Dragonia: Rise of Magic

PROLOGUE Year 430 A.D. Galedar stepped onto the island, the icy breeze sweeping against his unkempt beard. He hadn’t been there in a while. The last time, he’d lost a friend. Brom. He’d also gained a friend. His dragon. Now he was back. An icy shiver traveled down his spine. Noranda was full grown now, and his ally. But he was still nervous. A full-grown dragon had eaten Brom. Noranda had been just an egg. Now she was an adult. And she was intelligent. She spoke to him in his mind. He hoped she could help him talk to the other dragons. To form an alliance between dragons and men. The men of Kaeldroga were wild, and they needed to be tamed. They needed a leader. A ruler. Galedar planned to be that man. But he needed help. One dragon wasn’t enough. All his life, all he’d known was war. War between men. Between family. Between friends. All the needless killing. Almost tribal. So-called leaders all across the land fighting for dominance. Every city for themselves. Every able man drafted, forced to fight a war he didn’t believe in. It had to stop. Peace wasn’t an option without control. Ellisar stood next to him. Sweat frosted over his forehead. The northern island was cold in the heart of winter, when normally it would be scorching. He had a new ally now. Ellisar saw the same things Galedar saw. The chaos among men. The countless wars. Unnecessary bloodshed. He would be a true ally in what was about to be a dark time. “It’s incredible,” Ellisar said. “I almost didn’t believe you when you said there was an entire continent full of dragons.” Galedar smirked. He glanced up at the crimson sky. The large red sun was setting in the west. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” “What is this place?” Ellisar glanced from left to right. “It’s a utopia of dragons. I call it Dragonia.” “What’s the plan?” “We need to attempt communication with them. Try to bring them to our cause. To get their help. And… try not to get eaten.” “Wait…what?” Galedar kept what had happened to his friend Brom a secret. No one had missed Brom. At least, no one had ever asked about him. While saddened by the death of his friend, Galedar was glad it was his friend, and not he, who’d been eaten. He’d thought of reaching out to Brom’s family. Galedar knew little about the man who’d abandoned the war with him. He only knew Brom had a wife and child. A baby. That was more than Galedar himself had. Never had he desired a family. A fool’s dream. Companionship? He shook his head. Galedar didn’t need companionship. He had Noranda. His dragon was the only companion he needed. All he needed. He had to shut himself off from everyone else. Friendship was fragile. It would make him weak. He needed to be strong for Kaeldroga. With the endless wars over disputed lands and broken friendships, what the people needed was a man without emotion. All logic. Not what was best for a single person, but what was best for the entire land. Dragons were his solution. There was no way to stop the wars. The bloodshed. Endless fighting. Fear had to be established. They had tried treaties. And they had been broken. Alliances crushed. Leaders constantly tried to negotiate with each other. Trades had opened up. Friendships were formed. Betrayal was always the end result. Galedar knew what he had to do. It would not be easy, but he was the man for the job. He needed to convince these dragons to help him. With an alliance between dragons and humans, they could rule the land with fear. Fear was the only thing that could keep the factions in check. Fear of destruction. Anyone who opposed ’Galedar’s leadership would not be spared. Tales of his exploits would travel across the land until no one would oppose him. Then Kaeldroga could have peace once and for all. All Galedar wanted was peace. An end to the needless bloodshed. Yes, his plan would create bloodshed, but none of it needless. Wind intensified around the two of them, nearly blowing Galedar off his feet. A dragon approached. Wings flapped hard above them. It approached fast, then slowed as it steadied its wings to glide to the ground. It landed in front of them, stretched its neck down, and touched its nose to Ellisar’s head. “Incredible,” Ellisar breathed. “It talk to you?” Galedar looked the dragon up and down. “He did. His name is Alora.” “What did he say?” “He sees my heart. My thoughts. He...” Ellisar paused. “Chose me.” “Chose you?” “To be his rider.” “Ask him if the other dragons will choose riders if we bring them.” Galedar rubbed his hands together. “He”—Ellisar paused—“wants me to ride him.” “What did he say about the other dragons?” “He will not answer until I ride. A ritual of bonding. It’s funny… he can feel my emotions. I felt him pry into my memories. And now… his mind is open to me. I can see memories through his eyes. I can feel his desires.” “What are his desires?” “Companionship.” “Ride. When you return, we can offer our proposition to him.” Ellisar nodded. The beautiful sapphire dragon knelt on the ground. Ellisar tried to climb the dragon, but the beast was massive. He couldn’t jump high enough to get onto the dragon’s back. A dragon paw, larger than a carriage, planted on the ground by Ellisar. Galedar chuckled to himself. He’d at least had the luxury of finding his dragon when it was a hatchling. She’d grown with him, and he’d learned how to ride her before she grew too large for him to get on top of. Now he used a roll-down ladder to climb her. Ellisar wasn’t so lucky. His dragon was already full grown. Ellisar paused as he looked at the large dragon paw. He tilted his head as he looked at the dragon. A conversation seemed to go on in their heads before Ellisar stepped on top of the paw. Galedar watched as the two of them flew into the air. He still remembered his first flight. The bliss of soaring in the sky with the ravens. There wasn’t another feeling like it in the entire world. He almost felt like calling out to his dragon, but he restrained himself. Today wasn’t about him. It was about connecting with the other dragons. Ellisar was to be that connection. While they didn’t respect Galedar, most of the people respected Ellisar. Galedar needed Ellisar on his side. At least for now. If they both returned with dragons, with the promise of more, it could be the start of their empire. He grinned at the thought. No more dukes, earls, and barons scattered across the land, starting wars with each other. All they needed was an emperor to rule them all. If they dared get in his way, his dragon would smite them to a pile of ashes. Everything was going according to his plan.