Spirit Blade: Book III of the Dragon Mage Trilogy (24 page)

Chapter 20

T
he town of Trent was bustling with activity as Kazin, Sherman and Amelia entered via the eastern road. It was getting toward evening, but Kazin was determined to cover lost ground and didn’t want to stop for the night. He stopped at an inn to see if any travelers, particularly large groups of ten or so, had stopped in from the east. The innkeeper informed them there were no large groups, and her only occupants for the last few nights were tradesmen - mostly dwarves, military personnel, and traveling vendors. She urged them to check other inns as there were a few on this end of town.

Kazin thanked her and did as she suggested. It didn’t take long to find them, and those innkeepers all claimed to have the same kind of clientele. Amelia’s orb confirmed that their quarry had not set foot in those places.

As they left the last inn, Sherman spoke up. “What if they didn’t stay here? What if they went straight through?”

“It’s possible,” admitted Kazin.

“Then we should be checking the stables,” continued the big warrior. “When I used to travel as a caravan guard, and we were in a hurry, we would only stop at a town to trade in our horses for some fresh ones.”

“Wasn’t that costly?” asked Amelia.

Sherman nodded. “Sure, but with the time it saved in getting the goods delivered, it was often well worth it. A couple of days less to pay an entire crew wages meant more profit for the merchant.”

“Good point,” said Kazin. “It wouldn’t hurt to check out the stables in this end of town.”

The trio approached one stable and an old, grizzled stable master greeted them. “Come to trade in your horses?” A quick look behind him revealed a handful of tired looking horses.

“No, thank you,” said Kazin politely.

“Ah, well, my selection is a little limited right now,” said the man. “I expect a good dozen or so back in the next few days. If you’re still in the neighborhood, check with me this time tomorrow. I might have more to show ya.”

“Sure,” said Kazin. “But while we’re here, have you seen any large groups of travelers come into town to change out their horses? Say, ten or so people?”

The man shook his head. “Naw. But you can check with some of the other stables. There’s one on your left almost as soon as you enter town. He’s got a bigger supply than I do. He specializes in larger groups.” He put the back of his hand beside his mouth and added with a whisper, “but he’s a lot more expensive.”

“Thanks,” said Kazin. He looked at Amelia who had peeked into her pocket at her orb. She looked up and shook her head.

Kazin led them to the stables that the older man had suggested, and from a distance they could see some horses prancing about in the fenced grazing area beside the stables.

As they neared, Amelia gasped. “Kazin!” she whispered. “I recognize the brand markings on the sides of some of the horses! They look like the symbol that was on the gates of the estate where those bodies were found!”

Kazin squinted at the horses. “I believe you’re right.”

“Look,” said Amelia. She held up her orb. It glowed with a light pink.

“Let’s see what we can find out,” said Kazin.

They approached the gate of the stables where a middle-aged man with slick black hair came out to meet them. He smiled, revealing a couple of missing teeth. “What can I do for ya?” he drawled.

“We’re looking for a group of ten or so people that came from the east,” said Kazin.

“I get lots of groups coming and going all the time,” said the man. “Can you be more specific?”

“Um, one of them had a thick black mustache,” said Kazin.

The man’s grin widened. “Oh, yeah! I remember that one. He rode in yesterday afternoon with a bunch of others. Except for him, the rest of them looked kinda ill.” The man pointed over his shoulder at the horses in the yard. “He traded in some damned good horses for the ones that I had. Said he was in a hurry; didn’t have time to stop.” The man chuckled. “Not only did I get some better horses, I got top dollar for the ones I sold him! He said money was no object! Can you believe it?”

“Where were they headed?” asked Amelia.

The man scratched his head. “Now, that’s the funny part. They rode into town, but came ridin’ back out this way a few minutes later. I heard him mumbling about there being too many mages in town. They charged out on the east road and veered south. The fool didn’t even stop for supplies - I seen that they didn’t have much when they changed horses. He’ll regret it later on, especially with some of them being sick and all. There ain’t no supplies for miles down that way, unless he happens across some farmers kind enough to sell them something.”

“Why was he nervous about the mages?” asked Kazin.

The stable master shrugged. “I don’t know. There are lots of mages around because of the tower in the west. They often come here to replenish supplies.”

“I see,” said Kazin. He looked at Sherman. “It looks like we won’t be spending the night. Should we exchange our horses?”

Sherman nodded. “We rode them pretty hard. It would be a good idea to change them.”

The stable master grinned again. “I’ve got some excellent horses available. But they won’t go cheap.”

“Money is no object,” said Kazin. “Give us your best ones.”

Twenty minutes later, the stable master gleefully jiggled his pouch of coins as the companions rode off with three of the horses that had originally belonged to the estate in Velden. Taking the stable master’s advice, they rode into town to replenish supplies before heading south out of town.

“It’s too bad,” said Kazin. “I would have liked to have gone to see Sorcerer’s Tower. I’m curious to see how much it’s changed.”

“It could still happen,” said Sherman.

The companions rode hard into the night and Sherman, with the aid of Kazin’s lit staff, followed the road skillfully, navigating around muddy areas and up and down sharp inclines with practiced ease. When the horses grew weary, Sherman guided them to a secluded spot away from the main road near a stream. The horses drank thirstily, as the steam from their breath emitted from their flaring nostrils. Amelia suggested they get a few hours of sleep before continuing on and elected to take the first watch. She awoke Sherman a few hours later and he in turn woke Kazin. Kazin was going to take the next watch, but Amelia woke up and said she didn’t want to sleep any more anyway. Sherman didn’t have a problem with that as he was not tired either, so it was decided they continue on their journey. After a quick bite, they mounted their horses and returned to the road leading south.

The sun was just preparing to make its debut to the east when the companions crested a small rise to glimpse a small farming village before them. It nestled among some rolling fields dotted with forested sections that followed hidden streams.

They paused to take in the beauty when an unusual sight caught their attention. An object appeared high in the sky above the village. The morning sun’s rays glinted off the side of the object with shiny, bronze flashes.

Amelia gasped. “A dragon!”

The dragon swooped down, but not at the village. It aimed for a spot just to the west. It swooped close to ground level and then rose back up into the air. It seemed to waver for a moment before plunging back to the ground. This time it did not return to the air. Some trees blocked the view, so the companions didn’t know what had happened.

Kazin shuddered.

“What is it?” asked Amelia, noticing his discomfort.

“There is a powerful magic at work here,” said Kazin. “I’ve never sensed anything so - disconcerting.”

Nothing further transpired, so the companions continued their ride toward the village. They warily watched the tree line where the dragon had disappeared in case they needed to run for cover. They had not gone more than several hundred yards when the dragon reappeared. It soared high into the air in a large arc.

“Is it just me, or is there someone riding that dragon?” asked Kazin.

Sherman squinted. “I can’t tell. Your eyes are better than mine.”

The morning sun got brighter and the dragon swung around to head back toward the ground. Amelia called out. “He’s right! There is someone riding that dragon!”

“That explains the magic I felt,” said Kazin. “Unless I miss my guess, that dragon is being ridden by a mage. We’re in a time when mages are capturing dragons with dragon orbs. What we are witnessing is one of the first dragons being tamed by magic!”

“That’s incredible,” said Sherman. “Except for you, Kazin, I’ve never known anyone to control a dragon before - except that you change into a dragon physically.”

“Dragon orbs are a new invention in this era,” said Kazin. “We are likely to see more dragon riders in the days to come. Dragon mages like me come a little later when dragons die for various reasons while their life essence remains intact in the orb.”

“He seems to be having fun,” interrupted Amelia, pointing. The dragon was flying erratically and finally dove back down again, this time heading for the village. Suddenly it let loose with a blast of fiery breath, striking a building on the outskirts of the village. In an instant the building was ablaze.

“That wasn’t very nice,” remarked Sherman. “He could have shown off any number of ways without causing damage.”

The dragon circled around and blasted another building. The mage on its back was waving his arms wildly.

“I don’t think he’s showing off,” said Kazin suddenly. “He looks as though he’s lost control of his dragon!”

“Oh, no,” wailed Amelia. “What does that mean?”

“It means,” said Kazin smugly, “that the mage will have to get control of his dragon soon or he will be controlled by the dragon. If he’s using an orb - and that’s the only way he could be riding one now - he’s linked to the beast. There is no severing the connection, except by death.”

“Oh, no,” said Amelia again. She consulted her orb. It was faintly pink.

Suddenly, another dragon and rider appeared from where the first one had emerged. It swung east to confront the renegade dragon, which had already set a third building on fire. Riding this new bronze dragon was a figure with a pointed hat.

“Where’d he come from?” asked Sherman. “We should have seen him earlier.”

“I suspect he was on the ground since we crested the rise,” said Kazin. “He was probably involved in capturing the other dragon. Now he’s going to intervene to try to stop the renegade from doing any more damage.”

The trio watched the aerial battle in fascination. The dragons circled one another several times before the renegade blasted at its counterpart with fire. The mage on the bronze dragon put up a shield that prevented the flames from doing any damage and then lowered his shield to shoot a lightning bolt into the renegade dragon’s flank. With a shriek, it spun away with the second dragon in pursuit.

Then the mage riding the renegade dragon turned and shot a lightning bolt back toward the second dragon. The mage was not prepared for the attack and turned to steer his mount to the side to avoid the bolt, but it struck the dragon’s right wing. The searing pain made the bronze dragon howl and it banked away sharply, causing its rider to lose his grip and slide down to the injured wing.

Seizing the advantage, the renegade dragon turned to attack its counterpart and clawed its right side with its long talons. The mage wasn’t in a position to cast any spells to aid his mount and the dragon screamed in pain again. It dove for the cover of the trees to escape the wrath of the renegade dragon. Ironically, the dragon rider never lost his hat in all of that commotion.

Sensing victory, the renegade dragon screamed in delight and soared back into the sky. It circled around in preparation to redirect its energy back at the village.

Meanwhile, the bronze dragon landed in a field and staggered to a halt, with the mage hanging on for dear life.

“Uh, Kazin,” said Amelia.

He turned to the red headed mage. “What is it?”

She held up her orb. It was bright red. “I just consulted the orb. According to this, the renegade was not supposed to prevail.”

A shriek drew their attention back to the sky. The bronze dragon was airborne again. It flew erratically, its injured wing obviously causing a great deal of pain. Its rider was urging it on.

“It looks like he’s back in action,” said Sherman.

Amelia consulted her orb again. “This isn’t good,” she said.

“What is it?” asked Kazin.

“If the bronze dragon confronts the renegade dragon again, he will lose, and his rider will die.”

“Then that’s what must happen,” said Kazin.

Amelia shook her head and pointed. “If that dragon rider dies, the war will be lost and history as you know it will be changed forever. That dragon rider is one of the most crucial individuals in the war.”

“Are you saying we have to intervene?” asked Sherman.

Amelia’s face reddened. “According to the orb, we are in this time in history and we are the only ones who can correct the current problem.” She turned to Kazin. “According to the orb, we are a part of this history. It took me a long time to come to that conclusion, but it’s the only thing that makes any sense. We are a part of this era, whether we like it or not. That’s why we haven’t changed history despite all of the things that we’ve done so far. Under normal conditions we should have changed history dozens of times by now, but we haven’t.”

Another shriek sounded as the two dragons clashed again. It was not looking good for the bronze dragon and its rider.

“Alright,” said Kazin. “We’ll discuss this more later.” He took a few steps away from his friends and transformed into his dragon form.

“You’re not going without me,” growled Sherman. He bounded up Kazin’s wing to find a spot on his back.

“I’m going too,” said Amelia. She climbed up Kazin’s wing and the warrior’s strong arm swung her up beside him. The startled horses were left to graze in the field beside the road.

“Let’s show that wise guy how real battles are fought!” cried Sherman. He brandished his Sword of Dead.

Kazin sprang into the air and shrieked, enjoying the feeling of being a dragon once again. He had been repressing the sensation for quite some time. The cry was loud enough to distract the renegade dragon as it was about to deal another serious blow to the bronze dragon. The mage riding the bronze dragon, seeing the new approaching dragon, knew he was outmatched, so he guided his dragon below the renegade and fled in the opposite direction.