A Shadow Flame (Book 7) (3 page)

"Thank you, Prince Borrican," Berant said. "Your understanding is much appreciated."

"If we could free them, I think that would be best," Ariana said. "While I welcome their numbers, I do not want anyone to march to war against their will, nor do I wish to see our loyal soldiers of Maramyr remain in the grip of magic. I am not my uncle nor am I anything like Calexis, and though it is tempting to consider these soldiers as useful, for we will need every sword, I must insist that they be set free before they are marched into battle."

"We brought a supply of the stones from Kandara, in case there were any others who had fallen prey to such magic," Keira said, then she turned to the Kandaran ranger, who stood next to her. "Margo has been instructed in their use."

"Then we should use the stones," Borrican said. "It is truly fortuitous that you have come."

"It is hardly fortuitous, highness," Margo said, giving him a sharp look, for she had not been pleased at having been left behind in Kandara. "And we do not have thousands of the stones, and I know that Dala has only a few left in Kandara, so if we want more of them, we will need to return to the northern lands."

"May I see one of these stones?" Kroma asked, and Margo reached into the pouch at her belt, then handed one of them to him.

"Ariana," Keira said, as Kroma inspected the stone. "I would like to continue to be your guard, if you will allow it."

"Of course, Keira," Ariana replied, aware that both she and Margo preferred to remain close to her and Borrican. "Though I hope you do not mind taking another ride on a dragon, at least until we reach the army."

"If I must," Keira said, and her determined look made it obvious that she intended that Ariana should not leave her sight.

"I would come as well," Margo said to Borrican.

"Yes, of course," Borrican replied. "I am glad that you and Keira were able to oversee the freeing of the Kandaran people, but we are glad that you have returned to us."

"Dala and her people have things well in hand," Margo told him. "But the people will need to hear from the dragon throne at some point."

"Once we have defeated Calexis, we will return to Kandara," Borrican said, still uncomfortable at the thought that he should ascend the throne and declare himself king, for it was not something he had ever considered, since his brother Elric had always been groomed for the crown. "For now, let us deal with the problems at hand."

"I can use the stones I brought with me to release as many of the soldiers as possible from the spell," Margo offered.

"Good," Borrican said, then he frowned. "But do not use all of them. If the magic of the dark god can corrupt a person so easily, there is a danger that one of us might fall prey to it, so we should keep a few in reserve."

"While I do not wish for any of my people to suffer any longer than they must, perhaps it would be best to wait until we can release all of them at once," Berant said. "I would not want to pick and choose, nor would I wish upon them the guilt and horror of having been picked and chosen. For now, they remain bound by the magic, but they are no longer being used against their will, so no further harm will come to them if they must wait a little longer."

"Wise and careful thoughts, General Berant," Margo commented with a nod, then she turned and looked at the young warrior, who spoke with the voice of a god. "What say you of the stones?"

Brian felt the god use his power to sense the composition of the clear stone, and he was amazed at the knowledge that Kroma possessed about the world, and the many substances that existed within it. It was a strange sensation seeing his thoughts, yet not really understanding much about them, but he was fascinated and wondered if the god would be willing to teach him about such things. He heard Kroma chuckle in his mind, then he told Brian that he would be more than pleased to instruct him in the ways of metal, crystal and stone.

"With my power, I could make stones like this, but it would take some time, much more time than we have," Kroma said, finally.

"Then perhaps one of the vassal dragons can fly to the north and collect more of the stones from the watcher people who stayed behind in their village," Ariana suggested, and Vale nodded in agreement.

"I can send Kiva," she suggested. "He is known to the watcher people, is a faster flyer than Crag, and speaks better than Raz or Kaz."

"What do you mean by that?" Raz growled.

"Quiet Raz," Kaz said, giving him a hard elbow in the ribs.

"Good," Borrican said, ignoring the drakes, though he noted that the others had remained quiet, demonstrating at least a little decorum. "What of Rivergate?"

"We expect there to be some resistance at the keep itself, but there have been no encounters with the enemy," Nathas said, then he turned to Storm. "Storm, you have flown over the lands between here and Rivergate. Is there any sign of the Darga?"

"Most of the creatures went east," the dragon warrior growled. "I can smell their stink on the wind."

"Then it appears they have retreated," Borrican said with a nod. "Still, considering the nature of our foe, once our forces are free of the forest, we must be ready for an attack, at any time and without warning."

"We will watch from the skies," Storm offered. "These Darga are no match for dragons."

"Do not be overconfident, Storm," Borrican said. "Many of those creatures have become more powerful, and their numbers are still far greater than our own."

"It is the swords they use," Kroma rumbled. "The godswords give them power."

"And they give us power as well," Storm commented.

"That is true," Kroma replied. "But be wary of taking too much power from your foe with the godswords. There is a reason the weapons were hidden away. They are dangerous."

"What is so dangerous about them?" Borrican asked.

"They can lead to madness," Kroma rumbled. "So I am told."

"What is this madness of which you speak?" Vale asked, glancing over at Borrican, and the four dragons at her side shifted uneasily on their feet, sensitive to the troubles of madness that afflicted dragonkind.

"It is a nearly forgotten tale from an ancient time," Kroma said. "Perhaps only the Lady herself knows the full truth of the godswords, for she is the only one who remains from the age in which they were created, but let us say it was better for the world when the knowledge of such weapons remained buried, along with the blades themselves."

"A number of them were hidden in plain view," Borrican said, and he held up the large, weathered and scarred battleaxe that had been retrieved from the field, the weapon his uncle had wielded before it fell into the hands of the Darga prince. "This jeweled axe that belonged to my uncle, and swords of a similar fashion have been in the possession of many throughout the lands."

"That is true, but few understood their power or were even aware of what these weapons were," Kroma replied. "I am curious to know, how did the blade of this axe come to be in such a state?"

"I burned it with my fire, when I fought Draxis," Lexi said as Borrican handed the axe to Brian, so the god within him could inspect it more closely.

"Dragonfire should not burn metal such as this," Kroma rumbled as he thumbed the melted edge of the blade, then he looked at Lexi, his gaze seeming to penetrated the shadows underneath her hood. "Your fire is not that of a dragon alone, for you also have the power of Stroma within you."

Lexi was not sure how to respond to the deep voice of the god that seemed to shake the very ground whenever he spoke, and now she worried that her fire was different, then maybe she should not have warmed the dragon eggs. She was also afraid that he might wish vengeance upon her for killing Stroma, but she could sense no malice from him, and the few times he had spoken with his other voice, that of the one called Brian, she could feel only curiosity and an odd quickness in his voice, which made her feel very strange.

"Let us focus on the matter at hand," Ariana said. "We must free Maramyr from Calexis and this dark god within her, that controls the power of the shadow. We may have defended this land from an attack, but there is much damage that has been done, and I feel as though the longer we wait, the stronger our enemy becomes. If we are to save Maramyr and its people, we must move quickly."

"The dark god has already become powerful," Kroma said. "If we are to succeed in this, we must also be ready to do what must be done."

"You speak of destroying my kingdom and many of its people," Ariana said with a frown.

"If we are to drive the shadow from the world, then it may be that we have no other choice," Kroma replied.

"What about Aaron?" Lexi asked. "Ehlena said he was trying to do something to stop the Xallan Queen." Her lip curled when she mentioned her mother.

"The Lady feels and hears many things on the wind," Kroma said. "I can also feel the tremors of magic at work in the land of Maramyr, the power of the shadow as it grows, but it is true, the goddess has said that there are others who work against the shadow even as we speak. Perhaps their efforts will be of use." Brian insisted on speaking next. "And, of course, we will do everything we can to help Aaron and save the people of Maramyr."

"Good," Ariana said, relieved when the others nodded in agreement as her thoughts drifted to Aaron, and she wondered what part he might play in the efforts to stop Calexis. "It is my duty to protect the people of my kingdom, but I know we must stop this god and the shadow, or the destruction we have seen here in the elven forest will be only one of many horrors to befall the world. If all else fails, then we will do what must be done and destroy the shadow."

"If Lady Vale is willing to fly with me, I would seek allies, defenders, who would help us in this task," Brian offered, then he turned to Kaleb. "Kaleb, your Bordermen, Fergus and the others, the defenders of White Falls, they would gladly stand for Maramyr."

"Of course they will," Kaleb replied with a grin. "You know what a loyal and determined bunch they are. Give the lads my orders, Brian. We rally for the kingdom."

"I will," Brian said, then he turned to Vale. "Lady Vale, would you be willing to travel with me to the east?"

"You wish for me to fly you there?" she asked.

"If you would not mind," Brian replied, a little less sure about his request, since he had learned that dragons were not particularly fond of the idea of carrying a person on their backs.

"I cannot assist you in this," Vale said. "I must remain here to care for Ariana's clutch, as my mother does for mine. They cannot be without the heat of dragonfire for long."

Brian was confused, since he thought that Ariana or Borrican would be able to care for the three dragon eggs, but it seemed that other things had been decided. He turned to the princess, who he also remembered was really the Queen of Maramyr, his own land, though she was also a princess among the elves.

"Then you will not stay here in the elven forest?" he asked.

"My duty now is to Maramyr," Ariana said. "If we do not defeat Calexis and drive the shadow from the land, then nothing else will matter, and I will see this done. Borrican and I will lead the soldiers of Maramyr and Kandara, under the command of Generals Nathas and Kaleb, and Berant, of course, assuming we can free them with the stones."

"If I have your permission, I will march my forces from this forest," Berant said. "Margo and Kiva should have no trouble finding us on the road, and I do believe the elves would prefer to see us gone from their lands."

"Very good," Ariana said. "Meet up with us at Rivergate or upon the road beyond once the soldiers have been set free."

"I had hoped one of the dragons would lend Brian and I aid in traveling," Kroma rumbled, pressing the matter a little further.

"It is my duty to guard my queen," Storm said quickly, making it clear that he intended to stay close to Ariana.

Kroma looked at the other dragons and knew it was unlikely the others would stray far from the females that had claimed them, unless ordered to do so, as Vale had ordered Kiva, and he knew how dragons also detested the idea of carrying someone on their back, thus he had preferred that they might offer of their own accord. Unfortunately, when he looked over at the other young dragons, he got the distinct impression that they were not interested in such an idea.

"I must carry the elf woman, and the Kandaran," Crag said.

"I will fly with the general, Nathas," Raz added.

"I must take Kaleb," Kaz said.

"It is fine," Kroma rumbled, a little irritated at the selfishness of the dragons, who could each carry several riders if they chose. It was a trait he had been reminded of very recently when he had met with the elder dragons, who had decided to remain safe inside their mountain home rather than answer the call against the shadow. And despite their lack of gratitude, and refusal to help in the fight, he and Brian had nonetheless taken the time to purify the flows. The god sighed, disappointed, but not surprised. "It will require some of my power to travel quickly enough, but we can gather the others, even though my heavy footfalls will not likely escape notice by the dark god."

"I can take you," Lexi offered, her voice barely more than a whisper. Brian turned to her and nodded. He had not wanted to ask her because she seemed so uncomfortable around him, and he felt a little awkward around her as well, but he was not sure why. Kroma chuckled inside him, apparently amused by something.