Chapter 29

Ember is hugging the treetops and Christopher's blue eyes are watering up something fierce as he tries to see the world below. Just when Christopher believes he might see something they are gone beyond all visual range.

Christopher's sandy blonde hair and clothes are blowing with great force in the wind. He is so intent on finding Gabby that he doesn't even notice the fact that his face and hands have gone numb from the cold. Just then a big tree that is sticking up out of the forest twenty paces higher than any of the other trees looms before them and Ember pulls up hard to miss it.

Christopher grunts from the sudden quick change in direction, but as they get higher Christopher notices something off to their left. "Ember!"

"Yes, Christopher."

"Off to our left I think I saw a caravan going through the forest."

"Okay, hang on." Just then Ember banks hard left and backtracks while going to their left. Ember, with the better eyesight and hearing, says, "I hear them. I will land in front of them and we will surprise them."

Christopher isn't sure about surprising anybody with a gargantuan dragon on hand, but the thought of seeing Abby again gets his heart pumping, and feeling in his face and hands again.

"Here they come!" Christopher can hear the wagons rolling along now.

As the trail is winding through the forest, Christopher and Ember have positioned themselves just on the other side of a clearing so when they step out to confront the slave caravan the enemy will be in the open and less likely to try and hurt the slaves.

As the enemy soldiers, the four wagons, and the one dark priest are in the open Christopher steps out of the forest and commands, "Stop!"

The dark priest draws his sword as he chuckles at the insolent youngster and says, "By whose command?"

"The Dragon King's."

"You are the Dragon King?"

"Yes."

"Prove it!" Just then Ember steps out of the thick forest and roars with power and persuasion. Of course, when Ember is pushing his way out of the forest a tree falls over and lands on the dark priest.

As hard as he might, Christopher cannot stop himself from laughing, smiling and shaking his head in wonder.

Christopher draws his sword and points it at the enemy soldiers and says, "Drop your weapons or die." The eight soldiers turn north and ride off at top speed. "Ember, find them and kill them."

"As you command, Dragon King."

As Ember is chasing the enemy soldiers down, Christopher goes and releases the prisoners in the four wagons. Once again they are all young women and girls.

As Christopher is unlocking the last of the wagons, a little girl from the first wagon comes over to him and says, "Are you really the Dragon King?"

"That I am, little darling. Have you heard of me before?"

"Oh yes, everybody was saying that the Dragon King had freed our country."

After Christopher releases the last of the people he can tell Gabby is not among them. "Can anybody here tell me what is happening? I mean my queen is supposed to be in a slave caravan heading towards Aden or Quadral."

It is a thirteen-year-old brunette with hazel eye named Lisa that comes up to him and says, "My name is Lisa, sir, and as soon as the dark priests got word that the Dragon King and his allies won the major battle, they immediately started filling up all the wagons and leaving in a hurry. There were about ten slave caravans. We were the last one to leave."

"Well, Lisa, thank you for the information. I have to continue my journey now, but is there anyone who can lead this caravan back to Hisperia?"

"Yes, our King, I will make sure to get us back home safely."

"Thank you." Christopher says hugging her. "What is your name?"

"I'm Helen, sire."

Just then Ember lands in the clearing. Christopher runs towards Ember and jumps up on him, and just before they fly away he says, "Well, Helen, it has been a great honor to meet you. Get our girls back home." Then Ember throws himself into the sky and starts heading east towards Aden.

This time Ember flies a little higher so they can see better. They make several more stops because they see black smoke spiraling skyward, but all they find is allied dragons and wizards surrounding recently freed slave caravans. Each time Christopher lands to see if Gabby is amongst them. Each time the dragons of grace and the wizards and witches of grandeur agree to escort them home to safety.

At last Ember and Christopher are flying towards the massive river that separates much of Aden from Venloring. Christopher also notices the road they are flying over is the one that leads to the capital of Aden and where the bazaar was. Right where the bazaar was before most of it got burned down when Christopher and his new friends were making their escape, they find another slave caravan.

As they are coming upon the scene they can see forty dragons fighting in the sky above the caravan and above the capital city of Aden, Torrent.

"Ember, put me on the ground and then help your brethren."

"Christopher, there appears to be a great many enemy soldiers down there."

"Ember!"

Ember sighs and says, "Yes, my King, at once."

Ember flies near the caravan and blast a whole group of enemy soldiers. As they are screaming in horror and the other soldiers are running towards a better hiding place, Ember pulls up hard and just as his feet are touching down Christopher slides down the back of Ember and hits the ground rolling.

Christopher grunts from the impact, but quickly gets to his feet with sword drawn. Ember takes back off, but instead of immediately going to help his brethren dragons, he makes another two passes at the enemy soldiers who are now all running towards the walled city of Torrent.

Now that there are only dragons fighting nearby, some in the sky and some on the ground, Christopher runs over to the first wagon and with his sword breaks the lock. He looks around for Gabby, but does not see her. He goes to the second of six wagons and still does not see her.