hated each other.
He laughed , watching them fling tiny balls of fire and water at each other.
Ssssz. Ssssz. Sssssz.
They locked up. Wrestled like Minotaurs until they extinguished one another. It made him wonder if evil could truly defeat good. Where would all the excitement be?
He rubbed the amulet around his neck.
A Draykis came forward. Towering over him. “Do we hunt?”
“No, not yet. We’ll wait until they depart the Elven lands,” he said.
“And then what? Care to let me in?”
Kryzak scoffed. The Draykis weren’t mindless things. They were the best Dragon Hunters he’d ever used. They made typical poachers―Gnolls, Goblins and Orcs―look like halflings and Gnomes. They were fearless. Never rattled. And if it weren’t for his amulet, he was pretty sure they’d rip him to pieces.
Kryzak respected them. He had to make sure they respected him.
“You heard what the spy said. Now we wait until he reports more,” he said, rising to his feet. The pair were almost eye to eye know. He dangled the amulet between his fingers and slung his mace over his shoulder. “I want to know what they are after. And I don’t want to fool with the Elves. Come.”
The Crater made for an interesting hideout. Filled with dangerous predators and excellent pla ces for monsters such as Giants to conceal themselves. Even Dragons. For years poachers had roamed this location, and now Kryzak had taken it over.
And no one had challenged him.
There was no need now that word was getting out.
Another war was coming.
Maneuvering through the woods, he came across a hole over a dozen feet wide that led into the ground and formed a tunnel. It was pitch black, but the eyes of the Draykis and the tattoos on his head both gave off a soft glow of light. Damp and cold, a hundred steps down the steep incline he came to a stop.
He muttered , “ Shompin .”
Torches lit up a large cavern. Inside were many cages. Some big enough for an Ettin, others small as a cat. Many of them were filled with Dragons.
Two more Draykis emerged from the dark corners , followed by something else. A Dragon, dark scaled, bigger than a horse, wingless, with bright yellow cat-like eyes. The Feline Fury. Its long whiskers touched the floor. He stroked its face. Its purr was like thunder.
“Ah, my favorite,” Kryzak said.
The Feline Fury had been instrumental in capturing other Dragons. It was an excellent hunter. It and the Draykis had become the most effective poachers of all. The captured Dragons lay curled up in their cages, eyes closed, unmoving. The biggest was a Red Belly Dragon. It was male, dark yellow scales on top, dark red on the bottom. A fire breather and hot land dweller. Smelled like sulfur all the time. Not much of a flyer. It would fetch a great price in the market. Its parts, that is. It was too big to keep alive. Too dangerous.
The others ―most as big as tigers―would make pets or catalysts to magic. The wizards preferred them. They were all fantastic creatures. Beautiful in some cases. Metallic in color, some pastel, others with chameleon-like powers. All in all, the Dragons were worth a fortune.
“Almost a shame to put an end to them,” he said, stroking the whiskers of The Fury. “Of course, like you, maybe some of them can be turned to our service.”
CHAPTER 22
We made it to the Elven Lands without any more trouble. Shum and the rest of us were in good shape. Even Brenwar had loosened up. I spent most of my time hunting and fishing with Ben and Garrison when were weren’t riding. They were good company, especially Ben. I was amazed at how much he had changed in a matter of months. A boy to a man.
It almost made me feel ashamed of myself , for some reason.
But my sense of guilt and worry started to subside in the Elven Lands. They were well protected and monitored. Filled with wild animals of incredibly rare sorts. They said unicorns were seen from time to time. But the Elves kept a close watch on such
He laughed , watching them fling tiny balls of fire and water at each other.
Ssssz. Ssssz. Sssssz.
They locked up. Wrestled like Minotaurs until they extinguished one another. It made him wonder if evil could truly defeat good. Where would all the excitement be?
He rubbed the amulet around his neck.
A Draykis came forward. Towering over him. “Do we hunt?”
“No, not yet. We’ll wait until they depart the Elven lands,” he said.
“And then what? Care to let me in?”
Kryzak scoffed. The Draykis weren’t mindless things. They were the best Dragon Hunters he’d ever used. They made typical poachers―Gnolls, Goblins and Orcs―look like halflings and Gnomes. They were fearless. Never rattled. And if it weren’t for his amulet, he was pretty sure they’d rip him to pieces.
Kryzak respected them. He had to make sure they respected him.
“You heard what the spy said. Now we wait until he reports more,” he said, rising to his feet. The pair were almost eye to eye know. He dangled the amulet between his fingers and slung his mace over his shoulder. “I want to know what they are after. And I don’t want to fool with the Elves. Come.”
The Crater made for an interesting hideout. Filled with dangerous predators and excellent pla ces for monsters such as Giants to conceal themselves. Even Dragons. For years poachers had roamed this location, and now Kryzak had taken it over.
And no one had challenged him.
There was no need now that word was getting out.
Another war was coming.
Maneuvering through the woods, he came across a hole over a dozen feet wide that led into the ground and formed a tunnel. It was pitch black, but the eyes of the Draykis and the tattoos on his head both gave off a soft glow of light. Damp and cold, a hundred steps down the steep incline he came to a stop.
He muttered , “ Shompin .”
Torches lit up a large cavern. Inside were many cages. Some big enough for an Ettin, others small as a cat. Many of them were filled with Dragons.
Two more Draykis emerged from the dark corners , followed by something else. A Dragon, dark scaled, bigger than a horse, wingless, with bright yellow cat-like eyes. The Feline Fury. Its long whiskers touched the floor. He stroked its face. Its purr was like thunder.
“Ah, my favorite,” Kryzak said.
The Feline Fury had been instrumental in capturing other Dragons. It was an excellent hunter. It and the Draykis had become the most effective poachers of all. The captured Dragons lay curled up in their cages, eyes closed, unmoving. The biggest was a Red Belly Dragon. It was male, dark yellow scales on top, dark red on the bottom. A fire breather and hot land dweller. Smelled like sulfur all the time. Not much of a flyer. It would fetch a great price in the market. Its parts, that is. It was too big to keep alive. Too dangerous.
The others ―most as big as tigers―would make pets or catalysts to magic. The wizards preferred them. They were all fantastic creatures. Beautiful in some cases. Metallic in color, some pastel, others with chameleon-like powers. All in all, the Dragons were worth a fortune.
“Almost a shame to put an end to them,” he said, stroking the whiskers of The Fury. “Of course, like you, maybe some of them can be turned to our service.”
CHAPTER 22
We made it to the Elven Lands without any more trouble. Shum and the rest of us were in good shape. Even Brenwar had loosened up. I spent most of my time hunting and fishing with Ben and Garrison when were weren’t riding. They were good company, especially Ben. I was amazed at how much he had changed in a matter of months. A boy to a man.
It almost made me feel ashamed of myself , for some reason.
But my sense of guilt and worry started to subside in the Elven Lands. They were well protected and monitored. Filled with wild animals of incredibly rare sorts. They said unicorns were seen from time to time. But the Elves kept a close watch on such
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