Fantasy

Ember Rising
There weren’t always dragons in the Valley. Before Nox came, the valley was quiet. Too quiet. My skin crawled, itching to let the other half of me go free. I knew I would be exiled if I did, but Nox changed everything. I’m one of the few people that were blessed by the Ancient Dragons. Nox isn’t like me. He’s a dragon rider, and among the hybrids it was thought for years that his dragon Belzac was the last of the breed, the last of the Ancients. Years ago, though, a hidden nest of eggs was discovered in the ruins of Algernon. Fearing that the eggs would be destroyed, Nox fled to the valley seeking refuge. The valley sits on the verge between the Shadowlands and the human world, touched by magic from long ago that only a few remember. The council was hesitant to allow Nox to stay, but ultimately a pact was made, and Nox was granted refuge. The eggs hatched one by one as their riders came, and the academy was born soon after. The dragons have flourished here in the valley, and yet other hybrids like me have stayed hidden. All of that is going to change soon though. Deep within the Shadowlands an ancient magic is stirring, more ancient than the dragons themselves. I can feel it in the depths of my soul, and I can feel the fear of thousands of years springing to life again. When I was born my parents knew that I was a hybrid, and they moved to the valley to hide me. I grew up learning about magic and the Ancients. By the age of twelve I had mastered basic magic and manipulating the elements. When I turned sixteen, I was blessed with the Dragon’s Kiss and it felt like everything just fell into place. A piece of me that I had always known was missing finally became a part of me and for the first time I felt whole. It wasn’t easy, growing up in a town of humans. Magic wasn’t abundant, much like the dragons it was barely more than myth. Only the senior members of the council knew that magic was real. They were the direct descendants of the Mages that lived with the Ancients and helped the dragons banish the evil that plagued the land. The valley was established as a buffer between the magical and the human realm, and the council was made to protect the valley and the humans that were oblivious to it all. Some humans knew, of course, but not many. Those who did fled Algernon and the Shadowlands, escaping to safety far beyond the valley. In honor of the dragons who died the living mages cast a spell and created the Dragon’s Kiss. Only those worthy of magic with a pure soul would be blessed, and thus hybrids were born. Marked at birth by a flame, hybrids carry within them all the knowledge of a world almost forgotten. The scrolls kept in the archives at Algernon foretold of the Dragon’s Kiss and said that one day two hybrids would cause the destruction of the world. One would be a girl, pure of heart and soul through and through. The other would be a boy, corrupted by grief and owned by the very darkness that destroyed him. He would take the girl with him and burn her very soul until nothing but hatred was left. Together they were destined to end the era of dragons. The scrolls were destroyed in the Great War, but one member of the council was given the prophecy with each new generation. In an attempt to prevent fate, hybrids were scattered the world over and raised from birth to hide their status. I’ve never even seen another hybrid myself, and I’ve been alive for almost a century. That’s another thing about hybrids, we don’t age like humans. I’m actually quite young by hybrid standards, most of us live to be almost five hundred. I long to be free of the valley, to roam the world and learn more magic. Teaching at the academy has been rewarding, and I’ve made friends with riders and dragons alike. The dragons know I’m a hybrid, and they keep my secret. Nox knows, too, that I’m Soul-Bonded to Zephyr, oldest of the Ancients. But Nox also knew something that I didn’t, something I should have been told long before my parents died. My name is Ember, and I’m destined to destroy all of dragon kind.
By KIMBERLY LAVENDER4 years ago in Fiction
Gone Is The Sweet Rain
There weren’t always dragons in the Valley. Once the Valley was our home, our sanctuary, and our piece of heaven on earth. Tucked and hidden from the rest of the world our home was bountiful. The soil seemed to grow anything you put into it. The mines seemed to be a never-ending source of riches whether its gold, silver, jewels or iron. The water was so clear and blue and always refreshing. The rain was something to behold as well, it always seemed to come at the right time not being too heavy nor too light. Just perfect and it tasted and smelled so sweet as it fell. Oh how I miss that rain. That is all but a distant memory now. We are a broken people and the Valley is no more. For now.
By A.C. Calvert4 years ago in Fiction
Broken Tower Prologue
A lightbulb flickered weakly over the heads of the two people gathered in a sub-basement. Dust covered the space nearly completely, only disturbed by the passing of this room’s rare visitors. Not even insects or cobwebs found their way into this room. There was seemingly nothing that would draw anybody to this room, not even maintenance or custodial staff. There was no equipment in the room, no machines, no tools. Only a barren concrete shell, broken only by a long staircase ascending to a secret door in the basement. A door that was only supposed to open to someone with a key. Almost nobody knew the room was there. In theory, only the two currently in it were supposed to know about it all, but that was an assumption they could no longer afford to make. For the room was not as empty as it should be.
By Keith4 years ago in Fiction
The day the Dragons left
"There weren't always dragons in the valley, once this valley was a dark and dreadful place. I have a tale to tell my name is Aaron I once was king of the dragon people helpers of the dragons. The sun was a dark crimson red and the skies had dark burning clouds. The smell in the air was of sulphur and ash. This valley was a place of great sorrow and suffering."
By Craig Maxwell4 years ago in Fiction
Dwarven Dragon Warrioress
There weren't always dragons in the Valley. Then the dwarf lady arrived. Who ever heard of a dwarf with dragons? She came to town with several loaded wagons, and said she was looking for the owner of the mystical valley. All of our sleepy little hamlet knew the owner, for he was none other than the mayor, Bugetrory Lorance. He loved that valley with the stream flowing out of the cave at the base of the mountain, meadows of wildflowers, and pools full of trout. Now, if the dwarf lady wanted the valley, we all knew the answer would be no. Others had tried to purchase it before for absurd amounts of money; he always said no. So she was pointed to the mayor’s house and was let in.
By Ryan Conner4 years ago in Fiction
Strange Lands and Terrible Monsters
There weren’t always dragons in the Valley. Before, this was a sacred place where the streams, the trees, the very breeze that swayed the forest carried the essence of the Old Gods. But the Old Gods are gone, and the dragons are everywhere. I see them, perched on top the gigantic trees around me, camouflaged under the dense canopy of leaves overhead. Their yellow, glinting eyes are like beacons lighting my path. Searching. Watching. Waiting. They hide in the cover of shadows as I make my way through the forest.
By Lucy Herrero4 years ago in Fiction
Ashes of Dragons
There weren't always dragons in the valley. Like dark clouds carried on an angry wind, they came, with gigantic wings, stretching across the sky; so thin, you could see the intricate veins spread across their leaf-like wings like a spider’s web. These winged beasts followed the invaders, feeding on the dead.
By William Saint Val4 years ago in Fiction
The Dragons of Popocatepetl
There weren't always dragons in the valley. That all changed three months ago. "But why were there dragons in the valley of Mexico now, in 2028?" Lorien asked herself. Lorien Duran stood on the hillside looking down into the morning fog covering smoldering patches of Mexico City. Plumes of smoke wriggled their way from under the fog to snake to the sky. The air was cool on her skin. The sky was overcast; it would be raining soon. You could smell it in the air. This was her favorite time of day, the early morning hours when she could get out and smell the dew on the grass and feel the breeze on her face before going back to the confines of the bunker to continue working on finding a solution, now that there are dragons in the valley.
By Robert Knight4 years ago in Fiction
The Wells of Malakai
There weren’t always dragons in the Valley. The cryptic words were etched into the ground with deep, uneven scratches—the beginnings of a sepulcher that never made it further than the blueprint. A hundred feet below the forest floor and rimmed by towering trees with thick trunks and full canopies, the sinkhole was perfectly hidden. The well was not devoid of life at the bottom, however. In fact, it was thriving except for one small macabre anomaly. Amidst a field of lush grasses, ripe with berries and wildflowers of violet and yellow, a circular patch of dried, dead earth nine feet in diameter marked the resting place of five great men centuries-dead and nearly forgotten. At the center, a long-dead king of legend sat cross-legged and upright, regal even in death. His crown still rested on his head, and the sword that named him was buried point first in the ground with long bony fingers entwined around the hilt. Fragments of long-ago frayed garments clung to his bones in scarce patches.
By Stephen Paul4 years ago in Fiction
The Chronicle of Talshar
There weren’t always dragons in the Valley. There was a time when giants and demons walked the land, combining their might and ferocity to hunt the dragons to near extinction.
By Briant Laslo4 years ago in Fiction
Draconia
Draconia Doom of the Pyrites The Land of Elixirs There weren’t always dragons in the Valley. They mostly came in the spring, when the trees and plants bloomed, so they could feast on its bountiful offerings. The dragons were all different sizes and are mainly herbivores now. Ever since the Great Standoff, they agreed not to eat the locals anymore. Many are still afraid of them, yet there are many who are not. The dragons especially like the fiery mushrooms. It is understood these mushrooms give them the power to breathe fire. These aren't the only magical edible the Valley offers. There is a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, fungi, floral, roots, animals, and other items that provide many enhancing benefits. Only dragons can digest the fiery mushrooms. Any others who tried, were able to blow fire but died within hours from spontaneous combustion. There are, however, numerous items from the Valley the locals diet on. Some help with nutrition, some help with ailments, and some initiate special abilities. Many are still yet to be discovered.
By Russel Bush4 years ago in Fiction
Shades of Red
There weren’t always dragons in the Valley. That’s what the glyphs etched into the wall read. He doesn’t know how he knows that. The apprentice has never seen those symbols in his life.
By Draper Brown - writer/filmmaker4 years ago in Fiction