“Once upon a time dragons ruled the world. They were like us, in some ways. They could talk with one another, they had great cities, some that stand even today. Dragons were born as lords of the natural order. All of the elemental spirits obeyed their command. Nothing could be their peer.
“At that time, humans were like other animals, simple and uncivilized. But, the djinn saw great potential in us. In secret corners of the world, the djinn gave gifts to humans. Gifts of language and of sorcery. They raised us above the other beasts of the world. The dragons were wary of our potential, but sought not to nurture it like the djinn. They tried to warn our forerunners not to rely on those clever spirits. But, we were captivated by their gifts and worshiped the djinn obediently.
“Stronger and smarter we became. The djinns exacted a price for their gift. They bid us to wage war with the dragons. Djinn possessed humans without their agreement, forcing them to battle the dragons. We realized too late that the spirits only wanted the world for themselves. They raised humans into an army. Morphed us into something beyond our natural state. We became their spears and shields.
“Djinn were few and the dragons were myriad. Once war had started, no peace could be broached by either humans or dragons. Too much blood had spilled. The humans committed their tribes to the work of dragonslaying. We were good at it too. Thorough. The djinn had many clever tricks to kill these legendary beasts. It would take many, many centuries, but eventually, the reign of dragons would end.
“Humans awaited a time of peace. To flex our newfound gifts for ourselves. But, the djinn did not think we deserved such freedom. Some of those devils feared our growing ingenuity and our surprising capacity for sorcery. The djinn had created a weapon they themselves could not face. So they reigned in place of the dragons. They unleashed the gwyll upon the world, and they became monsters that would keep humans in line.
“We were their slaves. The native tribes of the world were displaced and separated by the whims of the djinn. Families were separated and our developing cultures were shattered. Did you know humans used to speak many languages? As many as there are trees in a forest. But, the djinn stole these gifts from us. They thought it only right, as they had given it to us in the first place. Perhaps they had a point.
“Our ancient histories were lost. Our oral traditions, severed. So much of what being a human meant was forgotten. Stolen by the djinn.
“They worked us. Humans built temples to the djinn. We built cities in their honor. We fought wars to settle their disputes. The Age of Djinn was the darkest chapter in the lives of all people. Certainly the one about which we know least. The dragons ruled us yes, but the djinn were cruel tyrants. Humans paid for the sin of slaying the natural lords of the world with centuries of servitude.
“But, the djinn were not as clever as they imagined. In their celebration for conquering this world, they had overlooked a single dragon. The Silver Dragon. A beast of peerless strength. Of overwhelming size. If it flew overhead, its shadow would cast night over all of Lyrique. Its scales never bore a scratch against them. And its cause was vengeance. Not against the humans, you see, but against the djinn.
“The Silver Dragon learned from the djinn and copied their ways. It taught humans how to seal the gwyll and how to manipulate their spellcraft for ourselves. Its students were the first wardens. The first humans to learn to seal the spirits away in objects and in living things. The dragon shed thirteen of its invincible silver scales and told the wardens how to use them. If the djinn were sealed inside of the scales, they would never be freed.
“And so the Silver Dragon Order was born. A league of the first wardens and the finest sorcerers assembled to dethrone the djinn. They fought along the Silver Dragon for decades. Slowly, the nefarious djinn were captured and imprisoned. The campaign was long. A matter of centuries. Generations of wardens were enlisted and killed, all to end the Age of Djinn.
“When they finally succeeded, the Silver Dragon retreated from the world. He still sleeps to this day, awaiting the fateful day when djinn return to our world. The Silver Dragon Order vowed to protect the scales with their lives. They took it upon themselves to train more wardens that would accept this responsibility in turn. And so, the Age of Man began from the ashes of the Djinn War. And we wardens are the inheritors of that legacy. To protect the freedoms of all mankind from the djinn and their offspring, the gwyll.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“Every warden will have their own reason for taking up the job. I’ve certainly got mine. Beyond that motivation is the responsibility to protect humans. To protect our brothers and sisters from a threat that may never stop being a threat. We’ve inherited that war. Though we may never win in our lifetime, we will certainly not lose.”
Soraya tilted her head to the side. “So… the djinn gave us magic… and then got scared of us for knowing magic?”
Cyril considered the question. “Most of the natural world is separated by the intangible, the emotional energy of the world, and the tangible, anything we can touch. The djinn were the apex of that intangible world, but the dragons ruled both. That’s what made their existence unique. By teaching humans, tangible creatures, magic, the djinn feared we would become like the dragons.”
“I don’t understand how the dragons could ever lose a war against us,” Piper admitted. “The Silver Dragon sounds unbeatable.”
“The Silver Dragon was a singular creature, unlike any that had come before it. The other dragons were powerful, but less so. Plus, we had the djinn on our side. When a human was possessed by a djinn, their strength far exceeded even the dragons. Today’s wardens possessed by gwyll are but a shadow of that might.”
Cyril watched the expressions of his three initiates. “A long story, I know,” he said. “Thought I might as well tell you what it is you’re protecting. You want to chart this new age? Good. That’s what we all should be trying to do. As wardens and as inheritors of this freedom. But what about you two? Why do you want to be a warden, Soraya?”
The girl shook her head. “Well… I wanna travel the world. Wardens get to do that. There’s so many places to see!” Soraya slapped her little pocket book as she spoke.
Piper laughed and stood up from her riverside rock. Cyril asked her the same question, but Piper shook her head. “Sorry, teach, I don’t have a nice answer for you. I want to be strong so I can punish people that deserve it. Being a warden is the quickest way to get there.”
“How uncouth,” Wakahn spat. “Weren’t you listening to a thing our master said? Being a warden is about more than your personal sense of justice.”
“Just shut up,” Piper groaned, “gonna make me throw up like your princess.”
“Don’t deign to tell me what to do,” Wakahn said. He stood up too. Soraya tried to get between them but neither would move an inch. Cyril spectated. “You can stain your own character all you like. But, you’re in my guild and you’re in my presence, and your filth is rubbing off on the rest of us!”
“I’m filthy for seeking justice?” That rage returned to Piper. Cyril predicted the feeling clung to her like a shadow.
“You don’t know what justice is. You’re a stray dog that has yet to be turned away or reared properly. I’m happy to do either one.”
Soraya’s pleas for cooler heads went ignored. She looked at Cyril for assistance, but the man did not interfere. Cyril didn’t exactly have a thing to say, he fought with a guild member just the day before. It was normal for Gwyllion Abbey. Arguments got heated. Heat made for entertaining fights.
“If you ever call me a dog again, all your little maids are going to be feeding your dinner to you with a spoon for the rest of your life,” Piper said.
“I don’t stand for threats,” Wakahn said. He considered Cyril for a moment, but didn’t break eye contact with the girl. “Cyril, we’re outside of the guild, so it’s fine right?”
“Normally, it would be fine.” Cyril surveyed the grounds of the quarry. “But, you’ll have to hold off for now. Forgive my carelessness. It’s been a while since I’ve been back in town and I didn’t realize these caves had gotten so haunted…”
Soraya gasped. Cyril assumed out of fear, but the look on her face was excitement.
“There’s gwyll here?” She asked. The question did little to interrupt the other teens’ staredown. Soraya fervently tried looking for them.
“Relax, relax,” Cyril stood. The monsters were slinking out of the cave network. They would find them eventually, drawn out by the feast of their emotional energy. Cyril wondered if the two arguing had attracted their hunger. “Two rules when fighting with me, kids. No getting in my way and no dying.”