Omensent: Rise of the Shadow Dragons (12 page)

"We took some hope when
we only found four graves found at your farmstead." King Atorius said quietly. "Our scouts reported that nothing else was found in the area. We knew there were five in your household, so we had hoped that someone had survived."

Veren looked to his king. "My grief drove me to take some rather drastic actions against an innocent man. I sought to kill Damion, thinking the same as you and Sorsos, that he was responsible for the attacks. I failed, but Damion listened to my story, and chose to spare my life."

The queen bustled o
ver and quickly embraced Damion. "Thank you for sparing my brother!"

Damion
was taken completely by surprise. He looked at Veren and the king helplessly as she continued to cling to him tightly. They both just looked on in amusement.

"You may as well get accustomed to it."
Veren told him. "My little sister is very open with her feelings, when it comes to her friends and family. She's more like a mother hen than a little sister."

"Well
, somebody has to look after us!" She declared fiercely, releasing Damion and turning to glare at her brother and husband. She looked back up to Damion. "You will
always
be as family to us, and welcome here anytime!" She told him earnestly.

Damion smiled down at her gently, thinking briefly of Lady Skie. "Your brother was simply misguided. Once he learned the truth, he realized that I hadn't any knowledge of the destruction." He laughed
a bit ruefully. "I know what it's like to want to seek revenge on those who hurt your loved ones, so what Veren did was understandable."

She took his huge hand in her tiny hand and led him over to a table
that had several trays of food and a number of bottles of wine. "Please, sit and relax." She insisted, quickly pouring everyone a glass of deep red wine. "We may as we be comfortable as we talk." She hurried about, making sure that each one of them a large plate of food.

King Atorius smiled lovingly at his wife, then looked to Damion, his face suddenly serious. "So you spared
Veren's life, and in exchange, he swore a life oath to you?" His voice was quiet, and his eyes more calculating than before.

Damion
nodded. "I tried to explain it wasn't really necessary, but he insisted." He smiled. "He has since proven to be a true and loyal friend."

King Atorius nodded in approval. "I would expect no less from my wife's brother.
And I know that he would only make a life oath to an honorable man. It is something not lightly undertaken by one of our people."

Veren
sipped at his glass of wine. "Has there been any news of where these beasts are coming from?"

Atorius shrugged. "There are reports
of attacks coming from all six kingdoms. The Deirians were on the verge of declaring war upon our lands, but we finally convinced them that the attacks were happening here also." He shook his head. "As far as we can tell, they began in Arleia, far to the northeast. At first, there were only a few random attacks, but then the destruction began to spread. Soon there were reports of organized attacks by the dragonspawn, which suddenly seemed to be everywhere!"

"Dragonspawn!" The queen shuddered,  then returned
to refilling everyone's glasses with the rich flavorful wine. "Vile creatures! I've heard such horrible stories!" Her eyes suddenly widened, and she looked to Damion, her hand flying to her mouth. "Oh my! I..."

Damion sighed, and shook his head. "Don't worry
. I am open about what happened to my family."

"Then the stories are true? That your mother was violated by dragonspawn?" Queen Ann
looked horrified. "I had thought that was just disgusting chatter by idle gossips!"

Damion's face was grim, but he nodded. "My
mother was already pregnant at the time of the attack. She somehow survived her injuries long enough to give birth, but the attack left its mark upon me."

"Is that where your magic comes from, and your great size?" The king inquired.

Damion nodded again. "The scarlet dragons call me Dragonkin because they believe we share the same blood."

"W
ere you really raised by dragonspawn after running off and disappearing into the mountains?" Queen Ann asked tentatively.

Damion burst out laughing. "No, I'm afraid that part isn't true. I did disappear into the mountains, so to speak, but I was living in a small valley with my aunt and her father, Damarius
. He is a wizard, and he helped me learn to control and develop my powers."

There was a loud tap at
one of the large windows that looked out into the night, and everyone turned to see Snowfeather perched on the windowsill outside.

"
That's odd!" King Atorius exclaimed. "I've never seen such a bird before!"

Damion smiled. "That's just Snowfeather." He quickly went to the window and popped it open.

Snowfeather hopped into the room, then glided over to land on the back of Damion's chair.
"There's been another attack on a small village a dozen or so miles out of town."
His feathers were fluffed in agitation, and he was breathing hard.
"I made it there just in time to see the creature as it fled. It was a black dragon!"

Damion cursed. "There's been another attack
about a dozen miles or so outside of the city." He told the others. "A small village was destroyed by a shadow dragon."

"How is it that you know this?"
King Atorius asked, staring at Damion intently.

Damion gestured to the large owl. "Snowfeather told me."

"You can speak to animals?" The king looked skeptical.

"I can only speak with Snow
feather." He explained. "He's my familiar. He can hear my thoughts, and I his."

"Like a witch's cat?" The queen asked
, still fussing about making sure everyone had plenty to eat and drink.

Damion laughed. "Something like that."

The king stared at Snowfeather for a moment. "Are you sure it can be trusted in what it says? It doesn't look very intelligent."

Damion winced, and
Snowfeather squawked loudly in protest. "You can trust what
he
says. Snowfeather knows what he's talking about."

The king
glanced at Damion uncertainly, then back to Snowfeather. "Did you actually see the shadow dragon?" He asked directly to the owl, speaking slowly, as if to a child.

Snowfeather turned and looked at Damion.
"Is he joking?"
He chirped in astonishment.

"What did he say?" King Atorius inquired hesitantly.

"Tell him I said he's an ass."
The snowy owl fluffed his feathers in irritation.

"Be nice."
Damion looked to the king, who was still staring at Snowfeather expectantly. "He said he saw the beast and tried to follow, but it disappeared into the night."

"These attacks are getting closer
and closer to the larger towns and cities." The queen said worriedly. "It won't be long before these beasts descend upon them too."

"Right now it seems they are attacking mostly isolated farms
an villages." King Atorius pointed out. "They destroy the structures, then feed upon the cattle and horses. There usually isn't much left afterwards."

"Sounds like they're feeding."
Veren grunted. "Hopefully they'll continue to avoid large towns and cities, at least until we can figure out how to stop them."

"What about the scarlet dragons?" Queen Ann asked, finally satisfied that everyone was comfortable, and taking her seat next to her husband.
"Can't you use the Dragon Sword to force them destroy the shadow dragons?"

Damion grimaced. "The sword has the ability to control the scarlet dragons, but I
don't use it. I will not force my will upon them like they're at my beck and call. They are free to do as they wish, at least as long as I continue to wield the sword."

"You may not like it, but
there may be no other alternative." King Atorius stated grimly.

Damion shook his head. "I can't do that, but it doesn't matter. The scarlet dragons are already searching for the shadow dragons on their own. They have been
enemies for thousands of years. Trust me when I say that the scarlet dragons are doing all they can to stop the shadow beasts."

Veren
took a sip of his wine, then sighed heavily. "I guess our best option is to begin investigating in Arleia. If that's where the attacks first began, then that's where we should go. Maybe someone along the way will be able to point us in the right direction."

"That's not a journey to undertake lightly." The king warned. "
You have to pass through four out of six of the kingdoms, and that won't be easy!"

"What do you mean?" Damion asked.

"Ever since the attacks began most of the kingdoms have closed their borders. No one is sure exactly where the attacks are coming from, and there haven't been many survivors to explain what happened." King Atorius shook his head. "Every kingdom is on edge, and are staring across their borders looking for explanations."

"Even if you make it to Arleia
, you'll be lucky to find out anything useful." The queen said knowingly. "The Arleians are not what you would call the most honorable of people."

The king nodded in agreement. "They're an
unsavory race. They worship snakes, and take a dim view of outsiders. The only place they allow travelers is the town of Hthiss, just as you cross the border between Veiria and Arleia. Outsiders are not allowed anywhere else in the country, except for the slaves that they purchase from the slave caravans." His expression grew distasteful. "The slave trade is the driving force behind their economy. Slavery was outlawed in Jaghera centuries ago, but many other countries still allow such abhorrent behavior. That's why the Arleians built the town of Hthiss. That's where their slave markets are located. Slavers come from all over to purchase slaves to labor in their houses and fields."

"That's horrible!" Damion exclaimed in disgust. "Why hasn't someone put a stop to
it?"

King Atorius sighed heavily. "Many have
tried. Whole armies have descended on that wretched country, only to be defeated by pestilence and disease, not to mention all of the venomous snakes. Their entire country is one huge tropical marsh and is infested with all sorts of lethal creatures! In the end, only few survivors made it out with their lives!"

Damion's face was grim. "How far is it to Arleia?"

"At least four months on horseback." Veren replied. His face grew curious. "Can you get one of the scarlet dragons to give us a lift? It would save us months of travel."

Damion shook his head. "As I said, I do not use the Dragon Sword for my own purposes. We'll just do it the hard way.
Besides," He pointed out reasonably. "It would be kind of hard to ask the locals about any sightings if they're running away in terror from the dragon carrying us."

The one eared man sighed. "I was afraid you would say that."

"When will you set off?" The king asked.

Veren sighed heavily. "I
t would probably be best if we left at first light."

"I won't hear of you leaving so soon!" The queen declared with some heat, leaping from her chair and scurrying over to
Veren where she threw her arms around him in a fierce embrace. "I just had my brother returned to me from the dead! I will
not
allow him to leave again so soon!"

Damion laughed. "I don't see any harm in lingering for a
day or two."