Chronicles of Den'dra: A land on Fire

by Spencer Johnson

  “Mosn? What are you doing out this way so early in the morning? I heard about your father and… and I just want to tell you that if you need anything, just let me know.” The woman’s words barely penetrated the fog he had shrouded his thoughts in. Mosn wasn’t sure how to respond. He hadn’t shed a tear, something that might have somehow biased the villagers against him. He was a disappointment to his father for the simple reason that he inherited none of his father’s bulky muscles. He had no intention of becoming a blacksmith so his father ignored him and lavished all his attention on Akeli who was nearly her mother’s twin.

  “Is something wrong?” Minean was the kind of woman that Mosn had always tried to picture his mother as like. However, Minean was a little stouter than the image he had in his imagination.

  “I…” Mosn clamped his mouth shut as a hunger pang nearly bent him in half. The rumbling was quite audible and elicited a flinch from Minean that set her second chin to quivering. He doubted it was a sound that she heard often.

  “Hasn’t that fool sister of yours fed you? I should have a talk with her. There is no reason to have a bare pantry in your house. Even without your father working the forge, some journeyman should be interested in renting it. Your father may have been touched in the head, but he built a fine smith. Should get you enough to live, if not comfortably. She had better not go spending it all on those worthless things she got her father to buy.” Minean was already stepping briskly towards Yrany. Her bulk in no way hindered her when she was determined.

  “You can’t go, she married him.” Mosn broke out and tugged at her sleeve. He had seen the muscled brute and the way scowls were directed at anyone that looked askance at him in the forge.

  “Who? The tanner’s son? What does that have to do with me giving Akeli a talk?” Minean saw the fear on Mosn’s countenance and paused uncertainly.

  “No, the journeyman. She married the journeyman as soon as he came into town.” Mosn paced back and forth on the dusty road in frustration.

  “That might get him out of paying the rent, but that doesn’t mean the pantry should be empty.” Minean frowned as she tried to piece together the rest of the reason why Mosn was upset.

  “It isn’t. I don’t think it is. They threw me out the day they got married.” Mosn stilled when he saw the consternation on Minean’s face.

  “That fool girl has no right. She may be older than you, but by rights of inheritance, you are the first born male child. She doesn’t have a claim to the house or the forge. Come boy. I am going to speak to the landmaster.” Minean caught Mosn’s hand and tried to pull him towards the village, but stopped when he pulled back.

  “You can’t. Loild is the landmaster's nephew. He was the one that told Loild when father died and Akeli has been telling everybody that I was the one that told father about Eklethin. They won’t even look at me now.” Mosn flinched as he saw Minean’s pitying look.

  “That is a fine problem you have there.” Minean tapped her lower lip with a broad thumb as she thought. “Don’t worry, there are a few people that I can speak with. Until then, why don’t you come home with me? I can a good meal inside you and a bed for you until this gets worked out. Come along lad, I don’t need to go into town today after all.” Mosn knew he didn’t have a choice when he heard Minean’s tone.

  “I don’t mean to be any trouble and…” Mosn was cut off before he could continue. A deep seated inhibition appalled him whenever he considered asking anyone for help. Receiving help was not far removed in his mind.

  “Stop talking nonsense boy. It will just take reminding everyone that Akeli is a simpleton and that she has no right to throw you out of your home no matter who she is married to. They will see the right of it eventually. Don’t you worry one bit.” Mosn didn’t respond. Soon he was lost again in that cool fog as he plodded along behind Minean.

  “Brigands! Help! Unhand me at once you brute!” Mosn was jerked out of the fog when he heard Minean yelling. She was in the grasp of a burly man he knew to be in the employ of the landmaster. Lunging forward with a twisted cry, Mosn tried to knock the man away from Minean. However, before he could reach his target, a set of muscled arms seized him from behind. Turning he looked up into the bearded face with the scar over the eye belonging to another of the landmaster’s employees. The two of them were often at Darsay’s inn and had a reputation of harassing the serving girl. They had been kicked out until the landmaster had spoken with Darsay about how much his employees appreciated coming to her establishment and how he would let her keep it for that reason.

  “It is the boy we want. The master wants him dead. Loild wants the forge legitimately.” The man with the sallow face that held Minean pointed a dirk towards Mosn. Minean had been struggling, but she grew silent on seeing the dagger and went pale on hearing the man’s intent.

  “That is easy enough. I could break him in half. What about her?” Mosn’s captor spoke as he tried to hold onto Mosn who was taken by a sudden fit of squirming.

  “She has seen too much already. We could have some fun though.” The dirk flicked and the buttons that lined the front of Minean’s blouse fell to the ground. Minean paled to the same color as a clean linen and screamed as her blouse fell open exposing her ample bosom. Both men snickered and started dragging their captives off the road towards a nearby patch of timber that grew between two fields.

  An intense feeling of helplessness welled up inside Mosn. An image replaced that of what he was seeing. A strange wild and untamed landscape cast in the shades of a young night. Bay hounds danced excitedly in a circle. A feeling of foreboding flashed and the image was gone.

  “NOOOOOOO!” Mosn didn’t know where the scream came from. It sounded like his voice but he didn’t remember screaming. His nails slashed and the arm that flexed against his neck suddenly disappeared with a cut off scream at his ear and the sound of shattering glass. Mosn leaped towards the man holding Minean with a knife clenched in his hand. The man shoved her aside with a shocked look in his eyes as he raised the dirk to meet Mosn. He wasn’t fast enough, Mosn’s blade was already piercing his chest. Mosn stepped back and saw what he had done. His side hurt. Not like it had been cut but rather like he had run into a blunt edge like a table. The thug’s hand that held the dirk was encased in a light blue crystal that matched the crystal dagger handle that was sticking out of the man’s chest. If it hadn’t been blunted by the strangely flickering crystal… Mosn absently rubbed his bruised side. The reprobate was gasping for breath and coughing up blood now. Veins of the blue crystal were quickly growing out from around the dagger. In the span of a few seconds, there was a man shaped pillar of crystal. A moment later, the crystal shattered into dust and disappeared leaving no trace of the man.

  “What are you?” Minean was looking in terror at Mosn where he sat in the dust of the road where he had fallen after the frantic attack.

  “I don’t know.” Mosn cast a glance over his shoulder and saw no trace of the other attacker.

  “Take it. It isn’t much, but take it and leave. You have to leave. I won’t tell anyone what I saw. You have to leave!” Mosn looked back and stared blankly at Minean. She was holding her blouse closed with one hand and held a handful of coppers and silvers in the other hand. A couple of the coins fell out of her hand she was shaking so badly.

  “I don’t want it.” He didn’t want what had happened. He didn’t want pity. He didn’t want charity. Most of all, he didn’t want to be Gifted. That was the only explanation for what had happened.

  “Don’t be foolish boy. Take it and get out of this valley. You heard them. The landmaster wants you dead. He will also want to know what happened to the men he sent after you.” Minean pried Mosn’s hand open and dropped the coins into his palm before picking up the ones that had fallen from her shaking hand. Adding these to the ones in his hand, she pulled up her skirts with her free hand and ran towards her farm leaving Mosn sitting in the dust. He realized that she hadn’t been scared of him. She had been scared by his
Gift’s manifestation, but she was more terrified of what she knew about the landmaster. If he would have an innocent boy murdered, there was not likely to be much that he wouldn’t consider unthinkable. The fact that he was willing to do it for a favored relative meant no one was safe if they ran afoul of his plots.

  There was nothing to do. Mosn pulled himself to his feet. Swatting some of the dust off his clothes, he started back down the road following his original course. Three silver and eight copper. Enough for a couple meals or a sack of flour. Not that it mattered. He was Gifted. He expected that people would see it on his face. Unconsciously he scrubbed his forehead to try and remove the mark that must be there. Something caught the sun. A bright flash of blue.

  The ring glinted in the light the same way that the sallow man’s dirk had. It conformed to his finger like it had always been there. He couldn’t remember if it hadn’t. The smooth polished metal wasn’t ornate. As smooth as it was, the light reflected as if off of irregular facets on a gem he had once seen on the landmaster’s finger. An oval flattened spot fit facets that rose out of the metal to hold the only adornment. A light blue gem that blazed in the light. Not quite a gem, more of a crystal. Mosn fingered it and frowned. It looked old and new at the same time. He didn’t remember putting it on. He couldn’t remember how long it had been since he received it. For that matter, he couldn’t remember how he had received it. It was on his finger and was of no more consequence. How long it had been there wasn’t important.

  The road sign he passed was nothing more than characters that he couldn’t read. It didn’t matter. The road only went to one place. Away from Yrany and anyone that knew him.

  ####

  And so here it is at long last. The second book in the series. I made the mistake of giving myself a deadline for finishing it. Deadlines are very annoying things. They have the power to enter your dreams and cause stress. Next time someone asks when my next book is going to be released, I will politely tell them that it will be when it will be and no later. Don’t get me wrong, I greatly appreciate knowing that people are interested enough in my work to ask about the next installment. It is just that I do my best work when I am not worrying about arbitrary deadlines.

  Thanks for reading Chronicles of Den’dra and please leave a review. The stats supposedly suggest that at least one in twenty readers will leave a review. I am at less than one in a hundred. Even if you don’t leave a review, I hope you enjoyed the book. Know that I am working on the next one in the series. In it, I hope to wrap up events in Den’dra, but there is an expanded storyline that I am exploring. Perhaps a follow-up series.

  Anyways, thanks again and have a wonderful day.

  Resources and Translations

  There were the dragons and their kin the shifters, the elves both dark and light, the dwarves masters of both stone and metal, the humans of the short lives, and finally the wraith and their corrupted ilk.

  Fractions

  Dragon Lords

  Storm Queen, Ice King, Wind Claw, Tidal Caller, Eld’or Night Soul, Forest Wing, Stone Walker, Gale Fire, Deep Tremor

  Asgare

  Urake or Uraken – Skeln’s father, Asgare or Shadow Reaper. House Safrym. Black hair, green eyes. Son of Ermor

  Skeln’den’hal – Dwarven sword, Ice Heart. Also known as Eld'or or Dark Soul.

  Cero – Formerly Skeln. Dragon Lord. Icy blues eyes

  Enthbani – Green Garoche dragon

  Brounn – barkeep. Urake’s contact, Code named Gargoyle, half-brother Rakyr

  Fenar – Brounn’s agent, Rakyr’s wife, proprietress of the Golden Fountain inn from The Forks

  Emeck – blue eyed, dark hair. Telepathic bandit in black woods

  Niman – Healer, thief.

  Arken – Fire bender

  Aleest – Tamer, Em'risi’s groom. Dirty blond hair

  Kosovo– Snow bear

  Sasha– Vixen

  Anissa – Em’risi’s look alike.

  Inadar – Dark black wavy hair. Green eyes, Sarina

  Reigns

  Reigns – head of the king’s council second only to the king, Chancellor

  Enthack –Brest’s son. Under Captain in the employ of the Chancellor. Also working for Brounn.Fine wavy tan hair and deep green eyes in a longer face

  Verkal – leader of elite squad that disappeared in the Vaulwar Mountains

  House Loneka

  Estavo is leader

  Oscarion is the heir.

  Royals

  King Illiad– King of the Braebach Empire, Crown and Oak Shield, clan Brea

  Lyerash – Em’risi’s mother, died in childbirth, house Safrym

  Em'risi – Princess, Heir apparent, Auburn hair, Purplish eyes

  Raos– Grey stallion

  Elmet – Black stallion

  Sir Balinor – General loyal to Illiad

  Aleest – Tamer, Em'risi’s groom. Dirty blond hair

  Ildroth – Lieutenant in the army, Balinor’s agent, Noble of House Inarack, Knight

  Danryn – Ildroth’s page, House Uskyn.

  Lortin – Major, member of war council. House Eltanin heir

  Lanyl – Colonel, member of the war council, stationed in the southern garrison

  Issam – Major

  Alvin – Em’risi’s bodyguard, Gifted, Gray eyes and energy.

  Em’risi’s Gifted regiment

  Alvin – Keynesian

  Carlisle – Warder

  Varis – Telepath, hawk eyed, black eyes, thin

  Halden – Pyromancer, Primordial fire element bender

  Arkis – Erin valker or fast mover

  Savaro – Stormdancer, Primordial air element bender

  Igarlin/Iggy – glimmer, synthesizer

  Lesarovich/Rovi – Skin walker

  Corman – Whisper

  Landin – Teramorpher, Primordial earth elemental bender.

  Shadow Order

  Alban – leader after Crein.

  Crein – leader until death

  Yer'entho – dead dark elf, previous leader.

  Roark – Telepath of some type.

  Tarth – Lord of the Forks shelter, empath

  Incrin – Records keeper, weak stormdancer

  Noble Houses

  Safrym

  Inarack

  Loneka

  Uskyn

  Eltanin

  Elves

  Essdra– captain of a unit of rangers

  Lyrak – Ranger

  Lepolis – Ranger

  Varric – High councilman

  Evenstar – High councilman

  Insignor – Previous elven king, Holder of Storm Queen’s coronet of long sight.

  Dwarves Garoche

  Kalsrod

  Taric – brown eyes

  Roild

  Nayer – Roild’s mother

  Bredyn – Roild’s father

  Esteris – Roild’s betrothed

  Sharan– Dwarven healer

  Corum – dwarven council

  Underheim– dwarven capital

  Seeroth – Captain of the city guard

  Kirlk – left in charge of Underhiem’s defense

  Fraic – head of battle group sent to Muendtem

  Dragons

  Iradaemi – gray dragon of the Vaulwar

  Rothlt – Leader of the dragon elders, black

  Ovesa – Dragon Elder, pale green

  Zhel – reddish flightless dragon at dragon towers

  Setur – Blue dragon in the border patrols.

  Eld’or – legendary dragon lord attributed with saving the dragon race from extinction before his death. Known as Night Soul. Owner of Ice Heart.

  Onwier – third hatched after Rothlt. Dragon Elder.

  Dragon’s Hamlet – Village in Vaulwar Mountains

  Torroth – Lone survivor of Verkal’s folly

  Anissa – Torroth’s wife

  Morden – died in storehouse fire. Torroth’s twin brother

  Selene – Village woman

&
nbsp; Encer – Burgomeister

  Mytera – Inadar’s adopted mother

  Spirion – Half elf. Freed prisoner from Firgrest. Iliara’s son

  Sjad – Hawk eye, Exceptional hand eye coordination.

  Kliven – Pyromancer

  Elgis – Stone Crusher

  Samir – Sight Walker. Able to form visible projections. Brown eyes.

  Warton – Village on the border between the Garoche highlands and the Garoche lowlands

  Rorale – Burgomeister/landmaster

  Brest – tracker for Urake

  Brounn – barkeep. Urake’s contact, Code named Gargoyle

  Tusul – Cobbler, code named toy maker

  Turana – Tusul’s wife, Seamstress

  Yrany – Town in the Garoche Mountains

  Akeli – Blacksmith’s daughter

  Mosn – Blacksmith’s son, Akeli’s brother 10

  Darsay – Innkeeper

  Redzyn – moderately wealthy old landowner, Manor. Colonel in the rebellion

  Rothac – Land owner, Manor

  Eklethin – Tanner’s son

  Loild – Akeli’s husband, journeyman blacksmith, Landmaster’s nephew

  Minean – outlying farm wife

  Skelceri – Town in the Draeld

  Peren – Nyet’s father, Shadow walker

  Nyet

  Cercha

  Anan – deceased innkeeper and agent for Asgare

  Alerad – town west of the Forks and north of the Draeld,

  Morbur – double agent, Innkeeper of the Red Steed

  Shienhin – Seat of clan Brae, capitol of the Braebach Empire.