Dirus' Gift

A dragon meets up with an old friend to learn some new information.

This acts as a scene-setter for my next fantasy novel, Wolf's Curse, as well as introducing one of the plot elements. This is set over 1000 years before the events of Destiny of Dragons, so things may not necessarily be as you'd expect.

***

It was not a night of mystical portents. Lightning didn’t arc across the sky, and no prophecies had ever been told of this day. It wasn’t even a full moon. No great deeds were to be done, but a meeting was about to take place that would change the fate of Farenar for centuries to come.

A lone dragon walked. White scales hid him almost completely against the deep snow that had built up on the mountainside with just his black horns and scales betraying his presence. He had crossed the invisible boundary that placed him within the human Kingdom of Aegia. Few dragons went there anymore, having ceded that territory to the weak, short-lived humans several centuries ago. Some Aegian’s refused to even believe in the existence of dragons anymore.

The white-scaled dragon didn’t care about any of that now. He just held his wings close to his back to stop the strong, mountainous winds from teasing them open. He had no desire to be dashed up against the looming cliffs around him. Snow crunched and melted beneath his paws as he walked towards a deep, black cave. From within, flickering firelight could be seen.

“Well met, Ruatha,” a voice called out from within. Human.

The dragon ducked his head inside the cave and let his eyes adjust to the dark. The cavern was dark and deep, water dripping down from the roof and pooling in a large puddle that trickled away into some narrow crevasses in the stone floor. Half hidden behind an alcove to protect it from the biting wind was a large fire, sparking blue with magic, a large pot of food cooking above it.

“You’re early, Alain. I wasn’t expecting you until Dirus showed The Lady,” the dragon said, approaching the fire and looking down at the two figures around it. One was human. An aged man, stooped over in his weathered cloak, wrinkled hands extended towards the warming fire.

The second figure was clearly not human. Despite the cold, the creature was barely dressed at all, instead using his thick pelt of silver fur to protect himself from the chill wind. Two pointed ears curled inwards as the dragon approached. This was one of the kaur, a race of feline creatures that usually lived in the mountains, using their thick fur to protect them from the elements, and their sharp claws to hint and kill their prey. It was rare for any of them to associate with a human.

The kaur looked up at the dragon through narrowed eyes. “Sometimes we can’t wait on the phases of the moon. No matter which face she shows, Dirus doesn’t wait on us.”

The dragon growled. “I am unfamiliar with you, kaur.”

The kaur smiled, showing off an impressive display of sharp teeth. “My name is Gyus, shaman of my people.”

“And why are you here, Gyus? I expected to meet the human alone.”

“Relax, Ruatha. The kaur is an old friend of mine,” Alain said, raising his hands up to the dragon’s snout to lightly touch the small, black horn between his nostrils. “He is here at my invitation.”

Ruatha snorted and nodded his head, slowly laying down and resting his head on his snow-white paws. He kept one eye on the kaur at all times, not once lowering his guard. He knew about the snow-cats and the ferocity of their claws. They had been known to take down a dragon unawares. He didn’t trust the human’s words enough to risk looking away. The kaur seemed to be aware of this too, his toothy grin wide as his thick, bushy tail swayed from side to side.

“I am no threat to you, dragon. I am a shaman, sworn to protect and conserve, never to cause harm to others. Even dragons are safe from my vows,” the kaur said. His claws were extended, but only so he could inspect them, not a demonstration of aggression.

Ruatha sniffed down at the kaur. He didn’t know much of their culture, finding it primitive and simple at the best of times, but he knew enough to know that the cat was being genuine. Their shamans never used their arcane powers for harm. Instead they were magnificent healers, and were said to help control the weather and the growth of their crops – a great boon in the mountains where they generally lived.

“What news do you have for me, Alain?” he asked, slowly turning his attention towards the human.

“That’s so like you dragon. Always needing information right away. What’s wrong with sitting by the fire and warming up from a cold, winter night?” the human replied. He didn’t look up at the dragon, instead stirring a ladle through the big pot of stew that was cooking over the fire.

Ruatha turned his head and snorted. “Do not keep me waiting, Alain. Why have you summoned me?”

Alain waggled his finger at the dragon, not answering the question and turning back to the cooking food. Ignoring the grumbling dragon, he simply dished up a bowl for himself and the kaur, not bothering to offer the dragon anything. Not that Ruatha would ever debase himself so much to eat any of the human’s cooked food.

Ruatha flicked his tail and paced around the cavern as he waited for Alain and Gyus to finish their meal. They took their time, and the dragon went to sit down outside the cave while he waited. The cold winds didn’t bother him at all, his own internal magic keeping him warm. The sky above was still clear, but snow drifted down around him, whipped up from the cliffs to drift slowly down the mountainside. It melted as it touched his scales, small rivulets of water dripping down his body.

He looked up to Dirus, the name given to the spirit who was said to reside in the moon that orbited Farenar. Little was known about her, but every species on Farenar had their own myths and legends about her. What most agreed on at least was that she had four faces that rotated as she waxed and waned each month. She currently looked down on Farenar with the wolf, her face half hidden in shadow.

It was certainly true that some form of magic emanated out from Dirus, but just what exactly it contained was a mystery to all on Farenar. Not even the werewolves, who were most affected by her magic, knew just what caused their monthly transformations. Not that many sought to discover the reasons. Most werewolves lacked the mental faculties to properly worry about the workings of their world, and few other races wanted anything to do with the bestial creatures. In that regard, Ruatha was very much an exception. He had been fascinated by werewolves for many decades now, but had made remarkably little progress in unlocking their secrets. He had hoped the human mystic had been able to discover something.

Distracted by his musings, the dragon didn’t notice Gyus until the kaur sat down by his side. The feline creature still held a steaming bowl of stew in his hands. A few dangling totems jangled from the kaur’s wrists.

“You know the lykans will never accept your help,” the kaur said with a low growl. His long, thick tail thrashed behind him, stirring up a small cloud of loose snow.

“Of course,” Ruatha replied, glancing down at the kaur beside him. The feline was less than half his height, but the dragon had grown to be wary of the kaur’s claws. He’d underestimated one of them before, and still bore the pink scars on his foreleg, blemishing his otherwise pristine white scales. “I don’t seek permission to help them. I just desire the knowledge of how they’re so altered by Dirus. If they choose to use my knowledge afterwards does not bother me.”

Gyus sneered. “Maybe we shall discover a way to declaw the threat they pose to our people.”

The dragon didn’t answer that, instead just directing his gaze upwards towards Dirus again. He had no desire to use any of his knowledge to control or restrict the werewolves, but he acknowledged the danger they routinely posed towards the kaur, who called the shapeshifters lykans.

“Perhaps they can at least be civilised,” Alain said, the human stepping out from the cave. Unlike the dragon and the kaur, he was troubled by the cold air outside, and was wrapped up in several layers of thick clothing. Even so, his face was still ruddy red from the chill wind.

“Perhaps,” Ruatha rumbled in agreement. It was not his responsibility to help develop the other races of Farenar, after all. None could match the glamour and wisdom of the dragons, and that was how it should be.

“Dirus sent us a gift a few nights ago,” Alain said, sweeping aside some snow so he could sit down on a jutting rock and face the dragon from a similar height. His arm gestured upwards.

Ruatha blinked and stared down at the human, before following his gesture up towards the stars and the half-hidden face of the moon goddess. Finally, this was what he had come for. A gift from the heavens was rare indeed, and for one to come straight from Dirus was a once in a lifetime opportunity, even for one as long-lived as a dragon. “Are you sure?”

“A light streaked across the sky and landed nearby. It came from her, I’m certain,” the human replied.

“I felt it too,” Gyus added. The cat fondled one of the charms around his wrist. “I am surprised you did not, dragon.”

Ruatha growled, but otherwise ignored the vocal jab from the kaur, instead swinging his head back towards the human. “And where did it land? Is it close by?”

“It landed in the outskirts of Vuost,” Alain said. His words were followed by a silence from all three. Ruatha’s eyes had darkened as he looked down to the ground, glaring into the snow as though it had caused him great offence, but instead it was the insinuation Alain’s words had made. The human knew well to keep quiet until the dragon spoke again. Gyus had wisely remained silent as well, picking up on the sudden tension in the cold air.

“Then the traitor will likely have it,” Ruatha growled. He looked to the east, towards where the human village of Vuost lay.

“I would expect so,” Alain confirmed with a nod of his head. The human avoided the fierce gaze of the dragon, instead casting his eyes back up towards Dirus. “She has sent us a great gift, a small piece of herself.”

“But why did it go to him?” Ruatha said, before standing up and shaking the snow from his wings and tail. “Thank you for your information, Alain. Perhaps I am not too late, and can pry her gift from the traitor before he steals it away for good.”

Alain and Gyus both stood up when the dragon did. “Going so soon?” the human asked.

Ruatha nodded. “I can’t risk the traitor using Dirus’ gift. I must go straight to Vuost and claim it for myself,” he said. He tested his wings against the wind, but even in this sheltered part of the valley, he could feel his membranes get tugged and pulled. He would travel on paw again. “You know how to call me should you find something new.”

“Of course,” Alain said, bowing his head. For a moment, the human reached out to place his hand on the dragon’s white scales, but at a glance from Ruatha he wisely pulled his hand back again. “Travel safe, great one.”

Ruatha scoffed and pushed past the human without a second thought, stepping around the still-silent kaur in one stride. Not once did the dragon look back, and soon he had vanished into the snow, his white scales blending him in perfectly. Ruatha knew he didn’t have much time to claim Dirus’ gift. The traitor could not be allowed to keep it.

Vuost lay in wait for him.

Keita's Story - contains Impossible Magic Spoilers

One of the things I've been asked since releasing Impossible Magic, is why didn't Keita chose Anzig as her mate? Why did she instead decide to take Okazuni as her lover?
Well, one reader asked me to write a short story with her explanation, and so I did! It's only a couple of thousand words, but hopefully it will provide some explanation as to why she decided Anzig was not worthy for her.

Enjoy!

***

The Sxinix Mountains had long been a natural divide between the drakes and the humans of Kernow, a boundary between the two races. To the drakes, they were safety. Without wings, many parts of the great mountain range were completely inaccessible, and these had become refuges for the western clans in times of need. Of these, the most defensible was the mountain of Kxisila. Known only to the clan of magic, the mountain was a last resort should the Nixan lair ever be breached, though such a scenario had never once occurred.

Shielded by sheer cliff walls that offered no nook or cranny for grip, Kxisila was utterly unclimbable. Locked to the ground, humans didn’t have a chance of reaching the gentle slopes over five hundred feet above their heads. Above the cliffs, the mountain was thick with trees on the gentle slopes that rose up to the great peak, towering over everything around it. Kxisila was one of the tallest mountains in the Sxinix, and to any Nixan it was a beacon of safety second only to the comfort of their own lair.

As the sun started to sink to the uneven horizon cast by the mountains, the slopes of Kxisila were no longer empty and silent. Nine drakes had landed amongst the trees, exhausted from their long flight from the northern reaches of the Sxinix. Ddraig Anzig led them, Isikian by his side to guide him down to a suitable place to rest. The mountain had seen heavy rainfall recently, small streams bubbling down the grassy slopes before cascading down the tall cliffs, a fine mist descending to the distant flat terrain at their base.

There were a number of large caves dotted throughout the mountainside, and it didn’t take long for the small band to find refuge in one of them, with more than enough room to spread out. Kxisila could house a whole clan if needed, the nine drakes would have plenty of space, but it still didn’t feel like enough to one of them. As the others disappeared into the cave, Keita lingered behind, perching on the edge of the cliff and looking down over the dusk-tinged landscape. Most of it was little more than a blur to her imperfect eyes, but she had long ago learned to cope with her poor vision.

As conversations started to spring up inside, the dragoness became aware that she wasn’t alone. She turned, expecting to see Anzig there, as he had so often been as they had grown up together, but it wasn’t. Instead it was the Nyrian dragon Okazuni who approached. Though she had not known the diminutive dragon for very long, he had quickly become a close friend, her near constant companion on her wingtip during the long flights they had endured.

“Is everything alright?” he asked, settling down by Keita’s side. His eyes tracked a distant eagle the dragoness had no hope of seeing.

It was a while before Keita answered, just staring out into the gold and green blur the setting sun cast in her eyes. She sighed, pulling her tail tight around her legs. “Just a lot to think about I guess,” she said quietly.

“You know I’ll always listen to what’s on your mind,” Okazuni replied, lying down on the damp grass with his head resting in his paws.

Looking across at the Nyrian, Keita couldn’t help but smile. There was something about the Nyrian that made her comfortable. She had enjoyed his conversations from the moment they had met. It had been refreshing to hear from someone from outside her clan, having only rarely getting the chance to meet someone from beyond the Laxtal borders before. Despite having a powerful father, she had never been given any significant role in the clan by Ddraig Astar. She hoped that now his son ruled Laxtal, things would begin to change, but Anzig was the cause of most of her worries. She didn’t even know where to begin.

“Carlee told me a long time ago that she thought Anzig had really strong feelings for me, that he utterly adored me,” she said slowly, glancing back to make sure no one was around to overhear her. She couldn’t see anyone, though she doubted anyone would know if Nataik was around, the colour-changing scales of the Xigax dragoness able to hide her from even the best of eyes.

“I can’t say I blame him,” Okazuni said softly, half-turning away from the dragoness as he looked down the sheer cliff. “You’d be a great catch for any dragon.”

Keita swished her tail, but said nothing for the moment. Okazuni had told her that several times before, ever since she had been captured by the humans in the farmhouse, what felt like so long ago now. She had rejected his advances until now, working hard to keep the Nyrian as a much needed friend but nothing beyond that. Though he had respected her wishes, he still made the occasional effort to see if he could change her mind.

“Maybe that would be true if I could see,” Keita whispered eventually, tucking her tail tight around her legs. She knew her limitations, the reasons why she had never become a respected dragoness in the clan like her father had once hoped of her. “I can’t hunt, I can barely fight; I know that I’d make a pretty worthless mate. Maybe that’s why Anzig has no interest in me.”

Okazuni growled and shook his head. “Then he’s a fool. You could outwit any drake that dared face up to you. Does the Ddraig think that’s worthless?” he snarled, snapping a small branch in his paws. He thrashed his tail against the ground in his frustration.

Keita shook her head. “Our clan isn’t the same as yours. Laxtal prides itself on being a strong clan of warriors, second only to Axaatl. The weak have no place. Just look at Azlak,” she said, glancing back towards the cave, where the seer would be lying down, probably some distance away from his companions as usual. As she looked, she noticed Anzig come to the mouth of the cave and look out at them. She was sure the Ddraig’s eyes narrowed a little, but then he’d turned away back into the darkness. The Nyrian had noticed as well and his head bowed down to the ground.

“I should go back,” he said timidly. Before Keita could stop him, he’d turned tail and started bounding back up the slope towards the cave. Sighing, she wondered if she should return back as well, but she decided against it. More than anything else right now she wanted to be alone, but especially to be away from the pitiful gaze of Anzig. She was getting tired of his constant doting stares, yet never making any attempt to approach her with them.

Her decision made for her by her growing discontent, she spread her wings and took flight, not caring if anyone happened to see her. She just needed time away to think by herself, without any distractions from her companions. Soaring down to the distant trees, she kept her descent steady and controlled so she didn’t crash into anything her weak eyes failed to spot in the growing gloom. She knew it was a little foolish flying at this time, but she was beyond the point of caring.

But for a few birds squawking and screeching as she landed, Keita couldn’t detect any sounds of any large animals in the forest that encroached upon the sheer cliffs of Kxisila. The ground was littered with wet mulch, leaves that had been torn down by the storm that had almost caught them out the previous night. Most of the detritus was amber and red already, autumn not far from giving way to winter. Most of the beauty was lost to her, the leaves underpaw reduced to just an orange blur mixed in with brown. Her paws were soon sodden and dirty from the mud, but she felt no desire to turn back.

***

Keita was starting to panic. She had been alone in the darkness for so long now, unsure what the way back was. She didn’t dare take to wing as she was still deep within the forest, with little light getting through the canopy of trees. Almost blind, she stumbled over tree roots she was sure were writhing up to snag at her legs.

Finally though, after what felt like hours of searching, her weak eyes found another source of light that wasn’t the moon. She followed it, not once blinking in case she happened to lose it, until she stumbled out into a small clearing. The light was on the far side, but she allowed herself to be distracted by the sound of wingbeats and a dark shadow leaping into the air.

She didn’t know whether the drake was friend or foe, but she hurried after it, leaping into the air and following in desperation. She called out to the drake. They yelped in shock, slowing their flight and turning around.

“Keita? I’d have thought you’d be back by now.” It was Nataik, Keita realised. She quickly beat her cooling wings to catch up with the other dragoness.

“I got lost,” Keita replied, her head low. Somehow she knew that the Xigax dragoness had followed her out from the cave, remembering the occasional rustling of leaves behind her. That had to have been Nataik.

“What were you even doing out here?” Nataik asked, slowly beating her wings as they started to fly back towards Kxisila. “You of all drakes should be staying where it’s safe at night.”

Keita scoffed at the rebuttal. “I can look after myself,” she said, growling softly at the other dragoness. “But I had to come out to think. Okazuni and Anzig have given me a lot to think about.”

“Choosing which to be your mate?”

“How did…”

This time it was Nataik’s turn to scoff. “It’s really not that subtle. The Ddraig swoons over you but is too scared to act. He’s weak, and will lose control of Laxtal the moment he sets wing back there. Okazuni may not be a Ddraig or Haeraig, but he is the much stronger dragon. Choose the Nyrian and you’ll thank me for it later.”

“But I have been friends with Anzig almost since the day he hatched,” Keita protested, more for the sake of arguing than anything else. She heard and understood the truth in Nataik’s words. It almost perfectly echoed what her thoughts had been before she had realised she was lost.

“Better to be mated to a respected Nyrian, than with the disrespected overthrown Ddraig of Laxtal,” Nataik said harshly. “I may not always do the right thing, but I do know a thing or two about males. If you only have to listen to me just once, then make it this time. You will not regret it.”

Keita remained silent, and Nataik respected this and didn’t speak again on the flight back to the cave. Though many hours had passed, no one seemed to have even noticed their absence. No one had remained awake for them, and the cave was silent and still when they finally slunk back inside.

A fire was burning on the rock, kept alive from Inilta’s magic. It would burn for days on end if needed without any additional input from the Nixan, and the two dragonesses appreciated its warmth to help shake away the night’s chill.

Nataik immediately curled up right next to the fire, pushing Carlee out of the prime spot. The aging veteran didn’t even rouse.

Keita just stood by the cave entrance for a few moments longer. As though to emphasise her choice, Anzig and Okazuni were lying at opposite sides of the chamber. Anzig by the fire to her right; Okazuni to the left.

She turned left.

Curling up beside the little Nyrian dragon, she found his tail in her own, entwining together. His eyes opened slightly, a gentle smile forming on his lips.

Her decision had been made.