Finally, when there was not a smudge to be seen on the gleaming wood of his bow, Khollo stood and crept up behind Tarrik, trying to get a look at the shoulder plate he was supposed to be painting. The smith set down his brush almost immediately though and frowned at Khollo.
“Early days yet,” he announced. “You might as well find something else to do, because I won’t have you looking over my shoulder while I work.”
“I’ve polished every weapon I have,” Khollo protested. “What more can I do?”
“Well, you should oil all blades to keep them from rusting,” Tarrik muttered. “And I dare say those leather scabbards and maybe your quiver could use oiling as well.”
“Where – ?”
“Fourth shelf, back corner. You know where the rags and such are.”
Khollo stumped over to the indicated shelf and found a single battered can of oil. The defenders must have taken everything else he had, Khollo thought, amused. He carried the can back to his workstation, picking up a few more rags on the way.
The scabbards and his quiver cleaned up much easier than the blades and bow had. In less than half an hour, Khollo had the leather gleaming and supple, free of dirt and grime. His shoulders and arms ached from his work, and his back was protesting from being hunched over for so long. Khollo stood, a little awkwardly, and moved up beside Tarrik again.
The smith’s tongue was sticking out to one side as he concentrated, a thin brush in one of his massive hands. He made a few more strokes and looked up at Khollo.
“Just needs to dry now,” he announced. “And that won’t take too long. What do you think?”
Khollo looked down at the shoulder plate. In the center of the round piece of gray metal, Tarrik had expertly picked out the stylized dragon. The design was perfectly symmetrical, the wings, tail, and head of the dragon coming within half an inch of the edge of the plate. The green that Tarrik had selected was dark, the color of the forest, and while it lacked the iridescence of Kanin’s scales, it still seemed to shimmer slightly. Around the edge of the symbol was a thin black border, and a thicker black border ran around the edge of the entire shoulder plate.
“It’s perfect,” Khollo said finally. “Much better than I could have done.”
“You like it then?”
“Of course!”
“Good,” Tarrik said, obviously relieved. “I’ve done this for a fair number of warriors over the years. Every now and then I have a man who can’t make up his mind and I spend an entire morning painting symbols on armor.”
Khollo laughed sympathetically. “Well, I won’t keep you from your other work any longer. Thank you, Tarrik. My armor feels complete now.”
“Wear it with pride,” Tarrik told him with a smile. “If you and Kanin fight as well as I think you can tomorrow, then the vertaga will be fleeing from that symbol before too long.”
“They should,” Khollo murmured, gathering his weapons. “They will either flee, or they will burn.”
Chapter 46
Khollo spent the afternoon resting by the north gate with Kanin. The dragon had already been sleeping when Khollo returned from his visit to the smithy, and Khollo was not about to wake him just to show him the new symbol on his armor. So, instead, Khollo sat down with his back against Kanin and dozed, waiting for the battle to begin.
Nothing happened during the afternoon, so Khollo risked leaving Kanin long enough to fetch dinner from the kitchens in the fortress above. There was no news among the kitchen staff, no report that Janis was looking for him. Feeling thoroughly bored with all of this waiting, Khollo retreated to the north gate and found Kanin was awake and watching the soldiers file past his resting place on their patrol.
Nothing has been heard of the vertaga? Kanin asked when he saw Khollo approaching.
Khollo shook his head and flopped down beside the dragon. Nothing.
Kanin rustled his wings irritably. I hate waiting, he grumbled, laying his head on an outstretched foreleg.
“You and me both,” Khollo muttered aloud.
But it seemed they were destined to wait a little longer yet. They sat there all through the evening and no alarm was sounded, no message sent to prepare for imminent battle. Khollo and Kanin talked among themselves periodically, but eventually, around midnight, Khollo gave up and went to sleep again.
If there’s a battle, there will be an alarm, Khollo reasoned. That should wake us up.
Kanin snorted, fire flickering briefly in his nostrils. They better wake us up. I’ve waited too long for this battle to sleep through it.
The night passed uneventfully though, and when the two Keepers woke at dawn, there was still no sign of the enemy. Khollo stretched and looked around, more than a little disappointed they had not been called to action yet.
I guess I’ll check in with Janis, he said to Kanin, looking up at the fortress above.
Is it possible that we delayed the vertaga that badly? The dragon wondered.
I don’t know, Khollo replied. I sense the battle is coming though, and soon.
Good, Kanin replied, snorting. I am ready.
Khollo grinned and headed for the main fortress. Only soldiers were moving around this morning, patrolling the corridors and relieving those who had been on duty all night. Khollo passed a dozen squads in the underground levels alone.
In the keep, things were different. Kitchen staff, armorers, and smiths were all hard at work already. Several squads were eating in the main hall when Khollo arrived. He passed through without stopping and climbed the spiraling stairs up to the council chamber. There were no guards on duty and
