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2024-10-29 19:42:56The Morning
Treylen dreamed of the black stone where the queen held her court.Aaron lay bleeding in his arms while Treylen begged the queen to help him. “I’m quite fond of him,” the queen answered.“Yes, he will do well here.” Her shadow leaned behind Treylen, long fingernails digging into his shoulders.“You have to help him though.” Aaron let out a gurgling noise and Treylen tilted Aaron’s mouth so the blood spilled out. He fumbled desperately with his friend’s jaw, trying to find a way to stop the bleeding.She watched but did nothing. The hands rubbed Treylen’s shoulders.When he looked up, it was not the shadow, but Apogee, leaning over him. “I’ll help.” She held a needle in one hand. The other held the rottencorpse of a dragon.There was a knock on the door to his room and Treylen shook the dream away, forcing one eye open.
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Land of Dragon 15
The Mines The minor lord who looked a bit like a rabbit would not stoptalking.His demeanor lent credence to the authenticity of Marziel’s obnoxious alter ego. Treylen had intended to pay close attention to the count and countess who gave a thorough overview of the mine’s operations—from labor and capital to the finer points of prospecting for new ore deposits.But the lord's chatter about food, weather, and his frequent trips to and from the capital formed a steady din that drilled into Treylen’s ear like a wood beetle. It was all he could do, to smile and nod, and to say, my uncle would have me wait to give our assessment, whenever his opinion was asked on anything. That seemed to frustrate the mine officials, but not the count and countess, as they likely had no intention of taking Marziel's advice in the first place. The hospitality they had received was all just a show of
Land of Dragon 16
The Scene The spycatcher’s neck was broken. The throat had been cut so deeplythe head fell back like a cast-off hood with only a scrap of skin and sinew holding it to the body. Someone had pulled the head out from under the body and pushed it back into place, but even without it, Treylen would have recognized the build of the woman who had snuck up on him the night before.Adeline Vait, aide to Count Tsoro, lay at the base of the ore pile, in the pit just outside the entrance to the mines. She’d been stuffed into a cart and covered over, then the cart had been left in an offshoot of the upper tunnels until one of the clan women saw it and took it to be dumped out.That woman was being questioned by Jargus Duremo to the side of the path while his mother, the countess, leaned over the body along with three mine supervisors, Aide Remin, and a blue-vested woman that Treylen
Land of Dragon 17
The Guard Dreams troubled him again.Treylen had slept longer than he was accustomed to. He was certain they were watching the room so he’d kept his outing short that night. He’d snuck out and searched the alleyways then crept around the outside of the lodge, peering into the rooms where he suspected the servants of the Tsoro household slept. Then he jogged out to the stone in the mountains where he’d fought the Ketaresk men. Nothing. No blood stains. No signs of struggle. He couldn't even find the bodies that she’d hidden for him, though he’d climbed down through the dwarven gate again and spent an hour walking the wide, empty tunnels that he found there.He’d returned early, in case they came early to question him, and was asleep hours before dawn. But the dreams kept waking him. Blood and rain. Dirt and daggers. There was no plot to them, only gore and filth, and a sickening u
Land of Dragon 18
The Breakfast Treylen woke to a heavy fist knocking on the door. His firstthought was of Aaron. He’d worked into the early hours to finish the letter, then placed it along with some blank pages, a fresh quill, and a stoppered inkwell inside of a scroll case that he’d found in the writing desk. He tied a strap to it so Rime could more easily carry it in his teeth.It had been near morning. The guards had been dozing in shifts and kept a sharp eye on Treylen’s balcony. He’d cracked the door, met the eyes of the guard, then stepped out and made a show of leaning on the railing and yawning as if he’d been unable to sleep while Rime snuck out onto the balcony. Treylen had looked out at the darkened city, then scowled at the man before going back inside, shutting the door, and going to bed.Maybe Aaron had found something already. It would have to be urgent if he’d come here.
Land of Dragon 19
The Approach “Are you struggling to keep up?” Jargus called over his shoulderwhile Treylen picked his way down the mountainside one boulder at a time. The sun was hot and high, but a towering storm of black clouds loomed on the horizon, creeping steadily closer.“I’ll be just fine,” Treylen said, but one of the hunters had already turned to help him. In truth, the difficulty was not in traversing the rocks, but in holding himself back from hopping over it all as if it was nothing.He had to let go of his hold of the dragonmind entirely, to avoid any temptation of using it. Rime was having just as much trouble. Normally he would have simply followed behind, camouflaged. But they were a sharp- eyed group, and although Treylen had finally got the Countess’s son to admit this was an egg hunting expedition, they were armed to the teeth with bows, pole arms, hooks and shields
Land of Dragon 20
The Saddle The storm had finally caught them.Clouds rolled in, tall and black, top-heavy like an anvil. The afternoon sun withered to gloom and the rain began, falling first in spits and dribbles, then smatterings, then dense, wind-driven sheets that drove over the mountainside. The broad vistas of the Dragon Lands seemed to drown in it and the world shrank until all that Treylen could see through the rain were the backs of his fellow hunters and the jagged slope a few paces ahead.All that day they had hiked…it was not the endless up and down that Treylen was accustomed to at the abbey; here, the mountains were tight together and the abutting slopes and ridges snaked around the steeper peaks and deeper chasms. But now they were going up, gradually at first, then quickly the mountainside grew steeper until at last it was only by finding hand and footholds on the slippery boulders that they progr
Land of Dragon 21
The Shelter Water oozed down the back wall of the little shelter.A slab of rock jutted up from the landscape, a steep enough angle to cover them. It wouldn’t have kept them hidden from the hunters, but the rain did that well enough.If Remin hadn’t shaken the brains out of his head with all the bowing and scraping he did, then he might have mind enough to as Treylen had told him—keep them moving toward town. At any rate they weren’t likely to find him while a mother dragon poured fire down on them through the storm.Volgnash lay at the back and leaned on the rock, where Treylen had ordered him to go, the rivulets of water running over him and mixing with the blood that seeped from the wound on his chest. His rider sat against him. She had fussed over his wound until it became clear she couldn’t do anything. He wasn’t bleeding quickly at least. The rider had suffered a gash to
Land of Dragon 22
The Dinner“I’m sorry for the death you had to witness,” Jargus said as theyreached the stairs to house Duremo. “It is the price we pay to serve our queen. She’ll mark our hunt a great success even if we did lose a man.”“Thank you, but I understand.” Treylen followed the others through the hall and out to the courtyard overlooking the city. “I’ve not been long in Iverna, but already I know the importance of your queen’s favor.”“It’s everything,” said Remin. “You’ll see, in time. Just take care not to run afoul of it.”“Heed that,” said Jargus, “Now, this is where we leave you. Oakwren and Roland here will take you to gather your things then see you safely back to Duremo Lodge where we can put a closer watch on you. I hope you understand it’s for your protection. There’s a killer on the loose, after all.”“I’m grateful for it,” Treylen lied, bowing again. “As long as it won’t interfere with me resuming my duties.”“It must,” said Jargus. “There’ll be no touring the mines until after
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Chapter 37Lasgol and Camu were staring at the dead dragon on the floor of the patio in front of them, unable to fully believe they had killed it. Camu would never admit he found it hard to believe, since his fighting, stubborn character had made him absolutely sure they could defeat it. Lasgol, on the other hand, thought it was nothing short of miraculous that they had managed to kill it. An unthinkable enterprise, one that had almost cost the three of them their lives.A moan made them both turn around. Ona was coming toward them from inside the building.How are you feeling, Ona? Lasgol transmitted to her, bending down to hug her. As he crouched, he grunted with pain from the two cuts he had in the stomach and thigh. He had already realized they were not simple scratches.The snow panther reached his side, moaned, and licked his face.Ona, we kill dragon, Camu messaged to her, proudly nodding toward it.Ona growled once.And it almost killed us, Lasgol transmitted.We defeat. Much
- Land of Dragon
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Chapter 36The afternoon group was running back from doing their physical exercises around the capital. Viggo was still intent on proving that he was better than the Royal Rangers, so he was flying downhill, five paces ahead of two Royal Rangers, who were trying hard to catch up with him and overtake him.The howling of a wolf from the forest to the east warned Egil, who was running beside Gerd at the rear of the group, that he was wanted. He looked at the giant, who returned a gaze of complicity. He raised his right hand and turned aside.“I have to stop!” Gerd warned his comrades.Nilsa and the Royal Rangers who were running in front stopped to look at him.“Are you all right, Gerd?” Nilsa asked, concerned.“Yeah, it’s my hip, it’s bothering me. Nothing to worry about. It’ll soon pass, go ahead.”“Are you sure it’s nothing?” Nilsa came over, concerned, while the Rangers she was running with remained a little further.“Don’t worry, it’ll pass in a moment,” he said without straighteni
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Chapter 35The minor dragon rose, flapping its wings hard, and prepared to drop once again onto Camu to strike it with all the power and weight of its considerable size. In comparison, the dragon was larger than Camu, who recognized the situation and what it meant. Seeing it was going to lunge down at him and knowing he was not exactly nimble, Camu decided to change tactics to avoid the crash.The dragon lunged at Camu with its four claws outstretched.Camu called on his Drakonian Wings. There was a powerful silver flash along his body and the wings appeared on his back, glowing in all their splendor. He leapt, flapping them vigorously, and rose up off the ground.The dragon hit the ground with its four claws hard, breaking the marble slabs of the patio, which flew in shards all over the place. Camu was already nine feet up. He had escaped the attack by a scale’s breath.The dragon looked up.So, the pup can fly. Then he is not such a pup, it messaged and flapped its wings. It took a
- Land of Dragon
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Chapter 34The Panthers were waiting to be received by Queen Heulyn before her chambers. They were waiting in an antechamber decorated as if they were in Irinel. There were shields and javelins from that realm hanging on the wall. Several Irinel soldiers guarded the entrance and would not let them through. They had told them, kindly but firmly, to wait there. Since the Queen had requested their presence, they could do nothing else.The double doors opened and a familiar face came to greet them.“Good day, Royal Eagles,” Valeria said with a lively spirit and a big smile on her face.“Good day, Valeria,” Nilsa returned the greeting with a light smile.“The Queen has summoned us,” Ingrid said with a hint of interrogation in her tone.“And it’s a little too early for our taste,” Viggo complained, yawning ostentatiously. “You might let the Queen know that these are inappropriate hours for morning meetings. Better to have them after a good breakfast, say mid-morning.”Valeria gave a little
- Land of Dragon
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Chapter 33Saki-Erki-Luzen, the minor dragon, attacked without any warning other than an intimidating roar. It took a step forward, opened its mouth as if it were going to roar again, and issued forth a gust of fire directed at Lasgol, Camu, and Ona.Lasgol leapt to one side using his reflexes and improved agility. It was an instinctive move at seeing the fire and feeling its scorching heat.Ona moved to the other side with a powerful leap to get out of range of the flames so they would not touch her. Her feline instincts saved her from ending up torched by the dragon’s attack.Camu opted for a different defense. He could not jump with the agility of his two friends. He opened his mouth and used his Icy Breath skill. The jet of freezing breath he sent crashed against the flames heading toward him. Upon contact both attacks, fire and water, canceled each other. Neither of the two managed to reach the rival.The scorpions guarding the door, seeing their lord was attacking, also lunged a
- Land of Dragon
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Chapter 32Nilsa, Viggo, Egil, and Gerd were coming back from doing physical practice with six of the Royal Rangers, among which were Kol and Haines. They were both running at the front with Nilsa and chatting with her. It was painfully obvious that both of them were greatly interested in the friendly redhead. They were not the only ones. Another Royal Ranger joined them on the way down toward the capital, whose lights they could see in the distance. Night was falling and hunger and tiredness were beginning to have their effect, but whoever wants to be in shape must suffer a little. The Royal Rangers knew this better than anyone else. They had to endure whole days on their feet standing by a wall on watch duty. This numbed and softened anyone’s muscles. Therefore, it was important they went out to do physical exercise.Viggo was running in the lead, as fast as lightning. He wanted to arrive as soon as possible and show all the Royal Rangers that he was better than them. Nilsa and Gerd
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Chapter 31Ona, Camu, and Lasgol went through the ghost city, following the enormous scorpions that had taken the Silver Pearls. The trail was quite clear since two sets of eight scorpion legs walking on streets partially covered by desert sand were unmistakable. Lasgol was having no trouble following them. Besides, they had carried away the ice jewel so if he lost the trail he could wait for a pulse that would tell him where they were.Lasgol was thinking how lucky they had been that the crocodile had not joined the fray in the middle of the city, since that would have been an additional problem. On the other hand, the croc would have destroyed half the city if entered it, so to a point it was logical it had not come in. Well, as logical as one giant crocodile at the entrance of a city in the desert with colossal scorpions and cobras as guardians was. When he told the tale in Norghana they were not going to believe him.They turned left and then right. They were not in camouflage s
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Chapter 30Lasgol waited a moment and wondered whether his plan might work or if they would be discovered and end up having to confront those monstrous desert creatures. He was not at all sure it was a good idea to follow the scorpions, least of all through the forbidden city. But when there were no other options, it was best to be determined.Watch out. We’re going to follow the scorpions. I don’t think they can see us under Camu’s camouflage, but we must be very careful.Camouflage good. They no see, Camu messaged confidently.There’s more than one way of seeing. They might detect us by sound or by the trail we leave, for instance.Ona moaned once.Oh I understand. I no can help that.That’s why I’m saying we must take extreme precautions. We always careful.Yeah, always… Lasgol was watching with one eye from the corner of the wall. They’ve entered the city. Following them through the streets will be dangerous.City empty, no dangerous.The entrance was also empty and the scorpions
- Land of Dragon
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Chapter 29Astrid, Ingrid, and Molak were waiting for Raner on their horses east of the capital, according to his orders. They were half a league from the Royal Road and were to wait for the First Ranger to join them. Not very far away they could glimpse Beaver Hill, so called because of a rock at the summit that looked very much like the animal.“What do you think the First Ranger has in store for us today?” Molak asked his comrades.“So far, everything he’s had prepared for us has been enlightening and interesting,” Ingrid said in a satisfied tone. “So I hope that whatever he has for us today will be so too.”Astrid stroked her horse’s neck.“I feel the same way. The truth is that training to become Royal Rangers has pleasantly surprised me.”“You weren’t expecting it to be interesting?” Molak asked, surprised.“To be honest, I wasn’t expecting it to be useful and so I thought I’d be bored. But it’s turning out to be the opposite. I think that in the Assassin Specialty at the Shelte
