Omensent: Princess Of Dragons (Book 5) (18 page)

They all dismounted their horses and followed Brody and Delilah into the tower, leaving their mounts with the elven guards, who promised to see to their needs.

"This is the royal antechamber." Brody informed them as they entered the tower and found themselves in an enormous room with a high vaulted ceiling. Several dozen elves dressed in colorfully dyed outfits sat on long stone benches as they waited with impatient expressions. "This is where those who wish to speak to the queen gather to wait while she is dealing with other affairs."

He quickly led them to a curving staircase that had been constructed against the outer wall of the tower, where another pair of elven guards stepped forward to block their passage.

"Etha Brody, Ava Delilah." One of the elves nodded in greeting. "It is good to see that you have returned to us safely. The queen has been awaiting news of your success. I trust she will not be disappointed."

"As you can clearly see for yourself," Brody gestured to Damion, who stared down at the guards with a friendly expression. "we were successful in convincing the Dragon Lord in aiding us in our struggle against the blood elves. We are on our way to present ourselves to the queen."

"That is excellent news." The elf murmured with a relieved sigh. "The queen will be delighted to hear that he has agreed to aid us." He stepped aside to allow them to pass. "Go ahead and go on up. She's currently taking council with Gilroy of Willowdale and Dar of the Alena. I'm sure that they will all be overjoyed to hear of your arrival."

They hurried up the stairs, followed by the gazes of the elves still waiting in the antechambers.

"This floor of the tower is used for the heads of the ancient families who are visiting from various parts of the island." Delilah told them as they made their way up the stairs to the next floor. "It is a two day ride to the closest settlement to Celestia, save for a few small homesteads, farms, and vineyards. The heads of the ancient houses are often unable to finish their business here in the city in a single day, so Ramon the Elder made certain to include suitable quarters for them when he had the tower constructed."

"Why not have them take a room in a local inn?" Shirk asked curiously.

"There aren't any inns here on the island." Brody told them, continuing up the stairs to the next floor, which was a bustling kitchen filled with a dozen elves who were busy preparing the afternoon meal. "Without any of the other races visiting our island to trade, there is no need for them."

"What if an elf from another part of the island decides to visit Celestia?" The bearded bandit asked with a befuddled expression. "Where would they stay?"

"We elves are not like the other races." Brody explained in an infuriatingly superior tone. "We welcome in those of our own kind as freely as we would a family member, though most elves have relatives dispersed throughout the island with whom they stay with while traveling."

They continued to the next floor, which turned out to be an enormous dining room containing a single table carved from a massive circular slab of polished quartz capable of accommodating at least a hundred people. There were several huge windows framed in golden draperies which allowed the sunlight to flood into the room, providing a splendid view of the sprawling city below.

The next four floors were walled off separate from the stairs, concealing its contents from those making their way to the top of the tower.

"These floors are reserved for the royal family." Delilah explained as they passed several more guards who immediately stepped aside to allow them to pass. "They can only be accessed through the throne room to ensure our queen's privacy."

"Is there a king?" Raven asked curiously.

"King Elvon died over a century ago after eating some tainted shellfish." The elven woman frowned. "They had a son who drowned the year before after getting tangled in a fisherman's nets while swimming."

"How awful!" Raven gasped in horror.

"It truly was." Delilah agreed mournfully. "Our queen, still to this day, mourns for her husband and child, though she finds solace in watching over her people as if they were all her children."

They finally reached the top floor of the tower and found their way blocked by several more elven guards, all of whom were armed with short swords.

"Not taking any chances with the queen's safety, I see." Damarius murmured as the elves quickly blocked the heavy oak doors which led into the throne room.

"We wish to see the queen." Delilah announced in a commanding tone. "We have returned from the southern continent with news."

"You wish to bring outsiders before our queen?" One of the elves asked with an outraged expression. "They have no business being here! They do not belong on our island!"

"These outsiders are here at the queen's invitation." Brody informed him in a flinty tone. "She has been waiting for some time for this meeting, and we do not wish to keep her waiting any longer." He gestured for the guards to stand aside, but they didn't budge.

"Why would the queen invite outsiders to our island?" The elf asked, staring at Damion and the others suspiciously. "She has never allowed them to visit our island before now. Why would she wish to speak with these vagrants?"

"This
vagrant
is the Dragon Lord, you blockhead!" Brody suddenly growled with surprising heat. "He has come at the queen's request to aid us in our struggle against the blood elves! Now stand aside! I'll not have you keep him waiting any longer, just so you may insult him further!"

"The Dragon Lord?" The elf gasped, scrambling back so quickly that he collided with several of his fellow guards. "I thought he was just a legend!" He gestured for the other guards to move away, then stepped aside, his expression suddenly sickly.

"You'd be surprised at how often I hear that." Damion told Delilah with a chuckle as two of the guards pulled open the heavy oak doors to allow them to pass.

They passed through the doorway and found themselves in a huge vaulted chamber which was paneled with darkly stained wood panels that had been polished until they gleamed. A dozen enormous windows framed with long drapes dyed a deep purple had been spaced evenly around the chamber, allowing the occupants a magnificent view of both the city and the ocean. The floor of the chamber was tiled in white quartz tiles which shimmered hypnotically in the sunlight, mirroring the sparkling quartz on the tall vaulted ceiling.

In the center of the chamber stood an elaborate throne unlike any they had ever seen before. It appeared to have been crafted out of the trunk of an enormous tree, and carved into the shape of a crescent moon, allowing it to accommodate a number of people comfortably. The center of the throne had a tall back with an incredibly detailed carving of a lone mountain peak which tapered down to an ancient forest background that wrapped around the entire inside of the oddly shaped cathedra.

Sitting in the center of the strange throne was an incredibly beautiful elven woman wearing a low cut dress which had been dyed a brilliant shade of green, and knee high boots made from a soft, supple leather. A sparkling crown made of gold, silver, and diamonds was perched lightly amongst an elaborate display long blond curls that were the color of spun gold, and which flowed down around her shoulders in a stunning cascade.

"I still have my doubts, my queen." A stern faced elf sitting on the throne to the right of the queen murmured, his expression disapproving. "I have heard the stories about this Dragon Lord, and I'm not so sure that it was wise to ask for his aid. From what I have heard, everywhere that he goes, destruction follows."

"I can't deny that Damion can be a bit... heavy handed, at times," A small boy with fiery red hair, who sitting to the queen's left, admitted helplessly. "but I can't think of a more honorable and trustworthy person to help us."

"Heavy handed?" Damion asked in mock outrage, causing all three of the throne's occupants to turn and stare at the newcomers in surprise.

"Damion?" The red haired boy let out a sudden laugh, then leapt up from his place on the throne and hurried over, smiling from ear to ear. "When did you arrive?"

"We just pulled into port." The huge warrior replied, scooping Dar up into a crushing embrace. "Where have you been? We have been worried about you. We haven't seen or heard from you in over a year now."

"I've been here trying to help Queen Serena sort out this mess with the blood elves." The childlike sprite shrugged as Damion placed him on his feet once again. "It has been keeping me occupied for some time now." He looked around in confusion. "Where's Leia?"

"We left her in charge of Sevria while we are gone." Raven told him as she kissed him on his forehead. "We thought it was about time that she learned what it's like to have such a serious responsibility on her shoulders."

"You
what
?" Dar burst out in a fit of uncontrollable laughter. "Are you mad? What if she gets angry and decides to start turning everyone into garden slugs?"

"That won't happen." Damion chuckled. "We had a long discussion about our reasons for leaving her behind, and she understands that the people of Sevria are looking to her to guide them in our absence. Besides, she has Sly and Aunt Skie there to help keep her from doing anything too foolish."

"Your majesty," Dar hurried back toward the unusual looking throne. "allow me to introduce the Dragon Lord, Damion Omensent." He gestured to the huge warrior, who nodded politely.

"Greetings, Dragon Lord," The elven woman rose to her feet and glided gracefully forward to meet him. "It is an honor to finally meet you. Dar has spoken quite highly of you. Indeed, he has been regaling us with tales of your exploits for many years now. It seems you are quite the hero."

"I'm not a hero." Damion shook his head. "Catastrophes just seem to have a way of finding me. And you can call me Damion, your majesty. Dragon Lord is a moniker bestowed to me by the people. This," He gestured to his dark haired young wife, who curtsied respectfully. "is my wife, Raven; my friend and teacher, Damarius the Sorcerer," He gestured to the old wizard, who had dressed in his most impressive robes for the occasion. "and Shirk of Arleia, a friend and advisor who has a vast amount of experience in dealing with subterfuge." The old bandit attempted a graceful bow which ended up looking more like an awkward squat.

The elven queen nodded to each of them politely. "You are all very welcome." She gestured towards the throne. "Please, come join us." She returned to her seat in the center.

"This is a most interesting looking throne, your majesty." Damarius commented as they took their seats. "I don't think I have ever seen anything quite like it before."

"It was carved by Ramon the Elder himself." The elf who had been sitting to the right of the queen informed him in a slightly cool tone. "He designed it to be large enough to hold all of the elders of the various elven families and himself. He wanted to convey the fact that they were all one. Each family merely a branch from the same tree."

"This is Gilroy of Willowdale, Elder of the House of Weeping." Dar introduced the stony faced elf with a slightly irritated expression. "He is one of Queen Serena's advisors."

"It is a pleasure to meet you." Damion nodded to the elf, who merely stared at the big warrior coldly.

"I trust your journey here was pleasant?" The queen asked politely, seeming not to notice her advisor's cold demeanor.

"It was." Damion smiled, ignoring the suspicious glare Gilroy of Willowdale was directing at him. "It is nice to get away from all of the responsibilities of running a city once and a while."

"I wouldn't know." Queen Serena sighed wistfully. "I have never left this island. I rarely even leave this tower nowadays. There is always something that requires my immediate attention."

"Your island is incredible." Raven told the elven queen with an appreciative smile. "Etha Brody wasn't exaggerating when he told us that it was a paradise."

"Our ancestors chose wisely when selecting a new home for our people." The elven queen agreed with a nod. "They scoured nearly every corner of the planet in search of a place where our people could thrive in peace, far removed from the affairs of the other races."

"I thought that the elves had always lived on the island." Shirk murmured in surprise. "Where did your people dwell before coming here?"

"Our ancestors once lived far to the east, in an ancient land we called Elhenia," Gilroy murmured with a sad expression. "then the War of the Gods shattered the blissful peace of our homeland, and nearly destroyed our people."

"Our people were the very first to fall when the Etazk conquered the eastern continent." Queen Serena's eyes swam with angry tears. "We were unable to repel their superior numbers, and were forced to flee our homeland in search of a new home." She let out a defeated sigh. "In the end, less than five hundred elves survived the massacre."

"How awful!" Raven gasped in horror. "It's no wonder that your ancestors wished to find a place far away from the rest of the world."

"Indeed." The queen nodded in agreement. "Ramon the Elder realized that our people had no chance of surviving unless we left the other races to their various wars, and retreated to a place that few would ever find." She smiled. "Of course, back then, there was very little activity on the open sea, and this island was well off of the edge of most mariners' maps. Once it was located by our ancestors, the few remaining survivors crammed aboard six small ships and came here. This island has served our purposes well, and has allowed us to come back from the brink of extinction."

"Which is another reason why I think that it was unwise to seek the Dragon Lord's aid." Gilroy murmured stiffly. "Associating with the lesser races has brought our people nothing but misery in the past. Why should we expect it to be any different this time?"

"We have already discussed this, Gilroy." Queen Serena snapped impatiently, a faint blush of embarrassment touching her pale cheeks. "I will not have you questioning my decision on the matter any further."

"As you wish, your majesty." The elven man nodded, his expression disapproving. "If I have your permission to leave, I think I shall return to my responsibilities." Without waiting for an answer, he rose to his feet and stormed away.