Contents
A Dragon’s Bond
Dedication
Prologue
Born in Bond
Dragon Keep
A Friend
The Egg Chamber
Another Plan
The Festival of the Egg
Incubation
The Hatchlings
Astonishing Developments
Building Anger
The Calm
The Fall of the Keep
The City of Seaport
The Incident in Seaport Continued
Anger in the Keep
The meeting At Summit Ridge
The Valley of the Forgotten Forest
The Cave
Return to the Keep
A Dragon’s Bond
A Dragon's Bond
Copyright © 2013
By S.B. Johnson
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or by any information storage retrieval system without permission of the author and publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the products of the author's imagination, or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Dedication
There are so many people in our lives that will influence the direction of our own personal journey. My family are among those for me.
Every one of you in some way have helped me grow. Your love, support and even criticisms have helped me to become the man that I am today.
Special thanks to my loving wife, who has endured all that I am and still loves me the way she does. To my children, who continue to show me the reasons for being happy and inspire me to do the very best that I can in everything I do.
Prologue
On a dark night, one in which both death and life were ever present, two men sat at a table in deep discussion. They were in a dark room which was lit by a single candle. One of the two men was a very tall man, with broad shoulders and long silver hair. He had a long beard, matching the silver of his hair that hung down past his chest and rested on his stomach as he sat. His eyes were a bright illuminating green, like two emeralds that had a bright light behind them. He held a pipe that he puffed on occasionally. The smoke from the pipe rose slowly and encircled his face. The other man was a rather small man with hair that was dark as the night that was cut tightly against his head. Other than being very nicely dressed, he appeared rather normal. His eyes were a simple dark brown.
They spoke in hushed voices, afraid of who might hear. They spoke of a child that had been born that night, one that had been born out of death. The child's mother had died just before the boy came into the world. They spoke of something that had never been heard of. The boy had been born with the glowing eyes of one who was dragon bonded. Not all children are given the gift of becoming bonded. In the event a child was to become bonded to a dragon, their eyes would begin to glow green, displaying the gift they had been given. This never occurred before their thirteenth year. That is the way it had always been. Yet, this child had been born with bonded eyes.
The tall silver haired man turned around in his chair and grabbed a large golden bowl from a shelf behind him. It was outlined with red jewels and had strange markings on the outer surface. He placed it in the center of the table and then turned to grab a vile filled with a thick red liquid. He poured a couple of drops into the bowl and set the vile back down. He picked the bowl up with both hands and swished the thick liquid around in it. He grabbed a handful of charcoal colored powder from a smaller bowl off of the shelf and slowly began to grind it within his hand. He held it over the gold bowl and began to sprinkle it into the red liquid.
"Let us look on this boy who has been born." The man said in a deep and rough voice.
The red liquid began to smoke and a flame grew out of the bowl. The two men leaned in closer to the center of the table, peering into the flame. Both men looked closely waiting for the vision to come.
Within the fire the image of a newborn baby boy appeared. The child's eyes glowing bright green. The child was crying as a healthy newborn baby does. It was laying in a cradle and was wrapped in a tattered tan colored cloth. Next to the cradle sat a man in a chair along side a bed. The man had his face in his hands and was crying. This man was not simply filled with joy of his newborn son. He was sad, confused and grieved. He reached out and grabbed the hand that hang from the bed. The hand was lifeless and still. Other than the hand, the body in the bed was completely covered with a white sheet. The sheet was soaked with blood in parts, clearly displaying the pain and suffering that had just occurred. The man began crying even harder with his lost loves hand within his own.
"I am so sorry. I am so sorry, my love." The man muttered. "How am I... no... how are we going to continue on without you?"
The man took his passed lovers hand and placed it back under the sheet. He turned to the small child and reached in to scoop him up in his arms. He looked down at his new son. As a small tear slid down his cheek and sat hanging at the tip of his nose as he said. "What are we going to do now? It is clear that you are a special boy, a very special boy indeed."
The two men sat back as the vision faded away and the fire sank back down into the bowl. They each took in a deep breath and let it out slowly.
The little man looked up. "It is true then. A child has come to be, that has been gifted with bonding from birth."
"Yes it is true." The silver haired man replied.
"What must we do then? Surely this man does not know the danger that lies in front of him and his child."
The tall man pushed himself back away from the table and stood up slowly. "We must go to them and bring them here to Dragon Keep. They will not be safe where they are for long."
The small man followed suit and also stood up from his seat. "This matter is settled then. We will go at once and bring them both here. What if the father does not wish to come?"
The tall man looked down at him scornfully. "I trust you will be able to persuade him. Nevertheless, take one of the minotaurs with you, in the event that you are not able. Understand that no harm is to come to them. Either of them."
The small man bowed his head and immediately turned and exited the room, closing the door behind him.
The tall man stood silent, puffing on his pipe. "What does this mean? How can a child be born with bonded eyes?"
CHAPTER ONE
BORN IN BOND
The night was growing late. Rain fell heavily on the little shack of a house in the middle of the woods. The house was small and was not very well constructed. It kept out the rain for the most part but didn't keep the cold night air from creeping in. The walls were all cracked and corroded, showing years worth of wear. They were covered in patches, signs of poorly fixed problems. The floor was simply dirt with no fancy rugs to protect from the cold touch of the earth below. There was but a small stone fireplace in the far corner of the house that had a fire burning within it. An almost worthless effort to help warm the house.
A now very lonely man sat in a chair, with a new son in the cradle at his side. As much as he wanted to, he was having a hard time finding joy in this new life. He sat quietly, gazing out the small window that was set in the wall beside him.
Through the window slightly off in the distance stood a small willow tree. The branches of the tree blew wildly with the fierce wind of the storm. Below the tree, shaded from the nights storm, rested a small wooden cross at the head of a freshly made grave.
The man reached up to hi
s face with one hand. He wiped away the small tear that had built up in the corner of his eye and began making its way down his cheek. Just then the baby began to cry and immediately drew the man's attention to him. "What to do my boy?" He said as he picked up the fragile little baby. "What to do?"
The man was almost interrupted in speaking when a loud knock at the door echoed through the small house. He set the baby gently back down in the cradle. "Now I wonder who that could be at this hour." Speaking under his breath as he walked over to the door. He lifted the latch that secured the door and opened it slightly.
As the man peeked out the door, the small dark haired man stood gazing back at him. "How can I help you?" He asked.
"I am so sorry for the late night intrusion sir. I understand a child has been born earlier this evening." The small dark haired man replied.
The father stood alert with a grim look upon his face. "And what business is that of yours? I think it is best that you leave now."
"Forgive me sir. I meant no disrespect. Perhaps a proper introduction is in order before we continue further. My name is Lugos, Lugos Coburn. I am from Dragon Keep Academy."
"I see. I also apologize, I am under quite the amount of stress after this evening. My name is Kimball Willis and that is my son." The man pointed to the small child. "I have not given him a name yet. Dragon Keep you say?"
"Yes, Mr. Willis. That is correct. I am sure by now, you very well know that your son is quite special indeed. And please also accept my condolences in regards to your wife."
" I do. And how is it that you know so much about my affairs, Mr. Coburn was it.?"
"Again I apologize, but it is my job to know about children that have been given the gift of being bonded. The very interesting fact though, is not that your son has the gift. It is the fact that he has it from the time of birth. Even now I can see the illumination of his eyes. This normally does not happen until a child's thirteenth year. May I come inside now sir?"
"Please, call me Kimball." He said as he nodded and began to further open the door. Kimball caught a glance of the enormous minotaur standing just behind Lugos. "What is he supposed to be?"
Lugos paused for a moment. "He is here for protection and I hope he will not be needed in the way of persuasion. He will wait outside until we are ready to go."
Lugos stepped inside out of the rain and Kimball pointed to a chair opposite the one he had been sitting in. He walked over to the fire and grabbed a cloth that was hanging next to it. With the cloth in hand he reached for a kettle which was hanging over the fire. "Tea?" He asked. Lugos politely shook his head and declined the hot beverage. After pouring a cup for himself Kimball returned to his chair and sat down next to his son.
"Have you given it any thought yet Kimball? A name that is."
"I really haven't. If it was a boy my wife wanted to name him Davin. I suppose the least I could do is fulfill her wishes."
"That is a fine name Kimball. And I think your wife would be very happy." Lugos replied with a warm smile on his face.
"What exactly are your intentions Mr. Coburn? Do you intend to take my son from me and return with him back to your academy?"
"Actually Kimball, my superior and I are very concerned for both you and your son's well being. You see, we have the abilities to find out about such things as this and others do as well. Others that you do not want showing up on your door step. Normally parents bring their gifted children to us. In your case we felt we needed to come to you. We are not quite sure why your child has been gifted at birth or what that means." Lugos shifted slightly in his chair and leaned in closer towards Kimball. "You would be welcomed to live in the academy as well, under the circumstances. I am sure you would find your new arrangements a more suitable set of conditions for you and your son. No disrespect intended."
"How will I pay for it?" Kimball questioned.
"Payment would not be necessary. You would be given a job within the academy based on your skills and you will be provided everything that you need to live. Plus an honest wage for other things that might suit your fancy."
"I don't get it. What's the catch?" Kimball sat back with an eyebrow raised.
"No catch. We feel it would be in all of our best interest. Your son will be tutored there and when the time comes an egg will be given to him. From that point on it will be his to care for until it hatches. Once hatched his dragon will remain bonded to him until death. Our professors will provide training for both him and his dragon."
"When will we leave?"
"Immediately! Our Coach is waiting outside."
"I don't get to even think this over?" What about our home and what little stuff we have?"
"It will be left behind other than what you will immediately need. As I said, all of the things you need will be provided. We must not leave any trace so we must burn down the house and everything left in it. I fear because of how special this boy is, you are in grave danger. We wouldn't want anyone else snooping around after we leave."
"Very well then Mr. Coburn. Let me gather some things and we will go with you." He felt as though he really did not have a choice in the matter and at that point, Kimball didn't think things could get any worse.
Lugos stood up from his chair. "I will be waiting outside."
Kimball rushed around the house throwing a few belongings into a small bag that had been hanging from his bed post. He grabbed a spare change of clothes and a couple of extra blankets for the baby. The last thing he grabbed to put in his bag, was a small gold ring that had been sitting on the end table next to his chair. It had one single green gem in the middle. He reached down and picked up Davin who was soundly sleeping. He opened the front door and and stopped for a moment. Without looking back he closed the door behind him and covered the child with one of the extra blankets before venturing into the rain.
As Kimball looked up he saw before him a large coach with Lugos standing beside the door. The coach was not attached to horses as he had expected. It was attached to a large harness which was mounted on two large green dragons. They were large, elegant creatures, with slightly elongated bodies and necks, both of which were covered in a mass of muscle and scaled armor. The scales on the dragons were an almost iridescent green. Each displayed a massive set of wings extending out from behind their shoulders. Both were puffing bits of smoke from their noses and making a slight rumbling noise as they sat. But of all things, their eyes stood out the most. Glowing bright and brilliant green just as Davin's.
There were two men sitting at the front of the coach. They both looked over towards Kimball. He could clearly see their eyes glowing in the dark along with the dragons.
"This way Kimball, we must be on our way." Lugos motioned to the coach as he climbed inside.
Kimball cautiously walked over, pausing for a brief moment before stepping up into the large compartment. Kimball sat down across from Lugos and held Davin tightly. Kimball reached towards Davin's little face and began to wipe off a couple of rain drops that had made their way through the blanket.
The minotaur had positioned himself on the back of the coach and appeared to be looking about, scanning the woods for potential threats. He sniffed at the air and then waived his hand at the two men on the front of the coach, motioning them to take off.
With a slight jerk the coach began to move forward and started picking up speed. Kimball looked out the window of the coach next to him and watched the trees speed by. Suddenly the bumping and jarring from the ground below disappeared. He looked towards the ground and realized it was moving further away. They had taken flight behind the two green dragons. The coach circled back around and was heading back towards Kimball's small house. With a flash, each of the dragons released a stream of fire from their mouths at the house. It immediately went up in a burst of flames. The coach circled back around again and they were on their way.
Lugos leaned over to Kimball. "Please Kimball, call me Lugos. I can't stand formalities. Besides my father was Mr. Coburn." He laughed
at the sight of Kimball's face. "First time flying, huh Kimball?"
"Yeah, I guess you could say that." Kimball snickered a little and began to lightly bounce Davin in his arms, soothing him after he had become a little restless from the abrupt take off.
"Don't worry Kimball. You made the right choice. I assure you. All will be well and we will be at Dragon Keep soon enough." Lugos patted Kimball on his shoulder and then turned to look out his window.
CHAPTER TWO
DRAGON KEEP
The two green dragons pulled the coach through the sky. They had traveled a great distance in a short time. They had passed over the great forest and soared over the peaks of the dark mountains. Kimball looked out of his window in mere astonishment, as he watched the land below them pass by at such a quick pace.
Kimball looked over to Lugos. "So what will we do once we arrive?"
Lugos turned to Kimball and adjusted his posture a bit. "Well, first thing we will do is go and pay a visit to the Master of the keep. His name is Myrdinn. Myrdinn Mallikorr. He has been the master of the keep for many years. He is currently making arrangements for our arrival."
"Yes, but can you tell me more about what our lives are going to be like?"
"Oh, of course." Lugos laughed. "Let me begin by telling you more about Dragon Keep Academy. The Academy is a place where children with special gifts go to learn how to adapt to those gifts. They must learn how to properly use them as to not cause harm to others or themselves. As you may know some children like yours are gifted with the dragon's bond. This is a special bond that can not be learned. It is something that is decided at birth. You either have it or you don't. The only difference is all other children do not show signs of the gift until they are thirteen. Your son's gift is so strong, it is apparent even now. A bonders eyes will turn green and begin to glow once their gift has come alive inside of them."
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