Chronicles of Den'dra - Spencer Johnson Page 0,141

Circling to gain altitude, they were presented a view of the village that heretofore only the dragons had enjoyed. A moment later and they soared over the ridge top, barely clearing the tree tops, leaving the village behind. The flight north was conducted mostly over the mountains leaving the two humans glad that they had minimal amounts of skin exposed to the biting wind. They acquired a new admiration of the majestic snow encrusted peaks that made up the Vaulwar Mountains. Below, the jagged summits passed in quick succession. The wilderness had a terrifying majesty that both loomed forbiddingly large while luring seductively. This effect could only be seen from the air. Once on the ground, one’s vision was limited to a small portion of the granite sentinels. It required no explanation as to why the dragons chose to make the Vaulwar their homes.

After a few hours of dangling from the dragon talons, Encer spied the beginnings of the evergreen forest. From this perspective, it appeared to be a rich green velvet cloak cast over the landscape. The frayed edges dissolving into isolated pockets of verdant green before the flatlands took their place. It had once been a region of volcanic unrest. This was evidenced by the tumultuous lands enveloped in the flowing green cloak. Hill and vale cut the land unto the perfect haven for any who sought refuge. The ragged land, no doubt, secreted brigands of many fashions. If any chose to travel the paths that wound through the forest, they were assuredly taking their life in their hands. Firgrest was staffed with enough soldiers to keep the miscreants a few measures distant, but the rest of the timberland was a lawless region that even Reigns spared no effort taming.

The thought of assaulting Firgrest made Encer uneasy. It was a castle that had withstood the siege of Illiad’s father for years. Now they sought to besiege it with three dragons and two warriors. One warrior was still young enough to be impulsive, but the other was past his prime and should have known better. Mytera’s demands presented themselves before his mind’s eye. They now held more reason that they had only a few hours past. As they approached the castle, the dragons dropped down until they were only skimming the tops of the trees. Without warning Firgrest emerged on its hillock. Encer had never seen the castle before, but having seen, he now further doubted their success. When Illiad had undertaken to rebuild the castle, it had been with the intent of a hunting lodge instead of an impregnable fortress. No matter the intent, having built upon the foundations of the ancient castle imparted a degree of defendability that was foreboding.

Acting on a silently communicated decision, the dragons beat the air and flew high over the walls to deposit their cargo unceremoniously on the top of the central tower. Wheeling, they fell upon the soldiers below that were shouting in surprise at the sudden attack. Brushing themselves off took a moment. Finding that the stiffness worked out and that the landing had incurred no more than slight bumps through the armor, they drew their weapons in preparation. Their arrival had not gone unnoticed and a portion of the men, those not occupied with the dragons, had been dispatched to the tower.

“I hear them. Are you ready?” Torroth took a position by the top of the spiraling staircase that opened up to the roof.

“Aye, we hold the high ground. We will have to fight our way down the tower, but… so be it.” Just then the tower shook as Onwier crashed into it before rebounding off the wall into the courtyard where chaos soon reared its head.

“We had best be going down sooner than later. I would hate to be up here when the tower falls.” Encer merely nodded his head in agreement before falling on the first of the men to appear at the head of the stairs. The soldier was arrayed in the garb of Reigns’ personal guard and armed with only a round shield and a straight blade. Encer’s straight blade crashed into the shield of the man, driving him back a step into the confines of the stair well. The men behind were unable to get into the fray as Torroth appeared from above and smashed a shoulder into the man’s face. His sword clattered to the steps as the soldier lost his balance and toppled onto the men below. Most of them were archers