Keeper of the Dark, Warrior Born book 1

  "If I were to start this story by saying 'Once Upon A Time,' it would be very misleading. Why? Because humans start most fairy tales with 'Once upon a time.' Their fairy tales usually involve a princess who needs saving by a prince, with a kiss or some such nonsense. The tale begins with them, and ends with them, in all their silk finery and glittery glory. Which is nice for a short tale, but does nothing to prepare you for the harsh reality of life.   "The reality? Silk stains, glitter gives your position away to enemies, and princes never show up to kiss you. Besides, if you're worth your salt, you don't want a pampered prince. But that's a lesson for another day. Let's stick to the history of our people, before the Atkaltan War.   "I'll begin by saying 'A long, long time ago,' because dinosaur stories start like that, and you know where that got them.   "So, a long, long time ago, the earth was peaceful. Humans, dragons, and mer lived in harmony.   "You see, there was a time before the otherworldly Atkalta invaded our world, before they set all species against each other with their dark evil. There was once no Atkaltan prisons, hidden in the rock. There was a time when trust, loyalty, and protection were common.   "Humans farmed, traveled, and found ways to make their life happy. Mostly they liked to drool over the supernatural Talunans, but the species cannot inter-mate. Talu mate for life, and cannot produce children or a bond unless they mate within their race. However, true bonds are rare. Even so, children are very important to the Talu, so they don't want to mingle with a weak human.   "Dragons were, and are, incredibly powerful beings. They shift between human form and dragon form, and always gifted with at least one unique ability. Like light manipulation or something like that. Most were good hunters, too, and would offer at least one of their services in trade for the farmer's goods. Everyone was happy with this system, especially because Dragons hate to be tied to one spot for too long.   "Now for the mer.   "The mer, as a whole, were weaker than the dragons, but could be incredibly mischievous. Especially the sirens. Never trust a siren.   "Anyway, the mer fished the oceans, and were good at keeping them in balance. They brought luxuries from the depths. Pearls, corals, and medicines made from plants that only the mer could make. The humans and dragons alike benefited from the mer.   "Only two things threatened this peace at first.  You already know that later the Atkaltans came to our planet and are trying to destroy us, but we'll get back to the beasts.   "One was a species of giant beast in the deepest, darkest depths of the ocean. The other, a monster species that resides in a volcanic environment.   "We did discuss what environment, means, right? Okay, moving on.   "Sometimes, these creatures would rise out of their hiding, and hunt all beings, Talu and human. The demons were hard to contain, but only certain Talunans could do it. Any fierce dragon could volunteer, but the mer had a special race of warriors. Their talents were different than that of the dragons, but their power was... Overwhelming. "These mer were the Keepers of the Dark, the Warrior-born."