Dragonia: Rise of the Wyverns: An Epic Fantasy Dragon Novel (Dragonia Empire Book 1)
Dragonia: Rise of the Wyverns – Chapter 6

Captain Vesryn strolled into the camp, his silver cape fluttering in the breeze behind him. Ten dragonriders stood at attention as he walked the thin path between them. He stopped at the end and turned around, studying each of the men. They were hard warriors, good men. And they’d been scouting the land for the traitors.

“I do not need to remind you how important it is that we replace these traitors.” Vesryn watched his men’s expressions. “We have been tasked by the general with bringing in these scoundrels. If we fail, we’re to report directly to the emperor. We mustn’t fail.”

The other dragonriders gulped.

“Leave no rock unturned. We’ll stay at camp for another day waiting on correspondence from our other riders before we separate and continue our search.”

Flapping wings broke Captain Vesryn’s concentration. None of his dragonriders should have been returning so soon. They’d been told to return the following day with any news. If one found the traitors, they were supposed to send word … but not return. A blue dragon and its rider descended into the camp. He did not recognize the beast or the man. Vesryn had never seen a blue dragon before. He’d thought all dragons were red.

The captain stood at attention with his hands crossed behind his back as the man climbed off his dragon and approached. He wasn’t part of the Dragonia Empire army. His armor was mismatched, like it’d been taken off several different men. The man walked straight toward Vesryn, not bothered by the ten dragonriders standing at attention.

He withdrew a parchment, which he handed over, disdain clear on his face.

Vesryn grabbed the parchment as he looked up and down at the man. “Who are you?”

“My name is Derkas.”

“The mercenary?” Vesryn snarled.

“I see you’ve heard of me.” Derkas smirked.

Vesryn unrolled the parchment. When he finished reading, his fists clenched and he crumpled the letter in his hands. “We don’t need aid from a bloody mercenary. We are doing just fine on our own.”

“So you’ve found the traitors then?” Derkas asked.

“Not yet.” The grinding sound of his teeth could almost be heard by the furthest dragonrider.

Derkas raised a brow. “Progress?”

The ten dragonriders stared at Vesryn, their fingers twitching over their sword hilts. “The general seems to think we’re in need of aid from this mercenary. I have orders to discuss our plans with him, and give him anything else he … requires.”

“Do you have any progress?” Derkas challenged.

“We have ten dragonriders out scouting the nearby villages from Dundair down to Kaedur.”

“Could the villagers have traveled that far already?”

“Not likely. We’re concentrating most of our efforts on these northern villages.”

“Good. Let me know if you replace anything.”

“As you wish.” Vesryn rubbed the pommel of his sword.

“What are your plans once you replace them?” Derkas asked.

“Take them to the general. I’ll let him decide.”

Derkas nodded.

A bird flew over the horizon toward them. Everyone turned their attention to the lone pigeon with a small piece of paper tied to its foot. The captain turned around and held out his arm. He fished in his pocket for some seeds to give to the bird. The pigeon gratefully ate out of his hand as Vesryn pulled the piece of paper from its leg. After reading the note, he dropped the rest of the birdseed on the ground.

“Prepare the camp. We’re leaving,” he instructed his men.

“What is it?” Derkas asked.

Vesryn scowled as he tossed the note at Derkas’s feet.

Derkas knelt to snatch the note and read it.

Found traitors. Captured. Kaed. Awaiting orders.

Derkas pressed his lips together as he handed the note back to the captain.

Vesryn spat on the ground. “As it turns out, we don’t need you. I told you I had everything under control.”

“Do you now?” Derkas whispered.

Vesryn turned away from the mercenary. “Come on, men, snap to it. Take down the tents, pack up your belongings. We leave tonight.”

“Should we send a message to the general?” a dragonrider asked.

“No. Not until I have them in my custody.”

“As you wish.”

Vesryn strode to his tent. It was time to take it down. He organized all the stakes in a pile and carefully rolled the fabric tight, packing it in a bag along with the stakes. Vesryn kept his possessions in pristine condition and well organized, something he didn’t trust his men to do for him. Once everything was in a neat pile, he turned around. He wondered if the mercenary planned to travel with them. Since he received direct orders from the general, he needed to make sure the traitors were indeed captured. Vesryn did not look forward to having a mercenary watch his back. At least his mission was nearly complete. He scanned the camp. Everyone was busy tearing the camp down and organizing the supplies. Derkas was nowhere in sight. One of his men walked past him. Vesryn reached out and grabbed the dragonrider’s arm.

“Where is the mercenary?”

The man’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t know, Captain.”

Vesryn strode over to his other men and cleared his throat. “Has anyone seen where the mercenary went?”

All of the men looked to each other, then glanced around the camp and back to their captain.

The mercenary was gone. Vesryn cursed under his breath. There was a reason he didn’t trust mercenaries. “Finish packing. We need to leave at once.”