© Chery1 Rush Cowperthwait 2019
Graphic Designer Lily Dormishev
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Table of Contents
Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Preview
Dedication
Chapter 1
Deep within the side of Mount Lebranza, a cave made way to a wide and beautiful cavernous space with a pool of crystal-clear azure water, surrounded on both sides with lush vegetation. Overhead, several portals glinted light from the sun.
Behind the vast cavern was the Queen’s lair. It had been fortified heavily through the millennium with the minerals and gems gathered from within the belly of Urthe. Layered and layered, gathered and forged, the walls of the Queen’s lair were impenetrable.
Up above, a portal twinkled of many precious stones in a vast array of colors and shapes, glistening her whole enclosure in their rich hues. Only she had the code to open the portal. It was well disguised on the outside where any Dragon flying overhead would see it only as ice shimmering in the sunlight.
Much had gone into their planning when they left the second moon, Verlaunde, their home. Yet, they had made an enormous mistake by not sealing the portals. The other Dragon Hails of Verlaunde, most being their archenemies, followed suit and followed them to Urthe. For the past several hundred years, the Mursei had worked to ensure the safety of the Urthe and those living inside the rocks and caves.
But, Urthe was hardly hospitable. The air was thick and oozed with toxins which stagnated life above ground. To the hostile Dragons that followed the Mursei, the air was a fortification, not only making it possible to increase in number and size, but each Hail of Dragons gained new abilities that were more powerful than when they lived on Verlaunde.
Suddenly, a terrible quaking shook the ground. Ash and smoke plumed up into the air. The mountain tops, caves and even the ground itself spewed forth more dust. Chaos rocked the cave dwellers. They scrambled over the rocks and walls, trying to make their way outside. A new hard quake scattered the people in every direction.
Kiayla, a young woman heavy in pregnancy, had been thrown to the ground. She tried to stand, but the ground rolled underneath her feet, tossing her back down. Her fingers dug at the dirt, clawing her way forward.
She had spotted an opening to a cave next to huge boulders that stayed grounded when everything else moved around her. Finally, she made it past the boulders when another tremor started the swaying motion. A new jolt hit her in the mid-section. Holding the odd translucent orb that dangled down from her neck, her tears ran freely down her face. She gasped for air in the thick ash-laced atmosphere, but her breath only came in jagged gulps. She needed to find refuge; her baby could come any second!
She crawled the last few feet and collapsed on the cave floor. In the same instant, a new shaking occurred. A rush of Dragons flew out of the mouth of the cave. The woman’s pain-stricken face gazed upward to find an enormous Blue and Gold Dragon hovering over her, razor sharp spikes running the length of his spine. He dove towards her as she shrieked out in terror. The last thing she saw was his green flashing eyes as he leaned over her.
“Rynik, quick bring her to me,” the Queen called out. “She is fading away; we must save the child!”
Rynik, a Mursei Dragon, was the Queen’s First Guard. He quickly grabbed the limp, moaning woman and brought her to the Queen’s lair. Kiayla screamed in agony as another contraction ripped through her body. Then her head dropped back and lay against the leathery tail of the Queen. Her breathing stopped.
“Help bring the baby out, Rynik. She cannot finish the birth.”
Rynik saw the baby trapped, only partially born and reached down to pull it free. His claws grasped the tiny creature’s shoulder and brought it to freedom. A wailing filled the Queen’s chamber.
It was a baby girl, pink and wrinkled. The Queen noticed the ripped shoulder and pressed her tongue against the wound. The bleeding ceased. She stared down at the infant. A sudden flash ripped across her portal, illuminating the chamber. The baby reached out and clasped onto a leathery finger and closed its tiny fingers around it. And so, in a moment a baby and a Legend was born.
The Beginning....
In those days it was a harsh, bloody land and sky, of strife between the peoples of Urthe and war between Dragons, of joint screams flying into the sky as numerous as the arrows seeking targets.
Almost forgotten were the stories of old, passed down from the elders of days long behind them. Stories of peace, harmony and plenty. The eldest warrior of the peoples, Molakei, became the keeper of the stories but more importantly, he was the keeper of the Legend of the Dragon Child. Therein lay the hope of the people of Urthe and the Dragons.
So, it was in the days of two moons when the sky smoldered a smoky violet, battles were won and lost. Urthe peoples lived underground in constant peril with Urthe violently shaking around them.
The great beasts of the sky battled for the air; their numbers increased as did their size.
They consumed the violet air, swallowing up huge chunks of the sky at an alarming rate.
Each group of Dragons, referred as Hails of Dragons, had their Queen and/or King. Each set out to overtake the others for their rights of air and ground. Their numbers and abilities continued to grow despite the constant wars.
All except for the Hail of Blue and Gold Dragons. They fought only when they must. They took to the sky less and less, preferring to stay and protect the Queen.
As with the Queens’ before her, she kept a well-hidden secret. A secret that would save her kind and those living within the ground. A secret of the Sky, the Dragons and something more, that even the Queens had no language for. It translated into something instinctual, protective and hopeful. Their Hail of the Blue and Gold Dragons, were known as the Mursei, the Givers of Life. Within them, the whole of the Urthe would and must change, for the survival of them all.
The soft voice of the Queen called out, “Rynik, take the child to the nursery and place her with the hatchlings. As my First Guard, you must now watch over her. I choose you to be her Guardian. Let no harm come to her for she shall become the great bridge between Dragons and the Urthe peoples. She will learn our language, our ways. She has been sealed by me for all time, for she is the Chosen One.” The Queen flicked her long, forked tongue over the baby’s head, her green eyes grew soft and her heart beat a new song--one of hope and survival.
A rush of Dragons landed at the Queen’s chamber.
“Queen of Mursei, King Viephan of the Silver and Black Hail of Dragons, demand that we join him in battle. Join or be destroyed, is what he said. They have opened the portals to allow more Dragons to come in.”
“Stand and be silent,” she commanded. “We will not join King Viephan in battle. He has never found our cave, and now, he won’t be able to get close. The Dragons of Verlaunde have something in common that we no longer have. They must have the violet air of Urthe or go back to Verlaunde. They have fed upon it for too long; it is now essential for their survival,” the Queen stated.
“Our power as the Hail of Blue and Gold Dragons, the Mursei, is in our powerful breath. Our name means Givers of Life. We can do what no other Dragons can do, we can transform the air of Urthe.”
“It will take time, but we start here,” the Queen continued. “the other Hails of Dragons may suspect where we are by the change in the air, but they will not be able to get close. They allowed the toxic air to change them, growing bigger and more powerful. That will be their greatest downfall. We, instead, changed the toxins to breathable air. It is time to release the new air into the sky. Assemble around the mouth of the cave at once.”
The Queen of Mursei and her Hail of Dragons gathered close. They were regal with their backs of blue like a peaceful lake with golden scales coloring their underbodies. Each of the thousands of Dragons puffed up their chests and, with a might blow, exhaled clear, Pure air into the swirl of smoky sky. As the Pure air lifted, the violet sky was pushed back, making thunderous pops with the change of atmosphere.
Shrieks of screaming Dragons thundered across the sky. Fierce sky battles were raging. Dragon blood rained down. Massive beasts plummeted from the sky, causing the ground to shudder from the impact. Chaos rippled through the Hails of Dragons, all fighting, vying for their own piece of violet sky when the first group of Dragons were seen heading towards the portal for Verlaunde.
The Queen was the first to see them fleeing. “Rynik,” she called. “Take five hundred of our Hail and stand guard here. Continue to change the air, we need to make sure it is unbreathable to the other Dragons. I give you charge over the hatchlings and the child. I’m talking the rest of our Hail and returning to Verlaunde. We must close the portals. Our changing the air may only work against them temporarily. They could learn to adapt. I must seal the portals or destroy Verlaunde. It may be both.”
She led Rynik back to her lair. “I may not be able to return. I leave you with the secrets. You will teach our Urthe child all I have instructed. She must be returned to her kind when she has reached Urthe age of five years. The teachings will be hidden inside her until she is grown; only then may you open her mind. It will be at the time when she can work the best advantage, for Urthe and for the Dragons.”
“Yes, my Queen. I’ll do as you have commanded, and hope for our Hail of Dragons a safe return to Urthe and the quick closure of the portals,” Rynik stately bravely, although harboring doubt. His heart was heavy, not from the responsibility the Queen gave, but from his love and worry for her. She looked at him and a longing sigh escaped her mouth. She slowly reached out with one claw and touched Rynik above his eyes. He blinked rapidly in sudden surprise. She turned and leapt into the air, taking the Hail of Blue and Gold Dragons on a race to save Urthe.
Rynik’s sadness doubled, his heart raced. She had just told him she chose him as her King! He stood guard, watching as the last of their tails disappeared into the thinning violet swirl.
The Dragons were screaming and fighting not only in the air but fighting to find a deep gulp of breath in the thinning air. The heavy swirling ooze that gave them so much power, now seemed diminished. Their magic, their special abilities, were quick to fade away as the violet haze gave way to a softer shade of pink.
Rynik gave orders for three hundred of their mighty Hail to take first watch, the other two hundred took their rest, occasionally glancing out towards Verlaunde, sending thoughts of victory to their Queen. Rynik’s thoughts were beyond wishing for victory; it was for the return of the Queen of Musei, his Queen, his heart. Had she only allowed him to go instead of her, he would have felt more in control. Now, he must do as she asked.
The Queen of Mursei led her Hail of Dragons forward, chasing the tails of the Jodrugs, fierce Red beasts known as Life Destroyers.
The Queen shouted, “We must engage them into battle now while they are still weak. Fly fast and Fly direct! Use the Invisibility magic and rise above them. Shoot them with Pure air. Once crippled, breath Ice flames over them.”
On the Queen’s call, the Mursei Hail cloaked and flew above the Jodrugs. They did not see the Mursei but felt the heaviness in the air. They began spitting out noxious poison, in every direction, trying to get a fix on their whereabouts. As one of the Jodrugs landed its poison on a Mursei, it broke the magic of Invisibility. Screams echoed through the heavy air as the battle had begun.
“Engage!” shrilled the Queen.
The Mursei filled the sky with Pure air, stripping the powers from the Jodrugs. As the Jodrugs were hit with the air, they fought for flight, for breath, and even for strength.
“Ice!” the Queen shouted. “Ice the Destroyers!”
The Mursei shot them with Ice flames. As each one found a target, the Jodrugs discovered a fast and cold death.
“Fly on--” she yelled, as the Blue and Gold colors returned, flashing bright in the sulphuric sky of Verlaunde.
Verlaunde had become a vast wasteland. Thousands of years of fighting between all Hails of Dragons had left it in ruin. The Council of Dragons had been ripped asunder long ago. It had proposed peaceful conditions and cooperation amongst the Hails as they had experienced in ages past but was met with only talks of war or servitude. The Council no longer carried any power. Each Hail became increasingly more menacing, fighting for power and for the complete rule of Verlaunde. The precise reason her Hail of Mursei had plotted their escape.
“Quick, we must close all the portals! Other Hails could be entering from another direction. We know of three; we will use our magic and cloak them for all time,” she called out.
She was hoping it would work, she had never tried the Invisibility magic on anything other than the Mursei. They flew over the land of their ancestors, only faintly recognizable as the once and long-ago home of their Dragon Hails.
Chapter 2
Forty-eight moon cycles passed, but there were no signs of his Queen’s return. He turned his thoughts to the girl hatchling and decided to visit the nursery. Alarm registered in his flashing green eyes as he entered and saw the child crawling all over the clutch of hatchlings. As he approached, he heard giggles coming from the Urthe child. He thought, he must give her a name, a good name. It will be put into all Dragon remembrances.
Her name shall be Kaida, meaning little dragon. It was fitting as the nursery maids already called her the littlest dragon. The clutch had accepted her as one of them; that was good. They will bond and grow together. Rynik began to wonder, as Kaida was sealed by the Queen, which of the Dragons traits and abilities had she absorbed? Could they be absorbed by a human hatchling, err… child?
It had been too many long months and Rynik was in constant turmoil. There had been no word from the Queen or their Hail. Urthe had become much more tolerable. His Dragons had branched out farther from their cave daily to eject more of the Pure air. Limited sightings from other Dragon Hails had made the days more peaceful, yet he continued to worry and wonder what had been transpiring on Verlaunde.
“Galdean, come,” motioned Rynik. “I ask of you to go through the portal. I need to know what keeps the Queen and our Hail on Verlaunde. We need to understand the situation. I expect you to transmit your viewing when there so I will see what you see, as you make your way. Agreed?”
“Yes, it is agreed, Rynik. I have also desired to be with our Hail. I will do whatever the call is to protect our Hail and our new home. I believe we have chased the other Hails of Dragons back to Verlaunde, which would be acceptable, if it wasn’t for the Queen’s mission,” cited Galdean. “I will gather a few supplies and leave immediately.”
Rynik’s nostrils flared with emotion. Galdean has been his best friend since they were hatchlings. They grew up together and had often come to the rescue of the other. It was a tough decision, but he could trust no other for such a mission.
“Go, brother. Hide your colors whenever necessary. I look forward to your transmissions. In a way, I’ll be able to fly with you and see what is occurring. Take the Queen--” his voice died down, searching for the adequate response
.
“Yes, brother. I understand,” Galdean’s eyes flashed a special gleam. “We have known each other for hundreds of years. I know your heart and it is... taken by the Queen. I will find her. I will find our Hail. If …” his voice trailed off as he searched for the words in his heart. “I desire for this mission, my friend. Remember this. Whatever obstacles are out there, I would have chosen to go, had it been my choosing only.” With a quick rustle of his majestic wings, Galdean took flight back to the cave for supplies.
Rynik’s massive shoulders slumped. He knew the unspoken words. Galdean knew also. To go on the mission alone spoke volumes of the anticipated danger. Rynik coughed a plume of smoke and headed off to the nursery.
He did find delight in watching the hatchlings and Kaida. They kept themselves busy with hopping and trying out wings still far too tender for flight. Kaida enjoyed making a game of catching their tails. As their spines had not come out yet, Kaida loved trying to catch a ride. Each hatchling took turns carrying her around the nursery. Her favorite, however, was Zlemtec, of the Mursei Hail. He could explain Dragon to her in a way that she grasped. He also had eyes that sparkled with flashes of purple, white and blue that held her in rapt attention.
Rynik had never watched the small peoples before, so he had no idea that her ability to understand, learn and mimic the Dragons was unheard of in a child so young. He came to look at her as more of a Dragon than Urthe child, perhaps a little peculiar looking, but the makings of a fine Dragon.
The thought made his face crinkle in an odd way. He liked the feeling. When he thought of the friendship between Zlemtec and Kaida, it seemed as if they would be life-long friends like him and Galdean.
He let out a harsh sounding sigh when he remembered the promise. The promise. She would be returned to the Urthe peoples once she was five to become the one who would foster harmony between the Dragons and Urthe peoples. So much time had already passed since the Queen had left and Kaida was quickly growing older. He looked at her long and hard. For the first time, he realized what a tremendous responsibility rested with this small giggling child. Could she do it? Would she do it?
The Legend of the Dragon Child Page 1
