by A. J. Walker
“We’re honored to be here,” Ivan said, hoisting himself out of the boat. He lent a hand to his wife as she climbed out of the small shuttlecraft and onto the sandy beach. “I’m Ivan of Southland, and this is my wife, Hannah,” Ivan said as he and Hannah bowed their heads slightly as was the customary greeting of the elves.
“Pleased to meet your acquaintances. Let me introduce you to the King and Queen.” Escorting them a short distance along the beach, the elf prince brought them before the leaders of the elven race. As Nadir introduced Ivan and Hannah to the king and queen, they bowed again to show their respect.
“We’ve heard great things about you, Ivan,” King Asmond said.
“Really?” Ivan replied, truly surprised.
“Yes. We have requested your presence in a particular project of interest to our people. We’re building an elite task force. Your unique history brought you to my attention and I thought you’d make a strong candidate,” the king spoke elegantly, his bright eyes transfixed on Ivan.
The look the elf king was giving him made Ivan uneasy. Do elves eat humans? he wondered. Brushing away his worries, he asked, “What kind of task force?”
“The kind no one has ever seen before,” Asmond said, vaguely. “And no, we elves do not eat humans; we are vegetarians.” Before Ivan could question him further, the king waved a hand, motioning for the others to follow him.
Ivan turned to Hannah and said, “How did he know that’s what I was thinking?”
“Ivan,” she scolded slapping him timidly on the arm.
“What? Did you see the way he was looking at me?”
She shook her head chuckling slightly, “You are ridiculous sometimes.”
Nadir grabbed their attention with a wave of his hand, “You will ride on horseback to our capital city; follow me.” Nadir showed them over to the forested tree line where two horses stood, saddled and ready to ride.
“What about you and the others?” Ivan asked, looking around. To his surprise, the group of elves that were once on the beach had disappeared while he and Hannah were talking.
“We elves don’t need to rely on other animals to travel great distances,” he said, revealing a slight smile. “Just try to keep up.”
Ivan hesitated, questioning Nadir’s confidence in their ability to outpace a horse. He noticed Hannah climbing into the saddle and decided to do as he’d been asked. Adjusting his hips as he readied himself to ride, Ivan held little hope that the elves could hold the steady speed to match that of their horses. Once on horseback, Ivan asked, “Where did all those elves go?”
Nadir stood solitary before them, his calm, patient gaze waiting until they seemed trail-ready before answering. Calmly, the young prince said, “They left before you two were saddled. Are you ready?”
Ivan shrugged, “Sure.” He watched as Nadir angled his body toward the forest, bent his knees slightly, and then rushed away almost too quickly for his eyes to see where he’d gone. Lulling for only a half second, Hannah and Ivan spurred their horses to follow, galloping at full speed in pursuit of the elf. Ivan held his chest low against the horse’s mane as they galloped full speed through the forest. Ivan saw Nadir, running ahead. He spurred his horse faster to catch the elf, yet their horses were still not as fast as Nadir.
They followed the elf prince for hours, their pace never lessening. Ivan began to wonder if their horses would last much longer; he’d never pushed a horse this hard before. Nadir eventually slackened his pace and Ivan and Hannah reigned in on their mounts. Slowing to a trot, they came alongside Nadir, who gazed at a towering wall of vegetation in the near distance. As Ivan and Hannah approached, they could see that the plant barrier had grown together so thickly that it rivaled that of any stonewall Ivan had ever seen. Standing taller than any of the gates in Southland’s capital city, the living wall rose high and held two large living gates coming seamlessly together over the path they rode on. Beyond it, a sea of tree-like buildings stretched upward into the forested canopy above.
“Welcome to Cedarbridge, our kingdom’s chief city,” Nadir said as they came to a halt outside large living gates.
Chapter Seven
─
The Dragon Wars
THE ELF PRINCE LED Hannah and Ivan through the massive gates and into the forested city of Cedarbridge. Nadir led the way down the dirt paths of the city, past countless trees that had been used as houses. Ivan and Hannah looked up in awe at the city among the trees. Where Kingston’s buildings were framed from lumber and rose from the ground up, Cedarbridge’s buildings were the trees themselves. The forest seemed to form the structures needed for the elves, as buildings and homes rose high into the canopies.
Nadir came to a stop near the edge of a large cliff band that bordered the northern edge of Cedarbridge. He stood motionless as he peered out over the valley below. Matching his gaze, Ivan and Hannah approached the edge of the cliff and looked out at the expansive valley below. In the distance, Ivan saw large winged silhouettes flying against the sky’s backdrop. Their wings were shaped unlike any bird he’d ever seen and they seemed to congregate above a stone spire climbing skyward, high above the forested valley.
“What kind of birds are those?” he asked Nadir, pointing to the dark shapes soaring through the sky.
“Those aren’t birds,” Nadir said seriously. “Those are dragons.”
Ivan turned to face his wife, perplexity struck on their faces. “Why do you have dragons so close to your city?” he asked, turning back to Nadir.
“They live here,” the prince said easily.
For a moment, Ivan found himself speechless. After several long breaths he asked, “They don’t attack?”
“No,” he replied in an alarmed tone. “We elves have an agreement with their kind. In this time of need, they’ve arranged to help our cause and send us some of their hatchlings.”
“What for?” Ivan asked.
“To see if they can be paired with our more skilled soldiers among the five nations,” the prince said, surprised that Ivan lacked this knowledge.
Ivan wondered for a moment why Nadir took them straight to the cliffside and was telling them about the dragon hatchlings; then it hit him, “You’ve brought me here to be paired with a dragon?”
Nadir nodded slowly, “We realize it may take time to find the right match, but that is our goal here.”
“How many others are in this program?” he asked.
“We have five instructors, all are elves. They’ve been bonded with their dragons for decades and have a great wealth of experience. Other recruits, such as yourself, are undergoing training as we speak. Most are elves, two dwarfs, and you are the first human to join us.”
“How long can I expect to be here?”
“As long as it takes,” the prince answered. “Your wife is more than welcome to live here with you.”
Ivan gave Hannah a look as though to ask her opinion. Her eyes wandered back to the tree-style houses of Cedarbridge. Nodding, she said, “I think I could get used to it here.”
“Are you sure?” Ivan asked.
She took his hands up with hers and gazed deep into his eyes, “Anywhere we can be together is more than fine with me.”
Ivan nodded. “Okay,” he turned back to the elf prince, “Which tree is ours?”
“Follow me,” he replied with a slight smile.
Nadir led them down a steep, stone staircase carved into the side of the cliff band. Reaching the forested valley floor below, he led Ivan and Hannah further away from the city along a lightly worn path. After nearly an hour, they emerged from the trees into a clearing. Ivan saw for the first time their new home.
A large, stone castle-like building was perched at the far end of the clearing. The elf prince escorted them out across the grassy expanse. They were nearly halfway to the building when a large dragon with bright-red scales flew directly overhead. It banked sharply to the left as it flapped its great wings twice, slowing its momentum before coming to a soft land on the grass ahead. Bowi
ng low to the ground with its neck, Ivan saw there was an elf garbed in boiled-leather armor colored to match the dragon’s red scales. Rising from their seated position between the dragon’s massive shoulders, the elf leapt down, landing lightly, and approached.
Ivan stood tall, ready to introduce himself to one of his new instructors. He stepped forward in preparation to greet the rider. The leather-clad elf was wearing a well-polished helm, covering most of their face. The broad-shouldered rider reached up and pulled the helm off, shaking out long, black hair.
Ivan extended his arm to greet the elf, “Pleased to meet you, sir; my name is...” he trailed off once he noticed the tanned face of the feminine rider.
“Ivan,” the elf woman said with a slight elven accent. She took hold of his outstretched hand, shaking it firmly.
Ivan nodded, still tongue-tied.
“Asmond informed me that our newest recruit was a human,” she said, loosening her grip. She focused her auburn eyes on Nadir and said, “Nadir, How are you? It’s been a while since I’ve seen you. You’ve grown,” she tilted her head to the side and stared curiously at his head. “Your ears are longer too,” she added.
Nadir blushed slightly, his pale complexion reddening, “It’s nice to see you too, Selleya.” He glanced at Ivan and said, “Forgive me for not introducing you. Ivan, this is Selleya, one of your instructors. Selleya, this is Ivan and his wife Hannah.”
Selleya shook Hannah’s hand in greeting, “It’s nice to meet you both.”
“Your eyes,” Hannah said, marveling at the reddish color to her eyes.
“Yeah, happened when I bonded with this old fella,” she pointed a thumb over her shoulder to the large, red dragon behind her.
“They’re beautiful,” Hannah remarked.
“Thank you,” Selleya replied.
“Well, I’ll leave you to it,” Nadir said, taking a step back. “Good luck, Ivan.” He turned and was gone before Ivan could respond.
“Come on, I’ll show you to your room,” Selleya said, leading them toward the stone building.
From the outside, the stone structure stood three stories tall and shaped like many castle towers he’d seen in Kingston. On the ground level, there was a very long single-story hall with an expansive timbered roof.
Upon entering the building, Selleya said, “This is the dining hall. It was custom built to seat dragons as well as elves, humans, and dwarfs. Before we head up to your room, I’ll show you our library. It’s where you’ll be spending many hours from here on out,” Selleya said to Ivan.
She led them through a doorway and down a wide set of stone stairs near the back wall of the main floor of the building’s entrance. The darkened stairwell led downward, reaching further into the darkness of the basement beneath the building. Selleya spoke one word and torches lining the walls ignited simultaneously. They continued down the stone stairs and out into a large cave lined with glowing torchlight.
Viewing the high ceilings and wide entrance, Ivan asked, “Was this built to allow dragons in as well?”
“You got it,” she said, tapping the end of her nose.
“It’s beautiful,” Hannah said, admiring the towering bookshelves that covered nearly every surface of the cave walls.
“Everything you’ll ever need to know about magic is written right here in these books,” Selleya said, sparking Ivan’s intrigue even more so than before.
She brought Hannah and Ivan back up to the main level and they followed her up a second staircase which led to the second and third stories. Arriving at the second floor, Selleya led them down a wide hallway lined on either side with wooden doors.
“This is our dormitory,” she said as they walked. “We have many vacant rooms at the moment. These first three on both sides are currently taken. Other than that, you can have your pick. Take your time; I’ll be outside with Norig.” Ivan and Hannah gave her a strange look at the mention of the name. “Oh, sorry; Norig is the name of my dragon. He’s the red one I came in on.” Ivan and Hannah nodded. “Right, well, I’ll be outside when you’re ready.”
Selleya left them while Ivan and Hannah chose a room at the far end of the hallway and began to settle in.
After selecting a room, Ivan and Hannah went back out to the front of the building where Selleya and Norig were waiting for them. Accompanying the instructor were four other riders—all elves—and their dragons. In addition to the other new riders, four younger elves and two dwarfs stood alongside, ready to greet them. After introductions, Ivan learned that the elves with dragons were to be their instructors and the four younger elves and two dwarfs were his fellow students.
They’d already been introduced to Selleya and her dragon Norig, but in addition to her, he learned the names of the other instructors—Freaweny, an elf woman with blond hair and blue eyes who rode a blue dragon named Liz. Derseiyn, or ‘Ders’ as he preferred, had brown hair and had a similar complexion to Selleya. He rode an emerald dragon named Ratayr, or ‘Rata’ for short. Rova, the second male elf to introduce himself, had silver hair and green eyes. Rova rode a black dragon named Bramis. Finally, Tygeiros or ‘Ty’ as he preferred, had black, curled hair, dark brown eyes, and darker skin than Selleya’s and Ders’ combined. Ty rode Zrydon, a purple dragon. Over the coming months, the five instructors would teach Ivan and the others everything an aspiring rider would need to know.
Ivan’s fellow elf students, Poc and Aslorin, were young elf men and were similar in appearance to Nadir. They had sandy blond hair and piercing blue eyes that were hard not to stare directly into when talking to them. Viessa and Talia were both young elf women. Viessa resembled Ty with her dark eyes and curly hair, where Talia had light skin and hair. Two more elves joined their group several months later. They were twin elf boys with brown hair and eyes, who went by Karis and Horis. The two dwarf students were both tanned and had long thick brown hair; Barelign was the male and Rumhilda was the female.
Together, the nine of them trained vigorously, day and night, learning how to block their thoughts from their instructors’ magical mindreading abilities. Building mental shields was the only thing close enough to magic that they could practice while they waited to form bonds with the hatchling dragons. Once they’d become bonded with a dragon, it would gift them magic. They would need to be taught how to properly control the magical energy flowing among them if the elves’ program were to be successful at creating useful riders to combat Merglan and Killdoor.
Almost immediately after a new student’s arrival, one of the instructors would take them to the hatchlings. On Ivan’s first day, after he’d been introduced, Selleya showed him to the baby dragons. She encouraged him to try playing with the young dragons and see if any of them showed a special interest in him. Even though they were only hatchlings, the dragons were almost as large as a horse, so he didn’t want them to become too riled up or he might be trampled. Though the dragons liked him, and he was excited by their presence, none showed him any special interest. As the days passed and the other students began to form bonds with the hatchlings, Ivan grew concerned he might not make a bond with those remaining.
Several months passed without success of bonding. Ivan felt as though he was falling too far behind the others in their training, but Hannah and Selleya helped him keep to his faith that his bond would come in time. Selleya reminded him that he was gaining more experience with building his mental defenses than the others.
“This is fundamental in magical battle. Once you’ve bonded with a hatchling, your ability to control your mind will be stronger than the others’ because you’ve had more time to practice,” she told him.
The bond finally came during a training exercise. He was riding a young dragon named Jazzmaryth and they’d just outflown Rova and Bramis in the pursuit exercise. Even those who’d already become bonded with their dragons couldn’t yet work together well enough to outmaneuver Rova and Bramis. The best anyone else had done was when Viessa and her dragon bested Ty and Zrydon during a chase, but
Ty was no match for Rova on Bramis.
Together, Jazzmaryth and Ivan soared over the treetops, edging further away from the training facility. They’d linked their minds and blocked the instructors from sensing their location. Jazzmaryth landed in a small clearing next to a stream. Ivan could only explain his excitement and the thrill he felt through emotion. Jazzmaryth didn’t need to use her mind to reciprocate the feeling with Ivan. Taking a chance, and acting purely on instinct, Ivan held out his palm. Jazzmaryth let him place it on her forehead. In that moment, the energy flowing between them combined. Ivan felt the heat of the electric pulse flood into his veins, filling his body with a surge of newfound strength. The instant their two minds bonded, a blast of energy emitted from them in an explosive wave, shooting outward in every direction and left them harmoniously attached at its epicenter. Ivan could feel Jazzmaryth’s magic pulsing through his body. There was no denying it; they’d formed a bond that would last a lifetime.
Together, they flew back to the training facilities, a pair ready to be trained in magic. They shared a new connection—a bond for life, and everlasting.
DURING THE REMAINING months of his first year training with the elves, Ivan learned how to control the magic flowing within him. He learned to use it to make him faster, stronger, and a more powerful soldier. Out of all the skilled students chosen for the elite program, Ivan was turning out to be the star pupil.
One evening while he lay in bed with his wife Hannah, she gave him surprising news that would make him one of the happiest men in all of Kartania. He was to be a father. Over the next nine months, Ivan worked harder than ever to become a successful role model that his child could be proud of.
Shortly after the birth of his son, Ivan was called to action. Merglan had changed the focus of his war efforts to conquering Nagano, the land of dragons, and was coaxing young dragons into service with him. While Ivan was away, Hannah and their young child would be cared for by the elves. As Ivan kissed his wife goodbye, he promised he’d return to them safely.