The remaining Dramyds in the house bolted out into the courtyard. Kaxen turned to meet them with another blast of intense light. Whatever survived ran away into the darkness. Kaxen fell to his knees with his hands covering his face. Rennon scoffed and ran toward the temple as Dicarion, Gondrial, Asterial, and Asrion ran out to see what all the commotion was.
“What in Fawlsbane’s name happened out here?” Dicarion shouted to Rennon as he ran up.
“I hope your cause is worth it, Asterial. Kaxen is one of you now. He has gone against everything we were ever taught to live the life of a criminal.” Rennon’s eyes flashed with anger and contempt. “See to it that your cause was worth it.” He entered the temple, sheathing his daggers as he walked.
“Shocking words from one who wields the wild magic, is it not?” Gondrial said with a sarcastic smirk.
“Not now, Gondrial, this is not an easy time for any of these boys,” Asterial said.
Dicarion leaned down to one of the dead creatures. “Draalings, nasty little creatures, quite poisonous if they bite you.”
Asrion ran to where Kaxen wept and knelt down beside him. “Are you all right, Kaxen?”
“Will you abandon me too, Asrion?”
“Why would I do that? We have known each other since childhood.”
“Rennon has.”
“Rennon will recover, he always does. I am surprised at you for worrying about it.”
“Not this time. I think he is serious. What have I done, Asrion? What have I done?”
Asrion took Kaxen’s hands and Kaxen pulled back. His hands were charred and burnt. “Let me heal you.” Kaxen slowly gave in and lifted his hands to Asrion, who said a short prayer. Kaxen’s hands returned to normal.
Asrion smiled warmly. “Come on now, Dicarion has a stew on the fire. You will be hungry after the shock subsides.”
Kaxen was already feeling the hunger pangs. “Am I a wielder now, Asrion?”
Asrion looked at the charred remains of the Draalings. “It appears that way.”
As soon as the boys left earshot, Dicarion turned to Asterial.
“How in Fawlsbane’s beard did the boy do that, Asterial? I have never seen a neophyte wield like that before.”
“He is more than he seems. The Silver Drake may yet choose him.”
“The Silver Drake? When will this happen?” Dicarion asked.
“All will be revealed in time, my friend.”
“I thought this land was dead. Where did he get the essence to wield?” asked Gondrial. There isn’t enough essence in the air for lightning.”
“He summoned it from himself somehow,” Asterial said. “I suspect an essence stone.”
Dicarion winced. “Where would he get his hands on one of those?”
“He bought three stones in the shop where he bought the jade statuette. One was probably an essence stone. He will need instruction with great care now. The situation is delicate.”
“Indeed, he has been taught all his life to fear and loath wielders; to suddenly become one could lead him to madness,” Dicarion said as he peered into one of the abandoned houses.
Gondrial shuttered. “I remember getting essence sickness when I was an apprentice. I hope we can teach Kaxen without that experience.”
“He won’t go mad. He made a choice when he decided to wield. I doubt he will be able to draw on that power for a good long time now. He may have even burnt out the ability altogether. If he used a stone, it probably lent him some protection,” Asterial said.
Dicarion was about to reply when an errant sound interrupted him.
“Halt! Who enters the Sacred Land?” a voice shouted from behind a nearby building.
“Asterial of the isle. I travel with Dicarion of the docks,” Asterial replied.
A man on horseback followed by six or seven more men appeared from the darkness. “Dicarion? I thought you would have more sense than to bring strangers this deep into the Sacred Land.”
“Parlane, is that you? I thought you to be dead,” Dicarion said. “What business do you have here?”
“Dicarion, you foolish old man, Palanon will have your head for bringing this wielder back into the Sacred Land. The last time he was here it took us a year to recover.”
Dicarion ignored the insult. “Palanon wanted to lead him here himself. Asterial comes to the land peaceful enough.”
“Peaceful! I saw the lightning. What are you up to? The Defenders have a need to know your purpose.”
“We travel across the Sacred Land only to reach the monetary of Vetell Fex. Will you offer us your services? You can personally lead us onward to Vetell Fex.”
“The only place I will lead you is out of these lands, old man.”
“Exactly what I wish for you to do if you’d listen. Vetell Fex is just outside the eastern border,” Dicarion said, but his words fell on deaf ears.
Asterial smiled wickedly. “You can at least help us clear off the clan of Draalings we killed near the old temple.”
“Draalings?” Parlane’s attention was captured.
“Aye, near the old temple,” Dicarion said. “I am to report to the commandant this month. Perhaps I should let him know your patrol failed to detect a clan of Draalings in the Sacred Land. I will even take a few items from the dead buggers to show him I speak the truth. I understand, of course, that you will be reprimanded, but that is all part of your job.”
“All right, old man, you have me at a disadvantage.” Parlane’s face remained stolid. “We will help you, but do not think you have made a new friend here; the Defenders are not taken to such tactics.”
“No, of course not,” Dicarion said as he winked at Gondrial.
Chapter 17
Fayne entered what she perceived to be the border to the Sacred Land. Dead grass and a dead tree here and there told her she was correct. She had been riding for several days, and the rations Dellah had given her were depleting rapidly, but her charge spurred her onward. As an afterthought, Fayne wondered if Malanor’s army had taken Brookhaven and whether or not Lourn and Dellah were safe. “You cannot think about such things, Fayne,” she said aloud, “or your very thoughts will drive you mad.” She closed her eyes for a moment and pictured the image of Asrion in her mind. The image of the blond cleric comforted her.
Fayne patted her horse’s neck. She was careful not to push the animal too far. The horse responded to her touch and perked up a bit. Fayne meticulously scanned the ground beneath her, her sharp eyes picking out signs of hoof prints and travel. Trendan was swift and he left a few clues to follow, but Fayne could find them with some skill. She scanned the sky and the horizon ahead. “I sense oppressive gloom in this land, pretty horse,” she said. The horse whinnied in response. “There are some ruins up ahead. I am sure you would like to stop for a while. Get us there, horse, and we will rest.” The horse moved onward a little faster toward the ruins as Fayne revisited the image of Asrion once again in her mind.
The Sea Goddess cut through the crashing waves easily as the churning sea spit and spat in the forefront of the approaching storm. Captain Edifor had ordered her to sail toward Arillia to get away from the storm. The winds were beginning to increase, tossing the ship over waves and white caps. Bren noticed the captain’s concerned expression, and so did his designated first mate.
“What troubles you, my lord?” asked First Mate Toben.
“The winds are unnatural. Something stirs in the air, and it does not bode well.”
“Sir?”
Captain Edifor put his hand on his first mate’s shoulder. “Turn the ship back to the Sacred Land, Toben, I fear we are driven from its shores. My bones ache with dread.”
“Aye, Captain,” Toben replied as he turned the ship hard about.
Bren took the captain aside. “What is it, Edifor?”
The captain turned white. “Look at the skies. They darken with the storm, but if you look in between the clouds when the lightning strikes you will see them.” He watched until a bolt of light
ning streaked across the sky. “There, did you see them?” Two huge figures with enormous wingspans dipped below a cloud, and with a mighty thrust of wing, they soared back into the air. A third one appeared at the next bolt of lightning.
“Dragons,” Bren said, “headed for the Sacred Land.”
“You are the broodlord, what sort of dragon rides a storm?” Captain Edifor asked.
“Not a dragon I would call upon as a friend. No dragons from Draegodor to be sure.”
“Exiles then,” Captain Edifor said.
“Aye,” Bren answered. “It’s a good bet they were sent to deal with our friends in the Sacred Land.”
Aurelie appeared behind Bren. He could feel her presence, but he did not dare to look at her face. He could also feel her apprehension. “My lady, perhaps you should go back down below.”
“I will not. What is it you see?” she said defiantly, wiping the rain and sea from her eyes to see what he was looking at in the skies.
Bren nodded to Edifor. “I agree with your course of action, we must return to Old Symbor. Mind our course and speed and notify me as soon as you see land.” He turned to Aurelie. “My lady, it is time we talked. Follow me.”
Aurelie followed the broodlord below to her chamber. He stopped at her cabin door. “You asked me of the armor you keep. It is time to answer.”
“What is it, Bren? What is wrong?”
Bren was silent for an awkward moment as he chose his words very carefully. He looked up to face her at last. “No one comes to armor such as this. The armor comes to you, and now you must wear it.”
“It doesn’t fit me. I can’t wear it.”
“There are two types of dragon knight, the first is as I am. I chose to become a dragon knight. The second kind this armor belonged to; whoever takes possession of the armor is to take the place of its former owner.” He reached into a pouch strapped to his belt and produced a shining red gem. “This is called a Lora Daine, a dragon stone; it was given to me by my master to aid me in my quest before I left Draegodor. I believe the first task of that quest is to give it to you. You must hold it while wearing the dragon scales.”
“What does it do? Why are you telling me this now?”
Bren meet Aurelie’s gaze as squarely as he could. “Listen to me. You are vulnerable. You have donned this particular armor, and it has left a mark on you. It would not choose you unless you excepted it in some way. You must have a warrior’s spirit. I can sense you as I can sense another dragon knight. This means other dragons can sense you as well. I have reason to believe there are sinister exiles flying about. Without using this stone you are as open to these dreaded exiles as much as decent dragons from Draegodor.”
Bren saw he was frightening her, but he continued anyway. “The Lora Daine is used to travel long distances, but it can also induce a dream state that will allow you to reach your dragon master. If this armor has claimed you by your will, the stone will work for you; if not, nothing will happen. It is your choice. Just remember, dragons were created to be guardians of men by the gods before they were given free will, so they are magical creatures.” He opened the door to Aurelie’s cabin and placed the stone on her bed. “Put on the scales, hold the stone and, if it is your destiny, all will be revealed.” He left the cabin and returned to the deck of the ship, ignoring Aurelie's pleading for him to return and explain further. On deck Bren searched the skies for signs of the exiled dragons. He did not see them but decided not to take chances. He performed a quick spell designed to hide them from the exiles’ senses. “Hurry, Aurelie,” he muttered, “do it.”
Aurelie entered her cabin and closed the door. Fool man, she thought, this is his way to keep me out from underfoot. She looked at the stone. “It is a pretty thing, I wonder…” She opened the trunk she had stowed the armor in and, with a sigh, she strapped it on. For a moment she stood staring at the stone on her bunk but did nothing. Then she picked it up in one fluid move, but still, nothing happened. She turned the stone over in her hands. “It is as I expected, he tricked me into coming down here.” She started to go back up to the deck, but her feet would not move. The gem glowed warmly in her hand. Her mind wandered, and she felt dizzy. She fainted, falling to the floor with a loud clank of scale and metal.
Aurelie woke in front of a huge castle. It was made of grey stone with vines of green winding their way up above its entrance. The stone reflected a reddish tint, and because the castle was made of this stone, the castle itself gave the appearance of illumination. A stone dragonhead loomed above two enormous wooden doors, and she could hear running water trickling from somewhere unseen.
In the distance, she saw other structures carved into a massive canyon wall, all illuminated with the same red tint. After several moments, the doors of the reddish-grey castle began to open, and a great blue dragon’s head peered out at her.
“Who dares come to my castle?” the dragon boomed. “Why do you wear the armor of a broodlord, woman?”
“I…I am sorry. I don’t know how I came to your castle, forgive me.”
“You wear my scales upon your breast,” he eyed her closer, “and you carry a Lora Daine, and you do not know why you are here?”
“I was tricked, Lord Dragon, by a dragon knight named Bren. This must be a dream.”
“So, you blame others for your folly?”
“No, Lord Dragon.” She bent clumsily down on one knee. “I beg you not to hurt me.”
“Hurt you? Do not be a fool! I will not harm you,” he eyed the armor and his great-scaled eyes narrowed, “unless it was you who killed my dragon knight.” Smoke began to pour from his nostrils.
“Oh no, Lord Dragon, the man who gave me this armor said your dragon knight died defending the Sacred Land a thousand years ago.”
The dragon moved out into the light away from the doorway, and Aurelie gasped in awe; she had never seen a dragon before. He was a magnificent creature. His blue scales glistened in the light, and his folded wings stretched like a leather cloak over his back.
“I am Amadace the Blue, son of Glibain, and who might you be?”
Aurelie summoned her courage. “I am Aurelie of Brookhaven.”
“Your heart is heavy and your soul is distraught, am I the one to cause this grief?”
“No, Lord Dragon, I worry about my friends in the Sacred Land.”
“And you wish to help your friends?”
“Aye, I do.”
“Never before has a woman worn the scales of a dragon, and never before has a woman become a dragon knight, but it seems the broodlord you speak of believes you to have the strength to wear the armor, for he has sent you here with the Lora Daine. Your heart speaks to me when your mind does not. Love has brought you to me, yet you no longer feel your destiny lies where love has brought you.” Aurelie sniffled. How did the dragon know that?
“Lord Dragon, if I offend you by wearing the armor, I will remove it.”
“Do so if you wish it,” Amadean said stoically.
Aurelie stood for a long moment unsure if she should remove the armor or not, then she slowly, and reluctantly, removed the armor and stood before the dragon with only her undergarment to cloth her.
“Remove the undergarment too.”
“Lord Dragon!” Aurelie replied shocked.
The dragon reared its head and fire licked out of his nostrils. “Do not take me so! If you stand before me, you stand before me vulnerable as the day you entered this world!”
Aurelie quickly removed the garment, fearful of the dragon’s wrath, and stood before him naked.
Amadean lowered his head to within inches of Aurelie’s face. His great blue eye fixed on her. She thought she would shy away, but she did not, even when the dragon’s warm breath bathed her naked body. Slowly the dragon turned his blue eye from her, and then he abruptly breathed fire on her, completely engulfing her from head to toe in searing hot flame. Aurelie screamed and recoiled until she realized she was not burning at all. The dragon pulled back and still Aurelie s
tood before him naked, neither a hair on her head singed nor a blister on her skin from the heat. She suddenly felt the uncontrollable urge to reach out to the dragon, and before she knew what was happening, her tears began to stream down her face.
Amadean bowed his head in acceptance. “My child, I am sorry to frighten you. Welcome, my daughter and my champion. If you were not to be my knight, you would now be dead in the waking world as well as here. No soul unworthy of the title of dragon knight can withstand the fire cleansing.”
Aurelie’s heart swelled, and she knew she loved Amadean as a child would love a father. She did not understand the spell she seemed to be under, but she now understood that dragons were indeed magical creatures. “I never knew. I—”
“Shush, my child, take the Lora Daine and complete your quest. Though it will be perilous, you are protected by my trial of fire. Awaken now.”
Aurelie opened her eyes; she was still aboard ship and was standing in the same spot where she had stood when she first grasped the stone. She peered down at the scaled armor to find it now fit her perfectly; the scales had let out to fit the shape of a woman’s chest, and they were softer to her touch. The Lora Daine had affixed itself to the center of a new shield. As she looked on it fondly, it turned from red to blue before her eyes. Not knowing what she should do, she felt happy and sad at the same time, and she fell on her bed, sobbing into her pillow.
Chapter 18
Drakkius entered Malanor’s private chamber and sat down on an overstuffed, red velvet chair, his red dragon’s skull pipe bellowing out white smoke. “What is it, dark lord?” he asked with another puff of smoke breath, his tone somewhat sarcastic and mocking.
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