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Prologue

It was well into the night, a chill breeze racing through the sky as a white-feathered dragon flew.

He was watching, waiting for something to happen in the forest below. Blizzard, aptly named for his snow-white feathers, wasn’t sure what he was looking for—but he had been told by a trusted friend that he would know when he saw it.

His four wings beat heavily through the air as he waited, ever alert. Below, a vast forest stretched far beyond the horizon. This was The Forest of Eternity, the largest forest in the world. It appeared untouched by time… at least for now.

He grew impatient as he watched the motionless forest. Even a lightning strike or a red leaf would be something, he thought to himself. He relaxed his eyes, lowering his nictitating membranes so he could see better.

Not a second later, a blast of heat scorched the forest below, obliterating the leaves and turning them to ash, the heat from the explosion kissing his belly. A bright red light blinded him for a moment. When he could see clearly, he looked below at the landscape. Char crumbled from tree trunks, ash billowing on the wind. At the hypocenter, the grass and dirt were black. A single boy lay motionless, his clothes smoking and burnt.

“He has to be what I am here for,” the dragon thought to himself before disappearing in a flash of white light.

The Dragon Blessed Chronicles

Book 1: A shadow in the light

Xerius

The wind raced through the blackened grass when I awoke, the smell of smoke heavy in the air.

Sitting up, my eyes roamed the charred remains of the forest, the bare branches jutting black against the sky. A little way beyond the destruction, trees grew green and healthy. These were the most peculiar: most trees grew their branches out from their trunks, but these sprouted them all the way at the roots, expanding and snaking along the ground like vines.

I wanted to get home. I wanted to see my parents again, to wake up under the familiar brown roof and the white walls that surrounded my hard mattress, to wake up to the sounds of frying eggs, the smell of smokey bacon rich and tantalizing. I needed to get back home.

Standing up, my legs burned the way a sunburn does, only much more intensely. They stung and prickled like they were on fire, and when I looked down I realized why. The pants that I had been wearing were scorched to my thighs, my legs covered in burn marks. My curiosity only stopped the pain for a mere moment. As soon as a soft gust of wind hit them, fiery, lancing pain shot through my skin, boiling my blood and knocking me from my reverie. My legs buckled from the pain, sending me sprawling face-first into the grass.

“Mom! Dad!” I cried out in agony, “help me! It hurts so much.” I ached for their warm embrace, for their gentle touch that always made things better.

The burning sensation seemed to be growing, and the heat from the burns had now reached my waist. Soon, the pain would start there, too. Tears welled up in my eyes, not just from the pain but from being so alone. My parents were no longer here, leaving me alone in this forest with burns all over my legs. "How could the same parents that used to cook me breakfast and soothe my pain turn around and leave me alone like this?" I gasped as the burning intensified. The prickling sensation of bites all over my legs erupted into a blazing wildfire.

Every tiny movement sent waves of pain through my body. All I could do was curl into myself, alone, in the middle of the clearing, forgotten by those who had raised and loved me. Did they really even love me? I thought. Leaving me abandoned with severe burns like this, was that love? Does this sort of thing just happen to everyone? I racked my thirteen-year-old brain, trying to understand it all. I don’t think this is love, I thought to myself, but what do I know?

As time moved on, the sun continued its arc across the sky, casting longer and longer shadows as it edged its way towards the horizon. With the growing blackness came cooler temperatures. My legs no longer felt boiling. They had gone back to their biting, stinging pain.

Around me, the forest came to life. Grasshoppers chirped, owls hooted, and animals of the night came out to play. Nearby, I heard a loud splash as something big hit the water. Only now did I realize how parched I was, the pain from my legs having distracted me from almost everything. I tried standing again, but my legs buckled from weakness. It was strange to me that I couldn’t remember anything from before I woke up. Did I do something wrong for my parents to abandon me like this? Did I act out of order? Thirst rose up again, casting my thoughts away and replacing them with one idea: water.

If I can’t walk, then I’ll crawl.

My very veins felt dry and shriveled up, my blood felt like sand, and my head felt foggy and slow. If I didn’t get water soon, I’d die. Slowly, I crawled in the direction of the splash. My legs burned hotter with every inch I moved, my burnt skin sloughing off as it scraped the grass. I never wanted to experience a pain like this ever again, nor did I ever again want to be dehydrated to the point close to death.

Finally, the tall grass parted, and a beautiful river appeared, thin and shallow. I crawled the rest of the way and finally dipped my hands into the water. Cold water rushed into my dirty palms, filling them up and washing the dirt away. As pleasant as the water felt on my hands, it was nothing compared to it slipping down my throat. Cold water met a hot, parched throat. With just a single sip, life came back into my thoughts. I drank as much as I could ‘til my belly felt like it was gonna burst. Then, carefully, I dipped my legs in the cold, low river. The burns instantly cooled, the pain shallow and barely noticeable.

The sun had now hit the horizon, casting long shadows on the trees. Shadows marched here and there. As it grew ever darker, I grew more tired. Finally, I let myself go and surrendered to the inky black peace of sleep.

***

A roar echoed through the forest, startling me awake. The sun was slowly climbing its way through the early morning sky. Heavy steps and cracking twigs echoed from behind and got closer with every step.

I wondered if my legs were well enough to stand. The memories of collapsing from yesterday’s excruciating pain played in my mind. The roar sounded again, this time closer. Fear surged through my veins like a rushing river, driving all thoughts of pain from my head. I stood up on shaky legs. They were still in a shocking amount of pain, but surprisingly, this time I could stand.

Again the roar resounded through the clearing, only this time far closer than I would have liked. Before I had time to think, my legs moved on their own, sprinting through the shallow water and out onto the rocky bank on the other side. Behind me the source of the commotion made itself known.

Turning around, my eyes met the beast that had scared me awake moments ago: a great brown bear. Its dark, soulless eyes met mine, and it let out a fury-filled roar. Before I could continue running, the bear burst into motion, charging through the river with great strides, water splashing before it in great waves. I ignored the stones digging into my feet, the pain blocked out only by the fear of getting eaten. I ran past the charred trees and into the dense green foliage beyond, running as fast as my legs could carry me, the burns long forgotten—the ever-increasing pace of my heart combined with fear replaced the pain. Before I made it very far into the forest, something big and furry slammed into my back, knocking me to the forest floor. A giant claw turned me around, and I came face to face with the bear.

As it raised a big-clawed paw into the air, I realized it meant to kill me—perhaps eat whatever was left—before it swung, taking the last breath from my lungs. I noticed something very unnatural in its eyes, something that scared me far more than my imminent death: a lifelessness, unnatural in every way, something that didn’t belong in this world. It swung its large, sharp claws, unsheathed to tear into my skin. I raised my arms in front of my head, eyes shut, readying for the impending pain…

It never came.

I expected to feel excruciating pain before I was claimed by death, but when I felt nothing, I feared that I had already died. I cracked open an eye, realizing suddenly that I was not dead, but the bear, frozen mid-swing, was. It was mere inches from my face, its jaws wide open ready to rip into my skin and leech the blood from my body. The bear’s fur was no longer brown. It was the color of ash, and so was the surrounding forest. All the color from the nearby shrubbery was, now replaced by gray and white. Dead trees fell from the sky, crashing to the earth around me. Mini earthquakes erupted under my feet as each tree slammed into the ground.

“I’m so sorry for this, little one.” A feminine voice interrupted my thoughts. Before I could question who it was, something knocked into me again. This time it wasn’t the bear. It was something far larger.

The wind was knocked from my lungs when I landed, making it hard to breathe. I gasped desperately, fear lancing through my heart at the concept of dying, but it faded once air invaded my lungs. distantly I heard wing beats growing farther and farther away but had no time to ponder what had just happened, as a sharp lancing pain interrupted everything else.

My left arm had a deep scratch going from shoulder to wrist. The ashy ground was already soaked in my blood. The pain was unbearable, my body feeling like it had been pulverized. In agony, I threw my head back and screamed, the sound echoing, scaring the last remains of any wildlife away, silencing the forest. I begged for death to take me, to no longer feel this pain.

Finally, I got my wish.

Xeteira

The crackling of flames came from every direction, and every house was on fire. My own home had long ago succumbed to the malevolence of the fire and was now no more than a heap of charred wood and blackened bodies.

My parents didn’t make it. They told me they had to go back inside, and I watched as the house collapsed in a fiery heap around them, a bright light exploding outward, killing them and leaving me alone to watch as the city I grew up in went up in flames. Around me, the grass was singed from the heat of the fire. The stone wall surrounding my home was covered in the cloud of soot that billowed out from the collapsed house.

I was covered in dark soot and ashes, my hair caked in dirt and smoke. Around me, screams of pain reverberated around, but they barely registered in my preoccupied mind. An explosion of flames from across the street broke me from my reverie. My eyes snapped to the now damaged and destroyed home, towering black flames rising and swirling above the collapsed house where my best friend had once lived.

The flame spun around like it was looking for something, or possibly just gazing at the ruination it had caused. Surely a fire couldn’t be sentient? When it turned in my direction, it stopped and froze. I could feel its line of sight narrowing in on me. I was frozen in place, my very muscles refusing to move.

The seemingly sentient flames rose higher and higher into the night sky where even the stars refused to come out tonight, hidden from the atrocities taking place down below. When the black flames reached their peak, they arched down in a wave heading straight for me. I found myself still rooted to the spot, my bones refusing to heed the call to action. Even from across the street, I could feel those pitch-black flames, their heat hotter than a mid-summer day, much hotter than any flame had a right to be. The heat only grew more dense and robust as the flame swept ever closer to my still-frozen body. Fear surged through my veins. The chance to run was long gone now.

A strong gust of wind blew from behind me, creating a barrier of dense air that halted the progress of the flames. The ground shook with the weight of something huge as it landed directly behind my back. Fear-frozen limbs now thawed by curiosity, I turned my body slowly around. Behind me, a dragon far larger than those in my picture books stood looking down upon me, its eyes gray like charcoal. Its scales were as black as the flames charging towards me, its belly the same as its eyes.

“Come away, child,” it spoke directly to me. “Those flames mean you harm; my magic can only keep them at bay for so long.”

Though my heart beat wildly, I considered the few options that I had. Those black flames licking swiftly towards me had killed everyone I once knew—my school friends, my family—and now they meant to kill me too. The dragon behind me, though intimidating in size, radiated warmth and protectiveness.

I willed my body to move towards the dragon, towards his seemingly protective embrace.

“Good job, little one,” the dragon smiled. “I’m very proud of you. Now, get behind me.”

I did as was told by the massive dragon, his deep voice echoing through my skull. Finally, the constant wave of wind that kept the fiery force at bay abated, and the flames themselves surged forward with unbelievable speed.

The dragon opened its jaws wide and released its own fire: gray, with a hint of black at the edges. The very air seemed to burn as both flames touched. No wind raced by, no other sound could be heard above the crackling of the fire. Nothing could be felt beside the heated wind and the aching of my own heart.

As the battle raged on, the dragon’s black tail reached around, enwrapping me in its rough scales. Those evil flames charged forward once again as the dragon’s flames ended.

“Hang on, little one.”

The dragon surged into the icy night sky, the flames narrowly missing us as we headed higher. The charred remains of my home crumbled to ash as the fiery creature collided with charred wood.

From up here, the rich, golden glow of the town reminded me of the light from our summer and winter festivals; I could almost forget the tragedy of the night had it not been for the flames still chasing us through the air.

“Little one, trust me. I won’t let any harm come to you.” The message had barely processed before the dragon threw me forward using its tail. Wind raced around my heated skin until I hit something hard, the strange dragon who was risking its life to save my own catching me mid-air with one of its fore-paws. With its tail freed, it gained momentum and maneuverability, dodging attack after attack by those cursed flames still chasing us, solid balls of black fire racing past. Though we were now far away from my childhood town, which was now just a glowing dome of light in the distance from here, those flames never gave up.

Suddenly we stopped moving, the dragon’s wings still flapping, keeping us aloft. A roar escaped the dragon’s mouth. I whirled my head around to look behind me and realized why. The flames had finally latched onto us. Now they were slowly creeping up his legs towards me, burning the dragon’s scales, causing him to roar and writhe in agony.

“Xeteira-

“How do you know my name?”

“Questions later,” he panted. “We must focus on escaping. I’m going to freeze my scales now, which will prevent me from flying for a short time. Do not fear when we start plummeting from the sky.”

“Alright, I’ll do my best,” I said, though I was terrified. This dragon had already risked so much to save me. I had to trust him now.

“That is all I ask,” his deep baritone voice responded.

Frost crept over the claw that held me, covering the dragon’s body and meeting the flames halfway down, colliding in a flash of cold fog. The flames were slowly beaten back, but his wings were becoming heavy with ice. We suddenly lost altitude, my belly going up into my throat. The ice kept creeping forward, now having wholly covered the dragon’s entire body. The grip of those demonic flames had broken in a shattering of ice, but the ice didn’t stop there. In a matter of seconds they continued encasing the very flames chasing us, all while we plummeted from the sky, both dragon and demon.

Finally, the demon shattered, the sound of broken glass echoing as it splintered into a million frozen pieces, a scream of fury reverberating through the night sky before fading away with the rest of the flames.

I held on for dear life, my stomach threatening to upend itself all over the dragon’s claws. The ground grew ever closer until I could see the individual blades of grass. I closed my eyes, wondering how death would feel.

When the impact never came, I considered that I might have died without realizing it, but the sound of wing beats echoed through the night once more. To my astonishment, we were back up in the sky, his wings no longer weighed down by ice, his scales back to their original warmth. Still he flew, not looking behind him, not heading back to return me to my burnt home. Instead, he kept flying, never changing direction and never losing speed. Since my parents had died, I couldn’t help but wonder what awaited me next. Would the dragon find me a new place to live? Would he eat me?

“That’s disgusting. Do you have any idea how gross humans taste? Never in a million years.”

His voice echoed through my head.

“Can you read my thoughts?” I asked him.

“Yes, it’s called telepathy. I can read your thoughts and speak to you through magic,” the dragon told me. “We have a long flight ahead of us, so why don’t you get some sleep? You can crawl up on my back and lay down if need be. I will try to keep the jostling down as much as I can.”

Only now did I realize how tired I had become, exhaustion taking over. I could barely keep my eyes open; my body had already relaxed against the claw holding me. Sleep came fast and heavy.