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The Spirit of Dragons - Part 3

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Kylora’s Decision
“Hope you’re ready for your first flight,” Dan told Narwen as they walked out of the cave mouth.
“You’re not going to get a day better than this,” Jeen commented as he leapt and swung up onto Kendro’s neck.
“You’re gonna love it,” Dan assured as he stepped onto Rikku’s extended foreleg and from there leapt onto her back.
“Where do I sit?” Narwen asked Dan as she moved to stand next to Rikku.
“Right behind me, in-between two of the neck ridges,” Dan answered as he extended a hand for Narwen to use.
Still unsure of what she was doing Narwen took his hand and stepped onto the helpfully presented foreleg of Rikku.  From there she leapt onto her neck, where Dan had indicated, and found it to be rather comfortable.
“Sort of like riding a horse,” she stated as she shifted around a little.
“Never ridden a horse, so I’ll take your word for it,” Jeen replied from the back of Kendro’s neck.
“I think you will find that we dragons are far better than horses,” Kendro smugly added.
After a couple more seconds Narwen had herself situated on Rikku’s neck.  Then, with a vertical pump of a fist from Jeen and Dan, Kendro and Rikku sprang into the air.  Jeen and Dan screamed with joy as they took off, enjoying the experience of flight every time, but neither was as loud as Narwen.  Her scream started in surprise and escalated to pure wonder as they soared up high into the sky.  With the wind rushing past her face and the steady stroke of Rikku’s wings pulsing through her, Narwen had to admit that Kendro was right.  Dragons really were far better than horses.
Maybe she would lie to the Shailon Empire, saying that there was only one dragon on the mountain, and keep one for herself.  If those two had tamed dragons, surely she could steal one and tame it for herself.  Which one though?  Maybe the dark green one she currently rode, Rikku they called her.  She was slightly smaller, making her hopefully easier to hide, and was certainly giving an enjoyable flight at the moment.  However, the dark blue one, they called him Kendro, was obviously the stronger, and faster, flyer.  Imagine what she could do with either dragon, move goods faster, travel quicker and farther, and fly far out of reach of imperial patrols.  She would become the richest and most important smuggler on the planet.
Then, from the depths of her mind, crept a thought, but I don’t want to betray them.  Narwen couldn’t believe what she had just thought.  She was a smuggler.  She lived for profits.  She didn’t care how people or beasts felt beyond whether they could work or not.
Narwen was still trying to suppress that thought as Rikku and Kendro glided in for a landing in front of their home cave and did not hear what Dan said to her.  Seeing this, Kendro quickly informed Rikku of her slightly comatose passenger.  Making a slight course correction Rikku angled in to land in an area brimming with large ferns, Kendro followed her, coming in for a landing a short distance away.  As the two dragons began to land they back-winged.
Narwen, who had been busy thinking, had not heard Dan’s warning about landing and how to deal with the back-wing, went flying over Rikku’s head, the same way Dan and Jeen had during their first flight, and landed softly amongst the ferns.  Both Dan and Jeen slid off Rikku and Kendro and offered their hands to help Narwen.
“I did warn you,” Dan chuckled as they pulled her to her feet.
“I meant to do that,” Narwen responded.  Then, at hearing the outrageous statement, all five burst out laughing.
Jeen was the first to recover and, wiping tears of mirth from his eyes, reminded everybody to go into the cave.  Together they walked down the natural stair, past the new door into Jeen, Dan, Kendro, and Rikku’s home cave, and up to the entrance to the cavern.  Upon reaching the entrance they bade Narwen to wait outside whilst they went in, called for Kylora, and explained her presence.  Grudgingly Narwen agreed and watched the four turn the corner into the cavern.
Kylora had moved out of the cave when Jeen, Dan, Kendro, and Rikku had returned from their test.  Dan and Jeen still had a little more growing to do and also needed to familiarize themselves with their new weapons.  Kendro and Rikku would prefer to live with their bonded partners, and the cave would just be far too cramped with three dragons living in it.
Kylora was happy with the move anyway.  In fact, she was actually more comfortable in the cavern where she could stretch her wings to their full length and lie on the floor without having to avoid furniture and cave walls.  The area she had chosen was slightly bowl shaped and long, a nest just her size.  The area was a little more than a mile from the exit to the stair, visible but out of coherent human shouting range.  A couple small tunnels that lead to the surface channeled a breeze that made the area she had chosen very nice during the summer, and not a problem during the winter when the wind usually blew from a different direction.
Kendro raised his head and bellowed for Kylora.  A roar from the direction of her nest told them she would be there soon.  In the distance they could see Kylora raise herself up and begin to walk over to them.
From behind them Narwen whispered, “What was that?”
“Kendro called for Kylora,” Dan responded over his shoulder.
Kylora then arrived.  Not entirely sure of how to explain about Narwen, the four plunged into a recounting of the day before, Kylora’s eyes narrowing with every passing minute.  They were cut off mid-sentence as Narwen, fed up with waiting, came around the corner.
“Look, instead of you guys telling her about me I’ll just talk to her woman to wom—an,” the last syllable coming out in a stutter as Narwen rounded the corner, expecting to see a human woman, but instead found herself looking up at a very large and irate female dragon.
“So this is the one you were speaking of,” Kylora boomed.  “The first being that has invaded the privacy of my peak to survive this long.”
“I was chased here by orcs,” Narwen stated in her defense.  “I never meant to come this far up the mountain.”
Kylora seemed to ignore what Narwen had said.  “I know that you are intelligent so I will not lie to you.  You know what would happen if the Shailon Empire discovered that dragons survived on this mountain.  You present a great problem, and killing you would solve it.”
“But--”
“However, my children do not wish me to do this.”  Her red eyes softened as she looked upon her children, and immediately hardened as they returned to Narwen.  “I will give you one chance.  I have always known that eventually Dan and Jeen would need things that I could not bring them, clothing, money, and the like.  You are knowledgeable in these areas.  Perhaps it is fortunate you came after all.  You will be flown to where ever your camp is and given a supply of thirty orc heads.  I am aware of the bounty the towns have place on orc heads and the money should pay for what I wish you to get.  You will acquire with the money a current and accurate map of the entire kingdom.  Once you have done this you will return to the same campsite where you will be flown back up here.”
“Very well.  I should be able to have that done within a few days.”  Already she was planning on what equipment she would need to bring in order to steal the weapons and subdue, maybe even capture, one of the dragons.  Her plans were ruined by Kylora’s next statement.
“One more thing, I am going to place a spell on you.  A spell that will allow me to know where you are and what you are doing until you return to this cave and I have removed it.  I warn you, if you reveal the location of our whereabouts, I will know and you will wish I had killed you here and now.”
Done with talking, Kylora began chanting softly.  Not knowing whether moving would further irritate the great dragon Narwen stood absolutely still.  The chanting continued for a few more minutes until, Kylora’s voice rising, it finished.  As the spell was completed Narwen was enshrouded in a golden aura and Kylora’s eyes glowed with the same color.  Both the aura and glow quickly faded, leaving a smug Kylora and a startled Narwen.
“The spell is complete.  I am giving you your chance and will trust that you will use it wisely.  Dragons make great allies, and terrible enemies.  Return to your camp and do what I have told you to.  If you complete the errands I have given you, you will have earned an element of my trust.  Jeen, Dan, Kendro, Rikku, I know you know what you can tell her and what you can’t and will not remind you.  You are all fully capable of taking care of each other.”
Finished, Kylora turned and flew back to her nest.  As she lay down Kylora had to wonder whether she had been right in allowing the smuggler to live and leave.  The spell she had used was very similar to the bond that her children pairs had with each other though the spell was far weaker.  She could sense very strong emotions from Narwen, relief and anger.  The relief was understandable, and the anger could be explained, but something about the anger still worried Kylora.  She would have to keep a close eye on this smuggler woman.
“I thought you said she was your mother,” Narwen growled as the five walked up the stair.
“She is,” Dan explained.  “She adopted us.”
“Well you could have told me that!”
“Sorry, It never occurred to us to tell you.  She’s been our mother since we were three, and is their mother,” Jeen stated, gesturing towards Kendro and Rikku.
“And did she have to put a spell on me!”
“She doesn’t trust you.  She’ll remove it when you return so it’s not really that big of a deal.  It’s not like she can use it to read your mind.”
“So you know something about it then?”
“No.  Other than it’s ancient dragon magic; we don’t know a thing about it,” Dan stated, glancing towards the other as he did.
“Anyways, how did you guys come to be adopted by a dragon and her children.”
“Our village, Hilltop--”
“The burned ruins at the base of the mountain?”
“Yes.  Anyway, the new Shailon Empire destroyed it when it invaded this kingdom.  Soldiers from the army, lead by Colonel Dulong, attacked during the night.  Dan’s parents were killed helping people flee the village to a supply cave.  There the villagers lead by my parents, made a last stand.  They were doing well until a wizard teleported everybody into a field where they were massacred.  My parents were the last to fall, standing over Dan and Me.  My father cut off the Dulong’s finger before he fell.  Dulong left us in the field to die.  It was then that Kylora came and saved us.”
“We hatched when she brought them to the cave,” Kendro continued.  “They had almost no memory of their past life so it was kind of like all four of us came into the world at the same time.”
“Like Kendro said, we have almost no memory of our lives before we came here.  Just some images of our parents, an image of the man leading the soldiers right before Jeen’s dad cut his finger off, and our names.  Most of what we’ve just told you was told to us by Kylora,” Dan added.
They had reached the cave mouth by then, so they mounted the dragons, Jeen and Narwen to Kendro and Dan to Rikku.  After a quick stop to pick up some bags, the five flew around the peak to a flat area strewn with large boulders.  Kendro and Rikku landed just outside the rocks, Narwen staying in her place this time.  She, Jeen, and Dan dismounted and the five walked in amongst the rocks.
In the exact center of the flat are there was a large pit in the rock.  It looked like some giant hand had scooped the rock and earth out of that one spot and deposited it all around.  The smell of death and decay permeated the area.  Inside the pit lay the bodies of all the dead orcs that had made it onto the peak.  As Rikku explained to Narwen, King Ugluck decided to test whether something still killed his orcs on the peak every now and then by sending a band of them across the Break.  The smell came from a band of fifteen or so that had passed the Break only two days before Narwen’s arrival, and now resided in the pit.
“So how are we going to get the heads,” Narwen asked.  Jeen and Dan responded by taking out their weapons and sliding down into the pit.  “You mean you actually want me to go into that mess and cut the heads off!”  Getting no response from the two, she shrugged, drew her sword, and slid down after them.
There were plenty of heads to be found in the pit and the bags were soon filled with forty heads, the extra ten at Narwen’s insistence.  They were then lifted back out of the pit by Kendro and Rikku and flown to the pond behind the sparring cave where they all had a good swim, the two dragons staying a discrete distances from the smelly trio until the odor of the dead orcs had been washed away.
The last few hours were enjoyable.  With the smell gone, the water festivities began again, culminating with another race around the pond.  Once they were finished with the water, a fire was started in the sparring cave.  Laughing, the five talked as their clothes dried from the fire.
After enough asking by Narwen, Jeen finally revealed what was on the chain around his neck, a small charm shaped like a dragon.  A dragon that looked just like Kendro.  Both chain and charm were of a silvery metal none of the three had ever seen before.  Slightly embarrassed, Jeen explained how one night he and Kendro had flown down to the ruins of Hilltop.  Jeen had been exploring his old house when he discovered a hollow spot under the floor.  The floor was on level ground and should have been solid.  In the hollow spot he found a small metal box, and inside was the chain and charm.
Their clothes dry the three mounted the dragons.  Following Narwen’s directions they flew to the cave where her wagon was hidden.  Narwen was surprised to see her wagon and horses still there.  Nothing had been disturbed in her wagon.  Apparently nothing had found it.  With the help of Dan and Jeen she harnessed the horses, although she had to explain to the two how to do it.  Satisfied with her wagon and horses’ conditions she rolled out of the cave, and with a goodbye to Jeen, Dan, Kendro, and Rikku, continued on down the mountainside.

Followed
“Think she’ll come back?” Jeen asked Kendro as Narwen’s wagon disappeared from sight.
“She’ll come back,” Kendro responded.  “She isn’t about to upset mother anymore than she has two.”
“You’re right,” Dan chuckled.  “Speaking of mother, we should probably go back, I bet she has more to say to us.”
“It won’t be too bad though,” Rikku chimed in.  “I think even mother will come to like Narwen.”
Then, nodding to each other, Jeen and Dan mounted Kendro and Rikku and they leapt into the air.  Winging their way back up to their home cave, the four did not talk as they reflected on all that had happened.  It did not take long to reach the peak but Kendro and Rikku did not immediately land, instead choosing to descend via a slow spiral.  Dan and Jeen enjoyed the wind on their faces on the otherwise hot day.
Soon they landed and walked down into the cavern, where Kylora was waiting for them.
“Is she gone?” Kylora inquired as she lay on her belly by the cavern exit.
“Yes, pulled out on a horse-drawn wagon about half an hour ago,” Jeen answered
“Took quite awhile.”
“We took a swim in the pond behind the sparring cave after getting the orc heads,” Dan responded.   “It smells pretty bad down in that pit.”
“I don’t doubt it, and I’m not upset with you over the delay.”
“Then you too think she has a good heart?” Kendro asked.
“Yes I do, but it is covered by much shadow.  She has been a smuggler for a long time, and it will not be easy for her to change for the better.  We cannot change her.  We can only show her the friendship and family she will acquire if she can change, but it must be her decision to change.  Only the light from within her will be able to breakthrough the darkness.”
“She can do it,” Rikku stated with her typical cheerfulness.
“I hope she can.  As for you four, I wish for you to intensify your training.  I cannot explain to you why.  All I can say is that I sense a coming danger.  There is a great, black cloud looming on the horizon, and I fear it shall soon reach us and break.”

Narwen’s two-day trip back to Nete was uneventful, Narwen cursing Kylora and her spell most of the way.  She would get the map for the dragon, but only to gain her trust and get rid of the stupid spell.  As she made her way to Nete, Narwen wracked her brain for a plan.  She eventually discarded the idea of stealing a dragon, knowing it would just be too difficult.  She would have loved to been able to capture one, ideally Kendro, but she did not have the equipment to be able to completely subdue one dragon, let alone three.  She could, however, still steal at least one of those fabulous weapons.  She spent the rest of her trip planning how best to sell one once she had acquired it.
Upon reaching Nete she immediately turned in the orc heads for their bounty and made arrangements at the local inn for room and board.  Then, anxious to be rid of Kylora’s spell, Narwen began searching the merchants for a map.  An accurate map of the kingdom would not be difficult to find, any merchant worth his salt would have one, and would surely part with it for enough money.
It did not take her long to find a map.  After asking around she found a man willing to sell.  She paid with half of the money from the bounty.  The map was incredibly detailed, showing cites, towns, passes, mountains, rivers, lakes, even good caves for camping in some areas.  Narwen could not understand why the man had sold it so cheaply, but was not about to ask.  With some of the remaining money she bought three more healing potions, bringing her total to four.  She had done what that cursed dragon had asked and now she was going to have a hot meal, a hot bath, and go sleep in a warm bed.  She couldn’t wait to get rid of that spell.

Colonel Velks was not pleased when a messenger burst unannounced into his tent.  Velks had a gaunt face with dark brown eyes.  He was dressed in a military dress uniform, but with his magic steel armor close at hand.  He would look like he had stepped out of an army recruitment poster except for his height.  He was a short man, only a little taller than five and a half feet, but what he lacked in height he made up for with his intelligence.
Velks was a brilliant tactician that always planned for every contingency.  He had an incredible retention rate, remembering every important order or action he gave or was given for months, even years, afterward.  He had flown through the empire’s military school with flying colors, and within a few short months had secured the rank of Lieutenant, and it did not take him very long to continue his way up the officer ladder.
“What is it soldier?” Velks inquired, his tone adding that if it wasn’t important the messenger was in for a sound punishment.
“Sir, the smuggler, Narwen Hisilrandir, has come back to the village,” the soldier responded.
“When?”
“A few hours ago.”
“What has she done since her return?”
“She turned in forty orc heads for their bounty.  She then began making inquiries to buy an accurate map of the whole kingdom.  Our spy made contact with her and sold her his map.”
“Why did he do that?”
“Nobody else was selling and he felt that if he sold her his she would then move on to any other objectives of hers instead of possibly moving to the next village searching.”
“Tell him when you leave that he made a wise decision.”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Did she do anything after she bought the map?”
“Yes, Sir.  She bought some healing potions from the local alchemist then retired to the inn.  She has not left it since.”
“Good, keep somebody watching the inn at all times.  I suspect she’ll be moving out tomorrow.  Pass the word along for the troops to prepare themselves for travel as you leave.”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Oh, and one more thing, soldier.  Do not come barging into my tent like that again.  Take the care to announce yourself first; I would hate to accidentally have hurt you thinking you were an enemy.  I value good soldiers.  Dismissed.”
“Yes, Sir!”
As the soldier turned and marched through the tent flap Velks turned back to a map of Drakan Mountain, and the land around it, that was on the table, smirking as he did.  The smuggler had walked right into the trap.  Now all he had to do was follow her.
Sitting in a chair he polished his sword as he looked over the map.  The orcs would not be a problem.  As stupid as they were, even they were smart enough to know not to mess with forty-five soldiers of the new Shailon Empire.  The only problem would be in staying hidden long enough to get all forty-five up the mountain without being discovered.  It shouldn’t be too difficult though; there were plenty of places to get soldiers through.
All the troops were ready to move by the time Narwen’s wagon left the village the next morning.  Carrying all the food and equipment they would need in packs on their backs, the soldiers began to follow, at a discrete distance so as to avoid detection.  Only the stealthy scouts were allowed to get close enough to see the wagon.

Stolen
Narwen’s trip back to Drakan Mountain was as uneventful as the trip from it.  Nothing bothered her, yet she had a bad feeling.  Assuming it to be the coming confrontation with Kylora, she put the feeling aside.  Her spirits rose a little as she thought of Jeen, Dan, Kendro, and Rikku.  She actually did enjoy their company, and would continue to do so right up until she could snag one of their weapons.
Narwen pulled into her base cave around noon.  As she finished hiding her wagon and horse team, she heard a voice right behind her.
“Good to see you again.”
Holding in a startled shriek she whipped around, fumbling for her sword, to see Jeen with his customary grin on his face.
“Sorry about that, been practicing my stealth,” he apologized as he saw Narwen’s face darken.
“That’s ok, but don’t do it again or I’ll have to kill you,” she responded only half jokingly.  “Where’s Dan?”
“Coming, he’s a little slower than me.  Should be here any minute now.”  Just then Dan walked around the corner into the cave.
“Hey, Narwen,” Dan greeted as he walked up.  “Have a nice trip?”
“Well, except for knowing I have a spell on me that lets your dragon mother know where I am and what I’m doing, yes.”
“Good,” Dan chuckled.  “Grab your stuff and lets go, the walk isn’t exactly short.”
“We’re walking?” Narwen replied with some shock as she gathered the map, some food, and the healing potions into three bags.  “Where are, um, Kendro and Rikku?”
“They’re with Kylora,” Jeen responded as he slung one of the bags over his shoulder.  “She’s teaching them more about their fire breath.”
Wonderful, Narwen sarcastically thought to herself.  “Really?  I thought dragons just did it naturally.”
“They do,” Dan stated as he took one of the other two bags.  “They just need to learn how to control it for efficient use.  There may be other things they’re learning but you’ll have to ask them yourself.”
Jeen and Dan knew every inch of the mountainside and had Narwen back up to the main cave within a few hours, Narwen carefully memorizing the entire way for when she would have to leave.  The weather stayed fair, but clouds were beginning to gather as they reached the cave.
“So you’ve returned,” Kylora stated as Jeen, Dan, and Narwen approached the three dragons, which were standing in a flat portion of the cavern near its exit.  “I must admit you were far quicker than I expected you to be, the marks of a good merchant and smuggler.”
Narwen was somewhat surprised to find that she had actually enjoyed that compliment.  Quickly she summoned up anger about the spell on her.  She wasn’t supposed to have positive feelings for any of these reptiles.
“Now,” Kylora continued, “just leave the map on the floor and I’ll pick it up later.  I’ll remove the spell now; I imagine you’ve been quite annoyed by it.”
Narwen was shocked, so shocked she almost didn’t notice as Kylora began chanting to remove the spell.  Narwen couldn’t believe what Kylora was doing.  She knew many smugglers, including herself, that would have left the spell as it was if they were in Kylora’s position.  This female dragon actually trusted her.  True, Kylora didn’t trust her completely, but she was putting some trust in her.
“There, all done,” Kylora stated as she finished her incantation.  “The spell has been removed.  You may not leave the mountain as of yet, but I will show you no more animosity.  You have proven that you can be trustworthy, albeit with me watching over you.  I wish to get to know you further.  Tonight you shall stay with the boys in their cave.  Kendro and Rikku will be with me.  I still have much to teach them.”
The rest of the day was actually quite enjoyable.  Moving to Jeen and Dan’s cave the three talked of what they had done during the time that Narwen had been on her run to the village.  An hour or two before sunset, Kylora released Kendro and Rikku for a break and a chance for a little fun before dinner and further lessons.  Together, the five flew over and around the mountain, just enjoying the flight and the spectacular view of the setting sun.
As the last vestiges of light lanced out from the horizon, the five turned and flew back to the cavern.  Kendro and Rikku returned to Kylora for more teaching, while Jeen, Dan, and Narwen moved to their cave and made dinner, which consisted of a rabbit stew and some breads from the bags Narwen had brought.  Together they talked into the night, shifting from subject to subject.  One minute they would be talking about battles Narwen or Jeen and Dan had had, the next about what Kendro and Rikku might be learning.  They went to sleep at what must have been near midnight, Dan and Jeen to their pallets and Narwen to an extra one they had prepared for her.
It was late into the night as Narwen rose from her pallet with nary a sound.  Moonlight softly shown through some cracks in the ceiling, lighting the floor around her.  Silently she looked around for which weapon to steal.  Dan’s sword was the obvious choice.  It was in its sheath, which was on its belts, hanging from the wall next to Dan’s pallet.  Jeen’s staff was on the pallet next to him, where it had been when they were talking, and would just be too difficult to remove without possibly waking him.
Sneaking over to the sword she slowly removed it from its pegs on the wall.  She couldn’t believe how much it weighed!  How Dan carried it on his hip, even with the extra strap around his waste, was beyond her.  Using the belts she strapped it to her back, and moved to the door.  Taking a flask of oil from a pouch on her belt she oiled the hinges.
Slowly opening the door she slipped out and closed it.  The lighting was better out on the stair, where the cave mouth let in more moonlight, and she could see the steps relatively well.  Remembering that the dragons were still in the main cavern, though likely asleep, she tiptoed up the stairs and out under the stars.  With the cave behind her she dashed down a path and onto a ridge a couple hundred feet from the cave.
Stopping, she looked back.  Seeing nothing she turned to continue down the path, but didn’t move.  Deep within her, feelings she thought she had banished from her heart were making themselves known.  Memories began to flash through her mind, images and sounds of the good times she had had with the Jeen, Dan, Kendro, and Rikku, and over them all, the warmth and trust that all, even Kylora, had shown her.  Narwen could not remember the last time she had been trusted, and she came to realize that she did not want to betray this odd family that had accepted her.  She counted them as her only friends.
Turning around she walked back to the cave.  Knowing full well what would happen if any of them saw her with Dan’s sword she snuck back down the stairs.  As she neared the door to Jeen and Dan’s room she realized something was not right.  She had closed that door, she was sure of it, but it was wide open now.
Cautiously she approached the door and peered in, there were ten Shailon soldiers inside!  They must have only recently arrived as they were still spreading out to surround Jeen and Dan.  Two had pulled knives and were advancing on the pair, their intention only too obvious.  Slipping silently in, she closed the door without a sound.  None of the soldiers were looking her way.
Loosening the buckles on the belts holding the giant sword on her back, she drew her own.  A flash of moonlight on the blade gave her away as it reflected on to the wall just in front of the soldier bending down over Jeen.  Her cover blown Narwen leapt into action, hurling the sword from her back to the floor next to Dan, running to engage the soldier approaching him, and screaming all at once.  “SHAILON IS HERE!”
Both Dan and Jeen’s eyes snapped open at the shout and clang of the sword on the ground.  The soldier that had planned to assassinate Jeen, feeling confident that he could handle one man lying on the ground, turned his head back towards Jeen and moved closer.  He realized what a mistake he made when he came face to face with a very angry Jeen, both his eyes glittering coldly in the moonlight.
The soldier never had a chance to scream as Jeen burst into a blur of motion, one hand snapping up to grab the man by the throat and a leg shooting out and kicking the soldier’s feet out from under him.  As the soldier fell Jeen sprang up, grasping his staff with one hand and the other hurling a knife at the falling man, which plunged into the back of his neck as he hit the ground.
Dan, seeing his sword near at hand, leapt from his bed and scooped his sword up and out of its sheath.  Narwen had dispatched her foe and was now hemmed in by three soldiers, one about to strike a wounding blow, until Dan’s sword came scything in and sent him flying across the room.
Back to back, the two began to fight their way towards Jeen, who had his back to the wall.  It was a hard fight, but the three eventually managed to link up.  Forming a triangle, with Dan as the point, they drove into the five remaining soldiers.  The Shailon troops were no match for the three powerful warriors and were soon cut down.  The last had actually managed to make it part way through the door before another of Jeen’s knives silenced him forever.
The three stood in the doorway, panting and smiling at each other.  They worked well as a team.  The smiles disappeared as they remembered where they were and whom they had just defeated.  If there had been soldiers here then might there have been soldiers out in the cavern as well.
As if on cue, an enraged roar reverberated through the cave.  Narwen didn’t have to understand Dragon to know what it translated to, Shailon.  A series of further roars followed, the different voices revealing that Kendro and Rikku were out there as well.
Turning to the two she chuckled, “those soldiers must be getting the beating of their li--” Her sentence was cut off as she caught sight of Jeen and Dan’s faces.  They were cold, their hands beginning to wring their weapons grips with anger.  “What’s happened?”
“They’ve been captured, held on the floor by thick nets staked to the ground,” Dan growled.
Jeen didn’t even bother with an answer.  Instead he began to stalk towards the cavern mouth, his intentions clear.  Narwen rushed to catch up and restrain him, it wouldn’t do him any good if he got killed, but she couldn’t stop him.
“We need a plan, Jeen.  You’ll get killed running out there.  Dan, try to talk some sense into him.”
Dan moved in front of him, and grabbed him by the shoulders, stopping him.
“Kendro is in trouble,” Jeen growled through his teeth.  “He’s in trouble and scared.  I can feel it.  I’m not going to let him be tormented in any way.”  He began to push forward again but Dan tightened his hold, halting him in his tracks.
“I know,” Dan whispered, sharing Jeen’s pain.  “So is Rikku, but marching out there and getting yourself killed won’t do them or us a bit of good.”
“He’s right, Jeen,” Narwen added.  “Hold on and we’ll think of something.”
Placated by his friend and brother, Jeen stopped struggling.  After the initial rage had passed, Jeen’s insight proved valuable.  Together, they quickly began working out a plan.

The Awakening
The two brothers knew the place like the backs of their hands and could navigate it in the dark easily.  Narwen followed as they moved down a tight passageway and out into the main cavern, well out of site of Kylora’s nest, where the dragons and soldiers were.  Still being careful, they crossed to the opposite wall, where there was more cover, and began to move along it towards the nest.
Soon they could see the nest and what it contained.  The giant, crimson mass of Kylora was in the center of it, strapped down by many thick cables and metal nets.  About thirty meters in front of her, and right next to each other, were Kendro and Rikku.  Both were held down by similar restraints.  Around them were twenty-five Shailon soldiers.
Seeing the arrangement, the plan was altered.  Narwen would sneak around to where Kendro and Rikku were.  After giving three minutes for her to get in position, Jeen and Dan would cause a distraction.  With the soldiers pulled away from Kendro and Rikku by the distraction, she would be able to free them.  Jeen and Dan could easily lose any soldiers that followed them out of the nest and into the dark, everything seemed like it would go as planned.  Narwen made it around the nest to the side Kendro and Rikku were on within the time limit and waited.  Unfortunately, she was right in line with the returning patrol of ten soldiers from outside.
Her only warning was the scuffle of boots on rock right behind her.  Instinctively, she dodged to the left as a mailed fist blew through the air where head had been just seconds before.  Rolling over, she brought her sword around in a whistling arc with all her weight behind it.  The blade angled in for the unarmored section right under her attacker’s arm.
The soldier, a lieutenant from the symbol on his breast, pulled his arm back and brought his forearm around to block the blow.  Narwen couldn’t understand why he was blocking her swing with just a bracer, until they connected and her sword shattered with a blue-white flash and a shower of sparks.  Something hard slammed into the back of her head.  She noticed the lieutenant’s bracer was undamaged as the ground rushed up to meet her.

Velks stared at the limp woman before looking back up to the lieutenant in charge of the patrol.  “She was the only one?” He inquired.
“Yes sir,” came the response.
“And what of the ten that were to kill her and the other two?”
“They’re dead sir.  All ten of them.”
“So the other two are still alive.  I suspect we’ll be seeing them soon.”
Narwen was unceremoniously dumped to the ground next to Kylora’s head and the soldiers joined the rest of throng, all jeering and laughing at the two, trapped young dragons.

“Are you alright child?” Kylora whispered.
Slowly Narwen cracked open her eyes.  Her head throbbed, but that seemed to be the only damage she’d suffered.
“I’m ok.  My head is killing me, but I’m ok.”
“What happened to you?  I thought you were with Jeen and Dan.”
“I was.  We split up to try and rescue Kendro and Rikku, but that returning patrol caught me.  They’re still out there somewhere and are probably going to make a distraction very soon.  What about you?”
“They caught us while we were sleeping.  I had been working Kendro and Rikku very hard.  We were all especially tired when we went to sleep.  I’m worried about them; this Colonel Velks is showing entirely too much interest in torturing them.  Now that you’re here, something can be done about it.”

Narwen’s predicament was unknown to Jeen and Dan as they counted the seconds to their distraction.  The time reached, Jeen produced two throwing knives and Dan picked up a good-sized rock.  Moving out into the open, they hurled their weapons, Jeen’s taking two soldiers in the eyes, and Dan’s hitting one in the center of the back and sending him flying.
The reaction was predictable, as roughly five soldiers chased after them and the rest of the soldiers turned to face their direction, some moving to get a better view.  Jeen and Dan disappeared into the darkness, the soldiers following them.  A few minutes later, two utterly bewildered soldiers stumbled back out, the other three never returned.

Narwen and Kylora watched as Jeen and Dan disappeared into the darkness, followed by five soldiers.  Both knew that that would be no challenge for the two.
“You were saying we can do something.  What?”
“Shush.  Listen to me.  The reason that your sword broke is that roughly half of these soldiers are wearing a magic armor that is impervious to non-magic weapons.  Sometimes, like with your sword, they will even deal damage to an average weapon.”
The whole time Kylora was talking her tail was moving.  Unbeknownst to the soldiers, she had freed a portion of it and was now snaking it into a chest on the opposite side of her, out of view of the soldiers.  Slowly, the tail began to withdraw, clutching something.
“If their armor is magical how am I supposed to fight them?”
“You will see.”

They’re very good, Velks thought.  The legend was true on both counts.  This should make for a very interesting night.
“Five to each of the younger dragons,” he ordered.  “Climb up onto them if you wish; they can’t move.  Find a place to slide your sword in, but don’t do it yet.  It’s time we drew these two “defenders” out.”
After some minor bickering amongst the common soldiers, Velks’ orders were carried out.  Kendro and Rikku tried to struggle but what Velks had said was true.  They were secured so tightly they could not even twitch.
“Defenders of the mountain,” Velks shouted.  “We know you’re out there.  We know there are only two of you, and we have your dragon friends and the girl smuggler Narwen Hisilrandir.  Show yourselves now or you will have to watch them all die.”

Kylora’s eyes flew open in shock at the proclamation.  So that is what he had been planning.  Risking revealing herself she increased the speed of her tail in its journey towards her head and Narwen.

“Do you think he really means it?” Dan asked Jeen with some shock.  The two were just out of sight, back at where they had launched their first distraction.
“I don’t know.  I doubt he has a love for dragons,” Jeen responded.  “I’m not sure whether he would kill them though.  Speaking from a military standpoint, dragons would be invaluable.”
Both could feel the fear of their partners very clearly through their bonds.  Both sent comforting thoughts and emotions.  They would rescue the dragons and Narwen; they just had to figure out how.

Velks carefully watched the darkness.  He was sure they had heard him, but apparently they weren’t sure he was serious.  He was dead serious.  He raised his hand, signaling the soldiers to prepare to strike.  All ten raised the swords, prepared to plunge them into the holes they had found in the dragon armor.

“He’s serious!” Jeen exclaimed in shock.
“We’ve got to go out there,” Dan stated.
“You’re right.  They’ll die if we stay here.  We can attack after they’ve gotten off of Kendro and Rikku.”
Together the two walked out into the moonlit nest.  “WAIT,” they shouted.  “We’re coming.  Don’t hurt them.”

Velks smiled as he saw the two walk out into the light, their weapons sheathed.  Sentimental fools, they had fallen right into his trap.  As soldier rushed up to restrain them he turned to those on top of Kendro and Rikku.  He had no need for the dragons’ lives anymore.
“Did you here that?” He shouted.  “They want us to hurt them,” and he dropped his arm.  With glee the soldier brought their swords down and into the two dragons.
Kendro and Rikku’s roared with pain as the cold steel pierced their bodies.  Both Kylora and Narwen shouted, but their shouts were insignificant next to the primal scream that was ripped from Jeen and Dan’s throats.  “NOOOOOOOOOOOO!”
Kylora’s tail whipped the rest of the way to Narwen and stopped, dropping a sword into her lap.  The sword was a silvery metal that shown in the moonlight, but the soldiers were too occupied to notice.
“This should be able to cut their armor,” Kylora growled.  “Use it!”

Pain lanced through the bonds and blasted into Jeen and Dan’s heads.  They fell to their knees, eyes closed, heads down, quivering in rage and pain.  The soldiers had just reached them when something deep inside Jeen and Dan snapped.
The quivering stopped.  The soldiers, just about to grab them, were blasted back into the ranks by a magical shockwave.  The soldiers on top of Kendro and Rikku stopped their stabbing and turned to see what had happened.  Slowly, Jeen and Dan rose to their feet, their eyes still closed.
Another shockwave rippled out from them.  Velks could see something happening, and he did not know what.  Quickly he began ordering his men into an offensive charge to wipe out the two warriors.
Jeen and Dan’s eyes snapped open at the same time.  Jeen’s had turned completely blue and Dan’s completely green, both pairs shown with a very threatening light.  As one, they spoke.  Their voices had dropped in pitch, and seemed to be more like many voices speaking, than just two.
“You’ve harmed our kindred.  You would take the lives of two dragons to bring us here.  Now you have us, but can you handle us is the question you must ask yourself.”
“The Spirit of Dragons!” Kylora whispered with awe.  “They’re the ones!”
With a deadly precision Jeen and Dan drew their weapons and began to sink into fighting crouches, their legs coiling like steel springs.  One brave, and foolish, soldier led the charge.  With a shout the soldiers rushed the two.
The soldiers never got close as Jeen and Dan leapt from their crouches, hurtling from the ground, over the soldiers heads, and blasting into the soldiers on top of their bonded partners.  Within seconds the soldiers were dead, caught by surprised and most of them killed in the first few seconds by the powerful and enraged warriors.
Turning, their gazes locked on Velks.  He could see his own death in their eyes.  Velks could not deny the strength and skill of the two fighters, but, surrounded by his soldiers, he felt confident that he could win.  He was ordering his soldiers into formation when the unexpected struck.  A cry from behind whipped him around to see Narwen, a glittering sword in her hands, stabbing a soldier through his breastplate.  As he turned back, all hell broke loose.
Having rid their partners of their attackers, the two went on the offensive.  They ploughed into the soldiers, hacking, slashing, stabbing, and striking.  Dan hacked and cleaved, his mighty sword strokes sending soldiers hurtling through the air, blasting the life from them.  Jeen’s attacks may not have been as intimidating as Dan’s brute force, nobody went flying into the air, but they were undeniably deadly.  Soldiers could hardly draw close to him.  His staff was a blur of motion, stabbing, cutting, and bashing anything that came close while his incredible agility kept him away from the blades of his enemies.  Occasionally, when an opportunity presented itself, a knife would leap from a free hand to the face of a soldier.
Narwen fought with her back to Kylora.  She new that it was unlikely anybody would be able to hurt the great dragon and it kept soldiers from her back.  Her sword hummed through the air as she struck and parried blows.  Though nowhere near as deadly as Jeen and Dan, she was far more skillful than any soldier that attacked her.
All were powerful but surrounded as Jeen and Dan were; they were going to take hits.  A sword sliced across Jeen’s bicep, gashing it deeply.  Dan grunted as another sword slashed across his back, cutting through the leather but, fortunately, not damaging his spinal cord.  They took more hits, but the two simply shrugged off the blows.  The anger and magic coursing through them focused their entire being on one objective, Colonel Velks.
The first few soldiers with magic steel breastplates waded in expecting to be unharmed by the weapons wielded by the three.  They were dead wrong, and discovered it as pieces of armor were shorn through or badly damaged by the magic blades in bursts of blue-white light.  Many soldiers began to edge away from the three, seeing their prowess and their fellow soldiers fall.
During the turmoil, Velks tried to escape.  Working his way as far from the two fighters as he could, he turned to run, but did not.  Though Jeen and Dan had not noticed his movements in the battle, Narwen had.  With the focus mostly on Jeen and Dan, she too had worked her way around the battle and now stood facing Velks, grim determination etched upon her face.
“I’m thinking you owe me an apology,” she taunted.  “I don’t like being followed, I don’t like soldiers invading my friends’ home, and I don’t like you attempting to kill me and my friends.  You’ve got a lot to apologize for.”
Fury erupted across Velks’ face as he yanked his sword from its sheath and with a growl of anger, swung for Narwen’s head.  The blades met with a clear ring and disengaged, both stepping back into their respective fighting stances and examining the opponent’s for potential weaknesses.
Velks was the first to attack again, leading in with a deceptively swift thrust then moving into a blur of horizontal slashes at neck and waste level.  Caught slightly off guard by the thrust she was forced into a tactical retreat as she parried the barrage of slashes.  Now it was her turn to attack.  Smoothly she waded in and chopped down for his head, as the predictable block happened she rolled the sword around in her hand, bringing it in for a stab at mid chest.  Velks twisted to the side, hissing as Narwen’s sword pierced his armor and scored his side.
Completing the spin, Velks brought the pommel of his sword around in a strike to Narwen’s head, but in his anger he used more force than was necessary.  The blow was coming too fast and Narwen knew she would not be able to get her sword up in time.  Resigning herself to a headache in the morning she ducked as much as she could.  The blow glanced off the top of her head and stars exploded before her eyes, but she could still see what had happened.
Velks, in using too much strength, had over swung and was now presenting his unarmored side to her.  Mustering what strength she could Narwen shot up from her crouch and ran her sword into Velks’ side.  Shock was splayed across Velks’ face as he fell to the ground.  He cursed her with his last breath before his eyes clouded over in death.
Slowly raising herself up from the ground she looked around to see most of the remaining soldiers had fled.  Jeen and Dan were back-to-back fighting the last five, but the soldiers were cut down before she could get there.  Finding that she had twisted her ankle sometime during the fight, likely in her retreat, she used the sword as a walking stick and hobbled up to the two.
They both whipped around to face her, weapons at the ready, their eyes still completely blue and green and glowing.  A guttural snarl escaped their mouths.
“It’s me, Narwen,” she reminded them before they attacked.  “We’ve won.  Shailon is gone and Kendro and Rikku will be alright,” though secretly she wondered about the last bit.  Both dragons were unconscious and bleeding badly.
At the mention of their bondmates’ names their aggressive movements and postures stopped.  Their weapons clanged to the floor as their eyes cleared.  Then, overcome with fatigue and their wounds, they’re eyes rolled up into their heads and they fell to the ground unconscious.

Aftermath
Narwen’s sword shredded the nets as easily as it would paper.  Soon the dragons were free but Kendro and Rikku were still unconscious and bleeding.  Jeen and Dan were also badly injured in many places.  Looking at them, blood spattered all over, Narwen wondered how they had managed to fight as long as they had without showing any pain.  Many of their wounds were beyond Narwen’s meager skill to patch, and she had no idea how to help Kendro and Rikku.  Unsure of what to do, she turned to Kylora who was crouched over Kendro and Rikku.
“What should we do?” she asked.  I can’t handle this.  Do you know any healing spells that can close these wounds?”
“No child,” Kylora worriedly responded as she tended to Kendro and Rikku.  “I know of no such spells.  This is beyond my skill to heal.”
A light went off in Narwen’s head and she raced from the cavern.  She returned a few minutes later, having run faster than she ever had before, with her four healing potions.  She knew they would not be enough but they would certainly help.
Moving first to Jeen she stripped off his shirt and rubbed small portions of a potion into his wounds.  She only had enough bottles for one for Jeen, one for Dan, one for Kendro, and one for Rikku.  The potions would not be able to heal the wounds in such small doses, but they would slow or stop the bleeding.  Quickly she moved on to Dan, repeating the process.
With Kendro and Rikku it was more difficult as their wounds were very deep, though it appeared none of the swords had hit any internal organs.  She tried rubbing some of a potion into a wound on Kendro, but the dragon’s blood flowed too freely to allow the potion to soak in.  Narwen ripped a sleeve from her shirt, ripped it in half again, and poured half the potion into one half.  Wadding the cloth into a wet ball she placed it into the deepest wound, blocking the flow of the dragon’s life’s blood and hopefully doing some healing.  She repeated the process on the other of Kendro’s worst wounds and on Rikku with her other sleeve.
A large bag flew through the air to land at Narwen’s feet.  The bag made clinking sounds, as if filled with money.  Narwen turned to Kylora, who had tossed the bag from another of her chests.
“There’s enough gold in that bag to buy several acres of land.  Use it to buy as many of those healing potions as you can,” Kylora ordered.  “We’ll need every one.”
“Ok, but how am I going to get to Nete to buy them?  It’s still a two-day wagon ride just to get there.”
“I will carry you on my back.  I can get you to the village in a matter of hours.  I do not need to go around the mountains to reach the village.”
“But if you’re taking me who will protect them,” Narwen asked as she gestured towards her injured friends.
Kylora smirked as she looked in the direction Narwen was pointing.  Narwen looked to see what was funny, and her eyes widened to the size of dinner plates.
“We…can take care...of ourselves,” Jeen stated as he used his staff to pull himself to his feet.  Dan was doing the same with his sword.  Their wounds were far from healed, and they obviously pained the two, but they were both standing and looked ready to take on anything that challenged them
Narwen eyed them critically.  “Considering you injuries, you two should’ve been unconscious until some time tomorrow.  You shouldn’t even be standing.”
“Let them be, child,” Kylora told Narwen.  “They won’t be able to peacefully rest until Kendro and Rikku are alright.  We must hurry if we wish that to be.”
Dan and Jeen nodded their agreement and watched as Kylora and Narwen left the cavern.  Jeen stumbled his way over to Kendro, Dan to Rikku, and began checking the dragons’ wounds.  They too saw the seriousness of them and were glad their bondmates were still unconscious.  If Jeen and Dan’s wounds pained them as much as they were, they couldn’t imagine what Kendro and Rikku might feel.  They took their shirts and, following Narwen’s examples, tore them into long strips and filled as many of the stab wounds as they could, stopping the flow of their partners’ blood.

Outside, Narwen was mounting Kylora for the flight to Nete.  Kylora was far larger than Kendro and Rikku, making it more difficult for Narwen to get on.  Kylora ended up having to lye down and help Narwen up with a foreleg.  Kylora’s neck was too wide for straddling, so Narwen had to sit back on it and hold on to a neck ridge for support.  She was obviously worried about the coming flight but Kylora assured her that she would not let her fall off.
The sun had not risen yet but the sky in the east was lightening.  The sun would rise soon and Kylora wanted to be well away from the mountain when it did.  A few soldiers had escaped and if they saw her and Narwen leaving they might go back to the cavern.
Kylora sprang up into the air, Narwen holding on for dear life.  Rising high into the air she made a beeline for Nete.  At the speed she was flying, it would only take a couple hours to reach the town.  Soon they passed over the mountains that Narwen would have had to spend a day going around to then through the pass, if she’d been using her wagon.
The sun was just rising over the horizon as Kylora landed in a thick patch of woods not far from the town.  Narwen slid down and off Kylora’s neck.
“I’ll be waiting here for your return,” Kylora told Narwen.  “Remember, we are short on time.”
“I will,” Narwen responded before she raced off through the trees.
As she neared the edge of the woods, and the town’s gate, a few of her smuggler sensibilities surfaced.  Don’t give away that you are rushed or are in dire need of a product, the seller will always jack up the price if you do.  She slowed to a walk and meandered out of the forest and into the town, the bag of money slung over her shoulder.
Making her way to the alchemist’s shop she was relieved to see that he was opening as she arrived.  She had been worried that she would have to wait.  The alchemist was delighted when Narwen bought his whole stock of healing potions, all fifteen of them.  Wrapping them in cloth for protection she put them in the now significantly lighter moneybag and went back outside.
Kylora was right were she’d been.  Narwen jogged up to her and opened the bag, showing the potions she had purchased.
“Hmmmmm, those will help,” Kylora mused.
“Only help?” Narwen asked with surprise.
“Yes, only help.  We dragons do not respond well to healing potions.  These will heal Jeen and Dan.  They will help stop the bleeding and maybe close some wounds on Kendro and Rikku, but they will not be able to fully heal them.  They will have to finish the healing the natural way.  Dragons heal relatively quickly, and will even make them stronger as new scales will grow over those wounds, but they will still have to spend a long time on the ground and in the cavern.”
“So there’s nothing more we can do for Kendro and Rikku?”
Kylora sighed.  “No.  There is not.  The most that can be done is the comfort that Jeen and Dan can give them by being fully healed themselves.  The pain they feel; the others feel.  They share the pain; and in healing Jeen and Dan, we greatly reduce the pain that all four are feeling.”
Narwen didn’t really understand, but that didn’t matter to her at the moment.  She scrambled up on to Kylora’s neck and secured herself and the bag of precious healing potions.  Kylora coiled her powerful legs and leapt into the air, gaining enough room to complete the first critical down stroke of her wings, which lifted her into the sky.  She skimmed the treetops then rose into the air once a safe distance from the town.
They returned with best possible speed to the cave.  Jeen had fallen asleep after doing his best to clean Kendro’s wounds.  He was leaning on the dragon’s side and seemed to be relatively comfortable.  Dan had done his level best with Rikku and was now standing watch.  It was actually more like leaning watch as his sword was taking more of his bodyweight than his legs were.
Narwen rushed into the cave and heaved a sigh of relief at seeing all four still alive.  She first used some potions on Dan, as he was the only one currently awake.  They then woke Jeen and Dan patched him up while Narwen moved on to Rikku.  Slowly she withdrew the bloody bundles of cloth and put a whole bottle per wound.  She repeated the actions with Kendro.
What Kylora had said was true.  The wounds did not heal, but the blood flow did stop.  The injuries became less enflamed and more healthy in appearance.
Kendro and Rikku opened their eyes.  Immediately Jeen and Dan felt the pain come through their bonds, though greatly reduced.
“Wha…What happened?” Kendro shakily asked.
“Last thing I remember is being stabbed,” an equally shaken Rikku added.
“You guys did get stabbed, badly.  Velks and his soldiers had gotten us to come out then they attacked you,” Jeen told them.
“After that we…we…I don’t remember,” Dan told them.  He frowned, his brow furrowed in thought, but he couldn’t remember anything after his rage and pain at seeing Rikku injured.  Jeen couldn’t remember either.
A tale of a great evil in the West, and an empire of men. A world where dragons were thought to be extinct, and that empire was unchallenged in its supremacy. A shadow spread over all the lands within the empire’s domain. Then, without warning, two brilliant lights of blue and green shone through the darkness.
© 2003 - 2024 Kaoshin
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sheepranch's avatar
Wow! I didn't realize deviantArt had writing. This was very well done. I started here at part 3 and was impressed. Will there be more? It could go either way--this is the end or Jeen and Dan find out what happened and who exactly the spirits of the dragons are.
Thanks for sharing.