**********
They came upon the ruins of Sevria and Castle Rosewood late the following evening. The village had been burned to ash and was still smoldering in many spots, and the castle had been completely reduced to rubble. Nothing had been left standing. The bodies of the villagers and merchants were scattered about the devastated village, charred beyond recognition. The bittersweet smell of burnt human flesh permeated the air, choking any who breathed too deeply, and causing them to gag uncontrollably. There was nothing left of the small village, and it appears there had been no survivors.
They were horrified by the destruction they found. The village was unrecognizable from the bustling little town Damion remembered leaving eight years before. He gazed around the smoke-filled clearing in a dazed confusion. “What could have caused such complete destruction?” He asked in a sick voice. “There is nothing left! Why didn't any of the villagers flee? It's as though they were killed where they stood, without any resistance at all!”
Sly shook his head. “I don't know. It looks like everyone was burned alive, but I don't know of anything that could have caused such devastation. The castle has been ripped apart stone by stone! I've never seen anything like this!” He shook his head again. “This wasn't the work of any army, I know that much.”
The scruffy little man suddenly paused as the soft sound of crying reached their ears. He motioned for Damion to stay silent, then quickly followed the sound to a large grove of bushes a few hundred feet from the edge of the ruined village. They cautiously approached, prepared for an ambush or attack.
“Who is there?” Damion demanded, his hand on the hilt of his sword. “Show yourself!”
The crying abruptly stopped, but no one emerged. The sound of someone or something breathing very hard was clearly audible.
Sly motioned for Damion to relax. “Do not worry.” He called in a reassuring tone. “We are not here to hurt to you. We may be able to help you, if you let us.”
At first, no one emerged, then the bushes slowly parted and a young girl of about fourteen years stepped out. She was dressed in a tattered dress that had been ripped in several places, and was covered in filth. She was caked with mud from head to toe, and her long golden hair was tangled and matted with dirt and leaves. She had huge emerald eyes that were wide with fear, and it was obvious that it had been several days since she had last eaten. She looked at Sly fearfully, then let out a scream of terror as Damion stepped forward from the shadows, towering over her like a giant. Her eyes suddenly rolled up into the back of her head, and she collapsed into a heap at their feet.
Damion stepped back from the unconscious girl, unsure how to react. He had never frightened anyone that badly before. He suddenly felt like some kind of a freak or monster. He turned to Sly, the hurt and confusion plain on his face.
“Don’t worry, young one.” The little man reassured him. “She will be fine. You may as will get used to that type of reaction from people. You are a rather intimidating-looking fellow, you know.” He gently lifted the girl's limp form into his arms and carried her over to the remains of the castle.
They built a small fire and placed the young girl nearby, then quickly set up camp for the evening. Once they were done, Damion quietly retreated into the shadows and away from the fire so not to frighten the girl when she awoke. He was still shaken up by her reaction, and wasn't quite sure how he should handle it. His father and Aunt Skie had been warning him for years that some individuals may react in such a manner, but he was still not prepared for it. The sudden prospect of going through the rest of his life shunned and rejected by the world was horrifying.
When the girl finally awoke, she sat up and looked around the camp in a panicked confusion. She gasped as she spotted Sly sitting calmly on the other side of the fire. “W-Who are you? Where are we?”
“Do not worry. You are safe. My name is Sly. I am a friend. We are in what remains of Castle Rosewood.” The little man spoke gently so he wouldn't scare the frightened young girl any further.
The girl looked around the ruined village nervously. “W-What happened to that giant monster?”
Sly winced at the word monster, then coughed uncomfortably, and gave the girl a disapproving look. “That was no monster. That was my friend, Damion, and he is sitting right over there.” He motioned to Damion's hulking form sitting in the shadows.
The young girl's eyes grew wide with fear as he slowly rose to his feet and stepped into the light of the fire. She once again screamed in terror, then jumped to her feet and tried to run, but was stopped by Sly, who grabbed her firmly by her arm. “Calm yourself, girl! I have already told you that you are safe. Nothing will harm you here.” He gestured for Damion to sit, then turned back to the girl, his voice once again soft and reassuring. “Just calm yourself. We have no wish to harm you.” He released her trembling arm, then gestured towards the fire. “Sit. We will be eating soon. You look like you're-half starved.”
The frightened girl stared at him for several moments, then gave Damion a fearful glance, and went to crouch near the fire, clearly ready to flee at the first sign of trouble.
Sly returned to the fire side and began to make a stew from the dried meat and vegetables from their packs. “What is your name?” He asked, slowly stirring the stew as it boiled.
The girl glanced at Damion once more, then hesitantly said. "K-Kariah. M-My name is Kariah."
“Tell us, Kariah, what happened here? What destroyed the village and castle?”
The girl's face went pale, and she shuddered visibly. “It-It was some kind of a huge beast!” She said, her voice scarcely above a whisper. “It fell from the sky without any warning, belching fire over everything! I was returning from gathering herbs when it attacked. It killed everyone with a single blast of its fiery breath, then ripped the castle to pieces!” She began to cry. “It killed all of my family and friends! I am the only one that survived!” She buried her face in her hands, weeping uncontrollably. “I am all alone!”
Sly looked shocked. “What you’re describing is a dragon, but the dragons all disappeared centuries ago!”
Kariah looked up, tears still running down her cheeks. “After the beast destroyed the castle and made sure that everyone was dead, a group of horrible-looking creatures descended on the village and tore what was left of it apart. They were led by a human, a scar-faced man with white hair. He had them search the entire village for something, but I don't think they found what they were looking for.” Her face was dangerously pale, and she trembled uncontrollably. “Once everything had been searched and looted, the white-haired man got angry, then climbed atop the beast’s back and flew off. The other creatures disappeared just back into the forest.”
Damion growled a deep angry growl, causing the young girl to jump fearfully. “Kaviel!” He snarled, rising to his feet and cursing vehemently. “First, he kills my father, then he destroys my village and kills everyone! By the gods, when I get my hands on him, I am going to make him suffer!”
Kariah slowly began to inch away from him, her eyes wide with fear.
Seeing her reaction, Damion quickly returned to his seat, and tried to calm himself. “I apologize if I frightened you. I mean you no harm.”
The young girl seemed to relax a little. “Y-You said that this was your village? I have lived here my entire life, and I have never seen you here before.” She watched him nervously.
Damion smiled a sad smile, then nodded. “I was born here at the castle, but left when I was very young to begin my studies and training. My father was lord of the castle here.”
Kariah suddenly smiled. “Lord Michael is your father? He is a good man!” She frowned. “He left the village several days ago and has yet to return.”
Damion bowed his head sadly. “My father was killed by the white-haired man, Kaviel. He and his goblins and dragonspawn attacked us, and he shot my father in the heart with a crossbow.”
The young girl gasped, putting her hand to her mouth. “Oh no! How terribl
e!” Her eyes welled up with tears. “I will miss him. He was a good man. He genuinely cared about his people.”
Damion nodded sadly, then forced himself to put his grief aside. “In which direction did the dragon fly when they departed?”
The young girl thought quietly for a moment. “South, I think.” She stared at him for a moment in confusion. “You're not planning on going after that thing, are you? That monster destroyed the entire village! How will you stop it?”
Sly chuckled. “Our large friend here can do things that most people can only dream about. Kaviel has signed his own death warrant when he crossed Damion’s path. He will pay for what he's done, you can bet on that!”
Kariah looked at Damion, her eyes questioning. “What is he talking about?”
“I am a sorcerer.” He explained uneasily, remembering the fact that most people feared magic-users. “I can use magic. That's why my father sent me away from the village, so I could learn how to control my powers without accidentally hurting someone.”
There came a sudden ruffling of feathers as Snowfeather appeared from the darkness, returning from his nightly hunt. Kariah screamed in fear as the ghostly bird silently glided over to land atop Damion's broad shoulder.
“Don’t worry,” He reassured her, looking away to hide his amusement. “This is Snowfeather. He is a snow owl. He is my friend, and my familiar.”
“What is a familiar?”
“We are linked by my magic. We can hear one another's thoughts, and feel what one another feels.”
The young girl frowned. “You can speak with it? That must be ...uh... unusual.” She seemed quite unfazed now that her initial fright had diminished. She stared at Snowfeather with wide eyes. “I have never seen such a beautiful bird before.”
Snowfeather fluffed his feathers at the compliment, and Damion laughed. “You may not realize it, but you have just made a new friend.”
She laughed a little nervously. “He is a snow owl?”
Damion nodded. “He is one of the largest and rarest birds to fly these mountains.” Snowfeather squawked loudly, and he laughed again. “And most beautiful.” He added quickly. He watched with fond eyes as his familiar launched himself into the air and glided silently back into the darkness.
Kariah smiled, then began looking around the ruined village with haunted eyes. “Should we really stay here? What if the dragon, or those creatures return? We could be killed!”
Damion shook his head. “There isn't anything for them to return to. The dragon made sure of that.”
Sly nodded in agreement. “They will not return. I know Kaviel. He will not waste his time coming back. What I don’t understand is where he found a dragon. They disappeared hundreds of years ago!"
Damion suddenly remembered something. “Did you notice the jewel that Kaviel grabbed right before he vanished?”
The little man thought for a moment. “Aye, I think I do recall seeing him grab a large red jewel just before he vanished. Do you think it may have something to do with the dragon?”
The huge warrior shrugged. “Possibly. It radiated with power. It may be what he is using to control the beast. It would also explain how he was able to just disappear like that. You said he had never used magic before now. Maybe the gem is the source of his magic.”
Sly slowly nodded his agreement. “It makes sense. What do you think we should do?”
Damion thought it over for a moment. “I think we should return to the valley and let Damarius and Aunt Skie know what has happened. We will decide on our next step from there.” He turned to Kariah. “Do you have any family or friends in any of the nearby villages?”
The young girl shook her head, her eyes welling up with tears. “All of my family was killed by the dragon. I haven't anywhere to go. I don’t know what I'm going to do.” She buried her face in her hands, and began to cry.
Damion, unsure how to comfort her, began to shift uncomfortably. “I understand how you must feel, but you can travel with us to the valley. It is safe there.”
She quickly looked up from her hands. “I can?” Then she lowered her head. “But I am afraid. I have lived in this village all my life with my family. I feel lost without them. I don’t know what I should do!”
“You can travel with us to Damarius’s valley and stay at the cottage as long as you would like.” He reassured her gently. “You will be safe there.”
“I don’t want to be an inconvenience.”
Sly snorted. “Everything that has happened lately has been an inconvenience.”
Damion smiled. “It’s settled. You will come with us.” He settled down next to the fire and sighed heavily. “I never dreamed all of this could happen on my very first journey out of the valley.”
Kariah looked at him in confusion. “What do you mean, your very first journey? You are a grown man, and obviously a warrior. How could this be your first journey?"
Damion blushed, embarrassed by her sudden interest. “I have never left the valley where I grew up until now. I have spent most of my life practicing my magic, and training to be a warrior with Sly.”
She looked at him with one eyebrow arched. “Exactly how old are you?”
He blushed even brighter. “I am thirteen. I know that I look much older though.”
The young girl giggled. “Thirteen?” She turned to Sly, obviously doubting his story. “Is he joking?”
Sly shook his head. “Nay. He’s not joking. Everything he has said is the truth.”
She giggled again.
“How old are you?” Damion asked the young girl curiously.
“Actually, I'm two hundred and forty-two in human years.” Noticing his confused look, she laughed, then drew back her matted hair to reveal a pair of delicately-pointed ears. “I'm an elf, see? We live much longer than humans, so we recognize time differently.”
“I’ve never met an elf before. Are they all as tiny and delicate as you?” He suddenly blushed a bright red as he realized what he said.
Kariah blushed at the compliment, her face turning nearly as red as Damion’s. “Most elves are much smaller in stature than humans, though nearly everyone is tiny when compared to you.”
Sly, who had been trying to hide his amusement, began ladling the stew into small tin bowls, and handed one to each of them. The young girl fell into the stew ravenously, obviously half-starved from her ordeal. The little man refilled her bowl twice more before her hunger was finally satisfied. Damion, of course, finished off the remains of the stew, his huge appetite demanding large amounts to fuel his massive body. Once they had all eaten their fill, they stretched out their bedrolls next to the fire.
“So, what's the plan?” Sly asked, yawning hugely. He looked exhausted.
Damion was quiet for a long moment. “We will set off for the cottage at first light. Aunt Skie and Damarius need to know what has happened.”
“And then?”
“Then we track down the man who killed my father.” He growled so fiercely that Kariah jumped slightly. He forced himself to remain calm, then turned to the young girl. “It is getting very late, and you will need your rest." He began rummaging through his pack and produced a thick woolen blanket, which he handed to her with an awkward shyness. He then retreated into the shadows beyond the fire light, and settled against a crumbled stone wall, watching in silence as the young elf maiden curled up near the fire.
He struggled with the sudden flood of strange emotions he felt when he gazed at her, and how sick he had felt during those first few moments when she had thought him a monster, unable to make sense of everything he was suddenly feeling.
Snowfeather reappeared from the gloom and settled on top of the crumbling wall, a huge rat clamped firmly in his beak. “You seem to be quite taken with this female.” He commented as he began to devour his prey. “Are you considering taking her for a mate?”
Damion laughed out loud, drawing strange looks from Sly and Kariah. “A mate?” He asked silently. “I’m far too young to take a mat
e. Besides, she’s an elf!” He glanced over at the young girl as she stretched out to sleep. “Although, she is rather appealing, isn’t she?” He sat back quietly, staring up at the stars, his mind a welter of confused thoughts and feelings. So much had happened in such a little time that he was still in shock.
He was so preoccupied with his thoughts that he didn't even notice Sly as he approached, grinning knowingly. “It seems you have made a new friend. She seems to be quite taken with you.”
Damion blushed in embarrassment. “Uh, yeah...I guess.” He remembered the look of fear in her eyes when she first saw him, and the sick feeling returned. “S-She's... uh ... very nice.” He grumbled miserably.
Sly chuckled, not noticing his inner dilemma. “She’s rather attractive, don't you think? Or she will be once she washes off all the mud, that is.”
Damion coughed uncomfortably as his old friend continued to watch him with a grin, then changed the subject. “So where do you think this Kaviel found that dragon?”
The little man shook his head. “I don't know. A dragon hasn't been seen in the world for over four hundred years. No one knows what happened to them, but there are many who have theories. And for that dog, Kaviel, to suddenly have control of one of the beasts is baffling! He has never been more than a petty lowlife who wallows in debauchery. I guess there's really no way of knowing, short of walking up and asking him, and I really don't think he'd tell us if we did.”
Damion snorted. “He wouldn't live long enough to answer the question.” He frowned. “What about the dragonspawn and goblins? Why would they willingly follow a human?”
“The dragonspawn probably worship the dragons. They’d look upon them as if they were gods. The goblins, on the other hand, would fear the dragon. They are probably following Kaviel to avoid the dragon’s wrath.”
“But why would he destroy Sevria and murder my father?” Damion demanded furiously. “What would he gain by such an act?” The anger that boiled inside him threatened to burst loose. It was only with supreme effort he was able to keep it under control.
Sly shook his head. “I’m not sure, but from the way it sounds, it seems he is searching for something.” He grunted, scratching his scraggly beard. “Well, I know one thing, the answers won't fall from the sky. Let's get some rest. We'll set off at first light.”
Damion watched in silence as the little man settled himself down for the night, then silently asked Snowfeather to stand watch over the camp, and fell into a fitful sleep.