Bound by Magic

Chapter 1

There weren't always dragons in the valley. You see, a long time ago, elves and dragons inhabited the lush land together, although not entirely peacefully.

The elves discovered there were twin sisters who possessed very powerful magic. And after performing many tedious trials, one sister, Talbuc granted the elves access to her side of the magic, with a binding rule, you must be willing to die for what you believe in.

The elves then used the magic to kill or scare the dragons from the game-filled forests, forcing them into the rocky canyons and the dry, harsh valleys where they would starve.

Elutian, the other twin sister, happened across a group of elves torturing a dragon with her sister's magic. To protect these beautiful, intelligent, loving, and most importantly telepathic, creatures. She gave them access to her magic with the binding rule, you must love and be loved in return.

Dragons could now defend themselves from the elves and for the most part, the elves left the dragons alone. Tulbuc passed away many years later. Her death severed the connection the two sides of the magic had to each other, resulting in the magic on both sides to slowly die, as it could no longer access its other half.

The elves noticed their magic weakening and blamed the dragons. Because it couldn't be their fault that the magic was weakening. The dragons had to be using all of their magic! Mild resentment toward the mighty beasts grew into seething anger, then outright hatred. Massive elven armies and weapons were assembled to drive dragons into extinction.

Ironically, each dragon that fell to the ruthless onslaught diminished the very magic that drove the elves to war in the first place.

Horrified by this turn of events, Elutian sacrificed herself by giving all her remaining energy to the magic in order to weave the series of complicated events which would hopefully result in the creation of another neutral conduit to allow the magic to reunite itself so it could be made whole once more

This is the magic's story.

***

Tywin abruptly woke, finding himself in a dense, surreal forest he did not recognize.

He looked around at the tall trees with their intertwined branches and almond-shaped blue-grey leaves. He walked over to one and ran his hand along the oddly textured trunk. It felt both slick and tacky in equal measure, the contradicting sensation adding to the ethereal quality of the surroundings. He pulled his hand away and brought it tentatively to his nose, inhaling the foreign sap on his fingers. The scent of honey and berries filled his nostrils. Without thinking, he gingerly tasted his fingertips. A painfully bitter taste filled his mouth, and his face contorted in disgust. Regretting his actions, he reached behind him for the water in his pack but came up empty-handed. Why would I come into a forest without my pack? How did I even get here? He thought to himself, confusion wrinkling his brow. He wracked his memory for any hint of how he arrived here but... Nothing. All he knew for certain was that he needed something to get the revolting taste out of his mouth, and, if he was to be trapped here long, a source of water. He peered into the sky to get his bearings, but the sun's location was hidden behind the dense copse of trees and foliage. Sighing to himself, he chose a direction that felt right and began walking.

He traveled through what seemed like hours of a monotonous forest, punctuated by the odd trill of a bird call or the soft rasp of assorted strange-looking animals' claws against tree bark as they scampered up to the safety of the canopy. Eventually, he entered a small, mossy clearing, roughly six meters in diameter. Tiny, phosphorescent mushrooms dotted the landscape between tufts of grass and dead leaves in varying shades of brown. Near the center was a humble fire, deep orange embers crackling with haphazard crimson flames. Illuminated by the intermittent firelight, an imposing saber-tooth feline lay in the damp earth, its massive head resting on dinner plate-sized paws, its dense jaw punctuated by sharp ivory fangs, hanging inches below the contours of its face.

"Kaerinath?" Tywin asked tentatively as he cautiously walked toward the fire.

The majestic cat did not move, except for the slight swishing of its rope-like tail. As Tywin got closer he could hear the calm, rumbling purr of a Ken'th. He studied the pattern in its dense fur, and while it was very similar to Kaerinath, he could now be sure it was not his Ken'th.

Tywin did not have extensive knowledge about the Ken'th, from what he perceived through his connection with his Ken'th, Kaerinath, a Ken'th is a magic-born spirit guide.

Knowing this, Tywin was wary of whose camp he had stumbled upon. The presence of a Ken'th meant a magic user was near. He did not know if someone with a cruel heart would be able to draw a Ken'th to their side, but he felt it best to be on guard, just in case.

"Hello?" Tywin asked as he crept forward toward the center of the clearing. The cat's body remained motionless and showed no sign of hearing him.

He walked around the cat to see a woman sitting next to the Ken'th. While she shared the same basic form as a woman, her face was catlike, covered in soft grey marbled fur. She had long whiskers, pointed ears on the top of her head, and a long fluffy tail wrapped gracefully around her bare-clawed feet. Her eyes were puffy and red-rimmed, the fur on her cheeks was wet with tears. An overwhelming sadness engulfed him. He could feel her pain, her loneliness, her longing to be loved for who she was.

Suddenly, the woman jumped to her feet and spun around, putting her back to Tywin. Tywin instinctively reached out for his magic, but only one part of his magic came to him, the other was not there. Tywin's deep confusion was interrupted by a deafening roar piercing the air. "That was a dragon!" Tywin exclaimed stepping forward. Neither the woman nor the Ken'th acknowledged him.

"HELP! MY MOMMY!" The scream pierced through Tywin's mind. "What is going on?!" Tywin shouted with frustration, but again he was ignored.

A baby dragon burst through the brush, practically running into the woman who quickly knelt with her arms extended. Black smoke with purple motes flowed from her hands and caressed the dragon. "It's alright little one, you are safe here with me. What is wrong with your mother?" The woman telepathically asked the baby. Tywin was looking between all three beings in front of him. How could he hear the dragon or her? For that matter, since when could dragons talk?! The Ken'th crawled on its belly over toward the trembling baby, purring loudly to calm it. Tywin knew the Ken'th's purr was soothing, but he never felt Kaerinath purr so powerfully. Somehow, he knew it was because of how strong this woman was with magic. Her power amplified her Ken'th.

The baby dragon calmed, breathing easier but was still very scared. Again, the woman asked, "What is wrong with your mother little one? I will help her."

The baby dragon looked up at the woman, her large orange eyes locked with hers. Images flashed through Tywin's mind, the baby dragon's thoughts and feelings became his own. A vision of three elves surrounded him, and paralyzing fear coursed through his veins, a large dragon came out of nowhere putting herself between him and the elves, relief washed over him. "Mommy!" he cried, "Run Fianne!" she replied. His breathing was quick and shallow, his heartbeat thundered in his ears, tears welled in his eyes, he couldn't move. The large black dragon planted her feet and arched her neck in a battle stance, her thunderous roar shook the ground "RUN!" she snarled at the elves and got ready to breathe fire. He spun, his unsteady paws slipped on the damp leaves of the forest floor. He scrambled, regaining his footing, and ran. He needed to get help. The sound of lightning sparking and thunder crashing echoed behind him.

Tywin shook his head as the vision faded, unsettled from the experience. What had just happened? Was that what the baby saw? He thought to himself. He looked up and saw the woman's hands curled into tight fists, her catlike ears flatten in rage. "They dare use her magic on a dragon!" She growled.

"Stay right here Fianne, I'll handle this!" She effortlessly leaped onto the Ken'th's back shouting "Go Shante!" The Ken'th lunged forward sprinting towards the fight at full speed.

Tywin dashed after them, he was able to keep up with them with ease, which should not have been possible as Ken'ths outrun horses.

They arrived at the fight, Tywin saw the elves had surrounded the mother dragon, ropes of electric magic were wrapped around her mouth and legs, holding her down so she could not defend herself with her fire. The elves were laughing as they cast crackling lightning at the dragon, not so powerful to kill, but enough to really hurt.

The woman leaped off Shante, and as she hit the ground, a barrier of energy burst from her, the force of it knocking all the elves off their feet. As it passed over the dragon, it destroyed the magical binds holding her down.

The elves stared at the feline woman wide-eyed. One of them gasped "The magic, it's gone! We are cut off! HOW?!"

The woman snarled "How dare you use my sister's magic to torture this dragon, and threaten her baby."

Another elf scoffed, "It's just a dragon. Do you expect us to starve while the dragons eat everything in the forest?"

The dragon was on her feet, she started sucking in air to breathe fire. The woman held her hand up to the dragon. Then telepathically spoke to it "No, Chastine, don't sink to their level." Then said out loud "Their punishment will be worse than being burned alive." Chastine looked down at the woman and back at the elves with contempt. She reluctantly quelled her fire and huffed with annoyance, only slight tendrils of smoke emanating from her mouth.

"What can you do that's worse than being burned alive?" One of the elves asked, defiantly. Another elf responded in horror, "Are you stupid Hontin?! That's Elutian!" Hontin's complexion paled, "Elutian ... You mean Talbuc's sister?!"

Elutian tilted her round head to one side, her eyes narrowing coldly. "All you need to know is I am the one who cuts you off from Talbuc's magic, and no amount of begging or groveling will ever restore it."

Hontin sneered "You maybe be able to cut us off, but you can't cut off all of us! Someone else will replace us to take care of the dragons!"

Elutian pursed her thin lips together, annoyed with the knowledge that he was right. The dragons could not protect themselves from the elves if they used Talbuc's magic. Her sister was a stupid, stupid woman for giving such hateful creatures as elves access to her power.

Chastine lowered her head and gently brushed against Elutian's arm and spoke to her telepathically "It's ok, you saved Fianne and myself. We will leave this place as soon as she is large enough to fly. I will warn others not to come here." Elutian paused and turned looking at Chastine and burst out laughing. "There is a way I can help every dragon, regardless of where they reside." Elutian proudly proclaimed. She placed her hands on Chastine's scaled face and closed her eyes. Black smoke with purple sparks surrounded her feline form, then enveloped the massive dragon. "I, Elutian, grant all dragons access to my power to protect themselves and the ones they love from anyone or anything that means them harm, with the binding rule. You must love, and be loved in return." The smoke erupted from Elutian like a volcano and spread across the sky in all directions.

Chastine gasped as her eyes shifted from shimmering orange to soft blue. Her wounds healed, damaged scales fell to the ground, and new ones quickly filled in the gaps.

Tywin stared in shock. A realization formed in his mind. So, this is how the dragons got their magic?! It was given to them for protection. They do not steal magic from us as we are led to believe. "Is this true? Is this what really happened?" He asked Elutian, not expecting a reply.

Elutian’s head snapped up, looking right at him. He felt her in his mind, looking through his memories, learning who he was. Everything around them faded, the forest, the elves, the dragon. She took a step forward, her eyes filled with tears and hope. "It worked," she whispered, her voice cracked. She took a deep breath and then said "You must save her." Then she firmly projected all her will at Tywin. The wave of energy swallowed him. He felt the ground give out from under his feet and he fell into the darkness.

******

Tywin sat up in bed, he could hear muffled shouting outside. It sounded like the scouting party returned. He groaned with annoyance, got up, and started to get dressed then realized his hand was sticky. "What the ...?" He murmured. He absent-mindedly washed his hands in a water basin, finished getting dressed, and walked out to find out what was causing all the commotion.

Larse was seated in his office, sipping his tea when he heard a swift knock on the door and a guard entered without waiting for a reply. “A scout has returned bringing news, sir. Shall I show him in?”

Larse nodded and set his cup down.

A young elf entered and saluted Larse.

“What news do you bring?” Larse asked.

“I have spotted a black dragon, sir. It is about 3 days’ ride to the southwest in a canyon.”

Larse leaped to his feet. “A dragon!” he bellowed. “We must take action at once! GUARDS!” The two guards at the door entered and saluted. “Go rally the camp; we are to prepare for battle at once! A dragon has been sighted, it must be destroyed!”

“Yes, sir!” the guards said in unison, then turned and marched out.”

The news of the dragon spread like wildfire through the camp. Everyone was scrambling to get ready for battle.

Tywin had heard the news as well. His stomach hurt, his nails were bitten raw, anger and frustration filled him. He could take no more. He got up and stormed toward Larse’s quarters.

Larse was sharpening his sword when his door flew open. He didn’t have to look to know who it was. “Tywin, I already know what you seek from me. But I fail to understand why you can’t grasp the fact that dragons are unwaveringly villainous creatures, and it is our duty to rid the world of them.”

Tywin glared at Larse. “You are clouded with the lies of our ancestors. You and I both know that if past battles were reviewed, anyone of sound mind would deem elven kind on the side of villainy and ruthlessness. I beg of you to think for yourself, for once, and end this murderous quest to slay the innocent.”

Larse chuckled. "Tywin, you young fool. You've got it all wrong. We are on the side of goodness and righteousness. As you have been taught every day since birth, dragons are stealing what is ours by right. The only way we can protect our magic is to slay them all." Tywin scowled, "They are not stealing are magic!" He snapped. "Then how do you explain the magic weakening!" Larse demanded.

Tywin snorted and looked away, refusing to answer. He had heard this lecture before and didn't believe a word of it.

Larse pretended Tywin had answered and continued his practiced, melodic speech, "Because the dragons are greedy and using all for themselves! Don't you like your magic? I know you do, so why do you argue with killing them?”

Tywin shook his head. “I don't sense your claims from them at all! Never has a dragon attacked us unless we have stricken first. And even then, they use magic to protect themselves from us. They have never done anything to prove the truth to these accusations. You are in the wrong for ordering the death of innocent beings!”

Larse threw down his sword “How dare you question me! You should be glad I let you live, much less allowing my brother to bring that ... that ... human you call your mother here. That is why you can’t see the darkness that lives inside those thieving beasts. Your human emotions blind you!"

Tywin’s eyes narrowed; a black haze with purple shimmering motes drifted up from Tywin’s feet making Larse's blood run cold. "Her name was Merrise." Tywin growled coldly.

"Yes, yes, it was. And who took care of you and her when your father was killed? Hmm?" Large sighed "Look, you're my brother's kid and I love you. But damn Tywin, you drive me crazy!"

Tywin looked away, placing his arms across his chest. The haze faded but it was obvious he was still extremely upset.

Larse let out a quiet sigh. He knew he had to keep Tywin under tight rein, to never question him. Though Tywin was not aware of it, Larse feared him. Tywin was only half-elven, but the magic within him was very strong. Unlike most elves – who need to bind the magic to them and then must spend years specializing their spells for healing or sorcery – Tywin was chosen by the magic, he was not bound to it. It wanted to please him, doing as he asked? Larse was not sure how Tywin could use magic without being bound, but he did know this made Tywin a powerful ally – or a deadly enemy. "How about this, Tywin? Come with us to this battle. You will then see this dragon firsthand. Then you can admit to me you were wrong, and I will forgive you for being so naive.”

That was the last thing Tywin would ever want. It was horrible knowing they were going to go slay the dragon. But having to witness its murder ... unthinkable.

He was about to refuse when he heard a soft voice "You must save her." echo in his mind. He looked down, trying to place the voice but its memory was gone as quickly as it had come. He briefly nodded. “I’ll go get ready then, sir.” He rose and walked out.

Larse sat back down and picked up his sword, looking it over, and sheathed it. He refused to consider the possibility that Tywin might, in fact, be right.

***

The Elven army arrived at the canyon where the dragon had last been sighted. They set up camp and sent scouts to locate the beast. Tywin felt sick and restless. For the almost three-day ride, he had barely eaten or slept. His eyes were red and sore from crying himself to sleep each night. He was sitting against Kaerinath who was purring softly when the scouts returned with the dragon’s location.

Larse exited his tent, his armor shimmering in the midday sun. He approached the scouts who had just arrived. “So, where is it? Did you see others?”

One scout stepped forward. “We saw it pacing in the northern part of the canyon. No other dragons were sighted, sir. It did look anxious; maybe it knows we are here.”

Larse laughed. “They are stupid creatures! It would be unable to detect us.” He stopped and glanced at the sun. “I suggest everyone rest up. We’ll attack at dusk.” He returned to his tent as everyone else finished preparing for the night ahead.

The dragon was resting in the canyon. This was the best spot to watch the sunset. It was her favorite time of day; the sky would dance with a multitude of colors as the stars slowly began to twinkle. However, this was the worst place she could be at this particular moment.

Larse positioned his troops: twenty-five elves at each side and twenty-five casters above. She would have nowhere to run. Tywin was positioned to the rear of the left flank; Larse wanted him only to observe, not participate in the battle.

The dragon was so busy calming herself from the building excitement of her baby about to hatch that she failed to notice the elves close in. Startled to find herself surrounded. She arched herself up, towering over the elves. She had heard of elves slaying dragons. The reasons were unknown and no dragon yet had been able to stop them. Few had ever escaped once targeted. Seeing that she had no way to run, she spread her huge leathery wings and started to take flight. Unaware of the casters above, she was doing exactly as Larse planned.

She looked up as twenty-five lightning bolts found their mark, sending her hurtling back to the ground. The impact left her winded, barely able to breathe. Her exposed charred flesh sizzled. She looked to see the elves approaching her, their swords drawn.

Tywin was beside himself with grief. “How can you do this?” he shouted. “It didn’t even try to fight. Leave it alone!” His words fell on deaf ears. He felt helpless in the situation. He could only watch them kill the dragon, and it stood no chance. That first attack left it too wounded to try to defend itself. He stopped. “It’ll have a chance if I have anything to say about it!” He focused all his energy on the dragon lying there, gasping for air.

The dragon started to rise. Twenty-five more lightning bolts struck her, sending her back to the ground.

Tywin began weaving a spell of absorption. “Goddess of the black light, please do not question my actions. Abide my wishes and take away this creature's pain. It deserves a fighting chance for life!”

His magic did as requested and, without questioning it surrounded the dragon in a soft blanket of black smoke with swirling purple. Instead of protecting himself from the dragon's magic, he was shielding it from the elves attacks. It did not occur to Tywin that this spell left him vulnerable to the dragon; if it chose to attack him, he would be helpless. As the spell took hold, a bond was formed between Tywin and the dragon. The mighty beast spun to the left and stared at him.

The ground troops quickly backed up. “Damn its protective magic!” Larse cursed “Hold your ground! Wait for another lightning attack,“ he bellowed to his troops.

While the dragon could have attacked Tywin, she chose instead to communicate with him. Why do you aid me? the dragon demanded of him. Tywin looked up and met her gaze, his mind racing, Why is this so familiar? he quickly answered her. "You’re no enemy of mine! My people are wrong, but I am powerless to stop them." The dragon staggered as she moved forward, turning her attention to her right. A hurling fireball followed an ear-piercing roar. Larse, along with the front line, ducked under their shields, then immediately dropped them, shaking their burned hands. Larse shouted for the front line to move back to treat their wounds.

The dragon said to him telepathically. "You may be powerless to save me, but," The image is Elutian flashed in his mind, "You can save her." She turned her attention to her left side. She charged, spinning around, smashing the front line with her tail. Fifteen elves flew thirty feet into the canyon wall, where they lay motionless.

Larse screamed with rage. "MORE LIGHTNING. NOW!"

"Save who?" Tywin asked the dragon. Tywin screeched in pain, falling to his knees, as twenty-five more lightning bolts struck the dragon. His spell was weakening and rebounding through him to keep her shielded. He looked up, panting. She was practically a living skeleton. Flesh and scales hung from her charred, exposed bone. Her soft blue eyes locked with his. His vision suddenly blurred and changed like it did when he melded thoughts with Fienne. He did not see the dying dragon on the battlefield, but the canyon to the East. To the top left was a cave. He was brought inside and down the long slope, around some turns, and there he saw the egg. His vision snapped back to reality. The withering dragon was on the ground. She coughed and sputtered up blood. "Please, don't let them kill her, too." Tywin gasped; the pain was gone. She severed his spell, killing their telepathic link. The dragon released her magic from protecting her egg and brought all to shielding herself, she stood up with every ounce of willpower she had. She must give that man all the time she could to save her baby.

Tywin closed his eyes; he could not bear to look at her again. He got to his feet and ran in the direction she had shown him. Behind him, he heard elves scream, followed by a roar that shook the ground and heat from her fire against his back. He pushed the battle to the back of his mind and tugged on his magical ties to Kaerinath. "I need your assistance boy," Tywin requested.

Kaerinath raised his head and let out a sleepy yawn.

"NOW!" Tywin barked.

Kaerinath hissed and lurched forward running with blinding speed toward the same cave Tywin was approaching.

Tywin reached the cave and was making his way through the twists and turns. The cave was dark and dry; he couldn't see his hand in front of his face. While he could have used magic to light his way, if he did, Larse and the others might feel it and come to investigate. He could not risk it. Something brushed against his side; the soft purring announced what it was. "Kaerinath, I need you to lead me to the egg. I can't see in this darkness." Tywin hopped onto Kaerinath’s back and nudged him forward.

Kaerinath loped off as directed. A few minutes later, Kaerinath stopped. As he dismounted and felt around, he tripped over something. Metallic clinks echoed off the cave walls as assorted treasures rolled onto the ground from the dragon's nest. Feeling around, his hand ran across a slightly rough, warm surface. At his touch, it glowed slightly. He stopped. "There you are," he said softly and scooped up the egg which vibrated a little when he spoke. "Kaerinath, come here."

The large cat came to him, presenting his side with the traveling pack. Tywin carefully put the egg into the pouch and went to remount. He looked down; though he could only see shadows now that his eyes were adjusting to the dark, he knew he was standing on gold or other precious metals. Dragons love anything shiny. He'd have something of value to trade when he arrived at the closest city with a port, he will need to get far away to keep this egg safe. He bent down and filled his side pouch with a few large handfuls of the dragon's horde, He then mounted Kaerinath. "Come on boy. Let’s get out of here."

Larse stood looking over the battlefield. Never before had a dragon caused so much havoc. Nine of his men were killed and twenty-three critically injured. I have underestimated their power, Larse thought. However, this battle will prove to Tywin just how nasty these dragons are! Larse went to look for Tywin as his mind went back to the killing blow. He took perverse pleasure in watching a dragon die. He liked to stare it in the face as it made one final attempt to bite him in half. Usually, hate and anger clouded their eyes. But not this time. It showed no hate, anger, or even pain. Instead, its eyes had looked through him as if it was relieved.

Numb to her surroundings, the dragon focused on the young elf riding a Ken'th, her daughter safely concealed in the cat’s side pack. Her eyes drew closed, and her last breath came as a soft sigh. She died peacefully, knowing her egg was safe.