Dragon Wars
Page 1
Dragon Wars
A Dragon Dreams Novel
(Dragon Dreams, Book 1)
By
Raymond L. Weil
USA Today Best Selling Author
Books in the Dragon Dreams Series
Dragon Wars (Book 1)
Snowden the White Dragon (Book 2)
Gilmreth (Book 3)
Firestorm Mountain (Book 4)
All books were updated in July of 2019
Website: http://raymondlweil.com/
Copyright © November 2012 by Raymond L. Weil
All Rights Reserved
Cover Design by James, GoOnWrite.com
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. All rights reserved. No part of this publication can be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without permission in writing from the author.
Table Of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Dragon Wars
A Dragon Dreams Novel
Gilmreth
Gilmreth flew high above the white clouds that dotted the early morning sky, his piercing eyes seeking the target of his vigilant hunt. It had been many long days since Gilmreth had last fed. The burning, never-ending hunger was constantly in the back of his mind. The huge dragon spread his wings wide as he glided on the rising thermals generated by the rising sun. Gilmreth was the largest of the immortal dragons created ages in the past by the powerful sorcerers during the Golden Age of man.
Gilmreth’s wings measured from wingtip to wingtip slightly over fifty feet. The dragon’s dark, grayish skin had the look of coarse, dry leather. His tail, with twin red barbs, was ready to strike out at any enemy within reach. Gilmreth was the most powerful and dangerous hunter the world had ever known.
A flicker of movement below drew his eyes. His pulse quickened and his breathing deepened as he recognized his prey. It was another dragon! His eyes narrowed to hungry, red slits. Gilmreth watched the other dragon, recognizing the color and size of the dragon; it was Daekon. Daekon was a light green color and had been created in the same group as Gilmreth. However, Daekon was somewhat smaller and not as aggressive.
Folding his wings slightly, Gilmreth began to drop rapidly toward the other dragon. Daekon represented one thing and one thing only to Gilmreth: food!
The first warning Daekon had that something was wrong was when his sensitive hearing detected a rapid movement in the air above him. Looking up, he recognized Gilmreth just before the descending dragon struck Daekon with his deadly talons.
Daekon screamed in rage and pain as Gilmreth’s talons tore deep into his back. The two dragons both plummeted toward the ground intertwined in a mortal death grip, Daekon struggling to pull free from Gilmreth’s talons and Gilmreth trying to push them deeper into Daekon’s vital organs. The green dragon tried desperately to turn his head to hurl dragon fire at Gilmreth, but found he could not do so.
Just before they struck the ground, Gilmreth released Daekon and beat his wings rapidly grabbing the air and slowing his descent. Daekon, still feeling the sharp pain from Gilmreth’s attack, struggled to fill his wings with air, but he was too close to the ground. With a loud scream of pain and anger, Daekon slammed into the hard earth, rolling several times before coming to a stop on his back with his wings spread. Red blood was pouring from the deep wounds soaking the ground.
Before Daekon could recover, Gilmreth was on him again. Striking deep and hard with his talons, he ripped Daekon’s chest open and tore out the dragon’s still beating heart. The light in the green dragon’s eyes began to fade. Even with his heart torn out it would take Daekon several painful, excruciating minutes to die. Then Gilmreth began to feed, draining the blood and life-force from the dying dragon.
After several long minutes, Gilmreth raised his head and let out a satisfying roar of defiance, his unending hunger partially satiated. Over the years, he had hunted and killed all of his fellow dragons except three. Fireheart, Braxam, and Snowden had thus far eluded him. However, with the new found strength and energy from this feeding, he would find them! With a powerful beat of his wings, Gilmreth rose into the air, leaving the shattered husk of Daekon’s body behind. It was time to continue his hunt for the remaining dragons.
Chapter One
The frightened villagers looked up into the cloudless blue sky. It was early morning, and the dragons were out. Two massive creatures from the ancient world, which put fear into the hearts of everyone who saw them, were flying high above. One dragon was a deep dark red and the other was an earthen brown. They slowly circled the village and then began descending toward the sparse meadows where the dwindling cattle and sheep herds grazed.
“They’re feeding again,” moaned one of the men in a small group that had been carefully watching the dragons.
“More of our cattle and sheep,” commented Anson Strong with a scowl. “Each month our herds are getting smaller and smaller; soon there will be none left.”
“Then what will the dragons eat?” asked another man, his eyes focused intently on the two dragons. “What will be left?”
Anson looked around the small group. “Us,” he replied gravely as he watched the dragons vanish behind a small hill. “There will be nothing left but us.”
-
Jennifer Strong was out in one of the meadows with her younger brother Marten. It was their turn to watch their small sheep herd and their remaining cattle. She looked up into the sky and watched the descending dragons with growing apprehension. The creatures were huge! Jennifer estimated that their wingspans were nearly 40 feet across. They also had a ravenous appetite for sheep and cattle.
Marten and Jennifer were standing beneath a small grove of trees where they had been keeping a vigilant eye on the circling dragons as well as their animals. The dragons had never attacked any people, but Jennifer preferred to play it safe and stay out of their sight. The trees at least gave them some protection.
“The dragons are coming,” spoke Marten, pointing upward with his left hand. His eyes were focused on the dragons, taking in every frightening detail. “They are coming after our animals this time!”
“Stay quiet, Marten,” cautioned Jennifer, staring upward with her deep blue eyes as the dragons came nearer.
After a moment, she realized that Marten was probably right; the two dragons were coming down from the sky toward the small meadow where their animals were grazing. Their livestock would be the victims this time to the dragon’s ravenous appetites.
“We need to do something!” Marten spoke with growing apprehension on his face. “We can’t lose any more animals!”
“They’re dragons, Marten,” replied Jennifer, wishing there was something they could actually do. “We have to stay out of their sight and hope they only take one or two of our animals. Maybe it’s not our animals they are coming for; there are other meadows nearby.”
Jennifer gestured to Marten, and the two retreated deeper into the grove of trees. They crouched down behind a large, fallen Oak tree where they would be out of sight of the approaching dragons. Jennifer hoped they were not coming for their animals, but from the rapid way they were descending, she was afraid that her family’s animals were indeed the unlucky victims for today’s gruesome feast.
“They’re coming,” Marten murmured.
Jennifer’s heart thudded in her ears as she watched the dragons come closer. She glanced over at Marten and saw that his eyes were captivated by the desce
nding dragons. Jennifer felt sick at her stomach knowing what was about to happen. Forcing herself to look, she turned her face so she could watch the dragons. Her hand reached out for Marten’s and she squeezed it gently so her brother would know she was right there beside him and he didn’t need to be afraid.
“Be quiet now, Marten,” Jennifer whispered.
The two dragons came in low and fast. At the last minute, the cattle and sheep sensed the impending danger and took off running, but it was too late! The dark red dragon fell upon a cow quickly separating it from its frightened young calf. The brown dragon grabbed one of the fleeing sheep with its sharp talons, raising it up into the air.
Moments later, both dragons were on the ground, their enormous wings folded about them and their victims. They used their razor sharp teeth to drain the lifeblood from their prey. When the warm, life-giving liquid was gone the dragons then consumed the carcasses, leaving nothing behind but two wet, dark stains on the sparse grass.
Jennifer and Marten watched in dismay as the two dragons took to the air and flew on to the next meadow. They would continue to hunt and feed most of the morning. The entire attack and grisly feeding had lasted only a few minutes. Jennifer was saddened at losing the two animals, but it could have been much worse.
“We need to catch the calf,” Jennifer spoke as she stood up and brushed herself off. This was the closest she had ever been to one of the dragons. She looked around to make sure they were out of sight. “It’s too young to survive without its mother.”
Marten nodded; it always frightened him to be close to the dragons. This was only the second time he had seen them feed. The last time he had been with his father, but they hadn’t been this close. Marten wished the dragons had never come to their valley. The valley had been prosperous and slowly growing. The poisons from the ancient Worldfire had diminished to the point where life was finally returning to normal. Then, slightly over a year ago, the two dragons had shown up. Since that time, the cattle and sheep herds in the valley had been reduced by over half.
“Why did the dragons have to come?” complained Marten, looking over at his older sister. Marten was sixteen with short brown hair, while Jennifer was nearly nineteen.
“No one knows,” Jennifer replied as she retied the blue ribbon in her long blonde hair so it would stay out of her eyes. She wondered if she should ask her mother to cut it. She liked the long hair, but it was a constant nuisance.
“Father says the ancient books tell that men created the dragons long ago,” spoke Marten, recalling what his father had said immediately after the dragons first appeared. “They were created in a country far across the ocean by mighty sorcerers who had magical powers.”
“I don’t know about that,” replied Jennifer doubtfully as she watched the young calf. It had returned to where its mother had been killed and was sniffing the ground, trying to pick up its mother’s scent. Jennifer felt sad watching the small calf. “Dragons are one thing, but sorcerers and magic are something else.”
“Why not,” insisted Marten, looking at his sister. “If the dragons are real? Why can’t the sorcerers be real, too? Father says the dragons and the sorcerers were the cause of the Worldfire.”
Jennifer didn’t know what to say. Marten did have a point. “We need to catch the calf before it runs away. We can talk about the dragons and sorcery later.”
The two stepped out into the open, keeping a wary eye out for the two dragons. At the moment, the dragons were still out of sight, so this would be a good time to catch the calf.
It didn’t take long for them to grab the young calf. It was frightened and confused. Jennifer put a small lead rope around its head and then, with Marten on one side and her on the other, they started for home.
“What are we going to do with the calf?” asked Marten, looking at his sister. “It doesn’t have a mother anymore.”
Jennifer let out a long sigh. The calf was very young probably less than a month old. “We will have to bottle feed it and hope it survives.”
Their father wouldn’t be happy when he heard what the dragons had done. They would have to come back with him later so they could round up all of their animals; they were pretty well scattered after the dragon attack. They would move them to another small meadow and hope the dragons wouldn’t return to feed again anytime soon.
-
Anson returned home, feeling apprehensive. He was in a small wagon pulled by his two plow horses. The wagon was partially loaded down with the supplies he had picked up at the general store in the village. He had only managed to get about half of what he wanted and knew that Carolyn would be disappointed. She wanted to sew new clothes for Jennifer and had given Anson a list of fabrics to purchase. However, there had been no fabric on the shelves. People were starting to hoard food and other trade items. Many of the shelves in the small store had been empty. The dragons had everyone frightened and Anson didn’t blame them; the dragons frightened him also.
As he pulled into the yard of his modest farm he saw his wife, Carolyn, step out onto the porch of their farmhouse. Their home was built of heavy logs, which he had dragged from the nearby hills. Several friendly neighbors had helped him build the house, which consisted of three bedrooms, a kitchen, and a large living area. There was also an underground root cellar where they kept vegetables grown in their garden. The cool, dry air helped to preserve them for months without much spoilage.
Anson stopped the horses next to the house and watched as his wife descended the steps of the porch and walked over to the wagon. She had a worried, anxious look upon her face.
“The dragons?” asked Anson, fearing the worst. The kids had been out watching their animals and that had been the direction in which the dragons had gone.
“Yes,” replied Carolyn, looking up at where he sat on the wagon. “Jennifer and Marten came back about an hour ago, leading a small calf. Marten said one dragon killed its mother and the other killed one of the sheep.”
“Damn,” Anson muttered as he climbed down. “At this rate those dragons will kill and eat all the stock in the valley in just another few months. Where are the kids?”
He didn’t like the thought of his children being that close to the dragons. It might be a good idea for them not to watch the animals anymore. Very soon it might not be safe to be around the dragons, especially if they started hunting humans.
“They’re down in the barn. Jennifer is trying to feed the calf some milk from our dairy cow. Last time I checked she wasn’t having much luck.”
“She may just have to wait,” replied Anson, looking down toward the barn. He knew the calf would be frightened and too nervous to eat. “When the calf’s hungry enough, it will eat.”
Carolyn let out a deep sigh. “Anson, what are we going to do? The dragons are killing all the stock. What will they eat when the animals are all gone?”
“That’s what worries me,” replied Anson, taking his wife’s hand. He didn’t like Carolyn worrying about the dragons. “I think it might be wise for us to move some of our personal things down into the root cellar. It’s large enough that we could take shelter there if it ever becomes necessary.”
Carolyn looked at her husband with frightened eyes. “You think the dragons will come after us when the animals are gone, don’t you?”
Anson hesitated a moment, letting go of Carolyn’s hand and glancing toward the barn wanting to make sure the kids weren’t within hearing distance. They were nowhere in sight, so they must still be inside.
“Yes, I do,” he replied in a low voice. “Once the dragons have eaten all the animals, all that will be left is us. I told some of the villagers the same thing this morning. Most of them didn’t want to believe it. They feel that once all the animals are gone the dragons will just move on.”
“But you don’t believe that, do you?”
Anson looked deeply into his wife’s dark blue eyes. Her blonde hair only recently had begun showing several small streaks of gray. She was still a very beautifu
l woman. “Where else can they go? We don’t know of other survivors anywhere; we are all that’s left.”
-
Down in the barn, Jennifer helped Marten put the calf into a small stall where it would be safe for the night. Their milk cow was in the stall next to it, and that should help keep the young calf calm.
“Why won’t it eat?” asked Marten with concern, watching the calf. It walked over to a corner of the stall and lay down in a pile of hay. Marten leaned against the stall with his arms propped up on the top board. He looked over at his sister, waiting for an answer.
“It’s just not hungry,” replied Jennifer, coming over to stand next to her brother. They would wait and try to feed it later. Maybe in another few hours it would be hungry enough to eat.
She watched the calf for a moment and then poured the milk from the feeding bucket back into a large glass jar to save it for later. She would take the milk down into the root cellar where it was cooler and wouldn’t spoil. Looking back at the calf, she saw that it seemed to have settled down. It had laid its head down on the hay and was watching them.
“The dragons are going to eat everything,” Marten said in a dejected voice as he watched the calf. He knew it would be very difficult for it to survive without its mother. In his mind, he could still see the dragon killing the mother cow.
Jennifer didn’t know what to say. Her younger brother had a point. The dragons fed several times a week. Each time they did, there were fewer animals. Soon, none would be left. She also wondered where the dragons went after they finished feeding. Normally, once the dragons were full, they would disappear for several days. After two or three days passed the dragons would come back. They always came back!