by TJ Reynolds
He gawked at how many others were listed. Completing what was labeled the Primal Gods, was a fourth God Kai had never heard of. Shu, the goddess of the Air. Beloved in Hintar and powerful despite her subtle nature.
If she were a Hintari goddess, it was little wonder he’d never learned her name. Yet here she was, listed as a primary God, along with Andag himself!
Below were two other gods labeled Celestial Gods. He read those as well, greedy for this new information. Anlil, god of Holy energy, is as potent as he is unforgiving. Many are right to fear his wrath. And then after Anlil, Angut is the god of the Abyss, faceless and patient as the death he calls his own.
Chills ran along Kai’s arms and legs. How could I not have known such deities exist? It seems blasphemy to ignore them all but three!
You are wise to think so, Kai. Often times, a conflict as transformational as The War of Dragons changes what sacred knowledge gets passed on. Brintosh always favored their chosen three.
Kai shook his head, taking consolation that he was at last coming to know more of the truth of the world. He read the final gods listed on the first page of the book. Niama, the fair, contains and contends with all matters of Soul. Her blessing grants contentment. Sheerda the cruel is the master of time. This goddess bestows her blessing upon one servant at a time, a single Warden must bear the strain of the past and the future.
At the bottom of the list lay a symbol, eight strands of rope weaving into one, below which were written two words. The Fundament.
What does this mean, Ban? Is this another god?
Ban hesitated a moment before answering. When he did so, his voice was solemn. It is the True God, Kai. All of the Gods are but different faces of One. To speak such heresy in Brintosh or Kaltan has been a crime for centuries. But in Hintar, they taught the truth, at least they did… I hope they do still.
Before his mind could spin any faster, Kai shook his head free of deities, and pressed on to the remainder of the book. Dragons. Flipping to the first page, he took another bite of his apple and scanned the page.
After a moment, Ban asked him, Would you mind reading aloud? Yorick used to do so, and though I know what the book says already, I find it infinitely soothing.
Without pausing, Kai swallowed, then started over, reading from the beginning:
“The Azure Dragon of South Hintar: a divine beast without peer regarding its splendid wingspan. Though not nearly so robust in frame as the indomitable Zargan Red, the largest Azure Dragon measured was over 30 cana long, or in a more modern unit, 135 feet. Aligned with the ever-gracious Briga, the Azure Dragons are likewise bound to that Goddess’ elemental affinity, water.”
Kai continued to read, the steady and somewhat lofty tone of the scholar making him think at once of his uncle Shem. He could almost hear Shem’s deep voice lecturing him. Just cause we’re farmers, Kai, doesn’t mean we are lackwits. Read everything you can get your hands on, boy, and you’ll find, as I have, that the world is much larger than it appears.
They lugged every book they owned with them to Mindonne, or on the longer trips towards the trading towns outside of the capital city of Creshon. Selling their harvest took a day or two even at the best of times, and in between deals, Kai’s uncle would drag him along to find any merchant, hawker, or peddler he could trade with.
Sometimes, Shem found an old friend who would smile and they would scuttle away to find new books, appreciating the value of a clean barter.
But other times, they would have to pay an extra penny to get some stiff-necked merchant to trade with them. At the time, it had seemed like a waste of money to Kai. But, as he got older, he learned differently. The fruits of their unconventional labor became evident years later. Unlike many of the folk in Mindonne, or any small town for that matter, Kai had no trouble reading at all.
He flicked to the next page, his eyebrows lifting as he took in the beautiful painting. He cleared his throat and started reading that entry:
“The Bale Dragon of the Nalidi desert is known and named for its puissant use of bale fire. Given to worshiping Yugos, this dragon possesses a strong affinity for the fire element. Not known to be either patient or inclusive, the Nalidi Bale Dragon tends to avoid society but for the few times a year when the fire element is strongest. Gathering in small groups, the Bale Dragons spend days at a time reveling in the splendor of their significant powers as they melt and shape stone structures in the desert.
“By combining various minerals, gems and rock types, the dragons produce some of the most breathtaking works of art. A selfish dragon through and through, the Bale Dragons will give supplications to Yugos and to the glory of their own powers until the season has passed. Then they crush the masterpieces with a few lazy swings of their armored tails and fly off to sulk in lonely haunts until the next solstice.”
Kai read on until he’d eaten half a dozen of the apples and his back was sore from sitting so long in one position. At last, he set the book down and dusted himself off. He had been hesitant to bring up the subject, but it seemed like it would never come easily. Kai had already grown fond of the Earth Core, more so than made sense. It was almost as if he’d always known Ban, but he figured that might be attributed in part to the bond they’d supposedly formed yesterday.
“Ban, I must be going now, I think. I am sure Jakodi made it home yesterday without me, but he will worry. And besides, I have adventuring to do, and I still need to give Dunny back his dagger. If you can make that as well, I’d be in your debt. Maybe even a bit nicer. The boy was awfully generous in doing so.” Kai looked down at the fine short sword leaning near the hearth when he said this.
Ban sputtered nervously a bit before explaining, But Kai, I have one more thing yet to show you. Please, just humor me. If you’ll retrieve the sword, I would ask you to inspect the latest addition to my dungeon.
Kai was confused. He hadn’t seen any new room, but when he glanced behind the pedestal, a section of the wall evaporated before his eyes. Beyond this new entryway ran a narrow corridor leading deeper into the mountain.
“When did you do that?” Kai asked.
I was busy last night, and I covered up the entrance, to keep it a surprise. I didn’t want to give it away. Now, please, will you do as I ask?
Kai considered and found no harm in complying. He picked up the sword and walked down the corridor. He would trust this dungeon who had done nothing but improve his lot in life. Still, he had to ask, “Why do I need the sword, Ban? Is there some foul surprise waiting for me behind this door?”
Ban snickered and replied, Of course! You won’t get stronger by eating apples and reading books. Just nudge the stone aside and open the door. Get ready to kill another rat. This time, stab the thing and be done with it, okay?
Kai felt his blood rise; his previous encounter with one of the massive rats hadn’t been fun. But then he recalled that he only had 2 Progression to his name. If he was to become the warrior he dreamed of becoming, he’d face worse. Stiffening his spine, he moved the stone aside and stepped into the room.
A screech filled the air, the rat darting at him without reserve or any concern for its own wellbeing. Kai supposed he could have stabbed it right away like Ban had suggested, but he was still disturbed by the enormous rodent. Instead, he side-stepped its charge. When it recovered and came at him again, Kai turned and ran, his fear too demanding to suppress. The rat snapped at his ankles as he ran a few circles around the room.
Ban shouted in protest. No, bad form, Kai! You must be brave. Turn and vanquish your foe!
Kai wanted to listen, he really did, and the feel of the short sword’s fine wooden handle made him almost feel capable. Yet when he rounded on the rat and stared into its black eyes and toothy maw, he dodged again, making a yipping sound of his own. “Why rats, Ban? They give me the creeps! Can’t you summon a bunny for me?”
I can, Ban replied, but it gives but a fraction of the Progression value that a rat does. You can do this.
The shivvi
ng Earth Core had a point. He could kill a thousand rabbits or 49 more rats. The decision was obvious.
A thread of anger poured into Kai’s veins, then—a touch of well-earned outrage at his own display of fear. Kai growled and spun on the rat. Thoughtlessly, the creature leapt up at him. With little grace and even less skill, Kai lifted the short sword’s point and held his breath. The rat slammed into the point of the sword, skewering itself entirely on the thin blade. The momentum of the creature’s dying charge smashed into Kai, knocking him to the ground.
It squealed in protest as its body gave out, and Kai blinked in surprise. “Well, that was easy.”
Oh? Killing the stupid rat was easy, huh? Too bad nobody told you it would be simple, came Ban’s snarky reply.
“Okay, sorry.” Kai shrugged. “It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. You were right. Happy?”
The rat’s ether twisted in the air a moment then rushed into Kai’s chest. Kai shoved the body of the rat off his sword with the tip of his boot. It slid to the ground and Ban absorbed it, responding, Infinitely. Now, what do you say we do that again? Are you ready? As the rat was absorbed, Kai saw how some of its ether evaporated into the air, being collected by Ban.
Kai sighed, knowing the day would be long. He did have to leave soon though, if he were to make it to town in time to help Jakodi walk home. “I am, but, Ban, I will have to be going after a while, all right? I’ll slay another five or ten of the beasts. I can come back tomorrow, okay? I don’t want to leave you alone, but I have a life in Mindonne. I can’t just leave it entirely.”
Ban didn’t answer for a long moment, but when he did, Kai’s heart nearly stopped. Kai, you cannot leave me, at least not so soon. If the people of your town see you, they will know you somehow survived your ordeal in the shivvered Bancroft dungeon. How long do you suppose it will be until they send their warriors up to investigate? And how will we ever get strong enough to stand against those who will come to kill us both when they find out?
Come to kill us both? Kai asked, the thought sounding strange in his head even as he spoke it.
Of course, Kai, or have you already forgotten that every dragon in the three kingdoms was hunted down and killed?
Kai lost his grip on the sword and the steel clattered noisily to the ground. A fitting sound, Kai thought, indelicate and harsh, the noise somehow mimicking the clattering of his own splintered dreams.
The truth of Ban’s words weighed heavily on his mind. It was a truth he’d been fighting to suppress ever since he’d awoke to find himself the dragon master of an Earth Core. He shouldn’t exist, and yet he did.
He had to accept it.
Doing so gracefully, however, wasn’t something he was capable of at the moment.
9
Burning Bright
Rhona
“More, Rhona, more. I’m serious. I know you’re a big girl now, but if you don’t start eating like one, you’ll never build enough muscle to become an Elite,” Rhona’s father said, shoving more of the thick stew into his own mouth.
It wasn’t the taste that bothered Rhona, it was the sheer quantity. Her family had sacrificed much over the years, moving from town to town in pursuit of her father’s career. He had been a fine soldier too, by all accounts, disciplined and savage. But did they deserve to eat till it hurt each day while so many others went without? Rhona didn’t think so.
She replied with a stiff smile. “I ate plenty, Da. If I eat more, I’ll only spill it up again. No sense in that. Besides, there is something I wanted to talk to you about.”
Without bothering to hear her, her father continued to jabber on. “Thing about it is, should you manage to get in with the Vermillion Guard, you’ll be able to let me know a lot more about the war effort. I’ve heard tell that we might be making a go of Hintar again. If we can only hold peace with the blasted Kaltanese for a season, we could drive our long swords down the Hintari’s throats once and for all.”
They huddled around a stunted table. The image of her massive father hunkering over this time-blasted piece of wood, year in and year out, was so familiar to Rhona, it made her feel at once both old and still a child. Returning home always made her feel like this. Would she ever be able to come home without having to wrestle with demons and bad memories?
Rhona’s mother gave her the “keep your mouth shut and nod along” look, which she’d grown so tired of. Each trip home was a reminder of how little she and her father had in common.
Her gear sat in a pile near the front door, the chain mail and leather stacked neatly, folded on top of her boots. Her sword and scabbard rested against the nearby wall. It sat beside the pile of her father’s gear. And though she agreed to his rules, this forced act of obedience galled her like a new saddle chafed an unbroken colt. That he still pretended he was a soldier made it that much worse. Can a man of his girth squeeze into that old breastplate? And if he managed it, could the poor bastard even move?
“You listening?” The man asked, pulling Rhona out of her thoughts.
She nodded, smiling again. “Sure, Da. I’m here for ya.”
He shrugged off the anger that tinged her words and continued on blindly, “Well, then what do you think? We heading to Hintar again? Or are the blokes at the pub blowing steam?”
Rhona considered lying to him, but she had no real reason to. She arched an eyebrow and admitted, “Yes, we are. I stood guard during a meeting with some Kaltanese envoys. There has been talk of a joint invasion. I believe they have gone so far as to decide exactly which portions of the old kingdom will fall to Brintosh and which to Kaltan. If all goes well in the upcoming negotiations, we’ll be marching with the Phoenix again in the spring.”
With each word, Rhona’s father seemed to increase in size, inflating with a terrible exuberance. It was as if his fondest dreams were coming true. He had been at the height of his career during the last invasion, had taken part in the long bitter war that slowly brought Hintar, the Dragon Kingdom, to its knees.
“Excellent news! Orla, fetch some wine!”
“No, Da, really. I don’t…” Rhona began, but her father cut her off.
“Yes! You’ll drink with me.”
Rhona bit her tongue and took several deep, slow breaths to calm herself. She’d learned much these last few months. Ever since she’d met Palben, a man who had joined the Brintoshi army to feed his family high in the Zargan Mountains, her whole viewpoint had changed. Only a year ago she would’ve stormed out, refusing to be treated like a squire. In most parts of Brintosh, people who knew her, for both her rank and quality of service, would heed her wishes. But this was her father, a man who was used to being the tallest peak in his part of the mountain range.
“Hear, hear. To war, to victory, and to a line of Hintari heads piled at little Rhona’s feet!” He cried.
Her mother smiled and drank, and Rhona followed suit.
“You know, love, it’s been 23 years since her name day and though she isn’t much taller than me, her arms are as tough as a blacksmith’s. I don’t think she’s ‘little Rhona’ anymore,” Orla said, her smile uneasy.
Rhona’s father went quiet, and it was clear that the huge man was fighting to master his anger. Then he laughed, apparently considering her rebuke a joke.
“That she is! My blood in her veins! That there is Brintosh at its finest! I hope you’ll have a chance to kill a dragon yourself or at the least its cursed Earth Core. I know, I know. They’re all dead, but to that I say bullocks! There’s at least one in the world left and you’ll be the one to kill it!” He said and poured himself another serving of wine.
Rhona stared at him, considering her words. She had no stomach for any of this anymore. What had Palben said? If violence serves only vanity or self-gain, it is the blackest of sin. Only in defense of the weak can strength of arms be considered redeemable. Or near enough. She hadn’t forgotten what those words meant though.
Their great nation that had once trained its soldiers to protect those who
couldn’t do so themselves, but now those same soldiers fought with savage delight to claim and defend a home to call their own. When exactly did that all begin to change? Everything Brintosh now stood for seemed base and foul.
Everything her father stood for.
Her mother had picked up on her mood and reached over to rub her thumb across the back of her daughter’s knuckles. “Rhona, dear. I did want to tell you a bit about my own endeavors. Lately, I’ve taken it upon myself not only to speak with the other wives in town, as is only proper, but to rouse their intellects and sense of curiosity. Have you heard of something called a book club? See, the rules are that we each take a go at a particular story. Everyone has to read it otherwise—”
“Shut it, woman! By Briga’s drooping tits, I swear, nobody here cares a wit for the women of our town,” The man barked. “And please, will you try never to rouse the curiosity of another man’s wife. It’s a sure way to grow yourself a pair of horns!”
The cascade of laughter that followed lasted just long enough for Rhona to calm her own stoking temper. Her mother’s face registered immediate hurt, but then she pleaded with Rhona silently to keep the peace.
Yes, Mother. Always, anything to make the mule happy. I swear, if farmers lived like this, they’d feed their asses at the dining room table alongside their whelps.
When he recovered, he inhaled more of the cheap wine then gestured to his uncomfortable guest. “Why don’t you tell your old man a bit about your unit? You know I love a good story of training or battle.”
Rhona shook her head, wanting nothing less than to do such a thing. When she’d first enlisted, the two of them had grown closer for a time. Telling him all the details of her experiences created a sense of intimacy they’d never had before. Anything could do the trick, really. From the odd manner in which an officer wore their hair to an especially brutal punishment doled out on a soldier, all of her stories were taken up with greed.