The Last Human

“Mom, can I go outside now?”

Karaglen’s mother looked up. “That depends…did you eat all of your limestones tonight?”

He huffed, sending a cloud of smoke toward the lair’s ceiling. “But mom…”

“Don’t but mom me, little wyrmling.” Viviex’s voice was sharp enough to cut through iron. “The sun will set soon, and I won’t have you flying around gods know where out there without knowing you have enough fire to get home safely.”

The young dragon sighed in defeat and moved back to the table, dragging his tail as he did so. Grimacing, Karaglen scooped up a mouthful of the chalky mineral, using his back teeth to grind it into a fine powder. His mother and father told him that all dragons needed a sizable amount of limestone in their diet to fly. He wasn’t convinced. In fact, he suspected that all grown dragons had agreed to peddle the lie in vengeance for their elders forcing them to eat the vile substance.

Karaglen gulped down the rest of the bowl, trying not to breathe as he did so, and washed it down with some cool water from the cave's spring. Eyes pleading, he turned back toward his mother.

“Alright, starling.” Though Viviex sounded exasperated, Karaglen could see the twinkle in his mother’s eye. “You can go out for one hour, but I want you back in time for…Karaglen wait!”

Heedless of her protest, Karaglen rushed to the entrance of the cave and flung himself into the open air. A cry of joy tore from his throat as he momentarily hung suspended over the cliffside. Before him stretched the majestic snowcapped peaks of the Kethend’oth Mountains. These mountains had sheltered his clan for well over ten generations. Several passing dragons started at his scream and regarded him curiously as he plummeted into the shifting cloudscape below.

Karaglen kept his wings tucked, gaining more and more speed as he dove. Cool air rushed past his snout, whipping away his cry of joy. The other wyrmlings in the peaks may have been far larger than him…but there was one thing he could do better than any other dragon.

He could fly.

Green filled his vision as he exited the clouds and beheld the vast forest of the Everroot. With a massive WHOMP, Karaglen opened his wings and pulled out of the dive, silver belly scraping the treetops. He pumped his wings, shoulder muscles working to return him to the sky. He shot up back through the clouds, nearly colliding with the same dragons he had seen only moments ago.

“Watch where you’re flying, you little whelp!” bellowed a massive, bronze great-wyrm. The ancient dragon beat his wings furiously to avoid crashing into Karaglen.

“Sorry Master Irathos!” Karaglen winced. No doubt the old serpent would mention this to Mother and Father. He shook his head and tried to clear the thrill of flight from his mind. There was work to be done.

Karaglen tucked his wings slightly and dove toward the forest once more - at a reasonable speed this time. He paused briefly to reclaim a small sack hidden at the cliff base. The young dragon had elected to skip his morning lessons and spend that time collecting mountain berries. The Masters would have thought him mad for wasting time on such an errand. Dragon stomachs were designed to process flesh and stone, not vegetation. These berries, however, were not for him.

With the sack secured in his jaws, Karaglen set off toward the Haven. He had only flown a short distance when a familiar itch crawled up the the scales of his back. The wyrmling pushed at the air in front of him with his wings, halting in place. A lifetime of being picked on by other dragons had taught him to obey his instincts. He was being watched.

Karaglen turned his blue eyes to the sky above the peaks. Dozens of other dragons moved through the air, going about their evening business. None of them ever paid any heed to the runt of the mountain.

There! Out of the corner of his eye he saw a streak of scarlet drop from the cliffside and circle back around the other side of the mountain. Was that Dartax?

A spike of fear shot through the young dragon. The last thing he wanted was for one of Malvyre’s cronies to discover his secret place. The big bully relished every opportunity to make Karaglen’s life even more miserable than it already was. The last time he had allowed himself to be cornered, the great golden git had nearly ripped off one of his wings! Since then he’d been extra careful to avoid Malvyre and his “lieutenants'' at all costs.

Even though half of his mind insisted he was being paranoid, his desire for secrecy eventually won out. Karaglen flew low, using the thick foliage to conceal his path as he traveled. He also decided to fly south for most of the way before doubling back and resuming his eastbound journey. It took him much longer than usual to reach the Haven, but he was willing to trade a bit of speed for stealth.

The sun had just touched the horizon when the silver dragon landed in a small clearing next to an enormous rock pile. Near as Karaglen could tell, the boulders had been left as a result of a massive avalanche. The boulders had landed in such a way as to create a generous amount of open space between them, and entrance to this makeshift cave was just large enough for Karaglen to squeeze through. At least there are some benefits to being a runt, he thought to himself. The Haven was the one place Karaglen could go to get away from other dragons. But his secret had been discovered by another.

Careful to not make too much noise, Karaglen moved toward the entrance . His approach was met with a barrage of scuffling noises. The dragon lowered his head and placed the bag of berries on the ground about twenty feet from the door before calling out to the cave’s lone occupant.

“Don’t be afraid, it's just me!” He hoped it would at least remember the sound of his voice. Karaglen was almost positive that this thing didn’t speak Draconic. “I brought you some more food!” He emphasized the words by leaning down and nudging the bag open with his snout, sending several berries bouncing along the forest floor.

The noises immediately ceased, and Karaglen got the sense that he now had the creature’s undivided attention. Smiling, he slowly retreated another ten feet and plopped down on the ground to wait.

He didn’t have to wait long. The promise of food was more important to the creature than its fear of dragons. Karaglen watched in wonder as two tiny legs tentatively stepped into the light of the sunset. The creature's skin wasn’t scaly like his own, but it also lacked the feathers and fur of the other animals who lived around the mountains. The only hair on its body sat in a dark, mangy mop atop its head. It wore a dirty garment of rough wool and a set of tiny coverings on its feet.

Karaglen continued to watch as the strange creature attacked the bag of berries with relish. He had found the little monster several weeks ago and kept the discovery secret from the rest of the clan. It had taken a long time to find the proper tablets in the Archives…but there was no doubt as to what this thing was.

Staring back at the young dragon, berry juice running down its chin, was a human.

Karaglen could only stare at the puny little thing. The old stories said that humans once dominated every corner of the Eight Continents. These are the creatures that nearly destroyed the world? He shook his head. The human had no armor, wings, claws, or any visible form of defense. True, the legends claimed that the creatures once weilded the Forbidden Arts, but no self respecting dragon would ever humor such fantasies. Master Irathos had cuffed him across the head for even daring to approach the subject. Despite this, it was difficult to equate the tiny creature in front of him to the monsters he had been told of as a hatchling. I’m hardly even a dragon myself, and I could kill it with a touch of my claw.

That last thought left a bitter taste in his mouth. He laid his head on the ground and breathed a deep sigh. A cloud of thick sparkling smoke exited his nostrils and drifted lazily into the darkening sky. Karaglen gave himself a moment to close his eyes and appreciate the sounds of the forest.

Wait a second. One eye snapped open. Something was off. The chewing had stopped.

The little human had frozen mid-bite, its eyes fully fixated on the glittering smoke. Karaglen opened his other eye and smiled. He blew more smoke, purposefully directing it at the human. The creature squealed with delight as a blast of hot hair pushed the hair back off its face. It clapped its hands, clearly amused.

Karaglen’s smile widened. All dragons loved to show off, and he was no exception. He arose from the forest floor and took a long breath, reaching for the great stores of hot gas that rested near his belly. Dragons relied on the lift provided by that gas to get their bodies off the ground. Still, he had a little extra fuel to burn.

He clenched the muscles of his jaw and throat and brought his Crackler to life. Once he felt the tiny organ at the back of his mouth begin to spark, he relaxed his throat and expelled the gas.

The tiny manling stepped backward in fear as a brilliant blast of flame shot forth from Karaglen’s maw. But rather than retreat to the safety of the cave, its eyes remained locked on the bright column of dragonfire. Karaglen exhaled again, pursing his lips and shaping the fiery breath into a ring. The human’s face lit up with an enormous smile. The young dragon continued this display, forming his breath into ribbons, doughnuts, and great spheres of flame.

After a few moments, he was forced to stop and take a real breath of air. He was surprised to discover that he had depleted about half of his gas supply. Any more “showing off” and he’d have to climb his way back to Kethen’doth.

The human stared at him expectantly. When it realized there would be no more fireworks, it sat down hard and began to emit the most horrid sound Karaglen had ever heard. The wail echoed through the trees and down into the valley. Karaglen feared the sound would alert every dragon from here to the Cerulean Sea. He rushed to the child’s side and curled his slender body around the space it was sitting.

“Ssshhhh, sh, sh, sh, hey it's ok! I’m still here. My name is Karaglen by the way. We haven't formally been introduced. I know you can’t understand a word I’m saying right now, but I need you to shut that howling screamer for me ok? OK!” he spoke in the same tone that his mother had used when he was a hatchling. Under the present circumstances, it seemed appropriate.

Surprisingly, it worked. The human closed its mouth with an audible POP and stared at Karaglen with its strange, muddy brown eyes. With a slight shock, the wyrmling realized that he had never been this close to the creature before. The human tilted its head, and he mirrored the movement, eliciting a giggle. The child cocked its head in the other direction and he followed suit. Another giggle. The toddler reached its pudgy little fist out toward the dragon’s snout. Karaglen reached down and, after a brief pause, pressed his nose against the pale skin.

A deep THRUM traveled through Karaglen’s body. Time slowed to a snail's pace. An alien sensation washed over him as he felt his spirit pull free from his skin. Every living thing near the clearing now glowed with a soft silver light. The ants crawling up the rocks to his right. The owl nesting in the tree to his left. The family of rabbits huddled in a den beneath his feet. Every blade of grass, every leaf of every tree, all pulsed with life. But there was something else…something more…

Something was connecting the ants, the owl, the rabbits, the trees, and himself. Threads of light, almost too faint to see, radiated from every living thing in the valley. He could feel the power running through those threads, connecting everything to everything else. And he could see the thread connecting him to the human. As he gazed down with eyes that were not his own, he saw more threads extend from the child’s body to his. Those threads began to weave together, slowly forming a thick rope of light. Without warning, the rope pulled taut with a sudden SNAP and he was yanked back into his own body.

He let out a gasp and scrambled away from the child. They looked at each other in awe. What in the name of the First Fire was that? Had the human experienced the same vision? Karaglen shook his head. No. He was just lightheaded from using so much fire so quickly. The light in the clearing began to fade as the sun sank beneath the horizon. His mother would be getting worried. It was time to leave.

He spread his wings and turned to go, but something made him hesitate. He turned to regard the human once more. “I’ll come back, OK? And I’ll bring more food next time,” he said with a toothy grin.

Surprisingly, the child nodded. But rather than retreat into the Haven, it took another step toward the dragon. The child seemed…different...somehow. More focused on him. And before the silver wyrmling could launch into the sky, the little human made a new sound.

“K….Ka….Kara….glen?”

Every muscle in his body froze as the creature spoke his name. He looked down at the human with wonder…and a bit of fear. An itching sensation crept its way up his spine. Something had changed between them. Something important. The little human gazed up into his eyes and let out a gurgling laugh.

The laugh turned into a shriek of terror as the creature turned and vanished back into the Haven. Karaglen was allowed only a moment of confusion before something heavy SLAMMED into him from behind and drove him to the forest floor.

“Going somewhere runt?” hissed an oily voice into his ear.

Oh no.

The golden claw that held him down was half the size of Karaglen’s entire body. The silver dragon gasped in pain and tried to reclaim some of the air the air which had been driven from his lungs. His eyes moved upward from the claw to the thick torso and wide head of the dragon he hated most in this world.

“Well, lads,” Malvyre’s sickly sweet voice dripped in his ear, “look what we got ourselves ‘ere.” The great golden dragon exhaled, sending a cloud of acrid smoke into Karaglen’s face. “Someone’s been sneaking around out here. Makin the good folks up top wonder if they’re up to no good.” He punctuated the last sentence by pressing hard on Karaglen’s chest, causing the smaller dragon to wheeze in pain.

Several smaller figures impacted the ground around them. From Karaglen’s low vantage point, he could just make out the sinuous body and scarlet scales of Dartax, the brilliant green crest of Avaryx, and the pointed white horn of Wyvrex. These three considered themselves Malvyre’s first lieutenants in the next generation of draconic warriors. Which, in Karaglen’s mind, was just a fancy way of saying “lackeys”. Despite the pain in his chest, the thought made him grin.

“Looky here bosssssss,” hissed Dartax. “The little runt is sssssssmiling!”

A deep growl reverberated from Avaryx’s throat. “Let me take a few inches off of his tail, sir. That’ll give the freak something to smile about.”

Wyvrex, as usual, said nothing.

Malvyre raised his other claw and waggled a talon in the air. “Now now boys, we mustn’t be hasty. If we give the stupid silver stunt a chance to speak, I’m sure he’ll confess the awful truth of what he’s been doing out here.” He turned his beady red eyes back towards Karaglen. “Won’t you runt?”

Karaglen gave a curt nod. The golden dragon grinned and raised his foot, giving the smaller dragon just enough space to breathe. Coughing and shaking, he muttered his response.

“A little louder please!” Malvyre sneered. “We’ll need plenty o' witnesses when we report you to the Spire Master.”

Karaglen coughed again and drew in a ragged breath. “I was…out here…for you…Malvyre..”

“Oh really,” he brought his fat, ugly head down right next to Karaglen’s. “And what, pray tell, does your sorry sneaking hide have anything to do with me.”

Karaglen's grin returned. “A tablet buried deep in the Archives spoke of a rare plant capable of driving the strongest odor from any cave. I thought we might have finally found a way to save the peaks from your rancid breath.”

Malvyre let out a roar of rage and raised his claw. In that brief moment of freedom, Karaglen exhaled with everything he had, using the rest of his fire reserves in a single blaze. The golden dragon reared back in surprise, as did his cronies. Though the fire did little against their armored hides, they didn’t expect their prey to willingly surrender its only hope of escape. A dragon with no fire reserves couldn’t get off the ground. Karaglen had just turned himself into a sitting duck.

Or so they thought.

Taking advantage of their confusion, the young silver raced for the Haven’s entrance, talons churning the earth beneath his feet. Karaglen tucked in his wings and dove into the crevice. He wormed his way as far back as he could, for once thankful for his small size. He gasped, greedily gulping down huge lungs of air as his heart ran rampant through his chest.

The poor little human had curled up into a ball on the far side of the cave. Tears poured down its cheeks as it clutched its head against the cacophony of frustrated roars that now bellowed outside the cave. Karaglen moved to its side and wrapped his tail around the human, pulling it close.

“Hey, hey, hey, there’s no need to be scared. Those big bullies can’t fit in here. You’re ok, we’re ok.” Comforting the child helped to calm Karaglen’s nerves. For the moment, they were safe.

The moment passed as an enormous shape blocked what little light ran through the entrance. The interior space was instead illuminated by a single glowing red eye.

“We’ll aint this adorable,” the gold dragon’s smarmy voice washed over Karaglen, making him feel like he needed to clean his scales. “The little freak found a little pet. Finally found somethin smaller than you, eh?” The red eye grew bright with malice as Maldvyre continued. “Well, as a new member of the clan, we outa give the little a mongrel a proper welcome, eh lads?”

Karaglen heard the intake of breath from four different throats. Panicked, he drew the child closer to his chest, shielding it with his wings and body. The conflagration swept through the cave, superheating the air and burning away whatever lichen grew on the old stones. Karaglen screamed in pain as the flames licked his back and wings. As a dragon, he was mostly resistant to fire, but even the toughest metals had a melting point. Teeth gritted, he endured the pain and focused on protecting the scaleless creature clutching his chest. Eventually, the torrent subsided and the red eye appeared once more at the cavern’s entrance.

“Think yourself mighty clever, do ya pup?” Maldvyre’s growl shook the stones. “Think you’ve managed to avoid judgment? Well, that’s where you’re wrong see? All you’ve done is dug yourself an early grave.”

Maldvyre retreated from the entrance and began barking orders at the others. Karaglen couldn’t make out the exact words, but a moment later he heard the flapping of wings as the lackeys rose from the ground. The sound gradually receded until the occupants of the cave were left alone in silence.

He kept very still, counting the seconds. Was it over? Was this a trick? Maldvyre may have been a stain on the name of dragonkind…but Karaglen had never known him to give up so easily. Just as he was considering making a run for it another heavy impact shook the walls of the crevice.

BOOOOM!

The light was now partially extinguished as a heavy boulder dropped into its space. Karaglen watched with horror as it was followed by another boulder, then another.

They were sealing the cavern.

It wasn’t long before only a thin sliver of fading sunlight stood between him and total darkness. Once more, the deep voice of the golden dragon emanated from the entrance.

“It really is better this way you know. Can’t have runts like you threatenin the survival of the clan now, can we? Muckin about and makin more of your kind? So, me and the lads is gonna give you the chance to sit here and think about what it is you done wrong. Reckon you’ll need a good long while…say…a hundred years or so?”

Maldvyre’s cronies cackled once more as they placed the last stone. Karaglen was left clutching the human in the inky darkness. His breath came quickly, his heart nearly crashing through his ribcage. He was going to die down here…cut off from his sky. His parents would never know what happened to him. And the strange scaleless creature would die with him.

Strangely, it was that thought which helped him to regain control of himself. He reached down and nuzzled the human’s midsection with his snout. The whimpering ceased. The child cooed softly and clutched his nostrils. It tickled a bit, but he didn’t pull away.

Karaglen remembered his vision of the glowing cord. He tried to summon that memory to mind and bring the tether of light into existence. After a few moments of concentration, the dragon huffed in annoyance and hung his head. Nothing.

And then, something.

Light cut through the darkness of the cave. Karaglen looked down, expecting the silver cord, but this light was different. Crackling blue energy, like tiny bolts of lightning, danced across his scales and between the spines on his back. Stunned, he looked down into the eyes of his companion.

The human's eyes, once a deep muddy brown, now glowed the same deep blue as the light sparking across his body. The same blue of his own eyes. As he gazed into those eyes the human’s pupils narrowed into reptilian slits.

Power flooded into his veins. Like a dam bursting from within, energy surged from the child’s hand and into his own body. He felt that current, that whirlpool of power flowing through him, begging to be released.

Karaglen rose from the cold earth floor and gazed in defiance at the walls of his prison. No. He spread his wings as wide as the confined space would allow. No. He was not going to die here. He was not going to give that fat fire belcher the satisfaction. He was not going to let his new friend die with him.

“NO!” The roar ripped forth from Karaglen’s throat, sending forth an explosion of power.

There was a flash of light. A searing pain. And then he was home.

Karaglen looked around in wonder at the familiar sight of his lair. His mother was nowhere to be seen. No doubt she was out ripping the forest to splinters in search of him. Beside him sat the human, laughing and clapping its hands in joy. The wyrmling let out a sigh of intense relief. They were safe. But how?

Karaglen looked down at the traces of blue lightning that still crackled and snapped in the space between his claws. He stared at his talons with a strange mix of fascination and horror. As he watched, the energy slowly subsided and sank beneath his skin. But it didn’t dissipate. He could feel that great sea of power resting inside him, waiting to be called. It felt vaguely similar to the gas stores that rested near his stomach. But this wasn’t dragonfire. This power was more fluid…more unpredictable…more dangerous.

A stone seemed to drop into his stomach. The human legends were true. They did have power over the Forbidden Arts. And that power had corrupted their entire species and drove all life on Celedore to the brink of extinction. Somehow…the child had infected him with the one thing that all dragons had long ago sworn to renounce. As the child continued to laugh and clap, Karaglen stood face to face with a single, terrible truth.

“I have Magic.”