Dragon Sorcerer 1- Chapter 35 (Patreon)

Chapter 35- Beginnings

The dragon dream was new every time and yet always felt old. I purposefully willed myself to a deep sleep, bordering on hibernation. I wasn’t sure if I could actually hibernate in my human, but I wanted to experience the dream as fully as possible.

The dream began in a vast and ancient forest. I could feel the presence of my ancestors here and the memories that had been passed down. Then I began to see through the memories of another. Birds sang sweetly in the trees overhead and the thick underbrush of the forest surrounded him. He could hear the leaves rustling in the wind and the roar of a distant waterfall.

He had previously experienced the small forest near Cloverdale, but he got the sense that this was far beyond that. It was nothing but a sea of green in every direction for hundreds of miles. It was always hard to know exactly what time periods the dreams came from, but there was the sense that this was one of the earliest.

That ancestor stretched out in the lush grass and felt the soft ground beneath him. Rather, his ancestor did, but it felt so real that it might as well have been his life. He had been still long enough that birds were perched upon his back and rabbits were hopping around near him.

The thought crossed his mind to wonder what a rabbit tasted like. He'd never bothered, they were less than a mouthful, so it seemed like too much work. Now if a deer or other larger game had been foolish enough to appear he might have mustered up from his comfortable position to grab a quick snack.

He closed his eyes and felt the sun warming his scales, just as it had done for generations of dragons before him. It was the same sun that warmed all of the world, but he was one of the first to arrive on this new continent. It had been a long flight across the great water the lesser races called oceans to a place called Taleian by its inhabitants.

He had a desire to explore which occasionally came upon his kind. Most dragons were content to simply build up their hoard. It wasn't that he didn't enjoy his hoard or the elven servants he had left behind. It was that a restless desire to see and do more had come over him.

Thinking of those little people who lived here brought a toothy grin to his long snout. They called themselves humans and were so much busier than the elves. They lived in the southern part of this continent in small villages spread throughout the lush forest, which gave them all they needed to survive.

Now though, he was waiting, had been waiting for days, which became weeks and weeks, which became months. He wasn't sure what he was waiting for, but he knew that there was something he needed to do. Perhaps the gods were prompting him. Usually, they left his kind alone. Why shouldn't they? The last time a god sought to conquer dragonkind had been lost in time before the dragon dream, but he still knew the outcome. That god had been sent fleeing to the higher planes. This world, Ileria, was the realm of dragons.

He continued to take in the sights and sounds of the forest until he was interrupted by the sound of jangling metal. It was far off, but whoever was making that much racket either was a careless child or was intentionally making him aware of their approach.

He opened his eyes and watched as a figure emerged from the trees. It was a man, a human. He had covered himself in the hide of another creature. If memory served, and it always did, they called it armor.

In one hand was a pair of small metal flowers, which rang with the noise that had alerted him. In the other was a long wooden stick. It was too smooth to have naturally occurred, and even from this distance, he could sense the magic worked into it. Atop the stick was a small fang of metal.

The man stopped when entered the clearing and saw the great dragon before him. The two stared at each other for a full minute. Something passed between them, but it was difficult to put into words. Then the man spoke.

“I am Reegor, son of Baelin, son of Markim. I am the spirit-seeker and warder of these woods for my people. My god, Nilarue, lord of the sky and forger of courage has sent me to you, but for what reason I know not. I only entreat you that we may speak rather than fight."

The dragon, Nico's ancestor, listened to the words and was stirred. There was something here. He chuckled that one of the gods would name themselves lord of the sky. That was the domain of his people, but he could let it pass. This Reegor was a tiny thing, but he did have courage and was not without magic of his own.

"I am Draconis, third of my name, and wielder of the storm. I too felt a strange call to this place, an odd connection with you, manling."

Even through the dream, Nico, felt that connection. He recognized it even if his ancestor did not. It reminded him of Cami.

The two continued to stare at one another, taking each other's measure.

"You have a strange magic in you, Reegor," Draconis said after a moment. "I do not know what it is, but I can feel it. It is like a spark of life, a connection to something more powerful than you."

Reegor nodded as if with understanding. "I have always been different than others of my tribe. At first, I thought that was why the Nilarue spoke to me, but standing before you, I think it is something else."

Silence reigned again. Nico knew his ancestor's thoughts had been a rush at that moment. He had been trying to determine what to do. Then he felt something out of character. He felt some minor concern for what this human might need.

Finally, Draconis spoke again.

"Tell me, what do you seek?"

"A plague of monstrosities too horrible to consider crawls from some dark realm which is neither of Taleian nor of the realm the gods are from. Nilarue speak to me in visions and showed me your image. I believe the gods can no longer come directly into this realm, but don't wish to see it destroyed.

"The other creatures, these horrors, destroy wantonly, without purpose other than destruction. My people are not strong enough to stop them, but perhaps if we were to work together. Perhaps that is why I was sent to you."

Draconis opened his mouth and then shut it. He had intended to ask what concern this was of his, but there was something between him and this man. Perhaps the gods were playing games, perhaps it was simply destiny, but he was curious enough to see where it would go.

"Then let us discuss a bond."

That was the last that I saw of the dream. I felt like I was booted out of the dream and sat up with my heart pounding within the frail human body I now wore. Electrical current danced along my hands until I willed it to stop.

It was too late, though. I must have made some noise because Galbrecht sat up in his bed on the other side of the small room. A faint golden glow of magic sprang to life around him.

"Do you have control, Nico?"

The words were simple, but there was an implied threat. I was being escorted as a student of the university, but I also knew that they thought of me as a wild mage. The paladin was wondering if I could be trusted. Not that I could read his mind, but I could figure that much out.

"Yes. It was just a dream."

He snorted. "Try not to burn our room down with nightmares. If you need a draught to sleep better, speak to Lisella but don't let her offer you other way to sleep than a potion. She can be impetuous and things need to take their proper time."

I had no idea what the last part of his words were, but my mind was already racing. If I had seen what I thought I saw, it was the first bonding between man and dragon. One of my ancestors was the first to create the connection. That was only proper, the reds were too arrogant. If something great was to be done, it would be by a blue.

The more awake I became the more I felt the connection between me and Cami. The bond had progressed further. She had grown stronger. I felt pride, which made no sense. She was just a serv... no. I had to banish that thought. This was bigger than the two of us. This bond served a purpose.

I tried to reconcile the desert I had grown up in with the forest I had seen in the dream. As I thought through it, I realized my desert was the same part of the continent which had once been the Endless Forest. It wasn't truly endless, but had been vast, and now it was gone.

Then there was the mention of horrible creatures from behind. Horrible, horrors. Could the two have something in common? I didn't know, but the dream responded to my need and apparently, I needed to know that this was the calling of my people.

I felt a special connection with Draconis. He had been a wanderer like me. He, too, had felt that odd curiosity. When I combined it with the memories of my other ancestor, Wasnera, and the orc, Tra'vis, who she allowed to ride on her back, it painted a picture.

I just wasn't sure what it meant. Perhaps meeting Cami hadn't been such an accident. I didn't like the idea that gods or a goddess, such as Miseria might be pulling strings, but many things were coming together.

"Galbrecht, are you awake?"

The paladin was laying flat on his back staring up at the ceiling. "Yeah, after waking up, I can rarely get back to sleep. It comes with age, I think."

I snorted. "You can't be any older than me." I caught myself then. "I mean older than my dad would be."

"Just shy of fifty, but hopefully, I've still got some fight in me. There are definitely advantages to being a servant of the goddess of healing. Her magic running through my veins keeps me looking and feeling young."

"That's right, you wield divine magic too. Why haven't you asked to become my mentor?"

Galbrecht sat up then and stared at me for a moment. "It may surprise you, but not everything is about you. I do my duty because my goddess called me, but even if I wanted to stay at the university and become an instructor, I would never presume to go around Lisella.

"She holds the second highest rank within the church of Miseria as a grand priestess. There are only three of them who work directly under the high priest. Many think that Lisella is in line to become the next high priestess, but she is also in line for the throne of Forlay, so who knows?"

"But weren't you just warning me about her?"

The paladin stretched his arms and then ran his hands through his hair. "I got carried away with that. It wasn't appropriate. The grand priestess has been known to have flings, but love is encouraged by Miseria so there is nothing wrong with that and I imagine in her position it is difficult to find a partner who doesn't just want something from her."

"She would make a good mentor?"

"Very much so. She is the most talented user of divine magic who I know."

"You use it too though and you combine it with fighting. I don't see myself as the type to stand back and bless or heal others." I leaned forward on the bed and bared my teeth in a smile. "When I fight, it is always up close and personal."

"Sounds like a monk, but that doesn't change the fact that I can't go around Lisella. I will, of course train you in any way that she asks. It's good to keep an eye on you. I know you may feel like I'm an advocate for you, but that's only because I insist that the law be followed even if Modessa likes to play fast and loose with it.

"That young woman is a handful. Beautiful and skilled and still lost in a way. The point is though, that I'm doing my duty. I still haven't decided if you can be trusted. I know you haven't told us the entire truth, but also that you haven't directly lied to us. So, I'm reserving judgment."

I nodded. "I can respect that. I'm trying to figure out many things myself. Speaking of which, I should probably go and find Cami."