Dragon Knights Awakening

By RJ Slaugh

Drackma has been invaded by evil forces of daemons, bent on destroying the world. Anubius, the only dragon left in Drackma, sets Drake on the quest of his lifetime. Sidetracked by storms, and memories of forgotten horrors, Drake must face unimaginable monsters during his quest to save his world. He must overcome the past, and become a warrior once again, in order to unite the Dragon Knights and aide him in his quest to find and return the dragons. Now the Dragon Knights must overcome the evil wizards and their army of daemons, hell-bent on destroying the world.

• Language: English
• Publisher: RJ Slaugh
• Release date: Jul 16, 2015
• ISBN: 9781310658525

RJ Slaugh

Rod Slaugh grew up in the small town of Vernal Utah, where he attended Uintah High School. He went on to graduate from Weber State University with his BS in Communication Studies, with Minor in Criminal Justice. He has spent some time living in Wisconsin, but has moved back to Utah. He now lives in Lapoint, Utah, where he loves spending time outdoors. He has been diagnosed with a genetic disorder which has affected his vision, preventing him from spending his time exploring the great outdoors. He has a great positive attitude on life, and feels that this has improved other senses, allowing him to see things in his mind that others might not. He loves listening to audio books and movies.

Book preview

Drake stepped out of a thick grove of trees. He frowned as he searched for signs of the deer that he had been tracking for over a week now. Drake scowled as he thought of the day when he spotted the buck standing on the lip of the cliff overlooking his valley. As the deer stood motionless staring into Drake’s gray eyes he could hear it in his mind Come and play. Let’s see how good of a hunter you really are!

That was all it took for Drake to race into his cave and gather up the things that he would need and race out to start the hunt. He had brought his pack, bow, quiver of arrows and bedroll with him. He had forgotten to remove his sword from his bedroll and his weapon belt from his pack before he left the cave.

It was quite a shock that first night when Drake unrolled his bedroll and found the sword he had vowed never to use again inside it. He scowled at the sword and almost threw it in the nearby river. He still didn’t know what had stopped him. He left it rolled up in his bedroll. Drake decided that he would rather sleep on the cold, hard ground instead of having to look at that wretched sword every night.

Drake had seen the deer several times, but whenever he got close enough for a shot, it would disappear into thin air. If it hadn’t challenged him he would have given up the hunt after the first day. He could still see the deer standing proudly with the sun to its back. It was the largest deer Drake had ever seen and he was in awe of it. As he tracked the deer, Drake had to use all of his skills to keep up with it.

Every night he swore that he could feel it standing just out of the light from his campfire mocking him. Every morning he woke with fresh tracks around his camp. This enraged Drake to the point of dreaming of eating its heart and drinking its blood. As he thought of eating its heart he smiled from ear to ear. As the deer kept eluding him, Drake felt like he was being led in circles, but his pride wouldn’t allow him to give up the hunt. He dreamt of hanging its massive head in his cave as a trophy.

He had seen the deer up close twice during the hunt. The first time was on the third day out. He spotted the deer standing on a rock high above him. The rock jutted out over a cliff next to a waterfall. Drake notched his bow with an arrow and took careful aim. He thought that the deer’s attention was on the waterfall and the valley below it. He pulled back on the arrow and sucked in a breath of air. He sighted along the neck and visualized the arrow hitting directly behind the shoulder. He let his breath out slowly as he released the arrow.

At the last second the deer bounded from the rock and disappeared in the forest. The arrow flew through the air where the deer had been seconds before and fell to the valley below. Drake cursed his luck as he stormed up to the rock where the deer had been standing. He climbed onto the rock and looked down in the valley. He cursed again as he realized that he had lost one of his best arrows.

The second sighting had been the day before, three days after the first miss. Drake still couldn’t believe how the deer had known he was there. The deer lifted its head and the arrow flew through the air where its neck had been only seconds before. The arrow hit a nearby tree and sank deep into the trunk. It took Drake several minutes of cussing at it and his bad luck before he was able to get his arrow freed from the tree.

Even stranger than missing two perfect shots, was how the deer had disappeared this morning. Drake had tracked the deer into this valley a few hours before and had seen it jump over a fallen tree and then it simply disappeared. He hadn’t been able to find a single trace of it. It had angered Drake enough to make him curse and kick a tree. His anger had drained a bit but he was still furious at being tricked into following this unnatural deer into this valley. He couldn’t believe that the deer was an unnatural creature, but there was no other explanation. How else could it always be one step ahead of him and know when it had drawn him to this valley where it had vanished without a trace.

Squatting, with arms resting on his thighs, Drake examined the ground for some sign of the deer. He wasn’t going to give up until he had exhausted all of his resources. He studied the ground carefully. Drake couldn’t find any signs to show that a deer had been where he knew he had seen it. He slowly walked over to the fallen tree that he had seen the deer leap over. He couldn’t find a print where the deer would have jumped from or where it might have landed. There wasn’t any disturbance in the forest where it had been. It was as if a ghost had silently passed through the valley.

As Drake thought of a ghost, he shook his head in disbelief. He thought to himself. "It couldn’t be. I thought they were only legends, stories made up to tell children." He sat on the tree trunk and scowled, deep in thought. As he sat, the first drops of rain fell on his face and the sky changed color. He looked up and saw that dark, menacing clouds blocked the sun. He could feel the power of the storm in the air.

Instinctively, Drake knew that he had to find shelter from this storm or he wouldn’t survive the coming night. This was no ordinary storm and it would destroy anything in its path. He frowned as he felt the wind pick up. He needed to find shelter quickly.

He set his large pack on the ground and pulled his cloak from it. Wrapping it tightly around himself, he hoisted the pack back over his broad shoulders and looked around. The wind whirled around him as he stood and frantically searched for shelter. He sighed with relief as he saw a cave on the other side of the valley. He only hoped that he would be able to reach it before the brunt of the storm caught up with him. As he started to run toward the cave, he noticed a group of dark menacing clouds that sent a shiver of fear down his spine. The clouds seemed to be moving straight toward him. As he saw the clouds closing in, he found a reserve of strength and energy that he didn’t know he had.

As Drake ran, his long, raven black hair kept slapping him in the face. A few strands escaped his ponytail and got in his eyes almost causing him to stumble. He knew if he fell to the ground he wouldn’t be able to get back up before the storm caught him. It took all of his agility to stay on his feet but there were times that luck saved him from falling. How long he ran he didn’t know. He ran through the trees, ducking and sidestepping branches that came out of nowhere trying to catch him and hold him in their clutches until the storm could find him and gather him up in its embrace.

Racing for all he was worth, he saw a tree fall to the ground with a thunderous crash. It almost hit him as it smashed to the ground. He didn’t have time to slow down or dodge it. He did the only thing that he could. He leapt in mid step. He cleared the trunk but his back foot caught on a branch and caused him to stumble. As he fell face-first to the ground, he relaxed and shoulder-rolled to his feet. Not missing a beat, he kept running as if nothing had happened. By the time he neared the cave he was soaked from head to toe and was shivering uncontrollably as he gasped for air. He kept his eyes on the mouth of the cave that got closer and closer. He knew that he had to beat those clouds that were getting bigger and bigger. They were trying to blot out the sky with their hatred for the sun.

A few yards from the cave the clouds caught up with him. They were boiling and swirling with menace and hatred. Spurts of lightning flashed across the sky. The clouds caused darkness to fall. It was darker than the darkness of night. No light was able to penetrate the clouds. If it hadn’t been for his excellent night vision he would never have found the mouth of the cave. Thunder boomed.

He had been concentrating so hard on getting into the safety of the cave that he was completely caught off guard when the thunder shook the ground and knocked him off his feet. He pulled his six foot one lean frame up and crawled to the mouth of the cave. He wanted to collapse once he entered the cave but he knew that he needed to get as far inside as he could. As he was about to give up and fall into the darkness, a bolt of lightning flashed and lit the up the cave. The lighting gave him the strength that he needed to defeat this storm. He forced himself to crawl deeper and deeper into the cave.

Crawling forward, he found that the cave curved at the back, giving him some protection from the storm roaring outside. He clawed his way around the curve and found himself at the end of the cave. He pulled his pack from his back and rested against the cave’s wall as the storm let loose its fury on Drackma.

As Drake sat in the protection of the cave, he listened to the storm rage outside. Wind lashed the rain so it came from every direction. Large thumps were heard as hail smashed into trees and then landed heavily on the ground outside. Thunder rumbled and shook the ground. He gritted his teeth and hoped that the cave wouldn’t collapse. Drake had to shut his eyes when the lighting struck and lit up the cave like mid-afternoon. He could hear trees breaking and whipping in the wind. The wind followed him around the curve to torment him. Although he had his cloak wrapped protectively around him it didn’t help much against the wind. It cut him to the bone and caused him to shiver violently.

Drake sat in the cave well past midnight listening and praying that he would be able to survive the night. As he huddled against the protection of the cave’s wall he tried to remember the legend of the ghost deer. It took him a while before he was able to recall the stories which said only in times of great need when the balance of good and evil is about to be tipped the ghost deer will appear to the one who could restore the balance. As he replayed the legend in his mind, Drake thought to himself. Why would a ghost deer appear to me? What is it that I must do? An idea came to him in the darkness as he felt the cold hard steel in his bedroll. Could Mary be right? He smiled at that thought. He decided that it was time to find his sister and set things right.

The storm suddenly died down. One moment it was raging unmercifully and then it was just a normal storm. The calming sound of the peaceful rain allowed him to drift off to sleep as he wondered how his sister was fairing.

He slept for several hours when the sound of dripping water woke him. He smiled to himself as he saw sunlight shining into the cave. He slowly lifted his cramped body and crawled toward the mouth of the cave. He carefully stuck his head out to examine the damage the storm had done. Surprised, he crawled back in and settled down near his pack with a dumbfounded look on his face.

He couldn’t believe the results of the storm. He was lucky to still be alive. There were trees that he thought could never be hurt from a storm ripped up and tossed about as if they were twigs. Boulders and trees littered the ground and to his amazement there was a pair of trees blocking the mouth of the cave. The trees had collapsed together and fallen in front of the cave. They trapped him inside the cave, but they had also kept out most of the storm during the night. It was going to take some doing to get himself out of the cave. He grabbed his pack and pulled some food from it. He hungrily ate the meager meal and set to work freeing himself from the cave.

It took him several hours of hacking the branches off the trees with a small hatchet he pulled from his pack. He didn’t mind the work for he was alive and that was enough for him. As he finally freed himself from the cave he stood and took in the full destruction of the storm. There were streams and rivers where the day before had been dry ground. Trees which had stood for hundreds of years had been ripped up and tossed around and broken into kindling. The sky was gray and dismal looking. There was still a chill in the air, but the sun was out and would soon dry his cloths and warm him up.

Drake’s mood reflected the storms destruction to perfection. He sighed as he slung his pack on his shoulder and started to slowly make his way through the debris. He had to pick his way around boulders and trees but he kept going. He wasn’t going to put this reunion with his sister off any longer.

Chapter Two

Mary and Anna worked through the morning making necessary repairs to the inn which the previous night’s storm had caused. It was hard, tedious work especially in the hot, muggy weather. Anna loved ridding out storms in the protection of the inn curled in front of a roaring fire but she hated how it made everything hot and muggy the next day. Her clothes stuck to her and her hair made it unbearably hot. The girls quickly made the necessary repairs, replacing the lost shingles and fixing broken shutters on the windows. They were lucky that the storm hadn’t turned the Oak Tree Inn into kindling. Mary was infuriated to see her prized garden destroyed. There was a small stream where her garden had been. The surrounding trees had taken the brunt of the storm.

As they walked into the inn Mary smiled. Although it was going to take a lot of hard work, at least the inn was still standing and it was hers. The inside was in a lot better condition than the outside. Some of the chandeliers had fallen and broken and she had lost some dishes but they could be replaced and it wasn’t going to hinder her inn. She had always had more than enough dishes for the place. What she was concerned about breaking during the storm was the furniture. If they were destroyed she would have to close the inn until she was able to find replacements. She didn’t know if she would be able to replace the furniture before the inn went under. After cleaning up broken glass and finding enough oil lamps to use for that evening, Mary and Anna sat down to rest and enjoy some ale.

Can you believe the storm passed us by with only minimal damage? Mary asked.

I think we only got the edge of it. The trees saved us from serious damage. Anna lowered her mug of ale as she spoke.

You’re probably right. I’m sure that the men will tell us the extent of the damage when they come in from the fields.

At that moment the door opened and a tall man walked into the room. He stood six-foot-two with lean, iron hard muscles. He had a strong jaw, dark-blue eyes, and very short blond hair. He was dressed in forest colors that allowed him to blend into his surroundings. Under his forest cloak was a simple, well-made hilt wrapped carefully with leather. The man looked down at Anna and she looked back into his blue eyes with a confused look on her face. After a few minutes of studying the strangers face, comprehension dawned in her green eyes and she sprang to her feet and ran directly toward Garth with her long red hair streaming out behind her. She leaped into her older brother’s open arms and hugged him as tightly as she could.

He stood for a moment simply enjoying the warmth of the embrace. Then he stepped back and took a good look at his little sister. It was amazing how much the past seven years had changed Anna while Garth was away. He had left home to join the guard at Nobias. Garth remembered her as a scrawny little tomboy with flaming red hair and freckles who didn’t like to wear dresses. He smiled as he remembered their mother forcing a dress on her. Anna would be in britches as soon as her back had turned. Now a striking young woman stood before him.

Anna stood five-foot-six and her long red hair set off her sparkling green eyes and button nose to perfection. She wore a pair of soft, light-brown boots, blue britches, a white long-sleeved tunic that was tucked in, and a light-green vest open in the front. She wore a thin light-brown belt around her waist, synched by a silver buckle.

It sure is good to see you. Garth smiled at Anna then winked. What’s a guy gotta do around here to get a drink?

Mary lifted her lean, five-foot-seven frame from her chair and strolled over the bar to get Garth a mug. As Mary walked towards the bar, Garth let out a low whistle that only Anna heard.

Mary wore a pair of soft, black leather boots, and black britches. Her long-sleeved grey tunic was worn tucked in and a black vest open in the front showed off her lithe figure. She wore a black leather belt synched around her narrow waist by a silver buckle. Garth noted how similar Mary and Anna looked even down to the same style of clothing. The only difference was Mary’s grey eyes and long raven-black hair. Anna shook her head and led Garth to their table while Mary filled his mug with her finest ale. As Mary handed Garth his mug, she flashed him a smile that Garth sheepishly returned.

As they sat talking, Garth smiled behind his mug.

I can see that mom has given up on making you wear dresses.

Anna frowned and a small tear fell from the corner of her eye. Garth saw the tear and scowled.

What’s wrong?

Didn’t you get my letter?

What letter? Garth demanded.

The letter I wrote explaining Mom and Dad’s death.

Garth was dumbstruck. He lowered his head as he thought of the last things that they had said to each other. His parents didn’t want him to leave and become a hired thug. He had told them that he would do what he wanted and stormed out of his parent’s home to never see them again. He looked up from the bottom of his mug and looked around the inn in shame. Anna saw the look in his eyes and felt compelled to comfort him.

It’s not your fault. She placed her hand on top of his in reassurance. She smiled and looked directly into his eyes. They were proud of you for standing up and doing what you felt was right.

What happened?

Anna sat in her chair for a long moment chewing on her finger as she thought of how to tell him what had happened.

Tell me the whole story.

Anna smiled and slowly told her tale.

A little more than a year after you left, a stranger came to the village. She looked at Mary before continuing. It was about a month or so after Mary opened her inn in the village. We came to see what all the excitement was about. As we were enjoying dinner, the stranger approached mom and asked if he could buy her a drink. She refused him and he got angry with her. He was drunk and hit her.

Garth’s face went bright red with anger when he heard that someone had dared lay a finger on his mother. Anna saw the rage in his eyes and smiled.

Dad reacted the same way. He broke the man’s nose before he threw him out of the inn. Before anyone could do anything, the man returned with a knife and stabbed dad in the back. The stranger took mom at knife-point. Anna looked at Mary and smiled again as she remembered what Mary had done. Mary stepped in and, with a speed that I had never seen, she pulled a knife and stabbed the stranger in the chest. She hung her head as she remembered what happened next. As he fell to the ground, the stranger slit mom’s throat.

Garth hung his head.

I’m sorry. If I had known I would have come and taken you back to Nobias with me.

Mary placed a reassuring hand on Garth’s shoulder.

Don’t fret about it. I took her under my wing and she has been living with me.

Garth looked into Mary’s eyes.

Thank you. I don’t know if I can ever repay you for your kindness.

Mary smiled and slapped him on the back.

Don’t worry about it, she has been a great help to me. We help each other out. We’re like sisters.

The afternoon quickly passed as Anna, Mary, and Garth sat catching up on the past seven years. As twilight arrived, Mary looked around at the empty room in confusion.

What’s going on? The place is usually packed by now. A dark frown caused Mary’s brow to furrow as she searched the empty tables with her grey eyes as though expecting to find answers. There should be at least a few villagers trickling in as they head home from working in the fields. It’s odd.

As the words faded from Mary’s lips, a blood-curdling scream burst through the open windows. The sound set the trio’s hair standing on end and Garth’s face drained of all color. His eyes formed into dangerous slits of anger as he leapt from his chair and pulled his sword free from his hip. With sword in hand, Garth dashed from the inn.

Garth had heard that scream many times in his nightmares. He hoped with all his might that he could save the villagers from being slaughtered as he rushed out into the night. Garth stopped dead in his tracks as he caught sight of the monsters that were destroying the village and its people. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

This cannot be happening! Garth thought. Then his mind screamed at him, Move you idiot!

No matter how loud his mind yelled, Garth could not make his frozen body respond. It was as though he were under a spell, forcing him to watch the hoard of monsters swarm down upon him and the inn. Before Garth could do anything, a monster appeared before him with sword raised high preparing to remove Garth’s head. As the blade slashed in for the killing stroke, an arrow streaked past Garth’s right ear and struck the daemon between the eyes. The impact knocked the daemon onto his back and freed Garth from his trance. Garth quickly looked above him and, to his amazement, saw Anna in the second-story window of the inn notching another arrow. Unknown to Garth, Anna had spent the past five years rigorously training with a kind, old woodsman and had become one of the deadliest archers in all of Drackma. As the creature started to get back to its feet, Garth turned and ran as fast as he could back into the inn.

As Anna saw the daemon stand up with her arrow stuck in its forehead, she thought to herself: These creatures can’t be real. They’re supposed to only exist in children’s nightmares. She aimed for the creature’s throat and knocked it back to the ground. To her horror, the thing got back to its feet. With trembling hands she aimed for its heart. As she did, all of her fear left and her hands stopped trembling and she hit the creature in the heart. This time it didn’t get up. She smiled as she realized that the only way to kill these things was by piercing their heart. She quickly discovered that the village was lost and a horde of monsters was coming toward the inn. She shot as many monsters in the heart as she could, but more kept coming. She quickly ran out of arrows and decided that she couldn’t do any more good here.

She dashed down to help Garth and Mary defend the inn. In her heart she knew that it was a hopeless cause, but they had to try. As she ran down the stairs her confidence and anger rose. She wasn’t going to let the inn be destroyed without a fight. As she dashed into the inn’s barroom she slid to a halt long enough to collect a weapon belt with a short sword and dagger and wrap it around her waist. She saw that Mary had already collected her own weapon belt and was helping Garth to bar the inn’s door with a heavy iron bar. With fear etched on their faces, they prepared as well as they could.

The screams of the dying rang heavily in Garths mind. He was back in that village which he had been commanded to destroy. They had left no one alive. They had burned the village to the ground so a pompous, murderous Lord could make a point to his followers. He quickly banished the memory from his head and clenched his jaw. He opened his eyes and he had become a warrior again.

He was no longer afraid of those monsters that were approaching the inn in an attempt to destroy it and everyone inside. He pulled a small knife from his tunic and slit the inner side of his forearm. He wiped his blood in identical lines across his jaw. The blood went from the corner of his eyes to the bottom of his jaw. As he painted the blood on his face he gained the courage he needed to defend the inn. He turned and saw that Anna and Mary were standing back to back with their weapons drawn and ready to fight. Garth could see they were well practiced in this fighting technique and smiled at them. They saw the blood on his face and Anna scowled at him. Mary smiled. She knew why he had done what he had to his face. It gave him the courage that he desperately needed to face the monsters that were racing towards her inn. She gritted her teeth and snarled, Let them come.

The only way I was able to kill them was by piercing their hearts. Anna stated in a cold determined voice as the monsters started to slam against the barred door.

Garth smiled and touched his sword.

I’ll see what happens when you cut their heads off, but you’re better off to stab them in the heart. Both Anna and Mary nodded and stood to wait for the monsters to break the door down.

As they waited they could hear heavy thuds as the creatures threw themselves against the door. The door cracked under the force of the monsters bodies. Suddenly the door shattered under the force of a large monster. It flew through the door and landed face first on the inn’s wooden floor. Garth stepped in and with one swift slash he cut the creatures head off. It didn’t move and Garth smiled as he realized that cutting their heads off would also kill them.

Garth didn’t have time to enjoy his victory as he was quickly surrounded by a horde of monsters. He gritted his teeth and started to stab and chop their heads off. He took some of their arms and legs as well. Although these wounds slowed them down, it didn’t stop them from attacking. He saw creatures fighting with severed limbs. They lay on the floor swinging their weapons at whatever got close to them. He almost stopped in mid swing as he saw that the monsters were slaying their own comrades who wouldn’t get out of their way. The monsters were cruel and unmerciful, even to their own. They fought valiantly, but there were too many monsters for them to slay.

The inn was quickly overrun and they found themselves standing against the inns back wall. They could barely hold their weapons upright. They were covered in black, sticky, foul smelling blood. They were breathing heavily and were sweating freely. The sweat and blood had gotten into their eyes and they were wiping it from their eyes as they realized that it was over. They slumped against the wall and waited for the end. The inn was in shambles and the furniture had been destroyed.

How dare they do this to my inn? Mary snarled. She regained some strength and was slowly lifting her sword when all of the blood drained from her face. Her rage fled from her and was replaced with fear. One of the daemons that stood near Garth swung his sword in an attempt to kill this annoying human. As the sword came within inches of taking Garth’s head off, the blade was halted in mid-air with the sound of steel ringing on steel.

As Mary saw the monster swing his sword toward Garth, she reacted without thinking. She didn’t know how she got her sword up in time. All she knew was that somehow she was able to block the creature’s swing at Garth’s head. The last thing she remembered was slumping to the floor as her remaining strength fled.

Chapter Three

As they stood with their backs to the wall, a hellish creature approached, and the entire host of monsters took a step back. Garth, noticing the show of respect the monsters gave this creature, knew it meant that he was their leader. The creature stalked up to the monster that had tried to kill Garth. Without warning, he took the monster’s head off with one swipe of his cruel, black sword. Sheathing his sword, the leader smiled maliciously at the three prisoners.

Our master said to leave one man and one woman alive.

Without warning, he turned to Mary and grabbed her by the hair and lifted her as though she was as light as a feather so her eyes were level with his. The creature looked deep into Mary’s dark grey eyes as she spit in his face defiantly. He snarled as he slammed her against the wall, causing it to shake from the impact.

He held her against the wall with one hand as he smiled wickedly. He placed his free hand on Mary’s chest, feeling the soft, yielding flesh under his razor sharp claws. He slowly pressed his claws deep into her chest until he felt her warm, beating heart. She writhed in silent pain and agony as he slowly wrapped his fingers around her beating heart. With one vicious pull, he ripped her heart from her chest. As he let go of her hair she fell to the ground, lying in a pool of her own blood. The creature slowly lifted his bloody hand to his lips closing his eyes he began to eat her heart, relishing every bite as her hot, succulent blood dripped down his chin.

No! Garth roared, his eyes blazing with rage. He held the hilt of his sword with a bone white-knuckle grip as his anger exploded. As he threw his sword at the foul creature that had just killed Mary, another monster stepped in front of his master and Garth’s sword struck him in the chest. The monster fell to the floor with Garth’s sword sticking out its back.

The leader of the monsters smiled at Garth and saluted him with the hand that still dripped with Mary’s blood. He slowly licked the remaining blood from his fingers as his eyes began to glow an eerie, dark red. He knelt down and slowly withdrew Garth’s sword from the daemon’s body. With sword in hand, he turned his back on Garth and motioned for the monsters to follow him. Within minutes they had vanished, leaving Anna and Garth alone surrounded by death and carnage.

Anna knelt over Mary’s lifeless body and began to weep. Garth clenched his jaw, his blue eyes smoldering with rage.

They will pay! He snarled through clenched teeth.

Garth and Anna were preparing to burn the inn as Drake entered the south side of the village. Breaking free of the tree line, he stopped dead in his tracks. The sight of black and red blood caused him to frown as he studied the ground to see if he could discover what had happened here. All the color drained from his face and the blood froze in his veins as he saw a dead daemon lying on the ground in front of the inn, the only building left standing. The stench of daemon blood was almost unbearable.

As Drake thought of the possibility of Mary’s lifeless body, his blood began to boil and he ran to the Oak Tree Inn. He paused for a moment in front of the short staircase leading to the inn’s doorway. With determination on his face, he placed one foot on the staircase and slowly made his way to the inn’s door. His eyes were filled with horror as he thought of what might have happened to his sister. As he reached the door, an angry woman with fiery, red hair and stunning green eyes confronted him. With hands on hips and a scowl on her face, she stood blocking the doorway from the intruder.

We’re closed.

Paying no heed to Anna, Drake franticly searched the room over her shoulder for his sister. When he found her in a far corner, he pushed past Anna as if she wasn’t there.

Anna, unprepared to be brushed aside, lost her balance and fell to the floor. She quickly climbed to her feet and scowled at Drake as he walked to Mary’s lifeless body. As he reached Mary’s side, he fell to his knees and a piece of his soul died. He lifted Mary’s lifeless body to his chest and a single tear fell into her hair. He kissed her forehead and gently lowered her body back to the floor. Straightening up, he pulled his pack from his shoulders.

He retrieved his weapon belt from his pack and ceremoniously placed it around his waist and synched up the belt with a silver buckle. A row of silver studs decorated the top and bottom edge of Drake’s black leather belt. A short-sword with a silver hilt and a dragon engraved on the grip rested on Drake’s left hip. On the other side lay a pair of throwing knives, identical to his short-sword. Drake knelt again and pulled a dagger from his right boot. As he knelt with left palm facing up, his eyes squinted to slits of fury. His right hand slashed down with the dagger, cutting open his left palm. Drake slowly turned his palm down, allowing his blood to fall on Mary’s body.

With my blood, I swear vengeance. He vowed with an icy tone of cold determination.

Drake turned his palm up to examine the gash across his hand. To his surprise, the cut was gone. Drake then felt a painful burning on his right shoulder. He clenched his jaw, which helped him ignore the pain. Although the pain was excruciating, it only lasted a moment. The muscles in his jaw and shoulder slowly began to relax and Drake lifted the sleeve of his white tunic to examine his shoulder. To his shock, he discovered a midnight-black dragon with green eyes tattooed on his right shoulder. Not wanting the other two in the room to see the dragon, he quickly lowered his sleeve. Drake turned to face the two survivors and the glare in the girl’s eyes caused him to take a step back.

Anna was frowning in deep concentration, as she looked the stranger over with contempt. She was itching to carve him up for knocking her down. The rage in Drake slowly fell away as he looked into those intense green eyes. He saw Garth standing behind her with his arms crossed over his chest in a defensive stance. Drake shrugged his shoulders and sheepishly apologized for what he had done.

Shoving her feelings aside, Anna slowly asked, Who are you?

Drake sighed, almost choking as he gruffly replied.

I’m Drake, Mary’s brother. What happened here?

Garth and Anna spent the next few minutes explaining to Drake how the monsters had attacked the village and how their leader had killed Mary. Drake’s shoulders tensed and his eyes blazed with anger.

Once the tale was finished, Drake slumped into one of the few chairs that hadn’t been destroyed. He asked Anna if there was any ale. She quickly found him a mug and filled it before handing it over. Drake drained the mug in one gulp and handed it back to Anna.

He looked at Garth with tired eyes.

Are there any more bodies that need to be brought in?

Garth scratched his chin and thought for a moment. Only those of the monsters that attacked us.

Drake sighed. The last week had finally caught up with him and all he wanted to do was find a warm, safe place to curl up and fall asleep. He knew that this wasn’t the time to rest and he wondered if he would ever be able to rest. He banished his fatigue and stood.

We should gather up the monsters’ bodies and bring them in so we can burn them as well. He saw the defiance on their faces and before they could voice their objection he stopped them with an upraised hand. If we don’t, disease from their bodies might spread through the forest. We need to burn their bodies to make sure that doesn’t happen. Garth and Anna sighed in defeat and nodded their heads in agreement. They didn’t like it but they knew that he was right.

They spent the next half-hour bringing the monsters bodies into the inn. Upon finishing the gruesome task, Drake asked Anna if there was any lamp oil. Anna frowned at Drakes request for a moment then she realized what he wanted it for. She turned and walked behind the bar. She returned after a moment carrying a small barrel of oil. Garth took the barrel from Anna and set it on the floor before prying it open. Garth and Drake grabbed mugs from the bar and filled them with oil. They poured mugful after mugful over the body-laden floor. As Garth and Drake worked on preparing to burn the inn, Anna busied herself by filling packs for them.

Anna carried their packs to the edge of the forest while Drake and Garth finished their work. Once the inside was drenched, Garth and Drake exited the inn with a torch in one hand and a mug of oil in the other. Drake went to the west side of the inn and Garth the east. The two doused the walls with the remaining oil and then lit the oil with their torches. They leapt back as the inn exploded into flames. They turned and headed out quickly to meet up with Anna. When they found her, Garth and Drake didn’t say a word. They hoisted their packs to their shoulders and the trio turned to watch the inn burn to the ground. Drake sighed and wrenched his gaze from the towering flames. He felt that the time had come for them to leave.

Traveling through the forest at night was difficult at best. But Drake felt that it was important for them to get as far from the village as possible before they rested. After what felt like an eternity to Anna, but was actually only a few hours, Drake led Garth and Anna into a clearing that was barely large enough for the three of them to camp in and declared that they would stop here. Drake quickly began digging a hole for a fire and Garth and Anna busied themselves by clearing the ground of twigs and rocks so that they could lay out their bedrolls.

Once Garth and Anna had spread out their bedrolls next to the fire, Drake placed his pack back on his shoulders. I’ll take the first watch.

Before Garth and Anna could reply, Drake had turned his back on them and disappeared into the forest. After going uphill for a few hundred feet, Drake found a large boulder with a flat top that overlooked the camp. He sat down on it and gazed blankly into the darkness.

As Drake sat lost in thought, he failed to notice that four men were slowly creeping into the camp. The sounds of Garth and Anna being subdued snapped Drake back to reality and he silently cursed his stupidity as he realized what had happened. Having no other choice, Drake finally decided to take out the weapon he had vowed never to use again.

Drake knelt on the ground and unrolled his bedroll, exposing a sword unlike any other. Drake looked at it with mixed feelings. His intent had