A Dragon Born

by Jordan Baker

  Before he knew it, the Duke was towering over him, with his heavy axe swinging down fast and Draxis barely managed to scramble out of the way before the steel slammed hard into the ground. Boric released a blast of flame from between his sharp teeth and Draxis felt his skin heat up, but he knew he would not burn. Even though he was only half-Darga, he could resist fire better than most of them. It was a gift from his mother, who had worked some magic upon herself when he was still in the womb. Draxis turned and walked directly into the flames and he enjoyed the surprised look on the Duke's face when the fire died away and saw Draxis already coming at him with his blade at the ready.

  Boric stepped back and blocked the sword with the side of his axe and put his shoulder behind the wide, heavy blade and pushed, driving Draxis backwards. The half-Darga stumbled over the corpses of his warriors and the many Kandarans who had fallen and he barely managed to evade the grasp of the Duke's powerful, scaled hand that reached out toward him. Draxis knew he would be powerless if Boric got a hold of him and he sprinted away and turned back again, ready to resume the fight, but he stopped when he saw the battlefield. Seeing him halt, so did the rest of the warriors. At the center of a sea of Darga, stood the monster, Duke Boric, along with barely a dozen of his Kandaran soldiers. They were all that remained of a force that, barely moments ago, numbered over a thousand.

  Boric had not expected the Darga to cut through his soldiers so quickly and he knew there was little hope for the rest unless they could somehow find a way out. It looked as though only a few hundred of the lizard men had fallen, and with his heightened senses he had noticed thousands of Xallan soldiers standing by in the forest. He could also tell that they were accompanied by mages and he cursed himself for not noticing it earlier, having been so focused on the Darga. Boric knew the battle was over, and the wound he had taken in the shoulder was bleeding badly, but he did not intend to fall here. Kaledra's castle would not offer any safety, even if the Duke had not sided with the Xallans and the Darga. There had to be a way out.

  "Ranger," he growled to the woman in black armor, who had joined him from Kaledra's numbers. "There are several dozen horses milling on the other side of the western wall of the town. I will clear a path, then I want you and the rest to get clear of this battle. I'll down these Darga until you get away."

  "Duke Boric, we cannot leave you here."

  "Don't be foolish," Borric told her. "You're dead unless you can outrun the Darga and you've no chance of that without those horses. Pass the word and be ready to follow me. We're going through the town."

  "Yes, sir."

  The woman relayed his instructions to the soldier next to her, who then passed it along the line. A moment later, Boric saw Draxis take a step toward him and a ripple moved through the Darga as they began to close in. Boric sucked in as much air as he could and bellowed his greatest roar, so loud that even the Darga faltered for a moment. Draxis only smiled at the challenge, but he was surprised when the Kandaran monster suddenly turned and ran from him, knocking handfuls of Darga out of his way and fled the battlefield toward the open gates of the town, followed by the last of his soldiers. Draxis screamed, furious that he might be denied his victory. He raced after the Duke, and then he began to laugh because he knew there was no way out of the town and no refuge, since Kaledra had already declared his support for the Xallan army.

  Boric barely fit through the streets and he knocked stone and wood away from the corners of a few houses and buildings as he ran through the town. Thanks to his height, he was able to see the horses outside the walls but he knew that the animals were likely already skittish from the scent of blood and the carnage of the battlefield so he headed for a place that was close by but far enough away that they would not be alarmed by him or what he was about to do. Boric saw the city wall looming ahead and he put on a burst of speed then dropped his shoulder and rammed into heavy stone. With a crash the section of wall crumbled, toppling in a flurry of stone and dust as the mortar let go. Boric pulled himself clear of the wreckage and rubbed his shoulder. The impact had hurt, but he was glad to know that he was at least tougher than the wall had been.

  "Now go, get out of here. Ride for Prince Borrican and tell him to pull back to the crown city," Boric said as the soldiers clambered over the broken wall and out into the field beyond.

  Draxis heard the crash and rounded a corner to see the Kandarans escaping through the collapsed section of the wall, followed by the giant Duke. He hissed, knowing he had just been outmaneuvered by the Kandarans. He made it to the breach in the wall just in time to encounter another blast of flames from the Duke, which he sidestepped, taking up a position along the inside of the wall, next to the open gap. Draxis might be able to resist the effects of the fire, but being blasted by it was not a particularly enjoyable experience. A few of the Darga behind him dodged too slowly and were badly burned. Draxis waited until the fire stopped, then he stepped out and faced the Duke.

  "Very clever," Draxis said. "You hope to hold us here, but I have thousands of warriors already circling this city."

  "Not fast enough, youngster," Boric told him. He glanced along the outside of the city wall and saw a few Darga rounding the far corner but he also saw that the soldiers had already managed to catch the horses and were already mounting up and riding from the field.

  "Do you expect to fight us all?" Draxis sneered. "That wound in your shoulder looks very bloody."

  "You think you can scratch me again with that blunt blade you carry?" Boric scoffed.

  Draxis looked down at his sword. Its sharp edge was gone and the steel was noticeably thinner in places where the Duke's acid blood had eaten away at it.

  "I do not need a sword to finish you," Draxis told him, throwing his sword to the ground. "You are no match for our numbers, and you are slow, old man."

  Draxis crouched low to the ground and leapt up, just high enough to grasp the top of the wall, which he did in one continuous movement and came to stand atop the stone. In the distance he saw the Kandaran riders now disappearing into the forest beyond the field that surrounded the city and, below, he saw hundreds of his Darga warriors streaming toward the Duke. He leapt down from the wall and landed a few paces away.

  "That's a neat trick," Boric said with a grin. "But can you fly?"

  Draxis cocked his head, not quite sure what the Kandaran meant, but the question in his mind was answered as the Duke stretched out his arms and the last vestiges of his clothing fell away from his back, revealing leathery wings that spread out and began to grow larger.

  "What power is this?" Draxis asked.

  "A power that you and your brethren will never have," Boric told him as he turned and with a few powerful strides of his legs, leapt into the sky.

  Not far away, the black robed mage, Henton stood with two of his brethren. They had watched the battle and were pleased at how effective the Darga fighters were proving to be. For the most part, Draxis was showing himself to be an able commander, but there were yet limits to his prowess that needed to be addressed, which they intended to report to Cerric. The power of this fearsome Duke was a matter of greater concern and they wondered whether there were others in Kandara like him and they thought it likely that the other members of the royal family might pose a similar threat. Still, Draxis had managed to wound Duke Boric, and given the superior numbers of Xallan, Maramyrian and Darga soldiers, even if the Kandarans had more among them with such power, they would surely fall, especially since the mages had been commanded by their god-king to fight. Henton conjured a ball of energy, like a dark storm cloud that was rippled through with lightning, and he sent it flying toward the Duke as the two mages with him began to summon their own destructive powers.

  Boric felt the energy of magic in the air and he turned his head toward a stand of trees just in time to see the ball of energy hurtling toward him. He ducked low, dropping a wing, barely in time and a piece of the blast caught him on his injured shoulder. He roared in pain as the lightning spiked int
o his arm, sending stabbing pain through his entire body. Boric spun and twisted as he spiraled toward the ground and managed to stop his fall just before the treetops. Instinctively he changed direction as another blast of energy sailed past him, but a third one caught him in the side of his leg, spreading waves of shocking static that stabbed through his entire body like a thousand knives. Unable to move while the energy coursed through him, Boric crashed through the trees, snapping thick branches as he fell.

  "Damnable mages," he cursed as he destroyed several large trees and smashed hard into the forest floor.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Aaron felt like he did after a hard day of working his chores or training at swords with Tarnath. Every muscle ached, but he felt stronger for the work and he was glad his headaches did not seem to be bothering him at all. In fact, he could not even feel the little pull of tension that always tugged at the back of his neck, reminding him of the pain that was always only moments away. Something had changed and he could not wait to tell Ariana, but she was still asleep. He could feel her breathing, her body soft against his, laying on the bed next to him. Something was different.

  Aaron's mind swam for a moment as he felt so many different sensations at once as the world flooded in on him, the smell of the sea, the creak of old wooden boards, voices and rough laughter from somewhere nearby, a gentle breeze blowing somehow right next to him, calm yet powerful and in the living form of a young woman, her scent familiar yet somehow different than he remembered. He opened his eyes and saw the girl, Ehlena curled up on his shoulder and sleeping peacefully, her hands resting, soft and cool on his arm. He wondered what she was doing here and then he realized that he was not even sure where here might be.

  "You're awake," Ehlena said with a sleepy smile as her eyes fluttered open. Aaron noticed there was something different about her voice, something lighter but more powerful, even when it was barely more than a whisper. She curled up closer to him and squeezed his arm. "I'm glad you have returned."

  "What happened?" Aaron asked. "Is this the pirate island?"

  "Yes, Aaron," Ehlena said quietly, lifting her head too look at him as he sat up. "You are on Meer Island. You are safe here."

  Aaron's mind started to clear, but his memory felt strange, as though things were in the wrong order. He looked around the room and did not recognize it but he remembered a storm on the sea and he thought he remembered seeing Tarnath.

  "I was on a ship." He was sure of that. "Cerric's soldiers were looking for me. I remember now, that's why Carly was bringing me here. No one would care if I murdered the princess."

  "But you didn't," Ehlena said.

  "Of course not. It was that mage, Dakar, and Ariana's uncle Cerric."

  "I know. It wasn't your fault. It was Cerric, and the influence of the dark god."

  Aaron's mind flashed with a faint image of a man lashing out with pure power, burning everything around him. He felt like it was a piece of a memory, that he was the man, a mage, raging with power, but he knew it was not him. How could it have been him? He had learned how to do a few tricks with power, but nothing so powerful as that. Aaron remembered something else. Fire.

  "Aaron," Ehlena said, putting a hand on his arm. "Stop thinking so hard. You are safe here."

  "You keep saying that," Aaron said, shrugging her hand away and getting up out of the bed.

  Ehlena frowned, but she got up as well then poured a cup of water from a jug that was on the small wooden table in the room.

  "You must be thirsty. Drink some water."

  Aaron took the cup and drained it. Ehlena picked up the jug and refilled his cup. He drank some more.

  "Thank you," he said. "How is it that you are here on the pirate island?"

  "I came for you," Ehlena told him. "I knew you were in trouble and that you needed my help."

  "It's dangerous though," Aaron said. "Cerric's soldiers and those black robed priests, they were looking for me. Dakar stabbed Ariana and pushed her in the river. How did you know where to find me?"

  "Aaron," Ehlena put her hand on his chest. "Take a deep breath. It's all right. You're safe here, with me. You have friends here. You were asleep, lost for a time, but you are awake now, and everything will be fine. None of it was your fault. There was nothing you could do."

  "I know," Aaron said, feeling frustrated. "I should have protected her. It was my fault they found us. If that man hadn't have recognized me, we would have been safe."

  Ehlena was worried. Aaron's memories should have returned, but he was misunderstanding what she was trying to tell him. When she had entered his thoughts to try to coax him back from the repeating dream, she had seen everything that had happened, right from the very beginning and she knew he would soon remember what had happened. There was a light tap at the door and a moment later, Zachary and Carly entered, followed by Stavros.

  "Aaron, you're awake!" Carly rushed over to him and gave him a hug, pleased to see him up and about. "I was worried about you."

  "Carly," Aaron said with a smile. "I guess we made it to the pirate island. I guess have you and Malek to thank."

  "I don't know about that," she said. "If it weren't for you, we might not have survived that lightning storm. The mages tell me that you're very powerful."

  "What mages are you talking about?" Aaron asked.

  "Oh," Carly realized that he did not know. "This is Zachary, she said, pointing to him. And this is..."

  "Tarnath?" Aaron was confused. He knew his uncle was not alive and yet he had just walked into the room. The old man smiled at him with that same old twinkle in his eye that Aaron remembered, but there was something a little bit somber behind his look.

  "I am Stavros," he said. "Tarnath was my twin brother."

  "Stavros," Aaron said the man's name. "Tarnath never told me he had a brother."

  "He wouldn't have. He made an effort not to talk about many of the people in his life before he moved up to that little cottage near Ashford. It was better that way, for both your safety."

  "Aaron," the mage named Zachary spoke. "Do you remember anything that happened after you arrived here at Meer Island?"

  Aaron stared at the man and, even though he knew he had never met him, he somehow recognized him. He remembered seeing him filled with rage and power, blasting everything around him, trees bursting into splinters and flames exploding from the earth. Fire. He took a step back from the man.

  "I saw you, destroying things," Aaron said.

  "I worried that you might have caught a piece of that memory," Zachary said with a frown. "That is one of my great regrets, one of many moments in my life I am not proud of."

  "Who are you and why do I have a piece of your memory?"

  "Zachary is your father," Carly told him. "He and Stavros saved you. They removed that ward that was causing you such pain."

  Aaron was confused.

  "My father? My parents died when I was just..."

  Fire.

  Aaron remembered coal black eyes staring at him from the shadow. Fire. He remembered cold steel over him and the sound of screaming and yelling, the sound of fists pounding on the door. He remembered a woman opening a door, and the eyes turning to her and the steel cutting her. The eyes returned and the steel dripped with blood as the woman cried, pleading. He remembered fire, and he knew that the fire was his own.

  "It was me," Aaron said, his voice almost a whisper.

  "It was the shadows," Ehlena said. "You were but a babe, in the cradle. You are not to blame, Aaron."

  "What's this?" Zachary said.

  "It was me," Aaron said again, his voice hoarse from the lump that had appeared in his throat. "I burned them."

  "The Lady is right, Aaron," Stavros told him. "It was an accident. I was there."

  Aaron remembered the man with the sword, entering the room and fighting the steel from the shadows. The flames were already rising high, burning white hot and consuming the stone and wood of the room, burning away the shadows and everything else. He was afr
aid.

  "You're safe here, Aaron," Ehlena took a step toward him. "Stavros has put a ward on this place. No one can harm you here."

  "No one can harm me?" Aaron shook his head. He could feel the power inside him, like a sea of raging fire.

  Ehlena took a step back as Aaron's eyes darkened, shifting almost to black, but with a hint of blue and shimmering lights deep within, like the night sky. The goddess within her knew something was different about him, but she had not realized how different until now.

  "You are afraid," Aaron said, his voice reverberating deep like thunder. "And so you should be. I killed them, with fire."

  "Aaron," Carly said. "Please calm yourself. The mages helped you and Ayra helped you. I have helped you. You are safe here, and we are not afraid."

  "No," Aaron said. "You fear me, and you fear yourself. All of you are afraid, of the shadows."

  "Aaron, my boy," Stavros said with his familiar voice that was so much like Tarnath's. "Take a deep breath and let go of it. Let go of your power."

  "No," Aaron said. "If I don't control it, everything will burn."

  "No, Aaron," Zachary said, his attention returning to the situation at hand. "That is a mistake, the first mistake of many a young mage. You cannot force your power. You must guide it."

  "Things will burn, people will burn," Aaron said. "You destroyed the earth and the trees, and turned the stone to ash. I saw you. You are a destroyer, like me."

  "It is true, I have done such things, for I have power of my own, but you must learn how to control your power properly or it will slip your grasp," Zachary explained.