The map was yellowed with age, but it was the only one that showed the whole expanse of the old empire. There were tears along the edges and a suspicious red stain to one side that hinted at wine. It showed locations of all the major cities, but many small towns and hamlets had sprung up since the creator drew this work. Unfortunately for Gersius, this was the most accurate map he had to use. It was spread over the table as Tavis, Ayawa, and Thayle waited nearby for him to say something.
“There are still bandersook packs in this area,” he said and gestured to the western edge. “I want dragon flights over the region and send the southern warriors to hunt them out of the woods.”
“You are stretching your reserves too thin,” Ayawa said from where she leaned against the wall behind him. “Overworking them too.”
He knew it was true, but there were scattered packs of the savage beasts all over the western edge of the empire. He couldn't call on these regions to send troops to the front when their very homes were threatened.
“I just don't have enough men to garrison the whole border on the east and hunt for monsters scattered across the west,” Gersius sighed. He looked up a moment when strong hands came to his shoulders, and Thayle started to rub the stress away.
“Why not allow the women of Ulustrah to start sweeping the west. We have more than enough of them to send at least ten groups of fifty to ensure success.”
“Pardon my saying so,” Tavis spoke up. “But even with ten such groups, it would take you months to sweep the west, and bandersook move quickly.”
“They breed quickly as well,” Ayawa added. “If they aren’t driven out soon, they might actually start growing.”
Gersius nodded as he hung over the map chewing on a thought that made Thayle lean in closer.
“It isn’t your fault,” she whispered.
“No, but I am the one they will blame for it,” he replied.
He had been emperor for just over a month, and the first one was spent traveling to the valley and back. Thankfully Tavis and Ayawa were on hand to run the city and start the process of rebuilding, but his absence had been noted. Many of the lords of distant provinces felt no loyalty to him. The few that did express loyalty were either in danger of being invaded by the Doan or plagued by bandersooks. He realized that he should have been here to grab the fledgling empire by the throat, but how often does a man get to see his dragon wife lay her first egg?
Now he was back, and his problems had only multiplied. He needed to find a way to aggressively hunt out the bandersooks before they slaughtered every farm on the western borders. So he sent Sarah and Numidel out daily to fly over the region and dive on the beast. They killed the monsters by the hundreds, but many hid in the forests protected from the skies. They hunted at night, terrorizing farms and small villages, and every human they killed was a cry to the emperor for help.
“I need more men,” he said at last. “But Gams was very dire in his warning that the northern Doan army is missing. I don’t dare move men in the northwest until I can establish its position.
“And you would need to take the dragons off bandersook hunting to fly over the northlands,” Tavis added. “Your damned if you do and damned if you don't.”
Thayle sat on the edge of the table and caught his gaze. He loved the shape of her eyes and the kindness that often graced her face. The war had been hard on her as well. By far, the women of Ulustrah suffered the heaviest in the march to Calathen. Now they were police forces and garrisons all around the capital city. Several thousand of them were on the front-facing the Doan, and the few that were left were blessing farms and families to try and restore order. Still, hundreds of her temples were empty of a single priestess, a fact that would likely remain until the war with the Doan was finished.
“What about the dove shields?” she asked.
“They are a defensive formation,” Gersius pointed out. “They don’t fight effectively on the attack.”
“What about a bounty on bandersook heads?” she suggested. “That will encourage hunters to start slaughtering them.”
“And will lead to the deaths of hundreds of people desperate to make a few coins,” he replied and stood up. “Every villager who fancies himself a hunter will go out alone and be torn apart by a pack of twelve.”
“I see your point,” Thayle sighed.
“Please, I did not mean to sound harsh,” Gersius added quickly. “I just need to solve these issues before I can call on troops, and not knowing where the third Doan army makes it worse.”
“They are obviously someplace in the northern wilds,” Ayawa commented. “Circling behind the mountains to drop on you from the west.”
Thayle followed Gersius’s gaze to the map as he studied the land north of the mountains.
“So this was all once part of the empire,” she asked as she traced a finger over lands long lost.
Gersius nodded. The lands had once been heavily settled, but they bordered the northern wilds and were subject to invasion of trolls, orocs, bandersooks, or worse. Many of the faiths used to keep large garrisons in fortified keeps in the north. When the empire finally fell apart, many of these keeps were abandoned, and the monsters started to get through. Over the next hundred years, more and more land was lost to the wilds and eventually the entire region. Only the mountains slowed the spread acting as a natural wall to the terrible things that lurked on the other side.
Ayawa came to the table beside them and looked over the old map that still showed the lost provinces.
“They could be using the old road here,” she said and tapped at the map. “For all we know, they have been working for months to clear it and are now marching down it.”
Gersius followed the path of the road as it slowly curved around the mountain arriving just west of Calathen. “I have no choice but to ask Lilly and Shadros to fly over the mountains and look. That way, Sarah and Numidel can keep hunting the bandersooks in the west.”
Thayle put a hand over his and drew his gaze so she could speak. “Then let me send the ten groups of my women to help at least. Even if it's slow going, it will show the people we care about their plight.”
Gersius nodded. It was a good idea but what he needed was a hundred such groups.
Ayawa turned around to sit on the table and folded her arms as Gersius continued to stare at the map.
“So, I haven’t heard anything from you about how strange it is the Doan are sitting still.”
“They are not sitting still. One of their armies is moving,” he replied
“You know what I mean,” Ayawa countered. “The other two armies are sitting tight just out of sight of your defenses. They have given up the advantage they had in the early war.”
Gersius was well aware of the strange behavior of the Doan. Had they pressed on the defenses in the hill, they would have won and been inside the empire. By the time he reached Calathen, they would likely have already encircled it and be laying siege to it. Yet, they didn't move on the defenses. Instead, they seemed to be digging in and forming a defensive line of their own. It was almost as if they were waiting for something to happen before they moved. Whatever the cause, Gersius considered it to his good fortune, but the not knowing why haunted him.
“I have no idea why they are not attacking,” he said at last. “But I am glad because it gives me time to prepare.”
“Do you have a plan for if they attack?” Tavis asked as he tipped his hat low.
Gersius did have a plan, and Gams was already working on it. A reserve army was set aside to rush to any point in the defenses liable to break under assault. Of course, it was under strength since he couldn't draw from most of the provinces yet. He needed to resolve the issues behind his lines and free up those reserves to strengthen that army and go on the attack.
“Has Sarah returned from her hunting?” he asked, avoiding the question.
“She came back an hour ago,” Thayle said. “She found some bandersooks but not enough to make a real change.”
“I need her saddled and ready to fly south,” Gersius said in a dire tone.
“South?” Ayawa repeated. “None of the southern provinces are loyal.”
“I know,” he replied. “I am going to change their minds.”
The room was silent until Tavis approached the table to look at the aged map. He tipped his hat up as he leaned over the map and ran a finger over the southern provinces.
“An act of aggression might unite them against you,” he said.
Gersius nodded but looked to the map and pointed to the largest province in the south. “Then let me make my point where they think they are strong.” He looked to Thayle, and she hurried away to find Sarah and deliver the message.
“So you are going to declare open war,” Ayawa asked.
“No, I am going on a diplomatic mission,” Gersius replied with a flat tone.
“With a red dragon at your side?” she added.
Gersius finally smiled as he turned to meet her gaze. “I want them to meet my wife and decided if they want her breathing down their necks.”
He walked down the terrace path to the garden set aside for the dragons to land. He had workmen building a wall around it so they could change in privacy, but the work was not yet done. Sarah was already in her dragon form when he arrived, wearing the dragon knight armor and his sword strapped to his side. She was talking to Thayle, but both women turned to regard him as he approached, and Sarah narrowed her eyes.
“You want to frighten them,” she said as he got closer.
“I want to talk,” Gersius said and arrived beside Thayle. He looked up at a cloudy sky swept by a slight wind and nodded. “If they don't want to talk, then I frighten them.”
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
A massive redhead lowered, and two blazing eyes that danced with fire looked him in the face.
“Husband, you want me to frighten them. How far are you prepared to take this if they are pig-headed?” Sarah asked.
“I will burn them from their thrones,” Gersius said. “We are the empire, and I cannot afford to ignore outright insurrection. I asked them to come to me and declare their allegiance. I will humble myself enough to go to them and get it instead. If not, they will be replaced.”
“Well, let’s go. I want to be back to dote on my daughters before dinner,” she complained and laid as flat as she could on the ground allowing him to use the ladder on her side.
Gersius climbed up and took a seat at the front of the saddle before strapping his legs down. Sarah watched it all before raising her head high and spreading massive red wings. With a jump, she beat down, and her scaled form rose into the air, slowly gaining altitude.
“Good luck,” Thayle called as they rose high enough to turn away. “Let’s hope this doesn’t end in another war.”
Sarah flew at great speed, her sleek red form tearing across the sky below the clouds. She looked like a goddess and turned heads on the ground as people looked up and shook to see a dragon passing over.
“So what finally forced your hand?” she asked over the bind. “I thought you were determined to resolve this peacefully?”
“I need soldiers, and I need them now. I will force the south to declare their loyalty and then use their armies to sweep the east free of bandersooks. I hope that in a month, I can march both the south and easts armies to the west and go on the offensive.”
“What about the lumber and trade routes in the south?” Sarah asked.
“I need that too, and the farms in the east free to produce for the war,” he replied.
“Yes, especially since many of the farms in the common lands have refused to trade with us,” Sarah agreed.
“They will come around once the empire is fully established,” Gersius assured her but had his doubts it would be that easy. The common lands were a bunch of small farming kingdoms. They were rich in good soil and vast herds of sheep and cattle, but they owed no allegiance to anyone.
His arrival as emperor created a vastly powerful neighbor right on their borders. They were now bickering that the priests of Astikar had done them serious harm by rounding up the women of Ulustrah and even fighting in some towns when people tried to defend them. They held the empire responsible for these occurrences and now refused to trade with them. It was true that farming lands relied heavily on the blessings of Ulustrah, but that was no reason to be hostile. Gersius and his family had restored order and would soon be able to return those missing women to temples all across the common lands. The hostility wasn't about the women or the absent blessings. It was about stumbling his fledgling empire before it became a power none of them could hope to rival.
“Maybe we need to pay some of them a visit too,” Sarah said, indicating she was reading his mind.
“No, I will help them come to the table after the wars are done when I mass troops on the eastern borders. Once news of the size of our armies reaches some of these small kingdoms, they will see reason.”
“Diplomacy by force of arms,” Sarah replied.
“If it is the only form they will listen to, then so be it,” Gersius replied with a sense of being tired.
Sarah flew on as the land passed beneath them. Gersius had come to enjoy flying. It filled him with a sense of detachment as if the problems below were somehow beneath him and no longer his concern. He began to relish the time they spent in the air as small escapes from the burdens of running the empire. When the southern provinces came into view, that sense of escape fled. It was replaced by a burning desire to end this debate once and for all.
Once the farms of an outlying city came into view, Gersius had Sarah turn and head for the walls. She circled high above and gave the inhabitants a roar to stir them up, then headed off as this wasn't the capital.
A half-hour later, a much larger city came into view, and this time she flew low and roared loud enough to rattle to the rooftops. Climbing high, she let out a burst of flames, filling the skies above the city with smoke and fire. They circled above for almost ten minutes to ensure every citizen knew they were there. When bells started to ring, they headed for the castle. It was a modest building built for ridged defense, but that was useless when the attacker could fly. He noted the banners flying the old kingdom emblem of a horse over a sword in white on blue. There was a strange absence of any banner that even remotely resembled the empire, but that would soon be rectified.
Sarah flew over it with another burst of flames, darkening the sky before circling and spreading her wings wide. To the amazement of all watching, she slowed and flapped. She dropped into the yard of the castle with a great crash that was felt through the city.
“The first one of you fools that attacks me will be burned to ash!” Sarah roared. She was so tall with her head held high that she could look the men on the tall walls in the face.
“Where is king Vanders?” Gersius demanded from the back of the saddle. “Tell him this emperor and empress have come calling.”
Men moved away when Sarah gazed at him, and those at the castle doors ran inside and bolted them.
“Do they think I can’t tear those doors from the walls?” Sarah asked.
Gersius smiled and stood on the saddle, eyeing the men on the wall as he drew his sword.
Sarah snaked her head down to regard the doors to the castle with a sniff. “They seem to be slow in response. Shall I knock?”
“We don’t want to cave his doors in just yet,” Gersius replied and looked to a balcony level with Sarah’s shoulders. A thin man in fancy black and gold garb trembled as he stepped out and eyes the two with terror.
“And who are you?” Gersius asked.
“Malison Vanders,” the man said. “I am the king's son.”
“Where is your father?” Gersius demanded as Sarah lifted her head high to regard the man causing him to flinch back.
“My father is in the south, in Nibenland on the southern border,” he said in a stumbling voice.
Gersius stepped to Sarah's shoulder to see the man more clearly. The barest hint of his light came, but it was enough.
“Why is your father in another kingdom? Why isn't here helping organize the empire?”
The thin man took a step closer though he trembled terribly. “The borders in the south with Ivillstead have been invaded. The southern tribes and the Imenie kingdoms further west see the empire as weakened. So they are taking advantage and plundering your lands all across their borders.”
“Why was I not told?” Gersius demanded.
“My father sent a rider a week ago with news and took his army south to help restore the line,” the man said.
“Well, it looks like we have some loyalty in the south after all,” Sarah remarked.
“But we're at war, and we didn't know it,” Gersius growled and headed for the saddle.
“My emperor, is something wrong?” the man called.
“Your rider never arrived. I have had no news about your allegiance or the state of affairs in the south,” Gersius shouted back as he took his place. “Sarah, take us south. I need to see if we have to send support.”
Sarah nodded and spread her wings, bathing the yard in a cloud of dust as she batted her way into the air. In minutes she was tearing across the sky southward as the two talked and considered their options.
“Hmm, a king who wasn't too proud or greedy to lend aid to his neighbors,” Sarah said.
“I am rather impressed myself,” Gersius agreed. “But what happened to his rider?”
“Did you see the boy's light?”
Gersius nodded; he had indeed seen it. Through all the fear came the light of truth. The king had indeed sent a rider and gone to reinforce the border. Hopefully, his empire wasn't already shrinking as opportunists from the south ate away at his weakened underbelly.
Two hours later, they were flying over heavily forested hills when Sarah spotted plumes of smoke in the distance. She veered for the clouds using her sharp dragon eyes to scour the ground.
“I see men in ranks falling back,” she pressed over the bind. “It looks like a battle is ending.”
“Who is the winner?” Gersius asked as she spread her wings and reached far with her neck to see more. “There are horsemen with red and black running down men in blue and white.”
“We lost,” Gersius growled and strained to see around Sarah's massive shoulders. As they got closer, he could see the battle lines as flags flying a sun with crossed spears chased down the blue and white horses. He could also see nobody was paying attention to the sky, and the cavalry was lining up for a charge.
“Sarah, dive on that formation, let them know why we are called the dragon empire.”
She rose up and then folded her wings in a dive. The line was perfect. Men stretched out five deep in a long row. They knew nothing of the danger until a tremendous roar filled the air, followed by a sound like a hurricane. The battlefield erupted in a dazzling light that was quickly drowned out by black clouds, and burning men and horses ran in all directions.
Chaos erupted below as formations ground to a halt to see the sudden appearance of a dragon. Sarah climbed high and banked, coming down again, this time at a vast pack of spearmen that started to scatter.
“They know their doom is at hand,” Sarah laughed as she passed over, catching whoever she could as she burned a line of death across the landscape.
“Burn a line behind them. I want to drive them broken at our lines,” Gersius instructed.
Sarah banked and placed a long thin line of fire to cut off their retreat. Then she landed behind it and crawled over it with a menacing growl. Men that were in full retreat turned and fled the other way. Just as Gersius hoped, the broken formations of his allied provinces were reforming and rallying.
Sarah snapped and growled, driving the mass of men back and breathing fire to the sides to discourage them from going around her. The result was to drive the panicked mass of men to their dooms when the allied formations finally began to march. Once the battle was fully engaged, Gersius turned his attention to other formations now retreating into trees. He had Sarah return to the sky and make one last use of her fire. When he found the banner of his enemy riding hard with a group of twelve in fancy armor, he had Sarah reduce them all to ash. With the enemy commanders dead, the rest would flee home with tales of dragons and fire falling from the skies.
Sarah then landed on the battlefield, and Gersius stood tall on her back to survey the aftermath. There were banners from a dozen houses of provinces, but no group was as large as the province of Altermier. Sarah turned sideways to ensure the distant men could see her size and the man standing on her back.
Gersius strode to her shoulder as she folded her wing down, and he called in the dual voice as loudly as he could.
“Men of the Dragon Empire, your Emperor and Empress have come! There is no time for a lengthy speech; bring your wounded here, put anyone close to death before the dragon.” He began to climb down and reached the ground only to find none of the soldiers had moved. “Do as I command!” he shouted in a voice that echoed with power and caused his eyes to burn with red light.
Quickly men began to move, but with them came wounded crying out not to be fed to the dragon.
“Do not be afraid, men of the empire,” Sarah said as crying men were put by her feet. “I am well fed.” With that, she began to chant to Astikar, her voice echoing with dragon power. She carefully touched wounded men, and they were engulfed in golden light. Gersius went to the less severely wounded and began to sing a different song, mending cut, and lance punctures.
“You’re the Emperor?” one man asked as he mended a badly gashed shoulder.
“I am,” he said when work was done. He moved on to another man with a mangled hand and broken arm. It was obviously trampled by a horse, and his face showed he was in terrible pain. “The pain will end soon,” he assured him and began Balisha's song. Golden light flowed across the arm, and the man winced as cracking sounds were heard as the limb straightened.
It took nearly half an hour with Sarah doing most of the healing to the amazed looks of the soldiers. When at last it was done, Gersius was tired, and the armies of the southern provinces were gathered round.
“Are there any more?” Sarah asked. “Even a tiny injury, come forth, and I will mend it.”
“All are well,” came a deep voice as a man in ornate armor walked forward. “Never did we believe our rescue would come from the Emperor himself.”
“And empress,” Gersius was quick to add and turned to point at Sarah. “This is Sarah Dra’Udwan, Empress of the dragon empire.”
“Forgive me,” the man said and fell into a deep bow. He was only a few paces away in armor caked in mud and the toils of battle. He reached up and took away a battered helm to reveal a man of long years and bearded face. “King Leonis Vanders,” he said with a tired smile. Seven other men approached behind him, and he introduced them as various kings and archdukes who had united to try and stop the raiding.
“I am sorry we did not come sooner,” Gersius replied. “I never got your message.”
“No doubt he was intercepted,” King Vanders replied. “Our enemies have slipped spies and assassins all through our lands. We have hardly been able to communicate between ourselves.”
“I have to send messages under guard,” one of the other kings added.
Gersius heard a list of complaints and even assassination attempts. The whole of the southern border was lost, and the southern tribes held half a province east of them.
“Do you think Ayawa could turn them around?” Sarah asked.
“We will ask, but I suspect we will have to drive them out,” Gersius replied.
“So it is true you consider a dragon to be your wife?” one of the kids asked.
“I have two dragons as wives,” Gersius replied. “But you must have heard the secret behind it.” He turned to Sarah and gave her a smile.
“What? Here?” she asked.
“Only if you are desire. I only wanted them to see your second most beautiful form.”
Sarah lowered her head to sniff at him and let out a low purr. “Flattery comes too easily to you.” She lifted her head high and began to shake the ground as she paced away, leaving the lords and the army watching in silence.
“What is she doing?” King Vanders asked.
“All of you pay careful attention to what you are about to see. Your empress is going to share her secret with you. Consider yourself deeply honored,” Gersius replied.
They watched in shock as a massive cloud of black smoke suddenly engulfed Sarah. It roared like a tornado and rumbled with thunder. There was a flash that made men cry out and cover eyes with a raised arm. A moment later, there was a fire in the smoke, burning on the ground to create a curtain. They waited a few minutes until a dark form moved in the flames. Out she walked, her hips swaying and eyes burning like the fire she passed through unharmed. Sarah was taller even than Gersius, and she commanded attention as she strode forward in a black gown tied at the waist in gold belts. Her hair was pulled back through her golden ring, and her ears hung with red stones. Around her neck was the dragon necklace Gersius had given her, giving her as regal a presence as any man had known.
“By the divines!” men cried as she arrived beside Gersius.
King Vanders took the knee first, but the other lords and the army quickly followed him as men fell in supplication.
“Hmm, I rather like this response,” Sarah said.
“Forgive us; we had no idea. The rumors only said she was a dragon,” King Vanders pleaded.
“She is a dragon,” Gersius replied. “Even in this form, Sarah is a dragon and is very dangerous. Please, stand. I need to know more about the situation in the south.”
He listened in detail to how the borders had essentially collapsed. Now all the towns and farms in the regions were overrun. The lords needed to take the fight into the enemy's lands, but the Imenie kingdoms had gone to great lengths to undermine them. Spies, saboteurs, assassins, and more were scattered across the land, sowing discord.
“The southern tribes are nearly all archers,” one of the kings added. “They fall back while shooting, making it hard to engage them in a direct flight.”
“I may be able to get the southern tribes to leave on their own,” Gersius replied. “As for the Imenie kingdoms, I will send a very different message.” He asked the Lord to do their best to hold the lines until he returned and bid Sarah take her dragon form again.
Once she was changed and saddled, he climbed up and promised to return with help soon. With that, they flew north, determined to be home before dark. His plan was simple he had four dragons, his enemies did not. He would bring the war to their lands from the air and make them pay for every transgression.
As they flew home, Sarah offered to burn the capitols herself and send them a message they would never forget. Gersius was readily in agreement. These fools assumed he was weak and launched an attack. It was time to dissuade them of their foolish notions.