Fantasy

Deeds of the Iridescent
I There weren't always dragons in the Valley. When Pyta, grand master of the Iridescent Order, ruled, the few beasts who dared venture so far south were met by his merciless wrath; and for many years, no others followed. Yet when Pyta fell ill, the inhabitants of the Valley were convinced the dragons would return.
By Mark Gee4 years ago in Fiction
An Encounter With The Dreadful Gold Eating Dragon...
There weren't always dragons in the Valley. This was after the elderdom of the foretime put a wild imprecation on them, more especially on their mouth where they spit fire and their wild growl; not forgetting their legs which they use to destroy when furious.
By Osei Agyemang4 years ago in Fiction
Death, the Dropping of a Flower (That the Fruit May Swell)
The Bloodbound Empress Alexias paced, and as she paced she pondered, over the dead body of the half-human shapeshifter known by many names. One of her greatest enemies.
By J Shea Forrest4 years ago in Fiction
Erelmach's Prime
He awoke to the sound of whirring gears, hissing steam and crackling electricity. "There we are, nice and easy now." A nasally voice whispered. As his head turned left to right, scanning the room - his eyes came to rest on a short thing standing on some manner of stepladder, with big eyes and bushy hair over its mouth and chin, and the slightest puffs around the sides of its head. "That's right, take in your surroundings - calm and smooth." The little thing said while it scribbled away furiously at what appeared to be a stack of paper in its hands, mumbling to itself all the while. "Right! Now let's get you up," it called out as it scrambled down and out of sight. A brief sensation of loosening near his ankles, and he felt himself begin to lurch forward. On instinct his right leg flew forward and caught his momentum, the impact of his metal foot nearly cracking the stone floor he landed upon. "Not particularly graceful, but a far cry better than your brothers! Neither of them caught themselves the first time." More scribbling on the paper stack. "Now tell me 3, how do you feel?" Without long enough to think about how he would even begin to respond, he heard his own voice for the first time.
By Daniel M Smith4 years ago in Fiction
Dragon in the Valley
There weren't always dragons in the Valley. Our village was very small and boring to me. Nothing ever really happened here. Everyone had a routine and followed it as though they were being watched or even graded by someone. One night the village shook vigorously for several minutes. Pots, pans, dishes flew everywhere. Then as suddenly as it started it stopped. Of course, everyone slowly ventured outside to see what had happened. Our parents talked to each other for a while. The children just looked at each other surprised and frightened. Soon everyone returned to their homes to clean up the mess.
By Hadayai Majeed aka Dora Spencer4 years ago in Fiction
Devil’s Bone Root, Dragon’s Blood, and Dogwood
There weren't always dragons in the Valley. Once upon a time, the Valley was a peaceful, bucolic place, filled with apricot orchards, and soy farms, and flocks of the best egg-laying Orpingtons and Australorps and Red Stars for five counties. Was is the operative word here. Because it wasn’t peaceful there any longer.
By Hillora Lang4 years ago in Fiction
Not always dragons
There weren’t always dragons in the Valley. There simply couldn’t have been. There had to have been a time when the Valley was just people living peacefully, tending to the fields, going about their business, without fear of any giant, scaly fuckers burning everyone’s crops down. There had to have been a time when death, disease, and overcrowding weren’t a fact of life, when people hadn’t been crammed together in less than half the space the Valley had to offer because the other half had been colonized by skulking, fire breathing lizards with an attitude.
By Anne K4 years ago in Fiction
I Am A Dragon Killer
There weren't always dragons in the valley. It used to be a trade route. The King's gold flowed freely down the river Acheron, and then it didn't. Even from the mountaintops I could see the glitter of the dragon's hoard. And now, I stand in the middle of it. King's gold, Myrian gold, Askan silver, jewels of every shade and color.
By Rielle Hein4 years ago in Fiction
Blackrock
“There weren’t always dragons in the valley.” Far above, rimmed by a massive circle of rock and earth, the night sky paled towards the first hint of dawn. The man stepped away from the dangling length of rope that disappeared upwards into the gloom, pushing aside any thought of climbing back up the crumbling chasm wall. He turned his face away from the fading stars, away from his past life and his family and even his own name; none of that mattered any more. Instead, he turned towards his final doom. His release.
By Philip Peterson4 years ago in Fiction
Written in the Blood
~Prologue~ There weren’t always dragons in the valley, but had I not chosen this particular mountain rising above this particular town nestled between the hilly terrain just over 200 years ago, I would have never told this tale.
By Carissa Quinlivan 4 years ago in Fiction
Transmutation
There weren’t always dragons in the Valley. Jason Woods’ older sister Miriam never let him forget it. And he hated her for it.
By Hillora Lang4 years ago in Fiction
Seductive Darkness
“There weren’t always dragons in the valley” breathed an elderly shell of man from the shadows, supporting his fragile frame with an intricate wooden staff that rose taller than him. I hadn’t noticed anyone observing me as I struggled to make words on the tattered poster peering it’s way through the towns notice board pile, attempting to still be seen through the endless wanted canvases, community announcements and upcoming events that the townsfolk have pinned. The small and barely legible banner reading “Here Ye! Here Ye! Dragon training: sunup, 2 days from the holy fare - not for the faint hearted”. I shuddered at the thought of being fierce and gruesome, riding into battle atop a fiery, scaly dragon. I turned on my heel to question the mystery stranger about the arrival of these beasts but was brought to a halt when there was not a soul to be seen. My eyes turned to the now empty and much colder alley in search of the weak and feeble man I laid eyes on just moments ago. The once small and cheerful chatter that surrounded my presence has now ceased into a bone chilling silence, so much that you could hear a pin drop. Sunshine and warmth that constantly radiated throughout the town was overcome by a sudden darkness in every nook and crevice, giving a deathly sense in the back of my mind. I somehow found myself automatically rummaging through my rucksack that crossed my body and hung just below my waist, in search of my mace. My mother always hounded me whenever I left the home to carry it with me, never actually believing I might need it one day. The stench of wet moss and decay filled the air in an instant. Tendrils of obsidian coloured shadows emerged ever so slowly from within the cracks of the pavers that lay underneath my now shaking stature. “Do not harm the girl, she is mine” a rich and almost seductive voice bellowed from the distance. Red glowing eyes and slim figures making their appearance from behind the cottages that lined the street, snickering almost as whisper scaring away the stray feline that wandered aimlessly around in search of an innocent mice or two. A headache threatens to tingle at my temples as I try to wrack the events happening around me. The hairs standing to attention on every inch of body caused me to quiver ever so slightly. I noticed the painful, icy shards start to consume my barely covered feet as the shadows made there way up my short frame, canvassing every curve and bump I had to show. My raven hair falling at the base of my back, blowing slightly from the motion of surveying silhouettes that continue to dance around me. A sickeningly sweet scent filled my nose as the physique that belonged to the deep and seductive voice stalked towards me. Within what felt like seconds, I was faced with a breathtakingly, tall man that appeared to be chiseled from the kings throne itself. My breath hitching in my throat as a golden eyed dragon followed behind, coming to a standstill behind this cryptic being. “Hello Annabelle, I’ve searched this kingdom high and low for you” a smirk forming on his full lips, his piercing blue eyes causing a haze in mine. A haze too much to bring back under control, I succumbed to the slithering coldness of the shadows. No longer having the strength to hold up my trembling body, I fell into the abyss of blackness that clouded my mind and into the arms of what I named, the seductive darkness.
By Nikki Edwards4 years ago in Fiction