Born of Fire: The Dawn of Legend

by Dreagen

  “A beautiful rose for a beautiful young woman,” he said with a bow. DiNiya smiled broadly as she turned away, blushing. “Ah hah,” TarFor suddenly exclaimed with a big grin. “There’s the smile! So, old friend, do we have a trade?”

  “Indeed we do,” BaRone replied, leaning against the bookshelf. “But why exactly do you need her help, or anyone’s for that matter?”

  TarFor suddenly looked uneasy. He began to fidget with one of his long locks of wavy fur as he seemed to search for the right words. “Well, you see, I, uhh…well, what happened was…”

  “Yes?” BaRone said instantly.

  “Well,” the big man continued to stammer. “I accidentally destroyed their settlement two days ago!”

  “Come again?”

  “TarFor! You didn’t!” DiNiya said somberly.

  “It was an accident,” TarFor barked. “I accidentally led a herd of BroTons through the section of forest they had settled in.”

  “What exactly possessed you to do that?” BaRone asked, crossing his arms.

  “Their young were being picked off by the threes and fours every day on the edge of the forest by the western plains. They had sent word to VayRonx asking for safe passage through the KaNar’s territory so they could relocate north, and he asked me to see that they made it through without issue.”

  “So what happened then?” DiNiya asked.

  “What are BroTons?” Rex asked

  “DyVorians like the ones with the long necks you see her in KaNar,” DiNiya explained. “But smaller and with necks held horizontally instead of vertically like the BorMax.”

  “And the other ones?”

  “The SoNarvora. Two-legged runners with long, skinny necks.”

  “Ahh,” he replied, nodding understandingly

  “So why do you need her?” BaRone asked, looking over at his daughter.

  “She has always had a talent for diplomacy, so I thought—”

  “That she could clean up your mess?”

  “Do you have a better idea? Besides, I figured Rex could come along. It will be a good way for him to meet his other neighbors in the region. Broaden his horizon a bit.”

  “Fine,” BaRone sighed, rubbing his forehead. “They can go with you. DiNiya, you don’t mind, right?”

  “It’s fine,” she said with a chuckle as she jumped down from the counter. “Rex, you’re okay with this, right? I mean, I know you don’t like the forest, so if you would rather stay here—”

  “It’s fine,” Rex said. “Lead the way.” He did his best to sound brave but his insides were bound in knots. His last outing in the forest was rather harmless, but then again, he was riding on the head of a ten-tone carnivore, something he had already witnessed was enough to deter any OroGon out looking for a meal. TarFor was big to be sure, but he was no VayRonx.

  They walked to the door, which DiNiya opened immediately, and they found themselves facing LyCora; DiNiya’s and Lycora’s eyes met instantly.

  “You,” DiNiya said in a tone that made the others immediately fear a repeat of the day before.

  “Good morning, DiNiya,” LyCora said in her usual cool demeanor.

  “What are you doing here?” DiNiya asked, not moving from the doorway.

  “Have you forgotten? We’re here to help your father with that scroll.”

  In the heat of everything that transpired the day before, she had completely forgotten that it was in fact her father who had called LyCora and VoRenna to KaNar. She suddenly felt a surge of resentment towards him that surprised her. How could he do this to her? He knew what having LyCora around reminded her of…as if she could forget it anyway, but having her here staring at her, judging her…how was she supposed to just pretend it did not bother her?

  VoRenna lowered her head into view and tried to defuse the situation before it started. “DiNiya, good morning. I promised your father I would assist him, but please know that we have no intention of causing a repeat of last night. Isn’t that right, LyCora?” she added, angling her head down at the other girl.

  “Of course,” LyCora said in a tone that betrayed any true sense of sincerity, while never taking her eyes off DiNiya.

  “Hey, I have an idea,” said BaRone with a sudden look of delight. “Why don’t you take LyCora along with you, TarFor?” Everyone’s head whipped around to face him, and BaRone did his best to hold on to his courage. “I only really need VoRenna to help with the translation, and how often does LyCora get to come and visit KaNar anymore?”

  “BaRone, are you sure—”

  “You bastard, don’t do this to me,” the big man interrupted, rushing up to BaRone with a look of panic in his eyes as he grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt and lifted him up to his eye level.

  “What’s wrong, old friend?” BaRone said with a mischievous grin. “Scared of a couple of little girls, are you?”

  “BaRone, please! Don’t throw me in the middle of that feud. Even I don’t think I could come out of it unscathed.”

  “Relax. You’ll have Rex there with you.”

  TarFor glanced over and saw LyCora eyeing Rex uncertainly with DiNiya looking like she was about to explode.

  “That’s what worries me,” he replied somberly as he lowered BaRone back down.

  “VoRenna, you’re all right with this, right?” BaRone asked.

  VoRenna, who was still standing outside because she was too large to fit inside the front entrance of the shop, let out a deep sigh and said, “Very well.” She looked over at LyCora, who was already at odds with DiNiya, having apparently looked at Rex the wrong way. “LyCora!” she roared. The two girls jumped and instantly spun around to face her, much to Rex’s relief. “LyCora, I want you to behave yourself when you are out there, is that understood?”

  “Yes,” the blue-eyed girl replied.

  “I mean it, young lady.”

  “All right! I said I would,” LyCora replied, clearly agitated.

  DiNiya chuckled to herself, delighting in seeing her nemesis scolded.

  Rex, however, was now dreading his foray out into the forest even more. He was still new to all of this, but already he could tell that the last place he wanted to be was between these two when they started going at each other’s throats. This is just perfect, he thought. I’d rather fight the damn cat again.

  “Then it’s settled,” said BaRone. “You three will accompany TarFor and help him with his work. VoRenna, you can meet me at the rear entrance.” The DyVorian nodded and walked off around the shop. “All right, TarFor, I’ll leave these three to you. Have fun.” He then turned on his heel and briskly walked into the back.

  TarFor watched him disappear then let out a sigh. “Suppose this is what I get for trying to swindle a swindler. All right, you three,” he said in a booming voice as he placed his hands on his hips. “I already have the task of trying to make peace with the SoNarvora today, so I don’t have time to deal with your little squabble. Is that understood?”

  “Aren’t you the one who caused that whole mess in the forest?” DiNiya retorted, putting her hands on her hips in turn.

  “I, uh…well…”

  “And am I not only going because you need me to talk to them, but because I’m sure they want nothing to do with you anymore?”

  “Fine,” he exclaimed. “It’s my fault, I know, but you won’t be able to do anything yourself if you keep fighting with LyCora.”

  “He’s right, you know, DiNiya,” LyCora said. “You really should take your responsibilities more seriously.”

  DiNiya whipped around and was about to unload, but was beaten to the punch by TarFor. “The same goes for you, too, young blue flame. She does not need you constantly jabbing at her, trying to get a rise out of her.”

  “You insult me, good sir,” she replied, pretending to be offended.

  “All right, then,” said TarFor, lowering his hands to his sides. “Everyone ready?”

  “Yes,” the two girls said simultaneously.

  “No,” replied Rex
dryly.

  “Good, then let us be off,” TarFor said happily.

  A little less than an hour later, they were walking through the forest with TarFor leading the way. Rex was trying his best to stay as close to him as he could to keep from getting in between the girls, but he found it futile for they seemed glued to him. LyCora hung back and to his left, eyeing him warily, all the while upsetting DiNiya, who hovered on his right. What he would not give for the power to just suddenly fly straight up into the air and out from between the storm that was brewing around him.

  TarFor must have noticed his dire situation, for he began engaging him in casual conversation to try to distract him. “So tell me, lad. Rex is a curious name. Exactly what tongue does it hail from?”

  “It’s Latin,” explained Rex. “It means king.”

  “Latin,” TarFor repeated as he mulled the word over. “So that is the language you speak on Earth, is it?”

  “It was once spoken in some places, but no one speaks it anymore,” said Rex as he managed to walk a little ahead of the girls. “But it’s not what we speak where I’m from.”

  “So do you simply not speak in the world you’re from?”

  Rex felt confused, for he did not understand why what he said would cause the giant man to come to such a conclusion. “Uhh…no, we talk.”

  “But you just said that Latin is no longer spoken?”

  “Well, sort of, but not exactly. I mean, it is considered a dead language; it was once spoken through the continent of Europe, which is made up of quite a few countries.”

  “And what are those?”

  Rex glanced back and saw that DiNiya and LyCora were listening to him intently, apparently interested enough in what he was saying to forget about their seething hatred for each other for a time.

  “Well, it’s like a territory that has people of a certain…tribe, I suppose, living in it.”

  “So, it’s like what you were telling me before about government?” offered DiNiya.

  “Yes,” said Rex, feeling strange explaining things he never really cared much about himself. “Each country has its own government.”

  “Fine, fine,” said TarFor. “But why are these western countries the only place people speak language?”

  “They’re not. They’re just the only place where they spoke Latin.”

  “Spoke?” LyCora repeated with a raised eyebrow.

  “Well, yeah,” Rex continued. “Latin hasn’t been a living, spoken language for a very long time. Still, it has evolved into several others that still are.”

  TarFor suddenly stopped and turned around to face Rex. “So you are saying that the people of Earth speak more than one language?”

  “Yes,” said Rex, thinking the answer should have been obvious. “Don’t they do that here?”

  “Of course not,” he bellowed. “Why would they?”

  “I don’t know. Different people from different areas usually speak different ones, I suppose. Are you telling me everyone in EeNara only speaks English?”

  “Well, it is true we have only need for one, but it is not this English you speak of.”

  “What do you mean?” Rex asked, puzzled. “You’re speaking it right now. You probably call it something else—” He suddenly stopped in mid-sentence. “Incredible.” He had not noticed until just now that he in fact was not speaking English, nor had he since he awoke that first morning with DiNiya. “I…I’m speaking…what the hell am I speaking?” he asked, looking around at the three of them.

  “I’m sorry, Rex,” DiNiya said, taking a step closer to him. “But we don’t really understand the question.”

  “What do you mean you don’t understand the question?” Rex said, getting more frustrated. “What do you call your language? It has to have a name…right?” He looked around at their faces as they simply shook their heads.

  “I think I see the source of the confusion here,” said LyCora, who took a step closer, causing him to tense up for he could sense that DiNiya had daggers for eyes pointed right at him. “Your world has multiple languages, so naturally they each need names so people know which one you are referring to in a discussion. We here in EeNara, however, have had this one for thousands of years, so it never needed a special name to set it apart from any other.”

  “Figured all that out on your own, did you?” DiNiya said, clearly unimpressed.

  “And it’s a good thing I did,” LyCora shot back quickly. “Otherwise, you would have been pestering him all day with nagging questions!”

  “I was not nagging him!”

  “Rex,” LyCora said as she motioned for him to follow. “Why don’t we walk on up ahead so we’re not subjected to any more of her jealous ravings.”

  “Me? Jealous? Ha!” DiNiya said, forcing a boisterous laugh that sounded like she stole it from TarFor. “You’re crazy!”

  “Really? Then why haven’t you been more than two steps away from Rex since we left the shop?”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “You’ve been eyeing him like a hormonal fiend ever since you stepped into the shop this morning!”

  “How dare you!” DiNiya said angrily as she stormed over to LyCora and got right in her face.

  “What’s the matter?” asked LyCora with a mischievous grin. “The truth cut a little too deep?”

  “As if I would stoop so low to carry myself with such little dignity!”

  “Is that what you call it?”

  Rex glanced back at TarFor with a look that said “save me.”

  Seeming to understand, TarFor walked up to the two bickering girls and threw them both over his shoulders. “Right, then,” he said, looking down at Rex with a broad smile. “Shall we be back on our way?”

  Rex nodded, and they resumed their trek through the forest trail; all the while he was forced to watch the girls give each other nasty looks from over TarFor’s shoulders.

  Rex spent the next twenty minutes explaining as much as he could about Earth as per TarFor’s request. The giant remained silent for the most part as he listened to him, commenting only here and there on the things he found especially intriguing or amusing. He particularly found his explanation of racism funny.

  “People on Earth must truly be eager to find reasons to hate each other if they use biology as an excuse to do so,” he said, shaking his head in disbelief. However, he found the notion of killing in the name of religion distasteful. When Rex commented that he found it strange that there was no form of religion or faith-based belief on EeNara, TarFor simply said, “Better to learn and know than ignore and believe.”

  They continued on through the underbrush before passing a ten-meter waterfall that cascaded down into a beautiful crystal-blue lake.

  “Oooooh! We should go for a swim,” DiNiya said excitedly.

  “Not this outing,” said TarFor. “We still have a job to do.”

  DiNiya nodded thoughtfully while still draped over his shoulder. They continued on ahead but began to sense something strange. The air felt still as if it was somehow almost dead.

  “What’s that smell?” asked Rex as something acrid came wafting over him.

  “No…” said TarFor as he put down the girls and ran up ahead.

  “TarFor, what’s wrong?” DiNiya called after him.

  “Something feels wrong here,” said Rex.

  “He’s right,” agreed LyCora. “This whole area of the forest feels hurt.”

  “Hurt?” asked Rex. “How can you tell something like that?”

  “I’m a blue flame, remember? We have a strong connection to the land. We can feel its very pulse, and believe me when I say it’s very weak here.”

  “Come on, let’s go,” DiNiya said as she took off after TarFor, with Rex and LyCora following close behind. The forest around them began to show signs of a struggle. The area was filled with trees splintered, broken, and burned. Just up ahead they saw TarFor standing at the tree line.

  “Hey, look, it’s the edge of the forest,” said Rex,
surprised. “I didn’t realize we had walked this far.”

  “We haven’t,” DiNiya said, furrowing her brow.

  They caught up to TarFor and stopped dead in their tracks. Their eyes went wide with horror as they looked out at what was once part of the lush forest, but now was a massive fifty-meter burnt spread with no sign of life within it. They stood in silent horror as they took in the dreadful sight. The air was thick with the smell of burnt wood and smoke, with all the trees on the edges still standing but looking like they were made of burnt paper. The forest that was normally alive with sound of all manner of creatures big and small was eerily quiet.

  “What the hell happened here?” asked Rex, stepping forward into the black scorched circle.

  TarFor, who had been silent this entire time, spoke up. “This was a tactical strike,” he said, walking up next to Rex. “Someone wanted to cover their tracks in a hurry…and make sure there was no one left to tell what happened here.”

  “The question is, what did happen here?” asked LyCora.

  “The SoNarvora tribe?” DiNiya asked in a somber tone, knowing the answer in her heart but not yet ready to accept it.

  “You’re standing in it,” TarFor said in the same somber tone as he looked at the ash-covered soil.

  DiNiya found herself struggling to get a handle on the moment. “Who would do such a thing?” she asked, anger rising in her voice. “Or why?”

  “I don’t know. It doesn’t make sense; they were just passing through…no threat to anyone…”

  “Could it be a rogue predator?” asked LyCora. “Someone trailing a herd?”

  “But why such an extreme method of killing?” asked DiNiya.

  “Think about it. The only logical reason anyone would have for removing all traces of their kill would not be to hide the identity of their prey, but their own.”

  “You’re saying the killer doesn’t want us to know what they are?”

  TarFor nodded before squatting down and scooping up a handful of ash. “Look, the ground we’re standing on is burnt several layers deep. This was done by a concentrated blast of flame, but also a controlled one. Whoever did this had a mastery of their flame and knew how to use it as a controlled weapon.”