Chapter 2

After weeks of hard flying and little rest, the great, green dragon Colossus crested the top of the mountains, leaving the scorching desert behind. He saw a land dotted by rivers, lakes, and forests spread out below. He flew in ever-decreasing circles, surveying the land, finally settling onto the lush, green grass of a meadow by a large lake. He had not seen a single drop of water in the last four days. He leaned down and took a long drink of the cold, crystal-clear water, even dunking his head under the water to cool down. After flying over the hot, dry desert and the tall snow-capped mountains, Colossus was bone-weary tired.

A small yet determined cry reminded him of the task at hand. He opened the claw of his left forefoot and gingerly dropped the baby on the grass. Far from Talamh Arsa, and with the Endless Desert separating the lands, this should be as good a place as any to find a home for Bahaar’s son. He could smell the stench of dark magic emanating from the baby but could sense no evil intentions from him. He could not just leave the child to fend for himself in the forest, so he decided to scout to see what manner of creatures lived in this land. He took another long drink of water, flapped his massive wings, and flew off into the distance, the baby once again clutched in his giant claw.

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Colossus landed just outside of a small village. The inhabitants of the town, obviously seeing his arrival, gathered at the edge of the village, weapons in hand. Colossus could smell their fear but also their courage. The weapons they held looked more adapted to farming than war. Colossus shook his head in wonder. These creatures looked remarkably like the baby he clutched in his claw. However, that should be no surprise, as Andharia helped create everything. When she cast the curse, she must have had the look of these creatures in the back of her mind.

Colossus stared at the villagers gathered before him. They were tall and broad-shouldered, covered in a thick coat of shaggy brown fur. They had large, curved horns on their heads and wide nostrils on their snouts. They stood on two legs, which ended in hooves. The only difference between them and the baby that Colossus could readily discern was that his newly emerging horns were black. The horns of all these villagers were ivory.

Colossus spoke to them in the old tongue, hoping they knew it, knowing they would not understand dragon speech. “Greetings, brave creatures. My name is Colossus, and I have come from across the Endless Desert searching for a new home for this baby. Though he is not of your kind, he more closely resembles you than any other race I have found.” He watched their faces and waited.

One among them stepped forward. “My Lord Dragon, we are honored by your presence. None of your kind has visited these lands in our lifetime. I am Aleksei. My brethren do not speak this language. I was taught to speak it by the elves when I visited their homeland.” He peered at the baby. “What manner of creature is this? And why would you travel such great distances only to give him to us?”

Colossus leaned his massive head down so he could look directly into the eyes of the minotaur. He narrowed his eyes in concentration and spoke. “I took you for a simple farming community. I am surprised that you have elf-taught knowledge. Have others in your village studied with the elves?”

“No. Only the eldest son of the Tribal Chieftain learns the old tongue from the elves. There has not been a dragon sighted in these lands in longer than my lifetime. What is it that brings you to these lands, Lord Dragon?”

“I have come to find a suitable home for this babe. He comes from a faraway land and needs a new home.”

“What manner of beast is he? His black fur and ebony horns give him a look of evil, yet a gentleness in his eyes is rarely seen in such a beast.”

Colossus sighed a heavy sigh. “I will share a part of his story with you. He is a cursed demi-god. He was born of a human mother and fathered by the king of the gods. He was cursed while still in the womb by the jealous queen. She cursed him to be evil inside and for his appearance to reflect that. I sense no evil from this child, however. I do not think that the curse fully touched him. I will stay nearby to monitor his growth, but if he grows up with others who resemble him, he may stand a better chance of living a normal life.”

“I sense the truth in your words and agree with your assessment, Lord Dragon. I, Aleksei of the Minotaurs, and my wife, Senja, will welcome the babe into our home as one of our own. I will tell no one, other than my wife, his true origins. Do you know his name, Lord Dragon?”

Colossus pondered a moment. “I do not. He was banished from the kingdom before he could be named.”

“I will call him Krycus. A good strong name for a good strong babe.” Aleksei said while reaching down and lifting Krycus into his arms.

“I thank you, Aleksei of the Minotaurs, and I will not forget your kindness. I will know and come if you or young Krycus ever need my assistance. Otherwise, I will not bother you again. Farewell, Aleksei.” With that, Colossus turned and, with a massive flap of his wings, rose high into the air and disappeared from sight.

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Colossus flew in wide, arcing circles across the length and breadth of Talamh Thar. He was searching for a race with which he could entrust certain secrets. Colossus knew that someday, the troubles of Talamh Arsa would spread into the new land. Talamh Thar needed guardians. The minotaurs were good, hardy creatures but were still just simple folk and relatively few in number. Colossus flew past the armored cities of the war-like dwarves, the elves’ homes hidden deep in their forests. He flew past schools of merfolk splashing with the dolphins in the sea and the giants’ simple villages in the fields and hills. Then, Colossus found the humans. Back in the old country, humans were clustered in small towns and were few in number. Here, they were spread out in dozens of towns and cities of varying sizes. Their numbers were vast. Colossus made the decision to entrust his secrets to humans. Colossus spotted a large castle atop a hill at the edge of the most significant human city. He circled one more time and then landed near the castle.

Soldiers flooded out of the castle’s front gate, and archers lined the parapets. Colossus cocked his head to the side and came as close as a dragon can to smiling. He blew out a thin stream of fire several feet in front of the line of soldiers and watched as they retreated and cowered in fear. The archers rained arrows down upon the dragon, but they bounced harmlessly off his scaly hide.

Colossus sat and stared as the soldiers scurried around, trying to decide what to do about him. The dragon noticed a man standing on the highest tower. The man was watching everything. Colossus noted that the man was not dressed as a soldier and had a golden circlet on his brow. The dragon knew immediately that this must be their king. Colossus stood and bowed his head toward the king.

King Tarquinn surveyed the scene below him. A creature of legend, a dragon, stood in his courtyard. The king’s first instinct was to protect his people and his castle. He deployed his formidable army, which resulted in an embarrassing failure. No weapon could pierce the dragon’s hide. When a strange thing happened, Tarquinn contemplated his next move; the great green dragon’s gaze fell upon him. The dragon stared, and the king stared back. Tarquinn’s hand instinctively reached for his sword when the dragon stood and moved toward him, but then the dragon bowed. Tarquinn was stunned. It wasn’t just a figment of his imagination; the dragon bowed toward the king, then lay down and rested its massive head between its front legs. The dragon seemed to be waiting for something or for someone. Tarquinn made a decision. He descended the tower and stepped outside of his castle. Flanked by his two most senior generals, Tarquinn stepped forward, stood before the mighty dragon, and bowed. “Greetings, Lord Dragon. Is there any manner in which we may communicate? I would greatly like to hear your reason for visiting my humble kingdom.”

Colossus was impressed that the human king returned his bow with one of his own. The dragon drew in a breath and blew out a thin stream of dragon smoke, which encircled the king. The two generals leaped forward, but Tarquinn yelled to stop them before they could act. “No! Stop! It’s ok. The smoke isn’t hurting me. There’s a slight itching and burning sensation on my right bicep.” Tarquinn pulled down his shirt and stared in wonder at the bright green dragon claw tattoo on his right arm. He looked wonderingly at the dragon. “Why did you do this?”

“I granted you Dragon Speech so you could understand me. I judge you as a kind and noble king, and I need your assistance.”

“You have already granted me a gift for which I can never repay you. Ask anything, and I will grant it.”

“I need you and your people to be the guardians of this land. A watchdog, so to speak. I have come from the land beyond the Sands of Eternity, the great desert to your west. I did not come alone. I brought with me a cursed demi-god. He needed a home far from where he came from, and I have chosen to leave him with the minotaurs.”

“Beyond the sands to the west, you say? Some have ventured in, but none have ever returned. We call it the Death Sands.” The king turned to one of his generals. “Send for a tent and a chair for me. Have drinks and food sent out as well.” The general yelled out orders to a soldier who stood nearby. The king turned back to Colossus. “Sorry for that interruption, Lord Dragon. Continue your tale.”

“The Death Sands, as you call them, would be near impossible for humans to cross without knowledge of the terrain and an arsenal to defend against what lives within the desert. That is a tale for another day, though. For now, you must learn of the boy and his history.”

“I am still amazed that I am speaking to a dragon, and now we will speak of a demi-god. How is this possible? I have so many questions. Why did you choose me to speak to? Why did you leave the demi-god with the minotaurs? They are such a simple and peaceful race! Why did you take the baby so far from his home?” While speaking, the soldiers constructed a tent around the king and brought him his throne. They got a table and filled it full of drinks and food for the king and the generals. Last, they also brought Colossus a cow and two sheep to satiate his hunger.

The green dragon licked his lips and thanked the king for the meal. “To answer your questions, King Tarquinn, I chose the minotaurs for two reasons. Reason one is that they are a simple and peaceful race, as you say. The second reason is that the curse caused the baby’s appearance to change, and he now resembles a minotaur. There are differences, but he resembles them more closely than any other race.”

“That makes sense, but why come to us? Why grant me Dragon Speech?”

“I flew the length and breadth of this land. I passed over the war-like dwarves. I passed over the hidden and reclusive elves. I passed over the people of the sea, the syreni. I passed over the trolls in their mountain caves. I passed over many other races. In Talamh Arsa, the land I came from, humans are simple folk. They live in small villages without centralized organization. You have come far here in Talamh Thar. Your people have flourished. If dark days envelop this land, humans will play a key role in saving the world.”

“You speak highly of both me and my race, Lord Dragon. I am honored.”

“I hope I am not misjudging you,” Colossus said, staring intently at Tarquinn. “As to why I brought the baby here, the answer is both simple and complex at the same time. The simple answer is that King Bahaar did not want it known that the cursed and grotesque child was of his blood. It was his Queen, Andharia, who cursed the babe. Bahaar mated with a human woman and impregnated her. Andharia cursed the child while he was still in the womb. Upon his birth, his mother was killed, and he was banished.”

“Political drama and jealousy amongst the gods. I am not sure if that is comforting or frightening.” Tarquinn said.

“That answers your question, but it is not the whole story I must tell you.” The dragon said. “The curse is of the old magic. Though I do not sense evil within him, he may yet draw evil to him. You need to know the history of the old magic and these beings I call gods.”

“Did you warn the minotaurs of this danger?”

“In vague terms only. I did not feel that they would have understood. That is why I am here with you now.”

“I am ready to listen, Lord Dragon.”

Colossus began his story. “Back before recorded time, there was one being before anything else. A being so powerful that words have no explanation. This being grew tired of the empty void and eternal aloneness. He decided to create a planet on which he could then create life. He gathered all of his magical energies and focused them on the creation of this planet. Even with all his power, he couldn’t stop what happened next. He expended so much energy that he splintered into twelve separate entities. As they each awoke, they began to realize what happened. They also discovered that their former self’s remaining energy now flowed like a river under the ground of their new home. The river’s magic seeped into the earth, imbuing everything with a small amount of magic.”

Colossus stopped his story and leaned closer to Tarquinn. “This is still true today, king. The river of magic flows beneath our feet, and every plant and animal holds minute traces of magic within them.”

“That is amazing, Lord Dragon. I never knew.”

“It is the source of magic powers. Whether they know the source or not, they draw magic from everywhere. Untrained mages can draw too much from one source and kill it.”

“No wonder they go through such long apprenticeships.”

“True.” Colossus settled his head back onto his mighty forelegs. “The twelve attempted to recombine into their one true form. They tried for months, maybe years. Finally, they gave up and started experimenting with what they could do as twelve separate entities. They soon discovered that the power of creation required all twelve to work together. I was the result of their first successful attempt. I was the first of dragons, the oldest living being except for the twelve themselves.”

“Wow! That’s impressive!” Tarquinn bowed his head toward Colossus.

“The twelve, who now referred to themselves as elders, set me the task of guarding the source of magic. I was confined to the underground cavern for thousands of years until fate intervened, and I could pass my task on to others. With the magic now guarded, the elders were free to roam. They took pride in creating small things independently but were forced to work together to create life. They started developing their own personalities and took on the separate names that we know them by today. They spent their days creating small things. Some made flowers and trees and other vegetation.

In contrast, when the twelve met again, others contemplated new ideas for small animals, insects, and birds. The world was filling up with all manner of life. One among them grew bored. His name was Ashael. He started experimenting with darker aspects of his powers, such as combining life forms to create new things, grotesque things. He began killing things only to bring them back to life. Some of Ashael’s creations escaped from his laboratories and began destroying Ashael’s siblings’ creations.

When the others realized the problem, it had grown so severe that it was too late to stop. The dark magic had warped and changed Ashael. He was now the first of the Shadowkin. The eternal war between the Elders and the Shadowkin had begun. The creatures that Ashael had brought back from the dead had the power to infect those that they touched. The Shadowkin gained numbers amazingly quickly. The eleven remaining Elders searched for Ashael, but he had disappeared. He has never been seen to this day. It is assumed that he still lives but has chosen to live in hiding.

For centuries, the elders chased the shadowkin across the lands. Around them, the world changed. The other races grew and spread across the globe. Towns and, eventually, cities were built. Stories about the two warring groups were told over and over. The elders became known as the Enkali. The mysterious Ashael and his Shadowkin became legends of terror to scare children of all races into obeying their parents.”

Tarquinn stood and stretched his limbs. He took a drink of water. “That is an amazing story, Lord Dragon. We have heard variations of similar stories. We never dreamed they were true!”

“I am not surprised that variations of the stories have reached this far. My story is not yet finished, King Tarquinn. What I have told you is but history. I told you all that to prepare you for how things currently are and how they may directly affect the lands in which you live.”

“In that case, I am quite interested, and you have my undivided attention, Lord Dragon,” Tarquinn said.

“As I have said, the Unending War has raged for thousands of years. The Shadowkin, soon followed by the Enkali, arrived in Talamh Arsa over a thousand years ago. The elves were drawn into the fight but soon fled the land. They entered the desert, and their descendants may now live in the forests to your south. It is unlikely, though possible, that any stayed in the desert.”

“Elves are a hardy bunch, but I agree with you. Why stay in that horrible, hellish desert?”

“Exactly my thinking. The truth is probably written in the elven histories, but they are hidden even from most elves.”

“Odd. We teach our history to all our young.”

“The elves are different and more secretive than most other races. That is one of the reasons why I did not choose them in my quest to find a guardian for this land.”

“My people and I are humbled that you chose us.”

The dragon cocked his head and smiled his dragony smile. “Back to my tale. So, the battle raged across Talamh Arsa for hundreds of years. The elves fled, and the dragons and our kin retreated to the northern mountains. This left the Enkali and Shadowkin to battle each other. Other races, like the humans, were sometimes caught in the middle, but they mostly stayed out of the way. Then, the Enkali made a breakthrough. Close to five hundred years ago, they created silver control collars. Once the collars were in place around the neck of a Shadowkin, that Shadowkin was under the complete control of the Enkali. Now, as far as anyone knows, every Shadowkin is collared. There has been a more extended period of peace in the land than has been known for a long time.

Now that you know a brief history let me tell you about my fears about our current situation and why I want the baby to be watched closely. When Andharia cursed the baby, the Enkali made the first use of dark magic since Ashael. I fear that the birth of the babe and the release of the dark magic within him may stir up the Shadowkin and draw Ashael himself out of the shadows.”

“Those are indeed some dire fears. It is a mission of grave importance that you place upon the shoulders of my people.”

“The mark that I placed upon you will be handed down to the firstborn son of each generation. Ensure your heirs know this story and contact me if any sign of the Shadowkin appears within these lands. I will hear the thoughts of any who bear that tattoo if those thoughts are directed towards me.”

“I will do as you ask, Lord Dragon. You will not regret your decision to put your trust in us.”

Colossus nodded his head. He rose and stretched his limbs, and then the dragon turned and flew off into the sky with a flap of his massive wings.