A Dragon's Tale Ch. 42

CRACK!!!

A lightning bolt arced out of his war hammer, burning through the leather vest and slamming into the largest orc's chest. He nearly screamed in pain and clapped his hand over his chest. Ethan saw a large burn wound on the chest before it was covered, but couldn't tell exactly how deep the bolt had gone.

Damn.

This new hammer was WAY more powerful than his old one. He kept his hammer raised, and slowly moved it around at the orcs as he started charging it again. The threat was obvious.

The orcs froze.

The largest orc seemed to struggle to stay standing for several more seconds, then his eyes rolled back in his head and he fell forward. He hit the ground with an almost palpable 'thud'; possibly dead, but definitely unconscious.

"The miners are off the menu." Ethan said loudly. "Leave them alone or you'll have to deal with me."

Several of the orcs scowled at him.

Others brought their axes up to cover their chests as if to use them as a makeshift shield.

"Leave, and never come back." Ethan ordered.

A particularly shrewd looking orc grinned wickedly at him, then turned his head towards the forest and then shouted what sounded like several commands in orcish. There was a rustling sound, then about two dozen more green skinned orc-like creatures came out of the forest.

But these 'orcs' were much smaller.

Ethan towered over the newcomers like the larger orcs towered over him. They were maybe four feet tall at the tallest, though some were as much as a half foot shorter. They looked like their larger relatives, only they were thin and lanky; like a teenage boy who'd hit a growth spurt and thus was all limbs. He vaguely remembered the old man with a pegged-leg calling the smaller ones 'goblins'.

The goblins charged him.

With seemingly no care for their own safety and almost no regard for strategy or tactics, the goblins ran straight at him wielding thick sticks like baseball bats.

The larger orcs smirked.

Ethan grimaced, then dropped his hammer and drew his war sword back for a strike, telegraphing it as a warning. The goblins didn't seem to notice nor care. He swung a powerful blow, putting all his strength into it to overpower any potential blocks or parries.

They didn't try to do either.

Their attacks were rudimentary at best, consisting of baseball-style swings. Thanks to his enhanced reflexes, he was able to aim a swing that killed three of them at once while avoiding their wooden clubs.

It didn't matter.

The rest kept on coming, and there were a lot of them.

He leapt into the air, spreading his wings to escape being mobbed by them. He shuddered to think what would've happened if he didn't have that option. They would've dogpiled on top of him for sure. If he hadn't been crushed, he certainly would've been killed once he was pinned.

One in the air, he sheathed his sword called his javelin and hammer back to his hands. The goblins seemed to chase after him like a cat or dog would chase after a fly it couldn't reach. They were snarling and chomping at the bit to get at him, but he was safe fifty feet up in the air.

Finally, the goblins got halfway smart and started grabbing rocks to hurl at him. They couldn't throw anything heavy enough to damage him high enough to hit him though, so he mostly ignored it.

That's when he realized the orcs' plan.

The large orcs had started heading down towards the two injured miners, probably intent on collecting them while he himself was distracted. Growling, he swooped towards them and let loose with his javelin. It speared an orc, but Ethan's aim had been rather poor since he hadn't practiced with it as much as his other weapons. It went through the fleshy part of the orc's side, but besides being painful it wouldn't have caused any real damage.

Then he let loose with his hammer as he flew over them. The lightning bolt struck its target, but only in the weapon hand. The orc dropped the axe, but immediately picked it up with his other hand.

Ethan swooped down and landed to guard the two downed men, who were trying to crawl towards the city.

They were groaning in pain.

*Tee, as soon as it's safe I want you to fly out and heal these men.* He thought to her.

*Yes Master.* Came her worried reply.

He understood her concern.

He could try to kill the orcs by flying around and throwing his javelin repeatedly, assuming they didn't respond with their warbows. However that would take time, and the orcs would probably be able to drag the two men back into the forest where his ability to fly would be eliminated due to the dense tree line. That wouldn't bode well if he was swarmed by the goblins again.

Speaking of which, the goblins were charging forward to join their larger brothers in arms.

Ethan considered his options, not quite sure how to proceed. He didn't want to leave the two men there, but if he stood his ground he'd almost certainly be mobbed by the goblins and killed. He was considering how to last as long as possible when movement from inside the mine's entrance drew his eye.

"Advance! Defensive encircle!" Someone called loudly from inside the mine.

Moments later, two dozen men clad in chainmail came charging out of the mine. They also had large shields, but these ones looked to be enchanted to reduce weight since they were running with them. They were incredibly thick too; almost certainly thick enough to stop an orcish warbow.

In perfect unison with perfect formation, they raised their shields in an overlapping fashion to provide cover from orcish arrows as they rushed towards Ethan, but they weren't attacking. With perfect precision, the two dozen men created a circle around the two injured men and Ethan, shields held outward creating a barrier against the attackers. Each man carried a spear too, and there was a slot in the shield for the spear. The result was a wall of shields protected by a wall of spears.

They were further protected because some of the men kept their shields high, stacking them on top of the men facing the orcs to prevent those in the circle with their backs facing the orcs from being shot from behind.

Leading the men and now standing in the center of the circle was someone who somewhat reminded Ethan of a Roman centurion. He was wearing chainmail, and his helmet looked like it came straight out of the Roman Empire. He wasn't particularly large or tall, but he carried himself with supreme confidence without even a hint of arrogance.

He had a full, short beard and his eyes were on the enemy as he spoke. "The prophet of Illuminar I presume?"

"I've been called that."

"It's an honor to meet you. I am the Lord Regent of Timarou, Kalus by name." That's when Ethan remembered the pegged-leg fellow had mentioned a Lord Kalus, and the mine's owner had earlier in the day as well.

"My name is Ethan, but I guess you knew that."

Kalus nodded as he scrutinized the oncoming forces, who had halted their advance. It was two dozen well-armed and obviously well trained men plus Ethan, against nine orcs and just under two dozen goblins.

"It's over." Lord Kalus called to the orcs. "Retreat and tend to your wounded; you'll take no men today."

The orcs scrutinized the defensive wall, and then one of them called towards the goblins in the orc tongue. The goblins stopped short, but they were still looking longingly at the humans. After several seconds, the orcs waved the goblins towards the forest and followed behind, disappearing into the trees while dragging their wounded compatriots.

They were gone.

The men still held in formation, and he was reminded of the stories about the guards at Buckingham Palace in London. Apparently they were completely unflappable and would stand at attention without movement for hours. Kalus's men seemed that disciplined.

"Thank you." Ethan said to Lord Kalus. "Will they be back soon, or ambush us?"

"No." The lord replied. "Orcs always sound the horn before they attack, and they have retired from the field of battle; they shall not return today."

"Okay, good." He said, then thought to his Fey wife. *It's safe and I need you here as fast as you can, two men are hurt.*

*I'm coming Master!* She replied, relief all over her tone.

He glanced towards the settlement and sure enough, a tiny female shape had risen above the walls and was making a beeline towards his location.

Kalus looked at the two men. "Would that we had a healer here."

"Don't worry, I got that covered." He replied. "I do have a question though: why wait in the mine and not escort the men to and from the mine?" Ethan asked.

"Because then the mine itself and the men still in it would be unprotected." Kalus replied. "I have only two dozen men here, and like all men we must sleep. We don't have enough men to secure the mine and protect the miners at the same time. I dare not bring more men for fear of bringing war between Timarou and Ivernia."

"Fair." He nodded.

Moments later one of the soldiers facing the settlement called to Lord Kalus. "Commander, we have incoming."

"That's my wife, and she's a healer." Ethan said.

"Praise Illuminar." Kalus said.

* * *

Selene paced on the ramparts of the town facing the mine, wishing she could do more to help. After seeing those goblins swarm Ethan, she understood that she would've been more of a hindrance than a help. However, that didn't make her less frustrated at her current inability to help. Taloni had flown out and healed the men, and it looked like the commander of the soldiers was accompanying Ethan, Tee, and the two previously wounded men back to the city while the two dozen soldiers were going back into the mine.

The gate in the palisade was opening as they came through, and all Ethan's of wives mobbed him. Kendra was more reserved about her affections, but a blind man could see that she was just as relieved as the others.

From not far away, The Brazilian woman saw two other women running over to embrace the commander of the soldiers who had rescued Ethan. One was an ash blonde, the other had amber colored hair. Both were beautiful, and they looked just as relieved to see him as Ethan's wives were to see their own husband.

Selene hung at the periphery of the group, watching and feeling a bit left out.

Ethan looked up from his wives and gave her an amused smile. *No one is stopping you from joining in.*

Her jaw dropped. *How'd you know?*

*Apparently your telepathic abilities mean I can sense your emotions much sooner than the others; it wasn't hard to guess from that since you've done nothing to prevent me from feeling them.*

She frowned as their various hugs broke; she could fix that right now, but for some reason decided that maybe it would be better to do it later. You know, when she could concentrate on it properly. She wouldn't want to take five seconds now because she wanted to do it properly and not be distracted. Yes, that was a good reason to wait... right?

It seemed like one.

Probably.

"Ladies, this is Lord Regent Kalus of Timarou." Ethan said to his wives. "Lord Kalus, these are my wives: Alana, Beth, you've met Taloni, Rachel, and Kendra." He had indicated each as he said their names, then indicated the caramel haired beauty. "And this is Selene, a good friend and valuable member of my crew."

"It is truly a pleasure ladies." Lord Kalus said. "These are my wives; Shara and Lyra." He indicated the amber haired woman first and then the ash blonde.

"Pleasure." Ethan nodded to them.

Shara nodded back in a regal, reserved way. She seemed like the kind of person who was raised having good manners drilled into her. Despite that, her smile was warm and genuine. His other wife, Lyra, was in some ways the opposite, and some ways the same. She also had a kind and sincere smile, but she seemed far less reserved and wilder. She seemed like the kind of person who would grab life by the horns and give it a French kiss.

"What brings the lord of another land here?" Selene asked.

"My mission is partially practical, partially humanitarian." Kalus replied. "Timarou is not so blessed with iron as Ivernia, and the miners needed help."

"He's being modest." Lyra piped up with an impish grin. "He can't stand watching people suffer and had to get involved."

Kalus gave her a reproving look, but didn't disagree. Instead he turned to Shara. "Where is Taiven?"

"At the lodging with Octavian." The amber haired woman replied. "I told him he could join us when you returned."

"Ah." Kalus had a small smile on his face as he looked over her shoulder.

Selene saw a boy of six or seven walking towards them, and she assumed it was Taiven. He had the same confident walk and bearing of his father, and his hair had the same amber color as his mother. He walked up to them and Kalus made the introductions.

Taiven looked at all of Ethan's wives and gave them a respectful bow, but his eyes seemed to hover on Rachel for several seconds longer than the others, even Selene herself.

After those several seconds, he walked up to the redhead and gave her another respectful bow before speaking very respectfully. "You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. If you have a daughter and your husband will allow it, I'm going to marry her."

It was a simple statement of fact.

The boy wasn't flirting or joking either. He was very respectful, and for some reason it didn't come across as wide-eyed childish optimism. Selene got the impression that this boy had been born older than most. Everyone was suppressing laughter, but the boy didn't seem the least bit embarrassed.

On the contrary.

He turned to Ethan and bowed respectfully. "Sir, if you would allow it, I would very much like the honor of the hand of Rachel's oldest daughter when she comes of age."

Lyra was silently cracking up, almost doubled over in laughter behind her-- stepson? Nephew? What do you call the son or daughter of a co-wife? Anyway, most of Ethan's wives and the man himself were trying not to laugh.

"Well, I was planning to let her pick her own husband." Ethan replied, apparently unable to stop himself from grinning.

"In that case sir, will you allow me the honor of courting her and wooing her once she comes of age?" Taiven continued, completely undeterred.

"Sure, why not?" Ethan nodded while grinning ear-to-ear.

"Thank you sir, I will hold you to that." Taiven said with a deep and respectful bow. As he was facing downwards at the deepest part of his bow when probably no one else could see, Selene saw a boyish grin of barely restrained delight peeking through his controlled demeanor. Suddenly, he looked like he might have a bit of his aunt-- or step mother? Anyway, it looked like Lyra might've rubbed off a bit on him too.

"He will hold you to it." Kalus said with amused pride all over his face. "I've impressed upon my son the importance of keeping his word."

"That's a good thing." Ethan nodded, then the Brazilian woman heard his voice in their group chat. *So Rachel, sounds like you have a wedding to plan for...*

His wives shook their heads.

"Rachel, your husband tells me that you are a powerful mage." Kalus said to the redhead.

*He's getting to know the in-laws.* Beth thought to everyone with a mischievous grin.

Rachel ignored the blonde, but looked quite pleased with the praise. "Powerful? I think he's overstating it a bit. I'm okay, but I'm no Moragana."

"Moragana?" Selene asked, the name sounding somewhat familiar.

The redhead nodded. "Moragana the Fey. She's one of the most famous arch mages in Ten Kingdoms history."

"Wait,Moragana the Fey?" The Brazilian woman raised an eyebrow, then turned to Ethan. "Doesn't that sound like a famous mage from Earth too?"

"Morgan Le Fey from the Arthurian legends, though sometimes she's called 'Morgana'." Ethan replied. "Though, I think 'le' is just French for 'the', and Morgana is just one letter off, so..."

"Moragana vs Morgana, the Fey." Selene frowned, then looked at Rachel. "You wouldn't happen to know of a wizard around the same time named 'Merlin' would you?"

"Merlin?" The mage shook her head. "No."

"Oh, do you mean Merlinus? Sometimes called 'Myrddin'?" Beth asked.

"Merlinus would be the Latin form of Merlin, so maybe." The Brazilian woman mused.

Ethan looked around at the Ten Kingdoms natives. "How about King Arthur? Lancelot? Guinevere? Do those names sound familiar too, or anything close to them connected with Merlin and Morgana? Or Merlinus and Moragana the Fey."

Everyone else shook their heads.

"What's their story?" Selene asked.

Beth answered first. "They are famous as the couple that brought men to the Ten Kingdoms."

"Wait, did you say brought men to the Ten Kingdoms?" Ethan's jaw dropped. "Men aren't native here?"

"No." Beth replied as if was obvious and self-evident. "Merlinus and Moragana brought many thousands of people from another world to help them escape the aftermath of a great war. Or at least that's how the legend goes. That's how men came to be in the Ten Kingdoms."

Ethan and Selene looked at each other.

"That explains why the people here speak English." Ethan grinned. "I always wondered why, but even though English was very different back then, I suppose it makes sense that it evolved along similar lines as it did on Earth."

"Especially if contact between the worlds continued." Selene nodded. "It seems like we keep finding out that this world interacts with our own more than one might think."

"Yeah; funny how that works." Ethan replied.

"You aren't from the Ten Kingdoms?" Lord Kalus asked.

Ethan shook his head. "Nope."

Shara looked at her husband and raised her eyebrows as if in a question. He hesitated a moment and then nodded. Then the amber haired woman addressed the Argo's crew. "The good people of this town are letting us use a small house while we are here. We would love to have all of you over for dinner so we could hear more."

"It would be good to dine with the prophet of Illuminar before services tomorrow." Lord Kalus nodded. "Please, join us."

"Sounds like a plan." Ethan replied, then thought to the group chat. *We should get to know the in-laws.*

Rachel shook her head slowly as they started following Lord Kalus and his wives, but there was an embarrassed smile on her face too.

* * *

Sarah had spent much of the day thinking about what Lady Ekthros had told her about Ethan. She almost couldn't believe it, but it made so much sense. Everything she had said had made sense. Plus, the lady hadn't exactly been excited to share. She'd actively tried to discourage the innkeeper's daughter from hearing it, which made her think that the older woman was being more truthful.

And what she'd said about dreams of angels?

There was no way she could've known that. Not unless she was a powerful telepath, but that was impossible because only the most powerful mages could be telepaths and Lady Ekthros didn't know magic, otherwise she surely would've used it to escape by now. That meant she was telling the truth.

Ethan wasn't a good person.

Sarah felt her eyes get moist and she blinked several times. He hadseemed so good. She wanted him to be good so badly. She had thought that he was the prophet of Illuminar, so how could he be bad? Alas, he was. He was and she had fallen for it.

Right then she vowed never to be taken in so badly again.

Ever.

Her throat got tight as she realized that her heart ached in a way that it never had before. It felt like someone had opened her chest and scraped out her insides with a rusty spoon.

How could emptiness hurt so much?

She was shaken from her reverie by the sound of footsteps on the stairs. It sounded like someone was running up them in armor, but she couldn't imagine why since they never had before.

"Get that door open." A powerful voice commanded. Something about it reminded her of Ethan slightly. It was something about the commanding nature, though it lacked Ethan's softness.