Valley of Fire, Prologue

There weren't always dragons in the Valley. The Valley of Shakrila used to be one of peace, prosperity, and hope. It was my home.

Tall mountains surrounded the Valley, and it contained everything needed to prosper. A mighty river rushed through the Valley, making the soil rich for farming. The south of the Valley was well forested for lumber and game, and the northern mountains were abundant with stone and jewels. The valley gave us everything we needed, but our people did not always enjoy the splendors of the Valley.

We call ourselves the Taluuge, the word means travelers in the old language. It was what we called ourselves when our people were nomads, wandering the wilderness. Our people were constantly fighting for survival, facing animals, the elements, and other tribes. Many of our people perished protecting us for the hope of one day finding a home. Then one day, our ancestors discovered the Valley. The gods led us to this paradise, and we honored the chief god, Shakrila, by naming the Valley after him. In the Valley, they built villages, a magnificent city, and a palace to honor the gods and house our King.

On the holy days, our people from all the surrounding villages would travel together to the palace to pray and offer tribute to our gods. As a child, I did not fully understand our gods or the words of the priests, but I loved those days because our whole community was united.

I would wake up early on those days, leaving my bed and putting on my best dress. Today I decided on my tan dress. It was nothing special besides my mother making it for me, but mother told me it accentuated my brown eyes and contrasted my black hair.

I would sit on the steps leading to the front door of our home watching the village wake up with the sunrise. Families would emerge from their wooden homes and gather in the courtyards. The sun would rise over the crest of the mountains surrounding our peaceful Valley. The light from the sun would reflect off the golden pyramid on the tip of the palace’s tallest monument, lighting up the city, revealing the gold and jewels embedded in buildings of strong, white stone. The sun continued to rise revealing the beautiful city of Kalut, glowing in purity and grace. The crisp air of dawn invited the birds to awake and sing, as I closed my eyes, I could hear their melodies supported by the rush of the river.

The sound of my family inside our house heightened the joy in my heart. As I heard the commotion of my parents getting ready inside, I ran through the door to find my dad. I leapt into his arms, yelling with exuberance, “The Valley is awake daddy!” My father was always ready to pick me up as I jumped into his arms. He held me as I wrapped myself around his torso. I smiled and stared into his deep green eyes.

My father was a strong, patient, respected, and kind man. My father and the other men of my village were responsible for providing wood for the city and the surrounding villages. Years of wielding an ax and venturing into the forest gave him strong arms. Logging was physically demanding work, but my father never came home angry, upset, or impatient. My father lived every day in the same manner as he worked, with patience and focus.

“Yes Kali. And it is time we praised the gods for our blessings.” My father said with his calm demeanor. My father always reminded us to praise the gods for the peace and prosperity we enjoyed in the Valley.

My father set me down after kissing my forehead. I then ran over to my mother and hugged her legs. My mother had black hair like me, and her hazel eyes radiated peace. Her soft and gentle face could calm even the most frightened child. My mother was a gentle and wise woman. She was always busy taking care of me and my two brothers. She taught us about the gods and our history, prepared the food, and made and repaired our clothes.

“Good morning, Kali. Are you ready to go to the palace?” She said with a smile looking down at me. I released just far enough to look up at her and nod. She laughed and said, “Well, then get your brothers. I believe they are still sleeping.” I sighed and rolled my eyes. My brothers did not share my excitement at the chance to go to the city.

I swung open the door to their room yelling, “Saanvi! Danesh! Get up!” The rising sun was sending beams of light into my brother’s room, revealing their forms in their bedrolls. They did not seem to budge at my first announcement. I walked to my oldest brother’s mat and shook him with both hands saying, “Saanvi, it's time to go to the palace!”

Saanvi groaned, “Kali, stop. I am getting up.” Today Saanvi was easier to wake than normal.

I walked over to Danesh's bed and saw that he had his wool blanket over his face. I heard giggles coming from underneath the blanket. Danesh was the cutest and sweetest of my two brothers, he was the youngest at three years old.

“Oh no! Danesh is still asleep!” I playfully remarked as I approached his bed. I could hear his giggling getting louder. “I wonder what I am going to do to wake him up?” I said as I got to the side of his bed. I ripped off his blanket and pounced on him as I started tickling him all over. Danesh screamed in joy as I yelled, “Wake up!” His shrieks and laughs became contagious. Eventually I stopped the joyful torture and asked Danesh, “Are you awake?”

He looked at me with an open-mouthed smile and small tears in his eyes as he nodded saying, “Uh huh.”

“Good, it's time to go!” I said as I released him and stood up from his mat.

I looked over and saw a groggy Saanvi annoyed by my tickle session with Danesh. As he saw me get up, he yawned and said, “Can you leave so we can change?” I rolled my eyes as I skipped out of their room.

I left their room and wandered back into the main room where I saw my father gathering the cuts of wood and logs for the offering and taking them to the cart outside. On the holy days, we all contributed the best of our work as an offering to the palace. Our leaders used our offerings to maintain the city and distribute to the needy.

I ran around my father, out the door, and down the steps to Drugar. Drugar was our family horse who worked the cart which transported our lumber. “Good morning Drugar!” I cheered as I patted his leg. Drugar was a tall, strong horse with a chestnut brown body with a white mane.

My father descended the steps of the house and threw the last few logs onto the cart. He saw me patting Drugar and said in his deep yet soft voice, “Did you rouse the boys, Kali?”

I nodded and looked to the doorway of our home to see my mother, Saanvi, and Danesh walking down the steps. Saanvi was about ten years old now and his black hair had grown out long, which he secured with twine into a ponytail. Sanvi shared our father’s green eyes.

Danesh ran down the stairs and jumped in my arms. “You are getting so big!” I grunted as Danesh’s ever-increasing weight made carrying him around much more challenging. He had a small black hat covering his brown hair.

I quickly put Danesh down and looked around at my family with a huge smile and exclaimed, “Let’s go!” I then started off towards the city.

My father chuckled as he grabbed the rope to lead Drugar and started walking behind me. The cart creaked as Drugar’s powerful body pulled the heavy wooden cart along the road. My mother grabbed Danesh's hand and headed my direction as Sannvi moseyed along with his hands in his pocket. I let my family catch up and held my father’s hand as we crossed the river using the wide, white-stoned bridge into the city of Kalut. Kalut was the city of our craftsmen, warriors, councilors, and our King.

As we traversed the white-stoned and jewel laden buildings of Kalut, we entered a crowd of villagers coming to worship. I looked up at the palace of Ma’lak, the pride of the city. The palace sat on a hill in the middle of Kalut. It had four pillars on each corner that father said reached the top of the Valley. Our ancestors made pillars out of the smoothest stones and engraved symbols of their ancient language on the sides. They filled massive symbols with jewels of blue, red, green, purple, and yellow that reflected colorful light across the streets of the city.

The four pillars had a bridge connecting to a circular, terraced building. Each circle had a courtyard of a beautiful garden with fountains and trees. The smallest circle at the top of the palace was the base for the massive monument, tipped with the golden pyramid, which towered over the city. The palace had a large square in front of it called the temple square. This is where all the villagers gathered to present their offerings and worship.

Once we arrived at the temple square, our first stop was to present our offering to the priests. We continued across the square and turned left, following a portion of the crowd to the offering table. We approached three people behind a large wooden table with scraps of paper. A twine rope around their waist secured their brown robes made of sackcloth. The priests were simple people and embodied our forebears. They spent their days writing down the stories of our ancestors and studying the ancient language. They gathered the offerings on the holy days and went around to the villages, telling the stories of our gods and ancestors.

“Shakrila bless you for your offering Arun,” the priest on the left said as we approached.

My father replied, “And blessing be upon you Father, I am humbled our offering can serve the Taluuge.” He bowed his head and stopped Henry in front of the table.

The priest was writing something on the paper in front of him and then looked up at me and said, “By Rikar, is that Kali’ana? You have grown so much since I last saw you.” The priest examined me with his wrinkled face.

My father replied, “She is thirteen now, Father. Almost a grown lady.” My father looked down at me with pride as he let go of my hand and placed his hand on my shoulder.

“Come Saanvi, help me unload our offering,” my father said to my brother who sighed and walked towards the back of the cart.

The priest looked back at me and said in a soft voice, “Kali’ana…it is an honor to be named after one of our gods. Tell me, what do you know of your namesake?”

“She is the goddess of the moon, Father. Kali’ana watched over our ancestors at night, providing light in the darkness and commanding the stars to lead them,” I replied, trying to remember the story my mother always shared with me.

The priest was obviously pleased with my answer and nodded affirmingly. “You have done well guiding your children, Sarai,” the priest said as he glanced towards my mother.

“Do not forget that Kali’ana still watches over us, even in the peace of this Valley. Her light will always show the way, even in the darkest nights,” the priest said in a preaching tone. He closed his eyes at the end of his small sermon. The priest then opened his eyes and stared intently at me saying, “Tell me, Kali’ana, do you plan on becoming an Acolyte like your mother?”

I have not considered what I wanted to do for the village. My mother became an Acolyte when she was fifteen. Acolytes studied with the priests and learned the ways of our ancestors for a brief time. They studied with and assisted the priests. My mother did not speak much of that time, but it made her very understanding of our gods and our past.

“Rikar will guide her when it comes time. Just as he does for all of us,” my mother spoke up as she undoubtedly felt my uncertainty. I looked back at her with a worried face. We never spoke of this before, and I did not want to disappoint her. She looked at me with her comforting smile which calmed my angst.

“Yes, he will,” the priest replied with disappointment in my lack of an answer. “I sense great purpose in you, young Kali’ana. Perhaps one day you will lead our people in the dark as your name bearer does,” the priest said as he continued to stare inquisitively into my eyes.

“Alright, let us not be late for worship,'' my father said as he returned to my side from unloading the logs from the cart. I was still confused at the priest’s words, not knowing if they were more spiritual musings of encouragement or if they meant something deeper. My father pulled my hand and led me away from the offering table which broke my gaze at the priest.

We found ourselves at the back of the crowd that was forming on the north side of the temple square, closest to Ma’lak. I could barely see above the crowds. My father must have seen my struggle as he picked me up and placed me on top of Drugar, who was still pulling the now much lighter cart alongside us.

On top of Drugar I could easily see the huge, white-stoned stage and the Chief Priest behind a white pillar that came up to his chest. Behind the priest was five stone chairs with the center one much larger and more ornate than the others. On the center chair sat the King, with his Councilors in the smaller chairs beside him.

The Chief Priest began to speak in a booming voice, “Welcome Taluuge. The gods honor your offering and your worship. May the blessings of the Valley never cease as we glorify our providers. Let us honor and thank them for their sustenance.” The crowd bowed their heads in unison and raised their hands. The mantra of praise began. I joined the crowd and repeated the mantra that my parents imprinted on us since birth.

“Praise Shakrila, the chief of our gods and source of our strength and wisdom. Praise Rikar, the guide of this earthly life and shepherd of our flocks. Praise Kali’ana, the protector of the travelers and the light in the darkness…” The mantra continued. I always felt strange praising myself during the mantra, but this time it stirred me from my discipline. I looked up towards the stage as the monotone chant continued from the crowd. The Chief Priest had his eyes closed, head bowed, and arms raised along with the crowd and the Councilors, but I noticed the King did not.

The King was wearing a deep purple robe detailed with gold filigree. A white sash crossed his body from his left shoulder to the right side of his waist and featured a gold seal at the center of his chest. A golden rope secured the robe to his body and shiny leather sandals covered his feet. A maroon cape with golden frills on the sides was fixed to his back. His head was crowned with a golden, metal hat, which was a near identical match to the palace. It had four pillars that bridged to a terraced, circular structure with the monument towering from the center. Each pillar on the hat was capped with a massive jewel.

I stared at the King and watched him stroking his long, bushy, brown beard. He was impatiently waiting for the mantra to end, as his foot tapped the stone stage vigorously.

“...To all the gods, forever be the glory,” the mantra ended in perfect unison. “Go and enjoy the peace and provision of the Valley and of our gods,” the Chief Priest bellowed as the concluding remark. The King quickly stood up and hastened back to the palace seconds after the Chief Priest ended the worship.

What a strange day, I thought to myself. I felt my father’s strong hands pull me off of Drugar and place me on the ground.

“Let’s go,” my father said directly as he pulled Drugar's leading rope to turn around as we headed back home.

My mind was full of thoughts regarding my interactions between the priest and the behavior of the King.

“Are you alright Kali?” I heard my father say in his typical calm demeanor. I looked up at him and nodded. I noticed we were approaching the bridge over the river.

“, Daddy, can I walk by the river before I come home?” I asked. I would often walk by the riverside when I wanted to think or get away from my brothers.

“Of course, my love. Don’t take too long, mother will be making the meal soon,” my father replied. I gave him a quick hug and ran over to my mother.

“I’ll be back soon Mom; I am going to walk by the river for a little bit.” I always wanted to respect my mother by letting her know where I was going.

“Feel free to take your time. More food for us,” Saanvi remarked aloofly as he was looking up in the sky.

“There will be plenty for everyone. Enjoy yourself Kali,” my mother said softly. I gave my mother a hug and then slid over to Danesh and gave him the biggest hug I could muster.

“Bye Kali! Don’t fall in!” Danesh giggled after I released him from my squeeze.

I smiled and ran towards the riverbank to the left of the bridge. I waved at my family as they crossed. I was always so full of love when I looked at my family. I could not imagine a better life.

I walked along the riverbank admiring the rushing waters. The water was a clear blue that outshined even the most dazzling jewel in Ma’lak. Beneath the river I could see the small round river rocks that lined the bottom. I continued to gaze into the roaring rapids when I saw two fish swim from under the bridge across my sight. The two fish glimmered with silver and blue scales as they darted along the river away from the bridge.

As I was staring into the water, the light reflecting at me turned darker. I looked up and saw clouds forming. The sky quickly became overcast as the clouds spread, hiding the sun’s light.

Then a flash of light lit up the Valley behind me. I turned around and I saw a beam of bluish light pierce the clouded sky. The beam of light was originating from the center monument of Ma’lak. The golden pyramid was now completely blueish white as the beam of light radiated from it. The clouds shrouded the Valley in complete darkness with only this mystical beam providing light.

Then, a shadow of a creature emerged from the clouds. A winged figure crawled through the sky where the light met the clouds and flew down towards the monument. It landed on the base of the monument emitting this supernatural light. The ambient light slightly revealed this monster that was half as tall as the monument that peaked Ma'lak. Its wings spread out like a bat and had a span as wide as the entire palace. I could see the creature's long neck emerging from its body, which led to a horned head with a prolonged snout.

As I was trying to comprehend this creature, a roar thundered across the Valley erupting from its mouth. The ground shook and I heard pots crashing in the distance. Then, a pillar of fire erupted from the creature's mouth towards the sky along the beam of light.

My body froze in fear. This monster was unlike anything I have ever seen before. I then saw more shadows emerge around the beam of light. In a moment, dozens of these winged creatures burst through the light flying around the city. The monsters circled the dark sky covering the Valley and then, they unleashed fire into the city.

My eyes filled with tears from the sheer terror of these winged behemoths. I heard screams in the distance as I witnessed the beautiful white stoned buildings of Kalut turn black against the barrage of fire coming from these monsters. The fire engulfed anything made of wood in flame and I could feel the heat of the fire emanating from the city. Ash began to fall as I smelled the putrid stench of sulfur fill the sky. Every breath became harder as smoke began to fill the Valley

My feet were stone as I stood on the riverbank watching the monster destroy my city. Suddenly, one of these creatures landed in front of me with a crash. The force of this creature smashing the ground knocked me onto my backside. The fire in the distance shimmered off this creature's green scales. The creature's body and legs looked like a massive lizard with a powerful tail ending in a point. The center of its back looked like a stony ridgeline with sharp jagged rocks protruding in a consistent manner from the tip of its tail to the top of its head. Horns like an ox crowned its head and its eyes were yellow with a black slit in the center. The creature folded its sinewy wings like a bird at its side as it surveyed its surroundings with a gaping jaw, exposing rows of razor-sharp teeth. I looked into the monster’s eyes and saw only one thing–hate. I do not know why it did not see me, but it must have been satisfied with its search as its wings spread open and launched itself upward. The gust of wind blew my hair back and freed me from my paralysis.

I took a deep breath and instantly coughed as the ash and smoke entered my lungs. I shook my head and stood up. I had to get to my family. I ran across the bridge as fast as my child's legs could take me. The village rang with the screams of children, the yelling of parents, and the movement of carts and wagons. It was chaos. The darkness overwhelmed the village as the pillar of light from Mal’ak was too far to provide light. I ran through the darkness trying to make it home by memory.

As I was running through the streets, a blood curdling roar rang from above that made me stop and cover my ears. I looked up and through the tears in my eyes, I saw the same green monster as before. It summoned fire from its mouth, which ignited a nearby house. The heat from this blast of fire caused my skin to perspire and burn. More screams pierced through the darkness. The fireball fully engulfed the house in flames, which lit up the village, revealing my terror-stricken neighbors. I mustered the courage to continue running.

I wiped the tears from my eyes and felt the sting of the ash and smoke, which caused my eyes to water even more. I wailed, “Daddy! Mommy! Where are you?” as death and destruction surrounded me.

Then I heard a familiar voice in the distance, “Kali!”

“Mommy!” I screamed as I could hear my mother’s voice in the distance.

I started to run towards the voice, “Kali!”

“Mommy!” I screamed again, my voice turning hoarse from the smoke.

“Kali!” I heard again, but this time it was closer. I could not scream again so I ran as fast as I could towards the voice. Around me was screaming, the crackling of flames, and the crashes of houses from the monster's conquest. My mother’s voice rose above the noise as I continued to sprint towards it.

I could barely see with the tears in my eyes, but in the distance, I made out the shape of my mother. Her face blackened by the ash and the smoke stained her dress. Danesh was in her arms.

I crashed into her falling onto the ground, crying. “Mommy…” I uttered in exhaustion.

“Kali! Praise the gods you are all right. Quickly, get on the cart,” my mother said frantically. She helped me stand up and ushered me towards the same cart that held our offering just hours before. Drugar remained hooked up to the cart, and in the cart were a few of our neighbors and the Elder of our village.

My mother placed Danesh into the cart and then helped me climb in. I grabbed Danesh and held onto him, crying on his shoulder. I was so scared and just needed something to hold onto. As I cried, I looked up at my mother with sudden realization and yelled, “Where is Dad?”

“He is coming. He went back to the house to get more supplies. He told us to wait here,” mother replied, trying not to break down herself.

“Why is this happening?” I cried to my mother still gripping Danesh.

She looked back at me with a face I had never seen on her before. Fear, confusion, anger, concern. Her face twisted as she was holding back tears.

Then an old, quiet voice from the cart muttered, “They have returned…” The whole cart looked at the Village Elder as she sighed, “They have returned to take back what we stole from them.”

A man was sitting next to the Village Elder in the cart, holding his wife. He said in a frazzled voice, “What do you mean Shakra? What are these things? What did we steal from them?”

Shakra, the Village Elder, looked up and turned her head towards him. I could see pain in her eyes. Her head was shaking as she tried to form the words with her mouth. Shakra whispered the word, “Dragons.”

The villagers in the cart looked at each other in confusion. I looked over at my mother, and her mouth was open, and her hands were shaking. Her eyes, full of pure terror, began to tear up.

At that moment, another roar erupted from the village that forced everyone’s hands to their ears. I looked towards the sound and saw the creature’s silhouette floating above the village through the smoke. The creature landed with so much force that the cart squealed under stress and Drugar bucked. We all screamed as the cart shifted and we saw the monster coming closer. I then heard someone running towards us.

“Go!” the voice of a man bellowed nearby.

The voice sounded familiar. I looked toward the sound, and I saw my uncle Ravi running towards us.

“Ravi!” My mother yelled as she saw him. He was wearing a shirt and skirt made of small pieces of metal and a shield on his back. He had a sword sheathed on his belt, a spear in one hand, and a bow and quiver of arrows in the other. Ravi was my father’s brother and was one of the warriors of Kalut.

“What are you doing? You need to leave. Take the path up the mountain. The Valley is lost,” Ravi said between heavy breaths. I could see the fear in his eyes as they darted back and forth. Then he looked at my mother and said, “Where is Arun?”

“He went to the house with Saanvi to get supplies,” my mother replied weakly.

Ravi looked at the creature approaching us and quickly threw his weapons into the cart and pushed my mother in. Ravi jumped onto Drugar and with a loud “Hyah!” and a sharp kick, sent him bolting forward. I saw the creature disappear into the smoke as we propelled away. Then, I saw a jet of fire break through the smoke towards us. We made a sharp left turn, which tipped the cart on its side for a moment. The fireball barely missed engulfing the cart as it continued its path of travel, smashing against another house. I shut my eyes as the heat from the blast burned my face as it passed.

Mother sat up in the cart and reached out to Danesh and then me. She held us closely as the cart jostled and creaked, traversing the dirt path away from the village and towards the mountains. I turned my head and saw the monster that destroyed our homes rise above the village and fly back towards the ghastly beacon in Kalut. I saw the shadows of a dozen more of the creatures flying around the city and the surrounding villages, periodically sending fire down into the homes of my people.

The Valley of Shakrila used to be one of peace, prosperity, and hope. Now, it is a Valley of fire. A Valley–of dragons.