Shadow's Rising {Wing 6} Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The carriage of dark dreams

Hmmm? Wha…? What happened? Where… Ugh, my head. It feels like the time I accidentally ate those White Death berries. I must’ve had a rough night, Shadow thought blearily as he tried to roll over.

His whole body felt like it was made of lead. He couldn’t even make his tail twitch, much less open his eyes. Part of him just wanted to shrug and go back to sleep but there was something nagging at him like a mosquito buzzing around his head. Something had happened. Why was he so tired? His body hadn’t felt so sluggish since he ate those poisonous…

Poison! The dragon hunters used some kind of poison. That was right. It was all slowly coming back to him now. The slavers had used Dormir poison which was like a sleeping drug for dragons. He had to stop the slavers! He had to save his friends… but… where were they now? Had he already failed?

Shadow felt the cart he was on give a small bump as it came to a stop. With all his might he tried to open one eye to see what was going on. There was a cover and it was blurry so he couldn’t tell much. Then he heard a shout from further ahead.

“Hey slacker! Don’t forget to check your merchandise before we break for chow.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m on it so stop your bellyaching. The food aint getting much better if ya wait a few anyways,” a much closer voice replied.

Suddenly the cover was thrown back and Shadow caught glimpses of green land and blue sky behind the dark shadow of a man.

“Eek! Dam it!” the man shouted as he quickly sprinted off.

With the light from outside, Shadow was able to make out the thick bars of the cage around him and the hard brown wood he laid on. The front of the cage was attached to the back of the driver’s seat.

For some reason he hadn’t been able to read the thoughts of the driver. It was almost a blessing since he could hardly keep his own mind from sinking back into the oblivion of the dormir poison. Now that he was aware of it, he could recognise the same sickly sweet smell that had made his head spin before, but it was much stronger now.

“What do you mean the Night Wing is awake!” Shadow heard a gruff voice shout. Then two pairs of heavy footsteps quickly approached the cage.

“As I said, the Night Wing seems to be building up a tolerance for the poison-”

“I know that you idiot! That’s why we increased the dosage so many times. So why are you not able to keep that stupid dragon under control?!” the man yelled again.

The cover was thrown aside and Shadow saw the first man who looked like a twig next to the large brute leaning into the cage. The large man squinted to see Shadow’s black scales in the dim light under the cover though his red eyes reflected the light outside like a cat’s.

The smaller man rubbed his hands together. “Well, you see sir, if I continue doing that, our supply of Dormir poison will run out before we reach the capital. As it stands we barely have enough to cover our arrows and there are no black markets from here to the capital that sell it. We can’t-”

“Argh! Just give me that whip,” the larger man interrupted.

Shadow closed his eye as the whip was drawn back and lashed forward. Luckily, the poison dulled the pain but he still felt every impact of it. His body didn’t even flinch but it still scared him. This was what Jarid had always told him would happen if humans found out about him. He really wished his brother was with him now. Tears rolled down his snout as he whimpered in fear.

After a few more whips the man stopped. “It might be awake but it can’t move yet. Give it a few whips every break to check if it can move, and keep a full quiver of arrows with you. I don’t care if it flinches a little, but if it can move, it can try to escape. If it so much as shuffles away, we’ll kill one of the others and sell their parts. That Stone Wing takes a fair amount to keep under,” the man commented thoughtfully.

“Yeah. He’ll be the first to go. We have to keep the Night Wing and that weird opal colored one. Never heard of a dragon like that before. Might even fetch us a higher price than the Night Wing if we’re lucky. Heh.”

The smaller man bowed as the cover was let back down. “Very well sir. If this one leaves its cage, I will ensure its recapture and instruct the guards to butcher the Stone Wing.”

As if I’m going to let that happen, Shadow thought. He wasn’t sure he would be able to escape anyway. The poison made simply staying awake draining. The other dragonets seemed to be alright for now, so Shadow let the effects of the poison draw him back into restless sleep.

Shadow soon got into a routine. He would wake every so often either from the whippings or when the poison needed to be replaced. Every time a new bowl of poison was placed in his cage he could feel the sickly sweet scent filling his nostrils and muddling his mind. He constantly felt on the verge of falling asleep, yet the more he took in the less it seemed to affect him. Soon he was taking deep breaths at every stop simply to dull the pain of the whippings.

When he slept, his dreams were of darkness and being trapped under thick murky waves that smelled like poison and were as heavy as molasses. Then he would wake with another headache and the journey would continue.

The caravan passed through forests with birds chirping and open fields where the breeze would sometimes give him a few breaths of fresh air that smelled of grass and wheat. They also passed through bustling cities where the crowds of voices would give Shadow a dull headache even though his mind reading powers had been suppressed by the poison.

After what felt like forever, he woke one morning as the carriage was being prepared to set off and overheard a few of the men talking as they walked past his cage.

“I can never get over just how massive the capital is. We can see it even from here.”

“Yeah, it should take us less than a day to reach it. Then we can finally sell off this precious merchandise and get our hands on that sweet gold. I’m gonna spend my first few nights living it up like a king with a girl in each arm. Heh, heh.”

“Me too. We deserve it after all the trouble we’ve gone through to catch and transport those monsters. You think the boss might give us the whole week?”

“Ha! In your dreams. Once he checks in with the Dark Lord I’m sure we’ll be sent off on another mission. We may not get many breaks, but ever since the Dark Lord took over we’ve never been more profitable. Wish I could meet the guy.”

“You kidding? Last time, the boss came out sporting a new haircut for not bowing fast enough. A ruffian like you goes in there and you’ll come out without a head. Not that there was ever much up there to begin with.”

The two men laughed and bickered as they continued on. Meanwhile, Shadow was trembling. He wasn’t sure if it was due to excitement or fear but the knowledge that his journey was nearing its end had him nervous. He had recently regained his ability to move, though it still felt like he was carrying Boulder on his back, and the poison no longer made him sleepy.

When they started moving again Shadow poked his head out the top of the cage, his soft horns barely squeezing through the bars as he peeked out from under the covering.

The carriage was starting down a hill and spread out below them was an expanse of flat plain that was covered in large rectangles of green and brown. Farmer’s fields larger than any Shadow had ever seen. A few small rivers ran through the plain, feeding the farms and disappearing into the city at its center.

Small buildings spread out into the distance as far as Shadow could see. It felt almost as if the city stretched to the horizon. But in the center was a much grander city, separated from the rest by a thick and tall wall. The inner city had far larger buildings and even from where Shadow was, the outer city looked dingy and dirty in comparison. There were many large structures of all shapes and sizes that Shadow couldn’t recognize, and within that inner city was a palace with its own wall just as impressive as the first.

Even from so far away Shadow was still impressed by the sheer size of the palace. It seemed larger by itself than some of the cities he had flown over on his way to the academy, and it shone white as polished marble. There was also a spiraling tower at one end that rose above everything else in the city. The top of it disappeared into a collection of thick, spiraling clouds that obscured its peak.

His curiosity satisfied, Shadow slumped back down to wait until they arrived. It was agonizing as the carriage made its slow journey to the city. The wood beneath him was irritating his scales but he just couldn’t fall asleep even with the help of the poison. By the end of the day they had arrived at the outskirts of the outer city slums and the boss decided to make camp before entering the city in the morning.

When morning came they set off and Shadow hunkered down as best he could after a fitful sleep the night before. The stench of human filth punched into Shadow’s nose the moment they entered the outer city and overwhelmed even the poison’s sickly smell. The sounds outside were muted and fearful as the carriage passed through. Shadow even heard a few muffled cries of ‘slavers!’ as mothers rushed away with their children.

His powers had also started returning recently and all the voices were giving him a headache. He whined slightly in pain as he clutched his head, folding back his soft horns in a vain attempt to block out all the noise.

As they approached the gate they were stopped and a man came around to inspect everything with the boss. As the two men approached, Shadow kept quiet and tried his best to pretend to be asleep despite his headache.

“Well, I’ll be. You really caught a Night Wing. Thought they were all gone for good. Heh, heh. I’ll provide an escort for ya, no problem. With merchandise this valuable it’s actually better to show it off. If anyone dares try anything, you’ll have at least three groups who will take them out to try and earn your favor. The colosseum, the king’s riders, and the monster market will all be hoping to buy the lot off you. Don’t think about cheating them though. If you sell to more than one buyer it won’t end well for you.”

The large man huffed in reply as they left. “Don’t worry. I’ve got my own buyer. It would take more than their weight in gold for me to sell to anyone else.”

Soon the caravan was moving again, but just before they started moving the covers were taken off the cages. The sunlight was harsh and Shadow had to keep his eyes closed while he adjusted. The airflow also increased and Shadow hurried to cover his nose, almost overwhelmed by the dense scent of human filth all around him. It was enough to make him wonder if they were actually in the sewers rather than the main road.

Shadow’s eyes adjusted and he moved just enough that he could see out the side of the cage as the cart began moving again. He could hardly believe what he was seeing. The road was made of dirty stone and the rest was either packed dirt or muck. Surrounding the wall was a stretch of mud with sharpened wooden stakes facing outward. It was as if they were trying to keep everything out, including the people of the outer city.

Stone walls stretched to the left and right as far as Shadow could see and the gate they were passing through looked tall enough for him to fly through easily without touching the carriages below. The iron bars with spikes hanging overhead were a chilling reminder of his destination.

As they moved further into the city, Shadow couldn’t help but clutch his head as the voices started increasing. He felt as though all the noise was driving rods into his skull. Thankfully, the smell had gotten a lot better. His eyes had fully adjusted now, so he tried admiring the city to distract himself from the pain in his head.

The buildings inside were noticeably better compared to the plain and rotting buildings outside. They seemed to be well maintained but crowded and mazelike. The people were also dressed in far cleaner attire and carried themselves with an air of superiority, except for the slaves of course. It was easy to tell the difference and they were almost as common as the citizens themselves. They kept their heads down even after noticing Shadow meanwhile the rest of the citizens stopped and pointed as more conversations broke out.

The added conversations and the fact they were directed towards him made the pain even worse. Shadow couldn’t help but tremble and hiss slightly in agony. The people quickly moved away in fear and their thoughts pierced Shadow’s mind.

They called him a monster, a demon, a murderer, a disgusting mindless beast. Their insults and accusations stabbed into Shadow’s heart and wounded his soul. He knew that none of it was true and all he wanted was to show them that they were wrong, but he was overwhelmed and couldn’t reply. All he could do was lay in the carriage and cry bitter tears.

Eventually the road opened up and people started noticing him less and less. With a heavy heart Shadow looked out of the carriage once more. Most of the buildings were now distinct and had signs out front but they were moving too quickly for him to identify any of them. Even for the larger temples and uniquely shaped structures he had no idea what they were for or who lived in them. That is, until they drove past a massive structure he recognised from Jarid’s village. Although this one was much larger and more grandiose, with massive banners, carved pictures and statues of mighty warriors.

It was the grand colosseum.

A man dressed in white robes with purple and gold sashes over his shoulders ran out from one of the colosseum's many gates and called for the caravan to stop. Then he commanded the driver of Shadow’s carriage to fetch the leader of their group. The driver quickly obeyed and ran to fetch the boss.

The man in the white robes looked a bit on the plump side and had skin so white Shadow wondered if something was wrong with him. At the same time he also carried an air of authority and superiority far above any of the residents Shadow had seen thus far. He waited impatiently for the boss, who showed up a minute later.

“I am the leader of this caravan and the one who captured these beasts,” the boss announced as he approached. “I see you are of high nobility. For what reason have you stopped us today my lord?”

The man in white robes waited until the boss came and bowed in front of him.

“I am Lord Darius. I am in charge of organizing tournaments for the Red Desert colosseum, and it is for that purpose I have stopped you today. You may stand while we discuss the price for these dragons.”

The boss didn’t stand but rather got on his knees and clasped his hands together in a begging posture.

“My lord! These dragons were captured while on a mission from my superiors to collect more merchandise for us humble traders to sell. If my master were to find out I had sold them, my head would surely roll. Is there any amount of gold that would be worth my life?”

Darius leaned down into his ear and whispered, “Every man has his price. Most aren’t even worth their weight in gold. But for you I’ll make an exception.”

Then he stood and barked out his first offer. “I’ll give you these dragons’ weight in gold if you hand them over for my tournament. I have access to the king's own treasury, wealth is no obstacle.”

But the boss lowered his head even further and whimpered, “Even if you doubled that amount I doubt it would be enough. What value has gold if I can’t spend it?”

“Fine. I’ll double it, and promise to buy your top merchandise in the future as gladiators for the king’s amusement. I can even exempt you from tax within the city if that will sweeten the deal.”

The boss kept his head to the ground but Shadow could see the large, greedy grin that spread across his face. He quickly changed it to a sad and defeated expression as he lifted his gaze.

“Very well. If you refuse to accept my answer I suppose I have no choice but to accept.”

“Hmph! Greedy peasant,” Darius spat. “Bring the dragons to the arena gate. I’ll notify the guards and have your payment ready by this evening.”

The boss bowed and groveled some more as Darius walked away, but as soon as the rich man was out of sight he returned to his usual self.

“Alright boys! We’ve got a new destination. Bring the caravan around and cover up those cages. We’ll be swimming in gold tonight!”

A cheer erupted from the caravan and the men hurried to obey the order. Shadow’s cage was covered and the cart started moving slowly in the direction of the arena. Just outside, Shadow heard the boss walking alongside with one of the other bandit leaders.

“Boss. What are we going to tell the Black Lord? He told us to bring all the dragons we catch to him. If he finds out about this, all our heads will roll.”

The boss laughed. “That scary wizard may run the capital’s underground but he can’t keep track of everyone. He has thousands of caravans just like ours trading all across the country. Besides, I don’t plan on sticking around to see if he finds out. Let one of these fools take over and risk their neck. Once I get my gold, I’m gonna find myself a nice little hamlet where I can live out a carefree life.”

The other bandit laughed too, but his thoughts were so contrary Shadow couldn’t help but hear them even over the deafening thoughts of the crowd around them.

You are the fool if you think you can escape the Dark Lord. He can see right through all lies and his power extends to the furthest reaches of the continent. I can only hope he will accept our gold and your head for this betrayal. Then I can enjoy the perks of leading this caravan myself.

Suddenly the cart dipped sharply with a thud as it went down a ramp. They were now entering the coliseum. Shadow couldn’t see outside but the covering darkened as the sun was left behind. 

He could only hope they would live long enough to see it again