Omensent: Princess Of Dragons (Book 5) (27 page)

"What is that supposed to mean?" The huge warrior asked in confusion.

"I haven't a clue." Hetta admitted in a weary voice that was once again her own. "The spirits can be a bit cryptic on occasion." She rose to her feet a bit shakily. "I think that is all I have to say, Dragon Lord. I hope that old Hetta has been helpful to you."

"You were invaluable, Hetta." Damion assured her with a smile. "A little perplexing at times, but definitely helpful."

"Then don't let me keep you any longer. Return to your hunt for blood elves, and don't forget what the spirits had to say. They may not have been able to read your future, but they are still quite insightful. They wouldn't have had me pass along that message unless they believed it to be important." She passed a weary hand across her brow. "I think that it's time I rested. It's been a while since the spirits chose to speak through me. I'd forgotten how much it takes out of you."

Damion bid her farewell, then made his way outside once more, where he found Raven waiting for him to emerge.

"Is everything okay?" The young woman asked in concern. "What did she say?"

"She tried to read my future, but wasn't able to see anything."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that what Gwynth told us about me not having a destiny may be true. Not even the spirits can see what I may do next." Damion snorted in amusement. "I guess it makes a number of the gods quite nervous."

"Did she tell you anything that may help us in our search for the blood elves?"

Damion nodded. "She said that we would meet someone in Oakenvale that will be able to help us locate Yrinn. She couldn't say exactly
who
they were, only that we would know them when we met them."

Raven frowned. "That's not really much to go on."

"It's more than we had before we got here." The huge warrior shrugged. "She warned me that we were surrounded by deception and treachery, and not to trust anyone. She believes that we were brought here for reasons that have nothing to do with the conflict between Petra's faithful and the followers of Hetris, though she couldn't say who, or what, it involved." He vaulted up into his saddle, then looked to his young wife. "I'm not certain, but I have the sneaking suspicion that things aren't exactly what they appear to be."

"What do you mean?" Raven asked, climbing up into her saddle, and then leading the way along a scarcely visible trail toward the clearing where they had set up camp.

"I just have the strangest feeling that something isn't right about this whole matter. I can't seem to put my finger on what it is, though." The huge warrior frowned, then shook his head. "It doesn't really matter. We'll just have to make sure to keep our guard up."

"Did Hetta say anything else?"

Damion immediately decided not to tell his young wife about the old witch's disturbing warning from the spirits, not wanting to upset her over something that made little sense. "No, that was everything. She just wanted to make certain that I understood that danger surrounded us at every turn here on the island."

"I'm glad we decided to leave Leia behind to look after things." Raven told him in a relieved tone. "I can't imagine how nervous I would be if she were here with us."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that I would be in constant fear of her being injured or killed the entire time we were here. I'd never get any rest!" She let out a sigh of relief. "At least with her back in Sevria, we can be sure that she is safe and out of danger."

Chapter 10

"The messengers have been sent to Sierra, Crete, and Kainpre with news of the emergence of these winged dragonspawn, and with warnings of possible attacks." Sly reported as he hurried into office where Leia, Lady Skie, Captain Repheth, Axel, and Juco had gathered to discuss different strategies that they could use to defend the city. "Word should spread fairly quickly from there."

"What about the Deola?" Lady Skie asked curiously. "Damion would usually inform the Deolan Council himself when anything of this nature occurred. I don't think they would take kindly to a messenger delivering the news."

"I guess I'll have to go see them." Leia shrugged. "I've been in front of the Deolan Council before. I know how to handle them."

"You are
not
running off to the grasslands." Lady Skie told her in a firm tone. "Not when there are roving bands of dragonspawn terrorizing the countryside. It's bad enough that you spend your evenings out hunting when there are so many goblins infesting the area. There's no way that we're going to allow you to go riding off to see the Deola."

"I wasn't really planning on riding." The young girl told her with a smile. "I was planning on flying. Xaxis can take me. It shouldn't take him more than a few hours to reach Mercedia."

"That's really not such a bad idea." Sly grunted in approval. "Our relations with the Deolan Council have always been a bit strained. Other than Bativa, most of the council members despise Damion, but continue to do business with Sevria because we've always treated their merchants fairly. If they decide to take offense to our sending a messenger to deliver such dire news, it could ruin everything."

"So you think we should allow her to just run off to Mercedia on her own?" Lady Skie asked in disbelief.

"Of course not." The scruffy little man told her in exasperation. "I'll go with her. I've been before the council numerous times, and they know that I speak for Damion. I can help convince them that the situation is as dire as we believe it is."

Everyone stared at Sly suspiciously.

"Why would you do that?" Lady Skie asked, her eyes narrowed in distrust.

"To try to keep our affairs with the Deola cordial, of course." Sly told her a bit defensively. "Damion would never forgive us if we allowed relations to break down while he was gone. The caravans that pass through on their way to and from Mercedia are responsible for a significant amount of our annual taxes. I don't think Sevria could survive without them."

Lady Skie still looked suspicious, but it was obvious that she couldn't find any fault with his reasoning. "How long will it take?" She asked, her expression still one of disapproval.

"A week or two, at most." The scruffy little man shrugged dismissively. "We should be back before you even realize that we're gone."

"I don't know," Lady Skie still sounded unconvinced. "It still sounds like a bad idea to me. What if you were to encounter some of those winged dragonspawn?"

"Xaxis is more than capable of making sure that nothing happens to us." The young girl assured her. "He would die before allowing me to be injured by one of those beasts."

"I still don't like the idea." Lady Skie shook her head.

"My mother and father left me in charge of Sevria, right?" Leia asked her reasonably. "And part of that responsibility involves doing everything necessary to make sure that I perform my duties, no matter what the danger may be, right?"

"Yes, but..."

"And have I not spent the last several years training daily to ensure that I can take care of myself if the need arises?" The young girl interrupted her, a note of steel in her voice.

"Yes, but..."

"And have I not proven that I can take care of myself, even against goblins and dragonspawn?"

"Yes, but..."

"And you
do
believe that I can deal with the Deolan Council, and alert them to the dangers that we've uncovered, right?"

"Well, yes, but..."

"Then what is the problem with me going to Mercedia?" Leia demanded in exasperation.

Lady Skie stared at the young girl for several long moments, then her shoulders finally slumped in defeat. "Okay," She sighed, closing her eyes as if saying the words caused her pain. "Go ahead and go to Mercedia and speak with the Deolan Council. I'll take over things here until you return." She turned her gaze to Sly, who looked unusually pleased. "If you let her get herself hurt, you'll have me to answer to when you return. Do you understand?"

"Everything will be fine." Sly assured her with a wave of his hand. "We'll fly down there, deliver our warning, and fly back before you even notice that we are gone."

"When are you going to depart?" Lady Skie asked Leia, still watching Sly with suspicious eyes.

"We may as well leave this afternoon." The young girl shrugged. "We should be able to reach Mercedia just after the sun has set, which should allow Xaxis to drop us off just outside of the city without causing too much of an uproar."

"I guess I had better go get ready then." Sly said enthusiastically as he jumped up from his seat. "I'll meet you outside of the stables when I've gathered everything that I may need." He hurried off with an eager expression.

"I still think he's up to something." Captain Repheth commented to the others once the scruffy little man was gone. "He seemed a little too eager to go running off to Mercedia. A few weeks ago we couldn't drag him away from the city."

"Sly is always up to something." Juco laughed harshly. "He is a born scoundrel. He has an ulterior motive for everything that he does." He smiled broadly. "I think that's why I like him so much."

"It really doesn't matter what his reasons are for wanting to join me." Leia told them with a shrug. "We're only going to be there long enough to warn the council of what we have discovered, and then we're returning to Sevria. He's not going to have time for any side trips."

"What should we do in the meantime?" Captain Repheth asked curiously.

"We need to step up the patrols to help dissuade the goblins from bothering anyone traveling the trade road," The young girl told him after a moment's thought. "and have the men on the wall begin preparing any supplies that they may need for the castle's defenses in the event of a dragonspawn attack. We want to make certain that we have everything that we may need to withstand a siege already in place before the dragonspawn begin their war." She frowned. "And make certain that Damarius's siege machines are all in fully functioning order. We're going to need them if we want to have any chance against those flying dragonspawn."

"The locals are sure to notice if we begin preparing for another siege." Axel pointed out wisely. "They've been through several in the last decade. What should we tell them if they begin to ask questions?"

"Tell them the truth." Leia told him grimly. "The people of Sevria know what to do in this type of situation, and will take steps on their own to prepare for the worst. In fact, many of them will wish to help defend the city." She suddenly frowned, then looked to Lady Skie. "Do we have enough food to withstand an extended siege?"

"We should have enough to hold us over for a considerable time." Lady Skie nodded. "Thanks to Slither and your efforts, our stores are currently overflowing with fresh meat and poultry. I wish we had a few more vegetables stored away, but we still have plenty enough to survive if the city comes under siege."

"Do you really think that the dragonspawn would be foolish enough to attack Sevria after what happened during their last attempt?" Axel asked skeptically. "They left thousands of their dead behind."

"The dragonspawn will do whatever the Dragon God tells them to do." Leia sighed. "If He tells them to attack, that's exactly what they will do, no matter the costs."

"Where do think these new dragonspawn came from?" Juco asked curiously. "Do you think that they were created from your blood, like the veiled dragons?"

"I doubt it." Leia shook her head. "Draco already knows about the bond that I share with the veiled dragons. He wouldn't be foolish enough to make the same mistake twice." She thought about it for a moment. "If I had to guess, I'd say that He must have created them as a way of neutralizing the dragons while the rest of the horde destroys every human settlement that they encounter."

"This is where we would usually have Slither go and convince the dragonspawn to abandon their plans," Captain Repheth murmured with a scowl. "but I don't think that's going to work anymore now that he has been banished from the horde."

Leia suddenly frowned. "Where is Slither? I haven't seen him all morning."

"SSSlither isss here." The huge shadowspawn appeared in the office's doorway, then limped across the room and collapsed into a chair.

"You're hurt!" Leia cried, hurrying over to the huge beast's side, her expression concerned.

"SSSlither will be fine." The shadowspawn assured her with a sigh. "SSSlither hasss been hurt far worssse than thisss in the passst."

The young girl quickly looked him over and saw that his thick scaled hide was covered in numerous cuts and scratches, and he had a horrendous wound on one of his thighs. "What happened? You look horrible!"

"SSSlither attempted to contact the ssspawn again to learn what the Dragon God hasss planned, and to find out more about thessse new creaturesss." The shadowspawn groaned weakly. "But the ssspawn turned on SSSlither and attacked."

"You tried to go back?" Leia asked in disbelief. "Are your mad? Didn't you say that they no longer considered you a part of the spawn? What would make you think that they would listen to you?"

Slither held out his hands helplessly. "SSSlither thought that they may lisssten, but they refusssed. SSSlither wasss lucky to get away alive."

Lady Skie hurried over to examine the shadowspawn's wounds, then frowned. "That wound in your leg is going to need to be cleaned and stitched up. We don't want it to begin to fester." She hurried to the office door and sent a passing servant to retrieve the castle healers, then she quickly made her way back to the shadowspawn's side to continue her examination. "There doesn't appear to be anything too serious." She announced finally. "Most of the cuts and scratches are superficial, but that wound on your leg is pretty serious."

"One of the ssspawn sssnuck up and bit SSSlither'sss thigh while SSSlither wasss fighting off ssseveral of itsss brethren." The huge shadowspawn growled, wincing in pain as he shifted his injured leg. "SSSlither had jussst approached a group of ssspawn outssside of another goblin hollow, when a dozen of them sssuddenly burssst from the underbrusssh and attacked."