Dragonia: Rise of the Wyverns (Dragonia Empire Book 1)

by Craig A. Price Jr.

  “It’s beautiful, isn’t it, Ayla?”

  Ayla turned to glance at him.

  A fish jumped out of the water and made a splash as it reentered.

  Ayla spun her head back toward the water. Her claws dug slightly into Devarius’s shoulder. She crouched low on his shoulder, then sprung, leaping into the air and flying toward the splash.

  “Ayla?” Devarius asked.

  Tynaer stormed over. “What is your wyvern doing?” He leaned over the side of the ship to stare at Ayla as she flew. “I told you it wasn’t a good idea to let that creature out of the room.”

  “Wait,” Devarius interrupted.

  “If that creature never comes back, I am holding you accountable.”

  Devarius eyed the captain. “Watch.”

  “Excuse me?”

  Devarius gestured to the water and repeated, “Watch.”

  Ayla dove into the water and disappeared for several long seconds. When she flew back out, she carried a large fish in her jaw. She flew over to them and landed on the railing of the ship. Tilting her head back, she gulped down the fish.

  Tynaer clenched his teeth. “Fine.”

  Devarius shrugged. “The ship is out of rats. Now you won’t have to worry anymore about feeding a starving wyvern.”

  Tynaer scowled. “Just make sure it doesn’t take off.”

  “She,” Devarius corrected.

  “Excuse me?”

  “The wyvern is a she.”

  “And how do you know that?” Tynaer asked. “Never mind ... I don’t want to know.”

  “Do you think the men on the ship would like fish for supper?”

  Tynaer raised an eyebrow.

  “I’m sure Ayla could round up some fish for the chef.”

  Tynaer rolled his eyes.

  Devarius rubbed his hands together. “Ayla? Do you think you could catch some fish for all of us to eat?”

  Ayla’s neck reared back as she studied the two of them. She glanced out to the ocean, then back to them, and nodded. Her blue scales glistened when she took flight as the suns’ light reflected off of her.

  Devarius watched as she dove into the water and came back up with a tuna in her jaws. She flew over the ship and opened her jaws as she passed. The large fish dropped from the sky and bounced across the wooden deck of the ship. Everyone on deck ceased their tasks and watched as she dove into the water and made another pass, this time dropping a swordfish on the deck. Both fish flopped around as the men stared at the wyvern in wonder as she dove back into the water.

  Tynaer wrinkled his nose, then turned to face the men on deck. “Well? Don’t just stand there, collect the fish to clean!”

  Chapter 31

  Devarius set foot onto the beach of Adeth Peak Isle. He took in the sunsets on the western horizon. They were beautiful. He was going to miss the dual suns as winter approached. Soon, only one sun would be visible: the red sun. All winter long they’d only see the red sun, then the orange sun would appear in spring. The orange sun already appeared a lot smaller in the sky than previously in the year.

  “The red winter approaches,” Devarius whispered.

  “Hopefully, the winter will slow the empire.” Tynaer stepped next to Devarius.

  “We could hope,” Devarius said.

  “Tell me, Devarius. Where are these wyverns? It’s a beautiful island, but I don’t see these hundreds of creatures you were talking about.”

  “I never saw them at the beach. It was when Aquila and I went exploring. We need to head deeper into the mountains.”

  “I see.” He turned to face the group of two hundred warriors. “Set up camp. Prepare the fish.” He glanced at Devarius. “Devarius and I are going for a walk.”

  “Just us?” Devarius asked.

  “Anyone else you have in mind?”

  “Paedyn.”

  Tynaer motioned for Paedyn to join them.

  Aquila strode over. “What about me? I saw the wyverns the last time—”

  “No,” Devarius cut her off.

  “No?”

  “No. You need to stay here. Stay safe.”

  “Who are you to say where I can and can’t go?” she asked.

  Devarius grabbed her wrists. “Please, Aquila. I don’t know how this is going to play out. But I can’t have you near us when we approach these creatures. I can’t be worrying about you. Please cease your stubbornness just this once, and stay here.”

  She gulped and nodded.

  Devarius, Paedyn, and Tynaer left the party and headed north toward the mountains. The three of them remained silent as Devarius led them. The wind chilled their bodies as it swept through the mountains. The first sun fell behind the horizon, leaving only the orange haze of the second sun illuminating the sky.

  “This place is hauntingly beautiful,” Tynaer whispered.

  They made it through the mountains. Devarius paused, glancing up at the sky. All around them was silence. He could hear Tynaer and Paedyn breathing.

  “Is this where you saw them?” Tynaer asked.

  “Yes,” Devarius responded.

  “I don’t see anything.”

  “Me either.”

  Ayla crawled up Devarius’s leg until she perched on his shoulder. She sat, stretched her neck, and cooed into the night.

  “What is your dragon doing?” Paedyn asked.

  “Shh,” Devarius whispered.

  After several minutes of cooing, a distant swooshing rang in the air, reminding Devarius of a windmill.

  “What is that noise?” Tynaer asked.

  Devarius pointed.

  All three men backed away as seven wyverns approached them from the north. They flew in unison with each other, reminding Devarius of ducks flying north for the winter.

  Tynaer slid his sword halfway out of its scabbard as the seven wyverns landed in front of them. Devarius touched Tynaer’s shoulder.

  “Put the weapon away.”

  Tynaer trembled as he slid the weapon back into its scabbard.

  One of the wyverns approached, its beautiful crimson scales glimmering in the sunset. It growled.

  Devarius shivered. Ayla moved to his other shoulder, extending her neck out toward the wyvern, and growled.

  The wyvern stopped in its tracks and regarded Ayla. It stopped growling. The two creatures stared at each other for several long minutes, both motionless. After a long pause, the large wyvern continued to creep forward. It no longer growled, but instead, appeared curious. It sat a few feet in front of the three men, then sniffed each one in turn. After it sniffed everyone, its body relaxed, then it pressed its warm nose to the forehead of each man.

  Tynaer trembled.

  Paedyn grinned.

  Devarius remained motionless.

  “Did you speak with them?” Devarius asked.

  Ayla nodded.

  “Will they help?”

  Ayla nodded.

  “We better begin training then,” Devarius said.

  “This is so much better than a boat,” Paedyn whispered.

  Chapter 32

  When Devarius awoke the next morning, he nearly fell back onto his cot at the sight of the red sun gleaming over the mountains and hundreds of wyverns surrounding their camp. Many of the people who’d already awoken were huddled together, trembling in fear. Brave warriors, reduced to cowering fools. Children had more bravery than these men.

  Devarius stood. He looked at the men and women warriors. He shook his head.

  “Get up. These wyverns aren’t to be feared. Where is your confidence? A wyvern hardly wants to fight alongside a coward. Wipe the shivering off of your face and stand as a warrior,” Devarius said.

  Tynaer walked over to him. “What’s going on?”

  “I’m not sure,” Devarius whispered back to him.

  Ayla flew over to him and landed on his shoulder. His shoulder sagged from the weight.

  “You know you can’t do that much longer, Ayla. You’re growing. You’re the size of an adult cat now, not a li
ttle kitten.”

  Ayla’s head dipped.

  Devarius reached over and stroked her behind the ears. “I will never turn away your affection, but soon it will be I who sits on you, rather than you sitting on me.”

  Ayla’s head rose. Her eyes grew wide with understanding.

  “Can you ask that creature what’s going on?” Tynaer asked.

  “Do not call her that. She is a wyvern, and her name is Ayla.”

  “Fine,” Tynaer grumbled. “Ask her what is going on.”

  “Ayla, do you know what is happening? Do you know why the wyverns are here?”

  Ayla nodded.

  “Why are they here?”

  Ayla jumped off Devarius’s shoulder and flapped her wings to hover in front of him. She flew closer until her nose touched his.

  “I don’t understand,” Devarius said.

  Ayla huffed, flew backward several inches, then came close again, touching her nose to his.

  “They are coming to touch noses?” Devarius asked.

  Ayla repeated the process again.

  Devarius felt an emotion over their bond, a strong feeling of connection, of bonding between him and the wyvern.

  “They are coming here to bond with us?”

  Ayla landed on the ground and nodded.

  Devarius looked to the wyverns surrounding them. They circled the camp, each one spread out instead of bundled together like the humans. Most of the creatures were large, two to three times the size of a horse, but others were smaller, the size of a large dog. There were more than just adults, but Devarius didn’t see any as young as Ayla.

  “Should we spread out?” Devarius asked.

  Ayla nodded.

  “Everyone spread out. Swallow your fear. These wyverns can sense your emotions. They have come to help us in the war against the empire, against the dragonriders. One of these creatures will bond to you, much like Ayla bonded with me.”

  The people were slow to move. Kaia, a woman who’d been traveling with Devarius since the beginning, was the first. She stepped away from the crowd, walking toward the wyverns. When she was apart from the others, she stopped and waited. One of the smaller wyverns the size of a large dog approached her. It paused in front of her and inhaled, taking in her scent. She smiled at the purple wyvern. The creature grumbled, a type of purr. It tried to reach its neck up to her face, but it was too short for its nose to reach Kaia’s by several inches. Kaia leaned down and touched her nose to the creature’s snout. A spark of light showed for half a second before disappearing. Shivers traveled across Kaia’s body.

  Everyone stared at her, frozen by the incident. Murmurs began through the crowd of people, some of astonishment, others of horror.

  “What does it feel like?” someone asked from the crowd.

  Kaia turned to them and smiled. “A warm, tingling sensation. It’s hard to explain, but I feel ... I feel more complete. I also feel stronger, like I have the strength of myself and the strength of the wyvern flowing through me.” She glanced at the creature in front of her and rested her hand on the top of its head. “I can feel its emotions ... his emotions.”

  After a few more minutes and murmuring, everyone spread out, ready to be accepted by a wyvern. Their fear washed away, replaced with excitement. One after another, wyverns chose a human companion.

  Devarius smiled as he watched, Ayla curled in his arms, watching the selection process as well. “So it begins.”

  Chapter 33

  Devarius watched with admiration as wyverns took to the sky with riders on their backs. It looked terrifying, yet exhilarating at the same time. A grin was plastered across his face as he watched. With wyverns, man could fly. It was incredible.

  He glanced over to Ayla. She was the size of a small dog now. Devarius stroked his hand along the neck of the wyvern as they both watched the wyvernriders practice aerial combat.

  “I can’t wait to ride you like that,” Devarius whispered.

  Ayla nuzzled against his leg.

  Paedyn stepped beside Devarius. He glanced at the sky as well.

  “How are we supposed to defeat an army of dragonriders? These wyverns are small compared to the dragon we saw,” Paedyn said.

  “We will not win by strength,” Devarius said.

  “How will we win?” Paedyn asked.

  “By cunning. We must outsmart and outmaneuver them.”

  “They’ve been riding dragons for seventy years. How are we supposed to outmaneuver them when they have so much more experience?”

  Devarius turned away from the sight of wyvernriders in the sky to study his friend.

  “Yes, they have a lot of experience riding dragons. But, they have no experience fighting in the sky. They have no experience fighting other dragonriders or wyvernriders. They use their dragons as transportation and as a fierce combatant on the ground. By the time we actually fight, we’ll be well matched.”

  “Even so,” Paedyn said, “dragons are so much larger and stronger than these wyverns.”

  “A wolverine is small, but even they can best a bear sometimes. Size doesn’t matter here. It’s skill. My wyvern isn’t ready to let me ride her yet. Instead, I’ve been studying the others. Wyverns have swift movements. Their flying is precise. They can fly backward with a rider on top of them. The angles they can cut in the air are impressive. I don’t think the dragons have nearly as much skill in maneuverability as these wyverns. It’s not going to be easy, but if we train hard enough, I think we can take the empire by surprise.”

  “I hope you’re right,” Paedyn said.

  “Why aren’t you up there with your wyvern?”

  “I was. All morning. Now I need to heal.” Paedyn gestured to his legs.

  Devarius glanced down and gasped. Paedyn’s breeches between his legs were torn to shreds and his legs were bleeding.

  “All that is from riding your wyvern?” Devarius asked.

  “Yes. Apparently scales are sharp and cut deep if rubbed against. I don’t know when I’ll be able to ride again.”

  Devarius looked back up at the sky. “They are going to be hurting and bloody as well.”

  “Most likely,” Paedyn admitted.

  “We need saddles,” Devarius said.

  “How? We don’t have saddles big enough. Horse saddles will be too small, and we don’t have any leather here.”

  “I need to find Tynaer,” Devarius said.

  Paedyn nodded and glanced back to the wyvernriders in the sky.

  Devarius turned around and strode away. He barely made it fifteen feet before nearly stumbling into a limping Tynaer. Devarius stepped away, mouth agape and eyes wide as he regarded the captain. Like Paedyn, his legs were torn and bloody.

  “Captain.” Devarius bowed his head.

  “Good afternoon, Devarius. I’m afraid everyone’s first day flying will be their last. I don’t imagine anyone is going to be walking easy tomorrow.”

  “I don’t know why I didn’t think about saddles,” Devarius admitted.

  Tynaer grinned. “Scales are a bit tougher than a horse’s hide.”

  “We need leather,” Devarius said.

  “Yes.”

  “There are no animals here—at least, none that I have found.”

  “Me either,” Tynaer said. “Nor are there leatherworkers.”

  “What do we do?” Devarius asked.

  Tynaer shrugged. “We leave.”

  “Leave?”

  “We came here for one purpose: to see if the wyverns would help us. They will. Now, we need more people, more warriors. Unless we can convince all these wyverns to leave their home and join us in the mountains, we need to create a second home here. And to do that, we need more men and women. We need chefs, blacksmiths, and most importantly, leatherworkers and livestock.”

  “I agree,” Devarius said. He shifted.

  “We will head back to Saefron.”

  Devarius’s eyebrows rose. “All of us?”

  Tynaer smiled. “No. You will stay here wi
th the wyverns. You seem to have a special bond with them. Also, we’ll need more room on the ship to bring people here. We may even need to build a few more ships. I’m only going to take who I need to man the ship. Everyone else will stay here.”

  “It will be a long journey,” Devarius said.

  “It will be a couple of moon-cycles before we return, yes. I have faith putting you in charge, Devarius.”

  “Thank you.”

  “I hope everyone who stays likes fish.”

  Devarius laughed. “When do you leave?”

  “In the morning. I dare not delay.”

  “I understand.”

  “Keep everyone in shape while I’m gone,” Tynaer said.

  “I will.”

  Tynaer nodded before striding away.

  Chapter 34

  The wyverns flew around each other in the orange sunset. With each passing day, they saw less and less of the orange sun. The wyverns they saw were every color, from gold to red to blue and green. He’d watched them dancing in the sky all week. Ayla had communicated with the wyverns to show off to Devarius. He had the rest of the men and women stay behind to work at the camp. Not too many trees were in the mountains, but enough to begin creating homes. They would need a city on Adeth Isle.

  Aquila stepped by Devarius’s side. She glanced up to the sky, smiling.

  “They are beautiful,” she said.

  “Yes, they are,” Devarius replied.

  “Have you learned anything?”

  “A lot,” he said.

  She furrowed her brow. “Like what?”

  “Remember how the dragon we first met breathed fire?”

  “Yes.” Aquila shuddered. “I remember.”

  “Well, not all wyverns breathe fire ... at least not that I’ve observed.”

  “Really?” Aquila asked.

  “For the last week, they’ve been ... playing with each other. They’ve been showing off. I asked Ayla to tell them to show off their talents, their flying maneuverability. These creatures are a bit ...” Devarius frowned. “Arrogant.”

  Aquila nodded.

  “Well ... when they irritate each other, some of their hidden abilities come out. I don’t know if they’re unaware of all they can do or if they’re trying to hide what they can do from me.” Devarius brushed his hair behind his ears. “However, when they grow irritated with another, their abilities slip.”