Dragon Touched

This isn’t at all what the Creators envisioned Ardaynium to be. Built and nurtured lifetimes ago, Ardaynium was supposed to be a place of wonder and magic. The Creators, beings ancient and powerful, put all they were into its erection. They gave beautiful sunrises, night skies full of stars and brilliant colors, waters so blue, and soil perfect for farming. They gave their souls to feed magic into the world, so that all of the people that came after them would have a world full of excitement.

Ardaynium was paradise, until it wasn’t. For the last 75 years, the world has fallen. The nights are getting longer, days are getting hotter, rivers and lakes are drying, the soil is turning hard and cracking, and the magic is gone. Mostly.

There are few magics left in Ardaynium. The blessed ones, who are able to receive vague messages from the creators, though they are not what they once were. The touched ones, a baby every 15 years that is dragon touched. And the dragons, who keep to themselves.

Every dragon touched child is placed in the Dark Forest by their second year. They are meant to be the ones to save Ardaynium, but none have succeeded. Tonight, the fifth and final child will be offered.

“Are you sure we should be doing this?” A woman in plain dress linens whispered to an aging man.

“She is dragon touched. We must. You know this, Sarees.” He gently rocked the sleeping baby as they trekked through the Dark Forest.

“But, she is royalty, Eghar. The king will have our heads before the sun can rise.” Sarees almost shouted back.

“It must be done.” The old woman trailing behind them spoke. Her voice was gravelly and low. “She is the last one.”

“And if she doesn’t succeed?” Eghar asked so quietly it was barely heard over the wind.

“Should she fail, the king will be the least of our worries.” The old woman knew there would be no others. This was the last child.

Eghar placed the toddler, who had fallen asleep, on a flat patch of dirt in the Dark Forest. Sarees crouched down, smoothed a hand over the child’s fine hair, placed a gentle kiss upon her forehead and whispered, “Be brave Sofie Ann.” And with that, the trio retreated the way they came. They walked until they made it out of the Dark Forest, to the edge of Hartvilst, and they waited.

Minutes passed before they heard the wailing of the child, who by now had realized she had been abandoned in the darkness. They waited until they could no longer hear her cries and with heavy hearts they returned to the palace.

~

Haerith, the mother of dragons, knew the humans had left another child. It had started wailing moments ago and was causing the hatchlings to be irritable. Haerith wished the humans would stop leaving these pesky children. They never survive. They’re too weak, too fragile, and too afraid. Haerith kept her wings in tight to her body as she traipsed through the forest. She saw the tiny human, toddling about with snot and tears smeared on its face. A discarded woven blanket sat at the base of a tree. Haerith huffed, moving into the child’s space who stopped its wailing and stared with wide gold and green eyes.

The child cocked its head at Haerith and giggled, “Mama.” This child is different than the others. She moved to the child, closing her mouth around its loose clothing careful not to nick the child with her teeth. She would bring it back. If it survived then so be it. If it didn’t, then the humans could be damned.

~

The adults that sacrificed children every 15 years liked to believe that the children had an okay life. The dragons had never been hostile creatures and they coexisted peacefully. Sofie Ann couldn’t count how many times she wished that were true. It’s not that the dragons were cruel or vicious. But, they’re dragons. They live by laws of nature and they are the predator, something humans forgot long ago. She’s had to survive living among the few in Dragon’s Bay, an area where the edge of the forest meets the Southern Ocean. The caves glow with flecks of blues and greens and the soils here haven’t yet been touched by whatever ruin has befallen most of the country.

While the dragons are intelligent creatures, they live by their own laws. Laws that coincide with how nature intended animals to behave. So, while they weren’t outwardly mean to Sofie Ann, they weren’t openly warm and helpful either. She still isn’t sure how she’s managed to make it 14 years alive with them. She was sure she would starve or freeze to death several times. Looking out at the horizon now, she’s not even sure why she’s still here.

She’s made it this far by stealing, save for the few times Haerith pushed her some scraps of food or threw a cloth over her during winter nights. But she’s still only a child. She could’ve gone into town anytime and surely she would’ve been better off.

But she knows that deep down, she considers these dragons her family. Maybe not the best family, but they’re all she’s had the last 14 years. And the fact that she can communicate with them makes her reluctant to leave. “I know I’m meant to do something, but what is it?” Sofie Ann growls at the rising sun. She can hear Avex and Zyth playing around behind her. They’re the youngest dragons here, just hatchlings when Sofie Ann arrived. She can hear the movement of Haerith coming closer, distinguishable from the younger ones because of her size.

Sofie Ann looks to the side as Haerith rests her head on the ground. “I’m going into town today. Have Falot and Lochyn returned?” Haerith gives Sofie Ann one slow blink and she knows that means they haven’t. She’s not sure how she can understand the dragons, just that she can. Falot and Lochyn are two of the older dragons. They had left for something, the older ones are always leaving for something, but Sofie Ann doesn’t know what. All she knows is that, sometimes they don’t return.

“Very well.” Sofie Ann stands and brushes the dirt from her leathers, something that took her a lot of planning to steal. With a nod of her head at Haerith she pulls her cloak on, tugs the hood down, and sets off into the Dark Forest.

~

Hartvilst is very different than the first time she stumbled into the town four years ago. It’s a poor town, but each time she comes back the buildings get prettier while the nature continues to rot. She’s only ever gone as far as Myurt, except for the one time she got lost and ended up at the edge of Fahlo. She’d never seen so many crops in one place before then, though they don’t grow as much now. And even though Sofie Ann has never been to school, she knows enough about her country to survive.

She knows that Myurt and Hartvilst are the bottom, filled with shop owners, entertainers, and laborers. Laborers tend to choose Myurt over Hartvilst. Fahlo is the main crop supply for the country, it’s pretty much just farmers and their families. Off to the west are Belmyr and Dryn; they’re both port cities. Lots of fisherman live there and some of the more expensive shop owners. Like herbalists or those whose specialize in foreign goods. Alosia, up northeast, is only inhabited by the kings soldiers. It’s mountainous terrain makes it hard for anyone else to settle. And Rixend is the crème of the crop. That’s where the king and all the upperclass citizens live. Scholars, doctors, lords and ladies. Sofie Ann heard they’re clothes have some of the most unique colorings.

But Sofie Ann also knows that every once in a while, travelers pass through these poor towns. The only way into the Dark Forest is through Myurt or Hartvilst and people are still convinced they can find the dragons. The dragons are only found if they want to be.

That’s why she’s in town today; to rob some big shot travelers. She heard they’re from the palace, on some kind of mission for the king. She’d bet all her leathers that they have gold. A massive step up from her copper. She’s hiding out on the flat roof of a pub, a new design that replaced the peaked roofs a couple of years ago. The town is bustling today despite the insufferable heat.

Sofie Ann suspects it’s the presence of whoever the travelers are. She saw them ride into town on horses pulling a small carriage. She just has to figure out how to get their coin sacks from their hips, something that became more difficult when she saw what they’re wearing. Dark linens with metal gear over top, swords on their hips or quivers on their backs. They’re soldiers. They wear cloaks bearing the kings mark, and Sofie Ann can tell even from her distance that they’re expensive. You can’t get cloth like that around here. She’s never seen such a get up before.

She spends a lengthy amount of time atop the roof, watching the men. They seem to be content enjoying whatever the small town has to offer for now. She’s learned two things in the time she’s been observing them: they’re overly confident and possibly stupid. They’ve left their carriage and horses unattended since they arrived.

They went into the very pub below her about a hour ago and she knows this will be her only shot. She climbs down, using tree branches that hang a bit too close to the building. She keeps her hood up and her head down as she peers around the side of the pub. When the soldiers begin stumbling out with cheery faces, Sofie Ann begins to walk in their direction. She holds a small dagger in her hand, concealed by her cloak. As she nears the man with the bulkiest coin pouch, she pretends to trip and stumbles into him.

“Oh my apologies, sir. I can be so clumsy.” She cuts through the string of his coin pouch, catching it in her hand as she rights herself.

“No worries. Run along now.” She makes it only a few paces before the man starts cursing. “Stop that thief!” He shouts and Sofie Ann runs. The town is small and busy, but she only needs to make it to the Dark Forest. She shoves people as she runs, wishing she had something to fight with. She glances behind her just in time to see one of the soldier’s head snap back as if he’d been hit with something.

She rounds a corner into a small alley. She scans the rooftops and catches sight of a boy. He’s got some kind of contraption that shoots small objects into the air. He looks at her and winks. She doesn’t think more on it, just continues running for the forest.

“You know I stole from them, right?” Sofie Ann questions the strange boy that catches up to her.

“I figured.” He shrugs. “Name’s Cyan.”

“Well, Cyan, do you usually make it a habit of helping strangers commit crimes?” She allows him to keep following her to the edge of town.

“Only when they’re as pretty as you.” She snorts at that, stopping at the edge of the Dark Forest. She spins around to face him, making him stop abruptly. “This is as far as you follow. Thanks for your help.”

“You’re going in there?” Cyan’s eyes fill with wonder. “You know they say dragons are in still in there, hiding and waiting.”

“Don’t believe everything you hear, Cyan. It was good to meet you. Be careful helping criminals out there.” Sofie Ann gives him a smile, and Cyan returns a matching one. He wonders about this odd girl as she struts into the forest like it’s her home.

When she returns to the dragons clearing, she’s greeted by Haerith who looks none the pleased. You were followed child.

“That’s impossible.” Sofie Ann spins around, narrowing her eyes at the trees. Cyan steps out with a guilty look. It’s now that she notices the kings mark upon his shirt. “Do you wish to die?”

“I come in peace. Truthfully, I didn’t expect you to go straight to the dragons.” He puts his hands up, as if to prove he’s not a threat. Haerith moves to block Avex and Zyth from the human’s sight; a protective stance. But before Sofie Ann can say anything else a booming noise travels through the trees, just before a dragon crashes into the clearing, leaving destruction in its path.

“Lochyn!” Sofie Ann shouts, running to the dragon. Haerith releases a growl, moving to nuzzle the dragon who is barely breathing. He’s bleeding heavily from several spots and his hide has been skinned along his back. “Who’s done this? I don’t understand.” Sofie Ann isn’t one to get emotional, especially considering the dragons aren’t close to her. But this is still her family.

Haerith let’s out a low whine. Sofie Ann know this means Lochyn will not make it. She rubs his rough head as his golden eyes close for the last time.

“What’s happened? Is he dead?” Cyan moves closer and Haerith growls at him, opening her maw. “I want to help, I promise.” Cyan pleads.

“He’s been murdered.” Sofie Ann says with malice as she stands.

“That’s impossible. It’s against the law to harm the dragons.”

Child. It is time for you to learn. It is time for this to end.

“Whatever it takes, Haerith.” Sofie Ann tells her with determination settling into her bones.

“Wait, you can understand them. And you live here.” Cyan glances around the clearing, from the edge of the shore to the opening of the cave. “You’re the last touched one. But that also means you’re the princess, Sofie Ann.” Sofie Ann snorts at this. She doesn’t bother saying anything else before she follows Haerith into the cave.

Did you know that dragons are a direct link to the Creators? Sofie Ann shakes her head. We have wells of knowledge child, from lifetimes before yours. But someone has become greedy. They want what is not theirs. They have unleashed a curse on these lands because of it. You must find them and stop them. My kin keep getting slaughtered and once the dragons are dead, so too is your world.

“But how am I supposed to find them?”

You can start at the palace. That’s where Lochyn was going. I will request Jozie to take you.

“I understand.” Sofie Ann bows her head to Haerith before she leaves the cave.

~

“What is this place?” Cyan asks as he sits on the ground beside Sofie Ann. She’s out of Dragon’s Bay, near the east edge of the Dark Forest. It’s a small place where light will sometimes break through the tree tops. In the bark of several trees are carvings.

“It’s a grave yard.” She tells him. “Those four to the left are the children that came before me. The rest are other dragons that have died or haven’t returned.” Sofie Ann wanted to say goodbye one last time before she sets off for the palace. “Haerith says I have to go to the palace. She wants me to take you. She must see something worthy in you, otherwise you’d have been dead already.” Cyan release a nervous chuckle.

“Would you like me to accompany you?” He asks her.

“I’ve no clue what I’m walking into. And you wear the kings mark. Why would you want to?”

“I’m an honorable man, a Lord from Rixend. The only reason I’m with those soldiers is because I’m meant to find a wife. The king has said he will choose his next heir, but they must be a lord and have a beneficial marriage.” Cyan speaks with emptiness, as if this is what he’s been told he must do so he’s resigned himself to it. Sofie Ann can understand.

“You don’t seem much older than me. A bit young for marriage isn’t it?”

“Things are different on that end of the country.”

“Well, we best get on then.” Sofie Ann stands and brushes herself off, offering a hand to Cyan.

~

Jozie dropped them off at a cliff side in Rixend. Sofie Ann and Cyan had to work they’re way into the city, though it wasn’t as hard as she thought given Cyan’s lord status. Getting into the palace is a different matter altogether. “I heard that the king has some kind of secret tunnel system under the palace. People have said he hides all kinds of stuff down there, but that means we can get in and out, undetected.” Cyan tells her.

“So, how do we find these tunnels?” Sofie Ann keeps her hood up and head down as she speaks quietly to Cyan. She already seems out of place and the only saving grace is that the sun is setting.

“I might have an idea of where to start. Follow me and stay close.” Cyan pushes forward and Sofie Ann trails behind him.

She wasn’t expecting him to bring her to a tavern closer to Dryn than the palace. Cyan pushes his way inside and Sofie Ann tries to fake confidence in her stride, walking like she belongs here. “Drazzy!! How are you?” Cyan slides onto a bar, speaking like he knows the man behind it very well. “Say, I heard something about some tunnels. Wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would ya?” Sofie Ann lifts her eyes slightly, just enough to see Cyan slide four gold coins toward the man.

“Whats it to ya?” The man eyes the coins before scooping them up and pocketing them.

“Just trying to get familiar with what’s gonna be mine one day.” Cyan smiles and it drips arrogance and confidence, so much that it shocks Sofie Ann. She had assumed him a spoiled, stupid lord, but maybe he’s trickier than she thought.

“You get caught, you heard nothing from me.” Drazzy says, waving Cyan to follow him to the back of the tavern. It’s surprisingly empty for night time, but maybe people in Rixend don’t enjoy nightlife as much as those in Hartvilst or Myurt. Cyan grabs Sofie Ann’s wrist and drags her behind him. The man leads them to a store closet, but inside he moves a trunk to reveal a door.

“I’ll remember you when I’m king Drazzy!” Cyan gives him a smile, but the man is already walking away muttering something under his breath.

“How did you convince him so easily?” Sofie Ann asks Cyan.

“I told you, the king is choosing his next heir, and not to sound arrogant but I’m the favorite.” Cyan pulls the hidden door up to reveal stone steps. “Let’s see what we can find.”

“Where exactly are we going?” She asks Cyan as they travel through the dark, and wet, tunnels.

“There’s a blessed one in the palace. As far as we know, she’s the only one left. My guess is that if we want answers on how to fix whatever has cursed us, she’ll have them. Lucky for us, I know how to find her.”

“A blessed one? Like a seer?”

“More like an oracle. She receives messages from the Creators, though they’re not always clear. It’s just up ahead.” Cyan moves quickly to the end of a tunnel, where he pushes against the wall revealing a secret door. Sofie Ann stumbles into the low light of a room. Though it’s in a disastrous state. Boxes are overturned; glass litters the floor.

“Madam Yish?” Cyan calls out, panic filling his voice. Sofie Ann can see a foot sticking out from behind a desk.

“Cyan, over here.” She rushes over, finding a woman bleeding terribly on the ground.

“You child. Come here.” Her harsh voice makes Sofie Ann wince, but she approaches the woman. She crouches down so the woman won’t have to strain, but bony, aged hands reach for her and close around her head, pulling her close. “You must know.” The woman croaks before words begin to fill Sofie Ann’s head.

Punished. They must be punished for their wickedness.

But they’re not all to blame.

A punishment and a message then. They must also suffer from they’re own cruelty. Only when the cycle is broken shall the punishment end.

So quickly it makes her sick, images of the king flash through her mind.

Sofie Ann jerks back onto her rear, pulling in ragged breaths. “Sofie Ann, are you alright?” Cyan pulls her to her feet as they look at the woman now dead on the floor.

“I know what I have to do.”

“Good. What’s the plan?”

“I have to kill the king.” She whispers, a chill running through her.

“Hold on a minute. This is the king, your father. He’s too strong, Sofie. He’ll kill you.”

“As long as I take him with me, that’s all that matters.”

~

Sofie Ann has no clue how long they’ve been walking. It’s dark in the tunnels and they have no map. This was a horrible idea. After she got the message from Madam Yish, they had no choice but to return to the tunnels. She shivers, pulling her cloak tighter around her. “Cyan. Do you feel that?”

“You mean the cold? Yea, odd given how hot it’s been.”

“No. There’s a breeze. I think it’s coming from this way.” She continues forward, slowly. Her eyes can only adjust so much, but eventually a glow starts ahead of them. “There’s something down there.” She whispers to Cyan. They continue with caution.

The tunnel opens into a large room, maybe some kind of cave. But the sight, it’s almost enough to make Sofie Ann vomit. “What is this place?” The horror in her voice rouses some of the dragons, the ones that still enough fight left. They’re chained, beaten, connected to weird contraptions and devices. Some of them are dead and Sofie Ann can’t hold back her tears.

Sofie Ann?

She spins around and rushes to Falot. He left with Lochyn and when Lochyn returned in the state he had, she was sure Falot had been killed. The beautiful black dragon, that has hues of green in the sunlight, is chained down to the cold ground. His eyes are dull and his body is cold. “Falot? What is this? How do I save all of you?” Her voice is shaky as she lowers herself to Falot’s eyes.

You have to stop him. This family line is wicked. They found a way to harness magic from others. They take it from the soil, the sun, the waters, and the dragons. They became greedy, using it for selfish reasons and never returning what they take.

“You mean the king, right? Don’t worry. I’ll get you all out of here.” Sofie Ann stands and gazes around the cave.

She moves to the wall of the cave where large containers sit. She finds them filled with some kind of black powder. “This is what I heard the townsfolk talk about, isn’t it?” She starts to grab any cloths she can find and tie them together.

“The townsfolk know about this stuff?” Cyan asks her with narrowed eyes.

“Hartvilst borders Alosia, Cyan. People have been talking about hearing booms from the mountains.”

“You don’t seem the least bit concerned about any of this. You could die, Sofie. Why are you okay with that?” It had been bothering Cyan since he found out she was the touched one.

“I lived my whole life knowing I was meant to do something. Just waiting and waiting, wondering if I would die before the chance came. This is all I’ve known.”

“And you’re okay with who you might have to kill in the process? This is your family. You’re the true heir to the throne.” Cyan has been moving closer to the dragon he heard Sofie call Falot.

“I can’t feel bad for people that think it’s okay to sacrifice children. All of the touched ones before me died by their fifth year. And they’re graves will sit in the Dark Forest, forgotten with time.”

“The dragons didn’t care for them?”

“They’re dragons, Cyan. Not people.” She says with irritation.

“Yet, you care for them?”

“I can’t blame creatures for acting as they are. They never harmed me, but they do not raise humans. Even still, Haerith could have left in the Dark Forest. She could have abandoned me, but she didn’t.” Sofie Ann ties the last of the cloth together and places one end inside one of the containers. While she’s distracted Cyan lowers his head to Falot.

“I don’t know if you can understand me, but she will die against the king. We need to go back and tell Haerith. If there’s any hope of her succeeding, she is going to need help.” He whispers to the dragon. Falot lowers his head in response, and Cyan takes that as an understanding. “Sofie, we should find a way to get them all loose.” He calls out to her.

“Good idea.” She frantically sets to work busting the chains off the dragons, even the ones who have lost their life. “What do you think is on the other side of that wall?” She asks Cyan.

“I’ve no idea.” He shrugs.

“Let’s hope it’s not anyone important. I’m gonna blow it up. Might want to find some shelter. Falot, think you got a little fire left in ya?” If dragons could smile, Falot was doing a good job of it.

~

The boom exploded out of the cliff side, where Rixben hangs over the Haggard Sea. Sofie Ann and Cyan moved into the tunnels with the dragons while Falot breathed fire onto the cloth rope. It traveled to the boxes and exploded. Fast as lightning, Sofie Ann and Cyan jumped onto the backs of dragons as they flew out of the hole. Sofie Ann would hope that the tunnels don’t collapse so she could come back for the dragons that didn’t make it.

Riding on Tylm, she fly’s up into the night air. The sun would be rising soon and she has plans to kill the King before then. Cyan, atop Falot, fly’s away from Sofie Ann. Though she doesn’t know he’s going back to Dragon’s Bay for Haerith.

As Sofie Ann and Tylm crest over the cliffs ledge, soldiers and guards are already waiting with weapons drawn. “Alright Tylm, let’s show them what dragons are made of.” She shouts to the dragon. Tylm is one of the oldest dragons, one of the strongest, but he left when Sofie Ann was 11 years old. He rears his heads back and opens his maw with a fierce roar, blowing fire onto the men at the cliff side. “You still got it!” Sofie Ann laughs.

Tylm fly’s onto the cliff where Sofie Ann jumps off his back and grabs the closest weapon she can find. A sword will have to do, though she’s never learned to use one before. More soldiers run onto the cliff, pointing their weapons at Sofie Ann. Tylm is still nearby and Sofie Ann clears her throat. “Bring me the King or I will burn this whole city down!” She’s glad she lucked out ending up so close to the palace.

“You dare to commit treason, child?!” Sofie Ann narrows her eyes at the man pushing through the soldiers. Based on his robes and the golden crown on his head, she determines it must be King Briar.

“King Briar, you must pay for your crimes. Against this land, the people, the Creators, and the dragons. Your punishment is death.” Sofie Ann raises the sword at the King. But he only laughs at her.

“You want a fight then you shall have it.” The King steps up to her, drawing his own sword. But Sofie Ann quickly learns it’s just for show, because no more than seconds later the air is being sucked from her lungs. She drops the sword, falling to her knees and clawing at her throat. “So quick to think being dragon touched makes you special, you stupid girl.”

Haerith, in a fierce cry that penetrates the air, crashes into the King. She closes her wings around him as they plummet over the cliff edge to the jagged rocks below. “Mother!” Sofie screams so loud it makes her throat burn. The fighting stops, everything quiets, even time seems to still. It’s as if everyone, even the universe itself, is waiting to see the dragon crest up over the cliff. But she doesn’t and Sofie Ann collapses as sobs spill from her. Her pain a living entity.

~

“Haerith used to tell me that the right things, the things that will bring about a change, almost always require a great sacrifice.” Sofie Ann whispers to Cyan, placing a delicate white flower on the edge of the cliff.

“What will the dragons do now?”

“They’ll leave. Heal. Be happy.”

“They could stay, ya know.”

“Haerith also used to say that humans shouldn’t have access to so much power. That eventually, it will almost always corrupt them. Someone will come along, maybe not in our lifetimes but they will come, who will want to shackle the dragons again. Use them against their will. Ruin even the greatest gifts.” Sofie Ann looks out at the horizon, glowing a brilliant orange and pink from the rising sun, and smiles at the hoard of dragons flying away. She doesn’t know where they will go, but she hopes they find peace.

“So, what will we do now?” Cyan asks her. Sofie Ann turns to face him.

“We heal our hearts and our land. We may never be blessed with magic again, but we can at least be happy.”