The Dragon by The Shore

Chapter 2

    Uriah runs into the village but comes to a halt, as he pauses to look around the smell of burning wood and smoke fills the air as people run to and fro putting out fires and helping the injured. Uriah refocuses himself, His heart bleeds for the village, but his concern lies with his mother. He resumes his pace and runs into his father's shop, being built halfway into the cliffs that loom over the village protected it from the fires, but swords, armor, and tools were all missing, having been stolen the night before. 

Uriah begins to look for the supplies his father mentioned. Tossing old scrap pieces of metal around and shoving over tables looking for them but to no avail, tears swell in his eyes at the thought of what might be happening to his mother, pushing past the sorrow he thinks to himself, "I can't stop now! I must help mother." 

He continues to grow more and more frustrated at not finding the supplies. As he stands in the middle of the shop, he ponders "I have looked everywhere in the shop it isn't here. Father where could you have put it?" Not a moment later he looks to the forge and sees a small symbol that once used as their family crest, carved into a loose stone on the side of the forge. He removes the rock to find a lever hidden behind it, as he pulls the lever a section of the brick wall built into the mountainside begins to move. Dust falls from the stone door as it rumbles open.

   He walks in slowly, inside he finds an old warriors tunic made of fine blue cloth, with gold lace trim and golden phoenix embroidered on the back. On the floor next to an old wooden chest was the camping supplies his father mentioned. As he goes to pick up the supplies, he feels something beckoning to him, pulling him to the chest. He slowly opens the lid a thick smell of mildew rises causing Uriah to cough. He looks inside to see a pile of old ruined books covered in mold. The pages destroyed and unreadable. Uriah's gaze is drawn past the books to a metallic surface below the pile. He moves the books out of the way and underneath them, wrapped in a tattered cloth is an ornate shield the face polished to the reflectiveness of a mirror. Elaborate carvings surround the mirror and lead into the center where a gem sits.

   Noticing his burned clothes in his reflection, he looks at the tunic and decides to put it on. He picks up the shield and the sword he had taken the night before and headed out with the camping supplies, only to be stopped by a woman.

   Uriah! Where are you going? We need your help to rebuild the village!"The woman asks.

   Uriah looks are at the ruins of his home the smell of ash filled the air as the last bit of smoke still seeped from the embers of what once were homes."I have to head north to help my father save mother." Uriah looks at the woman and notices rope burns around her wrist and ankles; he realizes he was one of the women his mother helped escape the night before.

   The woman sighs "Wait here."She says to Uriah before walking off for a moment only to return with a young mare with a saddle and saddlebags hung over her back."It is a six-day journey to the north of the island. She can get you there in three, take good care of her Uriah."

   Uriah nods as he gets on the horses back. "what is her name?"

   "Madellia her name is Madellia."The woman says with a smile. "You can call her with this."She hands him a small wooden whistle."Oh and I almost forgot, when you see your mother tell her I said thank you.

   Uriah nods."I will."He jumps up on the horse, and she snorts. "Good girl," Uriah says as he pats her on the head before setting off at a trot out of the village.

   As Uriah reaches the crest of the hill to the north of the village. He looks back one last time and can see the full existent of the damage. Homes burned, Shops destroyed or looted of any valuables. The boats the villages used to fish laying in shattered peace's around the docks."I can't let these monsters do this to anyone else ."Uriah says to himself as he heads back on his way.