The Enchanted Dragon

TER

RET BENEATH

ide the stone wall, staring into

ing pleasant. They usually contained ancient curses, deadly traps, forgotten monster

been particularly good at

s beginning to suspect that my life had become the sort of story in wh

he candle fro

as still

, heir of the

echoed ins

ad sp

e passage call

towards t

lthor claimed that my parents had been guardians of an ancient source

house where I had grown

believing that I knew everyt

been wrong about

the opening and

rk stone. Strange markings covered the surface, some resembling lette

y palm spread faintly a

e of writi

ned c

MBERS WHAT THE

the wor

strai

ttered. "Very mysteriou

ge did no

breath and s

the threshold, the golden

assage one after another. They were not ordinary flames. Each was a t

to look b

nce remai

to the cottage, waiting for Aldric, and prete

embered th

RUST THE

t that warning

ord to waste time standing outside a

nued do

teps echoed through the narrow corridor, and

the passage opened in

d at the

ss, supported by eight stone pillars arranged around a circular platform. Golden

he pedestal rested

t began

al to the one I had discov

his one

ver markings, and a small flam

hed it ca

circular platform, the symbo

n travelled thr

voice

ify yo

dropped t

said

ify yo

e nor female. It seemed to co

around th

Adrian

le

voice spo

your bl

row

now what t

ark appeared

r filled w

felt a strange warmth spread through my body, followed

hing deep inside me ha

ice re

rmed. Guardian h

den lig

ed at

dian

swer

destal and reached

it, the silver markings

opened b

ed letter, and a small crystal that

the pendant

ore, yet something abou

golden flame engraved at its centre. A deli

ked i

uched my skin, an image

ood beside

own eyes, and a smile that seem

holdin

ared before I cou

ered ba

was

er remain

t the pend

tightened

. I knew her name was Elara Vale because Aldric had told me. I knew sh

never seen

on

baby, and the ache in my chest to

e pendant ar

cked up t

written acro

SON, A

ped br

I could not bring m

lanted. I traced the letters with my thumb

wn I would one da

tten someth

e had wanted

f the pedestal and

d, but the writi

rest A

tions surrounding your childhood have begun to

ow, heard your laughter, and held you whenever the world frightened you. There are so many ordinary th

eed you to understand, it is

ped re

ad begun

lips together

f the First Flame, an ancient source of magic th

, but to protect it from those wh

and we did not seek power over ordinary people. We believed that magic should remain in b

scovered the existen

ry form of magic in Eldoria. He intended to gather its p

and I refuse

that refusal

aus

seemed colde

oice as I read her words, though

ntin

ou with unusual strength. Malric had already begun searching for the next generation of guar

cept. He placed a seal upon your magic, hidin

ection he believed w

t would merely conceal it until the day

down at

ed, but I could still feel a

had hidden

rrassed glance from people who thought I was useless-had they al

d to be

him for the humili

nger was somethi

o

reason to believe that my

elf to conti

t Flame itself. Its location had to remain secret,

eone carrying the guardian bloodline. We divided its protection betwee

begins to aw

ho can help you understa

ormous dragon chain

ad known m

waited

den mark as though he had b

ed to th

ing else you mu

en an ancient dragon

top

emed to star

other warn me

n hidden some

tion everything I heard, even from

the fin

s. Do not confuse power with

meone who cannot protect themselves, remember that the true

by what they were

appens, yo

mot

ra

ed the

minutes, I c

had writ

hoped that I would find the letter while she

e paper agai

bandoned,"

ed strange in t

I had wondered whether my parents had wanted me, whether they had lo

had an

ad lov

me because they

the back of my hand a

or the childhood

I neede

small blue cryst

nd cold, and a faint sil

crystal projected a thin beam

peared i

tar

, the winding river beyond Blackthorn Village

spering

e map, a golden poi

t, words

REMAINS BEYOND

d line

PEN ONLY WHEN T

allo

he

e voice in the passage

ent, something powerful enough to

rst Flame. The golden point remained beyond

ned c

line a

OWLEDGE THA

ap va

urned to its or

red a

ther mysterious message that

me that morning,

the warning on A

RUST THE

e disap

ot be the only things worth investigating. There could be people inside its wall

enough to hunt me, he would not stop sear

eded

ded a

ded to fi

ter to the wooden box, but I k

, I looked at the golden s

the arrangement

ci

ee curv

e at the

symbol that appe

ed towa

brightened, and the symbols

n travelled thro

he wall shifted aside, re

red a

secret

why Aldric had always insist

that trouble had been waiting for

through th

the cottage. The walls were lined with ancient carvings depi

corridor, I found

REMEMBER BEFORE TH

d it

mber

hild

par

hat had been h

pendant bene

metal had b

thought I heard a woman'

sound v

towards th

ncing. If Aldric returned and discovered that I had entered the

that was w

behind the stone wall and care

ge remain

and searched e

as still

box I had found in the drawer. This time, I notice

ed a singl

KENS, TAKE HIM

ach tig

c had

n, that Malric might return, and that

ring me for this moment w

ecting me from a truth that

er and placed it

rd footste

fr

approaching

pped directly bey

ck fo

, delibera

d at th

ice called from outside.

d turne

nised t

alric's

away from

nued. "We only wish to a

ost l

ions rarely arrived at dawn wearing bla

wards the ki

watching the back door, another was examining the stones beside the hidde

urrounded

s tr

began

t, trying to forc

t

ed to

shook beneath

tient. "Our master has been very generous in allowi

towards t

owhere to h

e kitchen wall, but the hunters

e inscription in the

MBERS WHAT THE

ing palm against

ent, nothin

symbol appeared

k sounded in

one sh

appeared behind t

red a

e had resp

he letter and crystal inside,

he front doo

ck the kit

house!" some

he hidden

s surro

rough the cottage, overturning fur

e of th

as found t

art s

voice a

e has t

y hand agai

rk pulsed ben

knew about

w about

longer merely s

ching for some

nel, following the faint golde

lage, leading me away from the cott

ea where it

ld not allow Malric's

ood what my parents

l I foun

why the ancient magic of El

f the passage, my legs ached an

e led upwards tow

ed aga

all clearing near the edg

ht filtered th

I stood still, allowi

d es

nters would not g

owards the

elthor was waiting in the clea

to retu

ne. And if my mother's letter was telling the truth, he mig

towards

uched the pendant

lsed with a

poke from some

ing rather qu

un a

d between

ace was hidden beneath a hood. Unlike Malr

ut him made me im

you?" I

er lowered

grey hair, a narrow face, and a scar

t recogn

recogni

to the pendant

, his expres

your mother

ped ba

ou know a

glanced towar

the one who hel

t began

ew my m

ara Vale v

e what happe

t me for a

. But n

y n

servants are close

nded hi

to discover the truth about your

his outstr

ast twenty-four hours to understa

warned me to t

at not even an ancient dr

a message telling me no

a stranger who claimed

n to believe that I could

towards t

its depths, a

oked back

with you," I said, "I

ed an e

is t

d his

arents re

the stranger looke

ered h

the question you should hav

seemed

ak, a distant roar

lth

face tu

s the mountains,

e to mo

ed into

nly a second befo

lden mark on my p

mountains, something ancien

me had recogn

adow King