Omensent: Princess Of Dragons (Book 5) (19 page)

"By the gods," Queen Serena swore in exasperation as they watched Gilroy disappear from the throne room. "That elf gives me a headache!"

"I understand how you feel." Damion chuckled in sympathy. "There are a number of citizens back in Sevria who seem to spend all of their time looking for different ways to irritate me."

"And how do you handle it?"

"He usually just threatens to turn them into turnips." Damarius answered for the big warrior.

"I do nothing of the kind," Damion objected, then his face suddenly fell. "Okay, maybe once or twice, but I'm usually able to find a solution without resorting to threats and intimidation."

"Unfortunately, I don't have to power to turn my enemies into turnips," The elven queen said with a musical laugh. "although I can see where it would come in handy." She glanced out of one of the nearby windows. "It is almost time for the morning meal. I insist that you all join me. It is rare that I have visitors, save for a few of my advisors." She looked to Brody. "Would you please advise the servants that we have guests, and have them prepare suitable quarters. Tell them to make sure that the Dragon Lord and his companions have everything that they require during their stay."

"I'll see to it immediately, my queen." Brody quickly hurried off to carry out her orders.

"That is very kind, your majesty." Damion nodded his head in thanks.

"Please," Queen Serena said in a plain tone. "just call me Serena. I'm not really one to stand on ceremony, unless the occasion demands it. Now that the introductions are over, I don't see any reason we can't drop the formalities."

"Well said." Dar grinned.

Several elves suddenly appeared bearing a large horseshoe shaped wooden table which they quickly placed before the throne, then several more elves appeared bearing trays laden with food and drink.

"Now this is what I call a morning meal!" Shirk smiled in appreciation at the sight of all of the succulent food.

"So tell me, Delilah," The queen started, choosing several slices of fruit and placing them on a plate before her. "What is your opinion of our new friends here?"

"They seem to be everything that Dar promised us and more." Delilah answered, appearing unsurprised by the queen's bluntness. "Etha Brody and I explained what was happening here on the island, and they immediately agreed to help us,
without
asking for anything in return." She smiled a slightly wicked smile. "Brody and I had wagered fifty gold pieces on that last bit. He believed that they would ask to be compensated for their aid, while I believed Dar's assurances that they would help us because it was the right thing to do. I won."

"I'm happy to hear it." The queen returned the wicked smile. "Etha Brody can be almost as frustrating as Gilroy. It's good to hear that you took him down a peg."

"That wasn't the only wager that Brody lost." Damarius commented with a grunting laugh. "He decided to try and challenge Damion's daughter, Leia, to an archery contest, putting up his own bow as a wager." The old wizard quickly described the archery contest between Brody and Leia. "You should have seen his face when her arrow split his in two, and then continued on to strike the target! His jaw nearly dropped off of his face!"

"I would have given anything to have been there!" The elven queen laughed in delight. "I thought I had noticed a slight change in his demeanor. He seemed to be a bit more reserved, almost polite. That's not like him."

"I think our little Leia may have shaken a few of Brody's preconceptions." Raven explained with a smile. "They seemed to rub each other the wrong way from the moment they first met, and after a few condescending comments were cast in her direction, she finally decided to take matters into her own hands."

"So Brody lost his bow to a child?" Queen Serena looked both amused and shocked. "How did he take it?"

"Better than I would have expected." Delilah admitted. "He apparently tried to surrender it to her, but she insisted that he keep it. I think she just wanted to make a point."

"And did she?"

"I would say so." Damion nodded. "Especially after Xaxis showed up."

"Xaxis?" The queen looked confused. "Who is Xaxis?"

"Xaxis is one of the veiled dragons, a breed of serpent created from Leia's blood by the Dragon God, Draco." The huge warrior explained. "He considers Leia his mother, and would do anything for her. His appearance seemed to force Brody into accepting that there was much more to Leia than meets the eye."

"Dar told me of how your daughter was kidnapped, and about the ensuing chase to recover her from her captors." The elven woman murmured hesitantly. "Is it true that you faced the Dragon God to get her back?"

"It is." Damion nodded. "It was the only way to keep her from being taken. It was also what forced Him into lashing out against me, breaking the Pact of the Gods."

The queen turned to Dar. "I am sorry for ever doubting you. It appears that he is everything that you have promised us and more."

"I thought you might like him." The childlike Alena grinned, grabbing a large apple from a platter. "Damion can be a bit unorthodox from time to time, but he always gets the job done."

"Speaking of that," Shirk started, piling several waffles onto his plate with a hungry expression. "We encountered a couple of those blood elves that have been giving you trouble. A pair of them somehow managed to slip aboard our ship and attempted to attack Damion and Captain Harper once we were at sea."

"Are you certain that they were blood elves?" The queen asked after a couple of moments of stunned silence.

"There can be no doubt." Delilah sighed sadly. "One of the attackers was Jenen's son, Relvin. He was killed in the initial attack. The other attacker survived, but was severely injured."

"I gave him a bit of potion to help ease his pain which also acts as a truth serum." Damarius explained to the queen, brushing his brow lock from his eyes absently. "We managed to ask him a few quick questions, but he died before we could get anything useful from him."

"It appears as though someone did not want the Dragon Lord to reach our island alive." The queen murmured with a troubled expression. "But who?"

"We have reason to believe that Yrinn the Outcast is behind the sudden reappearance of the blood elves among our people." Delilah told her grimly. "We think that he has returned from his banishment to gather more followers for Hetris, and to finish what he started over a century ago."

"You think that Yrinn is leading the blood elves?" The queen looked shocked.

"We believe so, my queen." Delilah sighed heavily. "There have been rumors for months that he had returned to the island, but we haven't been able to find any real proof." She gave the queen a serious look. "But proof or no proof, I'm almost certain that Yrinn is behind these attacks."

"All we really know for sure is that someone
really
wanted to keep us from reaching your island." Damion told the elven queen with a frown. "They were even desperate enough to take a shot at me as we made our way through the city."

Queen Serena was speechless. "Did you catch the person responsible?" She asked after several moments of stunned silence.

"I'm afraid not." Damarius shook his head. "They disappeared before we could locate them."

"What about the blood elf you captured on board the ship? What did he tell you before he died? Did he say who sent them?"

"He didn't say." The old wizard sighed regretfully. "When Brody asked about Yrinn, Relvin said that he and Eldrin never met him."

"Then who sent them?" The queen asked in confusion.

"He died before we were able to find out." Shirk grumbled through a mouthful of toast. "Damion kicked him in his chest to avoid being stabbed, and the blow shattered his ribs, piercing his lungs. He drowned in his own blood before we could question him further."

"That's unfortunate." The queen sighed in disappointment. "If we could have discovered who gave them their orders, we may have been able to track them down and find out where Yrinn is hiding. We could have brought a quick end to all of this mess!"

"Don't worry," Raven assured her confidently. "We'll help you find this Yrinn, and the rest of the blood elves. They won't be able to hide from us for very long."

"That is most heartening to hear." Queen Serena told her earnestly. "The followers of Hetris have destroyed the harmony of our island. The terror that their attacks are producing have my people afraid to leave their homes. Families are being torn apart by fear and suspicion because they are unable to trust one another for fear of being murdered. We cannot hope to survive this way. Something must be done to stop this madness."

"Do you have any ideas on where we should begin our search?" Shirk asked curiously.

"I'm afraid not." The elven queen frowned and shook her head. "Every time that we manage to locate some blood elves, they refuse to surrender, and continue fighting until they are finally killed. A few have even killed themselves once they realized that they were going to be captured." She held out her hands helplessly. "I'm afraid that we have little to help you in the search."

"We can start with the father of the elf who attacked us." Damion murmured, filling a goblet with a fragrant, amber colored wine, and then taking a long drink. "I believe Brody mentioned that he is one of your advisors."

"Yes, Jenen Hollygrove." The queen nodded. "He is the Elder of the House of Holly."

"Is there any chance that he may be a blood elf?"

"None at all." Queen Serena shook her head. "I have known Jenen since I was a child. He is one of my oldest and most trusted friends." She frowned sadly. "He is going to be devastated to discover that his only son was a blood elf."

"Jenen is strong." Delilah told her confidently. "He will endure."

"I'll send for him as soon as we have finished our breakfast." Queen Serena promised with a reluctant nod. "I just ask that you allow me to break the news to him of his son's betrayal and death. Jenen has a kind heart, and he will likely take this news hard."

"Of course, your majesty." The huge warrior agreed immediately. "I wouldn't want to offend him." His expression grew worried. "I just hope that he won't be too broken up to be able to point us in the right direction. As it stands, we have nothing to go on. If this Jenen can't give us any clues on where to start our search, your people will be helpless if the blood elves strike again."

Chapter 8

"It appears that word has gotten around about your heavy handed way of dealing with merchants who attempt to avoid paying their taxes." Lady Skie informed Leia as they made their way towards Damion's office for another seemingly endless day of mind numbing tasks. "We haven't had a single merchant attempt to sneak away without paying since you quadrupled Wilm's taxes for bribery. I think that they're finally getting the point that such behavior will not be tolerated."

"It's about time." Leia yawned sleepily. "I've been listening to all of you complain about having to deal with unscrupulous merchants for years. Now they know that if they attempt anything in the future, they can expect severe repercussions."

"It's not the way that I would have handled things, but I can't say that it hasn't been effective." Lady Skie admitted. "The caravan leaders have all been unusually agreeable when it comes time for them to pay, which has saved the guards at the gate hours of complaints and snide remarks. The men are all much happier now."

"So what do we have on the agenda this morning?" The young girl asked in a voice full of dread.

"Let's see," Lady Skie quickly scanned a short parchment. "Not much, really." She said with surprise. "We received a new trade agreement from the Merchant's Guild in Crete. Ignan and Zayan have somehow managed to corner the market on all of the iron ore from the mines in the foothills, and they want to begin sending caravans up to Sierra to be shipped to a number of different countries."

"We'll be more than happy to have them pass through." The young girl nodded approvingly. "The taxes that they'll generate should help replenish the treasury. What else do we have on the agenda?"

"There are a couple of locals who wish for you to settle another dispute," Lady Skie murmured as she continued to scan her list. "and we have a caravan carrying gems from Kainpre being escorted through the mountains that should arrive sometime this afternoon. Considering that it's the first caravan that they've sent since they rebuilt the city, and they intend to set up a gem market here is Sevria, I thought it would be a good idea to greet them when they arrive."

"Is that it?" Leia asked in surprise. Ever since taking over the responsibilities of running the castle, most of her days were filled with various meetings over trade agreements, solving disputes between locals, or searching through the budget looking for ways to cut costs.

"We also need to go over the list of provisions that we need to restock the emergency supplies." Lady Skie told her. "You've managed to provide a considerable amount of the meat that we required to replace what was used over the winter, but more will still be needed."

"Slither and I will work on it while we're out training this afternoon." The young girl assured her with a sigh. "It's taken quite a bit of work to gather what we have so far, though." Leia and Slither had been spending nearly every minute of their free time following the scarcely visible games trails that crisscrossed the valley in search of game, using Leia's newly developed skills in stalking from the shadows to take down her prey. "I didn't realize how much work that it would be to fill the list when I first volunteered for the job." She admitted wearily. "It has been a lot more difficult than I thought it would be."

"Your efforts haven't been for nothing." Lady Skie reminded the young girl. "It would have emptied the treasury of what little gold we have if we would have purchased the supplies. We've managed to save a considerable amount of coin thanks to you."

They arrived at Leia's father's office and found Sly, Slither, and Captain Repheth already there waiting for them.