Omensent: Rise of the Shadow Dragons Page 2

  They were only on the road for an hour when Damion heard Snowfeather shout a warning from above. "There are a number of dragonspawn ahead! It looks like they're planning to attack!"

  "We've got company!" Damion warned, drawing the Dragon Sword from its sheath and spurring Storm forward.

  "Stay out of the way!" Sly warned the liaison as he drew his own sword and charged after Damion.

  The dragonspawn came boiling out of the forest, snarling and hissing, each carrying a crude club or rust splotched sword. The monstrous creatures stood over seven feet tall, with dark red scales covering their sinuously muscled bodies and long whip-like tails. Their heads were similar than that of dragon's, with razor sharp teeth and long spiraling horns. They charged with vicious roars at Damion and Sly, who met them head on, their swords whistling through the air.

  Storm crashed through into the group of the howling creatures without slowing, crushing several beneath his churning hooves, then wheeled around and kicked another dragonspawn square in the face. It flew through the air and landed in a twitching heap at the side of the road.

  The Dragon Sword was a blur as it danced through the air, shearing through flesh and bone alike. Damion chopped several of the creatures down as Storm rode yet another into the ground. Bones snapped loudly as the warhorse trampled the squealing beast, making double sure that the dragonspawn would not recover from its injuries.

  Damion lopped off the head off another dragonspawn, then whirled around to see Sly fighting desperately to keep three more at bay. He instantly drew in his magic and sent a bolt of energy sizzling through the air, blasting one of the creatures into bloody chunks.

  The other two hesitated as they saw Damion and Storm charging towards them, which was a fatal mistake as it turned out. Sly quickly took advantage of their hesitation and drove the point of his sword into one of the beasts' throats, then kicked it in the hard in the chest, sending it flying. The last dragonspawn raised a rusty sword, but the little man was far too quick. His sword crunched into its body and it suddenly stiffened. The little man ripped his sword loose, and the scaly beast fell to the ground twitching.

  "There are more coming!" The golden haired liaison shouted in warning.

  Damion turned to see at least thirty more dragonspawn boiling out the forest bordering the trade road. He swore, then turned to Sly. "You'd better stay out of the way!" He slid down from Storm's broad back, then handed the little man his reins.

  Sly nodded and took the warhorse's reins, then turned and went to join the liaison.

  "Aren't you even going to try to help him?" The liaison asked in astonishment.

  Sly shook his head. "I would only be in the way." He turned to calmly watch as Damion strolled out into the middle of the road.

  The blonde haired man stared at him in disbelief. "He's going to be killed!"

  "Just watch." The little man laughed. "You're in for a treat!"

  Damion waited until the first several dragonspawn were within reach, then unleashed on the unsuspecting beasts with an almost inhuman ferociousness. Moving faster than the eyes could follow, he slashed three of the creatures down, then kicked a forth in the gut, doubling it over. He nonchalantly removed its head with a backhand swing of the Dragon Sword, then leapt forward, chopping through four more with blinding speed. Drawing in his magic, he sent a shockwave of energy surging at several more of the charging creatures, flinging those at the front of the group back into their companions with bone crushing force.

  There was a sudden roar of fury from the edge of the forest, and another dragonspawn burst from the tree line snarling in rage. This brute stood head and shoulders above its fellows, standing close to nine feet tall. It was much more heavily muscled than the other dragonspawn, and its scales were a dull black instead of dark red like the others. It shoved its way through its brethren to stand at the head of the group, and stood staring at Damion with murderous eyes.

  Damion readied himself to resume the fight, and drew in his magic. The blade of the Dragon Sword suddenly responded by bursting into flame, burning away the thick blood which coated the blade with a hissing sizzle.

  The black dragonspawn's eyes grew wide as it stared at the sword, and several of its companions abruptly turned and fled, disappearing back into the underbrush at the side of the road. The dark creature snarled at Damion, then suddenly charged forward, swinging a crudely forged serrated sword.

  Damion met its charge head on, ducking under a wild swipe, but was forced back as the creature's whip-like tail suddenly lashed out at his face. He was surprised how quickly this beast moved. It was much faster than a normal dragonspawn, and it moved with a fluid grace that he was surprised to find in a creature of such size.

  "Quit playing around with it!" Sly shouted. "Just finish it off so we can move on!"

  The black creature snarled at Sly, clearly understanding what he said, then charged at Damion, swinging its sword with brutal force. Damion spun clear of the crude blade and slashed the beast across the side of its snarling muzzle. It hissed in fury, and lost all semblance of control. It whipped around and lashed out with its tail, but he was ready for it this time. Four feet of its tail suddenly dropped twitching to the ground as the Dragon Sword whistled through the air. It roared in shock, then fell to one knee as Damion slashed it across the back of the leg. It shrieked in agony once more, then fell silent as the huge warrior casually slit its throat from behind. The beast slowly toppled face first to the ground, and the remaining dragonspawn fell silent as they stared at the corpse at Damion's feet. He started towards the stunned creatures, but they suddenly turned as one and fled back into the forest.

  Sly and the liaison trotted forward, slowly picking their through the corpses.

  "That was incredible!" The golden haired man exclaimed in amazement. "I've never seen such skill!"

  "I taught him that." Sly supplied smugly.

  Damion laughed, then gestured to the black dragonspawn. "Have you ever seen another dragonspawn that looked like this before?"

  Sly shook his head. "Big fella, wasn't he?"

  Damion kicked the twitching corpse over onto its back. "This was obviously their leader. When he fell, the rest ran!"

  Sly nodded in agreement. "I'll bet this creature is what was stirring up all the trouble along the trade route."

  "By the gods! It smells like rotten eyes!" The liaison choked, covering his nose with his sleeve.

  "Sulfur. It absolutely reeks of it!"

  Damion looked at the little man questioningly. "Have you ever heard about any stories about black dragonspawn?"

  Sly shook his head. "This is the first I've ever heard about one." His eyes grew thoughtful. "Maybe it's just a mutant."

  "Let's keep moving." Damion decided as he climbed atop Storm's broad back. "We'll see if anymore of them decide they want to come out and play!"

  Chapter 2

  The rest of the trip to Sierra was uneventful. They arrived at the port city two days later, and Sly led them towards one of the nicer inns, away from the waterfront which was crowded with rowdy sailors looking to enjoy their brief time in port.

  The blonde haired liaison thanked them profusely, then left them to inform the merchants that it was once again safe to allow their caravans to travel the trade road.

  That evening they chose a quiet table near the back off the common room and ordered food and ale. The room was fairly crowded with travelers that had sailed in, or were preparing to sail out on one of the hundreds of ships that lined the extensive docks, though most were not sailors by trade, so there was none of the usual rowdiness that one may find closer to the docks.

  "We'll leave for Sevria in the morning." Damion decided as drained his tankard and waved at the serving girl to bring another. "There's no sense in hanging around here any longer." He made a face. "Besides, I'm sure there are a dozen merchants waiting to bore me with some reason that they should be excused from paying their taxes."

  Sly shrugged. "Whatever you say. I'm just a
long for the ride."

  Damion chuckled, then fell silent as he noticed a hooded stranger slowly making their way across the room towards their table. The only distinguishing feature about the person was that they stood less than four foot tall. The rest of their features were completely hidden by their hood.

  Damion waited until the hooded stranger was nearly upon them before whipping the Dragon Sword from its sheath and leveling its against the person's chest.

  The room suddenly fell silent as everyone in the room turned to stare. The individual froze mid step, then a boyish voice suddenly exclaimed, "My, my, my! Still jumpy as ever I see!" The figure slowly raised its hands and dropped its hood.

  It was what appeared to be a young male child of only five or six, with curly red hair and a great number of freckles speckling his face. But when one looked closer, they could clearly see there was an ancient wisdom in his bright blue eyes that spoke louder than words that this was no mere child.

  "Dar!" Damion suddenly laughed with genuine delight, then quickly resheathed his sword and engulfed his tiny friend in a crushing hug. "It's been too long since your last visit!"

  The entire common room breathed a collective sigh of relief and returned to their drinks.

  Though the newcomer looked remarkably like a normal human child, Damion and Sly both knew he was actually an Alena, a childlike sprite capable of living for thousands of years. Dar had been the one who had led Damion to the dragon's lair in the heart of the Endless Forest, and had helped him to defeat Kaviel.

  "Watch the ribs!" The boy laughed.

  Damion placed him onto the floor and he slipped into a chair next to Sly, who clapped the newcomer on the shoulder with familiarity.

  "I heard a commotion as I was passing by, and witnessed a stable hand crash through a stable wall and land in the courtyard! I looked through the hole the man had made and saw several men trying to coax Storm into his stall. I knew you had to be inside. You're the only person who can ride that beast!"

  Damion laughed. "He's doesn't play well with others."

  "His owner doesn't either." Sly snorted into his ale.

  They all laughed, then Damion gave the boy a curious look. "We encountered something rather strange while investigating reports of numerous attacks on the caravans from Sierria." He went on to describe the dragonspawn attack, and the appearance of the black dragonspawn which Damion had killed two days prior. "Have you ever encountered such a creature?"

  Dar had a puzzled look on his face. "I've never encountered anything like that, but it seems like I may have heard some stories..." He broke off, his face lost in thought.

  "Whatever it was, it won't be causing anymore problems. Damion left it laying in a puddle of its own blood after carving on it for a bit!" Sly drained his tankard, then ordered another round.

  "If anyone would know what that creature was, it would be Tempest." Dar said knowingly.

  Damion nodded. "I was thinking the same thing. I'll go pay her a visit and see if she has any idea on what it was. It may be important."

  "Are you going to return to Sevria with us in the morning?" Sly asked, taking a fresh tankard from the serving girl, draining it dry, then handing it back with a smile.

  Damion gave the little man a look. "Don't overdo it." He cautioned, noticing Sly was slowly swaying back and forth in his seat. "You may wake up with the pigs this time. Think of how your mule would feel!"

  Damion and Dar burst out laughing, and the scraggly little man turned bright red in the face and started sputtering uncontrollably.

  Dar wiped the tears of mirth from his eyes. "Aye, I'll join you. I was planning to stop by and pay a visit anyway."

  "Then let's have another drink to old friendships renewed!" Sly slurred, raising a fresh tankard high, and nearly falling from his seat in the process.

  Damion and Dar laughed again, then sat back and reminisced about old times until the late hours of the night.

  **************

  They left for Sevria late the next morning after being forced to wait for Sly, who seemed to be feeling a little under the weather. Damion discovered, with some amusement, that Storm had somehow managed to trap the stable hands in one of the stalls, and had spent all night trying to bite any of the men that attempted to escape. The frightened men cheered with joy as Damion led the prancing warhorse away, until Storm stopped dead in his tracks and turned back to glare at them with flat eyes. The men all jumped fearfully, then turned and fled.

  Damion chuckled, patting the great shaggy stallion on the neck. "You big bully!"

  Storm nickered wickedly, then continued to follow him out into the courtyard.

  For the next two days, they only encountered a few jumpy merchants traveling north through the mountains. Word had spread that the road was once again safe, but that didn't keep them from still being nervous.

  Once they reached the area where Damion had battled the black dragonspawn, they paused to allow Dar time to examine the creature's corpse, but after searching for over an hour without being able to locate the remains, they were finally forced to give up.

  "Scavengers must have made off with its body." Dar mused, looking around at the other corpses, many of which had large ravens idly picking at their flesh.

  Damion shook his head. "There would be drag marks. Something has came along and carried it away."

  "Well," Sly grunted, pulling himself up into his saddle. "Let's move on to the south while we still have some daylight left. I don't fancy the smell of decomposing dragonspawn enough that I want to sleep in the midst of this mess!"

  They continued on southward until dusk, then set up camp and slept in shifts, each taking a turn at watch.

  They arrived in Sevria the following evening, just as the sun disappeared behind the mountains surrounding the valley. As always, the town was bustling with activity and a number of people called out to them as they passed, but they somehow managed to make it to the castle without being stopped too many times.

  They dismounted in the castle courtyard, and Damion handed Storm's reins off to a stable hand. "You play nice." He murmured to the shaggy warhorse, stroking the brute's neck.

  Storm flattened his ears back against his head and bared his teeth, then started off towards the stables, dragging the stable hand along behind him.

  As they started up the stairs that led up to the main corridor of the castle, a figure dressed entirely in black leather suddenly stepped from the shadows and rushed forward, a wicked looking dagger clenched tightly in one hand. It was only from his years of training that Damion was able to avoid the deadly thrust aimed at his heart. He side stepped the leather clad man and kicked him hard in the stomach, stopping the man in his tracks and causing him to drop his dagger.

  The man groaned pitifully as all of the air whooshed out of his lungs, and he dropped to his knees grasping his stomach, gasping desperately for air.

  "Why is it every time you go somewhere, someone or something tries to kill you?" Sly asked, drawing his sword and leveling at the gasping man's chest.

  "It must be my overwhelming personality." Damion muttered, looking the kneeling man over closely.

  He was a dark skinned man with a clean shaven head, and a rather flat looking face. His hooded eyes seemed slightly slanted, and he had lost an ear sometime in the past. His heavy leather clothing was bristling with daggers, and a wicked looking short sword hung at his side. Dar prudently relieved him of his weapons, then bound his hands tightly behind his back.

  The man continued to gasp for breath for several moments, then he stared up at Damion, his eyes full of hate. "What are you waiting for, Evil One?" He snarled savagely. "Kill me quick, and be done with it! Just know that I curse you with my last breath!"

  "Huh?" Damion blurted in confusion. He looked over to Sly, who shrugged, then back down at the man who was still staring up at him hatefully. "What are you talking about? Why did you attack me?"

  "You are Damion Omensent? The Dragon Lord? The Master of Serpent's Keep
?" The man spat his name as if were a curse.

  "I am." Damion said, his eyes growing hard.

  "Then you are the man who slaughtered my family!" The man trembled with fury, and his voice dropped to a whisper. "I lived in a small town across the sea in the kingdom of Jaghera. Three months ago I left my home to purchase supplies and when I returned, I found my home engulfed in flames!" Tears began to flow from his eyes. "As I approached, an enormous dragon emerged from the darkness spouting flames. It destroyed everything, then disappeared into the night!" He dropped his head and sobbed. "My wife and children perished in the inferno!"

  "I'm truly sorry for your lost, but it's impossible that it was a dragon." Damion said flatly. "When I released the dragons back into the world, they were sworn to never hurt an innocent. They are still bound by the power of the Dragon Sword, and cannot disobey."

  "It was a dragon! I saw it with my own eyes!" The man roared. "A great black beast, its scales as dark as the night! After it destroyed my home and killed my family, it disappeared like it had been swallowed by the darkness!"

  "Black?" Dar asked in surprise. "There isn't any such thing as a black dragon! They are all various shades of crimson! Are you sure that is what you saw?"

  "I'm sure." The man said in a defeated voice. "Everyone has heard of how the Dragon Lord released the dragons from the legendary Dragon Gem. I knew that you were the one responsible for death of my family, so I vowed to see you dead, or die trying."

  "What do you want to do with him?" Sly asked, his sword still leveled at the man's chest. "Should we hang him?"

  "Don't be ridiculous." Damion stared at the man for several long moments. "Find a room somewhere with a stout door, and place a guard outside." He decided. "We'll decide what to do with him once we find out the truth."

  Sly ordered several guards to lock the man away, then the little man turned to Damion with a grim look. "Seems quite the coincidence, don't you think? First, we encounter a black dragonspawn, and now we hear stories of a black dragon. It seems like a little too much to hope that they're not somehow connected."