Offendorl climbed into his wagon slowly, then opened the trap door and levitated himself up to the roof. He then used his magic to levitate a small canvas camp chair and a goblet of wine so that he could sit comfortably and wait. He watched as the riders met with the kings from Osla and Falxis. He was glad he didn’t have to listen to their pronouncements and over-long introductions. He could guess what was being discussed. King Felix of Yelsia had sent men to find out what this army’s intention was, as if that weren’t obvious. They would then insist that the army was trespassing on sovereign soil, and so on and so forth, all in a vain effort to scare the kings into retreating.
It was tiresome, but it was necessary. It would allow Offendorl to make his demand of King Felix. He wanted Zollin. Not even the entire Yelsian army could hide the boy. Offendorl would destroy them all if that is what it took to bring Zollin under his control. Then he would let Belphan and Zorlan do what they wanted with Yelsia; it made no difference to Offendorl. Soon the army from the east would force Felix to capitulate, and he would have the insolent young wizard under his control. That was all that mattered.
He watched as the kings and their retinue returned to the camp. The knights with their white flags still flying in the quickening breeze remained on the field. Offendorl waited until the kings were close to his tent before coming back down. He sensed rain coming: he could feel the humidity rising and smell the rain in the distance. Rain would delay their attack. The armies could not march far through wet, muddy fields. Offendorl would stay dry in his wagon, but the others would not be so fortunate. He levitated back down and went into the tent to see what the kings had to report.
“Arrogant bastard,” Belphan said loudly. “They threatened us!”
“Tell me,” Offendorl said, waving to a servant to bring the kings goblets of wine.
“They said we should turn back and leave Yelsia or they would attack us. They await our response.”
“Let them wait,” said Offendorl. “Tell your men to make their camp ready for rain. It will be on us soon. Send no word back to Felix. If his messengers are man enough to wait in the rain, I’ll send them on their way myself when we are ready to march again.”
The kings skulked away like scolded dogs. Offendorl ordered men to march into the surrounding countryside to get food. Soon the rain began, first in fat drops that fell and splashed on the dusty ground, and then in unrelenting sheets. The ground around the camp was quickly transformed into a muddy bog. The army was allowed to rest, with only the scouts and cooks being kept busy in the rain.
Offendorl watched the knights. They stayed in the field, their banners soaked and drooping, their horses pawing at the muddy ground while the knights shivered in their heavy armor. He smiled. Things were progressing nicely, he thought to himself. Then he took a long drink of wine and stretched out on his thickly padded bed.
Chapter 20
Zollin rode through the mountains and finally came to the river in the Great Valley. Unlike the southern range, the northern mountains came down close to the river. He was well south of Brighton’s Gate and had to make a decision about which way to go. He could find a vessel to take him west on the river where he could sail south. The only problem with that plan of action was that it did not allow him to track the movement of the dragon. Zollin knew it was moving south, although it had flown out the range of his magic, so he couldn’t be sure where the beast was. He had to force himself not to think about what it might have done to Brianna. Fire couldn’t hurt her anymore, and while she couldn’t fly, falling from a great hight didn’t seem to be a major threat either. Still, that didn’t mean the dragon couldn’t eat her whole. He could still remember the beast’s hot breath when it had snatched him up in its jaws from the roof of the temple in the Ruins of Ornak. He could see the teeth with their serrated edges that would have cut him to ribbons had it not been for the magical shield he had thrown up around himself. It took all his strength not to give in to the despair that was eroding his heart.
He levitated himself over the river and then brought Lilly across the same way. It took several minutes after that to calm the horse down, but Zollin managed it. Then he remounted the aging mare, turned her west and rode for Brighton’s Gate.
It was late at night when he came to the city that had sheltered him through the winter. It had been almost a month since he had seen it last, and the villagers had accomplished much. Zollin was surprised that the soldiers who had been guarding the Great Valley were gone, but there was no one awake to give him any news. He was tired, and although he would have preferred to push on through the night, he needed to find out what the villagers knew about the dragon. He found a lean-to shed with fresh hay and saw that Lilly was unsaddled and rubbed down before he wrapped his cloak around him and made a bed for himself in the hay.
He woke up the next morning at dawn, his whole body hurting and wanting nothing as much as more sleep, but he forced himself to rise. He saddled Lilly and led her through the main street. There were people living once more in the homes that had been destroyed by the dragon’s attack in the spring. Most of the buildings had been rebuilt, and to his surprise Zollin discovered that work was now being done to rebuild the Valley Inn. The Gateway’s owner must have given up and moved on, since most what was left of that establishment was now being scavenged to help rebuild the other town structures.
“Well, well,” came a familiar voice. “Look what the cat’s dragged in.”
It was Buck, the innkeeper of the Valley Inn. He had come from behind the inn carrying a bucket of fresh milk. He smiled and waved to Zollin.
“Come inside and have some breakfast,” said the rotund innkeeper. “Where’s your lady friend? You’re both welcome in the Valley Inn. Although we may not be up to your standards quite yet.”
“You’re too generous,” Zollin said. “But I really can’t stay. I just need some information.”
“Well, an inn’s the best place in town to find out what there is to know. If it won’t hurt, you can take a load off and enjoy a bite while you learn what you need to know. The army left us a few animals. We’ve got fresh milk and Ollie’s making a nice porridge. You look like you could use something warm in that stomach of yours.”
Zollin had to admit he was hungry. He still had a meager supply of goat’s meat, but it felt like chewing leather and tasted even worse. He tied Lilly’s reins to a post outside the inn and followed Buck inside.
“Heavens!” said Ollie when she saw Zollin. “You’re even thinner than the last time I saw you. Where’s Brianna? I suspect she could use a bath and bite to eat, too.”
“She’s not here,” Zollin said.
“Oh, no,” Ollie said. “She didn’t get hurt in the mountains did she?”
“No, not exactly. It’s a long story, really, but the gist of it is that the dragon has her now.”
“The dragon has her?” Buck said in surprise, as he set a glass of fresh milk down in front of Zollin.
He took a drink and nodded.
“Have you heard or seen the dragon?”
“No, we haven’t seen it, thank heaven,” said Ollie.
“But we did hear that some others did,” Buck added, “further down the valley. They say it just few over, headed south.
“That’s what I thought. I’m going after it; that’s why I’m in a hurry. Thank you both for your kindness,” he said, standing up.