The vision led me deep inside a rugged mountain fortress. The doors of a cavernous chamber burst open when Zeeb, the peg-legged goblin, stumbled down the serpentine staircase surrounding the room. One misstep and the goblin knew he could easily slip off the narrow staircase and find himself skewered on the jagged, spear-like rock formations that riddled the chamber floor. Reaching the final step, Zeeb released a snort of relief and skittered across the stone floor, his uneven steps echoing off the empty walls of the cylindrical room. He hurried toward a giant cauldron that burned with emerald fire. The fire’s gleam flickered out from the center of the otherwise darkened room, casting eerie movements off the jagged spires and onto the walls.
Venator, the boy-magician, was gazing into the pool of flames, searching intently for something of importance. He was so focused on his thoughts he didn’t even notice the goblin entering the room.
Passing around the far side of the fire pool, the goblin knelt and cleared his throat to interrupt his master’s trance.
“Ah hem! Excuse me, Master,” he intruded nervously.
Venator’s eyes shot to the side, rudely disturbed by the interruption. “I hope for your sake the news is good, Zeeb!” he scowled at the limping aide.
“It is!” he replied. “Very good, indeed.”
“Well then, get on with it,” Venator demanded coldly as he walked away from the cauldron.
“We received word from the prison guard,” Zeeb said as he followed his master around the room, taking four hurried steps to each of his master’s long strides. “One of the fallen warriors finally agreed to give us the location of the Codebearers’ hideout in exchange for his freedom. I have the coordinates here.”
“Excellent! I’ll send a probe to see if his confession is true. Ready the troops for battle and await my word,” Venator replied, picking up his staff and returning his attention to the fiery pit. He had heard enough and dismissed the goblin with a wave of his hand, but Zeeb remained, looking up with concern. Apparently, there was more.
“What is it?” Venator sneered.
“I was wondering if you had any news from the source,” Zeeb continued. “Do we have time to attack before they send the boy to meet Aviad?”
A soft rumble shook the chamber. Small pieces of rock fell from the ceiling as the tremor rattled Venator’s lair. It only lasted a moment, but it was enough to strike fear into both of their hearts.
Venator spun around with fury, “How dare you mention that name in this place!” The goblin fell to the ground beneath his master’s rage. “You know well the penalty for speaking it!”
Venator gripped his staff tightly. A red fire burned to life within the gem of the staff, growing steadily brighter. A phantom serpent emerged from the light and made its way toward the goblin.
“Please, my lord! I beg you...” Zeeb pleaded, eyeing the snake, “I was only trying to…”
Venator was not moved, allowing the ghostly snake to wrap itself around his servant’s neck and choke the breath from him. Suddenly, Venator snapped his fingers and the snake retracted instantly back into the staff. The goblin fell to his knees gasping for air.
“You have become careless, my friend,” he said at last. “Sceleris would not be pleased. Let this be a warning to you. Never make the same mistake again.”
“Yes, my lord!” Zeeb responded between breaths, rubbing his neck.
“Good. The boy is being moved sometime tomorrow. Exactly when and where the meeting will take place, I have not been told. It is all the more reason for us to act quickly; he is weakening by the minute. The traitors have fed him many lies and we must find him and help him see the truth before it is too late.”
Venator stormed past the goblin, heading back toward the cauldron. As he approached, the flames rose to create an image, though I could not tell what it was.
“After all,” Venator concluded, “more than one soul hangs in the balance.”
“What are your orders then, sir?” Zeeb asked, awaiting the command.
“Send word to the legions. Tell them the time to act is now. We must crush the Resistance while they are still gathered. No longer will they defile our land with their presence.”
“Yes, my master.” Zeeb bowed and hobbled quickly away to spread the word.
Venator remained beside the fire pool, gazing into the swirling smoke. He picked up a single burning coal from the fire and held it up. Though it glowed hot in his hands it did not appear to burn him. As the ember faded the room went suddenly black.
Heart pounding, I sat straight up in bed, my brow soaked with sweat. It was still dark outside and I found myself alone in the Goodsmith’s guest room. There was no use ignoring it anymore, there was something happening to my dreams, and I needed to tell someone.
Glancing out the window I could tell from the bluish tint near the horizon that morning was well on its way. Sam was undoubtedly awake and preparing for the day already, getting dressed to defend the realm from Sceleris’ grasp if necessary. Me? I was usually the one defending myself against the alarm clock with my snooze button. Needless to say, I wasn’t normally your “early-to-rise” kind of guy, but today I decided to make an exception. Besides, I was already awake, thanks to the dream.
I hurriedly threw on some clothes, hoisted my pack onto my back and flung open the door. To my surprise Gabby stood in the doorway with her hand poised as if to knock.
“Oh! I’m sorry, dear. I heard you moving around and was coming to see if everything is alright.”
“I’m fine, just getting an early start that’s all.” I chose not to tell her about my dream; it would only encourage her to talk more.
She cocked her head curiously at the pack on my shoulders. “It’s a bit early to be heading off, isn’t it? I thought you wouldn’t be leaving till after breakfast. You know I never like to send a young man away without a proper meal.”
“Oh, I’ll be back for breakfast. I just want to, you know, take a walk or something.”
“Just like my Gerwyn,” she smiled. “Always up early to participate in the morning rounds—they’ve always been his favorite. You go on now and be sure to come back for your morning meal, you hear? It will probably be the last good thing you’ll be eating for days!”
As I made my way down the stairs and out the front door Gabby called out, “If you see Gerwyn, tell him not to linger. He’ll be wanted back home before too long.”
The coolness of the predawn morning air sent a chill down my spine. It was the kind of temperature that puts an extra zip in your step, urging you to hurry to a warmer destination. I had decided to head toward the Academy grounds, the most logical place to find Sam or at least someone who would know where to find him.
Before striking out, I gripped my Veritas Sword and held it in front of me. “Even the darkness is light to him,” I spoke boldly. Just as before a light blue glow emitted from the sword, lighting my way.
As I hurried through the chill I rehearsed the details of my latest dream so as not to forget any of it. As I remembered the dream, the gentle glow of my sword seemed to fade beneath the flood of my thoughts.
My focus was interrupted when a sudden blaze of green light streaked across the sky, lighting up the forest as it plummeted to earth.
Boom!
The object struck with such force I could feel the path tremble under my feet. What was that, a meteorite? It seemed to have landed not too far off, just near the perimeter of camp. No one was around so, drawn by intrigue, I stepped off the path to work my way toward it.
My plan was to get close enough for a quick peek and then alert the guards if there was any danger. If it was a meteorite then I’d finally have something to one-up Stubbs’s story about how his dad bought him a piece of moon rock. Heck, I had a sword that could cut through anything. Getting souvenirs off a sky-fallen rock would be a breeze.
As I neared the crash site, I noticed several trees were on fire surrounding the scene of the collision and a peculiar, almost sulfuric smell soured the air. Undeterred, I pulled my shirt over my nose and moved ahead. Dark smoke billowed and swirled to the surface of a large crater, which hid the fallen object below. A greenish glow and crackling sound radiated out of the hole as evidence that something was burning within.
Crack!
A brilliant light like a lightning strike erupted from the center of the crater. The flash sent me tumbling backward in shock; I froze with fear. Something was emerging.
The smoke pool began to twist and rise, molding a massive form like modeling clay. If I hadn’t been so scared out of my wits I might have enjoyed the amazing, almost beautiful sight. Long neck, broad shoulders, giant fiery green wings—it was near impossible to make out any other details through the thickening haze, but I had a pretty good idea this was not going to end well.
I was about to get up and run for help when two sharp red eyes cut through the smoke with their light and fixed themselves on me, stopping me cold. The smoke that had formed the beast dripped off like water to the forest floor and revealed the cracked lava-like skin beneath. The invading visitor was exposed at last—a dragon! I wanted to scream but couldn’t find my voice.
The dragon was dressed in battle armor and lowered its head to my level, far too close for comfort. I closed my eyes in anticipation of the inevitable fiery blast that would come. The foul, warm breath from the dragon’s nostrils blew my hair out of my eyes as it hovered just inches away. Still, nothing happened.
What was it waiting for?
A low soft rumble rolled from deep inside the dragon’s throat. Here it comes, I thought. But the soft rumble never turned into the ferocious growl I had expected. Oddly enough, it sounded kind of friendly. Almost like it was purring? Reluctantly, I opened one eye.
If I had been asked to make a list of the top one hundred things I would never see in my lifetime, this surely wouldn’t have made the list. Not because I expected to see what I saw, but because it was entirely unimaginable. To my surprise, the dragon was more or less bowing to me. Either that or it was waiting for me to make the first move before it snapped me up. I chose not to move a muscle, still frozen with terror despite the creature’s curious behavior.
As I stood there transfixed by the dragon’s awkward position, I began to distinguish a sort of rhythmic pattern emerging from its throaty tones, almost as if it was trying to communicate with me. Stranger still, there was something familiar in the tone of its speech that made me think I could understand it. Then, all at once, though I don’t know how, its voice began to make sense.
“Greetings, oh chosen one. The master has sent me to bring you to him in safety.” The dragon’s voice was soothing, much like a low whisper. I stepped to the side and ventured a look into the beast’s eyes—they no longer blazed red, but instead glinted of soft silver. “He bids I bring you to him without delay. You are in danger. Approach, oh favored one, and ride to freedom.” It lowered one of its wings for me to climb aboard.
I found my voice at last. “A-Aviad sent you?” I asked weakly.
Its large eyes shifted as it answered, “I will take you to the one who has the power you seek.”
The way Sam and Petrov had spoken to me the night before, I had expected to be traveling by foot for a couple of days—flying on a dragon sure seemed to be a nice alternative. Obviously it was not here to eat me or it would have already. Having settled my concerns, I picked myself up from the ground and gathered my things. This was going to make an even better “one-up” story than finding a meteor.
As I stepped forward, a lone warrior appeared out of the mist and pushed his way between me and the dragon, his Veritas Sword drawn. He was ready to do battle.
“Return from whence you came, beast. The boy remains with us!” Though his voice was uncharacteristically forceful, I still recognized it easily.
“Gerwyn? What are you…?”
“Leave, Hunter!” he commanded, keeping his eyes focused on the dragon.
“No, no, you don’t understand. The dragon’s good, he was sent here to…”
“Do not believe a word it has said! It serves the enemy.”
As he spoke, I noticed a change in the dragon’s demeanor; it no longer bowed before me, but had raised its powerful frame to face the new challenger. Its eyes switched to red as the dragon roared, “You lie, old fool! You want the boy for yourselves but you cannot have him. He is a free man.”
Lunging forward, the dragon snapped its jaws at Gerwyn’s stomach but the “old fool” was quicker than he looked. An arc of light from his Veritas Sword sped down, cutting a gash below its eye. Seething from the cut, the dragon pulled back and shot a stream of fire from its mouth. I scampered out of the way as Gerwyn deflected the flame with his sword—protected by an unseen shield. Apparently, there was more to this gentle man than I had ever given him credit for. Dumbfounded at Gerwyn’s battle-savvy abilities I watched as he quickly avoided another attack and buried a blow deep into the dragon’s leg. Yanking back the wounded leg the dragon jolted Gerwyn slightly off-balance.
Sensing Gerwyn’s instability the dragon lashed its tail around to knock him flat.
“Gerwyn! Watch out!” I yelled. Once again, the white arc of his blade slashed out, severing the tip of the tail clear off, but the remainder still hit hard with deadly force, sending Gerwyn’s frail body to the earth with a crash.
“No!” I wailed, hoping by some miracle he was still alive. I started running toward my fallen friend, but the dragon stepped in my way—its eyes instantly softening to the silvery light once more.
“Chosen one, I am sorry. Your friend was a traitor—poisoned with lies. Like the others here, he wants to keep you away from your true fate. Come with me! Your freedom is waiting.” Looking over at Gerwyn’s limp form through tearful eyes, I wasn’t sure what to do.
“Do not mourn one who would have seen you bound as a servant. Come with me to find true freedom and power. You will understand everything soon.” The dragon bowed once more and offered its wing.
My head was spinning—I was confused. A flood of emotions burned in my mind. Was Gerwyn a liar? Were the Codebearers really trying to keep me from becoming free? If what the dragon said was true, everything I had learned so far was a lie. Something was not quite right here; the dragon’s words seemed compelling and good but I couldn’t bring myself to believe them.
“Come quickly, young prince—your destiny awaits.” The black fog seemed to be thickening, tightening its grip on the forest and on me.
Familiar, strong voices echoed through the crisp morning air. The Codebearers were coming; they were close, and getting closer. Out of the corner of my eye I could see the oncoming lights of the search party, their Veritas Swords ignited, armor glowing in various hues as they approached through the trees. I longed to run back to them, but something held me there.
“You must make a choice, dear prince. I cannot protect you from all of them. The master can give you the answers you seek and much more. There will be no more secrets.”
No more secrets, huh? That sounded nice. I was becoming burdened by the book’s confusing riddles and longed for some straight answers. I was about to mount the dragon’s wing when a voice called out through the dawn.
“Hunter, don’t do it!” Sam commanded.
“Ignore him, Hunter. Do what feels right to you,” the dragon replied.
Unsure, I backed away from the dragon that was still bowed low. Sensing my retreat, the dragon lifted itself to full height and blew a ring of fire around us both. The walls of fire leaped ten feet high, completely sealing off the would-be rescue party from view.
“My protection will not last.” I sensed desperation in the dragon’s voice. “This is your final chance. They do not care for you; they only want to steal what is rightfully yours. You were meant for great things, Hunter.”
The dragon was convincing but my heart told me he was wrong. Something was missing in his words, something that made all the difference in the world.
“Who sent you?” I asked boldly.
“One who knows your deepest desires,” the dragon replied. It was not good enough.
“Do you come from Aviad?” I pressed.
The dragon did not reply, instead it shifted uncomfortably at the question. Its silence was answer enough. There was no time to delay; I had to get out and now.
Scanning the flames, I could see no break in the raging fire. Instead, I would have to leap through it. I ran for the wall, but pulled back in pain at the last minute. The flames were too hot—I was trapped. I had to face my fears, the final exam had found me, and I was on my own. The only escape now was to defeat my dragon.
“If you will not come willingly, then I must take you by force! It is for your own good!” The dragon sprung forward grabbing at my waist.
“By fear, a man appoints his master!” I shouted, swinging my sword skillfully down on its paw, removing one of its claws. The wounded beast pulled away in surprise. Looking down at the severed claw, I was almost as surprised as it was. Spinning around as Sam had taught me, I swung the sword again and again at the massive enemy. He continued to back away to avoid further injury and sent a stream of fire out of his mouth to drive me back. I was so focused on dodging the flame I forgot to pay attention to the creature’s tail, which knocked my legs out from beneath me before I even knew it was there.
Falling hard to the ground, my head hit with a thump. There was a bright flash followed by a thousand dancing stars twinkling in my eyes. Shocked and slightly stunned I lay motionless on my back, staring up into the sky. Way to go, Hunter, you let your guard down.
The dragon’s good paw pinned me tightly to the ground—its claws clinching my waist in a death grip. The creature roared victoriously and crouched low to the ground, beating its wings wildly as it prepared to take to the sky and me with it.