“Alaric,” Elias said, bowing in reverence before he
continued. “In my quest to recall Nasros, I stumbled upon these two. They were
in need of aid. This is Victoria and her travelling companion Derrick.
Victoria is kin.”
“How are you certain?” Alaric asked in stunned confusion.
“I…”
“I’m from the future, Alaric. I cast a spell to learn about
my lineage. Blood finds blood. It brought me to Elias,” Victoria offered,
bringing Alaric’s eyes to her.
“And how do we know this isn’t some kind of trick? You could be a spy sent here by King Osric himself.”
With all of her efforts, she directed her power and felt the
fire ride up her veins. Speaking a brief incantation, her hand became a bright
flame and Alaric took a step back in awe. “Dragon’s Flame? That’s impossible!
Witches have not existed in our line for hundreds of years.”
“Like I said, we are from the future. Dragons don’t exist in
our time and magic was restored to our line. Also, vampires are not our enemy.
Derrick and Rowan are my friends.”
Derrick bowed his head when Alaric looked over at him, but Rowan made no attempt to show his regard. “Alaric, I am curious about something,” Victoria said, redirecting the man’s attention. “Are you a shape-shifter?”
Glancing over at Derrick, Victoria sighed as he nodded for
her to continue. “Since I was a child, I’ve been having dreams…nightmares
really of a man who is obviously some relation; he has your looks. But he can
also change forms. Flames, smoke…dragons.”
“How does he make you feel?” Alaric asked, skirting around
the initial question.
“Afraid. Very, very afraid.” Victoria answered without
hesitation. “What do you know about it?”
Victoria watched as Alaric and Elias shared a look before he sighed and briefly shut his eyes. “I think maybe it’s best I show you.” Alaric led the group toward a small shed near the back of the stronghold. From all appearances, it was just a broken-down shack and yet, curiously guarded by heavily armed patrol.
Brushing off her initial shock, she followed Alaric toward a
desk situated in the center of the room and watched as he retrieved a leatherbound
journal and handed it to her. Victoria read through the passage he’d pointed to
and gasped as she realized the dreams she’d been having were notated exactly by
the writer of this diary.
”As the nights grow darker, my heart grows ever heavy. What once was a peaceful respite from a hard day’s work has become something else; something I fear is only the beginning. I sense a darkening of our family’s magic. Some grim prophecy surrounds the Carson clan, some nightmare stalking us that I cannot divine. A beast that moves in shadow; moves through smoke and fire. I have true dread for what the future holds.”
“Victoria, you’ve been having dreams of the Destroyer since
you were a child?” Rowan asked, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.
“From what Julian told me, it was the reason my mother bound
my powers. When she heard me say his name in my sleep, she immediately
contacted the council of elders. She as well as the council were afraid in my inexperience
and youth, I would somehow release him.”
“That makes so much sense now,” Derrick said. “I’d often wondered why you were never allowed to grow and learn your talents at such a young age. But the fact you said he has been calling to you—a 10-year-old child would have been much more vulnerable to his charms than a 30-year-old woman.”
“If this Dragonos is nearly earthbound in your time, perhaps
it’s best if we unlock your suppressed wyrm lord powers as he has command over dragonkin.”
“You think he will unleash dragons in the modern world?”
“I do. And if you’ve had the same visions as I have, you
know it as well. You will need every advantage to defeat him.”
“How do we unlock my powers?”
Alaric moved over to the corner beside the desk. “These are
dragon eggs. They have been dormant for two hundred years, passed down from one
wyrm lord to the next in hopes the new generation can hatch them. There has not
been a natural born dragon in ages. The ones you see flying now are the last of
their kind.”
“You think I can get these eggs to hatch?”
“You have dragon’s flame which is also something we haven’t seen in quite some time. Your flame can hatch these eggs.”
“Of course. Elias and I will be just outside.”
She smiled in appreciation and waited for the two to exit
before turning toward Derrick. “What do you think?”
“I don’t know, Victoria. I don’t know how any of this works
but this is what you came here for; to learn more about your powers, enhance
them,” Derrick said, reassuringly.
“But, do you think it wise?” Rowan asked, drawing her
attention. “How do we know we can even trust these people?”
“They’re my family, Rowan.”
“And? Family is notoriously the most ruthless of all
enemies.”
“Wow. Lots to unpack there,” Victoria said, narrowing her eyes toward Rowan.
“I know. But I think Alaric is right. If there is any chance
the Destroyer is released, we will need every advantage.”
“On that, Luv, we do agree. However, I would advise using prudence.
Tread carefully; I’d hate to undo your birth.”
“What?”
“I just mean I don’t know where these men fall in your lineage.
But if they were to cause you any harm, they won’t live to the next day.”
“Uh, that—is—strangely comforting. Thanks, Rowan.” He responded with a smile and slight nod of his head.
“Ok,” she breathed and closed her eyes. Just as before, she
centered herself and called for her magic. She felt the prickle of heat as it
crept through her veins. Placing her hand on the closest egg, she whispered an
incantation, her voice growing louder while she did as Alaric suggested and
created the first image.
“She has scales that glow as hot as flames and crimson as glowing ember. She slithers and curls, as lithe as a serpent; smooth, fluid and limber. She is incandescent with wrath and rage and scarred by dragon flame. She sees the things that others do not, a chameleon who’s never the same. Pyrose.”
Before their eyes, a small, red dragon crawled its way out
of the broken shell, its gaze focused on the one that had called for it.
Reaching down, Victoria waited as the tiny beast hopped up onto her
outstretched arm. And laughed in surprise as it seemed to rest at ease and
gently stroked two fingers down its scaled belly. “She’s beautiful!” she said
as she examined the animal. Just as she had described, the dragon was born
right down to the scar on its left eye; a mark of dragon’s flame. “Hello,
Pyrose.”
“And the skies of Praaven shall burn wild light upon the wyrm lord’s call. A scarlet titan; mightiest of dragon summoned, its flame consuming all,” Elias spoke in awe.
“What is it? What’s the matter?”
“A large army was seen heading our way.”
“How many?”
“The number is well into the thousands!” he answered, anxiously.
“How long before they reach the citadel?”
“No more than a day.”
Alaric breathed out in alarm before patting the man on the
shoulder. “Notify the brigade, have them set up checkpoints along the eastern
border.” The man nodded and rushed off to complete his mission.
“That will only buy us a few hours,” Elias said, shaking his head in worry.
“Alaric, if they breach the mountain path, we will all be
trapped here with no way out.”
“I know.”
“We need to make preparations for escape. After our last
encounter with Osric’s legions our battalion was cut down by half. We don’t
have the men to face them now.”
“I know, Elias. And apparently, so does Osric.”
“What’s going to happen to the innocents? The men, women and
children unable to fight,” Victoria asked, seeing the distress on the village
elder’s face. “How can we help?”
“I’m afraid, Victoria, there is no helping. Osric has caught us by surprise and barring a miracle, we won’t survive this battle.”
“What about the dragons?” Derrick inquired. “We’ve seen one
of them take out an entire village. There must be something they can…”
“He. Singular. Nasros is the only dragon capable of aiding.
Osric has created a weapon powerful enough to blast our protectors from the
sky. During the last raid, he took out two; Wundred was killed and Netheril
wounded. It’s why Nasros went rogue and began burning down villages.”
“And his destruction is likely the reason Osric is marching
on us now,” Elias said. “I called him off. I just—I didn’t get to him in time.”
“You’re not to blame, Elias. If anyone is at fault it’s King
Osric. If he hadn’t declared martial law on people of magic, none of this would
have ever happened in the first place.”
“And now it would seem he’s about to achieve his ultimate goal,” Elias sighed dismally.
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