The Quest for Salusar

There weren't always dragons in the Valley. But one thing one was for certain: the children weren't allowed to go there. The elders warned us that the dragons were not friendly to our kind, and that venturing into the valley on our own would lead to dire consequences.

I remember the panic in our village when the winged beasts arrived. Our soldiers would return battered and bruised – or worse, not at all. The dragons swooped out of thin air, the survivors would say. They were too fast, too powerful, they said. No sword or shield could fend them off.

The problem was that our villagers needed to cross the valley to get to the Salusar plants, which were made into medicine for our sick. The plant has magical healing powers, but it can only be harvested once a year – and then it's gone. If we didn't collect it during its short window of blooming, then many of our villagers would perish.

There were secret meetings held between our high council and our warriors about how to get past the dragons. These meetings went late into the night. In the meantime, the older children – including me – were told to keep an eye on the animals and crops, and to care for our youngest.

Despite the fact that my warrior ceremony was only months away, I was deemed not yet ready to fight. However, rumours in the village started to circulate about our village launching a full-scale assault on the dragons. I may not have been officially old enough to carry a sword, but I also knew this plan would lead to certain death for our warriors.

There were only a few precious days left before the patch of Salusar plants would be withered and gone for another season. The window of opportunity was closing fast. I knew I had to do something, even if that meant breaking the rules.

~

Late one night – after I put the youngest to sleep – I visited my mother, who is a member of the high council. She lived in a modest dwelling in the village, and mostly kept to herself. I knocked lightly on her rustic wooden door, and she cautiously opened it.

"Kew," she said to me in a surprised voice. "What brings you here at this hour? Is there trouble?"

"I want to speak about the dragons," I said. She paused but then invited me in, pouring me some nourishing tea.

"Is it true we are planning a full assault on the beasts?" I said, concern in my voice. "Surely that will result in more deaths than if we fail to harvest the plant."

"You may be right on that," said my mother, a robe draped over her modest frame. "But our army has sworn to fight for us. That means risking their lives for the benefit of others."

"But these valley beasts will surely annihilate them," I protested. "We're hearing the dragons are stealthy and ruthless, beyond our weapons. Surely there must be another way."

We both knew a failed campaign would also leave the rest of us here vulnerable to invasions from the Quaggs – boar-like nomadic creatures that pillage and burn every place they come across. We hadn't seen them since the dragons appeared, but it was still a risk.

I had a nagging feeling in the pit of my stomach. I knew instinctively that sending warriors into this battle against dragons was unwise. But yet, I yearned to join the effort.

"What can I do, mother?" I asked. "I want to be of more help to the village. I am ready."

"Not until your ceremony, you're not," she snapped. "But I will show you something if you promise not to talk about it."

I nodded in agreement. She reached into a storage nook and pulled out a long, fabric bag. It seemed to glow in the relative darkness as she held it out in front of her across both hands.

"This is the sword you will be given when you're ready," she said. "It is forbidden for you to see it before the ceremony. But seeing it just once will not change your fate."

She unsheathed it from the bag, and it glinted from an unknown light source. The hilt was ornate, with a red jewel in the center. I could feel vibrations through the air – as if the sword and I were in sync.

She placed it across my outstretched hands. I felt a warmth and calm fill my body, as if the sword was communicating with me. My mother took the sword, and returned it to its resting spot. "In time," she said. "In time."

The trouble was we didn't have time.

~

In the small hours of the morning, I crept back to my mother's residence. Using some skills I had learned from my older brother – a warrior who had gone missing – I was able to pick the lock. I tiptoed like a spirit across the room, swiftly extracting my sword from its hiding place.

My mother, sleeping in a small bed in the single room, stirred restlessly. I froze for a moment, waiting for her to fall back into a deep slumber. When she did, I left as quietly as I arrived. I reached my lodge, where the elder children stayed together. They were all fast asleep.

I studied my sword, and ran my finger slowly along its length. The metal was mysteriously warm, as if it were alive. I filled a pack with rations and water, and strapped the weapon to my back. I was soon either going to be a hero – or just a memory.

I navigated by the moonlight towards the valley. The trees thinned out as I trekked, stopping each time I heard a strange noise. Was that a Quagg? My heart was beating out of my chest, but my legs urged me onwards. A strange bird flew over my head as I continued.

Before long, I had made it to the valley's fringes. I could see for miles in every direction. There was no sign of the huge, winged monsters we had been warned about. The healing plants we needed were only a few miles away at most now. I would put them in my sack and return to the sleepy village before anyone knew I had left.

As I walked into taller grass, I saw something up ahead partially hidden in it. I ran to it, and realized it was my older brother, Yali. He was bleeding from the mouth, but was somehow still conscious. His weak eyes scanned me.

"Kew," he whispered, coughing. "You must not be here. It is dangerous."

"The village needs its medicine," I said to him. "Are you able to move?"

"Hardly," he said. "I was attacked from behind, though I could feel the dragon's hot breath on my neck."

"So you did not see this beast?" I questioned. "No," he admitted.

The bright moon was casting ominous shadows across the landscape. Soon, it would dip lower, the sky welcoming the sun again.

"I have to try before first light," I said. "I will come back for you."

"KEW!" he yelled, using the last of his energy. "Be careful."

I nodded, and trekked on. My sword was now in my hand, guiding me with its glow. It seemed to be leading me right to where I needed to go.

I could see the fields where the Salusar plant grows. A sense of excitement filled me – I was so close. I started to run towards the fields, my tired legs carrying me quietly across the rustling landscape.

Suddenly, some of the light from the moon disappeared from in front of me. I looked up, expecting to see that the moon had disappeared behind a cloud. But instead, I saw a faint outline – of a massive, winged beast that was bearing down on me from above. My life flashed before my eyes, as the shadow grew larger. My sword was telling me to defend myself.

Instead, I crouched down and covered my head. I was not ready to fight, the elders were right about that. I would become another victim of these beasts, and my village would be no better for my sacrifice.

Surely, the dragon would have descended on me by now. I was afraid to look. Perhaps it was inches from my face, waiting for me to take once last glance at it before ending me.

I peeked through my fingers. I saw no dragon, just the open fields of Salusar swaying in the wind. I stood, carefully, lifting my sword in preparation.

And waited.

~

"What is your purpose here?" said a voice from behind me.

I spun, surprised, sword ready.

There was no dragon. There was a girl, around my age, dressed in a long robe. She stood about 10 feet from me, her face partially hidden in a hood.

"I'm... only here to collect medicine for my village," I gasped, pointing towards the Salusar.

She paused, considering my words.

"But you are but a boy," she said. "I sent myself," I answered. "Our warriors are planning a full attack on this valley. We cannot risk that chance. And neither can you."

My sword glowed.

"We only want the medicine," I continued. "If you let me pass, I will bring it back to our sick and stop the assault at once."

"I will need proof. Drop the sword," she demanded.

I hesitated, but the sword seemed to fall from my hand on its own. She stepped closer to me into the moonlight. I could see that one side of her face had a long scar across it.

"We do not want to fight either," she said.

"We?" I asked. "Who is we?"

"The lost children of the kingdom," she said calmly.

"Lost? Can you not find your way back to your homes?" I asked.

She chuckled a bit, but then regained her serious tone.

"No. We have been cast out of our villages for doing wrong – stealing food, staying out past sundown, disobeying orders from our elders," she explained. "There were no second chances for us."

"So you all came here to this valley?" I asked.

"We had no choice, we've been chased away from everywhere else," she said. "You see, we were also cursed to live as these monstrous dragons – to be feared by all who see us. All we want is to exist in peace, but many armies have attacked us without cause, and some of us have died. Some of my dear friends are among them."

"I understand, and I'm sorry," I said. "I promise I am not here to hurt any of you. I just need the plants, and I will be gone."

She stood tall and silent for a time.

"Very well, collect your medicine," she said.

~

I turned and ran eagerly towards the Salusar blooms. I yanked them from the earth and stuffed them into my bag, until it could hold no more.

Meanwhile, I could hear distant yells coming from the edge of the valley. As the sound grew closer, I realized with horror that it was my village's modest army. They had apparently chosen right now for their ambush. I was too late!

The warriors spread out like ants down a hill, in an attempt surround the valley from all sides.

The dragon girl's face twisted into anger. "You PLANNED this!" she shouted.

A strange light grew around her, and I watched in awe as she sprouted wings and a tail. In a few moments, she was a full-sized dragon, snorting angry smoke from her nostrils. I stood trembling before her.

She leaned towards me in dragon form, as if she was going to devour me. But then she suddenly shot into the air, and headed straight towards the army. I watched helplessly as other dragons appeared from thin air to join her, launching intense fireballs at the approaching attackers – who were all my friends and family.

"STOP!" I yelled, crying. My sword was still on the ground, glowing brightly. I knew what I had to do now. But I had to do it fast.