Omnixius
patreon
DKP 5-26 A dragon falls
🕑 Added 2020-07-24 21:11:29 +0000 UTC
Sarah flew south into the snow-capped mountains going as fast as she dared to avoid forcing them to hold on the whole journey. Her heart was in turmoil, and her glances to the riders on her back frequent. She just admitted that she loved them, though, in truth, she wasn't sure what that meant. All she was sure of was Gersius made her feel things she never felt before. He stirred in her a sense of desire for him and his wives. Lilly made it all harder to resist, her happiness something rarely seen in dragons. Even before the war, dragon relationship were formal and brief. Hers was something so much deeper, and it not only gave her strength but them. Thayle was more to Sarah's liking in the sense that Thayle approached love and relationships with a very logical mind. She believed in love and that if two beings were in love with one another, they should express it. If Gersius made her feel love, and Lilly made her desire love, it was Thayle who assaulted her logic and made her question why not?
She looked down at the peaks of snow, thankful for dragon gifts. Thanks to Lilly, they were not harmed by how cold or thin the air was. They shared in so many of her gifts it was almost like they were dragons themselves. Lilly, in turn, had Thayle's aura sight, and Gersius's sword-fighting knowledge. Though Lilly still needed to practice, she knew every move he did, and that list was impressive. She sampled some of that knowledge firsthand when they dueled, and he fought her to a standstill. Since the day she was ordained a sword master, no man had ever held his own against her.
She looked back to see Gersius in the rear with Lilly held to his chest, and Thayle held to hers. They looked as if they belonged to one another, a perfect trinity united in this love. What if her joining disrupted that harmony? What if her desire to take those two wild girls in hand was the wrong thing to do? Could she risk harming Lilly’s happiness?
Sarah had many doubts and needed to speak to Thayle about them. It was maddening to think she admitted to wanting their love, and he walked up to ask them to fly. Thayle never got a chance to talk to him about what she expressed. They intimated he was interested but too busy with the war to devote himself to pursuing her. Lilly was sure he loved her, but Lilly was so innocent and hopeful. Sarah needed to know for sure, and being this close to him after being so vulnerable made her crazy. She wished they had camped for the night so they could have spoken to him. She envisioned him coming to her later that night to take her in his arms and share a proper kiss.
That thought hung in her mind, why was she hoping for a kiss? She'd never desired a kiss in her life and considered it filthy, yet here was wishing for it. Lilly and Thayle had pecked at her dragon form, but surely that was different. She saw how they kissed him, his hands on their waists as they leaned into him, their lips coming together in a gentle touch. They would close their eyes and rock their heads, sharing that moment as if it was all they lived for. She realized how deep an expression of their affection that was and longed to experience it herself. Anything that would say she could have the same thing, the same love.
Sarah considered sharing such kisses with the women and felt the same desire. However, thinking about it also came with a twinge of embarrassment. There was a proper order to things, and that order was male to female. Everything in creation came in pairs, made to join together and form a complete whole. Yet somehow those two looked just as whole together as they did with him. Lilly would smile wide whenever Thayle came for a kiss and surrender to her desires. Lilly, in turn, would hold Thayle's hand whenever the chance was available. She looked almost eager to show people they were together and proud of the woman at her side. Sarah realized she, too, would be proud to have such women at her side. She always championed the strength of women and encouraged them to worship Astikar. Well, here were two women of great power, champions of their divines and leaders of men. They too pushed women to rise up and be more than pretty things, and yet were pretty things themselves. They were beautiful, feminine, and strong of heart. She looked down again as they flew over a snowy slope. She wanted to kiss them just as much if only to prove they were hers.
That feeling she understood well. Dragons had a sense of possession, and once something was added to their hoard, it was not easily parted with. She knew her sense of them was being colored by that nature. She would like to possess them and tell the world they were hers. Lilly intimated that she felt that way about Thayle. The raven-haired beauty was her dragon treasure and not to be toyed with. The quickest way to anger Lilly was to target Thayle, a foolish endeavor indeed. Now she wondered if those same feelings stirred in her heart. She thought of somebody insulting Gersius, or his wives and anger began to course through her.
Too much had changed in the past few days. So much of it based on feelings she never believed she would have. To make it all worse, she was training women again, making them servants of Astikar. It was a noble calling, but they were struggling to make the connection. Every woman felt a distance for the god as if women were not allowed to know his power. It came from years of being told, they were not welcome, and from the deprivations of the war, they now fought. They saw his light in Sarah and knew the path was open to them but needed more time to settle their hearts on the matter. All of this was a change from the past when women freely joined the order and didn't carry such complications with them.
She wished to know where this path was taking her? When Gersius and his wives became the leaders of the Dragon Empire, where would she be? She supposed if he welcomed her into his love, she would be an empress, a title she found befitting a dragon of her stature. She smiled to think of herself ruling over such a powerful land with them at her side. That image suddenly blurred as she realized her logic was flawed. He would rule over the dragon empire, and she would be at his side.
It was a hard thing for her to accept, but it was clear their relationship worked so well because its women bowed to him. He, for his part and credit, took that bowing as a sign of great respect and treated them like they were the greatest gifts under the heavens. He never used his control over them and allowed them the freedom to argue with him and disagree. He also knew when to bow his head in return, and let them take charge of him. She heard the story of Tull and the resultant condition Gersius found himself in. He was quick to bow to his wives and let them lead when he was no longer capable. Such a man was rare, one who could stand on such a pinnacle of power, yet admit weakness and humble himself. He had complete faith in them, and they in him, and he trusted them with his very soul.
She realized how flawed she was by comparison, afraid to show weakness in any circumstance. She was too proud and reliant on her strength. That she cried in front of Lilly and Thayle, felt shameful, yet knew he felt no shame to cry before them. Were dragons wrong to live by a code that said size and age were all that mattered? Did that predispose them to be prideful and arrogant? Such a system had existed for hundreds of thousands of years. How could such a time tested and proven system be flawed? It couldn't be, of course, but then how did she explain Lilly? A tiny dragon that knew so little of their ways was the happiest dragon she'd ever seen. Lilly bowed her head in Sarah's presence but knew nothing of why. She didn't care either, to her, it was a simple sign of respect and another way to show love.
With closed eyes, Sarah considered the simple truth, that none of this had ever crossed her mind before. She was questioning everything she believed and more, all because of Lilly. She was the key to all of this, her relationship a window into another way of being for dragons. Sarah had to admit to herself she liked what she saw, and never had a man proved how much a dragon meant to him. What Gersius did in the dream was not impossible, but certainly not likely. It was his feelings for Lilly that gave him the strength, and with them, he made the dream take them to an echo of his love. He overpowered her calling, opened her eyes, and broke the trance in the dream by sheer force of his emotions. She knew of old dragons who had become so gifted of focus they could alter the dream. His was not a power of focus or discipline; it was purely how much she meant to him. He couldn't bear to see her soiled, and his love for her tainted. Again, Lilly was the key to it all, and the feelings her husband and wife had for her was undeniable.
She glanced again, and Lilly waved to her with a smile. Always ready to show affection, and so eager to share her love. Sarah still wasn't sure what love was, but desperately wanted to have it, if only to achieve a fraction of the joy Lilly showed. With a sigh, she pushed on, driving ahead to find this old fortress, desperately wishing she knew what his answer was.
Thayle saw the pain flaring in Sarah's aura and knew what she was thinking about. Gersius was on her back minutes after she admitted being in love with them. Thayle and Lilly promised to talk to him about it, but he showed up unexpectedly. Now the question to answer was if this was a good time and place. Certainly, it would be better to approach him without Sarah being right there, but then they could always talk silently over the bind. She felt him over the bind, his mind working on a dozen strategies to win the war. She could also see that he wasn't using the aura sight and had no idea how much light was flowing to him.
She saw anger, then pain, then terrible turmoil in Sarah's aura. It was clear she was thinking about what was said and how it might all play out. She hated to interrupt him when he was so focused on a thought, but maybe if she could get him to see the light.
“Gersius,” Thayle said silently over the bind. “There is something we need to talk to you about.” His response was slow, and she felt a slight irritation that quickly passed. The planning and labored thinking subsided as he sighed over the bind.
“What did you need to talk about?” he asked, his mind clearly focused on other things.
She regretted saying anything, but there was no going back now. With as calm a voice as she could muster, she told him. “Lilly and I have confirmed Sarah wants to love us all.” Again he was silent as his mind worked through a list of reasons why this was not the time. To his credit, he settled on the decision that Thayle would not have bothered him with this if she didn't feel it was important.
“You are sure?”
“You need to use the aura sight; it will tell you everything you need to know,” Thayle replied.
He blinked, and she felt him focus for a brief moment. There was a sense of shock that made Lilly smile. He looked around, watching the light dance to them as a strange feeling came over him. He felt like he was withdrawing as if the light displeased him.
“Do you have nothing to say?” Thayle asked.
She could feel his tension over the bind as he finally spoke. “I know I told you to find out how she felt about you, and I am happy to know she wishes to have a relationship with you as well.”
“But?” Thayle pressed.
“I worry that now is a terrible time to pursue this. We are about to combine our armies and start the final approach to Calathen. There will be little time to embrace the love of a new wife. I do not feel I have a strong relationship with her, and we argue quite a bit.”
“Lot's of people argue,” Thayle said. “Lot's of couples that deeply love one another argue. You and I argue sometimes.”
“I just want to know for sure this is the right thing to do. I am not settled in my heart that it is. I need more time to get to know her.”
Lilly jumped into the conversation now, feeling upset over the bind. “You already know her. She has sought you out, again and again, to spend time with you. I wasn't sure at first, but I think she is trying to figure out how to flirt with you. She is so awkward with love like I was in the beginning, and is looking for some way to reach you.”
Gersius sighed and focused his thoughts over the bind. “What did she say to you?”
Thayle related the whole story while Lilly filled in some details and added personal observations. Together they painted the picture of Sarah falling apart on an emotional level, desperate to know what love was, and sure only they could show her. Gersius was like a brick wall, listening to everything but allowing nothing through. He pointed out how dominate Sarah was and that she would likely change the nature of their relationship. Thayle countered, saying Sarah herself would change, and adapt to them, growing rapidly like Lilly did. He wasn't sure and felt like it was an enormous risk, putting the love he already had in jeopardy. He did admit that Sarah was beautiful, and Thayle decided to corner him and ask him directly.
“If there was no war and plenty of time to pursue this, would you?”
He squeezed Lilly's waist and answered, honestly. “Yes, I would, but only because I would have the time I need to spend with her. If it settles your hearts, I will go out of my way to find time for her so we can grow together a little more.”
“You spent more time dancing with her than me,” Lilly interjected. “And we saw your light; you were very happy to have her in your arms. Why do you insist you need more time?”
“Because what I have already means everything to me,” he replied. “The love of you and Thayle is my strength and purpose. I would never risk damaging that or do anything to betray it. I need to know for sure that this is the right path, not just for me, but for us. To do that, I need more time with her, but we all know the war is about to become more intense. Time will be a luxury we do not have.”
Thayle felt proud of that answer but also terrible for Sarah. He wasn't saying no, only that he wanted more time. Sarah would see that as a rejection, and there was no telling how it would affect her. She had just opened her heart for the first time in her long life only to be denied her dream. It would be about as painful as Lilly's next words, uttered over the bind with a sense of defeat.
“But I love her,” Lilly cried. “I love her, and I want to show it.”
“I can see your light,” Gersius replied as he hugged her from behind. “I promise if she is meant to be ours, she will be, but now is not the time. I have to be sure.”
“It has to be you!” Lilly cried. “Nobody else in the entire army can match her. You look so good together, even better than I do with you.”
“Do not say such things,” Gersius insisted.
“No, it's true,” Lilly insisted. “She is as smart and dedicated as you are. She has the same skill with the sword and knowledge of battle. She thinks like you do, and even when you argue, she looks impressed by your willingness to stand your ground. She needs a man who can match her strength and pride. You are the only one who can do that, and the only one she wants.”
Gersius let out another long sigh and held Lilly tight. “I will make you a promise. If I am given a sign that she was meant to be our wife, I will take her regardless of my misgivings. Otherwise, we will have to wait until I have had a chance to spend more time with her. I need to know we are making the right decision.”
“Are you sure you want to go this route?” Thayle asked, hoping he would change his mind. “We don’t have to sleep, and she never does, we could spend time with her at nights.”
“If you two are agreeable to giving up time in bed, I will spend some of it with Sarah.”
“That's all we're asking,” Thayle said. “I'm sorry I pushed this on you now, but she opened up this morning, and her feelings came rushing out. She has been watching Lilly closely and wants the same kind of love.”
“Which we are in no position to giver her,” he explained.
He was right, but at least he agreed to try and build a relationship when he could. Now all that was left was to tell Sarah and break her heart. She went to say something more, but Sarah came over the last of the peaks, and Gersius suddenly felt in turmoil. Off in the distance was a network of walls, each one higher as they worked their way toward a central keep built on a hill. There were two clouds of dust moving across the open landscape bearing down the walls.
“What is that?” Thayle asked as she looked at a black mass racing for the keep.
“It’s an attack,” Gerisus replied. “The keep is being assaulted.”
Ayawa watched Gedris get smaller as she raced across the plateau to the safety of the keep.
“At least she will be alright,” Ayawa said with a pain in her voice.
“We will be alright,” Tavis assured her with no commitment to his voice.
Ayawa wasn’t sure that was true. It was obvious there was only one gate in, and the Bandersooks were closer to it. They were closer to the side wall with no way to get inside. They would arrive just in time to die at its foundations. At least Gedris would get away to deliver a report to Gersius, and tell him what they learned.
“We may have to fight our way to the gate,” Tavis said.
“We will never get to that gate,” Ayawa said.
“Then we should turn and run, wait for the battle to end,” Tavis said as Chiune and Jessivel arrived to join the conversation.
“Half of the women and many of the men don't have the strength or supplies to run any further,” he said. “We have to get into that keep.”
“We will be fighting at the base of the walls,” Ayawa shouted. “The bandersooks will grind us against them.”
“We have no choice but to try,” Jessivel replied. “I will use my men to create a pocket to hold them back while you get inside.”
“Do you honestly think they are going to open the gates with a hostile army right outside?” Ayawa laughed.
“Gams won’t take that risk,” Tavis said. “He is hard as nails when it comes to digging in and defending. He isn’t going to open his doors if it means risking the keep.”
“Then we die mere steps from our destination,” Jessivel replied.
“No,” Chiune interjected. “Head for the wall, I will get us inside.”
“What? How?” Ayawa balked.
“I am the commander of the first company. I have a reputation for breaking strongholds. My women know how to cross a wall, now head for the section with the hill behind it so we can cross directly onto the top.”
Ayawa glanced at Tavis, and he shrugged then veered to the right, taking them to a narrow section of wall built into a hill. The wall was a sheer surface, but the hill behind it was level with the top, creating a broad field behind it. He wasn't sure what Chiune's plan was, but he silently prayed it would work. They felt hopeful for just a few moments until somebody yelled. “Dragon!”
“Now we are doomed,” Ayawa said as they looked north to see the red dragon was back, bearing straight down on them.
“There is another!” a voice cried, and they turned to look northwest, and sure enough, a second one slightly bigger was coming from the other way.
“Two of them!” Ayawa gasped.
Chiune looked enraged and ordered the first company into something called shield units to flank the advancing line. The northern dragon would reach them in moments as women ran in groups of ten to form pockets around them. The beast came racing in, its mouth trailing black smoke as it went to pass overhead. It opened its jaws and roared, the air filling with flames that were met by a wide barrier of green shields turning most of the fire aside. As it passed by, it was pelted by orange hammers racing out to batter it away. Slowly it turned about with an enraged roar, angling to make a pass straight down the line.
“I can’t protect the whole line,” Chiune said as they watched in horror.
“Then the divines help us all,” Ayawa replied.
Sarah used her sight to scour the ground and give them a better picture of what was going on.
“The closest group appears to the be made up of howlers,” she said. “I see a few men running with them. “The second group looks like men of Astikar and women of Ulustrah.”
“What?” Thayle cried as Sarah flew high over the first group.
“Is that a dragon?” Gersius asked, pointing to the left.
Sarah turned her head and let out a low growl as the beast swooped in and loosed a gout of fire over the line. Most of it looked to be blocked by green shields, and the monster veered off to pass again.
“That must be the dragon raiding the northern lands,” Sarah growled. “I need you off my back, so I can deal with her.”
“Land in the keep, and we will get off,” Gersius said.
“There is no time,” Sarah said. “Lilly, I need you to change and then pluck them from my back.”
“I can’t change here,” Lilly argued. “I will crush them.”
“Child, you’re going to have to jump and change in the fall,” Sarah said as she angled to gain more height.
“Can she do that?” Thayle asked.
“She can change anywhere. Provided she doesn’t panic and fail the transformation before she hits the ground.”
“I don’t like this idea,” Gersius said.
“No, I can do it,” Lilly said, looking over the side and pulling at her dress. “Help me get this off.”
Thayle worked rapidly to pull the dress away as Gersius argued against the idea. A moment later, Lilly stood up and smiled at him before leaping from the side and falling away.
“Hurry child,” Sarah said as Lilly began to trail smoke, streaking toward the earth like a falling star.
“By the earth mother?” Ayawa said as a pillar of smoke fell away from the larger dragon. They watched horrified as the larger one turned and began to dive, lining up to follow the first over the line.
“None of us will survive two of them,” Jessivel said.
“Order the column to spread out,” Tavis said. “Don’t give them such an easy target.”
The line of smoke grew into a pulsing ball of white mist that trailed a cloud in its wake then suddenly exploded in a flash of light. They watched spellbound as blue wings stretched out, and a third dragon flew up racing after the larger red.
“Three!” Chiune said. “Lady Ulustrah, we come to your gardens.”
“No,” Ayawa said. “That’s Lilly!”
“Are we sure?” Tavis asked.
Ayawa squinted into the sky, finding it difficult to focus while running at such a brisk pace. “I can't be sure, but it has to be.”
“Pray to the divines your right,” Tavis said. “For all our sakes.”
They watched as the blue dragon raced to intercept the second red flying right to her back with outstretched hands as if to claw at her. She was tiny compared to the red, but a moment later, she leaped away, holding something in her hands. The red then folded her wings, going into a terrible dive as the first red began to trail smoke from its mouth, preparing to breathe.
“She turned away?” Tavis asked.
“She is no match for a dragon that size,” Ayawa said as the two reds raced in. Just as the first opened its mouth, the second red collided with it, grabbing it by the wings and twisting. They tumbled to the side in a terrible chorus of roars and slammed into the ground. The whole of the column stumbled as the ground shook from the impact, a giant ball of dust, flames, and red scales flailing a hundred meters away. Horses went wild, and wagons veered off, some turning over as the massive beasts shook the plains. Women were thrown clear of animals to clatter to the ground as the animals tried desperately to escape.
“Men of Astikar shoulder carry and run!” Jessivel ordered to rapidly gather the freshly wounded women and maintain their advance for the wall. Men threw women over shoulders and called on divine strength, running at full speed despite the weight.
“Now we are encumbered,” Jessivel said. “How do you plan to get over the walls?”
Chiune smiled as the wall came closer, “Captain Ivine!” she shouted. “Move your unit forward; I need to cross that wall!”
Jessivle and the others looked confused as fifty women ran ahead and started to sing.
Gersius and Thayle were each in one of Lilly's hands, watching as Sarah and the dragon collided. They hit the ground so hard the nearby column of people scattered. They could see it break into disarray as horses fled in every direction, tumbling riders and wagons. They watched as Sarah and the dragon flailed at one another before separating to face off. The smaller female lunged, but Sarah got her by the neck and twisted, throwing her over with another thunderous impact.
“What do I do now?” Lilly asked as she started to panic.
“Get us to the keep, then help by flying over the bandersooks and freezing them,” Gersius shouted.
Lilly nodded and veered off, heading for the walls as the rushing column of people closed on one of them.
“How are they going to get in?” Lilly asked.
“I have no idea,” Gersius replied as he watched from Lilly's grasp. His face went long when green lights began to appear, and a large number of the women of Ulustrah laid their shields flat to form a ramp to the low wall.
“That is a brilliant tactic,” Gersius said. “I am using that in future battles.” They watched as people began to scramble up the ramp, racing to the top of the walls to a hill beside it.
“I have never seen my order do such a thing,” Thayle said. “I never dreamed of such a tactic.”
“I didn’t know you could lay your shields flat,” Gersius added.
“We can point them in any direction. We laid one flat to protect the army from the pillar of flame, remember?”
Gersius nodded. “I do, but the heat of that battle did not allow me to dwell on the significance.” He looked at the keep and pointed to a clear spot in an inner yard. “Land there.”
Lilly spread her wings and slowed her descent to land as gently as she could on only two feet. The walls were lined with men who looked shocked to see her suddenly come down. Calls of alarm were cried out as men went for bows and crossbows.
“Hold your fire!” Gersius yelled as he ran out from under her wings. “I am Gersius, and Lilly is here to help!” Men paused as he looked around to be sure they were safe. He turned to Lilly as Thayle joined his side. “Go, help them with the bandersooks.”
“What about Sarah?” Lilly asked.
“Sarah can take care of herself,” Gersius insisted. “We need you to help us hold the keep.” Lilly nodded and spread her wings, taking to the sky as the ground shook again, followed by the roars of two enraged dragons. Gersius tuned and looked around at the men above him. “Where is Gams?” he demanded.
“He is leading the defense at the front walls,” a man called down.
Gersius nodded and headed for the gate to the outer walls as the sounds of war raged in the distance. He found Gams in a suite of polished silver plate wearing a red cape with a white star on it's back. He walked down the length of the outer, all with his helmet off, hair blowing in the wind. He barked orders and curses as the men lined up on the walls, threatening fire and brimstone on any who showed weakness. Gersius was surprised to see hundreds of men in firing lines with longbows, filling the air with arrows. There were several hundred more formed into skirmishing units, lined up on the walls, and in the lower yard just inside the gate.
“Keep firing!” Gams shouted. “They're packed so tight you couldn't miss unless you're a blind moron!
“Oh, he sounds nice,” Thayle said as they raced for the steps.
Gersius smiled as they reached the top of the wall and ran up behind him.
“Gams!” he called, turning the man about.
Gams stared with a hard gaze looking Gersius up and down before taking on an even harder look.
“Where the blazes did you come from? Is your army here?”
“They are still over a day away marching around the horn of the mountains,” Gersius said.
“How did you get into my keep then?” Gams asked and then turned around to grab a man stumbling back from the wall. “Stand your ground soldier, or I will nail your feet to it!” He shoved the man back into place and stormed to Gersius.
“Son, it’s good to see you, but I needed you a day ago.”
Gersius clasped his hand and smiled. “Don’t you worry, I brought you some help.”
“What help?” Gams asked as Lilly swooped by breathing a line of ice across the ranks of the bandersooks.
Gersius smiled as Gams looked up to see her veering away. “By the divines, it's true. That's your dragon? Are the other ones yours?”
“A lot has happened since you, and I last spoke,” Gersius said. “Only one of the two reds is with me.”
Gams set his jaw grinding teeth as his stern gaze swept over the hoards of bandersooks, starting to pile up at the walls.
“They are going to swarm over the walls,” Gams said.
“You have fresh reinforcements arriving,” Gersius pointed out.
“I am aware of that,” but I can’t get them in,” Gams said. “They are outside where they will be cut to ribbons.”
Thayle laughed, and Gersius shook his head. “I am afraid they found a way to breach your walls and are already inside.”
“What?” Gams growled as he turned to see men of Astikar pouring out of the inner gates. “By the divines, we might survive this after all. Get your sorry souls up on this wall and start throwing hammers!” he shouted to the men below. He turned about and looked the two over again before settling his gaze on Thayle. “Now, who is this?”
Gersius put his arm on Thayle’s shoulder. “Governess Commander Thayle, head of all of Ulustrah’s armies, Champion of Balisha, Dragon knight, and my wife.”
Gams didn’t show any sign that the titles had affected him until he spoke. “What made you decide to marry this fool?
Thayle smiled and looked to Gersius. “He is has a strong heart for love.”
“Hmm,” Gams replied. “They told me you married the dragon. I need to have to word with Ayawa and Tavis.”
“Oh, Lilly is our wife too,” Thayle said.
Now Gams did show surprise, and he pointed to Lilly as she flew over again, dousing the battlefield in ice. “You mean that dragon right there?”
Gersius noded. “That is the Lady Lilly, also our wife.”
Gams scowled with a piercing gaze. “You and I need a few hours and a few bottles to catch up on what in blazes is going on!”
Gersius sighed. “You will not believe it.”
There was a sudden flash, and they looked to the distance to see one of the red dragons holding a massive glowing hammer of Astikar as it pummeled the other dragon, knocking it to the ground with a mighty blow.
“The dragon can channel the power of Astikar!” a man yelled.
Gams looked back to Gersius, who only smiled in return. “I already don't believe it.”
Gersius drew his sword and motioned to the walls. “Let's win this fight first. Then we can go over the details.”
Gams nodded as women of Ulustrah began to pour into the yard heading for the walls in organized columns.
“Who is in charge here?” A woman in white armor with golden trims and a green plum down the back of her helmet asked.
“He is,” Gersius said, pointing to Gams.
“Oh, for the blazes!” Gams grumbled and turned to the woman.
“I am governess captain Chiune of Ulustrah’s first company. I am here to meet my field commander, Governess commander Thayle.”
Gams smirked and pointed right back to Thayle. “There she is. Now, if you're here to help, put those women on the wall and lend whatever aid you can.”
Chiune frowned at him before turning to Thayle with a bow of her head. “I am ordered to report to your command, how would you like the women distributed.”
Thayle looked her over with a stern face. “I have no idea what women you have in your command or what they are capable of. I trust you to put them to best use. Your only goal is to keep those bandersooks from breaching these walls.”
Chiune bowed again, “It will be done.” She then turned about shouting orders and spreading her women down the walls to aid the rest as the bandersooks climbed over one another to reach the top.
“Gersius!” Lilly cried over the bind. “I have struck them five times, but they keep coming. I am getting tired of expending so much of my strength.”
Gersius nodded and looked over the walls to see a thousand or more bandersooks still clamoring for the top. “Land inside the outer walls in the large yard, I will meet you by the gate.”
Lilly dropped into the yard and folded her wings as he and Thayle ran to her. They worried the infantry in the yard might be surprised, but aside from some pointing and cries of alarm, nobody moved.
“What do we do now?” Thayle asked.
“We defend the gate,” Gersius said. “If they batter it down, we help fight in the narrow entrance to keep them bottled up.” Even as he said it, the gates rattled and split as the bandersooks assaulted it from the outside.
The infantry defending the gate looked uncomfortable to see Lilly hovering overhead but focused on the task at hand as the gate shook.
“I can fill the passage with vines,” Thayle said as more wood splintered.
“That will slow them, we need to kill them,” Gersius said as he turned to look at Lilly. “Can you use your breath some more?”
“Of course I can, but I will be too tired to fly for a while,” Lilly replied.
Gersius ordered the soldiers cleared from the gate, and a sour woman approached him with a sword in each hand. She demanded to know on whose authority, and he introduced himself. The woman flinched for just a moment before ordering her infantry to the side as the gate started to come apart. As the wood fell away, Lilly stepped into position and filled the tunnel with ice. She coated the bandersooks and then filled the tunnel floor to ceiling in a frozen wall.
“That should hold them for a bit,” Gersius said as Lilly stepped back.
“The dragon obeys you?” the woman from earlier asked as Gersius turned to face.
“Only when she wants to,” he replied. “Lilly is free to make her own decisions.”
“I always do what you say,” Lilly replied. “I just sometimes do it my way.”
Gersius turned to her and Thayle and as the air before the wall suddenly filled with fire, and Sarah flew over the front of the keep.
“I guess she won,” Thayle said as they watched her climb for another pass.
“Then this battle is as good as over,” Gersius replied as he watched her go. “Lilly, climb to the top of the wall and use your breath to sweep the area in front of the gate. If we can control it from there, the infantry can disperse to defend the walls.” Lilly nodded and carefully climbed into the wall from the yard. Gersius and Thayle used the stairs to join her and see the carnage outside. A wide band of bandersooks were running around burning, stumbling over the body of hundreds of their dead.
“How did so many of them get here?” Gersius asked. “I pray the empire hasn’t already been overrun.”
Lilly let out another gout of ice to spray a large pack piling up at the wall as they watched Sarah bank around and come diving back in breathing a line of fire across the middle of the mass. Already they were showing signs of panic as lines of fire burned across the battlefield. Hammers of Astikar and arrows flew from the walls thinning them even more. Gersius then spotted something that made his heart freeze.
“Sarah is right. There are men out there,” he said and pointed. “Look, the one in leathers.”
Thayle stared into the distance and nodded to see a man with a tall staff in hand, raising it up and down in a very animated way.
“Why aren’t the bandersooks attacking them?” she asked.
“They must be Doan, but how? They would have had to cross the empire,” he replied.
Thayle leaned over the wall to see the ground below swarming with monsters and then looked to the far edge as Gerisus began to point out more men among the bandersooks. One of the beasts leaped at her and was intercepted by Lilly, snaking her long neck over the wall. She snapped it with powerful jaws and bit through it in a shower of blood before spitting it back out.
“Stay away from my Thayle!” She yelled while picking up a loose rock the size of a barrel to hurl at them.
“They are climbing over each at the base of the wall,” Thayle said. “They will spill over it soon.”
“We have plenty of soldiers on the wall,” Gersius replied. “Sarah has broken their backs; they no longer have the numbers to take the keep.”
“Then we fight,” Thayle said as a clawed hand scraped at the lip of the wall.
What followed was a protracted battle where the wall defenders fought to control the top as the bandersooks attempted to climb over. Sarah made several more passes, and one of them caught the Doan hiding in the back. When they died, the bandersooks began to scatter, running from the walls instead of fighting. When the battle finally came to an end, the plateau was covered in dead monsters. The body of a dragon lay in the distant field, and Sarah landed outside the wall with deep gouges and bites on her shoulder and neck.
“Sarah, let me heal you,” Lilly called, but Sarah put a hand to herself and chanted a blessing of healing to the awe of the priests of Astikar. Gams ordered a large force to sweep the plateau and eliminate any remaining Bandersooks. He then turned to Gersius, finally giving him a warmer welcome and bowing to Thayle as his wife. Gersius then introduced him to Lilly, who looked down from above.
“So these crazy rumors I hear are true, you are his wife?” Gams asked.
“I am, I love Gersius,” Lilly said. “But you don’t know the secret of dragons.”
“What secret?” Gams asked, turning to Gersius.
Lilly climbed over the wall to Sarah and took something from a bag on Sarah's back. She then went behind the dragon where no one could see her. There was a flash of light, and a moment later, Sarah lifted something with a massive hand, setting it on the wall.
Gams and the others looked on a tall, lithe woman with silver-blue hair wearing a cream dress with a brown skirt. She walked to Gersius and Thayle, taking a hand from each as whispers began to circle.
“This is our secret,” Lilly said. “We can appear as humans when we want to.”
“You are the dragon?” Gams asked with a stone-faced expression.
“I am Lilly,” she replied. “Gersius and Thayle's wife.”
The sigh Gams let out was loud and tired. He looked back to Gersius and shook his head. “Son, you have a lot of explaining to do.”
“There will be time to discuss this later,” Gersius insisted. “I must get back to my army and hurry them forward. I am not happy that our enemy knows we are here.”
Gams could only agree and assured Gersius they would be here when he got back. Gersius and the others climbed onto Sarah by walking from the top of the wall to her back and waved before she spread her wings and took to the air.
“Gams!” Ayawa called as she came running up.
“How in the name of the divines did all of you sneak into my keep?” Gams asked as he turned to face Ayawa.
She ran directly to him and grabbed his arms. “There was a girl sent ahead on a horse, where is she?”
“She got inside and is in the keep,” Gams replied.
“Thank the earth mother,” Aayawa sighed and stepped back. “Where is Gersius?”
Gams pointed to the sky and the dragon flying away. “Going back to get his army.”
Ayawa frowned and turned away, muttering to herself about fools and bad luck. Gams watched her go with a shake of his head, it was like old times, and Gersius was once again the center of the storm.
Comments
My updates will be later in the day going forward, I started a new job and it has altered my work schedule.
