by Dreagen
“I am certainly no expert on the matter, but I surmise that it has something to do with the circles themselves, probably acting as a two-point reference system. You can only be transported from one circle to another one. Again, in theory.”
“Well if it works for DraGons, I suppose it can’t be all that different for us,” VayRonx said as he stepped inside the circle. “Coming?”
VoRenna and BaRone joined him while the others divided up amongst the other three circles.
“Now visualize being above,” NyEssa explained. “On top of the tower.”
They focused on the mental image of going above, and shortly thereafter they began disappearing. They could all feel the emptiness of the space between both points, but found themselves suddenly regaining a sense of weight in a now open-air environment.
BaRone exhaled loudly as the full measure of his mass returned to him. It was then that he saw them, a sight that restored any and all sense of hope he had ever felt. Five young SaVarians sitting huddled together, cradling a sixth in their collective embrace. Not willing to wait even another moment, he ran over to them with the others close behind. Kneeling down, he took in their weathered faces, all of which seemed to possess an almost removed expression, like they were within the boundaries of a world only they inhabited. Placing his hands on his daughter’s shoulders, he drew her in. Feeling his little girl in his arms again brought with it such a relief that for a moment he thought he might never let go again.
DiNiya had missed her father, and knew what he must have gone through to get her back. Still, as much as he would not want to admit it at first, things had changed; she had changed. Gently, she pushed away and regarded him with a warm smile. “I’m all right now.”
It was then that BaRone saw the burning red of a fully ignited flame in her eyes, and knew that things would be different now. Nodding silently in acknowledgment, he smiled at his daughter and followed her gaze down to the unconscious young man in her lap. Rex, the lost child of EeNara, home at long last.
VayRonx now watched as the others embraced their children, holding them close. As he observed them with silent admiration, he realized he was witnessing the start of something new and wonderful. A family made up of seemingly many different parts. One that might one day serve as a source of strength for the rest of the world. A family forged in flame.
26
EPILOGUE
Seven days passed, and life in KaNar seemed to slowly return to normal. For VayRonx, who now stood atop one of his home’s highest peaks, gazing down at the place he loved so much and had watched nearly be destroyed, it was all an illusion. The truth was that everything had changed forever, and the future now seemed more uncertain than ever. He used to marvel at how his mother had reigned as alpha of KaNar before him. Strong, proud, just, and brave—qualities he had worked his whole life to be, but now wondering if he would be able to live up to the responsibility.
“Care for some company, old friend?” came a comforting voice from behind.
Gazing back, VayRonx saw BaRone approaching with DiNiya at his side. To everyone’s pleasant surprise, she had recovered days before any of the others, including Rex. Still, it was her now burning red eyes that struck him every time he looked at her. While paling in comparison to the raw ferocity of Rex’s, they were still a powerful sight, and at times even an unsettling one, for he had seen with his own eyes the power she now wielded with her fully awakened red flame, when he saw DayKar’s body, or rather what remained of it. Still, this was DiNiya, and for all the horror they had witnessed, he was happy that this young woman who once seemed doomed to spend the rest of her life lost and removed now had found her strength. At long last, she had something to give her a sense of purpose and identity. Everyone could see that the broken child was gone, and in her place stood a stronger and more confident woman who had heads turning everywhere she went. All the young men and many of the women had already started to take notice, as if seeing her for the first time. Something BaRone will have to deal with sooner, rather than later, he mused to himself. However, he suspected there was already someone who had captured her eye and acquired her full attention, something that reaffirmed his suspicion that she would turn out all right after all.
“KyVina said we would find you up here,” BaRone said, stopping just short of the TarBoranx’s foot.
“Indeed,” he replied, lowering his form so he could bring his head closer to them. “I used to come here often in my youth when I wanted to think, but when I became alpha I found it increasingly difficult to…well, to get away, I suppose. These days all my thinking has to be done at ground level in the thick of things. Such is the price of leadership.”
“You make it sound like you have to brave it all on your own,” DiNiya said, walking past him and gazing out at KaNar. “No matter how strong you are or think you need to be, you are never more so than when you’re with friends…or rather, family.”
Her words brought a smile to her father’s face as he watched his once little girl now standing tall as a strong woman. “Your mother would be so proud of you,” BaRone said, wiping a tear from his eye.
“I know,” she said, smiling as she remembered her scent. “I only hope I can continue to be the kind of woman she wanted me to be in the days ahead.”
“Oh, I have no doubt that you will,” he said, walking up behind her and placing his hands on her shoulders. “No matter what the future brings, the good in you, born of her, will see you through.”
DiNiya turned and looked up into her father’s eyes, which now filled with tears he did not bother to hide. “Thank you, Father,” she said, wrapping her arms around him. “Thank you for everything.”
“It is my honor.”
“I hope we’re not interrupting?” LyCora said as she, ShinGaru, EeNox, and AnaSaya walked up from behind.
“Not at all,” BaRone said as he stepped back next to VayRonx. “It’s good to see you all back on your feet.”
“I just hope it starts to feel as good,” EeNox said with a sheepish grin. “I still feel completely exhausted.”
“You all have been through something incredibly difficult,” VayRonx said as he rose back up. “Perhaps even unprecedented. The fact that you are all here now standing together is a testament to your strength and fortitude.”
“I still can’t believe you were up and about before any of us, DiNiya,” her brother said.
“I spent enough of my life recovering,” DiNiya replied before turning back to face all of them with a smile of fierce determination. “It’s time I rejoin life.”
EeNox crossed his arms and shook his head. “Looks like you won’t be needing anyone looking out for you anymore then, I guess.”
“What, are you kidding?” she replied in a manner that immediately told them that she was still the DiNiya they had always known. “I’ve spent my teen years as a socially awkward recluse! I need all the help I can get!” Everyone laughed as a much-needed feeling of levity swept over all of them. Even LyCora and ShinGaru, who were normally as cool and collected as they come, found themselves overtaken by this joyous feeling.
At last their laugher subsided, and BaRone decided to take it upon himself to shift the conversation to the next obvious topic. “What of Rex?”
Pausing for a moment to ponder the question, DiNiya replied, “How do you mean?”
“He’s the only other red flame in the world and also the only other—”
“TyRanx,” she finished for him. “Yes…he is a form of support that I can’t really explain. Not in words, anyway.”
“Mmhmm…” VayRonx uttered with a hint of sarcasm. “And what more than that?”
A sly smile spread across DiNiya’s face as her cheeks reddened before she turned away and looked back out at the beautiful mountain vista before her. “That’s enough for me…for now.”
Rex walked through the dark void of his inner mind for the first time without fear or apprehension. In light of everything that had happened to him over the pas
t year, this strange and haunting place had grown rather familiar, almost like a sanctuary for the dangers of the outside world. Now he returned to speak with the one presence that seemed to know him better than he did himself, the one who had seen the best and very worst of him and had continued to stand with him. “EliCia, are you there?” he called out.
“After all this time you still have to ask?” she said as her tall, elegant form emerged from the shadows.
“Force of habit,” he replied with a chuckle.
She smiled fondly down on him, almost like a mother would her own child. It was something he had never experienced, but felt that this was as close as he would come.
“If I’m not mistaken, this is the first time you came here on your own accord,” she said.
“It was the first time I realized I could.”
“What changed?”
“Me, I think. I feel like I’ve woken from a long sleep, and the life I lived before I returned to EeNara was just some dream I had, a dream I was clinging to.”
“But now?”
“Now I’m wide awake. I don’t know what tomorrow holds for me, but I realized something back on the tower when I fought DayKar. Those who would do harm to me and those I care about have more to fear from me than I do them. A monster did indeed return the night the DraGons attack, but it wasn’t DayKar.”
With that he turned and proceeded to walk away when she called out to him. “Rex! Whatever it is you think you know about the power inside of you, there is still so much more you do not. You may think you’ve managed to get control of it, but when the time comes, when the very nature of what you are is pushed to the breaking point, you may find yourself trapped by the will of another.”
“Don’t worry, EliCia, I’m still on your side,” he said, glancing back with a nefarious grin and a gleam in his eye before turning and disappearing into the blackness. “For now.”
He awoke in his room and immediately sat up in bed. Rearing his head back, he opened his mouth wide and unleashed a deep yawn before stretching and pushing himself up and out of bed. Grabbing the clothes at the foot of the bed, he quickly dressed and stepped outside. KaNar was still in the process of rebuilding itself. Everywhere he looked, its people were busily moving about the streets, but began to look up when they saw him. Normally Rex would have hated the attention, but he now felt indifferent to it. He proceeded forward through the streets, with everyone bowing their heads towards him in silent acknowledgment. Where are they? he wondered as he searched for familiar flames. At last, he sensed those he was searching for, and made his way up one of the mountain passes to where he found everyone gathered. “I can’t even climb to the top of a damn mountain to be alone anymore.”
“Rex!” EeNox said in surprise. “We didn’t realize you were there.”
“I’m problematic like that,” he said, giving his friend a wink as he moved past him to where his sister looked at him with intense burning red eyes. The most beautiful eyes Rex had ever seen. “Hello.”
“Hello,” she replied in turn.
“How are you feeling?”
“Better,” she said with a smile.
“Like your old self?”
She gave a thoughtful look as she pondered the question before saying, “Like my new self, for the first time.” Rex just smiled. “More importantly, how are you feeling?”
“Oh, you know me,” he replied stepping up to the edge of the cliff and looking out. “I’m far too stubborn to be less anything than one hundred percent.”
“Nothing stops you, Rex,” she said, joining him on the edge.
“There’s something that’s been bothering me since we got home,” said LyCora suddenly, interrupting their little moment. “Just before DayKar died, he whispered something to you. What did he say before you…killed him?”
Rex regarded her intently before turning to DiNiya, who looked at him with a type of stillness in her eyes. Returning his attention to the great and majestic expanse of EeNara, he replied, “He said the arrival of the Doom Bringer ten thousand years ago ushered in an age of war, and now his return marks the dawn of legend.”
APPENDIX
AcaroVora -Also known as Ridgebacks and the EeNarin descendent of Acrocanthosaurus
Alpha Trials -Tournament used to determine line of Alpha succession
AnaSaya – Daughter of VyKia
BaRone – EeNox and DiNiya’s father
Blood Wine – Powerful stimulant made from fire rose extract
Bloodstone – City near the center of the western coast of the Northern Continent
BorKovora – Therizinosaurus
BorMax – Brachiosaurus
BorTon – Apatosaurus
BrinGard – Vanguard musician
BroMar – Eotriceratops
CaLar – CeraVora and childhood friend of BaRone
CarNite – Ore native to planet VoLera
CeraVora – Ceratosaurus
ClorRax – Large amphibian predator native to the Northern Continent
ClyVen – Home of reclusive northern mountain tribes/keepers of the ancient secrets and all of the blue flame
CyTorians – Pterosaurs
DaiGar – Ancient ruin city
DarMorvora – Deinonychus
DayKar – Templar and Grand Marshal of the Holy Order
DiaTar – Small village at the base of the ClyVen mountains
DiNiya – Daughter of BaRone and sister to EeNox
DonGahl – Small outpost on the outskirts MoraDay territory
DoraMax – Titanosaurus
DoroBak – BorKiv musician in The Vanguard
DroMevora – Utahraptor
DyVorian – Dinosaur
EeNara – DyVorian home world
EeNox – Son of BaRone and brother to DiNiya
EliCia – Entity inhabiting Rex’s mind
FenMor – DarMorvora and mate to RenTin
FeraNea – DoraMax tribe
FeroBay – KaNar tavern barkeep
FiNaya – Female SaVarian vocalist of The Vanguard
Fire Rose – Flower and the only other organism besides the TyRanx to be of the red flame
FyNasia – NyRo’s mate
KarVora – Eotriceratops
GoroTy – Childhood friend to DiNiya, EeNox and LyCora
Grand Heights – City built high above the clouds on the Northern Continent and home of the Highwing Tribe
Highwings – Quetzalcoatlus and largest species of CyTorian
Holy Order – Religious based military force from VoLera comprised of DraGon knights
KaNar – Small Northern Continent mountain tribe nestled in the Black Ridge Mountains
KarVora – Eotriceratops
KenSito -EeNox’s informant and son to KaNar’s captain of the guards
KepArr – Four centimeter insect that has the ability to record small increments of sound
KinTark – Vanguard musician
KonChoo – Coffee equivalent
KyGahl – EeNara’s leading Paleontologist
KyoNar – Vanguard musician
KySer – CyTorian of KaNar
KyStov – DarMorvora in the service of Alpha TorMarr
KyVina – Beta TarBoranx of KaNar and VayRonx’s mate
LemaRes – Captain of the Holy Order, mate to DayKar and sister to VorTak
LyCora – Adopted daughter of VoRenna
LyVera – DoraMax from the FeraNea Tribe
ManaTy – CeraVora in the service TorMarr
MayLock – Trees with restorative powers
MeNoris – Botanist & ShinGaru’s deceased father
MoraDay – Tribe located near the northwestern plains of the Northern Continent
MorToff – Bull of Northern Continent Plain’s KarVora herd
NiroTy – StyNovora and TolNy’s young grandson
NyEssa – High Wing and Alpha of Grand Heights
NyRo – Head of the KaNar’s OroGon pack
OroGon – Smilodon
PeroDay
– Templar knight and brother to DayKar
RemoKy – Solitary AcaroVora of the wild lands
RenTin – DarMorvora and mate to FenMor
Rex – SaVarian child orphaned on earth
RoVak – Tribe at the base of the ClyVen Mountains and home to RyNevia & WesNor
RowVow – Large string musical instrument, played by DyVorians while standing up
RyNevia – LyCora’s deceased biological mother
SaVarian – Hominid species native to EeNara
SeroFiya – Northern Capital botanist & DiNiya & EeNox’s deceased mother
SevoMar – Vanguard musician
ShinGaru – Communally raised child of KaNar and the youngest archeologist in the history of the Northern Capital’s Science Guild.
SilKar – SoNarvora and one of KaNar’s field workers
SiNaro & RayKov – VoRenna’s deceased biological sons
SoNarvora – Galimimus
StyNovora – Stegosaurus
TarBoranx – DyVorian species resulting from crossbreeding of Tyrannosaurs rex and Tarbosaurus sixty-five million years ago
TarFor – BaRone’s childhood friend and brother to VyKia
TemBol – KarVora in charge of KaNar’s fields
TolNy – Elderly StyNovora and grandfather to NiroTy
TorMarr -VenVora and Alpha of MoraDay
TyRanx – Ancient DyVorian species descended from Tyrannosaurs rex and long thought to be extinct
TyRoas – OroGon and NyRo’s younger brother
VayRonx – TarBoranx and Alpha of KaNar
VekRar & HarTess – Founders of astronomy on EeNara
VenVora – Torvosaurus
VoRenna – VyoNyvora and LyCora’s adoptive mother
VoRon – Elderly Templar knight
VorTak – Templar knight and brother to LemaRes
VyKia – AnaSaya’s mother and TarFor’s sister
VyMora – Large female AcaroVora
VyNasia – Northern Capital botanist & ShinGaru’s deceased mother
VyoNyvora – Saurophanax
