Walverde

 

moved quickly, carefully avoiding the commandos guarding the camp. Low to the ground. Sometimes crawling, sometimes hiding in the tall grass, he moved toward what he believed to be a pass in the mountain range. He sensed a much stronger power now, the reason why the firelight couldn't illuminate the area around the camp. A clear source of this power emanated from the area he was moving toward. Thanks to the elven blood flowing in his veins, he could see clearly on moonless nights. Even now, in this enchanted fog, the Paladin's vision could distinguish the silhouettes of the sentries and the contours of the terrain. When he had traveled this way with his unit earlier, he had failed to notice the well-camouflaged trenches and small tunnels he was navigating. From his elven ancestors, he had inherited excellent hearing and smell, as well as the gift of sensing magical power. He also knew a considerable number of spells, learned at the Temple of Kharonaey. From his human father, he had inherited a physique honed by years of service in the Templar Order, and manual dexterity that allowed him to master swordsmanship.

However, it was his acute elven hearing that picked up movement behind him. He glanced back and saw movement against the backdrop of the campfires. It looked as if the grass was beginning to sway in places. He stopped and strained his eyes. It turned out his ruse had been quickly deciphered. Gwillzeth's alerted guards gave chase. He noticed at least two commandos were following him, now very close. He continued on. The source of the mysterious power seemed to lie just beyond the small hill that had risen before him. The fog, which had visibly thickened there, now resembled a viscous whitish slurry. He continued, pushing through the substance. Just a few more meters, he thought, and he would learn what caused the magical aura to envelop the entire area. Then the hill suddenly ended. The Paladin, surprised, slid down the slope. He desperately wanted to grab onto something to help slow his dangerous slide. But the grass growing on the slope was covered with dew, ensuring he wouldn't be able to grab a single tuft. As unexpectedly as the ride had begun, it ended. He scraped his knees in the fall. With difficulty and a grimace of pain on his face, he rose and looked around. At first, as he stood up, cursing quietly under his breath, he saw nothing to alarm him. The crater, covered in gravel in the center, was surrounded by slopes covered with long grass. Not so steep, however, that he couldn't climb back up. He glanced at the opposite slope and froze. Against the sky, he saw the shape of great bat wings, spread across the width of the crater. From their shadows, piercing yellow eyes now gleamed, their owner speaking in a low bass voice inside the speechless Paladin's head.

"Greetings, half-elf." Your curiosity will one day be your downfall.

A dragon as large as Walverde had ever seen lowered its horned head and watched with interest. Against the milky fog, the dragon looked incredibly impressive. It stood on its hind legs, spreading its clawed wings. Its head, set on a flexible neck, glowed with yellow eyes slit by a snakelike pupil.

"Are you going to stand there and stare, or are you going to say something?"

"So... you're the guardian of the pass," Walverde regained his voice.

"Bravo," the dragon laughed in his head. "You're not exactly bright."

Walverde drew his sword, which glowed silver, and the runes on the pale glowed, illuminating the darkness.

"You won't need the sword, monk," the dragon said calmly. "It won't be of much use to you. Don't be foolish," he warned.

The paladin slowly lowered his sword, hesitant.

- Who... What... - he began - How is it that no one knows about your existence?

"For centuries, I was imprisoned in my own palace. I slept in lethargy for many years. Three years ago, a certain traveler and treasure hunter brought me back to life. You know him, my trusted friend—Ravenford.

" "So the war written in the books was real. Hegzpaar and Hod the Scourge of God truly existed.

" "Do not speak that name before me," the dragon thundered. "Cursed be Hod and all his tribe.

" "How did you manage to survive the war with his hosts?

" "I belonged to the more sensible part of Hegzpaar's retinue, who wanted to avoid war. When Hegzpaar fell, I was in my palace, which collapsed like everything else. As far as I know, I am the only surviving witness.

" "You will not recreate this state...

" "I have no such intention," the reptile replied. "For years, I have honed my knowledge of the sources of power and their uses. I do not intend to repeat Hegzpaar's mistake. He was too greedy, and he paid the price." I'm interested in coexistence. I have my own territory here. Territory I will defend. The rest doesn't interest me. For this Warlock, I got exactly what I wanted – peace.

"You know that news of your existence will attract many hotheads here, hungry for the glory of dragon slayers.

" "I know, and I'm not afraid of them at all. However, for the good of my kingdom, I would prefer that no one learn of my existence.

" "Don't move, Knight!" a female voice said from behind the Paladin. Walverde slowly looked around. On the escarpment above him stood three hooded figures, two of whom were aiming bows at him. The owner of the voice had slid down the escarpment, holding a dagger, which she now held to the Paladin's throat. Beneath the hood, he saw large, gleaming green eyes, their brilliance dazzling him. He allowed the woman to disarm him. For a moment, as the woman moved closer, he smelled the scent of blueberries and raspberries.

"Meet my secret service." This beauty is Lady Nidia Loxley. Commander of my guard. But don't be fooled, she is incredibly dangerous.

Nidia pulled back her hood and gave him a challenging look. Her curly red hair fell to her shoulders. Under her light jacket, Walverde could see the shape of her full breasts, on which a necklace of pearls as large as nuts gleamed. She put her full lips to his ear and whispered, "You're a handsome boy," and aloud said, "What do you command, my lord? Shall I remove it?

" "That won't be necessary, my dear Nidia," the ruler replied. "We had a little chat.

" "But my lord, he has learned your nature...

" "Good. It would have come to light someday anyway." The dragon folded its wings and brought its head, perched on its long neck, closer. He inhaled the night air and turned to the Paladin, who was frantically contemplating his situation. "The Kharonaey Code speaks of the honor of the Templars, who place great value on it. Isn't that so?

" "True," Walverde replied.

"And is it also true that your word is sacred to you?"

The Paladin nodded, guessing what Gwillzeth was getting at.

"You will take an oath of silence and keep what you know to yourself." The dragon paused, wanting to make sure the Paladin, captivated by Nidia's beauty, was listening. "I wish to remain anonymous for a while longer. I will let you know when that time is up. Do you agree to this?

" "You have my word..." the Paladin replied, looking at Gwillzeth. For the first time in his life, he had met a dragon who wanted to negotiate, who had his own court composed of people who served him freely. It seemed too good to be true, after all, dragons are vicious and deceitful reptiles. That's the way it is with all dragons, and the Paladin found it hard to believe that this one was any different. He gathered his courage and finished, "...provided, however, that you yourself honor your promises. Dragons are known to be devious and treacherous."

At this, the dragon burst into laughter, saying, "True, but not this time. Don't worry, monk. This time I have nothing up my sleeve. Your terms are payment enough for this necromancer."

"Your Majesty, surely you don't intend to release this bird?" Lady Loxley asked, brushing aside a stray lock of hair that had fallen over her forehead.

"I intend to grant freedom to the representative of our neighbors, with whom, I remind you, we have signed treaties," he turned to the Paladin. "I trust you, monk, because I know how closely you adhere to your code. I need a little more time for my kingdom to develop. During this time, you will keep knowledge of my existence secret. Later, if it is your will, you may announce who rules Alden."

Nidia Loxley looked at her ruler in disbelief, who spread his wings again and continued:

"Majesty Walverde, before we say goodbye, I have a few more questions, which I trust you will answer."

"Ask, and if it is in my power, I will answer.

" "You said earlier that this Warlock seeks to awaken forces that threaten us all. I know only one god who burns with hatred so great as to destroy the lands. Tell me, how is it that the cult of Zeth has been reborn?

" "Zeth has been deceiving people for centuries with promises of power and authority," Walverde began. "Three centuries ago, the Kharonaey crusade shattered the cult of the serpent god in a temple hidden among the sands of Ashyria, where his shadow fell. For a long time, we thought the crusade had shattered the cult once and for all. However, it turned out that Asthar's teachings survived there, and now, in a new form, they reach out to retrieve the artifacts of their god.

" "What a sweet tale you have regaled me with..."

Walverde thought that if dragons could smile, Gwillzeth would be smiling slyly now. Instead, he heard something that deeply disturbed him.

"You can tell tales to those who don't know the true nature of following the paths of giants."

At these words, Walverde flinched and flushed in surprise. He now looked at the dragon with greater respect, and though hundreds of questions swirled in the Paladin's mind, he only said,

"The paths of giants reveal truth only to those who have been blessed by the grace of the ancients. Peace be with you, though I don't know how you learned secrets accessible only to the chosen.

" "Well, at least now we don't have to play cat and mouse."

The dragon tilted his head, as if to examine the paladin more closely.

"Yes, monk, I know the truth about the beginning. I know who Ashtar, Kharonaey, her sister Abigail, and many other immortals who interfere with the fate of this world are. What role have they assigned to you, such a fragile creature who follows blindly, obeying their will without any resistance?

" "The path I walk leads into the unknown." For the fate of those who bear the mark of the ancients is unknown.

The new ruler of Alden sat on his hind legs, curling his sharply spiked tail behind him. Its tip now hung from the slope like a snake.

"So be it," he finally said. "Do not answer. But I am certain we will see each other again. I will tell you something else, something a magician used to say in my youth: The paths of the giants are open to those who can separate the falsehood of legends from the truth contained within. Remember this, servant of the giants."

The reptile spread its wings and rose gracefully into the night, dispersing the magical fog that enveloped the area. The weather cleared. The moon appeared over the western slope of the mountains, now illuminating the plain.

"Farewell," the thought echoed in his mind. The paladin watched the dragon's silhouette rise into the sky, becoming a dark blur against the eastern sky.

"Chosen. You serve a cause whose nature you do not understand. Giants never existed." " said Lady Loxley, who had already credibly reached the middle of the slope, inviting Walverde to follow her.

"Those are fairy tales that no one believes anymore. Do you really believe that giants walked this earth centuries ago?" she asked when he joined her on the level. In the moonlight, he spotted two more elves rising from the grass not far from them. Lady Loxley ordered them to lead the way.

"In every fairy tale, you can find a grain of...

" "Truth. Yes, yes. Keep floating in the clouds. Legends and their grains of truth," Nidia snorted irritably. She stopped suddenly and turned to him, reducing the distance between them to practically nothing. He smelled jasmine mixed with something he couldn't identify. He looked into her large green eyes. She was a head shorter than him, but by rising on tiptoe, she closed the gap. She placed her lips on his neck, gently brushing the skin.

"I'm not interested in your legends and the knowledge contained within them. What I see and the things I can influence are enough for me. I have other plans for you, which contain truths no less profound than those of the giants. I've learned how to influence my own life and the lives of others to suit me.

" "And now you're trying to make me fit you," he replied, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"You don't seem to be protesting."

She found his lips and kissed him, heedless of the possibility that one of Nidia's subordinates might turn away.