The Whisperer

Part 1

Prologue

Azalea held up her hand to the sky, letting the Terrible Terrors flood her outstretched limbs

"I know why you have come. You seek food" Azalea spoke in the deep growls and clicks of the guttural dragon language. To the townsfolk, it was a cursed thing that had saved their lives and their livestock. Azalea was their saviour "You will find more on islands east of here. Without interruption from these pesky humans"

"Scale-kin, we have hunted there. No food for an angry Queen"

"Do not give up hope, Scale-kin. Try to the west, where the fish breed in the warm months" Azalea tried again. The townsfolk continued to shudder as they watched Azalea speak the strange noises no human should be able to make, the dragons circling her as if they wanted to steal the very flesh from Azalea's bones.

"May you prosper" The Terrible Terrors flew away, and as they relayed the message that there was better hunting to the west, the flock of dragons regathered and left. The town rejoiced as Azalea once again used her skill to save them, and the party lasted into the night.

Present day

Azalea fled her home. Dragons had flown into the village, despite Azalea's many attempts to make them leave. She reported to her town that a power greater than her had declared this attack, and she had no power to stop it. Stray sparks flew from thatched roof to thatched roof, lighting fires as the heat spread. Monstrous Nightmares blew their infernos as Nadders and Gronkles stole the sheep and burnt the grain. Even the trees and hermit hut far from the village were incinerated, and to the people, it meant one thing: The Gods had forsaken them, and fleeing would mean survival. Loading their salvaged belongings onto ships, they fled to the closest island, a two-day sail. Azalea scrambled aboard the final boat and grabbed an oar, helping the passengers row. 

Wiping sweat from her brow, Azalea let another passenger take her shift on the oar. She accepted a cup of fresh water from another and drank heavily. She then looked to the north and saw the beach of her new home "Land!" She cried, and her encouraging words brought new vigour amongst the ship, tired rowers putting more effort in, three people a seat, eager to touch the sand and rejoin with their families. But the dragons were not finished with them yet. As dark clouds set in for a storm, they attacked, their flame and talons making shreds of the once mighty ship. Azalea was only spared from a fiery doom as she jump over into the sea before she was consumed. But for her, it was out of the frying pan and into the flames. The stormy sea was sure to claim her life, if not the dragons. Azalea was swept further from her people by a current as she clung to a lone plank from the ship. Azalea watched as the last of her village was torn to shreds.

A pitch-black dragon flew low across the water. It spotted an ashen hand clinging to a lonely board as it bobbed in the waves. For a single moment, a head was visible, a bloodshot eye, tangles of dark hair. The last few fingers loosened from the board, and the person was tugged beneath the thrashing water, pulled by invisible strings. The dragon's once wide, friendly eyes narrowed to slits as it watched the person sink. Angling downward, the dragon dove into the water, grabbed the girl with its long, ebony talons, exited the water, and flew home.