There was once a land in which magic roamed free in nature, where everything could talk, and where everyone treated each other as friends. The realm, Avidala, was shared by all nations who within it lived, and was treated with the utmost respect.

However, as with everything, the perfect place began to be corrupted. Deceit and hatred started to reign, instead of the peacefulness that was once felt by all. Kings were cruelly slain, and there were many conflicts between nations. They did not understand that the price to pay for a loss was not different than the price for a victory.

Humans, elves, trolls, and all races alike lived in constant fear, until a new ruler emerged. This new ruler, Alzan, enlightened everyone with his supposed beliefs of peace and love among all. But it did not last. He turned out to be more power-hungry than all of the other rulers, and sent great armies to their deaths in his attempt to conquer more and more land. The other rulers saw him as a threat, and were determined to bring him down. They attacked his nation from all sides, and Alzan fought back hard. After nine days of fighting, he began to lose ground quickly. He sent a messenger to the lair of the redwing dragons, legendary for their fighting prowess, promising great rewards in return for help. The dragons agreed, offering to send one hundred dragons to the fighting.

The tides of battle were slowly turning. However, in the midst of the battle, an archer pierced Alzan's chest with an arrow. Alzan was taken back to his palace, and, even with the aid of the best clerics, could not avoid death. His armies started to scatter in disarray.

At this time, the opposing rulers, realizing that the redwing dragon lairs were unguarded, thought it would be a perfect opportunity to steal the dragon eggs, in hopes of raising a dragon army themselves.

In their attempt to reach the eggs, entire armies were seared and killed by the dragons. However, the steady barrage of attackers also decimated the dragons. A warrior finally reached the hatchery, and managed to take an egg away from the dragon lair. He did not tell any fellow soldiers about this; greed had twisted his mind, and he only wanted the egg for himself.

A wounded dragon spotted the soldier running through the woods with the egg, and flew after him. The warrior drew his sword, and they began fighting. The wound had taken its toll on the dragon; his reflexes were slower, and his power was draining. Still, it was his duty to protect the egg of his kin, and he would not let the human get it without a fight. After a few tiring minutes of fighting, the dragon collapsed from exhaustion. The warrior, with a last effort, stabbed the dragon in the side of his body. The dragon exhaled his last dying breath, and with it all of the fire remaining in his body. The warrior, standing above the dragon, was instantly incinerated.

The egg would remain in the forest until found by somebody else.

CHAPTER 2 – Year 412, Day 272

"Good luck, Perret!" said Mother. "'Member not to load the cart too much at the front, laddie, she breaks easy!"

"Yes, Mum," I called back. I waved goodbye, and urged my horse onwards.

Perret is my name, and I am a farm boy, as anyone can tell. I resemble all of my family; brown haired, brown eyed, and built along lean rather than stocky lines. I am of average height, and fifteen years old. My father is a merchant, and leaves town often. I had to be tough, and become the man of the house early in my life. But I was able to handle it. My mother and little sister usually stayed at home, while I hunted, and went on errands.

I was headed to the Mirmut Forest, the site where the best game was found. Mother always advised me not to go too deep inside the forest, as she was afraid that I could be attacked by bandits and wolves. But I went anyways, because it offered the best hiding places to wait for approaching game, and no wind blew to alert them of my presence. And I had yet to see a wolf or a bandit.

I laid back in my cart while the horse trudged up the path. It was going to be a long trip.

· · ·

I was awoken by the lack of movement of my cart. I had arrived at the forest! There was an old "Beware" sign at the forest entrance, where the path slowly vanished into the woods.

A great battle had been fought on the opposite side of this forest, between the old nations and a King named Alzan. A lot had changed since those ancient years; the rulers of nations had become more and more benevolent, and their nations had made peace. There had not been any fighting for nearly two hundred years now, and nobody was expecting one in the near future.

I unhitched my horse from the cart, and left him free to wander on the grassy field at the edge of the forest; I would not be gone for more than a day.

· · ·

I entered the forest warily, as I always did, looking for evidence to suspect something had changed or someone had entered recently; broken twigs, footprints, and such. Though I was fairly certain that no one was there, I was not foolhardy. I had heard the stories about people being attacked in the woods, and I did not want to have a similar fate as them.

When I had finished looking around, and was sure nothing had changed. I slung my bow and quiver around my shoulder, and quietly proceeded to the path I always took.

After a couple of hours of wandering, I saw movement out of the corner of my eye. I hid behind a fallen tree, and looked out carefully. A wounded stag stopped at a nearby creek to ease his thirst. It had a bad gash in a hind leg, and would soon be unable to run. This was an ideal target.

I unslung my bow, and fitted an arrow into it. I drew back the arrow, and lined it up with the heart of the stag. Suddenly, the stag bolted. I let my arrow fly, but missed. Surprisingly, the stag did not run away from me, but partially towards me. I knew what this meant; it had been frightened by something else! I ran to the nearest tree, climbed up, and hid in the foliage.

In a few seconds, a pack of wolves darted from behind an outcropping, chasing the stag away.

That was what had frightened the stag, I thought to myself.

I waited a few minutes after the wolves had disappeared from view, and then made my own hasty retreat. I ran back the same way I had entered the forest, but instead of going back to my cart, I veered to the right, into an area in which I had never been, in hopes of seeing another animal. I slowed down, to make my footsteps silent, while I looked around in search of game.

As I was walking, I saw something glisten behind a rock. Curiosity got the better of me, and I went to investigate.

What I saw astounded me. It looked like a very large gem, maybe one foot in diameter. It was half-buried in the ground behind the stone. I began digging furiously, thinking that a gem like that could buy us food for the better part of the year. The gem was light red, and had small indents all over its surface.

I rolled the gem to the cart, lifted it up with all my might, and covered it with a blanket so no one would see it, and be tempted to steal it. I hitched my horse to the cart, and urged him back along the path.

This was the first time that I returned home from the forest without any game, but I felt very proud; the proudest I had ever felt when returning home from a hunting trip.

CHAPTER 3 – Year 412, Day 276

When Mother heard me come, she opened the door and smiled.

"How's the huntin' been?" she asked.

"I haven't caught anything!" I said innocently, trying to scare Mother. But, I could not stop myself from bursting into laughter, and I quickly uncovered the gem.

Mother gasped. "Perret, what's that?" she asked, staring in awe.

"Mother, it's a gem! We can buy all the food we want for a long time if we sell this!"

She still looked astounded. "Where did you find such a thing?"

"In the forest!" I explained everything that had happened in the last few days. When I told her about the wolves, she scowled, and gave me an I-told-you-so look, but she appeared very pleased overall.

"We can sell this to the jewellery man on Father's caravan," I explained to her. I had always seen people from our village selling their necklaces, bracelets, rings, and such jewellery to him, and they said he was very generous with prices. And, the caravan would be arriving in just two days!

CHAPTER 4 – Year 412, Day 278

· · ·

I woke up to the sound of yelling and applauding. The caravan had arrived! I dressed, and ran out of the house. Father would be coming soon, as he always brought up the rear of the caravan.

The line of merchants wove through their usual path through the village, coming to a rest at a vacant lot made just for them. They would bring merchandise from other villages, and sell it to us. Then, they would buy some of our goods and excess food to sell in other villages.

Father always came home with funny stories about his adventures on the road, and about various people he had met.

And there he was! I spotted Father towards the end of the convoy, and ran to him.

"Hey, son!" he shouted out to me. I hugged him, and he ruffled my hair.

"How's the farm been?" he asked me.

· · ·

I told him about what had happened while he had been away, and about the gem I had found.

"Sounds excellent!" he said. He seemed very happy about the gem. "Can I see it later?" he asked.

I promised to show him the gem after he had unpacked at the camp.

I walked with him to the encampment, and he told me stories along the way. The stories were like the ones he usually told me; a woman had been upset when her husband sold all of her cheese, people had broken their carts by overloading them, and such.

· · ·

My father set up shop while I went back home to bring the gem. Father sold furniture on the caravan; it was a good business, since nobody in our village made furniture.

Mother came with me; she wanted to talk to Father, and she also needed to buy a new cart.

I showed father the gem, and then went to the jewellery man. We talked for a bit, and he told me that his name was Erok. I showed him the gem, and he gasped, and then quickly covered it with a brown rag.

"That's no gem, young boy, but a dragon's egg!&he said quietly. &I have no place buying something like that. Now leave, before you arouse attention! Come back later, bring the egg, and we will talk.&

CHAPTER 5 – Year 412, Day 278

I ran to my parents to tell them the news. I was astonished. How could one find a dragon egg in the forest? There were stories of dragons that had lived two centuries ago and fled after being attacked by the old nations. Even so, what was a dragon egg doing in the forest? The dragons always protected their eggs and placed them deep into their lairs, and dragons surely had not inhabited the forest.

Mother and Father were sitting on a bench in Father's stall, talking and laughing. I walked up to them, and told them what Erok had told me.

My father began laughing; I knew they would not believe me.

"But that is what the jewellery man told me! He wouldn't buy the gem from me!" I said. But, by the looks on my parents' faces, I could tell that they did not believe me. I was starting to disbelieve the man myself, but I still wanted to go and talk to him later.

· · ·

Later that day, at dusk, I told my parents that I would go talk to Erok. Father, knowing him, gave me permission to go. I took the new cart my mother had bought, put the egg in, and went to Erok.

Once I arrived, I went to the jewellery area, and waited a while for customers to leave. I pretended to look around and studied various jewels, until everyone had left. Then, Erok beckoned me to his tent, into which I rolled the egg. He helped me push it in, and, once inside, the man began studying it. Erok looked old, with wrinkles on his face and thin grey hair. Nevertheless, his face seemed to glow with kindness.

He looked very closely at the egg, and ran his fingers over some of the holes, while muttering under his breath.

He abruptly stopped, and said, "The dragon is still alive. Close your eyes, touch the top of the egg, and say the word Garon."

I did as he told me, and after I had said the word I started to see colours. Hues of red, yellow, indigo, and green began to form in my mind, and dance like intertwined fires. They became increasingly brighter, until all I could see was blinding white. My hands suddenly became very hot, but I could not move them away from the egg. I lost all perception; I could no longer hear the background noises of the city, nor could I feel anything except the burning on my hands. I tried to open my eyes, but I could not. A picture abruptly formed in my mind; I saw myself falling continuously, until a pool of swirling, rainbow-coloured water appeared below me. I hit it with a splash, and opened my eyes to see the white fabric of the tent. The egg sat in front of me, now glowing with an inner violet tint, and Erok gazed at me, and then nodded.

“Well done! The egg will hatch anytime now. Once it begins to crack, the dragon will need one hour to completely break the shell of the egg apart,” he said.

I was still dazed. “Huh…But….Hatch? What does Garon mean?” I asked.

“Garon is a word in the ways of the old. I will teach you more about it later. For now, stop asking questions, and touch the egg again. But, this time, I want you to focus on the egg. Try to feel what is inside by focusing. This is all about focus, understand?”

I tried to do what he said, but it did not work. He said I did not have the discipline to focus properly, but I would have to learn it soon.

“Try to block out everything you hear, and close your eyes. Do not think about anything except the egg,” he told me.

This was hard to do after just learning that you would soon witness a dragon hatching.

“The more you attempt to communicate now, the easier your experiences with the dragon will be later,” Erok said.

So, I tried again. I did as he said, and recited the word Garon in my head, thinking that this would help me. Without warning, I started to feel enclosed. My vision suddenly went black, and I started to experience flashes of violet light. I tried to move my hands outwards, but found that I could not. I started to panic, and the visions and feelings suddenly whisked away. I opened my eyes, and saw the tent again. The egg was still glowing rhythmically, and Erok had his gaze focused on me.

I told him what had happened, and he nodded in approval. “You have just made your first contact with the dragon. You are progressing a lot faster than I expected,” he told me. “But enough of this for now. We’ll wait until the dragon hatches before we try anything else.”

I leaned on my elbow, and waited.

“Perret, while we’re waiting, do you want me to teach you about magic?”

I agreed enthusiastically, wondering what he was going to say next.

“Have you ever heard tales of magic?” he asked me.

“Yes, Mother and Father always tell me those stories.” I had always enjoyed those stories, but I did not think they were real. They told of the magic in nature, and how it was withdrawn abruptly when the creatures of Avidala began to feud.

“Well, most of them are true,” Erok said. “It all began with everyone living together in peace. There were no fights, wars, or battles. But, that changed with the rise of deceitful rulers of different nations. There were wars, and people died. The magic of nature could be tapped my almost all at the time, and one ruler thought to use it against his foe. He unleashed a thunderstorm greater than any other, and struck down all of the soldiers of the enemy army with lightning.

“Seeing what damage corrupted people were capable of, nature withdrew all magic from the world of humans. This would make it impossible for the forces of magic to be abused again. However, because the dragons had no part in the problems that were occurring, the forces of nature gave them some magical powers, which could be controlled at will.

“Also, it is said that one who bonds with a dragon will gain magic abilities themselves,” Erok finished.

“How about the word you made me say before? Is that a spell?” I asked.

“No, Perret, it is a word in the old tongue spoken only by animals. It is in that language, and in that language only, that you may cast a spell.”

All of a sudden, I heard a sound like a twig being snapped. I looked at the egg, only to see a small crack form on its side. The crack went from the top of the egg to the bottom.

“In one hour, you will have yourself a new dragon,” Erok said.
I was nervous. What were my parents going to say? They would be scared, to say the least.

· · ·

About one hour later, the egg was filled with cracks from top to bottom. I was expecting the dragon to pop out any second, and so was Erok. He told me more about dragons, and how to care for a young one.

“They aren’t small for long, Perret. You will not be able to hide it for long,” he had said.

One of the cracks in the egg suddenly began to expand. I saw something orange squirming inside. I gasped, and Erok looked interested as well. More cracks began to open, and the shell collapsed. In its place sat a yellow-orange creature. It looked just like what I had expected dragons to look like. It had two legs and two arms, and two small wings on its back. Its eyes were the same colour as its skin. It also had two small bumps on the top of its head, which slightly resembled small horns.

“Well, well, it’s a male dragon,” Erok said. “You can tell because of those bumps on its head. The females don’t have them.”

I reached over to touch the dragon, and tried to pat it on the head. The moment I touched it, my body went limp, but my hand was stuck to the dragon. My temples started to burn, and I felt the start of a headache. However, just as suddenly as it had begun, it ended. I could move again, and I moved as far away from the dragon as I could.

“Perret, don’t be afraid,” Erok told me. “It just bonded with you now. You will soon be able to talk to each other just by thinking it. Now, go on, try to touch him, it won’t hurt anymore,” he reassured me.

So, I warily brought my fingers close to his shoulder, and touched it quickly. Erok was right; nothing happened. I tried to touch it again, and I began to feel a small presence at the back of my mind. I pulled away, and told Erok.

“You’re lucky. The dragon already feels safe with you, and is learning to talk with you,” he said. I still felt a little nervous, but somehow relieved as well.

· · ·

I waited with Erok until everyone was inside their homes before I dared take the dragon home. Erok had told me how to talk to him; I would have to touch him, and send him pictures of what I wanted him to do, mentally. So, I told him to follow me and sit in the cart. I rode the horse home as fast as I could, wanting to tell my parents the news as quickly as possible.

I saw a bright red glow in the centre of the village, where my house was. As I rode closer, I noticed that it was no glow; my house was on fire!

I jumped off the horse, and sprinted as fast as I could to the house. Half of it had collapsed, and there were some villagers running with pails of water. I asked my neighbour, Aleta, what had happened.

“The house just burst into flames! I was looking out my window staring at the sky, when all of a sudden the whole house blew into flames!” she said.

“Have you seen my parents?” I asked. I feared the answer.

“No, I can’t say that I have. They didn’t come out of the house,” she replied.

I ran to the house as fast as I could. The fire was almost extinguished; the villagers were pouring water all over it. I looked inside through a window. There were no bodies that I could see. I looked through another window, and saw their bodies on the floor. I ran inside the house and looked around desperately for my little sister, until I heard her call my name from outside. I ran out, and saw her standing with another family.

I had no idea what to do. I ran away, back to the cart, and turned it around. The dragon was still in the cart, but he had fallen asleep. I decided to go to Erok’s stall, and tell him what had happened.

He stood silent for a long time. Then, he spoke.

“Before you came, I saw a mage running by. Mages are people who understand the old language, and use it to cast spells.

“I yelled at him to stop, and he turned around to face me. I could tell he was a Shadow Mage by the blood-red diamond on his forehead. We began to duel, using magic against magic, and I began to win. He tried to use a killing hex, and it knocked me out cold. I had just woken up a few minutes ago.

“This mage is probably responsible for the fire. I will soon depart to hunt him down; there is no place in this world for a mage like that.”

Upon hearing this, I demanded that I go with him. I wanted revenge for the murder of my parents, and the burning of my house. He had destroyed my life, and I would destroy his.

Erok agreed, and we set out the following day. My sister stayed with another Aleta’s family. The dragon, who I named Gribalt, came with us.

CHAPTER 6 – Year 413, Day 146

We followed the trail of the mage for a year, going through many cities and towns. Every time we had a trail, we followed it only to find that it led us nowhere.

Erok taught me magic, and the words of the old. My powers became greater and greater as I bonded with Gribalt.

I could now talk to my dragon from miles away, and he could now understand words. He had grown a great deal; he was now about fourteen feet tall when standing. He now had powerful wings, and hunted on his own. I loved flying with him, but refrained from trying this too often to prevent people from seeing that I had a dragon.

I learned to fight with a sword; Erok and I sparred every day, and I became much leaner and stronger since I had left the farm.

We had just arrived at a city called Thris-Fael. We had been directed here by a friendly man from another city, who told us he had encountered the Shadow Mage, and the Mage had been asking questions about Thris-Fael. The mage had left the city in this direction, so we expected him to come here. We had flown to save time, so we probably arrived before the mage. I was confident we would win in a fight; we had the magic of three; Erok, Gribalt, and I.

Erok knew some people in this city, and we were given a room in which to stay for a while. It was there that we waited, in anticipation of the Shadow Mage.

· · ·

The next day, I was awoken by Erok. I heard shouting outside, and quickly peered out the window. There was a man enveloped in a cloak in the middle of the road outside of our dwelling strangling someone. One man tried to stop him, but suddenly stopped in his tracks. A block of ice formed around him, and then suddenly blew into bits, blowing the man apart.

I had a brief look at the troublemaker, and noticed something red and shiny on his forehead. It was the mage! He had a mysterious air around him, and looked as old as Erok. He was dressed in a black cloak with an eye drawn on the back, in the colour of dried blood. The cloak was long, and reached the ground. Overall, the mage looked very dangerous and intimidating.

Nevertheless, Erok and I darted out of the house, and I called Gribalt.

“Stop!” Erok commanded the mage. Erok threw up his hands, muttered the curse for fire, and the mage’s clothes ignited.

The fire was suddenly whisked away by the mage, and he released his hold on the man. The man slumped to the ground, unconscious. A shadow passed over me, and I looked up to see Gribalt.

Move back! Gribalt said to me.

He unleashed a breath of fire at the mage, but it seemed to warp around him. Gribalt landed, and tried to impale the mage with a claw. The mage sidestepped, and began to mutter a spell. The diamond on his head began to glow fiery red, and an explosion erupted in front of Gribalt. The air around him started to boil, and he was encased in a cocoon of flames. Erok was fast to act. He ran at the mage, and unsheathed his sword. Again, he muttered the words for fire, and the blade of his sword was enveloped in a layer of fire. With the mage concentrating on Gribalt, Erok tried to attack unseen. But the mage noticed Erok and jumped back. He unsheathed his sword and they began to fight one another, not bothering to cast any spells; concentrating fully on striking and parrying blows.

I formed a shield around Gribalt, and stopped the fire burning around him. I then turned my attention to Erok and the mage, and joined the fray myself.

The mage was a very skilled swordsman. He effortlessly fought against Erok and I, and stopped all the blows we tried to inflict.

The fight was like a dance. We all anticipated each other’s moves, and reacted just in time to parry them. The fight seemed to be choreographed; everyone moved fluidly, as if the whole thing had been practiced many times before.

But without warning, the mage kicked Erok in the gut, spun him around with a punch, and sliced him across the back. He thrust his sword through the middle of Erok’s back, and then pulled it out. Erok collapsed, and lay motionless.

I felt the angriest I had ever felt in my life. This mage had taken away my parents, and now he had just killed Erok. I let loose with all of my rage, fighting faster than I had ever fought before. Soon, the mage could not keep up with me, and began to edge back. I was aware that Gribalt had landed beside me, but I paid no attention. I was too busy fighting.
I saw an opening in the defences of the mage, and brought my sword down. He moved out of the way just in time, but momentum carried my blade down into the ground. Sparks flew when the sword hit, splintered in half. But suddenly, Gribalt was at my side, and he clubbed the mage across the stomach with a punch, and sent him flying. The mage hit the ground thirty feet away.

I ran to the mage, and, just before he was going to stand up, I plunged the remainder of my sword through the diamond in his forehead, killing him instantly.

The mage fell back to the ground, glowing with an eerie green hue. He gradually disappeared before my eyes, and the glow vanished soon after.

I bolted to Erok, and kneeled down beside him. He was still conscious, but barely breathing.

“We did it, Erok. We won,” I whispered to him.
Erok, nodded, smiled, and closed his eyes. He passed away in front of me.

· · ·

I made a tomb for him. I raised a stone monument with magic, and shaped it like his face. Beneath the face, I encarved Here Lies Erok, Slayer of Evil.

CHAPTER 7 – Year 413, Day 161

I journeyed home for four weeks, occasionally stopping to rest and eat. I made up my mind to stay on the road and protect the innocent from evil. But first, I wanted to go home and see my sister.

I went back to my house, and saw that they had demolished its remnants and placed a memorial in its place. Villagers saw me coming, and gasped when they saw Gribalt.

My sister came running to me. She hugged me, and then ran to Gribalt, staring at him.

“Would you like to take a ride?” I asked her.
She nodded, and we flew for a while. I took her past the village, and we soared through the sky. We went on an exciting flight; we soared through the sky, pulling into and out of dives, and flying loops. Gribalt had grown strong; he carried us effortlessly, as if we were no more than the scales on his back.

After a while, Gribalt began a slow, spiralling decent, and glided to the spot on which he had just taken off minutes ago. He fanned his wings to slow his fall, and landed gently, his muscular legs absorbing the shock.

I helped my sister slide off Gribalt, and wished her well, promising I would return. I waved goodbye to the villagers, who were now smiling, and took off, heading for a new adventure.

I was sure that my forthcoming efforts would not be in vain; in fact, I was just beginning to realise what unseen evils there were, and what could be done to eliminate them.

The End