Child of the Dragon Prophecy
Page 1
A Savior is Born
Dalton shifted his weight and followed her gaze out of the window and across the land, which lay peacefully under the light of the late afternoon suns.
“You are the Farloon, or Chosen Protector, of the Centaurs.”
“What’s that?” Her hand strayed to the pendant around her neck. She had always wondered what the word “Farloon”, which was engraved on it, meant.
“It is a sacred position, one that puts you as high in the Centaurs’ tribal order as Igentis, the leader of all Centaurs. It is an oath made between the Dragon Riders and the Centaurs that binds their two Kinds together.”
She shook her head. “But what if I don’t want to be? I don’t even remember swearing an oath. How does that count? That’s not fair.”
Only silence answered.
Taking a deep breath, Dalton continued, his voice quiet and meek. “You are the only child of Lord Drox and Lady Andromeda Lavoisier. And you are the chosen and prophesied protector of Duvarharia—a warrior called to rid Ventronovia of Thaddeus, his dragon Kyrell, and Veltrix once and for all. You are the Shelesuujao of the Duvarharians, the child of the Dragon Prophecy.”
©Copyright 2021 Effie Joe Stock
Child of the Dragon Prophecy
ISBN:
978-1-09838-289-6 (ebook)
978-1-09838-288-9 (paperback)
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or other—except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles without prior written permission of the publisher.
Published in Hackett, Arkansas USA by Effie Joe Stock.
Cover and illustrations are created by and copyright of Effie Joe Stock.
Publisher’s Note: This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or use fictitiously. All characters are fictional, and any similarity to people living or dead is purely coincidental.
To my 12 year old self,
A girl who saw fantasy lands all around her and decided to write her own.
This is to show her that despite what some people said, it really is worth the world to chase your dreams.
“While you remember the light, and while the Light is still in this world, believe in the light, so that you might them become The Shadows of Light.”
—A Long Forgotten Teacher
Table of Contents
The Dragon Prophecy
Part One
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Part Two
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Part Three
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Pronunciation Guide
Glossary
Acknowledgments
Sneak Peek of Heir of Two Kingdoms
Child of the
Dragon
Prophecy
Farloon
The Dragon Prophecy
Dragon Palace, Duvarharia
Year: Rumi 5,210 Q.RJ.M (Quźech raź jin mraha— After our Lord)
Time Counted Since the Beginning of the Great Lord’s reign
Dawn rose over the powerful empire of Duvarharia, the land of dragons, on a brisk autumn day. The larger sun of the day blazed across the sky as it took part in an amazing spectacle of solar bodies in their great dance across the heavens. It was on this day that all the heavenly bodies came together to demonstrate the awe and power of the Great Emperor who commanded them. The stars shone brightly and comets raced across the sky as the large moon and the smaller, rarely seen moon passed amongst both the greater and lesser suns of the day.
This particular astronomical occurrence was one that only happened once every five thousand years.
Two moons and two suns ruled the day and night sky over the planet of Rasa. Legend said that these heavenly bodies, along with the stars of the sky, were not just simple stars, moons, or suns, but that they were actually creatures—creatures who were infinite and immortal and who ruled the sky realm, Hanluurasa. Their movements across the heavens displayed their wars, their dances, and most importantly of all, the past, present, and future of Rasa.
As the great armies of the Centaurs stared into the sky on this fateful day, their eyes unaffected by the blinding light, they found more than just the future of Rasa; they found the end of it.
“We must tell the Igentis, Artigal.” A chestnut-colored Centaur turned fearfully from the flashing lights and the roaring of thunder in the sky.
With another Centaur close behind him, the chestnut broke into a gallop. He masterfully weaved his way through the forest, his long mane and tail snapping in the wind and his hooves thundering into the ground, kicking up the soft, moist, mossy soil. Just ahead of the chestnut, a pure white Centaur stood rigidly still, his hands behind his back, and his head tilted up to the sky, a dark look on his solemn face.
“Igentis, sir.” The chestnut dropped to his knees, his head bowed reverently before the leader of all Centaurs. “The stars, they—”
“I know.” The Igentis, Artigal, fixed his eyes on the Centaur before him, their eyes meeting. Artigal sighed heavily and stamped one of his white hooves. “I have read them already. Time has run out for the Duvarharians. The end of this life is near, and the Emperor is preparing his return.”
The Centaurs around Artigal gasped, their weapons falling lifelessly by their sides, some of their eyes wide with awe, others with excitement, and even others, with fear and anger.
“Igentis, so it is true, then?” The chestnut Centaur’s voice quivered with fear.
Artigal nodded slowly. “Yes. The day of the Prophecy is upon us. Indeed, it has already begun.”
§
The Dragon Palace, capital city of Duvarharia, was buzzing with energy and excitement as the streets filled with dragons and their riders. Each face—beast and man, young and old, male and female, rich and poor alike—turned to the sky. The Duvarharians shielded their eyes from the blinding glare with their hands or magic. People crowded each other, pushing and shoving, as they tried to see as much of the astronomical spectacle as they could. The large, sparkling buildings of the Dragon Palace loomed tall over the citizens, and many of the creatures were trying to not be in the inner city’s tower shadow. The inner city itself appeared to be one large palace, looming high into the sky, almost into the clouds; some places were as high as some of the mountains which protectively encircled the grand city.
The Dragon Palace was no usual city made of mortal stone, granite, wood, or earth; instead, it was a city made out of pure magic. Buildings had been constructed by the many thousands of talented magic wielders of the land. For those who had built their own homes out of magic, their dwellings shone brightly with the color that marked their magic trace, their walls appearing to be of fine granite or even gems. This was the only city in the entire country of Ventronovia that had been designed like thi
s. Nowhere in Duvarharia had another city been made entirely out of magic.
In one of the grand buildings and high above the rest of the city, Tabor tuned one of his measuring instruments. When he looked up, his exuberant apprentice was spinning a telescope back and forth on its stand as the young man attempted to study all the sky at one time.
“Steady now! That equipment is fragile.” Tabor crossed his arms, shaking his head at his student.
As the leading scientific expert and recorder in all the land of Duvarharia, it was Tabor’s duty to make sure that the knowledge of everything significant that went on in Ventronovia—whether it be the weather, a new hatching of dragons, new abilities of magic that were discovered, or the uncovering of old, forgotten information—was properly recorded and stored. It was also his job to make sure that the libraries were being run efficiently.
His knowledge vast, and his age climbing ever higher, Tabor had found himself a young man who showed the same spirit for knowledge and had taken him in as an apprentice. The boy’s name was Quinlan, and he was, by far, the most willing to learn and ambitious young Dragon Rider that Tabor had seen yet.
Even now, it was hard to keep the bouncing, blonde-haired teen from flying his young dragon high into the skies, abandoning all concern for safety, simply to gain a better view of the suns and moons.
“By the Great Lord! I don’t think I have ever seen anything more amazing in my life!” Quinlan laughed and brushed a lock of his messy, blonde hair out of his eyes before peering down the telescope. While human telescopes could only see so far as to observe the moons in a bit more detail, Duvarharian telescopes had been so enhanced with magic that one could see craters in incredible detail on the little astronomical satellites that circled Rasa’s greater moon.
“The solar flares are absolutely stunning! I can see why the legend would depict it to be something like that of a ribbon dancer’s ribbon, the hair of a dancing girl, or perhaps even the mane of a Sun-Flash dragon! Incredible!”
Shaking his head, Tabor couldn’t control the fond smile that spread across his face. Quinlan’s passion for knowledge reminded Tabor of himself when he was young.
Tabor quickly glanced toward the table at his right. A large, open, blank book was quickly being written in by a curious, glowing, blue apparatus. Instead of being a quill with ink, like what the humans used, this odd contraption was a simple charge of magic. Having been formed by Quinlan, this juufu was recording everything that Quinlan himself was seeing and feeling, instantly transforming the experiences into words and hastily converting it to the page. This was the most common and efficient way of preserving information, especially events.
Quinlan’s juufu was leaping and skipping across the page at an alarming rate. The pages flipped so fast, it seemed as if they would be ripped from the book. It seemed Quinlan had forgotten to stem the information he was transferring to the book.
Tabor shook his head, hiding his amusement. Most of the wording would have to be edited out, leaving only the most significant events. It took a long time to be able to master channeling the flow of information so that your every mundane thought wouldn’t be recorded.
He too had his own juufu recording what he saw. However, his was a warm bronze, matching the color of his dragon, and it wasn’t scribbling nearly as violently as Quinlan’s.
The wind tore through Tabor’s dark hair. Though he himself was nearly 180 years old, he was only just beginning to show signs of white at the root of his hair, and his stone-gray eyes sparkled as youthfully as his apprentice’s.
The light blue sky slowly began to darken, a little at first, and then more by the second.
The whole land went quiet.
The only thing that could be heard now was the occasional humming of the Moon-Shone dragons and the Sun-Flash dragons. Occasionally the keen trill of a Comet dragon could be heard mingling with the other dragons’ songs. After a few long minutes, these special dragons took flight. As they soared into the sky, they themselves looked like little suns, moons, and stars, all shining in the sky.
The beautiful sight reminded Tabor of the legends that said these dragons had a special connection with the sky realm and, during certain times, these creatures were able to communicate with the heavenly bodies and possibly even absorb the power of Hanluurasa.
Quinlan ceased his constant peering through the telescope to watch the dragons as they abruptly disappeared into the suns, the moons, and the sky.
“Gods of all. They really are a part of the sky, then.”
Tabor shook his head and fiddled with one of his instruments. What had happened to the dragons? What did this mean? How was this possible? None of his science could explain this.
Quinlan’s mouth hung open, his eyes wide with wonder.
A great shadow covered the mountain range in darkness and rapidly approached the Dragon Palace.
Quinlan snapped out of his trance and pointed his telescope back to the suns. “Look, Tabor! It’s about to happen!”
Tabor turned once more to the heavens. The instrument slipped out of his hands and clattered to the patio floor. “By the gods.”
§
The sky rent apart with the roaring of thunder and flashing of light against darkness. Wind howled around them, tugging violently at them and their records. Stars rained down from the sky—great balls of fire against the darkening expanse. Strange lights snapped across the sky in fantastic blues, greens, purples, and even red and yellow. The pages on the books beside the two Dragon Riders began flipping furiously, the wind threatening to tear them from their binding. Quinlan faintly heard Tabor say something about keeping the manuscripts safe before the mentor snatched them up and retreated into the observatory.
“Gods of all.” Quinlan’s eyes widened and he let the telescope drop from his hands.
Turning around, he surveyed the entire heavens above him, completely awed by the sight.
The moons and the suns were no longer just heavenly bodies. A dragon moon and a dragon sun, along with a man and a woman, which were the smaller moon and sun, hung in the sky. The stars that streaked across the almost black sky, making the scene very much like fire licking at a log, were now not just streaks of light but dragons and their riders.
Quinlan, in denial of what he was seeing, hastily rubbed his eyes. His brows furrowed. The figures were once again just the stars, suns, and moons.
In the commotion, Quinlan’s blue-and-white Crystal dragon had landed behind him, the young dragon’s trumpeting drowned out by the thunder. Quinlan clung to one of the beast’s thick legs. His almost white blonde hair stung his face as the wind screamed around them.
Struggling to open his eyes, the young man squinted at the suns and the moons, not wanting to miss anything, despite knowing he was in danger.
The heavenly bodies had almost completely aligned now.
Quinlan could see the solar flares from the greater sun lashing around the greater moon. With the pattern of sun, moon, sun, moon, it truly was a magnificent sight of shadows fighting the flashing light.
Billows of fire raced across the sky. It was impossible to hear anything over the thunder’s roar, which sounded more like a snarling beast than thunder. Lightning cracked and streaked across the sky, mingling with the light of the comets and shootings stars.
Then the suns and moons completely aligned.
The world was plunged into darkness. Quinlan couldn’t see his dragon in front of him, let alone anything past the observatory. He felt himself yell, but couldn’t hear even himself over the deafening noise.
Light flashed eerily over Duvarharia as the fire that had burned in the skies poured down onto the land. Wisps of light streaked through the dark, heavy air. Quinlan felt himself being pulled in different directions all at once, as if he were being dragged through a portal. Voices rose and fell around him. Figures which were shrouded in endless darkness and burning light raced past him toward Rasa. Before him, he could almost catch glimpses of a city made of stars with s
trange, foreign creatures moving inside it.
The gateway to Hanluurasa had been opened once more.
It was supposed to be scientifically impossible, and yet the path to the sky realm stretched out in front of him as real as the Dragon Palace behind him. The young boy could barely grasp the significance of it all. His head throbbed. His heart slammed against his chest. Dread settled in him.
Quinlan clutched his head and groaned before sinking to the ground. Darkness settled around him. A nothingness consumed him. He could no longer feel his dragon beside him or the ground beneath him.
An explosion spilt the air. A swirling mass of gold, white, and red magic encased him in a great orb. He scrambled to his feet as he felt the presence of another person move past him. His voice finally broke through his paralyzing fear.
“What’s happening? Tabor? Is that you? Where am I?” Quinlan could barely hear his own screams for help over the loud, crackling magic around him. His eyes burned from the glare.
“Quinlan,” a voice rang out in the light. The teen froze. “Child of the Dragon Riders, rider of Krystallos, hear me and understand. I have chosen you to bear this message and its fate.”
Everything around Quinlan was then silent and empty, except for the magic that still swirled and snapped around him.
Quinlan shook with fear. Who was this Being? Why was it here?
“Lord.” His voice sounded so small compared to this Being. “Who are you? What is happening?”
“I have come for my people. I have come to begin and fulfill.” The voice was deep and terrible but also somewhat sad.
Quinlan gasped as he felt the voice reverberate inside of him. Images flashed confusingly around Quinlan as the Being began to speak.
“Dragon folk now heed the call,
from the wars of man’s great fall.
In your days of sloth and peace,
the hands of death shall find release.”
A vision of the Dragon Palace came into focus, only it wasn’t the Dragon Palace that Quinlan knew and loved. Only a few dragons flew through the skies. Crime riddled the streets. Beggars pleaded with the wealthy for money, the idea of magic was long forgotten, and people fought each other for fame and riches.