Dragon Ascendants

By Paul E. Vaughn

Half-elf, half-human, Tallian lives with dwarves and knows little about his birth parents. After his adopted brother runs away, hundreds of shadow bats decimate his village, and Meerkesh, Tallian’s adopted father reveals the truth about how he came to live with the dwarves in the Furin Mountains. 
 
Betrayed by the only brother he has ever known, Tallian and the dwarves flee from Fearoc, the evil elf who controls Luminess. Against what seems to be impossible odds, dwarves, elves, dragons, and men unite against Fearoc in hopes of freeing Luminess.

• Language: English
• Publisher: TouchPoint Press
• Release date: Mar 20, 2018
• ISBN: 1946920428

Book preview

Dragon Ascendants

Luminess Legends

Book 1

Unleash the fire within

Paul E. Vaughn

Relax. Read. Repeat.

DRAGON ASCENDANTS (LUMINOUS LEGENDS, BOOK 1)

Copyright © 2018 by Paul E. Vaughn.

All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America.

Ebook Edition.

This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters, and events are fictitious. Any similarities to actual events and persons, living or dead, are purely coincidental. Any trademarks, service marks, product names, or named features are assumed to be the property of their respective owners and are used only for reference. If any of these terms are used, no endorsement is implied. Except for review purposes, the reproduction of this book, in whole or part, electronically or mechanically, constitutes a copyright violation. Address permissions and review inquiries to [e-mail].

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Book and Cover design by ColbieMyles®, [e-mail]

First Edition

Light fades. The sun fades to a memory. A powerful creature of unimaginable power, grows in strength while the world only grows in darkness. For more than fifteen years, the light has lost its potency with each day. It feels as though it has always been this way. This world has changed for those who witnessed its former glory, but it is important to have a clear image of this world before it is consumed by darkness.

Once, the world rose with the sun. Darkness only came at night, but even then, the darkness was illuminated by the light of the moon. Rivers flowed freely, farmlands flourished with bountiful harvests, and fish overflowed the rivers and lakes. No evil could be found in the world before the ash and fire took the land by storm. Tales of warriors were told around campfires, but warriors were rarely needed outside those storied tales. Men, elves, and dwarves alike shared laughter and joy. Feasts and festivals were common occurrences in every village, to which persons of every race were invited. Only one form of devastation stood, but for a long time, evil did not fuel its fury. This natural disaster, known as Fire Mountain, was a massive volcano. Its destruction had very little reach because only dragons lived near it. It merely stood as a reminder of nature’s destructive power.

Now, power has a new name, and it is Fearoc—a rogue elf with pure evil in his heart. He took the world in the palm of his hand, only in a matter of weeks, and after killing the only person who could stand against him, he harnessed the power of Fire Mountain and made it his home. Now he waits while his power approaches full strength, and the skies become darker by the day. If he is not stopped by the time he has reached full power and light has completely turned to shadow, then the world is truly lost forever.

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Five

Chapter Twenty-Six

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Chapter One

ON A GLOOMY DAY IN THE FURIN MOUNTAINS, the sun fades, and as its power dwindles, so does its warmth. This mountain is the largest range in Luminess, stretching from the mighty Byramar River’s starting point all the way to Mountain Pass Stream. Its peak is also the highest in Luminess, seemingly reaching halfway to the heavens.

The Furin Mountains have been home to dwarves for centuries. Though it holds no valuable minerals, this mountain holds the richest deposits of precious gems in Luminess. Dwarves have mined this mountain since they settled here and have only begun to tap into the depth of its riches. The mines run deep into the mountain with many tunnels.

As the first light of the dwindling sun touches the surface, smoke rises from the top of each little hut. The burrow’s hereditary leader lives in the center of the mining town of East Furin. Meerkesh’s family led the dwarves to this mountain centuries ago, and since they settled, his family’s eldest male accepts the role as burrow Spokesman. The dwarves’ well-being has always been his family’s primary concern. A mining burrow is simple to govern. With few rules and long workdays, there is little time for issues that would require a ruler. All who reach the age of sixteen are required to work the mine.

A family of three sits in Meerkesh’s hut, with Meerkesh sitting at the head of the table. Large for a dwarf in both height and build, he is, in fact, the tallest and largest dwarf in the Furin Mountains. His black hair with streaks of gray is semi-neatly braided halfway down his back. His beard, also in a single braid, hangs down his stomach, rubbing against his belt. Sitting to Meerkesh’s right is his eighteen-year-old son, Killmesh, Meerkesh’s only child and a spitting image of him. Killmesh’s mother does not sit at the table, as she died from sickness when he was five. The other dweller, Tallian, is not a dwarf. Just shy of eighteen-years-old, he is much taller than Meerkesh and Killmesh. Sitting, they only come to his shoulders. Much longer in frame, he is slender, though muscular from living the life of a dwarf. He was brought to Meerkesh as a baby. He knows nothing of his parents, but not for lack of asking.

They eat to prepare for a hard day’s work. Killmesh, you remember everything I told you to do today? Meerkesh asks.

Yes father.

Tallian speaks up: I can help you, Killmesh, if you wish it.

I do not need your help! I am perfectly capable of handling my own job alone as intended.

Meerkesh interjects as he can see an argument arising. Tallian is attempting to be nice by offering to help. Show a little appreciation when someone offers you aid.

No one thinks I can handle things on my own! I am an adult and in line to take over for you some day. Why do you think I would not take my responsibilities seriously?

When you start proving that everything gets done as expected, I will let you be.

Killmesh slams his fists on the table. He stands without finishing his food and storms toward the door. He slaps the door out of his way as he passes through it.

Don’t let him bother you, Tallian. He is only angry because I am tough on him, whereas I am not as strict with you.

Why is that so Meerkesh? I feel like I am your son as well, but Killmesh only makes me feel as though I do not belong here.

I am tough on him because he must take my place someday. You do not have to carry the weight of this burrow and the mountain, so I spare you the strict discipline I try to instill in him.

Meerkesh and Tallian finish their breakfast in silence. Tallian sits in confusion, while Meerkesh dons a look of disappointment. Tallian finishes first, so he clears the table of his wooden plate and cup. After he washes them and places them on the rack near the wall, he heads for the door. I’m going to the mines. Meerkesh nods as he finishes eating in silence.

Tallian walks up the hill passing huts. Each hut looks similar to the next. Because the dwarves work most of the time, it’s pointless to make fancy living quarters; therefore, they create simple huts with easy accessible materials.

As usual, the day begins with dwarves entering the mountain. Dwarves travel deep into the mountain looking for undiscovered jewels, while females run carts from the depths to the surface. There are many different jobs in the tunnels. Because rocks shroud the ground carts are transported on tracks elevated above the rocks. Some jobs require laying and forging the tracks. Most jobs, however, include stripping jewels and cleaning them.

Tallian enters the tunnel and passes working dwarves. Nodding as he passes, he makes his way down the tunnel. Tallian reaches his workstation but remembers he finished ahead of pace the previous day.

Tallian turns and sees Martush. He is an average sized dwarf with a ratty red beard and a bald head. His wife died giving birth to their son seven years ago. His fortunes became worse when his son did not survive the week. His grief continues. Unlike most dwarves who have their beard in a single braid, he has no braid.

Tallian walks up to him. Can I do anything to help you? Martush turns and stares at Tallian, expressionless. He says nothing but turns his head and looks down at the rocks lying beside him. Tallian shakes his head and picks them up.

After picking up a few rocks, Tallian realizes he needs a cart. Each tunnel only has one cart in order to prevent congestion. He runs through the tunnel looking for the cart. He finds Veraskin using it. He quickly approaches her. Can I use this for a few minutes? I will return it soon.

Sure, as long as it doesn’t take too long. I must get back to work.

It will be returned as quickly as I can see my task finished.

She waits while he pushes the cart down the tunnel. He stops the cart where he had been digging the tunnel. He clears his work area, and then he moves up the tunnel near Martush. Quickly picking up rocks, he clears the area. At first, Martush does not notice his presence, but then a small rock gets away from Tallian and lands on Martush’s foot. Snapping out of his normal drunken haze into an uncommon state of sobriety since the passing of his family, Martush turns and stares at him once again as if he is confused at his hurry.

When Tallian finally makes his way back to Veraskin to return the cart, he says, I am finished with your cart, but I am afraid I have filled it. I can go dump it for you.

She shakes her head. You have been working since you started sneaking in here at age twelve. How about you just help me dump it? I saw you working back there, and your pace can afford to slow a bit. She smiles as they push the cart slowly toward the exit. As they walk, Tallian is quiet as usual, but Veraskin continues. How have you been? Aside from seeing you in the tunnels, I have not seen you much of late.

I have been trying to stay busy. I often walk through the woods to clear my head.

I have been wondering where you disappear to. Where all do you go?

Different places. Sometimes I just walk in any direction and see where I end up.

How do you not get lost? We do not finish until near dark, and if you walk as much as you say you do, how do you navigate after the sun goes down?

It is hard to explain, but I have always been good at knowing where I am. I feel at home in the woods. It feels like the trees are my guide. When I wish to return home, I just start walking the direction I came from, and I always find my way back.

Once they get the cart outside of the tunnel, they push it up to a wagon. The tracks stop just before they reach a drop-off. The driver of the wagon backs it to the drop-off. Tallian pulls a lever on one side, and Veraskin pulls a lever on her side. Then they push the cart, dumping it, without removing it from the tracks.

How are your husband and your son? Tallian asks. I am going to have to make a point to stop and play with Vertush the next time I see him.

Her face lights up with a smile as she answers. He is as playful as ever. I am sure Afkan would love the relief. Vertush constantly wants his father to play with him, but Afkan is usually exhausted from the mines.

Well, the next time I see him, I will play with him. He is a good kid. I enjoy myself every time I am around him.

I will tell him that when I see him tonight. He will be all smiles, I am sure. You being so tall makes him feel as if he is friends with a giant. She smiles as they come to the end of their walk.

At the end of the day, Tallian exits the tunnel and walks down the hill toward his hut. He stops and turns to look at the tunnels, as he always has been amazed by the workers as they leave the mines. They remind him of a colony of ants as they flee a burning bed.

The dwarves retreat from the mountain by hundreds. Dwarves of all descriptions scurry from several mining tunnels, but all have so much in common. Dwarves are short in stature standing not much farther from the ground than a newborn pony. Their vertical challenges may be grounds for joking, but their hearts could power a giant, along with their amazing strength. A life of mining makes a body strong.

While dwarves have many traditions, they have one that sets them apart—more than their lack of height. After they turn eighteen, the males never cut their beard again. While they are allowed to style it any way they wish, cutting it is forbidden. Most dwarves wear their hair and beard in a single braid, which they tuck in their shirts while they work. Age is easily determined among the male dwarves. Only elves live more than eighty years, but occasionally, dwarf’s beard reaches the ground, symbolizing an uncommon age for dwarves.

After viewing the workers flocking from the tunnels, Tallian heads home once more. East Furin reaches all the way up to the mines, and the burrow is located midway between the tunnels and the base of the mountain. It is not a terrible walk, which Tallian actually enjoys. Soft grass covers the rock of the mountain like a pillow for his feet. This walk reminds him of the woods through which he loves wandering.

As he walks, he can only think about going to see Emerald. He has not seen him for three days, which is a long time for Tallian, who would see him every day if Meerkesh would allow it. Meerkesh does not allow Tallian to wander the woods every night. Meerkesh treats Tallian as his own son; therefore, he has no complaints about the rules he lays out for him.

Chapter Two

AS MEERKESH WALKS DOWN THE CENTER of the village towards his hut, he finds Tallian waiting for him at his door, as he has done for years. Tallian always waits for Meerkesh to tell him he is going to visit Emerald Wildfire, a dragon he found when he was eight-years-old. They have been inseparable since that day. Tallian never told Meerkesh, or anyone, for that matter, about finding his dragon. However, Meerkesh discovered his secret.

Being a protective parental figure, Meerkesh followed a wandering eight-year-old Tallian. He waited until Tallian was alone to confront him. So, what did you name your dragon?

Flustered by the question Tallian, answered with a nervous crack in his voice, Emerald Wildfire, well—Emerald for short.

Meerkesh’s response puzzled Tallian more than the question. He quickly responded, That is a fine name; although it is not purely a dwarf name, it makes sense, nonetheless.

Meerkesh seemed to know a great deal about dragons, but he never told Tallian why. He merely told Tallian to be back at a reasonable hour when he visited his dragon. The night is not a good time for a young boy to be off so far from home on his own, he stated. Tallian understood and swore to be home by dark each day. Even after he started working in the mines at age twelve, he would leave work early so he could go see Emerald and be back by dark. Only since he became old enough to be required to work all day was he allowed to be out after dark, but Meerkesh limits him from being out every night.

Meerkesh walks up to Tallian as he waits. I am going, Tallian says.

Meerkesh told him years ago to never tell anyone about his dragon or to say his name. He does not want anyone, including Killmesh, to ask questions about Emerald.

Wait, Tallian. Come inside first. I have something I want to tell you before you leave.

Tallian follows Meerkesh through the slit in the animal skin, which acts as a door. Sitting, Meerkesh places both hands on the table, interlocking his fingers. Tomorrow instead of going to see Emerald, I want you to go to West Furin and talk to Brisken. Here, in East Furin, we are ready to go to Caskin, but they may not be ready yet, being a new mining burrow. So do not stay out too late. You will leave in the morning, and the trip should take you all day.

What should I ask him?

Simply ask him if he is ready to make a trip to Caskin. If he says no, ask how long until they will be ready.

And if he is ready?

Then ask him how soon they can be ready for banquet and how long it will take them to haul their jewels to East Furin for the banquet. Then tell him I will send you back to tell him the day of the banquet.

I will see it gets done.

Tallian stands to leave when Meerkesh stops him once more. Tallian, there will be time for you to visit with everyone over there—not a lot of time, mind you, but do spend some time with the people. Brisken is my best friend. It would not hurt you to find a friend for yourself.

Tallian starts to speak I alr …

Meerkesh cuts him off. I mean a human. You need more human friends. Tallian lowers his head and nods in agreement before turning and walking away.

After leaving the hut, Tallian passes the last hut of East Furin, and he runs as hard as he can. He runs over a mile before he can’t take anymore and slows to a brisk walk. While he walks the rest of the trip, he thinks back to the day he found Emerald. He still doesn’t fully understand how it happened.

****

He walked through the woods as he often did. The walk started like any other, but around dark, when he would normally head home, he felt as if he was being drawn somewhere. Something told him, Walk this way, go through there, and just a little bit further. Tallian walked past field after field and woodland after woodland. He crossed streams and hills. It was bizarre to him, but although it had become dark and he was not allowed to be out after dark, he continued to walk for miles before coming to a large stream known to him as Dronin Stream. Then the voice in his head said, Continue down the stream. He followed the stream until the voice said, Now walk directly away from the stream. He walked in that direction for nearly a mile through a thick, dense wooded area, before he came to a field with green grass that reached Tallian’s waist. The voice that had led him suddenly stopped, leaving Tallian to believe he had reached his destination.

Whatever I’m here for is in this field, he thought, but it was well into the night and pitch black, and he only had moonlight to aid his search. Tallian walked a few steps into the tall grass and looked carefully for something hidden. He carefully surveyed the field for anything out of the ordinary. In the middle of the field, he heard a group of birds, which caused him to turn his head. In the dark, he could not see clearly, but he then saw what seemed like shadows of the birds flying off as if they were spooked.

Tallian slowly walked toward the middle of the field. As he got closer to the spot from which the birds ascended, he closely examined the green grass. Nothing stood out at first, but as he got a little closer, Tallian noticed two bright green dots in the grass. In the dark, they were like fireflies dancing on neighboring blades of grass.

He walked closer, and as he got closer, his suspicions proved to be true. The green dots seemed to move through the grass, flickering in the shadows as they crossed each large stalk. Tallian slowly moved closer trying to catch the dots, but they moved faster, and large portions of grass shook, revealing that the dots were possibly part of a larger whole. He hopped at the bright dots just to be surprised by the dots taking a huge hop towards him.

He quickly sat up, when he saw a beautiful, green creature bouncing and hissing in an attack position. It only came to Tallian’s thighs standing on four legs, but it had glowing green eyes with small, gem-like talons and small spikes from the top of its head all the way down its back to the end of its tail where they branched out in every direction. Its teeth even resembled a green emerald as they sparkled in the moonlight.

Tallian slowly made his way back to his feet in a manner that wouldn’t spook the amazing creature. Tallian took a few small steps toward it whispering soft words. It’s okay. I’m not going to hurt you, he said. He gently extended his hand. The creature snapped at him, but Tallian didn’t withdraw his hand. He took another step, and the animal looked confused as he allowed him to touch the top of his head. He gently caressed his head for a short time, and that was all it needed to become attached to Tallian.

It rubbed Tallian’s leg as it rolled around, displaying its partially plump stomach, while it played with him. Tallian looked into its eyes and asked, What are you? That is when the voice came back, and with that voice, this creature made all the sense in the world. The word the voice lodged into his mind changed his life forever. He looked at the creature once more and smiled because he knew he would never call it a creature. Then, the voice came back again, answering his question. With a giant smile on his face, he said with excitement, You are a dragon!

****

As he approaches Dronin Stream and nears his walk’s end, he looks for Emerald, but does not see him. He continues to walk toward the field where he originally found Emerald. Meerkesh told him to stay near the field because if he and his dragon see someone, they can easily hide in the tall grass.

Tallian still does not see him. He reaches the field and walks out into it slowly as he looks around. Once he reaches the exact spot where he found Emerald, he stops and spins around to look at the tree lines. Still, he sees nothing. This is common for Emerald. Although he is an adult sized dragon now, he is still young and playful. Emerald often hides from Tallian, wanting him to look for him. Tallian looks to the trees, but he sees no glowing, green eyes. He looks to the tall grass of the field, but he sees none there either. He continues slowly in an attempt to play along, but still nothing. He tries to listen for any revealing sounds, but hears nothing to reveal Emerald’s location.

Then, several green fireballs explode around Tallian forming a circle of fire, burning the grass