Dragon Alliance: Rise Against Shadow by J. Michael Fluck Read Free Book Online Page A

When he finished, he walked back up to Gallanth’s ledge and put his crossbow on the wall outside his living quarters.
    “Wake up, my friend. We will be taking the brief from Lupek and Deless in a short time,” Mkel said to his sleeping dragon. “I am awake, my rider. We can go down to the Weir grounds together, and good shooting by the way,” he replied as he stretched his massive front and back legs, jingling the gold and silver coins that made up his bedding. The powerful muscles on his fore and hind legs even showed through his armored hide.
    “We will also need to take a flight over the training field before the leaders meeting tonight, just to make sure all the preparations are ready,” Gallanth added. “Have you talked to Silvanth yet about her role in the exercise?” Mkel inquired. “Yes, she will be happy to comply, but she is getting close to mating,” replied Gallanth. “Then she will be more aggressive for the exercise, and I will feel better about the trips to Battle Point, Draconia, and Freiland that are coming up,” Mkel concurred. “Yes, it will be a busy couple of weeks, plus I feel the information we will be getting from Lupek will verify the nagging feeling I’ve been having about a growing threat to the east in the mountains and beyond. I cannot pinpoint it, but I know something is brewing there,” Gallanth added. “We will see, my friend, but we better get down to the planning room, for we don’t want to be late for our own meeting,” Mkel said.
    With that, Mkel grabbed his riding jacket, took his heavy equipment belt and sword, and slung his crossbow over his back. He jumped up on Gallanth’s arm, who then raised him up to his neck; he threw the equipment onto the flying rig and harness situated between two of Gallanth’s back ridge plates. Gallanth rose up on all fours and lumbered over to the edge of his landing, where he sprang into the air. He gently sailed to the far edge of the Weir’s lake and landed with a swirl of dust as he back winged. Mkel slid off of Gallanth’s neck onto his arm and was lowered back to the ground, still carrying all of his equipment. He and Gallanth then walked over to the Weir garrison’s headquarters. The meeting room held over fifty people, and it had a large opening so Gallanth could lay his head down and face into the big room to participate in the discussions.
    Mkel stowed his gear in his planning room, with the exception of his sword, and took his notes to his seat on the huge U shaped table. He placed the notes and sketches he made for the exercise tomorrow on the large oaken table in front of his chair. Gallanth lay down in his normal position so his immense head rested on the ground in front of the thirty-foot opening to the meeting chamber and filled in the top of the U shaped table that faced him from inside the room. I believe Ordin is approaching from the lower corridor , Gallanth said to Mkel telepathically.
    Gallanth’s foresight (his ability to see into the near future) always amazed Mkel. On many an occasion, this ability saved their lives, as well as the lives of thousands that he and his dragon protected. This ability was the bane of their enemies in battle; it always kept any foes from succeeding in a surprise attack. Only gold dragons had this ability. Silver dragons had limited foresight ability, as did brass dragons (to an even lesser degree). This still gave them an advantage over their chromatic counterparts, however.
    Sure enough, within seconds Mkel heard the heavy footsteps of a dwarf approaching from the corridor at the far end of the council room that leads from the lower levels of the Weir and the home of the dwarf clan that reside there. Ordin was their leader and one of their toughest fighters. He was the dwarf entrusted by Gallanth to receive Donnac, the dragonstone-powered war hammer made of solid mithril. Its ruby dragonstone mounted on the top gives the war hammer the power of thunder and lightning. Ordin could