Prologue
Eric and Karia leaned against Rubara on her island north of Soyagone. Both of them were silent as they each read a book for a while. Karia every so often looked away from her book to sneak a glance at the boy next to her. He was so handsome, smart, and he stuck up for his friends. He’d saved her life back a couple months ago during the Bloodfeather Incident. Her heart skipped a beat as she watched him for a moment. Then his neck turned toward her and she jolted her head in a rush to make it look like she wasn’t staring and make him uncomfortable.
She wanted to tell him how she felt, but was afraid. He was a noble and she was a mere commoner. Sorcerer though she was, she was still from a poor family. Why would he ever want to be with her in that manner? Still, whenever she imagined herself years in the future, she saw him by her side.
Finally, Karia spoke.
“Rubara?”
“Yes?” the dragon asked.
“I’ve been wondering, you were a wild dragon, right?”
Rubara nodded.
“How did you come to be in Eric’s family?” Karia asked.
“Oh, that is quite a tale. I suppose I could tell you, but you might like to read it given how much you enjoy that,” Rubara said.
“There is a book on it?” Karia exclaimed.
Eric nodded. “I have a copy in my room.”
He got up and lead her to his tower, Karia hesitated a moment at the doorway. He was taking her inside his bedroom. That made her a little nervous as she recalled a pair of lecherous hands running over her body during the Festival of Unification just before the Bloodfeather Incident. She’d begged the boy touching her to stop but he just kept touching her and she’d eventually had to slap him. That got her in trouble.
“You alright?” he asked noticing her stop.
“Yes, just nervous about being in a boy’s room,” she said.
He could understand that. He’d been there when Tarair Volk had been sexually harassing her and had even fought for her honor to prevent her from being punished unjustly.
“Don’t worry, I would never do something like Tarair and touch you when you didn’t want it,” Eric assured her.
She slowly stepped inside.
“I trust you.”
He walked over to his bookshelf and scanned the volumes and took one out.
“Here it is! Days with Dragons!” Eric said. “Written by my great-great grandfather.”
He handed it to Karia who examined it. It was an old book, the original copy in fact that had been passed down from generation to generation after Rikar’s passing. But it was still in good condition with a yellow leather cover and an illustration of a dragon that resembled Rubara on the cover with a sorcerer in a yellow robe. The title was at the top with the author’s name at the bottom, both of which were in red letters and even had some of Rubara’s scales on it.
“It looks like an expensive book,” Karia said.
Eric shrugged, he wasn’t sure of the price, but he’d heard that selling the book had made his ancestors on his mother’s side wealthy enough for a couple generations.
“Well, you can take that home with you if you want,” Eric told her.
She smiled. It was almost time for her to go home anyway.
“Thank you.”
She put the book in her purse then walked down the stairs, through the gate and all the way to the Peasants Peace sector. She arrived just in time since her mother had almost finished dinner. Karia ate her cabbage and tomato soup with her parents and sisters.
“How was your day reading with Eric?” her middle sister Veronica asked. “Did you kiss him yet?”
“Veronica!” Karia exclaimed with a fierce blush.
“Leave your sister alone Veronica. The boy has to has to confess his love to the girl,” her mother Betrica said.
“Yes. Though I do like Lord Eric well enough, it would be a miracle if we could get one of you married to a Lord.”
“As though that’s going to happen though,” Karia said. “I mean he’s the hero who’s supposed to save Sorceria and I’m just a humble peasant sorceress.”
Betrica put a hand on her eldest daughter’s shoulder. “Peasant or not you are still a sorceress and that increases your chances. And you are as beautiful as a princess.”
Karia smiled at her mother. She ate the rest of her soup then went to her room that she shared with her sisters, she conjured a sorcery ball to light the room for her nighttime reading. She took the book from her bag and opened it to begin the story.
***
A red dragon lay in her cave within a volcano on the island of Dragoran, waiting. In front of her was her nest full of five eggs. She could tell by the colors of each egg what the hatchling inside would look like, for their scales would bear the same colors as their eggs. One, a brilliant gold one, a purple one with red spots, and another red with gold spots. There were two others as well, both of which had one or two of the colors that came from Rubara or the father. Rubara had been impregnated during mating season months ago, and now she had to reside within this smoky volcano until her eggs hatched.
Dragon eggs required an enormous amount of heat or they would never emerge from their shells. As such the volcano caves on Dragoran were the most suitable residence until the eggs hatched. Rubara moved into this cave as soon as she saw it.
Finally, the eggs began to crack. She watched eagerly, her sharp teeth forming a smile. Then her first baby emerged from its egg. The one in the middle, the purple with red spots, popped out its head. It squawked as it looked at its mother. As Rubara expected the hatchlings body matched its egg. The baby dragon’s scales were a bright purple while its belly, wings, and horns were red. It was a girl like Rubara, and like her mother had the same colors, but inverted. Next came the egg on the left, the pure gold one. That one had taken after the father of this cluster of hatchlings. It was another girl. Finally came the third egg, a boy with Rubara’s fire red body, and the father’s golden wings. The others followed, baby dragon heads popping out of the eggs. All of them were the size of a puppy.
Rubara looked at her hatchlings, they were all healthy. But for the first few years of their life, they would be helpless being so small and would have to depend on their mother. She would take care of them until they reached the size of a full-grown deer. There were many dangers on this island, particularly in the jungle area where she would venture now. Many large and dangerous animals roamed the island, none a match for a full-grown dragon of course, but they could easily threaten these little ones.
Rubara also knew that there were greater threats to her kind out there. Humans, those monsters that killed for seemingly no reason other than the joy of it, or for precious metals and stones. Rubara could never understand why anyone would kill for something they could not eat. They sometimes came to Dragoran and with their magic or weapons and would slay her kind then strip them of their scales or steal their hatchlings and eggs. Rubara had been afraid of this happening during the times she’d gone out hunting for food. But fortunately, the volcano lands of Dragoran were treacherous and no humans had disturbed her or any other mother dragon that she knew. But she knew one thing, if she ever found a human (or any other creature) threatening one of her babies, she would burn or eat them. Her hatchlings, her newest, greatest treasure would not be harmed if she could help it.
The babies began flapping their wings, already able to fly at their newborn age. This was both a good and bad thing, it would enable them to escape from danger if it came, but they could also fly away from her. To do that nearly always meant certain doom. But fortunately, it was their instinct to stay close to their mother, at least for now. They climbed on Rubara’s back and sunk their claws into her. Rubara barely felt the pressure before she walked out of the volcanic cave which had served its purpose. She then spread her wings and took flight to go to her chosen home. This was a new beginning for her.
