Date: Tue, 18 Feb 2014 13:36:16 +1300
From: arthur carkeek <artcart65@gmail.com>
Subject: the adventures of howudino and Kashin chapter 3

			     THE ADVENTURES OF

			    HOWUDINO AND KASHIN


				 CHAPTER 3


				 BY ARTHUR




AUTHORS NOTE:

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Baragil stood proudly in the centre of the village, everybody was there to
see his coming of age party, Baragil was now fully an adult, at sixteen it
was the tradition of the wood elves to reach their majority, it was also
their official naming day, until now Baragil had been named Tana, a non
name given to most younglings in the woods and meant, "born of the trees".

It was the time of gift giving to be shortly followed by the final feast,
after which he would leave the village on his adult pilgrimage, something
every boy on reaching his majority had to do, Baragil watched as the first
of his gift givers approached him with a huge and proud smile on her face.

His Mother laid before him the full dress of the wood elves, there was a
jerkin, trews and soft hide boots of deer skin as were his other clothes,
all had been died with the colours of green and brown in a pattern that
would make him almost invisible in the forrest, his Mother gave him a light
tap on the cheek and then stepped back to allow the next giver space to
approach.

The next giver was his first Uncle, even at six feet, (somewhat short for a
wood elf) Baragil was still towered over by the nearly seven feet of his
first Uncle, in his Uncles hands was the black and silver recurve bow of
the elves, the timber for the bow was found only on the edge of the swamps
far away on the coastal regions of the Continent of Siava, his homelands.

Baragil's Uncle handed him the heavy recurve bow, patted him heavily on the
shoulder, which made Baragil feel as though a tree had fallen on him, and
then his Uncle stepped back for his second Uncle to approach.

In the hands of his second Uncle was the long quiver of black shafted
arrows, each was tipped with a silver head and had been endowed with magic
from the Messadine artisans that had made it all for him, each bow was
custom made to the warrior it went too, after enduring another heavy handed
pat from his second Uncle, no less taller than the first, Baragil's Father
stepped forward.

Baragil's Father was also near seven feet tall, at first his Father had had
doubts about Baragil making it to his naming day being as he was so short
and slim for a wood elf but, now he was only full of pride at how hard his
first and only son had worked to make it to this time in his life, in his
hands he carried the penultimate item of gifting.

Baragil watched as his Father stopped in front of him, the pride showing
through the normal stoic face of his Father gave Baragil a warm feeling, he
had never been close to his Father and often thought it was due to him
being born shorter and lighter than his peers but now he could see the
pride his Father held for him, in his Fathers hands was the thick staff of
reddish wood taken from a tree that was almost impossible to find in this
day and age, Baragil knew this staff had been handed down from Father to
son for over ten generations.

As his Father handed him the old staff, he also reached his other hand to
his belt and drew his own dagger and gave it to Baragil, the last gifter
was his Sister, she was ten years older than Baragil and had watched over
him when things got tough with the other boys in his peer group, she laid a
well made pack on the ground in front of him, Baragil knew it would contain
his fine hooded cloak made from Terris vine fibres which were light weight
and impervious to rain, it would also be his blanket at night, there would
also be a small cooking pot and wooden dish for his meals along with a fire
starter and other nick-nacks to make his journey more comfortable.

After Baragil thanked all his gifter's his Father took over and called for
the festivities to begin, it took little time for the people of the village
to begin with the food and drink which was soon followed by dancing, the
day drew on until near night fall, this would be the last night Baragil
spent in his village until he completed his pilgrimage sometime in the
future.

Just as the first rays of sunlight hit the forrest the following morning,
Baragil settled his new pack on his back, took up his new bow and quiver
and laid them over his shoulder, the staff he took in his hand and his
dagger went on his thin belt, he was dressed in the garb of the wood elf
and his long raven black hair was plaited and hung half way down his back,
he was ready to begin his pilgrimage, as was tradition there was no one in
sight when he left the village that had been his home for the last sixteen
years.

Baragil left with a light footed step, the sounds of the new day filled the
forrest with its many and varied songs and calls, as he strode along with a
renewed feeling of youth and vitality, Baragil looked at the ancient staff,
it was a little heavier than he had expected, at each end there were fine
silver filigree in the pattern of vines and leaves, about two hands width
down from the top was a one inch band of solid gold with a very fine
engraving of a mythical Dragon.

Baragil well knew that Dragons existed, after all he had seen them fly high
above the massive forrest of Siava, one of the largest continents on this
world, but the wood elves had not seen a true Dragon close up so they were
still inclined to think of them as mythical beasts, he had no idea why one
would be engraved on the old staff.

Baragil knew he had a long way to go, the forrest of Siava were known to be
the largest of all forests, they were said to span most of the centre of
the continent and could take over a thousand days to walk from one end to
the other and almost the same from side to side, while there were the usual
dangers in such a large expanse of forrest, Baragil was not worried, he was
well trained in the law of the forrests and knew what to do and when to do
it.

It was not the animals that could cause him problems but the other elves or
at worst the slow encroachment of humans although most of them were sited
at the far outside of the forrest and held little danger to him at this
point, his main concern was for other elves of his similar age group, he
was a good six to eight inches shorter than the norm for his age which
could make him a target for some devilment if others chose to make it so.

Baragil travelled for five days without even meeting another soul, he had
used all of his dried meat and most of his store of nuts and berries, it
was time to replace what he needed to continue, time was not a problem, he
had all the time in the world as there was no limit on his pilgrimage, he
decided to take a couple of days off from travelling and replenish his
stores.

He had arrived in an area which showed many varieties of berries, higher in
the huge towering trees there were signs of nuts and on the floor of the
forrest were plenty of animal tracks, he would set snares and traps while
he went to gather the nuts and berries, nearby he could hear the faint
trickle of fresh water from a small stream, it was an ideal place for a few
days rest.

Baragil shrugged off his pack then emptied the contents into his cloak and
tied them securely, he hung his cloak at head height in a tree, next he
hung his bow and quiver on another branch of the same tree and leant the
staff against the trunk, he had no worries about anyone stealing them while
he was gone, it was the law among the wood elves that taking that which did
not belong to you was punishable by death or anyone doing such a thing
would be banished from family and village on sight.

Baragil replaced his pack and then went off a little distance and began to
lay his snares and traps after which he started to walk around looking for
the ripest of nuts, he would gather the berries after the nuts as he did
not want the weight of the nuts to spoil good berries.

For more than an hour, Baragil collected his nuts and berries, when he had
a good store of them he returned to his small glade and set about sorting
everything out, he would stay a couple of days and prepare any meat he
caught before moving on, while there were many elves in the forrest of
Siava the vastness of the space most times seemed uninhabited, rarely did
one meet with others for days at a time, Baragil felt safe in the green
surroundings.


*************************************************************************************




At the same time Baragil was settling down in his small glade, on the far
off continent of Ferringol another youth was getting ready to leave home or
such as it was as he was little more than a slave to his Uncle and Aunts
wishes, Davin was now fifteen, he had been taken in care by his only
relatives when his Mother and Father had fallen to thieves one night when
he was not much more than a baby, he had been taken in only because his
relatives did not want the village to talk about how callous they were with
one of their own bloodline.

As soon as he was able, Davin had been put to work on the small holding, at
first it had been the chickens and pigs along with any other chore he could
handle, failure to do all of his chores each day led to no dinner and quite
often a heavy handed smack on the back of the head, later, as he grew
older, the hand was replaced with a belt then a thick cane or cudgel, now
Davin had had enough, it was just past the midnight hour and he was getting
out of here before the beatings became more severe.

More quiet than a mouse, Davin crept around the two roomed house, taking
only what he needed in the way of a change of clothes and a little cold
food, Davin looked around to see if there was anything else that would help
him on his way, he knew where his relatives hid their small bag of savings
but Davin felt he was not a thief and left the coins alone, he would make
his own way in the world without resorting to that sort of life, as a last
thought Davin decided to take an old walking stick that had sat in the
corner of the house ever since he had arrived there, no one knew where it
came from, his Uncle had once said it belonged to his Father long ago.

Its main use nowadays had been as a cudgel for Davin's back and legs, he
decided to make use of it in another way, it would help him to walk away
from here and he would use it as his walking stick and as a means of
defence if it ever came to that, it was an old knarled piece of wood and
looked as though two thick vines had wound themselves together to make the
one solid piece, at the top was a large knot where the wood had curled up
together.

Davin took the stick in hand and silently left the sleeping house, a small
old sack strapped to his back as a pack, on his belt he had an old rusty
knife he had found out in the trees close to the edge of the farmlet, in
the sack was a little food and one of the tin plates as well as a few
pieces of flint to start his fire with.

Davin left with little qualms, as he closed the old door he looked at the
large cattle dog lying on the stoop, it lifted its head and Davin was sure
it gave him a look as thought to say it was glad to see him leave, Davin
left without a backward glance, when he got to the rough dusty roadway at
the edge of the field, he sped up his pace, he wanted to be well away from
this place of misery before the sun rose even if it meant travelling all
night.

Davin directed his steps in the opposite direction of the village, he was
going into the wilderness, once there he would decide where he would go
after he was free and clear, he had little doubt that his relatives would
bother to chase after him, to them he was just a convenient labour force
and nothing more, they would probably celebrate his leaving.

Davin walked and trotted all night long, when the first hint of dawn showed
in the East, Davin began to look for a place of safety for the morning, he
was now at a stage where he needed sleep and food, after a short time,
Davin spotted a small alcove of bushes that formed a sort of hut, he moved
towards it and saw it would make a fine place to sleep and rest after the
long hard night of travel.

Taking great care, Davin found enough stones to make a small fire ring,
there was plenty of dry wood around and he soon had a small fire going,
using the little black pot, with a few pieces of salted meat and an onion,
he had meal going, the flour he made into a round loaf which he placed on a
flat stone at the edge of the fire for baking, it was rough fare but would
be filling enough for his needs.

Davin had hung his old sack on a branch close to the artificial hut, he sat
now waiting for his meagre meal to cook, it was not much but it would do
for now, he would keep his eyes open for better things as he travelled, for
the first time in all his life, he felt happy, free and happy, it was a
heady feeling for a boy like Davin, he looked forward to the future with a
renewed hope.

Davin was slightly short and had a stocky build from the hard work he had
done all his young life, his brown hair was a little lank and untidy but
did not detract from his bright hazel eyes that flashed with a life of
their own when he smiled which had not been all that often.

The sun had risen to midmorning by the time Davin had eaten his fill, his
eyes were now feeling heavy as the long night caught up with him, it was
time to get some rest, he hid his old sack in the bushes for a pillow
before following behind and wriggling deeper into the bushes, to anyone
watching he had disappeared from sight, he felt fortunate that it was a
warm and windless day, he well knew he could not expect his future to
always be the same as this first day.

Davin was woken up in the late afternoon to the loud shouts of men chasing
something, being careful not to give away his hiding place, Davin peered
through the bush to the open ground beyond, what he saw made him pause, a
small looking boy was running as though his life depended on it, with the
two large angry men close behind, his life probably did depend on his fast
moving legs, in his hand he held a rough old leather bundle, it was about
four feet long and not much thicker than a man's arm.

Davin watched as the boy tried for all he was worth to get some distance on
the two rough looking men but his shorter legs just did not have the power
or length to outdistance his chasers, Davin watched as he tried to work out
if he should try to help the small boy, he then saw one of the men held an
old rusty sword in one hand and the other man was carrying an old battle
axe.

As he watched the strange tableau, Davin saw the smaller boy stumble on a
tuft of thick grass, next thing the boy was head over heels on the ground,
as the two men closed on him the boy tried to regain his feet, the sword
holder took a vicious swipe at the boys head, barely missing by more than
inches as the boy frantically rolled out of reach, Davin had had enough,
with less fear than he thought he would have, Davin charged out of his
hideaway with the walking stick held tightly in his hand.

Yelling as loud as he could Davin charged the man with the sword, why he
picked this man he had no idea, his loud yells must have shaken the man who
was obviously not expecting the head long rush from the bushes as he paused
and turned, Davin kept charging until he was within reach, he then took a
mighty swipe with the stick, much to his surprise he caught the man full on
his sword arm, everyone heard the loud snapping of bone as the man cried
out and then collapsed in pain onto the ground.

The second man stopped in his tracks, he had not even seen the new boy
appear and the sight of his friend on the ground holding a broken arm and
whimpering in pain only went to make him less assured of continuing in
their chase of the young boy, as the new boy turned on him with the thick
walking stick raised above his head, the second man started to edge
backwards.

The young boy was still on the ground but now slowly trying to get to his
feet once again, where his saviour had come from only the gods knew but he
was thankful for any help at this stage, he was holding his Fathers old
sword for dear life, it was all he had left of the man whom had sired him
and watched over him for all his fourteen years, now it looked as though he
had a new protector.

Davin approached the small boy after he watched the second man help his
friend from the ground and the two men struggled away from the mad boy and
his cudgel, Davin looked closer at the boy, he was doubtful now if they boy
was as young as he first thought.

"Hello, my name is Davin, what's yours?"

"Ahh, I'm called Sprat."

"Sprat? What sort of name is that?"

"Don't know, everyone just called me that cause I'm small I guess."

"I'm fifteen, how old are you; you look as though you should still be home
with your parents."

"I'm fourteen and don't have no parents anymore."

"Why were those men chasing you, did you steal that thing in your hands?"

"Never did, it was my Pa's he give it to me, said it was all he had to pass
on, I have to take it to the Western Islands, if they get it back they will
give me a new family."

"Sounds like a bit of a story to me, like one of them old tales Grandma's
tell little kids."

"Tis not, my Pa said it was a real story so I'm going West and finding the
Island where there are Dragons and a new family."

"Dragons, now I know your Pa was just telling tall ones, Dragons don't
exist, they're just baby stories."

"They do to; everyone knows they live far away on large Islands."

"You ever seen one?"

"They don't come here but they are real, my Pa said so."

By this time both boys were getting a little hot under the collar and their
eyes were flashing as each dared the other to call him a liar, it was a
repeat of teenage dares, who was bigger, who was boss, who was tougher, an
age old system for teens to get to know each other.

Davin stood close to Sprat, they were almost nose to nose as they glared
into each other's eyes, in the back of Davin's mind the first glimmer of
respect for the much smaller and weaker boy began to grow, Davin outweighed
him and was taller, he also held a thick stick whereas the smaller boy had
nothing yet the boy was not prepared to back down, Davin began to relax, he
had to admire the smaller boy for his determination to stand up for what he
believed in.

Davin broke the staring match and stepped back, slowly a smile formed on
his face as he looked the boy over once again, short, thin, scruffy rags
and hair that could do with a good washing, his small hands were dirty and
had broken nails but there was something about him that caught Davin's
attention.

"So who were those two men?"

Sprat by this time had relaxed a little as Davin had stepped back from the
staring competition.

"Theys Pressers."

"What are Pressers?"

"Theys a gang that go around and capture boys for the mines, once they got
them at the mine they're not allowed to leave, they don't even get paid for
working neither."

"But what about the Mayor, doesn't he stop that sort of thing?"

"Where you come from? Everyone knows the Mayor owns the mine."

"So how come they were after you?"

"They want to press me, now my Pa is dead they wanted my Pa's house and
everything else he had worked for, he was at the mine as a crusher operator
for all his life since he was sixteen, more than twenty years and all they
wanted to do was steal everything he had. He only left the mine for two
years to go and fight a long way away, that's where he got this old sword,
he made me promise to take it back to this Island place where Dragons fly."

"So you going to go all that way to some place no one knows of just because
your Pa said you have too?"

"Yup, I gave him my word and Sprat don't break his word to no one, now
where are you going?"

"Don't know, I just run away from home, well it wasn't much of a home, more
like a slave place really."

"Why is that?"

"My Ma and Pa was killed by robbers, I was only a baby so my Aunt and Uncle
took me in, I don't think they wanted me but the village would have talked
a lot so they did, as soon as I was big enough I had to work on their farm
for free, sometimes my Uncle would get angry about nothing and then he
started to give me a beating, it started to get worse a few months ago so I
decided to take off on my own."

"So where you going now then?"

"Like I said, don't know just getting away."

"I like you Davin, you saved me from the mines or a bad beating, you want
to come with me to the Westward Islands, it might be a great adventure if
you got nothing else to do."

Davin though for a few minutes, what did he have to lose, he didn't know
what he was going to do or where he was going, besides, it might be a real
adventure and he did like Sprat's go ahead attitude.

"Sure, why not, say you hungry, I got a little stew left from this morning
and a half of bread come on, I'm hiding in those bushes over there, we can
rest and talk some more about your imaginary Dragons."

"Theys aint imagining, theys real I just know it, besides my Pa would never
lie to me, never did and never would."

Davin thought he saw a small tear fall from Sprat's eye as he turned away
and led Sprat back to his hideaway. Davin watch Sprat eat the leftovers
from his morning meal with a speed that astounded him, it was now obvious
the smaller boy had not eaten in some time, when Sprat had finished he lay
back and sighed with contentment, Davin could only smile.

"So what now?" asked Sprat.

"Well it's going to be dark soon, we might as well stay here for the night
and move on first thing in the morning, I have enough food for one more
meal then we will have to hunt as we go."

"Sounds good to me."

Davin set about rekindling the fire and getting out the last of his food
supply, he would make another loaf of bread and another stew, it was not
fancy but it would be filling, during the night he would have to give some
thought on how he was going to replace their food supply, in the old sack
he had some fine wire he would use as snares but that was all, as though a
light went on in his head, Davin got the wire out and told Sprat to wait
for him.

Davin left the small hideaway with the wire, the stew would take some time
to cook so he had plenty of time to find some runs and place his snares,
with luck they might have some fresh meat in the morning.

When he returned to Sprat, Davin had laid out five snares in places that
showed a lot of rabbit prints, even one would see them through another day,
as he settled down after checking the stew and turning the bread on the
stone, Davin asked Sprat.

"So how far away are these fabled Islands of yours?"

"All I know is that they are a long, long way away, Pa said it took the
army nearly a full year to get to the other side of Siava where the battle
was, he was on a ship that got caught in a storm and he saw the Island but
he didn't land on it, there was a huge fight high in the sky with hundreds
of Dragons, one of them, he said it was all gold and the others were brown
coloured, well the gold one fell out of the sky right beside the ship, it
was all bloody and a small boy on its back was dead in a chair on the back
of the Dragon, when it fell into the water, this old sword fell on the deck
of the ship so Pa took it and wrapped it up, I never even seen it, he hid
it high in the rafters of the house and wouldn't look at it ever, he
wouldn't let me see it neither."

"That's quite a tale, so you want to look at that old sword now, it seems
like a bit stupid not to look at it now you've been running and fighting
for it."

"Good idea, wait while I unwrap it."

Davin watched as Sprat got the old leather bundle and began to carefully
unwrap it, slowly the sword was revealed in all its glory, neither boy had
ever seen anything like it, they could not even have imagined something
like this sword ever existed.

Both boys looked at the sword with awe, the handle was solid gold and the
blade was made of something like red glass but both boys knew it could not
be glass it would be too weak for fighting with, it had to be something
else but they had no idea what.

Sprat gasped in surprise, his father had worked all his life until the
accident at the mine and he had this valuable sword all the time, he had
only been earning four silver coins a month and this sword alone must have
been worth a King's ransom, hesitantly, Sprat reached for it, it was as
though the sword was drawing his hand towards it, Davin held his breath and
had done so for some time without realising it.

As Sprats hand touched the golden hilt of the sword, their small place of
concealment suddenly glowed with a red fire like hue, both boys felt
something magical grasp them as the sword glowed and shimmered in the dim
light of dusk, next thing they knew they were both lying on their backs and
full night had fallen, the stew was now a burnt offering and the bread was
blackened and inedible.

The only other thing that began to scare the boys was their surroundings,
yes the small bush hide, their fire and food were there but, outside in the
darkness was a new smell and a lot of sounds they did not recognise, Davin
got to his feet after scrambling out of the bushes, Sprat was awake but
still lying on his back inside, the red and gold sword held tightly in his
hand.

From the darkness around him Davin could smell fresh grass and the heady
smell of oak and pine trees, something they did not have in his home
although he recognised the smells from somewhere deep in his senses.

Davin realised they were not at home anymore and they must have been
unconscious all night as he could now see the faintest glimmer of sunrise
in the East, it would soon be morning, as these realisations took hold he
began to feel the first pangs of fear gather in his empty belly, somehow he
knew he was in another land and that both he and Sprat had no food and no
idea where or what to do.

As the light brightened in the East, Davin began to make out the land
around them, it looked to be a vast place, the grasslands went on forever
and in the distance were the darker green of a huge forrest, nothing was
moving as the light brightened, only the sounds of newly awoken birds could
be heard in the distance, around their little place, there was nothing, no
animals, no sounds and no indications of where they were, it was a totally
alien landscape for him.

A scuffle of sound behind him made Davin turn around, he was just in time
to see Sprat wriggle out of the bushes, with a surprising ease, he swung
the sword, which at first sight should have been far too big and heavy for
his slender frame, over his shoulder as though it was meant to be there,
Davin looked for his walking stick but it was nowhere in sight, Davin just
shrugged his shoulders and watched Sprat join him in looking around at the
new vista.

The land rolled on further than the eye could see, there was no sign of
life of any kind, the sound of rumbling from the stomachs of both boys soon
caught their attention, they now had no food and, Davin doubted that his
snares had come with them when they changed places, they now had nothing
but what had come with them to this strange place.

"Well we can go hungry for a little while, let's get my things together and
we might as well head for the West, that's where we were going anyhow."

Sprat nodded his head as he looked around this strange and new place,
neither boy could work out how they came here but one thing was for
certain, it had to involve something like magic, even though that was
impossible, Magic did not exist, but then again, nor did fancy gold and red
swords that glowed in the dark.

Davin went back into the bush hide out and gathered what little he still
had, underneath his old sack he saw his walking stick, as he picked it up
he saw something that caused him to take in a sharp breath and his body
began to shiver, his old wood walking stick had a narrow split right down
the centre, from the crack in the wood came a soft blue hue of something
hidden inside, Davin's hands shook as he tried to look closer, Sprat's
voice from outside brought him back from his astonishment.

"What you doing, Davin, you got everything, we should make a start or we
might not find food or water in this huge place."

Davin scrambled back out of the bush and stood up, his sack was on his back
but his attention was held by the soft glow from the cracked walking stick,
with shaking hands he held it out for Sprat too see.

"Look, look at this, its cracked and starting to glow blue just like yours
was red."

Sprat bent closer to the old wooden walking stick, once his eyes were close
to the thin crack he too made out the soft shimmering from inside the wood.

"What is it?" Sprat asked.

"I don't know, let me see that sword of yours, I think this old stick is
about the same size."

Davin matched the stick with the beautiful sword in Sprat's hands, it was
almost identical in the length and thickness, as he touched the sword with
the old stick, there was a loud shattering sound, with their eyes wide open
in fear, the boys looked at the old wooden walking stick, except it was no
longer a walking stick, the old wood had disappeared and in its place was a
fine sword with a blue shimmering blade, its hilt was of the finest silver
and in Davin's hands seemed to weight nothing, again the two boys felt a
pressure on them, when they awoke it was close to night time again, however
this time there was the smell of fresh cooked food filling their nostrils.

The boys struggled to their feet and looked around, on the ground in front
of them was a feast fit for the nobility, it was laid out on fine metal
salvers and plates, the many meats were steaming hot and mounds of
vegetables and fruits filled many bowls, as boys are wont to do, they sat
down and began to eat before thinking or worrying about how it all got
there.

Once filled to bursting, Sprat turned to the grinning Davin, his belly
distended with the good food.

"We have to stop doing this."

"Doing what?" asked Davin.

"This thing with the swords, each time we found one and touched it, strange
things happen, mine took us to this new strange land and yours must have
found the food for us, they have to be magical swords, there's nothing else
to explain it."

"But who would give away magical swords, besides you know that there is no
such thing as magic."

Sprat huffed and looked at Davin.

"So what do you call all that's happened to us since we held these ones
then?"

"Well, er, yes, maybe, so what are we going to do now then, its nearly
night again and we are still in this wide open place with no hut or
protection?" replied Sprat.

"Well if these swords are really magical you could always take us to a
place for the night."

"Ok, but how do I do that?"

"I don't know, how did we get here in the first place?"

"Well when I was taking the sword out of the leather bundle I was actually
thinking about how we would get to Siava."

"Do you think this is Siava then?"

"I don't know, it could be, it's very large and it looks like a huge
forrest way over there on the horizon, we don't have anything that big on
our lands."

"Well why don't you try to see if the sword will take us close to the
Forrest, we might find a place to stay the night."

"Well ok, if you think it will work."

"We have to try something, here, I'll hold your hand and you think about
being close to the forrest."

Davin had no sooner grab a hold of Sprats hand than he found himself and
Sprat standing just in front of the huge forrest, around them they could
hear the sounds of day birds settling in for the night, in the undergrowth
were faint sounds of animals looking for a place to rest the night away.

"Well that worked, now what?" asked Sprat.

"Let's find somewhere safe to sleep, if mine can supply us with food then
we are going to be ok on our travels, we may even get to the Islands of the
Dragons sooner now we have your sword."

"That's true but I don't want to use it too much, it might use all of its
magic and then be nothing more than just a sword, that could be dangerous
if we get into trouble."

"Yes you could be right, we should not use them unless we really have too,
ok, look, see that big tree over there, the lower branches would make it
easy for us to climb up higher, we could tie ourselves in and sleep up
there for the night, we can think about things more in the morning."

"Yes a good idea, Davin!"

"Yes"

"Thank you for being my friend, I don't know what I would have done if they
had taken me back to the mines, I'm sure they would have stolen this
magical sword as well."

"That's ok Sprat, I like having you with me as well, I never had a real
friend before so you are my first and only friend, we can go on this
adventure together and watch out for each other."

"Well you're my first real friend also, by the way, how did you get all the
food to appear?"

"While I was unconscious I was having a dream about a massive feast, I was
sort of really hungry before so I guess the sword just followed my dream."

"Oh, ok, come on, let's get up that tree and get some sleep, my eyes are
about to fall out."

The boys climbed the huge tree and found a place between two large forks,
just enough space to cuddle together and settle down, they were both asleep
within minutes.


****************************************************************************************************





In the last hour of darkness before the dawn, Kashin sent out his groups of
Dragons and Riders, it would not take them long to hide in the familiar
valleys and canyons under the thick carpet of grey mist, with Howudino
under him, Kashin lead the mass of other Dragons high into the heavy clouds
in preparations for the coming fight, he had given Seb a smile of
confidence as his Consort stood at the opening of the Weir with his ten
Browns in full armour ready to defend the home Weir.

The females had left earlier and had spread out over the supposed line of
approach of the enemies, Kashin hoped that Howudino's supposition that the
three different groups in the enemy army would start to bicker amongst
themselves when things began to go wrong, if this happened then it would
only add to their own strength.

It had been arranged that all of the females reports would be sent to
Howudino as he was able to hear them all, he would then pass them on to the
others, the first report came in and told of the approaching enemy forces,
they had changed their line of attack so that now there were only five
forward groups of ten Dragons, quickly, after hearing this, Kashin revised
his sniping attacks.

When the first groups came over the low lying mist, five groups of three of
his Dragons would power up from below, cause as much damage as they could
on their headlong climb, and disappear into the clouds above, as soon as
the first wave disappeared, the second wave would charge upward, when the
second drive came up through the clouds, the first would return by driving
back downward taking any enemy Dragons into the mist with them.

He hoped by this time there would be total chaos in the forward ranks of
the enemy, when the third drive came to an end, Kashin and Howudino would
lead the first downward drive through the centre of the main army, using
the same tactic of hit and run and into the mist below, again, as they
disappeared, the second main attack force would hit the front line, the
same would occur for the rear lines, if all went as planned, the enemy
forces should be in quite some disarray.

The battle began and, as planned, everything went perfectly, the front five
groups of attackers were broken up and scattered as well as being depleted
to only a few trying to escape the sudden onslaught from the much bigger
and faster Dragons of Tallas Weir, apart from the odd small burn of lost
scale, Kashin's forces came through the attack virtually unharmed but the
losses to the enemy army had been nearly 60%.

Kashin and Howudino looked through the thick clouds at the remnants of the
scattering van guard, it was now time for them to hit and run, Kashin felt
a flutter of doubt in his stomach as he felt Howudino gather his strength
and power for the high speed dive into the massed ranks below, the main
enemy force was now in the narrow band of clear space between the heavy
thunder clouds and the swirling grey mists, it was easy to see there were
the beginnings of disruption in the enemy ranks, some were trying to slow
down to take stock of the situation, others were trying to fly closer to
each other for support, the tidy ranks were becoming loose, at the head of
the massed ranks were the three Princes, their gold scales standing out
amongst the brown of the army.

Kashin had time to notice that, even from his hiding place well above the
massed ranks, the Golden Dragons of the Enemy looked to be no larger than
his own Browns, Howudino would dwarf all of them, his thoughts were
interrupted by the sudden spinning turn of Howudino, they were now
committed to the battle, calling Dragons Claw to his hand, he led the
eighty Dragons of Tallas Weir into the centre of the massed ranks of the
enemy, his sword shining brightly as though with a power of the very sun.

Fifty metres from the enemy ranks and Howudino led with a long blast of
fire directly into the enemy ranks, they were diving in a V formation so
the other Browns of Tallas Weir could also send their blasts into the
enemy, there were only a few that tried to return with fire blasts but they
lacked the distance of the larger Tallas Dragons.

Suddenly a Dragons head came slashing at Kashin as they drove further into
the mass of enemy Dragons, without thought he lashed out with Dragons Claw
and saw the head severed from the long neck, at the same time he felt a
heavy thump below him, with a quick glance downward, he saw the Howudino
had clamped his front talons onto another Dragon, its Rider was underneath
the left talon and the right was buried deeply into the flanks, Howudino
had the Dragons long neck in his massive jaws just behind the head making
it impossible for the Dragon to fight back, as they dove lower, Kashin saw
that they were entering the mist, the Dragon still clasped in Howudino's
talons.

Breaking through the mist into the clear air just above the valley floor,
Kashin watched as Howudino released the badly injured Dragon to fall like a
twirling leaf to the hard ground below, with a twist of his huge body,
Howudino led his Dragons to the East under the cover of the heavy mist,
when he thought they were well clear of the fighting, he spun upward and
drove for the thick clouds above, they would then return to the battle
again.

The second squadron of Tallas Dragons were attacking the front line just as
Kashin disappeared into the mist, by the time he and Howudino were back up
above in the clouds, the third squadron had hit the rear ranks hard, as he
and Howudino looked down through the clouds, they could see total chaos and
disarray in the enemy army, the three gold Dragons at the front were trying
to organise some sort of defence against this new form of fighting, they
had expected the battle to go as it always had over the last hundred years,
this new form of fighting was too foreign for their old fashioned tactics.

From his high vantage point, Kashin could see that the enemy had had great
losses, at this time he had no Idea about their own losses, he had no more
time to think as Howudino spun over and began another drive towards the
disrupted enemy, Kashin could see that they had lost all cohesion as an
army and it almost looked as though the three Gold's at the front did not
know what to do next, Howudino made up their minds for them by leaving the
rest of their squadron to continue the attack on the faltering centre while
he and Kashin went after the three smaller Princes.

Now Kashin began to feel a little more comfortable in his role but still,
it was now going to be three on one, Kashin called on his magic for a
protective shield as Dragons Claw glowed with power, the three smaller
Gold's in front of them turned en-mass towards the larger oncoming Gold,
they too had a magical shield but it was not as strong as the combined
magic of Kashin and Howudino.

They came together in a mighty blast of fire, Howudino's thick stream
blasting easily through the thinner shield of the Dragon in front of him,
as the shield shattered under the mighty blast, Howudino raked his thick
black talons along the belly of the enemy Prince, golden scales flew in all
directions as Howudino's heavy body crashed into the smaller Dragon with a
force that knocked the small Rider from his seat, his scream of fear as his
thigh straps broke under the impact could be heard as he fell ground-ward,
another heavy blast of fire from Howudino into the wide wings of the Golden
Dragon and he too was falling quickly behind his Rider.

Kashin had little time to watch the mayhem of Dragon Battle, he suddenly
found himself under attack from both sides by the other two Riders, their
swords crashing heavily into his magical shield as they tried to break
through and kill him, without thought, Kashin slashed out with Dragons
Claw, much to his surprise his magical sword sliced through the shield of
the Rider on his right cleaving the Riders armour and shoulder, as the
blood spurted from the badly injured Rider, his sword dropped towards the
ground, he was now totally unarmed and at the mercy of Kashin.

Kashin took pity on the Rider, he was no more threat so he turned towards
the Rider on his left, he could quickly see that this Rider was not at all
happy about what was happening, by this time Howudino had grasped the other
Golden Dragon behind the head and was shredding his scales with both front
sets of talons, as Kashin struck out at the last Rider.

The Riders Dragon tried to pull away after it had sent a blast of fire at
Kashin, Kashin's shield held but it put his aim off a little and he only
managed to slice deeply into the Riders thigh, as the Dragon attempted to
flee for its life, Howudino sent out a long and fearful blast of roiling
fire, it caught the fleeing Dragon on both wings, without its magical
shield, the fleeing Dragon had no defences, its wings blackened and the
last of the Golden Dragons fell headlong towards the hard stony ground
below, Howudino let out a long and very loud roar along with a fire stream
that leapt fifty metres into the early morning air.

With little more delay, Kashin and Howudino turned back towards the main
battle, much to their surprise, the battle was nearly over, General Dargoss
had taken command, he sent General Albussi with eighty Dragons to block off
any escape back to the coast, with the remaining forces he split them up
into smaller squadrons of twenty or so, using the same tactics but with
added variations, he continued the attack on the faltering ranks of the
enemy.

When Kashin and Howudino returned to the site of the main battle it was
just in time to see the remnants trying to flee to the coast and then
homeward only to find General Albussi waiting for them, most immediately
landed on the plains in surrender, some tried to break through the heavy
lines of General Albussi's ranks, this only caused more deaths, as the last
of the enemy Dragons landed in surrender, Kashin and Howudino called all
their Dragons to contain the captives.

The sight that met Kashin's eyes was not pretty, most of the enemy had
missing scales, large scorch marks and a few had dead or dying Riders still
strapped in their saddles, their new tactics had been nothing less than a
massacre, unknown to the Dragons of Tallas Weir, this battle would be
retold many times over the following years, it would go a long way to
bringing a long time of peace for Tallas Weir.

Howudino landed not far from the remnants of the enemy army, the atmosphere
was heavy with defeat as Kashin and Howudino settled on the ground
surrounded by ten Browns, Kashin and Howudino held a quick mental
conference on what to do with so many captives, it became obvious they
would no longer have any Princes to rule them and they could not stay on
their Island home, it was General Dargoss that came up with an answer for
the problem once it was discussed amongst themselves.

"We have to send them back to their homes, we cannot have them crossing
with any of our Females, they have lost their Princes and will have to take
their chances with other Weirs attacking them, it's only what they
deserve."

As Howudino and Kashin considered this turn of events, four Messadine
suddenly appeared in front of them all four bowed to the Royals, Howudino
spoke to them first.

"Honourable Messadine Elders, what is it you wish of us?"

"Most honourable Princes, we bring news for your consideration."

"What would that be, Honourable Elders?"

"While the battle was on we had a mass vision of what may be in the future,
if we may be so bold, we would suggest that the forces of Prince Kordon and
Prince Grevlar be combined into one Weir, the numbers of Prince Mastik
could hold their Weir against attack as they still have the numbers, the
vision showed us two that are travelling this way that will fill the void
of Princes, on their journey they will find their Dragons, there is a third
with them but we cannot see him clearly, he carries a magic within him that
is not yet revealed.  The two new Riders will vow fealty to your Weir, that
is what we have seen Your Highnesses."

"But what will we do until these two are found, we can't leave these Weirs
unattended for others to take advantage of?" replied Kashin.

"We would suggest a small contingent of our Dragons be put in charge until
the new ones arrive."

"That sounds like a good Idea, General Albussi, you will stand as Regent
for the Weir of Prince Mastik, general Dargoss, you will stand as Regent
for the combined Weirs until these strangers arrive to take over, whoever
or whenever that may be."

The two Generals bowed to Kashin and Howudino, they then turned to select
twenty of the Tallas Dragons as escort, Howudino stood to his full massive
and overpowering height, in a loud and authoritive voice he told the
captives of what had been decided, any that did not want to change their
ways and follow Weir Tallas were told to take up arms and decide their fate
here and now, none did.

After a few more preparations, the two generals and their escorts led the
remains of the enemy army into the air and out over the coast, many were
injured and some Riders were barely able to stay in their saddles, but all
took to the air, the age of the long bloody Dragon battles was, for now,
over, they had escaped with their lives and the news that new Princes were
on their way lifted some spirits.

Although it was just a little after midday and the two Royals had dispensed
with the heavy clouds and mists, everyone was feeling the weight of the
battle, all over the mountain sides and deep in the valley lay those slain
in the furore that was a Dragon Battle, for Kashin and Howudino the losses
had been relatively light although both of them would have preferred to not
have lost a single soul, the enemy had lost more than four hundred Dragons
and Riders in the fast hit and run attacks while Tallas Weir had lost only
twenty seven Dragons and Riders, while any loss was horrific it was far
better than if they had tried to fight in the old ways.

As they flew back to the Weir, the hundreds of Messadine were already at
work on the dead, armour weapons were stripped before the dead were given a
funeral pyre, only the Dragons and Riders of Tallas were given the honour
of cremation in the live Volcano as a symbol of their sacrifice to the
Weir, the highest honour that could be given those lost in battle.

Even though there was a huge celebration for their massive victory, it was
also tempered by their losses, the dead were saluted with cups full of mead
and wished a speedy journey to the afterlife, the victory was celebrated
with stories of valour and how well the new tactics of their Prince had
saved so many lives and decimated the enemy so easily.

Later in the evening, when Kashin and Seb were finally alone and wrapped in
each other's arms, did the frightened look of total fear of the two Gold
Dragon Riders faces as they saw their deaths approaching, leave Kashin's
mind, it was a picture he did not want to ever see again, Seb felt
something was wrong with his Prince and all he could do was hold on tighter
and try to ease whatever was bothering his love.


TBC.


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