The Dragons' Legacy Read online

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  Two hours have passed since the band of exploring warriors discovered the inner depths of the ruins. The buildings’ interiors seamlessly continue into the mountains, creating an illusion that the ruins are a natural part of the landscape, though manmade. Dim light pours from the carved stone walls and ceilings, signs of channeled magic coursing through the ruins. The ancient catacombs within the mountain are mostly intact except for an occasional broken wall or a collapsed section of ceiling.

  In one of the deep sections of the hewn labyrinth, Cornar guardedly leads Kalder and Midar through the catacombs, weapons drawn.

  As they reach the corner of an intersecting corridor, moist fresh air wisps through the deserted hallway and across the three warriors’ faces.

  “That smells like the ocean breeze,” Midar comments in a whisper.

  “How is that possible?” Kalder mutters.

  “I don’t know,” Cornar whispers while carefully rounding the corner, his emerald eyes dart to his right.

  Farther in that direction, a beam of sunlight pours into the corridor from an adjacent alcove.

  Cornar stops and motions to the others, signaling he will move across the alcove and for the others to stay on their side of the opening.

  The aged warrior silently edges to the corner of the alcove. Kalder follows but waits as Cornar darts across the niche, stealing a glance to a chamber beyond the alcove.

  “Something broke through that room’s the outer wall,” Cornar whispers; he glances to Kalder and Midar, both struck with surprised confusion. After studying his men he continues, “I’m going inside.”

  Cornar cautiously steps into the alcove and moves through it toward an open doorway into a large chamber, roughly sixty feet by forty feet and standing two stories in height. Opposite the doorway a hole allows a view to the sea along the island’s eastern shore. It is late in the afternoon, and the sun is setting, falling in its typical pattern to the east. Portions of the broken wall litter the ground, while pieces of jagged stone are impaled into the walls.

  A plain, waist-high, squared stone pillar situated in the middle of the room draws Cornar’s attention.

  Satisfied with the lack of danger, Cornar sheaths his weapons and steps toward the pillar.

  The warrior walks partway around it and notices a large crack along the surface hidden from the doorway; a dark hole marks the center of the fracture, nearly the thickness of a finger.

  Cornar kneels and grazes his hand over the gray smooth cool surface but stops as he touches the gash’s edge, wondering, What could have cracked this–

  In response to Cornar’s touch, four shallow grooves magically take shape, forming a square upon the pillar’s fractured face. Once the shape is complete, a greenish-gray light starts to glow from within the grooves. In an instant, the light cuts along the center of the outline.

  Amid the mystical illumination, Cornar swiftly stands and steps backward while worry smears across his face, It’s trapped–

  A soft hum interrupts the warrior’s thoughts and the two sections of stone within the light recess into the pillar, then violently slide apart, revealing a darkened hollow space.

  Cornar slowly exhales while peering into the pillar; he sees five red scroll cases with porous surfaces along with two thick books, all covered in thick dust and cobwebs.

  “Are you alright?” Midar worriedly demands from the doorway.

  “Yes,” Cornar replies and kneels, further inspecting the items within the hidden chamber. One of the scroll cases has a small rupture, but the other cases are intact. The two volumes have worn bindings and covers with a layer of dust lining the edges of the pages.

  Intrigued by the objects, Cornar focuses on the edge of the opening drawing one of his weapons from their sheath; a short sword.

  With his sword in hand, Cornar edges the blade through the opening. He wiggles his sword, lightly knocking it against the stony interior, odd… no traps.

  Satisfied with his findings, Cornar sheathes his weapon and grabs the top book. It’s front cover is plain with no markings. He turns the book’s binding toward himself and sees a simple numeral in the common language of Kalda, “Two”.

  Curiously, Cornar opens the book. Dust fills the air as the pages come loose from each other and the smell of decay tingles the warrior’s nostrils. To Cornar’s astonishment the pages are miraculously preserved, filled with text written in the common tongue of Kalda; the words “war” and “dragons” stand out on many of the pages.

  Intrigued by the text, the warrior glances over the pages until he sees a hand-drawn depiction of a strangely crafted amulet; seven sharp prongs protrude from its main body and three long scaled claws at its base grasp a black polished sphere. Between the seven prongs rests a finely cut red gem with many sides.

  On the page beside the diagram, a line from a paragraph catches the warrior’s eye: “Thus the enemies of the Kaldean Alliance were halted. With the Au’misha’k, properly translated into our language as ‘the amulet of draconic control’, Cheserith’s armies were defeated in a matter of a few years. The power of the amulet was enough to beguile the strongest of the crimson tyrants…”

  With the book still opened in his hands, Cornar looks out the opening and to the sky. The power to control dragons? And texts supporting the legends of the ‘dragon war’? I can’t even imagine what they would do with it; even if it’s true. He nods his head resolutely, making an instinctive decision. Either way, I can’t let them have it. I need to get this to–

  “Cor,” Kalder interrupts from behind the eldest warrior. “What did you find?”

  Closing the book and sharply toward his subordinate in the doorway, Cornar firmly replies, “Nothing.”