Dragon Warrior (SAMPLE)

CHAPTER FIVE

'Rage and Desperation.'

In the velvet embrace of a starlit night, where the moon hung low like a silver pendant, Kendria wandered through the darkness. Her bare feet pressed into the cool grass as she tried to find her home. She walked for hours, but for some reason, she always found herself in the same place. She couldn't find her family's cottage. She couldn't find her family. Lillianna, Nymeria, Eden, her father... they were all gone. CathLock was gone. Everything around her was gone. Darkness was what remained. An ending abyss, cool grass... and ashes.

Raining ashes.

"Dragoness."

Kendria stopped walking. A gasp escaped her as a gentle breeze whispered in her ear, guiding her towards a grove bathed in an ethereal glow. Nestled within this enchanted glade was a dragon unlike any she had ever seen—its scales shimmered like molten red, and its eyes glowed with the wisdom of ages.

"Become stronger," it murmured. "Then find us. Protect us."

With a voice that rumbled like distant thunder yet carried the softness of a lullaby, the dragon spoke to Kendria. Its words were not of fire and brimstone but of tales from forgotten epochs, of civilizations risen and fallen like the tides of the sea. It spoke of the bond between them threaded across time. Threaded by a God. She saw him, briefly, a man standing on top of the mysterious dragon. One look at him tore the ground beneath her feet in half and sent her falling into merciless heat. But just before her body hit the edge, she heard him speak. His voice was stronger. It held even more conviction than any voice she's ever heard. One command... shook her to the very core.

"Find my children and protect them!"

"Kendria."

She opened her eyes and found an unrecognizable wooden ceiling. There was something cold on her forehead; water dripped from it, wetting the hard pillow she found herself lying on. When she turned her head, Kendria got a glimpse of the concern in Lillianna's eyes before she gasped with relief and wrapped her arms around her neck.

"Thank the Gods. I was so worried!"

"Wh—What happened? Where are we?"

"We found a little hut on the shores of MeyLore."

Kendria was shocked. MeyLore was a little town toward the South of Rathke. She'd only ever visited this place once when she was eight. Their father took her on a little trip when they had to sell their fattest pig. It was perched on the beach and thrived on the harsh, unforgiving sea. They supplied the country with fish; considering how hard it is to grow crops and feed cattle, they were the main source of sustenance. They were several miles away from home.

"You don't remember anything? Are you certain?"

She opened her mouth to say no, but the word didn't escape. After all, it would be a lie. The memories came rushing back. The guilt tightened its rope around her throat and the tears began to fall. Seeing this, Lillianna wrapped her arms around her sister and pulled her into her chest.

"Oh, Kendria. It's alright..."

"Don't fucking lie, Lillianna."

Kendria was ripped from her embrace and a stinging sensation greeted her cheek. Nymeria's gaze was icier than the breeze. Her rage slammed into her and hurt far worse than her slap. She's never looked at her like that before.

"Nymeria, stop it!"

"No, you stop it! Don't coddle her, not after what happened."

She pulled her until their faces were inches apart. Kendria could smell the tears she'd shed, even felt the rage steaming from her skin.