The Roar of a Dragon (12 page)

Norvin’s temper got the best of him. He swung his sword, a wide blow that I dodged nimbly underneath. Norvin continued to swing, screaming his fury. I ducked and dodged, having not yet drawn my sword.

Finally, he lunged forward, a stabbing attempt at my abdomen. I sidestepped to the right, grabbed his wrist, and drove an elbow into the bridge of his nose. He stumbled backward, nearly falling, but managed to stand unsteadily on his feet. Blood streamed from his nose, and into his mouth. He put his hand to his face, and at the sight and taste of his own blood, his rage became near insanity. He screamed at his soldiers to attack, but they were shocked and dismayed by this turn of events, and they hesitated.

Enraged and frustrated, Norvin charged, sword raised, ready to attack again. I sidestepped and he stumbled past, his blow missing. He immediately turned and swung, hoping to catch me by surprise. I caught his arm by the wrist and flipped him over onto the ground. He dropped his sword in the process, and I quickly dropped to my knees beside him, putting my forearm across his throat.

Eyes wide with fear and anger, Norvin lay still, knowing that any sudden movements could prove to be his demise.

‘Get you and your men out of here,’ I said in a low breath. ‘You will bother this dragon no more.’

I backed off, keeping a wary eye on the defeated knight. Norvin slowly got back on his feet, and ordered his men to their horses. With a final, vengeful glare at me, he mounted his horse and rode off.

I swear that I saw a hint of a smile on Norvin’s face as he turned away. A nagging feeling, swelling up in my gut, told me that things were never going to be the same again.

I turned to face the dragon, nursing its small, but numerous and painful wounds. I took a moment to stare at it in wonder — this was the first time I had ever seen a dragon, something I had only ever read about in books and heard about from Garridan. It cowered from me slightly, obviously and understandably untrusting.

‘Are you able to fly?’ I asked.

‘I’m not sure,’ the dragon answered. ‘My wing hurts, but I can move it… I should be able to fly, in time.’

‘You should leave, cross the border,’ I said, my head darting back and forth in trepidation. ‘If any other soldiers show up, I might not be able to protect you.’

I turned to walk away, and was astonished to hear the dragon’s voice behind me.

‘Thank you, soldier.’

I stopped, taken aback by the dragon’s politeness and gratitude. I looked back over my shoulder, and managed a small nod of acknowledgement. Then I ran to my horse and rode off.

Little did I know what awaited me when I returned to the castle.

As soon as I entered the city of Delmar, I was apprehended by several members of the King’s Royal Guard, and dragged all the way through the city to the castle. People gathered in the streets, and I could hear the closest wondering aloud what was going on.

So was I.

As the Royal Guard hauled me into the courtroom of Baladir, the odor of trouble was pungent in the air — not only was Norvin standing next to Baladir, near his throne, but so was the Royal Council.

I listened to Norvin say that he and his men were fighting for their lives against a dragon, when I intervened and told the knights to leave the dragon alone. I was angered at the half lie; though I did intervene, Norvin neglected to mention that the dragon was a young one, and that their lives were never in danger. It was
they
who were torturing the dragon. If there was a supposed fight between an
adult
dragon and the knights, where were their burn marks and scars?

I listened to Norvin claim that I drew my weapon on him when Norvin ‘valiantly’ refused to stop fighting the dragon. Another lie, and this one was especially blatant — it was
he
who had drawn his weapon and attacked me, and broken Delmar law by doing so.

But all the while that Norvin was telling his story (and a good one it was — if I wasn’t the one who would have to deal with the consequences of that story, I would have given him a nice round of applause afterward), I remained quiet. I knew that I would get an opportunity to tell my side of the story.

Of course I would, I was one of King Baladir’s most trusted soldiers. Surely, he would give me a chance.

But that chance never came.

When Norvin finished, Baladir paced back and forth in front of his throne, and then finally, he stopped. He looked at me, then at Norvin, then at the members of the Council. Finally, his gaze fell back upon me, and as our eyes met, I could swear that I saw his were misted over, that he truly regretted what he was about to do.

I could feel the desperation spreading through my body, searching for any way to release itself — screaming something, flailing about, anything.

Instead, I remained still.
Don’t do this,
my eyes begged him.
I don’t deserve this!

But my silent pleas were just that — silent.

When Baladir began speaking, my mind subconsciously began to tune him out. I already knew something bad was about to happen — but I couldn’t believe my ears when I heard the words, ‘…exiled, never to return, under pain of death.’

I immediately snapped back to attention, my eyes focused immediately on Baladir. My blood boiled with rage, and first thought was:
conspiracy
.

But even as I thought it, I dismissed it immediately. Norvin and Baladir? The odds that happening were about as good as
me
and Norvin working together.

My gaze found Norvin, who was glaring back at me, wearing the smuggest expression, accented with the widest smirk I had ever seen him display, his eyes mocking.

My hatred for him was never greater than it was at that moment.

Norvin ‘graciously’ offered to have his men escort me out of the country. Baladir, who had little idea of the personal animosity between Norvin and I (it doesn’t matter who they are — kings, stewards, nobles — they usually have no idea what happening right under their noses), allowed it to happen.

As I was dragged away from the king, our eyes met again, and I could see his expression… apologetic.

My expression sent a very different message —
I will not forget this
.

Norvin’s men dragged me back through the castle, back through the city. My hands were bound, and they mounted me onto my horse. The streets were full of people by that time, and I knew that after seeing me dragged to the castle by the Royal Guard, they were intensely curious as to what was going on. I suspected that some of them may have already heard Norvin’s severely altered story.

I waited for the yelling, the jeering, to be pelted with rotted fruits and vegetables — but instead, the things I heard from the crowd (mostly them talking to each other) were very different.

‘I don’t believe this, Darren. They’re making a mistake…’

‘That Norvin’s always been a snake… something stinks about this…’

‘We love you, Aidan!’

It was then I realised exactly how much goodwill I had built up with the people of Delmar. Even if my peers didn’t accept me, the people of the city had.

I looked around at all of the people, all of the different faces — some sad, some angry, most confused. I wanted to say something to them…but what could I say? What type of ridiculous speech could I possibly make… and what would be the point?

‘Farewell,’ I said wistfully.

‘Let’s move,’ Norvin said, suddenly joining the group. The bastard was actually smiling.

My hatred burned even brighter.

They escorted me to the southern border, where they dragged me off of my horse, beat on me with punches and kicks, and then tossed me into a creek that signified the border. My swords and dagger landed nearby.

Water swept by my face as I laid face-down by the edge of the creek. My mind tried to process all that was happening to me, but I was too beaten to form a coherent thought. All I could think was
Just leave me alone
.

Then, someone was roughly turning me over, and Norvin was staring into my eyes.

‘I am truly sorry, Aidan,’ he said, and his voice sounded anything but sincere. ‘I can’t have you become a knight — the people love you too much, and that would be detrimental to my future. But I can’t have you starting a rebellion either —’

Then I gasped, as searing pain engulfed my body.

I pulled my head up, and saw with horror that Norvin had driven a dagger into my ribs. I tried to fight back, but my body was weak and wouldn’t allow it.

‘See you in the next life, Aidan,’ Norvin whispered.

I lay there, gasping, trying to cling to what was left of my life. I couldn’t believe what was happening — I was so close to my dream —

Then, a bright light shone all around me. I tried to turn my head to see the source of the light, but it was so blinding that I had to close my eyes. A few seconds later, the light faded a bit, and I could see…

A little boy?

I was sure of it. For a moment, I stared at this child, and the boy stared back — and I couldn’t help but notice that he seemed… sad. The light flared again. My strength ebbing, I laid my head back down, my body relaxing against my will, even as the thought dimly occurred to me that I had to get up and help this boy. The light got brighter and brighter, and the last sound I heard, before my life ended, was…

The roar of a dragon.

BOOK 2

‘Life begins on the other side of despair.’
Jean-Paul Sartre

Darkness
.

Eternal, unending, black. No matter where I look, I see nothing. Am I blind? No… I can see my hands, clear as day. I feel like I’m standing on solid ground, but I can’t see anything. I yell, but no sound emerges from my lips. I look around, and behind me, I can see light. I start walking, seemingly for miles, but I get no closer to the light. Feelings of despair pulse through me; I feel helpless. But suddenly, as I look back at the light, I see it coming closer to me. As it comes closer and closer, I find myself blinded by it. I shield myself with my arms, and then it is on top of me…

Startled, I opened my eyes, but the brightness I saw only
a
second before was nowhere to be found. I was lying on my stomach on cold, unyielding rock ground, in the middle of a dark, dank cave. Breathing in shallow breaths, my heart pounding against my chest, I tried to remember the last thing that happened to me. I tried to pull myself to a sitting position, my body aching terribly. Closing my eyes, I concentrated, memories coming to me in flashes.

Saving the baby dragon — the Royal Guard dragging me to the castle — King Baladir proclaiming I was exiled — Norvin’s soldiers beating me — Norvin stabbing me — the sad little boy, standing in the bright light — a dragon roaring, and then — darkness.

I started searching my body frantically, rubbing my chest and my stomach, until I found the wound from Norvin’s dagger. It was healed.

To add to my amazement, I noticed that although there was no light in the cave, I could see better than I normally could in the dark. And then, a fit of coughing shook my body, and I realized how desperately thirsty I was.

I tried to stand up, but my legs had very little feeling in them, and I collapsed painfully back down to the rock ground. I remained there for a minute, gasping for air, but I was so terribly thirsty. I began to crawl toward the entrance of the cave, ten, fifteen feet away. I pulled myself forward along the rocks with my hands and what little use I had of my legs. I couldn’t remember my hair being so long; it fell in long, ragged strips across my face.

Finally, after long moments of arduous crawling, I was basking in the cool night air and bright moonlight. I took a moment to rest, and take in my surroundings. The huge rock cave was in the middle of a dense forest, enclosed by a vast number of oak and pine trees. Nearby, there was a small pond. My mind wondered numbly about my surroundings, dimly questioning where I was, but I was far too thirsty to care that much. I started my crawl again, the pond now about ten feet away. As parched as I was, it seemed an eternity before I finally reached the cool, clear water. When I did, I started desperately shoveling handfuls of water into my mouth.

I had swallowed about five gulps when a booming voice sounded from behind me. ‘Thirsty, Aidan?’

I whipped around, sprung to my feet, my legs suddenly full of strength, and immediately reached for my swords… only to find that they weren’t there.

‘You left them in the cave,’ the source of the voice said. It was a huge shape, sitting atop the cave, unmistakable in the moonlight, even as a silhouette — a dragon. He looked familiar…

‘There’s a magical enchantment on them, as well as your dagger, to keep them preserved, for they’ve been lying next to you for a long time. As soon as you touch them, the enchantment will wear off.’

To say I felt vulnerable — weaponless against a dragon — was a vast understatement. ‘Who are you?’

‘My name is Iskandor.’

I looked around. ‘Where are we?’

‘We are in the forest of Vidasel, deep to the south.’

‘Vidasel — one of the elven realms?’

‘Formerly one of the elven realms,’ the dragon corrected me.

“Formerly?’ What do you mean?’

‘I promise, you will know soon enough,’ the dragon answered, with a sigh.

I just stared, bewildered. We were deep in the southwest corner of the continent, approximately four hundred miles away from Delmar.

‘What do you want from me?’

The dragon’s yellow eyes glowed in the moonlight. ‘I want nothing from you, Knight. It is I who is in your debt.’

My eyes narrowed. I remembered — Norvin and his soldiers… attacking a dragon…

And I saved him
.

But it can’t be the same dragon; this one is fifty
times
the size of the other one. And yet… the sea-blue scales… the yellow eyes…

‘It
is
you,’ I said in a voice I didn’t recognize as my own. I closed my eyes, remembering.

Norvin stabbed me!

My eyes widened with dawning comprehension. ‘I should be dead!’

‘You did die,’ the dragon said, his voice trailing off.

‘Then how —’

‘I chased off your attackers,’ the dragon started. ‘You were unconscious, but still alive. I was able to get your body on my back and carry you to a very powerful dragon, the only being I knew that might be able to save you. You died in my grasp on the way.’

The dragon trailed off, apparently attempting to shake off the terrible memory.

‘I finally reached my destination, deep in the Carrock Mountains, only to find that the dragon had gone slightly mad. He succeeded in restoring your life, but in so doing, you were cursed…’

‘Cursed?’ I asked incredulously.

The dragon’s gaze went from me to the water. I turned slowly, step by step making my way to the reflective surface of the water. I didn’t have to look hard into the water to find where the sign of my curse lay. The corneas of my eyes, once hazel, had turned deathly white. The image greatly frightened me — a jolt of shock racked my body. My legs gave out, and I fell flat on my back, knocking the air out of my lungs. I laid on the ground, gasping for breath, trying to absorb everything that had happened to me. After several moments, my breathing returned to something approaching normal, and I tried to rationally sort out everything in my mind, although that task didn’t prove to be easy.

‘Norvin did this,’ I muttered in a low voice.

The dragon nodded.

‘I’m going after him,’ I said, looking up. ‘I want revenge.’

The dragon shook his head. ‘You’ll be wasting your time.’

I glared at the dragon. ‘Why is that?’

‘He’s already dead,’ the dragon answered.

This caught me off-guard. ‘Did you kill him?’

‘No,’ the dragon replied. ‘He died long ago. I do not know how.’

“Long ago?” I said, my voice rising. ‘How long have I been asleep — or been dead — or, whatever?’

‘A long time,’ the dragon replied, in a soothing voice that was trying to calm me down. It wasn’t working.

I jumped to my feet. ‘HOW LONG?’

The dragon’s expression did not change. ‘Calm yourself, Aidan,’ he said, his voice showing no signs of irritation or anger. ‘Being angry won’t change anything. You will know the truth soon enough.’

I didn’t take my eyes off the dragon, wanting to know answers. There was obviously something he didn’t want to tell me, but he eventually continued.

‘I am very sorry, Aidan, but you have been asleep — or dead, depending on your point of view — for three thousand years. I have kept watch on you the entire time.’

I was in a state of disbelief —

Disbelief?! More like a state of denial! This is impossible — how could this have happened?

I was unable to comprehend the true magnitude of what had happened. I fell back down to my knees, my head hanging, and I began to sob uncontrollably, trying to understand all that was happening to me. Feelings of confusion and despair were swirling around inside me, but there was anger brewing too. The anger got stronger and stronger by the minute, causing me to clench my fist tightly, digging my nails into the palm of my hand.

The dragon sighed. ‘I’m truly sorry, Aidan. I didn’t mean for any of this to happen. As I said, the dragon was mad, demented —’

‘Wasn’t there an investigation?’ I asked.

‘No,’ was the answer. ‘No one ever found your body, therefore there was no investigation. Nobody ever knew what happened to you. Your life became legend, and no one ever knew of your true demise except for a handful of wild tales.’

‘So,’ I grumbled in a low voice, ‘because you ‘saved’ my life, no one ever found out what really happened.’

The dragon fell silent, and I got up off the ground and walked back into the cave, my rage swelling inside me. I picked up a rock about the size of my palm that was lying by the entrance. But along with my burning anger, something else was burning; it felt like my blood, like water sizzling inside my body. That only made me more furious, and I hurled the rock against the wall of the cave, but when I did, it suddenly felt like my entire body was scorching, and then something inside me burst —

A bolt of lightning exploded from my fingertips, impaling the rock seconds after it left my hand — it exploded before it even reached the wall.

I dropped once again to my knees, staring at my hands in astonishment and fury. The burst of unstable energy from my body only fueled my fury.

I let out a scream of rage, lightning crackling at my fingertips, before bursting into tears once more.