Michael Mathias: The Sword and the Dragon

To emphasize his power of will, Talon fluttered down in front of Dieter’s face, and cawed out loudly. This display scared the elves a little bit, and for another day nothing happened. Finally, Mikahl, who had the fate of several kingdoms weighing down on his shoulders, had had enough.

Ironspike came free of its sheath. Its blade was stark, and blinding white with Mikahl’s rage. The elves were so taken aback by the sight, that some of them forgot their stealth, and gasped with awe, and surprise. Mikahl let out a primal scream of rage, then went about cleaving tree, after ancient tree, in a great circle around where Vaegon’s coffin lay. The big oaks and elms fell away from the circle, and came crashing down around the elves, hiding in the surrounding woods.

Finally, Dieter showed himself. He strode out of the wreckage, with tears streaming down his face. He kept his wild, yellow eyes cast downward in shame, not only for himself, but for his people, while all around the place, which would come to be known as Vaegon’s Glade, the rest of the angry elves cried outrage, and sacrilege over what Mikahl had done to their sacred trees.

Mikahl stalked a circle around Vaegon’s casket, and glared at them, daring them to challenge him.

Hyden knew that elves rarely cried. His heart went out to Dieter, because it was obvious that he was being tormented with conflicting emotion. He knew what it was like to lose a brother.

“Vaegon was twice the man any of you will ever be!” Mikahl yelled, through clenched teeth. “He thought of more than himself, of more than his own kind. He knew the strength of the evil we faced, and he stared it in the eyes. He didn’t cower in the woods. He didn’t run or hide from it! He stood tall and proud! You shame your race with your cowardice, with your haughty lack of concern for those other than yourselves.”

Mikahl spat at the smoldering trunk of one of the trees he had just felled.

“There will come a day when your people will need the aid of men. You’d better hope that it is I who rule when that day comes, because I won’t run from your need. Because of Vaegon alone, if that time ever comes, I will rally men to stand beside you, even though you are no better than gutter curs. Now, come, gather the body of the best of your kind, before I cut this whole forest to the ground!”

Hyden gave Dieter the journal, and then went to Mikahl’s side. It was all he could do to drag Mikahl away from Vaegon’s coffin. Neither of them seemed to care about the dozens of arrows that were trained on them as they left the newly formed clearing. Both were angry, and saddened by the way things had gone. It was a long while before either of them dammed the flow of tears. When they stopped to rest, Hyden sought out Talon’s vision again, and was pleased to find the hawkling vigilantly watching over the elves, as they dug a human style grave for Vaegon, with more than a little fear showing in their feral eyes.

When they got back to Xwarda, Hyden decided that he would ask Queen Willa to assign him a tutor. He was determined to learn how to read. He had to research the history of piracy, and try to ferret out where the dragon called Cobalt had taken Barnacle Bones’s ship after he had snatched it out of the ocean.

He knew that High King Mikahl would have his hands full all winter, training the troops he and King Jarrek had specially chosen for the campaign they were planning to carry out in the spring. Hyden couldn’t help much there, save for giving the archers advice. He would spend his spare time helping the people of Xwarda, and the rest of Highwander, rebuild. Pael’s undead army had left a trail of decimation across the entire realm.

When the burial of Vaegon was completed, Talon rejoined Hyden and Mikahl. The long walk back to the city, was filled with hope and sadness, but by the time Xwarda’s golden-topped towers were in sight, both of the young men had found the steely reserve they would need to face what was ahead of them.

Talon felt none of those emotions. The exhilaration of flight, of soaring overhead on the thermals that cut through the cool, fall air was far more interesting than yesterdays or tomorrows. The hawkling did have a job to do though, but his was easy. All Talon had to do was keep his friends looking up.