Zoran Chronicles Volume 1 A Dragon in Our Town

by Broquard, Vic

  “We are besieged with seemingly insurmountable barriers and an equally lofty goal worthy of our best efforts. Times like these, I wish the world had a fortune teller!” This brought a grin or chuckle to everyone.

  Zoran knew what he had to do, though he didn’t want to do it. At last, he spoke quietly. “I’ll be your Duska. Build the Circle of Ascension, and I’ll be your Duska and go before the High Council, forcing them to recognize the new Circle and House. Heck, the assassins are already after me so what are adding a few more going to do?”

  “You — you would do this?” Priestess Anezka exclaimed both shocked and surprised. “You would be giving up forever your own birthright to Baron Kazimir’s throne and setting yourself against your father and his army!”

  “Hey, not much chance of becoming a baron by birthright. I’m fourth in line. Radek’s already been chosen as his heir apparent. My sisters are next in line. If anyone ever harms my sisters, I will wage total war against the perpetrators, no holds or laws barred! However, I really do not want to be a baron, but as the Archmage said, we must make the attempt to reach that lofty goal. It could well put an end to Baron Kazimir’s subjugation of the whole planet. I have no choice but to make the attempt. I could not live with myself if I didn’t stand up for you. I am a Duska after all. That means that I am supposed to be held to a higher responsibility level than everyone else. I’ll be your Duska. You build the Circle of Ascension.”

  Brother Jiri said very officially, “Duke Zoran Vladislov, we hereby accept your gracious offer to become our Duska should we successfully build another Circle of Ascension.” Both he and his wife bowed low to Zoran, who felt slightly ill at ease and embarrassed by their bows.

  “Well, one insurmountable barrier has been lifted,” Archmage Oldrich said softly. “Now where should it be built?” The room was dead silent. While there were many warlords here in the Wild Lands, dealing with them was fraught with problems, to say nothing of their having a suitable castle, such as Castle Dorumova, where the Circle could easily be protected.

  Inspiration struck! Zoran said, “Here, we should build it here in Archmage Oldrich’s tower!”

  She looked shocked, “Why on earth here? This is not a castle or a fortress. Brn Province has neither anywhere in it.”

  “I know. For one thing, it minimizes those who already know about this discovery of Zor’s documents. Two, Brn is over a thousand miles from Dorum, making it difficult, though not impossible for the Baron and his army to reach us in the near future. Three, what better protection than to have the Circle defended by an entire Archmage and all her many Mages living here. Even I would think twice about attacking an entire Archmage tower! Once we succeed and are officially recognized, perhaps then we can set about building something more suitable. What do you think, Archmage Oldrich?”

  “Wait before you say anything further,” Emil interrupted them. Everyone turned to face the gold dragon teen. “You forgot number four. Fourth, you can have a number of gold dragons protecting the tower. I am sure that our parents would be willing to provide protection as well, making four of us. If you need more, dad might be able to bring some of his friends from Voss here. There are plenty of hoofers for many dragons here in your forests, really there are.”

  “Wow! Thanks, Emil,” Zoran replied, becoming excited about this aspect. “Once everyone in Brn knows that the dragons are here to protect them from the evil Baron Kazimir, they will readily accept them! After what I suspect these two dragons did to his army today, I am certain that any baron would think more than twice about making any kind of takeover of Brn by force of arms. Magic and dragons shall be your protection. What say you to our offer, Archmage Oldrich?”

  She smiled, “What can I say but that I accept this offer. This is the highest honor I have ever received in my life, and it carries with it the highest responsibility I have ever borne. I will bear it with pride.”

  Zoran rose to the occasion; his formal court lessons had not been totally wasted. “Thank you Archmage Nadia Oldrich for your generous offer. As the new Duska, I accept your offer.” He gave his best courtly bow to her, which brought a smile to the old woman’s face. Long had it been since she received a Duska’s bow. Zoran continued, “We should keep the project totally secret until the Circle is activated, at which point I am sure all of the other Houses will instantly know of its activation. At that time, we should be prepared. We should meet with the twin’s parents soon to get their agreement. We should have a general in charge of creating a small garrison of men to help with any physical guarding that may be needed. I believe I know just the man for this position.”

  “Certainly not my son,” the Archmage gently interrupted. “My son is the mayor of Brn, a fine diplomat and solver of city problems, but he never took to magic, I am sad to say, and he is not much of a fighter. He does run Brn extremely efficiently and is very well liked by the city folk. Please don’t ask him to do this.”

  “I promise I will not. I have another in mind, but I would like to meet with him first. I hate to ask this of you, but could my team have a few days off right now? We should meet with the twin’s parents as soon as possible, for they play an integral role in this. Plus, I would like to meet the other that I have in mind for the general’s position. Once these two things are handled, I promise you that we will continue our studies uninterrupted. Please allow us a few days off.”

  For the first time, the Archmage actually laughed. “My dear boy, I have been pushing all seven of you harder than I have ever pushed any students in these past forty years! Yes, yes, lessons will resume on Monday. Will that be sufficient time?”

  “Probably more than enough, thank you. Gang, we ought to go visit their parents now and make sure this is acceptable with them. Meantime, why don’t you and Brother Jiri see if there is a suitable location for the construction of the Circle of Ascension? We will report back as soon as we know anything.”

  This was quite agreeable. Emil cast his spell and sent a message to his father, explaining that he wanted to bring his team to meet his parents and that this was to be an extremely vital meeting. “Dad says it is fine with him. We should teleport there, but first, he wants me to have you all swear that you will never reveal the location of his cavern to any others.”

  “I so swear,” Zoran said without hesitation. The others followed his lead. Satisfied, Emil and Renata took their team member’s hands and cast their two teleport spells, arriving at the entrance of the cavern, high in the mountains south of Brn, and overlooking the whole of the Dark Forest.

  “Please stand back. Dad wants us to assume our normal dragon forms, and I don’t want to accidentally bump you down the mountainside,” Emil asked. A minute later, the five were dwarfed by the two teen golden dragons.

  “Follow us inside,” Renata said, a proud and excited tone in her voice. The five did so. To say that Zoran and the others were impressed with Aldrick and Sofie would be a total understatement. Aldrick’s body was over fifty-five feet long, ignoring his very long neck and even longer tail. He towered over his twins. Sofie was only slightly smaller. For the conference, the dragons laid down in a semi-circle, positioning their heads close to one another. The five sat down before them. Aldrick’s head alone was bigger than Zoran’s body. Yes, the older dragon could have swallowed him whole! This fact was duly noted by all five. Their size and power was almost beyond belief.

  Zoran and Emil outlined what had happened earlier this day. He also explained fully about himself and that he was a Duska. Aldrick, from his earlier training under Archmage Oldrich, knew about the Duska and their ability to Shadow Walk, as well as the fact that they were the rulers of many planets in the Federation. Finally, Zoran explained what they were about to do, build a new Circle of Ascension right here in Brn.

  Emil then explained what he had offered to do, provide overt protection. Yes, the entire town would constantly see golden dragons flying about their city and tower. Zoran then said, “We would like to ask you to join in the protec
tion of this province. Also, if you have some trustworthy dragon friends who might like to join, they would be welcome here too. There is plenty of antelope to go around. I understand that on your planet obtaining sufficient food has become a very serious problem. This might be an opportunity for more of your honorable friends to join us here.”

  “Well, it is rare that dragon-kind mingles with humans, mostly for magic and gems. However, the food crisis is most serious indeed. Sofie and I do have some trustworthy friends back home who may jump at this opportunity. We will check on it. How many others would you accept? We do not want to overpopulate your land either,” Aldrick explained.

  “You’ve seen the surrounding lands. How many of your kind can it support easily without any problems?” Zoran had no choice but to trust the dragon’s judgment in this matter of sufficient antelope.

  “Perhaps no more than a dozen more. Now if they could settle in nearby mountains, many more, but I believe that land belongs to other provinces.”

  “Okay, then let’s start with up to twelve more. You make the decision on who to ask. For now, it is best for you to continue maintaining your low profile until the construction work is finished.”

  “Might I ask for something in return?” Aldrick ventured, knowing that Zoran had little choice but to honor his wishes.

  “Absolutely. If it is within my power to grant, it is yours.”

  “When the time is right, I wish that you would assist my twins in their version of what you call Shadow Walking. Show them all of the planets in the Federation. Your language has no word for what we dragon’s do. Planet hopping is the closest I have ever found. Can you do this for my children?”

  “As long as we can figure out how to do it, I promise you that I will do so.” Zoran knew well what this meant. Once he had shown them the sixteen planets, from then on, they would be able to travel there on their own and show other dragons the way. Was he opening the door to a massive dragon resettlement? Was he creating an insurmountable problem far into the future? He had no real choice but to agree to this request. After all, once the Circle was completed, realistically, it would be the threat of the dragons that would guarantee the safety of the Circle and the new House. It would take years and years to build a proper castle and an army to protect it. He knew that without the aid of the dragons, the new House would be short-lived.

  “Excellent. A bargain is sealed,” Aldrick pronounced. With the formalities finished, they then chatted a while before returning to give those in the tower the good news. Golden dragons would protect Brn, something no other House on any planet would have, an ultimate weapon that could guarantee them some measure of security, if only for a time.

  Chapter 9 Janos Lavos

  The next morning, the team met for breakfast. “Where are we off to today?” Jarka asked curious about this mysterious person, who Zoran wanted to become their general.

  “Unfortunately, he is a very private man at the moment. I must ask you to wait here while Zdenka and I meet with him. If all goes well and if I find him suitable, then I will message you for you to come to us and meet him yourselves and give me your assessment of my choice. I hate to restrict you this way, but for the man’s sake, I am asking you to allow us this first meeting.”

  “Do you know who he is talking about, Zdenka?” Jarka asked a bit peeved that she was not asked.

  “No, Jarka, I really have no idea at all or why he wants me, but I am glad that he is taking one of we Mages with him. He should never be allowed to go traveling about without at least one of us there to help protect him. After all, he is now going to be our Duska.” Jarka could not argue with that and resigned herself to wait.

  “Go for it,” Bernard said in his usual bored manner.

  “If trouble finds you, send for us immediately, do you hear me?” Karel said with a slight snarl. He meant it. Zoran and Zdenka agreed and left, walking out of the main door into the sunlit morning.

  “Where too?” she asked.

  “Let’s walk to the gates and step outside the city first, please. It’s a beautiful day to be walking with a fine young woman,” he complimented her. She blushed and took his offered arm.

  A half hour later, they left the city behind them and were walking down the main road that led out of Brn. “Okay, no one can overhear us now. Take me to your father, Janos. I must talk with him.”

  “What? You want my dad — the general? Really? Are you sure?” Poor Zdenka was taken completely by surprise and was terribly confused.

  “I told you long ago that I wanted to meet him. Now is as good a time as any.”

  “Well, okay then. I will teleport us to our homestead. Mind you, our place is absolutely nothing like — well anything that you are probably used to. I mean — well you will see. Please don’t hold our homestead against me or dad.”

  “Of course not, Zdenka. Lead on.” She concentrated and cast her spell. A moment later, they arrived deep within the Dark Forest. Gone was the bright sunlit day, replaced by deep shadows of the wood. The air was slightly musty and noticeably cooler. They stood in a clearing among the dense woods.

  Before them was a crudely build log cabin, a split rail fence enclosing the clearing, and a barn, constructed similarly of logs. Two horses were grazing on the grass. A number of chickens pecked at grain on the ground within their fenced cage. A big black dog came bounding across the grass towards them. Zdenka knelt down to greet him. “My dog, Pik. Hi, I am glad to see you too, big boy.” He came up to her and began licking her hand and face, welcoming her home at long last. A pounding noise came from the barn.

  “Dad’s probably in there inventing something. Come on. I’ll introduce him.” They walked across the clearing to the barn, whose doors were opened. Inside, a small foundry was burning. A man was bent over an anvil, pounding away. Sweat poured down his shirtless back. Even from a few feet back the heat was intense. “Hi dad. I’m back for a bit. Brought someone who wants to meet you.” He looked up and doused the metal in a bucket of water.

  “Zdenka! What a surprise. Everything going okay at the tower?” he asked, concerned that his daughter had returned so soon. Worry lines creased the brow of this tall, well-muscled man in his early fifties. His hair was similar in color to hers, but he hadn’t shaved for a few days. His body hid what he was working on and Zoran sensed that this was on purpose.

  “Sure dad. Had some real excitement yesterday. We’ll tell you about it, if you can take a break. I have someone I want you to meet,” she changed tactics as her father visibly relaxed, knowing that she was not in some kind of trouble on this surprise visit. “This is Zoran, Zoran this is Janos Lavos.”

  Wiping his hand on a rag, he offered it to Zoran, who shook it firmly. He’d asked her not to divulge his last name just yet. After all, Janos probably held a good deal of hatred against the Baron. No sense starting out on the wrong foot. “Well met, Zoran. Excuse my appearance. I wasn’t expecting my daughter or a visitor. Come on up to the house. I’ll wash up and Zdenka can brew us some tea. Sorry, don’t have anything stronger to offer you. The mead is gone until the fall batch is done.”

  Long used to stone castle walls and stone buildings of Dorum, Zoran found the inside their cabin to be the crudest building in which he had ever entered. Mud filled the cracks between the logs. Yet, there was something else in this main front room, something intangible but very real, a feeling of real warmth and love, as well as security and a distinct peacefulness, which was totally lacking in Castle Dorumova, except around his sisters. “Mom did most of the decorating in here; we’ve left it pretty much as she had it,” Zdenka explained, as she began fixing their tea and noticed Zoran looking around the room. “Got two small bedrooms; mine is up above your head, the loft. Dad’s is in the back room. It’s probably nothing like you’ve ever encountered. Sorry.”

  “Hey, there is nothing to be sorry about, Zdenka. This place has both charm and unique warmth about it. I can really feel it. Cold granite cannot compare one iota to your house.” She blushed
and hurriedly busied herself with the simple task of getting tea ready.

  By the time she was carrying the pot and mugs into the pine roughhewn table off to one side of the large main room, her father came out of his small bedroom; he’d rinsed and put on a shirt. She served the tea and the three sat down. “So what do you do, Zoran?” he asked.

  “Long story, but at the moment, I am the team leader of we seven Mages. By the way, Zdenka is now officially a Mage,” he replied.

  “Well, isn’t that something! My little archer has become a full-fledged Mage as well. Congratulations, Zdenka. You did it. I always said there isn’t anything my Zdenka cannot do once she sets her mind to it.” He was quite proud of her that was readily apparent.

  “We’ve got quite a story to tell you. I’ll let Zdenka tell you about the other day’s adventure. I think you will enjoy it.” Zoran cleverly allowed his daughter to relate the lengthy story. Zoran wanted time to study the man. He had not grown soft living all these year out in the wild away from all civilization. He was still fit.

  When she got to the part where the golden dragons made their appearance, Janos did not look at all surprised. After she finished relating that they had gotten back safely to the Archmage’s tower, she said rather annoyed, “Dad, you aren’t totally shocked and surprised about the dragons appearing!”

  “I know honey, but I’ve been seeing them on occasion out over the forest about a dozen times since you went off to study magic. I’ve been going to tell you about those magnificent creatures the next time you came home for a while. Haven’t had the chance yet today. I will say this: Warlord Mikolas had more humanity than all the Baron and his cronies have combined! Brilliant move of his to evacuate his whole province. I hope most chose to leave; subjugation under the Baron’s rule is neigh on to slavery. Yet, maybe there has been a subtle shift in the balance of power with the appearance of these dragons. Undoubtedly, the Baron’s losses were horrific, compared to what his original estimates must have been. I am sure this will slow him down in his plans to subjugate the rest of the Wild Lands.”