The Dragon Within
Sample

Chapter 1

George sat on the peak of a mountain; his dragon Lushlin sat by his side. On one side of the mountain range lay the Dragons’ Battle Field, where all the dragons and guardians resided, hidden from the rest of mankind. On the other, the rest of the world. The world he used to be a part of, the world he left to become a guardian of the dragons.

The moon slid through the night sky, wisps of clouds raced across its light. A cool wind caressed his face as he gazed upon the foothills and valleys below. Off in the distance, he could see a lone rider on a horse pulling to the side of the road to set up camp.

"I love it up here." George snuggled next to Lushlin.

"It is a beautiful view from here." The dragon hugged George with her tail.

“Why, you can even see the seaport of Grander’s lights on the horizon. Too bad we can’t yet go there and fly over the city, letting them know that all is okay in the world, that the dragons are guarding them.”

“It would be great if we could do that, when we can do that, my friend.”

"Someday, when Cole convinces them that we're friendly, we'll be able to fly anywhere we want. Won't that be great? I can even take you to visit my chicken."

Lushlin snorted. "As much as you talk about your pet chicken, I would think you like it better than me."

George slapped the dragon's hide. "Don't be silly. Though I miss my chicken, I would go crazy if I didn't have you."

"Bonds between dragons and humans do go to a deep level."

George shivered recalling when he bonded with Lushlin, when the dragon's claws bore into his palms, uniting them. Pain, followed by sheer joy. An experience he'd never forget.

"I suppose we should be getting back. We'll need the sleep. I’ve got to go out on patrol tomorrow."

A mist covered the moon's light, deepening the darkness around the pair. But then it didn't move away as the clouds did. George leaned forward. "Is that mist coming toward us?"

Lushlin bobbed his head. "It would appear so. Seems an unusual cloud. Hard to tell in the dark, but my eyes are picking it up as greenish in color."

"Let's go, I don't like the look of it." George hopped onto Lushlin's back.

The dragon leaped from the peak and spread her wings. She dipped around the front then rose to crest back into the Dragons’ Battle Field. But the thick mist raced up behind them and enveloped them.

"It moved faster than I thought!" George cried out.

Lushlin dove into the valley, the mist followed. George felt it filling his nostrals, trying to edge its way into his mouth. Faster, Lushlin, its trying to get in!

Lushlin flew into the trees, zipping between the trunks as he careened through the forest. No matter how fast Lushlin flew, she couldn't outrun the mysterious mist.

Lushlin banged into the ground, and skidded into a tree, knocking George into the air. He smashed upon the ground and rolled to a stop against a bush. The treetops swirled in the moonlight, as if someone twisted the world into a wringer and then shook it back out.

George shook his head. "Scaly. What happened?"

"It entered me," Lushlin said. "But I can't tell much difference."

"Me neither." George rose to shaky feet and hopped back on Lushlin. "Let's go back to the peak. I want to see what's up there, where the mist may have gone."

Lushlin shook her wings. "I think they're all right." She lifted into the air, gaining altitude with each stroke of her wings. They sped over treetops as she gained speed, and then they veered up the side of the mountains until she slowed and settled onto the peak's edge.

George peered out over the horizon. From here he could barely make out the city lights of Grander several miles across the plains.

The people, yes they are the same people that wanted to kill the dragons to begin with. How could they really trust them? Wouldn't they naturally go to war against the dragons again? There was nothing Cole could really do. In the end, he would fail. But could he possibly convince Cole of that?

"Lushlin, has it always been so between humans and dragons? Has there ever been a time that dragons and humans trusted each other?"

Lushlin shook her head. "Even in times of peace, so I'm told, we couldn't trust humans. Only those who bonded with us. All others were suspect. They would as likely to slay us as to befriend us."

Inwardly, George was horrified by what he had just said. Cole was his best friend, wasn’t he? Yet, somehow it seemed right too. How?

George nodded. "Cole is going out on his first mission to work on reintroducing the dragons to humans once again." George stared into Lushlin's eyes. "We have to stop him. Somehow, someway, we have to stop him."

Lushlin blew a plume of flames from her nose. "Yes. At all cost, we must prevent Cole from befriending humans and dragons. It will only lead to our eventual slaughter."

-----oOo-----

Cole swung his head around as he rode on the back of his dragon, Grinoth. His hair whipped in the wind generated by Grinoth’s race against Aileana on Gork.

Cole nudged Grinoth to one side. "Hurry, she's gaining on us."

Grinoth craned his scaly neck back to view Aileana on Gork racing up behind them. "I'm not as young as I used to be. I can't outrun them." He winked. "But I have more experience. Hold on!"

Cole gripped the dragon's hide harder. He knew when he said that, it meant a wild ride.

Grinoth dove into the trees; Gork followed at full throttle. They plunged beneath the treetops and flew a foot over the ground, sliding to one side and then another as Grinoth wound his way among the branches. Then Grinoth banked hard to the left, and swung tightly around a clump of trees, and shot straight upwards after circling. Cole felt like lead against the dragon's back for a few seconds, and then squeezed the dragon's neck and supported his legs under the wings.

They flew into the sky, veered to the right and raced toward the valley's entrance. As Grinoth touched down on the grassy knoll, they saw Aileana and Gork breaking out of the trees and rising into the air.

Cole patted Grinoth on the neck. "Ha. You fooled them. Do you think they'll find us here?"

"Eventually, even if we turned invisible. Dragons can sense the presence of other dragons within a certain range while visible, but even invisible, while it is a much smaller range, it is possible."

"Then if we're going to beat them back to the base, we'd better jump on it."

Grinoth snorted a flame into the air and jumped off the ledge. He established a glide path to the Dragon's Hall platform.

Aileana and Gork swung around, and Gork flapped his wings in rapid beats. They shot across the valley like an arrow.

Are you sure we're going to make it before them?

Where's your faith, rider?

With Aile, I believe.

As they drew near to the platform, Cole could see the pair racing toward them. It would be close. As Grinoth stretched out his paws to receive the prize, Gork shot toward them, without flaring. The crazy dragon would fly them straight into the hall's door!

Gork raced in front of them, but didn't touch down. Instead, he banked upward, and at the point of cutting off forward motion to fly straight up, Aileana dropped off the dragon and landed in a crouch as Grinoth's hind legs settled onto the platform.

Alieana walked toward Cole and Grinoth grinning. "You aren't the only ones with tricks up your sleeves."

Cole slid off Grinoth and then patted his neck. "I told you she should be feared."

Grinoth snorted. "You win, Guardian Aileana."

She smiled. "That's music to my ears, coming from you. Ready for round two?"

The doors to Dragon Hall creaked open and George poked his head out. "Either of you two want breakfast?"

Aileana held up a finger. "On the other hand, I am hungry."

Cole followed Aileana into the hall. The doors shut behind them after Grinoth and Gork entered and flew to the loft set behind the dais of twelve thrones, one for each elder. The high ceilings and massive columns rising into the cave provided plenty of space for even the larger dragons to move about freely. Light from outside poured through holes in the ceiling designed to let it in.

Cole seated himself along the long, wooden table, and plunged a fork into the eggs and potatoes. He noticed George staring into the distance, leaving his food untouched.

"What's up, George?"

"I was thinking." He held up a palm. "I know, dangerous. But that's my nickname, you know. Dangerous."

"Who nicknamed you that?"

"My mother, of course."

Aileana choked on her food and covered her mouth to prevent spewing food over the table. She gained control over herself and swallowed. "Do you think you could warn me when you do that?"

George shrugged. "Sorry, but do you really think I know what's coming out of my mouth before it does?"

Cole chuckled. "He's got you there."

George winked. "No, what I was thinking about is your mission. You head out today, don't you?"

Cole nodded. "The plan is to find people to help. By helping people, they will get a sense that the dragons don't mean them any harm. Once we become well known, like my father used to be doing miracles, people will welcome us with open arms."

George shoved eggs around on his plate. "I don't think that's a good idea."

"And what do you think is a good idea? I can hardly wait to hear this." Cole winked at Aileana.

"The problem with that plan is the likelihood that people will take kindly to the dragons is slim." He pointed to the loft. "Just look at those guys. What person in their right mind would look at one of them and think, 'Awe, a cute and cuddly chicken'?"

Aileana spewed chewed up eggs onto the table. "George!"

"Sorry." He pointed at Cole. "No, we either do one or two things. Either we stay hidden, or we use surprise to our advantage, and send out all dragons to ravage the towns and villages of the land, subduing them to our rule. You can't gain control by trying to make friends."

Cole noticed Aileana with a fork of eggs in midair, staring at George. Cole couldn't believe what he heard either. George had never advocated violence before. "Are you serious, or is this one of your jokes? If the later, it wasn't funny."

He shrugged. "Guess I can't be funny all the time. Forget I mentioned it."

They finished their meal in silence. George rose and left while Aileana scraped her plate for the last of the meal. She swallowed and met Cole's eyes. "What did you make of that?"

Cole rubbed his forehead. "It didn't sound like George at all. But he otherwise acted normal."

She breathed in. "But do you know who he did sound like?"

Cole stared at her.

"Zack."

"Zack?" Cole's thoughts returned to the ex-guardian, who's dragon had died by Aileana's sword, and in his crazed state, he tried to trap Aileana into an alternate world and de-bond her from her dragon.

"Yes, he said the same types of things before I had to . . ."

"Before you had to do what?"

She stared at the table for a moment. "Before I had to kill his dragon."

Cole rubbed her shoulder. "I'm glad you admitted to it."

Her eyes widened. "What? You knew?"

"George discovered it when he was forced to enter your mind with Zack. He told me about it. Why did you do it?"

She bowed her head. "I'd rather not discuss it."

"It would do you good to—"

She jerked her head up; narrow eyes threatened him. "I said, I would rather not discuss it!"

Cole held his palms up shoulder high. "All right. But I'm here when you're ready."

She gave a brief nod and breathed deep. "But I don't like the way George is talking. For his sake, I hope he was joking."

"He's always been odd. You never know what's going to come out of his mouth. I'm regularly surprised."

She cracked a smile. "That's true."

Cole stood from the table. "I need to get ready to go. Do me a favor. Look after George. He may be almost seventeen, but because he views life from an odd angle, he sometimes doesn't do what is practical."

Aileana nodded. "No worries. He'll be fine."

-----oOo-----

Cole stood before the twelve elders, seated on their thrones.

Broc stood and faced Cole and Grinoth, who sat on his haunches beside Cole. "Grinoth and Cole, you are charged to enter the world and promote goodwill between humans and the dragons by helping those who you are able."

Broc scanned the elders and rested his eyes on Siroth. "We've all discussed this extensively, and agree on this course of action, along with the dragon's council."

Siroth, sitting on a throne four down from Broc, frowned and tightened his jaw, but he said nothing. Cole could only imagine the "discussion" Siroth provided in the council chambers. Siroth had been the most vocal opponent to revealing the dragons to the humans, but Grinoth was quite convincing. Cole couldn't help but smile recalling that exchange. Hard to argue with a dragon and win.

Cole bowed. "I will do my best to endear others to the cause of the dragons while not endangering our location until the council feels it is time."

Broc nodded. "Your concern is noted and appreciated. Go in peace and with the goodwill of the guardians and dragons."

Cole bowed one more time, then turned and marched down the hall. His footsteps echoed against the walls. Aileana and George waited at the door.

Cole and Grinoth exited onto the platform. Cole slid his backpack on. "Now you two keep these guys from doing anything crazy. I don't want to come back to George being in the dungeon again."

George laughed. "No chance of that now, thanks to Grinoth."

Aileana smirked. "Of course, I might have to throw George into the dungeon myself."

George jerked his head around. "Never!" He breathed hard.

Aileana backed off. "I was just joking, George." She glanced at Cole.

Cole pointed at George. "You're not yourself today. I suggest you check with the healers or get some rest. Something."

George breathed deep. "Sorry, maybe you're right. I didn't sleep well last night. A nap might do me good."

Cole met Aileana's eyes. She smiled. "I'll make sure he gets to the healers. Maybe some sleeping herbs are in order."

Cole returned her smile. "Until we meet again." All right, Grinoth, let's get this underway.

The dragon shot a stream of fire into the sky, then leaped off the platform and rose toward the mountains. The rosy glow to the world faded in as they became invisible. The snowy peaks of the mountains passed a few feet under Grinoth's legs, and the vast countryside of hills, forest, and distant mountains contrasted with the deep blue sky.

Where to? Grinoth arched his back and banked to the right.

Cole thought a moment. How about Dark Waters?

Dark Waters it is. He pulled out of the turn and rode the winds to the northwest.