Scales and Talons

Chapter 3

Maron raked his hand through his thick, black hair frowning at the reports he just received. The borderlands of the north-west have been quiet for a long time. A long time in the time of war that was. Though his armies are on high alert and his strongholds prepared for battle, no army has yet shown itself. Today, however, King Maron had received his first troubling and, in his eyes, strange reports.

"Whole villages do not just disappear! This is suspicious. Your Grace, I beg you to send an entourage to investigate this matter!" Lord Belron fumed, his full face now red with concern. Lord Belron was always there to be dramatic, but this time Maron agreed with the big redhead. It was worrying to hear that no hostile parties had been sighted, but his people were disappearing and there were signs of attacks. 

Whole villages, once full of life, now only the farm animals remained. King Maron looked around at his council. All twelve lords were present this early morning. It was rare for all of them to be present at a regular meeting, but Maron had asked them to attend. After this meeting, he would meet with the Dragon Lords, accompanied by his two eldest sons, to discuss further war strategies. But first, Maron needed to know exactly what the situation was in his country. Now that the wizard had made a move to attack Maron, the strongholds on the borders of the battlefields felt confident that they could take the initiative in the battle. Maron knew that no lord in this council would agree to take the initiative, but now Maron had a reason to move his forces.

"Indeed, Lord Baron, that is what I intend to do. In fact, I will not only send scouts to the villages, I also want some troops to travel beyond the border of Fort Lian to locate any enemy forces."

"Nonsense! No need to upset the wizard," Lord Haster shouted after Maron had finished. There were murmurs of agreement around the table. Maron sighed. He had expected this. His people feared the wizard because his power seemed unlimited. He wondered what his Council would say if they knew that Maron had already moved some of his forces across the border, along with the Council of Dragons, sending a certain Dragonlord on a mission to infiltrate behind enemy lines and stir up the army there. Lord Naxton was one of the finest warriors in the Dragon Council and was highly respected by all. For a moment, Maron wondered why there had been no word from Naxton, but he calmed himself. He would ask about it later. First he had to get this meeting over with. He needed the Lords' approval to move their forces across the border.

Before Maron could react to Lord Haster, the door to the council chamber flew open, slamming into the walls with a bang and almost knocking the guards in front of it to the ground. Gasps of surprise could be heard around the room as everyone looked at the young man who had appeared in the doorway. Maron took the young man in, suppressing his annoyance at the interruption of this meeting. The nerve of the boy to slam his doors like that. But the young man did not care about King Maron's precious doors. No, he had urgent news.

"Your Grace! My lords! Pressing news." As the boy scrambled into the room, he had to stop halfway to catch his breath. He looked as if he might collapse at any moment, his face white and covered with sweat. "Well out with it, what do you want?" Maron spoke up, not having the patience to wait for the boy to catch his breath. "Your Grace," the boy leaned on his knees, not bothering with formalities. The news he had was too urgent. "A death cry! A death cry was heard near Fort Lian!" The messenger gasped. Maron immediately rose from his seat.

Only dragons could give a death cry. Whenever a dragon fell in battle, but wished to give the world a final warning, it would let out a roar loud enough to split the heavens. These roars were special because they were combined with magic, allowing the sound to travel further. They never failed to reach the ears of those who needed to hear them. "Continue." Maron pressed, now fully focused on what the messenger had to say. "Two days ago a death cry was heard near Fort Lian, coming from the north. The dragons present said they recognized it as Lord Naxton's! Lord Naxton has fallen!"