After reading through some old writing, I decided I should pick up the old world I have been writing, Taureesia. The first snippet you lot got to read the other day will fit in snugly. Now, onto the beginning of the tale of Santo Shardkeeper, and the disappearance of the God of Light, Kyank.
Standing high above the city of Liaryn, Shardkeeper Santo Vallar gazed out across the city of his fathers. The city that had now become his. Even if it was only part of the human empire, it dwarfed most other cities, even the great ones of the B'ta. A smile broke the seriousness of the young man's face, and he took a step back from the railing on the balcony. His hand rested on the silvery hilt of the Shard, a blade so ancient, that some believed it to have been forged by Kyank and Mahvan, in the time of the Gods. Santo looked up at the sky, where a pack of Windserpents, small agile dragons with no legs, only two wings, wings that kept them in the air from birth, and until their death. "Gazing at Dragons again, my liege? Those, as you have surely been told many times now, are the Royals. A breed of Windserpent bred on this very soil, indeed. Magnificent creatures. It is sad that they are too small to ride, as I believe, if I may, my liege, that it would be quite the thrill!" An old servant had entered the room, chuckling quietly at the young ruler. "Hah, riding, Old Palanthius? No thank you, I am leaving that to the Corps! That one time on the Waterborn? Thank you! That was enough for me!" He said, walking swiftly to greet the old man. "It is good to see you, old friend. How is life at the monasteries? I take it that Kyank is still satisfied with our sacrifices, and our prayer?" The Shardkeeper asked Palanthius, tilting his head gently to one side. "And it is a pleasure to be in such grand company, my liege. Life is well: the fields are filled with corn, ready for the harvest, and Brother Sanctis recently got rid of his cold! We thought for sure that Mahvan would take him this time! But Tid works in strange ways, the old Owl. It seems as if Sanctis keeps getting more time, when the rest of us get as old as we get," he smiled sadly, adding more wrinkles to the old man's face, "The Master of Light and Life is yet to respond to any prayers. All is well, yes, but He has not said a word. Sister Madania even went as far as to volunteer as a human sacrifice, but the fire would not have her. But I know not much of the workings of Gods, even less the workings of Dragons! I am certain that the Dragon Corps will have ideas of what to do. And you, my liege, how is life at the Citadel? Is Lady Marie well? And the child?" The monk took the liberty of leading the Shardkeeper to a set of chairs as he spoke, sitting down and pouring himself and the young man a glass of dark, purple wine. "I am glad to hear, Palanthius. The poor Sanctis has been ill since the day he arrived, seven years ago!" He chuckled and gently sipped his wine, savouring the bitter-sweet taste. "A good year, a good year indeed. Kyank is not responding?" The glass twitched violently, nearly spilling its contents as Santo spoke, his eyes wide. "But why? He has always accepted our offerings and taken to answering. He would not even accept Sister Madania? But.. That is unheard of! Any God would take a willing sacrifice!" He sighed and sipped his wine, unintentionally draining half of it. "I will speak with Master Grom. See what he has to say. Thank you, old friend, in these times we must all stand together, and now that Kyank has stopped responding to us, even more so... Life at the Citadel? It is good, except for the constant meetings. Those are the boring parts of being Shardkeeper: sitting down for hours on end, listening to old men talk! No offence, of course. Lady Marie is well, as is my son. The little man is growing quickly." His expression softened at the mentioned of the woman and the boy, Santo leaning back in his chair in a manner not usually seen in royalty. "He will grow to be a fine warrior. Like his grandfather, and his father before him." Palanthius leaned forward and smirked, "And yourself, my liege."
"Haha, and myself, Palanthius. Though I should let others praise me, for praising one self is ridiculous! Then, even he who shovels the waste from the dragons could be called a mighty warrior! Well, in some cases he is, I guess. Not many would dare venture in with them, to remove their droppings!" The young man gently put the glass on the table, standing and stretching his back. He turned and looked as if he was going to speak, but at that moment the door was flung open and two members of the Dragon Corps stepped inside, wearing the usual greyish uniforms. "My lord Shardkeeper, the Matriarch has requested your presence!" The taller of the two said, an urgent tone to his voice. They both had their hands on the hilts of the heavy swords used in aerial combat, their knuckles white from holding on too tightly. "She was very insistent on your arrival as soon as possible, so please, come with us!" Palanthius turned and stared at the men, not as much for their news, but from the clear break of courtesy to their ruler. Santo on the other hand, did not seem to mind but was already past them before the second sentence had been spoken, calling out for his horse. A young servant came running with the Crysanthium moments later, the huge, six-legged horse nearly rising on its hind legs as it saw Santo. "Calm, Brutus, calm! Come, we must go at once. The Matriarch has summoned us, though I am sure you already know, old friend." He swung himself into the saddle as the horse thundered past him, knocking over the young boy in the process. The two members of the Corps were nowhere to be seen, but he needed not their guidance to find the nesting grounds. Santo lay down flat against Brutus' strong neck, keeping one hand on the side of it. "Ride, lad, ride. You know more than I do at the moment. I wonder, why would She summon us? This must be severe. Her eggs are not set to hatch for another year." He spoke quietly to himself as the horse thundered past several servants. On foot it would have taken over an hour to reach the nesting grounds, but on the Crysanthium, a mount like no other, the only exception being the Dragons, it took less than ten minutes. "Calm, Brutus. We're here." Santo spoke a bit too late, as Brutus didn't stop until he had leapt clean over the bars that kept the nesting grounds locked off, and rode straight into the Matriarch's nest itself. The horse shook his head and Santo hurried off, looking curiously at him. An urgent, feminine voice dragged him back to reality though. "Santo, you are here. Something has happened, something that even I cannot explain." The floor groaned as the giant Matriarch rose and stepped closer to him. "What has happened, dearest Matriarch? Does this have anything to do with the sudden disappearance of Kyank?" He asked, looking up at the dragon. "Yes, I am afraid. Though He did not disappear, and that is what frightens me. He came to me in my dream and told me of hard times to come. Santo," she lowered her head so that her eyes were on the same level as his, "He has left us. Not out of hate or anger, no, his brother, Mahvan, stepped too far. The young Saviri Dragoncaller was corrupted. The Elves think humans are to blame. Do you know what this means, Santo?" She asked him sadly. Around her, dragons were curled up around themselves, whimpering at the loss of their god. "Yes... The Elves... We must keep the Ambassador in the city, he is our only hope of making them realize before they go to war with us." The dragon gave him a sad look, resting her head on the floor as she lay down. "He is gone. One of my kin carried him off, to Se'ryli." Santo stared at her, his mind working furiously to find a solution before the elven armies were at his door. The Shardkeeper leaned against the dragon's snout, stroking the warm scales. "What should we do?" He asked. She rumbled calmingly and rubbed his hand gently. "Seek out help. Find those most unlikely, as only they will have the strength to do what must be done. No man loyal to you will do, I am afraid." Santo sighed and leaned his forehead against the dragon. "But a woman, could do." The Matriarch said, smiling faintly. "A woman? But who? There is no- wait. You are no thinking? No, I will not! I am not sending her out there!" He stepped back from the dragon, shaking his head furiously. "It is what you must, if you wish to stop this threat. Santo I know it is hard, but we all make sacrifices. I send my sons and daughters to their deaths, praying that Kyank, and the brave riders that guide them, will keep my children safe. Now it is your turn to make such a sacrifice." She looked at him with a deep understanding, stretching her neck slightly to nudge him reassuringly. "I have no choice, do I?" He sighed, "I will ask her. What pitiful a ruler I am, sending my own wife on a mission even I do not know what is! but I shall do what I can to keep her, and whoever will follow her, safe. I need air. Thank you for your time, Matriarch, we will speak again soon." Angrily he swung himself onto Brutus' back, looking at the ancient dragon one last time before turning the horse around and racing out of the nesting grounds. "Sending Marie to battle... It is insane. What kind of twisted husband am I? My own wife.." He buried his face in Brutus' mane, silent tears filling his eyes. "It will not be in vain, Brutus. Those not loyal... I will find the best, the strongest, the most cunning to protect her. I swear, in the name of Kyank I swear!"
So, shit's gonna go down real soon. Now that's my quota of typing like that for the day filled. Right now I'm sitting here in my class, waiting for the teacher to arrive. And, I'd like to point out, class ends in 30 minutes. Yaaaay? Okay it sucks. And there she is. Toodles.
