Dragon Stones (Book One in the Dragon Stone Saga) (3 page)

“Tonight, we must wait a long time for the
lamb to cook, so I am going to tell you an old story. You are
almost a man. Soon you will see your sixteenth cycle, and it is
time that you understand our land’s history.” The old woman’s voice
dropped to a whisper. “Most are afraid to speak of it, because they
dread the emperor’s wrath, but I am an old woman and I have little
to fear.”

“Grandmother, do not speak like that. It is
bad luck,” said Elias, frowning.

“Bah! What have I to fear? The emperor can
do nothing to me here. We are far from his opulent palace, full of
slaves and lizard bones! He ignores our people while they starve,
so he can collect more dragon trophies for his walls.”

It was rare for Carina to speak this way.
Among her limited magical gifts was the gift of sight, and she felt
the darkness that was spreading across the land. Elias felt it,
too. People were more guarded, more frightened. But of what? No one
could say for sure.

“Elias, when I was a girl, children with
magical gifts were highly prized. Mageborns were sent to train in
the capital city. From a very young age, they trained as prentice
mages. When my parents discovered my magical gifts, I was only
twelve. I had started my moon’s cycle the previous month. That is
when the magical gifts usually become obvious—after a boy or girl
goes through their Changing Time.

“Our family had a pet—an orange cat named
Farris. I adored him. One day, some boys threw rocks at Farris and
crushed his pelvis. Farris dragged himself home to me on two legs,
mewling in pain.”

“I found him, his fur caked with dirt and
blood. Broken bones poked through the skin. I cried into his fur
and said prayers to the goddess of healing. But I didn’t know any
real spells, and my powers were weak. My palms started to glow, but
I could not save Farris. I was only able to relieve his pain and
stop the bleeding.”

“So what happened?”

“Farris simply went to sleep and died two
days later. I gave him a painless death. It was all that I could
do. That was many, many moons ago. My parents discussed my magical
gift for weeks. Most parents would have sent me immediately to the
Temple to train—they would have received a nice dowry for me, and
it is best to start training as soon as a child’s gift is
discovered. But my father was already a wealthy merchant, and our
family had no need for the mage dowry. My mother (your
great-grandmother) did not want me to leave. I was very spoiled. I
lived a life without troubles or worries.” She looked away for a
moment, overcome by emotion.

Elias looked up. Carina rarely talked about
her childhood or her parents. A shadow of pain crossed her face.
Then she sighed and carried on. “My own grandmother also had the
mageborn gift, and she was a powerful healer in her own time.”

“Why did your parents wait so long to start
your training?”

“At first, they wanted me to celebrate my
coming-of-age ceremony. It was an important rite of passage for
young girls back then, with feasting that could last for days. It
is rarely celebrated now because most families cannot afford to
spend money on such luxuries. In the end, though, my parents had
little choice. Just a few years later, Vosper took the throne and
the countryside was no longer safe. My parents felt that they could
not send me to train in Aonach—they were terrified of the Emperor
and his increasing powers. My mother’s premonition was correct. The
following year, Emperor Vosper took the throne after assassinating
his own father.”

“What happened after Vosper took the
throne?” asked Elias. “Was there a war?”

“Not at first. Vosper was ruthless, but
shrewd. He never declared war against anyone. He used assassins and
dark magic to secure his position. First, he slaughtered his four
brothers. Not all at once—but they all died under suspicious
circumstances. Then, Vosper took control of Aonach Tower, under the
guise that he was ‘protecting’ the mages. He killed any
spellcasters who refused to serve him, branding them as traitors.
Then he sent soldiers out to scour the countryside for any other
mageborns—even children. All mages were sent to the palace under
guard. They were forced to pledge fealty to the emperor, or they
were executed. Vosper transferred the most powerful mages to his
palace, and refocused all their magical training on his own
defense.”

“How did you escape?”

“Many of the weaker spellcasters escaped
detection. The emperor subjugated the strongest mages when he
stormed Aonach, but more than a few of us escaped enslavement. My
magical gifts are limited, so I never arose any suspicion. Some
mages can only cast a few spells—enough to survive. The mageborn
gift is passed through the mother, and as long as there are those
who carry the trait, there will always be new mages born. There
will always be spellcasters—it’s impossible to eradicate us
all.

“I was one of the fortunate ones. I was
still young, and not many people knew about my gift. Keeping me
hidden saved my life. We fled the city and changed our family name.
Luckily, father had saved some money. Those were difficult
times.”

“If you fled the city, how did you receive
your training?” asked Elias.

“My parents risked everything to send me to
Miklagard, the last outpost of the free mages. Miklagard was a poor
substitute for Aonach Tower. Only a handful of Masters escaped;
those who were traveling away from Aonach during the emperor’s
attack. I only trained at Miklagard for five years. Where before,
parents had received a mage dowry for their children; now mages
were forced to charge fees for training. There are many mageborns
who are more powerful than I, but could not afford to train.”

“What did you learn in Miklagard?”

“I learned herb-lore, and how to read simple
spells. The Masters discovered early that I had a gift for healing.
I also learned how to hide my gift. Most people just assume that
I’m an excellent midwife. Those who suspect rarely ask questions. A
few times, though, I got careless and my magical gift was exposed.
Twice, I have had to leave a village because I feared that I would
be reported to the emperor. It’s hard to believe that Vosper would
be interested in a feeble mage like me, but you never know. It pays
to be cautious. It’s a mistake to underestimate the treachery and
greed of your neighbors.”

It was rare for Carina to reveal so much
family history at once, and it was obvious that she struggled with
the memories, still so painful after all these years.

“I am thankful for my gift and my teaching.
It has allowed me to earn a living while so many others have
starved. After the destruction of the Temple, most believed that
the emperor was satisfied. But Vosper had much higher aspirations
than just controlling the mages of Durn. Two years later, he
assassinated the Five Kings, charging them all with high treason.
Everyone knew that it was a ploy for Vosper to take control of the
entire continent.”

“Grandmother, I thought one of the kings
survived,” said Elias. “What about King Mitca?”

“Yes… the rebel king. Who
could forget about him? Unfortunately for the emperor, Mitca
did
survive. During the
war, he was merely a prince. Mitca was the crown prince of
Ravenwood and the only male child of King Galain. The prince
survived because Galain sacrificed his own life to save his son’s.
Galain discovered the emperor’s plot months before, because he
planted a spy in the emperor’s palace.”

“Why didn’t Galain just fight the emperor
himself?”

“Galain knew that he wasn’t strong enough to
stand up against all of Vosper’s armies and his corrupt wizards.
Instead, Galain disguised his son as a beggar and whisked him out
of the city with a few of his honor guard. Those men had guarded
Mitca since his infancy and, to this day, the surviving members are
fiercely loyal to the prince. Galain stayed in the city. A slave
boy posed as a decoy for the prince. The city was captured shortly
thereafter and the entire royal family was put to death.”

“Vosper didn’t realize that the slave boy
was a fake?”

“No. Galain killed himself and the boy in a
staged suicide the night before their official executions. The
deception was perfect. It was many years before Vosper discovered
Galain’s trickery. By then, Mitca had already settled in the Death
Sands and established the Rebel Kingdom of Parthos. Vosper’s
overconfidence cost him the rule of the continent. Now Parthos is a
thorn in his side that will never go away, and every year Mitca
grows stronger.”

“How come the emperor doesn’t just attack
Parthos?”

“Oh, he has tried! He has tried! But Vosper
has failed again and again. The Death Sands are almost impossible
to cross, and the kingdom is heavily guarded. Parthos is a huge,
well-populated city. The majority of its inhabitants are tribesmen,
and they are inherently distrustful of the emperor. Parthos has a
majestic fortress, which is carved right into the mountainside. It
even has its own water source, an underground spring that can
sustain the entire city if necessary. Mitca has his own mages, and
the free mages of Miklagard are his allies. King Mitca is the
emperor’s only real adversary. Plus… Mitca also offered refuge to
the last of the Dragon Riders.” Carina whispered the last sentence
under her breath.

“Dragon Riders? I thought they were all
dead!” said Elias.

“Shhh! Keep your voice down!”

“Sorry, grandmother.”

“The emperor is lying. There are still
Dragon Riders. No one knows how many survive—even the nomads who
live in the desert refuse to say. The desert people know how to
keep secrets. The riders have sworn to protect Mitca, and the
Kingdom of Parthos is their last sanctuary.”

“King Mitca is not the emperor’s only enemy.
What about Balbor Island?” asked Elias.

“Ah, yes… Balbor, the Island of Death. The
inhabitants of Balbor do not pledge their allegiance to the
emperor, but they are not Vosper’s enemies. They are independent.
The Balborites are mercenaries. Unlike the rest of Durn, priests
rule the island, not kings. They control their people with their
foul religion, through bloody offerings and dark magics.”

The old woman leaned in close to her
nephew’s ear. “Balbor is truly cursed—it is bad luck even to speak
of it. Very little is known of their rituals. Some folktales tell
us that the firstborn child of every female is dismembered as an
offering to their dark god. They are a secretive people and have
been so for an eternity. Centuries ago, the Balborites sealed off
their only port city. It is impossible to come or go to that
forsaken place. If any ship attempts to land on the coastline,
their priests destroy it.”

“But you said the Balborites were
mercenaries? How do they survive? How do they get supplies?”

“No one really knows. The only people who
ever leave the island are trained assassins. They leave alone, by
boat, to commit their murders and also report information back to
the priests. Balborite assassins command a high price because they
are all mageborn and highly skilled. They practice death magic,
foul magic. They are the most ruthless killers in all of Durn, and
they kill without remorse or regret. They simply work for the
highest bidder. Even though Balbor is not part of the emperor’s
kingdom, Vosper would be foolish to try and conquer it. Balbor is
the island of blackness, a place so full of wickedness that even
our greedy emperor does not desire it. He is satisfied to let them
be.”

Just then, Elias’ stomach grumbled. His hand
flew to his midsection, embarrassed by the noise.

“Listen to me, carrying on like a senile old
woman!” Carina laughed. “Of course, you are hungry. Check the stew.
It should be ready. Ladle yourself a bowl and bring me the marrow
bone. We will share it. Tonight, we do not go hungry.” They ate the
delicious stew and prepared for bed.

That night, Elias dreamt of dragons, which
he had never seen, except in pictures. He was walking in the
forest, and he could see them silhouetted against the night sky.
Their scales glittered in the moonlight. One of the dragons touched
down right next to him, and reached out its clawed hand towards
him. Startled, Elias ran into the safety of the underbrush. The
dragon gave chase, bellowing in fury. He ran as fast as he could,
jumping over rocks and brush. His side burned. Eventually, he fell,
careening face-first into the damp earth, his breath coming in
ragged gasps. When he turned around, the dragon was gone. He was
alone in the forest. It was the first of many dreams that he would
have about dragons.

***

Chapter 2: The
Discovery

Elias awoke before dawn and dressed himself
in the dark. Carina slept, her chest rising and falling gently.
Elias went to her bedside and tucked the quilt under her chin. She
looked pale.

Last night, Carina had given Elias a list of
wild mushrooms to gather, so that was his task for today. Some of
the mushrooms were rare and would be difficult to find. He ate a
light breakfast, filled his waterskin, and packed his rucksack with
a chunk of cooked lamb and some bread. Then he left the cabin,
walking quickly.

The sky was clear and the air was icy cold.
It had drizzled the night before, and everything was covered with a
thin layer of frost. Elias slipped his hands into his pockets and
continued to walk deeper into Darkmouth Forest. The walking soon
warmed him up, and it wasn't long before he was sweating underneath
his cloak. It was beautiful here—so peaceful. Other boys rarely
went so deep into the forest. Most hunted close to the forest’s
edge. Early on, Elias escaped the village bullies by coming here.
He knew how to navigate the forest, and he wasn’t scared to travel
farther than a day's walk. Elias had never found anything to fear
here. In fact, it was one of the places where he felt the most at
home.