Omensent: Rise of the Shadow Dragons (11 page)

Sorsos screamed in fury. "I warn you! I
will
bring my power to bear upon you!"

"Okay."
Damion held his arms out and waited. "Go ahead, take your best shot!"

The colorfully robed man stood motionless as everyone in the hall awaited his response, but Sorsos did nothing. His face ha
d lost all color, and he opened his mouth several times, only to close it once more.

Damion looked around at the assembled crowd, then to the king and queen, who watched with
stunned expressions. "As you can see, he is a fake. This man has been deceiving you people."

"N
-Not true!" Sorsos tried to object desperately. "It takes time for a sorcerer to ready his magic! You have just caught me off guard. If I was allowed a moment to prepare myself, I'm confident that I..." Sorsos' voice was suddenly cut short.

Everyone in the hall
simultaneously gasped as Damion gestured at the false magician. The gaudily dressed man suddenly rose into the air with a startled yelp. Damion gestured again, and the fake wizard rose even higher until he was floating several dozen feet above the assembled crowd's heads.

Sorsos began screaming
nonsense and gibberish, pointing his staff down at Damion even as he struggled against the unseen force holding him aloft.

The crowd gasped expectantly
, but Damion only laughed again and made a twisting with one hand. The struggling man suddenly flipped upside down and his colorful robe fell down over his face, exposing his rather dingy undergarments. His elaborate staff slipped from his flailing hands and fell to the floor with a loud clatter.

"I demand you release me!" He screamed, trying to push his robes back into place. "Release me at once!"

Damion shrugged. "Very well."

Sorsos abruptly crashed to the hard stone floor. He began to struggle
weakly to his feet, his eyes slightly glazed. "You will pay for your impertinence!" He shrieked insanely.

Damion made another gesture, and Sorsos
suddenly vanished, replaced by a grey donkey with very startled eyes. The donkey whinnied in fear and confusion, then stood trembling from head to tail.

There was
several moments of stunned silence, then someone in the crowd suddenly burst out laughing. Others quickly joined in and soon the entire crowd was laughing uproariously. Even the royal couple laughed, though they tried their best to retain their composure.

After several long minutes, everyone settled down. The king and queen conferred together quietly for a moment, then dismissed the soldiers who were still being kept at bay by
Veren's sword.

Veren
resheathed his sword, then turned to give his king an apologetic look. "I beg you for forgiveness, your majesty," He said with sincerity. "but you
must
know the truth! Damion is not the threat to Jaghera! The shadow dragons are!"

King Atorius slowly walk
ed to the front of the platform and stared out over the crowd. "Much has happened that needs to be discussed! Let the hall be cleared so we may discuss these events without further distraction!"

The assembled people began to slowly file from the hall
, chattering excitedly about what they had just witnessed.

"Someone take Sorsos to the stables before he makes a mess on the floor!" The queen giggled, staring at the donkey
with fascination.

Two of the guards quickly ran forward and began to carefully herd the false magician from the room.

"A donkey?" Veren asked, giving Damion a curious look.

Damion laughed. "A toad just didn't seem
appropriate. Besides," He smiled mischievously. "I've always wanted to know if that would work!"

"I can't believe
Sorsos was a charlatan!" The king said, shaking his head in disbelief. "He had me completely fooled!" He looked over to Veren. "So why did you bring him here to us?" He gestured to Damion.

"We had journeyed here in hopes of finding and destroying the shadow dragons that were causing all the mayhem
," The one eared man explained quickly. "but once we heard rumors of war, we decided we should try to intervene."

The king looked grim. "It is fortunate that you did. We were indeed discussing war. The attacks have grown more frequent, and the death toll is rising by the day!
The people are demanding that we take action!" He looked at Damion. "Sorsos was most vocal that we should declare war. He claimed that if we were to gain possession of the Dragon Sword, he would be able to ensure the attacks would stop for good."

Damion shook his head. "It would not have done him any good. The Dragon Sword holds no power over the shadow dragons
."

Kin
g Atorius nodded ruefully. "It's my belief that he actually wished the Dragon Sword for himself. He always seemed a little too interested in rumors of powerful objects. He always claimed it was in an effort to insure the safety of the country, but I always suspected he desired their powers for himself." He suddenly laughed. "I guess we won't have to worry about him anymore!"

"I can change him back if
you would like." Damion offered.

The king thought about that for a long moment. "I don't think so." He decided finally. "
His masquerade is at an end. It is most fitting that the form finally reflects the man."

"I was a bit surprised at the reaction of people watching." Damion
commented, still a bit wary of the sudden change in attitude by the royal couple. "I thought the use of magic was a crime in Jaghera, but they seemed almost happy to see it performed!"

The giddy looking queen laughed again. "That's because everyone was happy to see
Sorsos finally get what he deserves!" She had emerged from her hiding spot behind the throne and returned to her seat, carefully brushing out the wrinkles from her golden robes as she sat. "He's been using the threat of magic to bully the common people for years now. Everyone was too afraid to try and face him!"

King Atorius
smiled at his wife, then returned to his seat next to her. "The ban on the use of magic is centuries old, but still strictly enforced. The only person allowed to perform magic in Jaghera has always been the royal sorcerer."

"How long has
Sorsos been the Royal Sorcerer?" Veren asked curiously. "When I retired from my place as advisor to the throne, the Royal Sorcerer was an old grouchy fellow by the name Wolff. Sorsos was nothing more than his apprentice."

The royal couple's faces both fell. "Wolff was found murdered in his chambers six years ago." The king said sadly. "His murderer was never found. Sorsos a
ssumed his position not long afterward."

"I still can't believe he was just a charlatan!"
Veren looked to Damion, his face puzzled. "If Sorsos can't use magic, how was he able to create the flash and the smoke?"

Damion, who was warily eyeing the trembling guards that were still watching him carefully, shrugged. "Flash powder. It's an unstable substance that looks dramatic, but cannot injure in small amounts. It produces a rather foul odor that cannot be mistaken. That's why he stinks so badly."

The king and queen exchanged looks. "We have always wondered why he smelled so badly
! Wolff never smelled like that! It was like Sorsos would wake up in the morning and roll around in a pile of rotten eggs!"

"It's the
sulfur in the powder. It has quite a distinctive odor. There was never any real magic involved in his trickery." Damion explained. "I am able to feel when someone is practiced in the arcane arts, and I could feel no such power within him."

"How was you able to learn your magic,
Dragon Lord?" Queen Ann asked respectfully.

Damion winced. "Please, your majesty, just call me Damion. The name Dragon Lord
was not my idea."

The queen smiled warmly.
"Damion it is then."

"I was born with my magic." He explained. "I was taught how to control and use
it by my teacher, Damarius. Magic is something you're born with. It is not something that can be learned."

"I knew the stories that
Sorsos had learned his magic from studying from the spell books of the ancients didn't ring true!" She exclaimed triumphantly. "There were just too many things about his tales that did not add up!"

The king sat back in
his throne, his expression thoughtful. "A lot has happened, and we should all take time to reflect on these events." He looked at Damion and Veren. "Please allow me to extend our hospitality. After we have all rested and recovered from the excitement, we can continue with our discussions in our private chambers." He looked around pointedly at the few stragglers still hanging about the hall.

He
summoned a servant who led Damion and Veren to a set of apartments elaborately decorated in finery. There was pair of sleeping chambers that were separated by a common room furnished with a long stone table surrounded by a number of plush chairs. At the back of the common area was a room with a large rectangular pool cut into the stone floor that was full of steaming hot water.

"It was designed
by a dwarf over three hundred years ago." The servant explained proudly. "All of the royal apartments have similar facilities."

"I've seen this design before."
Damion nodded, thinking back to the dwarven caverns beneath the grasslands of the Deola.

The servant gave him a bit of a startled look, then hurried off to retrieve refreshments.

After eating, bathing, and grabbing a few hours of sleep, Damion and Veren met in the common area. It was late evening, and the fortress had fallen quiet. Snowfeather had drifted off through an open window in search of his dinner, while they relaxed in the plush chairs around the stone table.

"I wanted to thank you for remaining calm when we spoke with my king."
Veren said to Damion, pouring them each a glass of wine. "I honestly thought all was lost when Sorsos ordered the soldiers to seize you!"

"And I wanted to thank you."
Damion stared at him with serious eyes. "You showed me a great amount of loyalty by trying to protect me. You actually drew your sword in the presence of your king!"

The one
eared man's face grew flushed. "It was more for my king and queen's sake than for yours." He confessed. "I have heard stories of what happens when you get angry!"

Damion laughed, then took a sip from his wine.

There was a knock at the door to their chambers, and a servant bustled in nervously. "The king and queen request your company in the royal chambers."

They followed the fussy little
man to a large set of chambers on the top level of the fortress, where they found the king and his queen patiently awaiting their arrival.

"It was unkind for you to allow us to believe you were dead." The queen
stated immediately to Veren as they entered the room. She hurried over and embraced him fiercely. "We were in despair over your loss!"

Veren
blushed slightly at his queen's sudden embrace. "Her majesty is too kind."

"Oh, enough with that nonsense!" The plump little woman demanded, placing her hands on her ample hips.
She smiled at Damion. "The Commander also shares the honor of being my big brother!" She explained, embracing Veren once more. "I had believed him to be lost!" Her eyes had grown tearful.

Veren
placed an arm around her shoulders. "I am well, Annie. I am sorry if I have caused you grief." He looked to Damion, his face slightly guilty. "I hope you forgive me for leaving out this little detail, but..."

Damion nodded in understanding. "
There is nothing to forgive."