Sir Tiran Greyson

  I gripped onto Mallak’s horns as he soared across the Desert Skies. I'm not sure if he was faster than Ereneya and Naravie or if he simply wasn't holding back but the wind felt amazing even with the Desert Heat.

  ‘So allow me a few moments of your time?’ He asked.

  ‘Of Course.’

  ‘When we arrive I’ll be introducing you to the village folk as a Dragon Seeker. Everyone knows what that means and you might get some odd looks but most folk will treat you normally.’

  ‘Okay.’

  ‘Isker is the Village’s Forged, thats what we call someone who has been enhanced with magic by a Dragon. He is likely the one who will be taking you in during your stay. He has an apprentice, Isdana, who will likely view you as a threat to her goal so be prepared for that.’

  ‘Why would I be a threat?’

  ‘Because she has been trying to become a Forged since she was little girl and she is absolutely obsessed with it to the point of viewing anyone who gets close to her mentor as a threat. She’s quite skilled but with your training and enhancements she shouldn’t be much of a match for you.’

  ‘So why hasn’t she been forged yet?’ I asked as I sat between his horns.

  ‘She has… issues. She views being Forged as a prize and not a duty or burden. I have outright refused her and told her that if she wishes to seek forging she must talk with Father. You’ll see. Maybe you can help her. Isker certainly hasn’t been able to.’

  We sat in silence for a few moments before I spoke up again.

  ‘Anything different from my home I should know about?’

  ‘Hmmmm. I haven’t ventured far beyond the desert’s borders but I do believe that our villages here are far more communal than your home. Everything here is shared between the people and money is truly only for the most luxurious items. Or for trading with outsiders. They live a simple life but they are happy.’ Mallak said and I could almost hear a sigh in his voice.

  ‘You sound like you miss it.’

  ‘Oh I do, so much. Back then I was just happy. I was a Mother and a Grandmother. And then I lost them all to plague. When I met Father… He offered me the power of a Dragon so I could learn to cure the plague that had decimated my family. And I did. But I now know so much more about the world… I can’t go back to living among them. But for the next few months I will stay here until your trial is complete. It will be a nice experience.’ He hummed beneath me.

  ‘You were… A Mother? Did you enjoy it?’ I asked.

  ‘That is a difficult question. I wasn’t unhappy as a woman. But when Xaranta offered me this body I… I was so happy. It was like a weight I had been wearing all my life was suddenly lifted and I hadn’t even known about it. I do on occasion miss my old body. Even in my old age I looked damn good.’ He said with a chuckle.

  ‘How old were you when you changed?’ I asked.

  ‘I was almost Seventy. Give or take a few years, my records were jumbled when I was young. I may have been old but time hadn’t managed to wear me down yet. I was a stubborn old lady. And now I’m a stubborn young man.’ He said with another laugh rumbling through him.

  ‘I didn’t know you could do that. I thought you just got locked into whatever age you were when you changed.’

  ‘Of course not. Hasn’t your sister regressed some? She didn’t strike me as very old.’

  ‘She isn’t. She’s only twenty-four. She has regressed a little but I thought that was the extent of it.’

  ‘No, you can regress quite a bit. I looked maybe as old as you do now when I first hatched. You’ll likely gain back a few years as well if Father changes you.’

  We spent the rest fo the trip simply chatting about the differences between being a human and a Dragon. Apparently Mallak had quite a few strong feelings about Scale Care and keeping his horns healthy and I couldn’t help but laugh at how ridiculous some of it sounded.

  By the time we arrived the Sun was disappearing below the horizon and fires had been lit in the village.

  It was sizable, a few hundred people at least and they were a few miles from the edge of the desert. Fields of crops grew around the large collection of buildings that were assembled from a mix of Wood and Stone. Mallak landed in a large central square that looked as if it could have held Xaranta. The People poured out of nearby buildings to crowd around him as he nodded and spoke to them.

  “People of Xienna! I come with a Dragon Seeker. My Father has chosen your village to be the ground for his trials and I to be his judge. Will you accept this young man during his time here?” Mallak bellowed in the common tongue.

  There were several dozen cheers from the crowd and even more murmuring as I stood on Mallak’s head looking down at them all. It was a strange thing to have gone from Calanai where most people had the complexion of milk to somewhere where people had darker skin than I. But they all seemed friendly enough as I climbed down and Mallak shrunk down to his human body.

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  An Older man with a rather flamboyant hat approached us. The hat drew your attention as it had bright blue feathers sprouting out of it but the man seemed friendly enough, he approached Mallak with a smile and hugged the dragon. He was a bit on the larger side, dark skin and a short beard that had swirling patterns shaved into it. He spoke to Mallak in a language I didn’t recognize for a moment before both of them turned to me.

  “It is a pleasure to meet you, Seeker. I hope your time in our village is enjoyable.” He said, giving me a short bow.

  “Of course sir. It is a pleasure to meet you…” I trailed off as I didn’t realize what to call him.

  Mallak smirked at me from behind the Man’s shoulder.

  “Ah I am Dirun, The Village Headman. I take it you are from far afield?”

  “Indeed sir.”

  “Then I bid you to enjoy your time here. If you are a true Dragon Seeker you will always be welcome here. It has been nearly a century since Mallak rose to Dragonhood from our humble Village. He does love to visit his grandchildren.” Dirun said with a hearty laugh as he clapped Mallak on the shoulder.

  I looked up at Mallak.

  ‘Wouldn’t your grandchildren be quite old by now?’ I asked as I reached out to his mind.

  ‘Uh… That's… There is another village custom. I have had a few children since my change.’ He replied, stumbling over his words slightly.

  “I wasn’t aware that Mallak had grandchildren, I’m sure he would love to visit them.” I said with a small chuckle.

  “Of course! And I believe we have someone who would be interested in taking you in!” Dirun said as he gestured behind me.

  I turned to see a man with a light complexion than most, about the same darkness as my own, and a young lady who looked like she could have been from Calanai standing side by side with the crowd parting around them. People weren’t looking at them with detest but no one was standing close enough to touch them.

  The Man had a very short black beard and longer black hair that fell loosely to his shoulder. His eyes were draconic slits and they glowed a pale orange. He was well built, not exceptionally muscular like Mallak but still solid in his build. He wore a very worn set of hardened leather armor that was intermixed with plate. On his waist rested a pair of blades and I could see a bow strung across his back. He looked a few years older than me but not much and he had a half smile on his face.

  The Lady was a bit shorter than me and her hair was a silvery blonde that was pulled back into a tight bun. Her face was all hard edges and her pale green eyes were fiercer than any of the dragons I had met. She wore the same manner of piece meal armor as the man and she was in a relaxed stance but still had her hands resting on her weapons, a pair of wicked looking daggers.

  “Dragon Seeker is it? You could have warned me he was on the smaller side, Mallak.” The man growled towards the dragon.

  “He’s plenty fine enough. You’ve trained those who were worse, Isker.”

  “Yeah yeah. So lad can you fight or is that spear just for show?” Isker asked.

  “I can fight. I have no desire to do so right now though.” I said, gesturing to the people crowded around us.

  “Good. Then you can come with us. We are on the edge of the first field. I’ll see you later you dusty old worm.” Isker growled at Mallak before he turned and began walking away.

  I looked back to see Mallak shoo me after him and I obliged to follow him. The young woman, presumably Isdana as Mallak had mentioned, was keeping pace with Isker and pointedly ignoring me. I followed the two of them as the crowd was left behind, all of them fawning over Mallak and we headed out into the cool evening air.

  It was easy enough to follow the main road to a cottage resting on a hilltop overlooking the whole of the village and the Desert a few miles beyond. It was made of carved pale yellow stone bricks and wooden logs and it had a very cozy feel to it as Isker pushed his way in through the door and Isdana followed. I entered in behind them and shut the door in time to hear Isker let out a sigh.

  “Sorry about that kid. Mallak just gets on my nerves when he visits without warning. So, starting again, what do we call you? I’m Isker and that is Isdana, my apprentice.” He said, pointing to himself and the girl.

  “My name is Tiran Greyson. I come from the northern Kingdom of Calanai.” I said as I sat down next to Isker.

  “Calanai, Calanai…. Haven’t heard of that one. Whereabouts are we talking?” He asked as he produced a rather extensive map of the continent from his bag.

  I pointed out my home and he whistled.

  “Journey like that must have taken quite a while. How long? A Year? Maybe More?”

  “About five months.”

  “How in the Bloody Hells of Purity did you manage that?”

  “My Sister and her Mother are Dragons and they flew here to see Xaranta.”

  “Dragons? And you came here to see Xaranta so that means you probably don’t want to be a woman. No offence Izzy.” Isker said as some kind of hard nut flew from the far corner of the room towards his head.

  “No I very much do not. Tried it for a few years and it was not for me.” I said bracing myself for the same treatment but it never came.

  “Well then. If you want something to do besides Idling in the village while Mallak watches, you can help us. Having another pair of hands in the house will be nice. So how have you been trained to fight?”

  “I was trained as a Knight.”

  “You were what?”

  “I wa-”

  “No I mean I heard you I’m just wrapping my head around why a Knight would want to be a Dragon. Don’t Knights kill Dragons?”

  “Not in my home. Not now.”

  “Well thats neat. Hey Izzy, maybe he can forge you and take you home once he’s done here.” Isker said and I watched her pelt the side of his head with another barrage of nuts.

  “Shes friendly, she just needs to warm up to you. So what do you say Tiran? Willing to be a Protector of Ivalas for the next few months?” Isker asked.

  “Of course. They seem nice.”

  “They are. Unless it's Izzy. She’s a real piece of work.” Isker said as he ducked to avoid the barrage of nuts that went towards his head.

  “I think you should stop picking on her.” I said as I caught one and crunched it in my fingers.

  It had a sweet scent to it.

  “Gerada Nuts, it's a sweet treat here. For now let's get dinner finished and then start early tomorrow. I’ve got a spare room at the far end of the house. Not much in the way of comforts there but it's got a bed, a bath and it's quiet. Now come on, Izzy was really proud of her stew, lets see if it kills us.” Isker said just before I saw Izzy tackle him out of his chair.

  I couldn’t help but laugh as he was as he guarded his face against her strikes.

  “You fucking Asshole! I am not a bad cook!” She yelled before giving me a gentle smile.

  I think I was going to like it here.