ASHES AND SPIRITS
Copyright © 2015 A.D. Trosper
All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without prior written permission of the publisher.
This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead is entirely coincidental.
Published by
Silver Spirit Publishing
Print edition ISBN numbers:
ISBN-13: 978-0692375273
ISBN-10: 0692375279
ALSO BY A.D. TROSPER
The Dragon’s Call Series
Embers at Galdrilene
Book One
Tears of War
Book Two
Tales From Galdrilene
A New Beginning
The Bound Series
Bound by Time
Children’s Books
The Legend of Christmas Magic
Multi-Author Collections
Tales by the Tree
In Creeps the Night
I would like to thank my readers more than anything. Without you, this series wouldn’t be near as much fun to write. Your emails, comments, and messages have been wonderful and I treasure each one. As this part of Dragon’s Call draws to a close, know that I can never express well enough how much I appreciate you.
I also owe a thank you to my family. They have had to hear me rant when my muse deserted me, do without me while I wrote, and listen to me talk about it way too much.
Another thank you must go out to Wichita Archery for their knowledge on arrows and specifically what night arrows sound like (once it was clear that it was for a fictional battle and that I wasn’t intending to actually shoot someone with an arrow).
Also, many thanks to the people who delve into the secrets of volcanoes and those who thought to record the action when a volcano erupted. And thank you to the USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory.
And finally, thank you to my editor for the meticulous work she put into keeping me consistent and her brilliant suggestions. And to the team at Blue Harvest Creative for their incredible cover design, gorgeous interior, and amazing eBook. You took my manuscript and turned it into a beautiful book.
For the readers who love Dragon’s Call
Maleena stood in the middle of a blackened field. Ash floated through the air like snow. Tears streaked her face as she slowly turned, and a fist closed over her heart. Tellnox lay still and crumpled on the burnt ground, his brilliant-green scales charred. A long, jagged tear laid his neck open from jaw to shoulder. Mckale lay not far from Tellnox, his silver eyes staring sightlessly at the sky.
With a sob, Maleena turned away. Her eyes fell on Kellinar’s body. Next to him, Shryden’s now white scales were evidence of a dragon that died after his rider. Taela wandered lost and screaming through the battlefield. Paki’s body lay partially submerged in the perfectly round and still lake.
Syrakynn raised her voice in keening sorrow as she dragged herself across the ground to her fallen rider. With each passing moment, more of the red washed from her scales.
Loki leaned against Merru. Both of them bled heavily from too many wounds. Serena sat next to her dead Miya, her eyes filled with loss and desperation as she stared off into nothing.
Maleena turned, frantically searching for Nydara. The silver lay behind her, both wings shattered beyond repair and one back leg useless. It was too much. Too much sorrow, too much devastation, too much…
Nowhere could she find Vaddoc and Namir. In her heart, she knew. Knew they had died before this battle ever happened. Died defending the Yari as they fled the shadows. Knew exactly when and how they had died.
The screech of a Shadow Dragon spun her around. More Kojen charged over the battlefield. Maleena grabbed a discarded sword, perhaps one of Mckale’s, and braced herself. Despite the pain in her wings, Nydara pulled herself forward. Using the last of her strength, the silver sent fire into the sky to hold off the Shadow Dragon while Maleena met the wave of Kojen.
There were far too many, but Nydara could no longer fly. Maleena fought with her last breath to defend the silver. Pain exploded in her head as a Kojen sword connected. Darkness closed over her as she fell to the ground. Nydara’s grief-filled roar echoed in her ears as the world faded…
The image shifted…
Maleena worked a weave she had only used once before under the direction of a much older dragon. Mckale and Tellnox tried to keep the shadows at bay while Nydara made defensive moves as Maleena wove. It was nearly finished, two more threads…
A black dragon crashed into Nydara and the weave fumbled. A wave of white-light burst away from Maleena, ripping apart and destroying everything in its path. The explosion stunned Maleena and knocked Nydara from the sky. The dragon tumbled toward the lake.
The last thing Maleena saw before Nydara hit the surface of the still water was the blast tearing her friends from the sky. Then the dead lake claimed her and the silver, and their souls fled…
The image shifted…
Again, it ended in everyone’s death, including hers. Over and over the images shifted, each one different and yet each one ending the same. The Shadow Riders won. The Guardians and their dragons were all killed.
Until the last image…
This one showed her friends mostly intact, the Shadow Riders and their dragons dead along with the Kojen. What she saw in the sky stunned her. As the image faded, Maleena saw herself in Mckale’s arms as he wept into her hair. Nydara lay nearby, her silver scales slowly fading.
Emallya’s familiar voice whispered through her mind, “The unfinished weave is the only way.”
Maleena shook her head slightly and reached for the voice, desperate to hear it once more, but it was gone. She turned the images over, examining them for any information she might have missed. Each one had ended in her death. The last one though showed her friends still alive, which meant her child would live and have a family. Her life for those of everyone she loved. If Nydara were willing, it would be a fair exchange. Either way, she would most likely die.
“I will make the sacrifice with you, and we shall go together into Maiadar. It will be a worthy death,” Nydara sent.
Maleena sent a wave of gratitude to the silver. “Then we will do what we must to ensure the lives of the others.”
Mckale and Tellnox would live; they would be there to raise the baby. Tears stung Maleena’s eyes as she pulled her hand back from the glass-smooth surface of the lake, allowing her magic to dissipate. She swallowed the sorrow she felt, knowing Mckale would sense it and leaned back just as the sun broke the eastern horizon.
The unfinished weave…there was only one way to get it.
“Maleena?” Mckale’s gentle voice reached through the horror of the images as he knelt on one knee next to her. “What did you see? I feel your grief. Is there no hope at all?”
She rested one hand on her large belly and took a couple of deep breaths to steady her emotions. She focused her energy on cleansing her heart of the lingering sadness, thankful Mckale could only read her emotions and not her thoughts. Only then did she finally notice the cold wind and the thin sheet of snow that covered everything but the smooth, sandy shore.
Maleena looked up into Mckale’s silver eyes. “There is hope. It is small and everything won’t end happily for everyone, but it’s hope nonetheless.”
He ran his hand down the side of her face, gently brushing back her hair. “How will it end? What will happen?”
S
he shook her head and laid her palm on his cheek. “I have no way of knowing for sure, my love. The lake only shows what could be, what might happen in the future. It gives no solid answers. That is why Emallya said it was so dangerous. Too many people forget that it only offers possibilities.” Maleena didn’t plan to tell him that she had went through all the scenarios the lake offered. It would do no good. The future would be what it would be.
Maleena placed her hand in Mckale’s. “Help me up; it grows uncomfortable to sit here for too long.”
Mckale’s large, strong hands helped her gain her feet. Her ever-expanding belly made getting up from the ground difficult. With a sigh, she placed her hands on the small of her back and arched slightly to stretch. “I need to speak with Kellinar and Taela.”
“They are still in New Sharren. I think they feel if they keep busy enough helping to build and resettle the Mallay people there, then they won’t have to think about Anevay.” Mckale frowned. “Why do you need to speak with them? And do you think you should be going that far at this point?”
A deep pang of sadness struck her heart at the mention of Anevay. Only three months had passed and she still found herself ready to ask her friend a question, only to remember she was now in Maiadar. Just as the pain of losing Emallya and Bardeck had yet to ease, so too did the loss of Anevay. “I must talk with them because Anevay’s unfinished weave is the only hope I found.”
Mckale shook his head. “Taela already tried to figure out what Anevay was creating and has been unable to.”
She snorted. “Taela spent less than an hour in the records room. She didn’t really try, and we won’t know for sure until she does.”
“As you said, just because one can read the book doesn’t mean they have an ability to create new weaves. That was Anevay’s talent alone.”
“I know.” Maleena nodded. “Still, I have to talk with them. Taela can try again. She and Kellinar both are going to have to face the loss of Anevay eventually. The rest of us have.” She sighed and glanced at the still surface of the lake. “If she can’t finish what Anevay began, there might be another way to get the rest of the weave. But it will be a huge risk to them both.”
“How?”
“I’m not sure it can even be done yet. I will have to speak with Taela first. Until then, I’m not entirely sure of all the possibilities.”
“Fine. If you must talk in circles then you must. Sometimes you sound so much like Emallya with these enigmatic explanations…” Mckale sighed. “We will go to the border tomorrow.”
Maleena frowned at him. “No, I will go now.”
“Maleena, please. You need to rest. This alone,” he motioned toward the lake, “has drained your energy enough. If you want to argue about it, then I will speak with Nydara. See how fast you get to the border without a dragon.”
Nydara huffed a rumble of agreement. Maleena shot a glare at the silver, knowing the dragon would take Mckale’s side. “All right, tomorrow then.”
She gathered her heavy wool cloak around her then turned and walked toward the silver dragon. Mckale would need to help her into the saddle again. It seemed grace and ease of movement would continue to be a thing of the past until the baby was born. With a sigh, she stopped next to Nydara and looked up at the saddle. Even with the addition of the second lower stirrup, it was impossible to reach with her belly in the way.
With mirth in his eyes, Mckale stepped to her side and held out a hand. “My lady.” He bowed slightly.
Maleena laughed. “You are really enjoying my lack of mobility, aren’t you?”
“Of course, it means our child grows well and healthy. Besides, you look beautiful pregnant.” He bent and brushed a kiss across her lips.
She shook her head and rubbed a hand over her belly, feeling the baby kick strong. If the child would only quit propping his or her foot in Maleena’s ribs at night, she might get some sleep. She sent a mock glare at Mckale. “Don’t lie, Mckale. I look like a bloated cow. My stomach makes me wider than I am tall.”
Mckale threw his head back and roared with laughter, the deep timbre floating across the still and silent lake. When he regained control, he looked at her with warm amusement dancing in his eyes. “You hardly look like that, my lady. I remember my mother’s belly getting much larger than yours when she was pregnant with Sonja.”
Maleena waved away the comment. “From what you have said, your mother was almost as tall as Sonja. I highly doubt a large, pregnant stomach made her look as unwieldy as I do.”
He chuckled. “You can look into my mind and see that I’m not lying. You are beautiful like this.”
She rolled her eyes. He very well may think she looked beautiful, but she didn’t feel it. She felt huge and uncomfortable. “Let’s get back to Galdrilene since you insist that I rest. Tomorrow I have to speak with Taela. If what I’m thinking is possible, there will much to prepare.”
Kellinar worked a weave of air to maneuver another large square block into place. The sun pressed down on him, warmer than he thought it would be for the Ash Plains between Shadereen and Calladar. The Mallay people who had decided to settle here and create their own nation, rather than integrate with another, had named it New Sharren.
After setting the block carefully in place, Kellinar wiped away the sweat that rolled down his face and looked around. It wasn’t much of a nation yet. A cobbled together camp stretched halfway around the building site. The people of the Mallay had endured late summer storms in structures that were barely more than tents and worked from sun up to sun down, sometimes beyond, to bring their dream of a future to life. They would need to finish the housing soon. Though unusually warm now, he sensed the change coming. The warm, late fall weather was about to give way to winter.
Galdrilene offered its full support. Providing materials, livestock, traveling rations, mages, craftsmen and women, and of course, Kellinar and Taela. Jocelynn and Varnen had also come. Jocelynn led the mages in the work of molding the large blocks of stone together from the Galdrilene Mountains. Varnen lifted blocks and other materials in place using air.
Kellinar worked in the middle of the site where several modest houses were in the process of going up. He glanced farther out where Jocelynn worked on the wall that grew steadily each day. It would eventually reach a full dragon-length high and encompass a large city. Right now, it was only halfway there in both height and girth.
During the month the people of the Mallay were getting ready to travel to their new home, Belan, Vesnar, and Telain went to Galdrilene to learn the workings of the city. Inspired, they were determined to run New Sharren under Dragon Law, the same as Galdrilene.
Kellinar smiled, remembering the excitement and hope of the displaced people when they first stepped through the tall waving grass of their new home. Neither emotion had died in the nearly two months since. With the help of the members of the guilds from Galdrilene, the New Sharrens were learning to make quality clothing, weapons, and household items among a myriad of other things.
The construction of the University was nearly complete on the north side of the growing city. For now, Davin Po and a few others from the University in Galdrilene directed lessons on reading, writing, counting, history, and mapping the stars on the open prairie beneath a small group of scraggly trees coaxed into growing by Jocelynn.
The open grasslands beyond the city were no longer empty. A large herd of goats browsed the bushes that grew along the deep river of clean water that cut through the endless prairie in a wide depression. Some included those saved from the Mallay, their tan coats and white legs making them stand out from the others that were donated by various nations. The long-eared breed from Calladar, the breed from Galdrilene with ears so tiny they could barely be seen. The smaller, dark gray goats from Shadereen, and the solid whites from Boromar, the largest breed. Several from Boromar were trained to harness, and they pulled small wagons as they accompanied those who ventured far afield to gather what the land had to offer to supplement the food supply
.
The new breeds of goats were not the only new animals. Geese, once a forbidden food in the Mallay, were now attended by several young boys and girls as shepherds. In Trilene, goose meat and eggs were considered a status food, and the consumption of it by anyone outside of the Trilene District was illegal and the law strictly enforced. No longer. Haraban had given New Sharren a good-sized flock. Sheep were also a new addition to the diet of the budding nation.
As the call rang out for the mid-day meal, Kellinar looked to the east where Shryden dozed in the sun with Paki and Adirynn, waiting to be called to transport more supplies. Behind the dragons, the newly finished, massive rock berm rose high into the air with ledges jutting out from its sides at regular intervals. Atop it sat Varnen’s blue, Abrax, as he kept the afternoon watch.
One of Belan’s first orders of business was to implement the construction of a place for dragons. No one had protested other than the dragons and their riders; they wanted the New Sharrens taken care of first. The people of New Sharren were grateful to the dragons and their riders, and had insisted on seeing the berm started before they would work on anything else. A major effort over several weeks by Mckale, Jocelynn, the Earth mages and even Kirynn and several Fire mages had created the new Dragon Hold that also served as a protective barrier to the east. It wasn’t the caldera at Galdrilene, but it was comfortable enough and the dragons were grateful.
Several people walked by, each greeting him as Di’shan Kellinar. He smiled and nodded, doing his best to hide the discomfort he felt when addressed by his title, especially since many of them had watched him grow up.
The workers descended on the makeshift camp where women and men unable to help with building due to small children or age offered a variety of dishes for those coming in for the mid-day meal. Older children dashed among the tent houses, happy to be free from their lessons under Davin Po and the other instructors.
Ashes And Spirit (Book 3) Page 1