With the exception of the religious volunteers, the Andamooran contingent in the smaller camp had been almost completely emptied out. The entire force of Andamooran light horsemen had been dispatched, to range towards the east and scout far beyond the two camps.
Their absence from the camp areas was probably for the better, Dragol felt. The fanatical, face-veiled horsemen held little affinity for the Avanorans that they regarded as infidels. The Avanoran warriors continuously eyed the Trogens with looks that did little to hide their distaste for the non-human race, considering the Trogens to be little more than barbarous dog-men.
More than one Avanoran knight of considerable rank and lineage, gripping a great lance with a billowing pennon, tensed at the sight of the few Trogen chieftains moving among them, on their way to coordinate their efforts with the newly arrived Avanoran lords.
The Trogen leaders, though restraining themselves from provoking a larger incident, glowered back defiantly at the knights and other human soldiers. Many of the knights would not have been disappointed had the Trogens given in to their urges. More than one knight’s hand clenched the hilt of his sword, with a steely look in his eyes.
It was fortunate that the overwhelming majority of the Trogens was in the sky, or set apart in their own camp. Only the strictest orders by the Avanoran leaders, and the severe admonishments of Tragan, could hope to keep the peace among the two races.
The small numbers of Andamooran religious volunteers laboring among the Trogens and their steeds were perhaps the most unfortunate of all. They tried in vain to keep their distance from both groups during the ensuing hours, though not always successfully. Ill-trained and poorly equipped, they tended to the more menial tasks within the Trogen sky steed camp, and were not about to willfully aggravate either the fierce, heavily armored warriors of Avanor, or the massive, aggressive Trogens. The Andamoorans hated and resented all the others, Trogen and Avanoran alike, but were judicious concerning their fate should they provoke either one of the groups.
There was little doubt that tensions would rise between the incoming Avanorans and the Andamoorans, tensions that could well escalate beyond the state of unease with the Trogens. The Avanorans made no secret that they regarded the Andamoorans as heathens and apostates, the followers of a false prophet. As with the Trogens, only the harsh, disciplined command of the Avanoran lords and officers kept a general order.
Nonetheless, when the Andamoorans gathered to say their ritualized prayers at sunset that evening, they grouped together on the farthest side of the combined Trogen and Andamooran camp. Their anxiety having considerably risen, they strove to stay far away from any potential Avanoran derision or incitement.
At the very least, the Trogens left the Andamoorans alone to practice their own beliefs without undue harassment. Dragol had to concede that he respected the ardent zeal of the Andamooran volunteers. He did not believe in their strange deity that supposedly had spoken through some northern prophet, yet he had little doubt that if such a deity existed, that divinity would be quite pleased with such dedicated and loyal followers.
During the onset of the lavender-hued firmament’s settling, the gloaming period bridging dusk to night, Dragol and Goras found themselves among the few Trogens that were currently being allowed a short respite from the extensive duties of sky patrols. The two leaders had already incurred a very strenuous day, and even their robust, well-trained muscles ached for some needed relief.
They sat together under the shelter of Dragol’s tent, secured safely away from the last, direct rays of the dying sun. Their skin was finally cooling off, their upper bodies now finally freed from the hot, encompassing leather cuirasses that had been worn for so many hours on end.
The two commanders had undergone a vigorous litany of activities since the Avanoran army had arrived at the borders of the Saxan province of Wessachia. Their sky steeds were in little better shape, even though they had each made a change to fresh mounts towards the end of the day.
“It will not be long before battle is enjoined,” Goras remarked, watching Dragol slowly massage his tired left shoulder with his broad right hand.
“Not long? At this time, another day is too long,” Dragol grumbled, his short muzzle pulled back into an annoyed sneer. “I am tired of floating around in the sky. Skirmishing with overmatched quarry that we stumble across, or being bled by hidden adversaries that we are not allowed to pursue. We must fight a true battle soon. I hunger to get revenge on those creatures that slew my warriors, and to measure myself on a true day of battle.”
“You are not wrong to feel such a way, Dragol. There is nothing for us here, but to watch over haughty Avanorans,” Goras replied through clenched teeth, reflecting his overall disappointment with their circumstances. The arrogance of the Avanorans only drove the resentments in the likes of Dragol and the others higher. “And there is little sign of the sky warriors of these Saxans. I would feel less angered were it otherwise. At least there would be a hope to look to.”
Dragol felt the sympathy that any Trogen would have for another who had long been denied honorable combat. The chance to measure themselves in courage, in strength, and in resolve was held back with each day that passed where there was no true battle.
The Trogens had heard much of the Saxan sky warriors, who flew upon a breed of Skiantha called Himmerosen. Yet they had not seen any significant sign of them in the region, with the exception of some distant elements that could just as well have been larger wildlife, or mirages created by wishful anticipation.
Dragol then replied in a voice that was nearly a growl of frustration. He clenched his great left hand into a balled fist, his arm muscles bulging. “It is not the way of a Trogen, the way that we are used here. The way that we are held back. But we will not wait much longer. I promise you! And when we…”
“Dragol! Look!” Goras said, sharply interrupting Dragol, as his eyes immediately riveted skyward. A couple of gigantic forms crossed over their tent, far above the two Trogens, blanketing the camp in immense, sprawling shadows.
Looking up into the dimming sky, Dragol was awestruck as he watched the two tremendous shapes that were passing through the sky above them. The bulky, winged behemoths were far from an ordinary sight, even compared to some of the incredible denizens of Dragol’s own homeland.
If the Trogens had not been told otherwise, the abrupt sight high above would have been great cause for alarm. As it was, Tragan had already informed Dragol and the other Trogen chieftains that the Unifier had prepared new weapons, which had never been used in battle within the world before.
They had been told to look for, and soon expect, the arrival of sky creatures of unimaginable size. Even with the foreknowledge, the imminent, startling sight of the creatures was breathtaking to behold.
“The Darroks! Before our eyes!” Dragol exclaimed with excitement. He rose up swiftly from where he had been sitting and moved out from the tent, turning around and looking to the south and west.
Goras came to stand at Dragol’s right side, in rapt attention as they watched the juggernauts flying onward.
Despite their enormous presence, the huge beasts were very capable fliers. They had a narrow body in relation to their seemingly measureless wingspan. The Darroks glided quite gracefully through the air, buoyed periodically by relaxed beats of their expansive wings.
The darkening, velvety sky of the twilight directly over them masked much of the detail of their features, but there was enough visibility to see that the creatures might once have been close kin to dragons.
Dragol studied their lengthy profile, from their great heads, elongated necks, down to their whip-like, tapering tails. Their sinewy, slender legs ended in horrific claws, all tucked up snugly against their undersides during flight.