Dragon Riders of Etrea—Chapter 19

Henrik woke to the sound of rustling. He looked over and saw Tobias pulling the looking glass from his saddlebags.

“Everything alright?” he asked.

“Yeah, I just have a feeling,” the soldier replied. “Now that we’re getting close, I’d like to be as careful as possible.” He walked up the shallow angle of the ridge and stood at the peak for a while, watching in every direction with the looking glass.

“Rasud,” Henrik said. “Time to get up.”

“Let me squeeze them,” the witchman muttered, then jerked awake. “Huh? Oh, it’s that time.”

“Your favorite time of day,” Henrik said.

Rasud let his head fall back against his saddle and yawned. “I don’t think I’d mind mornings so much if they were closer to midday.”

“We should enter the mountains today. Let’s hurry up and get riding.”

“I was having the most wonderful dream about a woman with the wettest pussy you could imagine.” He grunted and looked around. “Speaking of cunts, where is Tobias?”

Henrik bit back a laugh. “Your best friend? He’s on top of the ridge with the looking glass.”

“I suppose he could be worse,” Rasud muttered. “Okay, okay, I’m getting up.” He pushed himself to his feet and stretched his arms over his head, then began gathering his things.

Henrik walked over to where they had tied the horses and grabbed all three reins. He led the horses over to where the men had slept right as Tobias returned.

“Anything?” Henrik asked.

“We’ll reach the mountains today, that’s for certain,” Tobias said. “I didn’t see anything concerning, though. A few trees at the base of the mountains. Some antelope.”

“Good,” Henrik said. “I’ll check the map again once we get moving. I’m hoping if we make good time, then tonight we can make camp in a good location. One close to the dragon’s cave.”

“You think we can do this tonight?” Rasud asked.

“If you stop talking and get in your saddle, yes,” Henrik replied with a grin.

“Don’t make me set you on fire,” Rasud said as he accepted the reins from Henrik.

A few minutes later the men rode south, around the southern tip of Torman’s Finger. From there, then continued east and slightly to the north, towards a spot marked on the map.

Henrik wasn’t the kind of man to get nervous, but he felt a seed of anxiety in his gut. His track record at sneaking into places was nearly flawless—being caught in Duke Ardun’s palace was one of the only times he had ever failed—but stealing a dragon’s egg was a different story. That wasn’t a situation he could fight his way out of. One mistake and he was dead, and probably Rasud and Tobias as well.

“That way,” Henrik said, pointing at a tall mountain peak in front of them.

“Please tell me we don’t have to climb that mountain,” Rasud said.

“No, the cave is toward the base of the mountain,” Henrik replied, looking at the map. “We should see it when we get close. I suppose we should keep our eyes out for flying dragons. Last thing we need is to be spotted.”

“Are there at least any trees to hide behind when we get there?” Rasud asked.

Henrik nodded and brought the looking glass back up to his eye. “There are a handful of small trees at the base of the mountain. Not a lot, but it’ll help. If we—” He cut off, staring in the distance.

“What is it?” Tobias asked, turning to Henrik.

“Orcs,” Henrik said. “One, two…about twenty of them. Hard to tell from this distance, but I think they have the witch-woman with them.”

“Oh joy,” Rasud said, running his hands over his hair. “Good thing I braided my hair this morning so I’ll look my best.”

“Which way are they headed?” asked Tobias.

“South,” Henrik replied. “And riding hard. Hard enough that even their horses will tire soon, although I wonder if the witch has a spell that helps with it.”

“Depends on what kind of magic she knows, I suppose,” Rasud said. “Or if she’s a shaman like me, what her ancestors are capable of.”

Henrik slowed his horse and the other men followed suit. “I don’t think we’ll have to worry about them. They’re heading south and from the looks of it, trying to get somewhere as quickly as possible.”

“Maybe they saw the dragon,” Tobias said.

“Maybe the orcs beat us to it,” Rasud said. “Let’s hope for that. I’d rather fight a band of orcs than a dragon.”

“Not likely,” Henrik said, lowering the looking glass. “There’s no way a group that size could sneak up on a dragon. I’m not sure what they were trying to do, but from the looks of it, they’re leaving in a hurry.” He turned his horse to the north. “I’ll keep an eye on them, but I’m almost certain we’re fine.”

“If you say so,” Tobias said, but he looked concerned. “Mind if I take a look?”

“Sure.” Henrik nudged his horse closer to Tobias and handed him the looking glass. “They’re over that way.”

“Oh yeah, I see them,” Tobias said after a moment. “They’re definitely in a rush. I think we could ride closer to them and they wouldn’t care. They’re on a mission.”

“Exactly my thoughts,” Henrik said.

Rasud frowned. “So, I suppose I won’t be seeing the orc witch today, then. Shame. She’s missing out.”

Henrik laughed. “She’d probably skin you alive and make you dance.”

“I do appreciate a rough woman at times,” Rasud replied.

“What if the dragon is a woman, eh?” Tobias asked.

“Well. In that case, we’ll just have to see if she’s lonely or not.”

They all laughed at that. Henrik booted his horse back into a canter and the men continued north.

The hours dragged on, and by the time the sun was overhead, they were solidly in the foothills. That made travel slower compared to flat ground, but Henrik was just glad they were finally getting close. Their horses had proven their stamina over this journey, that much was certain.

“Where to, boss?” Rasud asked as they rode east along the foothills.

Henrik unrolled the map and studied it. If the map was accurate, they were close. He pointed to a low mountain in front of them. “There should be a draw on the other side of that. That’s where we’re headed.”

“Draw?” Rasud asked. “The only draw I know involves an artist.”

Henrik rolled his eyes. “It’s like someone carved a deep line in the side of the mountain.”

“Okay, that makes more sense,” Rasud said, eyeing the mountain in front of them. “Awfully big, isn’t it? I’m surprised the dragon isn’t higher up. Were I a dragon, I’d be at the top of the mountain. Hey, what about the northern dragons? Don’t stories say they sleep at the top of mountains?”

“I think so,” Henrik said. “In volcanos or something. Hard to know what’s truth and what’s just a story anymore.”

The ground slowly rose as the foothills turned to mountains. Around dinner time, they rounded the large mountain Henrik had earlier pointed at. The sparse trees in the area went as far as the draw, so Henrik led them to the edge of the treeline and there they dismounted.

“Don’t tell me we’re already here,” Rasud said, looking around.

“If the map is correct, we’re here,” Henrik replied. “We’ll let the horses rest. I would say set up camp, but I’d like to hurry out of here as soon as I return. Keep the horses ready to move.” He patted his horse on the neck. “Sorry, boy.” His horse whickered in reply.

All three men dismounted near one of the trees and tied their reins to a low branch. While he was there, Henrik took a moment to break off a few branches so they would have wood for a small fire the next day. He tossed them in the middle of the camp for the other men to cut down to size.

“Soon,” Henrik said, glancing to the west. The sun was double its height above the horizon, so they only had a few hours to wait. “Once it’s dark I’ll head out.”

“Ah, the calm before the storm, right?” Rasud said as he sifted through his saddlebags. “Although now that I think about it, that’s probably the wrong saying. At least, I certainly hope so. Time for a snack, at least.”

“Do you know how long it will take you?” Tobias asked.

Henrik fetched the map and studied it again. The location of the dragon’s cave looked to be fairly precise, but the wizard had said it was only an approximation. “Unfortunately, no. I would advise you two to sleep in shifts, so you’ll see me when I come back.”

“And if you don’t?” Tobias looked slightly uncomfortable asking the question.

Henrik frowned. “If I’m not back by morning, I’m probably dead. Go back to the city.”

“Well, that’s an unpleasant thought,” Rasud said after tearing off a piece of bread. He popped it in his mouth and chewed for a moment. “Let’s try to think positively, hmm?”