Dragon Stones (Book One in the Dragon Stone Saga) by Kristian Alva Page A

He could hide in broad daylight, and
scry at vast distances, something he learned when he lived in the
desert. Most of the other dragon riders could scry messages using
water, but Tallin was the only one who could scry using smoke, a
useful skill when finding a source of water was uncertain.
    “Good blessings, Tallin. You too, Duskeye,”
she said, patting the dragon’s leg.
    “Thank you, my
lady,” responded Duskeye. “We shall be careful.”
    Duskeye stretched, and then spread his
sapphire wings and took flight. Tallin did not look back or wave.
He looked straight ahead, staring impassively across the desert
sands.
    They flew in silence for over an hour.
Tallin took this time to meditate and rest his mind for the
cloaking spell. Tallin was adept at conserving magical energy, and
he knew that maintaining the cloaking spell for days would be
exhausting.
    “Are you ready, old
friend?” asked Duskeye.
    “Yes. I am ready. We are almost at the
desert’s border. Let us stop at that plateau. I see an overhang
that will conceal us. Dusk will fall within the hour, and then we
will cross.” Duskeye landed on the plateau and Tallin dismounted.
He drank water and relieved himself. Then dragon and rider both sat
down in silence and waited for the sun to set. A slight breeze
stirred the air, kicking up tiny swirls of red dust.
    Dragon and rider watched
the magnificent sunset, the sky streaked with purple and yellow
light. The desert sky was beautiful. “I
will miss the beauty of this place,” thought Tallin. This would be their first trip outside the
desert in decades.
    “We will be back soon, old
friend,” said Duskeye.
    “I know,” said Tallin. “Hopefully, we will
return to Parthos with another rider. If Chua is alive, we must
find him.

Part Two: The Escape from
Darkmouth Forest

    ***

Chapter 9: The Gates of Jutland
    Elias awoke with a start. He looked around
frantically. He had forgotten where he was. The fireplace had
puttered out, and there was only ash. He shivered. It was going to
be a cold morning.
    Thorin was already awake and dressed,
crouched by the window.
    “Brrr… it’s cold in here. Thorin, did it
snow again last night?”
    “Shhh! Quiet, Elias!” he said, putting a
finger to his lips. “I’m listening to the conversation
outside.”
    Elias got up and walked to the window. Two
food merchants were chattering right outside the door. He could
hear bits and pieces of their conversation. Dwarves had exceptional
hearing, so Thorin was able to clearly hear everything they
said.
    “Yup, they came to the gate this morning,
asking about a boy,” said the first man. “Said the boy was mageborn
and Vosper’s lookin’ for him. The reward’s 100 silver coins to
anyone who finds him.” The man was short and fat, pulling a cart
filled with lemons.
    “That’s a nice sum. Did they post a notice?
What does he look like?”
    “That’s the problem. Brown hair, brown eyes,
but otherwise nobody knows for sure. He looks like half the bloody
boys in town! If here’s here, they’ll find ‘im. They brought a
necromancer along.” The man shivered as he said it.
    “Ugh, did you get a good look at ‘im? Are
their eyes really all black?”
    “This one was a female—if you could even
call it that. I saw her early this mornin’, near Isley’s Pub. Her
hair was black, her eyes were black, and her teeth were red—and
sharpened into points. She laughed at something, and it sounded
like a dying buzzard. She near scared me to death!”
    “The female necromancers are
frightening—more frightening than the males!”
    “If you see her, don’t look straight at her.
She might freeze you to death, or lay a curse on you. I tell you,
those necromancers make my blood run cold.”
    The men continued to talk as they made their
way to the city square.
    Thorin looked up. “This is bad news, Elias.
There’s no way you can fight a necromancer and win. She would
overpower you in an instant. We cannot stay in