Time Of The Knights (The Dragon Knight Order Series Book 2)

by Gabriel Vicioso

  To my surprise it was Tromuelan that spoke up.

  “It would seem Alexander, our dear Lord Vicis, Lord Shadow, and Lord Lux have made several mistakes in regard to you. You most definitely need to meet the hermit, and he will hopefully answer all these mysteries surrounding you. We were originally going to wait two or three days, but it would seem we no longer have the luxury of time. Get dressed. We leave as soon as you are ready.”

  Ancient

  Once I was changed I walked outside. I turned back to examine the damage done to the house. An entire section of the roof was scattered around and the fence which surrounded the house had been flattened, more than likely due to the shattering of the barrier falling on them.

  “I am so sorry! Magistrate Nostrous I will fix it all somehow when I get back,” I said with a bow, although I wasn’t entirely sure that was the correct course of action.

  “Don’t worry about it. It was about time I to remodel the place anyway,” he said before tossing me a shrouded sword. “You can’t always rely on magic and I have a feeling you will be needing this. I must give you fair warning though. This might be last time we see each other. The… person you are going to meet is very moody and on that mood your life depends,” he said with a smile.

  “Sounds like quite the character. I hope your council meeting doesn’t run into any more difficulties now that I won’t be there,” I said, mounting Zetzu’s back and wondering if he was serious.

  “It won’t. Send my greetings to Vaurion. And remember, regardless of what might happen, you are still a Dragon Knight,” said Master as Zeztu took flight.

  It wasn’t a very encouraging message and now I had a strange mix of anxiousness and excitement to meet whoever this Vaurion was. They all spoke of him as if he knew all the answers to everything. Maybe he could answer a few of my own questions.

  “Have you meet Vaurion before Zeztu?” I asked him.

  “Yes I have,” he answered plainly.

  “And? What is he like? I have the feeling he is going to be very odd. Vaurion sounds like a strange name for an elf.”

  “And who said he was an elf? As to what he is like, Nostrous was not joking. It depends entirely on his mood.”

  Well… That got the message across. Zetzu wasn’t going to talk and I was pretty sure neither was Tromuelan. It annoyed me greatly to have to wait but it seemed I would have to address all of my questions to Vaurion himself. While I waited to arrive to wherever it was he lived I admired the elven landscape. Elution was filled with plains and solitary mountains. As we speed past said plains and mountains we came across several farming villages, it was odd, in a way, because no matter how many we passed they all seemed to look the same from up here.

  “Why are they all the same?” I asked out into the blue not really expecting to get an answer.

  “If you mean the villages, it’s because it helps anyone from outside know where to go. It’s very effective for defense too,” replied Zetzu turning one eye towards me.

  “I don’t understand.”

  It was Tromuelan who answered this time. “Think about it, if you are a traveler and arrive in a new town, you will look for certain things. For example, a place to stay or maybe you are on business and need to go to a certain type of store. If all villages and towns are different it would take you some time to navigate the town and find the places you need to visit, but if the towns are all the same you already know where everything is. Same goes to a defending army; they already know the weakest points and the easily defended areas.”

  “It’s one of those things elves are very good at - organization and efficiency,” commented Zetzu.

  While they had a point, it also killed the excitement of traveling and exploring new places.

  “Seems a little bit dull to have everything the same,” I stated.

  The rest of the trip went on in silence until for some reason both dragons stopped and just hovered over a solitary hill.

  “Is this it?”

  “Yes,” they both replied.

  “Then why don’t we land?”

  “Because we can’t,” said Zetzu, his voiced strained.

  “Why not?” I asked before noticing the magic surrounding us.

  “He seems to be in a bad mood,” said Tromuelan as he struggled with whatever was holding us in place.

  I wonder what could be strong enough to hold two dragons at bay while they were in midflight. If it was Vaurion doing this, he was some sort super elf or whatever creature he was supposed to be. And then, to add to it all, I was picked up from Zetzu’s back by a magical force and remained suspended in midair.

  “This is not FUNNY!” I shouted, as the force holding me up suddenly vanished and I plummeted to the ground. Zetzu shouted something but the sound was drowned out by the high speed wind in my ears… and by my own screaming as I headed towards the ground. I frantically thought of spells that could break my fall but unfortunately I had not yet been taught how to fly. When I was at about 20 meters from the ground I figured trying anything was better than the alternative so I casted the strongest wind spell I knew but instead of aiming at the ground I aimed it at myself and while it didn’t break my fall entirely it slowed me down just enough to avoid serious injury. I landed on my side with a huge thump and grunted as I rolled over. That had been a close call and my entire left side was likely bruised. I looked up from where I lay to see an old man standing over me.

  “Good, good! At least you can think quickly on your feet but I don’t think I have ever seen a human before who used his left side as a landing device. No, no, I have never seen such a thing. Today I have seen something new! Now young man, on your feet! It is unsightly to see you laying there like a lazy fool,” said the old man.

  “In case you haven’t noticed I just fell from that dragon up there. I think I should be allowed a moment to catch my breath,” I said breathing heavy.

  “Nonsense. The young are supposed to be always up and about. Here let me help you stand,” he said as he raised his staff and tried to hit me with it. I rolled out of the way as he struck the ground where I had been laying. The impact caused a small crater to open up. I stood and eyed the old man intensely.

  “Don’t look at me like that. I was just helping you get up. The same way I helped you get down from that dragon up there,” he said, pointing the staff towards Zetzu who appeared to still be stuck.

  I wasn’t sure what to make of the situation. I didn’t want to hurt an elder like him but if what he said was true, and I was pretty sure it was, he was incredibly strong, at least magically.

  “Look old man I don’t need trouble, I am just looking for Vaurion,” I said, keeping my guard up.

  “Vaurion? And what do you want with him?” asked the old man walking towards me.

  “I was sent by Magistrate Nostrous and Lord Shadow. I just want to talk to him and ask a few questions,” I said, getting the impression I was already in the presence of Vaurion.

  “And what if he doesn’t want to answer questions?”

  “I will find a way to make him want to,” I said. Anticipating what was about to happen next, the old man still managed to move quicker than I had expected. In the blink of an eye he had closed the distance between us and raised his staff to strike. By some miracle I had my hand on the grip of the sword Nostrous had given me and in one quick motion I was able to unsheathe it and parry the strike. Despite my parry, I was pushed back and lost my balance momentarily. The force with which I had been struck must have been magically fueled but I couldn’t detect the exact origin. It seemed to come both from the old man and also from around him.

  The old man pressed his attack and I found myself blocking increasingly powerful blows from his staff. If one of those were to get a direct hit on me, I would probably end up with a few broken bones or worse, dead. I finally got the idea of catching the staff and disarming the old man. I would have to use Brunas to do so, but it was my best shot aside from trying to kill him. I timed it for his next attack and w
hen he swung “Brunas!” My entire being shook from catching the staff with one hand. I pointed my sword at his chest and with the growls from two darkness Vorms I had just formed, I got him to let go of it.

  “Now, release them,” I order him.

  “It is done. But next time, you should be more careful in your measuring of how powerful your opponents are,” he said with a satisfied look on his face.

  I was about to ask him what he meant and then I heard it, my darkness Brunas armor began cracking all around my arm and then spread across the rest until it all shattered completely and fell to the ground where the shadows that had formed the armor dissipated.

  “Who are you?” I asked with a mix of awe and disbelief. What just happened was supposed to be impossible and yet this person managed to do it.

  “Why do you ask questions you already know the answer to?”

  “I would like to hear it from you. That is all.”

  “Very well, I am Vaurion.”

  “How did you manage to shatter my Brunas? It’s one of the five legendary spells. It’s supposed to be unbreakable so long as I have the magic to sustain it!?”

  “You will find many of your rules don’t quite apply to me, young Knight.”

  “Seriously, what are you and why are you toying with me? Because nothing that has the power to hold two dragons in the air for such a long time could be defeated so easily.”

  “That will have to wait until we reach my home. It would be rude to keep the Head of Noble Families under the sun while we speak,” he replied while giving me a funny stare.

  He had thrown me off balance by calling me the Head of the Noble Families and Knight. I glanced up and saw both Tromuelan and Zetzu flying towards a side of the mountain. I took that as a sign that I was meant to follow him.

  “Lead the way,” I said.

  The Hermit

  His ‘home’ was a cave and one that smelled strange at that. It was very damp inside; I assumed it was because of the close proximity to a waterfall. Normally I would have questioned the old man for living in a cave but I had seen enough amazing oddities since becoming a Dragon Knight, one more wasn’t going to phase me now. Tromuelan and Zetzu came into view not long after entering the cave. Then I noticed something about the cave which had eluded me at first. The rocks were glowing with an intriguing intensity, which allowed me to see very well despite the lack of sun light.

  “It is Izaanite, the ore from which Izaanion metal comes from, quite possibly the strongest metal in all of existence. And for some strange reason it likes to glow when in close proximity to a dragon. Curious don’t you think?” asked Vaurion.

  “While interesting I think I find you a lot more curious,” I said.

  “I am not as curious as you would like to think. I am merely an unknown to you, and almost all sentient beings actually.”

  “Why did you attack us? You must have known we were coming.”

  “Why? Why does everything need a reason now days…? You want a reason? Well, because I was bored. When you’ve lived as long as me, days can turn rather dull. You represented a chance at some fun; regardless of how short lived it was… I can assume they told you I might have killed you if I was in a bad mood? Really, they give me such a bad reputation for something that has only happened once or twice,” said Vaurion shaking his head.

  I was finding it hard to contain myself. We were just fun to him? I was about to erupt when Zetzu shook his head in disagreement.

  “I will believe it was a test,” I said, holding back my anger.

  “Whichever you rather believe, it matters little to me,” he responded.

  I wondered if he was trying to upset me on purpose.

  “What are you Vaurion?” I managed try to refocus the conversation on him.

  “Ah and there it is. The question everyone eventually asks. In plain terms, I am one of the first dragons.”

  “Like Lord Vicis?”

  “I don’t believe she likes to be called Lord and no I am far older.”

  “How is that possible? She is the very first dragon!” I practically shouted as my emotions got the better of me.

  “To be fair, she is one of the first from her breed of dragons, along with Shadow’s ancestors, and Lux’s parents. You should already know dragons change if environmental conditions are changed before its birth. Tromuelan and Zetzu are perfect examples, both are the same kind of dragons, storm dragons, but because of climate and the magical impairment all living creatures on this continent suffer from, they are different. Tromuelan is fast and physically stronger than Zetzu while at the same time Zetzu has powerful magic to rely on. It is why they look different, even their coloring, and why they are so different magically, but yet they come from the same ancestry.”

  “So you are saying you belong to the original species of dragons?”

  “Yes, from us you get both the Varna and Elution dragons. Though few of us remain we are among the oldest and wisest who roam the world.”

  I was having difficulty accepting there was a group of “ancient dragons” which predated everything else that is known. If this were the case there was so much that could be learned from them!

  “Now, let’s discuss the reason for your visit. I was told you have questions for me,” it wasn’t a question on his part.

  I looked at Zetzu and this time he nodded in approval.

  “What am I?” I asked fearful.

  “Well that is a very silly question. You are a human of course.”

  I frowned. “I know that, but how can I do things no one else can. I grow in strength faster than should be possible.”

  He seemed to consider if he wanted to answer me or not, “A touchy subject by all accounts. This is something perhaps four other Dragon Knights have ever been gifted with, and only a handful of elves, so consider yourself fortunate,” he paused, taking in air and sighing heavily, “Are you familiar with what a Dragon Heart is?”

  “No.”

  “I didn’t think so. A Dragon Heart is… how should I say it… A Dragon Heart is a gift of life,” he must have seen in my face how immensely confused I was because he tried to explain it again, “When I say the gift of life, I mean it quite literally. A dragon gives away its heart. A Dragon Heart can save anyone or anything from death no matter the wound or the illness or combination of both. Ancient dragons could make this sacrifice to save another being. It is, in essence, an ancient dragon giving away its life. The receiver’s life is saved but also, the receiver can gain some of the magical power of the ancient dragon. In some cases, part of the dragon’s soul might even manifest in the mind of the recipient. The other effects, that we know of, it is hard to say what the limits might be as it is such a rare occurrence, are longevity, heightened magical senses, exceptional magical control, and a sharp increase in the ability to learn anything magic related.”

  I sat down on the cold cave floor, deep in thought. After a while I looked up at Vaurion.

  “So I died. How did this Dragon Heart happen?”

  “More than likely before you died before you were sent to the orphanage. Two ancient dragons died somewhere around that time: Andraxsccl and Valceria, both very powerful, making it a safe bet your Dragon Heart comes from one of them. If I had to guess, I would say it was Andraxsccl’s because of his mellow personality. Your Dragon Heart only reacts when you are pushed to the edge, like when you stopped my staff today. Any other Brunas would have shattered immediately upon contact with my staff and you would have an arm full of shattered bones, but your Dragon Heart managed to hold it together and the sword. The sword you used to block my attacks should now be crumbling under stress fractures.”

  I drew the sword and saw how the entire blade had started cracking and showing fissures. “Is it an actual heart?” I asked while staring at the sword.

  “Yes.”

  I wasn’t even going to bother asking how that was possible. I was alive because of the generosity of a dragon. Then a new question formed itself.

&nbs
p; “How powerful can I become with this Heart?”

  “You saw Nostrous. A broken elf managing very high level of magic, something even a fully trained Dragon Rider would have difficulty doing. If the past is to serve as a reference almost all important figures in human history have had Dragon Hearts. Judging from whom your parents might have been you will no doubt become very powerful, powerful enough to represent a threat to those around you.”

  I was about to protest but he held up his hand, “You cannot foresee the future. In fact only time dragons can and at best they see mere glimpses and convoluted images. By the definition, given enough time you could become what some of groups of humans believe to be a deity and as the head of the Noble Families and the Dragon Knight Order, should you choose you could rule over all your fellow man or lead thousands to early death in wars. Even if you have no such aspirations right now, who is to say at some point in time you won’t be grief struck and choose to head towards a path which leads to destruction.”

  He was right, and there was nothing I could say to assure him or myself that would never happen.

  “I hope you understand why I am telling you this Alexander. I am sure Shadow has told you, or at least Lux or Vicis, the world needs you but the world also fears you. You were born powerful, and when you add the Devourer and a Dragon Heart into the mix you have the potential to become something that will transcend time.”

  “But I don’t have control over the Heart or the Devourer. There is so much I need to do but I just…”

  “I can sense your Heart fighting the Devourer. If I am correct and you do have Andraxsccl’s heart, you will eventual have the Devourer at your command. You must never lose faith in yourself Alexander; fear is only part of your mind. You cannot let it control you. There will come a time when all these powers you possess will be needed and…” he stopped and looked toward the entrance to the cave.