When they all remained quiet, Obadiah sighed and motioned for them to follow. “Suppose we’ll start with some morning exercises,” he said.
Obadiah took them outside and had them perform everything from pushups to jumping jacks in an area of the courtyard that had been cleared of snow. Daniel’s lungs were soon burning. Since breathing had already been difficult enough with his still-sore ribs, he felt as if they were broken all over again. By the time Obadiah led them back inside, everyone was miserable, their faces painted bright red and stinging when they were greeted by the warmer interior of the keep. The only exceptions were Robin and Lace, who seemed to be only slightly winded. It was clear they were used to this type of activity, while the rest of them were clearly out of their element.
Even the short climb up the stairs to the library was a strain. All Daniel wanted to do was sit down and never move another muscle again. After they were finally inside the library, he was overjoyed when Claudia motioned for them all to sit at a table in a corner of the room.
She looked at them with a mischievous grin. “Enjoy your morning?” she asked. She was clearly amused by their irritated glares as she continued walking around the table. “Today we’ll start going over the history of Edaren. We’ll quite literally start from the beginning and give a brief overview of what we know. When I’ve finished, we will go into more detail. If you have any questions, feel free to speak up. Discussion is always helpful during these lessons. Understood?”
When everyone had nodded their assent, Claudia pulled three books off a nearby shelf, each progressively smaller than the one before it. She dropped them onto the table, making a loud thud and a cloud of dust.
She pointed to each of the books in turn. “This relates the complete history of the Third Age, this most of the Second Age, and finally this one contains bits and pieces of the First. The Dragon Guard has been around since mid–First Age and has done its best to keep a consistent set of records since. Though the records are not complete, sadly.”
“Why not?” Aaron asked. “If you’ve been around for so long, what happened to them?”
“The Dragon Guard used to be spread around the world. Thousands upon thousands of members. But the Order was nearly destroyed during a great battle fought on the shores of Edaren. Those of us that remained were among the lowest ranking and knew only so much. Even with our pooled knowledge, memory is a fickle thing, and parchment equally so. Over time there have been fires, thefts, and things simply getting misplaced. Keeping knowledge for so long is a daunting task and it’s inevitable that parts get lost.” She paused for a few moments before continuing. “Have any of you ever heard of a High Dragon?”
Clara raised her hand. “They were the first dragons. The Order of Verhova says that the day they return to Edaren signals the coming of Shade.”
Claudia frowned at the mention of the church. “Ah yes, the Order. They claim all dragons are spawns of Shade, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.”
“What do you mean?” Clara said.
“High Dragons were the first dragons, but they were never spawns of Shade. They were the first four, to be exact. They were created by Verhova as guides to mankind. Each High Dragon had a specific job to do.”
Zachery raised his eyebrows. “You’re saying dragons . . . are good?”
“Not all of them. The High Dragons were sent to our world to help teach us, to show us how to best use our gift of free will. The first born was Lestice, the Voice of Creation. Second was Ocudai the Seer. Third was Belladux the Right Hand, and finally came Cadent the Left Hand.”
A girl Daniel recognized as Jane spoke up. He had met her only briefly. Now she brushed a lock of cherry-blonde hair out of her eyes. “The Divine Order,” she said, “teaches that all dragons are creatures of evil made by Shade to torment mankind and enslave them before the arrival of the High Dragons and, in turn, Shade. Are you saying what they teach isn’t true?”
“Most of what they teach is close,” Claudia said, “but not exact. But in the end, you can believe what you want. Just know that our history is one of the primary reasons we do what we do and why our enemies do what they do. After your training is complete, I have no doubts you will be fully committed to our cause.”
Robin sat straighter in her seat as she spoke: “You said, ‘why our enemies do what they do.’ Who are they?”
“During the First Age, Cadent rebelled against the other High Dragons and Verhova.”
Alan leaned in, looking enthralled. “Why would he do that?”
“Pride. Verhova had the adoration and love of the people he created and Cadent was jealous of this. His influence spread to those around him and he quickly gained a following. When confronted by the other High Dragons, he refused to see reason and started a war. His worshipers became his army. They spread out across the world, slaughtering anyone and anything that didn’t adhere to them.”
“Why didn’t the other High Dragons stop him?” Alan asked.
“They tried. But they couldn’t be everywhere at once to deal with both him and his army. Realizing this, they formed their own.”
Aaron smiled. “The Dragon Guard.”
Claudia nodded. “The Dragon Guard was formed from those that still followed Verhova and the teachings of the remaining three High Dragons. They paved the way for the sect structure we still use.”
Griffon seemed skeptical. “How long was the war?” she asked.
“According to our records, around three thousand years.”
“A war lasted three thousand years?” Griffon said.
Claudia nodded. “Time does not ravage a High Dragon. Three thousand years is to them but a blink of an eye.”
“So they’re immortal?”
“As far as we know. Yes.” Clara raised her hand. “Clara, just speak. There’s no need to raise your hand.”
Clara put her hand down quickly. “So your enemies are the ones that followed Cadent?”
Claudia opened one of the books and flipped through the pages before sliding the book to the middle of the table. The page showed an imprint of a left hand. Only the very edges of the palm were marked, the fingers being thin and ending in a point. Surrounding it in a circle was a series of strange-looking runes. “This is the symbol of who we fight,” Claudia said, “a cult known as the Disciples of the Left Hand, more commonly called Disciples among our order. They’ve been around as long as we have but have stayed out of the eyes of the greater world.”
Daniel’s conversation with Alphonse so long ago came to mind. He’d said the Dragon Guard “ranted and raved” about cults. It was also true that there were cults around Edaren, though they seemed to have very little influence and were few and far between. Daniel felt the history lesson was a lot to absorb in one sitting. Claudia and the others here were far from crazy. The trust he’d learned to put in them during their time together on the road made it seem likely that her words were true, even if they were hard to swallow.
Jane tapped her chin. “So what happened to Cadent?” she asked.
“The battle that took place here on the shores of Edaren ended with him and Belladux clashing. We know that Cadent ultimately lost. What we don’t know is where he is now. High Dragons cannot die and we know that Belladux did not see fit to tell our predecessors where he was going when he took Cadent.”
“So they’re still alive?” Robin asked quickly. “How come we’ve never seen anything relating to them?”
“As far as we know, yes, they are alive,” Claudia said. “Though we’ve had no contact with any of them. What we do know is that over the course of not only our history, but the history of other nations, they have appeared—admittedly under different names and interpretations.”
Clara perked up at the mention of other nations. “Like what?”
Daniel too leaned in closer to ensure he heard this. He knew of the other nations in the wo
rld, though he didn’t know much. He knew that Edaren was isolationist and slow to develop their relations to the others. But he also knew that the Council in Dalisia frequently had talks with the nation of Kunkuni, which acted as Edaren’s introduction to the rest of the world. In addition he knew that Edaren had very brief and hostile first contact with the nation of Krida across the southern ocean.
“From our short history with Krida,” Claudia said, “we know that they depict dragons on their religious figureheads. Beyond that we aren’t sure. The islands of Kunkuni have a similar story of four siblings that created the world alongside their parents. All are pictured as dragons. While our knowledge of the nations beyond these two is very limited, the things we’ve seen point to the High Dragon and Verhova relationship being a reoccurring theme across the world.”
Jane seemed entirely unconvinced. “So you’re telling us that an ancient cult worshiped a High Dragon from the beginning of time. That no one has seen or heard of this High Dragon in thousands of years, and that this is what the Dragon Guard has been fighting all this time? Isn’t this just another case of a ‘reoccurring theme’ being taken too far?”
Claudia simply shrugged. “Sounds outlandish, doesn’t it?”
“Sounds like you’re all crazier than I thought,” Jane said.
“Okay, even if that’s not true, what about the regular dragons?” Griffon asked.
Claudia smiled at Griffon before answering. “All we know is that dragons were much like mankind, beings given free will. During the war, it seems most followed Cadent, thinking they were greater than mankind and clearly worthy of ruling over men. Those that survived the war and were loyal to Cadent were most likely the ones that spawned the legends and negative stories you hear now.”
“But there were good ones?” someone asked.
“There were, though they were few.”
“Are any still alive?” Daniel asked.
“There may be.”
Chapter Eighteen
5th of Landring, 27th year of the Fourth Age.
Daniel watched as Aaron swung hard to Griffon’s left. She lifted her shield before the blow reached her. When it connected, she countered by pushing back, sending Aaron’s sword back into its initial arc. Aaron used the new momentum and pivoted on one foot, bringing the sword full circle into a backhanded swing aimed at Griffon’s legs. She quickly jumped back and they resumed their standoff. They circled each other in one of the dirt rings cut into the lush green grass. Sweat covered their faces. Their padding was crossed with lines of dust where the wooden blades had connected.
One-on-one matches had been a large part of their training over the last two weeks. During that time it had become clear that Griffon and Aaron were two of the best fighters. Their match so far had lasted the longest and been, in Daniel’s opinion at least, the most interesting to watch. It was certainly a far cry longer than Daniel’s had been. He had been matched against Lace. While she wasn’t nearly as skilled as these two, she was still leagues better than he was. In the end, he had held his own longer than he’d thought he would, but he was still unaccustomed to the weight of the shield and was unable to keep his balance when swinging or blocking.
In the five months of their training, the differences in the skill set of each of them had become more and more apparent. Aaron, Griffon, and Robin had surpassed everyone at combat with Obadiah. Clara, Robert, and Alan excelled in Claudia’s lessons, while Lace was a natural in the wilderness with Austin. Zachery seemed like a jack of all trades. Daniel, however, seemed to have no discernable trait that stood out from the rest. He was average with a sword and struggled with history. He did well enough when it came to wildlife and survival techniques. This had more to do with his upbringing in Sapella and the woods around it than the training. At this point in their journey to become full-fledged Dragon Guards, he had thought he would at least start to shine in one area or another like everyone else had.
“Step in!” Obadiah shouted the order and broke Daniel’s train of thought.
The two combatants moved into the next ring without breaking their stride around the edges. The matches took place in a ring roughly twenty feet in diameter, with three smaller rings within. Every time Obadiah felt a match was dragging on, he ordered the combatants to step into the next ring to shrink the arena and force the fighters to clash. Aaron and Griffon continued their standoff until Aaron had his back to the morning sun. The moment Griffon had to squint against the light, he charged forward. He swung for her midsection, but she anticipated the blow and leaped back out of his reach just in time.
They began trading blows. Neither seemed to gain the upper hand, as each swing or jab was met with shield or sword to block it. That was until Griffon found one of the narrow divots in the otherwise even terrain of the arena. She stumbled sideways. In her effort to correct herself, she lowered her shield, allowing Aaron to jab at her exposed ribs and effectively end the match with what would be a killing blow in a real battle.
When Griffon stood again, she threw down her sword and gritted her teeth while Aaron gently placed his weapon on the nearby racks. Obadiah stepped up to Griffon as she angrily unstrapped her shield. He glared at her. Her face flushed. She quickly picked up her sword and returned it to the racks as her face gradually changed to darker shades of red. This wasn’t out of the ordinary for Griffon. When she failed at something, she tended to lash out. In spite of this, she was one of the friendliest people Daniel had met among the recruits.
Obadiah turned to the rest of them. “That marks the final match and a good start to the morning,” he said. “You’ve all improved greatly over the last several months. Now, instead of your usual lessons in the library, head over to the north gate. Austin and Claudia should have finished their preparations and will be waiting for you there.”
The twenty-two of them turned without question and headed for the north gate. As they walked, the buzz of nearly a dozen conversations filled the air. They shuffled around until everyone was in their preferred groups.
“What do you think we’ll be doing?” Daniel asked the question to no one in particular.
Clara groaned. “It better not be another race. My legs still hurt from the last one.”
Zachery shrugged. “I don’t know,” he said, “I thought the race was kind of fun.”
“You didn’t come in last.”
They had been put through various different “games,” as Austin liked to call them, from an obstacle course to a free-for-all arena fight and everything in between. At this point, they could be doing anything. They made it to the keep gate and were ushered out by the guards with a polite nod. Once on the road, they headed straight for the north gate. With the roads clear, they made good time, allowing them to arrive in a little under half an hour. They found Claudia waiting for them next to the gate. She was talking with one of the two city guards assigned to the gate. When Daniel first arrived in Vigil, he had been confused about how the city was protected, be it by Dragon Guards or a city guard. He’d discovered that the job had been split down the middle, the Dragon Guard working alongside a collection of volunteer civilians who were undertrained for the most part, though the wardens did what they could to fix that.
When Claudia saw Daniel and the others approach, she bid the guards farewell and without a word to the trainees led them through the gate and down the narrow road through the killing field.
Once they were across the field and through the outer gate, Claudia took them off the main road and over the short hills into Highwood Forest. It was where their games were usually held. The forest was almost entirely towering cedar trees and covered most of the eastern side of Edaren. After only idle chatter between the trainees and not a word from Claudia during their walk, they were glad to finally meet Austin just inside the edge of the forest. He was leaning against a tree sitting at the bottom of a small hill, waiting patiently for them to arrive. Claudia and
Austin conversed briefly as Daniel and the others formed their usual line.
Then she faced them and smiled.
“What we’re going to be doing is something the Dragon Guard has done for the last several generations,” she said. “It will test your teamwork, your survival skills, and your ability to form a strategy.”
Austin also smiled and clapped his hands together, “This game is a favorite of mine. We’ll lead some of you to a small pond and the rest to a clearing. At each one of these there is a small fort, one for each team.” He paused and let Claudia take over again.
“You will be divided right down the middle into teams of eleven,” she said. “Your goals for this exercise—”
Austin cut her off: “Game.”
“What?”
“You said exercise. Come on, at least make it sound enjoyable.”
Claudia glared at him for a moment before continuing. “This exercise revolves around teamwork and proper strategic planning. You have three available paths to victory. The first: You may take the opposing team’s flag, bring it back to your own fort, and fly it alongside your own. If your flag is not also present then you do not win. Second, you may eliminate each member of the other team through standard sparring rules. If you are hit in any area that would be considered vital, you are eliminated. Finally, you may also resort to capturing members of the opposing team and securing them with the rope that will be provided at your own fort. Whether a ‘fatal’ blow, a captured opponent, or a combination of both. Each member of the other team must be taken out.”
Griffon crossed her arms. “Doesn’t that just make this an extravagant arena match?” she said. “Fighting and eliminating the other team is the easiest and fastest way to win.”
Austin grinned and rubbed his hands together. “Now there lays one of the more interesting rules,” he said. “Each of you is allowed to eliminate only one person.”
Claudia nodded. “For example: If Griffon were to fight with and then eliminate Clara in combat, Clara would be removed from the exercise. But from that point on, Griffon would no longer be allowed to eliminate anyone else. Although she may still participate in combat, any ‘fatal’ blow she struck from that point would be invalid.”
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