Chapter 8
The Battle of The Vaes
Flys. The horrible buzzing was hanging around the soured bodies, impaled limply upon the wooden spikes. The sun had risen and set three times since the Dothraki were put there and Riuk stood at the head of an army of fifty thousand Drakon warriors. All were dressed in leather harnesses and straps with Black warpaint covering their whole bodies. Swords and sharp looking axes were already unsheathed and being flexed in anticipation.
Most of the Drakon, including Riuk, also wore nasty looking metal helmets in the shape of human and cow skulls. The mighty dragon, Xana was relaxed. Her front legs crossed over with her enormous head looking directly at Riuk, waiting, waiting. Then all of a sudden a scout with a cow skull helmet came sprinting out of the gorge and ran to Riuk. Gasping for breath. "They come your majesty.. A Dothraki army of thousands is led by Khal Pono and marches toward the Vaes gorge" The scout leaned over spluttering as he caught his breath "It looks like the strategy worked your majesty" "Indeed it does, Scout? what is your name?" The scout looked up and bowed his head respectfully "Jubai, Your Majesty" Riuk walked toward him, his gear and harness lightly clinking as he walked, Riuk lifted up the small visor of his human skull helmet and placed a hand on Jubai's shoulder. "Well Jubai..you are about to be involved in a mighty battle. A battle that will be known to history and I am going to mention you in my recollection of it when we return" Jubai looked humbled "I am honoured mighty one..With your permission I will return to my duties now".
Riuk nodded and Jubai spun round and ran up the side hill of the gorge. Riuk did the same but then looked back at his army spreading his arms and yelling his voice loud "Mighty warriors of the Drakon! Today will be remembered as a day when the strong rise above the weak, when boy becomes man, when lizard becomes a dragon! And Dothraki becomes dead!" The army roared in triumph and stamped there feet and weapons on the ground rhythmically. "Hold no fear or mercy in your hearts, for the Dothraki have none of it! So sharpen the axe, the sword and the arrow and soak it upon this day with Dothraki blood!" Another even louder roar sounded and the Drakon began to chant 'Mao', The Drakon word for death, whilst at the same time continuing to stamp down upon the ground with a hypnotic rhythm. "Archers to your positions!" shouted Riuk, walking to Xana and climbing onto her back. Dragon armed with bows thundered up the left side of the gorge. "Lancers, soak your spears and hold this entrance! The Dothraki do not pass it!" Drakon warriors, with terrifying looking masks and armed with vicious looking barbed spears stepped forward and each dipped them into a large caldron of poison. The liquid inside stained the spear heads pitch black. "Main infantry!" Riuk then called out, still sitting astride Xana, but urged her forward to walk in front of the main fighting force. "The most difficult task, I leave for you brave men is to drive the bulk of the Dothraki army straight into the waiting lancers and trap them inside the gorge!" Xana walked forward a few paces, her powerful leg muscles flexing as she shook her mighty head and let out small agitated chirping sounds. Riuk smiled and put his skeletal helmet visor down. "Xana is eager for the taste of Dothraki flesh! So she and I will support you!" cheers and warcrys from the infantry force sounded. "Archers as soon as the Dothraki enter the Gorge open fire! As for the rest of you let us put fear in their hearts! Sound the War Horn!". With that final word Xana speed her mighty wings and launched into the air, as a Drakon warrior with black warpaint covering his entire upper body blew into a large spiralling horn which sounded a deafening blast. The Drakon charged forwards.
The rush of the wind through Riuk's helmet made his eyes water but Xana eventually stopped climbing upwards and started to glide downwards. The breathtaking beauty of the surrounding countryside tugged at Riuk's heartstring and he thought of his father, Lala, Shenzi and all the others who had suffered at the hands of the Dothraki. His moment of reflection was soon transformed into one of pure rage and hatred when, sure enough out from behind a large hill came the Dothraki horde. Riuk looked down at his own warriors charging across the plain toward them. From up in the air, Riuk could see his plan work beautifully. The main bulk of the Dothraki, led by a single horsemen at the front, no doubt Khal Pono, seemed to retreat into the false high ground of the gorge. "Xana!" shouted Riuk "Burn them! Burn them all!" Xana did not need to be told twice. Riuk was suddenly lurched forward into a speeding dive toward the ground. Riuk rested his head near to Xana's back to avoid the wind but even past the loud whistling of the air around him, Riuk made out the faint screams of terror and the Dothraki shouting in their filthy language, the word for Dragon, no doubt. Xana eventually slowed down enough for Riuk to sit up and gaze at the battle around him a jet of orange flames shot out of Xana's mouth and engulfed several Dothraki in a fiery glow. Riuk looked down at the ground only about fifteen feet away and shouted "Xana to the ground!" Xana obeyed pushing with her wings downwards and landed on two Dothraki crushing them beneath her powerful claws. Riuk jumped off her back and another Dothraki came screaming toward him. Riuk quickly unsheathed his large knife and throwing axe. Dodging the curved blade intended for his neck. The Dothraki screamed again but his warcrys were cut off when his upper torso dissapered into Xana mouth. The body was then violently shaken around until it was finally severed in two. The blood soaked legs flying to the left and the upper half spat out to the right and disappeared. Riuk held his axe high into the air and shouted "Mao!". His yell carried off into the wind but the Drakon now surrounding him echoed in unison "Mao!, Mao!, Mao!" and continued to push.
The battle raged on. bodies of Drakon and Dothraki alike were being bled on all fronts, Riuk and the Drakon were slowly achieving victory. The lancers had done their job well and were holding the exit from the gorge that the Dothraki would have taken. The black poison almost immediately began jabbed into the bodies of the fleeing Dothraki began to almost instantly rot the skin of the affected area turning a hideous dead, black colour and the Dothraki affected were violently vomiting up blood and bile as a result of touching it. Then being bombarded with Arrows flying from the sides of the gorge. Riuk after removing his axe from the forehead of an unfortunate Dothraki looked up and saw Khal Pono. Tall, dark and covered in blood, holding up the trophy of a Drakon warrior he had undoubtably beheaded. An enormous blade, almost three times the size of a normal Dothraki Arakh was clutched in his fist and he throw the head away and looked straight at Riuk. Almost in slow motion the two began to run toward each other, each hungering for the others blood. Riuk gave a shrill war cry and throw his throwing axe at Pono who effortlessly deflected it with his huge two handed Arakh. Riuk then gripped his large sharp knife tightly and continued to run. The Khal's blade came crashing down, Riuk acted nimbly and ducked underneath it. The blade thudded into the dirt and flung up the earth in all directions. Riuk seized his chance and sliced at the back of Pono's calf muscle. Like butter the blade sank effortlessly into the flesh and blood spurted out. Furious, Pono yelled out in pain and rage and swung the blade meekly behind him. Riuk merely kicked the blade away and sank his knife into Pono's chest. Pono's eyes grew wide in shock and he gasped. Riuk then proceeded to pick up his axe, grip tightly onto Pono's hair and with two hacks and and a huge eruption of blood, The Khal's head came away in Riuk's grasp.
Riuk stopped a passing Drakon captain and yelled over the murderous sounds of battle "Put this where these horse fuckers can see it! When they see it they will run!" The captain vanished into the thick of the clanging and blood filled struggle. Xana let out a mighty roar and Riuk spun round to see a spear perturbing from her neck. To his horror he realised it was a Drakon spear dipped in black poison. The Dothraki were breaking through the gap plugged by the lancers and one Dothraki had no doubt managed to use the spear of one to impale Xana. The huge dragon fell to the ground with a loud crash and many Dothraki yelled out in triumph. Riuk's heart skipped a beat and he wandered blindly through the mass of severed limbs and carnage toward Xana's fallen body. Riuk fell down next to her and caressed her head as she let out short weak whimpers. He looked at her wound. Her tough, scaly silver skin was slowly starting to turn an unhealthy dark grey. Xana let out one final shuddering breath and her large eyes glazed over.
Riuk's heart felt empty and he dropped her head in a mixture of shock and grief. He stood up dazed and pulled the spear from her body and dithered from sided to side before a Dothraki came screaming behind him. Then all of a sudden Riuk roared. He yelled out his fury, his grief his pure hatred of the Dothraki and, spinning round like lightning rammed the spear right into the Dothraki's belly which burst out the other side. Riuk let go and the Dothraki fell with a sickly thud to the ground his skin turning a bruised black. Still dazed and confused Riuk gripped his axe and looked around. though his vision was slightly blurred and his ears were slightly rising he could make out something on a spear which looked like the head of Pono dangling high above the gorge. Dothraki began to run past Riuk. Retreating as they conceded their defeat. Suddenly a loud call sounded behind Riuk "NO!" then searing, explosive jolt of pain in his lower back and suddenly a blade emerged out the left side of his pelvis. Blood spurted out and Riuk fell to his knees as the Dothraki responsible ran past him laughing. "NO!" shouted the voice again. Then emerging from the fleeing Dothraki and charging Drakon came Eskaar, Running with all his might toward Riuk axe drawn back and launching it forward. The sharp nimble blade whisked through the air and landed with a fleshy thud into the Dothraki's back. He fell to the ground and moved no more. Riuk's body began to feel very weak and cold. He fell backwards but something stopped him. It was Eskaar his hands catching Riuk as he fell and lowered him gently to the ground. "Well...y-you sure took your time" said Riuk as he coughed up blood. Eskaar, supporting Riuk's head looked down at his nephew and said "Im sorry...Im so, so sorry nephew" Tears reflected in Eskers eyes as he placed his face close to his nephew's. "You are the bravest Drakon I have ever known" said Eskaar. "Your father would be proud of you". A Dothraki suddenly flew past them and an arrow whizzed through the air and planted its sharp head into the back of the dark skinned head.
Even in Riuk's weekend state his heart sank and he spluttered "f-father is go..." "I know" said Eskaar overlapping Riuk's words. "They told me everything when I returned to the mountain and they said you had set off to fight the Dothraki" Eskaar looked around. rivers of bloody bodies littered the ground all around him and the Drakon were now running past them in peruse of the Dothraki. "You have victory my king" said Eskaar smiling "Y-you have victory" Riuk spluttered up more blood "Take care of them..." he whispered. Riuk's pupils dilated and his body grew limp. Tears fell silently down Eskaar's cheeks as he placed his forehead on his nephews and whispered back "Journey well, my King".