Beneath the Dragon's Talon

Chapter 1-Welcome to Mandina

There weren’t always dragons in the Valley. They came with the east wind on the twenty-second year of my reign. That day, the fiery vortex passed over the mountaintops in a swirling chaos of fire and death. The long wings of the dragons blotted out the sun, and that was the first day we knew we would have to join the world.

The city of Talimvor had always been a quiet metropolis, hidden between the Magravor and Teal Drop mountain ranges. It was a city built into the walls of the mountains and carved from the expensive materials that hid within. The city stretched along the Ambarvale Riverbed, and we had to build it upon stilts and bridges to protect us from the watery death below.

Talimvor is my home, and I have led its people since my father died. I led the effort to carve out farming land along the southern border, and through my father’s guidance in the letters he left me, built up Talimvor into a bustling hub of peace and tranquility. My reign was pockmarked by difficulty, especially when my people demanded to welcome technology. We adopted the glowbulbs of the outsiders in my fourth year and built our first teleportation dome in the ninth year to allow the transport of non-organic matter.

For fourteen generations, we had been separated from the rest of the world as they grew equally in technology and magic. However, the Techpologists found us and brought many into their cult of electricity. I held out as long as I could, but I had to respect the ideals of my people. They had changed, and I knew I would as well.

The Collective of Veils visited not long after we joined the Electrocracy. The nineteen kings from the surrounding cities who had all fallen in with the Techpologists. They clambered over the mountains and barely survived the trip, but we opened our doors to them and healed their wounds.

We had always been separated, not by choice, but by circumstance. The Magravor Mountains were too tall to be scaled, and the Teal Drop Hills poisoned anyone who tried to get through them. The gods had blessed us to live within a perfect biome protected on all sides by farmland, space to grow, and a people who didn’t mind the segregation.

I never understood how the Techpologists first made it through the Magravors, but they arrived half-frozen and babbling about white monsters among the snow-capped peaks. We welcomed them in and that changed our city forever.

Suddenly, our people wanted to use metal in the construction of the newer buildings. They wanted to use the junction boxes the Techpologists provided. The Citizens didn’t want to use torches but implanted glow bulbs into everything. They had adopted technology faster than I could implement rules to protect my people from the harms of electric mechanisms.

The dragons came in the early hours, sixteen days after the week of rest, just as the snows were coming. I had woken early to an empty bed and smiled, knowing I would have the morning mostly to myself. In the glimmering sunlight, I forced myself out of bed and donned the royal robe that rested on a hook, pressed and hung with care. The cold air outside beckoned to me, and I wandered out to the balcony above the portcullis of my castle in the northern district of the city, nestled into King’s Cove.

My wife, Evangeline, had left earlier to wander amongst the civilians and provide as she could. She was always so altruistic, even if she was a little reckless. As I looked down into the valley, I saw the Techpologists wandering with their bright blue banners glimmering in the sunlight; the circuitry depicting a crown reflecting the golden-red hue. I saw the merchants’ carts moving along Tayman Avenue towards the market and knew that Evangeline would be close behind with the Blood Guard on her heels. I also saw the newfangled engine carts moving along the path, pushing civilians out of its way, one of the many inventions brought by the Techpologists.

I sighed and leaned on the bricks, cold to the touch, when someone cleared their throat behind me. Looking up at the sun, I realized it must be Antoine, my personal guard, trying to announce his presence, “My Lord Horon, I am here with the morning report.” His armor clanked behind me as he saluted my back.

I shook my head and thought to myself, “All this formality, and I can’t even see him.” I laughed as I turned to face him, taking my time in my regality. My face was blank, and I could feel the rings under my eyes burning with lack of sleep. Antoine eyed me as I did my best to remain straight and regal but knew that I was slouching. I flopped my hand in a gesture of getting on with it and Antoine smiled brightly, much too brightly for nine in the morning.

“The blood guard has promoted four new civilians to duty, including one of the Techpologists. He has introduced perforated laser weaponry, and the General is considering its use with your blessing. The farmers have brought in a great yield this year and we are expecting a healthy winter. We have heard no ill will from the Council of Veils and that will continue as long as we allow the Techpologists to continue to live here.”

I sighed heavily, and Antoine stopped for a moment, searching my face. He removed his helmet, revealing his fiery red hair and his emerald-green eyes. He was a larger man, but more muscled than anyone had a right to be. His face was chiseled but showed signs of the extra weight he held under his armor. His cheeks puffed out above his jawline and his forehead seemed to sag under the pressure of his position.

His armor was the deep red of the Blood Guard. Each piece of armor was forged within the Lava Lake Mines and then colored by bathing them in the blood pits of Xaracor, where the Jin-Tae were killed in the thousands as they tried to press into the valley. The Jin-Tae had always been the reason for the Blood Guard, even though to the civilians of the valley believed they were just royal guards.

“How is the battle with Jin-Tae?” I asked, my voice far groggier than I would have liked.

“Their last assault cost us six men, but we killed forty-seven of their ranks, including two Jor-Els. We have not seen them since that assault over a week ago. We have been able to fortify the Caverns and even seek alternate paths to block them off. Those Under-Dwellers will have a harder time attacking us next time.”

I scratched at my rough beard, thinking that I should shave it as I wandered over to the writing table beside the oak dresser that held all of Evangeline’s clothes. I scribbled down a note for General Timmins and passed it to Antoine. “This needs to go straight into Scott’s hands.” I put on my authoritative voice and half-whispered the order, “I want you to pick eight of your best men and you will deliver this letter and follow its command.”

Antoine nodded, “I assume you will need someone else to deliver the morning report while I am gone?”

“You guessed correctly. You’ll be gone for a few weeks. I would recommend sending for Jael.”

“Jael is a good choice.” Antoine bowed and turned to leave.

As Antoine’s footsteps echoed off the halls, I heard the roar of the fires. I turned and ran out onto the portcullis just in time to see two large wings of leather and bone turning into the valley. The sky was burning ash and swirling fire as the dragon filled the sky. The massive beast was at least eighty feet long and its wings were outstretched from mountaintop to mountaintop.

My mouth dropped as Antoine ran up beside me, screaming in my ear, “We need to get you out of here, sire!”

Suddenly, Antoine’s hands were roughly dragging me into the bedroom. The portcullis shattered under horse-sized claws as massive red scales scraped across the side of the castle. Horns blared around the city as Antoine pulled me from the floor. I felt around my body as shock took over. I thought I was fine until my hand came away slick from the back of my head. Antoine also had blood pouring from a wound on his temple.

I shook my head to clear myself of the daze I was in and looked out over Talimvor. The city still stood, unshaken from the attack. As I watched, the castle shook, and I tumbled to a knee. I watched as the dragon’s head appeared snarling with hundreds of razor-sharp teeth filling a mouth that had to be able to consume an elephant in one bite. The dragon tilted its head so that its eyes locked onto me. Four sets of golden eyes sat under spiked ridges.

The dragon reared back as I pushed myself up and ran for the door. The growl turned into a rumble louder than the shaking of the planet that Talimvor was used to. I pulled on Antoine’s arm and we both slammed into the door just as the heat grew in the room. The moment we slammed the door closed we heard a shriek blast into the room.

The door shattered off its hinges, and the brick glowed a deep red. Flames poured out into the hall, and I ran as fast as I could to outrun the blast. However, the flames slammed into my back as I tumbled down the stairs at the end of the hall. My vision blurred, my back seared, and screaming, my mind left me.

A while later, Antoine shook me awake. I shot up, screaming in pain as I took in the dim atmosphere. He quickly passed a glowing hand covered in helixes over my body as golden strands of the Aetheric Weave searched out the deep wounds in my back. I arched in pain as they tore through the charcoaled exterior and began working from the inside out.

I blinked, and we were running through the tunnels under the castle. Well, it was more like Antoine was dragging me through the caves. I stumbled and did my best to stand on my own as we stumbled through the damp halls. There was a scraping sound echoing behind us and I feared the Jin-Tae might be following us. However, I quickly shook that thought loose as they had warded the Castle caves against the Deep Dwarves.

“What is that sound?” I asked through a haze. Antoine huffed as he ran but refused to answer me. I looked over and noticed that half of his face was pure charcoal, offset by the brilliant white on the other side. He grimaced as his arm pulled me in closer and we picked up speed.

The tunnel spun upward at a steady pace, lit by ever-burning torches. When we burst out into the surface where eight spearheads greeted us. The gleaming silver weapons were held by tall humans wearing bright pink armor. Their helmets appeared to be scaled like the dragons and only their dark brown eyes showed under the grates. We both raised our hands as the ground tremored behind us.

“You honestly think we wouldn’t research your little city-state? We knew about all of your escape tunnels.” The feminine voice was firm and calloused, almost a growl on the wind. “Your city has lived in seclusion for too long. It’s time we drafted you into the war like the rest of us, or kill you, whichever is easier!”

The spearmen shouted in agreement as we listened to someone drop from a great height and land with a clank of armor. We waited silently and with our hands raised until a delicate hand caressed my shoulder. She traced a line up my neck and then took my face in her hands to force me to look at her.

She was egregiously tall, and I had to look up to even hope to meet her eye to eye. She stared down at me with ruddy brown eyes and long blonde hair. Her face was gaunt, and her nose was crooked. She looked like the legends of the of Dream-Walkers of the southern continents, separated by the ice wall.

Behind her, the enormous lizard reared its head back and opened its toothy maw. A deep, but noble voice poured from the dragon's throat, “Let them get up. We have frightened them enough. They know we are not to be trifled with.” As he finished, he looked up into the fire-streaked sky.

I lifted myself with the little energy I had. The spear points rose to keep a target on my heart. I looked past the thin lady to the dragon and rose my voice so that the dragon would hear, “Great One, we are willing to secede our throne and hear you out. However, we must ask two things.”

The dragon lowered its head and stared at me with all eight eyes. “proceed.”

“What is your name and nation and is the sky your doing?”

The dragon let a rumble grow from its stomach, a deep chortle. “That is three questions King Horon, but that does not change my answers. First, I am XinXacthantinTiajee. Most call me Flaming Thunder. I am with Ge’envis here and her nation of North Siryi. Finally, the sky is not my work, nor that of my brothers. It is the effect of the Burning Heart, meant to keep us grounded in this war.”

I nodded and bowed as low as I could, trying to take in both Ge’envis and Flaming Thunder in my honor. “We are forever your servant, Flaming Thunder and Ge’envis. Lead, and we shall follow with the blood guard.”