Read The Green Dragon: A Claire-Agon Dragon Book (Dragon Series 3) Online
Authors: Salvador Mercer
Salvador Mercer loves to read. Having read the works from Tolkien, McCaffrey, Donaldson, Asimov, Burroughs, Crichton, and many others, the desire to write took over the once sane man and now he finds himself immersed in telling tall tales and intricate fables from this world, and across the stars to many others.
His stories are inspired by past author greats, but written and moved forward by Mercer who sincerely hopes that the stories delight and entertain the reader. He invites you to enter the worlds and realms of his books, and hopes you share with him your experiences there.
Salvador Mercer is fluent in English, Russian and Spanish, having served in the US Army, 750th Military Intelligence Brigade as a Russian Voice Intercept Operator, works in the field of Public Transit, loves languages, history, reading, boating, traveling, and science. He lives in Ohio with his three boys, a baby (elf), toddler (hobbit), teenager (orc), and wife, Masha.
Claire Agon is the second planet orbiting Tau Ceti, located just less than twelve light years from our own planet Earth. It circles its star in the habitable zone, just over two-thirds of one AU, or astronomical unit, which is the distance of Earth from the sun. This places it in orbit about the same distance around Tau Ceti as Venus is to Sol. It has an atmosphere similar to Earth’s, but it is different in composition, because the inhabitants of Claire Agon are silicon-based life forms, not carbon-based as on our planet.
Claire Agon has two companion moons about half the size of Earth’s moon, but circling the planet much closer, four times closer, in fact. The two moons are tidally locked to Claire Agon, each showing the same face to the planet. The two moons in the common tongue are called Tira and Sara, in that order. Tira rises first, followed a few hours later by Sara. Both moons are named for Claire Agon’s daughters in Agonian mythos. Lunar eclipses are not uncommon due to the close orbits of the two moons to the planet, and a full lunar cycle occurs approximately every nine days. Both moons are much like small Agonian worlds, and their blue, green, and white cloud-tipped atmospheres can clearly be seen from the surface of Agon.
Claire Agon, or simply Agon in the common tongue, isn’t the only planet circling Tau Ceti. Recently on Earth, astronomers have detected up to five planets circling the class G star, which is similar in type to our own Sol, but it masses only four-fifths that of our own sun. The astronomers are almost correct insomuch as the system actually has six planets. One planet, however, they could not have imagined; it circles Tau Ceti in an elliptical and eccentric orbit, tilted at thirty degrees above the solar plane. That planet is the size of our own Neptune, but instead of being a gaseous planet, it is a rocky planet, with a huge mass relative to Earth and an atmosphere and magnetosphere in a class unto itself. Agonians call this planet “Dor Akun,” or “Death World,” though the term “Father of Death” is also used, depending on the culture.
Dor Akun orbits Tau Ceti once every two hundred years, and when it approaches perihelion, or its closest approach to the star, it actually comes
within
the orbit of Claire Agon. In addition to this, Claire Agon is also pulled by the gravitational force of Dor Akun, to the point that it, too, reaches perihelion and does so at the same time as its bigger mate, Dor Akun. During this time Dor Akun is a mere million miles from Claire Agon, and it reaches perihelion exactly on the solar plane where Agon orbits Tau Ceti, thus eclipsing Agon as it transits from perihelion and begins its slow, arduous journey up and back to its aphelion, to begin the cycle all over again.
The eclipse lasts an entire Agonian month, and its tidal forces pull mercilessly on the smaller Agon, flexing its crust and creating huge tides and displacements of waters both great and small. Agon is cast into a cold, dark, month-long isolation, suffering immense damage to life there.
Fortunately for those who live on Agon, the event occurs only once every two hundred orbits of Agon and once every orbit of Dor Akun. Where the two planets actually cross orbits, the larger planet, Dor Akun, is inclined by several million miles, and so the paths of the two planets never cross.
Some Earth-based scientists, if they could witness the odd but regular orbits of Agon and Akun, might conclude that the event will eventually decay the Agonian orbit to the point where it either degrades into Tau Ceti, in a spectacular but deadly spectacle of death, or, more likely, on one pass, it will be captured by Dor Akun and her orbit will take her into the deeper regions of Tau Ceti space, where it is cold and dark and eventually even silicon-based life would freeze to death.
This, however, isn’t the only thing that occurs during the transit event. On Earth, we are protected from radioactive particles by its magnetosphere. In Agon the sphere is weaker and charged particles rain down from Tau Ceti yearly, but during the transit event the great magnetosphere of Dor Akun acts much like a wing does on a modern-day airplane as it slices through the air; it funnels a steady stream of highly charged particles from the local star around itself and onto the surface of Claire Agon every two centuries. The phenomenon causes mutations in the silicon-based life forms of Claire Agon, and so evolution there takes place at a much more rapid pace than it does on Earth.
Such are the science of Claire Agon and its dance of death and change with its bigger mate, Dor Akun, all around a nondescript class G spectral star located not very far from our own sun. Thus magic is created and dragons are born.
A
Agon, Short common name for this planet/world
Amsor, Kesh Arch Mage, Leader of Vulcrest assault
Arabella, Demi god of Astor
Arella, Flower with leaves, know for it's healing properties
Arnen, Ancient Order of Druids
Azorias, Ancient dragon name for the Greenfeld Forest
B
Balaria, Island realm known for its assassins and theives
Baron Vulgrin, First Baron of Vulcrest
Baron Vulgrin IV, Fourth Baron of Vulcrest
Blackwell, Vulcrest town near the Greenfeld Forest
Block Tree, Rare, large tree of the Greenfeld
Bloodstone Rock, Sacred Druid site in the Greenfeld Forest
Bryce, Archer from Blackwell, brother to Jayson
C
Claire Agon, The planet/world
Clive, Magistrate of Blackwell
Commander Knoll, Second in command of the Ekin Army
Critir, Magic Orb used to communicate (Crystal Ball)
D
Diamedes, Tynirian historian, born in Ulatha
Dor Akun, Sixth and largest planet in 200 year orbit around Tau Ceti
Dunric, Ranger, Swordsman, Leader
E
Eagle Peak, Main mountain pass north of Vulcrest
Earlstyne Forest, Ancient Forest in Ulatha
Edric, Ranger, Axeman
Ekins, Realm west of Vulcrest, on coast of the Western Sea
Ekos, Capital of Ekins
Elizabeth, Beth, Druid, Arnen of Agon
Elly Brown, Elister, Druid, Arnen of Agon
Emery Brown, Elister's father
Emma Brown, Elister's mother
Evelyn Brown, Elister's sister
F
Fauke, Son of Mayor Fergus
Felsic Mountains, Mountain chain between Kesh and Ulatha
Fergus, Mayor of Blackwell
G
Galapolos, Winged horse
General Gores, Leader of Ekin's Army
Gloria, Mercenary of Giegenstien
Godfrey, Defender and Protector of the Baron's lands
Greenfeld, Forest in Vulcrest
Greyson, Arnen, Druid and Master to Elister
H
Hamill, Family homestead near Greenfeld (John & Ann)
Heart of Enchanted Rest, Chamber of Slumber
Helvie Vulcrest, Baron Vulgrin's daughter
J
Jayson, Archer from Blackwell, brother to Bryce
K
Kelin, Kesh wizard
Kentos, Kesh wizard
Keros, Kesh wizard
Kesh, Realm ruled by wizards, east of Ulatha
Keshtor, Capital of Kesh
L
Lucina Dimars, Fist of Astor, Protector of Helvie Vulcrest
Lunde, Jungle, far south in Agon
O
Onyx Tower, Seat of government for Kesh, seat of the High Mage
P
Pips, Bird, sparrow
Prince Egden, Prince of Ekins
R
Red Tree, Rare, large tree of the Greenfeld
Rigal, Capital of northern border realm loyal to Ulatha
Roarwell, King of Tyniria
S
Safron, Realm, south of Ulatha, known for it's tobacco and weed
Sara, Moon of Agon
Savage Lands, Lands on the frontier of Vulcrest
Solvang, Advisor to the King of Ekins
Staff of Alore, First magical staff of Agon
Sun Petal, Leader of the Dark Dryads
T
Theos, Former Ranger of Greyson
Tira, Moon of Agon
Tridra, Three headed magically animated creature
Tristan, Druid, Arnen of Agon
Trovis Mountains, Mountain range, west of Ulatha
Tyniria, Realm south of Kesh, First King of Agon
Tyranna, Green Dragon, named Zaloynaya in draconian langauge
Tysons, Family homestead near the Brown's
U
Ulan Utandra, Capital of Ulatha
Ulatha, Realm of Duke Uthor Tors
Uthor Tors, Duke of Ulatha
V
Vulcrest, Realm bordering the Savage Lands
Vulkor, Capital of Vulcrest
Vulgrin, First Baron of Vulcrest
Vulgrin IV, Fourth Baron of Vulcrest
W
Western Sea, Sea west of the central realms
Willow, Dark Dryad of the Greenfeld
Wulfric, Ranger, Bowman
Z
Zaloynaya, Tyranna's formal name
Zashitor, Ancient name for a Ranger