Free The Flames of Deception - A Horizon of Storms: Book 1 by AJ Martin Page B

never known any wizard to reveal a chink in their armour,” the
king said, belying his surprise.
    “ Perhaps I’m no ordinary wizard?” Matthias suggested, and gestured
with his wine glass to him.
    “ That much is certain,” the king responded. “The
question is whether that is for better or worse.”
    Matthias smiled knowingly. “I can see that I have a good deal
further to go before I earn your trust, Your Grace. The reality is
that we do not have much more time for me to do so.”
    The king took a breath and looked away from him.
He fidgeted where he sat as he pondered. “I am no stranger to the
stories of the dragon’s ability to destroy,” he said. “The
creature’s past and my kingdom’s own fate have been intertwined
since Sikaris reduced the city on which this new Rina is built to
ashes. Four hundred years may have passed since that time, but the
memory of those events has been embedded deeply within my forebears and thus,
myself.”
    Matthias nodded, recalling the tiled depiction of
the End of Days in the palace’s entrance hall: the battle from
which the dragon began his reign of terror. “Too many people from
many civilisations died in those battles,” he said grimly. “But
there was one positive amongst all that death. People from all across
the Triskan continent worked together in a common goal, to stop the Dreadlord Tanzanal
from expanding his reach.”
    The king sniffed. “And we got the dragon in return
for that, didn’t we? The dreadlord couldn’t bear to die un- avenged, seeing all his old enemies
working together to defeat him. So he used his last breaths to
seize the dragon, our ally , and twisted its nature until the creature
was rabid with hate.” He drummed his fingers atop the table. “I
cannot ignore the possibility that Sikaris could return to wreak
more destruction on my people.” Matthias nodded in response. “How
much warning do you think this foretelling has given
us?”
    “ Not
long at all,” Matthias advised. “Perhaps a month or
two.”
    “ Barely any time at all to recall my forces from
across Aralia,” the king murmured. “And even then, if the creature does come here, then what would my
men do against such a beast? It would sear the flesh from their
bones in a heartbeat!”
    “ The first thing you should do is to prepare for
the worst,” Matthias advised. “Shore up any strongholds you have in
Aralia. Gather food and drink there. Prepare for a siege . You should start to make plans to move your people to
safer ground. But I would suggest not making the information
public just yet. People can be dangerous when panicked,” Matthias
instructed.
    “ And that’s it? ” the king asked. “We simply lie low and wait for something
else to happen? For the dragon to leave? To grow old and die? Or until your
people find some way of stopping him again?”
    “ There must be something else we can do to help?” Thadius
asked.
    Matthias took a breath. “Perhaps there is.”
    “ What?” the king asked. “What is it?”
    Matthias looked at him lingeringly, and then with
a start, shook his head. “You… you misunderstand me, Your Grace. Perhaps there is more you can do,
but I am afraid we just don’t know what that is yet. I’m sorry for
the confusion.” He smiled once again. “I haven't spoken Aralian for
many years. My grasp of the nuances of your language is… mixed .”
    "Then the proposal is to prepare to shelter our people and be
on the lookout for the dragon?" Thadius shook his head. "That
doesn’t sound like much of a plan to me.”
    “ You’re free to make you own plans of course,” Matthias
responded. “I was only sent here to warn you, after
all.”
    “ Ambassador, if the dragon is as close to freedom
as you say he is, then it is Olindia that your people should be
warning first,” the king said. “After all, the dragon sits atop a
pillar in their capital city of Crystal Ember, like a hideous great
gargoyle! They will be the first place to be