Book of One 04: A Child of Fire

by Baker, Jordan

  "The Akandra are far from weak," said the other dragon. "Though it is faint, I can even smell the true fire already burning within him."

  "This dragon possesses such power?" Vale looked at Borrican for a moment, her curiosity sparked though she remained skeptical. "He can barely speak."

  "The Akandra live among the humans and they are raised as human until they come of age," the first dragon explained. "After a time, they are sent here to learn our ways. It is surprising that this one comes to us with so little knowledge. I remember his father, Eric and would not think he would be so neglectful of his duties to teach his young. It appears we have much work to do with this one."

  "Then he is here for instruction?" Vale was a little disappointed. She had hoped to gain a vassal, and if the young Akandar dragon was of a powerful line it would be to her advantage, but his lack of knowledge and weakness as a fighter was far from promising. And, if he was oathbound, it did not seem likely that she could keep him either way.

  "Akandar," said the first dragon, turning his eyes to look directly at the young dragon and opening his thoughts to him. "You have come to learn our ways?"

  "Yes," Borrican said, glad he was no longer being left out of the conversation.

  "You come to us with little knowledge," the dragon roared. "Why has your father not instructed you?"

  "He has been killed," said another dragon. "Your thoughts tell of this, young Akandar."

  Borrican realized that he was thinking again and he did his best to clear his mind and keep his thoughts very specific, for there were some things he was not sure he wanted them to know.

  "Killed!" roared the higher dragon. "Who would kill the Akandra?"

  "A king from the land to the south who claims to be a god," Borrican answered, using his thoughts, though his words came out as a series of nearly unintelligible growls. "He is very powerful and dangerous."

  "Who protects the lands of Kandara?"

  "Kandara has fallen to the god-king," Borrican told them, keeping his thoughts focused on his memories of the battle and how his uncle and father were killed, hoping they would not hear or see his other thoughts about how his brother, Elric betrayed the kingdom.

  The dragons on the other ledges shuffled around in the darkness and Borrican sensed they were again discussing something and not including him in their thoughts. A dragon from one of the highest ledges very far up the cavern walls looked down at him.

  "This power of a god, we have felt such things on the wind," an old, dry voice said in Borrican's mind, followed by rasping words from the dragon. "You will be instructed in our ways, young Akandra. This young queen will see to this task, and you will serve her with honor and obedience though you shall not be bonded."

  Vale looked up at the old dragon on the high ledge and was both pleased and frustrated at what she had said, for the dragon was one of the oldest and most powerful queens in the realm, one who counted many of the dragons in the cavern of elders as her vassals. Since she was only a youngling herself, with no males to command, and low stature, she had never heard the ancient queen speak and, even though it was a great honor to hear the thoughts of one so revered, Vale did not see why she should not be allowed to bond a vassal she had fairly claimed.

  "Why may he not be bonded?" she asked as respectfully as possible.

  "The oath of the Akandra," rasped the great queen. "The line of Akandar is oathbound. They may not be claimed, unless you wish to become oathbound to the humans yourself."

  "Oathbound to humans?" Vale was mortified at the idea of being beholden to such creatures. She was also irritated that the elders wanted her to keep the Akandra dragon as a vassal even though he could not be bonded since there was little benefit to her. Still, for a young dragon such as herself, who had yet to win any vassals, having even one was better than having none. She sensed the elder dragons becoming impatient with her impertinence and knew she had little choice in the matter. "I will do as the elders have commanded."

  "Good," said the first dragon, on the lower ledge. "We will discuss these matters further." He turned his attention to Borrican. "Akandar. You are welcome here among us, but you will obey Vale and treat her as your queen."

  "Do I have a choice?" Borrican asked, though he suspected he already knew the answer.

  "Not if you wish to remain here," the dragon answered. "Is that your desire?"

  "Yes," he replied. "I will stay for now. You have my thanks, elders." Borrican nodded his head at the dragons and almost all at once they roared, their fierce growling dragon calls filling the cavern.

  Borrican was worried that he had offended the elders but Vale's thoughts told him that they should leave the mountain. They made their way from the circle toward the cavern entrance and saw the platform outside teeming with other dragons, who appeared interested in the newcomer. Vale turned to him as they neared the opening.

  "You will ignore all the dragons here and follow me," she told him. "I will fly fast, and you must keep up."

  "As you say," Borrican replied as he followed her out into the smoky grey daylight.

  Flying was about the only thing he figured he was getting good at in his dragon form, and the journey from Kandara through the shearing winds of the high northern mountains had provided him with more than a few lessons.

  "And think no thoughts," Vale reminded him as she leapt from the rock and took to the air.

  Borrican pushed himself into the air and followed her as she climbed hard and fast. As he struggled to keep up with her he sensed something below him and saw that many of the other dragons had also leapt into the air and were chasing after them. Borrican was not sure why they would want to follow them, but he caught a thought from Vale that it would be better if they left in a hurry. He worked his wings as hard as he could as they ascended higher and higher, flying above the drifts of smoke and even the dampness of the clouds above. It was not long before they breached the pale grey mists and emerged to blue skies and bright sunlight, which was a sharp contrast to the dullness below. Borrican noticed the air was becoming thinner and the muscles along his wings were growing tired. He was glad when Vale turned her head and looked at him with what looked like a grin.

  "Try to keep up," she said, then she angled her wings back and pulled them tighter to her body and began to dive, heading back toward the layer of clouds just as the other dragons began to emerge from the grey.

  Borrican followed her lead and angled his wings the same way. He was amazed at how quickly he began to pick up speed but was still able to control his flight. The two of them shot through the clouds and, in seemingly no time, they were back into the smoky air and could see the land below. Vale angled herself across the open valley toward a gap in the crags that surrounded it. As the two of them sped across the sky, Borrican glanced back and saw that the other dragons had followed them back down and were giving chase. He wondered why they would follow him then he heard a thought from Vale.

  "Stop thinking and fly!"

  Borrican realized that the gap in the mountains she was heading toward was barely large enough for them to fly through and the smoke that hung over the range appeared to be very thick. They cut through the smoke and flew into a tight canyon between the mountains. At the speed they were flying, Borrican was barely able to avoid smashing into the craggy cliffs on either side of him. As the smoke grew thicker, he did his best to stay close to the dragon as she disappeared around corners ahead of him and through the black clouds of soot and ash, reappearing again then disappearing. Borrican figured that Vale probably knew where she was going, so he focused on keeping her tail in sight and cleared his mind of every other thought except flying.

  Even though he did not dare look back, Borrican could sense the presence of other dragons following them as they twisted and turned through the rocky canyon. The smoke became thicker still and his wingtips scraped along the rough walls, throwing him off balance, sending him on a dangerous angle toward a rock face ahead. He tightened his wings against the buffetin
g wind and lifted his shoulder just enough to curve his path around the face of the cliff then he saw the ground drop away and the smoke in the air cleared as he emerged from the canyon into a wide green, mist covered valley with a river running through it. He followed Vale as she spread her wings and began to slow her flight, curving around and hovering in the air with a steady beat of her wings. As Borrican joined her, he saw several dragons emerge from the canyon and immediately veer off, shooting skyward and over the rocky peaks.

  "Why do they not follow us?" he asked.

  "It is forbidden," she said. "We do not battle one another in the sanctuaries."

  "That's what this place is?"

  "It is my home," she told him. "Come, I must introduce you to my mother."

  Borrican followed Vale to the far end of the valley, where a tall, thin waterfall dropped down from high cliffs next to a cavern that was cut into the steep rock wall. She roared at the cavern opening and a few moments later a large, green dragon emerged. Borrican was amazed at the sight of the creature. She was much larger than Vale and her scales glimmered like emeralds in the pale daylight, and her long, sharp horns were encrusted almost to their tips with what looked like actual green gemstones.

  "Vale," the dragon growled with a toothy smile. "It appears you have won a vassal."

  "No, mother," Vale said. "I have won nothing. This youngling is Borrican of the Akandra. The elders say if I bond him, then I will become oathbound, to humans."

  "Akandra," the green dragon said with a note of recognition. "Eric would be your father."

  "Yes," Borrican replied, trying to keep his thoughts simple. "He was my father. He no longer lives."

  "I am very saddened to hear of this." Vale's mother frowned. "I knew him, when he would visit our lands."

  "He never spoke of this place," Borrican told her. "To be honest, he never spoke of much about dragons."

  "Borrican knows nothing," Vale said.

  "Stop saying that," Borrican growled. "I don't know all that much about being a dragon, but I know a lot about being the Prince of Kandara, of battle tactics, of history and lots of other things."

  "Borrican knows very little of import," Vale said. "He is my vassal, but the elders say I cannot bond him, so I do not see the point in keeping him."

  "Borrican," Vale's mother said. "I am Vana, of the Aledra and you are welcome here."

  "You have my thanks, Lady Vana," Borrican said.

  She cocked her head and stared at him with her golden eyes. "Your thoughts do not match your words, young Borrican, and though I sense intelligence in you, your thoughts lack control."

  "I thought he might be a wildling at first," Vale said.

  "An Akandar wildling?" Her mother laughed. "The Akandra are the least wild of our kind, though something about him does not seem right." Vana looked at him more closely and Borrican thought he felt something tugging at his mind. "Oh dear," she said, looking concerned. "Borrican, what has become of your mother?"

  "My mother?" He was not sure why that might be important. "She died several years ago."

  "And your father, Eric? When did he fall?"

  "Only days ago. He fought the self proclaimed god-king, Cerric of Maramyr, who attacked Kandara," Borrican told her. "It was a mighty battle but my father lost to Cerric. I would not have believed that a man could fight a dragon with only his bare hand, but I tried to fight him myself and he is very powerful. My uncle, Boric was also killed by the treacherous lizard men who fight for Cerric."

  Vana's expression grew dark and, for a moment, Borrican sensed a flash of rage and sorrow emanating from her thoughts. He was surprised at the sheer power of her emotions, and it was as though the air around them began to waver with heat. Vana closed her eyes and breathed deeply for a moment and the sensation of her thoughts receded.

  "These things are cause for grave concern, and I will surely discuss them with the elders. For now, it appears you have lost the elder dragons of your line and you have not had a queen for several years. How long ago was it that you took your dragon form?"

  "When my father was killed," Borrican told her. "I have only been a dragon for a matter of days. It was one of the last things my father showed me before he died. He tried to speak to me before, but I could not hear him, not until just before the end."

  "I see," Vana said pensively. "These are very unfortunate events. I cannot believe you have been without a queen for this long, but perhaps it does not matter as much since you were living as a human, but now that you are a dragon, there are many things to consider. I see why the elders sent you here."

  "The elders said that I am to treat Vale as a queen, but I don't what that means to dragons or why it is important," Borrican said, wondering why the dragons seemed so obsessed with such a thing.

  "It is very important," Vana told him. "Without a queen, the Akandra are lost. Eric did not tell you any of this?"

  "He had very little time," Borrican told her. "It was only just before he was killed that he was able to share his thoughts with us, my brother and I." Borrican quickly pushed away his thoughts about his brother but he felt his anger begin to rise and he worried that something about Elric's betrayal might have slipped through.

  "The elders were wise to send you here." Vana looked at her daughter for a moment then back to Borrican. "It is very fortunate that you found your way to us, for you are in grave danger."

  "Yes," Borrican agreed. "I believe this god-king would happily kill me if I try to return to Kandara, though it is my hope to challenge him, for I wish to free my people."

  "You misunderstand," she said. "You have no queen, none of your house to temper the beast within you. Without a queen, it is possible that you may become a wildling."

  "What does that mean, to become a wildling?"

  "It means you will die," Vale told him.

  "Not exactly," her mother said, casting her daughter a chastising look. "It means you may lose your sense of self, Borrican."

  "And then what?" Borrican asked with an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of his stomach.

  "Wildlings are exactly what they sound like. They are wild and thus they are terrible and destructive. There have been very few wildlings among our kind over these last generations, but it is no secret that when a dragon falls prey to the madness, they must be stopped."

  "How does one stop a dragon?" Borrican asked. "What happens to them?"

  "They are killed," Vana told him.

  Borrican imagined what he might do if he lost control. It was for precisely that reason he had left Kandara, hoping to find somewhere far away from where he might harm anyone.

  "I would not want to become a wildling," Borrican said. Vana frowned.

  "It is possible that Vale might be able to help you."

  "How can I help him?" Vale asked.

  "You can bond him," her mother said.

  "The elders said that he would not be bonded."

  "I understand why they would be against it, but such a thing may be necessary. I will speak with the elders but for now, do as they have commanded."

  "What if I do not wish to bond him?" Vale asked. "Can't another queen do it?"

  "I doubt another would be willing," Vana told her daughter. "And it may not even be possible, for the Akandar line can only bond with those with those who possess the power of the Akandra."

  "Then why is it that I can bond him? I am not an Akandar. We are Aledran."

  "Vale, you are both Aledra and Akandar," Vana said. It was something she hoped she would never have to tell her daughter, but given the predicament of the young Akandar and Vale's obvious antagonism toward him, she decided it was for the best. "Tell me, how did you find each other?"

  "We did not so much find each other. She attacked me from a cloud of smoke," Borrican said.

  "How is it that I am of the Akandra?" Vale asked, ignoring her mother's question, more interested in what she had said before.

  Vana stared at her daughter for a moment.

  "Borrican, your
father must have known, or he would not have sent you here," Vana said.

  "He did not," Borrican replied. "I did not even know there were dragons in these lands. I merely sought to find a place where I could learn to control my dragon thoughts without harming anyone."

  "And you found your way directly to Vale," Vana said.

  "Mother, how is it that I am of the Akandra?" Vale repeated, sharply.

  "Many years ago, when Borrican's father and uncle, Eric and Boric came to our lands, a bonding was attempted."

  "Attempted? You tried to bond an Akandra, knowing they were oathbound?"

  "Yes, Vale," Vana said. "That is likely the reason Borrican found his way to you. His Akandar blood would naturally seek others of his line, especially if he is without a queen."

  "So we are cousins?" Borrican was surprised and a little angry. There was so much that his father and his uncle had not told him.

  "Perhaps," Vana said. "I do not know which of them, whether it was Eric or Boric who is Vale's father, but such things do not matter among our kind."

  "You tried to bond them both?" Vale asked.

  "It was a different time," Vana told her daughter. "The thought of combining the Aledra and Akandra lines was a very appealing idea."

  "But they are oathbound to humans," Vale said.

  "Yes," Vana replied. "They also rule the lands that were once our home. I did not see a problem with the oath, but the other elders thought otherwise. In the end, it did not matter though, for the bonding did not take, at least not with Eric, though I always thought there may have been a connection of some kind with his brother, Boric, for he has often been in my thoughts. Tell me, Borrican, did your uncle ever marry in the way the humans do?"

  "No," Borrican said. "He often joked that he was not the marrying kind, but people who usually say such a thing tend to have affairs with many different people, and I don't remember Boric having any such involvements."

  "I see," Vana said. "I assume that Boric never took full dragon form."

  "I do not think so," Borrican said. "He was like half dragon, half man and he never explained it to me. I only learned about this power when the Maramyrians and the Xallans attacked Kandara. I would imagine that he would have become a dragon if he could have, but he was a fearsome fighter and fearless unto the end."