A Dragon Scorned (WIP 2nd edition)

Chapter 2 cont.

The loud cry of the horns carried throughout the huge meeting hall silencing the noise. Urim let his eyes wander across the gathered men and women, mercenaries mixed with the Brotherhood members, crowding in the multi-leveled space the size of a dragon's belly. Drummers on both sides of the stage hit the stretched skin. Urim glanced to the door leading to the hallway that joined the old theatre with the war room. He stood at the far edge of the stage waiting like the others for the Commander to give the orders.

"Del-rin! Del-rin! Del-rin!" the crowd started chanting in rhythm with the drums.

Urim smiled – he hadn't seen such excitement, such devotion to their leader for months. Some waved their weapons in the air or hit metal against metal.

Kazadun grinned to him from the other end of the stage. The drums sped up their tempo and Urim noticed a shadow emerge from the hallway. The Commander marched with a sprint in his step and a big smile on his face. When he stepped out on the stage the crowd cheered drowning out the creek of the leather outfit.

Once he reached the front center of the stage the drummers cut the beat and the room fell silent with them.

"My Men! My Brothers and Sisters in arms!" Delrin swiftly pulled the large broadsword from the sheath positioned across his back and raised it in the air.

A sea of metal glistened in the magic light illuminating the room, as his audience responded by raising their weapons.

"We have all sacrificed much, but it was NOT in vain!" He sheathed his sword. "The enemy will fall at our feet. And just like our ancestors rid the mainland of Dragons, so shall we slay the beast here! We'll send the Eon back to Azure!"

He punctuated his word with a raised fist.

"They bled the land. We will bleed them!"

"Ay!"

"They took our kingdom, they took our capital!" He raised his voice and Urim felt a sharp pain in his heart. "But we will never give up!"

"Ay!"

"We will never forget." He raised his fist and a roar of voices and raised steel joined him.

"Crimson is our world"

"Ay!"

"And tomorrow we will face our enemy!"

"Ay! Ay! Ay!"

The crowd roared at the revelation. The commander really knew how to get the men all excited. Though it would not yet be the fight they had all signed up for. Urim looked around at the expectant faces sipping every word that left Delrin's lips.

The dwarf continued to interweave their history – both failures and victories – with the details of the upcoming mission. And somehow by the end of his speech, even though it was a mere scouting mission, the volunteers lined up as if they were going to face the dragon the moment they stepped on land.