Rise of the Last Dragon Rider - Chapter 041 - No time to relax (Patreon)

The last two days had been hard as no fire was lit, and they slept inside a thick canopy of trees.

Neither knew if Stioks and Juthom might turn and try to track them or chase, but when they finally had to sleep after flying for another solid day, it was still better to be prepared.

As the mountains of Ebonmount came into view through the clouds, they let out a small sigh, happy to be home and have some possible real rest for a few days.

“Hairy dwarf balls, Kaen!” shouted Hess when Kaen finally stopped sharing what had happened.  “You two actually damaged Juthom!  Do you have any idea how huge that is?!”

The way Hess was waving both arms… well, his stub and undamaged arm, and how red his face was from shouting, Kaen had a pretty good idea how big of a deal it was.

Kaen glanced across the yard, watching Sulenda, Callie, and Pammon playing together.  Turning back to Hess, who had gotten out of the chair he had been sitting in near the opening to where he and Pammon lived, Kaen motioned for his mentor and friend to sit.

“Don’t get worked up, or I won’t be able to calm down for a while.  Yes, I do have an idea how big it was.  No, I couldn’t have won that fight without more arrows.  I still don’t know what Stioks sent at us either.  Whatever, it was destroyed a forest, and I have no idea how Elies survived it if he and Tharnok got struck by it.”

Hess plopped into his oversized chair with a massive sigh and grunted as he mindlessly rubbed the stump with his hand.

“Regardless, this changes so much.  You are not just a threat. You are now a challenge to Stioks.  Everything he believed up until this moment changes.”

Hess turned, narrowing his eyes as he pointed his fat finger at Kaen.

“Until a few days ago, he most likely believed he could end your life without any real issues.  He probably thought he was buying time till Elies died before he did that.”

Hess stopped talking as he chuckled and then started to roar in laughter.

Kaen sat there confused as he watched the grown man start to cry momentarily as his whole body shook.  When he finally calmed down enough and began taking a few breaths to regain control, Kaen interrupted him.

“What was that funny?”

Snortin, Hess dabbed the corner of his eye with his thumb and displayed every tooth he had with the smile he gave.

“Can you imagine the conversation between Juthom and Stioks?  Oh, the rage and frustration they both must feel!  The two of them thinking they are, or I guess were,” Hess said with another quick snort, “the top of everything.  Now, they will be blaming each other.  Kaen, you have done something none of us could have imagined was possible.”

Juthom and Stioks fighting amongst themselves?

That thought struck Kaen in a way he had not expected.

Could I put a rift between the two of them?

“Do you think they would ever stop working together?”

Tsking his teeth for a moment and creating a small whistle as he sucked air in through them, Hess squinted and squirmed.

“Split them up?  I doubt that. They have been in bed far too long, and I have no idea what drives that dragon.”

“And the man?”

The way Hess’s gut jumped with the grunt he gave almost looked like he had been punched.

“That man is the most dangerous thing we have seen in ages.  He wants to be like the dragon riders of old, living hundreds of years and building a world in his image…”  Hess trailed off as he leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.  “Did Elies ever mention the evil dragon riders to you?  The ones that made most dragons vow to never work with men again?”

Leaning forward in his chair, Kaen shook his head no, realizing after a moment that Hess couldn’t see him do that.

“No.  What happened?”

Slowly opening his eyes, Hess gazed at Pammon and smiled as he saw and heard the laughter and thrumming coming from the two of them.

“A Dragon Rider had more than one dragon.”

“What? How?!”

Turning his eyes to Kaen, he frowned as he shook his head.

“The Destroyer of Nations was the name he gave himself.   Most don’t know the story, and even most history books have it removed.  I only know of it because of my time with Elies and your father.  He killed more Dragon Riders than one can imagine.  Some through strength, others through treachery.  Eventually, he killed his dragon right before another egg hatched, bonding with it.  His mind was evil, warped by many things, and the madness that followed was unimaginable.”

A hole in his heart began to grow as Hess shared these things.

Who could imagine killing their own dragon?

“He fed his hatchling dragon his old one, allowing it to grow faster than it should.  Like its rider, it came to love the power it gained from their bond.  Both were content to do anything necessary to get stronger.”

Hess paused a moment as he turned his attention back to Callie.

“It took most of the remaining dragon riders working together to kill him,” Hess finally said, his voice low and somber.  “The remaining ones destroyed everything he owned and burned the dragon’s corpse, none of the dragons wanting to even eat it.  After that, the number of riders decreased, and kingdoms struggled to give that kind of power again.  Alliances were made, and with the number of dragons decreasing in the kingdoms, the riders slowly began to die out.  Elies was the last one to get a dragon.  I’m sure he told you about that.”

Kaen nodded.

“He told me how the two Dragon Riders who trained him were impressed by him.  He had risen decently through the ranks of the adventurers guild and had a reputation for only taking quests that involved helping others, regardless of what kingdom they were in.  The two dragons had mated, and a single egg had been born, something that hadn’t happened in a hundred years.  They gave him a chance with that egg.”

Laughter came from Kaen as he smiled and sat up in his chair.

“I remember when he described Tharnok as an eggling.  It seems their personality is often already formed to a great deal while they are in the egg.”

Hess shrugged and pointed at Pammon.

“He has changed.  Mature, just like you, but both of you are still alike.  You care for others no matter how tough you talk or present yourself.  Each of you is weak to children.  How many times has he said no to an adult but gladly let a child touch, scratch, or even fly on him?”

Looking at Pammon, Kaen felt his heart beat differently for a moment as he realized Hess was right. He saw Pammon turn and look at him, those golden eyes twinkling as they held his gaze.

You are talking about me, aren’t you?

All good things, I promise.

A snort came from Pammon before he turned his gaze back on Callie, who was tugging on his wing, carefully poking her with his snout as she laughed and ran around him again for the hundredth time.

“She will sleep well tonight,” Hess stated as he stood up and stretched.  “Perhaps we both should go and play with them?”

Standing up, Kaen nodded but moved over a few feet, grabbing Hess and embracing him momentarily.  He smiled as he felt both arms encircle him and the familiar pat of his hand on his back.

“My gosh, you have gotten thick!” exclaimed Hess as he pulled back and stared at him.  “What have you been eating to get this wide?  Where was the scrawny teen boy I had to make eat back in Minoosh?”

Laughing, Kaen gave him a gentle shove, almost bowling Hess off his feet.

“We can compare numbers if you want,” he said with a wink.

Shaking his head as he smiled and chuckled, Hess finally groaned.

“No… let’s not and say we did.  Somehow, I doubt I’m the stronger of the two now.”

Giving one more wink, Kaen motioned to where the others were and started jogging.

“If you try, I might let you win.”

Laughing, Hess took off, smiling as they ran to the others.

A moan escaped his lips as he felt Ava’s fingernails gently massage his scalp.

“Stop that, or people will get the wrong idea,” she hissed as she glanced around the people sitting at tables near them.

The Dragon Rider’s Inn was packed as news had spread that he had returned and was relaxing inside.  The steady stream of parents whose children were at the academy never seemed to end as one came up, thanking him again for the hope he had given their children.

He smiled and thanked them each time for entrusting their greatest treasure to the kingdom and the school.  It wore on him as the hours passed, but he knew it was vital for them to express their gratitude.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, flashing her a smile.  “I’d much rather be relaxing with you elsewhere, but Sulenda had informed me I had a duty to do, and here I am.”

Giving him a kiss on the cheek, Ava laughed and then poked him in his ribs with her free finger.

“I’m just glad you were smart enough to invite me.  I was a bit nervous about you being gone for two weeks.  I assume your promise of telling me later means it's not for common knowledge?”

Rolling his eyes, he turned his face towards hers and scrunched his nose.

“For the fourth or fifth time, yes… I will tell you later and not in public.  Now, behave yourself, please. I can’t have the townspeople thinking the love of my life is trying to get me in trouble.”

Ava felt her cheeks turning red at that comment and cocked her head as she gave him a slight smile.

“And what exactly would the love of your life be doing that would get you in trouble?”

Giving a playful growl, Kaen kissed her back on her forehead and shrugged.

“That remains to be determined.”

Shaking her head, she snuggled a little closer and sighed.

“I’m just glad you are safe.  Father will be a bit flustered at how the potions turned out.  I can’t say I’m not surprised, though, as it was our first attempt at something like that.”

Nodding, Kaen held up his glass as someone came close, giving him a slight bow before walking off.

“Speaking of that, I need to tell you something you aren’t going to like, and I’m trying to decide if I should tell you where it's safe or somewhere private.”

He felt her flinch at that comment and saw her looking up at him with a perplexed look on her face.

“I need to leave soon,” he whispered in her ear.  “I don’t want to, but there is something I have to do, and I have no idea how long it will take to accomplish or return.”

He paused as he felt her tense up and shook his head slowly.

“Before you ask, I cannot take you as we will be flying as high as possible and with no rest,” he said as he lowered his lips to her ear and spoke so quietly she almost missed it.  “Pammon and I have to travel across the sea to seek help from the dragons.”