Dragons Day

"There weren't always dragons in the Valley. About 500 years ago, a great battle waged between the Dragon King Thornelious, and The Dark Mage Mathius, Bringer of the night."

Slightly smokey from too much whiskey and tobacco, the old man's deep baritone voice pauses, dark eyes observing the eager faces around him. Satisfied he had their attention, he pulls his bushy salt and pepper eyebrows in for a scowl.

"Mathius was devious and vile. He came upon an ancient power the world thought lost, and with that power, wanted to rule over all supernaturals and man alike. The darkness of the magic clung to him, feeling like oil and sticking like honey. Ill intent oozed from his body in a pungent odor no one could ignore. deceit and malice danced in his eyes, the whites all but consumed by the pitless black with a stare that would bore down deep into your soul."

The old man stops to take a sip of his whiskey. Setting it down, he wipes his mouth shaking his head.

"Where Mathius was Dark, the Dragon King was Light. He was honorable and just. His morals and desire for the better of his kingdom made him a fair ruler. Do not think him complacent, however. Two stories high and just as wide in his dragon form, and over 6 and a half feet as a man, honey-colored scales tipped in black ended at claws bigger than the average person. The Dragon King was nothing to laugh at. He was the fiercest of warriors and a pure soul. He sacrificed and killed for those he loved and protected those who could not protect themselves. Such was the way with dragons, fiercely loyal and brave, and maybe just a bit too much pride. This is why when the Dark Mage challenged the Dragon King to a fight to the death, The Dragon king accepted. With dragons, as with most shifters and supernaturals, to not accept a direct challenge shows weakness. A weakness the Dragon King did not feel he had. He also believed if he could stop the mage, he could end the war. Confident in his prowess, the King did not see the deceit and betrayal, or how deep the corruption ran until it was too late."

Leaning forward, he continues excitedly, almost breathless.

"A dragon's soul is Light. Natural protectors and guardians, the light battles the darkness in an endless war that no side can win. For there must be balance. To appreciate the good, there must be bad. It's magic as old as time and carries abilities that vary with each dragon. Selfishness and greed are not characteristics that dragons are known for, and for one to become corrupted is unheard of. The only way to stop a dragon is to first snuff out its Light. Unfortunately, Mathius found a way."

"Using blood magic, which by itself is not dark, he combined the ancient power and forged a dagger. But not just any dagger. Embedded in the obsidian handle, the combined powers took hold. Enabling the handler to suck out the magic of any supernatural, and in essence, their lifeforce, leaving behind only a shell of a body that will deteriorate in time. Attached to the handle was a double-sided blade, about as long as a forearm and said to be sharp enough to cut through a single hair."

In the far back corner of the nondescript pub, twin golden orbs blinked into existence. Even faintly illuminating, the surrounding shadows seemed to get darker, where not even the hint of an outline of a table was visible. As the old man continues with his story, his audience captivated, the orbs look as if they're scanning the crowd. They blink out of existence just to pop back in, the movements almost eye-like. As the glowing eyes come back to the old man, they double-take for a split second, then refocuses on the storyteller.

Taking a breath the old man continues his tale.

" It is said that as the Dragon King approached, his 60ft wingspan blocked out the sun. Darkness reigned for a moment, and right before he touched the ground, he shifted into a man. Standing at 6 and a half feet, the King took a non-aggressive stance with his arms loose at his sides. The goal was to try and talk with the mage and bring about a peaceful outcome. Unfortunately, that was not to be. Before The King could utter a word, Mathius' arm was up, black mist swirling around his outstretched hand. He pulled his arm back as if to throw a ball, and the black mist zoomed straight at The Dragon King. Not expecting it, but not surprised, the King stood his ground and dodged the attack at the last minute. Coming up from the lunge, he turns to find The Dark Mage with his hand around a young woman's neck, fingers digging into the soft skin of her throat. "

" 'No!', The King whispers, and a smug smile crosses The Dark Mages' face. "

" 'No? Is her life that important to you? Your Princessss!' He sneered"

" 'More important than mine. More important than yours. Don't hurt her!' ".

"You could hear the growl in his voice. As this back and forth distracted the king, it gave way to an opening The King didn't plan for. Suddenly the obsidian hilt of a dagger was lodged deep into The King's side, angled perfectly for a single nick of the heart. A nick was all that was needed for the magic in the dagger to activate. It sucked the light right out of him. The glow of his soul physically dimmed his appearance, until all that was left was a pale and sickly looking man at death's door. Staring down, he looks into the eyes of his attacker, and his heart breaks even more. His best friend since childhood, Cornelius, was the one who dealt the killing blow. '

" ' Why?' he asked. ' Power,' was the response he got, ' And your throne!' " " Putting his boot on the king's shoulder, Cornelius kicks the king off the dagger and smiles as he wipes it on the downed man's chest. Using the last of his strength, the dragon king turned toward Mathius and his daughter, blood pooling around him. Arms outstretched as if to reach him, she suddenly goes limp in Mathius's hold and the last thing King Thornelius saw was the limp form of the princess."

It was at this moment, that the twin orbs brightened considerably, enough so that it drew attention. Just as quickly, the light dimmed, then went out completely. If one was looking closely, a few moments later a shadow could be seen slinking about. Heading towards the closest exit. Stepping out, the shadow pauses and looks around. Once certain all was clear, it disappears into the night.

Back in the pub, the old man is finishing up his story.

" Some say that a few royals survived. We wouldn't know really, seeing as they can shift forms. You know only royals can do that, and those trusted in the inner circle. They could have easily assimilated into the normal every day and we wouldn't be the wiser. I don't blame them though, Mathius wiped out every dragon he came across that day, and the traitor Cornelius? Well, his fate could be considered worse. Not to me, he deserved what he got. As soon as the dragon king was dead, Mathius placed a curse on Cornelius. His free will was gone, turning instead into a mindless twisted drone Tha Dark Mage could control. The only reason we know there are still dragons out there is because of the sightings down in the Valley. Of huge shadows gliding over trees, doing nothing more than watching. Waiting I believe, for their day of retribution."

* * *

Eyes snapping open, a feeling I can't identify wakes me from a deep sleep, which sucks because my sleeping habits have been horrendous as of late. Tonight was no different, this being the third time I woke up.

I had finally fallen into a deep sleep, and now it's 5 am, and I'm awake. Again.

The nightmares are coming regularly now, almost nightly. It's always the same thing. No one can see me, no one can hear me. It's like I'm invisible, a bystander in my own dream. I see death. So much death, and the smell, it's as if I'm there walking among the dead. Only I can't move. I'm forced to look at severed limbs, and pools of blood. Hours pass or no time at all, screaming but no sound comes out.

In an Instant, the scene abruptly changes and an old pub replaces the field of death. This is new. Usually, it's only death I see, and these people are very much alive. There's a group surrounding an old man, he seems to be telling a story but I can't hear anything. He's nothing but a passing glance though, as two golden orbs, suspended about eye level, catch my attention. A falling sensation courses through me, as if riding a rollercoaster, about to go over the edge with my arms raised above my head. Energy burns a path to my core, my soul feeling exposed, and my breathing stops. It wasn't until the orbs blinked out that I could breathe again.

That was two hours ago, and I really thought I could go back to sleep. Boop.

Still not sure what woke me, I turn to my 81lbs, 11-year-old pit mix Cami. Her beautiful brindle face, peppered with white, is slack with sleep. Belly up and feet splayed to both sides, she takes up more than half of my queen-size bed, and her snoring sounds like a tractor-trailer.

Resigning myself to the fact I won't be getting any more sleep, I get up to make coffee. Leaving the lights off, I make my way to the kitchen and stop to stare out the window. From here you can see the sunrise, and while it's still too early, you can see the night sky start to lighten. It's one of my favorite times of the day.

Moving from the window I hit my toe on the corner of the table.

" Ugghhhhh, good job Samantha!" I say sarcastically, bent over from the pain coursing through my toe. Suddenly the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, and the feeling of being watched overwhelms me. Slowly I straighten and what I see makes my heart skip a beat. The twin orbs from my dream. In my kitchen. Right in front of me. Awesome.

Surprisingly I don't feel fear, just curiosity. I've always been kind of able to feel energy. Cliche, I'm aware. Everyone wants some type of power, and declaring yourself sensitive is all the rave right now. Alas, a phony I am not. It's hard to explain, though. I can feel intentions, whether or not someone is inherently good. What emotions they may be feeling, if projected loudly enough, and the only thing I could feel from the orbs was uncertainty; wariness.

A minute passes. Me standing there, staring at twin golden orbs floating at eye level about two feet from my face. Yea, I should be freaking out, shockingly I'm not. I'm a little peeved. I was woken up out of my sleep just to get stared at?

After about 5 minutes of this standoff, my nerves start to get the best of me. While I felt no ill will emanating from the orbs, and the fact I could feel anything from them at all was surprising, just standing there waiting for it to do something is not for me. Taking my middle and thumb finger of my left hand I snap, and a second later Cami comes stalking in with her teeth bared. The orbs seemed to regard me for a moment more, then blink out of existence.

Lost in thought, I finish making my coffee and go sit in my favorite chair, contemplating.

* * *

With Sam's back turned, the shadow slinks out of a window and up onto the roof. A few houses over it stops and turns to look back.

" Interesting..." the shadow whisper's, and again, disappears into the night.