Light glinted off of the metal sword that was quickly being lowered toward my head. I swiftly raised my shield and blocked the blow, slightly knocking my foe off balance and giving me an opening to attack. I lunged at him with my sword, only to find myself empty-handed as he knocked my sword away with his own. He attacked me viciously, and all I could do was raise my shield in a pitiful attempt to defend myself. His onslaught soon threw my shield from my hand, and sent me sprawling. He deftly lowered his sword to my neck.
“Patience! You must have patience!” he said as he returned his blade to its sheath. He was Gregory, my guardian since my mother died, and possibly the best swordsman in the Kingdom. He was a burly man, standing six feet tall. He had hard, toned muscles from years of service in the Royal Army. He had straight, brown hair and a mustache that gave him a thoughtful expression. Gregory could be rough at times, but he was kind if you got to know him. He was the only one my mom had trusted to take me in the day that the dragons came.
I got up and surveyed my surroundings. We were in a small clearing in a forest, a stretch of bare earth surrounded by trees as far as the eye could see. I could hear the birds that made their home in the trees chirping an enchanting melody. They reminded me of that day so long ago, the morning before the dragons came.
“Well… what do you say we go have something to eat?” Gregory asked, tearing me away from my memories.
I simply nodded, and got up from my position on the ground. I brushed off my wings and tail and picked up my fallen sword and shield. As you can probably guess, I am not what you would call a normal human. I am the son of a dragon and a human. My father was a dragon who had been turned human for a year by a rogue human wizard in order to spy on the Kingdom. At this time, the dragons were at war with the Kingdom. They still are today.
During his mission, he fell in love with my mother. When my mother gave birth to me, I had dragon-like characteristics. My father fled, thinking my mother would hate him for who he truly was. My mother raised me in the forest by Carrotia on the outskirts of the Kingdom. One day, as she was visiting the village, dragons attacked. A regiment of the Royal Army was dispatched to protect the village, but when they arrived, the village had been burnt to the ground. Gregory found my mother on the street with severe injuries. She pleaded with him to raise me and told him where our home was hidden before she died. He agreed and has been my guardian since.
We walked back to our home, which was little more than a glorified cave, literally. I waited outside while Gregory went inside to get our food. As I was waiting, I saw the shape of a person walking along the trail to our home, a path formed of slightly crushed undergrowth visible to only those who were looking for it.
“Edgar!” I shouted in greeting. “You came just in time! Gregory is preparing lunch!”
“Ha! And you say I’m never on time!” he said as he made his way through the rest of the trail to our house. “You look tired. Have you been sparring again?” He plopped himself down on a rock near to where I was standing.
Edgar was my only friend other than Gregory. He was a short, thin person with robes that look two sizes too big on him. He was very intelligent, and was a beginning mage at the School of Magic in Carrotia. He was the only one to find the trail to our cave and explore it.
“Yeah. He beat me, again.” I said, leaning against the outside of the cave.
“Hey, he’s been practicing the art of swordsmanship for many years longer than you’ve been alive!”
“True. How have you been doing in magic school?”
“I’ve been doing well. I just learned a new spell that might help you when you’re going to town,” he said, taking a small notebook from a pocket in his long robes.
“What does it do?” I asked warily. In the past, he had tried some of his ‘exciting new spells’ on me, and they hadn’t always turned out well. One time I was pink for a day until he could figure out how to remove the spell.
“If this works correctly, it should turn your wings and tail invisible!” he said while reading the spell book with zeal.
I thought about it for a moment. What was the worst that could happen? In the worst case scenario, I would be completely invisible for a few days. If it worked, I could go into Carrotia without having to hide my dragon-like features.
“Okay, you may try it,” I said reluctantly, closing my eyes and preparing for the worst.
“There! It’s done!”
I opened my eyes to take a look. Surprisingly, my wings and tail were completely invisible. I moved my wings to check if they were still there, and they became visible again, only to disappear when I stopped moving them.
“Well, it worked decently.” Edgar said glumly. “I was hoping for better results.”
“No, this is great!” I exclaimed. “Let’s go to town today!” I very rarely got to see Carrotia, but from what I remembered it was a small farming town. It had a few markets, and the School of Magic, but other than that it was unremarkable in any way. Just then, Gregory came out with lunch.
“Why, hello Edgar!” he exclaimed. “You are just in time for food, as usual.
We all laughed at that. Gregory found a flat rock and set our meal down upon it. We proceeded to eat our meal of bread and beef. Edgar and I told Gregory of our plan to visit the town.
“You may go, but be careful,” he replied. “There have been reports of dragons attacking small towns near us.”
“We’ll be fine,” Edgar reassured him. “Besides, if a dragon attacks, I’ll just have Drake protect me.”
As soon as we finished our meal, we set off. I tried to keep my wings and tail as still as possible so they would not be seen. We walked in silence through the small path in the forest, stepping over underbrush and climbing over fallen logs. The trees covered the sky, letting little sunlight in. I could hear the stroke of the wind on the leaves of the trees above us, the soft melodies of birds singing their songs. After walking for a long while, the trees became thinner and the light more abundant. Finally, we walked out of the forest and onto a dirt road.
“If I remember correctly, it is this road that takes us to the town.” I stated.
Edgar simply nodded, lost in thought. We walked a great distance on the road that way, me trying to make small talk and him simply nodding or shaking his head. I was about to ask him what he was thinking about when I saw the town in front of us. I could see the small streetside markets and the School of Magic. Something seemed off, though. I racked my brain for what it was, and then it hit me.
“Edgar, aren’t the streets usually full of people?”
“What?” Edgar instantly was fully alert, scanning the scene in front of us. Sure enough there were no people in sight.
“That’s not good,” he said worriedly. “There are ALWAYS people on the streets at this time of day.”
“Maybe there is a big event going on or something,” I mused.
We agreed to move toward the town square. We walked past abandoned markets on the side of the road. As we got closer, we could hear two men arguing heatedly. The arguing steadily got louder until they were shouting at each other.
“I don’t think we we should go there”, Edgar said, slowing so he was barely moving forward.
“Maybe they need help,” I said, moving towards them as fast as I could without exposing my wings and tail.
We arrived at the scene of a soldier of the Royal Army confronting what appeared to be a father holding his son close. The son looked like he was only twelve. He looked strong for his age. He was trying to look bold, but you could tell he was terrified of the soldier.
The soldier was tall and muscled. He had a very rough appearance, with scars across his face. He was alert from years of training. I looked closer at him and saw that he had the symbol for commander, an image of a lion with two swords crossed above it. He was busy trying to convince the father something.
“I will NOT allow my son to join the army!” the father shouted, getting close to hysterics. “He will not be fighting dragons while I have breath in my lungs!”
“Sir! You know the law that states in time of need, we have every right to draft able-bodied men to fight. If you don’t allow your son to be a part of the Royal Army, we can have you tried for treason!” The soldier was shouting so as to be heard by the father, who was now on the verge of tears.
“Dad,” the son said shakily, “I have to go. You know it’s the law.”
“Let’s get out of here!” Edgar whispered. We had just turned to leave when we heard the soldier.
“Hey, you two! Halt!”
We froze, and slowly turned around. The guard was pointing at us. He motioned for us to come closer.
“I want you to answer truthfully, okay?” he spoke softly to me. “What is your name?”
“Drake,” I said, beginning to be worried.
“Drake…” He prompted me to say more.
“Just Drake,” I said slowly backing away from the soldier. He noticed, and moved to block my escape.
The soldier inspected me closely, as if looking for something. It was then I remembered my wings and tail. They may have been invisible, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t feel them. I shuffled uncomfortably, hoping against hope he would not touch them. The soldier circled behind me and began examining my back. I could feel his breath on my wings. Just as he was about to brush against one of them, he backed away and returned to his position in front of us.
“From what I’ve seen, you are familiar with sword fighting. Am I correct?”
I slowly nodded, wondering how he could possibly know that. He moved over to Edgar and examined him in a similar manner.
“You are a beginning mage, aren’t you?”
Edgar nodded in much the same way as I did. You could tell he wanted to leave as soon as possible.
“We could use another swordsman. Another mage would be helpful too. Therefore, I formally extend an invitation to join the Royal Army. There have been many dragons reported around these parts recently, and we need all the help we can get.” The soldier’s offer seemed legitimate, but something was wrong with his eyes.
“No thank you,” I said, for obvious reasons. How could I fight dragons when my father was one!? “It is an honor to be invited though.”
“Yes, we’ll have to be leaving n-” Edgar began before being cut off.
“This wasn’t an invitation. You’re being drafted,” the soldier said flatly.
Edgar gasped. I stared, shocked. Drafting was only allowed if the Royal Army was in dire need of troops. We both knew the consequences of failing to serve in the Royal Army when drafted. You could be banished for life, or even killed for treason. As much as I hated thinking about fighting dragons, getting killed would be worse.
“Men! Escort them to the camp!”
Four soldiers came out from their hiding places in the buildings behind us. They each grabbed an arm of one of us. I prayed that they didn’t notice my wings or tail. We started to walk out of town, heading the opposite direction that Edgar and I had taken coming in. I looked back to see that the boy and his father were gone. I smiled, and hoped they had escaped.
We trudged along the dirt road out of the town and into a vast, green prairie. The sun was high in the sky. We walked for a long time, the only sounds the fall of our footsteps on the path and a few birds calling to each other. After what seemed like hours, we saw smoke appear on the horizon.
“The camp is just up ahead,” the soldier on my left informed us. “When we get there, you will see a captain. He is your new battalion leader. You are to treat him with the utmost respect. Is that clear?”
“Yes sir,” I said quietly. Edgar just nodded his head and kept walking. About a half hour of walking later, we reached the camp.
The camp was large and sprawling, with several clearings where troops were training with their swords. Other areas had mages casting spells, archers attempting to hit their targets, and spearmen jousting with each other. Near the middle of the camp, standing by a large tent was an important looking man who I guessed was the captain. The soldiers led us closer to him, and he turned when he saw us approaching. The soldier who spoke earlier released my arm and saluted the captain.
“Sir!” We have two new recruits! One of them claims to be a swordsman, and the other a mage!”
“Good!” The captain spoke in a friendly tone. “We need as much help as we can get right now! Tell me, what are your names?” he said, directing the conversation toward us.
“Edgar, sir,” Edgar said and saluted, trying to mimic the soldier in front of us but failing.
“And you?” The captain said to me.
“Drake, sir,” I said, trying to be respectful.
“Nice to meet you!” he said, surprising me. All the other soldiers thus far had treated us slightly worse than a pile of dirt.
“I am the captain of this battalion, but you can call me Captain Roberts. Normally we would ease you into the Royal Army, but reports of dragons in the area have forced us to speed up the process. Without further ado, I wish to test your abilities. How about we start with you,” he said, pointing to Edgar. “Greyson, call the Elder Mage over here.”
The soldier who had talked earlier rushed over to the Elder Mage, who was in the middle of teaching something to the young mages. The Elder Mage listened to what he had to say and signaled to the rest of the mages to continue practicing. He then followed the soldier back to where we were standing.
“Hello there, young mage!” he greeted Edgar. He was very old, with a long, white beard and a flowing purple robe. He carried a book in one hand and a sack in the other. He set both of them down on the ground.
“Now let’s get started, shall we?” he said. The Elder Mage then asked Edgar to do various things with magic, including levitating objects short distances, creating balls of fire in his hand, and creating small illusions. Edgar did most of these with ease. The Elder Mage continued to test him, but I soon became tired of watching. Captain Roberts seemed to notice, so he lead me to a different part of the camp, where the swordsmen were. I realized I was getting tested too, so I folded my wings as tight as I could and shoved them inside my tunic when Captain Roberts wasn’t watching. That way I could move without my wings being seen.
Captain Roberts called the soldier who was teaching the swordsmen, the Master Swordsman, over to where we were standing.
“I would like you to test this boy in the art of swordsmanship,” he directed.
The Master Swordsman went inside a nearby tent, and returned with a training sword and shield. He handed them to me and I hefted them up into ready position. The Master Swordsman then called one of the older trainees over to spar with me.
The trainee lifted his weapon, a sword identical to mine. I watched, waiting for him to strike. I also noted the surroundings, like Gregory taught me to. The field was open except for one small rock behind me, and the sun was at my back. I waited, and sure enough, the trainee struck.
The trainee sent a lightning-fast blow toward my leg, which I caught with my  shield. I lunged with my sword to knock him off balance. I viciously attacked, forcing him to go on the defensive. I managed to turn us around, and started pushing the trainee toward the rock I saw earlier. He got a few blows off, but I always managed to block them with my shield. Finally, I lifted my shield at an angle to reflect the sun, casting the reflection across his vision. He lifted his shield to block the light, and I bashed him with my shield, sending him staggering backwards. He tripped over the rock and went sprawling, losing hold of his shield in the process.
I batted his sword out of his hand with my own, then deftly lowered my sword to his neck. The trainee stared at me with a look of confused shock and awe. Suddenly, I heard clapping.
“Bravo! Bravo!” The Master Swordsman said. “I haven’t had a student this good since good old Gregory!”
I gasped. Gregory had been trained by this man? The Master Swordsman truly must be good!
“Well, captain, looks like you’ve got a fine recruit here!”
“Yes, that was indeed amazing!” Captain Roberts replied. “In fact, he can be the Guest of Honor at dinner tonight!”
The captain dismissed me, allowing me to explore the camp. I met up with Edgar, and we exchanged stories. Edgar had surprised the Elder Mage as well, though not as much as I had surprised the Master Swordsman. We explored the camp and found some important places, such as the dining hall and the bathrooms. We then sat down on the grass and watched the swordsmen sparring. I kept commenting on their styles and pointing out mistakes to Edgar. Soon, we heard the bell that we were told signified the time to eat.
At the dinner, I learned what being the ‘Guest of Honor’ meant. I got to sit beside the captain and got first choice of the food I wanted. I also got seconds first. I got to know Captain Roberts more. He was a kind guy, and really cared for his men. He had a wife and two children. He was from a small town not too far from Carrotia. That was why he was assigned near the outskirts of the Kingdom. He was originally drafted just like we were, so that was why he kind to us when we first arrived.
We soon got to the subject of dragons. Captain Roberts told me tales of epic battles against wicked dragons, and how his army was devoted to the extinction of the dragon species. I began to feel uneasy as he expressed his hate towards dragons. He told me how he used to have a third son, his firstborn son. His son died in a raid by the dragons, when he used to live in Carrotia.
After we finished dinner, Edgar and I explored a little more before a soldier sent by Captain Roberts showed us to our quarters. We got to share a small tent with two cots.
“Take your equipment to bed with you,” the soldier advised. “You never know when the dragons will attack.”
I had gotten a sword, a shield and some light chainmail from Captain Roberts as a gift for joining the Royal Army. Edgar had received some books and potions. We took our supplies and stored them under each cot respectively.
Right as the soldier was about to leave our tent, he turned around. “Welcome to the Royal Army,” he said, before exiting our tent.
I fell asleep soon after that. It had been a long day.
I woke up to the sound of shouting. I could hear screeches and yells of men and boys. The smell of smoke filled my nostrils. Someone was shouting at me. As I slowly came awake, I could start to distinguish the words.
“Drake! Edgar! Wake up! The dragons are attacking!” It was Captain Roberts.
I shot awake. Edgar was already getting his book and potions. Captain Roberts left as soon as he saw we were awake. I swiftly donned my chain mail, and picked up my sword and shield. Edgar rushed outside, but I hesitated. How could I fight the dragons? My Father was one! What if I met him in battle? I couldn’t kill my own father!
I finally exited the tent, resolved not to kill dragons, only wound them. It was then I noticed that my wings and tail were fully visible.
“Edgar!” I called.
He turned around from where he was ahead of me, and saw my wings and tail. He quickly cast a spell of invisibility over them before running towards the noises of battle. I followed him, and as we rounded the dining hall, we saw war for the first time.
Ahead of us were six dragons, in their full glory. They were each attacking large groups of our troops with great effectiveness. The dragons would land and spew fire at our troops, forcing them to take cover or get incinerated. They would then fly away while our troops were under cover, and come back around again and repeat the process. Hundreds of troops were injured, and many dead. The ground was red with the blood of the Royal Army. The dragons looked mostly unharmed, with only one of them bleeding slightly from a wound from a lucky arrow shot. I could see Captain Roberts charging valiantly, lashing out with a spear at any dragons that dared get too close.
“We will never survive the battle with our troops fighting like this!” I exclaimed, charging forward toward the battle zone. Edgar followed, having trouble keeping up.
“What is your plan?” Edgar shouted over the noise of the battle.
“You throw fireballs at one of the dragons to get it’s attention. I will sneak up from behind and attack.”
“You want me to be dragon bait!?”
“Do you have any better ideas?”
Edgar stayed silent, and started shooting weak fireballs at the dragon closest to us. I ran away from him and stopped when I was about 50 feet away. I waited for the dragon to come.
Sure enough, the dragon came. It had brilliant, blood red scales that reflected the light from the rising sun. It’s very presence invoked fear. It’s talons were as sharp as steak knives, and its muscles rippled with power. It landed in front of Edgar, right where I had expected it to. I was starting to think the plan was in vain, however, when another soldier tried to attack the dragon and it simply batted him away with a flick of its tail.
“So…” it hissed at Edgar. “YOU are the one who dares to annoy me with pesky fireballs! Bah! I will roast you and eat you for my next meal.” The dragon reared up to its full height, standing twenty feet tall. Edgar stood, shaking in his boots. I approached the dragon from behind. Right as it was getting ready to lunge, I attacked.
I ran forward and brought my sword down on its back, piercing the scales and ripping through its flesh. The dragon roared in pain, sending drops of golden dragon blood flying from the wound. I slashed again as it tried to turn around, cutting a gash in its right hind leg.
The dragon swung its razor-sharp claws at me, only to have them smash into my shield with a deafening screech. I lashed out at the beast, inflicting another wound on its chest. It roared and shot a blast of fire at me. I grunted as I rolled under the blast and grabbed the dragon’s tail. I scurried upward as it frantically tried to shake me off. I finally clambered up onto its back. There, I began to hack and slash, with the dragon howling and writhing in pain under me. A sudden rage overtook me, and I forgot about resolving not to kill. I slashed my sword across the base of its skull.
“THIS IS FOR KILLING MY MOTHER!”
The beast dropped to the ground, dead. I clambered down from its back and looked around. Captain Roberts had apparently seen how I killed the dragon, and was ordering others to do the same. Squads of soldiers would lure dragons toward them, only to have another squad attack from behind. I ran over to help take down another dragon, this one snow white in color. It was dead before I even reached it. By this time, four of the dragons had been killed or grievously wounded already. The fifth was engaged in combat with a group of soldiers on the far side of the clearing. I scanned the battlefield for Edgar, looking to take down the last dragon. I saw him confronting a golden dragon, frantically shooting fireballs to get its attention.
I rushed toward Edgar and the dragon. I was halfway there when I noticed something was wrong. Edgar wasn’t trying to get the dragon’s attention, he was trying to defend himself. The dragon landed in front of him, shrugging off his fireballs like they were nothing. It raised a claw to deal a killing blow.
I was too far away. There was no way I could make it in time to stop it! Unless…
I launched myself in the air and unfurled my wings, flying straight at the dragon. I knocked its claw away from Edgar right before it could deal the killing blow. I landed on the ground, and kept my wings out to look more intimidating. The dragon did not attack, however. It stared at me in utter confusion.
It was just then that I noticed that my wings were fully visible. The entire battle had paused, and everyone was staring at me. The dragon took this time to speak.
“So, this is the spawn of the failed spy.” Without another word it took to the skies, leaving the whole army in shock. Captain Roberts walked up to me from where he had been fighting, a look of disappointment on his face.
“Drake, I trusted you! You exploited me this entire time?”
“No! It’s not what it seems! I wasn’t spying!” I said frantically.
The captains face turned to one of disgust.
“You're a liar, too. Probably a thief as well! And you!” he said pointing to Edgar. “You knew about this all along! You helped the spy! Men! Take them to the camp! We will have them thrown in jail at the nearest town, and publicly executed tomorrow!”
Eight soldiers came and stripped us of our weapons and armor. They tied us up and hauled us to the dining hall. There they went to get supplies, and left two guards to watch us.
“I’m so sorry Edgar! I didn’t mean to drag you into this! You could have lived a long, happy life!” I was bawling like I hadn’t since my mother died. I had just condemned my friend to death!
“Hey, it’s okay,” he said softly, trying to calm me down. “I would have died earlier if it hadn’t been for what you did.”
We sat in near-silence, the only sounds an occasional sob from me. The soldiers came back with their gear, and started escorting us to the nearest town. I took a good look at the scenery around us, knowing it may very well be the last time I ever saw it. It was a beautiful morning. The sun was just now over the treetops, and the birds were singing. We walked on a dusty dirt path that wound through a prairie. It was all too beautiful to be my last day on earth.
After a few hours of walking, we reached the town. It was Plumington, a town slightly larger than Carrotia. We were escorted through busy streets to the jail that was located near the town hall.
As we approached the door, one soldier said, “Take one last deep breath. It will be your last breath of fresh air in your life.”
We entered the prison. The soldiers told the warden they were sent from Captain Roberts. They described how we were terrible spies for the dragons, and how we were to be executed the next morning. The warden called two men who took us to our cells. We had separate cells, adjacent to each other. The cells were barren, with only a hole to relieve yourself and the hard ground to sleep on. I spent most of the day crying, telling myself it was all my fault. At noon, the warden came with my last meal: stale bread and water. I spent the rest of the day thinking about what I did wrong, how I could have done things better. I eventually cried myself to sleep.
In the middle of the night, I was awakened by a familiar voice.
“Hey, Drake. Drake!”
I looked outside of my cell to see none other than Gregory, fumbling with the keys, trying to open my cell door. He finally managed to get it unlocked.
“Let’s get you out of here. Where is Edgar?”
I pointed to the cell beside mine, and Gregory went to work unlocking the door.
“How did you-” I began.
“Not now! We don’t have much time!” he whispered as he opened Edgar’s cell door.
We quickly exited the prison without encountering any guards. Outside, I saw smoke rising from the other side of the town.
“That,” Gregory explained, “ is our distraction. Edgar, can you light this on fire?” He pulled out a small tube with a string coming out the bottom. Edgar lit the string on fire, and the tube shot a ball of red light into the sky.
A roar came from the other side of the town, and a bronze dragon flew into the air. It approached us and landed right in front of us.
“And this,” Gregory explained, “Is our ride.”
The dragon squatted down and allowed us to get on its back. We clambered on, and the dragon took to the sky, leaving the burning town smoldering underneath us.
“Questions?” Gregory said, with an amused smile on his face.
So many questions were wanting to burst out of me, but one most of all.
“Why is this dragon helping us? Don’t dragons despise humans?”
“How could I hate my own son?” The dragon beneath me said in a kind voice.
I took me a moment to register what he said.
“FATHER!” I yelled, hugging him tightly around the neck.
“Well, that would explain why he helped us, but how did you find us? How did you even call for his father?” Edgar asked.
“Well, Drake’s father gave his mother a magical black brick long ago, just in case she needed to communicate with him. It could call him from wherever she was. Before she died, she gave me the brick, along with telling me about Drake. That is how I called his father.” Gregory pulled out a black brick from a pouch on his belt.
“How did you find us?” I asked.
“Well, as soon as you two did not come back for dinner. I set out to look for you in the town. I met a father and his son who told me you two were drafted into the Royal Army. From what I had heard, Captain Roberts’ battalion was the closest, so I assumed that was where you had gone. I heard from others about a dragon attack at the camp, and how a dragon boy and a mage were to be executed at dawn of today in Plumington. I called your father, and he agreed to help me break you out of jail. He caused the distraction, and I snuck in and freed you. You know the rest.” Gregory leaned back and sighed.
“Where are we going now?” I asked. “We can’t really hide anywhere else in the Kingdom.”
“We are going to an abandoned island, owned by neither dragon nor human,” my father replied.
“Do you mind if I fly beside you?” I asked my father.
“Not at all, son.”
I lept off his back and spread my wings, flying beside my father for the first time.
“Hey dad?”
“Yes, son?”
“One time, I think I accidently breathed fire. How do I do that?”
“Well, I think it’s similar to what you humans call belching.”
I tried, and all that came out was a nasty sounding belch. I continued trying, getting similar results. Edgar and Gregory were laughing their heads off. We flew towards the rising sun, with me belching, my friends laughing, and my dad looking at me with love.