Dargonfire: Age of Legend

by LJ Davies

  "Very few know of the deep magic that resides within this world, much of which is no more than isolated ruins and long-dead enchantments like the Paragon. Yet some still remain," he began.

  Finally, he stopped turning pages, revealing a picture of four stone pillars with an eight-pointed star at their centre. Each pillar bore the symbol of an element, except for the scribbled out symbol of earth. I cocked my head, vaguely recognising it as a page I'd flicked past the last time I’d had the book.

  "The elemental pillars are four broken shards of a great heart. These crystals are the source of all dragonkind's elemental mastery," Vulkaine explained. "They were brought to us by the ancestors after the great liberation of our world and the founding of the council of nine. Such power was granted upon their descendants to ensure an age such as the one of tyranny would never again befall them," he went on, and I felt a strange sympathy for Seraphine.

  Those first mortal dragons had no elements; they were animals, like those the humans feared. I thought, taken back to the old village legends.

  As I looked more closely at the picture, my mind forged another connection. I recalled what Nakir had told me about the Golden City, specifically the great heart that had once existed at its centre, the one that had been shattered.

  These pillars have to have something to do with that, the same way the Sphere of Eternity did. Vulkaine seemed oblivious to my realisation as he continued, pointing to each pillar in turn.

  "The pillar of air remains upon the Ivory Spire of Mist Wind, that of water lies deep within the ocean vaults of Parinthien, the pillar of earth was destroyed during the Guardian War, and that of fire..."

  "It's in Dardien, isn't it?" I suddenly interjected, stepping back from the table. "That's your great plan? You've wanted me to open it all along."

  That's exactly what Acrodan wished of me, what started this whole mess!

  The Elders and the Cartographer looked at me, and there was no sign that what I'd suggested was wrong.

  "Yes," Vulkaine sighed. "Since first finding you, we have hoped that a day would come that you would open the realm of fire once more," he admitted.

  "So you manipulated me to do the same thing Acrodan wanted me to do? Don't you know what happened when I opened the sphere? I doomed us all!" I exploded, most of my breath escaping as a snort of smoke.

  To my surprise, the dragon’s look became strangely contrite.

  "What you must understand is that the power that dwells under Dardien is not of darkness. True, it is a secret to all but the Elders and the reigning Sovereign, but it is an older, purer power than that which the Dark Guardian had you face," Vulkaine assured me.

  For a moment, a combination of their revelation and a lack of breath claimed my silence.

  "Only two beings have ever been able to open the shard’s power, for it is neither bloodline nor birthright that makes one worthy of Goldfire's legacy, but their loyalty and commitment to their kind," he added, placing a foreclaw upon the fiery symbol.

  The image of Seraphine, beset by the apocalyptic sunrise, crossed my mind.

  "Well, that means I can't. I'm not even a dragon – and I'm certainly not worthy," I admitted.

  "Are you not? You are closer to the ancestors than any dragon that lives today. But it is not that which makes you worthy," he told me, lifting his head high.

  "There was a reason the truth was kept from you, a reason we recommended against all that we hoped you would do. For if you had no greatness to aspire to, no roll to fulfil, then you would prove your worth to all, including yourself. For it was not our words or the words of our creators that drove you to do what you did," he elaborated, jabbing his tail at me in emphasis.

  "Indeed," the Cartographer snorted, his wings and tail thrashing. "We had hoped such a truth would be for all to see in time, but unfortunately that snake Aries cannot see goodness through his corrupt pride."

  I looked to each of them, unsure of everything they had said. They did all that so I could prove to the world I’m worthy?

  "And what of him? What has he done with...?" I asked, a strange sensation running through me as I ran a forepaw over my chest.

  Mordrakk's dark avatar smiled at the idea of my gleaming amulet, eagerly grasping at the mental image as if it were tangible.

  "We know nothing of the significance of your trinket, that is the creators’ tool. Although we do know Aries placed it in the grand vaults below the temple after the forces still loyal to him seized it from us. That was only hours before we fled Dardien along with the New Order," he elaborated, then sighed.

  "Yet we feared you may also need it to open the realm of fire," Vulkaine confirmed.

  If they don't know about it, then they can't know the full truth. They must think of me as their last hope, just like everyone else.

  Every aspect of my mind was telling me that withholding the information was both stupid and hypocritical, but fear built a wall against those thoughts and locked them away.

  "So why do you want me to open this pillar of fire? Why not just ask me the day we met?" I asked, and once again, they glanced at each other.

  "Those who know of such an ancient defence are sworn to keep it secret," explained Vulkaine, "lest it be needed in the darkest of times. We could not ask such a thing of you before you knew your true self. Furthermore, revealing the pillar while Aries sits on the throne would be most unwise."

  I turned away, my tail thrashing at the table.

  "Your anger is understandable," he continued. "Nonetheless, you must see that there is very little hope of defeating the armies of Valcador without the power of fire, and who knows what other dark forces are mounted against us?"

  "The last time I saw one of those things it contained a world-ending god," I pointed out, jabbing at the picture of one of the pillars with my tail. "What is inside this one!?"

  "Little is known of it, but the one who opens the shard can unleash a magic far greater than any here possess," he reasoned.

  I thought about all the power I possessed already. It was dangerous and unwelcome, and the idea of giving Mordrakk more was incredibly frightening, but once again, fear stifled the notion.

  "And how do I even do this?" I implored.

  The look they gave me told me I should know. I hated that look. It was as if the gods had created it just to irritate me.

  "Do forgive our ignorance, but we were sure your companions would have told you already," Vulkaine started, and I felt another mixture of emotions toward Risha.

  Is this what she’s been hiding from me? It was something I couldn't understand, not that it stopped me from asking.

  "Soon, the New Order is to fly to war. You and your friends are to reach the temple and find the pillar before the battle can fall in the orkins’ favour," announced Vulkaine, and as he spoke, I began to understand why Risha had been numb to the idea.

  "What! You can't send them into battle. None of you should have to go! If you need me to find the pillar, then fine, but send me – and only me!" I challenged, but he shook his head.

  "You wouldn't know what to do with the ancient power should you find it, and in the meantime, the orkin would be free to pillage the lands surrounding the city," he elaborated, but I stood firm.

  "They'll just slaughter everyone here instead, they’ll kill my friends!" I retorted.

  "Every dragon, griffin and hippogriff here knows the risk of war, so do your friends, who were actually quite stubborn about the matter. They are loyal to you, so do not waste that commitment," the blue Elder chipped in.

  Upon testifying to the stubbornness of my friends, her words put a name to the unknown composites I'd seen outside. Nevertheless, I let out a disgruntled snort.

  "I won't drag my friends into a war, nor will I watch any of them die because you didn't have the nerve to tell me about any of this sooner," I growled, but once again, they remained unfazed.

  "It is not us that will be hard pressed to adhere to that request; those dragons will follow you to the end,
you know that better than any," she continued, and with that, she had me stumped.

  Of course, I know they'd willingly risk their lives, it frustrates me so much!

  "Quite so, it seems almost impossible to separate the five of you, even now," another authoritative and gracefully regal voice suddenly entered the conversation.

  The almost silent tapping of claws emanating from a passageway behind the Elders heralded the arrival of Princess Zephyra.

  Even without her armour, the air dragoness looked no less majestic than the day we'd first met in Dardien’s archive. Unlike the other dragons I'd seen, her scales and wings were spotless. I didn't know whether that was because she pristinely maintained her looks or that she'd not been in a situation in which she could sustain damage on the level of her soldiers.

  I found it hard to assume it was the latter, even if I was sure there was an element of self-preservation in her. After all, she was the one holding this New Order together.

  That air of respect was apparent upon the faces of my companions, each of whom gave a subtle bow. I failed to perform such a formal gesture, even if she was on the list of dragons I at least partially respected.

  Even so, the princess didn't seem to care for such things and dismissed the routine submission with a wave of her forepaw.

  "We can waste time with formality later, for now I am simply glad you're all here," she said, moving forward to the edge of the table.

  Even from here, the sight of her reminded me of her father. She was taller than I was and had an aura that demanded attention, which no one appeared reluctant to give.

  She's certainly nothing like that cruel snake running Dardien. I thought, as even the phoenix perched on Vulkaine's wing seemed to straighten obediently.

  "I trust our friends here have told you of their plan?" the princess asked.

  "They may have mentioned it," I replied, the idea of taking my friends into war working like a ravenous plague upon my thoughts.

  Zephyra looked over them, sharp eyes lingering on the Cartographer as the old dragon put away 'The Fallen Star'.

  "You want to take everyone into battle against an army that outnumbers us a hundred to one?" I added sheepishly, but she remained silent.

  In that moment of quiet, I was afraid she'd demand more, tell me that not everyone was even enough, and yet she accepted my reply with a subtle nod.

  "I won’t try to sweeten the idea, but it is true," she admitted. "If we do not, then the orkin will surely spread, and if Dardien falls, nothing will stand between them and the cursed lands to the south," she continued, glancing to the Elders.

  "It was never my intention to drag any of you into this, and for what I would ask of you and your friends... Well, I don't expect you to offer me any kind of forgiveness," she confessed, and in that moment my mind froze.

  She's just as unhappy about this as I am.

  "I have a feeling it wasn't you who did the dragging," I growled, scowling at the Elders.

  "I think you should go, I will speak with him alone," she suggested, waving the elderly dragons away with a wing.

  There was no argument as they funnelled out, Vulkaine offering me one last hopeful glance before he disappeared with the muttering Cartographer close behind.

  "This role grows tiresome as of late," Zephyra admitted, running a forepaw over her weary eyes.

  "I wouldn't know," I admitted.

  "Wouldn't you? I hear tell that you're a great leader, one I can respect, if your companions speak the truth."

  "What they say and how I think about what they say tend to differ. I wouldn't have needed you to save me from Sceptre if I was any good at my job," I countered, before adding. "Thanks for that, by the way."

  A look of curiosity covered her face, and she turned toward the tunnel through which she'd entered.

  "Will you walk with me?" she asked, motioning to the exit.

  I took a glance back at the opposite door. I didn't intend to catch up with the Elders any time soon and I'd little intention of staying here, so I swiftly took her up on the offer.

  "They're good friends, you know?" Zephyra assured me in a more relaxed tone, one I suspected was reserved only for private conversation.

  "That’s why I cannot risk losing them," I responded.

  There was a knowing, compassionate look in her eyes.

  "They're all I have," I added, and she cocked her head, a rather nonchalant gesture for one of her stature.

  "Blaze, you should be proud," she said, a smile breaking across her muzzle. "You didn't have to ask for such loyalty."

  Proud of them? I've never thought about it that way. It didn't feel right, nor did I feel able to consider them as something to be proud of. They're dragons, not objects.

  The interior of the ruined fortress was in no better shape than the exterior. Only the larger occupied sections and the tents erected throughout its walls held any furnishings to make them hospitable. Dragons, griffins and the strange new hippogriffs went about their business within the halls. They all noticed me, and all stopped what they were doing, allowing us to pass. I assumed their actions were due to the presence of the princess rather than my own.

  Regardless, I still didn't like the idea of everyone watching me, even after everything, it still stuck in my mind. Thankfully, it didn't last long, and after only a short walk through the halls, Zephyra turned and headed up a set of stairs toward a sunlit walkway on the ruin’s outer edge.

  "You've created quite the commotion around here, you know?" she advised as we ascended the steps.

  "I didn’t know there were so many others here. I thought it would just be dragons," I confessed, and it was now her turn to take some pride, smiling to herself.

  "There are a great deal more than I expected. I thought only the feather wings of the north still honoured the old alliance, and even then, I wasn't sure they would uphold it. As for those of the south, the hippogriff capitol of Mist Wind bears the pillar of air, and they were called at the Elders’ request," she explained as the pair of us reached the top of the stairs and moved out onto the walkway.

  It ran both left and right and was bordered by a squat stone wall. I could only assume that on the other side, the mountain dropped off to a steep slope or a cliff. The sound of a large waterfall reinforced that idea and as I moved forward, I could see that the ruin indeed sat on a spit of land between two great walls of tumbling water where the edges of the surrounding lake met the drop. The walkway traversed the whole length, forming an arched bridge over the water on each side, before meeting a pair of towers on the flanking mountainsides.

  It was truly spectacular. I almost wished I could have seen it when it was still pristine. Looking down over the wall, I could see several more arches built below us, serving as landing zones for griffins, dragons and more of the horse-bird composites. Even so, I soon turned back to Zephyra, who seemed rather impressed by my stunned reaction. It was a drastic change to how I'd felt only moments ago, and I was pleased that such things could still amaze me. I latched on to every little fact like that, as if they were a raft keeping me afloat upon a sea of emptiness.

  "I'm glad to see you're impressed," she announced proudly, before turning and continuing along the walkway.

  I followed, glancing about as several wings of dragons and griffins flew overhead, landing somewhere in the shattered towers above us.

  "What are they, those featherwings?" I enquired, seeking more information about the new beasts beyond a simple name.

  Zephyra glanced up in the direction of the towers.

  "Hippogriffs," she replied. "They come from a kingdom far to the south, beyond the cursed lands."

  "And they’re involved in the Elders’ great plan?" I asked, nodding as I took in what I could.

  She looked as if she'd known that statement would arise, yet blatantly hoped otherwise.

  "I cannot say how for certain. The Elders only shared their plan after I helped you escape my father, and I’m not even sure they have shared it to
its fullest extent."

  "They sure like keeping secrets," I hissed bitterly, and I could swear I saw a ghost of a smile cross her muzzle.

  "I cannot disagree. Before the celebration, I'd no idea that these ancient pillars still bound our races," she continued, flicking a foreclaw through a small mound of snow as she thought about it.

  I have a feeling discovering that only led her further away from her father. I thought, opening my muzzle to speak, but she continued before I could utter a word.

  "I’m not going to pretend that I believe we have a chance of victory – the odds are stacked against us, and I'm sure you know that. The armies of the Brazen Horde are too strong for us to challenge," she admitted, peering out over the cliffside.

  The distant light of the winter sun illuminated her scales, but her look was far from glowing. My eyes followed hers while her words span around my mind before abruptly falling silent. From this angle, I could see the gushing waterfall falling away onto the Midnight Plains and all that polluted its seemingly endless expanse. A vast swarm of darkness stained the land like a great tide washing in from the sea, flickers of glistening metal and flame broke its gloom and smoke rose from a thousand fires.

  I could see the ruins of an ancient city, its crumbling structures highlighted by the reflections from the rivers snaking their way through the remnants. They were the only things brave enough to break the vast masses of orkin occupying its streets and plazas. Several dragons still braved the onslaught in a valiant defence of their homes. Flashes of shining armour and jets of flame the only things that set them apart from the swarming filth.

  Just as I recalled, beyond the ruined city, the vast grasslands fell away into a deep fissure, marking the main access into the hanging city and the closest place to a home I had left. With my mind captivated and muzzle clenched, I stepped forward to the barricade in the hope that this was nothing more than an illusion.

  They reached Dardien faster than I thought!

  More dark shapes filled the sky, like a swarm of flies over a rotting corpse. Winged monsters swiftly overwhelming any dragons that stood against the hopeless odds.