The Serpent's Chains

Cole

Talon's great wings beat the air with low a whump, whump, whump. I sat, legs astride, over his long neck, backside against a ridge at the base of his neck before his wing joints.

The sun sank low on the horizon, streaking the sky with deep oranges and purples. Below us, the forest changed to mountains, then to open fields littered with tents and large weaponry like catapults and battering rams.

The encampment looks good. Talon commented.

They look restless and tired.

He roared in response and circled downward, gliding in slow, lazy circles as he descended from the skies. I grabbed the leather strap on his neck that kept me from falling to my death. These rides to and from the battlefields never seemed long enough.

The ground trembled as Talon landed and several nearby soldiers wavered, knees buckling. A few of them even lost their footing.

I swung my leg over Talon's neck and he raised his front hand, creating a step. I hopped onto the back of his hand and then down to the ground. As soon as my boots sank into the mushy, soft earth, the soldiers all bowed to me.

"Your Highness."

"Sire."

"Prince Cole."

They offered me proper respect as I strode through the rows of tents. My presence stopped everyone in their tracks, from the young boys polishing armor and sharpening weapons to the restless new recruits sparring in the penned-off training field. Even the most seasoned soldiers, who spent their leisure time sitting around campfires drinking mead and missing home, stopped chattering and took notice.

I walked straight through to the command tent at the center of the encampment. Since my last visit, Wyatt had already moved the army to the border of Carsa. Due to the treaty we recently enforced on Avengar, we had the right to set up an army on their lands and press into neighboring nations.

"Tell me what the plan is." I pushed the tent flaps open and strode right up to Wyatt and his table.

He had a map of Carsa laid out with carved wooden pieces symbolizing our different platoons and how they'd attack.

He looked up, brown eyes widening a moment, a smile tugging at his thin lips. "What are you doing here? Didn't your father give you leave after the celebration?"

"I got bored. Besides, I had to dismiss Dulcey and I want as much distance between the two of us until she gets her hooks into someone else."

Wyatt smirked and shook his head. "You're choosing battle over handling a scorned woman?"

"Wouldn't you?"

Wyatt pursed his lips. His eyes darted to the cot in the corner of the tent. He had the largest tent as general of the army but the majority of the space was reserved for planning and meeting with other leaders in the army. His little cot was all he spared for himself.

I followed his gaze and saw the crumbled, messy blankets. There was a stray piece of shoulder armor on the ground by the cot. When I looked back at Wyatt, I noticed he wasn't missing any armor.

"I suppose I don't need you to answer that," I chuckled.

"Do you want to hear about Carsa or do you want to hear about what I've been doing in my downtime?"

"Carsa. Although, I'm certain it is more about who you're doing in your downtime." I smirked and placed my palms on the table, leaning forward just enough to challenge Wyatt.

He sighed and pointed to the wooden figures. "Carsa's military is weak but they have strongholds they can hide behind for months. They were well fortified and the nation's food production is more than enough to keep them supplied for a long time."

"Talon and I can break their defenses."

"Don't be so sure." Wyatt shook his head. "They have three fortresses where their people are hiding out. These fortresses aren't like any we've encountered before. They aren't made of wood or stone. They're carved into the mountainside of this range here."

Wyatt ran his finger along the mountain range and tapped three spots where the fortresses existed.

"You and Talon have many talents but the two of you can't bring down an entire mountain range."

I sighed heavily and flicked one of the wooden figurines over. "We can try."

"It's a waste of energy."

I grunted in agreement. "Can we cut off their food supply? If they're hiding out in the mountains, they'll have to send someone out to restock their supplies."

"I already looked into that. Carsa is a small nation but their ancestors planned well for an attack. There are several underground tunnels that lead to their granaries and smokehouses. Many of them are also hidden in the mountains."

"Well then, that is a problem."

"I've sent out scouts to report back on locations of food stores. Destroying them will be easier than breaking into the fortresses."

"Agreed. Then again, they could always send people out to the fields to harvest crops as needed. With the size of their agricultural domain, we'd never be able to watch all the fields at once." I smiled dryly and picked up the wooden figurine of Talon. I placed him perfectly at the center of the crop fields in Carsa.

Wyatt gave me a long, somber look. "Are you sure?"

"Returning to my father empty-handed isn't an option, is it?"

"He'd understand, given the preparations Carsa has taken to avoid such an attack."

I scoffed. "This is the only way. I'll leave it in your hands to plan the remainder of the attack, focusing on storehouses hidden in the mountains."

Wyatt nodded sharply. "And the people?"

"Once they realize how dire their situation is, they'll come to the negotiation table. We move at dawn."

I left Wyatt's tent and headed back to Talon. Since we came and went so frequently, I never set myself up with a large command tent like Wyatt. Especially on the eve of battle, I preferred sleeping under the stars with Talon.

I don't like this plan, Talon announced when I reached him.

I ran a hand over his large snout and the flat, triangular brow. My fingers traced along the spiked ridge of his eye. His heavy lid drooped and he hummed.

It's the only way. You should hunt tonight, make sure you're at top strength. There are deer in the forest to the south and fire bramble grows by all the rivers.

Fire bramble?

You'll need all the firepower we can muster.

Talon grunted. He stood and shook himself off before launching into the air and gliding away. Of course, Talon had fire breath of his own but the fire bramble would increase his fire's strength, heat, and duration.

For the coming battle, it was necessary.

...

The sun peaked and I was already on my feet getting my boots on and securing Talon's straps.

Go to the edge of the encampment. I'll meet you there. I affectionately slapped Talon on the haunch as he lumbered off.

I met Wyatt for a quick breakfast and to confirm that we had the intel we needed. He showed me where he was sending troops into the mountains and all the food stores they'd uncovered.

"That should be enough to get their attention and weaken their resolve." I nodded, staring at the wooden figure of Talon on the map.

"I doubt they'll notice. Everyone's eyes will be on you and Talon."

"Let's do this."

Wyatt grabbed his sword and left his tent with me. He went to the other leaders of the army and began doling out assignments. I went to Talon. He and I had to get started before the troops were deployed.

I mounted Talon's neck and he rose into the air, beating his wings and kicking up a heavy dust cloud. He soared straight to the heart of Carsa.

Below, I saw miles and miles of grain, corn, and other crops. Acres of grassy fields held grazing livestock like cattle.

Are you ready? I asked Talon, rubbing his neck.

Are you?

I didn't need to answer him. He already knew my thoughts and feelings.

Talon roared. He dove down and opened his mouth, spouting a torrent of fire through one of the major crop fields. I spun my arms over my head, magic sparking at my fingertips. I kicked up a gentle wind. It fanned the flames and spread them from one field to the next.

The flames licked and crackled, ravenously devouring crops and fields.

Talon and I flew to another field and again doused it in flames. I used my elemental magic again to fan the flames and keep them spreading.

We moved onto the grazing pastures, burning them to a crisp, along with the livestock.

Before noon, Talon and I completely decimated the crops and livestock of Carsa.

Head to that mountain stream. It branches off and supplies water to the fortresses.

Talon grumbled his protest but he did as I instructed. He landed heavily at the base of the mountain. I hopped off and ran to the edge of the stream. I dipped my hand in the water and called on my elemental magic again.

The water churned and frothed. When it settled down again, the current reversed, sending water up into the mountains. I manipulated the wind to carry ash from the fires right to the water. It turned the stream black and muddy. They wouldn't risk drinking that water now.

That's it. We'll meet up with everyone else back at camp.

Talon and I flew over Carsa. I looked down at the raging fires that continued to devour and consume everything in their path. I could feel the heat as we flew over, the crackling of flames more like thunder.

We soared close to the mountains and I saw people emerging from the fortresses, probably to investigate the sounds. They hugged each other. I couldn't hear them over the roaring flames but I imagined many of them were crying.

"Carsa's king came out shortly after the fires started waving a white flag," Wyatt told me when we met up at his tent again.

"Good. You can negotiate the terms of their treaty."

"Shouldn't you be part of that? You are the prince."

I shook my head. "I doubt they'll be so agreeable with the man who burned their fields."

"I'll send an update once negotiations have concluded. Sire..." Wyatt trailed off with a heavy sigh.

"There's a reason I'm called the War Dragon, and today, I reminded the world of that."