Valley of Aundun

There weren’t always dragons in the valley. The elders speak of it as if it were yesterday, the day when the sky rained fire and burned all in its wake. Many say they were born of the sun, sent by the gods to punish us for forsaking them. Even though that was fifteen years ago, the air is still plagued by the subtle stench of ash and soot.

In truth, I could care less where the dragons came from. All that matters to me is avenging those they’ve stolen from me, reclaiming our lands, our home. For most of our lives, dragons were just myths, fables a mother would tell her children to scare them into behaving. And now… now they lurk in the forest and mountains, scouring the skies above, looking for their next meal.

No one is safe.

Nothing is as it once was and never will be. This much I know. Like so many, I have watched as those I loved be taken or devoured right before me. Our family of seven reduced and broken by these devils. Now forced to travel from village to village in search of a new home. I miss what the Valley of Aundun used to be, what we used to be.

I rolled onto my side, trying to push those thoughts from my mind. I never got used to sleeping on the ground, the feeling of rock and roots beneath my back. The sounds of the night-filled forest did little to lull me back to sleep, the chirping of the crickets, the gentle babble of the brook nearby. In truth, I preferred to travel at night, cloaked in the light of the moon. Some say that dragons thrived in the day, fueled by the sun. We were safer at night, for even dragons slept when the sun went down, yielding to the moon.

I rose to my feet with a drawn-out breath, knowing sleep would never come. I led myself to the water’s edge; the air felt cool as it grazed my skin. I looked over to where my father and brother slept and the huddle of our dwindling belongings. We lost almost everything we had in the last village, thanks to the Templars of the Dragon Guild. Corrupt and vile, just like the creatures they vowed to protect the common people against. I refuse to believe that they are our only salvation. I thank the gods every day my father taught me all that he knows, allowing me to defend myself so that I may be my own salvation.

The moon had become low along the tree line just as my brother began to stir. Even from where I stood, I could tell that the dreams had returned.

“Emrys, wake up,” I called to him as a wave of anguish washed over his face. Rushing to his side, I knelt down and placed my hand on his chest. I could feel the cold sweat through his tunic.

“Emrys, wake up… please,” I repeated softly. His eyes shot open. Lost in his surroundings.

“What is it you saw?” My father’s rough voice rang out in the darkness.

“Eyes.” Emrys gasped, “Like blue flames…” He paused, breathing in deep, allowing the calm to reclaim him. “A horde is coming.”

The words hung over us in silence for some time before I asked, “How many?”

“Over a hundred at least.” His voice was raw. I watched as he sat himself up; taking in a deep breath, he added, “There were six among them that I think were…” He stopped abruptly. “Did you hear that, Cambria?” he whispered to me.

A nod was my only reply. From the shifting footsteps, I could tell three men were approaching. Their movement sounded heavy, as if weighed down by armor. My father moved for his bow and Emrys his long sword. My twin elven blades never left my side. The men’s muffled voices grew louder as they neared.

“Are we far enough away?” The man’s voice quivered with every word.

“Quiet!” Another snapped, his voice deep and demanding. Their pace quickened as my gaze met my fathers, and he knew as well as I that they were running from something. A chill crept its way down the center of my spine, and before I knew it, before I could react, the trees surrounding us uprooted, and the ground gave way as if the earth itself was trying to devour us whole. The wind that followed was a force we knew all too well.

The dragon emerged from the wreckage with ease. Its scales were as black as the night sky and faded into a rich amber that glowed like the dying embers of a fire with every breath. Its silver eyes gleamed like pale moonlight as it scanned the forest floor for its prey.

Every inch of me quivered as I tried to calm my senses. I’ve fought dragons before, yes, but never at night. My eyes fluttered over the debris, searching for a sign of my father or brother. But all that caught my eye was the glimmer of moonlight that gleamed off the armor poking out from beneath the fallen trees.

The dragon had killed what it was looking for. I could smell it, the blood that now soaked the earth. And as I tried to return to my feet, the pain shot through me. My ankle was pinned. I could see the white of my bone staring back at me from beneath the jagged stone, the blood warm and thick, gushing out.

“Move! Move!” I grunted in frustration at the weight of the rock as I tried to push it off. With the fifth and final shove, it gave way, tumbling down the small hill the destruction had created. The dragon’s eyes shifted, and my gaze met his. Every inch of my blood ran cold, and within a heartbeat, a barrage of arrows rained down, finding their target but to no avail. It ripped its stare from mine and turned towards my father, arrows still soaring. The dragon parried and rushed forward.

My father’s screams washed over me. Horrified, I scrambled to my feet just as the dragon turned to face me once more, my father’s left arm dangling from its mouth. I blinked, and before I knew it, the figure of a man now stood before my father. In that instant, I could have sworn my heart stopped as all the air left my body.

“A dragon knight…” The words escaped me.

“Run!” My father’s voice called out through the debris, illuminated by the light of the full moon. The knight grabbed him by the throat and held him suspended with ease.

“Warn the others!” My father coughed. Blood sprayed from his mouth as the knight plunged his hand into my father’s chest. I watched in horror as he ripped through flesh and bone, pulling out his still-beating heart from within.

A sound and sight I knew would haunt me forever.