Cypher Theorem Series Box Set: Books 1-3, The Zero Class, Shadow Moon, Dragon Fire: A Science Fiction Fantasy

by Mark Brandon Powell

  Vernon tries to speak, but his mouth is dry. He nods, while slowly sitting up.

  “He ran away, and you were able to hold him off.”

  “That was all I could do.” He squeaks out.

  “Did he get any of the eggs that were here?” Gos asks.

  “I didn’t see anything get loaded up into those trucks, but he might have loaded them before we got here.”

  Vernon looks over at the tree wall that the elephant drigh was smashing through, and the tree that was broken looks pushed back into place.

  “What’s behind there you think?” Vernon asks.

  “It is probably the heart of the forest. It should be where they gathered some of the eggs. Also Dragon’s Bark should be protecting this place.”

  “Who or what is Dragon’s Bark.”

  “He is the ancient tree we dragons have made a contract with. He helps us protect our eggs, and we leave them alone.”

  “How would you leave them alone if they are protecting your eggs. Don’t you have to give them new ones and come looking for the newly hatched ones?”

  “Dragons do not breed like humans do. It is only once ever hundred years or so that dragons mate, and even then it is not guaranteed that offspring will be produced. If a litter of eggs is made, they can take hundreds years to hatch. We grow at a slow rate, but have very long lives.”

  “Crazy, you weren’t kidding. You go through two human life times before you have one kid.”

  “Yes well, the whelps do sometimes eat the other eggs, so there is never any telling how many will survive.”

  Dray-Gos taps at the tree wall, as if looking for something. Vernon starts to watch him as he does.

  “What’s he doing?”

  “He’s looking for the dragon rune embedded into the tree, it will let Dragon’s Bark know we are here, and to not try to kill us.”

  “Well that’s good to know. What’s it look like?”

  “It only reacts to dragons, so no other species can enter the heart other than the ents and dragons.”

  Gos taps on the broken tree, and finds the rune. A large purple circle, centered on the broken tree, appears. Runic symbols move within the ring. The tree wall uproots itself, moving a few feet out from themselves, opening to a hidden spring of water, covered in dragon eggs.

  A huge tree is in the middle of the spring, it’s bark has been marred and stripped bare in some places. Vernon’s head feels pressure as he gets the feeling that someone is watching him.

  “What do you want here human?” The voice booms in his mind.

  Vernon’s eyes cross processing the voice in his head.

  Dray-Gos say, “Dragon’s Bark, it is I Dray-Gos, and this human has helped defend this place. We have come seeking our eggs. They are being hunted, as now are you because they are near. My father and I are here to take them away.”

  Dragon’s Bark projects, “Are you saying that our contract is finished?”

  “I am only here to protect the eggs, as you are. I do not speak for the dragons for that matter.”

  “Then what say you king of dragons, De Gon Draydeos, has the contract been met?”

  Dray-Gon says, “Only if you wish it to be Frin Hegus Brey. You have defended my kin at the loss of your own. The old debts have been fulfilled.”

  “I am the last of my kind left, the drigh have been killing my brethren since the last full moons. I cannot keep our contract any longer even if I wish to.”

  Vernon looks around at the trees, and can see all the ones that are broken, and destroyed. Noticing how many were blocking the path they came in on that have been ripped out of the way. He sees the bodies of drigh in piles burning, and realizes how many there were in the forest.

  Dray-Gon walks over to Vernon, and helps him off the ground. His legs feel like jello, but is able to stand.

  Vernon asks, “Can the tree hear me, or is it like a psych thing?”

  “I can hear you human, what is it that you want?”

  “Do you know what they are doing with the eggs?”

  “No I do not.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “I will stay here, if you are taking the eggs the attackers won’t have a reason to come back, and I will be left alone. This is the way my kind have always wanted, to be left alone.”

  Dray-Gon says, “There is one task I ask of you, if you don’t mind?”

  Dragon’s Bark replies, “What is it my old comrade?”

  “There is a forest a few hundred miles from here, with a nice lake in the middle of it all. Could you take the eggs there, I have already moved some I found recently there.”

  “I will do this as my last task to you.”

  “Thank you, this will allow me to focus on the task at hand.”

  Gon and Gos bow to the great tree, and shift back into dragon form. Dray-Gos grabs Vernon and flies through the tree tops, Gon right behind them, and make their way back to the car. They had been out of range for the HVN to work, and mid-flight it reconnects. Vernon dreads the reconnection, wondering if there was some horrible news that took place while he was so far away.

  Luckily, there was nothing important at all. A handful of marketing messages, and that was it. They land at the car, only taking a few minutes to fly there from what was left of the Wandering Forest.

  “Alright, what’s next?” Vernon asks.

  “We go after Hood, but I know not where to look.” Gon replies.

  “That’s not easy, I think I know where to go, but it might be too obvious. The tunnel I pulled you out of, it might lead right to him, but I think I need to call in help. Since I can’t go to the Paladins, I can try the Knights.”

  “What are they going to be able to do?” Gos says dismissively. “They are just glorified police. They aren’t meant to go up against magical juggernauts like Hood or Paladins.”

  “All I know is we need help, and we don’t have very many places to turn. The only problem is that you two can’t go all dragon-y with them around.”

  “Are there any you are close with, that you could tell them about us?” Gon questions.

  “Maybe, but I’m not sure. There are two I have talked to, but it’s not like I know them.”

  “If we need help like you say we do, then this would be the best solution.”

  Vernon thinks about the idea of asking Vick and Sam for help. He knows they hate Paladins, but at the same time they do want to close this case down and they want to do it themselves.

  “Alright, you have a point, I will call them up and tell them to meet me.”

  23

  “You did what!?” Sam says over the voice call.

  Vernon hears the angry tone in her voice. He was halfway expecting it to be there, but just didn’t know what she was going to say. Of course she was angry, he thinks, he had just gone over her head like every other Paladin that she has ever come across.

  He says, “I found Hood again, and he’s bringing in a shipment of materials for his next batch of X’cel.”

  “Do they train all you Paladins to be bastards, or is it just how they select them.”

  “I think it was the second course I took, how to be a bastard 101.”

  Sam lets out a laugh. “You’ve got balls you know that rookie?”

  “I do indeed, so that means that you and Vick are going to help me?”

  “It does, I will meet you there just don’t pull anything like you did the other day.”

  “I won’t, trust me on that. You don’t know what I have been putting up with for the last couple of days.”

  “Alright rookie, see you there.”

  Vernon took Dray-Gon and Dray-Gos to the meeting spot that he told Sam about. It’s called The Dungeon. It’s a small place that is filled with games, tabletop and virtual. The owner has a thing for bringing back the physical touch and feel of things, even though virtually you can touch and feel it the same. Vernon and Marie had just started going there, after they got back from their cruise, looking for something to
do as a couple.

  They found old Earth games, like monopoly, life, and scrabble. Marie preferred them to be virtual, because they didn’t have to put anything up afterward, but Vernon didn’t mind either one. There was a certain appeal to it being there in the physical world that he couldn’t describe.

  Walking into the store, Vernon sees Hank behind the counter. The store has an open area right as you enter, filled with racks in the center, which are covered in figurines ready to be put together. Toward the back of the store is a hallway which leads to four room each with a table and chairs. These rooms are there for people who want to have a gaming night, and have it in private. To the right of the room, is a door leading into an open room filled with tables and chairs.

  Hank is an older man, somewhere in his late thirties to forties. Graying hair, a thick neatly trimmed beard, and made of muscle. His body looked as though he was training for a mixed magical arts league. He looks up from behind his counter, where he was meticulously putting together a figurine under a magnifying glass and light.

  Vernon says “Hey Hank, I need to rent a room in the back for a bit, you got one open?”

  Hank grunts, and points toward the back of the room, holding up three fingers.

  Hank doesn’t talk much, and hasn’t said more than his name to Vernon since he’s known him. He thinks it’s a little odd, seeing as he owns a store, and would need to talk to customers. Hank doesn’t seem to agree with that though, and does things how he pleases.

  “Thanks Hank.” Vernon says.

  He goes into the hallway, and into the second room on the right, room three. Inside there was a nice wood table, surrounded by tall backed chairs. There were four displays around the room, where anyone can upload data to them for the group to see. Each of the chairs also reclined to allow for HaLO diving, the term most people associate with completely immersing yourself into a virtual world.

  Vernon sends a message over to Sam, telling her what room to meet him in once they get there. Gon and Gos wait silently in the room with Vernon. Ten minutes pass before Vernon speaks.

  “Are you two sure this is the right thing to do?”

  “This is our only option, correct?” Gon says.

  “I think so, but I don’t know. There might be something else we can do. If we tell them, and show them what you are, I don’t know how they’re going to react. I guess we will just have to wait and see.”

  The door opens, Sam and Vick walk into the room.

  Sam says, “Go ahead and tell me rookie, what are they.”

  “Hey Chief Carson, didn’t know you were there.”

  “I like it better that way, I hear the truth when that happens. So spill it.”

  Vernon goes over his last couple of days with her and Vick. As they listen, there is no change of expression in their faces.

  Sam says, “These two are dragons, and they are going to prove it by changing into them? Here?”

  Vernon says, “That’s the short of it yea.”

  “Then let’s see it.”

  Vernon nods over to Dray-Gon, he gets out of his seat, shifting form into his half-man half-dragon form. Sam and Vick still don’t have much of a reaction, it is more like curiosity than surprise.

  “Is that it princess?” Vick asks.

  “No, but just look at him, how do you explain that?”

  “Magic, how else. Just because he can shift forms doesn’t make him a dragon. Plus he doesn’t even look like one.”

  Gon says, “You doubt my validity as one of draconic blood?”

  Vick glares at him, “I do. The shit that I’ve seen in my lifetime, this doesn’t even register. The only way I would believe something like this is to see you bleed. Dragons, from what I have heard, have yellow blood. That’s something I’ve never seen before.”

  Gon huffs at him, blowing thick black smoke through his nostrils. “You dare ask me, to bleed. I should rip your head off your shoulders with my fangs.”

  Gos holds his hand up toward his father. “It’s alright father, I will do it. No need to spill your blood.” He looks over to Vick. “I would assume this would satisfy you as well, for validating both of us?”

  Vick scratches at his stubble, “Yea I guess it would.”

  Gos nods.

  His hand shifts into that of a giant claw, one that would be his true size, but the rest of his human body remains. The claws dig into his scales, and come trickling out as beads of shimmering yellow.

  “Is this proof enough for you?” Gos says with a smile.

  Sam and Vick finally show surprise across their faces.

  Vick says, “Holy shit, you’re real. Talking, shape shifting, fire breathing dragons are real. Alright Chief, looks like I owe you twenty credits.”

  Sam smiles at him, “Keep it, and you can buy me some beer later. Something tells me we’re going to need after this case.”

  Gos says, “I do believe that Vernon has a good plan. I just think no matter which way we look at it, things are going to go badly.”

  Vernon says, “I agree with that, I don’t really know how much of a chance we have, but we still need to try it.”

  Vernon lays everything out on the table going over the plan putting up what he has on the displays around the room for everyone to see.

  Vick takes a copy of the map that Marie had pulled off of what was left at the crime scene. He says, “Do you know what you have here?”

  “No I don’t, but I know they lead somewhere.” Vernon replies.

  “That’s why you are a rookie. This is a map of tunnels under the city. You said that there is a huge dug out area under the warehouse district, right?”

  “Yea I did.”

  “Did you line this up with a map of the city?”

  Vernon looks at everyone in the room, and presses his hand to his face. “No, I didn’t.” He says.

  “Let’s do that.”

  Pulling up a city map Vernon lays the map over it changing the opacity to make it less visible, but still have the outline. There are clear lines leading out of the city, but nothing that looks like it leads to another city or dome. There are a few tunnels that look like they end within the dome, one of which ends right under the sage school.

  Vernon checks the map twice, because it doesn’t make sense. He was just there a couple of days ago, and nothing seemed out of the ordinary there at all. Selief Mativ was a nice man, and he is also his best friends adopted father. It doesn’t make any sense that he would be an accomplice to it all. He doesn’t want to tell Duke anything until he can confirm what he’s seeing. Just because a map from a criminal is found doesn’t mean that it’s real. It could be a fake or plant to mislead them.

  “I need to go confirm if this place is actually the end of the tunnel.” Vernon says.

  “Why’s that?” Vick asks.

  “My best friend’s father is the guy that runs the place. There’s no way that he would be mixed up in all this.”

  Sam says, “You don’t know that. Nice people fly under the radar all the time. There is always someone who we question that says the crazy murder was the nicest person they knew.”

  Vernon looks away. “I know what you think of me, and that I am inexperienced in all of this. You’re right, but I still want to believe that he is a good man, before I condemn him on something like this. We don’t even know if it’s real.”

  “You might be right on that, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be careful. One wrong move, or wrong question can tip the guy off and then you wind up dead.” Vick says.

  “I will take that chance, I need to take that chance.”

  Vick looks at him, squinting his eyes. “Alright princess, but it’s your funeral.”

  Vernon’s stomach starts to tie itself into knots. He feels there isn’t something right here, or that something doesn’t add up. The idea that he might hurt Duke, by taking down his father for something eats at him.

  He says, “Alright, I’m going to go check out the sage school, and you check out th
e tunnels. Take Dray-Gon and Dray-Gos with you. If there are too many people with me, and he really is guilty it might tip him off.”

  Sam smiles, “You know that sounds like a good plan. If he is guilty then he still think you don’t know anything, and if he isn’t, there isn’t any reason to worry.”

  “I am hoping it’s the latter.” Vernon says.

  “Me too.”

  Vernon heads out to the car, and takes an inventory of what he has available to him. His dragon leather duster is in better shape than he realized. It won’t be able to take a hit like he did in the forest, but it might stop a few attacks, or if nothing else dull a big one. His gunlet is still operational, but there aren’t any bullets left for it. He could try calling Tyler again, but he hasn’t been answering. His .45 caliber is also out of bullets. The only thing that is still working at full capacity is his runic boots, which were a present from Marie over four years ago. They are just as comfortable as they were the day she got them. The wind runes that were etched into the leather had been crafted by an extremely skilled runic worker. He didn’t know of many runic workers that are able to craft at that kind of level, which is a skill within itself.

  There was time for him to find ammunition if he was just searching for Hood, but there wasn’t time if he wanted to make sure the eggs would be safe. He gets into the car, and powers it on, setting the location for the sage school. Praying that he isn’t right.

  24

  The school appears in the distance, and Vernon stops about a block away. He didn’t want to alert anyone that might be looking for cars driving up. He still didn’t know what to think about the situation. Selief Mativ was a nice man, whom he had meet with twice, and nothing tipped him off. It’s not like he has a sixth sense about people, but he has always had good judgment of who he can and can’t trust.

  Getting out of the car he checks the trunk again, making sure there wasn’t something in there he missed. Guns are still empty, the runes in his duster are still partly broken, and he still feels like his mana is swimming in syrup. The schools lights were on, and it was about five in the morning. All the sages in training would be getting out of bed and starting their day of training, and learning. Vernon’s vision goes dark, as he hears his name being called.