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  A LEGACY OF DRAGONS

  BEING THE SECOND PART OF

  GUARDIANS OF THE DRAGON REALMS

  BY

  ROBERT STANEK

  A new epic fantasy adventure in the grand

  tradition of C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien.

  This is a work of fiction. All the characters, names, places, and events portrayed in this book either are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to any actual locale, person, or event is entirely coincidental.

  A LEGACY OF DRAGONS

  __________________________________

  GUARDIANS OF THE DRAGON REALMS

  Copyright © 2014 by Robert Stanek.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher. For information regarding permission, write to Reagent Press LLC, Attention: Permissions Department, P.O. Box 362, East Olympia, WA 98540-0362.

  Text and illustrations copyright © 2014 Robert Stanek. All rights reserved. Published by Reagent Press LLC. RP BOOKS, REAGENT PRESS, RUIN MIST, and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Reagent Press LLC.

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  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  HISTORY OF THE WORLDS

  PREFACE

  PROLOGUE

  CHAPTER 1

  CHAPTER 2

  CHAPTER 3

  CHAPTER 4

  CHAPTER 5

  CHAPTER 6

  CHAPTER 7

  CHAPTER 8

  CHAPTER 9

  CHAPTER 10

  CHAPTER 11

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  History of the Worlds

  The great kings of old traveled between realms using gates forged of ore mined from the deepest, darkest place in the known worlds. Two gates each for men, elves and dwarves. One master gate for those who ruled over them all.

  The secret of the gates was as much in what they took as in what they gave. One who knew this secret crafted the Orbs of Power to control the gates, never suspecting the orbs would in the end control him. His downfall led to the cleansings that swept the lands of magic and to the dark age men found themselves in.

  From her sanctuary in Leklorall, the elf queen reached out with light, but she was too late. The kings of men waged war on each other, just as the elf king waged war against the elf queen.

  In this growing darkness, the Dark Lord grew stronger--nearly strong enough to return. He needed only three keys of flesh and bone. These keys, these daughters of kings, were the last descendants of those who had imprisoned him.

  This story tells of the quests undertaken to restore the paths and unite the lands in light.

  Two Gates for the Elves in the reaches far, far away,

  Two for the Men in their kingdoms by the shore,

  Two for the Dwarves lost in depths without a glimmering ray,

  One for those who ruled over them all with the lore

  Of the shadow lands where the black heart of darkness lay.

  One to reach in between, One to cross beyond time,

  One to bring them all into the folds

  Of the shadow lands where the black heart of darkness lay.

  Preface

  In 15 BD, the Watcher, Xith, is recorded as saying that "History belongs to the teller and is only as reliable as the teller's recollection of it." This is the truth of the matter, and why Keeper Martin, head of the lore keepers, chose to pen his own version of the histories of Ruin Mist before and after the return of Dalphan the Wanderer.

  Through Keeper Martin's gathering of history from various individuals, the story of Ruin Mist is retold in these pages. In his records, Keeper Martin Anglicized many of the place and people names. The original names and spellings are preserved in Encyclopedia of Ruin Mist. His annotations about various peoples and creatures are preserved in Fantastical Beasts and Faerie Peoples of Ruin Mist.

  Prologue

  The air was humid and the breeze, though tepid, did nothing to make the muggy air less oppressive. "What news?" King Jarom Tyr'anth asked the runner, displeased with the interruption during such precarious circumstances.

  The runner's exhaustion showed in the red glow of his skin, the weariness of his eyes. His desperate panting did not help him as he tried to speak. "It's gone… taken. The men… attacked… again… by the… phantoms… Your Majesty."

  The king stood from his iron chair, anger clawing at the corners of his eyes. He looked away, addressing the robed figure to his right. "I was assured this problem was dealt with."

  Chancellor Edwar De Vit sucked at the air, turned pale. He was the king's primary aid, ambassador to distant nations, and leader of the king's council. "As was I, Your Majesty."

  Duke Ispeth turned from the grand view outside the open windows. "He will be greatly disappointed."

  Chancellor Edwar De Vit glared and cleared his throat forcefully, as if to remind the duke where he was and with whom. "Survivors?" he asked the runner.

  "I was… the only survivor. Otherwise… all were… lost."

  The chancellor dismissed the runner with an absent wave of his hand. But when the young man bowed and turned to leave, the duke was standing in front of him, having moved across the wide hall with the speed of a feral cat.

  The duke grinned as his right hand shot out and into the runner's chest, plunging through cloth and flesh. With the young man's heart in his hand, the duke said, "Now, all are lost."

  King Jarom said nothing, turning back to his musings. The chancellor's fury showed clearly, but he said calmly, "Do you know how many men can make such a run in so little time? Very few, and even fewer now."

  Duke Ispeth addressed the king, "Give your men the elixir. They'll all make such runs if needed. And afterward, if required, they'll rip out their own hearts."

  King Jarom, looking tired and bored, returned to his iron chair. He said nothing for the space of many heartbeats, listening instead to the thumping of his own heart in his ears. His eyes wandered to the grand spectacle outside the open windows and the hillside where men and beasts matched each other for sport.

  Finally, the king said, "We are finished."

  The duke bowed his head and clasped his hands before him. "We are. I'll tell my master what you said."

  The chancellor leaned over to whisper something as the duke was departing. The king silenced him and that silence hung in the air until the mighty double doors of the great hall closed behind the duke.

  "Speak now," the king said. "Choose your words wisely, for they may be your last."

  Chancellor Edwar De Vit spoke quickly, "I did not know, Your Majesty. No one knew Ispeth was the warded one. No one."

  Chapter 1

  High in the sky, a waning moon cast a sliver of pale silvery light across the frozen land. Hidden within a shroud of darkness were two figures clinging to the back of a flying dragon. Bitter cold air bit into the riders' exposed flesh, but mercifully this was little more than the skin of their faces and necks.

  The elder of the two, the Watcher, Xith, pointed to a tiny point of light in the distance. Adrina at the dragon's reins followed the line drawn by his arm with her eyes.

  "Not every day one battles ice giants and snow trolls and lives to tell the tale," Xith said matter-of-factly.

  Adrina, realizing she'd been silent since first taking flight with the dragon some hours ago, grinned broadly as she turned to look at the Watcher. "An adventure, yes, and what I'm always saying I long for. But…"

  Her voice trailed off as she guided the dragon through a turn. They were close to home now,
or at least as much a home as she'd known in some time.

  "But the circumstances," Xith said, finishing for her. "It wasn't the way you imagined it'd be. Things rarely are."

  "Exactly. Do you really think Vilmos and Ærühn will return to the village in the morning?"

  "It is what you and I both told them to do."

  "But do you expect them to just return to the village when they are so close to the Great Door?"

  "No," Xith said, his face calm as it had been from the start. "Though, I do think that perhaps it is for the best. Perhaps, the very acts of defiance that guide them down this path may be what bring them home safe in the end."

  "My place is with them. I should be there when they go beyond the Great Door." Adrina ran a gloved hand along the dragon's neck. "Tnavres and I, that is."

  Xith shifted position, pointed to a circle of torchlights ahead. "Our flights between the villages with supplies and medicines are vital. Only you and Tnavres can make those journeys so quickly. We've saved a countless many. Never forget that."

  "Meanwhile, my sister and the captain have gone missing. Soon, Vilmos and Ærühn too."

  "Delinna and Ansh understood the importance of their mission and its dangers. Delays were expected and inevitable. If something has gone awry, Vilmos and Ærühn are capable of doing what is needed."

  As Midsetten came into view, the conversation ended. The great golden dragon had little room to maneuver and Adrina did her best to guide the massive creature to a small open area in the marketplace without upsetting carts and tents or running into the tall, carved poles that dotted the village streets and public areas.

  Though she'd lived amongst the icemen for nearly two years, she still didn't truly comprehend the purpose of the carved poles. The animal spirit totems she understood in principal, but she still didn't know why the poles needed to be so damn tall or so damn plentiful. They were everywhere.

  The dragon's swift flight and the tiny target shrouded in darkness left little margin for error. No sooner had the dragon swerved to avoid one pole there was another ahead that required a rapid turn to avoid. Then just as suddenly, the dragon was digging his claws into the snowy ground and wrapping his great wings around his bulky frame.

  Adrina slid off the dragon's back and lowered the hood of her thick fur cloak. The coat sewn from frost beast hide with the fur facing inward in the style of the north men had kept her warm against the frigid night air but she shivered nonetheless for the bitter cold seemed to have set into her bones. She removed her fur gloves and blew warm breaths into her cupped hands.

  Xith's scowl deepened as he slid off the dragon's back and joined Adrina. "A few hours of sleep, then we begin again."

  Adrina nodded understanding. "I've just to attend to Tnavres and the saddle."

  Xith stamped his booted feet against the cold. "Don't delay. I'll stoke the fire, find what foodstuffs I can."

  As the old watcher walked away, Adrina called out after him. "Do you really think there is hope?"

  Xith paused in his retreat, turned to look back at her. "I do and so did Noman."

  Adrina put on a brave face, feigned a half smile before turning back to her work. Removing the dragon's saddle required a concerted effort. She pulled on the leather of each strap in turn, using both hands and the weight of her body to help her work back and loosen the leather. She was then able to undo the straps and remove the saddle.

  Tnavres, who had stayed still and silent until this moment, reared riotously and stretched out with his wings nearly toppling several carts in the marketplace. For a moment, Adrina feared the dragon's snorts and fiery breaths would wake everyone in the village but no one stirred, not even the village watch.

  Adrina stroked the dragon's long neck. "You did that on purpose."

  Tnavres grinned in a way that only dragons can.

  Adrina knew what the mischievous dragon was playing at. "Graeden isn't on watch until tomorrow."

  "It is tomorrow."

  Adrina worked to wrap the colossal saddle in thick furs to protect it from the elements. "That may be, but you heard the Watcher."

  The dragon pointed a clawed finger. "I smell him. He's there…"

  Suddenly, Adrina saw Lady Adrynne in the dragon's eyes and reflexively her hands went to the mark on her stomach while her thoughts raced. How long would they be exiles in the frozen North? What good were they doing bringing aid to the sick? The sickness was still spreading. The sick were still dying.

  As she put her gloves back on, she saw the mark on her right palm. The marks on stomach and palm said that she was twice indebted, that she too was a servant of the Dragon King, that one day she would share Lady Adrynne's fate.

  "He's there," the dragon repeated.

  "But Xith--"

  "--would understand. Pining for what's lost does no good. Emel went over the palisades to Zapad and beyond--"

  "--in search of answers, answers that were then needed. If he were to return, with the orb…"

  Tnavres blew fire. "Emel has been gone for three years. Great Kingdom is no more. There's nothing left to save. Have you learned nothing? The orbs are not for mortal men. They are beyond you."

  Adrina scowled. She'd heard enough from the dragon for one day. "Return," she commanded, opening her coat and lifting her thick shirt to reveal the mark.

  Tnavres glared, then locked his jaws around Adrina's outstretched arm. As the dragon's teeth found flesh, flesh turned to stone while hot tears streaked Adrina's cheeks.

  "You don't learn," the dragon hissed as he disappeared into Adrina's flesh.

  As the dragon settled to his resting place within Adrina, she whispered to the empty air, "You don't listen."

  She wiped away her tears, stomped her feet against the cold, then followed the path Xith had taken earlier. Her thoughts turned to her sister and the captain. She hoped they were okay but worried that they weren't. She worried too about Vilmos and Ærühn.

  Don't let it be the sickness, she thought to herself, for the sickness was sweeping the Ice and taking everyone and everything with it. "But not them," Adrina beseeched the empty air. "Not them."

  Chapter 2

  "Wife," Emel Brodstson called out to Galia Tyr'anth as he chased after her, a glowing orb dancing between his hands.

  "Defiler," Galia called back as she ran.

  Ahead in a tree-shrouded hollow was a hot pool bubbling from the freshwater springs beneath it. Galia disrobed and waded into the hot waters where she was waiting when Emel reached the hollow.

  The tawny-haired young brigand smiled mischievously, tossing the orb high into the air before catching it again. "Wife," he said again. "A heady word, if ever there was one."

  Galia laughed and splashed him from the pool. "Were it true, my father, the king, would place your severed head on a pike and mount it on Gregortonn's walls for all to see."

  Emel tossed the orb aside, jumped into the air, grabbed his knees, and plunged into the pool, clothes and all. He splashed Galia as she kissed and disrobed him.

  "My love," she whispered between her kisses. "Promise, this was the last act of defiance. My father will only look the other way so long--and perhaps only does so now because of his love for this wayward daughter."

  "Your father controls all the kingdoms north of the palisades and is preoccupied with his plans to invade those to the south. I doubt he has any inkling of my activities."

  Galia tossed Emel's wet shirt to the side of the pool, then started working to remove his pants. "My father knows much more of you than you may think. I am his only legitimate heir. He's indulged my every wish and whim for as long as I can remember, but only to a point.

  "I became a kingcat rider not so much because of my desire to serve but because my father saw my great love of those majestic animals. He wanted to teach me that what appeared wondrously beautiful and extraordinary could be deadly. That death and terrible power could be hidden within all things."

  Emel pressed his lips tightly against Galia's to silen
ce her. "I'm beyond your father's grasp," he said as he kissed his way down the line of her neck. "My men and I have disrupted supply lines, stolen weapons and armor intended for the south, and will continue to do so."

  Galia pushed Emel away and kept him at arm's length. "You fool. You great fool. Have no doubt that these are acts my father has allowed, if only to unite more in common cause against the south."

  The words stung and the hurt showed in Emel's eyes. "Take that back. You're as much a part of this as I am."

  Galia laughed coolly. "You've stolen nothing that wasn't allowed you. You are nothing but an amusement, a needed distraction."

  "For him or you?"

  Galia swam away, toward the edge of the pool. Emel swam after her, repeated, "For him or you?"

  With her back to him, she said, "Great Father help me. I love you. You great fool."

  As Galia started to get out of the hot pool, Emel grabbed her and pulled her back in. Turning her to face him, he knew at once she had turned away because of the tears on her cheeks.

  "I'm sorry," he said, cupping her face in the palm of his hand. "Sorry, I know you are true to me, as I am to you. But this thing I do is something you must understand with all your heart as well. I've sworn an oath to Great Kingdom and to King Andrew Alder."

  Galia held his hand against her cheek, her exquisite gray eyes still full of tears. "As I've sworn an oath to my father, to my kingdom, and yet you ask me time and again to betray all I've ever known. For what? Who cares who claims the dirt beneath our feet?"

  "Spoken like one who's never had to want for anything."

  "You bastard." Galia pulled her hand away from his and tried to turn away, but he held her gaze.