The Guardians of Fire: Bain Valley (Internal Title Page, Prolog and Chapter 1)

The Guardians of Fire

Bain Valley

 

 

 

 

 

“Fate’s song seldom plays to the desires of men.”  -Unknown

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Prologue

            In a secret mountain cave, five years into the rule of Flaird the Terrible, two leaders of a secret alliance of humans, dragons, elves, dwarfs and Black Dogs meet to discuss the fate of the last of the rebel held dragon eggs…

            “Ah, Valdair, you made it! How was the weather on the way here? I was concerned after the blizzard came through a few days back.”

            “Not that bad, Arendor, I saw the storm a few miles before it reached me and managed to fly around it. It added a few days to the journey but the detour saved my wings. We dragons aren’t invincible, you know, but we’re also not fools.” Replied Valdair, although his wings still hurt after the seven day flight across the Bandal Mountains. “How are the eggs? We don’t have much time to prepare the Guardians.”

            “The offspring are fine,” Arendor replied, taking the large stone like eggs out of his saddlebag. “We dwarves are some of the best at keeping things as valuable as these out of the hands of those we don’t trust.” He pulled the last egg out of its pouch and laid it by the fire with the first. “How are Rengar and Launce doing?”

            “They left for the valley three days before I took flight myself but they seemed fine when they took off.”

            “That’s good, they need all the training they can get and Bain Valley is the last free land to offer training for our riders and dragons.” Turning then to add a log to the dwindling fire, Arendor sighed. “I sincerely hope that all this stress is worth it in the end.”

            “It will be. We wouldn’t be here if that weren’t true.” Valdair then glanced back at the entry of the cave. “It looks like there’s another storm blowing in from the north. I’d best wait this one out; I don’t have the energy to out run it.”

            “Well then, we’ll be waiting together then. Not much else I can do with Rengar and Launce out of reach. Let’s just hope that the guardians can remember the promise.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 1

            “This view is beautiful, I am definitely jealous that you can have this whenever you want.” Launce tilted his head back and took in a deep breath of the fresh air a few hundred feet above the Mountain of Shadows.

             “Your kind finds amusement in such common things,” Rengar mused back.”All you would have to do is climb a tall tree or reach the peak of almost any mountain to find such a view.”

            Launce stared at Rengar, caught off guard by the statement. “You and I both know that the trees and mountain peaks of my home are some of the hardest to climb in all the Shadows. Besides, what about the grasslands or deserts, they are pretty barren of trees and mountains?”

            “Point taken, but I still think that this sort of thing is common enough.” Rengar stretched his wings out then, catching a thermal under the powerful limbs. They remained silent for a while, taking in landmarks and being careful not to lose course on their way to Bain.

            “When do you think we should make camp?” Launce asked after they had found the river that would lead them to the base of the mountain.

            “I’m able to fly well enough at night but it would risk losing direction. So I’d have to say whenever we reach the bottom of the mountain or the sun sets. Whichever comes first will be the determining factor of course.”

            “Makes sense to me. We should camp by the river though; it’ll give us enough food and water to get us to Bain Valley.”

            “We won’t need to ration, little one. We will be staying with the river the entire time.” Rengar retorted, letting a puff of smoke out of his nose. After that they flew in silence.

            From time to time, Launce would shift his position or check on his supplies, which included a bow, quiver and a special tool that had an axe head on one side and a blade like spike on the other. They reached the base of the mountain two hours before sunset and found a clearing with plenty of room for Rengar that had no signs of passage with the exception of a few animals.

            The stream where the Launce and Rengar set camp was relatively slow. Even with the spring thaw in full force, Launce could wade in a few feet to get to a spot where he could go bow-fishing. Rengar, with his dagger-like claws and muscular arms and paws, could stand knee deep in the middle of the river. He would just leave his maw open in the water and let fish swim, unaware, right into his waiting stomach.

            After an hour of work, the two had gotten all the required supplies from the area and where heading to bed. The day of flying had left them both tired and ready for a full night’s rest. Launce had a bed of foliage set up and laid with Rengar’s wing tip acting as a makeshift blanket. They were taught this by elder Guardians who had known the last Drakes, the name used for pairs of dragons and riders.

            The next morning, Launce woke to see a deer lying next to him. “Bloody hell,” he exclaimed, jumping to his feet but stumbling backwards in a mad dash from the unexpected herbivore. After recovering from his surprise, Launce shot an angry glance at Rengar who was laughing so hard, the birds in nearby trees had flew off in terror. “That was not funny at all, Rengar.”

            “Oh, but it was the funniest thing I’ve ever seen.” Rengar said as his laughing died down. “Especially since that is only a deer. They don’t even eat meat!” With that Rengar went into another laughing fit, showing his fangs in a wry smile.

            “Whatever. I see you managed to make jerky from the meat which will definitely help today. We’re going to fly for a while. There is a town that we should be able to reach after a few hours and the deer’s hide will be good for getting a map of the local area. The edges are a little rough, though,” Launce fingered the neck where a tear had formed.

            “Yes, but we should be able to reach Bain in two day’s time, giving us a good chance of getting our training done in time for an attack on Flaird by mid-autumn.”  The pair then got busy cleaning up camp and filling the saddlebags with their supplies. “Let’s hope no one makes too much trouble about seeing a rebel dragon and rider in the air.”

            “We’re not just a dragon and rider anymore, remember, we’re Drakes. And you can stay low to avoid being seen. It’ll be good practice for you.” Launce then jumped into the saddle, small on Rengar’s massive frame. In one powerful movement, Rengar launched the two of them into the morning sky. In a matter of minutes they were soaring past the tops of trees.

            The town came into view sooner than expected forcing them down but they were able to find a hideout within walking distance of the gates. “Stay here, Ren, we don’t want trouble.” Launce said, glancing around to make sure there weren’t any paths in sight. Satisfied with the spot, he picked up the deer skin, dried by the flight and started to the town.”Oh, and no deer this time please.”

            “Fine,” Rengar replied sarcastically, brushing out a small fire he’d started. Launce nodded as he turned and jogged away with the skin folded over his shoulder.