The Test of Aeralius

Prologue

The damp walls of the mine loomed around Aeralius. A small beam of light was coming through a shaft in the ceiling. It was just enough light to see by, but Aeralius was used to it. The toddler had lived in the mine as long as he remembered. His mother was talking to another woman, but Aeralius was not listening to her words.

His attention was on something else. A small speck of greenish light that moved through the air. In the dark tunnels of the mine it was a special sight to see light coming from somewhere other than the light shafts in the ceiling. It moved in a spiral downwards and began to move towards where the toddler was standing. It flew past Aeralius and started off towards the end of the tunnel. His curiosity sparked, his mother forgotten, Aeralius went after the speck of light to see what it was.

A turn left, a turn right and suddenly there was a lot of light in the shape of a square. The green light moved through the square and before Aeralius knew it he was outside of the mine and following the lightspeck, now more clearly an insect than a thing. The insect flew into the woods laying close to the mine entrance and Aeralius followed, so mesmerized that he didn’t register his mother shouting his name inside the mine.

“Aeralius!? Aeralius!? Where are you?”

The insect landed on a leaf the size of Aeralius’ head and started washing its tiny legs. Aeralius approached the insect carefully so as not to startle it, but being a toddler he wasn’t the stealthiest of hunters. Still the insect kept put, and Aeralius was almost upon it, when something big moved behind the bush. The insect flew away hastily, to the dismay of the toddler. But something new attracted his attention.

“Who there?” Aeralius asked in the direction of the big shape behind the bush. Leaves and branches were moved aside by a huge green scaly claw, several branches snapping.

“Pretty”, gawped Aeralius, seemingly undaunted. The claw grabbed the toddler and Aeralius was lifted of the ground accompanied by the sound of big beating wings.

“Aeralius!! No give him back, you monster!”, shouted Aeralius’ mother from the ground. But her son was already gone.

Ianus

“You can not be serious! I need to find Aeralius. I need to find my son!”

“Calm yourself Ianus, you forget your place. Under no circumstances can I give you permission to undertake this folly mission.” The centurion said. “This will lead to nothing but your death.”

“But Decima saw Aeralius being carried off, alive. If there is a chance, however small… I have to try.” He was close to tears.

“I see your reasoning, and in any other circumstances I would permit you to go after him. But dragons are not known for their compassionate nature, especially towards human children. I offer my deepfelt condolences, Ianus, but we need you here. You’re the best stonemason we’ve got. Too many families are still living in the direst of conditions.” It had been two years since the citizens of Tibernium took refuge in the iron mines. They had survived the dragon attack and fled the city. The iron mines offered some protection from the dragons, but were still an unhospitable place to live. “Your presence here might mean the difference between life and death for some of our people.”

Ianus didn’t seem to hear him, his only response not much louder than a whisper: “My son, I need to find him.”

“The only thing I can offer is to ask the hunters to keep an eye out for Aeralius, but I can’t help but feel like it’s a waste of time. Now, please, Ianus, return to your work on the underground vegetable garden. We need you.”

“Thank you”, Ianus said, before leaving the stone room of the centurion. A look of grim determination on his face.

“That’s thank you, ‘sir’, Ianus!”, called the centurion after him. There was no response. “Poor man.” The centurion shook his head and bend over his desk again looking at the scrolls in front of him concerning the dwindling food stocks and poor health of the refugees without suitable living quarters.

It’ra

It’ra beat his wings to climb higher into the air. The toddler held firmly in his left claw. “Weee”, cooed the human child.

‘Why did I take this human alive?’, It’ra thought. ‘My instincts told me to grab him and fly off, but normally I would just eat the kid as a small snack and be done with it. What’s different now?’

From this far up in the air, Tibernium already became visible. ‘I need to figure out what moved me before I return to Od’iar. Was it the way the child seemed unafraid of me, an apex-predator?’

It’ra could already see the temple where Od’iar, the dragon mayor of Tibernium, had created his hoard. ‘I need a plan, and fast…’

Ianus and Decima

Ianus grabbed his gladius, knife, some rope, and a piece of oiled cloth that would be big enough to serve as a tent. Decima was gathering some supplies, food and some other essentials and put them in a leather bag. She swinged the bag around her shoulder. “Do you have everything? We need to leave, now.”

“What do you mean, ‘we’?”, asked Ianus, rummaging with some of his gear. “I am going alone.”

“You’re joking, I’m not staying behind with you and Aeralius both gone into the outside world. He needs his mother.”

“It’s too dangerous, I can’t have you slowing me down.”

“That danger is exactly why I am coming along. And you’re the one slowing us down by arguing. Now come.” Without another word, Decima left their chamber cut into the side of the mine walls.

“By Jupiter!” Ianus grabbed the last of his stuff and went after his wife.

It’ra

The broken pavement of the former city square came closer and closer at a troubling speed. At last It’ra spread his wings wide, hovering for a moment before touching down on three of his four legs. “Again, again!” cooed Aeralius from within his claw.

“Ssst”, shushed It’ra him immediately.

“It’ra!” boomed a voice, echoing from the facades of the mostly ruined townhouses surrounding the square. “Back so soon from your patrol? Did you find something Od’iar should know of?”

It’ra only had just enough time to hide Aeralius by folding up his wings, before a bulky brown dragon approached from the second largest townhouse. “Since when do I report to you, Ir’uk? Od’iar doesn’t like his subjects to become overly ambitious, remember?” Without waiting for an answer, It’ra left Ir’uk there and started off to the far end of the square. There, on a raised platform stood the ruins of a big temple for Minerva.

“You act tough, little one, but I can smell the fear through your scales. But fine, don’t tell me then. I’ll hear it soon enough”, hissed Ir’uk, baring his teeth. The row upon row of yellowed, but surprisingly sharp teeth made for a fearsome sight.

It’ra climbed the steps of the raised platform towards a big hole in the temple ruins. And entered, his secret find still hidden safely beneath his left wing. The dragon entered the remains of the temple of Minerva, passing a statue of the human goddess wearing a helmet and a shield. It’ra looked at the statue and stood still for a moment. ‘That might be it’, he thought. ‘I will introduce this child as a solution to our problems with the human slaves.’

“Next!” a deep rumbling sounded from the next room. It’ra entered the big main hall of the temple. A large pile of gold and silver, both coin and ornament, rose from the floor. Laying on the hoard, was a big, deep dark purple dragon. The dragon mayor wasn’t only bigger than It’ra but also a lot older. “Report”, he demanded in a voice like two boulders breaking against each other. Od’iar did not look up at who had entered his room. His eyes even stayed closed.

“Od’iar, sir, It’ra reporting his return from patrol of the southern region.”

Od’iar sighed, which sounded quite like a geyser erupting. “Yeah, yeah, any humans?”

“As a matter of fact, yes sir.”

Od’iar opened one eye, a piercing red sphere looking deep into It’ra’s soul. “Where?”

“A day’s flight, near the feet of the mountains.”

“Another hunting party?”

“Not exactly.” It’ra raised his wing.

“Oooh”, exclaimed Aeralius, looking around the room.

“You brought one here?” Angrily Od’iar lifted his enormous body and stood up to full height, almost two times as tall as It’ra. “Guard, come in here and kill the human spy!” A dragon in armor entered, ready to grab Aeralius from It’ra’s front leg.

“No! Please, wait! He might be of use to us.”

Od’iar used a big claw to hold back the guard. “Explain yourself, soldier. How can a human spawn like this have any value to us dragons, other than as a snack?”

“If we were to raise the child, he could become an invaluable asset. He could function as a slave master, and solve our current footstock problems.”

The temple walls and pillars shook from the low, deep growling coming from the purple dragon. The laugh kept on going for a few moments more. “I never thought you had it in you to be so funny, soldier. Guard?”

Before the guard could grab the child, It’ra quickly said: “It’s no joke, think on it sir: if the child is raised by dragons he could control his slave counterparts far more effective than we can now. We are not familiar with their strange ways, habits and desires and that makes controlling the slaves very difficult. But a fellow human would understand and know how to push them towards better results.”

“You are correct, sweet It’ra. We don’t know how humans work and that is an obstacle. But that same obstacle applies to dragons trying to raise a human child. It’s impossible.”

“How hard can it be? Does it not eat and sleep, just like any hatchling?”

“I am growing tired of this conversation. I see your reasoning, but find the idea of you raising a human child laugh worthy.” The dragon mayor laid down again. “I shall permit you an experiment. One month and if the child isn’t dead by then, you’ll keep him. Now leave, before I change my mind.”

It’ra left, taking Aeralius with him. The child was looking at him, trying to comprehend what just happened. The dragon took Aeralius to the old granary, which served as It’ra’s living quarters. There, he started creating a safe space for the child. From a nearby, ruined house It’ra got a small bed for Aeralius to sleep in. Using his fiery breath, he cooked some sheep meat and fed it to the small kid who ate eagerly and fell asleep almost immediately afterwards.

Ianus and Decima

Ianus and Decima moved as fast as they could, taking care to stay out of sight and under the cover of trees as much as possible. They had traded the safety of the mine for the woods at the foot of the mountain. A dragon patrol or dragon hunting party could spot them from miles away if they didn’t take care. These were the hunting grounds for the refugees as well as dragons flying from Tibernium to hunt for game. Now and then a refugee hunting party didn’t return, which usually meant an encounter with dragons had resulted in the dragons feasting on a whole different type of meat then deer or boar.

After the woods, there were plains, which were trickier to cross. All they could do was keep an eye on the horizons all around and lie flat on the ground when a shape was visible flying through the sky. Occasionally the couple would pass farmsteads or villas all abandoned and in disrepair, the residents having fled some decades back when the war with the dragons made it too unsafe to live outside the cities.

“There! Get down!”

Decima dived to the ground, having gotten used to the regular commands of her husband. Her arm grazed a sharp rock in the path of her dive, and she hissed when a wave of pain went up her arm. Blood flowed from a cut in her arm.

“Decima.” Ianus crawled over to her position. “Let me see.”

Used to rock cuts, he acted immediately by ripping a piece of fabric from his tunic. “It’s not too deep”, taking care to keep quiet. “Are you okay?”

“It hurts, but that’s not the problem…” She turned white looking at the cut and she looked like she could faint any moment. Seeing her own blood always made her faint-headed.

“Stay with me”, Ianus started dressing the cut. He took a second to take a look around. “There, that villa over there.” Ianus pointed “That’s base camp for tonight. Okay?” He knotted the ends of the fabric together. “Can you walk? Whatever I saw, the horizon is clear again.”

Decima tried to stand up, with Ianus helping her up. Gingerly she took a step and almost fell when her leg refused to carry her weight. Ianus grabbed her and swung her arm around his shoulders. “We’ll do it together.” Arm around her waist he guided her towards the villa.

The night was uneventful, save for one time when Ianus woke up from the sound of wind blowing through the empty rooms of the villa. Luckily the wind passed, without them having to find out if it was a natural wind or air moved by the beating of dragon wings. At sunrise, Ianus and Decima had a small breakfast consisting of some dried meat and some water from the villa’s well. Ianus stood up and put everything back into their bags, while Decima remained seated a bit longer to spare her strength.

“Ready, my love? How’s the new dressing?”

“I think I am. The dressing’s fine. I can’t hold us up any longer, every second counts.” She looked up. “Oh Salus, keep my son safe.” After standing up from the stone bench, she fingered a tear from her eye. “I feel strong enough to walk, let’s go.”

They left the villa and saw some welcome woodlands in the distance. “Only a few more miles of keeping vigilant, Decima”

“I could welcome some trees. I don’t think I can take many more of those sudden dives to the ground.”

Soon they drew closer to the trees, but to their dismay the undergrowth was too dense. They had to move around the wood, but the undergrowth did provide welcome cover when they had to hide again. Two times that afternoon they had to hide from an actual dragon flying overhead. “The patrols are more frequent here; I believe we are getting close.”

“Aeralius…”, Decima said, a touch of hope in her voice.

Soon they found out how close. When they cleared the next hilltop, they saw Tibernium laid out before them cradled into a bend of the river. They saw a dragon taking off and had to hide in the shadow of a big boulder and wait for it to pass. “Why are there so many patrols?” asked Decima, when they started walking down the hill.

“I don’t know, but I hope they have business elsewhere” Ianus pointed to the plains between them and the city. “There will be close to no hiding spots on our way to the city walls and lying flat on the ground won’t stop us from being spotted by a dragon that has only just taken off. We must hurry.” They quickened their pace, heading towards the closest city gate.

It’ra

Taking care of the small human and keeping him safe, took a lot of time. But It’ra couldn’t babysit the child fulltime; he still had responsibilities towards the dragon mayor of Tibernium. Two days after returning with the child, It’ra was supposed to fly another patrol.

That afternoon, It’ra flew over the plains and woods south of the city. Sometimes he thought he could see some movement in the distance, but after the first look it was always gone. Some wild animal, It’ra suspected, but he’d already eaten enough, and he soon lost interest. That night he flew over a abandoned villa. Somehow It’ra felt drawn to the building, but then a light in the distance caught It’ra’s attention and made him fly off again.

The next day, It’ra returned to Tibernium. He quickly reported his uneventful patrol to the mayor and went to check on Aeralius. He was awake and hungry, but luckily unharmed in his caretaker’s absence. After feeding the child, a sudden loud banging sound shocked them both. It was Ir’uk. “So this is what you’ve been hiding for me. I needed to see with my own eyes.” Ir’uk moved his head down to the ground and brought his eyes level with the small human. “Unbelievable.”

“What brings you here, Ir’uk? Have you only come to gloat?” It’ra asked.

“The mayor send me. You and the human spawn should make your way to the hoard. I’ll accompany you there.”

“What? Why? He gave me a month.”

“It seems something’s come up”, Ir’uk winked mysteriously. “It requires your presence as well as the child’s. You better not deny Od’iar or keep him waiting, for he is in a rather foul mood today.”

It’ra collected Aeralius and together with the brown dragon headed to the hoard room. When they entered, Od’iar was laying on his hoard as usual, but he was not alone. Two humans, a woman and a man, stood nearby guarded by the dragon in armor.

“Aeralius!” Decima called, seeing her son enter the room in the claw of a dragon. “Mommy”, answered the child, reaching for her with outstretched arms.

“Quiet”, rumbled Od’iar.

“Well, It’ra it appears your time has run out prematurely.” Continued the mayor. “These two humans are the parents of your ward. They were found trying to sneak into the southwest gate of the city. First I thought them nothing but stragglers, but soon the male gave away his identity when he demanded I return his son to him.” Od’iar pointed a big nail towards the man standing there, holding his wife. The woman had some injury on her arm, which had been inexpertly bandaged.

“I respect your courage, human, coming here and demanding something from a higher power like myself. Were it any other circumstance, I would have turned you into ashes on the spot. But now, now you’ve given me a quite interesting show to look forward too.”

“A show? What are you planning, sir?” It’ra asked. “I have always believed you to be a dragon of your worth; one month you said.”

“Don’t question my word, soldier. You’ve should have made sure no one came looking for your experiment, but even that you failed to do.” Steam hissed from between the mayor’s teeth.

“I am not giving him up, we need to give this a chance.”

“Excuse me, monster, but that’s my son right there and you kidnapped him. Return him to me immediately!”, the mother interrupted the conversation. She was clearly recovered from her fear of the dragons in the room, her anger and longing for her son taking the upper hand.

“Your son was wandering outside, on his own. I took him to …”

“Stop this at once!” rumbled Od’iar. “I shall address this matter accordingly. Guard, take the human child.”

It’ra resisted, but the guard was much bigger than him and after a short struggle It’ra’s head was pinned to the ground and the guard snatched the toddler from his claws.

“Now bring him here.” Od’iar commanded. He looked at the parents and his dragon subject. It’ra regained his footing and stood up again.

“If It’ra here thinks he has any right to claim the human child, the child should choose him freely over his biological parents. I call for a test. You will all stay were you are and keep quiet. Not in any way are you to attract the attention of the child. Failure to do as I command will mean death.” There was no doubt the old dragon would punish any disobedience. “The boy child is to be let loose and we’ll see who he walks to. If he chooses my soldier over there, he gets to keep the child. If the child chooses to walk to his parents, I’ll grant them permission to leave here with their child.”

The guard took the child to a spot on the hoard room floor, an equal distance from It’ra and Aeralius’ parents. “Begin!”

Following his mayor’s command, the guard let go of the boy and moved out of the way. The toddler was visibly confused. He looked at the dragon which had fed him the last few days. “Pretty” the child said. Then he looked towards his parents. “Mommy”. Decima could only just hold back a sob and cry for her baby to come back to her.

The choice seemed to be more difficult somehow then expected. “Go ahead little one, choose”, Ir’uk whispered. The toddler took a step towards It’ra and then seemed to make up his mind. He waggled over towards the position of his parents, waiting for him. And that was when it all went south. “Yes, Aeralius, come here baby”, Decima called.

The old dragon moved swifter than expected and a blast of wickedly hot dragon fire engulfed the human pair, burning them up in seconds. Their screams faded away quickly. Od’iar moved to end the child’s life as well, but It’ra was faster, seeing his intend. A mighty blow from his tail send a piece of one of the marble columns flying in Od’iar’s direction. The dragon mayor caught the chunk of column with one of his claws, but the distraction was long enough for It’ra to dive forward, grab Aeralius and take off through a smaller hole in the temple wall. The guard tried to follow, but wrongly estimated he would fit through the hole as well. The armor plates prevented him from flying through however. Od’iar pulverized the marble chunk in anger. Through the hole, the guard, Od’iar and Ir’uk saw It’ra flying off towards the horizon.

Epilogue

The siege engines banged in unison, firing their projectiles towards the city of Tibernium. Burning balls, lit by dragonfire, smashed into the temple of Minerva. Bolts hit building and dragon alike.

A mighty force consisting of human troops and siege engineers combined with three dozen younger dragons was attacking the city. A man came walking up the hill, a scroll under his arm, his body protected by a suit of shiny polished armor. On top of the hill a large green dragon stood watching the siege unfold. The man halted at the side of the dragon. “The men are doing well, soon the city will fall, my lord.”

“Well done, Aeralius”, said the dragon. “You made this all possible.”

“Thank you, general It’ra. You honor me.”