A Dragon's Tale Ch. 54

"You care about her?" Ethan asked.

"She's my wife." Rindrin shrugged. "She's a nice girl and Illuminar says that a man ought to be lookin' out for his wife."

"Betrothed." Ethan corrected, though he was well aware that a betrothal required a divorce to break in the Ten Kingdoms.

"Same difference." The blacksmith shrugged.

Ethan gave the man a long look before leaving. He didn't seem like the most tactful fellow, but he seemed like a good man. A part of him had been hoping that he would be an asshole so he could have good reason to hate him, but he wasn't. He had gone out of his way and ridden all night to follow Sarah, presumably to try to help her. Only a good man would do that.

"I'll do everything I can to bring her back." He finally said.

"Thank ya kindly." Rindrin nodded his head in respect, then Ethan left.

He telepathically explained the situation to everyone. *I'm coming back to the Argo to get the grenade satchel and then going to this outpost.*

*Did you want company?* Selene asked. Judging by her tone, she wasn't talking about conversation.

*I'm already prepared to help as well Drago.*

*I'm also willing to help my lord.*

*I can fly an airship there Master.*

*I can scout it out Dominus.*

*I would be happy to help too Sir.*

Ethan stopped stalking through the outpost and stood still, his heart inflating like a balloon at the outpouring of support from his wives and Selene. It was almost enough to get him choked up.

*You all are the best.* He swallowed.

*Yes we are.* Alana's slightly teasing voice replied, then it got more serious. *She's a nice girl and you love her; of course we're going to help.*

*There's no way in hell I'll let Lady Ekthros get her claws into Sarah.* Selene added. *That girl was wonderful to me when I needed help and I'm happy to repay the favor.*

*Thank you, all of you.* He replied, feeling the dread in his heart lift slightly. Well, not lift; it just didn't feel so crushing with other people sharing the load.

*My lord.* Rachel interjected. *It occurs to me that it might be best if you go first and alone. There's a chance that you might be able to resolve this peacefully if you do, but if you come with all of us armed and armored...*

*Good point.* He tapped one of his claws on the ground trying to decide. *I'll try that first and see if I can solve this in a civil manner. But if I can't...*

No one objected to that sentiment.

* * *

Sarah let herself smile as she rode along the Ivernian countryside admiring the scenery. They were riding along in a fairly level part of the country although there were plenty of rolling hills in the distance. The sun was shining in a sky that had just enough clouds to be picturesque, the birds were singing their beautiful songs, and her traveling companion was a good friend.

It made a nice contrast to the turmoil in her heart.

She just couldn't understand how anyone could ever eventhink about hurting Fiona or Conner, much less actually do it. It seemed like Lady Ekthros simply didn't have a heart, soul, or conscience. To be so detached and so utterly casual -- almost peppy -- about murdering someone...

She shook her head.

It was like the 'lady' simply lacked the humanity to care. Maybe she even lacked the ability? Regardless it didn't matter. As long as Sarah herself didn't say anything to anyone, Fiona and Conner would be safe. She wanted to say something though. She almostneeded to say something. Sarah and Fiona were the only ones who knew what Lady Ekthros was up to and someone needed to stop her.

No one at the castle would believe Fiona because they all trusted Lord Delmar's opinion of Lady Ekthros too much. Perhaps the only person who could help was Ethan. However, Sarah couldn't tell him and Fiona probably wouldn't tell him even if she had the opportunity; the copper-haired woman was simply too furious with the prophet for killing her husband, and understandably so.

"Hold up." Ellis said, pulling his reins back and stopping his horse.

Sarah and Amy had been trailing behind him about two horse lengths and both stopped.

"What's wrong?"

"There's a caliyon in the road." The guardsman pointed to the snake that was sunning itself on the very warm road.

Sarah leaned forward and squinted slightly. The snake was mostly a medium gray color with a lot of diamond shapes on its back. The diamonds were bordered with white and had brown centers.

"No, that's a bergoland." Sarah said. "They're native to Ivernia and look like a caliyon, but they aren't poisonous."

"Are you sure?" He asked.

She nodded. "Grey on brown, go around; grey on white, you're alright." She recited. "Every Ivernian child is taught that little rhyme. A caliyon has white diamonds with a brown border, a bergoland has brown diamonds with a white border."

"Okay." Ellis nodded, then dismounted and handed his reins to Sarah. He unbuckled his sword and used the scabbard to gently nudge the snake out of the road. It wasn't happy about it, but it went after a minute of prodding.

"You didn't kill it." Amy said with a smile as Ellis buckled his sword back around his waist, remounted his horse, and they all started forward again.

"It posed no threat and was merely enjoying the weather." He replied.

Sarah smiled; it was good that Ellis cared like that.

"You seem gentle for a guardsman." Amy pointed out.

He slowed his horse until he was level with them before speaking, and he had a satisfied smile on his face as he did. "Several of my sparring partners might not agree with that miss."

Sarah chuckled. "I suppose that's a good thing for a guardsman."

"My father taught me to be gentle with the gentle and ruthless to the ruthless." Ellis said after a moment. "I won't start a fight unless it's to protect someone; but if someone starts a fight, I will finish it."

"I like that." Amy smiled.

"Me too." Sarah agreed, thinking it reminded her of Ethan. She couldn't help but smile when she thought of him, even if Lady Ekthros's blackmail put a damper on it.

"Something funny miss?" Ellis asked.

"No." She shook her head.

"That looks like a different kind of smile." Amy had her own smile, but this one was sly.

Sarah shrugged and thankfully her friend didn't pursue it.

They rode in comfortable silence for another twenty minutes before entering one of the small forests that littered this part of Ivernia's countryside. Most of them weren't large, but they were common and the relief from the hot sun was nice. They had been riding in the forest for perhaps five minutes when Ellis slowed his horse and motioned for them to do the same while looking around.

"What?" Sarah asked.

"I'm not sure miss." He replied while looking around again. "Something isn't quite right here."

Amy shifted nervously in her saddle and looked at Sarah, probably thinking about the stories of bandits attacking travelers. Sarah herself wasn't very worried, at least not for herself, but if someone attacked them and she couldn't protect her friend and their guard...

Hmm.

The trio continued on, but all of them were looking around for hidden dangers.

* * *

Ethan resisted the urge to growl as the outpost appeared around the bend in the road in front of him. He'd done a quick aerial recon while disguised as an eagle before landing out of sight so he could walk up to it naturally. He flexed his fingers a few times, resisting the urge to clamp them into fists. Both Serif and Kendra had repeatedly told him that being tense would slow him down and wear him out much faster in a fight. Given that one might be coming up, he tried to take that advice to heart.

It wasn't easy.

*I'm sure she'll be okay.* Alana thought to everyone.

*Lady Ekthros has had her for damn-near three weeks now.* He did his best to keep his frustration out of his tone. *Who knows what could've happened to her in that time, and that's assuming she's still...* He couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence.

*I doubt she killed her.* Kendra replied.

*Damn.* Selene thought to everyone. *I'm going to filet that bitch alive the next time I see her if she's hurt Sarah.*

*Get in line.* Ethan growled.

*Drago, I agree with the sentiment, but Luminar Kossel did call in that favor so we would capture her instead of killing her.*

Ethan growled again. *What the hell is his deal anyway? Can someone ask him what the story is with him and that bitch?* He hesitated, then added. *No, wait; let me do it.*

*Are you sure?* Beth interjected. *I could snap back to my body and ask him.*

Despite himself, healmost smiled at his blonde wife's seemingly inexhaustible curiosity manifesting itself again.

*I'll ask when I get back.* He replied. *Anyway, I'm coming up on the outpost now so we'll talk later.* He looked toward the outpost.

It wasn't much.

It had a palisade wall that was about eight feet high and clearly had a walkway because two Ivernian soldiers were standing so that Ethan could only see their upper chests. The door in the palisade wall was nothing special and looked like a determined force of people might be able to simply break it down. He could see the tops of two buildings and a large earthen ramp -- presumably a dock for airships -- but that was about it.

He also saw the blue outline -- visible only to him -- of his second wife's Astral form walk past the open gates. *Okay Beth, give me a sitrep.*

There was a slight pause before the blonde replied. *Sitrep?*

*Situational report.* Selene explained. *He means to tell him what you see.*

*Exactly.* He confirmed.

*There are nineteen soldiers here, seven of whom are asleep in the barracks.* The blonde began. *The two on the wall are armed with swords and arrows but no shields. The rest of them have swords and shields except for one who has a leather shield and a better-looking sword; I think he's a mage. They are all milling about looking very bored.*

*Thanks Angel.* He smiled despite the situation; it was good to have her back to her normal self after that airship fight.

*Happy to help Dominus.* She replied, and she sounded it.

*Drago, please remember what I suggested.* Kendra thought to everyone.

*Yup, I'll do it now.* Ethan replied, then stopped about one hundred yards from the outpost gates. He raised both hands for a moment, and then slowly unhooked his sword from his side. He raised it high so the guards could see it, and then slowly set it down on the ground and began approaching again.

They didn't know he could summon it and he certainly wasn't going to enlighten them unless it was necessary. Plus he had his leather shield, war hammer, and dagger/javelin while he was waiting for his sword.

One of the guards turned to face inside the camp and hollered.

*Dominus, all the men who aren't asleep are heading towards the gates.* Beth thought to everyone.

*Okay, thanks.* He replied as he walked ever closer, finally stopping about twenty feet from the gate. The two soldiers atop the walls had swelled to four.

*Dominus, the two new soldiers on the wall grabbed bows as well.*

*Thanks Beth.* He replied and then spoke aloud. "Hello there."

"What do you want?" One of the guards atop the wall said gruffly.

"Almost three weeks ago, you had a demon-possessed girl come through here and board an airship." Ethan replied. "I need to know where she went."

"Piss off." The guard scoffed.

Ethan had seen that response coming but it was still unfortunate. "I'm afraid I can't take 'no' for an answer." He replied coolly.

"How about an arrow?" The guard drew one from his quiver and nocked it, but didn't draw it. "Would that answer your question?"

"Only if you had the name of the destination on it." Ethan replied. If he was being perfectly honest with himself, he was trying to resist the temptation to goad the man on.

"Who the fuck are you?" Another man stepped up to the top of the walls. This one had a leather shield slung over his back, so almost certainly the mage Beth had mentioned. That was about when the gate began to shut. Ethan wasn't worried though; he could simply jump or fly over it.

"Someone who has a vested interest in where that demon-possessed girl went." Ethan replied.

The mage frowned, then raised his hand and waved it between them, almost like he was feeling for something or brushing something out of his vision, though of course there was nothing between them.

"It's him, the prophet." The mage dropped his hand and smirked.

Ethan clicked his disguise gem off. "Yup, so you can see why I would be interested in ademon-possessed girl.

One of the guards on the wall nodded slowly at Ethan's statement but the rest smirked much like the mage.

*That right-most soldier seems amenable.* Ethan thought to everyone and then started charging his warhammer, figuring that an impressive display might not go amiss here. Given that the mage appeared to be the ringleader, he targeted it at the man's head.

The mage turned and leaned towards one of the soldiers and whispered something.

*Beth?* Ethan thought to everyone.

After a moment, her blue outline appeared behind the points of the palisade wall. *They're talking about the reward money.*

*Figures.* He sighed.

After a few moments, the mage turned towards him. "Okay, but we'll only tell you because you're the prophet. Come on in and I'll tell you everything you need to know."

*He's lying.* Beth interjected. *They just want to attack you from two sides with archers.*

*Thanks Beth.* Ethan thought to everyone, and then he laughed out loud for effect. "Wow, you really think you can lie to me like that? Planning to shoot me in the back, right?"

The mage shrugged, clearly utterly unperturbed at being called out. "The front works too; kill him." He waved his hand forward and three of the archers raised their bows.

The rightmost soldier didn't, looking torn.

That was the last thing the mage ever did.

Before any of the soldiers could shoot, Ethan raised his war hammer and let the lightning bolt loose. It struck the man's face and his head was whipped backwards as the rest of him collapsed like a ton of bricks. The men who had been about to try and shoot him froze, staring at their fallen leader.

He looked at the rest of the soldiers. "Unless anyone else wants to be target practice, I suggest you don't try shooting. Now, where is she?"

The guards all looked at each other and then moving as one, they hit the deck behind the palisade wall.

"It never goes smooth; why does it never go smooth?" Ethan muttered to himself and then raised his voice so the men behind the wall could hear him. "I don't want to hurt anyone, but I need to know where she went."

"Fuck you!" One of the men shouted from behind the wall.

*Beth, do you know who said that?* He thought to everyone.

*Yes Dominus.*

*Would you be okay with a little eye-poking?* He asked.

There was a slight pause before the blonde replied. *For these wolves, yes Dominus; absolutely.*

"Listen up." Ethan said loudly. "I'm not interested in anything you have except one piece of information."

"Burn in Saidow's lair you fucking cowardly reptile!" The same man called, ironically while cowering behind a wall. "We're going to skin you alive and then I'll use your skull as a chamber pot!"

*Beth, that guy.* Ethan thought to everyone after a moment.

"OWW!" The man screamed in pain a few seconds later and then Ethan heard the 'thump' sound of someone falling; probably the man off of the walkway behind the palisade wall.

"Don't hurt me!" A few moments later, two hands that were devoid of weapons shot up above the palisade, fingers spread and obviously unarmed. It looked like where the rightmost man had been standing.

"I won't hurtanyone unless he attacks me." He replied.

The man slowly stood, looking white as a sheet as his eyes continually darted towards where Ethan assumed the mage and the now one-eyed man were. His hands were as far up in the air as possible and he looked like he was trembling.

"You have something to say?" Ethan asked.

The man nodded. "We don't know where she is. They didn't tell us anything. I know the airship was turning south, but it was out of sight before it finished turning so I don't know what direction it went."

*That makes sense Dominus.* Beth mused. *Rindrin said the same thing, but where could they have gone?*

*No idea.* Ethan felt a sinking feeling in his chest.

They didn't know.

They didn't know where Sarah was.

Lady Ekthros could've taken her anywhere in the Ten Kingdoms and he had no clue where she was. Worse, he had no way to know. His best lead had just come up dry in a pretty resounding way. He racked his brain trying to think of where she could've taken her, but nothing came to mind.

South.

That was all he had to go on.

South.

That was about when he noticed the soldier still standing there trembling slightly and white as a sheet.

"That's all I wanted to know." Ethan said to him, then waved and started to turn. "Take care."

"You won't hurt us?" The soldier asked, disbelief in his tone.

"Of course not." Ethan looked at him. "Not unless you come after me or my family, but if you do..." He let that hang in the air.

The man nodded vigorously.

Ethan turned and walked to his war sword, picked it up, and reattached it since he didn't want to reveal that he could summon it to the Ivernian military. Then he started walking away, still trying to come up with a way to find out where they'd taken Sarah.

*Beth, I'll fly back to the Argo and then come get you.* He thought to everyone almost absent-mindedly while he worked on the problem.

*Thank you Dominus. Though, we really need a way for me to get around without you needing to fly me everywhere.*

He smiled in spite of himself. *So, my angel wants some wings?*

*That would be wonderful!* Beth exclaimed.

*It would!* Taloni agreed

*We'll have to brainstorm about that sometime soon.* Ethan nodded. *But right now we have more important things to focus on; where could Lady Ekthros have taken Sarah?"

No one replied.

*We don't have anything to go on, do we?* He thought to everyone after several long moments of silence.

*We can pray.* Taloni suggested.

Ethan scoffed and rolled his eyes, glad that his wives weren't around to see it because he knew what they would both think and say about his casual dismissal of prayer.

* * *

Amy found herself constantly wishing that she had the time to stop and paint the forest around her. The colors of the trees just seemed so much more vibrant and lively here in Ivernia! She had never been to the lorddom before and had assumed that the few paintings that she'd seen were exaggerating how pretty it was.

They weren't.

The small part of Ivernia that she had seen from across the river at the castle in Karnas had been pretty, but had also been urban and seemed very poor. But this? The Ivernian countryside? She thought she could spend years painting it and never grow tired of doing so.

She sighed.

"What?" Sarah asked from her horse beside her.

"It's so beautiful." Amy sighed again.

"It is." Her friend smiled. "It's funny, I haven't been gone long, and yet I'd almost forgotten how beauti--"

Sarah never finished her sentence. Ahead of them, Ellis was suddenly and inexplicably thrown bodily from his horse towards a nearby tree on the right side of the road. He hit it and crumbled to the ground, not moving.

"Ellis!" Sarah yelled.

Amy sat on her horse transfixed and unable to move, react, or tear her eyes from the fallen guardsman. Sarah scrambled off her horse and ran over to him just as Amy heard a voice from her right.

"Got him!"

She looked to see three men leaving the forest onto the road. The man who was obviously the leader was shorter than the others and he was shorter than Amy and Sarah as well. He had a seedy, unkempt look about him and he had a grin on his face that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. He also looked like he needed a bath.