Prologue
Black Star
Prologue
"Come Auron. Walk with me", said the older black dragon.
"Yes my, leige", Auron said.
"I said that you could drop the formalities, I am only a century older than you are", the dragon said walking through the grand hallway. Along the wall hung gargantuan paintings of beautiful nighttime landscapes filled with nocturnal creatures. Many of the paintings were of forests with night lilies that floated upon glassy lakes that mirror the starlit skies.
"But you are still the prince of our people. You are royalty-" Auron began.
"And you are family. Address me by my name only. Is that understood Auron?" the royal dragon asked.
"Yes, Obsidius” Auron said pausing. Auron looked away at one of the paintings to avoid looking Obsidius in the eye. The informality bothered Auron because it made him feel he was being disrespectful, and the last person he would dare disrespect would be his prince and foster brother. The young dragon recalled the kindness of his foster family in raising him as if he were one of their own; when his mother was killed in a battle with a hydra he was only fifty years old a mere child in dragon society. The hydra was wounded, albeit temporarily and fled into the woods. Auron remained by the body of his mother long after her blood had stopped pumping through her once active veins. Fortunately for the drake the queen had been hunting in the area and was drawn by his mournful braying. The young black dragon shook the memory of twenty year prior from his mind as he and his prince walked down the hall.
“You’re doing it again” remarked Obsidius.
“My apologies, I hadn’t realized that my mind had drifted so far so quickly” Auron replied.
“Yes, well it would behoove you to put an anchor on that mind of yours lest you lose it forever” the prince laughed a thunderous sound that shook the dark stained windows in their frames. As they came to a pair of large double doors, there was a loud crash followed by shrill scream coming from the outside. Obsidius blew open the doors and the two dragons barreled out onto the terrace of the palace. There on the ground not twenty feet in front of them there squirmed an odd catlike creature struggling to move a piece of a shattered column from on top of it. It swiveled its head towards the two dragons and began to hiss. Instantly it let out a small jet of fire at them. In reply Obsidius bathed the creature in a cloud of his own breath weapon of burning shadows the signature of the black dragon race. Almost immediately the creature ceased struggling in the two second onslaught. Once the black smoke cleared all that was left was the darkened pillar.
“We must go” Obsidius said.
“What was that?” Auron asked taking a step to where the creature had laid only a moment before.
“Now Auron, it is not safe for you here!” Obsidius said leaping off the terrace into the dark cloudy sky. Auron took off after him. It took all his strength to keep up with the older dragon’s long powerful strokes. As the pair flew over the sprawling black dragon city, Nox, they saw many fires blazing out of control. On the ground and in the air dragons were engaged in various battles with many horrendous beasts native to the Firelands.
“What is happening?” Auron exclaimed.
“There is no time” Obsidius said as he strained ever harder to increase his speed.
Soon their destination became clear, the citadel. As the two dragons neared the upper courtyard of the citadel a shriek came from below as a large fire bat came surging up at the two. This time Auron let loose a jet of shadow flame at the creature. The bat dodged the assault and continued to rise even faster. In a black flash a dragon of the royal guard came and snapped the wing off of the intruder and the two plummeted towards the earth.
Obsidius folded his wings and dropped running into the upper courtyard, likewise followed by Auron. The two sped inside and up several flights of stairs. They came to a single room atop the tower. Inside Obsidius uncovered a scroll and took a quill and put it to paper. He scribbled frantically then signed the parchment with his claw and placed it in a small container barely big enough to fit in his paw.
“Auron. It is of the greatest importance that you take this parchment and flee as far away from here as you can. Your power is great even if none truly understand it yet,” Obsidius said in a rush.
“What do you mean my power? I’m a mutation, but despite that I cannot leave my people to fight while I run away like a spooked deer. I will stay and fight” Auron said.
“If Nox falls, then you may be the only one to save what is left of her and her people. You will go and do as your prince commands.” Obsidius said as the room shook.
Just as Auron was about to argue a large hole was torn in the room and a large fiery serpentine head appeared. Its neck inflated as it reared back. Before it could unleash its deadly fire, Obsidius lunged and caught hold of its neck. He was a large dragon, but he seemed small compared to the mass of the burning horned serpent.
“Brother!” Auron shouted.
“Fly Auron! Fly!” Obsidius shouted. Needing no more urging Auron took to the sky and flew as fast as his wings could carry him up into the dark sky. As he rose into the air, he stole a glance back to find Obsidius thrashing about trying to break the creature’s neck. Then the pressure built up inside the creature and it exploded in a ball of flame sending Obsidius flying down onto one of the nearby buildings. Despite the burning of tears in his eyes Auron flew hastily on into the darkness away from the futile battle behind him. It would be selfish of him to go back and disobey a direct order from his prince for his own sake when he had a task to complete.
He shot through the night sky away from the carnage and into unknown lands. As he flew a shrill whizzing came at him from behind and he only had time to dodge to register the burning dart that shot at him. A swarm of harpies each armed with burning bows was tailing him. Tired of running he turned and let loose an enormous ball of dark flame that engulfed half of the party. The rest scattered and shot at him as they went. Several arrows cut through his right wing and as he turned back to his original course he decided to be stealthier in his flight.
The one distinguishing talent that Auron had was one that proved to be beneficial to flying at night. He flew up high into the sky and light up the tips of his scales. He only did this on his underside of his body to give the impression of the stars in the sky.
“Some great power glowing is” Auron thought gloomily.
As the hours wore on the blood in Auron’s wounded wing continued to bleed due to the constant vertical motion. Still the young dragon flew on into the night: out over the fields, lakes valleys and rivers, in the perpetual night of the Darklands, and on over the sea. He flew and flew until his vision blurred from weariness and blood loss. In this dazed state Auron flew over what seemed to be a sea of stars all of different strange colors. The stars were accompanied by odd obnoxious sounds and smells. He flew out over an considerably darker than that sea of stars, sounds and smells and lost consciousness as he crashed down into an unfamiliar forest.
