Dragon Alliance: Rise Against Shadow Read Online Free PDF Page B

and slid to the ground, holding Michen firmly. As he carried Michen over to the stable master and his halfling assistants, Gallanth stood up and turned toward the corral. The stable master made a motion to his crew, who went scrambling into the meat storage cold room. He looked up at Gallanth and yelled, “We have three seasoned steer halves for you, Master Dragon.”
    “I have faith in your culinary skills sir,” Gallanth responded.
    It always amazed Mkel how much respect Gallanth could command in spite of his gentle reputation, although it was hard not to respect a forty-five-yard-long gold dragon. Gallanth only used a loud commanding voice in battle, when speaking to the Weir garrison and regiment, or when he spoke at a public gathering. Otherwise, his deep voice was gentle to the ear; however, his roar could shake the Weir mountain to its very foundation. This tremendous sound could instill horror in enemy formations while eliminating any fear in the soldiers of the regiment. Other dragons had fearsome roars, but Gallanth’s had a deeper, more commanding quality.
    When he was fighting chromatic dragons, they would often roar curses or insults at each other in Draconic, the language of dragons, which only dragonriders, scholarly wizards, and clerics could understand (it was very difficult to master, being literally a living language. The reader has to know the intent or emotion of the words). Chromatics, especially red dragons, were relatively easy to goad, being very vain and usually overconfident. Gallanth sent many a red spiraling to their death after foolishly engaging him in battle. Gallanth’s spell casting ability was much greater than a red’s, which is mostly fire based, as well as his two breath weapons and unique sunburst beams. Gallanth was also stronger, faster, and definitively more intelligent than any chromatic. Added to this was the power of Mkel’s crossbow, Markthrea , with its mithril-tipped and exploding bolts, coupled with incredible range, blinding speed, and accuracy; red dragons did not have much of a chance.
    As Gallanth and the stable master conversed, Mkel was thinking of the trip to Battle Point coming up and the potential to face the chromatic dragons. Their ancestral enemy depended on sheer numbers when engaging the Alliance metallic dragons for any hope of victory. While almost never allowing themselves to be ridden, they did occasionally permit a powerful Morgathian warlord, death knight, or Talon sorcerer to mount them. This was only done for mutual benefit, and even then they were not blood bonded. This did not make them as effective as the metallics and their riders, for even though both were powerful, they would fight individually and not as a well-coordinated team. Mkel knew that the bonding with a human rider made a metallic dragon’s powers greatly enhanced; enabling it to cast more powerful spells and recharge their breath weapons at a much faster rate. This was their major advantage, along with the inherent teamwork that went with a rider and dragon.
    The halflings and human butchers wheeled out three slightly cooked steer halves, all sprinkled with a special seasoning. “Thank you for your efforts,” Gallanth said and lowered his head while opening his immense jaws, exposing his huge teeth and biting down on one of the steer halves. It was crushed in his powerful jaws and swallowed quickly. Mkel knew the power of Gallanth’s bite, for he had witnessed those same razor-sharp, gargantuan fangs rend fire and ice giants to pieces and tear into the hides of chromatic dragons with little trouble.
    “I greatly appreciate the fine job you do, Jern,” Mkel told the stable master.
    “Anything for you and Gallanth,” he replied. “He has saved us all time and time again.”
    It was always nice to hear the appreciation for his dragon, for there was a growing antimilitary movement in the major cities in the Alliance, with a distinct hatred for the dragons. These groups were