The black-clad warrior dropped his bow and swiftly drew his two-handed sword. He took two long strides towards the crenel and sliced into the Lanoirian soldiers scrambling from the ladder. His eyes darted to his right as he saw a powerful blonde female move alongside him and begin beating back the attackers. The small knot of Lanoirians that had managed to breach the defenses of the city wall was swiftly defeated. The pair of defenders moved in a silent display of teamwork as they swiftly stepped forward and speared the posts of the scaling ladder with their long swords. Together they pushed hard, and the ladder swayed haphazardly as the Lanoirian soldiers on it scrambled to maintain their hold.

The female warrior looked down at the ladder as she helped hold it away from the wall. Unspoken words passed between her lips. Shouts rang out above the din of battle as the Lanoirians were magically tossed away from the ladder to crumble in heaps upon the ground below. The deadly duo shoved to the limits of their reach as the empty ladder swayed and then crashed to the ground.

“I become envious of your talents,” remarked Alexander Tork as his eyes scanned the battlement in both directions looking for other breaches of the defensive city wall.

“It only made the task at hand quicker,” smiled Tanya. “I have no doubt that you would have accomplished the same result through strength alone. How long can we keep this up?”

“Not forever,” frowned Alex as he stepped away from the wall and retrieved his bow. “We are fortunate that the breaches have been sporadic so far. If the Lanoirians concentrated on one area of the wall, this city would be in danger of falling quickly.”

“Jenneva and I could change the odds with our magic,” Tanya posed out loud.

“And turn this into a magical battle?” Alex shook his head. “Remember that Dalgar has at least nine Black Devils with him. We will use your magic, but only when the time is right. Let the Lanoirians believe that we have no mages on our side.”

“If we wait too long,” countered Tanya, “we risk losing the city.”

“If we resort to magic too soon,” retorted Alex, “we risk losing more than the city. I will not allow you and Jenneva to throw your lives away needlessly. For all we know, Dalgar may have scores of mages with him. Sarac’s Ravens have not been heard of in a long time. It troubles me that we do not know where they are.”

“There were only a handful of mages left in Sarac’s Ravens after our last encounter,” declared Tanya. “Even if they are at full strength, I think Jenneva and I could handle them.”

“I will guarantee that they are at full strength,” frowned Alex. “Do not underestimate Sarac. I am sure that Dalgar expects Jenneva to show her face here in Melbin, just as Sarac expected Egam to show up in the early goblin wars.”

“But I thought that Dalgar was working at odds with Sarac,” Tanya said. “Are you thinking that that is a ruse?”

“I am not sure what to think,” admitted Alex. “I only know that I will not underestimate our enemy. Deception is one of their most important tools. Never allow yourself to think that you know what the enemy is doing. It is fine to anticipate their moves and plan accordingly, but always keep your options open.”

“I can respect your advice,” nodded Tanya. “Still, if we are to eventually use our magic, why should we wait?”

“The soldiers are holding the defenses quite well so far,” answered Alex. “When that changes, we will have no choice but to use whatever tools we have available. Until then, let us keep the enemy ignorant of our capabilities.”

Tanya raised her bow and swiftly nocked an arrow. She turned and let the arrow fly into the face of a Lanoirian that had reached the top of another ladder. Two defenders raced forward with long poles and shoved the ladder away from the wall.

“The men are getting tired and careless,” Alex remarked as he gazed skyward. “We have less than an hour before dusk is upon us. It cannot come too soon today.”

“Tomorrow will be worse,” responded Tanya. “The Lanoirian siege engines are complete. I am sure they will use them at dawn.”

Alex nodded in silence as he gazed towards the distant enemy encampment.

“I have seen that look before,” Tanya said. “What are you planning?”

“You are right about the siege engines,” Alex replied. “We must find a way of disabling them. If they bring them to bear on the city walls, we will not be able to withstand it.”

“Does this disabling have to do with you going into the night alone perhaps?” frowned Tanya. “Someday you will not come back.”

“Actually,” Alex smiled thinly, “I was thinking of taking you with me this time. Do you know any spells that will damage the siege engines, but not take affect until they are fired?”

“Delayed destruction?” mused Tanya. “I don’t think…” Suddenly the young lass smiled broadly, “There is a way. If I can get close enough, I can weaken the arm of the catapults so they will not break until they are released. Whatever they are hurling at us, will drop on their own troops.”

“Which is likely to be something burning,” nodded Alex. “What about the siege towers?”

“The axles,” answered Tanya. “They have a great deal of ground to cover before they reach our walls. I can weaken the axles so that they will break before reaching here. A good many of them will likely fall to the ground and destroy themselves.”

“Then we have a plan,” smiled Alex. “The rams I am not too concerned with. Our archers should be able to handle them.”

“And just how are we going to work our way through the entire Lanoirian army to get close to these siege engines?” asked Tanya.

Alex opened his breast pocket and gently moved his finger into it. Within seconds, the small head of a blue woman popped out of the pocket.

“I hope this is important,” quipped Bantam. “I was having the most wonderful dream.”

“About Prince Midge?” giggled Tanya.

“Of course,” grinned the fairy. “I did say it was a wonderful dream, did I not?”

“That will have to wait,” chuckled Alex. “Tanya and I are going to need your help tonight, Bantam. We plan to infiltrate the Lanoirian camp and do some mischief.”

“It is about time that we did something other than pace these walls,” Bantam said eagerly. “What do you need me to do?”

“Tanya and I will need to infiltrate the Lanoirian encampment,” replied Alex. “We can use the unicorns to fly out to sea and then back in towards shore behind them. Your task will be to put the sentries to sleep so that we are not detected.”

“An easy task,” beamed the fairy.

“It may not be as easy as you think,” cautioned Tanya. “The siege engines are strung out in a long line through the Lanoirian encampment. I assume that fairy magic tires the mage as it does in humans. Is that not correct?”

“Of course it is tiring,” frowned the fairy, “but I have a great deal of energy.”

“Now is not a time for idle boasting,” warned Alex. “We will only proceed as far as your endurance will take us. When you tire, let us know and we will retreat. We cannot hope to sabotage all of the siege engines in any event.”

“I will do my best,” promised Bantam. “I do have a lot of energy.”

“I am sure that you do,” smiled Alex. “Just make sure that you get to live to use it again. I am going to the healers’ tent to look in on Jenneva before I catch some sleep. I would advise the two of you to get a nap as well. It will be a long night.”

“I will go with you,” offered Tanya. “Perhaps I can lend a hand to Jenneva before catching some sleep.”

* * *

King Arik looked down at his hand. His knuckles were white from gripping the dragon’s scale. Slowly, he released his hold and flexed his fingers to relieve the stiffness.

“Finally,” commented Wyka. “I was wondering how long it would take you to trust my flying skills. We dragons were born to fly. It is kind of insulting that you felt the need to hang on so tightly.”

“Sorry,” apologized King Arik. “Flying may be natural for you, but I am not used to being on a dragon’s back. I was not really aware that I was clutching your scale so tightly.”

“Now that your hands are free,” smirked the dragon, “should I demonstrate my flying skills?”

The king’s hand shot back towards the scale he had been holding, but his fingers stopped a scant inch away as he realized what he was doing.

“That will not be necessary,” King Arik said in a controlled voice as he saw the coastline appearing in the distance. “We do not have time for games this day. Is that Tagaret approaching?”

“Of course,” replied Wyka. “Are you questioning my skills in navigation now?”

“Certainly not,” smiled the king as he shook his head. “I do need to give you fair warning, though. The people of Tagaret are not used to dragons. They may try to fire upon you.”

“I can defend myself against a rabble of humans,” scowled the dragon. “I will teach them some manners.”

“That is not the entrance that I have planned,” retorted King Arik. “Remember that you are not allowed to eat humans any more.”

“It is a terrible waste of meat,” growled Wyka, “but I will not eat their remains. I will just torch them and leave their burning bodies behind.”

“No,” warned the king as he shook his head. “You are not even to attack them. I am warning you so that you may evade their arrows, not so you can be prepared to attack them. The people of Tagaret are my people. I want you to behave.”

King Arik could not see Wyka’s broad grin, but he did detect a muffled snicker.

“Very well,” sighed the dragon. “You are a most demanding king. If you just wanted to ride into the city on a pet dragon, couldn’t you have selected one of the children?”

“You will get a chance to show your battle prowess,” promised King Arik, “but it will be against Sarac’s forces, not mine.”

The king could almost feel the disappointment in Wyka as she slumped her shoulders. He chuckled inwardly at the need of the dragon to drive fear into the hearts of the humans.

“All right,” sighed King Arik, “here is what you can do. Stay well above the range of their arrows, and I will let you breath fire and roar at the crowds below. But,” he added quickly, “after I am recognized, you must calm down. And, under no circumstances are you to harm my people. Are you agreed?”

Wyka brightened considerably and nodded her huge head. “You understand,” she said with surprise in her voice. “Perhaps you were meant to be a dragon.”

“I am not sure what I was meant to be,” laughed King Arik, “but I do understand. We will put on a fierce show during our arrival. I will even draw my sword for effect.”

Wyka was so happy that her wings instantly propelled her higher into the air. King Arik found his hand automatically reaching for a scale, but he forced himself to remain calm. Below, the city grew in size as they approached the coastline. Tiny dots moved along the strands of the spider-web-like city. As they got closer, King Arik could make out the forms of the humans below. Already the approaching dragon had been sighted and people were pointing skyward.

“They see us,” the king informed the dragon.

“They see me,” retorted Wyka with a gleam in her eye. “Look at them running. As if hiding in those tinderboxes would really protect them. Only the large stone building on the rise would present any challenge for me.”

“That stone building is the Royal Palace,” replied King Arik. “That is our destination, but do not head directly towards it. I want to see the city from above first. Head to the west until the city ends. I would like to gaze upon the new construction.”

Wyka lowered her altitude as she approached the water’s edge. King Arik saw clumps of Red Swords gathering amidst the running and screaming citizens. The Red Swords were neither screaming nor running. They were raising their bows skyward.

“Careful,” warned the king. “The Red Swords have many a fine bowman. Do not get too close.”

“I think I can handle this part of the task,” chuckled Wyka as smoke curled out of her nostrils.

The dragon roared and belched fire from her mouth. Shouts filtered upward, and King Arik saw Red Swords race out onto roofs of the taller buildings and take aim with their bows. Wyka must have also seen the new threat, as she suddenly banked away from them.

“Pesky and unpredictable creatures,” spat the dragon.

“That we are,” laughed the king as he drew the Sword of Heavens and held it high for all to see.

A roar of shouts rippled through the city as Red Swords pointed towards King Arik with recognition. The king held the Sword of Heavens in one hand and waved to his troops below. Resounding cheers brought curious citizens back into the streets as they gazed skyward to see their returning hero. Wyka continued roaring and belching fire, but now the people cheered each time she did.

“They love you,” grinned King Arik.

“So it seems,” purred the dragon. “It is an odd feeling.”

“Head towards those two tall towers,” instructed King Arik as he pointed towards the area of new construction.

Wyka obeyed and King Arik looked down at the new twin towers. The towers were narrow, but very tall. They sat strategically outside the new wall of the city, but well within the new defensive wall that was still being built. They were well separated from each other and were only large enough to hold a few people on the top level. They were the new mage towers designed for Jenneva and Tanya for the coming conflict. The towers would afford the mages an unobstructed view of the land beyond the defensive wall, and yet they would be safely outside the range of the enemy’s siege engines.

The king’s eyes ran along the new defensive wall. Even at this late date, thousands of workers were working feverishly to increase its height. The workers stopped and stared as the king and the dragon soared overhead. Wyka surfed along the wave of cheers as the workers shouted greetings to their returning king. King Arik smiled broadly and waved back.

“To the Royal Palace,” the king instructed the dragon.

Wyka roared and belched fire as she banked toward the city’s center. As the dragon approached the Royal Palace, Red Swords cleared a large area of the courtyard and formed a ring around it. Everyone looked skyward as the large dragon swooped down and landed gracefully in the very center of the ring. Cheers erupted as King Arik sheathed the Sword of Heavens and slid off the dragon’s back. Prince Oscar and General Gregor pressed through the ring of soldiers and approached the king. King Arik introduced Wyka as the Queen of the Dragons while she was eyeing up the horses and allowing black smoke to drift out of her nostrils.

“Wyka,” smiled King Arik, “why don’t you take a trip to the north? Find out what you can about Sarac’s army and come back. You might even find a treat or two up there to enjoy yourself with.”

“So I shall,” frowned the dragon. “It is far too tempting for me to remain here. It is a cruel king who bandies unobtainable treats before a dragon’s eyes.”

King Arik grinned as Wyka’s powerful legs vaulted her into the air.

“Is it safe to have the dragon here?” asked General Gregor after Wyka had left.

“Perfectly safe,” assured the king. “Tell me the situation in regards to Sarac’s forces.”

Prince Oscar led the way through the ring of Red Swords and into the Royal Palace as he briefed the king on the latest news.

“Sarac’s army of creatures will be upon us in a matter of days,” General Gregor reported. “Our people are working day and night on the defenses, but I fear that it will not be enough. The vast number of ogres, goblins, and yaki will surely overwhelm us.”

“I have never heard you speak so negatively,” frowned the king. “Our men are the best trained in the world. Do you really believe that they are not up to the task?”

“I would not trade our army for any other,” replied the general, “but the sheer magnitude of the enemy has me shaken. Add to that the Black Devils that accompany the creatures, and I do not see how Tagaret can withstand the assault.”

“What of our plan to bolster the defenses with the Sordoans?” questioned the king.

“Emperor Hanchi has already besieged Melbin,” interjected Prince Oscar.

“I thought the search for food would slow the Lanoirians down,” mused King Arik. “What happened?”

“We underestimate the Lanoirians,” sighed the general. “Somehow they managed to deliver food by ship from the eastern Lanoirian provinces. They did not get enough food to enable a long siege, but enough to bolster their strength.”

“We have ships interdicting the food deliveries now,” added Prince Oscar. “Of course we are using the very ships that were meant to extricate our forces out of Melbin. The chances of the Sordoans coming to our aid are bleak.”

“Not to mention that our mages are also in Melbin,” continued the general. “The towers have been completed, but we do not have anyone to put in them. The Black Devils cannot be contained by archers alone.”

“The Army of the West?” posed King Arik.

“Still in Lanoir trying to consolidate the country under your banner,” replied Prince Oscar. “It a large task for the number of men that they have.”

“There is not time to get reinforcements from anywhere,” explained General Gregor.

“What of my party?” asked King Arik. “Prince Garong? Prince Darok? Tanya? Prince Midge?”

“They arrived here days ago,” reported Prince Oscar as they entered the library. “Tanya has gone to Melbin. Prince Midge is with his own people in the city. Of the elves and dwarf, I am not sure. They are around here somewhere. Pioti died in the attack at Mount Kalas.”

“I know,” frowned King Arik. “I am glad that the rest of them were able to escape. Things did not go as planned there.”

“It appears that your mission was successful, though,” offered Prince Oscar.

“It was,” nodded King Arik. “The Dragons’ Onyx is one with the Sword of Heavens now. Only the Amethyst of the Gods remains to be found to make the Sword of Heavens complete. While the Ancient Prophecy is not entirely clear, I think the defeat of Tagaret would doom us to failure.”

“You have not come this far to face failure now,” brightened Prince Oscar. “Perhaps the dragons can help us?”

“Most of the dragons are like children,” frowned King Arik. “I am sure that they would follow my command, but they are few. I think I killed their mightiest warrior.”

“You think?” questioned Prince Oscar. “I thought that Gorga’s death was required for you to retrieve the Dragons’ Onyx?”

“It was,” nodded the king. “Gorga is dead. I am not sure that he was the mightiest, though. While Wyka has little desire to be a warrior, I sensed that Gorga respected her fighting skills. Perhaps she is the mightiest, but there is only so much that she could do against an army the size of Sarac’s.”

“Any help is welcome,” shrugged the general. “Without some outside help, Tagaret is surely doomed. She will see the threat for herself as she flies northward.”

“What about evacuation of the city?” asked Prince Oscar. “The buildings mean nothing by themselves. Let Sarac’s forces destroy the city. We will come back and rebuild it.”

“Impractical,” General Gregor shook his head. “There is not enough time to get everyone out of the city, even if we had the ships available. If we evacuate by land, Sarac will just pursue us, and we wouldn’t have the defensive works around us.”

“We are not evacuating,” declared King Arik. “Tagaret is the capital of Alcea. It must, and it will, stand the attack of Sarac.”

“Bold words,” sighed General Gregor, “but how do you plan to accomplish that task?”

“I don’t know,” sighed the king. “I only know that it must be done. Did Chaco return with the others?”

“Chaco returned,” nodded Prince Oscar. “The elves even taught the unicorns some magic that will shield their flying spells.”

“So the unicorns can fly over land again?” brightened the king. “That is a positive sign.”

“Is Chaco even necessary any more?” asked the general. “Seeing you fly into the city on the back of Wyka excited the men. Surely, a dragon is a better steed than a unicorn?”

“Chaco is more than a mount,” answered the king. “He is a partner and fellow warrior. Besides, I will be sending Wyka to gather the dragons. I will need Chaco for traveling.”

“Traveling?” echoed Prince Oscar. “Where is it you plan to go?”

“I need to go to Melbin,” declared the king.

“Melbin?” frowned the general. “That would be suicide. I thought that I mentioned that the city was besieged by Emperor Hanchi.”

“You did,” nodded King Arik. “That does not lessen the need for me to go there.”

“You cannot help with the battle there,” argued Prince Oscar. “And even if you could, there is not time enough to rally the Sordoans and get them here.”

“Alex and Jenneva must be in Tagaret,” insisted the king. “And Tanya.”

“I understand the need for Jenneva,” countered General Gregor, “but Alex and Tanya will not help us much, despite their great skills. I can send a fairy to have them return in any event.”

King Arik started to mention Tanya’s magic skills and stopped. It dawned on him that few people knew of her ability. He wondered who the general thought was going to occupy the second mage tower.

“Have we determined for sure that Emperor Hanchi is Dalgar?” asked King Arik.

“Without a doubt,” nodded Prince Oscar. “He is planning on attacking Tagaret after you kill Sarac.”

“It will not be me who kills the Dark One,” corrected King Arik. “That task belongs to Fredrik, and he must be found soon.”

There was a scraping at the door to the library, and General Gregor opened it. Chaco strode into the room with Prince Midge perched between his ears.

“The Bringer has returned safely,” grinned the fairy prince. “Not that I had any doubt, but I am pleased to see you once again.”

“Not as pleased as I am to see you, my little friend,” smiled King Arik. “I feared the worst for you when we last parted.”

“It takes more than a dragon to kill a fairy,” beamed the little green man.

Of course the elves had to heal his damaged wing, Chaco snorted.

I am most pleased to see you again, my friend. We have a journey to make in the morning. I trust you have mastered your new magic spell?

Mastered and taught to the others. I am ready to fly whenever you need me, Deliverer.

King Arik smiled and nodded to the unicorn.

“I need to rest tonight,” stated the king to Prince Oscar. “Tomorrow morning I wish to depart for Melbin early. Will you instruct Wyka to gather the dragons for me?”

“I will speak with the dragon,” nodded Prince Oscar, “but why try to enter Melbin in the daytime. It would be much safer at night.”

“Because I want to be seen,” smiled King Arik. “Dalgar cannot afford to kill me just yet. Not if he wants Sarac dead. We cannot afford to fight two wars at the same time. The fighting at Melbin must end.”

“And you think you can end it?” questioned General Gregor.

“I do,” nodded King Arik. “And I will. I hope.”