Blue Flame

There weren’t always dragons in the valley. But there had been for as long as she could remember. Olyen let her eyes drift over her surroundings. She was in the dragon nursery, a place her grandmother would be shocked existed.

She had heard stories of when the dragons had first arrived; a time when the valley lived in peace and harmony. Her grandmother would tell her of a land that was lush with greenery and crops. The mountains surrounding the valley were always tipped with snow, but the village that was nestled in the valley remained pleasantly warm despite. Happiness reigned supreme and the village worked together and were prosperous.

Olyen let the memory of her grandmother telling the story fill her mind.

Just before the dragons had arrived, midsummer was coming to its zenith and the farmers were preparing to begin the harvest that fed the entire village. The crops were ripe and the people were excited, for the harvest was always capped with the summer solstice celebration. It was the most joyous time of the year for the village of Salanya.

The dragons had arrived while the solstice celebration had been in full tilt, with revelers enjoying the many decorations displayed throughout the town and anticipation of the firework show scheduled for that evening.

“We were so excited for the fireworks,” her grandmother had told her so many times, her voice gravelly with age. “But the fireworks that came were not the kind that we were expecting.”

The vision of her grandmother’s somber face floated in her mind’s eye. She had told how the night sky lighted with fire and people cheered, excited for the show. Everyone had run to the middle of the streets, their faces upturned and their eyes filled with wonder. However, wonder was quickly followed by horror. The cheering turned to screams as the people realized that the fire show was not fireworks at all. Five dragons had soared across the sky, blasting out plumes of green and purple flame.

People had run for their homes but it was futile, for the fury of the dragons sprayed across Salanya. Homes were burnt to cinders in mere moments. Crops and mills were set ablaze, casting the sky in a greenish hue never before seen in the lands.

Karnath nuzzled against her, shaking her from her reverie. His scaly body scratched against her skin and his warm breath puffed against her ankle. She moved her leg further from him, wary of his bouts of sneezing he had in his sleep. She did not wish to have her leg singed again.

A few years after her grandmother had passed, the people had rallied and captured two of the dragons. They had rebuilt the village into a prosperous town, fixing what was destroyed and rebuilding it stronger than ever. They had found the dragons’ nest and built a nursery to raise the hatchlings in, intending on incorporating dragons into their world, rather than warring with them.

Taming the captured adults had been their goal ever since. It was a harder task than anticipated and a team was assigned.

The Salangard were a group of elite soldiers hand selected for dragon guard and taming. And it was Olyen’s dream to become one of them. She only had to wait two more days until her fifteenth year and she would be of age to attempt the trials that qualified her to join them.

She had been secretly training for years, watching the soldiers from afar and mimicking their movements. She had made up her own trainings as well; running the rooftops of the town and practicing her own form of taming on the hatchlings.

Hatchling work was reserved for the younger children, and she was ready to be a part of the Salangard.

She scratched Karnath where his wing met his body, eliciting a purr from him. He had selected her from the time he had hatched, choosing to spend his time with no one but her including the other hatchlings. He got up and stretched his little wings behind him and yawned. He hiccuped blue flame and his eyes widened, startling himself.

He was the only dragon she had encountered that had blue flame; the captured dragons and their other offspring had purple and green. A detail that was not lost on her or the Salangard.

She was proud when the Salangard had noticed the bond between her and Karnath and had assigned her as his ward. Her first assignment. She had been ten. And it had been her mission to join them ever since.