Dragon Heir [Book 1] [Watty Award Winner 2012]

Chapter 1

I am currently editing and re-writing this whole story. The chapters I have edited are listed on my main page. Reading after those chapters may or may not confuse you because of the changes. You have been warned.

Moons=days in the future chapters, except for those I've edited.

-Gem (6.30.18)

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Chapter 1

Copyright © Gem Higa 2011

 

When time has forged long without the dragons,

When chaos and destruction become rampant,

She with the strength to choose will be known: the chosen one.

Her destiny will lie betwixt the one her soul picks.

Through the mirror she will pass for her gift;

The one power to shift the world,

Towards a slow peace:

A world as if dragons had never ceased.

The day was drawing to a close, as the sun slowly set over the forests of Orakrest. Eli's brow lined with sweat as the summer warmth enveloped the land.

The dense green sprawled for miles, with only merchants frequenting the borders. Not much was left in those forests, aside from the animals that inhabited it. However, for those who refused to assimilate with the daily social hierarchy enforced by the larger towns, a handful of villages spread across the kingdom. They paid the King's taxes and kept to themselves.

The Hunter once lived in a small, peaceful village on the outskirts of the castle, but had left that quiet life long ago. He now took residence in the town, at the heart of the kingdom. Trained by his father, he was the only member of council capable enough of safely navigating the king's land alone.

After travelling for hours, he finally came upon the tree he had left a mark on a few days back. It wouldn't take him much longer to reach the castle.

A quick rest, he thought, would be good before heading back.

He set his hunting gear underneath the marked tree and propped his sword against its trunk. He crouched to reach into his pack for the loaf of bread he had saved for the last hours of the journey. Eli took a few quick bites and nestled himself on the ground. He pulled a canteen and drank the remainder of liquid inside. Full and satisfied, he closed his eyes for a quick nap.

Mere minutes passed before a cry pierced through the silence in the woods. Eli woke and listened to the sound, his hand feeling for his sword. Wails came from the left. He stood with his sword and walked towards the direction of the noise.

The sound grew louder.

Eli reached the location of the sound as he slowly pulled back the brush leaves with his blade's edge, revealing an infant no more than a few months old. The hunter eyed the baby with confusion, wondering how anyone could abandon the young babe.

Wide hazel eyes speckled with green stared back at his own dark brown irises. She looked at the hunter with a mix of curiosity and wonder, waiting for his next move. He reached across the brush to stroke the infant's cheek, causing her to squirm. He pulled his fingers away, but was caught by the child's little hands; they wrapped around his finger as she pulled it closer to her mouth. To his astonishment, the child began sucking on it. He couldn't help but laugh, for the child who did not know him, gave her trust in an instant.