“What you seek is here in the cavern of Draconis, last of the golden dragons.”
Golden Dragon? I thought they all died during the sky wars?” Trisha asked with astonishment.
“Weren’t you listening to me, girl? I just said he was the last of them, now hush.” Lunarie scolded.
“During the Sky wars, those who banded together to stop the dragons discovered that golden dragons were not affected by the Heart. Better still, they were willing to stand against their own kind to stop the senseless bloodshed.
A decision that cost them dearly, for, by the time the war had ended, all but one of the golden dragons had fallen.
The last was an ancient SkyFae named Draconis. Because he could not be controlled by the Heart, it was determined by the other SkyFae he should be its protector.
A duty he reluctantly accepted, and has Lived from that day to this in the isolation of his cave.” Lunarie’s words faded off as she closed the book and sat back down.
“Will Draconis be willing to hand the Heart over to me?” Rone asked, looking more concerned than ever.
“Unfortunately, there is no way to tell. He has been in isolation for centuries. He may give it up just to be free of it, or he may kill you for sport.” Lunarie replied with an unknowing shrug.
Rone looked at Trisha then back at Lunarie,
“Thank you for the help,” He said as he shook her hand.
“Don’t thank me yet, I only gave you what you asked for. That may prove to do you more harm than good, as fate can be a fickle thing.”
Rone considered asking to have his fate told but decided against it. To him, it didn’t matter what the stars say. He was determined to make his own destiny.
“Listen, boy, go have a meal or clean yourselves up. Then come back here, I may be able to help get you closer to your destination. It will take a little time to prepare, but if it works, it will save you much time.”
Alright, I will come back later, and thank you again, Lunarie.” Rone and Trisha bowed low as they made their way out of the Library to go find Traijen and Katrina.
As they left, neither of them noticed the figure that stepped out of the shadows towards the back of the room.
“Do you really think he can get the Heart from Draconis mistress?” The slender elf asked Lunarie.
“I don’t know Theron, but the stars say he must try.”
“Why did you not tell him you foreseen his coming?” Theron asked, looking at her curiously.
“Because young one, as you will learn someday, not all fates are set in stone. Even the ones foretold by the stars.
23
Gru’Nak was thankful the Dark elf had been true to his word. The poison had indeed worn off, thankfully long before Zannith returned to the ruins of Grey Ridge with his brother Gru’Kar. He considered telling them about the dark elf but knew it would only serve to make them angry with him.
Besides, it was apparent whoever the stranger was. He was no friend to Zannith. A thought Gru’Nak secretly liked. He had no love for the exiled prince and wished to see this whole business finished. His brother may be the War Chief for his tribe, but the path he had them following went against many Orc traditions. Orcs’ take what they want by strength, not magic and trickery, he thought watching Zannith with disgust.
“My scouts have done as you instructed, they now watch the Thorn Caller village constantly. They will not be able to move without us knowing about it.” Gru’Kar said as he pointed out their locations on the map in front of him.
“Good, then we should have no trouble moving freely through the forest,” Zannith said, staring at the map in front of them.
“There are still the patrols to watch for, but at least with my scouts’ warnings, we can avoid them,” Gru’Kar said in agreement with the mage.
“Why should we, brother?” Gru’Nak asked, standing to his full height and walking up to the table defiantly.
“Why should we what?” Gru’Kar asked, his eyes narrowing as he watched his brother.
“Why should we avoid them? A small patrol would be no match for our warriors, and it would send them a clear message we now rule this forest.” Gru’Nak said as he pounded his fist against his chest in an exaggerated show of strength. His sudden display of aggression had an unintended effect, though, because his Orcish armor slid a little off his shoulder. Displaying the freshly packed wound that lay below it.
“What happened to your shoulder, brother?” Gru’Kar asked, curious about the wound.
“An act of stupidity,” Gru’Nak answered with a shrug.
“I tripped on one of the infernal roots in this forest, and the pike of my axes handle got me is all,” Gru’Nak said, trying to sound as convincing as possible. Which thankfully must have worked as Zannith burst into nearly uncontrollable laughter.
“And yet you question our methods? When apparently, you can’t even walk without nearly impaling yourself.” Gru’Kar joined him in laughter, and the two of them merely ignored him after that. Turning back to the table and leaving Gru’Nak to walk away in anger.
“What of your HoloFae, Zannith? Is he playing his part well?” Gru’Kar asked as he filled his pipe with thick clumps of Orcish tobacco.
“He is,” Was Zannith’s simple answer.
“The HoloFae is my concern alone now Gru’Kar, and I want no interference or hassle from your Orcs on this. Am I clear?” The mage's tone was cold and demanding — something Gru’Nak did not to miss.
Gru’Nak observed his brother with curiosity. Before this mage came along, such a demand would have instantly been met with Gru’Kar’s fist. Now though, his brother almost grovels at this dark elf’s feet. If he did not know better, he would swear Gru’Kar was bewitched somehow.
As expected, Gru’Kar only agreed and kept talking as if the mage's demand had been no more than a request to pass the bread at a dinner table.
Gru’Nak shook his head in disgust and stretched out on the fur blanket he had placed for a bed while staying in ruins. He would have preferred to remain in the other warriors camp further up the mountain, but his brother had ordered him to stay here. Which was in itself a disgrace, he was second in command of the Black Boar Orc tribe. Not some flunky for the dark elf to bark orders at.
As he lay there in the dark, he again thought of the sly DokalFae that had paralyzed him so quickly. He would not hesitate to kill that elf if he got the chance, but some small part of him secretly hoped the stranger would ruin the mages plans.
That thought was almost enough to make Gru’Nak laugh, but instead, he smiled in the darkness as he turned towards the wall and drifted off to sleep.
None of those in the room noticed the furthest corner held a darker spot than the rest of the room. From his vantage point, Allister De’Lenard watched and listened as the Orc war chief and the exiled prince laid out their plans for the coming days. He was particularly interested in the parts about assaulting the Thorn Caller village.
After they had finished their meeting and were now getting lost in a bottle of dwarven stout whiskey, Allister slipped out of the ruins and headed towards the village of Black Hearth.
Time to see what the exiled princess knows. She was always the more reasonable one of the queen’s children, so hopefully, she would not offer to much resistance to answering a few questions. After all, the two of them had once been good friends. Allister had even taught her some fighting techniques to use against her brother, preventing him from teasing her every chance he got.
At the very least, it should be an exciting visit, he thought as he slipped quietly past the last two Orc sentries.