LEGEND OF THE WHITE DRAGON:
LEGENDS
The sorceress Lusiradrol, exiled to human form thousands of years earlier from her life as the terrible black dragon, has awakened her Red Clan. The true dragons are ready to renew their ancient wars to save the world, but they cannot do it alone. Unfortunately, the magi and the two races of men are far from ready to face the darkness unleashed by Lusiradrol.
The white dragon was made to banish her, one who could unite all beings of Light, but his return is not as any foresaw. Through a woman who guards his power and his spirit, he will be reborn. But will he be too late to save the world?
LEGEND OF THE WHITE DRAGON:
LEGENDS
(Book 1 of 3)
by
Melanie Nilles
All rights reserved.
Legend of the White Dragon: Legends
E-serial Copyright © 2009 by Melanie Nilles
E-book Copyright © 2010 by Melanie Nilles
Cover Art
Copyright © 2010 by Melanie Nilles
Published by Prairie Star Publishing; Bismarck, North Dakota.
All Rights Reserved.
For information, contact Melanie Nilles at [email protected] or online at www.melanienilles.com.
Table of Contents
__________________
Introduction: The Dragon’s Return
Jayson
Calli
Jayson
Makleor
Lusiradrol
Damaera
Calli
Jayson
Istaria
Dorjan
Vahrik
Calli
Calli and Jayson
Tyrkam
Makleor
Dorjan
Lusiradrol
Jayson and Calli
Jayson
Damaera
Calli
Istaria
Marjan
Calli
Shadow and Jayson
Shadow and Gaispar
Calli
Damaera
Calli
Gaispar
Makleor and Dorjan
Vahrik and Lusiradrol
Gaispar
Damaera
Calli
Jayson
Marjan
The Stone of Arromefîrdra
Vahrik
Jayson, Shadow, and Istaria
Gaispar
Jayson
Dorjan
Jayson
Damaera
Shadow
Makleor
Jayson
Jayson
Vahrik
Marjan
Lusiradrol
Shadow
Jayson and Lusiradrol
Istaria
Darius
Jayson
Gaispar
Istaria
Tahronen
Vahrik
Jayson
Istaria
Tahronen
Jayson
Gayleana
Lusiradrol
Jayson
Vahrik
Damaera
Gayleana
Vahrik
Jayson
Gayleana
Istaria
Jayson
Jayson
LEGEND OF THE WHITE DRAGON:
LEGENDS
by
Melanie Nilles
Introduction:
The Dragon’s Return
Setheadroc. Formerly known as senthir rî Afdroc, or “hill of the Dragon”, the resting place of the white dragon. Through time it passed into legend, its meaning forgotten by men of the Second Race, along with those who named it and were driven out and those who lived in a time of war against a darkness fouler than any man could imagine.
Thousands of years and hundreds of wars later, a palace was built on the hill. Noble and grand and home of the royal family of Cavatar, the greatest nation of the continent of Ayrule, this glorious structure stood out among others. Constructed with the exquisite beauty of Rivon architecture and the blood and sweat of Cavatar citizens, it testified to the strength of the alliance between Cavatar and Rivonia.
But not all had forgotten the legends.
Driven by a desire to break the alliance lasting hundreds of years, one man raised an army to conquer Cavatar. In his quest for power, the man known only as Tyrkam sought the forgotten secret of Setheadroc. He arranged the abduction of the quiet princess Istaria Isolder with the hopes of appealing to the spirit guarding the power of the white dragon resting beneath the palace. Little did he know that power was already possessed by the princess when she escaped with the woodsman, Darius.
Determined to conquer all of Cavatar, Tyrkam laid careful plans to seize the palace quickly. With the cooperation of one of the local lords willing to betray his king for the right price, he succeeded and named himself Overlord.
However, while his army maintained order of his new empire, they could not subdue the hearts of the people, particularly the personal attendant of the princess. Calli would not sit idly by while imagining her friend suffering. Regretting her inability to stop the bandits who took Istaria from their carriage, she pushed herself beyond the training her father gave her before his death. The mockery of the prince and the trainers he assigned to dissuade her ignited her determination to rescue her friend. Stronger than under her father’s tutelage, she defeated the weapons masters Donaghy and Morain.
Seeing his plan backfire, Phelan made one last plea for Calli to stay and to ensure her return, he gifted of a sword, a horse, and the seal of Cavatar as a marriage vow. With those gifts, Calli set out to find Istaria and bring her home, unaware of the prophecy that fate imparted on her friend.
That fate guided Istaria and Darius to cross paths with the dreaded black dragon exiled to human form, Lusiradrol. In that battle, they were aided by a mage known as Jayson, who revealed himself as a lingering reminder of Darius’s past. Both were part of the secret order of the Sh’lahmar, guardians of the vault where the Red Clan slept for thousands of years, Lusiradrol’s clan.
But the dark woman was more than even she realized…
Long ago, she was the Darklord, the answer to the creation of the Majera, the force of Light, which was split into three pieces that became Tahronen (mother of the magi), Haiberuk (leader of the Sh’lahmar), and the Unnamed One. When the Majera and their dragons had the Darklord trapped and weak and on the brink of destruction, he escaped into the embryo of one of his Red Clan. The black dragon was far more intelligent than any other and fiercer in her determination to rid the world of the life the Majera created. Not until she reigned did the Majera and others realize the Darklord survived in the dragon named Nefarthissen.
In an effort to defeat the black dragon, the Majera combined their powers into a single dragon embryo, who was born white. The white dragon was young when he faced his nemesis, and could do no more than transform her into a form she despised—a human. Furious, Nefarthissen, who changed her name to Lusiradrol, led her Red Clan on a rampage over the world of Gairdra. With the other forces of the Darklord defeated, the Red Clan were the last survivors, but they were vicious.
Bent on the white dragon’s destruction, Lusiradrol warped the mind of the last Great Magi with her dark powers.
Under her twisted power, Mallenor arranged for the white dragon’s death in the cave in which he slept, but with the Majera’s power as his, the white dragon foresaw his death. When the warrior hired by the mage slew him, the white dragon sealed his power within his heart and bound his spirit to protect it. A time would come, he prophesied, when darkness would arise again and he would be needed. He cursed Mallenor with immortality and instructed him to watch for the day when he would return to the world.
Ashamed at what he had done after breaking Lusiradrol’s spell, Mallenor changed his name to Makleor and set out to eliminate the threat that remained—Lusiradrol and her Red Clan. In a fierce battle, he gathered his power and cast a sleeping spell on the enemy. Thinking it would be death, Lusiradrol escaped.
The place where the dragons fell was covered with earth. Haiberuk took up guardianship of the location and took on the training of the magi men, the descendants of the Great Magi, to protect the vault of the sleeping dragons. There the Red Clan rested indefinitely, the hidden vault guarded by the men known as the Shinna rî Aflahamar, the Guardians of the Secret.
Jayson and Darius were part of those guardians, later known simply as Sh’lahmar, and guided by Haiberuk, until Darius could not kill an innocent who wandered close and he gave up his post. With Jayson secretly trailing him, poised to assassinate him or anyone he told, Darius wandered the land until he settled in Wynmere Forest.
Those decisions placed him in the right place at the right time to help the white dragon, who guarded the magic he transferred to Istaria. She had been chosen as the vessel through which the white dragon planned to return.
Thus was set the events in motion. While Darius led Istaria to the dragons of the Second Realm, Jayson departed to reach the Sh’lahmar and warn them of the impending return of the white dragon. His paths crossed with Calli, whose life he saved, and his journey was interrupted by a new calling, that of his heart. He guided Calli and a following of those who also sought to restore Cavatar into the mountains to seek refuge from Tyrkam’s forces and shelter from the encroaching winter.
The mountains hid their own secrets, ones Jayson was aware of but could not tell the others. In a valley shrouded by magic, they discovered Linfrathâr, a fortress of the Ancients, the First Race, who were driven out thousands of years before.
But Jayson could not stay. His duty to the Sh’lahmar beckoned. The possibility that Lusiradrol could end it all hovered over his shoulders. He had to leave to fulfill his duty.
Unfortunately, one person discovered his secret and followed him back to the vault…
__________
Jayson
He had failed his brothers of the Sh’lahmar. He had failed the world by leading Lusiradrol to the vault.
But he would not fail Calli.
Jayson would give his life to protect her from the terror Lusiradrol sought to unleash; to gaze on the woman Calli rarely revealed through the tough exterior of a warrior; to hear her admonish him for letting his black hair grow to shoulder-length, when hers reached her waist. Then again, she always bound it up, except those few times she let anyone see her as a woman, the rare moments in his memories that sustained him in this time apart.
The shadow crept through his mind, colder than the approaching winter and blacker than the shoulder-length hair that sweat glued to his face and neck. He shivered and pushed aside the distraction to maintain the barrier.
He would protect Calli. Haiberuk’s cleansing had left his feelings for her intact, despite the master’s preaching never to form attachments. Haiberuk had allowed him that, and Jayson would not give it up.
The forces around him twisted with a sickening menace he recognized from his last encounter with Lusiradrol. Where was she?
Daring to break part of his concentration from their barrier before the vault, he reached out through the colors of magic and discovered the truth. Darkness invaded the spectrum, black and vile, but not near them. Haiberuk and the others battled her at the sanctuary.
Jayson focused on the barrier with increased intensity, unwilling to allow her to distract him. The barrier wavered as others made the discovery, most likely the younger members.
“Hold it steady!” Jayson called out. “She seeks to divide our attention.”
The barrier strengthened again. Acolytes. Would they hold up to whatever words or magic she used to twist their thoughts?
He could only hope.
Sooner than he expected, a pillar of flame flared and disintegrated on the top of the hill facing them, leaving the woman standing in its place on the knoll. She stood as menacing as a dragon, dressed in black plated armor from head to foot and her black hair twisted and wrapped up off her slender shoulders..
Jayson watched her closely, pouring forth all his effort into maintaining the barrier around the vault of the sleeping Red Clan and setting an example for the couple dozen others standing before the entrance with him.
In a blink, Lusiradrol vanished and reappeared within feet of the invisible barrier. The smile on her black-red lips fixed on him. “So this is your secret.” Her eyes scanned the arc of robed figures. “Your little friends cannot keep me out.”
Jayson braced for the worst, prepared for any attack she might conjure. Instead, her smile crooked upwards with sinister mischief. “Just as the spells of Arronfel cannot.”
Calli! No!
She struck at their barrier. Despite the fear and worry sprouted in him, he stayed in place and refocused his power.
The magic held.
Lusiradrol hissed. “If you keep me out, I will destroy them.”
“You would destroy them anyway.”
Her eyes narrowed and she organized the magic into something he never felt before in their encounters. It grew in scope, eating away the varied colors of magic and leaving only a void. Was this the Darklord in her?
Stand strong! he called to the others.
They increased their power to the barrier and stood their ground, although doubts sprang up in a few of the younger men and weakened the connection. Lusiradrol could intimidate anyone who heard stories of the death in her wake. But he had survived. She might have let him the last time, but in their first encounter, he had defeated her. He had help from Istaria and Darius then, but it proved she could be defeated, especially if they combined their powers against her.
This time, he fought for more than their world. He fought to protect Calli from the horror the demon would unleash. He would not let the others fail.
When Lusiradrol struck, the force of her blast knocked several men to the ground. Only a few rose again on unsteady legs.
She laughed in mockery. In a blink, she sent some of the weaker members bouncing away from the barrier.
Only a few standing held the line.
Her face turned livid with anger. “Fools!”
Not fools. Honorable magi. Jayson’s powers weakened with each spell she unleashed. He grew tired with the strain of holding against her, but he would fight to the end with his brothers.
Where was Master Haiberuk? What had she done to the others?
Lusiradrol formed another collection of power as he watched. In his heart, he knew they would fall with one more, unless reinforcements arrived in the next few seconds.
One did.
His confidence climbed at the sight of the master, who materialized behind her in his simple brown robes.
Lusiradrol whirled, her face hardening. “You! You’re no mage.” She searched around her. “Where are the others of your kind?” She knew exactly what Haiberuk was.
But that would not deter her. A moment later, she let loose her final stroke at the barrier.
The force of her power shoved Jayson onto his back, the wind knocked from him. Through the spots in his vision, he made out Haiberuk’s battle with her. He wanted to help, but he could hardly move. His chest hurt.
Lusiradrol knocked Haiberuk’s containment attempts aside and strode for the opening of the vault. The four guards waiting there raised their spears. The magic of their powers surged in a new shield.
No more. Jayson regained his breath and jumped on her. She collapsed with him and rolled to the ground. He held fast, but in his weakened state, he was no match. She escaped his hold and threw him aside like a rag. The ground slammed against him.
Black spots danced in his vision. Through it, he saw Lusiradrol let loose a blow that rocked the ground beneath them. All four elite guards flew into the hillside with enough
force to leave indentations in the rocky soil.
Unimpeded, she entered the vault.
Jayson crawled to his feet, determined to stop her, but had to pause for a second. The spots in his vision threatened to close on him with the throbbing of his head. In seconds it faded, and he straightened.
Haiberuk stood next to him. “Come. We’ve one last option.”
One last option that only the master knew.
Jayson nodded and followed his master into the dark maw, the patter from the feet of a few others behind him. They ran through the descending passages of the old caverns, now filled with stalagmites and stalactites over sections of smooth surfaces. Ancient writings covered the walls, but Jayson rushed past, following a touch of magic from Haiberuk to light the way.
Through the twists and turns, they followed the echoing footsteps of their attacker.
“Death and famine on them all for this!” Her voice echoed through the passage from somewhere ahead. “Awaken, my brothers and sisters!”
“Hurry!” Haiberuk sprinted ahead with no indication of tiring.
Jayson dipped into his last reserves of energy for the strength to keep pace. Ahead of them, threads of dark magic wove their way through the caverns. Would this nightmare not end?
No. It was just beginning.
At the chamber of the sleeping dragons, Haiberuk’s light cast shadows through the chamber.
Jayson gasped. Never had he set foot inside the chamber—their purpose was to prevent anyone from entering. Over a hundred dragons must have filled the vault, red mounds of scales and wings. The First Race had formed the cavern around the clan after the casting of the spell that bound them.
Already a few of the red beasts stirred from their drowsiness. Their heads measured as long as a man stood tall, marked by various patterns of spikes and ridges. Yellow reptilian eyes blinked away the millennia of slumber, awakened by their master’s call. The great mounds shifted and stretched weary limbs.
The Red Clan awakened.
The Sh’lahmar who had followed halted behind him, their presences in the flow of magic dwarfed by those of the dragons.
Legends Page 1