you were born. You already know that your mother died
during the war, shortly after she gave birth to you. Your mother
was Ionela. Your father was Chua, a dragon rider. Some believe that
Chua was a traitor—that he betrayed the riders during the war and
turned spy for the emperor. I never believed it. You will
understand that one day.
I lived among the dwarves for many years. If
you ever find yourself with nowhere to go, make your way to Mount
Velik. The dwarves will shelter you. They owe me at least that
much. This book is my legacy to you. Read it. It holds knowledge of
my spells and maps of the land. You have magical abilities—greater
than my own. I tried to teach you as best I could without
compromising your safety. I wish you would have had a true
apprenticeship under an experienced spellcaster, but it was not to
be. Study these spells, for the information will likely save your
life, or the life of someone you love. Be cautious and trust your
instincts above all else. I am proud of you, my grandson.”
Tears rolled down his
cheeks. Elias folded the note and tucked it into his pocket. Then
he changed his mind, and opened it, reading it again. “This note is too dangerous for me to
keep,” he thought. Although it pained him
to do so, he tossed his grandmother’s note into the fire, where it
burned with blue light. “I’ll never be as
reckless as I was before. Telling that loudmouth Frogar about the
dragon stone cost me everything, but I won’t make the same mistake
again.”
He flipped through the
journal. There were dozens of healing spells, some of which he
already knew. There were also a fair number of defensive spells,
illusions, and even a few attack spells. “One of these must be the spell that Carina used against the
soldiers,” he thought. He vowed to
memorize them all, starting with the first. He fell asleep
practicing the spells.
***
Chapter 8: Duskeye and Tallin
Back in Parthos, Duskeye and Tallin made the
final preparations to leave the Death Sands and fly to the
east.
“ Are you sure that you
want to do this?” asked Sela once again, still surprised that
Tallin volunteered for this mission. He was fiercely protective of
his dragon, and rarely took any risks that put Duskeye in
danger.
“We are sure,” said Duskeye, answering for both of
them.
“Please be careful; we cannot afford to lose
you.” Sela put her hand on Tallin’s shoulder briefly. He flinched,
unaccustomed to human contact. Sela realized how isolated he must
have felt over the years, with only his dragon as his companion. He
had forsaken everything—a normal life, friends, children, even a
mate, in order to guarantee their survival.
“Do not concern yourself. We are prepared.
We will leave the desert boundary at sunset. We will be concealed
by a cloaking spell for our entire journey. The emperor will not
discover us.” Tallin tightened the leather saddle and checked his
bags. He didn’t need much in the way of provisions. Both of them
were accustomed to surviving off the land.
Duskeye nodded, agreeing with his rider,
while scratching his pale belly.
“Ach! These heavy packs
will take some getting used to,” said
Duskeye. Usually, Tallin rode Duskeye with a simple camel hide. But
for this longer journey, they decided to borrow a proper dragon
saddle from Sela.
The beautiful saddle was old—and of dwarvish
origin. The saddle was made from cowhide and beaten silver. The
reins were braided leather and horsehair. There was a protective
layer of felted wool between the saddle and the dragon, in order to
prevent chafing. This saddle was designed for long distances.
Tallin asked the palace servants to bring a
few more mealcakes, which he placed into his saddle pack. He
stepped into the reins and mounted Duskeye.
“I will send a message to you when we reach
the eastern border. Once we leave the desert, we will travel only
at night. If Chua is alive, we will find him.” Sela nodded. Tallin
was a powerful spellcaster.
during the war, shortly after she gave birth to you. Your mother
was Ionela. Your father was Chua, a dragon rider. Some believe that
Chua was a traitor—that he betrayed the riders during the war and
turned spy for the emperor. I never believed it. You will
understand that one day.
I lived among the dwarves for many years. If
you ever find yourself with nowhere to go, make your way to Mount
Velik. The dwarves will shelter you. They owe me at least that
much. This book is my legacy to you. Read it. It holds knowledge of
my spells and maps of the land. You have magical abilities—greater
than my own. I tried to teach you as best I could without
compromising your safety. I wish you would have had a true
apprenticeship under an experienced spellcaster, but it was not to
be. Study these spells, for the information will likely save your
life, or the life of someone you love. Be cautious and trust your
instincts above all else. I am proud of you, my grandson.”
Tears rolled down his
cheeks. Elias folded the note and tucked it into his pocket. Then
he changed his mind, and opened it, reading it again. “This note is too dangerous for me to
keep,” he thought. Although it pained him
to do so, he tossed his grandmother’s note into the fire, where it
burned with blue light. “I’ll never be as
reckless as I was before. Telling that loudmouth Frogar about the
dragon stone cost me everything, but I won’t make the same mistake
again.”
He flipped through the
journal. There were dozens of healing spells, some of which he
already knew. There were also a fair number of defensive spells,
illusions, and even a few attack spells. “One of these must be the spell that Carina used against the
soldiers,” he thought. He vowed to
memorize them all, starting with the first. He fell asleep
practicing the spells.
***
Chapter 8: Duskeye and Tallin
Back in Parthos, Duskeye and Tallin made the
final preparations to leave the Death Sands and fly to the
east.
“ Are you sure that you
want to do this?” asked Sela once again, still surprised that
Tallin volunteered for this mission. He was fiercely protective of
his dragon, and rarely took any risks that put Duskeye in
danger.
“We are sure,” said Duskeye, answering for both of
them.
“Please be careful; we cannot afford to lose
you.” Sela put her hand on Tallin’s shoulder briefly. He flinched,
unaccustomed to human contact. Sela realized how isolated he must
have felt over the years, with only his dragon as his companion. He
had forsaken everything—a normal life, friends, children, even a
mate, in order to guarantee their survival.
“Do not concern yourself. We are prepared.
We will leave the desert boundary at sunset. We will be concealed
by a cloaking spell for our entire journey. The emperor will not
discover us.” Tallin tightened the leather saddle and checked his
bags. He didn’t need much in the way of provisions. Both of them
were accustomed to surviving off the land.
Duskeye nodded, agreeing with his rider,
while scratching his pale belly.
“Ach! These heavy packs
will take some getting used to,” said
Duskeye. Usually, Tallin rode Duskeye with a simple camel hide. But
for this longer journey, they decided to borrow a proper dragon
saddle from Sela.
The beautiful saddle was old—and of dwarvish
origin. The saddle was made from cowhide and beaten silver. The
reins were braided leather and horsehair. There was a protective
layer of felted wool between the saddle and the dragon, in order to
prevent chafing. This saddle was designed for long distances.
Tallin asked the palace servants to bring a
few more mealcakes, which he placed into his saddle pack. He
stepped into the reins and mounted Duskeye.
“I will send a message to you when we reach
the eastern border. Once we leave the desert, we will travel only
at night. If Chua is alive, we will find him.” Sela nodded. Tallin
was a powerful spellcaster.
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