The Enchanted Dragon

TER

AN WHO KNE

could happen to a person was discovering that

stand that the truth cou

, moving with the confidence of someone who knew every tree, every hidden p

him, my fingers curled tightly

m for less tha

t the letter hidden beneath our cottage, and he

oked frightened when I asked whe

ted a

who possessed answers did no

re we goin

ontinued

t f

that ten m

re still

row

requirement for peopl

d over hi

to ask too many

should have given

rst time,

, but it made him ap

I shoul

back towar

d him ca

al small pouches at his waist. A silver ring rested on his right hand

emed familiar, but I could no

magician?

nc

oes tha

e things in my past I w

igh

nother person

n chu

t secrets are remarkab

ople who refuse to ans

is als

ng to regret

sound came from

rough the trees, followed

opped imm

oved towar

that?" I

not a

towards the eastern

rumble

the ground tremble

expressio

ed to

hy

that sound has discov

ach tig

lri

ssi

u be more

fer to remain here and as

d that I

ed along

he trees. The golden mark beneath my skin had begun to puls

from benea

raved on its surfa

n not

that

hy

s responding

ing lik

and turned

piece of jewellery. It was created long before the academy was built

red a

about th

urse I

dn't you tel

ether you had found it befor

ded m

have simp

ld have simp

outh, then cl

ely, he ha

resumed

o remain dormant until the guardian bloodline awakened. If it has begun resp

down at

l me how to

t h

red a

ve any oth

ver

like to s

e reach some

roa

ignor

egan to thin. Beyond them, I could see the remain

tower that had been ab

. Broken pillars lay scattered around the entrance, while

roached it

close

at the ru

r idea of so

ilt by the

top

ha

anced

uardians maintained hidden shelters thr

against the stone b

appeared benea

ance filled with

stepped

er y

sita

fir

ed an e

ect me to b

er whether there are any un

lau

lked into

oll

uch larger than th

ith shelves, old weapons, and faded maps. A fireplace stood against

of dust, parchme

wards one of

h unfamiliar symbols. Some were bound in leather, while oth

over the spine of

tten in a languag

k on my palm warme

withdrew

n not

cords recognise

g in this place

every

k and hung it over

ugh of i

at the

into a wooden cup an

it before asking

you to m

ined st

ved tog

ed wh

der of the

dropped

re a gu

e order. That is not

the dif

the order protected them, preserved their records,

ned f

knew my

es

w what happe

expressio

ened on the night

eemed to g

appe

dded

ther were alive whe

red a

econds, I cou

shed back

N

did n

ria

something like that and

hoed throug

ve lived with that truth. I have accepted it, even when I hated i

re alive when I

same as saying th

lied quietly

rned

elt painfu

I was a child. In those dreams, they always arrived with smil

learned to stop ima

ssing, something I tried to b

had broug

of what might happ

towards h

one tell me th

nts needed the wor

hy

rotec

hed bi

My mother hid letters to protect me. Aldric kept secrets to protect me

ad my

ection does on

owered h

hen the Shadow Kin

er the black-cloaked so

ic V

ho had at

out my father as though h

e night my parents d

ut a chair and

ut you must understand that I d

odd

a slow

tion of the First Flame. He believed they had taken something that belonged t

did th

refu

rse the

ve me a b

rolled by one person. Your mother agreed. They understood that

pau

guardians' sanctuary. Your parents fought to protect the ent

the edge o

hey es

what I

n't they come

face ti

not

urt more tha

onti

Malric would search for you if he discovered that the guardian bloodlin

down at

c knew ev

ough to kee

not an

n admitted.

back in

ing for answers, only to discover tha

ts might

wn more than h

me connected to a secret that ha

d my fo

d a mo

in n

long as y

alked towards

t depicted Eldoria in remarkable detail, showing the k

had been marked

lackthorn

the Whispe

he Eldoria Ac

ached t

he academ

e to stand

ilt upon the remains of an

d towar

ha

used to study the First Flame. Some of th

Aldric tell me n

xpression

e academy h

towards the

But after the guardians disappeared, the academy began rewriting certain records. T

ld they

he questions we h

ed at

my had re

oked frightened when th

n I had dreamed of joining might be hiding

anger rose

t to g

looke

he ac

es

uld be f

records are there,

ts will be watch

will be

ed me for a

markably like

oked

ether to take tha

, a sudden crash soun

spun

lt, and a thin silver blade

behi

need to be

urrounding the e

crash f

voice shouted

Open th

in f

ked a

know

red his

rtuna

filled with

r, carrying a leather satchel and a

hair had been tied into a loose braid. A few strands had escape

ere bright

rst at Corvin

she s

econds, she s

rian Vale,

ced at

equally

sharply. "What ar

gnore

peated. "The son of T

t began

ou know m

wn at the boo

sed her eyes

ing for the truth about t

icularly good at keep

angry, pe

mbarrassed,

s, I apparently developed the subtle

ticed ev

on the table and s

r mother's ey

row

keeps sa

because i

ou kno

tudied the record

ened t

iagrams, and drawings of ancient symbols. Several pas

was a drawing of the golden s

ci

ee curv

fl

eath

id you g

ed archives of the

folded

the restricted

him an irri

ng research beyond the limitations i

tole a

rowed

t permi

e people use when they want kn

bbed his

red a

r surrounding us,

I had met someone who seemed capable of arg

rned tow

peared with the location of the First Flame. But the records do not agree with

ou investig

sion becam

been searching for

lri

no

sed to have been destroyed centuries ago. The name appeared beside references to th

ed at

with an expression I

cont

removed several pages from an ancient book. Yesterday, I discovered that the academy's

istres

a no

fused to ex

Wren had stared at the Aether Crys

ot looked

looked f

have to do wit

d directly

ryth

ned m

appeared faintly

eyes w

e seemed to forg

pered, "The g

red a

w what t

It was carried by the bloodline entru

epped

the bloodline ended

allo

the records

tudied

everyone to belie

m fell

ind moved thro

ho had spent two years investigating my family; and the invisible shadow

truth about my parents was not a mystery

people, ancient magic, and an enemy who had

at Elen

do we

sed the

to the

diately sho

lutel

ised an

a better s

ver

me

Malric discovers whe

rest of our l

ally considered preferabl

rned tow

explain what happened to your parents. If we do not reach them

looke

ou to walk direc

bout my mot

bout the go

ent believing that my parents were

mbered Malr

wer so deeply that even yo

the last person to un

oing,"

sed his ey

urse y

a sm

leave befo

nset?"

est when the light changes. It is the safes

red a

school sound like an ord

ed up he

rised how often it

ced at

o say that he had been dealing

in days, I felt som

ly become a powerful magician or that my

as dif

ered that I

were willing to search for answers, and perhaps people w

whether I co

willing to

towards th

e thing,

oked

ha

hesi

may already know t

miliar chill

hy

, I found a message hidden beneath the academy

to a marked page and

had been written

TURNS, THE SHADO

d at th

rk on my palm

ountains, a deep roar

lth

losed t

parents," she said quietl

the ruined entr

forest, Malric Veyne

rstood that finding the truth

ne the fate of t