The Chronicles of the Eyinar

There weren't always dragons in the Valley. At least that’s what the town’s people will tell you. The truth is, we’ve been here for centuries. My people, the Eyinar, were the first to come to this area. My ancestors settled in the Halcyon Mountains in the north. The mountain trails, the caverns, and the caves within the granite mountains were all created over centuries by us.

The Eyinar has three sects that work together to form a cohesive community. On the mountain cliffs are the watchers; these are the ones that prefer their dragon form. They perch on their peaks or soar high over the valley, their iridescent belly scales reflecting the sky around them as they fly, effectively camouflaging them from anything below that isn’t one of us. Upon the peaks of the Halcyon mountains, our watchers also forge our weapons upon the Sky Forge. The Harvesters are those that prefer their human form. They moved into the valley and began farming and ranching. They produce the bulk of the food that feeds our people. The Rangers are those that have no preference in their form. They seamlessly shift between their dragon and human shapes. They live amongst the granite caves of the Halycon Mountains. They scout the surrounding areas, trade amongst other peoples, and hunt to supplement our supplies. They are our eyes and ears, our source of information. The Harvesters welcomed the first settlers into the area and helped them establish farms of their own. Over time, the town grew and prospered into the trading mecca that it has become, and through it all, our people, the Harvesters, have been a staple of the community—their true nature a secret to the townsfolk until recently.

I was hatched upon Watcher’s Grove 15 years ago, where all of our kind begin our life in our dragon form. It is a magical-looking field of green, purple, and blue Arctic Lupine surrounded by nests of brooding females. After our birth, our mothers return to their chosen lives, and the young are raised by the Watcher Guardians, who are the nannies and teachers for all the young for the first five years of life. Living on the peaks, we learn about being a Watcher. From five to ten, we continue our education with the Ranger Guardians learning the somewhat nomadic Ranger way of life. From ten to fifteen, we move to our final educational experience living with the Harvester Guardians and learning to harness the gifts of the fertile Mother Earth.

* * *

I stand before the mirror in my sparse bedroom: a single bed with its pressed, white linen sheets sits behind me, a bedside table with a single unlit candle beside it, and a small wooden desk with an unrolled scroll is set just under the only window in the bedroom, a shelf is hung upon the wall that holds a couple of books. It wasn’t much, but it has been home for the past five years. The girl in the mirror stared back at me. My long black hair slides down to my waist in a silken wave of ebony. My sapphire blue eyes scan to find any flaw at all in my appearance. I sigh audibly, “Ready or not.” I whispered just as a knock sounded on my door.

Hannah stood outside. Her blonde hair, the color of a wheat field at harvest, reflects a halo of pinks and golds from the setting sun behind her. Her eyes, the yellowish-brown color of mahogany with freckles of russet, look up at me with excitement.

“Tonight is the night!” she squeals while throwing her arms around my neck.

Hannah and I were born on the same day. We have helped each other through the last 15 years. We held each other up on trying days and celebrated each other’s successes on our better days. Today we face ‘The Affinity’ together.

I grin at her, wrapping my arms around her in return. “Why yes, it is!” I respond, trying to keep my voice from revealing my nerves. I release her then but keep both of her hands in mine, forming a large circle with our arms as I scan the clothing she has chosen for the event. She was wearing a simple cotton dress, sky blue with small white flowers that danced around the hem of her skirt and her tiny waist, a red-orange daisy-like flower pinned to her top. “You look beautiful.”

Hannah giggles. I see her eyes swiftly scan my clothing in kind, “And you look… dark.”

Typically, candidates of ‘The Affinity’ dress in the clothes that correlate with the group they hope to join. Hannah will be the most beautiful Harvester ever to grace the Halcyon Valley. Several boys already watch and wait their turn to pursue her. I release Hannah’s hands and run my palms over my dark green shirt and down my black skirt, smoothing out non-existent wrinkles hoping to keep everything smooth and crisp for the ceremony.

Hannah watches me for a moment before adding, “You look fetching, but you’re missing something.” Reaching up, she unpins the flower from her clothing and repins it to my top. “There, that’s better. I’ve always told you, Raz, you need to let in a little color to your life.” She stepped back and smiled at me.

I gently ran a fingertip along the edge of a petal, a warm smile dancing upon my lips before a small chuckle escaped, “An Arctotis Hannah.”

Hannah raised one eyebrow, a smirk on her lips, “You know your flowers.”

“Of course I do….” I respond with a dramatic eye-roll. My blue eyes glance toward the open door, noting the sun’s location on the horizon. “We need to get going. Are you ready?”

Hannah sighed nervously, “Yes,” she said simply.

We made the trip to the Verdant Steppe, set upon the Halcyon Peaks. The Elders of each sect and our parents stood in a horseshoe around the marble table bathed in the light of the full moon. Our Chieftain, eldest of the Eyinar, stepped forward, a warm smile upon his lips; he motioned to the green marble table. Hannah and I moved to the altar, standing on either side and facing each other, our hands hanging loosely by our sides. I smiled reassuringly at her before turning towards our Chieftain.

“We come here in the light of the Blue Moon to welcome two more to our clan.” The Chieftain raises his hands, palms up, toward the heavens. “Do you come here with a pure heart, a love for your people, and a need to do your part to help our people thrive and prosper?”

Our voices raised in unison, strong and sure, “I do.”

The Chieftan smiled, dropping his hands from the sky, and nodded, “Then place your palms upon the alter and take your place among us.”

I looked at the smooth marble table in front of me. The placement of the many hands that came before me had formed a depression in the stone. I placed my hands into theirs. A rush of energy flowed through my body, electricity that lit up every nerve and seemingly warmed the very blood in my veins. I was two years old and soaring amongst the clouds with my Guardian, who was teaching me how to fly. My little blue dragon body, with its iridescent belly scales, soared through the cold air of the mountains before dipping low to skate upon the glass surface of one of the many mountain lakes. At three, I was learning to switch between my forms. First the technicolor scales of my dragon form, then the two-legged flightless form of a little girl standing amongst the reeds of the mountain top. I wiggled my tiny toes, enjoying the feel of the earth between them. I traced my palms over the reed tips that tickled across my hands. At six, I ran through the dark caves and passages deep inside the mountain. My eyes were the golden serpent orbs of the dragon that could see in the dark; my body that of a young human girl. My Guardian watched me closely, watching how I adjusted to allowing part of the dragon out while keeping other parts at bay. I began my training with weapons, a wooden practice sword, and a child-sized bow and arrows. At eight, I began to learn how to track, how to hunt, and how to disappear into my surroundings. At ten, I was moved to the outside world, where my dragon was hidden at all times. Where I first met the townsfolk and played with their children. I learned how to plant crops and care for animals and the importance of community and working together. All of these memories whirled around in my mind. My heart thudded hard in my chest, and through it all, my mind kept taking me back to the darkness of the mountain - To the trails of the forests - To the towns beyond our borders.

My eyes suddenly leaped open. I saw Hannah look at me; her cheeks flushed from the excitement of reliving her memories. We both looked upon our Elders.

The Chieftain smiled down at us. “Do you know where your people need your services most?” he asked.

“Yes.” Hannah and I spoke in unison.

The Chieftain looked at Hannah first.

“Hannah, daughter of Gunnar of the Watchers and Hazel of the Harvesters, what is your choice?”

Hannah spoke proudly and surely, “I choose the Harvesters.”

The Elders of the Harvesters stepped forward, “We accept Hannah into our sect with joy.” Hannah’s parents stepped forward and wrapped the golden cloak of the Harvesters around her shoulders. Her dad leaned forward and kissed his daughter's forehead, “Well done, my girl.” Hannah’s mother wrapped Hannah in her arms, “I am so excited to have you join me. I glanced at my parents, who looked at me with pride and anticipation of my decision.

The Chieftain nodded at their acceptance of Hannah and then turned towards me. “Raz, daughter of Aaron and Sabrina of the Watchers, what is your choice?”

I looked up into the eyes of the Chieftain, smiling with excitement, “I choose the Rangers.”

The Elders of the Rangers stepped forward, “It is rare that someone chooses to spend their lives in shadow. We accept Raz into our fold with much enthusiasm.”

My parents stepped forward and wrapped a mottled green and gray cloak around my shoulders. My mother hugged me tightly, kissing my cheek. “I always knew this is where life would lead you. You always had the heart for adventure,” she whispered in my ear. My dad smiled broadly, “Our people need more Rangers. I’m proud of you, daughter.” He clamped his large hand around mine and shook vigorously before pulling me into a hug.

Our celebration was short-lived as shouting echoed through the caves deep within the mountain. Shortly after, a Ranger Recruit ran out of the deep and up to the Elders, a note of alarm reflected in his serpent eyes, “Elders, you are needed at once. Ranger Cethin has returned early from his assignment. He has called an emergency meeting.”