Legon Awakening: Book One in the Legon Series (46 page)

“It’s heavy armor. When we charge we lean into
opponents with it to try and, well, we ram people with it,” Legon
said.

“Ok, got ya. There’s Keither and Sara,” Barnin
said.

Keither and Sara were walking to them in a hurry.
They looked like they had something big to tell them.

“What’s going on?” Sasha asked.

Sara went first. “I’m a medic. I can do minor healing
so I will be working with the medical staff at the battle, all
behind the front lines of course.”

Then Keither broke in. “And I’ve been put on the
strategy committee. Well, I’m assisting the committee on this
battle, but I made it on.”

Barnin broke in. “They put you on that? Wow, Keither,
I’m impressed.”

The strategy committee was what commanded a battle.
They used the Mahann and mental networking to figure out what the
enemy was going to do and how to respond. It was a big deal and
that meant that if Keither tried, for once in his life he could be
in command of entire armies.

Keither was looking at Legon’s armor, confused.
Barnin helped out.

“Elves don’t have a cavalry. They’re too fast on
their own and most can outrun a horse that’s laden with armor. That
plate on his shoulder is for ramming his opponents and Iumenta. An
Elf and Iumenta running at full speed into each other create a lot
of force.”

“Why did you ask what it was then?” Legon asked,
confused.

“I didn’t. I nodded and you took it that way. I just
wanted you to have that one time in your life when you felt like
you knew something I didn’t, that’s all.” He gave him a toothy
smile.

Legon shook his head at him and Barnin saw him place
his hand on the handle of a large sword. There was a purple glow.
He knew those swords. They were called fenrra, and he must be
charging the blade. Legon was going to the front line. This was
sobering; his best friend, the last of his childhood, was going to
the front line.

“Are you a forward then?” Barnin asked.

“Yes, I’m a class five,” Legon responded.

“My unit will be with you then.”

“What? But you-”

“I get to choose what unit I back up, and it will be
yours. you guys will take the Iumenta and we will take the human
cavalry that’s with them.”

* * * * *

Sasha saw what Barnin was doing. He wasn’t going to
have another friend die. She felt a twinge of sympathy for him. Was
he thinking that he was somehow to blame?

A tall man walked up behind Barnin. He looked to be
in his early twenties and was about six foot seven. He was thin
with sandy hair, pale blue eyes, and a friendly face.

He spoke. “My lord, you have given us this armor. We
owe you. Also, if you are going to have a cavalry unit with you, it
may as well be the best.”

Confident and respectful. Those were good traits. He
knew where the line in the sand was.

Barnin smiled. “Meet Ankle. He’s my second.”

Sasha paused. “Ankle?”

“He’s never had a major injury in combat, and believe
me, he puts himself out there enough. But get him back home and try
and play a game and crack, he sprains his ankle every time.”

She wanted to ask more but she sensed Iselin’s mind
requesting that they go back to the dome and to her hangar. They
left at once, Keither and Sara in tow. It didn’t take long to get
to the hanger where she saw Iselin waiting. Against the walls were
piles of metal that looked like armor, but way too big to be any
normal armor. There were five other Elves there as well.

“Good. I’m glad you are here. I thought you might
like to see a dragon getting fitted for battle.”

“What could you guys get fitted with for battle?”
Sara asked.

“Watch. That’s why you’re here,” Iselin said
warmly.

Sasha felt Cat winding her way around her legs. She
reached down and picked her up. Iselin walked to the center of the
hangar and turned to them. Sasha’s heart stopped as she saw her.
Iselin’s head jutted forward and up misshaping itself. Her hands
stretched to the ground and wings came from her back. She grew
huge, and scales glittered along her body. The tail was there now
snaking out behind her, and then in just a moment there stood a
giant pink dragon in front of them. She looked down at them all and
winked.

“Pretty neat, isn’t it?” she said into their minds.
They chose to speak aloud.

“Very,” Legon said.

“Good. Now help out if you can.”

Iselin spread her wings, keeping them level with the
ground. Her tail was outstretched and her neck was level. At once
the Elves started moving around the metal and Sasha realized that
it really
was
armor. The Elves directed them to help and
Iselin explained in their minds what everything was.

As they wrapped her neck and back with chainmail and
plate armor, she informed them that it was mostly for show. The
chainmail was nothing to dragons; only a few pieces actually did
anything.

Sasha figured those out on her own. They were
obviously different. They were made of the same material as the
fenna, but they were thicker. There were pieces that went along her
spine, at least four inches thick, and then long ones that ran
along the leading edge of her wings. These were eight inches thick.
All of her joints got the real armor too, and then a helmet. There
was no bottom, leaving her jaw free to move, but there was a large
piece that covered her head. On the nose were three blade-like
spikes. They reminded Sasha of a drawing that Arkin had shown her
once, something he had called a “rhino.”

Next they put long, curved extensions on her claws.
Heavy plates also went on the bottom of her feet. They had to be a
foot thick and they restricted her movement. Iselin told them that
these were used to block blows from other dragons. They also lifted
a set of large plates onto her chest. In the center of them was a
dark blue dot. In that dot were a purple triangle and a green tree,
the crest for house Evindass. Sasha felt a bloom of gratitude upon
seeing how loyal Iselin was to their house.

The final piece was the most terrifying. On her tail
they placed spikes and an elongated blade. The whole thing looked
like it was from a nightmare. When she walked it sounded like she
was on over-sized tap shoes. Sasha was a little confused about how
thick all the armor was. If it was as strong as the metal that the
fenna was made of then it should be unbreakable. She asked Iselin
about it and she heard a voice from behind.

“I told you that you would be hard pressed to break
it, but for a dragon, well, they’re just a little bit
stronger.”

Sasha turned around. “Arkin! How have you been?”

“Well. That plating on her feet is for blocking the
tail blades of other dragons. The rest is just for show. It’s not
even up to human standards and will be shredded within the first
few minutes of battle.”

Iselin folded her wings and Cat turned into a ball of
light that flew under Iselin’s right horn and out of sight. Iselin
flew out of the dome.

on the other side Sasha saw Sydin, his mirror-like
armor and snow-white horns and claws contrasting with his black
wings and scales. All of the dragons were starting to leave. Each
and every one looked ominous and terrifying to her, but Sydin by
far was the most intimidating.

Mantic was walking up to them with a bright yellow
familiar in cat form in tow.

“Un Prosa, I would be honored if you would allow
Feena here to act as your familiar during the battle. I will be in
the back helping command and will not have a use for him as you
will.”

Feena looked cute, but Sasha didn’t think that cute
did much in a fight. Apparently Legon didn’t either.

“Thank you, but won’t he get-”

“He won’t get hurt, trust me. But he may save your
life. you will see.”

She felt Legon’s apprehension through their
connection, but in the end he agreed. Feena walked over to both of
them and rubbed appreciatively against their legs. She reached down
and picked him up. He nuzzled against her neck. These things were
so odd, but she had to admit she wanted one. After that they
started in the direction of the horses, soon to make the journey to
the Sentinels, two large hills that marked the road into the
Precipice, where the empire waited.

“
I look at life as a bridge with a toll on it.
Depending on what part of the river you are crossing, you must
decide if the toll is too high and how badly you need to cross the
river. If the toll is too high then you move downriver to the next
bridge. In my experience, I have never found a bridge whose toll is
too low. Find the toll you are willing to pay and pay it. Once
paid, cross the bridge and move forward.”

Legon walked next to Sasha as he took in his
surroundings. They were nearing the lip of a hill. On the other
side of it was a large flat area of rock where the battle would
take place. This hill was rock as well. There was a slight breeze
and his nostrils caught the scent of something foul. He thought
back, wondering where he’d smelled it before. He had when he had
fought the Iumenta who killed Kovos in the clearing. Maybe he could
find him in the battle. Right behind them was his guard, a group of
Elves that were loyal to house Evindass. They would be his guard
during the fight, allowing him to fight with magic without too much
hand-to-hand interference. They wore the same armor as he, with
House Evindass’ crest emblazoned on their chest plates. They all
tensed with distaste as they smelled the vermin in the
distance.

As they crested the hill they were immersed in the
ranks of humans and Elves. They walked in between catapults and
ballista. In this battle there would be no time for trebuchets.
Nervous, Sasha closed the space between them. This was not her
element and she would have to wait until just before battle to go
into the Mahann state needed for the fight. He extended his arm and
held her hand, interlacing their fingers. He felt that her pulse
was high, but it slowed as he ran his thumb along the side of her
hand.

“Sorry I’m not brave like you and Iselin,” she said
with a hint of shame.

“You shouldn’t have to be,” Legon replied.

He tugged on her hand, making her shoulder gently
bump against his. Her pulse slowed down some more. He saw the guard
closing ranks around them and felt Sasha’s apprehension through the
mental network he was running. As they closed ranks she calmed more
as she felt their concern and, surprisingly, love for her.

Taking his attention from Sasha, Legon looked at the
sky. It was dark gray and no doubt it would rain soon. He brought
his eyes downward and out over the sea of people on the other side
of the battlefield. They were like waves with sparkling armor,
blades, and banners. Along the back row were the dragons, their
armor dull looking as they leached light. It was not difficult to
see their colors. They had the same armor as the Elves with their
leathery wings uncovered except for the leading edge.

They were approaching Iselin, with Feena trotting
right in front of them. Iselin was standing stone still, and he
felt a drop of rain on his cheek as he reached her side.

“Will we fight in the rain?” he asked.

She answered in their minds, as all dragons did. “No,
we won’t fly in rain, nor will the Iumenta. It will be a big storm.
We will wait it out.”

“Sash, give me the store. I will hold it,” Legon
said.

“It’s not too heavy. I’m ok.”

“I know you are, but it feels like a small rock to
me.”

She took off the pack that held the store crystal and
handed it to him. He slung one of the straps over his shoulder. The
rain was starting to come down much harder now and he too saw that
this was going to be a bad storm. This land was hot and muggy,
making the rain warm and not refreshing in the least. He was on the
verge of placing a spell over Sasha to keep her dry when Iselin
extended her wing out over them. The rain sounded like it was
hitting canvas as it struck the pink membrane. She craned her neck
down and winked at them.

“This won’t wear out your wing, will it?” Legon
asked.

Legon heard a deep growl, but Iselin’s mind felt
playful. “I am fine. This is like standing around for me.”

He looked behind him to see water flowing from the
back of her wing like little waterfalls. He noticed that all the
Elven dragons were doing the same. He saw this on the other side as
well. But whereas the Elves let anyone who was nearby stand out of
the rain, he noticed there were only Iumenta under their
dragons.

The downpour helped clear his mind. The sound of rain
on Iselin’s wing acted as white noise that quieted all of his
worries and apprehension. Sasha was now sitting next to Iselin’s
front leg resting against it. Water was running under the massive
armor and streaming out over Iselin’s pearl claws and gemstone
scales. When he thought about it, he never really had seen anything
so beautiful in his life as Iselin. Maybe Sasha was right to try
and set them up.

“
No, don’t think about that now,” he
thought.

Still, the thought of either of them getting hurt
bothered him profoundly. It felt like only a few moments had
passes, but it must have been longer. The rain was now starting to
slow, and as he looked out over the landscape he saw large burlap
sheets over both sides protecting them from the rain, and a steady
stream running in the middle of the soon-to-be battlefield.

* * * * *

A sound woke Sasha from a shallow sleep. There were
chills running along her spine. Her eyes were still closed, but
what was that sound? She opened them and listened to the eerie
sound more intently. It sounded like animals, all small ones, all
angry. She was still batting the mental fog away when she noticed
the loudest one. It was a cat yowling. She looked to see Feena with
his fire fur raised, teeth bared, yowls coming from his open mouth.
She looked around to see other familiars in the forms of many
different animals and elements, some bear cubs, some dogs, some
cats—all predators. Then she realized the din was also coming from
the opposition as well. All of the Iumenta familiars joined their
cries, begging their masters to let them loose on the enemy.