Hatch (The Dragons Of Laton) (56 page)

At the entrance to the cells she frowned in disgust. In all the excitement, Tirate’s men had left the cells unguarded. Obviously Tirate should have let her take control of all prisoners. She picked up a key and a lantern at the guard’s station then walked down and unlocked the heavy wooden cell door. When it swung open, she put the lantern on the floor and glowered at the girl. “It appears I have no more use for you anymore.”

She expertly twirled the knife in one hand, and with the other, flashed the golden ring on her finger. “Your dragon friends have come after all, and although I am quite sure Tirate can hold them off, if by some chance they manage to succeed, I’m sure your husband would be upset by my…somewhat less than gracious hospitality towards you. It is a shame though, I do so enjoy our little talks.”

For the first time, the faintest hint of fear flashed across the girl’s face and Liah couldn’t help but smile with satisfaction. She took a slow step forward and focused intently on the girl’s eyes. Over the years she’d become exceptionally skilled with a knife, and by watching the eyes, she knew exactly how her victim would react. As she moved her prey tensed to fight. So she still had some spunk left in her after all! Too bad there wasn’t time to drag this out a bit longer. It would have been quite…entertaining.

In a feigned move, Liah slashed the knife in front of her and forced her victim back. At any moment the girl would charge and she would slip the knife between her ribs and it would be over. No matter how many times she did this, she still felt a thrill go down her spine. Steadily she backed the girl into the corner until there was no place left to go. She watched the eyes closely, any moment now…suddenly El smiled.

Confused, Liah braced herself for a lunge. Nobody ever smiled at her just before they died! Strangely, the girl leaned casually against the wall and crossed her arms just as a faint scraping noise whispered through the open door. Instinctively Liah spun, ready to stab whoever was behind her, but it wasn’t a man or woman that met her eyes. Of all the things she could have seen, nothing horrified her more than the sight of the accursed golden dragon standing in the doorway with its teeth bared and glowing eyes. Before she could even think about defending herself, it streaked across the cell and knocked her to the floor, ripping the knife from her hand. Laying on her back she froze as razor sharp teeth hovered menacingly a hairsbreadth away from her face.

El reached down and picked up the knife then stood over Liah twirling the blade just as she had done earlier. Liah felt her eyes widen. “You wouldn’t dare!”

El smiled sweetly and pointed the sharp tip at Liah’s throat. “Get up.”

The little dragon slowly withdrew, and she cautiously stood up. She brushed the dust off her silk robes and straightened her hair, then stuck her delicate nose up as regally as she could. With her hands on each hip she announced, “By the right of marriage to King Tirate, I am the Queen of Gaul. To kill me is an act of treason!”

The girl leveled the knife at her throat and spoke slowly and deliberately. “Tirate has no right to the throne, by birth or any other claim. The House of Thayer has even submitted to Ammon, House of Les-Celest, ruler and king of DoTaria!” She suddenly reached out and jerked the ring off from Liah’s finger. “Which makes me the queen by right of marriage. You however, are the unfortunate wife of a traitor and a scoundrel who will likely be hanging in the square before nightfall.”

Liah felt her mouth drop open. “Ammon is a…king?”

El’s smile grew even wider. “Yes he is. This tiny little outpost you call Gaul is merely an ancient colony of the greater kingdom of DoTaria!”

The dragon twitched his tail impatiently towards the door and El nodded. “Yes, Fulgid, I think it’s time we leave now.” She backed up until she was in the hallway and started to close the cell door.

Liah nearly threw herself against the door in desperation before it closed. “Wait! You can’t leave me here like this!”

The girl paused and sighed. “You’re right, I can’t just leave you this way.” She tucked the knife into her belt and motioned for her to come forward. Relieved, Liah quickly stepped forward and was about to pass through the doorway, when suddenly a fist struck her in the face hard. She toppled backwards from the force of the blow and landed in a heap on the cell floor. She brought her hands to her face and sobbed as she heard the door slam shut. “No! How could you? You broke my nose! YOU BROKE MY NOSE!”

***

El threw the keys onto the guard’s desk as she followed Fulgid out, stopping only briefly to throw her arms around Fulgid and hug him tightly. “Thank you my dear little dragon! Thank you!”

He snorted out a tiny puff of smoke before loping down the hallway and she ran to catch up. He stopped at a large doorway that led through an empty kitchen and down a dark staircase to the street. Above them on the palace walls, she could hear men shouting as they scrambled to their stations. She couldn’t help but smile as she looked up at the massive swirling cloud of dragons overhead.

They hugged close to the walls and shadows and finally slipped down an alley that emerged onto a narrow street to the front of an abandoned inn. Above the boarded up windows hung a faded sign depicting a sliver dragon curled around a mug of ale. Fulgid pushed the door open with his nose and went in, and El cautiously followed, closing it behind them. Inside the common room it was dark and dusty and obviously unused but Fulgid marched straight to a room in the back. At the doorway he paused to wait for her, and she grasped the latch and whispered. “I hope you know where we’re going!”

The door swung open and light spilled out from numerous lamps within. A small ragged looking group of men and women looked up in surprise as Fulgid sauntered into the room, his golden scales glittering. El paused a moment before clearing her throat. “People of Gaul! The dragons have returned!”

***

Ammon paced impatiently as he eyed the city in the distance. It had been nearly an hour since Boris had delivered the demand for surrender and so far the only response had been the sudden closing of the gates. “How much longer should we wait?”

Boris studied the city walls in the distance, making careful note of the movements of men in the guard towers. The seriousness in his voice was unmistakable. “We’ve waited long enough.” He knelt down and cleared leaves and twigs from a patch of dirt before drawing a rough map of the city with a thick finger.

“When I left here with Eric, there were crossbows mounted atop the city walls above each gate and spaced about four or five paces apart all along the perimeter walls. The palace appears to be similarly armed as well. We should be able to break through the outer city wall fairly quickly and then…”

“Wait…” Ammon’s attention was suddenly pulled away as he peered intently through the trees. “She’s free!”

Boris frowned. “What are you talking about?”

Ammon smiled as the tiny bubble in the back of his mind nearly burst with pride. “Fulgid has El!”

Boris rose slowly to his feet and carefully wiped the dust from his hands. “Ammon…I know this has been difficult for you…”

Ammon slapped Boris on the shoulder. “Fulgid has her out of the palace and they’re hiding somewhere in the city, now it’s our turn!”

***

Even inside the dimly lit room, the flickering flames reflected brilliantly off Fulgid’s golden scales and drew shocked stares from the men and women. After a long moment of silence, an elderly man stepped forward. His rusted mail armor clinked softly as he adjusted the antique sword at his hip. Faded emerald eyes set deep within a weathered face peered curiously at Fulgid, then at El. His voice was cracked but he spoke with authority.

“The dragons have returned ya say? Aye, that any fool could see that just by lookin, but what good is it to us? Good King Erik has died and left Tirate on the throne to persecute the innocent! Every day one of us disappears never to be seen again, and fewer and fewer are fortunate enough to escape to the countryside. Now with the dragons here to serve him, no place will be safe!”

An elderly woman fiercely grabbed his arm from behind. “Meader! Shush! Yer gonna get yerself tossed in the block!”

The old man patted her hand but straightened his stooped back defiantly. “Aye, I probably will, but I’m tired of livin’ this way. A man ought have a right to say things.”

El shook her head. “You don’t understand! The dragons have returned to overthrow Tirate! Erik is alive and well…but…” She paused for a moment and wondered how to explain Ammon’s rise to power. Quickly she decided this was not the time or place. “Erik has allies from a foreign land to help him reclaim the thrown. Tirate’s reign has ended!”

Gasps of hope echoed throughout the room and the old woman stepped closer to touch El’s sleeve. “Erik is alive? Can this be true?”

El nodded gently. “Yes! I have no doubt that Erik and the DoTarian king have Boris preparing their attack this very moment!”

A murmur rumbled through the room and all of them crowded around her. Meader nearly knocked her over as he jumped forward. “Did you say Boris is with him?”

El regained her balance and nodded again. “Yes, Boris Dejias, Captain Knight of the King’s Guard.”

Meader’s leathery face broke into a broad grin. “In that case my dear, not only are the dragons welcome, but we’ll even invite them in!”

***

Mounted atop Ellis, Boris barked out the last of his orders before he turned to Ammon. “I still don’t like you being in the midst of this. Your sword training is far from complete and this is no time to find out what you haven’t learned yet.”

Ammon patted the gold sword at his side. “It’s a king’s right. As I said before, I won’t ask anything from these men that I wouldn’t do myself.”

Boris shook his head in disapproval. “Then do me a favor? Don’t get killed. I don’t want to be the one to face the wrath of the queen if that happens!” He winked, then raised his fist in the air and signaled the others to take flight. One by one the rest of the dragons joined the swirling mass above the city.

Ammon watched as the black cloud of dragons seemed to move as one towards the western side of the city, leaving only a few stragglers behind. He counted to ten, then turned to the impatient young knights and hatchlings waiting behind him and waved them to follow. Wordlessly they moved rapidly across the open field towards the east gate while overhead the sky thundered with the roars of dragons. As they got closer he could hear the steady twang and the whistle of bolts cutting through the air. They were within fifty paces of the gate before the distracted guards noticed their approach and swung their crossbows towards them.

“Scatter!”

The word had barely left his lips before the first bolt hit the ground in front of a hatchling, spraying them all with the dirt. The little dragons moved with surprising speed as countless shafts seemed to materialize around them. Still, they were slowly driven back, unable to penetrate any further.

The guards atop the wall gained confidence with each shot and began to taunt them in hoarse shouts. Ammon waited until both of the gate crossbows were fired at the same time, then with a quick wave of his arm he signaled to the small group of dragons still flying over the eastern side of the city. With terrifying speed they descended, their claws ripped the half-loaded machines from their wooden mounts before they landed inside the gates. The panicked guards dived for cover, abandoning the first few crossbows atop the walls on either side of the gate. The rest of the wall defenses desperately tried to swing their heavy mechanisms around before a scorching blast of dragon’s fire engulfed them.