Kazin's Quest: Book I of The Dragon Mage Trilogy (66 page)

“I’ll give you as long as I can,” said Kazin. “I don’t want to kill the minotaurs if I can help it, but I have to do what I can for my people, too.”

“I’ll be sure to mention that,” said Zylor. “The added incentive might strengthen my own case.”

Kazin flew directly toward the lead ship and alighted on its bow with only a slight wobble. The minotaurs on the vessel originally backed up to give the huge dragon the right of way. Now they pressed forward, intent on attacking this unauthorized passenger. Behind them all, a lizardmage raised his hand in preparation for a spell.

Suddenly Zylor stood on Kazin’s back and the entire crew of warriors stopped in mid-stride, looking at the proud minotaur curiously. They were uncertain of what to do next.

Zylor climbed onto the deck confidently, as though the ship were his, and gave Kazin a wink. “Luck be with you, Kazin,” he said.

“And you,” answered Kazin. He spread his wings. “You’ll need it more than I.” He leaped majestically into the air and circled the minotaur ships, carefully keeping out of range of their spell casters. From his vantage, he could see one lizardmage aboard each vessel. All the passengers of the ships looked warily up at the strange dragon who had just dropped off a minotaur on their lead ship.

Zylor walked casually through the ranks of minotaurs and approached the lizardmage behind them. The minotaurs watched Zylor curiously as he passed them.

One minotaur in particular was intrigued by this strange visitor. He pushed through his own warriors (they were indeed his own as indicated by his armour markings—he was an admiral), and managed to reach the front ranks only after Zylor had already passed. Even from behind, he thought the new visitor looked familiar. His proud bearing and large horns were almost unmistakable.

Zylor calmly walked up to the lizardmage, who lowered his hand. The spell caster was probably thinking he had a message to deliver. Zylor grinned at the thought. The lizardmage misinterpreted his grin and relaxed further.

“What have you to report?” hissed the lizardmage. “Don’t you see we are about to engage the enemy?”

“Yes,” said Zylor calmly. The minotaur admiral had moved up within listening distance, but stayed far enough away to give the messenger and lizardmage the appearance of privacy.

“Yes, what?” demanded the lizardmage irritably. These minotaurs were sometimes so slow!

“You command this ship?” asked Zylor.

The lizardmage looked briefly at the minotaur admiral and then back at Zylor. “Of course,” said the lizardmage proudly.

“Just as I suspected,” said Zylor, more to himself than to anyone else.

“So what did you come to tell me?” demanded the lizardmage. “I haven’t got all day!”

“That’s right,” said Zylor. “You don’t.” As he spoke, he drew his axe.

The lizardmage hissed in surprise, his tongue darting in and out in anxiety. He turned to the minotaurs watching all this. “Seize him!” he hissed.

The minotaurs looked on but didn’t move. To attack a minotaur by orders from a lizardmage was not something they would consider doing.

The lizardmage said nothing more as Zylor cleanly severed the creature’s head from its body. All of the minotaurs aboard the vessel watched in stunned silence but did nothing.

Zylor turned and faced the admiral for the first time. “The ship is now—,” he broke off. “Garad?”

“Zylor?!” said the admiral, just as stunned.

Zylor was too stunned to speak. He knew what he was going to say, but hadn’t counted on saying it to his former co-worker and friend. Perhaps this would be easier than he thought.

Garad was the first to regain his composure. “Would you mind telling me why you just got rid of our spell caster?” He indicated a nearby minotaur vessel with a nod of his head.

Zylor glanced over and saw a lizardmage watching him anxiously. He grinned and waved, hoping the lizardmage would wait to see what transpired.

“I’ve come to bring you and others like you to your senses,” said Zylor.

“I don’t understand,” said Garad.

“We minotaurs have always achieved our goals on our own strength and intelligence,” said Zylor. “Our present leader, on the other hand, relies on lizardmages—spell casters no less—for advice and support. Now, before we know it, we are serving spell casters, and are relying on them to assist us in our battles—and order us to do what we already do best without their help!”

“They counter the human’s magic,” objected Garad, “and that gives us a major advantage in the field of battle.”

“What honour is there in that?” exclaimed Zylor loudly. “We already know minotaurs can overwhelm humans easily in one-on-one battles. Are you saying we cannot defeat them without the aid of spell casters? Are we that weak?”

Several minotaurs on the ship resented the harsh accusation and grumbled loudly.

“Certainly not,” growled Garad. “But they are helping us, aren’t they? Why refuse help that is freely given?”

The dragon shrieked overhead suddenly and Zylor saw the human vessels nearing. He had to work quickly.

“Since when is help freely given?!” asked Zylor laughingly. “Consider your words! These are lizardmages you’re talking about! Lizardmages always have a hidden agenda!”

“I suppose you know what that is?” asked Garad.

Zylor nodded. “They are using us to weaken the humans sufficiently so they can move in and take over. We will be an insignificant threat by then. See how they control us now? Well, without the humans to maintain the magical balance, it will be ten times worse! The lizardmages will be overlords of all non-magic users, including us!”

Zylor spoke loudly enough for all the minotaurs on the ship to hear. They turned to growl and shake their fists at the lizardmages on nearby vessels in open defiance. The lizardmages stared back in confusion, obviously disturbed.

“Is this really true, Zylor, or are you working for the humans?” asked Garad.

“I work for the good of my race!” growled Zylor. “As for proof, I know the elves were prevented from aiding the humans by a distraction in the south which is somehow linked to the northern war. The dwarves are being kept holed up in their realm no doubt by a similar situation.”

“So that’s why we never encountered any elven ships thus far,” mused Garad. “And dwarves should have come running long ago to attack our armies from behind. The lizardmages claimed they had the dwarves held up. I always thought that was a little fishy. Dwarves don’t usually back down from a fight.”

“They might be under the influence of magic, too,” said Zylor. “They’re as susceptible to magic as we are. The point is, the forces of humans, elves, and dwarves have been separated for a reason. What that reason is, I don’t know, but I aim to find out.”

Garad looked around. “So, if we have to fight back, how do we begin? There are still lizardmages on the other ships.”

“I’ll take care of them,” said Zylor. “As for the rest, it’s your decision. You’re the admiral. Just remember, I have a dragon up there that doesn’t take too kindly to seeing humans die.”

Garad eyed the dragon warily. Then he looked at the human vessels, which were close enough now that he could see the soldiers pressed together, bracing for the attack. “Get rid of the mages, Zylor,” said Garad finally. “I’ll do the rest.”

Zylor signalled Kazin. The dragon shrieked and swooped down on the minotaur vessels. Humans, minotaurs, and lizardmages alike cowered at the sight of the swooping dragon.

Garad barked orders and blew a horn to signal the other ships and they veered away from the approaching human vessels. Kazin simultaneously singled out the lizardmages and roasted them on the spot, taking additional care not to harm the minotaurs as Zylor had requested. Secretly he hoped he was doing the right thing.

The humans cheered at the chaos aboard the minotaur vessels and turned their ships in pursuit. Unfortunately, they had heavier loads and no mages aboard to support the sails with additional wind, so they quickly fell behind.

The minotaurs, meanwhile, fought the flames that resulted from Kazin’s blasts of fire while others followed their admiral’s command to change course. The fires were extinguished quickly and the minotaurs looked around in confusion. What was their admiral doing? Why were they running?

Garad gave orders to some of his crew and they made preparations to signal the rest of the fleet to continue their present course. The lead ship slowed for the others to catch up and word passed from ship to ship on what had just happened and why. Growls of discontent at the hasty retreat on the eve of a grand battle were replaced by growls of outrage at the lizardmages’ manipulation.

Zylor interrupted Garad as he was issuing orders to his crew and explained that he had to return to his own ship shortly.

“I doubt the ship is still under the humans’ control,” said Garad. “While we clash with the vanguard of the human fleet, another minotaur fleet waits to ambush the undefended supply ships. It was originally my idea,” added Garad proudly. “It was why I was promoted to admiral when the other one was killed in combat.”

Zylor’s eyes widened. “We have to stop them!”

“It’s probably too late,” said Garad. “We’ll never get there in time.”

Zylor signalled Kazin frantically. Kazin spotted him and landed on the ship’s bow, amid some nervous minotaurs.

Zylor grabbed Garad’s arm. “Come on!”

Garad pulled free of Zylor’s grasp. “Hey! I’m the admiral!”

“That’s why you have to come with me!” cried Zylor.

“What’s the hurry?” growled Garad.

“It’s a matter of honour!” exclaimed Zylor. “Any lives we save now can be used against the lizardmages and their allies!”

Garad groaned. “I’m going to be demoted within two weeks of my promotion!” Despite his complaining, he followed Zylor to the dragon.

“Not after I retake the throne,” muttered Zylor.

Garad turned from issuing an order to his first mate to rendezvous in a given location. “What did you say just now, Zylor? Did I hear you right?”

Zylor never answered. He climbed onto Kazin’s back and pulled the reluctant Garad up behind him. “Our friends are in trouble, Kazin!” cried Zylor to the dragon. “We have to help them!”

Kazin needed no further urging. He sprang from the bow of the ship and streaked for the supply ships.

Garad hung tightly to the minotaur in front of him. “Take it easy, Zylor. I—I’m not used to this!”

“Too bad,” said Zylor.

After a while Garad relaxed somewhat and took advantage of the proximity of the other minotaur to ask him some questions.

“You disappeared the day they came to recruit warriors for the army,” said Garad. “How come? Some of the others said you were a coward and ran away—not that I thought that for a minute!”

Zylor stiffened. He knew that those he worked with would consider him a coward because of his absence on the recruitment day.

“I had to prepare for the election battles,” said Zylor. “Being in the war would have drawn me away from that goal.”

“How so?” asked Garad. “Battle is the best way to prepare yourself for the election battle.”

“Only if you’re close enough to the arena to attend,” said Zylor. “Anyone the emperor considers a threat is hired for the army and sent far away so they won’t be a problem in the election battle.”

“So that’s why they put me in fleet service,” mused Garad.

“No doubt,” said Zylor, though he didn’t believe it for a moment.

“You said earlier you were going to retake the throne,” commented Garad. “I never knew you had it in the first place.”

“I did for only a few moments,” said Zylor, “after my father was poisoned and before my uncle seized it for himself.”

“What do you mean your uncle—?” Suddenly Garad gasped. “You mean—you mean YOU’RE the son the rumour claims the former emperor had?”

“Now you see why I had to avoid going into battle,” said Zylor. “I absolutely have to attend that election battle.”

“I don’t believe it!” exclaimed Garad. Then a thought occurred to him. “Zylor, if you want to attend that election battle, you’d better hurry. It starts in three days.”

Zylor started. “What?!”

“It starts in Grawn in three days,” repeated Garad. “The usual full week of continuous one-on-one battles is being replaced by a free-for-all battle where the top 16 combatants qualify to fight in one-on-one competitions with each other. It all happens in the same day to speed things up. Minotaurs from miles around are going to Grawn to see the event.”

Kazin caught the entire conversation and looked back at his passengers. Zylor’s face was set and determined. The only way he would reach the election battle in time was via the mode of transportation he now used.

“Don’t worry, Zylor,” said Kazin. “I’ll get you there on time. But first we help our companions.”

“Naturally,” said Zylor. He owed the mage much and was grateful Kazin had offered the help without his asking for it.

They spotted the supply ships’ crews grappling with the heavily armed minotaurs. A gigantic, blue kraken struggled in the water nearby with a large number of mermaids armed with spears. Flashes of magic sparked between two magic users and Kazin homed in on the one aboard the minotaur ship.

“Let us off!” yelled Zylor after Kazin had incinerated the lizardmage before he could cast another spell at Milena.

Kazin dropped to the deck of the minotaur vessel and Garad jumped off and pulled out his horn. He blew a note signalling his warriors to pull back. Kazin flew off to attack the lizardmages aboard the other three minotaur ships.

Of the four supply ships that were attacked, one was sinking due to several large holes courtesy of the kraken. The others were severely damaged as a result of heavy fighting. The Lady of the Sea fared the best, having the strongest forces to overcome, along with the spell caster to hold back the assault with magic.

Captain Durango shouted for his remaining sailors to pull back when he saw what Kazin and Zylor were up to.

Just then the kraken moaned one last time and sank beneath the waves, dragging two unfortunate mermaids down with it. The others dove to attempt to rescue their sisters. A few minutes later, all fighting aboard the ships ceased.