The Call Of Shadows

Chapter Eleven

The cool breeze whipped through Prince Rokan's hair as the dragon flew lower in preparation for its landing. They were low enough now that he could reach down and brush the treetops with his fingertips, but he didn't dare let go of the saddle he clung to. This was perhaps the most terrifying experience of his life. Zena, however, was taking it like a true elf; cautious, but ultimately leaning into the experience and finding joy in the insane. "I have no idea how you're so comfortable with this!" He shouted back to her against the wind, "Aren't you afraid of anything?!" He asked. "That depends!" She called to him, "If it can actually kill me, I try to stay away from it! If there's only a small chance of death it's no big deal!" She said, laughing at his shocked expression. "You call THIS a small chance of death?!" He screamed as they landed. He leapt off of the dragon's back as soon as he could and backed away from it as it settled into the tall grass that had become it's home these last few months. It was only a short ride on horseback to the capitol so Rokan and Zena waited in the fields for Bagaeth to arrive. The news they carried weighed heavily on their hearts and Zena fidgeted with the dagger she held at her hip.

The warm afternoon winds were picking up by the time Bagaeth arrived just an hour and a half later. "Forgive the delay my friends. I was having some trouble on the normal route. Unfortunately Salwein's horse is a little braver than my own in old age." He explained, sighing regretfully. "Anyway, it's a relief to have you both back. Did things go as well as planned?" He asked. He looked hopefully at one face and then the other before his own eyes darkened in understanding. "I see..." He said slowly. "Come. Let's take a walk as we discuss things."

Zena nodded and began following him to the edge of the field and onto the rough paths that had been carved out of the surrounding mountainside. The dragon grumbled its irritation as they passed beyond its nest but Bagaeth paid it no mind, simply skirting around the beast without hesitation. Rokan on the other hand gave it a far wider berth, choosing instead to cling to the stone to get as far away from it as possible. Zena chuckled at the fear he so plainly harbored. "What's the big deal anyway?" She chided. "They never go as far as the plains."

"Yes," He groaned. "But I'm not in the plains now am I? What if this thing gets hungry?" Bagaeth grinned at the prince. "That's what the goats are for Rokan. It's their natural prey where they're from." He waited out the silence for a few minutes as they walked before deciding to pry out the news from them. "So," He began, "How bad is it?" Zena spoke up first. "Gaining his trust wasn't easy, but my continued presence in the Upper Plains these past three years ended up giving me favor. I spent a few days when I first got there in the dungeons while he confirmed our story, but ultimately I was kept at arms length for several weeks." Bagaeth lowered his eyebrows in confusion. "So what changed his mind? I was under the impression that he had gotten quite accustomed to your presence by midwinter.

Rokan interjected. "That's actually due in large part to one of the servants under me. I trusted her with much of what's going on, and she had the idea to help wrap Zena's stomach every day so that the King could see for himself the validity of her claims. As soon as he saw her stomach growing his attitude began to change along with a freer tongue in her presence. She did an excellent job of persuading the movement of my father's troops without him realizing the ideas weren't his own." Bagaeth turned to Zena with sadness in his voice. "I didn't realize that was how you gained the King's trust...you have my deepest regrets for how much pain that must have cost you." She lowered her head respectfully. "While I appreciate your apologies it was more healing than I cared to admit at first."

"If not for Quindi, the plans wouldn't have changed but..." Rokan hesitated, unsure of how to proceed. "To put it lightly the plans have all but gone up in smoke in terms of a timeline for attack." Zena began to help fill in the blanks as Bagaeth looked from one to the other in concern. "Quindi found some wool in Rokan's room and alerted the King the day I was to leave. Then he was sent shortly after myself to intercept me in the woods and kill me before I could relay anything back to you. Rokan came just in time, and we were able to get some information out of him while we were waiting for the dragon." Rokan took back over the narrative. "Unfortunately, my father decided to escalate things just in case information did make it back to you. The troops are on their way to us as we speak. To put it bluntly, unless we can move the troops into place within the next week we're screwed."