Dragons Descended Upon the Wicked (16 page)

Nick clutched his mouth and his heart sank. The words he read hurt like a blade had pierced his skin. After a moment he continued to read the letter. “I am terribly sorry but he died fighting for his country and for those whom he loved dearly. I have since hid in the most terrible of spots around Genold City. I was able to somewhat blend in when I needed to move around, thanks to the letter ”G” on my forehead, courtesy of Vicon himself.

“I have heard rumors of the rest of the six. One is obviously Poloski that you’ve met, Nick. Two are male twins, massive in height with strong muscular body structures. One is older than the rest but his skill level is very high. The last is a female; she is young but is known for killing men with a blade that is attached to her wrist.

“Just a few days ago I met a man. He is a family man and a good man. I trust him and he trusts me. He is letting me stay at his home so that I can stay out of sight and avoid being caught in the deathly cold winter nights. That is where I am writing this. I know it was a risk to send this raven in the first place, but I have gambled everyday since the arena. What harm could one more do? If you wish to write back to me for whatever reason, send the raven back; it will find its way here. I plan to eventually make my way out of this city to reconnect with all of you. But right now I have no chance as the guards are always looking out for me. Take care, my friends - Thomas Bell.”

“I’m sorry about your friend, Nick, I know how much he meant to you,” said Jeffrey.

“I’m sorry too,” said Nick as tears fell from his face.

“He died an honorable man; his sacrifice will not be forgotten,” said Ron.

“I must write back to him,” said Jeffrey. “We have a man within their city. That is vital. But I cannot write to him in plain English. He needs to know our plan but it must be encrypted somehow.”

“Thomas and I used to talk to each other in encrypted and disguised words when we were growing up,” said Nick. “We did it when we would pretend to be Refect. I could help you with that, Jeffrey. It’s not too complicated but only Thomas will understand it. If our enemy gets ahold of the letter they will see nothing but a mash of words.”

Nick and Jeffrey took to the task that night. Nick’s cryptic message made use of monuments and stores around Vincot. The first letter of those places would be used to relay the true message. The message was long and it took hours to construct. But by the end of the message Nick knew almost everything there was to know about the plan Jeffrey had constructed. Nick understood the secrecy behind the construction of the plan and was blown away behind its brilliance. Still the time was not ready for the plan to be put into action. Nick swore to secrecy of the details he gained for transcribing the letter with Jeffrey. The raven was sent out that night as the weather was permitting a safe flight.

Cold days passed by. Weeks flew by as storms came, then another larger snow storm would come and take its place. Everyday winds would gust throughout camp and bring a white blanket of snow drifting through the air. Day after day the unrelenting full force of winter came to Terrel. The storms no longer came and went; it felt as if one storm came and endured for weeks on end. Cold shivering bodies huddled near fires was an all day affair. Groups would go out to the city to buy more supplies and even that would take hours. Going through that amount of snow was no easy feat.

Finally, after five weeks of a hellish storm, the sun shined through the clouds for just a few moments early one morning. Nick was able to catch a glimpse of the sun as he heard shouting and screaming coming from outside of his tent. He looked up and smiled at the beauty and significance of the sun peaking out from behind the dark clouds. The sun could really change the mood of people from all over camp.

Jeffrey took the sighting of the sun as a sign. Winter was not over but it was nearing the end. The worst of it was definitely over. So Jeffrey made the decision to tell his plan to those that would be involved. He first gathered the king’s men and the Tarrax brothers and told them in detail everything he was planning and had prepared. Next Dani and Jeffrey took to archery practice the next day to pull twenty of the most talented and accurate archers of the bunch. They pulled them into Jeffrey’s cabin and told them of the plan. Every single person agreed to the plan and vowed to fight for their country. The first step of the plan was to get on the three dragons and head south. In two days time they would do just that. The time had finally come for war.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

The sky was full of clouds but snow didn’t fall. The night had finally come. It was no ordinary night for the camp. It was the night of their attack. Jeffrey had created a perfectly sound attack that was meant to go after those who were responsible for the taking of Hentrio. The six had constructed an army of slaves stripped from their homes that would one day do battle with the camp from Hentrio, and Jeffrey had no intention of fulfilling that.

It was only a few hours after the sun had set when the first step of the great plan was to make three separate trips riding the three dragons stationed outside of Terrel. Nick, Jeffrey, and Ron flew and directed their dragons, which also carried four members from the archery team seated behind them. The flight to their destination took less than an hour each way. Three dragons flew side by side in the night sky. They flew past the north bend, Ralton, and then eventually made it to their destination. They could not land too close to the city because they feared being spotted by the guards who walked on top of the wall to the city. The three dragon born landed their dragons three miles from the city behind a steep hill north east of the city. Dani stepped off from Jeffrey’s dragon with her bow in her hand.

“The first wave of my archer team will be stationed due east of the Genold City wall by the two bekark trees that are in the shape of the letter V,” said Dani. She turned around and began to walk off as her archers climbed down from the necks of the dragons. “Jeffrey, please be careful as you instruct the rest of my team. They need to stay low and stay out of plain sight. We move cover to cover. I will be at the trees, making observations of the paths of the stationed guards on top of the wall.”

“I will be sure they understand; do not worry,” said Jeffrey. “Silner!”

“Good luck, Dani,” said Nick. “I’ll be seeing you soon.”

Dani nodded her head at Nick.

“Silner,” said Nick.

Ron nodded his head at Dani and said, “Silner.”

Dani lead her eleven master archers as they weaved through the trees and took cover behind large rocks. They all wore black armor and clothing to blend into the dark landscape. Genold City was still quite a ways away but Dani insisted on taking no chances. Every part of the plan had to fall into place perfectly. She took her time instructing her team as they slowly made their way to the bekark trees.

They stood behind a large boulder as the bekark trees were merely thirty feet from them. The only problem was that there was no cover from where they stood to where they needed to be. As Dani observed the guards on the wall she instructed her team to sprint to their destination as the guards looked inward towards the city. One by one, they all successfully made it. Now they crouched behind the shrubbery that surrounded the bekark trees and Dani peeked her head out to watch the guards. Dani knew that this was the best spot to remain hidden from the eyes on the wall because she used to walk the wall herself.

Nick, Ron, and Jeffrey had picked up the remaining eight archers who were part of Dani’s team. They landed at the same spot where they had dropped off Dani.

“All eight of you must stay out of sight,” said Jeffrey. “Use the available cover of the landscape and move slowly. You should have enough cover to make your trek easy. That is why we landed here. Do you understand?”

“Yes, sir!” replied the archers.

The archers dressed in black crouched and began to make their way over the hill and through the trees.

“Let’s make the final trip, boys,” said Jeffrey. “It is time.”

The three men landed their dragons in the heart of their camp in Terrel. They stepped off of their dragons and were greeted by the final nine soldiers who would join them on their flight. Jacob, Tyler, Andrew Tarrax, and David Tarrax were among the nine soldiers. They all readied their weapons and checked their armor. Black steel helmets, chest plates, boots, greaves, and gauntlets were the attire for the soldiers. The seven Reza among the group had special armor on, which kept their hands out in the open.

Penny ran over to Nick as he was adjusting his chest plate. She kissed him and he kissed her back. He wrapped his arms around her tightly and held her close. She looked up into his eyes and said, “Please be careful.”

“I will,” said Nick.

“I made this for you,” said Penny. “Please keep it close to you.”

Penny pulled out a heart necklace carved from wood. The heart had intricate lines that lead to the letter “P” at its center; it was attached to a thin piece of rope.

“Thank you. Your love will help me in the fight ahead,” said Nick as he placed the necklace around his neck.

“Be back here for breakfast,” said Penny as a tear ran down her face.

“Don’t cry, Sweetheart. Just be sure the eggs with ham are warm when I return,” said Nick.

“I love you,” said Penny as she nodded her head.

“I love you too,” said Nick.

Nick continued to prepare his armor as Penny turned and walked away. A hand grabbed onto his right shoulder. Nick turned around to see Jeffrey behind him. The rest of the soldiers were huddled around them as well.

“Tonight is the night we have all craved,” said Jeffrey. “Everything has fallen into place. Everything has lead up to this moment. Everything we have hoped to be accomplished will be fulfilled tonight. The wicked shall fall.”

The soldiers let out a gallant war cry and immediately ran towards the dragons. One by one, they hopped upon the necks of the giant dragons. Jeffrey was the first to take flight, followed by Ron, and finally Nick. Nick had Andrew, David, and Tyler with him as they flew through the night sky. The trip seemed faster this time in Nick’s eyes. It was because his mind was fixated on the goal at hand; he was almost day dreaming of the fight as he flew and directed Esork.

The dragons finally arrived at their destination. They landed on top of a hill in the far distance of Genold City. They could still see the city’s walls from where they stood but it was so far away in the darkness of night that they did not fear being seen by the guards.

As the soldiers looked out at Genold City Jeffrey said, “Any minute now the signal will be seen. Keep your eyes pealed.”

***

It was now late in the night and Genold City was asleep. Dani spotted the remainder of her archery team. She signaled them to quickly run to the cover of the bekark trees. Now that her full team of archers was with her she began to count in her head. The timing had to be perfect.

After a few nervous minutes, Dani said, “Okay, it is time. Once we are in the city, remember to try to aim for their legs and arms. Even though our arrows are dipped in a tranquilizing liquid a shot, to the chest or head could still be fatal. We don’t know if the guards are the enemy or slaves in the enemy’s army.”

The team of archers nodded their heads in agreement. Everyone had their bows out and awaited the final command. Dani observed the guard on the wall who was nearest to their destination. He passed it and had his back turned to Dani and her team as he continued to walk along the path on top of the wall.

“Now follow me,” said Dani.

She ran forward and to her left towards the base of the wall. She spotted the large rock that was marked on Nick’s map and used one of her men to help her hoist it and move it away. Below the rock was the secret hatch door where it should’ve been. Dani opened the door and it squeaked just a tiny bit. Below the hatch there was a ladder that descended into the darkness. One by one the archers quickly climbed down the ladder. Dani was the last to go down the ladder and she closed the hatch above her. Dani stepped foot on the ground below the base of the ladder. The low ceiling dripped of water and the ground was full of puddles.

Dani made her way to the front of the pack and signaled her archers to follow. The tunnel was almost pitch black. Dani could only see the etchings of the curved walls around her. Finally, after twenty feet, she saw the outline of grates. She placed her hands on the grates and said, “Thomas.”

“I’m here,” said Thomas as he stood on the other side of the steel grate door. He then opened the door, which swung open on his side.

“Good to see you all made it,” said Thomas. “When we climb up the well we have two potential guards on the well directly above us. Ready your bows.”

Thomas lead Dani to the bottom of the well. There was only a rope that dangled from the top center of the well that the archers needed to climb up. Dani began her ascent, using her legs as much as her hands to climb up the thirty feet of rope. Another archer quickly grabbed hold of the bottom of the rope as she neared the top.

Dani reached the top of the rope. She used her left arm to grab ahold of the wall to her side and hoisted herself over. She crouched behind the well so that she was away from the wall. She looked in front of her and discovered she was in some sort of garden behind a few buildings. It was the perfect cover. She reached behind her back and grabbed an arrow with a tip of tranquilizing liquid. The same guard who had walked past them as they entered the city was returning back along the same path. Dani aimed and fired. The arrow shot through the cold air and landed in the guard’s right thigh. He did not even have a chance to scream in pain before falling to the floor beneath him.

It took several minutes for the rest of the archers to climb up the rope. Dani and the archers kept a keen eye out for the guards on the wall, but none of them were coming close enough to make an accurate shot or for them to be spotted. The last to ascend the rope was Thomas. He was dressed head to toe in dark armor. His face was covered by his uniquely pointed helmet.