Kingdom's Hope (12 page)

“Guards! Take them to the Vale of the Dragons!” Kergon commanded. “And spread fresh meat up to the tree line to entice the dragamoths!”

The guards brutishly escorted the three of them out of the presence of Kergon.

Though they had not seen the Vale of the Dragons, they knew what cruel death lay before them. The northern wall of Daydelon was higher than the other walls and bordered a large, densely forested valley. No man had ever traveled the valley, for it was inhabited by the ferocious dragamoths. Kergon utilized these beasts to his benefit. A small clearing in the valley vegetation near the wall provided a natural arena for him to feed his enemies to the dragamoths. Two extension walls were built that joined the main city wall to eliminate the possibility of escape. There was no need to bind the victims. Their only choice was to await their fate in the clearing or venture past the valley tree line into the habitat of the dragamoth—an unthinkable prospect.

Leinad, Tess, and Audric were forced to don clothing that was splattered with the blood of goats. Six guards then led them to the base of the north wall, where a large iron
door was the only barrier between them and the jaws of the dragamoths.

“You have seen these dragamoths?” Leinad asked Audric.

“No, I have only been told of them.”

“Tell us,” Leinad said.

Audric looked sympathetically at Tess.

“I am afraid, Audric, but I am not a coward,” she said. “We need to know what we will be facing.”

He nodded. “It is said that the dragamoth can smell as well as a dog … thus our clothing. Most of them are half again as tall as a man, but some are said to be twice that size. They run faster than a man but slower than a horse. Their claws are long and their teeth are sharp. And …”

“Yes?” Leinad said.

“And it is said that they breathe fire.”

“Fire?” Leinad asked.

Audric raised an eyebrow and tilted his head slightly to affirm his own doubt. Tess's eyes widened, and they all fell silent.

“Well, I can see why the antelope were leaping to their deaths back in the Red Canyon.” Tess said. “Do you know of any weakness we can exploit?”

Audric crossed his muscular arms and took a deep breath. “It is said that they can only see movement, but without weapons and with our clothes splattered in blood, I don't see how that is going to help us much.”

“Maybe not, but it's something,” Tess said.

Just then a guard on horseback arrived at the gate with two slabs of fresh meat dangling from each side of
his saddle. His face was white with fear.

One of the guards looked through a small hole into the clearing. “All clear!” he shouted.

Two other guards removed the iron lock and opened the doors just far enough for the guard on horseback to exit.

“Ride fast, Garth, and you'll make it,” said one of the guards as he slapped the horse's back end.

The rider was gone in a bolt, and the doors were closed and locked behind him. He was back at the door a moment later. The guards opened the door and let their terrified comrade and his horse, minus the slabs of meat, back into the city.

The gate guard signaled for the other guards to bring the prisoners to the gate. As they passed, the gate guard leaned close to Leinad's ear and spoke softly. “Some of the riders did not make it back from their meat drops. You may find a sword or two near the tree line if you dare to venture that close to the abode of the dragamoths.”

Leinad nodded his thanks, and the guards pushed them into the Vale of the Dragons.

Clean white bones were scattered throughout the clearing, which was quite wide. Two walls extended from the city wall well into the dense vegetation of the valley. Leinad looked up the enormous city wall and saw the tiny figure of Kergon amidst a throng of onlookers.

Leinad noticed that one slab of meat had been dropped near the tree line, which was a fair distance from the city wall. The only protection was an occasional outcropping of rocks; the second slab of meat lay near the largest outcropping.

They moved quickly but cautiously toward the rock
formation. Once there, Leinad turned and held out his hand to Audric and Tess. “It is an honor to face death in the company of two gallant knights such as you.”

Audric and Tess took his handshake and nodded.

“The King reigns,” Leinad said.

“The King reigns,” they replied.

A hideous screech filled the air. Leinad had heard that sound only once before—in the Red Canyon. Chills flowed up his spine.

“I want you to wait here,” he said.

“What are you doing?” Tess asked with a look of concern on her face.

“Wait here. I'll be back.”

Leinad grabbed the fresh meat and ran toward the tree line. Another screech, much closer than the first, filled the air. Leinad scanned the ground as he ran and kept a watchful eye on the distant trees ahead.

Finally, he reached the other slab of meat near the tree line. He dropped his cargo and fervently searched the ground. He found a number of horses' bones mixed with those of men. Another terrifying screech blasted from the trees, and Leinad knew that a dragamoth was approaching fast.

He moved a pile of bones—success! A rusted sword lay beneath.

Leinad grabbed the sword and started his run back to the boulders. Off to his right he spotted the hilt of a second sword almost covered in dirt. He chanced a detour to retrieve the second sword, though he knew the extra time might cost him.

© Marcella Johnson

The thick vegetation of the tree line moved and parted. A dragamoth leapt through the opening and screeched the cry of a merciless predator.

Leinad froze with his hand on the hilt of the buried sword and his eye on the terrifying dragamoth.

The dragamoth was slender and looked built for speed. The upper and lower jaws were long and lined with razor-sharp teeth. Yellow catlike eyes gave the creature its limited sight. The base of the head terminated smoothly into a long neck that seemed to have an extra degree of motion at a joint one-third of the way toward the body. Short, powerful arms with long, ripping claws gave the dragamoth added weaponry to use against its prey. Longer muscular hind legs supported the body and gave it incredible speed for a creature of this size. Its final weapon was a long, powerful, and flexible tail. From head to tail, the dragamoth's skin
was lizardlike and colored in streaks of yellow and dark brown.

The dragamoth paused and licked the air with its forked tongue, smelling the fresh meat. It moved toward the meat and swallowed one slab whole. While it was occupied with its meal, Leinad resumed his sprint back to his companions at the boulders.

The dragamoth finished the second slab of meat and resumed its hunt for more. Its eyes caught Leinad's movement, and it screeched before pursuing its next prey. Other dragamoths screeched from the valley trees, drawn by the hunt of the first.

The distance to the rock formation was too far, and Leinad knew he wouldn't make it in time. He threw one of the swords as far toward his companions as possible and turned to face the beast. It was a terrifying sight to see such a voracious beast charging at him.

Audric ran to gather the other sword, but he could not reach Leinad in time. It was a hopeless moment … or so it seemed.

The tree line moved again, but this time no dragamoth emerged. Instead, a man on a white horse charged into the clearing and raced toward the attacking dragamoth.

Stunned, Leinad simply readied his sword.

The man covered the distance to the dragamoth quickly—gleaming sword in hand. The dragamoth, intent only on Leinad, leapt into the air to pounce.

The gallant man on horseback reached him before he landed. Leinad dove to the side as the rider made one quick power cut across the neck of the dragamoth and
severed its head. Its body landed with an empty thud in a limp pile where Leinad once stood.

Sounds of exclamation filtered down from the people watching on the city wall.

The man turned his horse and faced Leinad. There was something familiar about him. Leinad felt he was in the presence of the King again … but he was not the King. The man was young and possessed the perfect form of a knight's knight. His brow was noble, and his eyes burned like fire. His sword was truly magnificent, nearly identical to another that Leinad had once seen.

Who could this be?
Then Leinad remembered the traveler who had helped him and Tess many years ago in the Tara Hills Mountain Range when they were starving. Was this the same man?

The man reached out his arm. Leinad recovered himself and grabbed hold as the man lifted him to the back of his horse. A moment later they were back at the rocky outcropping with Audric and Tess. They dismounted, and the man drew another sword to hand to Tess. Now all were armed.

The horse galloped to the city wall and trotted back and forth along its length, waiting for the call of his master.

Two dragamoths emerged from the tree line and descended on the fallen creature's headless body.

The gallant man turned to face Leinad, Tess, and Audric. His countenance was determined, but he evoked a strange peace that passed on to Leinad and, he was sure, to Tess and Audric as well. Somehow, Leinad knew they would make it through. There was no time to discover who the man was—they just knew that he had the skill,
the wisdom, and the power to defeat these vicious creatures.

“Attack the dragamoths in teams of two,” the man commanded. “One distracts while the other strikes. Aim just below the jointed neck. If that is not possible, its heart is just behind the forelegs.”

Another dragamoth parted the tree line and made straight for the boulders.

“Is there fire?” Leinad asked.

“There is no fire, but it will spit a deadly acidlike poison once it realizes you are attacking it. Stay clear of the direction of the mouth.”

The approaching dragamoth was larger than the other three. Its screech was lower and even more threatening than the others. It reached the rock formation and paused, perhaps deciding which prey to devour first.

The stranger positioned himself directly in front of the dragamoth, fearless and confident. His stature emanated power.

The creature snapped and swiped at the stranger with one of its claws. The stranger's sword flew with blinding speed and severed the forearm of the creature. It screeched an ear-piercing cry, and a stream of yellow fluid burst from its mouth. Its aim was poor, and the fluid splattered on the boulders behind them. Smoke rose from the boulders where the fluid landed.

Leinad ran to the creature's side and plunged his sword deep into the body just aft of the forearms. The dragamoth convulsed, and its tail whipped and struck Leinad across his side. Leinad slammed into a rock and struggled to regain his breath.

The creature fell to the ground, writhing momentarily before becoming still in death.

The cries of the dying dragamoth drew the attention of the other two beasts, who quickly advanced on the four brave warriors. Audric took up a position to fight the first one, and the stranger joined him while Tess positioned herself to face the next creature. Leinad stood to help Tess and felt an intense burning inside his chest. The pain was excruciating.

Once again, sounds of astonishment were heard from the crowd on the wall above, for no man or team of men had ever faced a dragamoth and lived, not even with weapons.

Leinad drew the dragamoth's attention away from Tess, for he knew that the strike of his sword was now weak. The dragamoth screeched and poised itself to pounce. Tess moved in quickly from the left and struck the creature with the deadly edge of her sword, but it moved at the last instant, and her blade struck the bony joint of the neck. Tess fell below the creature as it recoiled and screeched in anger. A stream of yellowish poison flew straight at Leinad. He fell to the ground and rolled, barely escaping the deadly fluid. Tess rolled to avoid the sharp claws of the powerful hind legs.

The creature lowered its head to capture Tess in its jaws. She rolled to her knees and thrust her sword past the deadly jaws and deep into its throat. The dragamoth clamped down on the sword, nearly taking Tess's arm with it. The blade penetrated clear through the neck. The dragamoth could not screech or spit as it clawed at the weapon with its front claws.

Leinad tried to stand, but the broken ribs in his chest made it impossible. “Tess! Here!” he called and threw his sword toward her.

She grabbed the sword and plunged it deep into the heart of the flailing dragamoth. The creature collapsed to the ground dead.

A moment later, Audric and the stranger killed the remaining creature. Four dragamoths lay dead in the clearing, and four warriors stood, ready for more.

“Leinad!” Kergon shouted down from the lofty heights of the wall. “Surely your King has delivered you. Return to the gate, for no man, common or noble, can do what I have seen here today.”

The four quickly made their way to the gate, and the stranger mounted his horse.