The Child of Cataclysm

Chapter 4

"We're here!"

Martier looked up at Mya's voice to see a large castle looming before him. "Welcome to Lechelon's castle!" Mya announced as the wagon approached the large, ornate wooden gates. There were three other wagons in the caravan, each with supplies or passengers. The one they were riding was at the front, with Skirin not far behind. The dragon had preferred to fly for most of their journey; however, after entering the mountains with their freezing winds, he decided to save energy and walk. The other men in the caravan liked having his fire around, though they were still uneasy with him.

The band had a rough total of a hundred members. Most of them were men, though there were some women besides Mya.

Martier was looking forward to a good rest. At the start of their journey a week back, it was just Martier, Skirin, Sepher, and Mya. But as they approached the Furghon Empire, more travelers had joined them. Scouts, soldiers, and the occasional merchant who was brave enough to travel the world.

Despite being eager to reach the end of their journey, Martier was anxious. He wasn't sure how the Furghon emperor would react to Skirin.

Mya noticed his quiet distress and clapped him on the back reassuringly. "Don't worry," she comforted, "Lechelon won't cast you to the dungeons for being a former Child."

"It's not me I'm worried about," Martier responded, watching Skirin. Mya followed his gaze to the crimson dragon. Skirin noticed her staring and growled; the soldiers near him jumped at the sound. "Oh...still, as long as he doesn't hurt anybody, he should be fine."

Martier chuckled. "You're right. He doesn't like to hurt people anyways."

"Are you sure about that?" Mya asked, shuffling in her feet as Skirin glowered at her. "To be fair, you did shoot him in the foot," Martier pointed out.

"But it was an accident!" Mya exclaimed, "I said sorry and everything!"

"...I also may have told him about how you treated me when we first met," Martier nervously explained. Mya groaned and dropped her head in her hands. "Of course you did," she muttered from behind her fingers.

Martier chuckled and looked back at Skirin. Sepher, who was previously walking alongside their wagon, had dropped back and was now walking beside Skirin. The dragon let out a purr as the knight reached up and scratched his favorite spot, just beneath the jaw.

The two were close friends, surprisingly. It turns out Sepher was in awe of the tales of dragons he heard as a kid. Tales from ancient times. Tales of how dragons and humans ruled the land and sky, led by a Dragon King and his champion. Martier himself didn't believe them; the dragons today are an unfortunate far cry from their fabled glory.

The shadow of the high stone walls passed over the group as they moved through the gates. The wagons came to a stop in a courtyard and Martier promptly hopped out before looking around. High stone walls, taller than Skirin, surrounded the fortress on three sides. The fourth side was covered by the towering cliff into which the keep was built.

Skirin nudged Martier with his snout to get his attention. When he turned towards him, he opened his maw and ran his tongue over his teeth. "I'm hungry too bud," Martier said, patting the dragon's nose. Skirin grunted and looked around for something to eat.

Someone called Martier's name. He looked around and saw Mya by the great door into the keep, waving at him. "You and Skirin can come in this way!" she called.

"Skirin too?" Martier asked with surprise. "Yes, Lechelon would like to see both of you."

Martier stared at her for a moment before looking at Skirin. He returned the look, whining low enough for only him to hear. "I'm sure it will be fine," Martier assured, reaching up to scratch his chin. He gave a grumbling sigh before nudging Martier forward, letting him lead.