Far above the vibrant green fields and the tall trees of the forest, a light breeze flew freely through the land. It flew over the tops of the snowy mountains and the glistening crystal lakes, and through the dewy clouds that sat high upon their throne in the starry sky, and then it swept up the salt of the sea. It turned and followed the flowing rivers, passing the creatures of the air as it went; eagles, air dragons, and ice birds among many others. Eventually it came to a quiet town called Celosia. There it lowered upon the pastors, and twirled and rustled up some golden leaves in its wake, before it settled and became still. For the sun had barely risen and the wind felt out of place running circles in a town that was still sleeping. It, too, decided to sleep for a time.
The early morning sun beamed in through the open window of the bakery in Celosia, and the fresh smells of fruit bread wafted out into the quiet town square. The bell chimed as the door opened and a large man with a full-grown beard walked in. The baker didn’t even look up.
“The usual, Julius?” he was the only customer who ever frequented the bakery at such an early hour.
Julius scratched his chin trying to feign an air of indecision; but in the end he just nodded and replied. “Yes. The usual.”
Bariah turned and pointed to a brown package on the far end of the counter. Julius’ order had already been prepared and wrapped. Julius took the package and placed five bronze coins down for the baker to take. Bariah looked up at Julius, and grinning, he took two coins, and slid the other three back.
“No need for such generosity, my friend,” Bariah began, “after all, who is it that crafts my new bread cutters when I need them.”
“I only craft them for you because we’d not be dining on such fine bread otherwise. Best bakery in Celosia.”
“The only bakery in Celosia,” Bariah corrected, “tell me Julius, how goes the forge; have you come by much gossip from your customers lately?”
“Business is as usual. The farmers need swords to fend off wild lynx, and hoes for their fields. A traveller ordered three new horseshoes to be finished before The Waxing. But I’ve not heard much gossip, for my customers come, place orders and leave. But I suspect you’ve heard much more talk of the affairs of the land than I have?”
“Ahh, Julius. You know how it is. Either my customers converse with each other or converse with me. Either way I hear it all. Speaking of orders, I’ll need a new handle for my bucket, mine tore straight from the pale under a full load of water; and bent right in half.”
“Come see me at the forge later this week and I’ll make sure you’re looked after.”
Bariah nodded his head in thanks.
“I had a visit from two travellers yesterday; came in just as I was about to shut. They spoke of bandit raids on the highways of Alesia, and fauns dancing on the edges of the forests close to Celosia late at night under the full moon. They were careful to travel away from the northern parts of our region of Floriana, for they say that the cyclops have been wandering further and further south as of late.”
Julius nodded and smiled, but hardly believed the gossip. Julius had never known a time when there weren’t rumours about bandit raids floating around. The fae could hardly be accounted for either. Fauns lived deep in the larger forests, far from here. Neither did the cyclops venture into these regions of Alesia, for the dryads were sure to keep them at bay. And…
“A dragon?”
Julius rose an eyebrow. “Pardon me?”
“Somewhere near here. They say a dragon is prowling about. Could it be true?” Bariah gave him a look of genuine concern.
That was plausible. And possible. But still, he doubted it.
“I didn't believe them at first,” Bariah continued “not until I heard about the Dragon Slayer staying at the local inn. Caught a glimpse of him too. Just last night at twilight.”
Julius waved it off casually.
“I wouldn’t worry about it too much Bariah, winds have a way of coming, and of going. But anyway, the day is getting on, and I must be back with this bread before Naphtali wakes,” Julius turned and flicked a third bronze coin through the air toward Bariah; who reacted without thinking, lifting his hand to catch it.
“Farewell,” Julius said as he slipped out before the baker had a chance to protest. The door shut with a thud and Julius found himself in the small town square of Celosia. With the sun barely risen, most people had not left their homes, but a few keen traders were already out and about and setting up for the day. The commute from the town square back to the hut where he lived wasn’t long. A fifteen-minute walk if he was dawdling, and a twenty-five minute walk if he got caught up talking to the townsfolk who passed him by. But at this hour, with a frosty chill in the air, he’d be home in less than ten minutes.
His home was humble, with two bedrooms and a bright red rug in the living room, and books and vials and plants and a cosy crackling fire alive in the hearth of the fireplace. He found his wife Rebekkah nestled on a soft couch in a little nook that caved around the side of the front door. She held one of her precious leather-bound books in her hands, covering her face so that all Julius could see was her luscious black hair that curled around her shoulders and down her arms. But then she lowered her book; suddenly revealing her sea blue eyes, pointed nose, and bright red lips.
“Welcome home,” she said with a smile.
Julius took off his boots and hung up his coat, then laid the bread down on a shelf in the kitchen. Less than an hour later, Julius, Rebekkah and their son, Naphtali, sat around the dining room table, eating a hearty breakfast of toast with butter, eggs, bread and drinking steaming hot spiced milk with honey, which was called mallac. Naphtali had short black hair, blue eyes and a curious smile. He was smaller than most eight-year-olds but Julius was confident he would shoot up when the time came. Rebekkah, however, didn’t care about his physique. So long as he developed a good eye for literature, plants, medicine and herb lore. But both of them loved their son dearly, regardless of the person he was, or who he would become.
While they ate, Rebekkah and Julius spoke of trivial things, household matters, the concerns of townsfolk, and their plans for the coming days. Julius relayed the conversation he’d had with Bariah earlier that morning; and Rebekkah agreed that it was mostly just exaggerated gossip. But Naphtali seemed curious, and asked about the dryads and the fauns and the flora dragons that hid in the forests. Julius indulged his child, and began telling stories about the creatures, and recounting tales of old heroes who’d defended cities, rescued maidens and accomplished near impossible feats. Naphtali listened eagerly.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
After Julius had finished recounting his tales, Naphtali begged his father to take him out to practice with his toy bow, and short blunt sword that Julius had made him only a few months earlier; for he wanted to learn to shoot, and swing a sword just like the heroes in the stories. And although Rebekkah inwardly protested, she was not able to deny Naphtali the father-son time he so desired. Even before Julius conceded.
After breakfast Julius left to tend to his forge for a short time. He was the only blacksmith in Celosia, and so he had a lot of orders to fill. But when the sun was at its peak, he hung up his tools and locked the doors to the forge; returning home to take Naphtali hunting just as he had promised.
Naphtali was ready to go, well before Julius returned home to pick him up. He wore a light tunic, pants, and thick boots that rose up well past his ankles. He held the small bow in his hands, had a quiver strapped across his back; and a sword tucked at his side. Rebekkah saw them both off, giving them each a kiss on the forehead.
The two of them made their way through the quiet backstreets and past the local stable. Almost a year ago a group of exotic traders had come into town selling expensive purple wares and foreign pottery. One of the horses in their company was pregnant; and had given birth whilst they were staying in Celosia. The pregnancy had already caused the travellers severe delay, and they could not afford to keep the foal in their midst. And so, Julius had gotten the foal for a good price, especially because it was a rare breed; a thoroughbred Ambrosian with traces of unicorn blood. That was some time ago, the foal had since become a colt and Julius took every opportunity to take the young horse out, if only to stretch its legs. Julius led the colt with a long lead along the small streets toward the outskirts of town.
There were many beautiful green fields surrounding Celosia, with red and blue flowers, and dandelions that shed a puff of white cotton with every sweep of wind. There was also a forest not too far away; small in comparison to the other forests throughout the land, but still extremely large, filled with wild game, and fairies that sparkled different colours at night.
Naphtali could see the tall maples as soon as they approached the fields. The grass rose up past his knees obscuring his sight. Occasionally he would fall, and then he was surrounded by the green blades, but he’d push himself up again and the forest came back into view. As they were making their way through the field, Naphtali turned and looked behind him. Something caught his eye.
He saw a mysterious figure standing some way back; closer to the outskirts of the village, with white robes that fluttered in the wind. The figure’s face was invisible, covered by his cowl, but the insignia on the left shoulder of his robes was clearly visible, as was the quiver and bow strapped tightly over his back, and the belt around his waist, along with his scabbard and sword. As if noticing the boy watching him, he lifted his cowl ever so slightly and peered at Naphtali momentarily, then he disappeared like smoke fading into the sky. The man reminded Naphtali of some of the stories his mother and father had told him. The man reminded Naphtali of the stories of the legendary Dragon Slayers. A few golden leaves tumbled over his head. He waited for another sign of the man, but there was nothing. He turned and ran to catch up to his father.
They tied their colt to a tree branch at the edge of the forest, with a long rope so that the horse had plenty of room to wander and graze. The trees were tall and thick and emanated with a strong aroma of sweet honey. Soon they were completely surrounded by them.
Golden streams of light filtered through the canopy of the treetops, and onto the leaves that had fluttered down and made their home on the ground. All around them bees buzzed, deer bounded, and the birds sang a gracious song. So far their journey had been precious and peaceful. But it wouldn’t stay that way for long. Indeed Julius sensed it in the sky, as the clouds started to pass over and block out the sun. Soon the jolly songs of the birds had died down, and the deer were only seen scurrying away, rather than bounding among the trees. Julius thought back to Bariah’s gossip earlier in the day; and suddenly wondered if there had been some element of truth to what the baker had heard. A dragon. In Celosia? How much damage could a mere flora dragon cause. But his mistakes were soon realised and his questions answered not long after.
They had hardly reached the middle of the forest before the fire rained down. It came in great bursts. But first the horrendous roar had echoed through before the screams of the people in the village became apparent. That was when he knew something was truly amiss.
They hurried back to the edges of the forest, to the fields that had once been vibrant green and full of flowers and dandelions and butterflies. But now all they could see was smoke and flame. And amongst it was a creature of myth and legend. A villain come to life, straight from the pages of a fairy tale. From within the smoke Julius could make out the silhouette of a large, winged lizard, with green glowing cat-like eyes. And then a gust of wind came through and cleared the smoke for a moment, and Julius caught sight of a large black dragon with razor sharp teeth and talons that tore through the cottages of the village like butter. This wasn’t just an ordinary dragon. This was the breed of dragon that was rarely seen by human eyes, the breed of dragon that few even believed existed. In some stories it was referred to as the ‘devil in the night’, in others it was called ‘Thanatos, the bringer of death’ but its most common name was the shadow dragon.
Many did not believe that such legends existed; but there was the proof before him that was tangible and undeniable. Julius knew his next move would be crucial and essential. The flames in the fields around them were already spreading quickly. Julius scanned the tree line of the forest for a frightened colt; he spotted it not far from them, tangled in its lead, and unable to flee. Julius closed the distance in less than a minute. He threw Naphtali onto the saddle and began to cut the ropes. The boy was tear stricken, and clenched onto his father’s forearms with unyielding white knuckles. But Julius pulled his arms free with ease and held Naphtali’s petit hands in his bulky ones, forcing him to be still.
“Naphtali, you’re going to ride this colt – ride it through the forest, and keep going south until you get to the nearest road.”
His heart tightened. He didn’t want his last words to his son to be a strew of strict orders; as though he were speaking to a soldier under his command. But there was little time.
“Then keep riding until you see someone, anyone,” Julius continued. “Tell them that you have an aunt in Aldun. Eva. Eva Auralia. Whatever you do, don’t forget that name. Eva Auralia. You’ve never met her, but I have. She’s lovely and she’ll take good care of you. I suppose you’ll have to get used to living in the hustle and bustle of a larger city. It will be much different from the life we’ve lived here in Celosia. I’m sorry Naphtali. I’m so sorry.”
Julius almost broke down and wept, but he only managed to hold his tears back because he knew that every precious little second might be the difference between Naphtali making it out alive, or dying in the wake of destruction that would surely follow.
“One last thing Tali,” Julius bent down and removed a dagger from the inside his boot. He held out the shiny golden blade for Naphtali to look at, then sheathed it and tied it around Naphtali’s waste.
“Don’t lose that. Not ever.”
Then he bent down, kissed Naphtali affectionately on the forehead, and cut the rope that had restrained the colt. Naphtali wanted to reach out and grasp hold of his father, but it was too late. The horse whinnied and dashed away with unnatural speed.
As the colt hastened wildly in and out of the trees, the cries of the village became less apparent to Naphtali. The trees seemed to provide him with a safe haven, covering him from sight, at least for a time, as though there were fauns unseen in the trees around them, and those fauns were speaking to the trees, and telling the trees to protect the fleeing young boy. The smoke began to thin, and the air freshened, but even still Naphtali couldn’t help looking back one last time to see his childhood home perishing in flames.