I need to reach the surface.
Tesser's eyes were already closed against the dirt and stones, but he furrowed his massive brows tighter and focused his mind. A swirl of sensations cascaded over his awareness as he opened up to all the information the world offered him. One by one each of the scales on his body registered what was against them and precisely how much pressure existed. His nostrils, still sealed with a flap of scales to keep out the invasive sand, opened a slit and took in the tiniest amount of matter. The scent of organic matter told him his depth. Within seconds Tesser realized which direction was up and how far he had to burrow to get there.
The muscles that corded the length of Tesser's body were unlike anything science had ever seen. Only the dinosaurs were comparable, but to compare a Tyrannosaurus Rex to Tesser was akin to comparing a garden trowel to a nuclear weapon. Both were capable of moving earth, albeit in a spectacularly different fashion.
Tesser's enormous hand opened, the fingers as large as tree trunks and tipped with curving black scythes of claws. The black tips ripped through the earth smoothly, loosening it in handfuls large enough to fit a small car.
Still too tight.
Tesser shrugged. The earth moved. Above in the city of Boston, the area in the Back Bay felt it. The media that night reported that there was a "small tremor" causing a 2.1 localized earthquake. The green line was paused for several hours as well at the beginning of the workday, which was unfortunate.
The immobile body of a dragon might register as stone to a geologist. The bones and muscles are far more dense and supernatural than simple flesh, and when several hundred tons of dragon chooses to move, anything preventing that from happening gives way.
Below Tesser, the earth gave way abruptly. Tesser's massive arms and legs shot out and arrested his fall, short as it may have been. Several yards of stone, some of it shaped in an unnatural way fell, into a passage that lay below. He immediately opened his nostrils and inhaled for the first time in thousands of years. He was assaulted by foreign smells that caused discomfort. Primarily he disliked the burning smells—sulfurous and unpleasant—that reminded him of the raw eruptions of volcanoes and the ancient pits of tar that swallowed so many creatures hundreds of thousands of years prior.
Tesser's eyes opened once again. Larger by far than many eyes to ever have gazed on the world, they were orbs of gold and slit as a cat's. He could see in any level of darkness, complete blackness if need be, and presently he looked down through the hole he'd made to the strange passage below. In the floor of the oddly lit passage he could see a uniformly wide channel with three metallic rails running along. One rail hummed with an invisible energy that was oddly reminiscent of magic. Tesser was intrigued. The opening was small, only a third of his length. He would have to shift to a smaller form to fall through.
Tesser was not limited to a single form. The body he found most natural, that of a massive winged dragon, was not his only choice. Tesser could take on the form of any living creature should he wish it, and right now, he wished to be smaller.
It was a form of magic, though not a spell. More ancient than the clumsy arts the tribal humans were just now grasping. Tesser employed magic the way a bird would fly or the way a fish swam. It was natural and happened without thought. Tesser shrank down into a form that would fit through the hole below him, starting with his hindquarters first. As his tail and hind legs compacted down, he dug his claws into one side of the space that he had been dormant in, clutching tightly so as not to fall. Once he had reduced to a little less than a third of his original size, Tesser unclenched his still massive claws, and he descended down until he fell, straddling the channel in the strange stone passage.
The sides of the fairly round tunnel were covered in small, straight shaped white stones that were uniformly smooth. Spaced every so often were images, clearly made by something that could write or draw. It took only a moment for him to realize there were strange images of humans as well.
The images were massive, far larger than the humans he remembered. The largest human he'd ever seen was a savage in a cold village in the far north. He was nearly as tall as Tesser's largest finger and claw. He was a specimen, and Tesser was glad to let him live after he threw a spear ignorantly at him. Needless death was not Tesser's way, and the man would be good breeding stock to improve the human lineage.
But these humans, many of them would be a head again taller than that one, so long ago. That human came from a village that had only just begun to make markings on hide to remember things. But these images with the large humans…
They have languages. And they are writing now. And some strange magic that allows them to capture perfect images of themselves. I must have slept a very long time indeed.
Tesser heard the small sound of tiny feet moving from the darkness nearby. He'd heard the same sound before, and when he turned he smiled. One of his most favorite of creatures ever had come out to greet him.
A dark furred rat scurried out, completely unafraid of the massive dragon crouched in the alien tunnel. The rat had come from a hole in the white stoned wall and sniffed emphatically, wriggling its tiny nose and whiskers, and taking in the powerful scent of the dragon.
Another sound came from far off down the tunnel, and even though he didn't know what the sound meant, he knew what creature it came from.
A human. I need to observe. I need to see this new world. Unseen.
Tesser shifted forms again.
By the time the MBTA security guard arrived, Tesser had taken the form of a second rat, though his tiny eyes were still golden. He stood fearless, his nose wriggling as emphatically as his new friend's had been a moment before.
The guard reached up to his shoulder and spoke. Tesser didn't understand any of the strange words and thought his manner of dress strange. He wore dark colors, none of which was the skins of an animal like the humans had worn when he was last awake.
"Tunnel collapse, big time. We're gonna need to shut down the Green line heading west between Copley and Hynes. Holy shit."
Tesser cocked his head and realized there was much he had to learn. He had all the time in the world to do it with. As the other rat darted back into the hole in the wall, he decided to join him. The shrunken dragon would start with the lesson of the rat's tunnels.
Rats always knew how to get around.
- About The Author -
CHRIS PHILBROOK is the creator and author of Adrian’s Undead Diary as well as the fantasy series Elmoryn and Tesser: A Dragon Among Us.
Chris calls the wonderful state of New Hampshire his home. He is an avid reader, writer, role player, miniatures game player, video game player, and part time athlete, as well as a member of the Horror Writers Association. If you weren't impressed enough, he also works full time while writing for Elmoryn as well as the world of Adrian’s Undead Diary and his newest project, Tesser: A Dragon Among Us.
- Find More Online -
Visit adriansundeaddiary.com to access additional content. Learn more about Adrian’s world, contact the author, join discussions with other readers, view maps from the story, and receive the latest news about AUD.
Check out Chris Philbrook’s official website thechrisphilbrook.com to keep tabs on his many exciting projects. Sign up for his email newsletter to stay informed about the latest developments and special announcements, or follow Chris on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ChrisPhilbrookAuthor .
Read more by author Chris Philbrook in The Kinless Trilogy. Explore Elmoryn, a world of dark fantasy where death is not the end. The story begins in Book One: The Wrath of the Orphans, available in print, Kindle, and online. Visit elmoryn.com to learn more about Elmoryn, view concept art, and much more.
Follow Chris Philbrook’s latest epic series as it unfolds in Tesser: A Dragon Among Us. Meet Tesser, the Dragon. He who walks in any form, and flies the skies free of fear. He has slept for millennia, but now he has awoken in a world ruled by human hands, where science has overshadowed even the glory of
old magic. Follow Tesser as he seeks to understand why he slept for so long, and where all the magic has gone. Visit adragonamongus.com to learn more.
Adrian’s Undead Diary: The Dealer of Hope
Copyright © 2018 Christopher Philbrook
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without prior written permission of the author. Your support of author’s rights is appreciated.
Published in the United States of America
First Publishing Date 2018
All characters in this compilation are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Cover and interior layout by Alan MacRaffen
For Haus.
You're an amazing man, a better friend, more fun than
you ought to be, and if it were not for our too infrequent
all-night wine binges, I might be President right now.
You also might be able to grow a beard.
Patreon Patrons, who rock the Casbah,
and help make it all happen
Trinity Members
Tracy Guinther
Trish Volpe
Joni Marcks
Seth Hillman
Joe Schmoe
Fire Team Members
Jamie DeAnn
Jesse Eldridge
Malinda Gibson
Susie Taylor
Lisa Long
James Trudel
Theresa
Stephen Glasgow
Tony Lord
Russ Berner
Andy Vincent
Misty
AV Club Members
"King" Chris Fagan
Sean Hammond
Connie Nealy
Lyndal Sonneborn
Sunnita Tardy
Michelle Cooper
Mingo Vidrio
I'll be your Huckleberry Members
Tim Feely
Also by Chris Philbrook:
Reemergence
Tesser: A Dragon Among Us
Ambryn: The Cheaters of Death
Fyelrath & the Coven’s Curse
Colony Lost
Elmoryn - The Kinless Trilogy
Book One: Wrath of the Orphans
Book Two: The Motive for Massacre
Book Three: The Echoes of Sin
Adrian’s Undead Diary
Book One: Dark Recollections
Book Two: Alone No More — Book Three: Midnight
Book Four: The Failed Coward — Book Five: Wrath
Book Six: In the Arms of Family — Book Seven: The Trinity
Book Eight: Cassie — Book 9: The Dealer of Hope
Coming Soon:
The Last Resort
Tales from the World of Adrian’s Undead Diary
Unhappy Endings
London Burns
Only the Light We Make
The Shed
An Ill Wind
The Other Side
Short Fiction:
Resurrections: A Short Story Collection
Don’t miss Chris Philbrook’s free e-Book:
At Least He’s Not On Fire:
A Tour of the Things That Escape My Head
Can’t get enough of AUD?
Visit the School Store at adriansundeaddiary.com for stickers, hats, and a wide variety of awesome shirts!
Can’t Wait for More?
Look for Chris Philbrook’s FREE short fiction eBook, At Least He’s Not on Fire.
Find it on Amazon, Goodreads, or Smashwords today!
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JSGEKIK
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21948978-at-least-he-s-not-on-fire
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/430970
Adrian's Undead Diary (Book 9): The Dealer of Hope [Adrian's March, Part 1] Page 23
