Dragon Riders of Etrea—Chapter 3

Garlen and Rasud glanced at each other before entering. Rasud went first, walking down a long carpet that led to the center of the room, where a large chair sat. The chair looked suspiciously like a throne, but then again everyone always said Duke Ardun had more money than the king. For that matter, people often said he was the real power in this city.

Duke Ardun sat in the chair, his back as straight as an arrow and his nose haughtily in the air. Even sitting it was apparent he was a tall man, perhaps as tall as Garlen if not nearly as broad of shoulder. His dark hair was slicked back and nearly reached his shoulders. A short beard covered his chin, black like his hair but heavily peppered with gray. While the years had placed lines at the corners of his eyes and mouth, the dark eyes that followed Garlen as he approached were hard as diamonds.

“So,” Duke Ardun said. “I finally get to meet you.” He leaned forward slightly in his chair, looking Garlen up and down. “Forgive me if I say I’m not impressed.”

Garlen looked down at his clothes, filthy from two days in the dungeons. He picked at the bottom edge of his tunic. “This isn’t really my color, you know. I prefer blue.”

A guard quickly approached, his fist balled up, but the duke stopped him with a quick motion of his hand.

Duke Ardun stared at Garlen for a moment, completely ignoring Rasud when he stood next to him. Garlen merely stood there, his thumbs casually hooked behind his sword belt. Not a single bit of nervousness showed on his face, but inside his heart pounded. At a single word, this duke could have his head.

“At least you’re bold,” Duke Ardun said, finally leaning back in his chair. He tapped his lip thoughtfully for a moment before speaking again. “Your accomplice here says you’re the best thief in the city. Is that true?”

Garlen looked around for a moment, at the guards that glared at him. “I’m the only one to ever get by them. Well, most of them. I think that explains enough.”

“Yes, yes,” Ardun said, pursing his lips. “Rasud makes you sound like you could steal the fingernails from a god without him noticing.”

Garlen had no clue how to respond to that. He just knew he wasn’t here for endless prattling. “So, what do you have for us?”

Duke Ardun’s face began to twist into a faint sneer before he caught himself. Apparently he didn’t care for Garlen being the one to change the topic.

“What do you know of Dragons?” he asked.

Garlen thought for a moment. After his conversation with Rasud and the guard earlier, more memories floated to the surface, but his knowledge was still thin.

“Dragons,” he began. “Legendary creatures, nearly impossible to kill. The northern snow dragons were known for their violence, and sometimes destroyed entire cities, as events in Peralta have reminded us. The dragons to the south disliked the chaos of living near humans, but they did interact with them at times. I don’t think anyone has heard from them in hundreds of years.”

“Your knowledge is better than most,” Duke Ardun said. “Yet still incomplete. Yes, the northern snow dragons are a particularly vicious lot. It is believed only one remains; or perhaps there are more, but they slumber beneath a hundred feet of snow, refusing to interact with the world. Word on the street is that Peralta was completely destroyed, and the dragon was not harmed even in the slightest.”

Garlen avoided telling him to get to the point, but just barely.

“The southern dragons were different, much different,” Duke Ardun continued. “Nearly as capable as the snow dragons, but with a mild temperament, as least as dragons go. They were known for not only interacting with humans, but bonding with them on rare occasions.” 

“Bonding?” Garlen asked.

Duke Ardun nodded. “They would bond with a person of their choosing. That person received extra strength, and magical abilities beyond what you could imagine. It also extended their life, doubled it even. The dragons are essentially immortal, so they wanted their riders to enjoy long lives. That’s what they were, the people they bonded with. Dragon riders.”

“I haven’t heard that one before,” Garlen said.

“Most stories about dragons focus on how destructive they are, or how they are nearly impossible to kill. Few tell of the people that bonded with them and rode them like horses. Women, most of them. Something about the male temperament didn’t sit well with the dragons, I suppose. There hasn’t been a male dragon rider in a thousand years. It was said they used to fight against great evils and keep the realm safe for all, but those days are long gone.

“Being so long-lived, dragons lay very few eggs. A dragon egg is perhaps the rarest thing you could imagine. It is a grand event when one comes into existence. The entire world feels it.”

Garlen’s lips twisted at that. He certainly didn’t feel a thing except Duke Ardun’s guards beating him senseless a few days ago.

“The magical world feels it, you ignorant mule,” Duke Ardun snapped. “My wizard told me just a week ago that one of the dragons has in fact laid an egg. It has now matured enough for the world to sense.”

“Wait, hold on,” Garlen said. “My apologies, Duke, but I’m still having trouble accepting that stories I heard as a child are real. So one of the dragons has laid an egg? I’m hoping this is one of the southern dragons.”

“Of course it is,” he said. “There is no comparison to the amount of power held within a dragon egg. Some scholars wondered which was more powerful; the egg, or the dragon itself once hatched.” His eyes focused on Garlen. “You will steal this egg for me.”

Garlen blinked. “Um. I’m sorry, did you say you want me to steal a dragon egg?”

“I dislike repeating myself,” Duke Ardun said in a threatening tone. “You will steal this egg and bring it back to me, intact. If you’re the best thief in the entire nation as Rasud said, it should be no problem.”

“Trying to steal a dragon egg is a death sentence,” Garlen said.

“Refusing me is an even quicker one,” the duke replied.

Garlen’s frown returned. At the very least, he could agree to do this and then flee. But where would he go? To the north, Peralta had been destroyed by a dragon. Svalbard, the nearest city, was a possibility but it was too close; he would be found in no time. Further west, Whiteridge had suffered under a weak king and a group of sorcerers that had tried to take over the city. It seemed the whole world was falling apart.

He felt himself being backed into a corner, and he didn’t like it. His choice was simple; serve Ardun or die.

“Don’t say something you’ll regret,” Rasud whispered. “This is your only chance to escape the hangman’s noose.”

Garlen took a deep breath. “So you want me to travel far to the east, through the orc wastes, and steal a dragon egg. Fine. When should I leave?”

The duke’s face slowly changed into a smile that was just as unpleasant as the rest of the man. “You will see my armorer, Petrus, on your way out. He will ensure you are sufficiently armed and shielded. After that, you will talk to Colbert, one of my servants. He will set you both up with horses and food for your journey. My wizard will speak with you and give you information on the dragons. You will leave immediately and return with haste once you have the egg.”

The duke placed both hands on the arms of his thronelike chair and leaned forwards. “And don’t let any thoughts of escaping cross your mind. One of my soldiers will be going with you. I believe you’ve already met Tobias. He will make sure you stay the line, and he has instructions to remove your head if he suspects you are thinking of fleeing.”

“He’s going to slow us down,” Garlen growled. “He’ll slow us down and get us caught when we cross the wastes. It’s Rasud and I or nothing.”

“Wrong,” Ardun said, a greasy smile spreading across his face. “You forget that you aren’t here to make a deal. You are here to do what I say or face the hangman.”

Garlen’s mouth tightened. He hated it, but the duke was right. He couldn’t really argue if he wanted to keep his head attached to his shoulders.

“Don’t fight it,” Rasud whispered. “We can do this.”

Garlen looked over at his friend, then back to Duke Ardun. Slowly, he nodded. “So be it. But I need food and a bath. A good night’s sleep wouldn’t hurt, either. Give me tonight to clean up and recover from being in jail, then we’ll see your men in the morning and leave.”

Duke Ardun stared down his long nose for a moment, then nodded. “I think that’s reasonable. Tobias will meet you at the front gate tomorrow morning. He’ll help you get supplies, then the three of you can leave with haste.” He straightened on his chair. “I’m glad you see the sense in this. If you’re really as good as your friend claims, it would be a shame to have you killed. I always have a need for certain fellows on my payroll. Serve me well and you may see yourself continually rewarded.”

Garlen nodded but kept his mouth shut.

“We’ll be done before you know it,” Rasud said. “I think you’ll find yourself very pleased that you hired us. As I have said, we are the absolute best in this city. The nation, even.”

The duke’s expression changed when he looked over at Rasud. “See that you are,” he snapped. “I have no love for halfbreed mongrels like you. I don’t understand how one such as yourself has even made it so far in this city.”

Rasud shrugged, letting the duke’s words flow off him like water off a duck’s back. “I am a man of special talents. I can be quite useful in a tight situation.” He held his right hand up and began chanting quietly. The air above his palm suddenly shimmered, then burst into flame. With a flick of his hand, it disappeared.

Duke Ardun’s eyes narrowed. “Not only a halfbreed, but a witchman. Well, I suppose that’s appropriate, considering what I’m sending you two to fetch. Tell me, are there any other reasons I should dislike you more than I already do?”

Rasud rubbed his chin for a moment. “If you give me a few minutes, I’m sure I can think of a few.”

“Get out of my sight,” Duke Ardun snapped. “See that you’re back tomorrow morning or I’ll have my men round the two of you up and I’ll hang the both of you myself.”

Rasud bowed his head to the duke, but Garlen merely stood there. The duke noticed the lack of a bow and his face twisted into a scowl, but Garlen didn’t care. He bowed to no man. He simply turned on his heel and began walking away. Rasud caught up to him a moment later.

“Well, I think that went well enough,” the short man muttered. “All we have to do is steal something from a fucking dragon. Shouldn’t be too hard, right?”

Garlen barked a laugh. “We’ll be lucky if the dragons don’t burn us to a crisp and feed us our own livers. At least you’re half orc, so maybe they’ll think you won’t taste as good.”

Rasud glanced up at his tall friend. “While I’ve never eaten a man before, I would assume I taste excellent.” He chanted something in a quiet voice while whirling his hand around. The air swirled, like a vortex in a lake, then stopped when he pulled his hand back. Sometimes he liked to show off a bit.

“At least the strength of my ancestor’s blood has given me this. Without magic, I don’t think I would have made it out of that orphanage.” He straightened his robes on his narrow shoulders as they walked through the door and entered a long hallway. 

A man in servant’s livery stood there, the same man that had guided them in. He wiped his hands on the front of his jacket when he looked at Garlen and gave him a look that suggested he would rather be anywhere else.

“I am Colbert, and I will make sure you are supplied with horses and food,” he began.

“Tomorrow,” Rasud said. “We’re cleaning up and getting some food tonight. We’ll be back in the morning.”

“Good,” Colbert said. “I mean no offense but your smell is most disagreeable.” He said that while looking at Garlen.

“Well, the sooner you lead us out of here, the less you’ll have to smell me,” Garlen said. He towered over the servant.

Colbert led the two of them down several hallways, then held the front door open for them. He told them he would be waiting for them tomorrow.

“And I imagine you’ll be eager to help us,” Rasud said, clapping the servant on the shoulder. “Try not to miss us too much, eh?” With a wink, they left the servant and walked towards the massive front gates.

“Must you antagonize him?” Garlen asked. 

“Yes, I must,” Rasud replied. “Look, I can’t help it that I’m so stunningly beautiful due to my heritage. But I know that look he gave me. It’s the same look the duke gave me, that I see on people’s faces every day. People look at halfbreeds like me much differently than they look at people like you.”

Garlen grunted. “Yeah, I suppose you have a point. Go ahead and antagonize him. Maybe next time, I’ll help you. But for now, I want a hot bath, then as much meat and beer as my stomach can hold.”