It's been a week since I hired the den mom and there have been numerous changes in the Emerald Grotto already. One of the areas is now two thirds full of stuff, and I mean stuff. Everything you can think of and some things I hadn't. Furniture, bedding and dry goods are just the beginning. Standard saddles and six holders of things for newcomers, plus many more things that I'm sure we'll need. Betty has literally taken over, but the number of headaches is drastically less, so I'm glad she's here.
I was just thinking about lunch when a communal cry went out like a distress beacon. Basiliskos and Invectum were rounding up two squadrons of dragons to fly an emergency run to the Provinces. It seems we had a flyer, and the powers that be on the other side of the river didn't want him/her to leave. A flyer is the designation used here at the mountain when a dragon is spotted or calls from anywhere outside of the influence of Mt. Drago. I wondered briefly how the distress call got here, but Demi explained to me that one of the flyers was a Wyvern. The dragons were crying out for assistance having realized their inability to make it to the river Styx before being caught. I picked up on Demi's statement; "one of the flyers", so there were at least two, maybe more. The next thing that occurred to me was, if they couldn't make it to the Styx without being caught, then how far out were they? That would be an incredibly long flight.
Basiliskos' voice broke through my reverie, inquiring whether I could run interference. I gave him the affirmation, donned my shroud and pressed the switch on my harness. The dragons Basiliskos selected were gathering at the wheel and the estimated time of departure was one quarter hour. I said my goodbyes to Demi and quickly made my way into Commons. After conferring with both of the Kings and programming my destination, I headed for the South Entrance, picking up speed as I went. Walter and I travelled through the usual Ley Gates with our ultimate destination being Gehenna. Let me tell you just a little bit about Gehenna. It sucks. That particular Province is deep within dark held territory and is difficult to get into, making an exit almost impossible. The Province itself is well manicured and actually quite beautiful to look at, all things considered. However, once you get more than just a bird's eye view of what's in Gehenna, it ceases to be beautiful and visually turns into the hell hole that it is. We were hoping that our flight wouldn't actually take us into the province proper. Our scanners were at maximum and were sweeping in every direction except behind us, hoping to pick them up quickly. About five minutes later we spotted them flying at a very high level, and as fast as I had ever seen a dragon fly. As hard as they were flying, I now understood why they probably wouldn't make it to where they were going without being intercepted. We also picked up two squadrons, one flying behind them and one on an angled flight trying to cut them off. It looked like they might succeed, and the odds were twelve against two.
I noticed the second squadron gaining altitude and wondered how high these Aguivas could fly. The two blips on my heads- up display were very close to each other; so close to each other that the indicators had overlapped. Walter updated the long- range scanners and it dawned on me that the smaller of the two dragons was an Aguiva, and it was riding on the back of a blue Wyvern. It all made sense now. An Aguiva could never fly as high as a blue Wyvern, but by riding on the back of one, it could stay above its attackers. On closer observation, I could tell the blue was approaching exhaustion and couldn't stay above the attacking Aguivas much longer. The blue was gliding more and flapping its wings less and less the farther it flew. It was only a matter of minutes before their altitude matched that of the squadrons in pursuit. I was only seconds away now and closing in fast. I saluted as I passed and continued bearing down on the pursuers. The rider watched me as I streaked by. Closing to fifty yards, I fired the first barrage of darts at the riders. If I missed and hit one of the Aguivas, it could potentially cause it to crash. Queen Mother would not be happy with me, but I wouldn't be happy with me either. I noticed after the first pass, that each Aguiva whose rider had been darted, headed immediately for the ground. Too little, too late I'm afraid, as eight of the enemy riders made it past me. The only good news so far was the lack of Projector bolts. I hate those things. Banking around for another run gave me some hope though because my screens showed twelve Wyvern dragons bearing down on us from Mt. Drago. Suddenly my angle tilted sharply to the right, and I flipped over until my head was aimed toward the ground. The boot rockets were firing full, and I would impact with the ground far quicker than I wanted. Walter's voice crackled through my helmet.
"Rocket boosters off. We've been hit by a hand-held crossbow bolt. Entry point was the left rear stabilizer. Flushing the system...bolt was dislodged. Changing pitch and yaw. Firing rockets. All systems online, Tanis."
I was watching the ground come up; the entire interlude seemed to take forever. Well, everything but the ground. Walter and I skimmed over the ground for several hundred feet and then started our climb toward the opposing squadrons.
The Wyverns from the mountain had split up and were engaging the Aguivas in individual dogfights that at times took them dangerously close to the ground. All the while, the tired blue doggedly made for the river, losing altitude with every beat of its wings. The Wyverns, in my opinion, were taking too long in their attempt to not injure the Aguivas. As a result, several of our riders had taken hits from the crossbows the demons carried. The bolts were too small to seriously harm a Wyvern, but the riders, well that was another story. Queen Mother's riders kept pressing the Warbirds until they made the mistake of getting too close and then would swoop down and pounce on the demon, taking him away and dropping him to the ground below. Not a pretty sight, and the shrieking during the fall brought my heart up into my throat. I banked away as the last rider fell and shot toward the river, hoping I could catch up to the blue dragon. I spotted them moments later, and Walter updated their progress on my screens. Only a mile to go and they would be at the Styx. Everyone assumed they could just fly across, but I had been in this position before and some make it, and some don't. It would be a shame with all the effort the mountain had provided, for this escapee to crash into the river at the last minute. Queen Mother mourns the death of every dragon, even the ones working for the other side, and after all this work it would be a shame.
Right before they got to the shoreline, the Aguiva pushed away from the blue and matched speeds flying next to it. I could see the rider urging both to greater effort, almost like he was capable of dragging them across by himself. The blue was still gliding and when it got to about fifty feet above the water it sluggishly pushed its wings down, raising it ten to twenty feet. It continued in this manner until reaching the far shore. I had streaked out in front to open the Ley Gates and minimize the time they had to spend in the air, but it just wasn't meant to be. The blue cupped its wings, slowing drastically and hit the ground at a dead run. In its fatigued state, the tired blue only kept up with the pace for a few steps before collapsing, and the forward momentum continued until it ground to a halt. This dragon was young, probably no more than a year older than Demi, and male. The rider and his Aguiva circled for a moment and then landed alongside the downed blue dragon. I had already circled around and watched the rider dismount in the same way as the previous Aguiva riders, by jumping over the wing, so I figured this person was a Class Eight demon. As I landed, the demon crouched and pulled his handheld crossbow, aiming it in my direction.
"I don't know what you are but stay back or I'll shoot. I haven't come this far to be stopped by some stupid metal man."
Ouch, that sentiment stung. Of course, not as much as the crossbow would, but it's the principle of the thing. I put my hands up and tried to look friendly. There were several things wrong with what I was looking at, and this demon's size was problem number one. Since when do higher class demons only reach a five-foot stature? A bit dinky, don't you think? Problem number two was her voice. Yeah, you heard me...her voice. There's no way this was a demon, and the whole situation was beginning to resemble Analise and Bullba. The difference here was her size, because she's way too small for a Denizen woman. The third and final oddity was her attitude. Denizen women are generally quiet and compliant, and I didn't hear either in her voice.
She was attired in an all-leather flight suit that incorporated light and dark browns.Her boots and jacket were a darker hue than her trousers, which were the same tan as the Aguiva. The Ensemble was set off by the leather helmet and goggles. She was an imposing figure. After I took all this in, I stepped back one pace to show I meant no hostility.
"My name is Tanis, and... Could you excuse me for a minute?"
Basiliskos was in my head, and it was like the whole world stopped and all I could see was what he was looking at from about a thousand feet up.
"We will accompany the wounded back to Drago. Do you need any help?"
I glanced over to the downed rider and the crossbow aimed at me.
"We are uninjured. I think after a short rest period and some conversation...I assume you're communicating with the Wyvern? They're pretty jumpy. Other than that, we'll be fine. We should be along shortly. Is everyone going to be okay?"
A wave of wellbeing washed over me and it was incredible. I knew in a feeling, just a feeling that everything would work out and that nobody had died. How do they do that?
The rider was looking at me like I had two heads. My communication with Basiliskos had of course been mentally transmitted and not broadcast to her. I was standing stock still, completely suited and had my helmet closed, so she still hadn't seen my face. No telling what she was thinking. Her Aguiva had moved to stand next to her and turned his head, making it appear as if he was looking at her, but I knew better. They can't see forward, so he was looking at me. I've learned to tell a male from a female, for obvious reasons, visually...if you catch my drift. Anyway, he was about the same size as the other Aguivas I've seen so far, and the same tan color.
"Sorry, I was communicating with the dragons that helped you. They have sustained injuries and will be heading back to the mountain. I'll be your escort from here, so just take your time. We're safe on this side of the river."
She stared at me pensively and lowered the crossbow.
"This weapon probably wouldn't penetrate your armor anyway. Who and what are you?"
I had never finished my introduction, but at least she stopped pointing that annoying weapon at me.
"As I was saying, my name is Tanis and I'm from Mt. Drago, the place I'll be taking you to when you're ready to fly again."
From the look on her face, I can tell you my last statement went over like a lead balloon, but she put the crossbow into a holster hooked to her belt. Then she pointed at me, you know, in a not so good way. It was a “you can't tell me what to do" look.
"What makes you think I'd follow you to a mountain? More importantly...where is this supposed mountain? Is it in Texas, because I want to see Texas, and a whole bunch of other countries? So, if you think you can just order me around and tell me what to do...well, you can just think again buster."
Man, what a fireball. Definitely not a farmer's daughter.
"Do you have a name, or should I start guessing? It might help pass the time."
She laughed, are you believing that? This lady was living in a different world than mine, that's for sure.
"My name, Tanis the metal man, is Rhylana Amphelice - Princess of Callanor, and this spectacular Aguiva is Nexus."
She pointed to the Aguiva Warbird and with her other hand she pointed to the blue Wyvern.
"And this magnificent Wyvern is Brussualth Turin Galarail."
Hmmm, spectacular and magnificent. I agree with her in concept, but it's like she's trying to impress me and has no idea I've impressed with an emerald. Boring a hole through my helmet shields wasn't going to do her any good either, but watching her eyes told me something very important; she was frightened, and I understood that emotion only too well.
I listened to Brussualth's breathing and it was evident that he was tired but feeling much better than when he had landed. The Aguiva was doing just fine, having ridden most of the distance on his buddy's back. Now all I had to do was convince her to go to Mt. Drago and all of this would be somebody else's problem.
"Okay, Princess Rhylana, here's the thing. You can't fly your dragon anywhere you want on this side of the river. It just isn't done. Over here the dragons are part of mythology, you know just a legend. If you flew Brussualth out in the open over Texas, the government would send up jets and shoot him down. Technology rules over here and humans kill what they don't understand. They definitely kill what they fear...Like dragons. It's sad, I'll give you that, but that's the long and short of it, and I'm telling you the truth. If you don't believe me, then go to the mountain and let them show you what I'm talking about. At least do that much, because doing anything else endangers your dragons, and I know you don't want that."
I could tell she was vacillating, weighing out the things I told her. She walked over to the blue, put her hand on him and closed her eyes. The Aguiva hobbled over to her and nuzzled her neck. A minute went by and all I could hear was the three of them breathing. Then her eyes popped open, and she turned toward me with a resigned look on her face.
"Brussu says you're telling the truth and we should go with you, so if you'll give us a few more minutes, we can leave. We'll go to your mountain."
She had shortened his name down to Brussu, and like so many others it felt normal.
The flight back to the mountain went without incident and I showed her where to enter at the Northern Terrace. There were still riders going through triage when we landed, and the doctors were attending to the injured riders. We had seen much worse, but it became evident that Princess Rhylana felt responsible for the carnage, and it looked pretty bad to her. She immediately went over to the rider closest to where she had landed and volunteered to help with his treatment. She was crying, and the full impact of what the men, women and dragons had done for her could not have been portrayed more dramatically. I felt bad for her, and from the look on Queen Mother's face, she did too. I was surprised when Queen Mother didn't stop her, but if I had been in either pair of shoes, things might have worked out the same. Rhylana continued to work until the last person had been administered to and then finally presented herself to Queen Mother. Their friendship had already been sealed. I didn't get to see the two of them on the Veranda deciding how things would play out because I was busy airlifting the treated riders to the medical area outside of Commons.
Most of the flyers were released the following morning, and all of them within five days. Rhylana has since moved into the Blue Grotto and with her personality, the predicted friendship with Thomas seems like a no brainer.
Tarin's Gallery is about as ready as its going to get and that's good, because today's the day the Hell Hounds begin arriving. I moved the last Ley Gate as close to the South Entrance as I could. We'll have guards posted right at the entrance as lookouts because there's a gap between the gate and the mouth of the cave. It amounts to about ten feet, and even though that doesn't sound like much, it is possible for them to be seen. The hounds will be showing up in a total of four waves, each taking just over two hours to actually enter the mountain. In between each wave will be a lull of fifteen minutes, so we're looking at somewhere around nine hours from start to finish. That's also assuming nothing goes wrong, and you know how that works.
The other gates are much farther apart but are in areas that present no problem to prying eyes. That's the good news. The bad news is that the Hell Hounds will have to run almost the entire length of Infernus to get to the first gate. High velocity winds, overbearing heat and... The Crazies. As long as they keep moving, especially at the speeds they can run, everything should be fine. That leaves the "what if's", and there are a boat load of those. What if the Crazies congregate at any particular spot and force the Hell Hounds to deviate from the chosen path? Some of the Hounds could get picked off during the deviation. What if one of the Hell Hounds falls during the initial run across Infernus? Others would then slow down or stop to help and get slaughtered by the Crazies. What if some of the younger ones stray during the run? Beyond just a few feet, you are no longer visible and become lunch to anything larger and meaner. There are so many variables that it's almost impossible to calculate. I think everyone knows there are going to be casualties; it's just that no one wants to talk about it.
Walter and I will be roving back and forth across Infernus during each of the runs. We have the ability to strike from a distance and can see further into the pea soup that is Infernus' environment. Hopefully, if something does go wrong, we can hold off whatever it is long enough for them to recover. Time will tell.
All the arrangements have been made here at the mountain, and the escorts will range from the South Entrance all the way to the mouth of Tarin's Gallery. That includes every two hundred feet across the ramps on the way down to Commons. There again, if someone stumbles or just runs out of steam and can't continue, someone will be there to help. I know the adults can make it, but some of the adolescents are questionable for a trek that long.The younger adolescents will ride on the back of an adult, the same way Targ and Essa carried Tarin when they came across.
The Dragos taped fluorescent arrows on the floor indicating the direction the Hell Hounds are supposed to run once they get to Commons. There are quite literally hundreds of them every few yards pointing the way to Tarin's Gallery. Guards are everywhere and the mountain has been put on alert, cautioning people away from the influx areas. I can't help but wonder what would happen if an individual showed up in the next twelve hours to impress with a dragon? Awkward at best, and dangerous. Once this starts, the mountain will be collectively holding its breath for quite a while.
I checked in with Demi and made sure she was okay, but what I was really trying to get across was the idea to stay in the Emerald Grotto until this time tomorrow. As you've probably guessed, it didn't go over well. She wants to be in the thick of things and take part in some way. I just want her to stay safe by staying out of the way. She finally agreed, but all things are subject to change without notice. What I believe is that all things change endlessly without change. And that certainly applies to my dragon.
Using the same gates I set up earlier got me to Infernus in just minutes. I wish the journey to the caverns was as quick. A little less than an hour later, the caverns loomed through the dust, and I decreased my speed to land. I changed my angle of descent and picked a spot only a few yards away from the main entrance. Ragnar and Chrysalis were waiting for me as I walked up, but I could see a lot of movement behind them. I can't even imagine what they went through getting ready for an exodus like this one. Try to imagine a small city attempting to pick up and move over a hundred miles...all at the same time. It boggles the brain.
I wasn't really sure how anyone expected me to watch the line of Hell Hounds from one end to the other as they progressed either. While I stood there working the mechanics out on that, I heard a familiar noise behind me. The sound of dragon wings - lots of dragon wings. I turned and watched them appear from out of the dust haze, landing a short distance from where I put down. Elfred's voice punched through the other noises as he approached.
"Hey, Laddy. Thought you could use some help, and I brought friends. Can't let you be havin all the credit, now can we?"
I love this guy's accent. It's like having an actor from the set of "Braveheart" whenever he shows up.
"Besides you and Big Red, how many do we have?"
Elfred struggled with his fingers momentarily, and then blurted out six. Well, it is one finger more than he has on that hand. It could cause an issue.
"Well then, when they start their run, we'll just spread out and try to watch everything at once. The dragons' eyes are keen, and I'll be ranging out and back while they're moving. We should be fine."
"Red and I will lead. The rest can take up station as they see fit."
A half an hour later the first wave began their exodus to Mt. Drago. Running six abreast, the hounds took off at a gallop and had no plans on slowing down until they reached the mountain. Row after row poured out of the caverns, heads down and a look of pure determination on their faces. Soon, the miles began to pile up and the first of the structures began to appear in the dust. Entire buildings toppled over to one side and helped carve out a path between destroyed artifacts and objects that fell from God knows where. The Hell Hounds wound their way through, each staying close to the other as they watched for the Crazies. From the air they resembled a gigantic serpent, winding its way through centuries of destruction and carnage that became the environment known as Infernus. The wind was howling so loud that you couldn't hear the Hell Hounds, but you knew they were calling out to each other and barking into the wind as a cautionary to anything that might get in their way.
Occasionally a dragon would fly close enough to me that I could momentarily see the rider, and then would disappear into the gale force dust and fog like an apparition.
Murphy's law is a constant and universal anchor in our reality that will never go away. Just once I'd like to see something actually go as planned or maybe happen in an easy way, but it wasn't going to be today.
Two of the things we've been watching for are stragglers being picked off as they pass an unseen assailant, and obstacles being placed in the way as the Hell Hounds thread their way through Infernus' ravaged wasteland. I haven't seen any holes in the line. No signs that some are missing, but when the line starts to slow down, you know something's wrong. See, this is what I was talking about. I had just flown past the frontrunners, and everything was fine, and then a minute later, guess what? There's Murphy's law in action.
The line had just reached a curve to the right that was caused by architectural obstacles in the way. It's a known location with a known problem, right? If you run too long and too far, you also get lulled to sleep, and that's exactly what took place. The Crazies moved what was left of a rather large vehicle into the path that should have taken the Hell Hounds to the right. When they didn't see the path, they veered to the left which led them down into a cul-de-sac. Not really their fault, but a trap, none the less. In the time it took me to get there, the line had stopped and there were Crazies everywhere. When the dragons realized the line had stopped, they spread out to defend as much of it as they could without landing. Once they land, the visibility and the lack of mobility prohibits them from protecting anything other than the Hell Hounds right in front of them. Even worse, blowing fire at an antagonist also lights up the Hell Hounds around it. The same thing became an issue for me as well. To detonate the vehicle would harm some of the Hell Hounds, and if I didn't fight the Crazies airborne, the impacted line would be overrun. So, I didn't have enough time to move the vehicle because I was too busy fighting Crazies, but if I didn't move the vehicle, I couldn't get the line to move. What a crock of crap!
Generally, when the Hell Hounds go on patrol, the demonic population is so spread out that you never actually see more than a handful. When you move this many folks at one time, it gives the bad guys a chance to organize, and God knows that's what we want for them. Not! Let's announce what we're doing and then give them oodles of time to adjust and rally themselves for a full-blown attack. We had overlooked one key element though, and that was the Hell Hounds themselves. It isn't like they were going to just stand there and take it to the chops. They fought back, and if that wasn't enough, they recognized why they couldn't move ahead and did something about it. A small contingency peeled off and headed in the direction of the vehicle blocking their way. It didn't take them long to shove the obstacle completely off the path, and every single hound surged forward.
I had been flying laterally and firing the disruptors at anything that even remotely looked like a demon, trying to fight my way back to the vehicle when it simply moved out of the way. I surged right along with them, and then using ever widening circles, made my way toward the back of the line. If there were any gaps from attrition, they disappeared, and I had no way to know how many had been killed or were missing. Finding stragglers after the fact would be very much like finding a speck of dirt in a stack of needles. I had been told not to do what I was contemplating, and that was going back to look for those who were lost. It killed me to follow the line, but orders were orders.
In a few more miles, the frontrunners will be out of the territory of the Crazies, making it easier and easier to protect the rest of them coming up. When the Ley Gates are within a half mile, I have to move to the front and go through first to make sure they're not running into more trouble on the other end. And just think, we've got two more waves to go before this day is finished.
It's up to the dragons now. I've moved out in front and have angled down to fly through the first of the three Ley Gates. The upside to having the gates so low to the ground is the lack of turbulence, but the downside is that anything can just run right across. As I flew through, it immediately put me on the other side of the river and the next gate was ten yards in front of me. Add another two seconds and I'm through the second gate, and the third is on top of me before I could blink. I could see the outside of the cave for a split second and then I was flying down the main corridor inside Mt. Drago.
I landed where the two ramps diverge and moved to the right side, giving the Hell Hounds room to run to the left. There were two security guards standing at the juncture and I motioned them over.
"The first wave of the Hell Hounds will be here in a matter of moments. Radio ahead and have your men stand ready."
Before they could even speak, a dense level of roaring erupted in the main corridor behind me. One of the security guards pulled out a radio and began barking orders to his men. No pun intended. Then the Hell Hounds were upon us and making the turn down the ramp that would guide them to Commons. A constant stream that felt never ending flowed past us and down, until the ones at the forefront could hardly be seen. The farther down the ramp they went the smaller they appeared, until it looked like a stream of ants cascading across the Wheel heading for Tarin's Gallery.
Hours later and two more waves, the last Hell Hound bounded into the Gallery and disappeared into the darkness. Muted growls, barks and howls floated in and out of my consciousness as the new arrivals explored their home and ate the devicim on the walls. I think that most of the noise was their mourning for the dead because it didn't sound happy, but there was also a sound that I took for hope. Their lives had certainly changed, and death would only come from the way they lived, not from being hunted. Even I took some solace in that, but it didn't overshadow the fact that they lost almost five percent of their total number on the journey to Drago.