by Ramy Vance
The rest of the conversation didn’t matter.
He had me.
We worked through the details for the main character (always, in my opinion, the most important part of the story) as my inner NERD was squeaking “FREAKING DRAGON!”)
If you enjoy dragon stories, LMBPN has many. Those include (already out) Sarah Noffke’s The Exceptional S. Beaufont stories, and Kevin McLaughlin’s Steel Dragon series. In March, I have another dragon collaboration with Martha Carr coming out, the Dragon Trainer series.
Jump on our email list to be told about these and the many other books we have coming your way in the future!
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Thank you for reading our stories. It means the world to me!
Michael Anderle
Defense of the Nest
Dragon Approved™ Book Three
Chapter One
Alex woke in a room that felt strange. She hesitated to open her eyes.
The darkness was home.
It was closer than family; it was life. No matter how far she got away from it, the darkness was always there. It was part of her in some way, maybe more a part of her than she would care to admit.
She remembered vividly the last thing she’d seen. She almost laughed. “Seen” was a word she had never thought she would have a use for, yet it was what she had seen that had sent her screaming.
It hadn’t been anything specific. Nothing had jumped out or scared her or anything like that. She had just seen—truly seen for the first time. There had been different iterations of what sight could be like for her: Middang3ard VR, the vision provided by Myrddin, and Manny’s multiple eyes.
There was something else too. Her own eyes were working now. Well, not fully. Whatever Myrddin had done had brought her sight, sort of, but it was overwhelming. Adjusting to her new ability would take longer than getting used to seeing through Chine’s or Manny’s eyes had.
And it hurt to look through her own eyes. It hurt so much that she never wanted to open her eyes again.
As in, ever.
Even with her eyes closed, Alex knew someone else was in the room. She could hear their breathing. Thankfully, Alex could also feel fabric wrapped around her eyes. Someone’d had the decency to blindfold her, which meant she didn’t need to let anyone know she was awake.
Whoever was in the room wasn’t worried about talking or checking on Alex, which was great. She needed time to get her thoughts together. Life kept coming at her, harder every time. Being able to see was supposed to be the easy part of joining the dragonriders.
Alex tried to think back to what had happened. She tried to paint the picture in her mind, but she was unfamiliar with the task. Recalling images from in-game was one thing, but the real deal, trying to remember what she’d seen, felt a thousand times harder.
It could be done, though. Since Alex had arrived at the Wasp’s Nest, she’d been filled with the feeling that she wasn’t good enough, that she wasn’t going to be able to complete whatever task was set before her. She had to get over that and soon.
She could start by remembering.
The last image Alex recalled came at her, surrounded by a headache. Even trying to piece together memories visually was enough to make her want to grab her head and scream, but she needed to do this.
What kind of dragonrider was she going to be if she couldn’t even do this one thing?
Alex took a deep breath and hoped whoever was in the room wasn’t paying attention enough to notice. The last thing she could remember was seeing her own eyes through Chine’s , dissecting her own pores, and noting her own hair follicles.
True sight hadn’t knocked Alex on her ass. It had been Chine’s sight that was too much to handle. She was seeing something beyond what human beings saw.
How was that any different than when she was looking through Manny’s eyes, though? He didn’t see the same way humans did. When Manny explained it to Alex, he’d mentioned seeing on entirely different planes of existence.
Yet Manny’s vision seemed dull in ways that made Middang3ard VR seem vibrant.
Alex could not see it, but she was lying in a bed in Sickbay. For most of the afternoon, she’d been attended to by a host of nurses and doctors trying to figure out what was wrong.
On the surface, it didn’t seem like anything. Her eyes were still technically dead, but that was to be expected since Myrddin couldn’t have cast a successful healing spell on something that was not injured. So, the doctors continued to look.
Manny had the most reasonable explanation. Alex had been asleep while Manny’d tried to explain to the doctors what he thought was happening.
Needless to say, the doctors didn’t listen. Manny was, in fact, merely Myrddin’s messenger. What would he know of these things?
After the doctors left, Manny stayed behind. The breathing Alex had heard when she woke up belonged to him. He’d stayed with her through the first and second day she’d been in the hospital. Not a moment had passed without him at her side.
Alex would never know that, though. Manny had no intention of telling her; he didn’t think it was necessary. He knew someone had to watch over the girl, and he was the most likely candidate.
The door to Sickbay creaked as it opened. Alex tried not to shift or show any sign she was awake. She didn’t want to deal with anyone. Unless they could tell her how she could see comfortably, it wasn’t of any concern to her. She’d rather lie in the dark and think.
She heard Myrddin’s voice; it was soft, perhaps concerned, but she couldn’t read the intention behind his words. Having now seen his face while he’d spoken made interpreting even harder. Alex had the feeling Myrddin was not a man you could understand, not unless he wanted you to.
Myrddin sounded as if he were speaking underwater. There was the vague recollection of a sound, but nothing actually there; it must have been magic. Alex assumed it was the only way he’d be able to do such a thing.
Manny, on the other hand, could be heard loud and clear. “She’s been sleeping for a while. I think we should let her rest.”
Myrddin spoke again, but it was impossible to hear. Alex almost considered sitting up just so she could ask Myrddin to stop the magic nonsense to let her hear what they were talking about. If secrecy was so important, Myrddin and Manny could take the conversation outside.
Manny’s voice cut through Alex’s internal monologue. “I know you don’t think it’s important, but she needs to rest,” Manny argued. “If you push her further, there may not be any coming back. This might be it. And will you please get rid of that muffled effect? I can hardly hear what you’re saying.”
There was a suspiciously loud cough before Alex heard a noise as if someone had just popped a bubble with a needle. Myrddin’s voice came through clear as the crystal palace surrounding them. “Time is running out,” he hissed. “What is wrong with her?”
Manny gave a huge sigh, and Alex had to squash the desire to get up, rip off her blindfold, and glare at them both. “She isn’t able to see through the dragon eyes yet,” Manny explained. “She hasn’t ever seen—really seen, and this? This is something completely new for her system to deal with. You’re expecting a lot from her.”
“We all expect a lot from her. Whether it is just me or a collective force doesn’t matter. She is a necessary member of the dragonriders now. I do not—”
“If she is necessary, then you should make an effort to understand. She’s been seeing mostly through my eyes. It’s different from VR. Beholders see multiple levels of reality at the same time, and we filter it automatically. Everything Alex has seen through my eyes has been unconsciously tempered so it doesn’t fry her brain. What you did with the dragon’s eyes pushed the boundaries.”
Alex stopped herself from grabbing her sheets as she held her breath. “What you did was dangerous, Myrddin,” Manny chastised. “You could have shattered her mind, giving her the sight of a dragon. What were you thinking?”
Alex heard Myrddin c
ross the room, his robes chafing against his thighs. “I did what I had to do,” he replied. “She needs to see. I gave her the best sight imaginable—to see through the eyes of a dragon. Even you would be envious of such a thing.”
“And because of that, I would know not to bestow dragon sight upon a child who has never used her eyes before.”
“I do not have time for this,” Myrddin spat. “Nor do any of the realms. You will stay with her during her training. Be her eyes if she cannot deal with the eyes of the dragon. We have to get these recruits ready for what is coming. We have…”
Myrddin’s voice trailed off. Alex could imagine him stroking his beard as he looked for the right words to say. She didn’t think he would find them.
Her heart was racing. Myrddin had spoken about her as if she were some tool—necessary and with value, but almost lacking in humanity. What the hell have I gotten myself into? she thought.
Manny coughed nervously before he replied to Myrddin. “Fine,” he finally said. “I’ll stay with her and help as much as I can. But you must realize what you’re doing and the strain you are placing on this girl.”
Myrddin opened the door. “I am completely aware of what I am asking,” he retorted. “If she is not able to perform, then I made a mistake in choosing her, nothing more and nothing less. Provide her the assistance she needs. The training continues. If she keeps up, she keeps up. If she fails, we’ll figure it out from there.”
The door clicked. Alex assumed Myrddin had left Manny alone in the room with her. There was no way to know whether Manny knew she was awake, but she figured it didn’t matter either way.
The way Myrddin had talked about her had filled the dragonrider with rage. Alex wished she had spoken up, but she had no idea what she would have said. Regardless of how single-minded Myrddin was being, he was right. If she couldn’t keep up, she should do something else.
Alex wanted to go back to sleep. She felt like her insides were trying to twist away from her. Maybe she didn’t belong here. Middang3ard VR could have been an extended fluke. The real thing, the real and true war of Middang3ard, might be too much for her to handle.
The fear that hit Alex was not something she’d ever experienced before. It started at her throat and she seized up, gasping for air. Then it traveled down her chest, and her lungs grew tight as if she would never breathe again.
Finally, it pooled in her stomach. Her guts constricted with cramps she’d never felt before. She wanted to scream. The pain was nearly as bad as looking through Chine’s eyes for the first time. I’m not going to be able to do this, Alex thought. I can’t do this.
As Alex descended into a pit of self-doubt, she tried to think of something to encourage herself, but there was nothing. All of the kind words her parents had shared with her had disappeared. It was like they’d never been said. The darkness was looming—the true darkness.
Manny burped softly in the corner of the med-bay. “Excuse me,” he muttered.
His decorum made Alex want to laugh, but she held it in. She didn’t want him to know she’d been even slightly awake for his and Myrddin’s conversation.
At least Manny was here. He apparently didn’t begrudge Alex anything. In fact, he seemed more on Alex’s side than Myrddin did. Manny hadn’t forgotten Alex was a person, not just a thing to be used as Myrddin saw fit.
She stretched her arms and her legs, making a big show of waking up. After she sat and yawned dramatically, she asked, “Where am I?” in a feigned sleepy voice.
When Manny spoke, he sounded much closer to Alex than when he’d been talking with Myrddin. “Oh, thank the gods you’re awake,” he exclaimed. “You’ve been out forever. Are you feeling better?”
“Yeah, a little bit. Hey, Manny, can I ask you a favor?”
“Sure, whatever you need.”
“Could you…help me see? Whatever spell Myrddin cast was too strong. Could I use your eyes again—just until I get used to everything?”
He didn’t bother answering, but Alex felt the warmth behind her eyes. She thought this was the best way to take some of the pressure off Manny. Hopefully, if it seemed like her idea, he wouldn’t be too stressed. “Thanks, Manny.”
She pulled the blindfold up on one of her eyes so she could look at Manny. He floated in front of her, a bright green color, with his tendrils nervously waving back and forth as his largest eye stared at her with hope and worry. “We’ve got to get you rested up. Training starts soon.”
“Will you help me with my training?” Alex asked as she pulled the blindfold down again. Her eyes still weren’t quite there, and it was easier to not use them—for now, at least.
She could hear the smile and genuine enthusiasm in his voice when he replied, “I’d love to.”
“All right, that sounds good. But I need to rest, Manny. Do you think I could be alone for a while? Just by myself.”
“Oh, yes, of course. Not a problem.”
Manny spoke again as he moved toward the door. “Just one thing,” he started. “You’ll be moved into your dorm room during the night. I just didn’t want you to wake up and be scared.”
Having Manny put forth an effort to make her comfortable warmed Alex’s heart. She felt like there was at least one person here rooting for her. “Thanks for the heads up, Manny. I really appreciate it.”
“No problem.” There was the same click of the door and Alex was alone.
Not once in her entire life had there been anything Alex didn’t think she was capable of. Now, in Middang3ard, Alex was struck with the overwhelming idea that being a dragonrider was something she might not be able to do.
It wasn’t enough to believe in herself. She’d believed in herself her entire life. This was something new. She couldn’t quite get her head around it. She kept repeating to herself that she could do this, but every time she said the words, they became hollower.
What if this is not something I can do?
The thought was too much for Alex to bear. She succumbed to a darkness more familiar than that which was growing and taking on a life of its own. Sleep came upon her quickly, and soon after, she was in her dreams, which had never taken on a specific form.
Chapter Two
Alex was jolted awake by a nightmare. She couldn’t control her breathing. Her heart was pounding in her chest, and she instinctively leaped from her bed, only to crumple to the crystal floor as she tried to figure out where she was.
The blindfold had fallen off her face. She fumbled around on the floor looking for it before deciding she didn’t need it. Still, she picked it up and felt around a little bit more to understand where she was in relation to the rest of the room.
Once Alex touched the bed, she grabbed the posts and pulled herself closer to its comfort. She sat down and tried to steady her breath and keep her eyes from opening. Even though she’d never been able to see before, she could always feel light on the back of her eyelids.
That light was what called her to open her eyes. It was like a question waiting to be answered.
Suddenly, Alex remembered what Manny had told her—she was going to be moved to her dorm room during the night. Everything felt foreign because she wasn’t in the med bay anymore. This was a new place, nothing else.
Alex listened to see if there was anyone in the room with her, but she couldn’t hear any moving or breathing. I must be alone, she thought thankfully. Now is as good a time to try and figure this crap out.
Just to be safe, she refolded her blindfold.
Inhale. Exhale. Inhale and hold it. Alex ran through the exercises she’d been taught to handle her anxiety in new situations before she cracked her lids open.
The light in the room hit her eyes and went straight to the back of her head. She felt dizzy, and like she might throw up. She pitched forward, clutching her gut and closing her eyes as tightly as she could until the pain passed.
When she took another deep breath and tried to open her eyes, she couldn’t. There was no way to get past the light, which
was otherworldly-bright. She pulled her knees close and cried softly from the pulsing awakening in her head as she put the blindfold back on.
The sound of the door opening broke her reflections, and she jumped. “Who’s there?” Alex asked, her voice cracking.
The sound of beating wings filled the room, and they were getting closer. “It’s me, Jollies. Just got back from breakfast. Figured you didn’t have any. Hold on, all right?”
Jollies’ fluttering wings disappeared for a moment, came back, then vanished again. The noise continued for a couple of minutes until the door shut completely. Alex felt a tiny soft hand on her wrist. The touch moved down her hand to her finger, grabbing it tightly.
Jollies guided Alex to the desk by tugging on her finger. There were two plates of food there that Alex hadn’t even smelled because Jollies had been moving so fast.
She moved Alex’s hand to a pair of utensils and released her. “Got the best of the best. Don’t want you going hungry or anything like that.”
Alex dug into the food. She was famished. The night of sleep had been good for her head but not her stomach. She ate so fast that she hardly tasted what went into her mouth. She was too busy inhaling everything edible near her. Suddenly she stopped. “Wait, how did you get all this here?”
Jollies laughed, and Alex could hear her zipping around her head. “Pixies are extremely strong. We can lift nearly three hundred times our body weight. You can’t tell when you look at me, but…”
Jollies’ voice trailed off. Alex was used to that happening. A lot of people thought she would be offended at the choice of words, but Alex had come to terms with that a long time ago. It was just a phrase.
Alex smiled to let Jollies know everything was okay. “Don’t worry about it. I know what you mean,” Alex said. “And when I did see you, I wouldn’t have imagined you could lift so much.”
