The Blood of Dragons-Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

Malachi had to chuckle at that. “That’s the name of this place? Seems a bit on the nose don’t you think?”

“No Mal, his father said, sounding annoyed. Malachi hated when he called him Mal. “The Order of the Hidden Keep is a secret society of Dragon hunters. We go out on regular hunts. This is here just the marketplace. The entire village is called Imperia. Named for the Imps who inhabited this place when we first arrived.”

“Aren’t Imps evil?” Malachi wondered if they still inhabited Imperia. He had never seen one. He didn’t even know they existed. Then again, until a few years ago, the existence of dragons was foreign to him.

“Mischievous yes. Evil? Not so much.” His father replied. He continued to explain that there were still Imps in and around Imperia. They play pranks on the citizens, but it is all in good fun. Malachi listened intently but a question lingered in his mind.

“Dad, is mom here? I mean, is she alive?” The questions fell off his tongue seamlessly. His father looked taken a back by the question. His expression was not one of sorrow, so Malachi was hopeful. He wanted to apologize for walking out that night. He wanted to hug her and tell her he loved her. He hated himself for placing so much worry on her. If she was alive, he needed to make things right. He remembered returning to his hometown a couple years ago. How he felt when he saw his razed home. He remembered he dropped to his knees and sobbed at the thought of his mother and father’s fear.

“Follow me my boy,” his father finally spoke, bringing him back from his thoughts. Malachi followed his father through an archway adorned with dragon engravings, just like the entrance. The walls in the corridor were painted with battles between dragons, knights, and wizards.

“Hey dad, I had another question. When do you acquire magic?” He needed an answer to this question almost as much as he needed to know his mother was alive.

“I acquired magic when I was around your age Malachi, He spoke. The answer surprised Malachi. How could this be? Magic only surfaced a few years ago.

“How is that possible? Dad, magic hasn’t been around that long.” He looked at his father’s face for any sign that he was joking. But his face was as hard as stone.

“Malachi, magic has been in our family for generations. For some reason, only the males in our family seem to acquire it.” They turned a down the corridor and into arrived at a large metal door. “For years, I was hoping, praying that it would skip you. I never wanted to bring you into this world.”

“So the dragons? Have they always been around too?” Malachi’s head was spinning. He never expected that magic ran in his family. Now he understood the fear and despair in his mother’s eyes that night. She knew all along that one day his magic would surface. She feared for their lives. Malachi’s guilt had risen tenfold. He never would have run away if he knew. Tears began to well in his eyes at the anguish he put his mother through. His father noticed and pulled him in for a hug.

“I am so sorry Malachi. Yes, the dragons have always been a part of our world. But until recently, they lay dormant. We are still trying to figure out why they have emerged from their slumber.” He pulled away and placed his hand on the doorknob. “I need you to know, I never stopped looking for you. Your mother, she fell into a deep depression after you left. When our friend Eisdrachen leveled our home, it only made it worse.”

Was that its name? That’s way better than Sapphire, Malachi thought.

“I can only imagine her heartbreak. That was the first home you two purchased together, right dad?” He remembered the stories his father told him. How he and Malachi’s mother had purchased the home when she found out she was pregnant.

“It was” his father spoke solemnly. “It held all of our memories.”

“So, are you going to tell me what is behind that door?” Malachi was anxious to know. “You never did answer my question pops. Is mom alive?”

“She is son, but I need you to understand why I mentioned her depression. His father’s hand was shaking on the knob. “She is not the same person you have known for the first fifteen years of your life. Do you understand what I am telling you?”

“I do dad, now can you open the damn door?” The words sounded harsher than he had intended.

His father turned the doorknob. Malachi took a deep breath as he opened the door. He was nervous his mother wouldn’t recognize him. His hair was longer, and he had grown a beard. He stepped through the door and was greeted by the smell of her famous roast. That made him feel good. He hadn’t had a homecooked meal since he left home.

The room he was in looked like the living room of the home he had lived in all his life. There was even a fireplace. The mantle had pictures of Malachi and his parents from their trip to The Grand Canyon. He was very surprised they were able to save it. They must have escaped the town before Eisdrachen attacked.

“Is that you dear?” His mother’s familiar voice called from the kitchen. Malachi felt like running in and surprising her. But given what his father had told him, it was best not to.

“Yes honey. I’m back.” His fathers voice sounded shaky. He gestured for Malachi to sit down. “Wait here son. I’ll bring her in.” Kade stepped out of the room.

Malachi sat down on the sofa in the middle of the room. He looked around the room and saw that it was almost identical to their living room back home.

“Who are you?” Two small voices from behind him said, nearly jumping out of his shoes. Malachi stood up and turned around. Two young boys who looked about five stood in front of him.

“Are you my daddy’s friend?” One of them asked.

“Daddy?” Malachi couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Well um, I guess that would make me your big brother.” Malachi heard a crash from the kitchen and turned around just as his mother fell to the floor.