The Lost Drakon

There weren't always dragons in the Valley.

They came on painted ships from across the ocean. Hundreds of families escaping war and oppression, carrying only their most valued possessions. The ships were dismantled and used to build homes along the sides of the Valley. Officially it’s called Pondu Ravel Vallelia, which is old Pelli for something along the lines of Valley of the Foreseen Traveler. However, we just call it the Valley, or home.

The morning rain had turned everything a vibrant lush green in the Valley, and the air was rich with the smell of the earth, rain, and smoke from the homes in the area. I picked up a couple of mostly dry splintering logs from the pile beside my house, and looked out over the village around me. A few villagers were out this morning, gathering wood, food, or heading to the shops. In the distance I could see two ships docked along the beach, likely traders from the south. I inhaled deeply, filling my lungs with as much fresh air as they would allow and exhaled slowly before heading back in. The boards that made up my home were multi-colored, some painted, and old.

Inside was a living space, kitchen, and down the hall were two bedrooms, mine and my parents. My parents, away for a couple of weeks to buy new items for their shop, were strong willed adventurers at heart. I placed the logs on the barely warm hearth, stuffed some kindling in between them, and knelt before it. I formed a soft gentle whistle with my lips and drew heat from the magic in my belly into it which streamed out from my mouth in a thin line to the firewood. I held the soft note until the wood and kindling ignited, just a small flame that would soon grow.

I stood and wandered into the kitchen where I’d started a couple of small loaves of bread, humming a repetitive tune as I went. A group of children nearby could be heard playing tag or some other game nearby. I uncovered my dough and placed each into their baking dishes, and drizzled herbed oil over the top. I then carried them to the hearth and hung the dishes over the flame. However, just as I was sitting a scream burst through my windows causing me to whip around and my gut to climb to my chest. I ran to the door, roughly yanked it open, and searched for the source.

My chest tightened as I saw fire in the not so far distance, and my neighbors were running inland. Marching up the hill towards us were people in armor, moving together in a practiced line. Their armor was red, yellow, and orange and intricately designed, with scales, fire, and claws and teeth protruding from the shoulders. I’d seen armor similar to this in certain homes throughout the village… including my own. These were Dragons from across the ocean. Fire breathers.

The five Dragons looked around at the homes and people fleeing them, searching. They all had varying shades of red hair, like mine. Abruptly they halted and the two on the outside whistled, blowing fire at houses around them. A tall one leaned in to say something to the woman in the middle, and as she leaned in to listen she noticed me. I felt like a mouse trapped in the gaze of a cat, her stare was focused, intelligent, and confident, and the slight smile that grew on her face wasn’t friendly.

She gave an order to the others and pointed farther up the hill, but she and the tall one moved towards me. Despite wearing armor her movements were relaxed and fluid, a stark contrast to how I felt. Adrenaline was rushing through my veins, but I forced myself to appear as calm as possible.

“You should leave, while you still can.” My voice cracked slightly. She and the tall person, who I could now see had dark brown-red hair, both laughed.

“What a cute threat. Are you the only one here?” They stopped less than ten feet away. Close enough to shoot fire, but far enough that they could evade. I didn’t answer, waiting for the fight I sensed was coming. “Fine, we’ll find out for ourselves. Unfortunately for you, we don’t need women and Corona has a strict termination policy for traitors.”

“Who’s Corona?” They both paused, surprised by my question.

“Your ancestor’s homeland, the birthplace of Dragons.” The tall one answered, his voice deeper than I would have expected. He looked at me as if I should have known, obviously proud of his heritage.

“Pathetic. Your people abandoned Corona and then left their descendants dumb and weak.” The woman shook her head, a look of pity and disgust on her face. She shrugged it off and rolled her shoulders. “Nothing to do about it except our job. Esri, I’ll handle this one.” ‘Esri’ stepped back while the woman drew her short sword and charged me.

“Cocky,” I felt a smile tug at my mouth, and as she swung her blade I dropped to the ground and rolled. Once clear from her path I kicked my leg back out knocking her leg out from under her. She stumbled, but didn’t fall. I could tell now that she was heavier than I had expected, built of more muscle than me. I rolled away just before she righted herself and swung her blade back around, the tip of it nicking my leg with a sting.

She looked at me surprised and, to my dismay, excited. She charged again. Her movements were quick and practiced. When she swung low I twisted my fingers manipulating energy in the air to give me a boost, and launched myself over her head. Golden disks of light formed beneath my feet, and it felt like time slowed. As she looked up at me, shocked, I formed a whistle drawing as much heat as I could into it and blew. Flame erupted from me, and should’ve consumed her. The air sparked with energy and my flame extinguished. I landed, stumbling back a few steps into a fighting stance, unsure of what just happened.

“Commander…” Esri stood from the kneeling position he’d been in, and a golden glow faded from his hands. He’d manipulated energy… just like me. The only other people I’d ever met who could do that were my father and grandmother.

“That was her, wasn’t it? She’s a Drakon.”

“Yes, sir.” His brows furrowed together. I got the impression that while the Commander was inconvenienced, Esri was worried. He even looked angry. “Commander Wyvely, we have to take her and any others with us.”

“Over my dead body,” I snarled.

“That would be easier, but no. Esri, you’re up.” Commander Wyvely turned her back on me, her long red braid swinging across her back with the motion.

“Yes, sir.” Esri stepped forward, and formed various motions with his hands and arms as he did. I watched energy build in front of him, more intricate and stronger than anything I’d ever manipulated before. Fear gripped me and I hesitated a moment before turning to run. That moment gave him the chance to throw the glowing net at me. It wrapped around me, swirls of light constricting me and sinking into my skin. My hands and fingers were pinned to my sides, and a pull toppled me backwards to the ground. Looming above me was Esri.

I formed a whistle, but before I could blow fire something stung my shoulder. I looked back at Commander Wyvely to see her holding a small gun of some sort. My eyes grew heavy and everything became blurry. Esri scooped me up and the world was spinning making me long for the steady ground beneath me. I felt him haul me over his shoulder just as everything went dark, and I was carried away into nothingness.