Untitled Nano (very unfinished)

All they had to do was deliver a letter. How much trouble could a Novice Mage and a dragon get into?

Prologue

         Deep in the twisting sands of the southern desert a small mountain range broke through the endless landscape. Down through the warren of tunnels and endless caves, a young woman slept on a mound of soft pillows buried beneath layers of blankets, happily dreaming. Visions of great forests undisturbed by human hands and the beautiful beings that guarded them, vast oceans that changed from the palest blue to the most unrelenting black all passed through her unconscious mind. Things that she had never seen and a few she had never even heard of. Soon the images began to slow.
         A long forgotten forest stood tall at the edge of an endless plain. The trees lacked the deep browns and greens of other forests she had dreamed of. Instead they had crystalline trunks that warped the scenery around them and glassy green leaves that absorbed the brilliant light of the sun sending it sparkling merrily down to the forest floor. A large tree stood alone on top of a small hill in the midst of the forest, its emerald top standing high above its compatriots.
         High in its branches an archer stood at the edge of a slim branch, a pale wood bow clutched at the ready in his long fingers. Eyes the color of molten silver followed the path of a great eagle as it soared through the clear sky seeking its own prey. Bow string taught the hunter calmly sighted along the shaft following the predator until it was lost in the tree tops. He relaxed his weapon; eyes once more relaxed but fixed on the blue expanse above him. A dark shadow passed over him, forcing his bow up again seeking the form it belonged to. Empty sky met his sharp eyes as silence descended over the crystal forest. The shadow passed again. This time the molten gaze caught sight of a small speck out of place in the forest sky. Nearly invisible against the bright light of the sun a brilliant dragon soared before disappearing into the sun. Awed by the sight, the archer slid from his perch to the forest floor. Casting a final glance at the once more empty heavens he moved quietly into the forest holding within him the burden of his vision.
         Hundreds of miles away, deep in a mountain shrine a priestess prayed to her god asking for a bountiful harvest for her people. Generous offerings of food and gems lay in a simple stone bowl before her. As a dark shadow passed over the temple the offering bowl shivered and glowed, the objects held within melting into a thick silver liquid. Cautious, yet unable to resist the draw of the miracle before her, the priestess leaned over the alter to peer into the vicious substance. An image swirled in the bowl, slowly swimming to the surface. At first glance it looked to be a mound of rags and dirty clothes held down by thick chains of iron and copper. A brief glimmer from beneath the cloth gave lie to the sight. Slowly the mountain of fabric shifted and moved as a great head lifted from beneath it.
         A dragon with scales of the clearest crystal and eyes like beaten gold emerged from the mess. Its movements causing its scales to rustle musically clashing harshly with the loud clanking of the chains. As she watched the dragon struggled briefly against its bindings before hanging its head in defeat. A soft gasp escaped the woman at the hopelessness she felt at the sight before her. The reptilian head lifted once more as if it had heard the soft noise, its solid gold gaze meeting her eyes wide with shock.
         Their eyes held for an eternity, the weight of the magnificent creature’s gaze pressing down upon her. As the liquid began to move again a stray though drifted across her mind carrying with it the haunting melody of scales and chains.
         Find the dragon that none can see and guide it to the dragon king.
         Under the cover of quilt and rock, the young dreamer shifted restlessly, twisting herself up in the mounds of covers. Deep furrows creased her brow as she frowned at the odd echoing of the dream. Slowly the images changed and began to pull her back into a peaceful slumber again.
         A bustling town larger than any she had seen before was nestled in a low valley ringed by mountains. A stiff wind beat at the city walls and howled through the narrow cobblestone streets. Down the winding paths past small shops of colorful objects and stalls filled with exotic foods a small forge was settled between to rough taverns. The ramshackle walls tilted drunkenly against the supporting buildings. A fine shower of dust and debris rained down upon the occupants every time the wind struck the small smithy.
         Hunched over glowing embers a young apprentice worked an iron bar as his master snored in a nearby cart. Sparks flew at each strike of his hammer leaving tiny burns behind them when they landed. The young man’s arms and chest were littered with scars and still healing burns from thousands of such attacks of hot embers.
         Metal bent and twisted beneath his rough hands, forced into elegant submission by the still growing skills of the blacksmith. As the iron was reshaped a form began to emerge from the dark metal. Sharp fangs and glaring eyes flashed from a dragon’s head. Mute rage roared out in fierce silence from its gapping mouth, pouring out its anger at being caged in metal and fire. Another flare of fire lit his determined face as he move to a new iron bar trying to draw forth a blade as strong and vicious as the grip he had just created.
         The dream shifted from the fire and determination of the forge to the ice and sheer terror of a storm tossed ship. The wooden boat bobbed wildly on the devastating seas as her crew scrambled across the decks and into the rigging, trying to secure the ropes and cargo before the weather could destroy it all. Men fought against the wind and sea as the waves swept across the deck dragging crates and men over the side.
         High in the ship’s rigging a young man, barely in his teens, grabbed at ropes to lash the sails in place as the storm attempted to knock him from his tenuous perch on the yardarm. Above him a man let out a scream that was nearly lost in a clap of thunder as he slipped, brought down by the same wind that the boy had stood against. The young boy swung out on the rope he had been attempting to knot reaching out to stop his shipmates fall. He grabbed the man’s waist yanking him back from certain death and slamming them both into the mast.
         Far below them, beneath the crashing waves a serpentine shadow glided agilely through the treacherous seas. As it moved off the storm slowly began to follow it, leaving the ship’s crew gapping and bewildered at their sudden change in fortune. The pair in the rigging climbed down slowly to help their shipmates clear the wreckage and mourn for the friends they had lost to the fickle whim of the seas.
         The young woman tossed restlessly in her cave, oblivious to the noises filtering down from above as the occupants of the caves woke. A large shadow fell across the entrance to her tiny cave. A glint of white fangs flashed in the weak light of the fire used to keep her chamber warm. Brass scales rustled musically as the dragon bent its great head down to peer into the darkness. The dragon grinned as he watched the pile of blankets shift again.

Chapter 1

         'Jada, it is time to get up.' The words drifted across her mind disturbing her wonderful dreams. The young woman wrinkled her nose in annoyance, twisting about and burying herself deeper into the pile of her bed.
         A blast of hot air rushed into the nook sending her blankets flying into the wall. Jada bolted upright glaring at the dragon in entry way.
              "May the gods curse your scales off, Dalarn! What do you think you are doing?!"
         'I think I am being nice enough to wake you up before you miss breakfast and Lord Tonar comes down here to get you himself.' The young dragon snorted at her, sending another blast of hot air into the cave.
         "All right, I am coming. Go eat a knight or something." She waved him off as she climbed out of the mess Dalarn had made of her bedding. Grumbling, the male backed down the tunnel to give her privacy to dress.
         A few minutes later, Jada emerged dressed in thick breeches and hose and a long tunic. A pair of blue dragon skin boots were clutched in her hand as she left her room at a slight run. Jada used her momentum to run up Dalarn's back.
         'What am I your pack horse?' The dragon complained as they moved toward the upper reaches of the wyvern.
         "I do not know. Isn’t a horse one of those forest animals? The ones that look like tall skinny cows?" She asked, putting on her boots from her perch on his swaying back.
         'Something like that, but I do not think they just live in the forests. Remember the book that showed them in large groups in the plains too.'
         "That is true; I think they are called herds, like the dragon’s clans. Do any of these... horses come out this far into the desert? Would they ever come out to Ardenal?" Jada lay down on Dalarn's neck to get a better view of his face. The twin plates that swept up and out from the top of his head made it difficult to see him from her perch but she could just make out his face.  His long face was the same brownish brassy color as the rest of his scales, the ridges around his mouth and eyes were thicker and a deeper color than the rest of his face. His brassy eyes still had the deep black slits for pupils that all young dragons had before the black faded away to blend in with the rest of his eye.
              'You would have to ask one of the elders. I have never seen one in the city of man and get off my neck you are HEAVY.' He gave a shake, nearly unseating her. Jada moved back into the middle of his torso, keeping between his long sweeping wings while being careful of the scale ridges down his back.
         "That must be the reason none of the females have been after you; commenting on things like a girl's weight." She teased as they entered the main cavern. Dozens of tunnels opened out into the cave, with a large opening half hidden by a broad rock lip near the top. The young woman scanned the space looking for Lord Tonar. An errant breeze brought an odd scent to her nose.
         "Dalarn? Do you smell that?" The brass dragon paused in his trek across the cavern to sniff at the air.
              'It smells wet.... and odd, like the salt traders that come to Ardenal.' He wondered, scanning the chamber for anything out of place. A large shadow passed over head before hovering next to them. The pair looked up in time to see a giant copper dragon dive straight at them, neither so much as blinked as it came at them, veering off at the very last moment. Jada ducked slightly as wickedly sharp claws sliced through the air a touch too close to her head for comfort.
         "Elder Kennar, to what do we owe this pleasure?" She asked as he landed beside them.
              'We have company. Lord Tonar and the Ancients sent me to bring Jada to the Council Chamber. The ambassadors from the Ch'lin and Ho'noraa Clans would like to meet her.' Jada stiffened slightly at the news that they want to see her specifically. While she had never heard of another human living in a dragon clan, she did not think that her doing so was all that unusual. However, she could think of another reason for their interest.
         "Translation" Jada grumbled hopping off of Dalarn's back. "They want to see Lord Tonar's pet mage."
         'Jada, please do not do anything rash.' The brass dragon asked. 'Lord Tonar has already warned you about behaving in front of guests.'
         "The last time was not my fault. That silver dragon needed a serious lesson in humor."
         'You torched an ice dragon's hind legs!' He exclaimed, glaring at her.
         "He pushed me out of a burrow! Unlike you I cannot fly, if I had not had my gloves on there would be a mage shaped smear on the floor of the cavern, probably one of the walls to."
         'Younglings, we do not have much time before they grow impatient.' The copper dragon reminded them.
         "You would think beings as old as they are would have more patience." Jada huffed, running off to grab her climbing gloves.
         'The same could be said of some mages.' The Elder snickered to the young dragon beside him. Dalarn nodded in agreement as his friend returned pulling on a pair of deep blue gloves with small claws at the ends of the fingers.
         "Alright, let's get this over with."
         'You seem to be in a foul mood this morning.' The great dragon observed.
         The mage sighed softly before answering. "I know, something feels very off today, like this big thing is going to fall on me. That and I am absolutely starving."
         'There are a lot of big things that can fall on you here. They're called draaagooons.' Dalarn told her, exaggerating the word. Jada narrowed her eyes at her friend.
         "Avi no blaz." She cast glaring at the air just above the brass dragon. Kennar moved away from the unsuspecting youngling and the large ball of water floating over him.
         A loud bellow echoed off the stone walls as the water cascaded down onto the fire dragon. Several heads popped out of the tunnels that lined the walls. Laughter bubbled out of the Elder next to them and soon spread up the cavern as more and more dragons saw the cold, wet dragon on the cave floor.
         Jada ducked behind Kennar as Dalarn growled at her, levering himself off the floor and shaking the mud from his scales. He took off after the human, chasing her around the Elder while trying to hit her with hot blasts of air. He nearly caught her when he skidded in the muddy dirt caused by Jada’s spell. Spinning wildly he finally came to a stop in front of the pair, who were having a hard time remaining upright as they were so immersed in their laughter. When he was finally able to get up it was only to find Jada and Kennar bowing low to him. A large lump settled in his stomach as he slowly looked behind him.
         Five giant dragons stood behind him looking very curious. The youngling gulped, his head sinking automatically into a bow as he scurried back from them nearly tripping over his own tail. Lord Tonar watched the three with great amusement shining in his turquoise eyes. 
         ‘Good morning, Elder, younglings.’
         “Good morning, Lord Tonar.” They answered as one, bowing to the Great Wyrm.
         ‘Jada, would you please come with me? The ambassadors would like to speak with you.’ The young mage nodded, swallowing nervously at the serious tone in his voice. Dalarn brushed his nose against Jada’s back as she moved to follow the dragons, giving her what support he could.

Chapter 2


         The Council Chamber was off one of the main tunnels. It was large enough for a dozen of the largest and oldest dragons to stand comfortably but only as long as they kept their tails and wings close. A large stone rock sat in the middle of the chamber often acting as a table or platform depending on how passionate the debates got. The walls were covered in intricate carvings depicting the history of the clan in images and the twisting scratches of draconic writing.
         Normally, Jada found the chamber to be of great comfort, having spent most of time in lessons in this very cavern learning everything that she could about the world beyond the endless sands of the desert. Today, however, the cavern seemed to be too small and airless. The eyes of the carved dragons following her, watching her awkward movements through the space.
         The ambassadors circled around the table with Lord Tonar at the head gesturing her to sit on the table before him. As she climbed onto the table she took a moment to study the other four dragons in the room. Two golden dragons sat on the right their eyes were narrow gold pools a dozen tentacle like whiskers twitched about their mouths in faint amusement. Besides them two silver dragons one of which she recognized all to well, Lemal’s silver scales were an impressive sight surrounded by the dark stone of the cavern. She nodded to him barely managing to keep a straight face as she remembered the last time they had met and the look on his face when her fireball had connected with his hindquarters. The long fins that stood out from his ears and sprouted down his spine shook slightly as he returned her nod; his mouth stretching even further than usual in a broad grin. Even she had trouble telling one gender from another and she had been around them most of her life. Once she was settled they began their meeting.

                A long while later, Jada left the council chambers slightly bewildered by the meeting. The ambassadors had not questioned her, or even paid her much attention, other than to ask her opinion on a few of the matters they were discussing. Lord Tonar had finally let her go when her stomach had growled loud enough to interrupt their discussion. The mage found Dalarn waiting just inside the entrance to the main cavern. She motioned for him to follow her as she headed toward the clan’s pantry.
         While the dragons ate very little for their size, they found it convenient for everyone, as well as necessary for her, if they kept various food stuffs on had. After making a quick meal of meat and cheeses, Jada told the brass dragon about the ambassadors and her conversations with them.
         “Do you have any idea what they wanted with me?” She asked popping a chunk of hard cheese into her mouth.
                'I have not heard anything from the others, but there have been odd rumors floating around the caves. Many of the Elders say that strange dragons have been spotted in different parts of the world. No one sees them long enough to be able to tell what kind they are though.'
                Jada paused in her eating, a strip of snake meat half way to her mouth. She had not had the time to talk to the Dragon Lord about her dreams yet, but the coincidence was too much to ignore.
         “Do you know where they have been spotted?”
                Not really, one was around a human city and another over a mountain range in the east. I do not think anyone is too concerned with the sightings, as no damage has occurred at their appearance. He casually brushed the matter aside in favor of stealing a piece of cheese.
         'Dalarn!' The pair looked up as Rakana, one of the young females of the Clan, stuck her head into the pantry. 'Lord Tonar is looking for you.' She said flirtatiously, giving him a long look through lowered eyes. Dalarn choked on his cheese before managing to pull himself up straight.
                'O-of course he is!' He stuttered, trying desperately to sound important. “I will go see gun right away.” Chest puffed out he swaggered out of the small chamber, stumbling slightly on the stone lip at the entrance. He barely managed to keep himself from falling flat on his face at Rakana’s feet. Jada smothered a laugh at her friend’s obvious tactics to attract Rakana’s attention. The copper female gave her a mischievous wink before moving away from the cave’s opening. Jada quickly finished her meal and headed back to her own chamber hoping to get in some magic practice before Lord Tonar finished with Dalarn and the ambassadors.
         Once back in her underground chamber, she tossed the blanket mess from the morning back onto her mound of pillows and turned on the tall spires of books that surrounded her room. She finally found her spell book half hidden behind a stack of books on ancient human civilizations. Tucking it into a cloth bag with a long shoulder strap she headed back to the main cavern intent of finding an out of the way cave shoe could use to practice without interruption or endangering anyone.
         Most of the openings in the main cavern lead to the private warrens of the older dragons where they kept their sleeping chambers and horded their treasures, but a few lead to caves where hatchlings and young dragons were taught their lessons, some of which could be quite dangerous to an innocent by-stander. Unfortunately, it seemed that to day was no exception. Lessons in reading, writing, history, tactics close quarter fighting and treasure hunting were all taking place in those caves and the empty ones were all too small or unacceptable for her purposes. Pulling the bag’s strap over her head and across her chest Jada dug boot and glove into the cave walls and began to climb the high walls of the cave.
         There were many hand and foot holds available for her to use from many centuries of copper dragons climbing up and down the walls, but occasionally she would find herself forced to dig out a new grip as even the smallest of the climbers had a much greater reach than she did. Half way up she got a ride one a passing Elder, grabbing onto the base of his wing as he lumbered past her. Jada jumped off near the top of the cavern while the Elder continued out of the mountain through the half hidden hole in the top.
         She finally found a space that suited her needs; it was a little warmer than she would have like due to being only a few feet from the desert heat outside, but it was nothing that would hinder her. Removing her boots and gloves near the entrance, Jada sat in the center of the cave and opened her spell book to the chapter that held all the fourth level spells. She had managed to successfully cast a Curse last time but she needed someone to cast it on making it useless to practice alone. The healing spell she had been wanting to try was equally impossible, besides no one who was injured enough to require healing would actually want her to practice on them. Both the two fire spells and the lightning spell in the chapter were also out of the question. The ancients had forbidden her from practicing offensive spells without someone else present since she nearly killed herself the last time she cast such a spell.
         There where only three spells left that she could practice alone, Time Stop, Wizard’s Eye, and Daylight. She went with the last as she was unsure of the nature of the first two. Studying the spell she familiarized herself with the purpose and the make up of the actual spell. Avi Lum. Great Light. Avi Lum. Keeping her mind focused she cast her hand toward the darkest corner.
         “Avi lum!” Nothing. She tried again. “Avi Lum!”
         This time a rapid series of pops echoed off the cavern walls and a noxious cloud of smoke exploded just in front of her out stretched hand. Acrid vapor surrounded her choking her and blocking her vision of the room around her. Familiar with the consequences of a backfired spell she turned onto her hands and knees and began to crawl toward where the entrance was. Cold stone scrapped at her as she moved through the thick fog, feeling her way as tears streamed down her face.
         Once she found the cave opening she ducked out of the path of the escaping mist and greedily took in large lungful of fresh air. Jada sat back against the tunnel wall clearing out the last of the rancid breath from her and thinking over what maybe inside the cave other than the smoke.
         Generally two things happened when a spell failed; both options harbored the same noxious fumes. The best option was that nothing had happened in the cave other than the smoke. This mainly occurred when trying to summon something that was not there or if you did not have enough magic gathered to perform the spell. The second option was that another spell had been performed. The last time that had happen was when she had been working on a first level spell to create food and had gotten a small sandfish instead. It was hard to be sure who was more surprised by the results of the bad spell, her or the little lizard.
         “Are you alright?” The words startled her out of her memories and brought her to her feet. An old man stood before her, his head cocked in curiosity. He had a long beard that fell to his knees and the off white light weight robes favored by the nomadic desert people. It was his eyes that drew her attention; they were narrow and tilted up at the outer corners. They were the color of the golden bells one of the Ancients coveted and his eyes reminded her of the orbs of the Ho’noraa ambassadors.
              Gold dragons are unique among the metallic dragons for their shape shifting abilities. Her teacher's words drifted across her mind from a long forgotten lesson on the different dragons and their abilities.
         “Forgive me, Ambassador, but you startled me. I was just waiting for the smoke to clear.” She explained hastily, bowing low.
         “It is my fault entirely, youngling. I was merely taking a walk and saw you. Did you have a spell backfire on you?” He asked politely gesturing with a wrinkled yet oddly elegant hand.
         “Yes, lord, I wanted to try practicing some new spells. Unfortunately, my magic does not seem to agree with my desire.”
         “I can see how that would hinder your efforts. What where you attempting to do?” He asked cocking his head questioningly as she checked on the level of smoke still in the cave.
         “I was attempting to cast Daylight but I think I gathered too much power.” She told him stepping into the cleared out cavern.
         “What were you going to attempt to do with that spell?”
         “I don’t know but it is one of the few fourth level spells that I can work on without supervision.” Jada picked up her spell book from where she had left it and cast a much simpler and weaker form of her failed spell.
         The light glowed above her head illuminating her book and a small area around her. From the cave opening the gold dragon watched the young human concentrating on her book, mumbling under her breath. Her concentration was so strong that she never noticed her mage light expanding in size and intensity. It finally got to the point where he had to interrupt her before he was blinded by the light.
         “Youngling, you may wish to stop now.”
         “Hmm?” Jada looked up from her reading, surprised that the Ambassador was still there. The cave was filled with light so intense she had to look up just to ensure that the cave had not developed a hole in the ceiling. A small sun hovered above her head, nearly blinding her eyes, but rather cool to the touch.
         “What-?” She looked over at the old man standing a few feet away.
         “I believe you were reading out loud. The spell looks very well constructed, but you may want to dispel it before it gets to much bigger.” He nodded at the still increasing ball of magic.
         “Oh, oops.” Closing her book and setting it on the floor by her feet. Jada closed her eyes in concentration. Hands out she began to feel out the flow of the spell altering its pattern here and there until it finally stopped growing. Twisting the threads of magic she began to unwind the spell, its size decreasing as each loop was freed. The faint click of claws echoed in the tunnel outside as the ball reached half its original size.
         “Jada!” Dalarn cried as he stuck his head in. The mage’s magic reacted to the sudden shout by pouring out into the spell she had been working on. Light and power exploded tossing Jada and the Ambassador against the cave walls and destroying a section of the outer wall. Rocks and a fine layer of dust rained down on the occupants of the cave, sending the human scrambling for a corner to shield herself from the debris.
         Pain lanced through her back and head from where she had collided with the stone. Jada could hear a muffle coughing coming from her right just before a wave of magic swept through the room. Cracking open one eye she found a long expanse of brilliant gold scales filling her vision. Slowly she opened the other brown eye, lightly brushing the layer of debris off of her face. All around her was coil after coil of smooth glistening scales. The gold dragon had taken its true form and was currently wrapped around her protecting her from the crumbling cave.
         Coughing slightly at the faint dusty mist that lingered in the air, Jada slowly and carefully pulled her aching body up until she was able to see over the mass of the dragon’s body. The outside wall of the cave was completely gone, giving them an excellent, uninterrupted view of the golden desert set against a bright blue sky.
         “Great view,” Jada commented sitting up on the living mass beneath her. “Not worth the amount of pain, but it is a great view.”
         The dragon’s tail lifted slightly to settle her more firmly on top her as she started to slip off his back once the cave had settled. Dalarn appeared between her and the hole in the wall, his face drawn tight with worry.
                ‘Jada? Ambassador? Are you alright?’
                “Dalarn as soon as I learn the polymorph spell I am turning you into a jewel and giving you to a hatchling!” The mage yelled at him clutching her head at the agony the movement caused. The dragon shuddered at the thought of how the hatchlings chewed on anything they could get their mouths around, especially anything shiny.

To be continued...