Draconic Grace Excerpts

Ice-Cold Wrath

Note: This includes death of minor characters and mentions of slavery. From this chapter on, the subject matter starts to get heavier, and potentially triggering. There are several cuts in the story (represented with ....), representing that some parts have been omitted. These are simply excerpts, after all. If you want to learn more about the story or the world and its' characters, I now have a Tumblr blog for it at draconicgraceofficial.tumblr.com

....

Leitlein had a strong military, and the majority of governmental funds were placed into the military instead of education and healthcare. They ridiculed Kris's home country for their lack of an official army. Nordsberg didn't need a military, the weather is often incredibly harsh, especially during the colder parts of the year. In fact, many Nordsbergi joke that Leitleinians are scared of the fact that they domesticated bears as beasts of travel. All children were taught how to defend themselves and fight at a young age as well, including Kris herself. This was why she learnt the ropes so quickly when she started training.

The group of ten reached their destination. The entire village was ramshackled, nature already reclaiming the land. From what she could tell, this village was abandoned for years, possibly decades. This wasn't a freshly abandoned settlement, this place was a complete ghost town. A good place for a Dracokin to settle, even for a short period of time.

Kris investigated one of the piles of rubble that was once a building. There was a lone journal, pages yellow and somehow unaffected by everything around it. Upon further inspection, there was a fire rune placed on it. She had a feeling it was important, and placed it in one of the pockets of her uniform before turning around.

She could sense the enemies. She knew she was being watched, but couldn't tell who or where. Kris walked towards Conláed, whispering a few words to him before he made a signal with his hand. The rest of the group, who were close by him, readied their revolvers and blades.

A group of foreign soldiers, based on their uniforms they were most definitely Leitleinian, ran towards them. They grabbed their guns, and Kris could hear one of them shout, "Aim for that blond boy! He's the one we're looking for!" Her eyes widened, they were referring to Conláed.

Kris readied her revolver and switchblade, hiding behind the rubble closest to the Leitleinian soldiers. She swiftly pointed her gun at a soldier, opening fire before flanking behind them.

She heard a gunshot, and Conláed's voice. Something inside her snapped, as the physical illusion that she works so hard on slipped as her eyes turned from their midnight blue facade to their true ice-blue color. Her hair turned light, as the air around her turned cold. She summoned daggers of ice, aiming them towards the soldiers.

They dropped dead one by one, the only one remaining was being pulled off Conláed. Kris saw a bloody wound on Conláed's left cheek. It only made her even more furious, approaching the restrained man. His eyes were wide, his lips quivered in fear.

...

There was a rustle in the foliage, and a young woman around Kris's age came out, followed by a young male who was likely younger, yet hit puberty hard. The woman had tanned skin like deer hide, with dark brown hair that reached the middle of her back and the horns of a ram. From what Kris could tell by her clothes, she was likely a druid.

The young male, on the other hand, had darker skin. It wasn't as dark as Ikaros, but dark enough to stand out amongst the mostly-pale skinned population of the continent. His hair was a flaming red, with goat horns a similar, yet darker color to his hair. His tail was long, with red scales that faded to a rich orange at the tip. He wasn't wearing a shirt, and wore cream-colored harem pants. From what Kris could tell, he was most likely a Fire Dracokin, and the one that the Leitleinian soldier she interrogated was referring to.

"We come in peace." the woman raised up her arms, her gentle voice permeating through the ears of the soldiers. Kris looked at Conláed, who shrugged his shoulders. She turned back to the two Dracokin, and walked towards them. Not close enough to invade personal space, but enough to talk without raising her voice.

"Can you tell us your names?" Kris asked, tilting her head. She was looking into the verdant eyes of the woman. Due to being closer than she was prior, she noticed the white freckles on her face. Does she have freckles on other parts of her body, she wondered, but Kris quickly shook away those thoughts to focus on the matter at hand.

"My name is Clover. Clover Farley." Clover gestured to the man behind her, "He's Flint Phoenix." Flint grunted, nodding along.

....

After they picked berries, Kris and Clover walked back to the ruins where the others were waiting. Conláed was discussing something with Flint, but they stopped their conversation when Kris and Clover returned.

"You're back. Mr. Phoenix and I were just talking about the Guardians of Dragons' Kin." Conláed said, turning towards the two.

Something clicked in Kris's head, remembering something. "Maude must've returned to Bladelocke, right?" Maude is General Cathal's daughter, and a Light Dracokin who is the dedicated messenger between the Victruslundi military and the Guardians of Dragons' Kin. She went with her father to Hestilios when they had a diplomatic meeting months prior, but separated since she had to go see her brother, the leader of the organization Conláed and Flint were speaking of.

"Maude? Oh, you must be the friend I hear her talk about sometimes!" Clover remarked, "She has a lot of respect for you, usually talks about the times you two spar."

"I mean, she trained specifically under our grandfather, the well-known Wolf General." Conláed said, "Her twin doesn't share the same love for battle as her. Then again, I haven't seen him much in the past six years."

"Anyways," Kris said, "I think we should get back. The sooner we get back to Bladelocke, the better." Everyone nodded.

"Attention!" Conláed ordered, all of the soldiers scrambled into position and saluted, "We're heading back to Bladelocke."

"Yessir!" the group nodded, and everyone prepared for the week-long journey back home.