Dragon Alliance: Rise Against Shadow (39 page)

Lupek wondered if they would send a chromatic after them, for once the senior sorcerers and warlords learned that three manticores, a platoon of orcs, and a behir were killed, they would figure that someone of power had been encountered. They might send a dragon to investigate, if anything just for an opportunity for a budding young red or green to show off its power. He knew that all they could do was delay a blue or red. Even a big green or black would give them a very hard time. He quickened his pace, as Deless kept up with him.

They stealthily moved through the rock formations, keeping ahead of the pursuing orcs and out of sight of the aerial patrols of manticores that were flying overhead. The elf-made cloaks definitely aided them in avoiding detection from the manticores and their riders. They moved for several hours around the mountains until they finally came to the rock outcropping and cave where they left their griffons.

The statuesque creatures were nestled inside, still waiting for their masters. Lupek and Deless could tell that they were unsettled, though, in that they could sense their mortal enemies, the manticores, nearby. They moved to their mounts to quickly calm them down. The shallow cave hid them from aerial view, but the orcs would not be too far behind. Deless was starting an incantation as they both mounted and secured themselves in their flying saddles.

“I am preparing the teleportation spell to get us back to the Weir, but it will take a couple of minutes once we are airborne to focus to allow both of us to go. You must be within wingtip distance when I give the mark,” Deless told Lupek as they both waited on their griffons for the manticore patrol to fly around the mountain.

“If we run into trouble, you just go and I will get back the hard way,” Lupek answered.

“No, that would be unwise. First, Captain Mkel told us not to go out; second, you are the ranger platoon leader and therefore too valuable to be left behind. Third, I won’t do it, for you are my friend,” Deless replied.

“Remember, elf or not, I still outrank you, and this information is more important than either one of us. You have a better chance of making it back, so I will run interference for you,” Lupek answered.

“Just keep close and I will get us both home as soon as I can,” Deless said.

“I’ll run cover for you if we encounter anything; let’s go,” Lupek ordered. They urged their griffons forward. The large golden brown feathered mounts stood up on all fours and walked out of the cave, their white feathered heads peered out of the entrance. They separated enough to spread their wings, and with a short sprint and a leap, they were airborne. Griffons were powerful flyers, and they gained altitude rapidly. As they continued to make their way up the narrow valley, a muffled roar came from behind them. A pair of manticores were attempting to pursue them but were several hundred yards behind. They didn’t concern the rangers, since manticores were much slower than griffons and did not possess seeing crystals to call for help.

The manticores were beating their bat-like wings hard in an attempt get within range to use their spikes. Lupek knew that they could only shoot accurately out to fifty or so yards hence why they loosed volleys of six or more at a time. They usually had up to twenty four that grew back rapidly after they were used. Even with the griffons ascending, they would not get to within three times that distance. Their luck then changed as a lone manticore emerged to their front from around one of the steep narrow mountains, heading to intercept them.

Foolish rider
, Lupek thought to himself: a lone manticore against two griffons. “Razor Claw, let’s answer his challenge,” he said to his mount. He veered right, away from Deless’s griffon. Razor Claw let out a deep piercing war cry as a challenge to the manticore and stretched out its sharp front talons. The manticore moved to intercept them and raised its spiked tail, bristling with over twenty pointed hollow spikes at the tip. Lupek’s griffon was swerving from side to side so as not to give the manticore a stationary target.

When they closed to less than one hundred yards, the manticore whipped his tail, sending a shower of a dozen or so spikes darting toward the ranger and griffon. The powerful golden wings immediately folded, and they dove hard. One spike hit the griffon on the right rear haunch, causing it to wince from the black thorn, and Lupek stopped another with his buckler. The griffon immediately unfurled its wings and used its downward momentum to shoot back up with a forceful acceleration.

Razor Claw struck the manticore from the underside, tearing into the creature’s hide with its talons. Its beak tore a deep gash in the manticore’s chest, and it ripped the base of one wing with the other talon, almost disemboweling it. Lupek thrust his javelin at the rider, who was human and wearing the typical Morgathian leather armor of an aerial soldier, striking his midsection before he could parry with his own spear. The mithril tip cut through the blackened leather armor like going through air. Manticore riders couldn’t wear very heavy armor because their mounts were not strong flyers, so weight must be conserved.

Lupek pulled his javelin out of the rider’s chest just as his griffon let the dying manticore go. Both were mortally wounded, but their end would come quick at the conclusion of their fall. He looked back at his griffon’s hindquarter and saw that the spike had gone in at a shallow angle, so the wound would not be serious.

“Lupek, we are ready to teleport,” Deless shouted at his ranger comrade. Lupek yelled a command to his griffon to turn left and rendezvous with Deless. The other three manticores were closing the distance on them, and then they heard the challenge roar of a dragon in the distance. A red dragon then flew around the mountain about a mile and a half back, making its way toward them. This would not be a fair fight; Lupek thought to himself and quickly flew to Deless’s griffon.

As the elf raised his bow and whispered the spell, they were immediately surrounded by blue streaks of light and then disappeared. Just as they dematerialized, a shower of dozens of manticore spikes whistled through the air in the spot they had just occupied. The manticores let out warbled roars in frustration and split off, turning around to head back to the fire giant’s stronghold. The red dragon had just caught up to them and roared in a deep, sinister, angry voice, “Fools, you let them get away!
You will pay for your incompetence”. He then opened his crimson-colored jaws, filled with jagged teeth, and breathed out a cone of fire, engulfing one of the manticores and its rider, instantly incinerating them. The other two immediately dove and scattered to try to escape the dragon’s wrath.

Lupek and Deless emerged over the plain in front of Keystone Weir. “That was closer than I would have liked,” Lupek called to his elven comrade.

“Are you and Razor Claw all right?” Deless asked with a concerned tone in his voice.

“I’m fine, but Razor Claw has a spike in his hindquarter. Looks worse than it really is, for the angle of penetration is shallow. He will be fine after a healer removes it and puts a little of your clan’s aloras salve on it.” This opaque cream was derived from a particular plant that the elves harvested; it acted as both an anesthetic and an antibiotic, and it healed most wounds very quickly. Alliance soldiers and healers carried small jars of the salve, which could instantly stop blood flow from a wound and numbed tremendous pain at the same time. It formed a protective type of second skin over a wound or burn, which fell off once the skin was healed. This gave the Alliance Army a distinct advantage, for a soldier could return to fight in minutes instead of weeks, saving literally tens of thousands of lives.

The two griffons soared around the Weir Mountain and gave their greeting cry to announce their intention to enter and land. The gate watch blew the warning horn to announce the griffons were going to enter the opening into the mountain. Lupek called through his seeing crystal to the tower watch to have a healer ready by the stables. They sailed in at great speed and immediately veered toward Lupek’s and Deless’s stable perch, where their griffons called home. A healer was waiting for them with a pack full of bandages, aloras salve, and stitching kit, and a worried look on his face.

Lupek and Deless’s mounts both back winged onto their adjacent landings. The healer ran over to Lupek to see who was wounded. “Sir, are you or Deless hurt?” the young healer asked.

Lupek pointed to the black spike still half buried in the griffon’s hindquarter. “That little spike, sir; it’s only a splinter for Razor Claw,” he said with slight smile. The griffon’s large white eagle-like head turned toward the young man and stared at him with a small hiss. The healer’s expression quickly turned serious with a slight twinge of worry. “I will get on it right away,” he said with a slightly nervous tone.

“A good idea, son. I’ll hold his head steady so he won’t eat you if you miss a stitch,” Lupek said in a serious tone, which gave way to a smile as he turned away from the healer and faced Deless to hide his chuckle. The elf smiled back and began to unpack his flying rig. The healer quickly applied the aloras salve to the wound and prepared his healing kit. The great white head of the golden brown griffon eased a little as the salve quickly numbed the pain.

“Whenever you are ready, lad, I have his beak,” Lupek told the healer.

“All right, sir, I’m pulling it out now.” He gave the spike a good yank and barely got it out as Razor Claw jerked up with a deep screech. Lupek quickly spoke to his mount in elvish to calm him down. The large majestic creature quickly settled and lowered its head to allow Lupek to scratch the white feathers above its sharp eyebrow crests. The healer put another layer of aloras on the puncture and began to fasten the silver staples to close the wound, which he accomplished with surprising skill for someone so young. He finished quickly and applied one more layer of salve.

“Sir, it should heal quickly. His hide is very tough,” he said.

“Thank you, lad, you did a good job,” Lupek answered. “All right, you big vulture,” he said in elvish to his griffon, “let’s get you something to eat so you can rest and heal.” They started to walk down the ramp to the Weir landing and the stock pens on the far side of the grounds.

Razor Claw wasted no time in moving over to the herding area and snatched a sheep, quickly snapping its neck and devouring it. The great war bird would take at least two more sheep before he would be satiated. Griffons only bathed occasionally, unlike dragons, which swam regularly. Being part eagle, they preened the feathers of the upper body and were actually very clean creatures.

After the griffon satisfied its hunger, Lupek walked him back to its loft to sleep. He then went back to his living quarters to clean his weapons and equipment, and to see his family.

“Toderan, are you about?” Mkel called through his seeing crystal.

“I’m here, Captain, just tending to a couple of small matters this morning,” the Weir senior sergeant replied.

“Sorry, I forgot the time difference from here,” Mkel said. “It’s late afternoon, and we just completed a pretty substantial battle with a good-sized force of orcs, Morgathian soldiers, and drow. Gallanth and I also tangled with several chromatics.”

“Are you all right?” Toderan asked with a concerned tone in his deep voice.

“A small wound for me and a couple of scratches on Gallanth,” Mkel said. “About two dozen casualties for the Battle Point legionnaires and seven killed in action; may the Creator watch over their souls. There were also several who were captured by these new creatures called dragon spawn, a kind of half-man, half-dragon. Some abomination created by a Morgathian sorcerer and the drow, most likely. This is why I called you. We will be conducting a raid to rescue the captured men, and I need our Weir council mates to assist.”

“I will muster them immediately, although I think Lieutenant Lupek and Deless just got back from a long patrol from the Smoking Mountains,” said Toderan.

“What? I told him to stay with his family and take a couple of days off. I will talk with him later,” Mkel said with a modest irritation.

“Before you get too set on scolding him, he has some very valuable information that must be disseminated.”

“I’ll have him brief me when I see him,” Mkel answered. “I’ll need the council leaders here before evening, and unfortunately I will need Lupek, for we will be conducting a mission behind the enemy encampment in coordination with the Battle Point rangers. I wanted him to rest with his family for a couple of days, ahh. Tell the council as a warning order that we will be conducting a raid to rescue the captured Battle Point men, as the legion conducts a frontal attack to distract the enemy.”

“Yes sir, I will let all of them know immediately to prepare; how are we getting out there?” Toderan asked.

“Gallanth had a tough fight today and must sleep in case we run into more chromatics tomorrow, so Silvanth will have to bring all of you here,” Mkel answered. “I also want Jodem’s staff to fully recharge. I’m sending you the map of the area through the seeing crystal, as well as a brief summation of the battle.”

“Thank you, Captain, we will be ready,” Toderan said with his usual business-like confidence.

“I look forward to seeing you all later,” Mkel said as he concluded his message. Toderan immediately called for a runner to send word to Ordin in the lower levels, for the dwarf routinely forgot where he put his seeing crystal. He picked up his crystal and spoke Dekeen’s name into its lighted surface. The elf’s image quickly appeared in the smooth crystal face.