Dragon Emperor

by Eric Vall

  Eventually, the mysterious power carried us down and settled us on the ground, and there was a soft light that filled the entirety of the chamber we were in.

  “Holy shit,” I gasped as I looked around us.

  Before me was an epic sight that hinted at the previous glory of Hatra. Great carved columns rose up all around the center of the space that we had fallen into, and even in my dragon form, I wouldn’t be able to reach the top of the columns and touch the carved ceiling. The ceiling itself had thousands of stars carved into it from the same bluestone that the rest of the city had been built on, like it had been hewn from the very bedrock of Hatra.

  In between the carved columns were rows and rows of bookshelves that extended as far down as I could see. All the books seemed ancient with their leather-bound spines, and they hummed with power.

  A slight glow emanated from the hallways created by the bookshelves, and I realized that the same crystals from the cave I had woken up in lined every wooden edge I could see.

  My eyes continued to take in the great room, and as my gaze fell to the floor, I noticed we stood on a giant mosaic. The tiles were the same iridescent color of mother-of-pearl, and they depicted many patterns and scenes. Where we stood, the tiles formed giant versions of the crystal fish from the underground lake, and even the scales of the fish gleamed as they reflected the light of the carved stars on the ceiling.

  I took a step forward and enchanted lanterns suddenly came to life and illuminated the entire space around us. The light from the lanterns coupled with the crystals and scales made it seem like we were standing in a field of stars.

  “What is this place?” I looked down one of the hallways and noticed doors in between some of the bookshelves. “Do you think it’s the archives Alyona mentioned?”

  “I don’t know,” Laika admitted as she stared up at the grand columns. “It might be. Maybe the secret archives since it’s underground.”

  “But what led us here?” I asked, and I wondered what lay behind those closed doors and why we had ended up here.

  “Maybe we can follow it again.” Laika sniffed the air and frowned. “The scent is everywhere.”

  The scent we had followed surrounded us, and everywhere I turned smelled of crisp winter air and fresh spring water. The very atmosphere felt clean, and as I looked around, I realized there was no hint of dust or mold anywhere.

  “Give me a moment.” I tilted my head as I spread out my senses to try to feel the thrumming power from earlier. “The power’s all around us, too. I can feel it go on and on, almost as if it were a living and evolving creature.”

  “Do you think this is the treasure the miasma is after?” Laika stared with wide gray eyes at the chamber around us.

  “Even if it isn’t, this is a great find for us.” I walked over to the bookshelves and traced the spine of a book. “There has to be hundreds of thousands of books in here. One of them has to talk about the miasma.”

  Laika sniffed at the air again. “No one has been here in years. Centuries maybe.”

  “Maybe even longer,” I muttered as I put together the pieces in my mind. “Anyone who probably knew about this place was killed when the demons first attacked Hatra.

  “Could this have been what the demons were originally after?” Laika dragged her attention away from the beauty of the chamber and faced me.

  “We should go get Alyona. She might know something about this.” My finger lingered on the book, and I had the urge to tug it out of its place.

  The swordswoman walked over to where we had been set down by the strange force that had carried us down into the chamber. “The question is how to get back up there.”

  I reluctantly left the book on the shelf and walked over to where Laika stood. It was easily a hundred feet from the mosaic floor to the opening in the ceiling.

  “I don’t think I can jump that,” I admitted as I judged the distance and shook my head. “Even in my dragon form.”

  “Please, don’t.” Laika’s jaw clenched. “I’d rather not have you hurt and have both of us stuck down here.”

  “Inspiring vote of confidence there,” I muttered under my breath.

  “Did you forget I can hear you?” The ears on top of Laika’s head swiveled in my direction.

  I glanced away from the wolf immediately. I’d already learned that her tongue could provide quite the lashing if one had annoyed her, and I didn’t want to be a victim of that while we were stuck down here. It was one thing while we were above ground, and I could safely tease her, but down here we needed to focus on our surroundings.

  Something glinted in the darkness, and it caught my eye. I turned in the direction, and my breath caught in my chest.

  “No way,” I mumbled.

  Between one of the carved pillars right behind us was a carved marble staircase that reached to the very top of the ceiling.

  “What is it?” the Demi-Human asked.

  A sigh of relief left me as I pointed to the miraculous stairs.

  “Laika,” I said, “there’s our way out.”

  Chapter 6

  Laika and I followed the staircase until we reached a set of hidden blue marble doors that led to the surface. We came out at a different spot than from where we fell in, but a few steps away from the doors was the hole we had fallen through laying right before us.

  The remains of the domed palace loomed behind us, and I wondered just how far under the city the underground chamber spread.

  The sun had begun to rise over the tops of the ruined buildings, and I lifted my hand to shade my eyes from it.

  “We should go tell Alyona about this,” I mentioned to Laika as I peered over at the hole.

  The swordswoman nodded, and we returned to Alyona. When we reached the infirmary and told her what we had found, the priestess almost vibrated with excitement.

  “An underground chamber?” Alyona’s eyes glittered as she paced in front of her desk. “Full of books and rooms as far as the eye can see?”

  “Yes,” I chuckled from my seat on the bed. “The entrance is a bit hidden by the ruins, but it’s one of the most beautiful things you’ll see. The ceiling looks like the night sky, and the mosaic on the floor … the detail is incredible.”

  “No one’s been in there for centuries.” Laika stepped to the door of the infirmary and turned to face us. “I’m going to get my team and let them know about the chamber. They’ll keep watch along the city wall in case the miasma comes again. I’ll meet you at the chamber entrance.”

  I nodded at the swordswoman, and she slipped out of the door.

  “You never read anything about an underground chamber like that?” I asked as my attention shifted to the pacing priestess in front of me.

  Alyona gracefully sat next to me on the bed and leaned her head on my shoulder.

  “I don’t think I have,” she sighed and slumped next to me. “I’ve been wracking my mind, but I don’t remember any mention of any underground chambers. A lot of the records about Hatra and its blueprints are locked away, though. I’m sorry that I can’t be of any more help.”

  “Hey, don’t worry about that,” I reassured her as I placed my arm around her shoulders. “We’re going down there, and we’ll take our time discovering its secrets.”

  The priestess smiled sweetly up at me, and my heart skipped a beat.

  “You should go.” Alyona stood swiftly from the bed and pinned half of her hair up in a smooth movement. “I need to prepare a few things first, and then I’ll meet you there.”

  “How are you going to find it?” I tilted my head in confusion at the priestess. “I can lead you to it if I stay.”

  “I’ll follow your power there.” Alyona winked as she placed a finger over my lips.

  “Um, okay.” I went cross eyed for a moment as I focused on her delicate finger and fought back the urge to kiss it.

  Then I shook my head and stood from the bed to move toward the door. As I stepped out of the infirmary, I heard the rustle of fabric a
nd knew that Alyona had slipped out of her nightgown. I immediately closed the door and leaned on the outside of it with a groan.

  “Come on, pull yourself together,” I muttered to myself as I wiped away the thoughts of a nude Alyona from my mind. “She’s a priestess, and priestesses are supposed to be pure.”

  But the dragon in me was hungry, and not just for food or gold. I felt a carnal desire for the woman that was making my mouth water.

  “I need a cold shower or something,” I whispered to myself as I walked in the direction of the underground chamber and the hole I’d fallen through with Laika.

  Ruslan, the fox Demi-Human who had gathered the corrupted villagers the previous night, stood in front of the hole that Laika and I had fallen through. His ears leaned forward as he bent down to sniff at the air, and they twitched sporadically in turn. The fox hadn’t put on a shirt, and I could see the silver tinged scars that lined his back and arms. He was also barefoot, and I noticed that instead of toenails he had tiny claws. There was no visible tail like Laika’s and Anton’s, but the surrounding air seemed to shimmer.

  What I knew about foxes in games was that they were generally tricksters who had the ability to change their form and create illusions. Maybe he was hiding his tail with an illusion?

  I stopped next to Laika and leaned against one of the fallen walls that were a common sight within the ruined city.

  The warrior-woman had her leather armor back on but had left her broadsword behind. Instead, she had a pair of short swords strapped to both of her hips in matching dark blue scabbards. The criss crossed sword belts put an emphasis on her toned waist and drew the eye up toward the way the leather armor molded over her breasts.

  She was quite tasty.

  “Ruslan,” the swordswoman greeted before her eyes flicked over to me, “the two of you have not yet been properly introduced.”

  The fox flashed a wild smile before he threw his head back to laugh. “It is not like these are normal times, and Hatra is not a place where manners thrive.”

  I grinned at the fox’s good humor and lack of formality.

  “Still, I want to get to know you guys and everyone here in Hatra.” I stepped forward, offered a handshake to the fox, and remembered the way Laika and her comrades had greeted me. “Well met, Ruslan. I am Evan.”

  “Well met, Evan.” Ruslan grasped my forearm tightly. “You have my thanks for saving my people and our Lady. I am called Ruslan, and I am one of the three Elders of Hatra.”

  “You don’t have to thank me, I wanted to help,” I replied, but in the back of my mind, a question nagged at me. “I don’t mean to be rude, but do you mean Alyona when you say ‘our lady’?”

  The fox nodded.

  “Aye, the priestess. She brought hope back to us, and for that we can never thank her enough.” Ruslan turned to face Laika as she leaned against the stone wall. “Is she coming to see this? I know that Julia and Moskal will be here soon. They had told the rest of the villagers to stay away until we deemed this safe or not.”

  I nodded my head at his words because it was sound logic. With the miasma and demon attacks, one could never be too careful. I shuddered to think of how structurally unsound the ruins probably were.

  “Yes, she said she had to prepare some seals but that she would be here soon,” Laika replied, and her hand curled around the ornate pommel of the short sword on her left hip as one of her ears swiveled in the direction of the infirmary. “They’re close.”

  I could feel Alyona’s presence as she approached, and it was like a bright light in the back of my head. I turned to see her come around the corner, and the priestess had a light skip to her step as she walked toward us. I felt myself relax at the sight of her cheerfulness, and the last of my worries dissipated as I realized she was fully recovered from last night’s concussion.

  Next to her walked two villagers, and I wondered if they were the Julia and Moskal that Ruslan had mentioned.

  Julia was an attractive woman who looked like she was in her early thirties. Her light brown hair was piled on top of her head in a loose and messy bun, and she wore a half opened robe of pale orange over loose black trousers and a black tank top. She was barefoot just like Ruslan, and her pale blue eyes peeked over the paper fan she lazily fanned herself with.

  The painting on the fan was that of a golden dragon rising toward a brilliant white moon. More dragons were etched on the silver handle, and I could sense a vague sort of power that slept inside of the fan.

  I looked at Moskal and noticed that there was a familial resemblance between him and Julia. They shared the same light brown hair and pale blue eyes. He was dressed similarly to Julia, but the color of his robe was a dark brown, and he had a fan tucked into the waistband of his black trousers. The air around the two shimmered the same way that the air around Ruslan did, and I wondered what that meant.

  “Well met, young dragon, I am Julia, and this is my brother, Moskal.” Julia stopped before me and tilted her head up to look at me. “We are both Elders of Hatra.”

  She wasn’t a tall woman, probably closer to Alyona, but there was something intimidating about her mere presence. She quietly demanded respect, and I could understand why. Her people suffered and eked out a living amongst constant attacks while the rest of the world ignored them. By all odds, there shouldn’t have been anyone even alive in the ruins, but they had proved the odds wrong. That couldn’t have been easy, and she did have my respect for everything they had suffered and overcome.

  “Well met, Elder Julia and Elder Moskal.” I offered my hand to the woman in front of me. “I am Evan.”

  “Well met indeed.” A wide smile stretched across Julia’s face as she grasped my forearm in the same manner that Ruslan had. “I would make a guess that my fox already thanked you, but I’ll do it again. Thank you for what you’ve done.”

  “I did what anyone else would have.” My eyes found Alyona’s eyes as I spoke, and a small smile crossed the priestess’s face.

  Julia scoffed. “No, not everyone would have done that. Otherwise, Hatra would have been rebuilt by now.”

  “Calm yourself, that’s not why we’re here,” Moskal soothed as he placed his hand on Julia’s shoulder.

  Ruslan walked to where the other two Elders stood, took one of Julia’s hands in his, and pressed a kiss to it. There was a soft tenderness to the scene, and I felt a purr grow inside of my chest because the dragon instincts inside of me demanded a pack to protect.

  Then a soft hand wrap itself around one of mine, and I turned to see it was the priestess who had come to a stop by my side.

  It had only been a day since I’d met Alyona, and I’d already grown so fond of the little priestess. I’d never really dated in my old life back on Earth because I could never find the time for it. I was always too focused on my classes and my training, or I was traveling with Aunt Emma and helping at her shop. Matters of the heart had never seemed that important to me unless it was something in one of my textbooks.

  But now, I wasn’t so sure.

  “Is this the library you found?” Alyona peered over at the large hole tucked behind a ruined wall.

  “I’m not certain it can be described like that.” Laika stepped away from the wall she had been reclining on and walked over to where we stood. “It felt more like it found us, my Lady.”

  “How strange. We never even knew it was here.” Julia walked closer to the hole and peered down into it.

  “We were born right after Hatra first fell, and this whole place is a mess of ruins and holes. How could we have known?” Moskal sighed as he glanced at the ruins around us.

  “Wait, what do you mean you were born after the city fell?” I did some quick mental math and blanched at the numbers. “That would make you…”

  “Moskal is the youngest of the three of us.” Julia grinned as she snapped open her paper fan and went back to fanning herself. “He’s seven hundred and ninety eight this year. Ruslan is a solid eight centuries. And I, dear dragon, a
m the oldest at nine hundred and twenty five. A fine vintage, if I do say so myself.”

  My mind went blank. I hadn’t thought it was possible for humans to live that long and not look their age.

  “I have to ask, how are you even alive?” I asked as my curiosity got the best of me.

  “Laika told us you were a sheltered summoned dragon, but it is surprising that you do not know this.” Moskal pulled his own fan out and thoughtfully tapped his cheek with it. “Then again, dragons normally do not concern themselves with the ways of petty mortals. Perhaps there are even no cultivators in your plane of existence.”

  “There aren’t,” I dryly agreed. “I don’t even know what you mean by cultivators.”

  “Cultivation is the path humans, Demi-Humans, and the other mortals who inhabit Inati can take to extend their natural lifespan through meditation,” Moskal said as he launched into what felt like a practiced explanation he’d given a thousand times. “This also includes the study of both martial and mystical arts and the cultivation of the material life force that flows throughout Inati.”

  “But how does that let you live nearly a thousand years?” I couldn’t imagine living that long and being constantly under attack from the miasma. “Just by doing some breathing exercises, you’re immortal?”

  “All of us have the seed of a spiritual sea inside of us,” Alyona explained as she touched just below her collarbone with one finger. “Cultivation is honing the power inside of you, controlling it until it changes from a turbulent sea to one that has found its own steady current. From there, you absorb the energy that’s all around you, from the heavens to the earth to the underworld, and then you slowly shed your mortal shell.”

  “You said it’s a path, so where does it end?” I thought about how I had ended up in the world of Inati, and if the path I had somehow traveled was similar to the path Moskal had explained to me.

  “Some can get lost on the path, others fall off it.” Moskal shrugged and snapped open his fan. “And there are some who reach immortality and then attain godhood, albeit a minor godhood. We call those Celestial Divinities, and even then the path continues for them until they break the path and create their own reality.”