by Sam Ferguson
Gorliad laughed and looked to the others. He had seen some of the dwarves before. A few of them had worked in the prep room with Dalean. Others he did not recognize. As for the dragons, they were all new to him. He had never seen them before.
“Hermean,” Gorliad called out. “Go and tell the others to prepare for new arrivals.”
“Yes, my king,” Hermean said. The dwarf went to his drake and climbed into the saddle.
“One more thing,” Gorliad said.
Hermean looked up expectantly.
“It’s time to name your drake,” Gorliad said with a smile.
Hermean nodded and smiled. “I have decided to name him Siletrean.”
“Siletrean,” Gorliad repeated. “That means quieted, or silent, does it not?”
Hermean nodded. “It is a long story,” Hermean said. “But now the screams are silent.”
The drake snorted triumphantly and let out a small roar. Gorliad smiled and then Hermean nudged his drake. “Siletrean, let’s get on up.”
Gorliad watched his friend fly away. He didn’t have to ask Hermean about the screams. The dwarf had let Gorliad see that portion of his life long ago when they shared their minds with each other through the connection. A tear of joy slid down from Gorliad’s left eye at his friend’s newfound peace.
Geldryn moved in and addressed Gorliad. “The crystals belong in a special chamber,” he said. “If you don’t have one already, I could help you build a prince’s chamber.”
Gorliad nodded. “I would like that,” he said. “I would like that very much.”
Geldryn smiled and looked to Algearon. “I know you run things a bit differently in your mountain, King Gorliad, but Algearon is a fine hatcher.”
Gorliad smiled and nodded. “The best ever to set foot in these lands, that is for sure.”
“That isn’t saying much,” Dalean chimed in. Algearon shot her a surprised look and the she-dwarf shrugged. “All I’m saying is there hasn’t ever been a hatcher in this kingdom before. So there really isn’t a bar set that had to be raised.” They each laughed and then Dalean slapped Algearon on the backside, catching all of them by surprise, but none more so than the blushing Algearon. “Besides,” she began, “I have a couple of ideas myself for what Algearon might be good at.”
They all laughed again and soon thereafter moved to the mountain. Over the next several weeks, Geldryn helped Gorliad create a fine prince’s chamber, the likes of which had never before been seen upon the face of Kendualdern. All manner of precious gems and metals decorated the room, and a great altar of black granite sat in the middle, holding each of the crystals of knowledge. Geldryn showed Gorliad each of the crystals, and unlocked their secrets for him. None of the crystals were more intriguing for Gorliad than the green one, for it held the secret of creating dwarves from the very mountain itself. With this knowledge, Gorliad was enabled to give birth to his own clan of dwarves, hewn from his mountain. Those he had brought with him that had once called themselves Teratheal’s dwarves, and those that Geldryn brought from his mountain, mixed with Gorliad’s new tribe so that all became one people.
The mountain expanded the dens, caves, and chambers inside, and all were happy and prosperous.
As the end of the third month neared, Geldryn bade farewell to Gorliad. The two went out to the top of the mountain, and Gorliad showed his father the expanse of his kingdom one final time. Neither said a word for hours. They just watched as the clouds rolled in from the west to get trapped against the mountains in the east. Finally, as a breeze cleared the fog from the tundra below the mountain, Geldryn spoke his final words to Gorliad.
“Never has there been a stronger prince,” Geldryn said. “Nor a wiser king.” Geldryn looked to the north and sighed. “My kingdom fell because love could not flourish in the mountain. Be mindful that you do not make the same mistake as I.”
Gorliad nodded. “We will be different here,” he promised.
“Perhaps, one day when you have an heir that shows the same inner strength as you did, send him north. Have him reclaim the mountain where you hatched, and wipe the stain of dishonor from its corridors.” Geldryn looked once more upon Gorliad and smiled. “I know you can’t see it, but there were times I tried to help you. Though I did not do as much as I should have, I did try.”
“No, father,” Gorliad replied with a shake of his head. “I can see it now.”
Geldryn nodded. “Remember, the Aurorean created us to force the Void out from this land. Raise your hatchlings to do that, but teach them your traditions, and your laws. It is your kind of strength this world needs.”
Gorliad nodded.
“My beloved calls to me,” Geldryn said. “I have shown you all I can. Now I must return to her.” The mighty dragon leapt into the air and soared downward, parallel with the slope and casting a great shadow over the land. As he neared the base of the mountain he turned his wings upward and flew over the forest and out above the tundra.
Gorliad stood upon the spire’s peak, watching until his father’s figure could not be seen beating the drifting snow into whirlwinds as he flew to the north. When Geldryn’s black shadow no more fell upon the tundra of Gorliad’s kingdom he roared out with such terrible force that his echo caused avalanches on nearby mountains and the clouds above were rent from the sky and dissipated before him. The golden rays of the sun shone down in a column of warmth upon Gorliad’s burgundy scales.
He surveyed the desolate landscape around him and a sneer pulled his lips tight above his sharp fangs. He spoke out, even though no one was near to hear him. “So it falls to us to tame the ice. For others it may seem impossible, but not so for us, for we have hearts of fire.”
Other Books by Sam Ferguson
The Dragon’s Champion Series:
The Dragon’s Champion
The Warlock Senator
The Dragon’s Test
Erik and the Dragon
The Immortal Mystic
Return of the Dragon
The Netherworld Gate Series:
The Tomni’Tai Scroll
The King’s Ring
Son of the Dragon
The Dragons of Kendualdern:
Ascension
Other Novels:
Dimwater’s Dragon
Jonathan Haymaker
Short Story Anthology:
Tales from Terramyr
For the latest updates, follow Sam’s Author Page, Blog, Twitter @Author_SamFerg and Facebook
About the Author
Sam Ferguson has a sword collection so large that Wolverine has blade-envy.
He once fought a bull with nothing but a fencing panel and won.
He has enough sons to create his own 3 on 3 football game and still be all-time QB.
When Russian, Latvian, and Hungarian didn't confuse him enough, he moved to Yerevan so he could learn Armenian.
He once drove through an earthquake while all others were too afraid to come out from hiding.
He used to hunt cougar with a baseball bat.
While others use a .22 for target practice, he uses a Russian RPD.
He can curl more than 200 lbs, without cheating.
He also draws the BEST darn stick-figures you have EVER seen!
Now, he won't admit to being Batman, but no one has ever seen him and Batman in the same room at the same time...
When he is taking a break from being awesome, he is usually at home with his wife and kids and learning from them how to become even AWESOMER!
(Yes, "awesomer" is a word. The toddler says so!)
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