The Blood Moon Witch & the Golden Dragon of Gamariah

Chapter 1: Find The Hybrid Child

Claws sunk deep into the pineland forest, taking down saplings one by one like twigs. The Great Golden Dragon of Gamariah gripped into the earth as swiftly and silently as dragonly possible.

Her talons were as golden as the scales streaked and scintillating across her body, as if she were the sun herself. She shimmered under the night sky, which currently was cast in crimson, meaning it was the night of the Blood Moon. Four blood moons ago, a child entered into their Realm: a child of pure magik. She was the answer to a centuries old curse; this tiny creature would be the only hope for the Dragons and Feist Elves.

Almah, the Golden Dragon, had shared her day of birth with this child and was sent to find her before others learned of her powers. She could sense her presence, the flame of her soul ignited a path towards her, like a moth to a flame.

Almah could smell fresh blood as she landed besides a trickling river deep in the forest of Alabaccah. She swiftly aligned herself with the height of the pines and caught a glimpse of her scales glistening against a part of the river that lay still, separated by a boulder.

“She’s here,” Almah thought to herself, feeling the presence of the child, yet praying the blood was not hers.

Since she and the child had not shared a bed as they aged, their connection was lessoned and not nearly as unified as other Dragon born heirs. That, and the child was a hybrid of sorts, some believing she came from an entirely different Realm, completely separate of the Nine Realms of Gamariah.

“But that is impossible,” Almah shook her snake-like neck in disbelief at the thought of a Tenth Realm existing. Her clan had travelled far and wide across the Kingdoms, and even though they had been in hiding for a century, there was no way – no way—that there could be another hidden Realm.

Almah snorted at the idea and proceeded forward. Though she was newer to her clan, she was nearly full size, towering over the remnants of an old hut in the near distance. The wooden home slowly poured smoke from its chimney, reminding her of the child. As she approached the hut, she could hear slow humming from a woman.

“Dragon Queen, you are the Dream,

from Kingdoms far and wide

Deliver us, Devout we Trust

That Realms You Will Unite”

Almah glimpsed into the window, her whole eye peering into the hut, and with just a blink, startled the woman singing. Her gasp was quick and followed by a cough as she winced in pain. An infection had rippled across her leg and was heading towards her heart. Beside her was that of a child, with tight curly auburn hair, clutching the hand of the woman in pain.

The child, though young, smiled grievously at Almah, knowing she would have to leave the woman beside her. Almost immediately, the Golden Dragon could feel the soul of the child crouched beside the woman, who had her leg perched beside the constructed fire.

The woman nodded slowly and motioned for the child to open the window; who did so instinctively. The window creaked open just enough for a portion of Almah's mouth to rest on the windowsill. She had spent over a year training accuracy with the Feist Elves for a moment as such.

The child kissed the hand of the woman and reared into the corner of the hut, knowing well enough what would happen next and wishing she knew how to use her magik so that she could take away even an ounce of the woman's pain. Though she knew that was not the case, and the reason the Golden Dragon had arrived at their door this very night.

Regardless of the Blood Full Moon heightening her abilities, she knew nothing about controlling them and would not risk it. The woman had made her promise she would not, should not, until she too had trained amongst the Feist Elves.

So she would have to cover her ears and close her eyes as she watched the Golden Dragon take a deep breath in.

Almah reached her tail into the doorway of the hut and proceeded to grab the child, who was naught but a toddler as she pulled her onto her scales. She did so as swiftly as she breathed in and let out a small, but efficient burst of fire.

The flames danced over the woman's leg, who shrieked out terribly in pain. Her screams echoed across the river and the pines and birds grimaced at the sound.

"Selmah deus reyes, finite oppulest," bellowed the woman before passing out on the cloak laid out beside the fireplace.

Almah could feel the sadness inside the child on her back and wished there was another way. It was a matter of life and death, and though the woman would have to adjust her life without a leg, both Almah and the child knew the amputation was dire to her life being saved and that the spell cast would ensure a quick heal.

A tear streamed down the child's face as she hugged the Golden Dragon and as she clung tighter, Almah knew it was time to fly.

Chapter 2: The Escape

The autumn sky grew amber as Taliah rushed through the dense pines of Alabaccah. She hurried through the forest, hoisting her body forward, gripping at whatever vines hung low enough for her to tug at.

Her thigh still had a gash from the battle at Gamattah, her former home where she was now fleeing from. It wouldn’t be long until the sword cut would turn infectious, making her quest that more dire to complete.

Suddenly a branch snapped and hit the flesh wound causing her to shriek out in pain.

Almost instantly, she forced her hand over her own mouth, hoping the child smuggled beneath her left arm wouldn’t hear her cry. Luluwah was nearly the age of four blood moons, with her day of birth coming near.

The child was born under a darkened red sky, a lunar eclipse in the mists of the Dragon Feist Uprising. She was named after her great-great grandmother, who would come to be known as the first Blood Witch of the Nine Realms of Gamariah.

Lulu was hidden under Taliah’s dark emerald cloak, clung to her hip by a leather strap. For a child of her age, she was quiet – subliminally aware of the gravity of their escape. Lulu held her aunt tightly as she steadied her way through the grim forest. Though unfeasibly young, she had an intuitive understanding of her role in the Nine Realms of Gamariah.

She was gifted, in more ways than one, which made her an incredible threat, and a blessing. Lulu was born with a red birth mark in the shape of a crescent moon under her right ear, the marking of a powerful future. Only two years of age and she was already the greatest threat to the False Prophet in the Fifth Realm, the Kingdom of Chagrin.

The Dragon Feist Elves had returned to the Nine Realms after spending nearly a century in exile living beneath the Mountains of Murrahge, rebirthing their magic by drinking from the Fountains of Lemuria.

The Dragon Feist Elves had been hunted mercilessly by the False Prophet, Prince Bastion, and his wrathful army of doltish beasts. They were crafted dangerously through blood magik – the sons and daughters of mercenaries from the Fourth Realm of Gamariah, the Kingdom of Avarice. Prince Bastion had summoned that each first born of the Kingdom of Avarice would suffer the wrath of their fathers’ greed by serving an eternity under his reign, to slay the Dragons and the Feist Elves that swore their alliance to them.

"We're nearly there, my love, I promise," whispered Taliah.

"I can almost make out the hut your father said would aid us," Taliah thought to herself, praying she was going the right way and that her father was being honest for once. He was, after all, the reason there was a battle at Gamattah and why they were on the run.

Just as she fell into that uncomfortable feeling of doubt, a stream appeared trickling North and she knew her brother did right as it meant the hut was near.