Omensent: Princess Of Dragons (Book 5) (49 page)

"Then what?"

"Then we put an end to all of this nonsense, once and for all."

Chapter 18

"I really think that you should reconsider, your majesty." Dar told Queen Serena in a pleading tone. "It is unwise to continue putting yourself in danger like this."

"He's right, my queen." Vlane murmured grimly. "The blood elves have proven that they will stop at nothing to achieve their goals, and once they learn that yet another of their attacks have failed, they will be sure to strike again."

"I will not lock myself away from my people when they need me the most!" Queen Serena told them in a stubborn tone. "I will not be seen as a weak, frightened little girl in the eyes our enemies!"

"The blood elves want to kill you and the elders of the elven families." Captain Harper told her bluntly. "It's foolish to continue placing yourself in danger just to prove that you're not afraid."

The elven queen had insisted that she continue overseeing the Spring Dawning, even after the attack at the archery range and the attempted poisoning, and had returned to her duties the following day, determined to fulfill her obligations to her people. Thankfully, no further attacks came, and the last day of the elven festival had finally arrived.

"I will hear no more on the subject." The elven queen told them in a superior tone. "I will continue to oversee the Spring Dawning as I have every year since becoming queen. My duty to my people outweighs any danger that the blood elves may pose." She suddenly smiled. "Besides, I have Damarius and Captain Harper's men to keep me safe. They can handle anything that the blood elves throw at them."

"Is she completely out of her mind?" Dar asked Damarius as Queen Serena, flanked by a dozen of Captain Harper's hard faced sailors, hurried out of the tower. "Doesn't she realize how much danger she is in?"

"I don't think she really cares." Damarius murmured grimly. "The queen is determined to act as though there is no danger, and continue on with her duties."

"She's going to end up getting herself killed." Captain Harper grumbled in frustration. "She will not listen to reason. She seems to think that this festival cannot continue without her."

"It is the last day of the festival." Gilroy told them in a tired voice. "It's tradition for all of the couples who wish to be married to gather before Petra's statue to take their vows. It's one of the most important ceremonies held during the Spring Dawning, and it's the queen's responsibility to bless the newly joined couples. It's a responsibility that she has always taken quite seriously."

They hurried outside and found the queen preparing to make yet another speech to the assembled crowd.

"If the blood elves are going to attempt another attack, it will happen sometime today." Captain Harper murmured quietly as Queen Serena began her speech, her clear voice echoing throughout the courtyard. "We're going to have to keep our eyes open if we're going to keep her safe."

"It's not the queen's safety that I'm worried about." Damarius told them darkly. "She was never in any danger. The blood elves are not interested in killing her."

"What do you mean?" Dar asked in confusion. "They've attacked us several times now!"

"Exactly." The old wizard grunted. "They have attacked
us
, not the queen. She is not their target. She never was."

Dar opened his mouth to reply, then closed it again, his expression troubled.

"If the queen isn't their target, then who is?" Gilroy asked with a bewildered expression.

"We are." Dar told him, the look of realization on his child-like face. "First, Freedi attacks Damarius, then the archers tried to fill us full of arrows during the tournament,
then
they attempted to poison everyone
except
the queen at the feast." He cursed, then shook his head. "I don't know why I didn't see it before!"

"Do you think that the queen has figured out that she is not in danger?" Captain Harper asked, watching the queen as she continued to speak to the assembled crowd.

"I don't know." Gilroy told them with a shake of his head. "She hasn't let on to the fact that she knows she is safe, although it
would
explain why she seems so unconcerned about the possibility of another attack by the blood elves."

They watched as Queen Serena finished her speech to the cheers of the elven people, then hurried forward to join her as she descended from the platform.

"How was I?" The elven queen asked in a girlish tone.

"You were superb, my queen." Gilroy assured her with a tight smile. "As graceful and eloquent as ever."

"Oh, good!" She smiled happily. "I was a little worried that I may have sounded a little nervous. The last thing that I need is for my people to think that I am too terrified to rule anymore."

"I don't think that you need to worry about that, your majesty." He assured her gravely.

"Where is Ava Delilah?" Dar asked curiously.

"She is preparing herself for the joining ceremony." The queen told him, an excited smile on her face. "It's my very favorite part of the Spring Dawning. Seeing all of the happy couples joining together to bask in our goddess's love. It's breathtaking!" She beamed at them happily. "But we first have to attend the wine tasting ceremony, and judge the best vintage."

"Wouldn't it be more prudent to skip the wine tasting?" Captain Harper asked with a frown. "It would be fairly easy to poison one of the wines, and we don't want a repeat of what happened at the feast, do we?"

"You don't understand." Gilroy told the old sea captain. "The queen
must
declare the best vintage of wine for the year. It's far too important a task for her to ignore."

"Why?"

"Wine is one of the few things that the elves export from the island." Dar informed him. "If a wine has been declared the best vintage of the year, it becomes priceless, and the recognition it brings the vineyard is highly desired."

"I guess we'll just have to make do, then." Captain Harper sighed heavily. "Maybe we can bribe a couple of the sailors to act as taste testers."

"I have a better idea." Damarius told them with an evil grin. "We'll have each vineyard owner try a bit of their own wine before the queen has a taste. That way they end up poisoning themselves before the queen even tries it."

"Clever idea!" Queen Serena laughed a bit savagely. "I'm surprised that I didn't think of it myself!"

They hurried through the busy streets, pausing now and then so the queen could wave to her people, then they stopped as they reached a large pavilion packed with dozens of elves representing the various vineyards which were spread throughout the island. After several hours of sipping and spitting, the queen finally declared the best vintage for the year, much to the delight of the owner of one of the vineyards.

"I think that I have had enough wine for today." The queen hiccupped to the others, a rosy blush rising on her pale cheeks. "Though I have to say, I was delighted with the quality this year. It made picking the best vintage particularly challenging!"

"Your choice sure made the owner of the vineyard happy." Captain Harper noted, watching as the winning elf continued to celebrate with tears of joy flowing down his cheeks.

"I'm not surprised." The queen smiled. "He has entered his best wine every year for the last three hundred years, and this is the first time that he has won best vintage."

"It's almost time for the joining ceremony, your majesty." Gilroy informed Queen Serena, who let out a squeal of excitement.

"Oh good!" She exclaimed happily. "I've been waiting all year for this!" She began to lead them all towards Petra's temple, swaying slightly as she hurried along with an excited expression.

"I've never seen an elven joining ceremony before." Damarius commented with an interested expression.

"They're quite fascinating to witness." The elven queen assured him, her eyes sparkling with anticipation. "The grooms, accompanied by his family and friends, enters on one side of the plaza, while the brides and her hand maidens enter from the opposite side. They remain separated as the priestess presiding over the ceremony invokes the blessing of Petra, then the couples come together before Petra's statue to exchange their vows." She smiled. "Of course, during the Spring Dawning, there are dozens of couples, and the celebration that follows is spectacular!"

"It sounds like it will be quite the spectacle."

"Oh, it will be!" Queen Serena promised with a knowing smile. "It will be something that you will never forget!"

***********

"What do you have to report?" Yrinn asked wearily as he entered the small cottage near the edge of Celestia. "Is everything prepared for our grand surprise?"

"Yes, my lord." The young elf murmured in a nervous voice. "Our brothers and sisters are all in place, and ready to act when the time comes."

"That's good." The silver haired elf sighed in relief. "I was afraid that the Dragon Lord had somehow managed to disrupt our plans here Celestia as well." He made an indelicate sound. "That damned human is like a hound on the trail of a fox! He just won't give up!"

"Surely he can't be
that
dangerous." The young elf scoffed dismissively. "He is only a human."

"He is no ordinary human. He has already killed over a dozen of our brothers. Hetris was so furious that he released the Vile Ones upon him and his companions."

"The Vile Ones?" The young elf blanched. "Hetris must have been furious if He released those little monsters upon the Dragon Lord!" His expression became curious. "What did they to him?"

Yrinn shook his head. "We left Oakenvale before they struck, but considering that the Dragon Lord is still on our trail, I doubt there is much left of Vile Ones."

The young elf looked stunned. "W-Where is the Dragon Lord now?"

"He will probably reach Celestia in the next hour or so." The silver haired elf told him grimly. "I had a half a dozen of our brothers hold back to try and slow them him, but I doubt if it worked. The Dragon Lord has thwarted every attempt we've made to kill him and his followers, and even avoided a number of attacks by Petra's faithful."

"For someone who is supposed to be incredibly powerful, it sounds like he's very naive." The young elf grunted. "He fell for the lies fed to him like a fish swallowing a fat worm. He didn't even realize that he and his friends were being lured to their deaths."

"In case you didn't hear me, the Dragon Lord and his companions are still very much alive, and will arrive in the city anytime now." Yrinn grunted sourly. "They have captured or killed every elf that has been sent to deal with them." He frowned. "We have to slow them down long enough for us to carry out our plans. Once they are complete, then we can turn our full attention to the Dragon Lord and his companions." He looked to the young elf. "Take any brothers who are not essential to our plans, and go keep a watch on the gates. Make sure that the Dragon Lord and his companions do not make it into the city. We have to delay him, no matter the cost!"

"Leave it to me, my lord." The young elf assured him with a nod. "I will make sure that the Dragon Lord never makes it into the city."

Yrinn watched as the young elf hurried from the cottage, then dropped his face into his hands with a tired sigh.

"You're not giving up now, are you, Yrinn?" A raspy voice asked from the shadows.

"Of course not, my lord," Yrinn murmured, not bothering to lift his head. "I'm just very weary. I have had very little time to rest as of late. The Dragon Lord and his friends have proven to be quite the nuisance. They have dogged my steps ever since they arrived on the island." He snorted in amusement. "It's too bad the Dragon Lord isn't an elf. He would make a valuable ally."

"What makes you think that I haven't attempted to bring him into my fold?" Hetris asked, a note of frustration in His voice. "He was... uncooperative."

"You went to speak with the Dragon Lord?" The silver haired elf asked, lifting his face from his hands in surprise.

"I did. There were a number of truths that needed to be revealed to him. Truths that he was not prepared to accept."

"Truths?" Yrinn asked in confusion.

"The Dragon Lord and his companions have suffered a number of attacks since arriving here on the island, and I thought he should know who was behind them."

"You alerted him to the fact that some of the attacks he has suffered has been by Petra's faithful?" The silver haired elf looked stunned. "Did he believe you?"

"I would think so, though one can never be sure when dealing with a human. They are irrational creatures who are quick to anger. Etha Brody attempted to deny my claims, but even he could see that I was speaking the truth."

"And even knowing that he was drawn to the island under false pretenses, the Dragon Lord still pursues us?"

"As I said," Hetris whispered from the darkness. "Humans are not always rational creatures. He refused to even consider my offer to join forces, though I offered to reward him and his companions with more wealth and power than they could ever dream. He steadfastly refused relinquish the Dragon Sword, and went as far as threatening to hand it over to the dragons themselves, giving them control over their destinies once again. I pointed out the fact that the dragons would merely give up to Draco or Estheryal, but he wouldn't be swayed."

"Why didn't you just take it from him?" Yrinn asked in confusion. "Surely you could have destroyed him and taken the Dragon Sword for yourself!"

"Unfortunately, I cannot. The power of the Dragon Sword is too great. If the Dragon Lord was to bring its full power to bear upon me, I would surely be destroyed." His eyes flashed an eerie red. "Which is why I need the elven people to be brought under my dominion. With more worshippers, my powers will grow stronger, and I will finally be able to turn the tables on Petra. We will see how She enjoys watching as Her children are slaughtered, and feeling Her powers slowly fade away until She is nothing but a shadow of Her former self." The glowing eyes fixed on Yrinn. "Which means that your success here today is vital to our plans. Do not let me down. You know what fate awaits those who displease me."