checking the entrance wound of the protruding arrow. "You're lucky. It didn't hit anything vital."

"Great!" Shirk snarled through clenched teeth. "That makes me feel
so
much better!"

"Take care of him!" Damion yelled to Damarius as he cut down an elf who had appeared from the shadows carrying a long bow. "I'm going after Yrinn!"

"Go!" Damarius told him with a wave of his hand. "I'll look after Shirk!"

Damion turned and charged off after the silver haired elf, detouring down several dark alleyways in an effort to cut him off.

"Hurry!"
Snowfeather hooted from overhead.
"He's almost reached the tower!"

Damion cursed, then hurried down a deserted street towards the huge spiraling Royal Tower. He finally rounded a corner and spotted the silver haired elf as he rushed towards the courtyard surrounding the massive tower. "Yrinn!" The huge warrior roared with such vehemence that the silver haired elf stopped mid-step and whirled around to face him.

"By the gods!" Yrinn cursed in a frustrated voice. "What does it take to kill you?" He shook his head in bewilderment. "I have sent some of my most vicious brothers against you, elves who have proven their prowess in battle, and yet here you still stand!" He shook his head again in disbelief. "I would have never believed it possible of a human!"

"Enough!" Damion snarled, drawing the Dragon Sword from its sheath. "You drew me here so you could kill me and take the Dragon Sword." He held up the legendary blade for the elf to see. "Well, here it is. Come and get it."

"I wasn't the one who lured you here to die." Yrinn informed him, drawing his own long sword, and starting towards the huge warrior with a grim expression. "That was Queen Serena's idea. I had nothing to do with it, other than being the object of your search."

"Queen Serena?" Damion asked in surprise, a knot forming in the pit of his stomach. "She has been behind all of this?"

"Of course!" The silver haired elf laughed at Damion contemptuously. "She and Hetris dreamed up the plan after I convinced her to turn away from Petra. She has been listening to  that filthy little Alena regale the simpletons of this island with stories of your exploits for years now, and knew that if she sent for your aid, you would rush to the island in the hopes of being the hero." He gave Damion a scathing look. "She has made you and your friends out to be fools! You're never going to leave this island alive!"

He suddenly charged forward, his long sword held high, but Damion easily sidestepped the attack, and dropped down into a crouch, the Dragon Sword held at the ready.

"You should have taken Hetris's offer and joined us, Dragon Lord." Yrinn growled as they circled one another, each looking for their opportunity to strike. "Now, you and your friends will die, and we will take the sword from your cold dead hands!"

"Would you, please, shut up!" Damion asked in exasperation as he skillfully parried several quick strikes, then lashed out with the Dragon Sword, forcing the elf to retreat several steps to avoid being sliced in two.

"You are skilled!" The silver haired elf growled grudgingly, retreating further and further into the courtyard outside of the Royal Tower. "You are truly unlike any other man that I have met!" He narrowly avoided a powerful blow that nearly removed his head. "But you're still no match for an elf!"

The silver haired elf suddenly launched himself forward, his long sword whistling through the air faster than the eye could follow, but the huge warrior nimbly danced away from the attack and lashed out with the Dragon Sword, slicing him deeply across one cheek.

"Just give it up, Yrinn." Damion growled as the silver haired elf retreated even further. "You've already lost. Lay down your sword, and I'll let the elven people decide your fate."

"Never!" Yrinn snarled, charging forward to hack away at the huge warrior insanely. "I will not fail my god, or my queen!"

"You have already failed!" Damion spat as he deflected the crazed blows, and then lashed out with a series of his own that left the enraged elf with a gaping wound across his chest. "Your blood elves are dead, I'm still alive, and your queen's treachery has been exposed for all to see. You have failed!" He repeated this slowly, and inwardly smiled as Yrinn's expression became anguished. "Hetris is not going to be very happy with you, I would think."

"No!" Yrinn roared in fury, starting towards the huge warrior once again with his sword held high, but a distant crash, and an ear splitting scream, caused him to suddenly freeze in his tracks.

Both Damion and Yrinn looked up just in time to see the flailing figure of a female as she plunged from the top of the tower and crashed to the cobblestones below with a horrid splat.

"Serena?" The silver haired elf stared at the unmoving figure in stunned disbelief for several long seconds, then he let out a cry of pure horror. "Serena!" He dropped his long sword and rushed over to stand over the elven queen's broken body. "No! Serena! My Serena!" He dropped to his knees, and began to cradle her bloody and broken body, his fight with Damion completely forgotten.

Damion watched the grieving elf for several moments as he fought the urge to put an end to the entire mess, then he finally sighed heavily, and sheathed the Dragon Sword.

"Damion!"

The huge warrior turned to see Brody, Raven, Delilah, and Gilroy hurrying towards him.

"Damion!" Brody started, running up to the huge warrior breathlessly. "What happened in the plaza? Where is Yrinn? He didn't..." He suddenly spotted the silver haired elf a few feet away. "Yrinn!" He gasped, raising his bow and leveling an arrow at the elf's chest, then he suddenly noticed the kneeling elf was cradling Queen Serena's body. "My god! Is-Is that the queen?"

"I'm afraid so." Damion nodded grimly. "It appears that she was in league with Hetris and the blood elves all along."

"No," Brody murmured, shaking his head in disbelief as he stared at his queen's lifeless body. "No. That can't be true."

"It's true." Dar told him as he and the others appeared from the tower and hurried over to their side. "Serena and Hetris devised the plan months ago after she switched her allegiance to the dark god. She admitted everything before..." He gestured to the queen's corpse, and shrugged.