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She slept peacefully, stretching nearly the entire length of her subterranean lair, resting comfortably on the cool stone floor. Her precious treasures lay scattered about the cavern floor in glittering heaps. Lumps of pure gold, huge uncut gems, and massive chunks of raw jade were heaped in piles throughout the cavern. A hoard to rival that of any kingdom, gathered together, then hidden away from prying eyes. She had spent her entire lifetime hoarding and collecting her treasures, though she found no real value in the trinkets. She just found them pleasing to look at.
She possessed the wealth of kingdoms, but she never worried that thieves might discover her treasure. In fact, there was very little in the world that could cause her worry. Her name was Tempest, and she was the largest, most powerful of the ancient magical dragons. She was the most feared creature in the world, and she was content in her glory.
Like most dragons, Tempest chose to remain aloof from civilization and the ways of man, choosing a life of solitude and contemplation. There were a few dragons, however, that took an active part in the events of the world, joining with humans or elves or dwarves in various wars and battles. Still others spent their time terrorizing isolated farm communities, destroying crops and devouring livestock for amusement. But for the most part, dragons chose to keep their own company.
Tempest had never seen any benefits in becoming involved with the events that shaped mankind. The lifespans of humans, dwarves, and elves were quite short in comparison to the lifespan of a dragon. The average dragon could live for tens of thousands of years, far longer than any other creature on the planet.
So she chose to remain apart from the world, not really caring what transpired outside of the Endless Forest, which concealed the entrance to her subterranean lair. She left only occasionally to hunt for food, or to just stretch her wings and feel the flow of the wind traveling over her massive scaled body, otherwise, she was content to remain in her lair, enjoying the treasures that she had gathered over the eons.
A small shadow suddenly appeared at the entrance to her lair, pausing only for a moment before moving closer towards the enormous dragon’s slumbering form. It crept silently closer, and then paused to admire the magnificent scarlet serpent as she slept.
“Welcome, friend Dar.” Tempest’s deep voice boomed, echoing throughout the cavern. She opened a huge eye and fixed it upon her unexpected visitor. “It has been quite a while since you last visited. How have you fared?”
The small figure stepped from the shadows, revealing a human-like child of about eight years. He was thin, even for a child, with a wild shock of curly red hair, and pale skin dotted with multiple freckles. His eyes were a piercing blue, and held a wisdom that spoke louder than words that he was no ordinary child.
“I’m well, Tempest, my friend.” Dar smiled. “It’s good to hear a friendly voice.” Though Dar looked like most any other child, he was, in fact, an Alena, a childlike sprite distantly related to the elves. His was an ancient race whose lifespan rivaled those of the dragons. The Alena and the dragons had always had a close relationship, though there were very few of the childlike sprites left in the world.
The great scarlet beast stretched her enormous body, and her strong ropey muscles rippled beneath her thick scaled hide. Her huge sail-like wings brushed the walls on either side of the cavern as she stretched, scattering her treasures carelessly across the stone floor. “And how does the world fare on this beautiful summer night?” She asked as she settled down before her tiny visitor.
“It’s quiet.” Dar replied, settling down on a large block of raw jade. “You can hear wolves howling from ten miles away. The moon is full, the stars are shining, and the night is alive with energy.”
“The last time we spoke, you were preparing to pay a visit to your cousins, the elves. I gather it didn’t go as planned?”
Dar snorted and rolled his eyes. “It proved to be a hopeless cause. The elves are going to continue to isolate themselves on that rock they call an island, and ignore the world around them. Ever since they discontinued relations with the dwarves they have become a closed society, although a few families have broken free and have settled here and there. They, of course, are now considered outcasts, and are forbidden to return to the island.”
Tempest chuckled a deep rumbling chuckle that echoed throughout the cavern. “So what made you decide to visit me instead of enjoying this beautiful night?”
Dar’s face fell. “Something is bothering me. Everything seems peaceful enough, but something just doesn’t feel right. I was wondering if you sensed anything unusual?”
Tempest closed her eyes in concentration, then, after several moments, she grunted and shook her head. “I can sense nothing strange. Is it possible that it is something else that is bothering you?”
The childlike sprite shrugged his tiny shoulders. “I don’t know what it could be. Something just feels… wrong.”
Tempest started to reply, but suddenly reared, grabbing her head, then she screamed in pain.
Dar scrambled back from the thrashing dragon in surprise. “Tempest! Wh-What is it? What’s wrong?”
If Tempest heard his cry, she gave no indication. She stumbled and clawed her way towards the cavern’s entrance with the tiny Alena following cautiously behind calling frantically to his friend. She lunged through the entrance of her lair and threw herself into the air with a single thrust of her enormous wings.
Dar jumped and grabbed hold of her long whipping tail as the great serpent launched into the air, then carefully struggled his way up the spiked tail and between the furiously beating wings to a spot near the dragon’s shoulders.
Tempest did not seem to notice that she had a passenger. She seemed entranced, ignoring Dar’s cries and pressing on relentlessly. They flew with blistering speed over the Endless Forest where they made their home, then passed over the northern edge of the immense stretch of woodlands and continued over the stagnant and stinking swamp that bordered the forest.
It wasn’t long before they reached the southern shores of the Misty Lake. Tempest didn’t hesitate as she plunged into the swirling cloud of mist that had hung over the lake for untold centuries.
Dar was forced to hold on with all the strength he could muster to avoid being swept from the great serpent’s back by the powerful wind currents that swirled above the lake. He was soon dripping wet and shivering from cold. Tempest was pushing herself as hard as she could, and he could clearly hear her massive heart pounding with exertion. Her breaths were coming in huge gasps, but she still pressed on towards her unseen destination, driven on by some irresistible force that seemed to obliterate all thought.
They soon emerged from the swirling mist, and Tempest continued without hesitation over the rolling grasslands of the nomadic tribesmen, the Deola.
Several hours had passed since they had so abruptly fled Tempest’s lair, and the huge dragon still showed no signs of regaining her senses. The world below seemed a blur as they shot through the air, and Dar began to grow tired from his struggles to keep his seat between Tempest’s massive shoulders.
The ghostly shadow of the Godstear Mountains suddenly loomed into view through the darkness. Tempest seemed to double her efforts, and began rocketing through the narrow canyons and over treacherous cliff sides at breakneck speed. They rounded a peak near the heart of the mountain range to find the sky lit by a bright pulsating beacon of light which seemed to be emanating from a small valley far below. The light throbbed with a strangely hypnotic quality as it lit the sky, and the waves of power that flowed from it caused the tiny hairs on the back of Dar’s neck to stand on end.
Tempest flew straight for the shaft of light, ignoring Dar’s frantic pleas for her to land. The sound of the beacon’s call pounded her senses, drowning out all thoughts and sounds. All that mattered was that she reached the strange pulsating beacon. It called to her, drawing her closer with its irresistible pull, and the great scarlet serpent found it impossible to ignore i
ts call.
As they drew closer to the light, another dragon, a large dark red male, appeared from the darkness and began to circle the pulsating beacon. It abruptly veered from its circling and flew directly into the light where it instantly vanished without a trace.
Dar gasped in shock and horror. He could not believe what he had just witnessed! He renewed his efforts to bring his friend back to her senses, but she continued to ignore his cries.
Tempest began to circle the shaft of light as two more dragons appeared from the darkness only to disappear into pulsating beam. Banking sharply, she suddenly flew directly towards the beacon, unable to resist its call any longer.
Dar called out to her one last time, and then threw himself from her shoulders. Twisting as he fell, he watched in horror as Tempest disappeared into the light. He cried out helplessly, not wanting to believe what was happening around him. He twisted back around to see the treetops below rushing to meet him, and quickly threw out his arms and legs in an effort to slow his descent. He willed his body to become as light as the air around him, and immediately began to slow in his free-fall until he was floating gently towards the trees below.
As soon as the treetops were in reach, he threw out his arms and grabbed a sturdy branch, then flipped back into the air like an acrobat and snatched hold of another branch on a neighboring tree. He scampered nimbly down the tree to solid ground and paused for a moment to get his bearings, then sprinted off in the direction of the pulsating shaft of light.
As he drew closer to the source of the strange light, he slowed cautiously and melted into the shadows to avoid detection. The intense brightness of the beacon of light forced him to shield his eyes, but he was able to make out a black robed human standing before the source of the throbbing light that had just claimed his friend.
Dar could only watch helplessly as hundreds of dragons disappeared, one by one, into the light, until it seemed that virtually the entire race had vanished from existence. Finally, as dawn approached, the shaft of light began to fade, leaving only an eerie silence in its wake.
The childlike Alena was forced to allow his eyes to adjust to the sudden darkness before venturing out into the clearing, but by that time it was already too late. The dark robed figure was nowhere to be found. Dar searched the entire clearing, but all he found was the charred husk of a young human male, and fresh claw marks in the soft dirt near the edge of the clearing resembling the tracks a dragon would leave behind as it launched itself into the air. He desperately searched the brightening skies for any signs of a dragon, but saw nothing.
Sinking to his knees, he began to weep uncontrollably. Eventually, exhaustion overtook him, and he finally lapsed into unconsciousness.