Dragons of Asgard

by Logan Jacobs

  was only hoping to speak to leader Eira for a minute or two.”

  “Is this about the battle yesterday?” Eira asked me with a raised

  eyebrow.

  “No,” I assured her. “It’s not about that, I just have a strange question

  for you.”

  “Strange question, eh,” the man at the table said, and he elbowed the

  man next to him and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

  “Bite your tongue, Rogan,” Eira spat, and she glared at the man.

  “Good luck with that, laddie,” Rogan told me with a smile, and he took

  a long pull from his pint glass while the other men snickered around him.

  “Come, Volrath,” Eira said as she stood up from the table and pulled a

  chair out next to her. “You may ask your question here.”

  I wasn’t sure if Eira just wanted to prove to the man I wasn’t hitting on

  her, or if she simply wanted to show her dominance, but none of the other

  elders objected, so I walked over to the table and took a seat.

  Eira turned to regard me, and my heart skipped a beat when she stared

  at me with her piercing emerald eyes. Her pale, smooth skin was almost glass

  like, and I had the urge to reach out and stroke her cheek.

  “What is your question?” she asked with a slight smirk, obviously fully

  aware of my racing heart, though I didn’t think she could actually hear it.

  “Well,” I said as I looked around the table. I had the attention of all of

  the elders, then, and I hoped beyond all hope the question I was about to ask

  didn’t make me come across as a lunatic. “I was wondering if you knew

  anything about dragons?”

  “Dragons?” Eira repeated, and her eyes narrowed slightly as she

  inspected my face. “What about dragons?”

  “What has you interested in the great beasts of old?” a large red-haired

  man asked with a raised eyebrow bushier than his beard. He wore a simple

  green tunic, but his red hair and beard was so wild it appeared to take over

  the whole of his body as I looked at him.

  “I found a large scale some time ago,” I said, which technically wasn’t

  a lie. “But I can’t find anything about them in the history books I have at

  home, aside from the fact they were banished from Asgard by Odin.”

  “Odin only did that to protect the beasts from extinction,” Rogan said.

  “Right,” I agreed. “They were being hunted.”

  “Aye,” the redheaded man said, and he took a long drink of mead, then

  wiped his mouth and beard on the sleeve of his tunic. “They were hunted for

  nearly every part of them. The scales were used for magic, the meat could

  feed an entire village, and more than that, there was the fear.”

  “The fear?” I asked, and I leaned forward slightly. Out of the corner of

  my eye, I saw Eira watching me, and I tried not to blush as I focused on what

  the elder male had to say next.

  “That’s right,” he agreed. “Really, it was the fear that drove them to be

  hunted. Not all the Aesir wanted to kill the beasts. There were some who

  believed we could all live together.”

  “I didn’t know that,” I admitted.

  “Most don’t,” he said with a smile. “The ones who wanted to save

  them, though, well… once fear sets in, it’s hard to stop. Odin knew he

  couldn’t quench the people’s fears of massive reptiles that could fuckin’ fly

  and spit fire or lightning or poison.”

  The man laughed then and took another drink before he continued.

  “He decided the best thing to do was to protect the dragons by sending

  them away. Once the fear had subsided, he planned to bring them back,

  though that was a long time ago.”

  This was a story I’d never heard before, and I wasn’t sure what to

  believe. The history books I’d seen were vague when it came to dragons, but

  this elder was definitely slightly tipsy, and it was only mid-morning.

  “How do you know?” I asked the man. “Were you there?”

  It was nearly impossible to tell the age of anyone in Asgard. Some

  aged better than others, but living for centuries, or even millennia wasn’t

  uncommon for us demi-gods. Unless someone was incredibly old, it could be

  difficult to tell just how many years they had under their belt.

  “Not me,” the man said. “But my father told me that story when I was

  just a wee lad.”

  “Your drunken tales are amusing, Malroth,” Eira said, and an amused

  smile split her plump, pink lips.

  “Drunken tales,” Malroth scoffed. “It’s the truth.”

  “Perhaps,” Eira said. “But we’d have to ask Odin himself to verify

  your tale.”

  “You ask him, then,” the man grumbled.

  “The knowledge you seek is not easily possessed,” Eira said as she

  turned toward me. “As you well know by now, the history books are rather

  vague on the subject.”

  “That’s why I came to you,” I said, and I felt Blar move slightly in my

  satchel, a little reminder of his presence. I needed to wrap this up, since I

  didn’t want him to get antsy. “I thought maybe you could shed more light on

  the subject.”

  “Unfortunately, I cannot,” Eira said, and her small, delicate chin tilted

  to the side as she locked eyes with me. “My knowledge is of men and war,

  but I’m afraid not much else.”

  My lips parted as I let out a breath. Did she just say of men and war?

  Men how? Was that meant to be as sexual as it sounded? Her face was so

  stoic it was hard to tell, though behind her green eyes there seemed to be a

  glint of playfulness I hoped I wasn’t imagining.

  “Th-that’s okay,” I stammered slightly and set my hand on top of the

  satchel when I felt Blar move again. “Like I said before, it was just out of

  curiosity anyways.”

  “If you are truly curious, then there might be someone who can help

  you,” Eira said. “There is a sorcerer in town who may be able to give you

  more information.”

  “That would be great,” I said as my heart skipped a beat. “Where can I

  find him?”

  “His shop is located at the eastern edge of the city,” she informed me,

  and I couldn’t help but watch her beautiful pink lips as she spoke. “He goes

  by the name of Ramir. You may tell him I sent you if you so choose.”

  “I appreciate that,” I said, and I looked around at the men and women

  at the table. The women stared at me with a cool regard, but the men subtly

  wiggled their eyebrows or flashed me a smirk when I glanced at them. “I

  should be going, then. It was pleasant to see you all, and thank you for your

  help, leader Eira.”

  “Volrath,” she said as I stood up to leave.

  “Yes?” I asked, and she stood up next to me, with her face just inches

  from my own. I could feel her breath on my lips, and I longed to lean forward

  and take her mouth with my own.

  “We are not on the battlefield,” she said with a small smile. “You may simply call me Eira.”

  “Oh,” I breathed. “Well, then, I prefer Rath.”

  “Rath,” she said with a nod, and another smile tugged at the corner of

  her lips. “It was good to see you, Rath.”

  “It was good to see you as well, Eira,” I said, and I returne
d her smile,

  but just then Blar bumped against my hip, and I instinctively reached my

  hand down to the satchel in a quick and jerky manner. “I should be going,

  then.”

  I turned and headed back toward the door of the hall. I could hear the

  men snicker behind me, and Eira said something to them I couldn’t make out,

  since I was in too much of a rush to get outside.

  Once I closed the door, I was able to take a deep breath of relief.

  “What were you doing?” I whispered as I opened the satchel to reveal

  Blar staring at me with a pitiful expression. “I know, that took longer than I

  thought. Here.”

  I pulled some pumpkin out from my pocket and handed it to the little

  beast. His demeanor changed instantly, and his little mouth pulled into a

  smile as he chomped on the orange vegetable. I knew he had done his best to

  listen, and he’d been quiet, though the stillness was something we would

  need to work on.

  I handed Blar another bit of pumpkin, then I closed the satchel and

  headed back toward the city. I needed to find this sorcerer Eira had told me

  about. I knew there was no guarantee he could help me, but Eira trusted him,

  so I thought I should give him a chance. Besides, those with magic always

  seemed to know more than the rest of us. I didn’t know if it came with the

  territory or if they used their magic to gain extra knowledge, but either way, it

  was a trait I’d often desired for myself.

  The road split just before the market I’d come from, but instead of

  going back that way, I took the other road that led to the eastern side of the

  city. This path was surrounded by trees on each side for a while, though

  every now and then, someone’s home could be seen just off the path, nestled

  among the forest. It was nearly noon by the look of the sun, and the street

  was covered in the shadows of the trees that hung overhead.

  As I walked, I thought about Eira and our conversation in the great

  hall. She seemed to like me more than the other men in the warband, but I

  didn’t want to make any assumptions. I was sure every other male wanted her

  just as much as I did, though it did seem like she praised me more than

  anyone, sometimes to my dismay. Her vocalization of my skills only served

  to make the other men jealous and treat me more like the outsider they

  already thought I was.

  If that was the trade off, though, I’d take it. It was worth it just to hear my name leave her beautiful lips.

  I felt Blar move around in the satchel, and I looked down to see his

  little head poked out of the top.

  “Alright,” I chuckled and handed him another piece of pumpkin.

  I wondered if Eira would be disappointed in me for hiding such a

  thing. Though there wasn’t a specific rule since it was assumed there were no

  longer dragons in Asgard at all, it would make sense keeping one would be at

  least frowned upon, if not considered outright treason.

  The man, Malroth, had said it was simply fear that had driven the

  dragons out of Asgard, but I’d never known Aesir to fear anything. Though

  maybe it was fear that fueled war in the first place, the fear of losing someone

  you love, or losing the life you created. Maybe it was a different kind of fear

  than just a baser instinct to run and hide.

  If what he said was true, then maybe fear had caused Odin to banish

  the dragons as well. Perhaps he feared they would go extinct otherwise. I

  thought about how the council would feel about there being a dragon in

  Asgard again. Would they try and take him away from me or banish him to

  another world? I couldn’t let either of those things happen.

  I needed more information about the dragons, and I needed more proof

  I could train them and that they were docile and safe to be around. Only then would I be able to reveal their presence to the elders, though even then I

  wasn’t sure what I would do when truly faced with the decision.

  I slipped a couple more pieces of pumpkin into the satchel as I

  approached the edge of the city. I’d passed by all the houses in the area, so I

  kept walking until I saw a small building made of stone. Above the wooden

  door there was a sign that read ‘Ramir’s Trinkets and Treasures.’ Trinkets

  and treasures didn’t seem like what I was after, but the name was right, and if

  I went any further I’d be totally outside of the city limits.

  This had to be the place.

  “Here,” I whispered as I slipped another piece of pumpkin into the

  satchel. “We’re going into a shop, so you have to be quiet. And still. I

  promise I’ll give you more when we get out.”

  Blar moved slightly against my hip and seemed to settle further down

  into the satchel, a sign he knew what I’d just told him. Then I pulled on the

  wooden door, and a large golden bell clanged to indicate my arrival.

  Before I could step inside, though, a large waft of red smoke hit me,

  and when I hazily blinked my eyes open, I saw a small, older man and a

  beautiful young woman hovering over a desk clearly charred and still

  releasing red fumes.

  I made eye contact with the young woman, but she regarded me coldly,

  like I’d just interrupted something of vital importance. Had they been

  practicing sorcery?

  I’d never seen it done up close before, but as I took in the scene in

  front of me, I had no doubt that was exactly what was happening.

  Chapter 3

  The old man who stood over the desk was much shorter than the

  woman next to him. He had a long, white beard, bushy eyebrows, hazy blue

  eyes, and a hunched over back, and he wore a long red and brown tunic with

  a large golden pendant that hung from his neck and was just visible below his

  beard. His hands were raised slightly, and the fingers were long and bony,

  with nails much longer than I’d ever seen on a man before. His face was

  slightly coated with a fine red powder I presumed was from the explosion I’d

  just witnessed, and when he noticed me in the doorway, he locked eyes with

  me and smiled widely.

  “Well, hello there,” he said, then he coughed a few times and hopped

  down from a stool to walk over toward me. It was then I realized he was even

  shorter than I’d originally thought.

  “Um, hello,” I greeted him, but I couldn’t take my eyes off the desk

  he’d just left. It was covered with strange objects, one large yellow feather, a

  bundle of wildflowers, and there, in the corner, was a red dragon scale similar

  to the one I kept under my bed. The desk itself still smoldered with deep red

  plumes of smoke bursting from the cracks in the wood now and again.

  “What kind of trinkets and treasures can I interest you in today, son?”

  the old man asked, and the skin around his cloudy blue eyes crinkled as he

  smiled up at me.

  “I, uh,” I stuttered, still somewhat in shock from what I’d witnessed. I

  had so many questions, but it seemed rude to delve right into them, so I’d

  better start out slow and build some trust between us. “Eira sent me your

  way.”

  “Eira, huh?” the old man asked with a nod. “You must be looking for

  something out of the ordinary, then.”

/>   My eyes narrowed as I thought about what out of the ordinary things

  Eira came to this man for. She was a mysterious woman to begin with, but

  now I was even more curious. I reminded myself, though, that I had a dragon

  in my satchel, and I needed to be as inconspicuous as possible when I went

  about inquiring about the dragons.

  “You must be Ramir?” I asked.

  “That’s me,” the old man said, and his eyes crinkled once more. “And

  that’s my daughter, Kaspyr. I apologize for the smoke, we were practicing

  her skills. Now, what can I help you with?”

  The beautiful woman regarded me suspiciously as her father spoke. He

  was open and welcoming, but I didn’t get the same feeling from her. She

  didn’t trust me, I knew that immediately, though I wasn’t entirely sure why.

  It was hard not to stare at her and ignore her father altogether, though, since

  her beauty was so unique and intriguing. She was nearly as tall as I was, but her hair was a shade of yellow and rose-pink that reminded me of sunlight in

  the late hours of the day, and it splayed out around her face and down her

  back in large ringlets that were unruly but looked softer than flower petals.

  Her skin was slightly tanned, and she stared at me with piercing violet eyes

  like nothing I’d ever seen before. Her features were sharp and exact, and they

  added to the sternness of the look she gave me, but something told me she

  was beautiful when she smiled. Her mouth was nearly heart shaped, her lips

  were plump and kissable, and she appeared so statuesque, part of me

  wondered if she was even real.

  “I, uh,” I said again, and I shook my head to focus and turned back to

  look at the man in front of me, who stared at me with an expectant smile. “I

  actually came seeking information, not wares.”

  “Hmm,” Ramir said, and he tugged on his beard. “Information, eh?

  Follow me.”

  The man began to walk to the back of the store, and for the first time, I

  actually stopped to look around at the shop. The walls were stone, just as on

  the outside, but there were built-in shelves everywhere that housed the oddest

  assortment of things I’d ever seen. There were dusty old books on some

  shelves that looked like they were centuries old, and the spines were so worn

  out I couldn’t make out the words. On other shelves there were displays of