(Dragonkin) Dragon Rider (31 page)

   "Yes, and burn all that you find, but do it in a sweeping raid so that you do not leave any towns or villages standing between here and Argnon."

   "Is there anything else?" Gaston asked.

   "Yes, you will be leading the cavalry in the attack on the castle." Chidren informed him. "And the scouts as well."

   "Yes sir, I will prepare for the next raid, and will return in two weeks to report." Gaston replied.

   "That is all." Chidren said, and went back to the map on the table.

   Gaston walked from the tent, and rode back to the campsite where he and his men stayed when they were not riding across the countryside. The next day was spent getting the supplies and the men ready for the next raid, and because Gaston worked as hard as his men to prepare for it, they followed him with total devotion.

   Those men who were assigned to him grew in number each time he returned to camp, and now he was riding out with sixty men, to raid and burn the towns and villages between here and Argnon. His movements would be slowed by the addition of the twenty men, and they would not reach as far southeast as he wished, but he would do as he was commanded.

   The next morning when they rode from the camp, the day was just beginning, and Gaston felt uneasy. Something bothered him, but he could not tell what it was. For several days he felt it, and when they had reached the land beyond the fords of the Grayling River, it grew worse. All of the towns and villages were gone in this part of the realm, as well as the houses and fields of the people who lived around them, and they rode through the burned out land they had created. It was not until several days after they turned south, and rode in the direction of Argnon, that they encountered the solders of the empire. The ambush caught them off guard, and thirteen of his men were dead before they could react. The raiders attacked the place where the ambush had come, but the solders of the empire had disappeared when they reached it. Gaston turned his men west, and returned to the camp to report to Chidren.

   The next time that he rode from the camp, he would command five hundred men, and they would be in advance of the main army. The days ahead would show them that the empire would not give up easily, and that they would not reach Argnon unopposed. The empire was not as weak as they had thought them to be, and they would learn that soon, but it would not stop the events that were already in motion.

*****

   It was getting hard to keep from sight in the land around Corlindum, and Fagerin was running out of places to hide. He had lost his best source of income when Beloran died, and with the dragon rider now in Glansford, there was nowhere left to turn. The brigand camp was too far away for him to reach without being discovered, and the eastern realm was not an option. The land around the cities was no longer overgrown, and choked with brush, and the trees had been cleared as well.

   It was getting late when Fagerin slipped from the hidden camp, and made his way to the road. He had not eaten that day because of the solders around the cities, and he went to the inn in Corlindum. Sitting by the fireplace as he ate drew less attention than sitting in the shadows, and Fagerin did not want to be recognized.

   The castle in Grimmen was a regular stop for him in the past, and he was able to come and go in secret because people did not travel as much then. Grif was the only problem that he had in the west, but Fagerin paid him well to allow him passage when he was in that realm. Even Grif was dead now, and all of the outlaws he knew had shared the same fate.

   He was about to leave when the dragon warrior walked into the tavern, and was handed a mug by the innkeeper. Fagerin did not wish to draw attention by leaving so soon after the warrior walked in, so he ordered another mug to sip slowly while he waited. It was not long before the warrior walked from the tavern, and Fagerin was able to slip out the door, unobserved.

   He stood in the shadows for some time, and waited to see if anyone was watching. He was about to continue on his way when he heard the noise in the ally not ten feet away. Fagerin froze where he was, and listened intently. Soon he could hear footsteps growing louder, as a figure came walking down the street in the direction of the tavern. He could not tell who it was, or whether it was a man or woman, but when they reached the entrance to the ally, the attack came.

   It lasted only a second, but the attempt was unsuccessful, and the attacker fled down the ally from which he came. The figure walked by him as he entered the tavern, but looked right at him before he did. Fagerin noticed the large eyes, and the slim features of the man, but was not expecting the man to see him. Within an hour he was out of the city, and on his way west. He stayed as close to the road as he could, but did not use it to travel for fear of being arrested. After several miles were between him and the inn, Fagerin made a camp for the night. He had to think about things for a while, and he needed a good place to hide while he did. He would just go as far west as he could, and hide out in the empty lands that were there he thought, but they would turn out not to be so empty. A time was coming where he would be forced to choose sides, and the choice he made, would decide his fate. The only question was which side would he choose.

Chapter Twenty-Four

   Danorathin landed beside Menimeth's suite at the Dragon Tower, and after Menimeth had dismounted, curled up in a corner of the building and slept. The day had been as hard on the dragon as it was on his rider, and they needed to rest to regain their strength. The great stone courtyard was large enough for several dragons to land in at the same time, and several doors opened into the kings rooms from it. Carvings of dragons were on the stonework of the walls that separated it from the rest of the castle, and enclosed the courtyard. The very walls of the castle itself were filled with the carvings of ancient scenes of battles fought by the dragon riders of old. Menimeth noticed that all of the walls had carvings, except for one smooth wall between the doors to his sleeping rooms. The space was very large, and the smooth surface looked out of place among the elaborate carvings of the rest of the courtyard.

   Menimeth walked into the room where he slept, and removed his armor and swords, placing them on the stand that had been built for them. It was then that he noticed that the circlet he wore to speak with his dragon was missing. He walked out into the courtyard to look for it, and he looked in his room, but it was not to be found. There were others in the storerooms below the castle, and he decided to retrieve one in the morning. As he slept that night, he dreamed about the castle on the mountain, and the conical peak beside it. People were at the castle this time, and dragons came and went from the peak.

   The next morning when he awoke, the sun was just above the horizon. The rays of the morning sun streamed through the windows, and his armor which stood in the golden rays of the sunlight, seemed to glow brightly. Menimeth walked from his room, and out into the courtyard where his dragon slept, but Danorathin was not there.

   "Where are you, my friend?" He asked his dragon, and then realized he did not wear the circlet.

   He turned to walk back into his room, and then to the storerooms to retrieve another, when the words came into his mind clearly.

   "I was hungry, so I went hunting."

   "I can hear you." Menimeth said to his dragon, surprised.

   "Of course you can hear me, you are my rider."

   "But I do not wear the circlet that allows me to speak to you."

   "Then you do not need it." Danorathin replied.

   "But I needed it to speak with you when I was in Argnon, and I have had it on ever since." Menimeth replied. "How could I no longer need it?"

   "Because you have learned the ways of the dragon rider, and have mastered the magic you possess." Danorathin replied. "You have become the Dragon Lord that you were born to be."

   "You may be right my friend, but I do not feel like it."

   Menimeth walked into his room, and removed his armor from the stand. After securing it in place and strapping on his sword belt, he went to the kitchen for his breakfast. Soon after, he found himself in the corner of the small shop drinking Blackbeer, and thinking about what his dragon had said. Of all the things he could no longer get everyday because he was the king, he missed Farlin's brew the most. The Blackbeer they attempted to make in the castle was not even passable as Blackbeer, and so he came to the small shop when he could. Soon the shop would be in a building by the great road, and it would be part of the new inn Menimeth had offered the owner, and it would no longer be small.

   He thought about his dragon, and the circlet he had worn for so long. Why, now, he wondered, did he no longer need it? And who was the man or men who betrayed them in the north, and where did the information they passed on, go. These were some of the questions he asked himself, but the only answers he could come up with were just more questions. There were many mysteries that needed some answers, but the biggest question of all worried him the most. Who was the dark elf who attacked his men on the great road, and why was someone of the races of dark magic in the empire?

   The morning was just beginning in the cities, and the people bustled here and there doing the chores required for the coming day. The market had grown over the last several weeks and new items were arriving daily, but it was not as busy as it would be in the future. The city was beginning to fill with people from the realms gradually, and buildings were beginning to be used throughout the city. It was merchants that were needed to make the cities grow, and Menimeth hoped that some of the refugees that were streaming into the empire would fill that role.

   It was by chance that Caladon and Banadar walked into the small shop that morning, and they noticed the dragon rider in the corner as soon as they entered, and smiled at him with the mischievous eyes of young boys who were on an adventure.

   "It is good to see you again." Menimeth said to the brothers.

   "And how are you this fine day?" Caladon asked.

   "What is that wonderful aroma?" Banadar added, as he stuck his nose into the air, sniffing.

   "I am better now, and that is Blackbeer, a very good way to start your mornings." Menimeth said, to each in turn. "You should try some."

   "Sounds like a good idea." Banadar said, and walked to the front, where the vender filled his order.

   "Is there no inn in the cities for travelers to stay in when on the road?" Caladon asked, and sat at the table with the dragon rider when he offered him the chair. "We camped at the edge of town last night, but we had hoped to find an inn today."

   "One is not yet available, but we are working on it." Menimeth said. "Soon we will have several, but that day has not come yet. You will both have suites in the castle across the great road from this city, and they will be available to you for as long as you are here."

   "You can do that?" Caladon asked.

   "Yes I can." Menimeth said. "And more."

   Banadar returned with two mugs of the dark brew, and handed one to his brother. The look on their faces when they tasted the drink was one of great surprise. They had never tasted anything like it before, and liked it very much.

   "You spoke with Gareon in the camp in the southeast, did you not?" Banadar asked. "Are they on their way here?"

   "Yes, and I have sent men to escort them." Menimeth said. "I wish them to arrive safely."

   "You are not like other solders that we have seen." Caladon said. "Most are all about king and country, and cannot see the facts that are in front of them, for their noses."

   "As princes of Anrivar we have seen our share." Banadar added. "And he is right, I wish our solders were more like you."

   "That is kind of you to say, but I am most likely not what you think I am." Menimeth said to the brothers. "I am a warrior and solder of the empire, but the king is not so important as the empire itself."

   "But would the king agree with you?" Caladon asked. "All the kings I have ever met believed that they were, the kingdom."

   "And what they decided, was always best for their kingdoms." Banadar said. "What would your king do if he were to hear you say that he is not as important as the empire?"

   "He would do nothing, and if you are called before him, do not call him sire, or your majesty, or any of those titles." Menimeth told the brothers. "And if you must bow to him because of the rules of royalty, do it only once. He does not like it much."

   "He does not sound like any king I have ever heard of." Banadar said.

   "He is only the king because he has no choice." Menimeth replied. "But he does not want to be king."

   "But it is such a peaceful land, who would not want to rule here?" Caladon asked.

   "It is not so peaceful as you may think." Menimeth said to him. "Just yesterday we fought a battle against the forces of the mage king, and lost one quarter of the men we sent to fight. We defeated the forces arrayed against us, but the empire cannot afford to lose one hundred of its solders."

   "How many men did you face?" Banadar asked, very interested in the defeat of any forces of that evil mage.

   "We killed six hundred of the enemy, but the loss was nothing to Arnoran since they were sent to deplete our forces with their deaths."

   "Six to one!" Banadar exclaimed. "That is far better than any of the kingdoms in the east who fell to the mage king before us."

   "There is another larger force in the west that threatens us." Menimeth told them. "And we have no army large enough to defeat them at this time."

   "How many men are you talking about?" Caladon asked.

   "I am not sure, but I will know more soon." Menimeth informed the brothers. "Some of the information that I will need will be here in a few days."

   Menimeth showed the brothers to the castle, and ordered suites to be made ready for them. They had not eaten, so Menimeth had them taken to the room for dinning set aside for royalty, and given all they could eat. When they had eaten their fill, they were to be shown to their suites in the wing used for visiting royalty, and given whatever they needed. Later Menimeth would talk with them about the trouble in the west, and what they wanted for the people they protected. He could help them all in one-way or another, but they would be helping the empire in return.

   Menimeth walked to the garrison, and watched the new men as they trained. Chanry was at the archery range with his bow, and he was very good at hitting the targets. He could hit inside the circles easily, but he needed to slow down some to hit the center effectively Menimeth thought. He worked with the boy for some time, and Chanry improved his aim considerably. Walking across the grounds of the, much larger garrison, he came to the recruit-training course, and he worked with the new men of the army.

   The garrison had grown, and new barracks were being built to house all of the new men. The numbers of men who arrived in the cities had increased, and Menimeth was surprised at how many of the men joined the army. The four barracks that the garrison held for the solders of the realms, held two hundred men each, and all of them were full. Three more barracks had been built which were much larger than the ones in the garrison, and they were full as well. The new men of the army that worked on the new barracks slept in tents until the structures were finished, and at least sixty percent of them had come from the kingdoms to the southeast, and were veterans of the wars there. Menimeth needed those men and more, but he was happy with what he was getting. Several training grounds had been built to train the men, and they were separated according to their abilities. Those who were veterans retained their former rank, and were placed in the ranks of the army when their induction into the guard was complete, accordingly.

   Several officers were among the men who joined the army, and they were placed in special quarters for officers only. A special building had been built to house them, with individual rooms instead of a large room with beds, and they were placed in the rooms according to their rank. The building had its own cook and dinning room, and several servants to wait on the men. Officers were needed to command the solders in the field, as badly as the solders were needed to take the field, and treating the officers with the respect expected by them and the men, was crucial to the success of the empire. Those men that gained the respect of their fellow solders, would rise through the ranks more quickly, and end up leading them in the future. There had not been an army of the empire for many generations of men, but one would soon materialize from the remains of the defeated armies from the southeast.

   Three out of every five men who joined the army of the empire were veterans of the wars in the kingdoms south and west of lake Katherim. Some of them were no more than boys who were driven from their lands by the fighting, and were forced to fight just to survive. While others were various solders of decimated armies, who fled the battleground when their kingdom was defeated. However, there were a few who fought the enemy from kingdom to kingdom, as they were driven back by the endless number of solders sent against them.

   Men flooded to the empire when they heard of the victory in the north, and as the stories of the dragon rider spread throughout the lands of magic. Many of the solders that only retreated but never gave up, began to make their way to Glansford and the Dragon Guard after hearing those stories. These men were the ones the empire needed the most, because they would not quit when the fighting began. They would help drive the others as the fighting raged on around them, and could be the difference between winning and losing, as the battle progressed.

   Menimeth walked back to the Dragon Tower, and into the office used for public business, before returning to his rooms. There was nothing new to be attended to, and no one was there other than the secretaries who worked for the empire.

   Danorathin slept in the morning sun, and raised his head slowly when his master walked out into the courtyard. Seconds later, his head dropped to the ground, and he was once again asleep. Menimeth walked back into his suite, and the room set up as his private office, where he sat at his desk and began to look through the parchments, which it held. One of the parchments he looked at had the number of solders each realm supported, and the numbers of reserves that could be called on if necessary. He placed it with the latest numbers of men who joined the army of the empire, and that of the Lost Cavalry.

   Chanry entered the office with the lists he had made, along with the key to the vaults. He had grown in the last few months, and was getting much taller. He was almost ten years old now, and the armor Menimeth had made for him was stretched to the limit of its design. The time had come to look for better armor for the boy Menimeth thought, and perhaps a sword as well.

   "This is a very long list." Menimeth said, as he took the scroll from Chanry. "You appear to have been very busy"

   "There are four more levels below the first one." Chanry said, but there was one door I did not go through."

   "Was something wrong with it?" Menimeth ask, concern in his voice.

   "No, but it is for you to open I think." The boy replied. "It had the golden dragon, and the words Drathin-Grado on it as well."