Free Omensent: Revealing the Dragon (The Dragon Lord Series) by Barry Gibbons Page B

their goodbyes, then stared at one another for several long moments, until, with a heavy sigh, Damion climbed up into his saddle with Leia, and nudged the massive warhorse with his heels.
    "Snowfeather," The huge warrior called out silently to his familiar. "We're heading out."
    "Where are we going?" The huge snow owl appeared from one of the upper windows of the keep, then glided gracefully down to settle upon Damion's shoulder.
    "South. We need to bring word to the Deola n Council about the Etazk."
    "You're going to visit the Deolan Council?" The huge snow owl hooted hesitantly. "Are you sure that's a good idea? You didn't really get along that well during your last visit."
    "We really don't have any choice. Without the tribesmen, we don't stand a chance against the Etazk ."
    They quickly made their way through the sleepy mountain town, passing the occasional local who had risen early to prepare for the day, and through the massive battlements which protected Sevria from the untamed wilds of the Godstear Mountains, then set off towards the south with Snowfeather circling high overhead to keep a watch for any dangers.
    "Are you sure you would n't rather try riding for a while?" Damion asked Slither, watching as the huge shadowspawn trotted along side of their horses with surprising grace.
    "Nay." Slither hissed with a shake of his head. "SSSlither can move much further and fassster than a horssse."
    "Suit yourself." The huge warrior shrugged. "Just let me know if you need to stop for a while to rest and catch your breath ."
    It took them ten days to finally emerge into the foothills that bordered the Godstear Mountains. They made good time as they hurried along the well maintained trade road, passing the occasional caravan of wagons that were slowly making their way north towards Sevria. They stopped every evening and set up camp in one of the fortified encampments that had been constructed along the trade route by the crews that maintained the road, then continued their journey again early each morning, eager to reach the grasslands of the nomadic Deola.
    It was late evening when they finally reached the outskirts of Crete, which was one of the closest settlements south of the Godstear Mountains. They quickly made their way into town, and set off in search of a suitable inn in which to rest for the evening.
    Damion drew the usual amount of attention as they passed by the locals, many of whom stared openly at the huge warrior, although there were a few more gasps of surprise and fear than usual as the townspeople spotted Slither, who remained close to Damion and Leia's side.
    "Well, so far so good." Sly grumbled to Slither, who was busy watching the locals closely for any signs of aggression. "There isn't any torch bearing mobs following behind us."
    "You are not funny." Slither hissed to the little man.
    "Just relax." Damion told the huge shadowspawn. "No one is going to bother you as long as you are with us."
    "But make sure you are ready to run if you see a bunch of torches heading your way." Sly snorted in amusement.
    Slither stopped in his tracks, then turned and fixed the little man with a flat stare. "You are ssstill not funny."
    "Knock it off, Sly." Leia told the scruffy little man in a commanding tone. "He's nervous enough as it is."
    The rustle of feathers drew Damion's attention to Snowfeather, who was circling overhead. "We're going to stop here for the evening." He informed his familiar silently. "Do you think I could persuade you to do your hunting in the grasslands tonight? We need to locate Bativa's clan as quickly possible so we can alert him to what is happening."
    "I'll see what I can do," Snowfeather chirped, tilting one wing, and heading off towards the south. "but I'm not making any promises. The grasslands are fairly extensive, and there's really no telling where they may be."
    They quickly located a well maintained inn near the center of town and went inside to purchase rooms for the night.
    "Good