Rick Cook - The Wizardry Quested

"Good for digging, too," The Russian said. Then he walked over and wrenched the blade out of the timber.

Gilligan nodded. "Where’s Kuznetsov?"

Vasily inspected the edge of the blade critically. "With the big wizard," he said without looking up.

Gilligan himself had spent a good part of the time trying to figure out how he could get into the battle. As a pilot with nearly two thousand hours in Air Force fighters he felt supremely confident. Unfortunately, riding a dragon takes a different skill set than flying an F-15.

Besides which, the dragons didn’t like him. Every time he entered the aerie he was greeted by growls and roars from the monsters. Gilligan suspected that Stigi had been talking. Karin said that was impossible, but Gilligan knew better. Of course planning was the major form of preparation.

"It is in our favor that nothing has tried strongly to breach the physical barriers," Bal-Simba told the group assembled in his work room. "The Enemy has not had the opportunity to learn how to defend against it."

"It seems to have put up defenses enough," Dragon Leader remarked as he studied the magical map showing the known patrol routes from the City of Night

"We think that’s more reflex than planning," Jerry said "If you’ll notice these tracks pretty much match the Dark League’s patrolling when they controlled the city. But circumstances have changed and that leaves holes here," he said as he stabbed a finger onto the map, "here and especially to the south."

"What’s more, they’re not flying smart," Gilligan said, "at least not from what the Watchers have seen."

"We have not been allowed to test these fliers yet." There was a note of reproach in Dragon Leader’s voice.

"That will come soon enough," Bal-Simba told him. "Meanwhile we do not want to, ah, ’tip our fingers.’ "

"That’s tip our hand," Jerry corrected "Yeah, we want them dumb when we hit them."

Bal-Simba caught his air group commander’s expression. "Never fear, you will have the opportunity to test them very soon, but under controlled conditions."

"Meanwhile," Jerry said, "the basic plan for the main attack will be to lure him out over the Freshened Sea with a dummy strike and then hit from another direction."

"Bakka Valley," Gilligan said.

Kuznetsov nodded. "Koyuechno. We spoof them to show themselves and then the second wave eliminates them."

Dragon Leader nodded "We can expect most of their air power to be drawn north, but that still leaves their ground defenses plus whatever they hold back for point defense."

"Well, there’s a trick we used on the second Schweinfurt raid," Charlie said. Gilligan did a quick calculation and gave Charlie a hard look.

The older man caught it. "Okay," he amended. "Someone used it when the Eighth hit Schweinfurt the second time."

Dragon Leader ignored the byplay. There is still the problem of the inner defenses."

"We may just have to fight our way through those," Bal-Simba said. "Expensive, I know."

"Maybe we can come up with something as we go along," Jerry added.

Dragon Leader looked thoughtfully at the map.

Well, Dragon Leader thought, at least the rain has stopped. Not that much of an improvement. The air was clammy with moisture and the cold and damp seeped into everything. There were no warming spells which might give them away to the enemy they sought so carefully.

Dragon Leader pulled his inner flying cloak closer about him, breathing in the odor of lanolin as he drew air through the thick wool to try to keep out the cold. Behind him nearly a full squadron of the North’s dragon cavalry spread out in stepped formation. It was no comfort to him to know the riders were all as miserable as he was.

Somewhere ahead of them lay-what? The forces of the Enemy. Probably other dragon cavalry, so the Watchers said, but his job was to find out for certain. His other job was to be cautious in doing it. Well enough, this wasn’t the time for open battle if it could be avoided, and he and his troop would go carefully. He scanned the sky ahead, eyes always moving, looking off the center of his vision to catch any movement. Not that he could see far. The wan winter sun was nearly at its zenith, but below them was a solid gray mass of fog-like cloud, tinged with rainbow where the sun caught it right.

Dragon Leader shifted uneasily in his saddle. He didn’t like this at all. Fighting in clouds was bad business and according to the Watchers their quarry preferred clouds and darkness to light. That was odd, but not unknown. Dragons, being sight hunters, preferred to fly by day. Just one more peculiarity to weigh upon him.

"Dragon Leader," came a voice in his ear. "Dragon Leader, we have your target at widdershins low. Range about three leagues." Dragon Leader did not break communications silence to acknowledge the message. Instead he rose in his stirrups and signaled his squadron into attack formation. The less magic used now the harder it would be for the enemy to detect them.

Behind him the squadron tightened up and sorted itself out into pairs and simultaneously into a box formation. Almost, Dragon Leader nodded approval. Weeks of hard drill had paid off. The movement was as smooth and precise as any veteran squadron during the long war against the Dark League. The dragons were carefully spaced to provide the maximum amount of maneuvering room consistent with interlocking fields of fire. Dragon Leader reached behind him in the saddle and drew his great bow from its scabbard. Then he selected an iron death arrow from the quiver by his right knee and fitted ft loosely to the string. With a practiced motion of the right hand he pulled the straps securing him to the saddle tight, but not too tight. Then he turned his full attention to scouting ahead.

The white crystal set into his saddle horn began to darken on the left side. Magic in that direction, then. He signaled the squadron onto a new heading. The magic detector was passive and emitted almost no magic of its own, but it was not very sensitive. He knew that the Watchers in the Wizards’ Keep were following them closely, but at this distance they could not follow the battle in fine detail. Once the enemy was sighted they’ would be able to see through the eyes of the dragon riders but for now they could not help them locate the enemy. Following the directions of the detector Dragon Leader led his squadron lower until his dragon’s wingtips almost touched the rainbow-tinged clouds. Still no sign of the enemy, but something was making the dragons very nervous. Dragon Leaders own mount nearly shied beneath him and out of the corner of his eye he saw others toss their heads in unease.

One of the flight leaders waved, relaying a signal from further out in the patrol. Dragons in sight! Dragon Leader strained his eyes and saw dark, amorphous forms rising out of the clouds toward them. With a touch of his knees he wheeled his mount around to set up an attack as soon as the enemy came out of the clouds.

Definitely ridden dragons. But there was something strange about them. Dragon Leader pushed the uneasiness out of his mind and drew his war bow. Ahead of him the leader of the third, left-most, flight lined up for the first attack. The enemy dragons glided up out of the clouds with their wings outstretched. First one rider’s head broke the mist, then another and another. Apparently oblivious to the threat above and behind them they continued to climb into perfect position for the ambushers.