Call of the Dragon Chapter 1

Call of the Dragon

Chapter 1

It was an unexpected occurrence when the King died in his sleep. Elias Gagarin lamented over the passing of such a good and just ruler. The people were allowed to mourn for a period of one moon cycle and then Crown-Prince Rali would be crowned King of Mar. Elias worried about the prince. Normally the prince would smile at Elias, but all he had received from the monarch this week was indifference and frowns.
Elias was late bringing firewood to the Mage’s Tower the same morning as their meeting to plan the coronation. As he stumbled up the stairs and burst into the room with the heavy armload, Master Sebastian aimed two fingers at Elias’ leg, sending a shower of sparks through the air. The mages looked on while Elias jumped in surprise. He shuddered under the weight of his burden, carefully leaning the wood against his chest, trying not to drop the oversized load.
“I’m sorry, Master Sebastian, I was detained in the courtyard.” Elias respectfully bowed his head and kept a straight face even though his leg burned with stinging pain.
“No excuses, boy. If you were one of my apprentices, you would be feeling a switch on your backside. Now get the fire lit. It’s cold and damp in here.”
Elias nodded to the King’s High Mage and stoically bent down to set and light a roaring fire. He listened with curiosity as the gathered group of mages discussed the object that had detained him. There in the courtyard below, an immense dragon stood chained up against the wall. It watched everything, while out in the freezing rain, roaring and belching fire at any who dared to get too near. Elias had watched with amazement as the dragon allowed him to pass to the old woodshed and then back again without shooting fire at him.
“How long do we keep this dragon chained up in our courtyard, Master Sebastian?” an underling mage asked with a reverent nod of his head.
“Until we see who the dragon calls. We must know who gets chosen for this honor. That kind of power cannot go unchecked. If the chosen dragon rider refuses to declare his allegiance to the new King and the Mage-Circle, we will be forced to eliminate him.”
Elias froze. He dropped the ash shovel onto the stone floor, causing a large clanging sound throughout the room. Grabbing up the shovel, he rushed to clean up the mess.
“So sorry, Master Sebastian.” Elias ducked as the High Mage flicked another shower of sparks across the room.
“If you are finished, get out!”
Elias was happy to leave the Mage’s Tower. He gritted his teeth as he rushed to the empty wood shed and slammed the rickety door behind him. Kicking at a stump, he bristled with anger as he rubbed his sore leg where Master Sebastian had burned him. While he was considered to be a man of seventeen, he continued to lug around firewood for the mages like a young boy! When will I ever be more than a low-born servant? Elias wiped away the stream of tears trailing down his cheeks and took a deep breath. Stunned by the news he had heard about the dragon, he wished he could do something to warn whoever walked close to such danger. The mages were always full of trickery and deceit, but murder! That was going too far.
***
Elias had to pass by the dragon in the courtyard to get to the tiny living quarters he shared with his mother behind the kitchen. The rain continued pelting down hard and fast, so he chose a straight line across the courtyard and ran for shelter. As he neared the dragon, he had the distinct feeling that he heard someone talking to him. He scanned the courtyard, but didn’t see anyone else out in the pouring rain. The dragon turned his gigantic head and followed Elias with his blazing, red eyes. Elias slowed slightly, watching the dragon out of the corner of his eye. Was he getting ready to breathe fire at him?
Where are you going in such a hurry, young dragon rider? The dragon called to Elias without speaking aloud. He raised one mighty foreleg, its talons curling against the chain holding him.
The words sounded sharp and clear, and Elias paled when he realized their origin. He clamped his hands over his ears and ran through the rain, not caring about mud puddles and water running off the eaves. He didn’t stop until he was safe inside the warm, dry kitchen. Elias’ mother, busy kneading dough for the high court’s bread, looked up when she saw Elias and said,
“Look at you! You’re soaking wet. Where have you been? Stoke the fire, fetch the water and polish the prince’s goblet. All this playing around has made you late for the noon-day serving.” She stopped working when she saw the stricken look on Elias’ face.
“What’s wrong, son?”
“Mother, I was bringing wood to Master Sebastian and on the way back, I think I heard the dragon that’s chained in the courtyard. He spoke to me. I heard him inside my head.”
Elias’ mother, Anna Gagarin, froze with her hands still in the dough. She wiped off her hands, checked to make sure they were alone and grabbed Elias by his shoulders.
“Tell me exactly what you heard, Elias.”
“He said: where are you going in such a hurry, young dragon rider?” Elias stared into his mother’s eyes and began quivering as he watched tears form in her pale blue eyes.
“What’s wrong mother?”
“Elias, nothing is wrong. You are being called by the dragon.”
“What does that mean? I don’t understand.”
“What it means is that you will have great power and much responsibility given to you. But you cannot tell a soul. Especially the mages. Be wary of their cunning and deceit. For now, you must do whatever the dragon tells you to do. And if it means leaving with him, then you will go.” Anna looked sad as she explained this to her son. She daubed her eyes, and then told him, “Now get back to work. You have to act as if nothing has happened.”
But something had happened and Elias couldn’t get the dragon out of his mind. He rushed through his chores and impatiently served the noon day meal so he could go back outside to be with the dragon again. But when he finished and sped back to the courtyard, a group of young apprentice mages stood under the eaves of the walkway, trying to stay out of the rain. They were all waiting expectantly, chiding each other about whether the dragon would choose one of them as a rider. When they saw Elias enter the courtyard, they turned their attention from the dragon and began taunting him.
“Ah, it’s the cook’s son. I bet he’s hoping to get chosen!"
"Hey, Elias! Why don’t you see if you can grab the dragon by the tail?”
Elias winced at the challenge. It was believed that anyone who could grab the tail of the dragon would be a great dragon rider.
“It’s a good thing he’s here. Someone needs to clean up after the dragon!"
"Elias! Why don’t you do something useful and find a shovel!”
They continued to laugh and make jokes. All the while, Elias seethed inside. His face burned scarlet at their chiding. Only one young apprentice, Tallon, stood quiet, refusing to join in. Elias was ready to tell them what he’d heard from the dragon when Master Sebastian came out of the Mage’s Tower and shouted at them.
“Don’t you have something more useful to do with your time than to waste it on foolish pranks?” Then he turned to Elias and said, “Bring up another armload of wood, Gagarin. And this time, don’t take more than a candle mark to return with it!”
Just as Elias bowed to Master Sebastian and started to leave the courtyard, the dragon whispered in Elias’ mind.
Someday he will bow to you.
Elias went rigid with shock at that statement, because he was low-born. He wasn’t a nobleman like Master Sebastian. His mother had seen to it that he learned to read and write. She had schooled him at night, but he still remained a servant’s son.
When he finished with his chore of carrying the wood, he crossed back over into the courtyard and the dragon spoke to him again.
You must free me, young dragon rider. Come back tonight, after the moon is high in the sky and everyone is sleeping. We will leave together and I will teach you the secrets of the dragons.
Elias gave an imperceptible nod of his head and walked on. He had no idea how he would free the dragon, except to steal the key to his chains. Maybe he could bring another load of wood to Master Sebastian, on the excuse that it was a cold, rainy night. He turned and went back to the woodshed. Gathering up another armload of wood, he shook with fear as he climbed the stone steps to the Mage’s Tower. He breathed a sigh of relief when the guard didn’t question him. When he reached the top of the stairs, he pushed open the heavy oak door to Master Sebastian’s chamber. The aged mage was behind his dressing screen preparing for bed.
“Who’s there?” He demanded an answer in a daunting tone, as he hurried to dress.
“It’s me, Elias. I brought you more wood. It’s going to be a cold night and I wanted to stoke your fire and leave extra wood.” Elias tried not to let his voice shake, but he trembled, knowing that if he got caught he would be put to death.
“Ah. It’s about time you showed some initiative.” Master Sebastian was peering around the edge of the screen. “Hand me that robe, boy. And mind you, don’t get it dirty!”
Elias held the robe high off the ground and handed it to Master Sebastian. When he finished, he stared in surprise at a large, oval mirror. It wasn’t the first time he’d seen a glimpse of his own reflection, but he looked handsome. A tall, muscular boy, he saw sharp blue eyes staring back at him, surrounded by shoulder length raven black hair. The clothes he wore, however, had patches where his mother had mended them and the color was faded from so many washings. Still, they bore the cut of a servant’s attire and Elias gritted his teeth in silence.
The key he was looking for appeared in front of him on the dressing table. He stopped. Was the dragon helping him? Because Elias had no magic and he didn’t remember seeing it there a moment ago. He grabbed the key and stuck it in his pocket. As he turned to leave, Master Sebastian stepped from behind the screen.
“Boy!” Elias froze, his heart pounding in his chest. He could feel the key inside his pocket, banging against his thigh.
“Yes, Master Sebastian?” Elias bowed to the master mage.
“Don’t be late in the morning! Now get out!”
Elias gladly left his chambers and bounded down the stairs. As he crossed the courtyard, the dragon didn’t look at him, but he heard the dragon’s words in his head again.
You were very foolish, young dragon rider. If I hadn’t helped, you’d be dead by now. Don’t try anything like that again!
Perturbed and embarrassed, Elias thought the dragon would be happy that he had retrieved the key. But instead, he received a lecture and a warning. He returned to the tiny room he shared with his mother and lay down on the pallet in his corner. Pulling out a loose brick low in the wall, he placed the key in the cubbyhole. Then, he returned the brick so it looked like it hadn’t been moved.
Elias lay on his pallet, eyes closed, consciously slowing his breathing. After becoming more relaxed, he made a list of things he’d need to take with him. It wasn’t a long list, since he didn’t own much. He had a book that belonged to his father. He couldn’t read it, because it needed translation from a different language. But the book tied him to his heritage, being the only thing he had from his father. It did have an inscription on the back cover that said: I will come to you when you need me most. It was signed: Your father.
When his mother came in to lie down, he got up and kissed her on the cheek. “Goodbye, mother. I’m going away tonight.”
Anna sighed. “Be careful, Elias, this is more than just an adventure or a hunt in the woods. It is dangerous.” She started to say more, but then she patted his cheek and smiled.
***
Elias lay still and listened to the sound of the rain pounding on the roof. He stared into the dark, the fear of falling asleep keeping him awake. He worried that he wouldn’t wake up in time to unchain the dragon. The candle burned down to its final mark and it remained silent and dark outside except for the incessant hammering of the rain. Suddenly the clouds parted and the moon burst into view through the window. As he watched the bright moonlight, a voice called to him inside his head.
Elias! Come now! Hurry!
It was the dragon. Getting up, he took the key out of its hiding place and started for the door. He carried a satchel in which were stashed a few morsels of food, his change of clothing, and the book. He stashed his knife in his boot. As he opened the door, a hand grabbed his arm. His mother stood in the dark with silent tears reflected in the moonlight. She grabbed him and hugged him tight.
“Here. Take this cloak. It was your father’s, and this was his sword.” She handed him a hooded, black cloak and an exquisite sword that had detailed markings on it, with a jewel in the hilt. Awed by the sword’s beauty, Elias sucked in a sharp breath.
“How come I never saw this before?” He pulled the sword from its scabbard and held it up to the moonlight, turning it this way and that, staring at the runes that marked the entire length of the blade. 
“We all have our hiding places, son.”
“What do these markings mean?” Elias ran his finger down the side of the blade.
“I don’t know. Perhaps the dragon can tell you. Take care of yourself and remember how much I love you.” She smiled through her tears and added, “I’m so proud of you. You are truly a man tonight.”
Elias heard another voice. Elias! You must come now!
Elias slipped on the black cloak, buckled on the girdle for the scabbard and ran silently towards the courtyard. Then he stopped suddenly and stood still. There were guards standing on each side of the great dragon. He placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, prepared for a fight. But the dragon let out a large breath and blew it towards the guards. All at once, they collapsed, asleep.
Now. Unlock the chains, Elias.
Elias set about unlocking all four chains that were on rings around his hind legs and front legs.
Climb up on my wing and sit forward, up on my back, between my wings. Under the scales there are tufts of down you can grab on to and they will steady you.
Elias hesitated, unsure of his next move. “Aren’t I supposed to touch your tail?”
Ah, is that another requirement that has cropped up to become a dragon rider? If you believe it will make you a better rider, then by all means, touch my tail!
Elias felt a little silly for listening to the apprentices. He did as he was told and tried to climb up the dragon’s wing. The scales dripped with water and were slippery. After sliding off the first time, he succeeded in sitting himself on the dragon’s back. The silver dragon lifted himself straight into the air. As he flapped his mighty wings, the wind he caused was enough to flatten a grown man against the wall.
As it so happened, the blacksmith heard the sound of the chains being undone and came outside to investigate. Immediately, he was forced against the wall. He stayed there, stuck! But he didn’t see Elias on the dragon’s back, so he only thought the dragon had escaped. After he fell away from the wall, he ran to the guards and shook them awake. As Elias and the dragon were flying out of the city, the alarm bells began to ring. They had been discovered!
“Do not worry, young dragon rider, we are safe now.” The dragon spoke to Elias in a rough voice as they flew high above the edge of Chaldea.
“What is your name? I can’t keep calling you dragon all the time.”
“My name is Kai.”
“Well, Kai, why have you chosen me? And why do you keep calling me a dragon rider?”
“Because you are your father’s son. He was a dragon rider.”
“My mother would have told me if that were true. You must have the wrong person.”
“Your mother kept his secret to protect you from the evil mages in Chaldea. They would have killed you had they known of your high born birth. But we have much to discuss.”
“Yes, like where are we going and why?”
“We are going to the desert. To the caves of Allgernon. There we can hide and discuss why I have chosen you to save the entire Kingdom of Mar.”
Elias kept silent as he contemplated what Kai had told him. He was of high-born blood, he had said. And his father was a dragon rider. Of course, the sword he had been given was from a dragon rider’s side. Why did his mother keep these secrets from him?
“Kai, my mother gave me a sword that belonged to my father. It has markings on the blade. What do they mean?”
“They are the promise to the owner of the sword.”
“I don’t understand.”
“You will as you bond with it and learn to fight with it. It promises to protect you if you use it for good.”
They flew through the rest of the night and as the early morning hours came upon them, they crossed the desert that would take them to the caves of Allgernon. The high desert was flat, with little vegetation. Overhead, it was as if a million twinkling stars accompanied the moon on its trek across the sky. But a ribbon of pink started in the eastern sky, announcing the rising sun, and chasing away the stars and moon as it got broader and wider. Soon an orange ball of fire rose in the east and the temperature began to increase as morning headed toward midday. Kai headed for the caves that grew on a great bluff that ran for as far as the eye could see. There they would be safe from the heat and the searches from the King’s mages. Kai landed at one certain cave and flew deep into the cavern. At the back was a dripping fountain of water. Elias got off and stretched his legs. As he walked, he examined the cave they were in. It had smooth, white stone that vibrated a soft blue light from the outside sun, but it remained cool from the underground spring.
“So this is where you have taken me so we can talk? So let’s talk. Why are we here?” Elias stood with hands on hips, impatient to hear Kai explain things to him.
Kai took a long drink of water and waited for Elias to calm down. “Just before the King’s death, Crown-Prince Rali was kidnapped in a devious plan to control the rule of the kingdom of Mar.”
Elias shook his head. “No. I don’t believe it. Because I saw Prince Rali at breakfast yesterday, and the day before. I served him his bread and poured his wine. He seemed fine to me.”
“The prince you saw is an imposter. He is enchanted to look like Rali. The true prince is in the dungeon at a mountain castle in northern Mar. We have to rescue him and return him to Chaldea before the coronation.”
“Why does it matter when we get him back? The prince will show himself and…” Elias stopped, perplexed. “How will we prove he is the true prince if the other is enchanted? How do I know he is the true prince?”
Kai’s mouth pulled upwards at the corners as if in a smile. “You know he is the true prince because you feel it in your heart.”
Elias looked at the ground and nodded his head. “Yes, I believe you.”
“There is a way to prove it to others. But it will only work before the coronation. The king’s crown contains five special crystals: truth, hope, justice, wisdom and charity. The crystal of truth was taken out of the crown and replaced with a fake crystal because it would not glow if put on an imposter’s head. It would turn black and reveal the imposter. We need to find the real crystal and return it to the crown so when Rali claims his throne, the crown would prove his rightful ownership.”
Elias blew out a breath and kicked the ground. “How are we supposed to find this crystal? It could be anywhere.”
“I brought us here because I know that it is in a cave here, guarded by Wyverns.”
Elias froze in fear, and then shook his head. “I can’t fight a Wyvern. Even with my father’s sword. How are we supposed to do that, unless we use magic? You know I have no magic.”
“We can use your father’s sword coupled with dragon magic. For now, just be prepared for anything. We’ll rest here and I will teach you about fighting magical creatures. For your first lesson, go fetch me some dinner.”
“What?” Elias couldn’t believe his ears. “How am I supposed to learn to fight magical beings by fetching dinner? That’s all I do now; serve this lord, fetch wood for the mages. Teach me something I can use.”
“Elias, what we are doing here is serving the Kingdom of Mar. In that, the first lesson is humility.”
“I think I’ve had enough of that, but if you think that’s what I can use, I will oblige you. How can I serve you?” Elias bowed to the great dragon, feeling slightly put off.
“Dinner. I need to eat. I haven’t had anything to eat since I allowed myself to be caught.”
“You allowed yourself?” Elias’s cheeks grew red with embarrassment. He looked away and kicked a pebble towards the spring.
“That’s right. I didn’t know where you were. I had to wait to find out who could hear me. Only those gifted with that special ability are destined to be dragon riders. The other young mages who waited around me thought I would choose one of them, when in fact it is the mage who reveals himself to the dragon.”
“But I didn’t do anything.”
“But you did. You listened and you responded. I spoke to each one of those boys, but because they didn’t have the gift, they couldn’t respond. Now respond to my request and get my dinner.” Kai twisted his head down to Elias as gave him a push toward the mouth of the cave.
Elias grabbed his sword and knife and headed out into the desert to find food. It was a long climb down to the desert floor and then he would have to haul whatever he caught back up again. They would be here for some time, so he would try to find more than enough food for both of them. It was a while before he came back with some range rabbits and a deer for the hungry dragon and a few partridges for himself. Elias pulled and tugged to get the deer up the rocky bluff, and finally managed to return with it still in one piece. He collapsed inside the cave, exhausted from his trek. But before he could rest, he had to skin and dress the meat and build a spit to roast it on. Kai roasted the meat with his dragon’s fire and Elias was ready to eat his share. Then they began to train in earnest.