Dragon Alliance: Rise Against Shadow (4 page)

The rangers performed a vital service to the Weir, giving advanced warnings of larger enemy incursions or invasions, providing a presence by constantly patrolling, and keeping enemies off balance with a small but rapid and effective show of force. Many a time, the rangers would sweep down with their griffons, coupled with the power of Lupek and his second-in-command, Deless, a skilled elf fighter/sorcerer, and leave only the bodies of their enemies and other evil creatures in their wake. They were renowned for this quick strike ability; the cry of their griffons and a hail of arrows and spells was a woe to orc war bands. The rangers were all skilled at aerial combat and experts in aerial archery. In intense aerial confrontations, one pair from the ranger griffon squadron usually protected Gallanth’s flanks to allow him and Mkel to concentrate on the most powerful enemies and perform strafing runs against opposing armies.

Lupek personally led the strike and recon teams in most missions and major campaigns, for they were the Weir’s eyes and ears, especially with the aid of Deless and his magical abilities. This combination made the ranger platoon a powerful force in its own right. Lupek was also a highly trained battle healer, with a mastery of herbal medicines.

Lupek and Mkel attended the Alliance’s Military Leader’s Guild together, receiving their commissions as Alliance Army officers. They served in the Weir’s infantry company together as platoon leaders before Mkel dedicated most of his time with Gallanth and command of the garrison and Weir. Lupek then specialized in ranger training with the elves. They remained best friends and relied on each other, both militarily and for mutual support, considering themselves as brothers.

Lupek himself had a strong constitution, being a tireless runner and hiker while also possessing a great deal of wisdom. He was as tall as Mkel with a very similar build, but he had been very hardened by his life as a ranger; however, he still had a kind heart. His green-gray eyes and short brown hair (it was customary for rangers to shave their heads), along with several scars, gave him a rugged look, but still maintaining a hint of gentleness.

Lupek and Deless gave a quick nod to Mkel and headed to their griffons’ stables, to ensure their mounts were settled in, as well as storing away the mithril point extensions on each of their talons. These additions allowed their mounts to inflict a great deal of damage in attacks. They then headed to their quarters and the families’ housing area. The rest of the ranger section that had accompanied them had already stowed their gear and put their griffons in their stables to rest and feed.

They all parted but would meet back at the large dining hall in the rear of the Weir interior, followed by a couple of ales at the Weir’s tavern. Mkel wanted to get a quick breakfast, for he knew Annan would be waking about this time, and he wanted to see Michen before he became too busy.

He walked into the dining hall and went over to the serving tables to pick up a breakfast cake, fruit mixture, cereal, and milk. Philjen smiled at him in her usual alluring, if not mischievous, way. He had known the tavern keep for years; her smile was always friendly. Philjen was a unique product of a dwarf and a human. She stood about five feet tall and had a very solid build, but she still had a human female’s shape. Her large bright blue eyes and short light brown hair added to her appeal. He smiled back and walked over to where Toderan was already sitting.

Mkel sat down beside his tall friend; the paladin was the senior enlisted soldier in the Weir. “Good morning, Senior Weir Sergeant, my friend. You know the rangers are back, and it looks like there is a little trouble brewing from the southeast,” Mkel said.

“You talked to Lupek already sir?” Toderan asked.

“Just for a few minutes this morning before I made him go to his family and get cleaned up,” Mkel returned. “We will get the full report after lunch. I wanted him to rest before then.”

“No problem, I will be looking forward to it sir,” Toderan said. “The preparations for the exercise will be finished this afternoon, and the leaders’ meeting is on schedule for tonight. Jodem and I already informed Dekeen, Ordin, and Pekram. Is Lawrent supposed to be here for this or not sir?”

“He was supposed to, but I received a short message from him that there was a little trouble in getting to Sauric Bay. He ran into a saragwin raiding party, which he had to take care of,” replied Mkel. “I expect him in a few weeks.”

“He’ll make it up, I’m sure,” Toderan replied. Toderan, being a paladin, did not like Lawrent’s chaotic ways and the Freilanders in general because of their practices and culture. The senior paladin was a very structured individual, while Lawrent was a sea raider and barbarian, but he had a good heart and good intentions as well as being a dependable and fierce ally. Lawrent commanded his personal dragon or serpent long ship with his hand-picked crew of master mariners and forty or so fierce berserkers. He usually had three to four more that joined him in his raids of the Archipelago Islands, Shidan, Ariana, and parts of the Morgathian Empire. They joined the Weir garrison in battle on occasion, which Mkel used as a reserve counterattack force or a backup raiding group for the ranger platoon. They served on the infantry line but preferred to fight as individuals rather than as a team. Orcs and the Morgathians feared them, for they had a greater ferocity than almost any other warriors known.

Toderan rose from the table. “I have to see to a couple of personnel issues, sir,” he said.

“Do you need any help?” replied Mkel.

“No, Captain, just a couple of issues in one of the cavalry squads with two infantrymen.”

“No problem; let me know. I will see you at lunch before Lupek’s brief in the central meeting room,” Mkel finished.

Toderan stood up and walked toward the garrison barracks. Mkel quickly finished his breakfast and took a full tray of food and beverages back up to his chambers. Annan was already awake and taking care of Michen. He set the tray down and they started to eat. Annan asked him what the agenda was for the day. He told her of the brief after lunch and the leaders meeting before dinner, as well as the training exercise scheduled for tomorrow and the trip to Battle Point the next day.

She was upset at that news, and an argument began. Mkel half-heartedly argued back while he played with Michen, knowing she was just worried. He was Mkel’s most prized treasure; he loved his son as much as his dragon. Michen’s bright blond hair and wide blue eyes only added to his little boy’s charm. He picked Michen up and walked out of his chamber to Gallanth after he and Annan came to an agreement.

Michen loved to crawl on Gallanth’s tail and claws. “Draagin,” he said over and over again as Mkel carried him over to Gallanth.

“Hello, little one,” Gallanth replied in a soft tone, for even the average exhalation of the mighty dragon could knock the toddler off his feet. He very carefully moved his huge tail over toward his rider and son; Mkel put Michen on the flat arrow-shaped plate at the end of his tail. Gallanth could amazingly balance the small child on his tail without dropping him, and Michen loved the ride.

Mkel scratched his dragon’s ear ridge, which was the most sensitive point on his immense armored head. His watermelon-sized eye closed in pleasure. “Why don’t we fly down to the stables and get you something to eat, for tomorrow will be very busy.”

“Sounds like an excellent idea,” the dragon said as he moved his thick front leg over to Mkel, who climbed on top of it and was lifted to the base of the dragon’s neck. The huge tail gently swung the two-year-old over to Mkel after he hooked two of the four flying straps to his belt. He took his son in his arms and nodded to the gold dragon that he was ready. Gallanth stood up and walked over to the edge of his landing, which measured one hundred yards deep and one hundred twenty yards wide. He outstretched his colossal wings and with one gentle leap was airborne. He gracefully sailed down over the Weir lake and landed very gently, with a small whirl of dust, by the stables so as not to unsettle his rider’s precious cargo.

Mkel unhooked the riding straps with his free hand. Michen had thoroughly enjoyed the short ride. Gallanth put his massive head and neck on the ground and slightly raised his left front leg for Mkel to slide onto, then lowered it slowly to the ground. Gallanth’s arm thickness still put Mkel six feet above the ground, so he sat down on the dragon’s arm and slid to the ground, holding Michen firmly. As he carried Michen over to the stable master and his halfling assistants, Gallanth stood up and turned toward the corral. The stable master made a motion to his crew, who went scrambling into the meat storage cold room. He looked up at Gallanth and yelled, “We have three seasoned steer halves for you, Master Dragon.”

“I have faith in your culinary skills sir,” Gallanth responded.

It always amazed Mkel how much respect Gallanth could command in spite of his gentle reputation, although it was hard not to respect a forty-five-yard-long gold dragon. Gallanth only used a loud commanding voice in battle, when speaking to the Weir garrison and regiment, or when he spoke at a public gathering. Otherwise, his deep voice was gentle to the ear; however, his roar could shake the Weir mountain to its very foundation. This tremendous sound could instill horror in enemy formations while eliminating any fear in the soldiers of the regiment. Other dragons had fearsome roars, but Gallanth’s had a deeper, more commanding quality.

When he was fighting chromatic dragons, they would often roar curses or insults at each other in Draconic, the language of dragons, which only dragonriders, scholarly wizards, and clerics could understand (it was very difficult to master, being literally a living language. The reader has to know the intent or emotion of the words). Chromatics, especially red dragons, were relatively easy to goad, being very vain and usually overconfident. Gallanth sent many a red spiraling to their death after foolishly engaging him in battle. Gallanth’s spell casting ability was much greater than a red’s, which is mostly fire based, as well as his two breath weapons and unique sunburst beams. Gallanth was also stronger, faster, and definitively more intelligent than any chromatic. Added to this was the power of Mkel’s crossbow, Markthrea
,
with its mithril-tipped and exploding bolts, coupled with incredible range, blinding speed, and accuracy; red dragons did not have much of a chance.

As Gallanth and the stable master conversed, Mkel was thinking of the trip to Battle Point coming up and the potential to face the chromatic dragons. Their ancestral enemy depended on sheer numbers when engaging the Alliance metallic dragons for any hope of victory. While almost never allowing themselves to be ridden, they did occasionally permit a powerful Morgathian warlord, death knight, or Talon sorcerer to mount them. This was only done for mutual benefit, and even then they were not blood bonded. This did not make them as effective as the metallics and their riders, for even though both were powerful, they would fight individually and not as a well-coordinated team. Mkel knew that the bonding with a human rider made a metallic dragon’s powers greatly enhanced; enabling it to cast more powerful spells and recharge their breath weapons at a much faster rate. This was their major advantage, along with the inherent teamwork that went with a rider and dragon.

The halflings and human butchers wheeled out three slightly cooked steer halves, all sprinkled with a special seasoning. “Thank you for your efforts,” Gallanth said and lowered his head while opening his immense jaws, exposing his huge teeth and biting down on one of the steer halves. It was crushed in his powerful jaws and swallowed quickly. Mkel knew the power of Gallanth’s bite, for he had witnessed those same razor-sharp, gargantuan fangs rend fire and ice giants to pieces and tear into the hides of chromatic dragons with little trouble.

“I greatly appreciate the fine job you do, Jern,” Mkel told the stable master.

“Anything for you and Gallanth,” he replied. “He has saved us all time and time again.”

It was always nice to hear the appreciation for his dragon, for there was a growing antimilitary movement in the major cities in the Alliance, with a distinct hatred for the dragons. These groups were mostly civilians and not citizens, and their central focus was to blame the dragons for everything from self-imposed poverty to misunderstanding the Morgathians. They even wanted the Alliance to sue for peace with the evil empire.

“Yeah, right,” Mkel thought to himself. Ask for peace from a red dragon, orc, or Talon sorcerer. These people were so sheltered by the very security of the organization and protectors they loathed so much that they were ignorant of the hostile world outside the safety and prosperity of the Alliance borders. He had no stomach for them and considered them on the same plane as the insect-like orcs.

Gallanth finished all three steer halves while Mkel was deep in thought. “As always, they were excellent, master butcher,” Gallanth complimented Jern. “Mkel, I will go back to my landing for a few more hours of rest before the meeting and our flight afterward,” Gallanth continued. “No problem, my friend, I will see you in a couple of hours,” Mkel replied.

The gold dragon turned, outstretched his wings, and leapt into the air. Mkel and Michen watched Gallanth fly back up to the ledge of his landing. Mkel went over to the dining hall area to find Annan and drop Michen off so he could go to the council room and his study. Annan had just brought the food tray back with the help of Janta, her halfling nanny. He handed Michen to her and gave her and his son a kiss, and then he walked into the corridor that led to the barracks area and the leaders’ council room.

He walked into the empty hall and sat down at the large oaken table to finalize the planning for the training exercise that was to begin tomorrow. It would be a standard regimental attack, putting the Weir garrison in the center and front of the combined Draden regiment, with his company of dwarves in the center of the garrison. The exercise would take place on the large field across the Severic River and from the Weir. The soldiers had been setting up the target frames for the last few days. The Weir garrison would form a battle line with the infantry and dwarves while placing the elven archer platoons directly behind the stout little fighters, to provide intensive arrow fire coverage.