by Eric Vall
“Yes.” I nodded. “We could use another carpenter and seamstress to help finish the palace. You will have a home here, as long as you do your part.”
“The rumors were true, Merek,” she turned to her husband, “the dragon of Hatra is a guardian sent by the gods themselves.”
I frowned and turned to Ruslan, who shrugged. I had no idea what rumors they were talking about, and it seemed like Ruslan was just as clueless as me.
Arian and Orion left their mother’s leg and shyly walked back to Ruslan.
“Can you do the fire trick again?” one of the boys asked.
I heard Ruslan laugh, and then he summoned another flame to his hands to the delight of the twins.
“Come with me,” Julia told the family, and she offered them a warm smile. “I will show you your new home.”
Merek and Krea followed after Julia, and their children trailed after once Krea called back to them. The boys waved to Ruslan with bright smiles, and then they darted after their parents.
“You made the right choice,” Ruslan remarked as he stood beside me with a fond smile. “Merek and Krea will be excellent additions to Hatra, and their children will ensure a future for the city. Now, what about the others.”
“The others?” I asked in confusion. “What others?”
Ruslan’s green eyes shone brightly as he waved a hand for me to follow him. Then the gates of the city opened wide, and my jaw dropped as I took in the sight before me.
Dozens of people stood outside the walls of Hatra, and most of them were dirty and exhausted as they waited to be let into the city.
“It seems like your plan worked,” Ruslan said from my side. “All of these people have come to help Hatra.”
“Maybe,” I replied as I studied the crowd, “but we can’t be too careful. We need to make sure they’re here with pure intentions. The city is nearly finished, and we can’t afford to let in any more traitors.”
“Of course,” Ruslan agreed. “For now, we can use the enemy barrier spell Alyona had used for Ravi, but it might take a while since we will have to reset the barrier after every person.”
“That’s probably the best idea,” I agreed with a nod. “Can you send a messenger to her for me? I’m going to go out and speak with our guests.”
Ruslan nodded, and with a wave of his hand, another messenger fox appeared.
I left my father to relay his message while I slipped out the gate.
The people silenced as I stepped outside, and I walked down the line of people as I counted the heads. Hands reached out and brushed against me as I passed, and I heard my name as they whispered. When I reached the end of the line, I turned and walked back.
Thirty-five. Thirty-five strangers who were now at Hatra’s door.
“My name is Evan,” I began as I addressed the crowd, “and I am the Lord of Hatra. If you wish to seek refuge in my city, you must first pass through a barrier at our gate. If you are here with any malicious intentions, you will not be permitted to enter. If you are here because you seek help, or to start a new life, you have nothing to worry about. It will take some time, but it’s the only way you will be allowed to live here. If you don’t want to risk the barrier, you are free to leave now.”
“Dragon guardian.” A young woman with soft brown hair and a long, jagged scar that stretched across her face approached me and fell to her knees. “I have come to serve, my Lord. I am yours to command.”
Before I could respond, the line of people followed the woman’s example and fell to their knees.
I had no idea what kind of rumors were being spread around about me, but if the general idea was that I was someone to be worshiped, I had no qualms over it.
“You can stand,” I told the group of people.
Slowly, everyone stood and stared at me in awe, and just then, Alyona and Ruslan stepped outside the wall.
“I’m ready to begin,” Alyona informed me with a broad smile. “The barrier is up, so you can send the first person through.”
I looked at the young scarred woman.
“Are you ready to become a citizen of Hatra?” I asked her.
“I’ve waited for this day my entire life,” she breathed softly with a nod.
I led the woman to the gate, and she effortlessly stepped through the barrier. She let out a breath as she emerged on the other side, and then she looked around the city in wonder.
Ruslan and Julia stood on the other side, and they talked to the woman while I could feel the rush of magic as Alyona prepared another barrier. The next person in line, a boy who looked to be about ten with dark, sad eyes, stepped through easily, and Ruslan and Julia hugged him as he met them.
The line continued on for two hours before we finally sent the last person through the gate. All of them passed Alyona’s magical screening with flying colors.
I entered through the gates and grabbed Alyona’s hand. She squeezed slightly, and I smiled.
Hatra was finished. The Lunar Palace was complete, and now we were beginning to grow. Everyone would have a home and warm food to eat. The city had risen from the ruins it once was and now stood proudly once more.
The natives of Hatra had come to introduce themselves to the newcomers, and everyone quickly began to talk and share stories. I watched with a smile, and I realized with a start that this was the moment I’d been waiting for. Hatra was finished, her people were safe, and she had become a city open to all. The world now knew of Hatra el Shamash, and she would never be forgotten again.
I turned to Alyona with a determined glint in my eye.
“You should write to your father,” I told her with a grin. “You and I have a campaign to begin.”
End of Book 5
End Notes
Thank you for reading Dragon Emperor 5! I hope you really liked it. I’ll start working on the next Dragon Emperor as soon as this book has 100 reviews, so leave a review right here!
Amazon doesn’t update readers when an author comes out with a new book unless you follow that author on the store. Make sure you click this link and then click on the follow button. Then Amazon will update you a few weeks after my next book comes out.
If you want to get notified of my books the day that they come out, make sure you follow my Facebook author page and join my Facebook fan group. If you don’t follow me on Amazon or join my Facebook page, you’ll never get alerted that next book is out.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Copyright © 2019 by Eric Vall