Dragon Fire Read online

  CONTENTS

  Title Page

  Author's Note

  Chapter One - Beginnings

  Chapter Two - Seeds of Magic

  Chapter Three - The Journey

  Chapter Four - The Wizard’s Island

  Chapter Five - Trouble's Never Far Away

  Chapter Six - The Chosen Ones

  Chapter Seven - A Pivotal Event

  Chapter Eight - A Trap is Sprung

  Chapter Nine - Magic and More

  Chapter Ten - Another Challenge

  Chapter Eleven - Final Prep

  Chapter Twelve - The Quest Begins

  Chapter Thirteen - North by North

  Chapter Fourteen - Onward and Upward

  Chapter Fifteen - Dark Clouds Gathering

  Chapter Sixteen - An Unexpected Setback

  Chapter Seventeen - At What Price

  Chapter Eighteen - The Choice

  Chapter Nineteen - Desert of Despair

  Chapter Twenty - An Unexpected Meeting

  Chapter Twenty-One - Facing the Storm

  Chapter Twenty-Two - The Badlands

  Chapter Twenty-Three - A Little Side Trip

  Chapter Twenty-Four - Preparing for Tomorrow

  Chapter Twenty-Five - So It Begins

  Chapter Twenty-Six - The Land Between the Worlds

  Chapter Twenty-Seven - It's Always Choices

  Readers List

  Excerpt "Awakening: A Near Future Sci-Fi Thriller"

  Excerpt "Defenders of the Rim: Beginnings"

  Young Wizards of Callidore: Dragon Fire

  Young Wizards Book 1

  by Randal Sloan

  `

  Copyright 2018 Randal Sloan

  All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

  AUTHOR'S NOTE

  THIS BOOK HAS been a journey, much as our young friends must make their journey in our story. Magic, wizards, evil sorcerers, monsters and even dragons await. Although the journey was long and difficult at times, it was always exciting and fun. Although this was the first foray for me into the fantasy genre, the road before me was paved by so many excellent story tellers, it makes one feel awed to be able to venture forth on such a quest.

  Thanks to all those who contributed, from the graphic design for the awesome cover (Robin Ludwig Design Inc. - www.gobookcoverdesign.com), proofreading and copy editing (Dean Borden and Catherine Borden Sloan), and especially my beta readers (Gerrit Jan van Brenk, Mem Creagh Webb, II, and Tania Ciza).

  Randal Sloan - Author

  CHAPTER ONE

  Beginnings

  SOMEWHERE, OR PERHAPS it is somewhen, in a world that may or may not exist except in our minds, two dragons moved within their mountain lair in the land they called Glaedr’tor. The two dragons stood, craning their necks together as they looked at their egg, the egg they knew would hatch within the next few days. Sanight'lor, leader of the Dragon Council, and his mate Tia'laryl, had special plans for their hatchling.

  Their world was changing as the time for dragons faded. For millennia past the dragons had ruled their world in the Golden Age of their Civilization, the apex of their time. But the dragons had always been few in number; war and attrition had reduced their population to the point that it seemed unlikely their race could be saved.

  However, the white dragon Tia'laryl had been blessed with the sight and she had seen a way, if not for their race in its entirety to survive, then at least for their essence, their legacy to endure. For a great discovery had been made, right before the end of the Dragon Wars, and they were going to take advantage of that discovery.

  Sanight'lor was happy that the plan was soon to be done, but he was also sad. For he and his mate of many centuries were soon to be separated, never to be rejoined. Tia'laryl was to travel to another world, a new world populated by another race, a race that would perhaps replace the dragons on this world too.

  The handful of people that had initially come to Glaedr’tor from that other world called themselves humans and they came bringing word of a set of Prophecies they had been given by another race, the ones who had created the portal that allowed travel between the worlds. The humans had built a monastery where they dedicated themselves to studying the Prophecies.

  They had also taught Tia'laryl about the people of their world, and with that knowledge she was going to recruit a group of humans to return with her to Glaedr’tor, or Callidore as the humans called it in their language. They also explained about how the portal worked, only opening during a total eclipse of the sun, and an eclipse was coming up in the next couple of days that would allow her access to the portal.

  Because time traveled differently between the worlds, by the time that Tia'laryl returned, her mate, along with the other members of the Council, would have passed on. Their egg, along with the remaining unhatched eggs of the current generation, would be placed in the Land Between the Worlds, a place where time stood almost still.

  When Tia'laryl returned with their egg, it would hatch and the young dragon would represent their future — if he chose to do so. For although Tia'laryl could see much of the future, it would come down to a single choice. What would be chosen, not even she could see.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Seeds of Magic

  THE DAY DAWNED crisp and beautiful for the village of Corlym in the Kingdom of Callidore. It was a day much like any other and the people of the village had risen early to work. The length of the days were beginning to grow shorter as the early days of fall stretched before them. It wouldn’t be long before the cold of winter would move in and there was much to do before then.

  Elder Radcliffe had dedicated himself to taking care of the two adopted children of the village. He worried about their future, for he alone knew their past. He had chosen to take them under his wing and, as his wife and son had died of the fever many years past, he treated them as if they were his own children. He also taught them everything he knew, including his knowledge of herbs.

  It was already past the time they should have gathered the herbs needed to stock up for winter, but he had physically been unable to make the journey to the meadow that lay in the foothills of the nearby mountains where they always gathered herbs. Despite his misgivings, he knew it was time that his charges learned to work on their own. It would only be a few years before he wouldn’t be able to help them; that job would have to be taken up by another. Surely the task he had to give them was safe.

  “I need the two of you to gather enough herbs to take us through the winter.” He looked at Jailyn, who as the older of the two always looked after Jesse. “You know where to go to find them.”

  When she nodded, he went on, “I would accompany you, but my old knee is just not going to let me. You two will have to do it yourselves this year, but I know you can. You have learned your craft well, so you know what I need.”

  He looked at her intently. “I’m expecting you to keep a close eye on Jesse. He still tends to become too easily distracted.”

  When she nodded, he sent them on their way, but he warned them, “Don’t stay too late. It’s not safe after dark.”

  Elder Radcliffe knew he was probably wasting his breath, because although they nodded and said they would do as told, the two rushed off in total excitement. Still, they should be safe as close as they would be to the village. They didn’t even consider it a chore; after all, it was a beautiful day and this would be fun!

  They both enjoyed themselves. Other than working in the fields like everyone did, they seldom had been allowed to venture outside the village and it was a beautiful day to do so. Nevertheless, they made sure they completed their assigned task. They continued this activity until the late afternoon, gathering a
respectable supply of the herbs they knew would indeed be needed. Jailyn was even able to gather some of the more rare herbs that were hard to find. Unfortunately, both became distracted and lost track of the time.

  The two children were suddenly startled by a sound in the woods beyond the meadow. They both instantly became aware of the time, and they knew they’d overstayed their welcome. The sun’s light had already begun to grow dim and the woods beyond the meadow had turned dark and frightening. What was that terrible sound that shook them to the core? As they listened, it became clear. It sounded somewhat like dogs baying in the distance, but what a horrible sound it was! No ordinary dog had ever sounded like that.

  They both were quite frightened by it and Jailyn quickly gathered their things. “I don’t like the sound of that. We need to get back to the village now!” she told Jesse, who just nodded.

  Jailyn Ashcroft was every bit as scared as her young charge, but at the age of twelve years she had her companion by nearly a year. She knew she was responsible for him. The boy was terrified at this point, so he didn’t argue, something he often did just for the sake of doing so. But even he knew this wasn’t the time.

  They hurried down the path that led to the village. The sound had been growing closer and closer, and Jailyn could see that fear was making Jesse’s movements grow frantic. Looking behind them, she could see what looked like eyes glowing in the gathering gloom. They both broke into a run, but that only seemed to make their pursuers grow more eager. The baying was so loud now that it made their fear absolute.

  Jailyn realized they weren’t going to make it. Looking behind, she could now see several pairs of those glowing eyes. Scanning the path in front of them, she recognized they were nearing that spot where a little nook was tucked in the rocks that formed a wall on the side of the path. They would make their stand there for what it was going to be worth.

  Grabbing her companion’s hand, she pulled him into the nook, turning to face the opening and holding out the staff that she always carried with her. She could see them now; some kind of hounds, but unlike anything she had ever seen before. Huge beasts, Jailyn knew they weren’t natural.

  The village elders had warned them many times. “Watch out for the hellhounds. They’ll get you and drag you off to hell!” Neither had really believed the story before today. She believed it now!

  Jailyn could see the lead hound. It was bigger than the rest and its teeth were very scary. But she had to protect her charge, so she stood her ground. “Stay back, you devil,” she told him.

  Jailyn drew a line in the sand in front of her. “I command you to stop!” she yelled.

  To her total surprise, the hounds stopped. Then they did something even more surprising. They sat down facing her and the lead dog spoke to her in her mind.

  “We are at your service, Mistress. As you command, we will do.”

  Jailyn just stared. Finally, she answered in kind, speaking also within her mind. “I don’t understand. Why do you call me that?”

  “You have taken command of us, away from our evil master we always hated. Now we are yours to serve.”

  “How can this be?” Jailyn asked. “I’m only a girl.”

  “A girl, yes. But only? No! Your words have the power to control us and we are yours. You are going to be a very powerful wizard one day and we will be proud to serve you.”

  Jailyn couldn’t believe it. “What am I to do with you?” she finally asked.

  “We normally only come out in the evening. We live in our home in hell, but we will visit you every evening. If you have commands, we will follow them. If you call, we will come, no matter what the time of day. As you will learn, nothing can keep us from our chosen path.”

  That was how Jailyn got her own hellhounds. They would follow her always and they met with her every evening from that point forward. Jesse for his part wondered, but he kept it all to himself. At Jailyn’s request, he would never repeat what had happened. It wasn’t like anyone would have believed him anyway.

  Every evening Jailyn would slip out after her chores to meet with her hellhounds. She quickly grew quite fond of them. They were so misunderstood by all and forced to do terrible things by the ones who wanted to do evil.

  Jailyn swore to them she would only use them for good. She even brought them treats and brushed them every evening. Her hellhounds were the best, she just knew it.

  Life moved on for Jailyn. She grew into a young lady and was admired by all in the village, although she already knew she was different from the other young people. Many an evening when she met with her hellhounds she wondered about her parents and who they had been. Someday she would venture forth and find out about them. Perhaps she would find her destiny, out there somewhere.

  Then the magic seekers came to her village.

  All of the young people of the village were brought before the elders and the wizard who checked them for the ability to use magic. This was done every few years and a few were always chosen. To the children of the village, the arrival of the magic seekers was always exciting but also a little frightening.

  Jailyn was quite nervous, even more so than Jesse. She had no idea what would happen to her if the wizard saw something within her. All she knew was that everyone that had been chosen left the village and never returned. Jailyn was more than a little worried, for she knew she sometimes had abilities that others didn’t seem to have. Not to mention her own hellhounds!

  The two orphans were brought in separately from the rest of the young people of the village. Elder Radcliffe spoke gently to them.

  “This is Master Sabine, “ he told them. “He won’t harm you, but he must look for the signs of magic within you.”

  Sensing their fear, he went on, “This is a good thing. If you have within you the seeds of magic, you will be taken to a special school to learn about magic in order to serve the kingdom. Your future will be much more than what we could offer you in the village.”

  The Master wizard knelt before Jailyn. A glowing ball appeared in his hands. “Reach out and touch the ball. Don’t worry, you won’t be harmed.”

  Despite being rather nervous, Jailyn did as she was told. When she touched the ball, it grew bigger, spinning rapidly, and it changed from its dull gray to a brightly glowing ball of many colors. The colors continued to flash as it turned before her. Jailyn couldn’t help it. She was drawn to the ball, pulling it out to hold in front of her.

  “It’s beautiful,” she told him, staring at it in awe. She was so enraptured, she didn’t see the look that passed between the Master and Elder. Neither had expected to see what they had just seen.

  Later Jailyn would learn that the colors represented the different affiliations to magic by the prospective wizard. Normally, they would see a few colors, and one would always be brighter than the others, representing the powers that would be available to the wizard, the brightest being the most dominant. Never before had they seen so many colors or seen them so bright. Never before had the student reached in to pull the ball away. That should have been impossible.

  Taking the ball back from Jailyn, Wizard Sabine concentrated a moment and the ball returned to its prior dull gray. Motioning to the boy, he had him reach out and touch the ball too.

  Jesse had quickly relaxed after watching Jailyn complete her test, seeing she was not harmed. When he touched the ball it glowed, spinning around with several different colors. Before Jailyn’s test even that would have been unusual, but not after her. Wizard Sabine wanted to shake his head. The colors he saw for the boy were quite puzzling; he had never seen those colors in that combination.

  Finally, he turned to the elder. “Thank you, Elder Radcliffe. Both candidates have indicated they have the seeds of magic within them.”

  Speaking to the pair, “Please don’t be frightened. This is a great day for both of you. I must finish testing the other young people in the villages nearby, but I’ll return for you this evening. Please say your goodbyes to everyone and gather the belongings
you wish to carry with you. You may only fill one pack, so choose wisely. Anything you find lacking will be provided for you at the school.”

  Jailyn and Jesse were both still in shock, but the calm demeanor of the wizard and the fact Elder Radcliffe accepted their choosing without any resistance made them feel better. Even with the elder’s care, the two were so poor that they couldn’t have filled a single pack between them. Both had their treasures and that was all that mattered. For Jailyn, that was the picture of her mother and father, all that she had left of them.

  A couple of young people from the village had also passed the magic test. That evening the four young candidates bade their farewells to the village and joined a small group of similar young people on a wagon the wizards had hired. None of them had any idea just how much their lives were going to change, but they all knew everything would.

  For Jailyn the parting was bittersweet. Elder Radcliffe had been like a father to her, but she had always known he wasn’t her real father. She had also known for most of her life that she had to leave the small village to find herself. Jesse had felt the same way. That was one of the reasons the two had worked so hard to learn everything the very knowledgeable elder had been able to teach them.

  Jailyn tried to smile and accept that it would be alright. She worried because she hadn’t had the chance to slip off to see her hounds. Something told her they wouldn’t have a problem finding her wherever she went. Satisfied for the moment, she settled in and slept for a good part of their journey. Tomorrow would bring what it brought.

  Not far from the village of Corlym stood a monastery, one that had stood for many thousands of years. Called the Church of the Most High, the monks that lived there were strong in the power of the Light they served.