Omnixius
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DKP 6-25 Questions and worries.
🕑 Added 2021-04-16 21:06:51 +0000 UTCGersius sat on Lilly's back as Jessivel delivered his report. Calathen was only a day of hard marching away, but the war had taken a new turn. Many towns and villages in their path were empty, broken, and sometimes burning. Bandersooks ran wild across the countryside in large packs forcing him into pointless engagements. His left flank army had run into a sizable number of them and had to launch a full attack. Numidel arrived to find them locked in battle with well over two thousand of the beasts. His frost breath turned the tide rapidly.
The Father Abbot was committing his last desperate acts of defiance, using the beasts of the Doan to sow terror and slow his advance. Many small farming communities begged him to leave garrisons to protect them. He sincerely wanted to provide the soldiers, but every man and woman was needed for the battle before them. All he could do was promise to return and hunt down the wild beasts.
In addition, bridges were destroyed in critical places, forcing his army to wade the water. The dragons lifted the wagons over, but the whole operation took hours longer than expected. He wondered why they were trying so hard to delay him. Could they be stalling for reinforcements?
Despite their best efforts to quell the bandersooks, they were suffering casualties. It was a tiny ratio, but any losses left an impact on the army's morale. He sent the dragons skyward to begin rooting out the packs and attacking them from the air. This proved effective for a little bit until it became apparent there were too many to stop them all. Sarah cautioned him on using so much of their strength before the city battle. She was suspicious that this was exactly what the enemy wanted. The dragons guarding the city would be at full strength, while his would-be tired from endless fighting. He saw the logic of it and ordered them to stand down and join the column. The bandersooks would have to be dealt with later when the goal was achieved.
Now they rode through a small town whose buildings had been ravaged. Not a soul appeared in any window or answered calls at the door. He wondered what happened to the people but didn't dare dwell on it. Instead, he focused on the challenge ahead and keeping his armies on track for the battle. Soon it would all be decided, and his quest would finally come to an end. He had to wonder if it was going to end the way he wanted it.
“Of course it will,” Lilly said in his thoughts as she read them. “I promised to go through that gate with you.”
“I was not counting on having to shatter the gates to open them,” Gersius replied.
She turned her great blue head just far enough to look back at him as her soothing voice echoed in his mind. “That isn’t your doing. We both know you wanted to save these people and fight the Doan. That terrible man and his army of butchers are to blame for everything.”
“Why do they fear the prophecy?” Gersius asked.
“I don't know,” Lilly replied. “That book from the keep's library is so badly damaged I can't read much of it. Most of what I can read isn't prophecy; it's his pain for failing Balisha. He loved her a great deal, but his dragon urged him to wait until after the war to rebuild her faith.”
“Was his dragon a follower of Balisha?” Gersius asked.
“It doesn’t say, at least not from what I have been able to read,” she admitted. “You told me there is a full copy of the prophecy your order has been maintaining in the city?”
“There is, or was. Who knows what they might have done with it,” Gersius said.
The book will be there,” Lilly insisted. “I just know it.”
Gersius smiled to hear Lilly referring to faith and admired how far she had come. She felt warm over the bind, indicating she was reading his thoughts. If she were in her human form, he was sure she would be blushing.
“I would not,” she said in his thoughts. “But let me show you a little more faith. I know we are going through that gate and will complete the prophecy. Your empire will be reborn, your people united, and your wives will be at your side to fight the Doan.”
He lowered his eyes as her love radiated across the bind. She was a new creature, bold and daring, yet kind and loving. He was proud to call her his wife and still felt a certain exhilaration at knowing she was.
“I will always love you,” she replied and sniffed the air. “But this conversation will have to wait. I can smell more of those terrible things on the air.”
Gersius nodded and turned to bark orders to the nearest captain, who rode beside them on a nervous horse.
“More bandersooks in the area,” he shouted down. “Have the town swept fully by the infantry and order the wagon guards to full alert.”
“Of course, Lord Dragon Knight,” the man said with an arm clasped to his chest. He turned and rode down the line shouting orders as men and women began to move into formation. They broke into large squads to begin fanning out and searching the area, ready for the coming fight.
“Another pointless battle,” Lilly sighed. “Why do they hate Balisha so much?”
“They blame her for the last war,” Gersius replied. “They do not approve of the love you and I share and see it as a harbinger of another cataclysm.”
“Only because they are making it so,” Lilly insisted. “If they had welcomed you with open arms, we would already be pushing back the Doan.” She suddenly paused, tensing as she sniffed beside a building. With a lightning-quick snap of her neck, she reached around the side of the building and bit. A second later, there was a wail as Lilly threw her head high and twisted, throwing a badly maimed bandersook to the dirt.
“There are more of them,” Lilly cried as one came over the rooftop. It leaped for her side, but Gersius caught it in a dragon's claw blessing and tossed it at Lilly's feet, who promptly stomped it. More of the beasts emerged from doorways, around corners, and across roofs. In moments his forces were fanning out to engage the monsters, and blood was drawn. Lilly was alive with claws and teeth, tearing through the beasts with a savage fury that matched the bandersooks.
Gersius fought from her back, keeping her free of the monsters that tried to leap up. He used his blessing to hamper those on the ground and his vantage point to shout orders and maintain cohesion.
In ten minutes, the battle was over, and another fifty or so bandersooks were dead. His forces suffered some injuries but no deaths, thanks to healing blessings. The rest of the town was searched, and a few hidden beasts were put down before the army resumed its march. Even as they left the town behind, Sarah arrived with Thayle on her back, reporting that the right flank was having the same problems.
“I had to intervene in a battle,” she admitted. “I need that strength for tomorrow.”
“You had no choice,” Thayle argued and explained just how many of the monsters were present and how more were running to join the fight. If not for Sarah's fire breath sending vast numbers of the beast to the grave, there would be terrible casualties in the third army.
“We have seen some towns attempting to barricade their houses and people armed with whatever they can find,” Sarah pointed out. “But many of them are already empty or ravaged. Some had bodies laying in the fields where the people attempted to flee.”
“The towns are terrified,” Thayle said. “I can’t believe he turned those monsters loose on his own people.”
“They have sided with Gersius,” Lilly said with an angry tone. “And we know what they are willing to do to anyone who sides with our husband.”
“Hopefully, this is the last crime before we put an end to this,” Thayle said with a sorrowful voice.
Lilly looked up to Thayle as she worked on a thought. She replayed Sarah’s words and asked the logical question. “If some of the towns are empty but not attacked, where did the people go?”
“They must have gotten a warning and fled before the monsters arrived,” Thayle suggested.
“But where would they go?” Lilly asked. “We haven’t seen them on the road.”
“They likely fled to Calathen,” Sarah interjected. “I am willing to bet only the people who sided with us stayed behind and paid the price for their loyalty. The rest are cowering inside the city, asking their savior to shelter them.”
“Which means they will be pressed into mobs to fight us,” Thayle pointed out and looked to the west. “Even with the divines showing they support Gersius, those closest to Calathen are too deeply conditioned to believe the Father Abbot is infallible. No doubt he has told them that Gersius somehow deceived the others just as they claim he did my order. When we march into that city, we can expect to fight for every meter of ground.” She closed her eyes at that thought, imagining the cost of human lives to put an end to a lie.
Lilly turned her head to look up at Thayle high on Sarah’s back as she read the woman’s thoughts. “My love, do not fear the cost,” Lilly urged. “Our husband has planned for everything he can to limit the death.”
Thayle looked at Lilly as she lifted her long graceful neck high, barely able to reach above Sarah’s shoulder.
“Sweetheart, I know he has done all he can, but no amount of preparation can limit what is about to happen. People who believe in a lie will die in droves right beside those who helped perpetuate it. Our forces will suffer losses like never before, and we will pay for every street in blood.”
“Do not lose hope; we will put an end to this madness in one battle, with minimal destruction,” Sarah said. “Unlike the dragon war where it went on for months and caused catastrophic damage to the world.”
Gersius looked up as they felt his concern rise over the bind. Sarah lowered he head to acknowledge him as he spoke in a regretful tone. “Unfortunately, this is not going to be the final battle. If our suspicions are right, and the Father Abbot is working with the Doan. He will likely flee to safety.”
“That man isn’t getting out of the city alive!” Sarah snarled in aggravation. “His is not escaping punishment for his crimes!”
“Assuming he is still in the city in the first place,” Thayle added. “He's proven to be forward-thinking and capable of elaborate planning. For all we know, he left weeks ago, leaving the city to be guarded by his fake dragon knight.”
Sarah let out a snort as her anger flooded the bind. Gersius reached up to rub at her massive jaw to comfort her but doubted she felt a thing.
“I admit I feel little through my scales,” Sarah said softly. “But I know when you are touching me.” She lifted her head high and looked over the landscape as the soldiers spread out across the countryside. “Please forgive me if I hope deep in my heart you are wrong. That madman has much to answer for, and I cannot bear the thought of him escaping punishment.”
“He will not escape,” Gersius said in a commanding voice. “He will run and hide, but without the city and the order to act as his army, his power is broken. We will find him sooner or later, and his crimes will be answered for.”
Sarah cleared her long throat, making a sound like a warbling bellow before looked to the south. “Has Numidel reported in?”
“He is helping defend the southern army,” Gersius answered. “Shadros went to check on him hours ago and came back to report skirmishes with bandersooks as well.”
“This is all being done by dragons,” Lilly said with contempt in her voice. “Helping that fool and using those cages to ferry these beasts into our path.”
The mention of the cages reminded Gersius that they still needed to collect the ones they had being constructed in the rear. He turned to Sarah, but she was already thinking the same thing.
“When we are closer to our staging point, I will fly out to get them,” she said.
“Can you carry two cages at once?” Lilly asked with her head tilted to the side.
“If Numidel isn't here to assist me, I will get them one at a time,” she admitted. “All will be ready by the morning, and we can finally begin.”
Gersius nodded his approval and made up his mind not to worry about the morning. All that mattered now was gaining ground and closing on the city that was finally within reach. He bid Sarah make one last check on the northern army and deliver his final orders. She smiled at the deviousness of his plan and headed off, assuring him all would work just as he imagined it.
“Why are you moving them now?” Lilly asked in his thoughts.
“Because I want our enemy to think I am making a mistake,” Gersius said.
“Do you always play games like this with your enemies?” she asked, looking down at him with a curious expression.
He smiled and reached down to rub her blue scales. She really was more even more beautiful as a dragon.
“Your sweet thoughts are appreciated, but I am surprised at how cunning you can be. Every time I think I know what your plan is, you change it, and I am lost again.”
“Hopefully, so is our enemy,” Gersius said.
Lilly huffed and resumed walking, taking giant steps to reach the lead of the advancing soldiers. She resumed her place a dozen paces in advance of the army as Gersius stood on her back, searching the landscape for threats.
For the next few hours, they managed to pass almost unhindered. The land was slowly becoming more flat, broken only by intermittent stones as big as a man. Gersius explained the legend that they were once part of the mountain in the center of Calathen. During the dragon war, the mountain was shattered, the stones were thrown out for miles around the city. The new palace was built on the much lower peak that remained, still an impressive sight but a far cry from its previous splendor.
She spent much of her time putting her keep dragon sight to use, studying every tree and bush. Sometimes she caught sight of their advance scouts miles in the distance. Even for her, they were little more than black dots moving on the horizon. Her thoughts went back to the valley and the home that called to her heart. How she longed to be in that place, where she and her loved ones would be safe at last. For now, the best they could do was glimpse it in the dream, but that only made her heartache all the more.
“I promised to take you back,” Gersius said in her thoughts. “I keep my promises.”
She smiled with a toothy grin and looked up, half expecting to see the city just ahead.
“How far is it now?”
“We will not camp until late tonight,” Gersius said.
Lilly knew that meant it was still far off, but closer than it had ever been. She was careful to keep a pace the army could match and led the way for her goddess and her loves. Numidel arrived a short while later with Shadros at his side. He was given the same orders and promised to deliver them and be back in time to aid Sarah with the cages. Shadros remained with them, walking beside Lilly with his head down as she tried not to snicker at him.
“Go ahead,” he said with a huff as he glanced up at her.
“Go ahead with what?” she asked.
“You know what happened. I saw you watching from the side.”
Lilly took a deep breath before looking down at him with her blazing blue eyes.
“I am so happy for you,” she said. “You are free of your curse, and now your emotions can truly grow. Soon you will understand how I feel about my loved ones and feel foolish for the things you said to me.”
Shadros glanced to Gersius as he stood on her back, looking almost annoyed to see him.
“You should have a saddle made,” Lilly suggested. “Then Mingfe could ride with you.”
“I do not want a human on my back,” he said in a voice that sounded confused.
“Don’t be argumentative,” Lilly shot back. “She loves you, and carrying her should be a mark of your love for her. There is no shame in it.”
He looked away as Lilly glanced at Gersius with a smile.
“Perhaps you should give him some time to adjust,” Gersius said in her thoughts.
“After the terrible things, he said to me?” Lilly silently sent back. “He doesn't get away that easily.”
Gersius smiled and decided to help, calling to Shadros and waiting until the dragon looked up.
“You should know that I refused to ride on Lilly's back when the topic first came up. I didn't consider myself worthy of it, nor did I see her as an animal to ride. When she insisted I let her carry me, I realized she was making a grand display of her love and logic. She can walk far faster than I could and cross things I would have to go around. In a way, she was letting me know that I was slowing her down and demanded I let her carry me to speed up the march.”
Shadros looked confused for a moment as he worked through the thought. “I suppose Mingfe is rather slow,” he agreed. “It would be faster to carry her.”
“We can talk about a saddle for you two after we capture the city,” Lilly said and sniffed at the air.
“More bandersooks?” Gersius asked.
“Smoke,” Shadros replied as he lifted his head high and sniffed as well. “Flesh is burning someplace nearby.”
“It’s ahead of us,” Lilly said as she looked about. “Why hasn’t one of our scouts reported it?”
“Our scouts are only to report enemy movements,” Gersius replied. “They are avoiding the bandersooks and looking for soldiers or blockages on the road.”
“It doesn't smell like man flesh,” Shadros said as he took another deep inhale. “It's those big bloated animals that taste good.”
“Cows,” Lilly corrected and sniffed at the air herself. “A bunch of cows are burning nearby.”
They found it nearly half an hour later when they approached a river. Several hundred cows lay smoldering in a field that was burned by intense heat. It didn’t take any imagination to understand what had happened here. These animals were probably left behind in the mad panic to flee into the city. One of the rival dragons must have flown out and burned them to prevent their capture. They were practicing a technique of denying an army supplies, attempting to starve them off. Normally this would be a problem during a long siege, but Gersius had no such plans. He didn't need food to keep his army fed for months as they fought over the walls. Tragic a waste as it was, it was a good sign that their enemies were digging in for a long protracted battle. They had no idea what was coming.
They made camp when scouts finally returned to report they could see the city. That night Sarah and Numidel flew out to collect the cages as Gersius worried there might be a dragon attack. Lilly and Shadros remained in dragon form all night, with Shadros flying over the camp, his black scales hiding him in the night sky. Mingfe was at their side the entire night because she could now feel his reactions and would be the first to know if he saw something.
The soldiers of Balisha were set to stand guard through the night, their dragon blessing allowing them to avoid sleep. Lilly sat with them in her dragon form, using her excellent sight to watch the land around them. She spent hours talking to them and encouraging them to be brave. She even led some short prayers, helping them find courage in their goddess.
Gersius spent his time leaning over a table with Gams, Thayle, Lengwin, and fully fifty sub-commanders as they plotted the maneuvers and laid out contingency plans. It all focused on storming into the city and capturing choke points to prevent the enemy from using them against him. He and Lilly would lead the charge into the inner city, with Thayle taking command of the army as a whole once it was inside the gate. She would lead the breakthrough army to the inner walls and then send them to Balisha's temple, where Gersius would be waiting.
Gams was going to orchestrate the invasion from outside, ensuring as rapid a breakthrough as possible. Gersius’s two flanking armies were moving through the night to join the central attack. Gams would send them in to strengthen Thayle and help her push on the inner walls. Gersius hoped his enemies wouldn’t realize the danger until they were already at the gate and force them to make a snap judgment.
The night was tense until Sarah and Numidel returned with the massive cages. Both dragons complained they would need to be carefully weaved if they were going to carry so much weight into battle. This would be managed by the captured weavers, who promised to ensure both the cages and the soldiers on their backs would be light. Tavis would be on hand to ensure they were doing as instructed as Gersius still didn't trust them.
Gersius inspected the cages and admired the stout woodwork held together by iron bands and study nails. He had the soldiers that would be delivered in them brought forth to practice loading and disembarking. It was good practice for rapid deployment and to help the soldiers feel comfortable in the cages themselves. Many were concerned they would come apart in flight, but after seeing the construction, those fears were abated. The plan was to use the dove shields as the primary cargo as they were lighter and designed to entrench themselves for defense. They would make ideal troops for holding the causeways using the cages as barricades. A small force of heavier soldiers would be added for the sole purpose of storming the nearby gate towers. If they could capture the large inner gates and open them, the city would be much easier to take. It was a gamble as he could never deliver enough men to ensure victory, but the price had to be paid. If just one gate could be opened, his victory would be assured.
With the cages thoroughly inspected, he settled in to study a map of the city. He went over every last detail, challenging himself to find weaknesses in his plan. Something about this situation was off, most notably the lack of response from the enemy. Why hadn't they made a move against his camp? Certainly, they knew he was here, and this was their last chance to strike before the battle came to their front door. He knew this meant one of two things, they fully believed in the invincibility of their walls, or they had a trap waiting. He had done his best to feed them false information, even using Yarvine against them. All he could do now was hope that whatever they had planned was based on false assumptions.
His mind grew tired, so he sought out Lilly, who was still talking to the followers of Balisha. He asked her for a moment alone, taking her aside, and asked her to pray with him. She quickly changed form, and in her cream farmers dress, she sat in his lap, her back to his chest as they shared the prayer. Alone they sat on a hill as the night sky darkened, the stars shining down as if listening to their song. They fell into the prayer, their concentration traveling down a long golden rope to the point of light in the distance. The flow of the divine washed through them as Balisha heard their call and accepted the link, bathing them in her power.
“Our goddess,” he called to the distant light. “The eve of battle is upon us, and my heart is heavy with worry. Please give us the strength to forge ahead for your glory and the return to the land. Bless our efforts and give us the courage to do what must be done for you and all dragons.”
He sat there motionless, the flow of the divine coursing through his body when a sensation of coming home washed over him. He felt as if his task was done, but a single door remained. He was vaguely aware of the door just behind him and turned as if to open it. It was locked, and there was no way to open it from his side, but someplace on the other side, he heard Lilly. She was calling his name, but the door moved away, and the sound of her shouts faded. There was a sensation of absolute calm that washed over him, as did a light so warm and welcoming he was overjoyed to be in its glow.
Lilly let out a soft exhale as she felt his stress suddenly rise. Then it faded, and he was calm like never before. She saw something, a twinkling light that danced and waved. In a sudden moment, she realized she was alone on the shore of a lake, looking at the moonlight as it danced on the water. Above her was a sky filled with stars but something stirred in the water. She backed away as a scaled blue head rose before her, looking down at her human form as if she was a mouse.
It said nothing, and she realized the dragon was herself, staring silently as if waiting for an answer. The water's surface began to glow, and she saw gold, silver, platinum, and even the highly bright sallardite. She saw things she recognized as it dawned on her she was looking at her hoard. A deep sense of need and longing flooded her as she was reminded of what she lost and how important it was to get it back.
Her dragon form turned away and began to wade into the water, causing Lilly to want to chase after it. She felt a sense of loss as if a part of her were dying, and she called out to no avail. The dragon slipped below the surface and was gone as she collapsed on the shore. She wasn't sure what to make of the vision as it faded, and she returned to the flow of divine power. When she opened her eyes, she was calmed to feel Gersius holding her waist firmly as he continued to meditate.
Her mind struggled to make sense of what she had just seen. Why would Balisha show her a vision of herself and her lost hoard only to have both of them flee? More and more, she felt like all she had was questions and no answers, so she clung to her loves and trusted in them. It was what Balisha wanted, after all, a human and a dragon sharing a love.
With a sigh, her gaze went to the defensive lines held mostly by their followers. How had she become a high priestess of a goddess nobody knew anything about? Why was she fighting a war against other dragons to restore this goddess to her rightful place? More importantly, why were the other dragons trying to stop her? Solesta was dead, and there was no need to keep dying for her cause. Why were they so afraid to know what love was?
Gersius stirred and pulled her in tightly as she felt the warmth of his breath on her neck. She relished being held particularly by him, feeling a sense of belonging. Everything she had come to treasure had to be done in her human form. That very thought made her think of the vision and her dragon form fading into the water. Was she becoming so human that her dragon nature was fading?
“Why are you having such thoughts?” Gersius asked as she closed her eyes to blot out the vision.
“I was wondering if I was changing,” she replied. “Sometimes I feel more human than dragon.”
Gersius kissed the back of her head, and she couldn't help but smile.
“You will always be a dragon,” he replied. “But you are perhaps the first to balance what you are with what you can be. You are fierce as a dragon, loving like a human, and beautiful beyond measure inside and out.”
Lilly smiled wider and let out a deep sigh. Why was flattery such a vice? She loved to hear his compliments, especially when it was about her beauty. She leaned into his grasp and thought about her early days and how she feared to hold his hand. Now she grasped it every chance she could, feeling a certain strength in knowing one of her humans was there to protect her.
“Thayle and I will always be here to protect you,” he whispered.
“You can't always be there to protect me,” Lilly replied as she thought about nearly dying in the valley and later having her wings hacked off. “Some battles I have to fight myself.”
“You are starting to change as well then. This war has begun to affect you as it has Thayle and I. I suppose I cannot always be there,” he admitted. “But I will always try.”
“So will I,” she replied and looked up at the moon. “For my loved ones, you, Thayle, Sarah, and Balisha, I will always try to be there.”
Gersius was proud to hear her include Balisha in her list of beings she deeply loved. Lilly had changed, but it was more maturing, and it was wonderful.
They stood to shared one last kiss before she changed back to her dragon form. He flattered her a little more, insisting that her dragon form was more beautiful than her human one. She laughed and turned away, dutifully returning to their followers as they waited nervously for the dawn. For now, all she could was give them hope and encourage them to pray.
When at last the sun began to lighten the night sky, the camp came alive. The time had come for the final march, and thousands prepared to face the greatest danger of their lives. Today it would all be decided, and the whole world would know who was the dragon knight.
Comments
Sorry this was so late, I have to medicate in order to write for any length of time. On the plus side I have the next chapter in a very rough draft, and I will post it as soon as it is ready. There should be two more chapters and a potential epilogue to help bring closer to the pain this is going to cause.
