The Death of Addor (special preview)

That evening when I returned home, Addor noticed my lingering sadness.

“Daughter,” he says, “you usually come home drunk from laughter when Demir visits. What happened?”

“Somethings wrong,” I whispered to him. “Orrick and Vela told us a blood wizard has been attacking villages around Demir’s kingdom.” I pulled my knees to my chest, hugging them tight. “Over seven thousand people have just vanished. And King Habbar-” My voice choked off then and Addor’s tail wrapped around me.

“I have seen many wars,” he sighed. Addor’s heart was heavy. “And I suppose, like any parent, I wanted you to know a world where there wasn’t one. But the fact of the matter is is that there are always people with evil intent inside their hearts. They may think their ways are just and noble. Even Demir with all his good intentions is still seen as a villain.” He nuzzles to the top of my head.

“I can’t hide the evils of the world from you, Maeve,” he says. “All I can do is protect you from them.” He then holds out his hand before me and between his claws he holds a small stone. Heat radiates from the tips of his claws and his palm and the rock starts to glow and smolder. It snaps and crackles and then in a moment it radiates with pure light.

“I can teach you ways to protect yourself,” he told me as he placed the warm stone in my palms.

I fashioned the stone into a staff as a means to channel the magic Addor taught me. He gave me old books to study from and used his own knowledge to bestow upon me few mortals ever got the chance to know. Years later, I was still learning how to hone myself as a mage, but I was grown and helping use my powers to keep Bastat safe.

“Dragon mages are a rare lot you know,” Chi said to me one day as I practiced out in the desert.

“I do!” I say with a smug grin. “But why are you telling me such a thing?” I wave my staff in the air and point it at a bush that suddenly lit on fire. I yelp and jump back while Chi laughed.

“I take it you didn’t mean to do that?” Chi smirked.

I scowl back at him. “Not exactly,” 

Chi used to be shorter than me but in his late teens shot up like a weed. He was taller than his father now and he towered over me, which I hated. I looked away from him and put the fire out with another spell.

“I only brought it up because Demir has been sending Mother letters about you,” Chi says. “He wants you to become a teacher in the Capital.”