As the sun rises over the hills, I pull in the heavy nets from the river. All around me the village is awakening, and I see smoke rise as other mothers stir the fires within their hearths. My son, Adiran, comes out of our hut to help with pulling in last night's haul.
"Go back inside, Adiran. You didn't get enough sleep again." I say without looking up from my task, I had heard him tossing around on his cot all night, once again.
"No, I'm all right. They weren't as bad this time, Mother. Let me help you," he begs. I purse my lips and sigh.
"Fine. But if you exhaust yourself, it is your own fault. It's nearly time to harvest and if you get sick, I won't be able to do it all." It normally wouldn't matter, but with his father gone to Caelestes knows where I have no one else to help. Adiran nods and we pull in the last of the nets. We sit in silence as we go through the catch, sorting it out by type and size.
Suddenly a scream pierces through the serene valley. It startles us both, and I leap to my feet. "Go inside, and do not come out unless I say." I don't look to see if my son obeys, all that is on my mind is what had happened the last time a scream like that had been heard in this village. I begin praying to all the Caelestes I can currently think of, holding on to the hope, that yet another Venenarious has not come to Ancra.
I reach the hut from which the scream originated, and my heart drops. At the door, is a large black horse, and next to it, a tall, caped figure. His face is hidden in the shadows of his hood, but it is easy to tell that he is one of the Gifted, not much better than a Venenarious. On his shoulder is a Faerie; though small, it still terrifies me.
I go to speak only to find that something is blocking my words. I clear my throat and ask, with as much resolve as I can muster, "What has brought your kind to Ancra? And what business do you have here?"
"I am looking for a powerful Gifted. The dragons have led me here. However, -" His voice is rough and deep, and I have a feeling that he doesn't use it very often.
"We have no Gifted here. Your dragons are wrong. Now leave. Ancra is not welcome to the cursed or damned." I snap at him, just barely containing my hatred for him and the beast on his shoulder.
"I am not cursed, nor am I damned. The dragons are never wrong. If they sense a Gifted is in Ancra then there is a Gifted in Ancra. I will not–" he pauses and tilts his head to the Faerie on his shoulder and after a moment continues to speak. "The Gifted has not yet realized her potential. She goes by the name of Kitana Potens."
I gasp and shake my head, "No, your creature is wrong. I am not one of you. I can't be." As I speak, a voice in my mind plants seeds of doubt. They only serve to make me more determined to prove that it isn't true.
"Then you will have no qualm with me testing you."
My heart sinks, but I know I can't deny him. I shake my head, and he motions me closer. My body moves on its own accord, and within moments I am in front of him. He reaches into his saddlebag and pulls out items that look like different colored stones.
"These are Dragon eggs." he lays them down one by one, "If one of them hatches in your presence, then you are indeed a Gifted, and the creature shall be your guide." He motions me forward after he has laid them all out. He hands me a knife and tells me to cut the palm of my right hand and place it over each egg. I take a deep breath and draw the runed knife across my palm, wincing as a trail of blood appears behind it.
I reach my hand out and let it linger over each egg, and as they continue to lie dormant as I pass, I feel my heartbeat steady. He and his beast were wrong. It wasn't me they were looking for. My hand gets to the last egg, and I go to pull away, but the egg rocks and its shell begins to crack. I gasp, My heart drops like a stone and I realize my mistake. I had let myself believe.
"No. This cannot be. I am not one of you!" I jump up and begin to move away. A glance at the Gifted has me stopping. He had thrown his hood back, and I could now see his face. He has dark tanned skin and unruly black curly hair, his ears are pointed. And his eyes... His eyes have a cat's vertical pupils and are a shocking dark blue. He's a half-breed. But this is not what has me stopping.
No, the look on his face is what stopped me, he looks just as shocked as I. He looks up at me and meets my gaze, "You have awakened a Raw Magick dragon. You are the first to do so in a hundred years. And the second to ever possess this magick." My heart drops lower; to have Raw Magick is an omen. Neither good nor bad, but still not something I would wish upon anyone.
"Mother?" I whip around at my son's voice, he's standing at the edge of the growing crowd.
"I told you to stay inside. What do you think you're doing?" A shrill squeak interrupts his answer and has me looking back towards the eggs. In the place of the last one stands a dragon not much bigger than the beast the Gifted brought. It jumps towards me and lands on my chest. I no longer notice my son. All I notice is the new voice within my head:
"I could feel your power from within my shell, but not even that prepared me for the vastness of it. To have this much power… how has it not exploded from your veins?"
Unlike a young child's, the voice isn't high pitched. Instead, it is soft, and in a way soothing. However, it does nothing to calm me, nor the burning hatred that threatens to explode at any moment.
"Get out of my head! I don't want this. And I don't want to hear from you."
"I couldn't even if I wished. Once we touched we became Bonded. I am yours, and you are mine. You are lucky that we bonded when we did. I can feel it coursing through your veins. Without me, your magick will kill you. I will teach you how to harness and control it."
"What makes you think that I would believe you? Even if I did, I would rather be destroyed than have anything to do with magick. I don't see how any of this is lucky. Now, if you can't get out of my head the least you can do is remain silent."
The beast's voice quiets. I hear screaming. After a moment I realize that it is coming from Adiran. I turn towards him and see that Selje is holding him back. The crowd around me is hushed and staring. I stand and notice that my chin is wet and that there is a coppery taste in my mouth. I wipe at my face, only to have my hand come away covered in more blood. My nose had been bleeding. The bond being created must have been incredibly painful to have brought me to my knees and cause me to bleed. I am glad I hadn't felt it.
"You must come with me to Civitas Magicae. There, you and your dragon will train."
I don't acknowledge the newcomer and walk to my son. "I told you to stay inside. Why did you disobey me, Adiran?"
"I wanted to see what was going on. There was so much noise and you sounded scared. Nothing scares you."
"Oh, Adiran. The only thing that scares me is losing yet another member of my family. I can't lose you too." My son's eyes are full of tears, I pull him close and stroke my clean hand over his hair. I feel his body shudder as the stranger speaks again, "If you do not wish to lose your son, you will come with me. There is a darkness growing, and the dragons believe you to be the only one who may stop it. If you refuse and turn out to be the savior, everything will perish." His voice is grave and his comments make my blood run cold.
"He speaks the truth, Kitana. That unease that you've been feeling, it is the darkness that is to come. It will destroy everything in its path. Nothing shall escape its reach."
My heart stills as I think about what they said. I knew exactly what the beast was talking about when she spoke of feeling unease. For several weeks I've been feeling like my gut is in knots.
Since the beast's voice is back, I ask, "How do you know this? Why am I supposed to believe you? Or him for that matter. I know neither of you nor have you gained my trust.
"Dragons have the ability to connect even from within an egg. This is to preserve knowledge, and so that when we do hatch, we may begin our teaching immediately. However, the only one who knows what or who the darkness is, perished many years ago. All of his knowledge was locked away. To be opened only by another with Raw Magick. You have to go to Civitas Magicae. Learn about that which is coming, then decide if you'd rather remain here while the world burns."
"Even if what you are saying is true, why would I go with you to the City of Magick when I can better protect my son from here? How do I know that this isn't some ploy to destroy me? After all, if I truly am the only thing standing between coming darkness and the world, wouldn't it just be easier for the evil to send someone to look for me?"
"My dragon and I were sent by Draco himself. We have been searching not only for you but for other Gifted as well. If you truly believe that you can protect your son here, with no training, then I will not force you to go. Just know that you will watch your son die a horrible death. But you, you will not die. The darkness will keep you an untrained savior -- as a pet."
My son stiffens and it is clear that he is afraid. "It is alright Adiran. I am not going anywhere." I go to pull him in close once more, but he stops me, "No. You have to go, Mother. If what this man says is true, then it's not just me that you could save. Go with him."
"Adiran, he's just trying to frighten us. There is no truth in what he's saying." I reply, shocked that my son, who can't stand to be separated from me for any amount of time would urge me to leave.
"No," he says, "I don't believe so. But even if it is, you should go with him. Just in case." I see the resolve in his eyes and take a steadying breath before looking towards Selje.
"Selje," I say, standing up, "Will you watch Adiran while I am gone? I will go with them and see what, if any, truth is held in what they are saying." She stiffens and casts an uneasy glance towards the damned stranger, before nodding. I incline my head in thanks and look once more to my child.
I feel a pang in my heart, as once again, I am struck by how small and pale he is. I wipe the tears from his face and say, "Be good for Selje. Help out where you can, but be careful to not exhaust yourself." He nods and hugs me again. I turn to the stranger and see that he has already gathered up the eggs that are still dormant and is standing silently next to his horse.
"Well, if we are to go on a quest, I suppose I ought to know your name. Or would you prefer if I were to call you asina?"
"My name is not something your tongue is capable of speaking. But you may call me Vyctor."
"And you, beast? Do you have a name?"
"My name is Amberle. Thank you for putting the world before the hatred and anger within your heart."
"I am doing this only to find the truth Amberle… And to save my son."
"I will go fetch my things and my horse. Come along Adiran, I need to show you what I expect you to do while I am gone." I turn away, walking to my hut, and Adiran runs to catch up. I tell him to go saddle Velox up and to fill a saddle bag with oats. He hesitates but nods and heads toward the pen.
I grab a bag and fill it with food, changes of clothing for both Adiran and myself as well as a few blankets. After a moment of hesitation, I pack my husband's knife and head toward the pen behind my home. Velox is munching his morning oats and standing still as Adiran finishes placing his saddle on. I attach my bag on one side of him, as my son places the bag of oats on the other. I lead him out of the pen and tell Adiran to get on.
"What? Why? I thought I was staying here," Adiran says, confusion quickly spreading across his face.
"No. You aren't staying. But we're not going with them either. If something is coming then I am going to get you as far away as I can. Now get on the horse." I place my hands under his arms and lift him.
"No, you can't do this! You have to go." Adiran struggles and tries to get down. I grab him and say, "either you stay on this horse willingly or I'll tie you to it. I am taking you away from here one way or another." Adiran glares at me but stops trying to get down.
"Fine. But when what that man says comes to happen just remember I told you to go."
Ignoring him, and the growing dread in my stomach, I swing myself up behind him and urge Velox into a gallop heading deep into the mountains.