Omensent: Wrath of a Dragon God by Barry Gibbons Page B

tribesmen wordlessly split off into groups to take up their positions.
Bativa and several dozen of his warriors joined Damion, Raven, Dar, and Shirk as they approached from the rear.
Damion sent Snowfeather ahead to scout the area, then they all waited for him to report back. It wasn't long before the huge owl returned, ghosting in from the darkness on silent wings. "They don't have any idea of what's about to happen." He hooted, settling gently on Damion's shoulder. "The men have mostly settled in for the evening."
"How many are there?" Damion asked silently.
"More th an I could count." Snowfeather chirped, preening his feathers absently. "Several hundred, at least."
"Where are the horses located?"
"On the east side of the plantation. There is a large wooden fence around the corral. You'll have to do something about that if you wish to frighten off their horses."
"What's Snowfeather have to say?" Raven a sked curiously. She had her bow and several quivers of arrows at the ready.
"They're not expecting us." Damion smiled, slipping down from Storm's broad back.
"How many are there?" Dar asked, his face anxious.
"More than he could count." He handed one of Bativa's warriors the great warhorse's reins, then turned to leave.
"Where are you going?" Bativa asked in bafflement.
Damion stopped. "I'm going to take care of their horses. I'll be back in a moment." He quickly shifted into the form of a panther, then slipped off into the darkness.
"By the gods!" Bativa exclaimed, staring out into the darkness after him. He turned to look at Raven, his eyes slightly wild. "Does he always do thing s like that?"
Raven nodded with a laugh. "You get used to it after a while."
They all turned to stare out into the night, impatiently awaiting Damion's return.
 
 
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Damion quickly made his way through the night towards the dark plantation. He easily located the extensive corral, which was filled mostly with ponies and weary old plow horses, and quickly made his way towards the fence forming the large enclosure.
He froze suddenly as a pair of Faldor's men, who were patrolling the area with torches, appeared from behind an outbuilding and started in his direction. He slowly retreated back into the shadows and waited for them to pass, then once they were out of sight, he crept forward on silent paws until he reached the corral.
He sat down for a moment while he considered his options. The fence surrounding the corral had been constructed from heavy timber harvested from the hardwood forests that dotted the valleys throughout the neighboring mountains, and completely encircled the horses. The only gate leading in and out was located on the far side of the pen, directly next to the area a number of the mercenaries had decided to set up camp.
After thinking it over for several moments, he finally shifted back into his normal form, and laid one hand upon the fence. Drawing in his magic, he focused it heavy wooden beams, which instantly began to crumble into dust.
He turned, shifting into the form of a panther once again, then quickly made his way back through the darkness to others.
Bativa let out a muffled yelp of surprise as he suddenly materialized from the night and resumed his normal form. "Good gods, man! Can't you warn us before you do things like that?"
Damion chuckled as he climbed back into his saddle.
"What's happening with the horses?" Raven asked quietly. "Why didn't you frighten them off?"
"There was a heavy fence around the corral that I had to remove before I could deal with horses." He nudged Storm into a walk, leading everyone slowly forward until the edge of the corral was in view.
"The fence is still standing!" Bativa exclaimed in surprise. He turned to look at Damion. "I thought you said that you had taken care of it."
"Don't worry." He assured the clan chief. "You may want to tell your men to keep a tight rein on their horses, though."
The huge tribesman stared at him suspiciously. "You're about to do something...