In a cavern deep in the Dwarf mountains, Jarthan, a Dwarf, sat at the desk that was the only furniture in the room. Five Elf mercenaries stood in front of him. One of which was Qiro.
"The queen's sister will be visiting with her little family. I want you to be there when she arrives," said Jarthan.
The Elves nodded and left the room. Qiro separated himself from them and went out into the night. His wife Kayti joined him.
"Jarthan is going to assassinate the Gnome Royal Family."
Qiro's eyes glowed black. Complete darkness surrounded them. When the light returned they were gone.
Two Dragons, one black and the other red, landed on an outcropping by the sea. Many Dragons of different colors soaked in the sun.
Qiro, the black Dragon that had just landed, and Kayti, the red Dragon, climbed down to the beach to talk to an old silver Dragon.
They both bowed their heads low, out of respect. Dragons have no politics, no government and very few laws. The elder Dragons are considered the leaders, though they do very little leading. Mostly they are there to teach the wisdom they have gained over the centuries.
"We have found Jarthan," said Qiro.
The silver Dragon, Korion, nodded.
"He is working hard unify the three smaller races into one race," said Kayti.
"This is a good thing. Has Jarthan changed his flame?" asked Korion.
Kayti shook her head. "No. He is the same. He wants to rule over them all."
"He is killing their leaders and making them fight wars with one another," said Qiro.
Korion shook his head slowly. "I had hoped that sending him away would teach him..." He sighed. "Are you two willing to do what must be done?"
They both nodded.
"Do not reveal yourselves to anyone. The peoples of this world would not trust us, and they have killed many Dragons in the past. Do not let Jarthan know who you are. Protect those whom he would destroy."
"Do you want us to execute him?" asked Qiro.
Korion thought about this for a long time. His eyes focused on something that only he could see. "It is best that we not interfere too much. The races believe we are extinct. Let's keep it that way, for now. Jarthan may be evil, but he will light the fire of events that will burn the prejudices of this world. We will once again fly the skies in safety. Be watchful. He may yet change his flame. But, if he doesn't, you will know what to do when the time comes."
Qiro and Kayti flew to Eisoj, the Gnome capital. They arrived before dawn. Qiro cloaked them in blackness and he and Kayti landed on the palace wall. When the blackness lifted, they were no longer Dragons, but appeared to be Gnomes.
They ran down through the palace looking for the royal bedrooms. When they found them, it was too late. Jarthan's Elf mercenaries were already doing their job. Qiro and Kayti rushed in to see the Gnome guards killing the last mercenary. The Gnome King elbowed them aside and ran to his dead wife.
Qiro and Kayti exchanged sad looks. "I'll stay here to protect him," whispered Kayti.
"Perhaps as one of the fallen?"
Kayti nodded. "It will make it easier for him."
Qiro's eyes glowed black and complete darkness filled the room. Guards yelled and ran into each other. The king continued to cry over his wife. Kayti found her way to the corpses of the queen's family lying on the floor. Just as she was about to change, Qiro whispered into her ear, "The prince is still alive."
"Then I must protect him as well."
"He is in the next room. I will fly to Mabid and check on the Elves."
"Take the dead baby. I'm going to be the king's niece."
They gave each other a quick kiss. Kayti changed. Qiro took the dead baby and left. Light returned to the room. Dawn broke. Kayti cried her baby cry.
The king lifted his eyes, crawled over to her and picked her up. A Gnome brought the king's son from the bedroom. The Gnome King held the two babies for a long time.
Qiro and Kayti would not see each other again for twenty-five years.
Elizabeth Williamson Copyright © 2009
4 comments:
"Turn his tail"? Doesn't turning your tail usually mean to turn around (i.e. and run away)?
it means to change. good to bad - bad to good. that sort of thing. it's a dragon phrase
Taking an already familiar phrase and changing it's meaning gets confusing to the reader. Confusion not good, just so you know.
i think you are thinking "to turn tail" there is no pronoun there. i changed it anyway. now it's change his flame
the next comments are in response to questions that ken sent me--
the other races believe Dragons are extinct. and have no idea what they are capable of.
jarthan plans to unite the three races under him. even though he would like to rule the dragons he knows that would extremely difficult for him to accomplish. as is pointed out in 'Winter' dragons that turn evil lose their power and become weak.
making the races war with each other makes them weak and open to suggestions and heros. jarthan intends to place heros (that he controls) to save the races and bring peace. the heros will become rulers and jarthan will rule the rulers.
this is a prelude or background info for what happens later, which is a whole book.
there's confusion as to why jarthan is still alive. maybe he should have a predecessor that gets killed because i need him for later
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