Dragon's Fire and Other Tools to Save the World: Book One: Memoires of Magical Madness

By K.M. Scott PhD

In a world of intense magical energies, a Vortex of residual magical power has formed. As it grows, the intensity of its power threatens the total destruction and devastation of all existence. In the face of it all the most powerful magical creatures in the universe, The Immortals, have complete apathy; the forces of evil seek to harness the destructive power of the uncontrollable Vortex to control everything; and the hope of all things good rests squarely on the shoulders of one extraordinary child…

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Apr 14, 2021
• ISBN: 9781664167940

Book preview

PROLOGUE

I N THE BEGINNING there was everything and nothing in simultaneous chaos; and in the middle of it all was born the ultimate and most ancient of species. A species with immeasurable strength, seemingly immortal life, intense and unknown powers, and nearly complete apathy. Apathy was a gift given the ceaseless horrors they would witness as a species; for if they cared the things they witnessed would have broken their very large, very powerful hearts. Yet they were only mostly apathetic. They had great capacity for emotionally connection within their own… and apparently, upon occasion when all was just right, with those silly and simple mortals whose lives they watched the way one may watch insects at play.

The Ancients had existed from the beginning with as little interaction with the rest of the living creatures as possible. That was about to change…

At this precise moment in the relatively short existence of humans, in this single plane of reality, in a land governed by the rules of magic, everything was on the verge of annihilation. The greatest powers possessed by humankind have created a magical vortex threatening to swallow all of existence. Two opposing forces battle for control of the vortex-one to control it and the other to close it. Each side has equal strength and equal resolve. Each side knows a way must be found to tip the balance and end the stalemate for control before it is too late and the vortex destroys all…

In a small non-descript village on the sea lives a young girl who, unbeknownst to her, holds the necessary weight to tip the scales in either direction…

CHAPTER

1

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J ADE PRESSED HER palms firmly into her closed eyes and silently begged the universe to make the voices stop, knowing it was futile. The manner in which the voices came and went was arbitrary. Sometimes it was just a moment, while other times the insanity lasted for hours. Today it was hours and she felt herself edge ever closer to complete madness. She could not decide what was worse; the chaos of the jumbled sound of hundreds of voices talking all at once, or the mundane and banal nature of most of the thoughts. As she distinctly heard the baker’s daughter’s thoughts about the length and thickness of her own hair for the hundredth time, Jade decided it was the nature of the thoughts.

At first, being able to hear the thoughts of those around her was a wondrous gift… at first. She suddenly knew who liked her, who did not, who was trying to take advantage of her at the market, the emotional state of those around her, exactly the right thing to say at precisely the right moment… It wasn’t long before the gift became a curse; and the curse was far worse than the gift had ever been. One day she was hearing the thoughts of the fish monger; the next she was nearly driven to madness by the sounds of every thought of every person in her small village at once. It had hit her so suddenly that she had blacked out for hours. When she came to she was lying in her bed with her mother watching over her.

You collapsed at school today, Munchkin. Worried everyone to death. How are you feeling now?

She remembered that her mother’s words were calm, but her mother’s face betrayed her fear. Jade knew her mother was scared because her normally greyish blue eyes were ice blue. They were only ever ice blue when she was scared or mad. Jade also realized that for whatever reason she had never been able to hear her mom’s thoughts. She had wondered about it momentarily but had much bigger worries to occupy her time at that time. Back in the present moment, it wasn’t any better… Then it was.

As suddenly as they had started, the voices stopped. Tears of relief ran down her face. She sat in the darkness of the closet for a few more minutes as though the thoughts might re-occur without warning. They did not. She took a deep breath and stood up and walked back out into the world of the non-cursed.

There you are, said her mom as she walked into the kitchen. How ya feelin’, Munchkin?

Jade smiled and sat down at the kitchen table. I’m fine. Just had a headache.

Mariana smiled at her daughter. Hot chocolate, then?

Yes, please.

Mariana continued to smile and turned to the task of making Jade’s hot chocolate just so. Her daughter was by no means a picky child, but she was a particular child. Mariana had noticed the heightened sensory responses in Jade at a very early age. She had a hypersensitivity to tastes, textures, sounds, smells, even certain colors. Mariana knew what it meant; Jade was unique, special… Jade was a Reader. Mariana had known immediately that her daughter’s life was destined to change from simple and sweet to very complicated, but she had chosen to keep it simple and sweet for as long as possible. She, too, was a Reader and she was known at such a young age that she had never experienced a childhood; she was determined not to have that for her daughter.

Here you go. Just like you like it, she said placing the mug on the table. Jade smiled, and Mariana realized that her daughter was turning into a stunning young woman. Her eyes were round brown pools filled with flecks of gold and green. She had long blonde hair that was neatly pulled into a braid on the side of her face. She was taller than Mariana, but still shorter than the other sixteen-year-old girls. She was muscular from years of outdoor activities like climbing trees, archery, and even knife throwing.

Thank you, momma, replied Jade.

Mariana watched her for a moment longer; wondering for the millionth time if now was the time to tell her everything. Looking at the relief on her daughter’s face, knowing that look came from the silencing of the voices, she decided to wait just a while longer to let Jade know that she knew her secret and to expose all of her own secrets…

Unfortunately, fate is an impatient beast.

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Have you found the girl?

Rahnaya slowly opened her eyes and allowed them to focus on the strong yet concerned face before her. I have, Master Von. She found his deep, dark green eyes quite soothing. But you knew that, or you would not have come.

He grinned in spite of himself. Master Rahnaya had a more direct nature than most of the Masters within the Temple; it was a trait he found appealing. Her nature coupled with her incredible skills as a Master Reader, not to mention her extreme physical beauty, made him seek her company even when the world was not in dire need. Unfortunately, this time, the world was in dire need of saving.

Quite right, he said staring into her large turquoise eyes. For a moment he considered reading her thoughts as she fascinated him completely. But only for a moment; that was a trust he would never betray, and he knew that in return she would never read his. It was actually more than an unspoken rule in the Temple; it was a Law of the Masters.

Rahnaya stood and stretched her exhausted body. She had spent months searching for the girl ever since they had first felt her presence in the world.

Her powers are already quite strong, and they grow by the moment. She is in grave danger, said Rahnaya.

Von nodded. It is only a matter of time before the Lords find her as well… That is if they have not already.

We must send a retrieval team at once. The girl simply is not safe.

Von looked at Rahnaya’s worried face and raised an eyebrow. Did you forget who her mother is?

They will send Enforcers, she pleaded with Von. They will have her or kill her!

Her mother is Mariana, the only non-Empath to ever possess two powers. Reader and Protector. Powerful beyond measure in both. She is also the girl’s mother. She so loved her daughter she left the safety and prosperity of the Temple. Do you think she will be so easily overcome?

Rahnaya had never understood why Mariana had left. Life within the Temple had been salvation for her as a child. She had nearly been driven mad by the voices and those around her in her own small village thought her touched in the worst way. She had been labelled crazy and locked away from the world. But she knew the truth; knew because she could read all of their thoughts that they feared her. Every single person in the village feared her because she could peer into the deep dark recesses of their minds and see their secret thoughts. Even her parents had been afraid.

So, when the retrieval team came for her one dark night, she was elated to escape. The other Readers at the Temple had taken her in and saved her; taught her to control and harness her power. She was understood and loved. She was saved. And it had been Mariana who had saved her.

No, Master Von, I have not forgotten, nor do I believe she will be easily overcome. I know she will protect the girl or die trying. I’d like to avoid that if at all possible.

Von knew that they must act immediately; he knew that Rahnaya was correct. But he also knew that Mariana had not yet told her daughter about this part of her world, for she continued to hide herself from them. He feared the consequences of making that choice for her. It was a precarious situation. If Mariana sensed that they were coming, she could possibly run and make it even more difficult for them to find her. If they showed up and announced to her that her child was the possible savior or destroyer of all existence, she might fight that as well. He simply did not know what she would do; only that she was capable of a great many things.

Von sighed. You are correct, Master Rahnaya. The need is too urgent and the girl in far too much danger for us to wait. Yet, we cannot send a normal retrieval team. Mariana would easily avoid our team and we know for certain she does not want to be found. You must also consider the danger we will be placing her in the moment a team arrives.

How so, Master Von?

Consider that the Lords may not yet have discovered the girl. Suddenly a retrieval team appears at a remote location. They will no doubt be searching for such a spike in magic anywhere in the land. Our very presence will act like a beacon to those from whom we are seeking to protect her.

"Then who shall go?

It will be a team of three: one Transporter, one Protector, and one Reader.

Only three?! That’s not enough. What of the Enforcers?

It must be a small group to minimize the magical signature. But it shall be a powerful group, and you will also have Mariana at your side.

"You? You said you shall have… You mean to send me?"

Von smiled like a father might smile at a child he knows is ready to ride a bike without training wheels for the first time. Yes. It must be you. You are the most powerful Reader. You will need to pinpoint the girl while sensing if the Lords are near. You are also dear to Mariana and she might listen to you.

This task is too big for me, muttered Rahnaya feeling overcome with a sudden sense of shame.

Von sighed. It is not, he said with such emotional force that Rahnaya shuddered. You must learn that she did not abandon us or you. She did what she had to do in her mind and her heart for her child. Learn to accept that and just maybe one day you will admire it. Regardless of your feelings on the matter, you will be going.

Rahnaya knew Von’s command voice all too well; this matter was decided. He was after all, the leader of the Masters and the most powerful of them all. He was an Empath of epic proportions. She knew that it should not surprise her that he knew her mind, but somewhere inside of herself she had hoped that she had successfully hidden her feelings on Mariana’s departure. Had she chosen to be honest with herself on the matter, she would have realized that everyone saw through her. No need to be an Empath for that. The Protectors could see it.

She knew two things for certain. One, he was right, and she had to get over it. Two, she was going after the girl.

She decided on the path of least resistance. Who else?

Von softened at her acceptance. Truth be told, he despised the need to command the others, but he accepted it as part of his role. Rahnaya, more than all the others, challenged him. It was her nature, and that he accepted as well.

Master Rashi, of course.

She beamed at the name of the greatest of all the Protectors. He called himself a knight in tested metal. He was the most skilled and the wisest of all the warrior class Masters. He was a Master of all weapons; all fighting styles and had an intellect to match his physical prowess.

And Master Matz, said Von.

Rahnaya was stunned. Will Master Matz agree to this? Matz was without a doubt the most powerful Transporter in existence. He need only hear of a place to transport himself or others there. He could move over a dozen people at once without help. He could move objects as well; large and small. His range seemed to be the known world. Because of this, he had not left the Temple in more than twenty years. He had no need and no desire. Yet, he would have to leave to bring the girl back because none of them had knowledge of her appearance, Mariana had somehow masked that, and they all knew Mariana must come back as well. Since she had blocked her presence, no Transporter could pull her without being beside her.

He will because he must.

Rahnaya knew that it was decided. She and the others would be going after the girl despite any feelings they may have to the contrary. As soon as she had that particular thought she nearly laughed out loud at herself. It wasn’t as though any of them really had a choice; their world was on the brink of ending. They needed the girl to have any hope. She suddenly felt like a child at her earlier resistance; if she wanted to continue the life she loved, she would go with a smile on her face.

Von waited patiently for Rahnaya to work through her personal demons and end up at acceptance. He knew she would; she always did. As he waited he ran everything through his mind and wondered for what felt like the millionth time if he should be the one on this journey. Yet, as soon as he wondered, he knew he could not. He was the best defense the Masters had against any attack. Moreover, he was an Empath of extreme power, arguably the strongest ever, he would absorb the powers of all those in any proximity to him-even those just discovering their own abilities. He would be a magical beacon of epic proportion. The Lords would instantly know where he was, and they would find the girl. The risk was too great. He had to stay… But he did not have to like it.

Come, Master Rahnaya, he said. Let us inform the team.

Rahnaya attempted a smile. Yes, let’s.

As they walked out of the chamber to engage the others Von had a single thought, And so it begins…

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Well?

Lord Brenius cringed at the sound of the deep and grating voice of Lord Scar. He had been so named because of the long, hideous scar that crossed his entire face from just above the right eye, diagonally down to the bottom of his chin on the left-somehow missing his eye. No one, not even the readers knew his real name.

Nothing, Lord Scar. Not a single magical pulse since that first day.

Lord Scar took a long, deep breath. He would have blamed the failure to locate the girl on Brenius’ incompetence or lack of ability, but he knew better. As the master Empath of the Lords, he had felt and absorbed the powers of Lord Brenius on more than one occasion; he knew him to be the most powerful Reader among the Lords.

Then she is being blocked, he stated, by her mother, no doubt.

Lord Brenius nodded. How will we find her with Mariana protecting her?

Scar knew this was a very serious concern. Mariana was one of the most powerful Readers to have ever existed; the only Reader known to have possessed more than one power. He knew that if she did not want to be found the Lords would not be able to find her through their own magic. He smiled a sinister smile because he knew something else as well. Mariana would ever be connected to the Masters; it was their pathetic nature. The Masters truly loved one another and that was a bond that could not be completely severed. He knew that even if he and his Lords could not find her and her child, the Masters most likely could. And he could find them.

He realized that Lord Brenius was waiting on him to speak. We will not.

Brenius tried not to look confused. Confusion was a rare and uncomfortable state for him as a Reader, but no one ever knew what Lord Scar was thinking. So, with little other choice, he waited for an explanation. He had come to learn that Lord Scar reveled in the discomfort of those around him.

There is no need for us to find her at this juncture. If we are aware and seeking, then so must the Masters be. Let them find her and we shall find them, said Lord Scar with an air of triumph.

But if we allow them to find her, we will have to take her from them by force, whined Lord Brenius.

Scar resisted the urge to slap the sniveling Lord across his miserable face. That is correct, Lord Brenius. Yet, unless you have suddenly developed a new skill set of which I am unaware, that would be our only viable option here. Wouldn’t you agree?

Lord Brenius swallowed his pride before responding. He knew that Lord Scar was a dangerous man, with powers well beyond his scope. He knew the man capable of unspeakable acts of terror. He chose not to push those buttons. Yes, Lord Scar. You are correct, of course.

That I am, he sneered. After a few moments of extremely uncomfortable silence, he spoke again. Watch the Master’s Temple. Let me know when they begin their journey.

And then he was gone and Lord Brenius was alone; he breathed a sigh of relief.

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Master Rashi tossed his dagger into the air and caught it for precisely the nine hundred and eighty-seventh time. He knew because he was counting; he always counted. Absolute precision was part of who he was. Everything he did, ever single move he made, the very contraction of his muscles-total precision and control. It would have been exhausting if it wasn’t so invigorating.

How many was that? asked Master Rahnaya as she walked into the spell chamber.

Nine hundred and eighty-seven, he replied with a smile that was stunning. Rahnaya could not help but notice what a perfect and beautiful specimen of a man Lord Rashi was. His deep, brown eyes, powerful jaw line, muscular body, and dark skin made him completely physically appealing. And then there was his ever-active mind.

How long have you been here? she asked with a smile.

Not long, he replied with a wink. If I had there’d be many other weapons to discuss.

Rahnaya chuckled, mostly because she knew he was serious. Left to his own devices he would be training with every weapon in the Temple. He was a consummate professional; training despite his natural talents and abilities. She once asked him why he trained so hard and he simply said, I train while others sleep.

I assume you are ready for this? she asked.

He tilted his head and smiled. Always ready for a fight.

You think there will be a fight?

You don’t? You are not that dumb. He waited a moment before continuing. The question really is, are you ready for this?

Rahnaya momentarily considered acting like she had no idea what he meant; but she knew that to be a waste of time and energy. Not like you. I have never had that level of calmness or confidence.

With his next words, Rashi demonstrated, yet again, his wisdom to be as great as his skill with any weapon. The very fact that you are aware you are not ready shows me that you are actually ready.

Rahnaya shook her head. I’m ready because I’m not ready. You really make no sense at all; you realize that, don’t you?

Rashi grinned. I make perfect sense.

Rahnaya knew that was a dead end. His was a special kind of genius. Do you think there is a chance we could get Mariana and the child and be back here without a fight?

Rashi stopped throwing his dagger and stared at the young Master with a sudden realization. She was terrified of a fight. No, she was terrified of the very journey. He wanted to give her some reassurances but knew he could not. There was going to be a fight; one way or another. Of that fact, he was certain. He tried to soften his voice as he spoke. We are best served by believing this will be the fight of our lives. That way we prepare for the very worst and we won’t be caught unawares.

Rahnaya looked genuinely afraid and for a moment, the human side of Rashi felt sympathy for her. Yet, the warrior in him knew that there was nothing for it but to move through it. He also knew that not everyone was him; not everyone had fought and lost as many battles as he had, only to stand and fight again. After all, that is where his true strength came from-from the battles he lost, not all the battles he had won.

Not knowing how to explain this to her, he changed the subject. So, Master Matz will be joining us on this crusade?

She smiled a stunning smile. So I am told. Master Von may be stretching the limits of his own muscles making that happen.

And just like he had been waiting for that very cue, Master Matz simply appeared in the center of the chamber. Had they not seen this trick a million times, the other Masters would have jumped. What? You mean you don’t believe that I got up this morning and said, ‘Gee I’d like to go on a quest where I risk life and limb to kidnap my friend and her kid?’ Instead, you think Master Von had to basically pull the whole ‘I’m in charge of the universe, which incidentally is on the brink of disaster’ card to get me to agree to leave the Temple?

Rashi grinned from ear to ear. Pretty sure you got up looking for death and destruction. Rahnaya?

She chuckled. Yep. That’s pretty much what I was thinking.

Matz laughed out loud. Well alrighty then. We are all on the same page. Death and destruction, risking life and limb it is.

Master Matz was an interesting person; almost the polar opposite of who she had envisioned when Rahnaya was first told about him when she was brought to the Temple. He was tall, well over 6 feet. He had long, blonde hair which he always wore pulled back in a ponytail. His body was lean and muscular, and his face was quite striking. His eyes were two deep, brown pools that seemed to always be inwardly focused. She had expected a short, squat, old, and quite frankly ugly hermit of a man. But life in the Temple had taught her quickly not to judge or guess.

Rashi shouldered his pack and moved toward the center of the spell chamber. Rahnaya followed his lead and joined the other Masters.

You ready, asked Matz.

As ever, said