Omensent: Revealing the Dragon (The Dragon Lord Series) Page 26

  "Which you keep, of course." Damion grinned.

  "Of course. He had been rustling cattle from my people for years. It's going to take quite a bit of gold to make things right." The tribesman returned, and quickly whispered something to the huge chieftain. "The men are deploying as we speak. They'll attack as soon as the walls fall."

  Damion glanced at the setting sun, which was partially obscured by gathering rain clouds. "That should be perfect. By the time everyone is in place, it should be dark." He turned to look at his wife, steeling himself for the argument that was sure to come. "It's time for you to take Leia and Slither and head for safety."

  "What?" Both Leia and Raven exclaimed in outraged tones.

  "You heard me." He told them in a firm tone. "I won't allow you to place yourselves in harm's way. You're going to take a few of Bativa's horsemen and head north away from the danger."

  "But I want to help fight the Etazk!" Leia whined, brandishing the small sword that one of the blacksmiths in Crete had forged for her.

  "You're not ready for a battle just yet." Damion told her, feeling a surge of pride at his daughter's bravery. "Maybe in a few more years, after you've had a bit more training. For now, I need to stay behind and look after your mother and Slither."

  "Damion, I..." Raven started to argue, clearly upset by his decision to leave her behind, but the huge warrior cut her off.

  "Do you really want to take Leia into the middle of a battle?" He asked his wife in a plaintive tone.

  "Of course not, but..."

  "But nothing. Someone needs to remain behind with Leia."

  "Slither will still be with her!" Raven argued heatedly. "He'll be able to watch over her!"

  "Raven," The huge warrior turned to his wife with a great sigh. "Do you really want to leave our daughter behind just so you can go and entertain yourself?"

  "Well, a little." The young woman answered truthfully, her face slightly red.

  "Hey!" Leia exclaimed, turning to stare up at her mom with an outraged expression.

  "I need you to stay behind and keep our daughter safe." Damion murmured, taking his wife's hand and drawing her closer. "You know her safety is more important than anything."

  "I know." The young woman sighed, a slightly petulant look on her face, a look that was mirrored by her daughter. "I just want to get my hands on those savages."

  "Don't worry," Bativa assured her with a broad smile. "We'll be sure to take a few of their heads, just for you."

  Damion gave his wife a long lingering kiss, then knelt down and hoisted his daughter up into his arms. "I need you to make sure that you stick with your mother and Slither. No running off on your own, no matter what. Do you understand?"

  "I understand." She told him with a great sigh.

  The huge warrior kissed her on her forehead gently, then placed her on the ground and turned to Slither. "Make sure you stick by Leia's side. Don't take your eyes off of her, not even for a moment."

  "SSSlither understandsss." The huge shadowspawn hissed, placing a protective hand on the tiny girl's shoulder.

  They watched as Leia, Raven, and Slither hurried off, then Damion turned to look up at Snowfeather, who continued to circle high above the city. "How heavily defended is the city walls?" He silently asked the huge snow owl.

  "The gates are sealed tight, and there are a handful of men patrolling the top of the walls, but most of the Etazk seem to be gathered around the altar, watching as their priests butcher the survivors."

  He quickly relayed this news to Bativa, who passed it on to his tribesmen.

  They continued to wait until the sun had completely fallen, then Damion finally gave a great sigh. "I guess it's time we got on with this." He walked over to Storm, who was prancing in place eagerly, sensing the battle was about to commence. "Are you ready?" The huge warrior asked the prancing warhorse.

  The massive stallion bared his teeth and pawed at the ground aggressively.

  "Good. I need you to find me once to battle has started. Make sure that you don't get yourself sidetracked, and don't take any unnecessary chances. It's going to get chaotic. Got it?"

  Storm nickered, and pawed at the ground once again.

  The huge warrior chuckled and patted the prancing warhorse's neck, then turned to Bativa. "You know what to do, right?"

  "Of course." The huge chieftain shrugged. "As soon as the wall comes down, we rush in, slaughter every Etazk we find inside, and rescue the whatever survivors we can locate."

  "Make sure you watch out for their priests. They are all magic users. It's best to have your men target them first."

  "We'll take care of it." Bativa told him with a reassuring smile. "Just go take down those walls so we can get on with this."

  Damion nodded, then drew in his magic and slipped into the form of a panther.

  Bativa jumped back apprehensively. "I hate it when you do that!"

  Damion ignored him, and slipped off into the darkness, moving on silent paws towards the looming battlements ahead. "We're about to get started." He warned Snowfeather.

  "You had better make it quick! They just brought out another group of sacrifices."

  He hurried up to the massive walls surrounding the city, then shifted back into his own form, trusting the shadows to keep him hidden from prying eyes. He examined the massive granite blocks that the supported the enormous fortification, then drew in his magic and placed his hand on the hilt of the Dragon Sword, allowing the mythical blade to amplify the energy until he could hardly contain its power. Drawing in a deep breath, he placed his other hand against one of the massive stone blocks and released the built up energy into the granite, which instantly began to dissolve into a thick gritty sand. It quickly began to spread along the wall in both directions, creating huge gaping craters that grew larger with every second.

  Damion watched his handy work for a moment, then slipped back into the form of a panther and retreated to a safe distance. Once he was a few hundred yards away, he turned back towards the city and settled down to wait, knowing it would only be a few short minutes before the entire wall came crumbling down.

  "There it goes!" Snowfeather reported as a huge section of the walls began to crumble to the ground, kicking up massive clouds of dust as the granite continued to disintegrate.

  Once the first section of wall fell, the rest of the battlements quickly followed, until the entire city of Kainpre was suddenly exposed. The Etazk who had been unlucky enough to be patrolling on top of the walls fell screaming to their deaths, while the rest of the city's conquerors were left stunned, unable to comprehend what had just happened to the massive walls that had protected them from the outside world.

  There was several long moments of dead silence, then a sudden roar erupted from the surrounding countryside as thousands of mounted tribesmen charged in from the darkness.

  Damion hurried forward through the remnants of the massive walls, then paused to look around. He found himself on a dark deserted street. All of the houses in the area had been burned to the ground, leaving only charred remains behind to mark where the buildings had once stood. Dozens of rotting bodies that were covered in large black flies lay strewn about, emitting a stench that made it difficult for him to breathe without vomiting. It only took him a moment to realize this area of the city had been razed to the ground by the Etazk, and then abandoned, leaving the bodies of the victims to rot where they fell.

  After a quick glance around, he hurried on through the darkness, his senses alert for any signs of the Etazk. It wasn't long before he encountered the first group as they followed one of the robed priests through the ruined streets, towards the sounds of battle.

  Damion didn't hesitate. Shooting forward through the shadows on silent paws, he burst from the darkness and knocked several warriors aside, his eyes locked on the man in the blood red robes.

  The priest looked up and screamed as he saw the massive cat streaking straight for him, but his scream was cut off as the huge panther's fangs tore i
nto his throat, severing his windpipe. He collapsed twitching to the ground, his expression still one of disbelief.

  The remaining Etazk warriors stared at the massive cat that had appeared in their midst in incomprehension, seemingly unable to believe what they had just witnessed.

  Damion took advantage of their hesitation and quickly shifted back into his normal form, then tore the Dragon Sword from its sheath. Stepping up to the closest Etazk, he lashed out with a powerful blow that sent the man's head bouncing off into the darkness, then spun around drove the point of his blade deep into another's warrior's chest.

  The man grasped the blade with trembling fingers, but the huge warrior suddenly ripped it free and kicked the man square in his chest, sending him hurtling backwards where he crashed into another Etazk with bone crushing force.

  The remaining men finally regained their senses and spread out to attack the huge warrior. One of them charged forward wielding a long spear, which he thrust at Damion's chest with deadly accuracy.

  Damion easily sidestepped the thrust and grasped hold of the spear by the shaft. He yanked back hard, causing the Etazk to come stumbling forward, then removed the man's head with an almost casual backhand swing of his sword. He kicked the headless corpse aside contemptuously and stepped forward to face the next two Etazk, who were staring at the huge warrior with apprehensive eyes.

  One of the warriors murmured something to the other in their guttural language, then they both charged forward, one with his sword held high, while the other had dropped low in an effort to attack the huge warrior's tree trunk-like legs.

  Instead of trying to avoid their strikes, Damion allowed them to charge forward until the very last instant, then he nimbly skipped out of harm's way and threw out a foot, tripping the Etazk who had been swinging wildly at his legs, and sending him tumbling into his companion. They both crashed to the ground in a tangle of arms and legs, where they lay stunned.

  Damion quickly finished them off with two powerful blows, then turned to face the remaining three Etazk, who were staring at the huge warrior with terrified eyes.

  "If you want to save the survivors, I'd suggest you quit playing around and start making your way towards the center of town!" Snowfeather advised him, swooping low over the Etazk's heads and causing them to jump fearfully.

  "How are the Deola holding up?"

  "They're disposing if the regular troops fairly easily, but the priests are causing some major damage among their ranks."

  A distant explosion punctuated the snow owl's words, and the sounds of screaming began to grow louder.

  Damion cursed, then instantly drew in his will and focused it into a fiery orb, which he negligently tossed at the remaining Etazk's feet. The orb struck the ground and erupted into an inferno that completely engulfed the remaining three warriors, instantly turning them into charred husks.

  Without waiting to see the results of his handy work, he shot off towards the center of town where the sounds of battle were the fiercest.

  "There is a large group of Etazk around the next corner!" Snowfeather warned, circling over head.

  Damion slowed cautiously, the Dragon Sword held at the ready, but there was a sudden tremendous crash, and a group of sixty of so Deolan tribesmen suddenly appeared from around the corner, only to wheel their horses around to charge back the way they came.

  "Never mind about the Etazk," Snowfeather reported. "The tribesmen just rode through them like they were blades of grass. They're finishing them off as we speak."

  Another explosion erupted in the distance, shaking the very ground itself.

  "That came from the center of town!" The huge snow owl quickly made his way over to the altar that the Etazk had constructed in the center of the city. "Damion! You need to get over here immediately!"

  "What's happening?" He asked, hurrying towards the explosion.

  "The tribesmen have managed to push a large portion of the Etazk into the center of town, but their priests are raining death down upon them. They've also conjured some kind of demonic beasts that are wreaking havoc among the Etazk. They look similar to wolves, except they're as large as a horse, and completely hairless. I just saw one of them rip both a tribesman and his horse into pieces! You need to hurry!"

  Damion cursed again, then doubled his effort, racing up the ravaged streets towards to the heart of Kainpre.

  He was nearly halfway to the center of the city when another group of Etazk appeared from the darkness accompanied by one of the demonic wolves Snowfeather had warned him about. It was huge, standing nearly as tall as a large horse, with a rough scaly skin that had a diseased appearance. It's powerful jaws were overly large, seeming almost out of proportion with the rest of its body, and its large orb-like eyes burned with an unearthly light.

  It spotted Damion and instantly charged forward with a vicious snarl, its lips peeled back revealing dozens of razor sharp serrated teeth. It lunged forward with unearthly speed, its snapping jaws aimed for his throat, but at the very last instant, the huge warrior dropped to the ground and allowed the crazed beast to sail over harmlessly. He rolled to his feet and readied himself as the creature spun around to renew its attack, surprised at how nimbly the massive beast could move. It lunged forward once again, attempting to latch hold onto one of his legs, but he managed to scramble clear and lashed out with the Dragon Sword, slicing the beast across the muzzle.

  It roared with anger, and lunged forward yet again, its glowing eyes crazed with bloodlust, but this time Damion was waiting for it. Nimbly sidestepping the creature's wild lunge, he made a powerful thrust, driving the Dragon Sword deep into the beast's neck, just behind its overdeveloped jaw.

  The unearthly creature froze mid-step, its eyes wide with surprise and pain, then it slowly dropped to the ground.

  Damion tore the Dragon Sword free, then turned to face the Etazk warriors, who had watched on with eager eyes, obviously expecting the beast to make quick work of him.

  They stared at the fallen creature in disbelief for several long moments, then one of the men suddenly charged forward with a roar, followed closely by his fellow warriors.

  Before Damion could react, there was an earsplitting squeal of anger, and a massive figure appeared from the night and crashed into the Etazk, sending them tumbling in all directions.

  The dark figure moved into the light, allowing the huge warrior to get a clear view of the massive stallion that had appeared from the darkness, his teeth bared in anger. The great brute spun around and lashed out with both back hooves, connecting with one unlucky warrior square in the face, and sending him sailing limply into his companions.

  "It's about time!" Damion laughed, leaping atop the stallion's broad back.

  Storm let out a fierce whinny, then laid his ears back and bared his teeth aggressively, his focus still on the Etazk, who had scrambled back to their feet and started to regroup.

  Damion spurred the great beast forward, and they crashed into the Etazk once more. He cut three men down in succession, while Storm rode a forth down, crushing the howling man beneath churning hooves. They whirled around to renew their attack, but a group of Deolan riders suddenly appeared and charged forward, quickly finishing off the last few Etazk.

  Yet another explosion rocked the city, drawing the huge warrior's attention once more, and he whirled Storm back around and spurred the huge stallion forward, racing towards the sounds of the battle.

  When they finally arrived, he found the open square to be in total chaos. There were still a thousand or so Etazk warriors remaining out of the large force that had been occupying the city, and they had formed up into a protective barrier around the large altar, shielding the last few priests that had managed to survive the chaos. Several more of the massive wolf-like creatures raged through the huge plaza, taking down tribesman after tribesman as the fierce horsemen continued to charge the Etazk warriors in an effort to break through to the priests.

  The massive army of tribesmen worked together like a well oi
led machine as they used their fleet-footed horses to dash in and skillfully peel off small sections of the Etazk forces forces, then quickly retreating, allowing another group of riders to swoop in and attack another section of the human barrier.

  The Etazk warriors were trying valiantly to hold the Deola at bay while their priests screamed orders to them, their eyes desperate. One of the priests, an older man wearing a blood red robe that was bordered in gold, suddenly stepped forward and raised his hands.

  Damion could clearly feel the magical energy as it built up around the Etazk priest, causing the hair on the back of the huge warrior's neck to stand on end.

  The priest suddenly pointed at a group of approaching riders, and a bolt of searing energy suddenly leapt from his fingertips and went sizzling through the air, striking one of the riders in the chest. The tribesman and horse disappeared in a huge explosion that decimated the rest of the riders.

  "You had better do something about those priests," Snowfeather told him, still circling high overhead. "They're picking off entire groups of riders at a time"

  Damion watched as the older priest blasted another group of riders to pieces, then looked up at his familiar. "You had better get yourself clear." He warned in a grim tone. "I have the feeling this is going to be rather spectacular."

  Chapter 14

  He stared out over the ocean from His resting place on a large rocky outcropping near the very center of the churning sea, trying desperately to figure out what had happened to cause His new children flee in terror when they already had the Dragon Lord at their mercy.

  He snarled, and his long whip-like tail lashed out irritably, reducing a nearby boulder to dust. Finally, after all the effort and planning He had put into His designs, His new children had managed to render the Dragon Lord completely helpless, and merely had to finish him off, but they had failed Him once again. The Dragon Lord's child had suddenly appeared, and His new children turned and fled from her in absolute terror.