It takes little hesitation to say that I am afraid every time I go to war. The feeling eats at my mind as the seconds pass, and as both sides approach the land between. It is an unspoken admission for each warrior, ally or foe, and I look to both sides of our wall of shields to see what is unsaid, and to see how well some are able to hide the truth behind their growls and sneers. I watch as some of them bring their scales out from their skin prematurely, regardless of what is ordered by those in charge, and I can not blame them; naturally, our scales will surface as a defense mechanism, and we are unable to help it, nor would we wish to. I have such control to wait for the command, but our enemies will be alarmed to the deceit, and so there will be no point to surprise them.
So I brought out my scales, which are as auburn as my hair. I do not think my commander would care by now, as we were so close to the enemy that we could see the smallest detail of paint on their shields; A crescent moon to signify a bow, and four arrows— one each representing the four points of Teles, the land of the elves. The land of Teles used the color white, in honor of the moon, but these shields were colored red. The land of Teles had been at war with themselves for a millennium. History says that the southland, known as the South Star, were the first to branch from their kin. I never really paid attention to know why, nor did I care. We are in Dractalemh, and they are invaders. That is all I cared about.
Dractalemh is the land of the drakes. We are skin-changers, descended from the dragons of old. The dragons, says legend, disappeared from the lower plane to live in a land in the clouds, one unknown to those who dwell below. The elves had befriended the drakes during the First Fall, and the destruction of most of our race. They took some of us in, so I’ve heard, and helped us back to our land; and now, they were attempting to seize it from us. This is what we are told, and why we are fighting, and why we are now staring our enemies in the face, few paces away now.
The lines stopped. All was quiet, save for the few commanders who shouted down the lines. I heard my commander, the Lord Lumient, repeat our orders as was his turn to do so.
“Shields ready!” the order was shouted. He spoke in the language of the Red Sky, a noble branch of the drake-folk, so as not to be understood by our enemy, and he spat some words to emphasize his hatred of the enemy, ”front rank! Ready flames! Second rank! Ready spears! You all know what to do! You are dragons! You are feared! You can not lose to a bunch of pointy-eared bastards!”
There were some excited shouts, but most of us stayed quiet. The enemy line shifted. The front line dropped to their knees and slammed their shields into the ground, while those behind in the next rank put their shields on top of those in the front. I sharpened my vision to see the cracks between the walls, and though I was not the only one to notice, I shouted a warning anyway.
“Lord!” I shouted in Red Sky above the noise of weapons being shifted,” archers between the shields!”
The Lord Lumient bridled for a moment, clearly wanting the scaling tactic to be a surprise, but then he growled.
“Defend yourselves!” he shouted,” Scales on! Now, advance! Slow!”
We started forward, the rest of us who did not have our scales before bore them now. I watched closely at our enemy, searching for a fault or a shift, but there was none. Before, in our battles with the elves, they would see our scales and become nervous, but that was not so here. I could see the determination, even some smirks under the helmets. We did not use armor due to our scales being natural shields, impervious to most damage, but something made my feet shuffle awkwardly, and I tripped slightly in the grass. That hesitation caused the elves to fire a volley of arrows between their shields. We kept forward, knowing we would not be affected. Paces now from the enemy, enough to where our second rank could throw their spears if they wished, and the feeling of fear I had evolved into dread. I looked to my left and saw my closest ally had been punctured by two arrows from the volley. They jutted out from behind him, one arrowhead from his left shoulder blade and the other from his abdomen. He took a couple more steps forward, seemingly unable to comprehend the pain he felt as the blood dripped down his dirtied scales, and then he fell, writhing slowly on the ground.
It was when he dropped that I realized he was not alone in being felled. At least twelve other drakes had fallen, some held by those near them as our lines began to break in confusion.
“Reform the lines!” Lord Lumient shouted,” Reform damn you! Rodwir! Get your front rank in line! Now!”
I didn’t have time to react to my name, but I did not disobey. The second volley was being prepared, and so I breathed in, mustered the energy I had from the distress of the moment, then spewed out a stream of flame to ignite the grass at the feet of the enemy. They reacted as one would when fire suddenly combusted in front of them, which bought me enough time to regain my men’s attention.
“Kragen! Drecc! Reform your shoulders!” I shouted at my shoulder warriors. Each drake grabbed two men and dragged them forward. We now had a small line of seven, and we stared down a shield wall of about sixty elves.
“Numbers are nothing! Spew fire!” I shouted,” on my command! Breathe! Now!”
The fire that my line spouted had joined like a wall, covering the entire enemy line in a wall of flames. I shouted for them to hold for as long as they could as I turned. Lord Lumient had gathered a few more drakes and had ordered them to assist, and they ran past me as I went on to control the disarray.
“We are drakes!” I shouted,” we do not fear mortals! On your feet! Rejoin the line! Get it together! Spears to the front! The flames are dissipating!”
I picked up a drake who had been trying to revive his dead comrade. I threw him back towards the fight and ushered a few more through. Our line was still shorter than before the fight began, but this was enough. The Lord Lumient approached me, and I turned back around to watch the fight from behind, assuming a position of command I did not want, but was bestowed in the heat of the moment.
“Second rank! Fire support!” The front line’s fire died, and the second rank’s fire went over their shoulders. The enemy had called to back their line a few steps due to the heat, and our front line stepped forward.
“Attack! Now!” Lord Lumient shouted next to me, and the front rank stabbed forward, engulfing themselves in the fire. I could not see what was happening from this position, but the fire began to die down again. I heard a whistling noise and looked up to see the second volley of arrows.
“Brace! Shields high! Third rank, defend your fellow drakes!” I shouted and instinctively moved forward, but the Lord Lumient grabbed my shoulder. I growled, wanting to be with my comrades, but I forgot my temporary assignment. I turned to hiss at him.
“Lord, I need to see what’s happening. When the fire comes, we cannot see the enemy!”
“Then you wait for the fire to dissipate, as was done before,” the nobleman growled back,” you will learn soon enough.”
“With all due respect, commander, I do not wish to learn! I wish to fight!”
The aftermath of the second volley wasn’t as damaging as the first, as we knew now that their weapons could hurt us more effectively than we anticipated. Our third rank melded into the second and first, creating a longer line in an effort to overwhelm the enemy’s front rank. The front line had also succeeded in breaking the enemy’s shield wall, and the onslaught began. A lot of the drakes did not even use their weapons; their animalistic nature kicked in, a burdening stench of blood reaching even my nostrils from this far behind as I watched my kin rip into necks and collars with their teeth, use their claws to shred past the armor plates and into stomachs; bursts of short flames from throats coated the faces of elves who were unlucky enough to suffer such a brutal end, and there was no stopping the predatory lust we drakes rarely feel in what was known as a civil age of the world.
The enemy stood no chance once the line had been broken. The only survivors being saved by either myself or the Lord Lumient as prisoners, and those drakes who could not hear our orders over their uncontrolled hunger were reprimanded and put in chains. They would not stay in chains long, perhaps for a day or two, but they would not share in the celebration of our victory, and that was punishment enough.
I found Kragen and Drecc, who were both uninjured to my relief. They smiled at me in greeting, and as a fellow warrior I felt ashamed in return.
“I am sorry,” I said in Red Sky. They looked puzzled.
“What for?” asked Kragen.
“I should have been by your side, fighting with you,” I growled, and in reply, the two looked at each other and laughed. I raised an eyebrow in curiosity.
“Yer worried about that?” Drecc asked, amused, then swiped his hand through the air carelessly,” there’s no need. You did what none of us could. You took initiative. You brought at least half of us back into the fray. We only won because you led us.”
I stared at him for a moment, then shook my head, frustrated at his reply.
“I don’t want to lead!” I growled,” I just want to fight.”
“I’m not saying what you want or don’t want, Rodwir,” he chuckled,” I’m only saying yer good at leading. Do I want to follow yer orders? Hell no. But in the heat of battle, you made it work. And it doesn’t matter what I want either. What’s more than likely going to happen is Lord Lumient is going to recommend you for an officer position. And you can’t say no, so that is unfortunate.”
I growled at that, and Drecc laughed again. The three of us walked the field to look for survivors on both sides, and when we were unsuccessful, we headed back to our allies. The army went back to camp from there, which was stationed in a ruin from before the First Fall. I never learned the original name for it, but in our age we had named the ruin Azmond’s Temper. Azmond was our king who, after the First Fall, went to the Lower Plane to recover our ancestry and bring it back to Dractalemh. From what I heard, he united his own clan with those from the Red Sky, and has indoctrinated the speech of the Red Sky for all younger drakes to have a language of their own, which included myself. We have elder speech as well, but none of the younger drakes used it; I only knew how to speak it because I was, at a point, a liaison between the lands of Teles and Dractalemh, and I would be expected to use elder speech again to translate what these captured rebels were saying.
I did just that. I had been summoned a few hours later, when the moon rose and the campfires were lit. Lord Lumient’s personal servant came to find me sitting around my fire with Drecc and Kragen. He called me by my full name, which was entirely unexpected, and fairly discourteous from outside the family. He must have been a younger drake than I, and rarely ever talked to drakes who were not noble, so considered himself family to Lumient’s line. I decided to correct that.
“Do you call the Lord Lumient by his full name?” I attacked him, and he looked at me with a blank expression, perhaps a bit of confusion.
“Sir?” he said with a clear tone of propriety. I stood up from the stone I sat on and approached him.
“Say my name again,” I challenged him, my hand on my sword’s hilt. He did not seem to care of my threat or, rather, he could not tell I threatened him at all.
“Sir Rodwirblodwendsundragetr,” he repeated my name. I growled, then began to draw my sword slowly, but I was stopped by Kragen, who put a hand on my wrist.
“Young sir,” Kragen said with a disarming smile,” forgive him. He is tired.”
I looked at him, but Kragen shot me a look that told me I should not speak. I almost did, but then the servant cleared his throat.
“I am unbothered,” he said, without emotion,” I am here only to serve my lord.”
“Must have been, what, sixty? Seventy elves?” Kragen asked, as if the servant did not speak. He shared his gaze between myself and Drecc, who smiled sweetly back to him. I did not understand the joke, but the servant seemed to stiffen.
“ If… the sir would come with–” he started, but Kragen interrupted him more carelessly this time.
“Oh and the high-pitched screams and their expressions as we tore them limb from limb! How we did lose ourselves in the horror of it all,” he had a sort of song to his voice,” There was one especially I will keep fresh in my mind for a while. He tasted almost like–”
“ Enough!” the servant shouted. His eyes widened as he realized what he had just done, then he reddened as he seemed to take interest in the texture of his boots. I caught on then, and I laughed.
“You’re an elf!” I snorted,” of course you wouldn’t know proper drake etiquette. Very well, servant, I will follow. Take me to the Lord Lumient.”
I could see the look of disdain on his face, but he nonetheless guided me to the high tent which, when we entered, I could see it was not just Lord Lumient who occupied the space. There were three other drakes, all but one embroidered in fine clothing and circlets on their heads. The last was bare chested, with long white hair reaching down to his waist and a seemingly perpetual growl on his face. He clenched his topaz circlet in one hand, as if refusing to wear it, and he alone did not look over to me as I entered.
The elf shuffled hastily over to Lord Lumient, who bore an opal circlet to flatten his shorter golden hair. I saw as the servant leaned into his ear, speaking with haste in a frustrated tone. He stared at me, a short look of puzzlement at first, but then smiled softly and shook his head.
“Don’t mind him, Tegrit,” he said, amused,” as a matter of fact, you should apologize to the drake. You did insult him, no matter if you meant to or not.” The elf looked at him, but knew he could not argue, and so he turned to me and bowed reluctantly. He said his apology in a formal tone and I just nodded at him, so the Lord Lumient waved him away. When the elf left, the nobleman opened his arms to me in a casual greeting.
“Welcome, Rodwir,” he said,” and may I say, congratulations on your first command.” I bowed dutifully.
“Thank you my lord,” I said,” though I hope I do not need to lead again anytime soon.”
The Lord Lumient exchanged glances with another of the nobles, who nodded back to him in affirmation. Without looking, he reached behind him with one hand to grab a rolled up parchment, then raised it in front of him to reinforce his next statement.
"I have here a document requesting your services as a tactical officer. I and the others here have all signed our blood." He offered the parchment to me, but I hesitated. He did not move and, to break the awkward silence, I lifted my arm to take it, but he did not let go. I stared into his eyes, watching his soft irises grow sharp.
"You do know what that means?" he asked me, coldly. I adjusted my stance slightly.
"I do."
"And you realize this is not a request?" His eyes seemed to pierce into my mind, reading what I was thinking, and I had little doubt at the moment to believe otherwise. I nodded my head slowly, and he let go of the orders, then I returned to my original position.
A blood pact. Some strange magic the drakes held with strong beliefs. It was not uncommon for two drakes to make such a strong decision, but for three nobles to put their faith into one insignificant drake was extremely unusual; and I was intimidated. In a usual situation I could refuse, but this was war. These were orders, and on these written orders was the blood of three drakes. I do not know if this was allowed in the army, but it was done, and I would have dishonored the four nobles by refusing, while, at the same time, disobeying orders I was directly given. They trapped me.
"Now," Lord Lumient said, crossing his arms behind his back. He spoke now as if he had not just signed me into chains," please, honored lords, let us convene. Rodwir, if you'd please join us."
I nodded grudgingly. Tegrit, the elf servant, returned along with three other servants, who each had chairs and set them in a circle in the middle of the tent. They left, but not before Tegrit shot a look at me. I took note of that for the future, then sat down in my chair as the others took their seats as well. Lord Lumient stood in front of his chair, then respectfully introduced me to each of the lords before sitting down himself.
The lord with a ruby embedded in a silver circlet was called Branverd. His shaggy hair and beard were both orange, and his eyes a dark blue. He looked a bit weathered, though he must not have been much older than I was. He said nothing as he was introduced, but offered me a polite nod, to which I returned.
The noble with a plain silver circlet was named Hestal. He beamed at me as if we were old friends. a strong, perforating stench of burned sage and rosemary radiated from him, and it took all I had not to wince as he, too, greeted me with a nod. His blonde hair was slicked back, held in place by his circlet, and I had a sense of unease staring into his emerald eyes.
"A pleasure to meet you, young drake," he said. His light voice was a bit raspy, which could have explained the smell. I knew some drakes inhaled different leaves, but sage and rosemary was quite a unique pairing.
The next drake to be introduced was Cean of the Red Sky. He was older, graying in the roots with some streaks in his black hair. His left eye was yellow and the right was discolored; a scar streak noticeable in his pupil. He seemed stern, but greeted me politely in a deep, elder voice.
"Greetings. Rodwir, was it?"
"Yes, lord," I replied, and he ran his fingers over his graying, braided beard.
"It sounds familiar…" he said slowly, as if trying to remember why. I blinked, curious myself, but then his mouth fell agape. "Ah! The son of Redwing!"
"I am, lord," I responded with surprise," my father was not at all famous. How do you know him?" The elder drake smiled softly.
"He served under me for a time," he said, putting his arm back down to rest on the chair," when we first adopted the titles of the Lower Plane, such as chieftains and thanes. It was a governing plan from our first ruler, Azarül, that we later deemed fit to put into effect."
At the mention of Azarül's name, the noble with the topaz circlet looked up, seemingly in disgust, at Lord Cean. I wasn't certain, but I thought I could hear a quiet growl in the room for a half second, but Lord Cean did not seem to notice, and neither did any of the others, so the lord continued.
"Your father served as a chieftain under me, in my lands to the north. I was, truly, devastated to hear of his recent passing."
I moved uncomfortably in my chair, which beckoned the Lord Caen to ask for my thoughts.
"I… my father sent me on my own when I was old enough to defend myself," I said, a hint of anger slipping my propriety," I found two others who's fathers did the same, and we had been together since. I assume it is a tradition, but have no concrete knowledge of it."
"It is an old ritual, one made during the first era of Red Sky, to abandon children to their fates.”
It was the drake with the topaz circlet who spoke and, when he did, the air in the tent seemed to change. He stood, and the others copied him. As I was a lesser drake, I needed to follow etiquette; so I, too, stood, but the fact the others would stand for the quiet drake itched my mind with questions. Who was he? Why was he so important? He was not King Asmond; of that, I was sure, but the noble, I realized now, must have been of royal descent. I would soon have my answer.
“It is a ritual we do not condone any longer,” he said, then looked at me with his piercing hazel eyes,” if your father still lived, the Lord Caen would have made sure he was punished.”
“My lord,” I said with a disarming smile,” it is of no consequence. I barely remember him, let alone care for him. Besides, the family I have now I am grateful for, and would not rid myself of the bonds I’ve created.”
He gazed at me for a short time, and in that short time I watched his eyes change from stern to understanding, and then he turned his whole body to me and put his hand on his chest, then bowed slightly.
“I am Tsu’caro,” he told me casually, but I did not act in kind. My eyes twitched as I understood, then I dropped to a knee and lowered my head.
“L-lord Prince,” I stuttered, and I thought I heard him make a trilling noise. He seemed amused.
“Rise, young drake,” he said, and when I looked at him, I saw that his casual demeanor had left just as quickly as it came. I found that curious, but I did not address it. However, I did embarrass myself further.
“Tsu’caro the White,” I chirped, like a youngling,” The Serpent of Snow! The White Breath!”
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I slapped my forehead in disbelief, and after a pause I looked around the room, and the others looked at me in questioning amusement. I cleared my throat and felt my face redden, then stood from the ground and collected myself. The Lord Lumient looked over to the prince, received a nod in return, then beckoned for everyone to return to their seats. We each obeyed, then continued the conversation, thankfully ignoring my outbursts.
“Aside from appointing the young drake his new position,” Lord Lumient gestured to me with one hand,” I’ve also brought him here as a witness. Our side of the fight had witnessed something we have never encountered before.”
He pursed his lips and performed a high and short whistle. A few heartbeats later, a servant brought him a white rag. He nodded to excuse the servant before unwrapping the item, which contained an enemy arrow from the field of battle. The lords seemed disinterested at first, but were open-minded to the events, and so the Lord Lumient went on.
“This arrow was pulled from the stomach of a scaled drake,” he said, then looked at me. I winced, believing I knew how close the arrow was to taking my life,” Sir Rodwir can confirm its origin.”
“I can,” I said, without hesitation, receiving the attention of each noble,” I watched many of these arrows kill many of my kin in a matter of seconds. We were lucky. None of us were ready for so rare a death. Although the Lord Lumient ordered us to stay in our mortal shapes until the time was right, it is not uncommon for a drake to feel enough fear to scale by accident.” The Lords Caen and Hestal nodded their understanding, while the rest remained quiet.
“If they did not,” I continued, taking a deep breath to calm myself from the memory,” then I’m sure the slaughter would have been worse. Some of the arrows were not straight enough and bounced, but the straighter arrows punctured straight through, as if fracturing the scales on impact. It is very odd. I know not of any material that could break our scales so easily. Our kind generally has an, admittedly, unfair advantage by a few hits before our natural armor begins to wear out.”
Tsu’caro was quiet again, both in body and in spirit, it seemed, as if he was meditating. The Lords Caen, Hestal, and Branverd seemed to murmur for a moment amongst themselves as Lord Lumient looked very serious at the arrow he placed on the table, trying to find the smallest detail that could give away its origin.
“Perhaps mithril?” Lord Branverd guessed, though he did not seem to truly believe that. Prince Tsu’caro shook his head.
“Mithril resides in Esterebor,” he replied,” with the dwarves. Unless the elves invaded, there would have been no way of accessing their mines.”
“It doesn’t look like any stone I have ever seen,” said Lord Caen,” though a close relative could be quartz. I know of a branch of drakes who are susceptible. Quartz and gold are easy to find together, pretty much anywhere.”
“Must be a weak bloodline,” Lord Hestal added, helpfully, but received a glare from Lord Lumient.
“It so happens I am allergic to quartz,” my commander blinked slowly at him, but seemed to ignore the slight insult,” and I was able to touch this arrow without problems. It is not quartz.”
Hestal growled in acknowledgment, which Lord Lumient took as an unofficial apology and seemed to straighten again. The council seemed to be at a loss. We questioned our history as well, but nothing from even our eldest noble, Prince Tsu’caro, could be proven effective enough to pierce our natural armor as these arrows had. The council decided to adjourn, without much further deliberation. The Lord Lumient stated that we would reconvene the next day to speak of our next point of interest, and to make sure that my particular handful of troops were well-rested, fed and watered.
I bowed in my dismissal but, before I could leave, the Prince approached me. He said that he wished to speak with me in private, and I agreed without a word, so he led me out of the tent and we walked together in silence for a few heartbeats. We paced around a few fires, checking on the drakes in discreet acknowledgement, but no one brought up any concerns and so we continued on. We had just reached the outline of the ruins when the prince turned to look behind him, as if to be sure no one followed.
“What did you think of the other nobles?” he asked me under his breath. I stared at him, making sure I understood the simple question, then shrugged my shoulders casually.
“I’m not so much in a position to give my opinion on those of higher rank than I,” I responded, but he growled at me. So, I suppose he wanted my opinion, and I could not disobey a prince. “Of course, I respect the Lord Lumient. I have served under him since the war started.”
“No longer,” the prince said simply.
“Lord?”
“We’ve given you a position of authority. You no longer serve the Lord Lumient. Was that not clear?” he showed no expression on his face; nothing for me to read clearly.
“I… apologize, lord prince,” I hesitated,” but I did not believe being a tactical officer would give me a power of authority. Rather, I believed I would sit behind a desk in a tent and away from the fighting, but I would not be in a position of command.”
He could hear the ire in my voice, but said nothing about it. Instead, he told me that I would still be on the field, but would be directing the flow of events from behind. The tactician status was nothing more than a glorified command post and was, in fact, more of a compliment than I took it.
“But you would rather be in the shield wall,” he said, then shrugged,” I understand. I love to fight as well, but we need our brightest in a more safe position.”
“I understand,” I growled, and he looked at me with a short smile. He asked me to continue my thoughts of the other nobles, and I did.
“The Lord Hestal seems to have a bright mind, as well as a high regard for the drakenfolk race– considering what he said about bloodlines– but I fear he is too spiritual. He probably believes the gods determined the outcome in our favor today, and doesn’t seem to care much about this new threat.”
“Indeed?” he asked me, and I nodded.
“The smell of sage and rosemary stems were strong on him. Personally, I think he used too much. Probably explains his mood, must have had one large headache from all the smoke.”
Tsu’caro crossed his arms and stared off into the night sky. He made no gesture for me to stop, so I kept going.
“The Lord Branverd may have seemed disinterested at first, but I think it is a stoic nature. I’m sure he would do what he can to get to the truth of the matter, especially for his penchant for precious stones. Given what we know, I suggest we hand the prisoners over to him.”
“A penchant for precious stones?” the prince asked me, and I pointed to my forehead.
“He has a ruby embedded in his circlet,” I explained,” none of the other nobles had one. Not even you, lord prince. It’s only an assumption, anyway.”
“An accurate one,” Tsu’caro nodded,” but I interrupted. Please, continue.”
“The Lord Caen seems to hold his own line in high regard, and given I’ve only had such a short time with him, I can only assume he is an honest drake with a lot of pride. The scar in his eye, and I’m just guessing, was from a personal duel between two different families, over some poor words said or even a land dispute. You would know more than I, considering he is the closest kin of all the nobles to your line.”
Prince Tsu’caro blinked at me,” What makes you say that?”
“He announced himself under the Red Sky title. Which, I can only assume, is an introduction from the old times of the family, when such things mattered enough to say.” The prince did not respond to that for a moment, but then he began to chuckle softly. I looked at him inquisitively, watching as he seemed to think to himself.
“The Lord Lumient chose correctly, it seems,” he said, and before I could ask any questions he continued,” you are right on all accounts. I have known each of these drakes for a long time now. The Lord Caen, indeed, is a cousin to me. Branverd inherited our ancestral love of precious stones, and Hestal is very much spiritual. In fact, he is also half-elvish. I am surprised, after all I heard, that you did not catch on to that.” I chuckled shortly, then shrugged.
“Nothing gave that away, to be honest,” I turned to face him,” so what is this? An interview of sorts?” He shook his head.
“Confirmation,” he said simply, then decided to change the subject,” I would, indeed, keep my eye on Hestal. I do not hold any prejudice, but sometimes it can be hard to choose a side. In fact, our enemies are swayed to greed and prejudice, even to their own kind. They believe, incorrectly, that drakes and elves should not intermingle, and even go so far as to say the drakenfolk have had their time in the waking world, as well we hold too much power.”
“My apologies, lord prince,” I interrupted him,” but I care not of the politics of war. I only want to keep my pack safe.” He stared at me with his piercing hazel eyes and, instead of arguing, nodded his understanding, then spoke no more of it. I knew, at some point, the politics of it all would be important to me, but I believe he would allow me to stay innocent at least for tonight.
“I have a niece,” he said instead, which surprised me,” and I haven’t seen her in quite some time. I love her dearly. Do you know how possessive a drake can get when he loves too much?”
“I do,” I said,” my pack, for instance.”
“What are their names?”
“It is a small pack, lord prince,” I explained,” Kragen and Drecc. As I said before, we were all abandoned by our kin, and so we found each other and, gradually, made our own family.”
“Have you decided on a name?” he said, and I pondered for a few heartbeats.
“No… but I am sure we will come up with something,” I said,” will you tell me more of your niece?” Prince Tsu’caro shifted his feet to a more comfortable position.
“She is… precious to me,” he said softly,” and, aside from my wife, Irlaede, the one kin I would give up this line of work for. But she inherited a love for battle, as well is very talented in it, but I made sure she stayed at the palace, with her father and mother.”
“The princess Vysedda,” I said, and he nodded,” I would not have expected a princess to enjoy battle, but I suppose she is a drake, after all.” He smiled at that.
“I will advise the Lord Branverd to interrogate the prisoners,” he said, then touched my shoulder before walking past me,” return to your pack. Enjoy the time you have with them. And most importantly, make sure they are safe. Tomorrow, we set out again. Goodnight, young drake.”
I bowed dutifully, and he left me alone. It took some time before I decided to move from staring at the stars, but I found my way back to the fire that warmed both Drecc and Kragen, as well as two other drakes who seemed to be sleeping. I sat down heavily, showing how strong my exhaustion was, and Drecc cleared his throat while Kragen raised an eyebrow. They waited a moment before either of them began to barrage me with questions, but the questions came nonetheless.
“So?” Kragen asked, taking a bite from a piece of bread before handing it to me. I swiped it with a bit more force than intended, then ripped out a bite before speaking.
“They forced me into a blood pact,” I growled, and they each gasped shortly.
“What?” growled Drecc,” why did you not decline?”
“I had no choice,” I whistled, and a servant brought me a pot of ale. I waved her off and she bowed before leaving for the next task.
"Hope she gets some rest soon," Kragen said," it will be a busy day tomorrow."
"I am now under blood oath by four nobles that my orders are to be accomplished without fail, or so doom me to a tarnished reputation," I spat, then drank from the pot," I could not refuse official orders."
"Those bastards," Drecc growled," just because they hold a noble rank, they treat us with contempt."
"The prince said it was a compliment, though I fail to understand that," I said.
"Which prince?" Drecc asked.
"Which do you think?" I growler, but when he did not answer I groaned," the Lord Tsu'caro. Who else?"
"Well, I know he is young, and maybe inexperienced, but the Prince Tallam could have been making the rounds," Kragen offered in Drecc's defense. I shook my head.
"Prince Tsu'caro said his niece was at the palace, and so it only makes sense that Prince Tallam would be there as well. It wouldn't make sense to put the royal line in danger."
"But… Prince Tsu'caro is here?" Kragen asked.
"He is of a different line, like a branch family," I explained, a little harsh in my tone," so he is a bit more expendable, for lack of a better word. It does not matter, anyway. The point is, I don't get to fight with you." I gulped down more ale from the pot before offering it to no one in particular. One of the drakes, who had been asleep, woke up, and thought I offered it to him, so he grabbed it from my hand and made a gesture before taking a drink. Drecc was silent for a moment, but then spoke after he deliberated with himself.
"Does that mean you can technically choose your own officers?"
It took me a moment, but then I realized he was right. I was allowed to assign my own ranks, and I laughed. I continued to laugh when the pot return to my hand, much to the curiosity of my fellow drakes. We drank a bit longer, mostly in silence, before we went to sleep.
The next day came, somewhat abruptly to my mind, and I was summoned to the main tent. We were to go north, to a small settlement called Swenherd; a place named for the many pigs that were raised there. It was an important trade station for Lower Plane items and, consequently, high in elvish traffic. At first I thought the worst; that we would raid the settlement and kill all of the elves, but that was not why we were here. Upon reaching the settlement, we saw an army forming in a field to the immediate west of the town. One of the captured elves must have let it slip where the army had formed, and what an army it was. I asked Kragen, who could count better than I or Drecc, to tell me the numbers, and he estimated the army to be around three hundred strong. Drecc whistled, and I growled. We had a slight disadvantage in numbers, sitting with our combined forces at around two hundred and fifty, but we now knew of a new material the enemy was going to use that would put us under equal chances, and that worried me.
The army must have noticed us because four riders on horseback started towards us from the field, a white banner displayed over their heads. A moment later I got the news that I would be a part of the parlay, and so I received a horse myself and trotted forward. The other three who would match the enemy numbers were the lords Hestal, Lumient and, to my surprise, Tsu'caro. I said nothing of it when I reached the nobles, and we continued on to talk with the enemy.
We stopped a few paces away from them and the elves removed their helmets. I noted a look of hesitation on Lord Hestal's face, but said nothing. Two had long, blonde hair and pale skin and looked exactly alike, while the one holding the flag had a darker tone and brown hair. The leader– I assumed he was the leader– had a red tint in his hair, brought out by the sunlight. His hair otherwise was a darker shade of yellow than the presumed twins, and his blue eyes sparkled with an apparent joy of being here that I, personally, could not help but despise.
"Greetings, lords," he spoke in the elder tongue. His voice was a higher pitch than I would have expected," I must say, it is unfortunate that we have to meet under banners of war."
"Sir Rodwir," Lord Lumient spoke in elder, rather formally, raising a hand to gesture towards the one who spoke," this is the Lord Clíomteas."
"A smelly piece of shit," Hestal growled in Red Sky, which garnered a brief negative reaction from Lord Lumient, who continued in elder.
"Lord Clíomteas here is a lieutenant in his ranks, the only one above him the leader of this rebellion, the Lord Aragaduas. I assume these others are lords as well?" Clíomteas sighed.
"I suppose under the rules of a parlay, I must also introduce my friends. The twins there are not nobles, but they do hold a high rank. They are Spíernehoic and Laensolas. The darker one is indeed a lord, and you may have heard of him. The Lord Ursun."
Lord Hestal bridled at the name, and I assumed Lord Ursun's army was the one he fought on his front, and he must have lost. The dark elf smiled innocently, but I could feel the animosity between the two. They stared at one another for a few heartbeats before Clíomteas spoke again.
"I regret the loss of life on both ends," he said, with a false sense of sorrow," however, we are ready for you to surrender, so that no more bloodshed can occur."
"I suspect you know of a drake's pride," I blurted out. The elf looked at me, astonished, but I was not halted by the noble drakes, and so I continued," we will not so easily surrender, especially not when we need to."
"Pray tell? When will you realize when you have lost? Was it not enough your kin was destroyed by a handful of arrows?" He chuckled," my army would not be felled by such a small attack."
"Ah yes, so we feasted on your corpses, then piled the remainders high for the crows," I growled, proud of my barbs. They seemed to sting him a little, because I saw him wince, and so I ended him. "I do not believe this parlay was successful, especially since we are talking to the dead. Lord Prince?"
Prince Tsu'caro, who had been quiet the entire time, smiled softly. He nodded to Lord Lumient, and the noble shrugged.
"Well then, I suppose it is time to fight," he said," it is too bad we could not reach an agreement."
"L'acabras," Prince Tsu'caro said, interrupting him. There was a moment of silence, and even the elves looked startled.
"Are you certain, lord prince?" I growled at him, but he did not respond. He only stared at Ursun, who had a slight twitch in his face. He was battling himself over whether he should accept the personal challenge, but decided instead to turn his horse.
"I will fight you on the field of battle, lord prince," he chuckled, but we all saw his cowardice. I could not blame him, however; Prince Tsu'caro was feared on both sides as one of the most dangerous beings alive, and a fight to the death would certainly end in his favor.
"Not very wise, young drake," Lord Lumient said, without fervor.
"A drake after my own heart," the prince trilled.
"I just didn't see any point in continuing the conversation," I growled," I am sorry if I overstepped." The Lord Lumient shook his head.
"There is no need for apologies. I fear it would have ended the same."
We began to ride back to our line and, this time, it was the Lord Lumient who asked me of my thoughts. So I told him; the twins looked young, of course, and probably were. They were more than likely inexperienced in war, which gave us a certain advantage on whatever flank they were stationed. I did not know much of Ursun or Clíomteas, though I could say they both held such feelings of superiority, as if they were above it all. Clíomteas, for one, thought this battle was a waste of time, though I was sure we would prove otherwise, while the lord Ursun was probably the more dangerous target. He remained calm, though the prince's challenge had caught him off-guard, and that was interesting.
"Perhaps it is a fear of battle," Lord Lumient offered, but the prince shook his head.
"I doubt it," Tsu'caro scoffed," I think he just did not want to die senselessly when others, in greater numbers, could do it for him. It certainly lowered my respect for him, however."
"I'm sure that's all that matters," I blurted out, which surprised even myself. It seemed I was becoming comfortable rather quickly in my position, but the others took no offense. In fact, they laughed about it. I was relieved, but it was the only time we could feel such relief before we were thrust into a bloody battle, with no knowledge of which side would prevail.
I jumped off my horse, bid farewell for the time being to the nobles, and waited for them to leave my line of sight. When they dispersed into the crowd of warriors, I took a position between Drecc and Kragen, who looked at me curiously.
"I thought you were to stay behind the army," Kragen pointed out.
"To hell with that," I said with a hint of amusement," I want to see for myself how this goes."
"Perhaps not as well as you'd think," a drake said from behind me. I did not recognize the voice, but I chuckled anyway.
"If I were to die today, it would be known that I died fighting with my pack."
The horns sounded. As our section's commander, I was the one to call the advance. We did so ever so slowly, raising our shields as we paced forward.
I have been in many battles, but never one as big as this. I have rarely seen a drake fall to a sword, and never to an arrow; but yesterday proved to be a first for the drakes, and today would prove to be a first for everyone. We all were unsure of what was to happen. We were all in the dark as to whether we'd live or die. As was yesterday, and as was in all of my other battles, I watched as some of my warriors puked, or shouted insults, or even made jokes to ease the tension. Until the last second— until we saw the white in the eyes of our enemies under their decorative helmets— we would do what we could to feel without fear, and the fear was there; ever-present like a dark cloud hanging over two hundred and fifty drakes. It would haunt us until the last, when these new arrows would puncture our scales, or the new swords would slice open our stomachs, and the spears would rip into muscle and out through our backs. Until the last breath.
Then it started. We did not expect it, but a volley of arrows could be heard whistling through the sky. I called to raise shields, but only those near me could hear my order, and the arrows thundered like hail into my shield, and into that of my closest allies who were unfortunate enough to mishear me.
"Scales on! Shields high!" I called over the noise. We had our own archers this time, and I beckoned a flag-carrier to wave the signal. A moment later and we returned fire, enough for the enemy's front rank to raise their shields.
"Second rank! Pass on! Spears down and charge!" They started forward as the front rank, including myself, kept our shields up. We protected them as well as we could until they no longer had shields over their heads, but it was a moment too late before I realized this was what the enemy wanted. I watched as the front rank separated, and the enemy's second rank stepped forward with arrows, drew back, and released.
"No!" I called out," Kregan! Drecc! Reform the front rank! Pull back as many speardrakes as you can!"
I reached out myself, but an arrow hit my hand, scratching a scale and bouncing upward to hit my cheek. I ignored it, putting my shield forward instead and charged to protect our defenseless speardrakes. The enemy took advantage of the disarray and charged forward themselves, a small battle of swords ensuing on my flank.
"Fight on! Give no ground!" I called, but it was the only thing I could say. I only thought of my mistake in joining the fight, and I knew if I were to make it out alive I would be reprimanded; so I did something foolish instead.
I charged forward, lifted my sword-arm, and brought it down on an enemy. They parried with their shield, leaving my back open for a slash, but I turned quickly and pushed the sword-arm to the side, then stabbed the elf in the side. His blood was immediate, and his scream of pain loud, but I pushed him off of my blade with my foot and went on to the next, who swung at me largely, his arms over his head. Before he could being his sword down, I thrusted my sword upward and it went into his chin, then lowered him quickly before gargling a flame in his face, melting the skin as he cried.
I had no time to check my surroundings as I dropped the new corpse; a spear-elf charged me, so I hit his spear back-handed with my blade then went in for a lunge, but he had a fellow elf block my attack with his shield. I stepped back, regained my footing, and allowed them to adjust themselves for an even fight. I nodded, then the spear came forward, but it sliced my cheek as I dodged to the left, then I spat a fireball at the sword-elf, who blocked the flames by raising his shield. Immediately, he thrust his blade forward, and I parried it to the right and tried to shoulder him into the ground, but not before he used his shield to block the impact, and I shoved the blade into an acute opening, breaking his ribs as I lifted him slightly into the air, then headbutted him with a roar as the spear-elf came for me, stabbing my shoulder with the spear-tip and causing me to wince; a mistake on my part, for the sword-elf was still barely alive, and he sliced at me sideways as he toppled backwards, cutting my chest open and breaking some of my scales. I watched the shattered bits fly in front of my eyes, and I growled my anger at such a foolish mistake. Never close your eyes, my father told me. It was one of the few pieces of advice he gave me before he set me off on my own, and at the time I did not understand; but in the many battles I have survived I grew to understand it, and I felt ashamed to forget it now.
The wound on my chest was enough for me to fall to my knees. I had yet to feel such pain, and it was overwhelming. My vision blurred from the intensity, but I kept my sword ready. I could still sense them. I could still fight. I kept telling myself I would survive this battle for the next, but the truth was otherwise. I was to die, here and now, and pay for my many mistakes on this day. The enemy approached, ready to put me out of my misery; I looked up to the sky and watched another volley of arrows, curious to see if any would hit me before I died, but none did, and I lowered my head to see the blade coming for me. Time seemed to slow in that instant, and I wanted to close my eyes and feel the embrace of death, but I was too proud. I growled one last time in defiance.
The blade did not strike. In fact, I was pushed to the side, and I rolled in the bloody grass, biting into a patch of dirt. I groaned, blinked, then winced as the pain came again. I rolled over, then sat up and watched the chaos around me. I looked to my left to see my fellow drakes retreating. I heard in the distance— a far distance, distorted by a pulsing in my ears— a horn sounded, and I looked to my right. I saw many dead on both sides, but there were more corpses of drakes than elves, and I tried to get up to retreat myself. I could not move very well, so I slipped back down into the grass. That was when I noticed Kragen, my friend, staring at me with unblinking eyes and an agape mouth, two spears and three arrows sticking out from his chest. The blood pooled around him, and I could feel the fear in my heart rising.
"Commander!" I heard faintly, but I ignored it. I began to scramble backwards, whimpering as I scraped into the mud made by the blood of my kin. Again, the word sounded, but again I could not focus.
"Commander! You must get up! Now!" I heard, and then felt a sting on my face. Someone must have slapped me, and the hit successfully brought my focus back into the fold. All the noises came as if they never left, and I turned to see a sword-drake offer their hand, and I grabbed it.
The stranger helped me up, and we began to run, retreating from the mess and from the defeat. The enemy let us run, and I could hear cheers of victory as we hurried away. I have never felt so ashamed; nor, I told myself, would I ever feel that way again.