Cutting the head of the snake

After sharing Imira's memories of the city, we have a good picture of Uru'baen and the layout of the palace and the city from her memory. When we landed for lunch, the plan of action was discussed again. The wives were not happy that I planned to go into the city alone with Dobby and Winky.

I told them: "We would attract too much attention if I arrive with a lot of beautiful girls. Dobby and Winky can stay here until I rent a room in the city and call for them. You girls stay outside as back-up with the manor trunk and the airplanes on standby."

I silenced their protests with: "To get in the city alone is not that hard, Dobby and Winky will both go into the palace, to fetch the eggs.

Dobby, Winky, both of you have volunteered for this, but have to know it is highly dangerous. You must keep your own safety a priority at all times. No matter what, if it gets out of hand just pop here to the mansion. You are family and more important to us as the eggs."

That got my legs hugged by two crying house-elves.

Xxxxx

We landed a few miles out of Uru'baen. I put some worn villager clothes on, along with a small backpack I was ready to visit the Capital as a country bumpkin looking for work. Daphne and Tracey warded the meadow, while Milli and Pansy took a few Spitfires out and ready them for flight.

At my questioning look, they said: "That black dragon is huge, and stealing the eggs will make the king mad. When they fly out, we will have to be ready, there is a chance to kill the dragon if they do."

late in the afternoon, I arrived at the city gates, a guard inspected me and asked: "What is your purpose here boy?"

With my most innocent expression, I answered: "I came looking for work Captain, I am the third son, so I had to leave home. I plan to join the guards or the army if I can't find a job in two weeks."

The guard was flattered by being mistaken for a Captain and said: "Follow that road until you see a bar the hogshead on the crossroad. Take a left and walk till you see the Ugly Urgal Inn. It is cheap and often knows who needs workers."

Smiling at the guard I said: "Thank you, Captain, I will just do that." And left in that direction, I might as well take a room there. The Inn was located in the most common part of the city, after entering I approached the counter.

In most stories there is always a pretty girl at the reception desk… too bad the pretty girl had some years behind the counter, and probably some kids on her tab, so you can forget the pretty and imagine a matron. A friendly one though. There was a big Urgal skull behind her hanging on the wall.

I asked: "Grandma, do you have a room available for me?"

She glared at me: "Not if you dare to call me grandma again little snot!"

Oops, I touched a nerve, back paddling I corrected: "Sorry big sister! I did not mean it, my mother always said to address people respectable, and a grandma is more respectable than a big sister."

She huffed: "Nice try boy, but it needs a lot more work for me to believe it. We have a room available, two silvers for a week, breakfast included. How long will you be staying?"

I answered: "Two weeks madam, I am looking for work during those weeks, I can read and write, and know my numbers too."

Madam was impressed: "My my, not a lot of country boys can claim that. There will be opportunities for you in the city if you are any good at it. Room 15 on the second floor. Leave the key at the counter when you go into the city, you get a token in place. Jacob will show you to your room. JACOB! Come here."

A voice came from the back: "Coming grandma!" I raised my eyebrow at her.

She bit at me: "My grandchildren are the only ones allowed to call me that. Jacob, show him room fifteen."

The room was shabby but clean, once alone, I called Dobby and Winky. We prepared for the night raid.

Dobby said: "Master Harry, we can feel the baby dragons and the stony dragons too. But the stony dragons are mad, they being cursed. Can Dobby and Winky save them too?"

I thought for a minute and answered: "The eggs are the top priority, you already proved you can take them unnoticed. Take them first and transport them into our Manor. Then you can come back and take the Eldunari. Mind you that the king is mentally connected with them and will notice your action. Take this trunk and spell it with your magic to disconnect the Eldunari from the king. Beware of traps and curses. Now, we have a few hours to spend, tell me what you both think of this world."

Xxxxx

We talked for a few hours, adjusted the plan a bit, and after midnight Dobby and Winky popped away on their mission. I alerted the girls via the journal to expect the eggs.

There was no reason for me to stay in the city, so I took a portkey back to the girls and waited for Dobby and Winky to arrive with the eggs.

Two minutes later they both popped in and entered the mansion. Dobby said: "Master Harry there be tracking spells and other nasty stuff on the eggs. We removed most of them and stuck them on the fake eggs, you need to clear the rest with the Mistresses."

The eggs got surrounded by us, after examining them, we discovered a self-destruct spell on a timer, and a mental connection to the king.

I said: "Dobby if you want to get the Eldunari, you have less than twenty minutes to do it. Once we break the mental connection, he will come running and screaming for us. Daphne, wait until Dobby and Winky are back to dispel, Pansy, Milly, and I are getting airborne to intercept the king and Shruikan, girls, put the locator on so we don't crash into each other in midair.

Tracey, once the Eldunari are inside the manor trunk, take it to our hideout. We will try to kill the dragon and hopefully the mad king too."

Dobby and Winky popped away while I ran to a Spitfire and boarded it. We connected on the radio and took to the sky.

At a safe distance from the city, we began to wait. Twenty minutes later Tracy contacted us that they had arrived at the hideout, and Daphne started dispelling the eggs and Eldunari with Fleur, Padma, and Katie.

Meanwhile, Milli spotted a big black mass raising from the city and headed in the direction of Carvahall. I commented: "Pansy, Milli, we need to take him out with our speed. No close combat, just get in from behind at full speed and gun him down. Break high left or right when you are two hundred yards from them and circle back at top speed."

Pansy was giggling: "You worry too much darling, we practiced this a lot in your mindscape remember. Now watch at your beautiful wives who are going dragon hunting."

Pansy approached at full speed and fired with all guns and cannons at Shruikan, the first pass was the most important one. With a silent, invisible airplane, the bullets and 20mm rounds arrived before their sounds of flying through the air.

Shruikan received a direct hit by multiple bullets and explosive rounds, Pansy made room for Milli, while Shruikan spitted fire all around. Galbatorix was frantically healing the wounds when Milli gave another dose to the pair. This time Shruikan could evade half of the rounds and started to fly in every direction like a drunk bat. To bad for him that he is too big of a target to miss, so we took our time to kill them.

It took Galbatorix longer each time to heal Shruikan, by now he seemed to give up on the eggs and wanted to return and take shelter in the city. Pansy cut them off with a frontal assault with all her guns blazing, assisted by Milli who flanked them. Healing a double dose was too much for Galbatorix to let Shruikan survive, both fell to the ground, followed by me at low speed finishing the job.

Pansy and Milli joined me in the attack, I warned them: "Take good care of the corpse, I'll bet he is hiding under Shruikan's body. Aim at the lower parts and keep on moving while firing. Don't make yourself a target for him. I will circle the area to make certain he did not make an escape tunnel."

Xxxxx

Twenty minutes later there was not much recognizable of the dragon below. The 20 mm exploding rounds reduced the dragon to a paste. Suddenly we saw a few light balls move away from the corps.

I said: "Those are the spirits Galbatorix enslaved, I think we have him, to be certain, target the area where they came from."

I remembered from the books that Murtagh dispelled them from Galbatorix in the final fight. Well, without Eldunari to recharge him, I think he is out of fuel.

I told Pansy and Milli: "I'll go down and check it out. Cover for me, if things go wrong I port out and you destroy the plane."

Milli: "Be careful husband, we need you, so do not take any risks." How warming! The wives still need me. Anyway, I landed a distance away from the corps and searched for lifeforms. Amazingly I found a weak one, right below the carcass.

Meh, I always wanted to try Fiendfire, and this is a prime occasion. Targeting the spot, I released my spell and burned everything to a crisp. Galbatorix was out of mana and could not dig deep enough to avoid all the damage. The last thing he saw were bright yellow flames coming for him.

Xxxxx

Well, this ends an era, now we have to mop up the trash. I boarded my plane again: "Everyone, Galbatorix is dead. Now we have to get control of the country and dispose of the shade and rogue magicians. Can someone notify Imira and some of the girls at the dwarves? We will fly to Murthagh's mansion and bring him along for the red egg."

That moment it clicked in our brain, the knowledge of the other eggs at Vroengard and the place they were hidden, along with the portal from our world came back to our memory.

Umaroth contacted me: "Harry Potter, you and your wives did the impossible and rid the world of that abomination. All of you have our thanks, especially the two small ones. Words are not enough to express our gratitude. Come for us when you are ready, we will be waiting."

I responded: "You are welcome Umaroth, we are going to take control of the country before it breaks apart. I recon a month or two to settle it all, we need a solution for the Urgals too."

We left to pick Murthagh up.

Xxxxx

The mansion was not hard to find, after landing in a meadow, we walked to the mansion, carefully looking for traps and hostiles.

We were stopped by an old man with a sword in his hand: "Who are you and what is your purpose here?"

Before I could speak Milli answered: "We mean you no harm, I guess you must be master Tornac?"

Cautiously he nodded: "That is my name, but that still not answered my question."

Milli smiled at him: "We are here to inform you that the king is dead, and we want to give Murtagh a chance to bond with a dragon. A seer confirmed he has a good chance the egg hatches for him."

Tornac scowled at us: "Yes and I am supposed to believe that? Do you know what happens to people that betray the king? They die within a month."

I sighed, transformed into my dragon animagus, and said: "Yes, you have to believe that, we killed him and Shruikan just a few moments ago. Now call your student, we still have a lot of work to do, securing the capital for example. As a matter of fact, Pansy, port to the hideout and bring everyone here."

Pansy looked at me and asked: "Why here?"

I turned back into a human and answered: "To store the planes, we can't leave them here. From here on we will move to my room in the city. We have to move fast before they realize he is dead."

Ten minutes later they came back. Fleur jumped in my arms and kissed me: "Mon amour! Those tunnels were horrible! The others still have not arrived at Farthen Dur, another day or two at least before they get there."

Padma said: "Harry, we notified Imira, she will inform Islanzadi and Oromis. Brom will tell it to the Varden."

I nodded: "Let's store the planes first. Everyone, this is Tornac, the mentor of the boy who is hiding behind that wall. Tornac, follow us please."

We walked back to the airplanes, where I enlarged the entrance to the manor trunk. We canceled the invisible spells and stored the spitfires. Speechless Tornac followed us into the trunk, the pocket space blew his sense of normal out of the window. From a distance Murthagh watched us disappear into nothing.

I said to Tornac: "Call him over, if we meant any harm to him, he would be already dead. We are pressed for time so hurry up." Daphne was still working on the Eldunari with Luna and Ginny. Having Luna and Ginny on the ships was pointless now, so they came over to help with the Eldunari.

Lenora, Miramar, and Ophelia came from the tunnels too, they already visited Farthen Dur, the others decided to assist Brom.

Daphne: "We removed all bindings and curses, we have a solution for their mental health but need the approval of Oromis and Glaedr. Their memories from the last century can be removed, it will restore their sanity, the decision is not ours to make."

Murtagh came with Tornac, I spoke up: "Murtagh, there is not much time, we want to give you a chance to connect with a dragon egg. Follow us please."

We guided them to the eggs, Tornac shouted: "Those are the dragon eggs of the king!"

I grinned: "No, now they are ours until they select a rider. Murtagh, hold an egg for five minutes, if there is no connection, then hold the other egg. If that egg refuses too then we will leave without you."

Speechless Murtagh took the red egg in his hands, within a minute a connection was made.

Luna congratulated him: "Well done dragon rider, the child will hatch in a few weeks, follow Dobby to a room where you will stay until we reach the elves and your teacher."

I looked at Tornac: "Gather any personal stuff and bring them here, animals have room enough behind the mansion. We leave in an hour. Girls, I am going to take a quick nap, call me in an hour."

Xxxxx

An hour later we were ready to depart. I left the trunk and ported to the place outside the city to the meadow where we started.

I called everyone out: "Girls, we are going to the city with style. Half will change into a dragon, the other half will ride on them. Winky, can you make some saddles please?"

The City was in turmoil when seven dragons flew into the city to the palace. We hovered over the city when I amplified my voice: "Citizens of Uru'bean! A few hours ago we killed the mad king and his dragon. We are claiming this kingdom until a rightful ruler is selected. Any resistance will be met with lethal force. Every lord will be questioned on his behavior during the ruling of his or her domain."

I patted Ginny on her neck and said: "Land in the courtyard my love. Fleur with Padma and Katie will stay in the air with Miramar, Lenora, and Ophelia to monitor troop movements."

When we landed, and the girls turned back into humans, it convinced the guards that things have changed. Especially after the spectacle, Galbatorix made when he left the city in a hurry. We entered the throne room, casually disarming traps and killing hostiles.

I expanded the manor trunk and called out: "Dobby? Search the treasury for magical swords, there must be plenty of them. Store them in the manor."

A few roars told us of some resistance being dealt with. An hour later the city was secured, we recovered a white Eldunari from a burly warrior. Without the connection to Galbatorix, the Eldunari fought back and killed the guy.

Imira contacted us: "Harry, I am in Ellesmera with the Queen and Oromis. Can you confirm Galbatorix and Shruikan are dead?"

When I read it in my journal I wrote back: "Yes Imira, can you ask Islanzadi for reinforcements to secure the country? Brom needs one or two days to reach Farthen Dur, so we have to depend on your people for now. You can portkey them to the border at Ceunon where Tracey will take them here in the Manor trunk. Oh, tell Oromis and Glaedr that the second rider is chosen. The third will be an elf."

Xxxxx

In the evening Tracey came back with two thousand elves. Any resistance stopped at their arrival, the snake's head was cut off, all that was left were some convulsions of the body.

Tomorrow we secure the lands.