The next few years were busy ones for Damion. After Lord Quickhand's arrival, Damion rarely had any time to himself to relax. Between his studies, practicing his magic, and training with his new sword master, his days were filled.
When he was first told of Lord Quickhand, Damion had envisioned a tall muscular man, battle-hardened and dressed in shining armor, a far cry from the short, dirty, uncouth little fellow that was introduced as his new trainer.
At first, he thought Damarius and Lady Skie were trying to play some sort of prank on him. The grubby little man couldn't look any less like a warrior. He wasn't much taller than Damion, with long greasy dark hair, and a wiry frame. His face was thin, almost gaunt, and he had a large crooked nose that protruded from a scraggly beard. His clothes were made of leather, and were worn and spotted with mud and other unidentifiable substances. Damion was sure that they had to be joking.
But his mind was quickly changed the first-time Lord Quickhand effortlessly slapped his sword from his hand with a stinging blow that he never saw coming. He instantly realized the little man was much more than he seemed.
Lord Quickhand, or Sly, as he preferred to be called, proved to be a complex and talented little fellow. Despite his grubby appearance, he carried himself with a casual grace that demanded respect. His skills with a long sword were nothing short of amazing, and he dazzled Damion with a masterful display of swordsmanship that left the young boy completely speechless.
Besides being a master swordsman, Sly was also an excellent hunter and tracker. He taught Damion the finer points of tracking prey by following the nearly invisible trails that they left behind, and how to fire a longbow, which Damion quickly proved to have an uncanny ability. He could soon split an apple at one hundred paces with only a split second's aim.
The little man also taught him how to identify the hundreds of different plants and fungi that grew around the valley, instructing him on the difference between the poisonous and edible, and others that had medicinal qualities. It seemed that there wasn’t anything that the grubby little man didn’t know.
Damion would usually spend his mornings training with Sly until it was time for lunch, then, after he had eaten, he would begin his studies with Lady Skie. She taught him about the surrounding lands and kingdoms throughout the world, and the variations in the cultures of the people who inhabited those lands. He was amazed at how large the world outside the valley was, and was surprised to discover that there were three other large continents that were thousands of leagues away, across the vast oceans of the world. He dreamed of the day when he could go visit those faraway kingdoms and see the great cities of the world.
Lady Skie also taught him the basics of math and philosophy, both of which he excelled at, though found very boring. He tried many times to explain that there would be very little chance that he would ever have any use for such knowledge beyond the need for basic mathematics, but Lady Skie steadfastly refused to allow him to skip that part of his lessons, claiming his education wouldn’t be complete without it.
Damion would usually finish his days practicing his magic with Damarius well into the night, until they were both too weary to continue. The old wizard tested the limits of Damion’s power by having him perform hundreds of feats that would have been impossible for any other man. He almost never failed to perform the tasks that the old man set for him, and always sent his elderly teacher away with a look of amazement.
One evening as they were finishing their lessons, and Damarius was absently repeating his lecture on making sure to use complete concentration whenever he used his powers, Damion glanced up at the night’s sky and found himself entranced by the glittering stars above. He was struck by the beauty he saw, and by the great shapes and creatures seemed to dance across the sky above him. He was so entranced that he failed to notice his teacher had finished his lecture, and stood staring at Damion with a look of displeasure.
“Have you heard a single word that I’ve said?” The old man asked, tossing his brow lock out of his eyes irritably.
“I’m sorry.” Damion quickly apologized, tearing his eyes from the dancing figures above. “Have you ever noticed that the stars almost seem to form patterns and shapes across the sky?”
“They do at that.” The old man replied, looking up at night’s sky. “Those stars form the constellations of the various gods who watch over our world from above.” He pointed to a large group of stars. “Those represent the Goddess of the Dawn, Eva, and those the God of War, Triton.”
“What is that group called?” Damion asked curiously, pointing to a large group of stars that dominated the sky.
The old man’s expression became oddly curious. “Why don’t you tell me what you see first?”
Damion stared at the stars for a long moment, then replied. “I see a great winged beast staring down at the world.”
Damarius was silent for several moments. “Those stars form the figure of the Dragon God, Draco, who stares down at the world is search of His lost followers.”
“Lost followers?”
“The dragons. Great winged serpents that ruled the skies, breathing fire down upon their enemies. They were powerful creatures, and they once roamed this world freely.”
“What happened to them?” Damion asked.
“No one knows. They seemed to just disappear overnight. There are a few rumors and stories, but no one really knows for sure what happened. It happened many centuries ago.”
They stood together in silent contemplation of the stars, then they both slowly began to make their way to the cottage.