They flew all day to reach the battle plain where Prince Wilam’s force had been routed. They saw carrion birds before they arrived and smelled the stench of decaying bodies. Even the dragons were repulsed by the odor. They landed far enough away that the smell was tolerable, and Zollin went alone to find out what had happened.
The corpses were bloated and ripped to pieces by the flocks of vultures and crows, but the armor and uniforms told the tale. Zollin saw quickly that the Ortisan soldiers outnumbered the Falxisan and Oslan uniforms by a great margin. The bodies were spread across the field. He spent an hour moving them into one large pile. The birds screamed in protest, but they didn’t come near Zollin. Sweat poured from his brow as he levitated the bodies, even though the sun was setting and the day was finally cooling down. Zollin didn’t mind the heat-after being in the cold air on Ferno’s back most of the day, the heat was welcome.
When he had all the bodies collected together, he returned to the pride of dragons.
“It seems the Ortisan force was defeated,” he said. “The force from Falxis has continued on toward the Grand City.”
“So we follow them?” Brianna asked.
“I think so,” Zollin said. “We can hang back and keep watch. Like I said, maybe they’ll do the work for us-but I have a feeling that King Zorlan will not like what he finds in the capital.”
“Well, let’s move further away from here, the smell is making me sick.”
The dragons seemed to agree, but Zollin had other plans.
“You go on ahead. Ferno and I are going to burn the bodies.”
“I don’t want us to split up,” Brianna said. We’ll help. It will make the task faster than just the two of you alone.”
Zollin took his time drinking from the canteen he carried. He drank almost the entire contents of water before stopping and taking his place on Ferno’s back. The dragons flew up and then made pass after pass at the mound of bodies. The corpses burned, but it was slow and the smell was awful. Finally, Selix landed and Brianna burned the bodies. She sent waves of heat so powerful that even the bones ignited. When their gristly job was over, they flew away in the darkness, leaving a heap of grey ash in the middle of the battlefield.
They flew for a few more hours. Zollin couldn’t see in the darkness like Brianna and her pride, so he let his magic flow down. The dragons seemed excited whenever he used magic-Tig, Gyia, and Selix took turns swooping down beneath Ferno, like children splashing through a fountain. The effort was taxing on Zollin, who was already tired from moving the bodies. They found a small settlement and landed nearby. In the darkness, the dragons were safe, so Zollin and Brianna went to the small inn.
There were lights on in the building, but it was quiet inside. Zollin knocked before pushing the door open. The interior was stuffy, and although he could smell the familiar scent of stale ale and pipe smoke, there was no hint of food being cooked.
“Hello,” he said tentatively.
“Oy! We’ve got guests,” came a gruff voice. Then a man with a lantern in hand appeared. “I’m sorry, but we’ve not got food or drinks. I can offer you a place to sleep for the night, but we’ve no food to spare. The godforsaken soldiers drank all our spirits and left us destitute.”
“I’m sorry,” Zollin said. “We were hoping for a warm meal, but we have rations. Perhaps a bit of news would be worth your time.”
“You looking for news or bringing it?” the man asked.
“Looking for it,” Zollin said. He pulled two gold coins from a pouch tucked inside his belt. “This won’t make up for what the armies took, but it could get you restocked-although you’ll probably have to make a trip to the coast.”
“That’s not a problem,” the man said, holding out his hand for the coins. “And I won’t begrudge your charity either. Hainsforth is a small settlement, but I’ll share your wealth with my neighbors. Thank you.”
“What did you hear from the armies?” Brianna asked.
“They’re making for the Grand City,” the innkeeper said. His wife brought out cups of water for them to drink.
“I’m sorry its naught but water,” she said.
“It’s fine,” Zollin assured her.
“We may have some bread left,” the innkeeper’s wife said. She was a short, plump woman with a pretty face.
“No,” Brianna said. “We have rations. In fact, if you’d like you can use that to fix supper for all of us.”
Zollin laid the pack on the table between them.
“Oh, we couldn’t do that,” the innkeeper said.
“Yes, you could,” Brianna said. “We insist. Besides, we need to know as much as we can about the armies and what is happening in the Grand City.”
“Who are you folks?” the innkeeper asked. “I didn’t catch your names.”
“I’m Zollin and this is Brianna. We’re from Yelsia.”
“You’re a long way from home then. What brings you south?”
“The same thing that brought the armies,” Zollin said. “I’m a wizard, and I’m trying to…” He let the thought trail off. He didn’t want to say that he was hunting another wizard. At the same time he didn’t want to lie and say he was there to help when he really wasn’t. He didn’t know what the king of Falxis was up to, or how things would turn out between the southern kingdoms. He hadn’t really thought much about it. His focus was on Offendorl, and then he would look into the witch Mansel had warned him about.
“To kill the witch, I hope,” the innkeeper said. “She came through first, several weeks ago. Had an army all her own, but several of the men from Hainsforth went with her. I just happened to be in the brewhouse when she passed by. I never saw her, but several of the womenfolk hereabout said that when their men saw her they just dropped what they were doing and started following her.”
“That’s horrible,” Brianna said. “What about their wives and families?”
“Abandoned ’em, that’s what they did. One look is all it takes, they say, although that’s just rumors. We don’t really know what happened, but none of the women seem to be affected by her spells. Anyway, they passed. Then a week or so ago, they came back and they drank us dry. I brew my own ale and usually sell extra kegs in the Grand City every other month or so. They ate, drank, fought, and then left without even an offer to pay us. They were gone nearly a week before they came running back along the road, their tails between their legs this time, and an even bigger army following. That army was from Falxis, but there was plenty of Oslans in their ranks. They took what we had left. We managed to hide a little, but until you showed up we didn’t know what we were going to do.”
“Did the second army, the one from Falxis-did they stop?” Zollin asked.
“Nope. Just marched straight through. I was expecting worse, especially with several of the women nearby without their menfolk. But the army didn’t seem interested in looting or raping. Their officers were driving ’em hard, from what I saw.”
“They’re pursing the Ortisans,” Zollin said. “King Zorlan wants to wipe them out before they can reach the Grand City.”
“I can’t say I understand what’s happening,” the innkeeper said. “I’ve never seen anything like it before.”
“None of us have,” Brianna said.
“It’s a shame,” Zollin said. “I think the fault lies with the Torr. The master wizard there sent armies to Yelsia to capture me.”
“And now you’re here,” the man said.
“Yes, we broke the siege they laid in Orrock. But I didn’t stop the Torr wizard.”
“And what about the witch?”
“I don’t know,” Zollin said. “I’ve heard rumors. It seems that she bewitches men and they’ll do anything she tells them to.”
“And you’re going to stop her?” the innkeeper’s wife asked. “That’s what you’re here for, isn’t it?”
“I guess,” Zollin said, scratching his head and looking at Brianna. “We just don’t know enough to have a plan or to say exactly what we’ll do.”
“I could make a fine stew with these ingredients,” the innkeeper’s wife said. “But I’ll only use enough for the two of you. Angus and I can’t take your food.”