Omensent: Wrath of a Dragon God Page 4

  "So the dragon god hasn't returned?" Raven asked, a confused look on her face.

  Damion shrugged. "Tempest wasn't sure. She felt the same dread that I felt when the constellation vanished from the heavens, but she told me that there wasn't any way to find out where Draco actually went." He gave Damarius a curious look. "Did you know that there is actually two dragon gods? The dragon god, Draco, and the serpent mother, Estheryal?"

  "Really?" The old wizard looked surprised. "I had never heard of Her before."

  Damion nodded. "Tempest explained that for every god that exists, there is a rival god that moves to counter every move they make. It had something to do with keeping the balance in the universe."

  Dar frowned. "I guess I have never thought about it like that before. The Alena pray to Lily, Goddess of the Forest, and her mortal enemy is said to be Rot, God of Death and Decay."

  "Some of the elves worship the god Petra, while others worship his rival, Hetris." Sly pointed out, his eyes narrowed in thought. "And the dwarves have Grod, the God of Stone, and Throth, the God of the Forge."

  "What does Tempest think this serpent mother will do now that Draco has vanished?" Raven asked, walking around the huge desk, and settling comfortably in Damion's lap.

  "She thinks that Estheryal will merely continue to watch from Her place among the heavens. From what I could understand, the gods never take a direct hand in shaping the events that mold our world. They almost always use a mortal to carry out their will."

  Damarius frowned. "Didn't you say that the rumors spreading through the horde was that..."

  "He would use me to achieve His goals, yes." Damion finished for him in a grave tone.

  Everyone fell silent. Finally, Damion's stomach gave a loud growl, breaking the silence, and causing everyone to laugh, easing the tension in the air.

  "I'm guessing that means you're hungry, again." Raven laughed, placing her hand gently on his stomach.

  "It was a long trek to reach Tempest's lair." He grumbled defensively. "I didn't want to take the time to stop and hunt down a rabbit."

  The young woman looked faintly nauseated. "How about I ask some servants to bring you something from the kitchens instead?"

  "When was the last time you looked in on Leia?" He asked the young woman as she slipped from his lap to go in search of the nearest servant.

  "About an hour ago. Lady Skie is with her right now." She hurried from the room to find a servant.

  "What are you planning to do about these rumors?" Sly asked curiously, idly sipping at a goblet of spiced wine.

  "There's nothing I really can do." He answered helplessly. "There no way of knowing if Draco has actually returned or not. We can only wait and see what happens." His expression grew quizzical. "Where is Veren and Shirk? I'm surprised they're not here to find out what I learned."

  "They decided to return to the highwaymen's hidden camp to be sure that Slither and the dragonspawn run all of the bandits off."

  Damion cursed. "Are they trying to get themselves killed? The dragonspawn won't be able to tell the difference between them and the bandits!"

  "They'll be fine!" Sly waved a hand dismissively. "You worry too much. Sometimes you're like a mother hen."

  "Someone has to be the responsible one around here." Damion snapped unhappily.

  "Thank the gods that it's not me!" The scruffy little man snorted in amusement. "We'd all be doomed!"

  Damion laughed in spite of himself. "When did they leave?"

  "About an hour or so after you did. They seemed to know that you would disapprove of such a foolish venture, so they waited until you were well away from the Sevria before they set off towards the south."

  Damion sighed heavily, then shook his head in resignation. "I don't know what those two were thinking. They both know how dangerous the dragonspawn can be."

  "I think Veren was interested in making sure that the bandits are all driven off," Sly laughed again, spilling half of the contents of his goblet in his mirth. "but I think Shirk's main motivation was looting the valuables left behind by the bandits!"

  "I can't believe you just let them go!"

  "They were going to sneak off no matter what I said." The little man said defensively. "I figured it would be easier to just let you deal with them when they got back. Besides," He smiled greedily. "I made Shirk promise to split whatever he found with me."

  ************

  Veren and Shirk returned three days later leading a wagon and several horses that were packed with goods that they had recovered from the bandit's camp. One of the soldiers that stood watch on the wall alerted Damion and the others to their return, and they all gathered down in the castle courtyard to meet the pair.

  "What do you two idiots think you were doing running off like that?" Damion bellowed at them as they came to a halt in front of the castle livery. "You could have gotten yourselves killed!"

  "You worry too much." Veren laughed, climbing down from the wagon. "We needed to be sure that Slither and the dragonspawn were able to run off all of the highwaymen. There were quite a few of them, and we wanted to be sure that they wouldn't just try to return later and reestablish their camp."

  "And?"

  "And your pet shadowspawn sure takes his job seriously." Shirk laughed. "Nearly a hundred of the snarling creatures fell upon the camp and chased the entire group out of the mountains."

  "Was anyone killed?"

  "There was just one casualty." Veren chuckled. "One of the highwaymen panicked and ran straight off the edge of a canyon." He shook his head in disbelief. "His legs were still pumping the entire time he fell."

  "They took one look at the dragonspawn and high tailed it out of there." Shirk snickered in amusement. "Most of them didn't even bother to grab their horses."

  "We waited for a while to make sure the bandits weren't going to reappear, then we decided to burn the camp to insure that they never return."

  "You mean after you looted it of every single thing of value, right?" Sly snorted, wandering over to the wagon to see what was inside. "I still want my cut, by the way." He lifted the tarp covering the wagon, then let out a low whistle. "Damion, I think you had better take a look at this."

  Damion went to the back of the wagon and peered under the tarp. Inside he saw several neatly stacked piles of poorly crafted crossbows, dozens of bundles of crossbow bolts, and several hundred crudely forged swords.

  "We found these while searching the camp." Veren informed him with a grim expression. "It seems some of the caravans moving through the mountains are carrying large amounts of weapons with them."

  "Why would anyone want a bunch of shoddy weapons like these?" Raven asked, giving the poorly crafted arms a disdainful look. "There are plenty of skilled armor and weapon smiths throughout the continent. Why bring in such low quality weapons?"

  "The only reason to bring in such cheap weapons in such large quantities would be the need to arm a large number of people in secret." Damarius commented, taking one glance at the contents of the wagon, and then nodding knowingly. "It appears that someone in the region is trying to raise an army without alerting anyone to what he is doing."

  "Which means that there is also someone out there that is trying to stop them." Sly pointed out, examining one of the crudely forged swords. "Whoever hired those highwaymen to waylay those caravans is obviously trying to prevent these weapons from arriving at their destination."

  "We need to figure out where these weapons were bound." Damion told them grimly.

  "I'll take Shirk and start snooping around through some of the villages in the foothills to the south." Sly volunteered, tossing the crudely made sword aside disdainfully. "We may be able to discover where they were heading, or at least identify the person that is attempting to stop the caravans that are carrying them."

  "I'll inform the castle soldiers to begin discreetly examining the goods that the caravans passing through Sevria are carrying." Veren grunted. "We may get lucky and intercept another shipment
of weapons. It should be simple to discover exactly where they were bound for then."

  "I'll send word to the Merchant's Guild to let them know everything that we have discovered so far." Damion looked worried. "Perhaps we can get some answers from them."

  "Is that wise?" Damarius asked, scratching his head thoughtfully. "It's obvious that someone in the Merchant's Guild knew that the caravans were smuggling weapons. Would it really be wise to alert them to the fact that we're on to them?"

  Damion thought about it for a moment. "That's a good point. We don't want the wrong people to find out what we know before we have a chance to determine exactly what's going on." He snapped his fingers. "I can contact Fedrio, the Merchant's Guild liaison. He is an honorable man, and I think he can be trusted. I'll send word that I need to speak with him."

  "Be sure that you mention it involves the safety of the caravans moving through the mountains." Lady Skie suggested, lowering Leia to the cobblestones so she could wander over to her father. "Tell him that you wish to discuss a problem with the dragonspawn with him. If he believes it's just a routine trip, it's less likely that anyone in Sierra will grow suspicious."

  "That's a good idea." Damion said, scooping his daughter into his arms. "Once he gets here, I'll explain the situation to him. Perhaps he may have an idea on who is behind these weapon shipments."

  "In the mean time," Sly said as he began looking through the valuables the pair had salvaged from the highwaymen's camp. "Let's start going through all of this plunder." He gave the two men a greedy smile. "I want to make sure that I get my full share."

  Chapter 4

  The liaison from the Merchant's Guild arrived ten days later, after Damion sent a messenger with a request for a meeting. They were all gathered together in the huge man's office, when the man finally arrived, accompanied by several of the castle soldiers who had been assigned to escort him from Sierra.

  "Fedrio!" Damion greeted him, rising from his seat behind the huge desk, and moving around it to clasp the gaunt faced man's hand warmly. "I appreciate your coming to see us. Something has come to my attention that I thought that you may be able to help me with."

  The Merchant's Guild liaison was an older man, with steel grey hair and beard, and the stern weathered look of someone who had spent the better part of his life travelling the world. He was thin, almost to the point of being emaciated, and was dressed in a hooded cloak common to travelers in the mountains. "Your messenger mentioned a problem with the dragonspawn." He smiled and laughed, a gesture that seemed somehow out of place on the older man. "I'm not sure how much help I could be against those beasts, unless you plan on using me for bait."

  Damion laughed. "Actually, that was just a ruse to get you here without arousing anyone's suspicions." He went on to tell the grey haired man of the bandit camp, and their discovery of the hidden cache of weapons. "The only reason we could come up with for someone to need so many cheaply made weapons is that they wish to arm a lot of people without alerting anyone to their activities."

  Fedrio's expression was grim. "If anyone has been smuggling weapons, they have been doing it without the guild's permission. The Merchant's Guild in Sierra takes a very narrow view of trafficking in weapons. Arming large groups of people will only lead to a disruption in trade, and that, my friends, will not be tolerated."

  "Do you have any idea of who may be behind it?" Raven asked, filling several goblets full of wine, and then passing them among everyone. "Anyone that may profit from such a disruption in trade, perhaps?"

  "Several, but only one that is bold enough to try something such as this." His expression became one of anger. "His name is Ickor Brunon, a man as slimy as his name suggests. He normally deals in spices, but he has been known to deal in stolen goods, poisons, and even the occasional slave. He is completely unethical. He's the only man in the Merchant's Guild that would chance smuggling weapons."

  "Is there any way of finding out where the weapons were heading?" Veren inquired, sipping idly at his wine.

  Fedrio shook his head. "Not without the shipping manifest. It would have told us where the weapons were coming from, and who was to receive them. Without it, there is no way of finding out, short of reporting the discovery with the guild and alerting Ickor."

  "Is there any way to be sure that these were Ickor's wagons that the bandits hijacked?" Lady Skie asked curiously, holding Leia in her lap as she relaxed in one of the comfortable chairs that lined the office walls.

  "I'll make some discreet inquiries once I return to Sierra." The blond haired liaison took a sip of wine. "I should be able to confirm my suspicions within a week or two."

  "If we can find out if there are any more shipments that are moving through the mountains, we can follow the next shipment until it reaches its destination," Veren pointed out. "then we'll know who has a need for so many weapons."

  "The problem is that someone will have to accompany me back to Sierra so I can alert them to which caravans belong to Ickor. He may grow suspicious if I start poking around and begin asking questions, so sending a messenger ahead of his caravan will probably not work. Someone will have to linger in Sierra until his next caravan is ready to depart, then I can point out which wagons are his."

  "I'll join you." Damion told him.

  "I don't think that will work." Dar said, shaking his head. "You seem to forget that you're a rather well known figure in these parts, and I'd imagine you may find it a little difficult to blend in with the crowd. It may raise suspicion if Fedrio is seen meeting with you." He smiled. "I will go instead. It won't be nearly as suspicious if he is seen conversing with some wayward child."

  "That's a good idea." Veren nodded approvingly. "I doubt anyone would find that suspicious."

  "And I can move much faster than a wagon train." The childlike sprite assured them with a smile. "I'll slip past them when they are not paying attention, then hurry here to point out Ickor's wagons."

  "I like it." Veren stated, glancing to Damion for his thoughts.

  The huge warrior shrugged. "It sounds like a solid plan. Are you sure you can handle this on your own?" He asked the freckle faced boy.

  Dar rolled his eyes. "Of course I can. I've been doing things like this for over three thousand years."

  Damion grimaced. "Sorry. Sometimes I still forget you're not actually a child."

  "He's not?" Veren feigned astonishment. "You mean he isn't the sweet, innocent little child he appears to be?"

  Everyone laughed.

  "Then it's settled." Fedrio declared, his face determined. "With a little luck, we'll be able to ferret out exactly who all of those weapons are destined for."

  The grey haired liaison and the red haired Alena departed for Sierra later that evening. Dar chose to leave his sturdy little Deolan pony behind, and instead, rode on the back of Fedrio's weary looking mare, stating he could make it back to Sevria far faster on foot.

  Sly and Shirk returned from the south a week later reporting having failed at locating anyone with any knowledge of who could be attempting to ambush the caravans before they reached their destination.

  "We stopped at over two dozen towns and villages to snoop around." Sly grumbled, collapsing into one of the overstuffed chairs in Damion's office. "We talked to hundreds of people, and none of them had heard anything about the ambushed caravans. If anyone was expecting those shoddy weapons, they don't seem too upset over their loss."

  "I even paid a visit to the local outlaw gangs." Shirk grunted in a tired voice. "The thieves of this continent all work together to some extent, and share information, not to mention their plunder. None of them had heard any mention of highwaymen ambushing caravans along the trade route. They all seem to realize that Damion would disapprove of such activities."

  "How can you be sure that they were not lying to you?" Lady Skie asked pointedly. "They are thieves after all."

  The bearded man laughed. "When I told them of the bandits we discovered, they nearly went up in flames. The other gangs would h
ave never allowed the bandits to set up shop so close to Sevria. They would be far too afraid of drawing the Dragon Lord's attention."

  "So you heard nothing out of the ordinary?" Damion asked, frustrated by their inability to locate the weapons' destination.

  Sly scratched his head. "There were some reports that the Deola were up in arms over some roving bands of marauders rustling their cattle somewhere to the east, but that isn't really all that unusual."

  Damion frowned. "I guess we'll just have to hope that Fedrio is able to discover if there is another shipment of weapons moving through the mountains. It seems as though that will be the only way that we'll be able to get any answers to our questions."