Daniel's Early Days

Ch.9 Live Dragons-Before Daniel became a powerful Mage, he was just a boy. Follow Daniel from the beginning as he receives his powers, undertakes many adventures, and learns what true power really is.

“What do you mean you didn’t recognize it? Do you know many other dragons?”

“Well, of course I knew other dragons,” she scoffed. “When I was alive,” she amended. “But, I have never seen that dragon before. Then again,” she added casually, almost as an afterthought. “I do not see how I could have ever met that particular dragon. I have been dead for hundreds of years.”

“So, you’re saying that the dragon from my vision is alive now?” Daniel asked in disbelief. “My grandma told me that all the dragons were gone.”

“Well, I assume that this dragon must be alive, or will be soon judging by its size. You had a vision of yourself riding a dragon. So, unless you are going to find a way to time travel, than this is something that may be in store for your future. With this line of reasoning, the dragon from your vision must be from this day and age,” she clarified coolly while inspecting her metal claws.

“You really think so?” Daniel asked excitedly. The chance that there might be a real live dragon out there somewhere fueled his hope that he actually might get the chance to fly the skies astride a mighty dragon.

“Well, visions can be…capricious. Every choice you make can change your future. But, it looks like someday you may very well ride a “real live dragon”,” she repeated his words dryly.

“Sorry,” he winced. It was hard to get used to the fact that his newly acquired dragon talisman could read his mind. At this moment, he realized that not considering her a “real live dragon” could be construed as an insult.

“Do not concern yourself,” she sighed. “I truly do understand. I am just a little bitter that now that I have finally decided to acquire a human bonding, I cannot share the gift of flight.”

“You never bonded when…when you were alive?” he asked as politely as he could manage.

“No,” she confirmed. “I never did.”

“How come?”

“Well,” she turned her head to the side in contemplation. “I guess I never really felt the need,” she answered simply. “But, afterward…I wondered what I had missed out on,” she elucidated. “The afterlife can be…a little lonely,” she confessed. “When I heard your grandmother’s summons I was intrigued. Of course, I needed to meet you first to assess your assets and consider a possible connection, but I figured this was my second chance.”

“Oh,” Daniel muttered, not really sure what to say to that. “I’m glad I passed your inspection,” he settled on.

“With flying colors,” she added cheerfully. Her shining metal eyes looked him over carefully. “Did you happen to notice anything else about your vision? More to the point, did you notice anything about yourself?” she asked shrewdly.

“Not really,” he admitted.

“Well, you were quite a bit older than you are now,” she affirmed. Daniel tried to picture himself from the vision, but in his vision he wasn’t watching himself; he was himself. He experienced everything from the back of the dragon; tearing through damp clouds and watching the trees rush by below. It had felt like he was actually there; he could feel the hard dragon scales against his legs and the cool wind blast against his face.

“So, you think that there might still be dragons?” he asked excitedly.

“I do not think so; I know so,” she stated confidently.

“How do you know?”

“Just a feeling,” she answered raising her wings slightly like a shrug.

“Are they out there?” he asked nodding his head toward the trees. He had a feeling that there was more than just goblins out there, otherwise why the ward to keep him out?

“In a sense,” she answered slowly. “There is a whole other world hidden out in that forest,” she said obscurely. She stared into the trees, and was silent for a minute. Daniel wanted to ask if she meant another world figuratively or literally, but something stopped him. He felt a longing that was not his own, and he let Pearl have her moment in silence.

“It has been a long time since I have laid eyes on that forest,” she finally went on. “It has changed much. It will be exciting to get reacquainted with the…anomalies that lie within those trees,” she mused.

Daniel’s heart leapt at the idea of exploring the forest with her. “Can we go into the forest together?” he asked her hopefully.

“I do not see why not,” she replied. “Why, I would be offended if you went in there without me,” she snorted.