Victor Deus (Heritage of the Blood Book 1) (3 page)

Alexander grimaced at the last part, and all three of the new comers quirked their eyebrows at the statement, but no one argued the point.

“Commander Dalton, it's good to meet you, I've heard many good things.” the dwarf said in his gruff yet commanding voice. “My name is Elyas, and this is Ranadin, and the lady Tyrdra. We've come to help you, and we've brought five thousand some odd men and women to do it.”

“Five thousand!” the lieutenant said excitedly before regaining his composure. The three looked at him as if he were a fly under a magnifying glass.

“You'll have to forgive Lieutenant O'hearly, we brought fifteen thousand here to begin the fight, and we've already lost five thousand in skirmishes across the plains here. How many of your men can fight, and where are you from?” Alexander grimaced at the losses they had suffered thus far, he wasn't happy that they had so underestimated their enemy.

The dwarf put a grin on his face and tucked his fingers behind his belt. “Everyone, men and women both. We're here to help you commander and I think you'll find we make good soldiers, though I've been told about five hundred want to train with the wizards.” He seemed to grimace at that, though being a dwarf it was understandable, most Dwarves didn't enjoy thoughts of magic.

Five hundred… Light!
“That would be more than appreciated if they have the talent for it, there are currently only twenty five wizards stationed here, there were thirty, but we seemed to have bitten off a bit more than we can chew I think. I just want your people to know what you're getting into, should you decide to stay.”

“Oh… lad we know what we're getting ourselves into, and we welcome it wholeheartedly.” a whimsically sad look came across his face. “If our peoples are to survive this has to happen.” At that sentiment, all three of them nodded solemnly, and Alexander couldn't help but feel like he had missed something in that quiet exchange.

“Yes, it's vital work.” Alexander said, needing something to fill the silence, before giving the signal for his men to relax. The signal meant that they still needed to be prepared for anything, but hostile intent wasn't expected.

As the ships docked and started unloading, every race Alexander Dalton had ever seen in his well traveled life seemed to come off of the ships. There were even Orcs, he almost commanded them to be held captive, but Elyas explained that they would be going into the hills and working with the Orc tribes who were also victims in this affair. Alexander couldn't quite think of Orcs as victims, but he was glad to be getting rid of them, and an Ogre! The forces at his command were comprised mainly of the populous races that were considered civilized. He was proud of the fact that his numbers included a few of the races that normally didn't mingle with humankind, but the variety of creatures coming off of those boats was staggering. He was watching that flow of bodies coming out of the ships when Tyrdra walked up beside him.

“Shall we walk my lord?” she said in a sweet sultry voice, and eyed him like a butcher appraising a piece of meat. From what he could tell, she liked what she saw. He didn't see any harm in going for a walk,
my goodness it is a nice day
. Of course, he would be quoted later as saying that he never could think clearly when she was around, and he agreed to just about all of her suggestions. She was usually right anyway, whether he thought so at the time or not.

“I am not a Lord, I was born in the country.” he said before offering her his arm.

“Ah, but you are a commander of men, and a good one from what I've seen, thus making you a Lord of men; thus making you a lord.” she said all of this while smiling up at him with eyes that held too much wisdom for her age.

By Arroval, she is Beautiful!
he thought before replying aloud, “Well, be that as it may, you may call me Alexander.”

“I would rather call you husband.”

Instead of tripping over his own feet, which at the time was one of two options, he stopped and stared at her. “I'm sorry, I think I missed a step… can we go back to that?”

“I said I would rather call you husband, and I think you would rather call me wife, I have known you for years, and you have known me.”

I have known you… by the light we just met… how would I…
His mind raced back to his childhood when he had first seen his guardian, a great winged beast, those that he described it to had called it a Dragon. The Dragon was a beautiful hue of amber, and it had saved him from a fall that would surely have ended his life. Forward his mind raced, to a dream that he had with a beautiful woman sitting on his bed telling him not to go into a battle the next morning for it was a trap. A dream that had saved the lives of not only himself, but those of his men as well. Forward again, to a familiar voice in the back of his head telling him to apply for the commission to the continent of Terroval to command the Knights, a position for which he thought himself unqualified. The sea danced at sunset as she smiled, knowing he had remembered.

“See my love I've been with you since you were a child, and I shall be with you until you die. Our children shall be the salvation of both of our peoples, and your name will be remembered for as long as our blood flows through the veins of our progeny.”

That night, the men and women of the Terrazil Protectorate had two things to celebrate, the arrival of five thousand men and women to help in the fight, and their commander, who they thought lived and breathed war, had found himself a wife.

*****

Back in the Lion's heart Tavern

“Thanks to the newcomers, the Protectorates numbers grew, and their capability of fighting a vastly superior enemy seemed to be increasing exponentially. No one knew for sure where those five thousand and more people came from. Some speculated that they were the gods themselves come down to aid mankind. Others said that they were manifestations of Terrazil herself brought forth to aid in the battle. I for one, believe the story that the newcomers were in fact the good dragons of the world who had taken the form of the races of Terrazil. Which can be true we may never know, but either way those five thousand that came are what kept the people of what was then called South Harbor alive.”

“For seven hundred and fifty years they defended the land, the city of South Harbor grew prosperous, and expanded greatly. They had produced enough men and women, and enough had come in from the mainland to bring their population to upwards of a million people. Three fourths of the cities population was in the Protectorate in one form or another and the other fourth provided the necessary duties to keep a city working efficiently.” The old bard looked at all the expectant faces, and smiled.

“What happened next?” a kid who had managed to sneak into the bar without anyone noticing asked. A fact which made the room erupt into bursts of laughter. The bard ruffled the boy's hair, and grabbed a new drink before walking to the center of the room. The sound of chairs screeching could be heard as people moved so that they could see this grand spinner of tales more clearly.

“Ah yes, what happened next? Well, we have all heard of the great disaster that occurred about three thousand odd years ago, and we know the upheaval that it brought, but the things that were faced in the civilized lands were trivial compared to the disasters that were wrought upon the land of Terroval.”

“Winter is a common thing in the land of Terroval, and the harshest winter was welcome compared to some of the dangers the people of the Protectorate faced. This however was unexpected, and as we all know it's the things that sneak up on you quietly that you need to be the most cautious of. People had begun referring to Terroval as the Anvil, and the creatures that inhabited the continent as the hammer. Over the last few generations, changes had become more apparent in the people that lived in South harbor. Since the land was harsh, only the strongest survived, and this had an effect that was unexpected by most. The people were getting stronger, faster, smarter, and more adaptable than ever before.”

“The problem however, was that this phenomenon was also occurring amongst the enemy's numbers. In point of fact, they still had a thousand years and more of this effect than did the members of the Protectorate. They had been sending their weakest into battle against the forces that opposed them, and used their strongest to oppose the enemies from within. A semblance of calm had settled on the land, and the members of the Protectorate had seen this as a sign that they were winning their war. There were a few amongst them however that knew what was coming; they had innate abilities built into them from their parents and their grand parents. Some of them could feel the coming storm, and some of them could feel the approach of death.”

*****

The year of the Great Disaster

City of South harbor

“Greatest grandmother we have done as you have asked. The caves beneath the city have been cleared, and entrances have been made. Do you know what exactly will happen?” The young man who spoke was of good build, and he had the look of a man you could trust to do what needed to be done.

“You know you look just like him. Those few of us that are still around to remember him all agree that you are like him too, and I think that he would be proud of you Dalton.” The woman who spoke appeared to be in her middle years, and her hair was still as red as it had ever been. She was proud of that fact. Alexander had always said he loved her hair, he said he loved everything about her, but she knew that he had been especially fond of her hair. She was still not used to aging as rapidly as she was now, dragons could live seemingly forever if circumstances allowed, and though she had been in human form for seven hundred and fifty years she still felt the effects of aging. That had been the exchange, fertility and the ability to reproduce with the other species without leaving too much of an outward mark of their Draconic heritage, in exchange for their near immortality. If she or any of the others had the choice to make again, she knew they wouldn't have changed a thing. She had fifty-seven glorious years with a man that she truly loved, and though she had to watch him age and die he had given her ten lovely children over those years. Six girls and four boys, and each of those had married others, had children and died. There had been losses over the years, but her family was still large, and most of them were high in the ranks of the military and amongst the Mages.

The council of nine, which was now only seven, still met regularly, and though their numbers had been reduced, they still held fast. It was no secret any longer that the people who had come to Terroval seven hundred and fifty years ago were not normal. Only select members of the families knew the truth. She could feel the approaching darkness, and knew that the time of change was once again upon the people of South Harbor. The dragons had always held the position of watchers over the world, and they still fulfilled that role to the best of their ability, even thought it was much more difficult now. Five generations ago one of her grandchildren married a noble by the name of Theromvore, and since then, that had been the dominant branch of the family. In respect to the branch of the family that was much smaller, but still carried the name Dalton, Tyrdra had asked her favorite granddaughter to name her next after their progenitor. Whether it was fate, luck, or a cruel sense of humor however, Dalton Alexander Theromvore was the spitting image of his namesake, and that, if nothing else gave her hope for the Protectorate's future.

“The approaching darkness is not a natural cycle of events. Something is guiding these events, and they are beyond even our sight. The council and those remaining members of the newcomers will face this battle in full. Remember, if any survive you are not to tell your children of their heritage, if there are some that are strong enough in the blood to remember anyway, that cannot be helped, and they should remember enough to keep it to themselves. There are many different people in South Harbor now, and the Giants that have joined us will help you with the rebuilding, if it's even possible. When the time comes, you must lead those who will follow down into the caverns, and not come out for three years. There is fresh water flowing through the lower tunnels, and in case that gets contaminated we have put the large cistern down there that should be able to last for some time. Have the livestock been moved down yet?”

The young man nodded, and then frowned at the woman that he respected more than anyone else in the world. She had been his mother when his had died after his birth, she had been his teacher who had prepared him for what he would face in the world, and she had instilled him with the belief in the defense of himself, and those under his command, or in need. In short, she was the most remarkable person he had ever met, and the loss of her would be a detriment to them all. “I still don't understand why you cannot come with us. The people will need a guiding hand, and we cannot afford to lose you.”

“Dalton, I have taught you all that I know, and you are as good a leader if not better than even my husband was. If anyone can guide our people through this disaster, it will be you and our family. You must promise me one thing though, you must not change the face of the Protectorate, the branches must remain separate, or there will be no chance of success in the future.” She placed her hand on his face, and kissed him on the forehead. “You know what must be done. I can tell you this much, and no more.”

The man nodded again, and kissed the hand of his mentor and kissed the forehead of his grandmother. “I know there is more to this than you can tell me, and I understand the wisdom of the council, but why must I keep our heritage from our children?”

“There will come a time, many generations from now, when the blood of our line will mingle seamlessly with the blood of another. A child born from such a union could be of immense importance, and not only to our world. History teaches us that a strong heritage and self identity allows a civilization to stay strong for a time, and yet if they are too strongly rooted in their own history and importance they will begin to atrophy as the world around them moves on without them. We believe that once the Protectorate is at a place that it is on equal or greater footing than the Dracair that there will be a divide amongst the various factions of the Protectorate, and many will leave to create their own cities. Some will fail, but those that succeed will become stronger for it. If that separation does not occur, we believe it will take eons to be born, and by then it will be too late for our world to save itself. Those of us that went through the transformation are the only ones capable of striking a blow that will give our world the best possible odds for this to occur.”