Marked

The downdraft buffets the dragon forcing him to pull in his wings and dive for the verdant landscape below. Aiming for a clearing next to the thick cover of the forest he flares out his wings slowing his landing. The wind hammers against his body with small daggers of ice mixed in clinking against the green scales shattering as it impacts the plates of armor.

A damnable gustrstorm, Dreki thinks, crawling through the thick undergrowth under the towering forms of the centuries old Hardcastle trees. The closely spaced trees with their branches that weave together from an intertwined shield against the storm. Settling his long body to the ground he nestles into the musky smell of the moss growing thick under the trees. Probably those unhinged mages from the Strages Mountains brewed up this weather, Dreki lets that thought drift him off to sleep.

Dreki’s eyes pop open, it is still dark out but something has changed. The storm has moved on, but there is something new about his location. He holds his body tense, alert for any danger, readying his flame to unleash on any attacker. Not many creatures in these forests would be bold enough to challenge a dragon. There are packs of dire wolves, but they and the dragons have mutual respect. Dagger-Claw Cats and Thunderbears are too solitary to mount numbers for a fight. That just leaves the worst of them all, humans.

If a hunter came across Dreki he may have gone back to his encampment to round up allies to try and kill the dragon. A small movement and sound alerts Dreki to something next to him. The danger isn’t out in the forest, it has already crept upon him. He spins his head to aim a blast at fire at whatever has come to kill him.

Dreki tamps down the flame inside him as he finds a young human dressed in rags snuggled up against his warm belly. It is a young girl of maybe ten years. She stirs, but doesn’t wake, nestling deeper to the dragon’s underside. It's when she rolls over that Dreki sees the mark. Half of the girl's face is covered with a red birthmark. Dragon-marked, as the humans call it. They believe it is a curse, one that brings bad fortune, and will bring the wrath of a dragon upon the people. Humans have never comprehended the real purpose behind the mark.

How she made it to the forest is a mystery, normally the dragon-mark is a death sentence. How could she have made it this long in life makes the dragon wonder if someone has been hiding the child away for all these years.

The girl stirs awake. The fact that she is under the intense gaze of a dragon does not panic the girl, instead she reaches out her hand with an open palm. She knows, Dreki realizes, the girl knows the mark is not a curse, but a blessing. Someone has taught her it is the mark of a dragon rider.

Dreki extends his head until the girl's palm rests on his snout.

“Child,” Dreki addresses the girl in the tongue of humankind. “What is your name? How did you come to this place?”

Unflinchingly, the girl answers, “I am Hildi. My grandfather had hidden me away for most of my life. He told me I was to be a rider and my destiny was in the sky.”

Dreki is taken aback by this revelation, there hasn’t been a dragon rider in more than a century. The superstitious humans saw to the end of that when they began killing those with the mark.

Hildi continues, “Grandfather had a cabin deep in the woods where we lived, many weeks' journey from any villages. My mother and father were killed for the crime of having a child such as myself, but grandfather rescued me and we fled as they came for me. He kept me alive, kept me hidden, and taught me all he had learned about draco lore.”

“How did your grandfather know of such things, humans abandoned their connection with dragons long ago?” Dreki questions.

“He discovered journals belonging to his great-grandfather that told of his dragon knowledge and his life as a rider,” Hildi says.

Dreki withdraws from Hildi astonished. “Do you know the name of the man who wrote these journals?”

“Yes,” Hildi responds, confidently, “I have read through them dozens of times, his name was Josvold.”

The impossibility of this shocks the dragon to his core.

Before he can respond, Hildi continues, “He rode one of the greatest warrior dragons of all, the mighty Dreki.”

Before Dreki can tell the girl that he is that dragon she speaks of, a cold unnatural wind blows through the forest causing the dragon to bristle. Something wrong is out there.

Dreki moves past the revelation of this girl’s revelation of their family connection to ask a more important question, “Young one, how did you come to these woods? Where is your grandfather?”

For the first time the girl's stoic demeanor slips, “He was killed by those who pursued me. He stalled them to allow for my escape.” Hildi pauses as a strangled cry escapes her. After a minute she starts back up, “The man called himself Grey Walker and proclaimed himself a Necromage sent by the council in the Strages Mountains to eliminate the abomination of the one who carried the mark. For days, I ran while he and his dark army pursued me.”

A low moan carries and echoes under the canopy of the trees. Dreki looks into the deep woods and loses a small stream of fire from his nostrils to lighten the darkness. Dozens of eyes shine back, lumbering humans holding long spears close in on the dragon and girl’s location.

“Come, Hildi,” Dreki calls to the girl, “follow me.”

The dragon leads the girl back to the clearing where he landed hours before. If he needs to make a stand Dreki will need room to fight.

“Behind me, child,” Dreki says to Hildi, as from behind them the shambling humans emerge into the clearing. The dragon turns and senses something is wrong with these attackers. They have an unnatural taint about them. Draugr, Dreki realizes as the first in the mass reach for him with pallid clawed hands.

Dreki lashes out with his spiked tail clearing the space in front of him. The shattered bodies crash into the trees. Shock washes over the face of the dragon and girl as those broken bodies begin to claw their way back to those they intend to kill.

A voice rings out from within the shadows of the forest, “Geirr!”

The next line of draugr thrust their long wooden spears in front of them as they close on the dragon. Dreki swings his tail to clear away the front line, but before he can swing back around several of the draugr have punctured the soft underbelly of the dragon and a dozen of the pieces of the broken men have crawled up and latched on with claws and teeth.

Dreki roars in pain, bucking wildly, grabbing with clawed talons to rip apart his attackers. Dozens more draugr pour from the trees. Dreki looks to make sure Hildi is still behind him and then unleashes a sustained blast of fire, roasting all before him. The draugr crumble to the ground blasted to ash by the power of the dragon fire.

The pain of the injuries flare through Dreki’s body. Having staved off the attack the dragon turns to check on his young companion only to find more danger. A tall man dressed in crimson and black mage robes stands holding a long silver dagger to Hildi’s neck.

“Impressive, dragon,” the mage says, “but it has no change on this outcome. I am known as Grey Walker and the death of this girl has been charged to me. You will fetch me a nice bonus.”

In his other hand the mage holds a staff topped with a large ruby. “Elding!” Grey Walker calls out striking the ground with staff. Lightning shoots from where the ruby impacted the ground striking the dragon blowing him from his feet and sending him tumbling backwards. A cruel laugh escapes from the mage.

Dreki locks his gaze on Hildi, “Dragon Rider, do you remember all you learned from those journals?”

The girl gives a barely perceptible nod.

“Dragon Rider?” Grey Walker scoffs as he presses the dagger blade to Hildi’s throat.

Through the pain racking his body Dreki sends a small sliver of flame at Helgi as the girl reaches a hand out. Unnoticed by the mage, the flame settles in her hand and grows into the form of a small sword.

“Let this farce end,” Grey Walker says as the tip of his blade breaks Hildi’s skin.

Before the mage can react, Hildi spins away and turns to face the evil man. She stabs out with the flame blade piercing the chest of the mage. With a shocked face the mage looks down and then collapses backward dead.

Shock at the turn of events washes over Hildi. “What happens, now?” she questions the dragon.

Dreki lets out a puff of smoke. “That, Dragon Rider, was answered by your grandfather. Your destiny is in the sky, climb up.”