Dragon Alliance Dark Storm : Dark Storm (32 page)

“As we recently gathered to honor our loved ones who have fallen in their service to their country during the Honors Day Games and celebrations, we understood the feelings that we all have for the veterans we honored that day. This allowed us to feel a common bond with each other—feelings that transcend all boundaries—political, religious, ethnic, or racial—and in a sense make us a large family, if just for that brief moment. A wise wizard once said, ‘Ties of family often extend beyond blood relative to others who have the same feeling and understanding.’ This is the very reason why these veterans we honored served to protect their country, their communities, their families, and each other. Many consider the dragons and their riders heroes, but the true heroes are those we honored, who could look outside themselves for a greater good. Today, we have a chance to take care of those who bore too much battle. The sting and horror of those fights still go on in their dreams. We can help heal their mind scars to allow them to draw strength from themselves and from each other to grow, to heal, to live, and eventually to thrive. Thank you,” Mkel finished as many in the senate stood up to applaud his sentiments.

Senator Terrjok then stood to respond to Mkel’s speech. “Captain Mkel, your initiative to press for funding for these veterans who suffer these so-called mind wounds from battle is unfounded at best, and at worst a veiled attempt to procure funds from the senate for the overly wealthy, dragon-hoarding weirs.”

Mkel responded angrily, “
Pogasch
Senator Terrjok, while I know you are a veteran, even as an arbitrator and your extensive four months aboard a support ship, you have never faced an orc battle line bearing down on you. Never seen a grummish attempt to devour your fallen comrade while he is still alive or faced down a red dragon spewing fire that can melt steel. Mind and body are one, and the mind can be scarred from the true horrors of battle, and the pure evil that the Morgathians and their allies can muster. Just as the body can be scarred, so can the mind. There are wounds that even aloras cannot heal. To deny this is ignorant at best, and at worst condescending, arrogant, malicious, and stupid.”

Terrjok angrily replied, “I resent those comments, Dragonrider!”

“Then they strike too close to the truth, Senator!” Mkel fired back.

Cries of “Dragonrider go home!” and negative epithets against the dragons rose up from the Enlightened senators, which were countered by supportive shouts from the rest of the senate. President Gindren pounded his hammer, which reverberated in the great hall to reestablish order.

“We as the Enlightened Party of the senate will not stand for these insults, especially from a dragonrider. We believe—” Tekend burst out.

“What do the Enlightened believe in? You only believe in your own emptiness and the guilt of your success. You are as hollow as the utterances you call words, which are the very empty thoughts you have fallen in love with. You believe in nothing else. These so-called pearls of wisdom echo in an empty chamber reverberating back to their empty originator, you underwise elitist fools,” Jodem stood up with a loud crack of his dragonstone staff in an unusual display of emotion, likely originating from the verbal attack on Mkel, whom he did consider a son.

“POE scum! You and your whole Enlightened movement are not a movement at all, but a disease, an infectious, virulent plague upon the republic,” the dwarf King Drekar shouted out while standing up and grasping his urgosh, its diamond dragonstone glowing brightly, reflecting off of the pure mithril hammer/ax head. The arguing in the senate reached almost riotous proportions. As Gindren tried to regain order, Gallanth took advantage of the time and comforted his rider.

“Be at ease, my rider. You delivered a tremendous speech and handled yourself very well against the poisoned tongued
Pogasch
.”

“Thank you, my friend, but I don’t understand what happed to Debesora and her son. Why did they testify against me?” he asked.

“I sensed a deep distress from her, and fearful guilt from the boy. I would wager that they were forced or coerced to do this by some Enlightened agent. We will find out the truth,” Gallanth stated softly but in a determined tone by Mkel’s ear.

Gindren finally regained control of the senate. “I will entertain two more speakers on this subject before I call for the vote to supply funds to the healer guilds and select churches to start to treat these unfortunate veterans who suffer mind scars. Senator Golfine, I see you wish to add to the debate.”

“Yes, I believe our focus of these injustices against invisible wounds of our overindulged veterans is somewhat misplaced. I feel it would more important to talk of the barbaric way we treat our unfortunate criminals in our work prisons. These misunderstood persons should not be subjected to the harsh treatment and pain that is inflicted upon them for their mistaken acts. A society is judged on how it treats the lesser, more unfortunate of its people that have made a few moderate mistakes. The total lack of concern displayed here in these hallowed halls truly demonstrates the lack of enlightenment and superior understanding we have sunken to with the non-POE members of the senate,” he said, jockeying to divert attention from the pending vote.

“Senator, a society is judged on how it treats its veterans and children, not its criminals—how it treats those who protect us and how we protect the innocent, those who need our protection, and how we allow them to be treated, mark the true nature of a nation. Criminals deserve punishment. That practice should never change. You call this an enlightened view, ha. Your party is not the least enlightened, for you are all as dim as the twilight. President Gindren, I grow tired of this. I call for a vote,” Senator Tomsfred of the Eladran Province stated in his usual commonsense manner.

“A vote has been called for. We will now take roll,” Gindren said, seizing on the initiative that Tomsfred created. The vote went up, and the measure was passed, much to the objection of the Enlightened senators. “We will now take a short recess before we continue on several domestic budgetary issues. General Becknor, esteemed dragons and riders, and their friends, if you wish to come back after the break, you are more than welcome, but this concludes the discussion of all matters that pertain to you, the weirs, and issues of foreign diplomacy. We have been graced by the wisdom of your presence, and as always, thank you for all you do for the Alliance.”

That was all Mkel had to hear; he called for the Draden crew to depart. He asked General Becknor to make sure he could leave. The general was as anxious to go as Mkel was. As they walked out of the senate building onto the mall, Mkel asked Gallanth to get them airborne as soon as possible to get away from there. He had had enough and felt like he had just experienced an emotional maelstrom.

As Mkel motioned for the Draconian police to clear the area for them to accept their mounts and for Gallanth to take off, an old woman approached them. He surmised from her impressive attire that she was of some important stature. She managed to break through the line of constables and slowly walked over to him and Gallanth with her nurse right behind her. “Dragonrider Mkel, Rider of Gallanth,” she spoke out softly, but somehow, her words were clear even over the roar of the gathered crowds, who were still shouting competing epitaphs both in support of the dragons and against them. Mkel turned toward her just as Gallanth turned his head to look down.

“I wanted to thank you, your noble dragon, and your friends for the words you spoke in support of our veterans. I don’t know of these so-called Enlightened ones who deny the truth that is right in front of them. You helped more people than you know today,” she finished as she reached for him, raising her cane. Mkel gently hugged her to return the gesture and to support her in case she became infirm.

“
Mkel,
she
is
Admiral
Zewal’s
mother;
her
other
son
died
of
a
mind-scar-induced
suicide
after
the
Great
War.
Her
emotion
is
the
most
powerful
I’ve
felt
in
years,
after
your
own
,” Gallanth told Mkel telepathically.

“Thank you, Madam; your words make the frustration a little easier to take,” he replied as he held her loosely.

“You just keep your faith, my boy, and tell your dragon that I am honored by his words and sentiment,” she finished as Mkel’s head shot up in amazement, for how did she know what Gallanth had told him telepathically? She smiled and turned as her escorts were allowed to come through the police to help her back to her carriage.

“I am as puzzled as you are, my friend,” Gallanth told him out loud. “We are all ready for flight,” he added as he looked over to see all his weir mates mounted and securing their flying straps. He jumped up on Gallanth’s forearm and was lifted up to the saddle rig. He quickly secured his straps and called to his friends to take off. With that, the two giant eagles, and winged horse took to the sky. When they were comfortably away, Gallanth and Valianth both stretched out their wings, and with a few steps almost in unison, the two behemoth gold dragons were also airborne, rising up over the stone structures of the city. They soon joined their friends.

CHAPTE
R 
 V

Ripple before
the Storm

“
M
kel, you are awake?
” Gallanth asked his rider, early the Sabbath morning.

“
Yes,
my
dragon,
I
am.
For some reason, I woke and cannot fall back asleep,” he answered half through his mind and half out loud.

“There is a strange breeze this morning, surprisingly warm for this late in the fall. Something is amiss, and I sense it is toward the east,” the gold dragon stated with concern in his voice.

“We were lucky yesterday; our hunt was successful. I bagged a good-sized stag, and Toderan got one as well,” he answered as he opened his eyes and stared at the predawn light. He then looked over and saw that even Toderan, whom Mkel knew to be an early riser, was still asleep.

Their hunting camp was deep in Draden Forest, with a small cabin that stood on the edge of a clearing just large enough for Gallanth and a few other smaller mounts to land and rest in. The fall was a favorite time for Toderan, for he lived for the hunt. Mkel enjoyed hunting as well, but Toderan relished it. They had gone stalking the morning before and then put on a drive with their small band of fellow hunters. Gallanth had slept soundly, for in the middle of Draden Forest, surrounded by Dekeen’s elves always about tending to their forest gardens and general patrols, there was no safer place than the weir itself. The previous day’s hunt proved very successful with all getting a stag or doe, and the celebrations that night, while mild, still had their effect. It was nice getting away from the weir for a few days though, and Mkel did enjoy the woods, beautiful and pristine but still carefully managed by the elves, for even nature needed a helping hand once in a while as well.

Gallanth raised his head and sniffed the air, “I can almost smell the brimstone and fire rock, but I know it is not there, not yet,” he stated softly.

“Gallanth, rest yourself; the fire giants are not on the move yet. If they were, Lupek’s or Lordan’s rangers would have alerted us,” Mkel tried to comfort his dragon through his early morning sleep haze. “Now go back to sleep, my friend. We had a good day’s hunt yesterday, and we have to send off Lawrent and his raiders soon. Then after that, we have to help that Capital copper and the Ice Bay brass dragon teleport the avengers to Battle Point. That and the shipment of the new dragon-skin armor and repeating crossbows will arrive soon, and we must field it as rapidly as possible. Our two-month lull will soon be ending,” he explained as he rolled over on his spongy bedroll and peered up at his dragon in the early morning dawn.

“Yes, my rider, I understand; I just have a sense of foreboding about the Smoking Mountains. A fight is coming soon,” he finished as he laid his head down, curling it around Mkel.

“Soon is not now, my dragon, and the more we get the weir ready for this, the better, but for now, we have one day left in our hunting trip, and I want a few more hours of sleep before our illustrious senior sergeant gets up,” Mkel replied and closed his eyes again, the forest just beginning to come to life with the chirping of a few birds and the cool, late-autumn breeze rustling the few remaining leaves on the trees. As customary, Toderan woke first and roused the halfling they had brought from the weir to get breakfast ready. Mkel woke to the smell of eggs and bacon frying and the warming of sweet breads inside the small cabin. He got up and went over to eat with Toderan and his brothers, who were already wolfing down the prepared meals.

“You’d better shave today; the three-day’ growth you’ve got will make that sea serpent Lawrent call you a raider,” Toderan joked with Mkel.

“Have no fear, I won’t join his band of cutthroats and pirates, or take on any of their traits anytime soon.” He smiled as he sat down. “When we do get back today, I imagine the shipment of new armor and crossbows will be there. We need to fit it to our soldiers and start to practice with those new weapons, as well as give a few to Dekeen’s arms smith, Eldir, so he can learn to service them and reproduce them.”

“That should not be an issue, since he designed Markthrea, and they basically copied that design to make them, my dragonrider friend,” Dekeen quipped in his normal sharp-tongued manner, with a slight smile to mitigate his pointed sarcasm.

“Oh, now the elf speaks up. Why don’t you get your kinsmen to take our deer to the weir?” Toderan fired back.