I wasn't surprised when Demi didn't want to go to the Northern Terrace to see us off. She didn't act angry, but there was definitely a part of her I couldn't connect with. I needed a cup of coffee in the worst way, and Demi told me they had that drink waiting for me at the Veranda. The Conference area, otherwise known as the Veranda, overlooks the Cone, which I would be flying up and through in a matter of minutes. From Commons, if you have incredibly good vision, you can see the opening of the Cone directly over the Wheel. The Wheel is the center of Commons and serves as the accepted place to impress with dragons once they've called for a rider. From the floor of Commons to the top of the Cone is roughly one mile.
Over to one side of the Castle, which houses the living areas at the top of the mountain, is the Northern Terrace. This functions as the second of only two ways out of the mountain. There are four guards just inside the precipice, which at the moment is closed off by two massive steel blast doors. These serve to keep unwanted visitors out, and lately to keep the male Aguivas in.
Exiting from the Emerald Grotto, I activated the suit, and within a few steps the helmet was closing around my head. I could hear the hiss of fresh air circulating throughout the armor and felt the plates seat, and then reseat into place. The screens in my helmet slid into place and Walter's voice smoothly came into being over the internal speakers.
"Good morning, Tanis. All systems are on-line and at peak efficiency. We can go airborne when you're ready."
"Good morning, Walter. Thank you. Fire foot and hand boosters in three."
The thruster rockets ignited, and we were in the air and banking for the opening to the Cone, accelerating noisily in the upper regions of Commons. As we entered the opening, I could see Dragos and dragons alike in several layers of the Alcoves on our way up.
Queen Mother and the two Kings were already standing in place a couple yards away from the opening to the outside world and acknowledged my presence as I walked up. Both of the dragons were wearing saddles, and I tried to imagine Suyet Suun sitting on Basiliskos as he took off. It made me chuckle; it shouldn't have . . . but it did.
I would be the last to take off and would follow them until we got to the Province that had the mass grave. Hell Proper. I would then take the lead, mostly to watch for ambushes or any other sign of trouble.
As we began to approach the boundary of Hell, I increased my altitude to several thousand feet and took a look around. Lower down, I could see there was no foot traffic in the immediate vicinity, but if we were going to land then I wanted to know what was in the distance in every direction. The last time I saw Suyet he was coming from the direction of Hades, a neighboring Province, but today we had no way of knowing which way he would be making his approach.
We still had a little time before we would be imminent to the gravesite. From my vantage point, Walter and I picked up a blip on our scanners that was about the right size for a Saber. Once again, he was coming in from Hades, a fact I logged away for future reference.
He was moving fast, but I got the idea again that he wasn't moving with a great amount of exertion. He seemed to just be loping along at a rate that would be better for long distance running. Our timing couldn't have been more perfect, and unless I was way off the mark, Queen Mother would reach our designated spot at about the same time as Suyet. I increased my speed so I could be on the ground when The Ariella and the dragons landed. Hopefully, Suyet would at least continue at his present speed and time his arrival with theirs. I believed he was adjusting his momentum, because he was running with his head up in the direction of Queen Mothers approach.
I made my usual landing and then stood to wait for everyone to arrive. Walter confirmed there was still no activity in the area, but he continued to scan for hostiles.
Right as Invectum landed, Suyet ran up to within fifteen feet of where I stood, stopped, and sat down. No hesitation, and I could tell that he felt no fear of me or the dragons.
Basiliskos had circled around before landing and was making his approach from my right. That's a lot of dragon coming in hot. All four feet touched down at the same time and began to run, each step slowing him down. He had timed it to perfection and came to a complete stop just a few feet away from where I stood. Just a wisp of smoke exited from his nostrils as he turned his head toward Suyet. It wasn't threatening in any way, but it sure as hell didn't lack on drama.
Invectum's timing matched his brother's and his arrival coincided exactly with Basiliskos'. Queen Mother swung her leg over the White dragon’s shoulder and slid down his leg. She landed in a three-point stance, stood up, and immediately took a step forward. She was dressed in her black and white camouflage flight suit and was now flanked by her dragons of the same colors. Hey, image is everything, and if that little display of syncopated entry didn't impress, then nothing would.
Suyet never moved; I don't think he even blinked during their approach. We don't know enough about him or his people yet, but if I had to guess, I’d say he actually looked bored. What is it about a leader that causes them to appear unimpressed no matter what happens around them? You know that Suyet had never been close to anything like the two Kings, but he seemed bound and determined to make it seem otherwise.
The two Kings were, however, no different in their approach to the situation. You'd have thought that they met with Saber Tooth Tigers all the time. Invectum cast his vision across the horizon slowly, with the falsified air about him that denoted . . . Could we hurry this up? I haven't got all day.
I took a couple steps toward Suyet and looked back at my companions.
"Queen Mother, Basiliskos, Invectum . . . this is Suyet Suun. Suyet Suun, this is The Ariella. She is the Queen Mother of dragons, and Basiliskos and Invectum are the Kings at Mt. Drago."
The Saber looked at Queen Mother and then the two dragons.
"You look and smell like Dark Lords; well, not so much with the two reptiles, but then how are they supposed to smell? You, Ariella, are the image of your father, and that is not much of a compliment. How do I know that this is not just an elaborate method to secure the whereabouts of my people?"
Well, the big guy's got a point. I don't know about the smell issue, but she has already admitted to me earlier that her father was a Dark Lord. Not pleased about that much. I'll give Queen Mother credit where it's due, because during Suyet's little soliloquy she never allowed the look on her face to change. Total deadpan like it didn't bother her at all. When she finally did speak, there was no reservation in her voice and no sign that she felt anything for her parents. Good or bad.
"You don't, at least not yet. Why don't we let the river prove it for us? You make it across, and I'll know you don't work for them. I make it across, and then you'll know. I don't mean to be rude, but how do I know there are bodies in that grave? How do I know for sure where your allegiances lie and how far you're willing to go to prove it? So . . . why don't you put your money where your muzzle is?"
Suyet looked confused.
"Money?"
"It's just a figure of speech."
"To say what?"
Queen Mother put her hands on her hips and looked exasperated.
"Never mind. Shall we go to the river?"
Suyet appeared to vacillate, and even though he stayed cool on the outside, we all could tell something wasn't right.
"I need reassurance that I will be set free once we've finished. I have to go back to my people. How do I know you won't kidnap me for reasons unknown to me?"
Queen Mother knew she had the upper hand, but she played it close to the bone. That means no questions later as long as you're honest now.
"My answer is still the same. You don't, but if my guess is correct, you don't have any bargaining power, not that you need it. But if you don't act quickly, the Dark Lords will keep picking off your people until you all become extinct. Sound about right? I realize you're not used to anyone actually doing you a favor, especially when there doesn't seem to be anything in it except for you. Don't worry, you'll get used to it. At least you'll have the time to do it while you're still alive. Now if you'll be so kind as to climb up Basiliskos, that's the Black Dragon, then we'll get this show on the road."
Suyet cocked his head over to one side.
"Show on the road?"
"Just another figure of speech that I don't feel like explaining."
Suyet stood and looked at Queen Mother like she had two heads, but he dutifully climbed up onto Basiliskos with the agility of a . . . uh . . . tiger.
Queen Mother turned toward Invectum and then sprang into the air. The arc her body made was intercepted by the White Dragon, who one handed, vaulted her up and over his shoulder where she landed deftly in the saddle.
Basiliskos was already moving, and Suyet hunkered down with a determined look on his face. The Black Dragon began his run in the direction of the river, and a minute later was rising into the air with slow but powerful wing strokes. Suyet in the saddle wasn't near as funny as I thought it would be.
Invectum performed his usual vertical takeoff and caught Basiliskos quickly. I think Basiliskos was taking it slow and easy, as opposed to Queen Mother, who didn't ever take it that way.
I activated the boosters on my suit and shot skyward. I could see them below me and I moved ahead looking for any kind of movement on the ground. Next stop, Ferry Dock on the River Styx. My flight path was anything but straight, and as I progressed forward the sweeps from left to right started getting larger. I hadn't seen any troop movement, scouts or even isolated Denizens. That part bothered me because they were the true indigenous population here on the Provinces. There weren't any said volumes of bad things about the area we were flying over. They always fled when the darker ones were present, and I hadn't seen any Denizens since we arrived. So where was everyone?
At this point I was probably no more than five minutes ahead of the others and I could see Cheron standing on the Ferry Dock. I set down in the usual three-point stance and stood in the direction of where the Spectre of death was standing. He put his hand up in greeting, and I nodded my head as I walked over.
"I'm expecting company and would appreciate you taking them to the far side. Well, if they're worthy."
He pointed in the general direction of where they would show up.
"They approach now."
His voice sounded like two octaves and the fingers I could see looked like bones. He is not an attractive man. If he turns just right and the lighting is conducive, you can see that his face is a skull and his eyes are glowing red. That's just creepy.
He was right, and not a second later, I saw two dots in the distance. They kept steadily getting larger and they were definitely dragons.
Basiliskos set down much farther off than his brother. Invectum kept his speed up until the last possible moment before cupping the air with his wings and touching down on his back legs first, then bringing the front two down as soft as a feather.
Queen Mother swung her leg over Invectum's shoulder and slid to the ground. Basiliskos had already reduced his speed to a slower trot and stopped when he reached his brother. Suyet spent no time leaving the saddle and glanced back at the dragon after he leapt down. Obviously not a pleasant experience for him. No one could see me grinning like an idiot inside the helmet. Oh, and I had the external speakers off so they wouldn't hear me chuckling. It isn't that he looked all that funny per se, but just the idea of a kitty riding a dragon makes me smile.
Suyet walked over to the Ferry Dock without hesitation and took about a half dozen bone chips from the basket at the bottom of the stairs. Glancing back at The Ariella, fractionally, he went up the steps and gave Cheron half of the chips. Moving slowly toward the center of the craft, he faced away from the Ferryman and sat down.
Queen Mother stepped up to the stairs, reached and grabbed the entire basket, and strode up like a woman with a purpose. She took a handful of the chips and stuffed them into an upper pocket of her flight suit, and then presented the basket to Cheron. He took the basket and nodded his head. She then walked past Suyet, turned, and sat in front of him facing the rear of the craft. She waved the rest of us away and the Ferry lurched forward.
The two dragons took off and flew across the river, easily outdistancing the Ferry. I, on the other hand, turned to face the interior of the Province and carefully analyzed the approaching figures in the distance.
I determined with the long-range scanners that it was a tenant of demons. All twelve of them had fanned out in a chevron formation and were moving fast even for demons. If you looked closely enough, you could see that they were bounding along on all fours, but the problem was that there were two more arms dangling between them as they moved. These were definitely Class Seven Demons, but I had never seen so many of them clustered like this at one time. Class Sevens have four arms, one of those constants in the universe, like Class Fours have four eyes.
I could only assume that Suyet was a great fighter if the demon hordes would send so many of their better warriors. There was also the assumption that these demons were coming for the tiger. It seemed logical, but unless I dealt with them in some capacity, there was literally no proof. It would serve no purpose to do battle with these guys and I really needed to get back to my friends. It does, however, need to get to Queen Mother’s ears about the Class Sevens. It's something that I know will interest her about our newest guest.
The Class Sevens were still several miles away, but when they saw me lift off, they stopped dead in their tracks. I'd say they were after one or all of us. I had waited long enough, so I banked over and headed for the far side of the river. The Ferry was just pulling into the dock when I landed and Suyet was obviously not in the mood to stay aboard. He leapt between the pylons and landed hard on the dock. He made his way past the steps and walked over to where I stood without looking back.
Queen Mother sauntered over to Cheron, gave him a hug and then casually walked down the steps like this was nothing more than a walk in the park.
Basiliskos and Invectum had already landed and made their way over to The Ariella and spoke with her in sub tones no one else could hear. I assumed they were concerned about her trip over the river, but I could be wrong. Perhaps they were grilling her about what the Saber had said during the crossing. She patted both of them on the shoulder and murmured reassuring comments that I couldn't quite catch.
The demons had finally reached the opposite Ferry Dock and were milling around as if they couldn't make up their mind what to do. From our vantage point we could just see four individual entities with no apparent visual differences until they stood sideways. Then you could clearly see the number of appendages, and Queen Mother made a guttural noise deep in her throat. Like the rest of us, she wanted to cross the river and remove them from this world once and for all.
"I hope they're not waiting for him on the return trip. That could get ugly."
I stepped over to where she was standing and put my hand on her arm.
"I can clear the field for him if it comes to a skirmish. That should at least give him the head start he needs. He's been evading them successfully for some time."
She gave me a smile and nodded her head. I don't think she was convinced, but when the time comes, we'll see.
Cheron stopped halfway across the river and just sat there. Clearly, he wanted nothing to do with the tenant of demons.
As the two Kings lifted off the ground, I contacted Demi to let her know we were only minutes away. She would have Sean open the Northern Terrace Blast doors, allowing the dragons and I to land.
Basiliskos would land first, being the largest and definitely needing the most room. The Northern Terrace is large enough to land even the biggest of the dragons, but only just barely. Once he was down and at the far end, then Invectum would land. He performs a two-point touchdown, and as a result needs a mere fraction of the runway space of his brother. When they've cleared, I will maneuver to an open area and set down. I need hardly any room at all.
Basiliskos was cupping his wings before he even entered the mountain and still needed the entire length of the runway before he stopped. The Black Dragon pivoted around and positioned himself next to the opening of the ramp system that leads down to Commons. Once again, Suyet leapt off of Basiliskos before he had even stopped moving.
Invectum cupped his wings seconds after clearing the Terrace opening and moved forward, still hovering before landing roughly dead center of the runway. Queen Mother slid down immediately and ran over to one side, anticipating my landing.
I hovered at the opening, moved ahead a few feet and lowered myself down until my feet touched the surface of the rock floor. Then it was just a matter of shutting down the boot and gauntlet boosters before taking a step. I pulled the helmet down as I walked over to Queen Mother and our new guest.
Suyet was attempting to look regal, head up in the air and all four legs shaking like a California earthquake. I think he was determined not to have a problem, but still showed a level of near terminal fright from his trip across the river. I'm sure the landing here at Mt. Drago didn't help matters any either.
The poor guy's tense was tense, and he flinched every time someone moved or made a sound. This was probably the first time he had been around another species other than his own and he was working hard at blending in but failing miserably. I actually felt sorry for him, well maybe a little.
The technicians there in the Terrace had been told what to expect, but in all fairness, how do you prepare anyone for a somewhat gigantic Saber Tooth Tiger. I mean really. What Suyet didn't see was everyone flinching every time he moved or made a sound. Needless to say, it was a Kodak moment, one that I wouldn't forget for a long time.
He eventually got his bearings and managed to wander over to Queen Mother.
"I thought the mountain would be bigger. Not many more dragons than what I've seen would even fit in this cavern."
The look on Queen Mother's face would have outdone dragon fire.
"This is just a landing strip surrounded by my bedrooms and one little, tiny conference area. You'll just have to make do until we get our business settled and then I'll show you the rest of the mountain."
"I did not mean to offend, honestly."
Queen Mother visibly softened and pushed her hair back with both hands.
"It's been a long day, Suyet Suun, and it's still not quite over. Please follow me."
Still suited, I followed the same entourage into the Conference Room overlooking the Cone. Once inside, the five of us found places to sit. An oversized padded bench had been placed at one end of the table and Suyet figured out immediately that it was where he was supposed to sit. There was food and drink, but from experience we've learned that creatures from the Provinces will get sick if their food differs too greatly from their norm. Plates of food were laid out all over, and each item had been taken from the Province where we had originally seen him. The cuisine was bland and for the most part tasteless, however Suyet took one look at the platters and after having first looked to Queen Mother for approval, he dug in and ate like he was starving. He probably was. Okay, now I really did feel sorry for him and if all that wasn't enough, we knew he was suffering from breathing the wrong atmosphere on this side of the river. No doubt he felt like crap.
In a matter of minutes, the food had been reduced to remnants and the gaunt, haggard, look simply vanished from the Saber's countenance. The Ariella made a motion to one of the Drago Stewards and he quickly left the room. I knew she had signaled for more food, and as long as Suyet was still hungry it would keep coming.
In the second area from the Northern Terrace is a small kitchen of sorts. It would never be able to serve a massive dinner for all of the Section Leaders, for example. For one Saber, on the other hand, it would probably still run out, but it would be close. Tonight, would be interesting to watch, if for no other reason than to see if the cuisine or Suyet's appetite would perish first.
In the end it was Suyet's hunger that gave out, or at least his interest in conversation outweighed his need to eat.
Queen Mother wanted to hear the history behind these magnificent creatures and Suyet could tell her interest was anything but passing in its severity. Her eyes bored a hole through the Sabers head as if she could pull the story out of him through sheer will power.
He took a deep breath and got a wistful look about him.
"In the beginning there was stillness unlike any we had ever felt. One star kept getting bigger in the night sky until it engulfed everything. One night it fell to earth and covered the land with fire. The fire grew until there was only one direction left to run. We ran in silence. Then we ran howling until the top of the earth was the only thing left in front of us. It was bitter cold and still we ran. Then with no warning, the ground collapsed beneath us, and we fell into a chasm. The ice passed around and over us. So many died on our way to what we believed was the center of the planet. But the fire was left behind, quenched by the ice and snow. There was no rhyme or reason why the ice killed one as opposed to another. When we had lost all hope, the avalanche finally subsided, and we found ourselves in a lush rain forest with many species that only weeks before had been either hunter or hunted. Our choice that day was not to kill, and we took our first step toward civilization. If we didn't help each other, we would all perish. No one wanted to die."
Queen Mother had leaned forward onto the table showing what I believed to be rapt attention, and the color in her face had paled. Suyet took a deep breath before he spoke again. The Ariella sat perfectly still and silently waited for him to continue.
"Generations later, after a time of peace and prosperity, they came. Thousands of them in metal ships. They upset the balance of our existence and were not of this world. We fought them and many were lost, but in the end my people were overwhelmed and enslaved. They called themselves Mycenaeans. We called them monsters. The next few generations taught us that the Mycenaeans had no love for life or the Sabers. Ultimately, my entire species was sold into slavery and delivered to the Provinces, where our new Masters used us for sport. We were hunted on controlled grounds for the purpose of their Rite of Passage. The Dark Lords proved to us that they were infinitely worse than the Mycenaeans. I was born in a cage. On my third cycle, my mother was murdered because she refused the hunt and would not leave me alone. My father had already died. The irony was that she left me alone anyway. I bided my time and watched. Their security had become lax over time, and on my tenth cycle I led the revolt that gave us our freedom. We killed every Dark Lord in that compound, and their kind have hunted us ever since. We learned to hide and how to steal food. My own family group which we call the Suun Padnar leads the rest of the other Padnars. As of the break of day, we now number at a Legion but no more."
Damn, and I thought I had it rough. The silence was deafening, and it lasted so long that it became uncomfortable. Tears were streaming down Queen Mother's cheeks, and she kept swallowing trying to make them stop. Wasn't going to happen.
"You need to bring your people here. We could build you a . . . uh . . .”
"Warren?"
Queen Mother looked puzzled.
"Is that what you call your homes?"
"Yes."
"Then we will build you a Warren or a thousand of them; it doesn't matter. But you have to leave the Provinces before its too late."
"How do I know that . . .?”
Queen Mother cut him off just as assuredly as if she had used a knife.
"You don't Suyet, but it doesn't matter. If you stay on the Provinces you will all die . . . even the mighty Suyet Suun. Now let's go look at the rest of the mountain so you can prove to yourself that it's big enough."
Jeez, I got caught up in her passion and wanted to move in, and I already live here.
The Saber couldn't be convinced to ride down the Cone and leaning over to see Commons from here didn't help the Queen's argument for expediency. Nor could she convince him to be misted by one of the dragons, so in the end he rode down on one of the sleds pulled by an electric cart. It takes a lot longer, but even I see it as a safer alternative if viewed from Suyet's eyes.
After an exhausting trip around the interior wall of Mt. Drago, the ramp system finally lets you out in Commons. I got an urgent call from the Green Grotto; although I was assured that there was nothing wrong with either of my dragons. I attempted to look disappointed because of my forced absence, but I could tell Queen Mother didn't buy it. She has security to back her up, not to mention, after the story I heard it seemed unimaginable for Suyet to be like a feline Jack the Ripper or something.
It was only a matter of a few seconds to bring my helmet back up and lift off. Okay, it wasn't all that far to the Nursery, but I really didn't feel like walking.
A quick three-point touchdown and I brought the helmet back down while I proceeded to the main ramp that led into The Nursery, aka the Green Grotto.
I've gotten to where I love this place. There's no other area like it in the whole mountain, well, except for the Brown Grotto, of course, because it's a Nursery too. The Green Grotto is noisy, overpopulated, and smells like a sewer, but this is where it all starts. Rows upon rows of eggs that will one day be dragons. It still gives me chills just to think about it. So many more people will go through primarily the same things that I did. Amazing!
Today, at the bottom of the ramp were two young men that had forlorn written all over them. Matthew and Greg looked so out of place that I started laughing even before I knew what was wrong.
"Matthew, Greg . . . one of you feel like telling me why I was dragged all the way to the nursery before my allotted time to be here, hmm?"
Greg looked nervous, and Matthew seemed more ill at ease than an expectant father and was fidgeting almost uncontrollably.
"Dude, we were told to report here for training, and I thought it was kind of a goofy place to learn how to fight, but then the chunky lady over there with the bun and dookie on her apron says we're supposed to clean out the cat box. Whoa Dude, says I, like no way are we gonna do anything that menial cause we're Machinists in training, right? Then she spits on the floor and wipes her hands on the apron, right through the dookie and says, all righteous like, THAT IS part of your training, son. Dude, after that she gives us two shovels and two rakes, points down the hall and says the Cat Box is at the end of this corridor. Just like that, and then walks away, you know like job done dude. So, hey we walk down there and tweak on the first spasm cuz, holy crap Dude, their cat box is like bigger than my dad’s house!"
Needless to say, Matthew gets wound up like an eight-day clock with more squeaks than a cat toy. Trust me when I tell you, he looks like Detroit, but he sounds like Los Angeles.
"Well, let's look at this from another point of view, shall we? You voluntarily come to this mountain to be trained in the finer sciences of Wizardry, you eat three meals a day, drink our water, bathe in our river, breathe our air, and are going to be given an Advanced Encounter Suit costing so much you don't even want to know, dude. So, there’s only two ways to settle the cost for all this stuff. Spend time in the Brig to pay off the debts you're incurring or work them off by doing whatever job needs to be done at the time it needs to be done. Are you following the drift here?"
There was a painful silence as both young men digested what I had said. You could almost hear the grinding going on in their brains. As talkative as Matthew was, it was Greg who spoke first.
"I totally get it, sir. This will not happen again, well not from me anyway . . . Sorry, uh, sir."
A sidelong glance at Greg told me everything I wanted to know. He wasn't quite chucking Matthew under the bus, but pretty damn close. Matthew took a deep breath, the kind where you know the person has resigned themselves to whatever punishment has been doled out.
"Dude, now that I know where you stand, you know it's like only fair . . . really. Sorry for the misunderstanding, dude. We'll go clean the cat box now."
I continued looking at them for a couple of moments and then told them they were dismissed. They're really not bad guys, they just lack discipline.
"Oh, and one more thing guys, don't forget to stop and say hi to Bubo. He needs to know you both. Wouldn't want him to bite."
It seemed a little harsh, but they need to understand that everything we do here is about the different species as a whole, not just individuals. It's all about Stewardship to the people in this mountain and Mt. Femmes and what they need to live safely. It's a difficult job, but in the end if you do it, everyone gets to sleep better at night and wake up with a tomorrow. These two will figure it out just as soon as it stops being the Matthew and Greg show.
"Bubo."
At the sound of his mental voice, I turned around and he was standing right in front of me.
"Hey, Big Guy."
I plopped myself down right where I was and held my arms out to him. He waddled over and placed his beak on my shoulder.
"You ready to go for a walk in Commons?"
He banged his teeth together repeatedly and made a sound that I interpreted as the word Gak, whatever that means. Glancing up, I noticed the lady with the bun and dookie on her apron smiling at us. She evidently was the staff member who let him out. I looked back down at my little Warbird who was watching me expectantly.
"I'll take that as a yes."
He honked and played tiny little bells in my mind. Aguivas are very personable if nothing else. I stood and slowly walked toward the main ramp leading out and pretended that I wasn't waiting on him. He never stopped honking as we slowly but surely made our way up to Commons.
The next morning, we prepared for the journey back over the River Styx and the same arrangement of personnel was decided. This time, however, my role would change. I was to scout in advance the conditions the rest would be flying into. Attack, if necessary, but ultimately find a way to get Suyet onto the Provinces with as much head start as possible. I hoped the Ferry area was not being monitored and if that was the case, this would be a milk run. It could also be that troops had been moved into place to keep the Saber from getting home, or even worse to follow him into their Warrens to wipe out the others.
Demi had been following the events of the last few days and was very reassuring about her place in the proceedings. A complete turnaround to her first reaction. She thought it best to watch over Bubo and the home fires, and I could tell from her dissertation that it was heartfelt. That made me feel so much better about leaving again.
I gave Queen Mother a comlink to wear so I could communicate with her while we were on this run to the Provinces. As a side note, it also gave her the ability to talk with Walter. They were both happy about that.
The Ariella, Suyet Suun, Basiliskos, and Invectum all sat in the conference area and would wait for the signal from me that it was safe to transport the Saber back to the Provinces. As an extra measure of security, they decided to fly across and bypass the Ferry completely. That way if the docking facilities were congested, we could just fly him past the problem, drop him off where he felt safe, and let him go home from there. We, of course, agreed not to follow him to the Warrens until he had a chance to talk to his people first. The coordinates would then be given to us in a few days via the mass grave spot where we first met. There were parts of this plan that I didn't like, but hey, it ain't all about me. Paranoia is a wonderful thing as long as you don't become consumed by it, and I thought Suyet was just a tad over the top with his. Understandable though considering everything we now knew.
I took off at the appropriate time and moved quickly to the altitude where the Ley Gates were located. I could track them with my scanners, but in reality, they were just mere glimmers of light if viewed from anywhere but the proper angle. Passing through at just over the speed of sound makes the transition a bit easier, and soon I was within eyesight of the Styx.
It's only been a little over a day, but the number of demons had escalated to dozens more than the tenant I had first seen. Cheron was standing on the Ferry roughly halfway across the river and was watching the demons attempt to dismantle the dock. Good luck with that. I've seen that dock take explosions that would have leveled cities. Afterwards you wouldn't have been able to even find a scratch. It looks like wood, but it doesn't weather like it, that's for sure. Part of Cheron's job is to make sure demons that serve the Dark Lords don't make it across the river. Apparently, the easiest way to perform that feat is to park the Ferry in the middle of the river and just sit there and wait them out. Works for me.
About a dozen or so close to the back were setting up what I recognized as a Projector Station. I hate those things. Imagine a cross bow, now increase the size to battle ram proportions. The Projector Bolts can be fired thousands of feet, and at the moment they were setting it to fire toward the Ferry. The distance from the Station to the Ferry was considerably less than was needed, but the bolt was attached to a thick coil of rope. It didn't take rocket science to figure what they were trying to do. It also was doomed to failure. Cheron would never allow them to succeed no matter how hard they tried. His main weapon was a scythe and against a rope constitutes about a half a second of his time. Job done. How they could think otherwise boggles my brain.
On the other side of the coin, why should I allow them to fire the stupid thing in the first place?
"Load three rockets and fire the first one at the Projector, Walter, thank you."
"Affirmative, Tanis. In three, two, one."
The first rocket made a whooshing noise when it left my shoulder launcher and picked up speed as it flew to its target. I pivoted to my right to get lined up for a second shot and noticed that the crew of the ground Projector had seen the rocket and were trying desperately to get clear of the impending blast. I didn't think they were going to make it personally, but hey, you can't blame a demon for trying, right? Seconds later the detonation relieved the world of one Ground Projector Station and several demons, none of which I would miss. The explosion totally engulfed the immediate area and almost resembled an atomic bomb going off. Always a pleasing thing for me to watch. Walter likes it too.
The second shot was aimed at the dock itself, which also constituted the largest number demons in one place. After the impact there was nothing there but the dock, which as I already predicted was left unscathed. The remainder of the demons scattered, and the general direction of their flight was toward the interior. That's like good news, bad news, but at least they were no longer tampering with the Ferry Dock. The downside is that now we have demons running around where we can't see them.
Taking Suyet back to the mass grave didn't seem like such a great idea either. If I was one of the bad guys, it's the first place I'd check. I have to assume they would do the same.
Cheron was already in progress toward the far dock and his demeanor denoted irritability (If that's even possible for a person with a scull for a head), and his ferry was definitely picking up speed. He stood with one foot forward, both hands on the guiding rope, pulling one after the other as if there was no weight involved. The Ferry had to weigh several tons, but you'd never know it watching his effort, or the lack of it. He would be on the opposite side of the river from us in just a few minutes at his rate of motion.
It was time for me to contact Queen Mother and get her opinion on what to do next.
What I learned from that conversation was that the others were already in flight and would be at my present position in about fifteen minutes. No point in flying back now. I banked hard to my left and flew over the river in search of stragglers.
Cheron waved as I passed over the Ferry and I knew that if there was anything left of the demons’ accoutrements and supplies, he would make short order of them. Not to mention the dead bodies, which is kind of a Reaper thing anyway.
I finally spotted the demons that were left, and each of them was traveling in a different direction. I don't think they knew that any had survived beyond themselves. I planned on leaving it that way.
The two dragons entered my scanner range and I doubled back to meet them. Queen Mother's voice suddenly erupted in my ear.
"Is that you, Tanis?"
"Yes, Queen Mother, and I'm heading in your direction. Where are we going to drop Suyet off?"
"What did the demons expect to accomplish at the river? Man, what a mess! Suyet is really nervous. He's indicating that the best place under the circumstances would be at the back side of Hell proper. Seems kind of out in the open to me, but it's his choice."
"I'll follow along and scan, just let me know when you're going to land."
"Okay Tanis, thanks."
I brought my altitude down to ten thousand feet and shadowed the two dragons as we flew helter-skelter over the Province of Hell.
An hour later, I watched the dragons slowing down as they circled a particular area before landing. The surrounding country was barren and best of all, was devoid of demonic life.
As usual Basiliskos decreased his altitude slowly, and with a suitable distance to run once he had brought his feet down. Invectum chose a spot and cupped his wings right before he touched the ground. Queen Mother slid down and turned to watch Basiliskos on his last few yards to where she stood.
This time Suyet waited for the Black Dragon to stop before he dismounted. That showed a remarkable improvement on his part.
I landed a few yards away from the others and walked over to say goodbye to Suyet. The great Saber turned in my direction as I got there.
"Thank you very much, Tanis, for all your help. I saw the carnage you performed at the Styx. That means a lot to me. I have agreed to have my people at the gravesite after one full passing on the Provinces. I hope to see you there."
Queen Mother said her goodbyes, and we watched as Suyet bounded toward a small range of mountains at the Provinces’ boundary.