Omensent: Wrath of a Dragon God (34 page)

Damion
glared at the man a moment longer, then slowly resheathed the Dragon Sword, and nudged Storm forward, guiding the huge warhorse around the barricade.

The others hurried to follow, i
gnoring the frightened looking men who were still standing guard nearby.

"That was a little harsh." Damarius commented casually once they were clear of the barricade. "I haven't seen you lose your temper like that in a long time."

"I'm getting fed up with all of these petty interruptions." The huge warrior growled impatiently. "Every time we're forced to stop and explain what we're doing gives the witch the chance to get that much farther away."

"Don't worry." The old wizard told him in a reassuring tone. "She won't get away. We'll catch her soon enough."

"And then I can finally get make her pay for what she has done." The huge warrior growled furiously.

"Not if I get to her first." Raven declared firmly, flexing her fingers suggestively.

Chapter 13

"Where do you think they are right now?" Dar asked Tempest
while they lounged in the courtyard of Serpent's Keep, watching as the sun slowly slipped behind the mountains. The tiny Alena had been thrilled to discover his oldest friend would be lingering with them in Sevria, and had spent a great deal of his free time lounging in the spacious square with the enormous scarlet dragon. "Do you think they have located Leia yet?"

Tempest, who had been
staring up into the darkening sky with thoughtful eyes, looked down at the childlike sprite. "I'm afraid I haven't any idea. He hasn't used the sword to summon me, so I can only assume that everything is well."

"I still can't believe anyone would be crazy enough to attempt
such a thing. Who in their right mind would willing go up against Damion?"

Tempest glanced back up into the sky, her keen eyes scanning the night for the group of stars that were conspicuously missing.
"I believe there may be far more to what has happened than what we currently understand." The great beast rumbled after several moments.

"What do you mean?" Dar asked with a puzzled expression.

Tempest continued to stare up into the night, her eyes lost in thought. "I have the overwhelming feeling the there is someone else pulling the strings."

"Like who?"

The great beast didn't answer, but merely continued to stare up into the sky.

After several moments, Dar wandered up next to the great serpent and followed her gaze to the empty patch of heavens where the const
ellation of the dragon god could usually be found, looking down upon the world with all-seeing eyes. "Do you think that Draco may have something to do with everything that has happened?"

"I'm not entirely certain
," The scarlet dragon rumbled in a thoughtful tone, her eyes still lost in thought. "but I get the feeling that He is somehow involved."

"What would a god want with a child
?"

Tempest shook her head. "Who know
s the thoughts of the gods? They do as they wish, and their plans can sometimes be obscure." Her tone was grim. "If He
is
somehow involved with Leia's abduction, Damion and the others could be in grave danger. The dragon god does not
look lightly upon those who disrupt his designs. If He is behind everything, even the power of the Dragon Sword may not be enough to thwart His wishes."

Dar looked grim. "
If He has returned, is there any way for your brethren to locate Him?"

Tempest shook her head once more. "If Draco has returned to the mortal plane
, He'll not reveal Himself unless He wishes to be found. He could be literally anywhere in the entire world, or multiple places simultaneously. Who knows what the limits are to a deity's power?"

"Deity or not, I still wouldn't want to be the one who had to face Damion, especially when little Leia
is involved. He'll destroy anything that gets in his way to get to his daughter."

Tempest started to reply, but stopped. Her head whipped around to stare into the dark shadows nearby. "Show yourself, spawn!" She suddenly snarled, her eyes narrowed hatefully.

Dar twirled around to stare in surprise as a one armed shadowspawn suddenly stepped from the shadows, and into the light of a nearby torch.

"Slither?" Dar asked, his expression questioning. "What are you doing here in the city?"

"SSSlither ssslipped passst the humansss ssstanding watch. SSSlither wissshesss to take counsssel." The scaly beast looked up at Tempest hopefully.

"Speak, then
be gone." Tempest growled at the shadowspawn, her dislike for the creature evident.

"The ssspawn are ressstlesss. Rumorsss that the dragon god'sss return are ssspreading, and many are gathering in preparation for war with the humansss."

"War with the humans?" Dar said, his tiny face growing pale.

Slither nodded. "
Rumorsss sssay that Hisss return marksss the beginning of Hisss new reign."

"This can't be good
." Dar muttered ruefully. "If the dragonspawn are gathering for war, no one is safe." He looked back to Slither, who had stepped back into the shadows to avoid being seen by a group of castle soldiers patrolling nearby. "Is there any way you can convince them that there will be no war?"

Slither shook his head.
"The ssspawn are convinced that the dragon god'sss return marksss war. There have already been sssome isssolated incidentsss. The ssspawn are ready to fight, and it will take little to ssset them off."

"Gather as many of the dragonspawn that you can to help protect Sevria." Tempest told the shadowspawn. "
We must make sure that the city remains safe."

Slither shook his head. "The ssspawn will not help. They believe the dragon god'sss return
meansss war with the humansss. They will not go againssst their god. Thossse who have not gathered in preparation for war have went underground, fearing what isss to come."

"That may make things a little more difficult." Dar murmured with a worried expression. "It wouldn't be a good thing to wake up surrounded by a horde of blood thirsty dragonspawn
," He made a face. "Again." He added, thinking back to the siege that they had been forced to endure the previous year.

"The ssspawn will not come to the home of the Dragon Lord." The shadowspawn hissed. "
They will not risssk coming againssst Massster. They fear him asss much asss the dragon god."

"That's not a chance I think we
're willing to take." The childlike sprite sighed. "I'll inform Shirk and Lady Skie, and alert the castle guard to double the wall sentries. We'll also need to send messengers out to warn everyone in the area that something may be afoot. We don't anyone being caught unprepared."

"I will try to convince a few of my brethren to intervene and
help keep the dragonspawn from going on the attack." Tempest grumbled, rising to her feet, and stretching her powerful wings. "With a little luck, they may be able to keep them from doing anything rash." She looked down at Slither. "You have proven your loyalty to your master." She told the shadowy creature grudgingly. "You have proven yourself to be one worthy of respect. I shall be sure to commend you to Damion."

Slither nodded gratefully. "What
ssshould SSSlither do now?" The hulking beast hissed questioningly. It was obvious that the shadowspawn knew that it was out of its element, and it was looking to them for guidance.

"See if you can find any dragonspawn that will still
be willing to fight for the Dragon Lord," Dar told the beast after a moment's thought. "then return to your watch over the city. They may still fear Damion's power, but we don't want to take any chances. Report any signs of trouble directly to us. I'll alert the soldiers at the gate to allow you free passage in and out of the city."

Slither nodded once
, then on silent feet, the shadowy creature disappeared into the darkness.

"I will
go to my brethren and attempt to convince them to set aside their natural dislike for the dragonspawn, and aid us in avoiding a war. I shall return before the sun rises." Tempest launched herself into the air with a powerful thrust of her massive wings.

The child
like sprite hurried into the keep, and went in search of Shirk and Lady Skie, who spent the majority of their time locked away in Damion's office in the upper levels of the Serpent's Keep, taking care of the day to day affairs of running the city.

As expected,
he found the odd pair sitting together at the long table in the the center of the room, carefully examining a new trade agreement proposed by the Merchant's Guild in the walled city of Pairou.

"Finally decide to grace us with your presence?" Shirk asked sarcastically, looking up from the parchment. "
Lounging around in the courtyard becoming too much work for you?"

"Quit picking on Dar." Lady Skie chided the bearded thief with an amused smile.
She looked to the childlike sprite. "How is Tempest this evening?"

"She's a little concerned," Dar told her, climbing up into a chair across
the table from the pair. "as we all should be." He went on to tell them about Slither's unexpected visit. "He's says that most of the dragonspawn are banding together in preparation for war. They seem to think that the dragon god has indeed returned to the world, and His return marks the beginning of a war with the humans."

"
I thought Damion's pet shadowspawn had all of the dragonspawn in the area under control?" Shirk asked, twirling a lock of his scruffy beard unconsciously.

The
fiery haired sprite frowned. "I'm afraid Slither's influence with the horde only goes so far. The loyalty of the dragonspawn to their god apparently outweighs the fear that they have for Damion. I guess there has already been several incidents."

"Incidents?" Lady Skie
asked dubiously.

"That's what
Slither called them." Dar shrugged. "He didn't go into any further detail in the matter, but it apparently got him concerned enough for him to risk sneaking into the city to warn us what was afoot."

Shirk
sighed, shaking his head in resignation. "This is just what we need with Damion gone, a horde of dragonspawn roaming the countryside, wreaking havoc."

"The battlements surrounding the city
should keep Sevria safe," Lady Skie said confidently. "but we should send out messengers to warn others to be wary. We don't want anyone to be caught unprepared."

Dar nodded in agreement. "Tempest went to try to convince some of her brethren to intercede. The scarlet dragons despise
dragonspawn. They look upon them as nothing more than abominations, corrupted by magic. But the dragonspawn look upon the dragons as if they were akin to the gods. They would willingly follow a dragon into oblivion, if only to prove their loyalty. With a little luck, they be able to locate the largest hordes, and keep them from attacking."