Born of Fire: The Dawn of Legend

by Dreagen

  Rex, satisfied that he had gotten to her so easily, continued to push her in good fun. “Yeah, a girl. I mean, you can’t expect to be able to get the same kinds of results as a guy.”

  “And why is that, pray tell?” she asked with a sly smile, realizing she was being teased.

  “Because boys are tougher than girls,” Rex said, flexing his impressive bicep.

  “Well, if that’s the case, why are you breathing more heavily than me, big man?”

  “Hey, it takes a lot of energy to power all this muscle,” he boasted, giving his bicep a kiss then winking at her.

  DiNiya walked over and squeezed his arm, causing him to growl in pain and drop to one knee. Feeling satisfied with herself, she released Rex, to his great relief.

  “What the hell was that?” he asked, surprised, rubbing his arm where she had grabbed it.

  “If you can’t get through someone’s might, then go around it,” explained DiNiya. “Even the strongest warriors have weaknesses.”

  “Who taught you that?” he asked, standing back up.

  “VayRonx. He has been a wonderful teacher to all of us. My father trained directly beneath him, as are my brother and I now.”

  “I’ll have to ask him for some pointers then,” Rex said, rotating his arm.

  DiNiya smiled. She found her initial curiosity of him turning into more of a fascination. She even wondered if they were…friends. While she had always gotten along with everyone, with the exception of a particular individual, she had never been able to open fully to others; rather, she always felt that in the end she was watching everyone else from the outside. Rex, however, was something different altogether. She watched him standing stoically in the morning sun, making his silver fur

  [] almost shine, while his red eyes drank in the sun’s light, emitting a gentle glow. What she found herself most drawn to was how he carried himself. He was confident in a way she desperately wished she could be, but he was also reserved like her, as if he did not trust anyone enough to let them completely in. Whatever it was, she was happy to just stand next to him.

  “Are you still with me?” Rex suddenly asked, snapping her out of her trance.

  “Oh, yeah, sorry,” she said, blinking quickly. “I was just…thinking.”

  “About what?” he asked, leaning in a little closer.

  “No, Rex, it is bad manners for a man to pry into a woman’s inner thoughts if she does not invite you in,” she replied stoically, turning her back to him.

  “Yeah, but you’re just a girl, so the rule doesn’t count,” he said, flaunting his youthful ignorance.

  DiNiya turned around quickly, eyebrows raised. “Well, this ‘girl’ had you begging for mercy only moments ago.”

  “I did not beg!”

  DiNiya laughed, pleased she had managed to get to him in return. “Besides, it’s only proper for you to respect a woman’s secrecy. You don’t see me trying to get into your head.”

  A montage of perverse images flashed through his mind. “You don’t want go in there, trust me,” he said awkwardly, looking away.

  “This is true,” she said somberly, immediately sensing what she would find in a fifteen-year-old male’s mind, and looking away as well.

  “Hey, are you two done already?” came a voice from behind them.

  They both turned and saw EeNox walking through the field with a large sack slung over his shoulder. DiNiya waved to him, while Rex groaned.

  “Now be nice,” she said warningly.

  “Hey, I’m not the one who picks a fight every time,” Rex said, crossing his arms.

  DiNiya sighed. “Just don’t hit him, please.”

  “No promises.”

  “Hello, EeNox,” DiNiya said happily when her brother reached them. “Wow, is that this morning’s haul?”

  “Yeah, and you will not believe what we caught,” EeNox said as he opened what was now clearly visible as some sort of sack made of plant fiber.

  Rex and DiNiya peered in and saw it was filled with a half a meter long dark brown fish with silver stripes and armored scales.

  “What kind of fish is that?” Rex asked curiously as he leaned in a little closer.

  “KlonTok,” EeNox replied. “They’re most people’s favorite around here because they’re hard to find, so I guess it was good fortune that we found so many in the streams.”

  “You guess?”

  “KlonTok is a coastal fish,” he explained. “They inhabit the areas where salt and fresh water meet, only venturing upstream once a year to spawn.”

  “I’m guessing this isn’t that time of year?”

  “No, it’s far too early for that. Something must have driven them from the shoreline, but I have no idea what. I mean, I’ve never seen them behave like this before.”

  “We’ll have to tell father and VayRonx when they get back from the market,” said DiNiya as she played with one of her auburn locks.

  “I was actually going to do that now,” EeNox said, retying the sack and slinging it back over his shoulder. “Father is busy all day with traders from Bloodstone, so he asked me to pick up spices for dinner.”

  “Well, tell him we said hello and that we’ll see him tonight at the tavern.”

  EeNox glanced over at Rex, whose eyes in turn emitted a faint red glow as they stared back unwavering. “Sure thing,” he said, giving his sister a quick smile and Rex a nod before quickly proceeding up the bluff.

  “Wow, that must have been hard for him,” Rex commented as he watched EeNox ascend the hill.

  “Oh, stop it,” DiNiya replied, punching him lightly in the shoulder.

  “What? I’m just saying I’m impressed is all. I thought at any moment he was going to take that sack of fish and try to beat me over the head with it.”

  DiNiya laughed. “Oh, come now, I thought he made a sincere attempt to be kind to you.”

  “Kind might be pushing it a bit.”

  “Then what would you call it?” she asked, crossing her arms and smiling at him as if expecting an answer that was deeply profound.

  “I don’t know…passive aggressive.”

  DiNiya just rolled her eyes as she loaded the last of the morning’s harvest into the cart. “You know, despite what you may think, I know my brother, and believe me when I say he feels bad about the little misunderstanding between the two of you.”

  “What misunderstanding? He doesn’t like me, and I’m considering no longer exercising self-restraint.”

  “Well, if you take on that attitude, how do you expect to make any friends?”

  “Wasn’t aware I was trying to.”

  DiNiya stopped suddenly and looked at him. Immediately sensing his mistake, Rex sighed deeply and rubbed the back of his head. “I’m sorry,” he said, feeling foolish. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

  “No, I’m sorry,” she replied, forcing a smile. “I shouldn’t have assumed…”

  “Assumed what?”

  “Well…that we were…I mean…friends.” She turned away, afraid of what she believed would be a look of disapproval.

  Rex looked at her thoughtfully, giving her words serious thought. Then, as if having been calibrated in his head and given meaning specific to him, he shrugged and said, “I suppose we are.”

  So simple was his response that it took DiNiya by surprise as to how happy it made her feel. Smiling, she tossed her fur over her shoulder and gave a gentle push with her fist against his arm. “You see? You managed not to scare me away. I knew you weren’t so unlovable.”

  “Famous last words.”

  They finished working in the fields and took their cart back up to the barns to unload, then helped with the others. Rex felt muscles he never knew he had aching from all the strenuous labor. Still, he derived a certain sense of satisfaction from it. He enjoyed the feeling of spending his days accomplishing something. From what he recalled, his old routine was to get up, go to school, learn nothing, get into a fight, go back home, go to sleep, then do it all over again the ne
xt day. Here, though, he actually felt part of a community, even if it was one he never thought could exist.

  After unloading the last of the carts, he and DiNiya spent the rest of the afternoon working in the shop, cleaning up the backroom and tending to traders, which DiNiya always kindly introduced to Rex. Their eyes would always immediately focus on his before they smiled and pressed their forearms against his in the usual greeting.

  “Why do they keep staring at my eyes?” he finally asked. “I mean, yours are red, too, and all the people here have known you for years.”

  DiNiya looked slightly unnerved by his question, something that he had come to notice was uncharacteristic of her. She was wondering when this question might come up and still was not sure how to answer it.

  “It’s because they have never seen anyone else with red eyes,” she said somberly, realizing it was a weak answer. “No one other than me, that is.”

  “So it’s rare?”

  DiNiya stared at him for a moment. “It’s unheard of.”

  “But why? Why do we have them and nobody else? I mean…what makes us so special?”

  The shop door suddenly opened, grabbing both their attention. In the doorway stood the silhouette of a tall, broad-shouldered figure. Holding up their hands to shield their eyes from the mid-day sun pouring in, they watched as the figure stepped through the doorway and approached the counter. DiNiya suddenly gave a look of surprise, recognizing who it was, and quickly rounded the counter.

  The figure, now in the dimmer light of the shop, revealed himself to be the tallest man Rex had ever seen. His appearance was one of magnificence, with long black fur that fell down to his waist, a thin face with high cheekbones, and long, flowing sideburns that ran down to his collar bone. A strong brow cast a shadow over his eyes, which emitted the soft glow of a golden fire burning within.

  Turning back to look at Rex, DiNiya smiled broadly and motioned him over. Rex, seeing no reason not to, came around the counter and stood next to her, craning his head to look the stranger in the eye.

  “Rex, I’d like you to meet KyGahl of the SaiTor tribe of the Western Continent. One of the world’s premier paleontologists and a good friend to the KaNar.”

  The tall man and Rex exchanged what seemed like eternally long stares, each one studying the other. As impressive a sight as KyGahl was, he seemed equally fascinated by the smaller silver-furred boy gazing back up at him. There was a flicker of light in his eyes as his lips curled up into a smile. “It would seem that our mutual friend here has robbed me of any opportunity for a formal introduction,” KyGahl said, glancing over at DiNiya and giving her a wink. DiNiya felt herself blushing and averted her gaze to the floor. Turning back to Rex, he tilted his head down and fixed him with an intense gaze.

  Rex could not help but somehow feel unnerved, for there was something almost off-putting by the way this larger-than-life man was eyeing him. He could not understand just what it was but sensed a power so great within him that he felt, in a way, small in his presence. Still, there was something that he respected about that, for he was never the type to be impressed easily, especially when it came to other people.

  “Well, it would seem you know who I am now, but who, pray tell, might you be?” KyGahl asked.

  “I’m Rex,” he said, holding up his arm. “Nice to meet you.”

  The big man brought his arm down to meet Rex’s, and the two immediately felt a surge of energy pass through them and vanish just as quickly.

  “Your flame,” KyGahl commented. “Such power for one so young. How old are you?”

  “Fifteen,” Rex answered.

  “I see,” he said, stroking one of the elegant tufts of fur that ran down from his broad jaw. “Same as DiNiya here. Any relation?” Rex shook his head.

  “Rex came to us after having suffered a terrible accident,” DiNiya said, not lying so much as streamlining the truth. “He unfortunately has suffered some minor memory loss but has otherwise made a remarkable recovery and has since joined our tribe.”

  “Is that so?”

  There was another sound at the door as ShinGaru walked in.

  “ShinGaru,” DiNiya said with surprise. “I didn’t expect to see you again so soon.”

  The young man walked up and raised his arm to hers before doing the same to Rex. He then turned his attention to the towering figure whose shadow they all found themselves consumed in. Regarding KyGahl with what could have almost passed as apprehension, he raised his arm where it was met in turn by KyGahl’s.

  “ShinGaru,” he said, relaxing his arms behind his back. “It has been some time.”

  “That it has,” ShinGaru replied with a nod of his head.

  “Still researching the ruins of the Blooming Isles?”

  ShinGaru shook his head. “I finished that study just prior to the summer. My current research has me studying the Rainbow Caves.”

  “The Rainbow Caves? Those are off the western coast, are they not?”

  “That they are.”

  “Aside from the interest geologists have had with it over the years, I was unaware of any significance it held to archeology. What is your interest with them if you do not mind my asking?”

  “Not at all, but I’m afraid the answer would probably disappoint you.”

  “Oh?”

  “For the longest time, historians have been unable to recreate an accurate working theory as to how the DraGons managed to gain such a prominent foothold in EeNara after they were cut off from their world.”

  “Correct me if I am wrong, but was it not as a result of their technology? Most of which we have since retrofitted to our own way of life.”

  “Not quite,” ShinGaru stated matter-of-factly. “While, yes, they did indeed possess superior technology when compared to our own, which at the time was nonexistent, they would have still needed to transport material from their world to ours to continue their production here in order to keep pushing further in without giving us a chance to stand our ground and launch a coordinated counterattack.”

  “Indeed, but what do the Rainbow Caves have to do with any of this?”

  “Possibly nothing. However, over the centuries they have become famous for the strange electromagnetic fields they emit.”

  “That’s why compasses spin out of control in their vicinity?” DiNiya asked.

  “That’s right,” ShinGaru replied. “You can also feel it in your body, like a light surge continuously coursing through you; it makes your fur stand on end. Anyway, those caves are one of seven such cave systems in EeNara that emit this peculiar electromagnetic field. All of which seem to be coming from deep below the surface and all of them in areas in which access to those lower levels is restricted to a few dozen meters.”

  “Hardly deep enough to get the source of whatever might be causing it,” KyGahl commented.

  “Exactly,” ShinGaru replied. “Still, I’m convinced that there must be a way down.”

  “Hmm,” the tall man said, pushing his fur off his shoulder. “An interesting theory to be sure, but your evidence to support it, I’m afraid, is sketchy at best.”

  “No, it isn’t,” Rex said, grabbing the attention of everyone in the room and courting a curious look from KyGahl.

  “Is that so?” asked KyGahl.

  “Well, yeah. I mean, think about it. ShinGaru thinks they might have something to with the DraGons, right?”

  KyGahl nodded.

  “Well, it must mean that there was once a way down.”

  “Fair enough, but such a thing has never been found in all the years of exploration into those caverns. Surely someone, somewhere, would have discovered such an entrance by now if one indeed existed.”

  “Not if whoever was using the caves didn’t want anyone to find them after they had gone.”

  ShinGaru smiled and DiNiya nodded thoughtfully. KyGahl, however, kept a neutral face as he looked at the boy, his gaze unwavering. At last he smiled, stepping forward, and placed a hand on Rex’s shoulder. “Well, t
hen. I see KaNar’s newest flame is far more clever than he seems to enjoy letting on.”

  “I don’t know about all that,” Rex said. “It just seems to be what makes the most sense. Logically, I mean.”

  “Do not downplay the importance of logic, young man, nor its application to the task of problem solving. Some who have a keen eye for detail are the ones who spot the flaws in what is believed by the majority to be truth. A most respectable trait, one you seem to share with our mutual friend, ShinGaru,” he said, turning back to the other boy and nodding in his direction.

  “Hey, what about me?” DiNiya said, putting her hands on her hips and giving him a cross look.

  “Clever would be an understatement for you, my dear,” he said with a look of sincerity. “We would all be lost without you.”

  “And don’t you forget it,” she said, wagging a finger at him before grinning.

  “In any case, I should be off; please tell your father I said hello and that I’m sure I will bump into him at the tavern later tonight.”

  “Wait,” she said. “There wasn’t anything you needed from the shop? I would hate to think that we discouraged you from doing business.”

  KyGahl laughed. “Nonsense, child. You could never discourage me from trading here. Trust me. In truth, I mainly just wanted to stop by and say hello, see how things have been. My work has been keeping me rather busy as of late, so I hardy get the opportunity to visit KaNar anymore.”

  “What are you working on these days?” she asked enthusiastically.

  “The TyRanx.”

  The room suddenly went quiet. Rex looked from DiNiya to ShinGaru, who both looked mildly shocked, or rather that they had been made to feel highly uncomfortable. Still, his curiosity not easily squelched by any mood hanging in the air, he decided to ask the only question obvious to him.