Gorroson

There weren’t always dragons in the valley. Sentries atop their steeds soared from the castle to the ends of the Houl River, protecting the land of Sirie. The Fire Legion, as King Valden called them, had been summoned seven years ago when his daughter had gone missing. Convinced it was an attack to his kingdom, the king, using the only power that remained within him, called on his dragon ancestors. A sense of security and great joy spread throughout the kingdom, but that soon changed to uncertainty. The beasts taxed the lives of the villagers; feeding on livestock, burning the land. The rise of the army took young fae and humans alike from their homes. Sirie was in upheaval and King Valden's growing age made things worse. After the death of his queen and the disappearance of his daughter, Valden had refused to remarry, refused to have another child, leaving the kingdom without an heir.

“No report, sir.” King Valden bristled at the lack of news from his general.

It never got easier to hear even after almost a decade. Behind pale pointed ears, his silver hair fell in waves down his back. It was a trademark of the Buhlgarde line. His daughter had bore the same hair, though hers glinted violet in the sun: a trait she had gotten from her mother’s fae heritage. Their memory, his two flowers, left an ache in his heart. “Thank you, General Jal. Let your riders rest for the evening. Resume search in the morning.”

A long pause prompted the king to turn. “Is there something else?” Jal uncharacteristically shifted from foot to foot, making the sun reflect off his copper hair. The king's chest tightened. Were other kingdoms finally sensing Sirie’s downfall? It was hard enough keeping his own court at bay. The Buhlgarde line had been on the throne for centuries, and now most, if not all, of his nobles wanted to be next in line. “Well spit it out general!”

Ice blue eyes rose to meet the king's gaze. “We have not found Princess Cathara, Your Majesty, but there may be reason to believe that she was taken by the Vashtini Witches.”

“A reckless statement to make. The Vashtini have been exiled for over a century. Surely they have dwindled in numbers and most are soon to die off. Besides, what would they want with her? It was one of their own witches that predicted the demise of the Buhlgarde line.” Of course, they could have a hand in such a fall.

The broad shouldered general nodded in agreement, as if hearing the king's thoughts. Running a hand through his copper hair, Jal continued. “Princess Cathara disappeared seven years ago. Since then there have been more and more disappearances of children across all of Gorroson. All the same age as the princess when she was taken.”

“That still doesn’t explain how or why it would be the witches, general.” He should call off the search. Quit wasting the Fire Legion’s potential on being nothing more than a search party; prepare them for combat instead. A war was coming the king feared. If children were disappearing in the other kingdoms, soon they would turn on each other. With luck Sirie would survive, or it would implode in a revolution. Valden turned to refill his glass, needing some reprieve at the horrendous thought, and scanned Sirie's capital from his balcony.

“Your Majesty, the witches are riding dragons. I stationed a small legion on our southern island, Savkan. They reported seeing riders coming from Sorriere. I suspect that is where the witches now reside. Since their exile, the witches themselves cannot re-enter Sirie, but if they are behind the child disappearances and they have dragons. I fear they not only have your daughter, but that they are building an army as well.”

Valden’s throat burned and knew from the fire growing in his chest that his rust colored eyes would soon reflect flames; the only hint of his dormant power. The power he had no access to except for his ability to summon dragons. “Call off the search, general.” The king swirled his half full glass and then drank heavily, draining it. Only someone from the Buhlgarde line could summon dragons. “Begin preparing all of our troops for war.”