Koldis the Green (DRAGONWALL SERIES 4)

CHAPTER 40: COMMISSIONING A BOW

Kastali Dun

Talon stood at the docks, Saffra and Verath beside him, eying the ships that would carry their precious supplies north. Glass bottles, carefully packed in crates, were loaded up. Bottles that were small enough to fit in padded backpacks for the trek through the wilderness to Plymlet Lake, but large enough to carry the potent brew Saffra had labored over.

"You have done well, Lady Saffra," Talon found himself saying. He was pleasantly impressed with her work, not because of her ability to succeed, she was a woman of power after all, but because of her age, the number of years she had seen compared to the rest of them.

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Saffra appeared to grow taller beside him. She hadn't merely overseen the brewing of their most precious weapon. She'd worked with Mistress Rosanne and crafted cloaks for all the wearers who would travel on foot to deposit the poison. Magical disguises that would help them mask their scents and blend with the terrain. Theirs would be the most dangerous job, reaching the lake unseen and undetected by the wild dragons. Dragons would scent humans, but they would especially recognize the scents of their own cousins, the Drengr. Those carrying the poison were chosen carefully and understood the risk they were taking.

They would travel in small groups, and approach Plymlet Lake from different directions. Getting them into place would be a true task, which was why the sooner they departed for the north, the sooner they could begin setting up, begin putting their plan into action. Once the ships were loaded, they would depart north.

A number of wings from Fort Squall and Fort Kastali had already strategically departed, flying north-west, up along the coast. They would island hop once they reached the Scattered Islands. From there, they would travel through most of Celenore's northern Dragondom on foot, just to be safe. Once they reached the coast, they would rendezvous with the capital's ships to safely oversee the unloading of their cargo.

"If everything is timed correctly," said Verath, "the Dwargs should arrive around shortly after as these ships, after we've had a few days to set up camp."

"Let us hope." His hand tightened around the parchment in his fist. Another update from Lord Dubrael. Over the past month, Dubrael had been hard at work, moving Dwargish warriors and supplies west along the Northern Barrier Range, to ships they had contracted. Excitement skittered down his spine. He couldn't help his eager anticipation. Dragon armor of Ice Metal. They hoped to avoid confrontation with Kane's dragons, but should their plan go awry, being protected would afford them the upper hand. He'd seen works of art depicting the great battles between dragons and Drengr, long ago during the days of Rage. He'd seen the armor worn. Pieces of it resurfaced around the kingdom from time to time, even now. But most of the pieces had been scattered or lost. There were several full sets in tact, erected in each of the forts as sculptures to remind the Drengr of their history. But the sets were precious relics, fifty thousand years old, too valuable to dismantle. Now, they would have many of their own to wear.

The clanging of port bells announced the new arrival of another ship. Talon blinked against the pale sunlight. With each day, the chill of winter had receded. Spring Solstice had passed in a blink, and his efforts had turned entirely to plans of reclaiming Squall's End.

It hadn't been the Solstice he'd hoped for. Selfishly, he'd hoped Claire would have returned, even though she'd only been gone a few months, even though he wanted her to remain in the forest, safely tucked away until they finished this task of reclaiming what belonged to the kingdom. Still, he felt the loneliness of her absence as everyone celebrated.

A small smile pulled at the corners of his mouth. What had she thought of his gift, he wondered? At the least, it would have reminded her of their time together that night, sharing the same bed, tangled together in each other's arms—