by Simone Pond
Doran remained seated, holding Tynan’s reins, agony drenching his face. “Evelyn …”
“You must reach Aine before sunset and leave the village. Go away from the mountains. Toward the White Sea. I will find you. Please … just go!”
Doran lifted the reins and sucked in a breath. “For the record, I don’t like this idea one—”
Before he finished, Evelyn whacked Tynan on his backend, causing the stallion to charge forward. She sighed in relief, seeing that Doran was a safe distance away the moment the dragon swooped down from overhead and breathed out a stream of fire. The flames made a circle around her and she stood in the center of the ring, looking up to the scaly beast. This wasn’t the glorious moment she’d envisioned when she pictured encountering the dragon face-to-face for the first time. This is terrifying. The winged demon lowered itself from the darkening sky and picked her up with its sharp talons, then hoisted her upwards.
The swoop of the dragon’s giant wings beating against the wind thwacked repeatedly in her ears as they rose higher and higher. As the beast carried Evelyn toward the Vindius Mountains, she turned back to look at the village. She hoped Doran would reach Aine in time. She prayed that everyone in the village would be safely protected from the dragon for the time being. Her last prayer, before the scaly creature flew into the pitch-dark cave, was that she’d find a way out of this mess, even without the spear of Gorias at her side.
Want to know what happens next? Below is the first chapter of the next book in the series: Fire and Blood (Dragons of Galicia Book 3).
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Chapter 1 – Fire and Blood Book 3
When the dragon carried Evelyn off toward the Vindius Mountains, she had only two things on her mind. The first was whether or not Doran would reach Aine before the girl left the village. The other was how desperately she wished the spear of Gorias was in her possession. The dragon flew through an opening in the side of the mountain and into the pitch-dark cave. Evelyn realized only a rookie dragon slayer would get captured without the one weapon that could kill the beast.
The tunnels were vast caverns wide enough to accommodate the dragon as it continued deeper into the heart of the mountain. The creature dropped Evelyn onto an island of flat rock that was surrounded by a lake of boiling magma just a few feet below. It then flew off into another tunnel.
“Perfect. This is just perfect …”
The air was thick with humidity, and the bubbling lava made the temperature almost unbearable. Her clothes—drenched with perspiration—clung heavily to her sweltering skin. Breathing was becoming difficult and claustrophobia threatened to soon kick in. She quickly removed her boots. The pants were next. It felt nice to be free of the suffocating weight of the material. She pondered removing the tunic. Modesty seemed ridiculous in such insufferable heat, but she didn’t want to be nude when the dragon returned. It served as a symbolic shield from complete exposure to the beast. And so the tunic stayed. Her mother’s locket remained around her neck as well, although the hot gold chain seared her skin.
Evelyn fell into a stupor as the minutes rolled into hours and hours possibly into days. It was impossible to know precisely how much time had passed because she was certain hallucinations were kicking in. She lay on the flat stone, her body and mind melting into a puddle. How much longer could she withstand the high temperatures? If Prince Kieran had planned to use her for the summer solstice sacrifice—still a week or so away—she’d never survive without proper hydration.
The puddle of sweat had become a pool, and eventually she had no more water in her system to expel. Complete dehydration had set in. She blankly stared at the lake of orange lava, watching the bubbles make their intricate and ornate patterns. She considered rolling off the side and plunging into the hot pool below to be done with it …
Evelyn opened her eyes and murmured, “I must be out of my gourd …”
There on the ledge sat a jug of water and a basket of fruit. Had someone delivered the items? Or was it a hallucination? She reached out to touch the glass jug. It sure felt real. She propped herself up on her elbows and mustering her remaining strength, she tipped back the jar. Cool, refreshing streams of water flowed down her parched throat, chin, and neck. She set the jug upright and sighed with immense relief. Her wilted cells burst back to life.
Obviously someone wanted to keep her alive—even if barely. But that someone had grossly underestimated Evelyn. She’d use the boon as an opportunity to gain her second wind and escape from that fiery hell.
She bit into an apple. The crisp, juicy flavor shot vitality back into her body. Bite by bite, Evelyn recalled how the dragons of Galicia had once tried to destroy her mother’s family and failed. She thought about Prince Kieran keeping her father prisoner all those years, trying to kill his spirit, yet Lugh of Gorias lived. Somehow both of her family bloodlines were tied to the Galician dragons. Despite the dire circumstances, she had ended up in the cave for a reason … And it was her fate to slay the winged demon before the summer solstice and keep the entire clan from being reawakened—forever.
“I might not have the spear of Gorias, but I am still a dragon slayer.”
A familiar charge surged through Evelyn as she stood up. She was ready to face the dragon. To slay the beast and get out of that abominable cave. But as she scoped the area again, it seemed hopeless. The only way off of that rock was swimming through the lava and boiling to death. Well, there was another option …
Evelyn gathered up her items and laid them out, carefully scanning over each one. Boots with laces, pants, the rope she had used to keep them from falling down, the jug of water, and the basket of fruit. She clasped her mother’s locket, trying to channel some of her mother’s cleverness. Think. Think. Think! The temperature seemed to increase by another twenty degrees and concentrating had once again become difficult. Thirst returned with a vengeance.
When she reached down to grab the jug, the gleam of her gold locket caught her eye, and she was struck with two ideas …
Evelyn sat down and dumped out the fruit from the wicker basket, then began smashing up the thin pieces of wood. Once it was dismantled, she tightly wove the pieces together into a long rod. Satisfied with her work, she then removed the laces from the boots and tied them together, making one long strand. She chugged down a bunch of water and poured the rest over her head, hoping she wouldn’t regret that decision. She tied the strand of boot laces around the neck of the empty jug and set it aside.
Sweat dripped down her back, and droplets stung her eyes, blurring her vision. Her fingers were wet and everything was slippery, including the gold locket. It took deep focus to unclasp the chain and secure it to the end of the long rod. She secured the necklace to the end and carefully inched the rod over the lake of lava toward the front of the tunnel opening. Once the tip reached the other side, she set it down and gently placed her end onto the rock. The gold locket—though small—would hopefully be enough temptation to lure the beast into the cavern. Dragons were gluttons for gold.
Evelyn waited for the sound of flapping wings. She draped the rope that had been holding up her pants over her shoulder. Her heart hammered away. Sweat poured from her body in torrents. She tried to pull in deep breaths, but the air was too hot and stuffy. Time seemed to stand still as she waited. Her legs grew wobbly and weak. And though she had put back a lot of water, she was already feeling dehydrated again.
A sense of hopelessness crept in, and she was about to give up and sit back down when she heard the distinctive thwack, thwack, thwack of dragon wings. She carefully pulled the rod back over to her own side and removed the gold locket. She fumbled, putting it back around her neck. Then she picked up the strand of boot laces she’d attached to the jug and began swinging it in widening arcs above her head.
A gust of cool tunnel air rushed in as the enormous scaly dragon burst into the cavern. Its nostrils flared and sniffed. Evelyn’s heart lunged into her throat, but this was what she wanted. This was her only way off of t
hat rock.
The dragon swooped closer, its eyes aflame and teeth gnashing. When the beast got close enough, Evelyn swept the jug across the surface of the lava, splashing some of the fiery liquid into the dragon’s face. It shrieked and jerked its head about. She lassoed the rope up around one of the golden-tipped spikes along its back and was immediately whipped off the ground. The dragon screeched and flapped its wings as Evelyn dangled from the rope, slamming against its scaly body. The beast shook and twisted its head, trying to shake Evelyn off as it flew in manic circles above the boiling magma. She kept a sturdy grip, ignoring the scorching pain in her palm. Dropping into the lava was not an option.
During the fitful loops around the cavern, she gauged the location of the tunnel opening. When the dragon circled over the spot she’d deemed closest to the tunnel, she let go of the rope. She dropped and hit the dirt pretty hard, nearly knocking the wind out of her. She got to her feet, still clinging to the boot lace tied to the jug. She waited for the dragon to circle back around, once again spinning the jug above her head. When the creature came back around, she whipped the jug up against the dragon’s skull, stunning it.
The dragon lost control and slammed into the cave wall. One of its wings dipped into the lava, singeing a decent portion. It began flapping wildly, releasing ear-piercing shrieks. It flailed about the cavern erratically in haphazard flight. One of its talons brushed across the hot lava. More screeches thundered through the cavern. But as its flapping became more frantic, it could no longer control its flight. Its tail whipped into the boiling magma. Despite the beast’s efforts to regain control it could no longer escape gravity. It screeched and thrashed about even as it began sinking into the lake of lava. It was a pathetic sight. Evelyn might’ve empathized with the creature had she not known the history of the Galician dragons or the scorching trail of death they left behind.
Pick up Fire and Blood Book 3 here: Simone Pond’s Author Page
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Author’s Note
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Some behind the scenes of the Dragons of Galicia series …
The Dragons of Galicia series is a new area for me—if you’re familiar with my previous work, you’ll know I’ve focused mainly on urban/contemporary fantasy and dystopian fiction. When I was asked to be in a box set about dragons, I thought, why not, surely I can expand my creativity and write one story. And so it went. I began gathering my research and became deeply inspired by Celtic lore. The more I ventured into the realm of writing something from this Celtic angle, the more my curiosity grew. I pulled from my favorite nuggets of legends and lore for the inspiration behind Evelyn’s story. I thought it was going to be just one story for the box set, but I fell in love with the characters and wasn’t ready to let them go. Hence, the series was born.
I’ve always wanted to write something that involved the May Day tradition. I first learned about the tradition in one of my favorite books by Ann Rice called The Witching Hour. The yearly celebration, which happens on the first of May, has had various meanings throughout the centuries. For the purpose of my story, I wanted to use a pagan slant mixed with the Great British May Day tradition, which is typically associated with towns and villages celebrating springtime fertility (of the soil, livestock, and people). Once I had the beginning “seeds” of my story, I needed to create a fierce and lovable heroine, an intriguing cast of characters, an adventurous setting, and of course … dragons.
When I think of dragons, I automatically think of castles and mountains and hamlets (and of course Game of Thrones). So for my setting, I began by researching ancient regions throughout Europe as my starting point. Several interesting names came up (though they’re no longer called by these), and I picked the ones that sang out to me. I settled on “Galicia” for the northern region because it sounded powerful and noble. I explored the surrounding areas, which had interesting ancient names as well. When I came across the town of Ocelum, I knew it had to be the name of Evelyn’s hamlet. The Vindius Mountains were to play a major role in the story setting, as well as Bispos Peak, which were a blend of names from different regions. Originally, I planned to name the dragons the Vindius Dragons because that was their place of birth. But a dear and brilliant writer friend (thanks, Emily!) suggested using the name of the region from which they hailed, so I went with the Dragons of Galicia. It just sounds more powerful—and fitting for dragons.
One of my favorite parts of the story development process is deciding on which names to assign my characters. I love researching names and their meanings. I never name characters just because it sounds catchy. Every character name has meaning and often a story behind it. Evelyn means light, and since she is my heroine, I found this name appropriate. She is a force of light in the dark world. My other novels share a common theme throughout—the battle between light and dark (or good and evil). I chose a name which represent darkness for the villain of the story. No spoilers.
Deirdre, who is Evelyn’s mother, is an old Celtic name with much tragedy associated with it. I thought this suited her character because of her tragic backstory. The character Lugh of Gorias is straight out of Irish mythology. Lugh was a member of the Tuatha Dé Danann, a mythical Celtic race of great warriors. Lugh was a benevolent godlike warrior with many magical talents and was entrusted with the invincible spear of Gorias. I took the liberty of giving him the title of “dragon slayer” for my story.
I hope you’ve enjoyed seeing a snippet of my writing process and some of the thought that went into writing the series. And I hope you enjoy Evelyn’s journey! There are three books in the Dragons of Galicia Series, so be sure check them out. Fire and Fate (Dragons of Galicia Book 1) Parts 1 & 2, Fire and Chains (Dragons of Galicia Book 2), and Fire and Blood (Dragons of Galicia Book 3).
BY SIMONE POND
Dragons of Galicia Series
Fire and Fate (Dragons of Galicia Book 1) Parts 1 & 2
Fire and Chains (Dragons of Galicia Book 2)
Fire and Blood (Dragons of Galicia Book 3)
The Mysterium Chronicles
Exodus of Magic Book 1
River of Magic Book 2
Wrath of Magic Book 3
Mysterium: The Oracle’s Foretelling (Prequel)
The Coastview Prophecies
Hidden Sight Book 1
Beyond Sight Book 2
Armor of Magic Series
Sacred Light Book 1
Rising Light Book 2
Edge of Light Book 3
The New Agenda Series
The City Center Book 1
The Mainframe Book 2
The Torrent Book 3
The New Agenda Prequel
Swarmed: A Dystopian Novel
Voices of the Apocalypse: A Collection of Short Stories
Visit simonepond.com for more information.