The First Dragoneer (2016 Modernized Format Edition)

By M. R. Mathias

When two young men go on a hunt that they know will be the last hunt of their youth, they decide they want it to be an unforgettable outing.

When they cross a ridge leaving the protection of their kingdom behind, they find a cavern that looks like it needs to be explored.
In the cavern they find exactly what they were looking for. In this stoney hole lives something they will never forget!

The other titles in this series, have gone on to become International bestsellers. Book one The Royal Dragoneers, was nominated for the 2011 Locus Poll, and book six of the series, Blood and Royalty, won the 2015 Readers Favorite Award for Young Adult Action and Adventure.

• Language: English
• Publisher: M. R. Mathias
• Release date: Aug 18, 2010
• ISBN: 9781452443317

M. R. Mathias

"The Master of Epic Fantasy" - Kindle Nation Daily, Nov. 2017M. R. Mathias lives on 5 wooded acres. Like the wizards of old, he tends to the animals who share that space and inspire the creatures in his works. He likes to deep sea fish, to attend sporting events, and genre/cosplay conventions. He has sold well over a million eBooks. His work is critically acclaimed, and he has won multiple literary awards including a coveted Locus Poll nomination.Here is what others are saying about M. R. Mathias:"There are few writers in the genre of fantasy that can equal the creative mind of M.R. Mathias - now acknowledged as a master in this genre of dragons and dwarves, and magic, and spells, and all aspects of fantasy."-- Top 100, Hall of Fame, Vine Voice, Book Reviewer, Grady Harp"M.R. Mathias imagines a setting that will entice readers and lead them, along with his characters, on a breathtaking adventure." -- Readers Favorite Book Awards review of M. R. Mathias's 2017 Award Winning novel "A Gossamer Lens" from The Legend of Vanx Malic series"M.R. Mathias is a master at world building and is so good with creative descriptions that you can almost feel the wind whipping through your hair as you soar along on the back of a dragon." -- Readers Favorite Awards review of M. R. Mathias's 2015 "Gold Medal" Award Winning novel "Blood and Royalty" from The Dragoneer Saga""You've (Mathias) already achieved much, much more than so many people who like to think of themselves as writers." -- @Gollancz The Deputy Publishing Director of SF, Fantasy & Horror list of the Orion Publishing Group, 2013

Book preview

The First Dragoneer

A Dragoneer Saga Novella

M.R. Mathias

© 2016

2016 Modernized Format Edition

Created in the United States of America

Worldwide Rights

Formatting by Dominion Editorial

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any form, including digital, electronic, or mechanical, to include photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the prior written consent of the author, except for brief quotes used in reviews.

This book is a work of fiction. All characters, names, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events or locales, is entirely coincidental.

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to: Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

To hear about new releases, sales and giveaways, follow M. R. Mathias here:

M. R. Mathias, Author Blog

On screen previews of all M. R. Mathias books are available here;

www.mrmathias.com

Other titles by M. R. Mathias

The Dragoneer Saga

The First Dragoneer – Free

The Royal Dragoneers – Nominated, Locus Poll 2011

Cold Hearted Son of a Witch

The Confliction

The Emerald Rider

Rise of the Dragon King

Blood and Royalty – Winner, 2015 Readers Favorite Award,

and 2015 Kindle Book Award Semifinalist

The Legend of Vanx Malic

Book One – Through the Wildwood

Book Two – Dragon Isle

Foxwise (a short story) - Free

Book Three – Saint Elm’s Deep

Book Four – That Frigid Fargin’ Witch

Book Five – Trigon Daze

Book Six – Paragon Dracus

Book Seven – The Far Side of Creation

Book Eight – The Long Journey Home

Collection -To Kill a Witch – Books I-IV w/bonus content

Collection –The Legend Grows Stronger – Books V-VIII

Books IX-XII coming soon!

And don't miss the huge International Bestselling epic:

The Wardstone Trilogy

Book One - The Sword and the Dragon

Book Two - Kings, Queens, Heroes, & Fools

Book Three - The Wizard & the Warlord

Short Stories:

Crimzon & Clover I - Orphaned Dragon, Lucky Girl

Crimzon & Clover II - The Tricky Wizard

Crimzon & Clover III - The Grog

Crimzon & Clover IV - The Wrath of Crimzon

Crimzon & Clover V - Killer of Giants

Crimzon & Clover Collection One (stories 1-5)

Crimzon & Clover VI – One Bad Bitch

Crimzon &Clover VII – The Fortune’s Fortune

Master Zarvin’s Action and Adventure Series #1 Dingo the Dragon Slayer

Master Zarvin’s Action and Adventure Series #2 Oonzil the oathbreaker

Master Zarvin’s Action and Adventure Series #3 The Greatest Quest

Crimzon and Clover I-X

Table of Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Bonus Material

About the Author

The First Dragoneer

A Dragoneer Saga Novella

Chapter One

So what are you gonna do? Have you decided yet? Brendly Tuck asked his best friend.

They had known each other all seventeen summers of their lives. Brendly hoped that since he didn’t have the option of getting out of Prominence Valley as March Weston did, his best friend would decide not to leave. It was a small hope though, because Brendly couldn’t remember March ever talking about anything else. March was always asking him things like, Where should I go? or What should I try to become? Should I go downriver to Camberly? What about up North to the borders? Maybe I could hire on as a guardsman, or maybe go down South to the coast and work a ship?

Brendly loved his friend dearly, but as the finality of their last summer together grew closer, the gnawing sense of loss, and feelings that bordered on jealousy, were growing inside of him. If March kept rubbing it in, Brendly thought he might just have to give his best friend a good ol’ thumping to take with him when he left.

Wondering now why he had asked the question, Brendly stopped on the woodsy game trail they were traveling and waited for the answer that he didn’t really want to hear.

I don’t know yet where I’m gonna go, or what I’m gonna do, March replied. March could sense Brendly’s discomfort so he added, But I sure wish you could come with me.

So do I. Brendly dropped his head with the weight of the words to look at his scuffed leather hunting boots.

Well, let’s make the best of it till midsummer, when I’m to leave. We can worry about it then. March forced a grin and started back up the trail. Brendly waited only a moment to follow, but March had already disappeared under the thick canopy of the woods causing Brendly to have to quicken his step to catch up.

We won’t even get a rabbit, much less a stag. Not if we keep skulking about thinking of that stuff, March called back over his shoulder. Come on, it’s getting late.

Remembering that they were hunting, Brendly caught up with his friend and let the worries of the future slip away.

They were hiking their way up toward Cander’s Ridge. It was a little farther from Prominence than they usually came to hunt, but not so far as to cause concern. They were still easily in the kingdom’s border, at least as long as they stayed on this side of the slope. Topping the ridge would only invite trouble though.

A pack of dark-skinned, pointy-eared kobles had been spotted recently. The feral humanoid creatures could best be described as two-legged dogs. They weren’t very dangerous alone, but if you ran into a pack of them you could be in serious trouble. They seldom ventured across the kingdom’s established border, which meant that they weren’t completely void of sense. Only the hungriest of them ever hunted in the protected lands of Prominence Valley, and though a few had killed villagers and hunters in the past, those were usually hunted down and killed. The dead then hung up in the trees, to draw carrion, for their violation.

This side of the ridge was kingdom territory, and not even the huge, dark-skinned wood trolls that roamed the foothills dared to trespass. King Timothy’s border guard patrolled the boundary well and often. The border guard was feared by even the giant Karsithian warriors, who sometimes ventured too far south out of their high mountain territories.

The game trail the boys were following led them to a clearing that held a small pool. When they stopped and looked around for tracks, they both noticed the valley spreading out below them. The rich, dark shades of the green treetops flowed down the mountainside on their way out into the lower slopes of the valley. The trees thinned into large clumps, only to disappear completely in the valley floor. There, squares and long rectangles of brown, gold and russet took over. Some of the greener fields were speckled with the black and brown dots that were livestock, but most were empty of life save for the rows and rows of crops. The silvery-blue thread of the Prominence River wound its way through the pastures and crop fields, splitting the valley into two misshaped halves. The river was speckled with dots, but those were the fishing boats and cargo ships that used its flow as a source of bounty. It was a view that neither of the boys had seen before. They were entranced by its overwhelming beauty.

Let’s make camp here, March whispered as if his voice might disturb the tranquility of the valley far below.

Yup, Bren replied simply, not taking his eyes away from the sight before him.

They made a circle of rocks and started a fire inside it. Then they set up a makeshift tent by draping an oiled sheet of canvas over some low hanging branches and stretching it wide at the bottom. They fastened the corners of the canvas with wooden stakes so the breeze couldn’t flutter it away.

They had planned to be hunting for at least five days, or until they got a fat, late spring

Reviews for The First Dragoneer (2016 Modernized Format Edition)

[slarsoncollins · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

While there might have been some editing issues, I found them to be minor and in no way took me out of the story. I am finding that I'm not a big fan of novellas however. They just don't seem to have enough meat to really sink your teeth into. I liked the story and found the characters to be believable but wanted a bit more. Maybe I'll have to go buy The Royal Dragoneers. :) Overall an enjoyable read. I very much enjoy the imagination of MR Mathias.

[sheiladeeth_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The First Dragoneer by MR Mathias, is a fun adventure story for middle-grade and older. Two young boys face that time when the world changes, when they have to grow up; and though their world is very different from ours, their feelings will be familiar to many readers. March will leave to find his fortune elsewhere. Bren will stay to fulfill his family obligations. And each imagines they’d rather be the other.The author creates a pleasing “other world” with words that are close enough to familiar to avoid that sinking alien-ness that so easily alienates readers. March calls Bren a “giboon” and imagination furnishes the image—nicely done. Meanwhile the hunting and tracking skills of our own world work just as well when entering forbidden caves in another.As boys will everywhere, each tries to act unafraid in the quest for just one last adventure. Each sees the other as confident. And each is just a little too curious.The danger, when it comes, is swift and vividly described. The author certainly writes a good fight scene, and an aftermath that’s all too plausibly painful.The First Dragoneer is a nicely complete novella in its own right, and a good introduction to the author’s Dragoneers Saga; intriguing fantasy, fun characters, and lots of questions to carry the story onward.