Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
About J.A. Culican
About J.A. Armitage
Books by J.A. Culican
Books by J.A. Armitage
Savior
A Dragon Tamer novella
Armitage & Culican
Copyright © 2017 Armitage & Culican
All Rights Reserved.
All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
Warning: the unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.
Edited by: Cassidy Taylor
Cover by: Covers by Christian
dragonrealmpress.com
Chapter One
As I took one last look around my cottage, I could scarcely believe that I was never to see it again. The house I’d grown up in, the village that had been my home since the day I was born, the people I’d counted as friends and family. I had to leave them all.
I purposely left my sword until last. None of this was real while my sword still stood against my bed where I always kept it, ready for the next fight. I picked it up and held it, feeling the weight of it. It was so familiar to me and I was glad that I would be allowed to take it with me. It was the smallest of mercies on a day like today.
My eyes were dry as I left the house, stepping out into the darkness. I was a famous warrior and even though there was no one around to see me leave, I wouldn’t allow myself a moment of weakness. Morganna never showed weakness! That’s how I got to where I was, by never showing fear to an enemy. Not that the people living in the cluster of small houses that made up the village of Drionas were my enemies–well, not all of them. I was one of them, almost a leader. I was respected and looked up to. At least I had been. Not anymore. Now I was a coward, leaving in the dark of night because I’d been told to by one of the village elders. I never thought my life would come to this.
It didn’t take long to find the path leading away from the village. Even in the dark, I knew I’d find my way. My eyesight was perfect, even in the inky blackness. It was one of the reasons I was so good at what I did—slaying dragons!
I had no clue where I was going. It was unlike me to not have a plan, but then I hadn’t been expecting the visit from Rocco two hours earlier. Rocco was a village elder, a fierce dragon slayer in his own right. One of the best. Except, as I found out tonight, ‘one of the best’ wasn’t good enough. He wanted to be the best dragon slayer in the village but that wasn’t possible while I was still around.
I’d never taken him for the jealous type. What did he have to be jealous of? He had a wonderful family, he was well respected, and he could kill a dragon in his sleep. I guess you can never really tell with some people.
When he’d knocked on my door, I’d invited him in for a cup of tea, assuming that he wanted to talk about next week’s dragon hunt.
He didn’t stay long. Just long enough to tell me that he’d seen me with Xander and that in exchange for him keeping quiet, I should leave the village and never return.
What choice did I really have? Xander was the love of my life and another village elder. He was also married with three children. Sure, I could have stayed and let the pieces fall where they may, but I couldn’t do that to him. I loved him too much. I loved him enough not to break up his family. He’d be thrown out of the village for having an affair. I afforded myself a little daydream of us both taking this journey together. His wife would eventually pick up the pieces and his kids would forget him in time, but I’d never be able to forgive myself. What had started as a little bit of fun had gotten out of hand and Rocco seeing us had given me the push I needed to end it. End it and escape any backlash. Xander would now be able to concentrate on his family.
The path curved as it reached the village marker. I turned and took one last look at my home, but it was in complete darkness and there wasn’t anything to see. Clouds filled the sky, blocking out the moon and stars, leaving my parting view of my home as dark as the feeling in my heart.
Rocco was going to tell the village that I had befriended a dragon. Of all the things he could come up with, that was the most ridiculous. Morganna, the best dragon slayer in living history, befriending a dragon? It was absurd. And yet, in the end it didn’t matter what he told the other villagers. I wouldn’t be there to defend myself. I should have killed him right then and there. I certainly could have. He was a magnificent warrior, but I had the edge and he knew it. But, just like with Xander, Rocco had children. A young boy and girl, neither older than five or six. However much I hated Rocco right now, I couldn’t leave their children without a father, no matter how much of a low-life he was. Why did it always come down to the children? I laughed out loud. Hearing my voice breaking the silence made me feel lonelier than ever. I’d never cared for children and yet here I was, running away to protect the kids of two different men. I knew the names and ages of all of Xander’s children, but Rocco’s were just a couple of nameless kids running around with toy swords and dirty knees. Why was I giving up my whole world just to protect them?
“Maybe I’ve got more maternal feelings than I thought!” I whispered to myself, shaking my head. Maybe I was just going insane?
The woodland that skirted the Triad Mountains thinned out the further I walked away from Drionas. I’d been walking over an hour and still didn’t know where I was headed. To the right were the Triad Mountains. I knew them well after years of hunting dragons in their peaks, but there was no place for me to live up there. Not unless I really did want to befriend a dragon. That would certainly be a turn up for the books, if I showed up in Drionas in a few days riding on the back of a dragon.
I was feeling too sad to chuckle at the thought of it. Morganna, the greatest dragon slayer, riding a dragon. Like everything else that had happened that night, dragon riding was a ridiculous thought.
Sick of wandering aimlessly, I found a rock to sit on to give me time to clear my head. I was usually so focused, so sure of what I was doing and where I was going. This aimlessness was alien to me.
Taking a deep breath, I assessed my situation. Whichever way I looked at it, I was in a mess. Drionas was a tight knit community and as such, we didn’t travel much beyond its borders. In some ways it was nice, but in others, such as this situation, it meant that I knew no one and was woefully lacking in geographical knowledge.
I knew, for example, that if I carried on walking in the same general direction I was already heading, I would hit the coast way past daybreak. I didn’t, however, know the names of any of the small towns and villages that populated that little bit of coastline. Living by the sea had its own appeal, but it wasn’t the type of environment I was familiar with. I needed trees and mountains and valleys. Climbing over the Triads would be difficult, so I made the decision to head north. I picked up my bag and sword and took the first fork in the road that would take me in that direction.
The first fingers of sunshine were creeping into the
sky as a man with a horse and cart drew up beside me. A cursory glance at his cart told me he was a merchant, more than likely on his way to market somewhere. In the back were rolled up rugs and carpets. Maybe it was lack of sleep or just so many years living in danger from the dragons, but my imagination took over. What if those carpets held bodies? They were certainly long enough. I gripped the handle of my sword tightly, ready to draw it in a split second if needed.
“Good morning, miss. You look lost. Can I offer you a lift anywhere?”
I exhaled, unaware that I’d been holding my breath. He was just stopping to help me. It wasn’t something I was used to. In my village I held a certain role: that of a woman who gave help instead of received it. “Thank you.” I climbed up and took the seat beside him. At closer quarters, he looked harmless enough and I felt foolish for thinking otherwise. I still kept my hand on my sword though. Those that lost focus were the ones that usually ended up killed first.
“Where to?” He clicked and the horses resumed their steady trot along the cobbled road.
“I don’t know. North.”
“I’m going as far as the market in Fossville. That’s about an hour north of here. Will that do you?”
I guess it would have to. “Thank you.”
I’d never heard of Fossville, but if it had a market, it meant I could get breakfast there.
The man talked the whole way there and I listened, not giving up any information about myself. The less people knew, the better. I didn’t want it getting back to Drionas where I was. I needed a clean break.
When he asked me questions, I nodded my head or murmured uncommittedly, giving him only my name.
He seemed content to talk about his work and family which suited me fine. When we arrived at Fossville, I gave him a couple of coins. He tried to argue but I insisted, though when I checked my coin purse later, I wished I had let him win. I’d left all my money in Drionas’s vault. In my haste to leave, I’d brought only my coin purse, which didn’t hold a lot. The money I had would pay for breakfast with maybe enough left to feed me for a week. After that, I would have to find a job pretty quickly.
I bought the cheapest breakfast I could find—two eggs and a chunk of bread—and sat in the cheap-looking cafe to eat.
Finding a job? It wasn’t going to be easy. In Drionas, I was a celebrated warrior. I’d saved the village so many times from dragons that the other villagers brought me gifts such as food and gold. I’d earned enough to live for multiple lifetimes and had put it in the central vault. It was as good as useless to me now. I had no other skills beyond slaying dragons. I couldn’t make clothes or fish. I took the last bite of my bread feeling more despondent than ever.
I’d never not known what to do. I’d always been so sure of myself and here I was, moping around like a five-year-old that had lost his mommy. I took a deep breath and stood up. I wasn’t completely useless. I had my sword and the skill to use it. I would continue north and learn to feed myself. If I knew one thing, it was how to kill. Killing a rabbit or deer was bound to be easier than killing a dragon. At least neither of them breathed fire. I’d teach myself to hunt! As I walked through the market, I saw the merchant. I gave a wave, feeling much more cheerful, and he waved back. I was just about to walk past when I saw something that caught my eye on the next stall over. It was a crossbow. If I was going to hunt, I needed the right equipment. The stall sold all manner of weapons, including swords. None of them came close to my own sword but at least the prices were right. The crossbow would set me back nearly all of my money, but if I were to feed myself with it, it was a bargain. I even managed to get the weapon’s merchant to throw in a quiver of arrows for free.
I felt stronger as I left the village, taking the north road. I didn’t know what lay ahead of me, but at least I was prepared.
I walked for hours in the baking sun, determined not to stop until I found somewhere to hunt. I passed many creatures that would be delicious cooked over an open fire, but all of them were in farmers’ fields and I was many things but I wasn’t a thief. I could have tried out my new crossbow on the birds that flew over head, but they were so quick, I was afraid I‘d lose too many arrows before hitting one. I needed to find somewhere where bigger animals roamed free.
By the time evening rolled around, I was exhausted. My stomach was complaining of the lack of food and my muscles burned with the effort of walking all day. And yet, in the distance, there was a sight that warmed my heart—a line of dark trees which could only mean the edge of a forest and, even better, the snowy peaks of a mountain range beyond.
I’d find both food and a place to shelter in the forest, and if I was lucky, maybe a village that I would be able to call home.
I dragged my protesting legs along for another hour until I reached the edge of the forest. It looked just like the forest near Drionas with tall pine trees, and just for a second I felt a pang as I thought of home. There was something different about this patch of trees, though. It was deadly silent. Nothing moved through the undergrowth and I couldn’t hear the sound of birds overhead. It was so quiet that the sound of my own breathing seemed magnified. Breaking the silence, I pulled my sword from its scabbard with a clatter and held it in front of me, ready to attack. There was a reason that this forest was so quiet and the only explanation I could come up with was that some big creature was eating all the smaller ones. It could even be dragons, which would suit me just fine.
Slowly, I walked through the forest. It was much bigger and darker than I imagined and after walking for a couple of hours, I realized that my biggest problem was that I still hadn’t found food, not that I’d end up as food. I pulled a handful of leaves from a tree but they tasted bitter, so I spit them out. I knew nothing of edible plants. My stomach had long since given up growling at me and now was tightening with spasms of hunger. I was so exhausted I could barely see through the thick branches and my muscles ached so badly, I had trouble holding myself up. When I tripped over a branch and hit the ground, the resulting blackness was more than welcome.
Chapter Two
I heard it before I saw it, and yet I didn’t open my eyes. So much for being a warrior. Before yesterday, I’d have been up and ready for the kill at a moment’s notice, but today, I’d happily let whatever it was that was shuffling around near my face eat me for breakfast. I was so tired that just the thought of opening my eyes felt like a feat of endurance. But when the noise turned into someone or something licking my nose, I thought I should probably see what it was.
My eyes peeled open to see a hairy snout in my face. I pulled back and saw that the snout was attached to a wolf of some kind, except it was like no wolf I had ever seen before. It was much larger than a common wolf with longer limbs. This one didn’t act like a wolf either. Its teeth were not bared as I expected any wolf to do when facing an enemy. I pulled myself up into a sitting position and stared at the strange creature. He stared back at me as though sizing me up.
“Are you a shifter?” I asked, feeling foolish. I’d heard stories of animals that could turn their whole being into a human form, but it was nothing more than a myth, a story handed down from generation to generation to scare the young ones.
He cocked his head and growled. Funnily enough, his growl sounded almost human. He wasn’t scared of me, that’s for sure, and I could tell he meant me no harm. Didn’t normal wolves attack no matter what?
Another noise startled me although the wolf seemed at ease. Behind him in the undergrowth, other wolves were heading this way. For the first time since waking up, I felt nervous. I searched the ground near me for my sword but it had fallen out of my reach. My breathing became more rapid as I realized that there was no way out of this situation alive. If I couldn’t reach my sword, I may as well lay back down and let them eat me. Then it came to me.
My crossbow!
I could feel it still strapped to my back.
I waited until the first wolf looked back over his shoulder toward the others and carefully pull
ed the crossbow out. I’d never used it before, but the wolves were close enough and still enough for me to get a good shot. OK, so I’d probably not be able to kill them all before they attacked, but at least I’d go down with a fight.
I’d just gotten the crossbow into my hands when the first wolf barked something that sounded like an order to the other wolves. I was startled when they all retreated and left just the two of us alone that I forgot what I was doing and dropped the crossbow to the ground in front of me.
“They listened to you?”
I felt stupid talking to an animal that was really no more than a wild dog, but he seemed to understand my every word. There was intelligence in his eyes and the way he looked at me. He was like no wild animal I’d ever seen before. He just sat and stared at me. I longed to reach out to him, but something told me that this wouldn’t be the right thing to do, and yet I had to do something. We couldn’t just sit and stare at each other all day.
I was turning away to retrieve my sword when the wolf moved out of the corner of my eye. Something about the way he moved was odd, but it was only when I looked back at him directly that I saw what it was. I had been right. He was a shifter. His body was folding in on itself in the most grotesque manner. His snout became shorter as his already long limbs lengthened even more. He stood on his back legs and grew until he was over six feet in height. I should have been scared but I was mesmerized by his transformation. When it was complete, he stood before me, a young man with the same greyish-brown hair that fell down his back and the same cool grey eyes that had been staring at me for the last ten minutes. He held out his hand to help me up out of the dirt.
I took it, figuring that if he wasn’t going to kill me as a wolf, he wouldn’t do it as a man.
“What are you doing in our forest?” His voice was strong and commanding, exactly how I expected him to sound. He was a man in charge.
Savior Page 1