Devarius took a deep breath, then looked away. Ellisar approached him. At his side walked a dragon. Devarius’ hand touched the hilt of his sword.
“Ayla,” he called.
Ayla didn’t respond, but in less than a minute, she landed by his side. A low grumble echoed in her throat.
Ellisar held his hands up, and the dragon at his side stopped walking forward. “Easy now, Devarius.”
“What is this?” Devarius snapped.
“Her name is Alora, and she is a friend.”
“She is a dragon …”
“Yes, she is. And she is loyal to me,” Ellisar said.
“How long have you had this dragon?” Devarius asked.
“She has been my friend for over eighty-six years.”
Zaviana stepped next to her brother. Her mouth fell open. “Eighty-six years?”
“Yes.”
“How is that possible?” Devarius asked.
“When a man bonds to a dragon, perhaps even a wyvern, I’m not sure, they are connected. Humans don’t live to a hundred, at least, not often. Dragons, however, live for hundreds of years. They aren’t immortal, but I believe some have made it to over a thousand.”
“A thousand years?” Zaviana asked.
Ellisar nodded.
“And how did you get this dragon?”
Ellisar took a deep breath. “Galedar and I were friends long ago. Most people don’t know this, but the emperor is over a hundred years old as well. Not a lot of the empire actually meets him. He stays hidden in the shadows, in his rooms, and hardly steps outside.”
Devarius’ eyebrows rose. “You were friends with the emperor?”
“He wasn’t always corrupt. In the beginning, all he wanted was peace. We grew up in a time before people knew of dragons. There was no empire. All we had were small regions, with dukes and earls fighting over territories. It was constant battling, human against human. Galedar wanted to change that.”
Devarius ran his hand over his short hair. “And he thought uniting everyone under one banner would do that?”
Ellisar nodded. “And it did, for a time. However, peace was strange for humans. Many of the dukes and earls had been thrown out, but new people tried to step up to take their place. It was a constant battle to keep everyone peaceful. We realized the peaceful tactics of unity wasn’t working.”
“So you turned to tyranny?” Devarius glared at Ellisar.
Ellisar frowned. “He did. I did not know at first. The new leaders of the cities who were fighting against the unity began disappearing, and I began to question Galedar. He assured me everything was fine.”
“He lied,” Zaviana said.
Ellisar nodded. “Yes. I began to listen to the whispers. People were becoming afraid of us, afraid of him. He brought more dragons from Dragonia and found power-hungry riders. He began his climb to power and tyranny.”
“So you left?” Devarius asked.
Ellisar shook his head. “No. I tried to reason with him at first. We got into several arguments. He would not listen. Then, a meteor struck the land. We went to investigate. He dared not get too close, but sent another rider in. The rider’s dragon touched the stone, and his intelligence left him.”
Devarius tilted his head. “His intelligence?”
“Yes,” Ellisar said. “Dragons were once intelligent like the wyverns are now. They used to communicate with us. Something happened when that dragon touched the meteor. His essence and intelligence disappeared in a swirl of red smoke and was absorbed into the strange rock. Now, the dragons are nothing more than wild beasts.”
Devarius’ mouth was open wide. “Is your dragon?”
Ellisar smiled. “We left before he could get to her. He began making orders for all the dragonriders to meet with him. That’s when he forced all the dragons to touch the stone. I realized he’d changed. He no longer sought peace, but power. I left, never to look back. Instead, I worked on building a force to challenge him, to fight against the empire. I want to bring peace to this land. Tyranny was never my goal.”
Devarius glanced to the dragon by Ellisar’s side. The creature wasn’t red like the other dragons he’d seen. She was a dark blue. Devarius hadn’t paid attention before. All he’d seen was a massive dragon.
“Your dragon … it isn’t like the others.” Devarius paused. “She’s an ice dragon, isn’t she?”
Ellisar grinned. “Yes. She is the only ice dragon.”
Zaviana shook her head. “No, there is another.”
Ellisar raised his eyebrows.
“Derkas has one.”
“The mercenary?” Devarius asked.
Zaviana nodded. “It was his payment for returning the man who was coming to find you with information on the dragon stone all those years ago.”
“Strange. There weren’t supposed to be any others.”
“From what Derkas told me, it was an egg, and it hatched for him.”
Surprise showed on Ellisar’s face. “Is that so?”
“Why did you say there weren’t supposed to be any others?” Devarius asked.
“This is mostly speculation. But as far as I could gather, the fire dragons were the ones Galedar found. They were the ones who rallied to him. Several of the others saw what he was doing and left Dragonia. A few of their eggs remained, which is how I found Alora here. But once Galedar became tyrannical, Alora sent a message to the rest of the blue dragons, including the eggs, to never hatch for the emperor. I believe the other dragon eggs left behind of different colors had similar messages from their parents. Dragons can live inside the protection of their eggs for thousands of years if they desire.”
“Perhaps Derkas’ dragon sensed something about him worth hatching for,” Zaviana said.
“You’re not still hung up on that mercenary, are you?” Devarius asked.
“He did save my life … twice. He has a kind heart, even if he refuses to admit it.”
Devarius rolled his eyes.
Silence filled the air for several long moments.
Devarius coughed. “So, what now?”
Ellisar shrugged. “Now, we fight. The time has come for me to expose myself. The time has come for Alora to make her presence known. We need to save Saefron and continue building an army of wyvernriders. Eventually, we’ll be able to fight the empire, but for right now, we need to survive.”
Devarius nodded. “Agreed.”
28
Two days passed with little happening. The Dragonia Empire camped outside the gate, and the resistance continued building and checking their defenses. Wyverns patrolled the skies above the city, but no attack came. It was a stalemate.
Several of them sat at a table inside the meeting room discussing what options they had. They were hopeful the dragonscales they’d carved off the hide of the dragon would prove useful, but no one besides Naveen and Fraeyn had been able to get them to work yet. They hadn’t given up on them, but knew they needed a backup plan in case they didn’t work.
Devarius stretched. “Do you think they’re trying to box us in here and starve us?”
Paedyn shook his head. “Not likely. If they think we don’t have supplies to last a few winters, they’re sorely mistaken.”
Devarius snorted with a small nod. “Yes. When you’re hiding from the empire, that’s one thing you make sure you have … supplies.”
“What will we do once this is over?” Paedyn asked.
“You mean, if we survive?”
“Of course we’ll survive. We can’t let a good-looking man like me go to waste.”
Devarius shook his head. “We’ll have to abandon this city.”
“I know. Where will we go? Adeth Isle?”
Devarius nodded. “I believe that was always the plan. If you noticed, Ellisar kept leading us there since I found it. More and more warriors were sent there. We’ve been building the island larger and larger. We’re not quite ready for this many people, but we could handle it.”
Paedyn nodded.
Devarius stood, his hand touching the hilt of his sword.
“What’s that?” Paedyn asked.
“I don’t know … come on.”
Devarius burst out the door. A woman lay dead on the street in a pool of her own blood. Devarius glanced around, but saw nothing. Several women and men were running away from the scene. Their expressions were blank, their faces white, eyes bulged. They looked like they’d seen a ghost. The people were horrified.
Devarius held his sword steady. A blur rushed in front of him, and he began wavering his weapon slightly in front of him as his eyes attempted to focus. Still, he could see nothing. Paedyn stood by his left side, his rapier held firm.
“What’s going on?” Devarius called.
No one paid him any heed. They continued to run away, slipping into buildings.
Devarius walked forward. Paedyn stayed by his side. A woman stood in the courtyard hanging laundry. She hadn’t run with the others. It didn’t seem she even knew of the danger. Devarius began to approach her. Before he reached her, a dagger penetrated through her bosom from her back.
Devarius rushed forward. The woman crumpled to the ground. He saw a shadow disappear from behind her.
“What in the blazing thorns?” Paedyn asked as he skidded to a halt next to Devarius.
“The shadow!” Devarius yelled.
A shadow ran across the courtyard toward more people.
“What?” Paedyn asked.
“There is a shadow, look!” Devarius pointed.
“What in the blazes is casting the shadow? There’s no one there!”
“I know,” Devarius snarled. “Come on.”
Devarius sprinted toward the shadow. Most of the courtyard erupted in chaos, women and children screaming as they ran to their homes. A few men littered the area, most of them with swords held in front of them, searching for the threat. The shadow dodged one of the men, slipping behind him, then a knife appeared in front of the man’s throat, slitting it all the way across.
The man gurgled as he collapsed to the ground. A warrior next to the fallen man began swinging his sword sporadically, not knowing where the threat was. The shadow dodged the swings from left to right, blocking a few of the strikes with a shadow sword. When metal clanged against metal, the warrior gasped, stepping backward. He continued swinging his weapon, but its pattern became even worse.
Devarius nearly reached the man, but before he could, the shadow dove out of the way, kicking the backside of the warrior’s legs. When the warrior fell, the shadow was on its knees, slamming its weapon into the throat of the man.
Paedyn leapt toward the shadow, slashing his weapon furiously. Devarius stepped by his side, and the two of them fought against the shadow man. His image was distorted, much like an actual shadow, making his attacks hard to predict. Devarius finally broke through his defenses, stabbing his sword through the shadow’s heart.
The shadow collapsed to the ground, its entire body seizing. A man appeared, then disappeared abruptly, transforming back into a shadow. The body continued to change between a shadow and a man for several long minutes before he stopped moving completely and turned fully back into a human.
“What was that?” Paedyn asked.
“I don’t know,” Devarius responded.
The streets crowded with people once more. With the threat being dead, men gathered the bodies of the fallen, and many crowded around Devarius and Paedyn, asking them what had happened.
Thick, dark red blood oozed out of the shadow man’s mouth, unlike any blood Devarius had ever seen before. Some of the man’s skin was darkened black in spots.
“How did he get inside the city?” Zaviana asked from behind them.
Devarius turned around to look at his sister. “I don’t know. He was a shadow. The whole fight, and every one he killed, he was only a shadow. It was almost impossible to see him.”
“A shadow?” she asked.
Devarius nodded. “Yes … like an actual shadow.”
Her eyes widened. “If they can make their people into shadows …”
Devarius gulped.
“We’re going to need more fire,” Paedyn said.
“We need to investigate this,” Zaviana said.
“I agree,” Devarius said.
Zaviana spun around and began to walk away.
“Where are you going?” Devarius asked.
“I told you, we need to investigate this.”
His eyes widened as his chin lowered, wrinkles forming on his forehead. “And you think you’re going to be the one to do it?”
She shrugged. “Someone has to.”
He shook his head. “Not you.”
“And why not?”
“I just got you back, Zavi. I’m not going to lose you again.”
She clenched her teeth. “I can take care of myself.”
Devarius tilted his head. “And what is your plan? Are you just going to stalk over there and ask them how they make men into shadows?”
She wrinkled her nose. “No, I was just going to spy on them.”
“I said no,” Devarius said.
“And who put you in charge?”
“Ellisar put me in charge, and I’m telling you no. You are too important to lose. I will not let you go out there. We can find another way.”
“I will go,” a voice whispered.
Devarius raised a brow at the young woman who approached them. Naveen. His lips pressed tightly together. He didn’t want any woman to go out alone when there were thousands of cruel warriors with the Dragonia Empire outside.
“Are you sure, Naveen?” Zaviana asked.
She nodded. “I’ve been looking for a way I can help.”
“You’ve helped enough. You shot down a dragon and helped retrieve Zaviana,” Devarius said.
Zaviana glared at Devarius. “We need someone to check on what’s going on. We’ve both seen how capable Naveen is. Are you going to reject her too?”
“I—”
“Is this because we’re women? Do you think we need a big strong man to take care of us? Because I assure you, we’re more than capable.”
“It’s not that,” he pleaded.
“Oh really? Then what is it?”
Devarius hung his head, defeated. “Naveen, it is dangerous to go out there. Are you sure?”
Naveen nodded. “Yes. I’ve been good at hiding all my life. And, I’ve learned something new with my ability.”
“What’s that?” Devarius asked.
She grinned, closed her eyes, then channeled purple magic into her hands. Air flowed toward her, then it spread around her entire body, making it glow in a purple outline. Then, she disappeared.
Devarius stumbled backward, tripping over his own feet. Paedyn pointed at the empty space, his mouth opening and closing. Zaviana grinned.
Naveen reappeared.
Devarius got back to his feet. “You can turn invisible?”
She raised her eyebrows. “Apparently.”
29
Naveen shivered as she stalked out of Saefron’s gate. She’d have been lying to herself if she claimed she wasn’t nervous. No one was with her to help. She was alone. Chill bumps traveled across her arms. She began to lose her nerve. Her footsteps were cautious, slow, and not without shaking. She didn’t know why she’d volunteered to do this, but it was too late now.
She did want an opportunity to practice her new ability, her invisibility. Naveen had figured it out quite by accident. The dragonscale was definitely the reason she could use magic, but when she’d discovered that her magic was different than Fraeyn’s, she wanted to learn what else she could do that was special. Her dragonscale was purple, and after discovering it either came from a purple dragon or wyvern, and their abilities with wind and air, she began to play around. She’d been all alone when she maneuvered the air surrounding her hand to appear the same on both sides. It was like a mirror on each side of her with
air, causing her appearance to completely disappear.
The ability took a lot of energy, at least as far as she’d learned it. Perhaps with practice it would get easier. However, she no longer had time to practice.
Whispers in the distance caused her to slow as she rounded a corner. None of the men were close to the wall, but their camp wasn’t too far away. She noticed there was one large force at the main gate of Saefron, and a few parties separate from the main. She watched with interest as the few parties interacted with each other. All except for one. Naveen pinched her eyes closed as she focused on the group of men far away from the main camp on the western side. No one had interacted with them like the rest of the groups. If the empire were making men into shadows, Naveen believed they wouldn’t be with the main army.
She tiptoed through the darkness, using the shadows of night to help hide her as she crept closer. Conversations began to become clearer.
“When are we going to attack? I hate waiting.”
“I know. These resistance are scum.”
“Who do they think they are? We all work hard and pay our taxes, and they think they can just come hide in the mountains without paying?”
“If they were paying taxes, I bet we’d get more from the emperor each paycheck.”
Naveen’s lips pressed tightly together as she slipped around the two talking men and toward a few of the others. She stopped when she saw a few shadows moving in the darkness. Air surrounded her, casting a light purple glow as her body faded into the darkness. She held the air around her as she continued to a tree.
More than four shadowmen stood fifty paces from her. They each had swords, and practiced against each other. Her eyes widened. The shadowman in the city had attacked during daylight. It was overcast, but at least the light of day made his shadow viewable. However, these four men, or shadows, could barely be seen in the darkness of night. They fought each other, clanging swords against one another. Their attacks were fast, faster than a normal man’s should be.
Dragonia- Dragonia Empire series Box Set Page 31