Amáne of Teravinea - The Chosen One (The Teravinea Series Book 1) Read online

  I tried to ease her of her guilt as I sat entranced, drinking in her beauty, her spicy, exotic scent and the compassion in her warm eyes. I found no fault in her for whatever she felt she’d done.

  At the same time my heightened senses noticed everything around me. The sound of the water lapping at the shoreline; the smell of the fresh morning air; the surrounding colors as I gazed outside of my tent at the azure bay. Even the islands scattered in the distance were more clear. I could see there were many more than I had previously thought.

  “Hello, Eshshah. I’m Amáne, daughter of Catriona. My name means water,” I said hoarsely. I felt the strength of our bond — she was now a part of me.

  “I’m so sorry for your suffering,” she said, agitated and ashamed at the same time. “I wasn’t able to restrain the amount of venom I injected into you. Our ancient memories recall grown men as riders. They require more venom to link. I couldn’t believe I’d finally drawn you in. Before I realized it, I gave you the full measure and almost lost you. Can you find it in your heart to forgive me?”

  “Eshshah, you’ve done nothing to warrant asking for my forgiveness.”

  I had to pinch myself to see if I was still not dreaming. I sat there holding a conversation with a dragon — the first dragon I had ever seen. In fact, as far as I knew, the only dragon alive in all of Teravinea. And, I was unequivocally linked to her. I was to be her rider. I swallowed hard. With some effort I managed to get my emotions under control. “What do you mean, you finally drew me in?”

  “We dragons have an awareness before we hatch. We know there is a person out there who is destined to be our rider. There is no set incubation time, but we must wait until our chosen one is drawn to our egg. Some of us wait hundreds of years for our rider to be born, and when they are, we know. We entice them — lure them to us and hope for the proper conditions where we can draw them in and link with them.”

  “How long have you waited for me?”

  “My egg was laid in this cove many years before you were born. I felt your presence when you and the other female came here many times. But I had to wait until you were old enough. I linked with you the day you came of age.”

  She backed her head out of the tent to let me out.

  More alive than ever before, I left my shelter. Breathing in the salty morning air, I began to stretch, feeling every muscle in my body had been rejuvenated — improved upon. I raised my arms above my head, and winced. A burning pain seared through my right shoulder. If everything else felt so right, why should this shoulder throb? I lifted my sleeve and inhaled sharply as I took in the markings that had been left from Eshshah’s fangs. It was not fang marks, but lines and symbols that resembled the body ink seen on merchants and foreigners who came to the marketplace. A tattoo. But more than just a tattoo, it was an intricate design incorporating a dragon, that was Eshshah, and fire intertwined in an elaborate device — an insignia. It was her linking mark upon me, claiming me as her rider. I gazed at it in awe.

  Still distressed over the pain she caused me, she put her nose on my arm and breathed her healing breath. Promptly, my discomfort disappeared.

  “You must be hungry. You haven’t eaten for days,” she reminded me.

  “Days? How long was I stricken?” It certainly didn’t feel like days.

  “Your arrival was three days ago. Your dragon fever should not have lasted that long. My memories tell me it should only have been a day, maybe two.”

  In an effort to console her, I explained, “But I’m fine now, Eshshah. Better than fine. Your attention and your healing powers pulled me through and now look at me, I’m so much more alive than I’ve ever been and I owe you thanks ... and, yes, I’m hungry. I’ll get my angling rod and see if I can catch something.”

  “Please, let me do that for you. Let me catch your meal,” she said, “I would like to do something for you in restitution for the pain I caused.”

  “All right, I’ll start my fire while you’re gone. But first I have to get a replacement stone for my fire ring. It seems somehow one of them has cracked to pieces,” I teased.

  “Imagine that,” she responded with a low rumble in her chest that sounded a lot like laughter.

  I laughed with her. It felt good to laugh, when not that long ago I doubted whether it would ever be possible — I missed my mother so much. Under these circumstances, I had been lifted up. I now knew I could be happy again. I didn’t feel any shame in this revelation as I came to the conclusion I can miss my mother, yet still find joy. I understood she will always live in my heart and in my memories, making her never fully absent.

  “May I start your fire for you? I’m still working on perfecting my fire skills. I may have all our ancient memories, but until I actually practice, I am functionally illiterate.”

  I had noticed little burn patches here and there throughout my camp, obviously her practice sessions. I tried to keep my amusement to myself.

  Finding a replacement rock for my fire ring, I stacked the wood, and then, fascinated, stepped aside to watch while she concentrated on summoning her combustion skills. She inhaled deeply and then belched out a massive flame that exploded into the fire ring. The force of the inferno created such pressure the circle of boulders couldn’t contain the heat and energy. Needing a direction of escape, the blast curled around the back of the ring and shattered many of the stones. It created a whirlpool effect, shooting a fire storm in my direction.

  In alarm, I covered my face, turned my body and leapt away as the flames engulfed me. Not knowing my new strength, I flew several yards as my gown caught fire.

  Eshshah leaped between the fire and me to take the brunt of the out-of-control blaze. Unharmed by her namesake, she shielded me from the worst of the blast.

  Landing in the sand I rolled several times and managed to put most of the flames out before too much damage was done. I sat upright, singed hair smoking, eyes wide open, and tried to take in all that had just happened in only a matter of seconds.

  I burst out laughing as I patted at the last of the smoldering embers on the disaster that was my skirt. I looked at Eshshah, “Well done, Eshshah! If we ever need to burn down a village with just one pass, I’ll know who to call upon.”

  Poor Eshshah was stunned, but when she saw me laughing and that I was unharmed, that same rumble started deep in her chest. We spent the next few minutes trying to replay the last few seconds as we laughed at each other’s reactions to the near catastrophe.

  “Go! Catch us a fish, I’m starving.” I entreated. “I’ll start my own fire the old fashioned way.”

  I stood up, wiped the tears from my eyes and surveyed the irreparable damage to my gown. I never liked this one, anyway. I watched as Eshshah spread her wings and launched herself into the air. As she flew into the distance, I marveled at her beauty and her still undiscovered power. The only word I could think of was “magnificent.”

  As I rebuilt what was left of the smoldering fire ring and started gathering more wood, Eshshah said, “I’m sorry about your clothing, Amáne.”

  I stopped what I was doing, “How did you do that? I see you as a small spot on the horizon, but I heard you like you were standing right next to me.”

  “I communicate with you through thought transference. I don’t have a voice like you humans. We can be a distance away and I can still be right there with you in thought. The distance at which we can still hear each other is yet to be discovered — it varies with each linked pair.”

  “Really? I didn’t notice you weren’t using a voice. I thought you were speaking to me like I speak to you.”

  “You really don’t need to speak out loud either, Amáne. You can just think it and I’ll hear you. I believe there are times that it’s to your advantage to use thought transference, and not use your voice.”

  “So, you can actually hear me now even though I’m not saying it out loud?” I tested.

  “Yes, I can hear you.”

  “I think I prefer speaking out loud.”
I used my voice again. “It’s more believable for me right now.”

  The rocks that had survived the inferno were still glowing and with no effort, my campfire was blazing. I got out my spices and my cooking utensils and waited for Eshshah to return.

  I spotted her in the distance as she glided toward me carrying a large fish in her talons. It was nearly half her size — she was about as large as Ezel, our donkey, not including her long barbed tail. Swooping down, she dropped it on the beach, and landed softly beside it. I pulled my dagger and quickly dispatched the fish. Whispering a thank you song for its life, I cut a portion of it for myself.

  “Thank you, Eshshah, the rest is all yours,” I said as I placed my piece to sizzle in the pan.

  “What are you doing?” she asked.

  “I’m cooking it. I prefer my food cooked.”

  “That doesn’t sound very appealing. In fact it seems a shame to destroy a perfect meal with cooking.” She proceeded to rip into her portion with her sharp fangs, tearing large chunks of flesh and bones and tossing them down her throat.

  “That doesn’t look very appealing to me.” I returned.

  She rumbled her laughter.

  We spent our first evening together by the fire feeling as if we had always been together. I looked forward to what tomorrow would bring.

  The next day dawned bright. The heat pressed down on us quite early. Crawling out of my tent, I found Eshshah waiting nearby. I satisfied my doubts as to whether I had been dreaming of being linked to a dragon. It was not a dream. I threw my arms around her neck as I gazed at her and marveled at her beauty and her increase in size. She grew noticeably from the previous day, and had to lower her head down to my level for me to caress her jaws.

  We used the morning hours to challenge our capabilities — before the heat became too unbearable. I had never run as fast as I now could. Exploring my new strength and speed, I started to run easily along the beach. I had an impulsive desire to test my limits in a sprint. Amazed at the unfamiliar power in my legs I picked up my pace on a long expanse of sand. Eshshah glided effortlessly beside me. I was quite exhilarated with my new skills, which made me a little careless of the terrain. Eshshah’s smooth motion beside me attracted my attention. When I turned back to my path I gasped. I found myself nearly upon a rock that jutted up from the ground in front of me. Too late to stop, I had to dodge it. I veered toward Eshshah. The edge of her wing on its downstroke grazed my foot, and at the speed I was going, it took my legs right out from under me. I tumbled for several feet and landed hard on my stomach. My breath forced out of my lungs. My chin smacked on a rock and opened a gash that flowed bright red.

  Groaning, I grabbed my chin, and rolled to a sitting position. I found a clean, un-charred corner of my dress and pressed it to my chin. The sticky wetness soaked through several layers of cloth. “That’s going to leave a scar.” I complained.

  Eshshah skidded to a halt and hurried back to me. Her eyes whirled in concern. She lowered her face to mine and touched my chin. I felt the warmth from her healing powers enter the open wound. Immediately the blood flow stopped. My pain was gone and my injury was on its way to healing. Remarkable.

  In the heat of midday, we took refuge under the shade cloth I had stretched between the scrub trees, and we dozed the afternoon away.

  Eshshah hunted in early evening, this time going inland for some wild goats. While she was gone, I got my fishing tackle out and relaxed by the shore waiting for a bite. I didn’t really care if a fish was interested or not.

  As we lay by the campfire that evening, I poked at the wood absently and watched as the sparks danced in the flames. “Eshshah, in our ballads most dragons and riders had a mission or a quest after they had linked — or at least they had one deed of great note. Nara, my favorite of all of the riders, linked with her dragon, Torin, when she was twenty, according to the songs. There are countless ballads about their spectacular feats saving lives, winning battles and rescuing dragon eggs in daring quests. Torin was the last dragon to live. I’m certain we’re the only linked pair in all of Teravinea and we’re in hiding. I’m worried. I’ve never heard of anyone as young as I am being linked to a dragon. And then add to that, the fact I’m a girl — with all of Galtero’s new laws, I’m sure it would not be allowed.”

  “No matter, Amáne. It cannot be undone.”

  I turned to her. “I would never dream of it being any other way, but what I’m trying to say is I need to know our destiny. How are we supposed to know our duty as dragon and rider?”

  “Our destiny is not for us to see at this time — dragons have memories of the past, and some of my kind had prophesying powers. Torin had such abilities, but I have no powers for seeing the future. Perhaps it would help if you knew my lineage is of royal origin in dragonkind. My line is linked to the human line of the Dragon Kings — the Royal House of Drekinn. Our threads have been interwoven for generation upon generation, and we have served that royal family for over seven hundred years. Many of that line of kings were riders themselves. You and I are ... brand new. Our direction has not yet been shown to us, but my — or rather our — ties to the royal family have been established. That may very well be our duty — to serve the king.”

  “I will not serve King Galtero!” I exploded, “I would rather exile ourselves to the farthest island and never see another person again before I would give myself in service to him. Besides, he is not of the House of Drekinn. He is King Emeric’s step uncle. King Emeric and his family died, the last of the line of the Drekinns, so it may be we need to find new ties.”

  “I agree,” Eshshah said, “but perhaps there is someone out there who has some Drekinn blood running in their veins. If there is, that is to whom we give our oath of fealty.”

  “Then, that will be our quest. To find a member of that family.” I was satisfied. It was easier than I thought, to decide our destiny.

  The following day I rushed out of my tent once again afraid to hope that my dragon was not just a dream. I half-expected to find only the sandy beach and the blue sea. But, there was Eshshah, watching me with her golden eyes.

  “Eshshah, you are unbelievably more beautiful than you were yesterday.” I rushed to her and threw my arms around her neck. She now towered above me.

  “Thank you, Amáne.”

  “Why have so many of your scales fallen to the ground? Are you ill?”

  “No, that’s completely normal. We grow rapidly in the first few weeks. Each time we shed our scales they’re replaced by new ones. You need to gather and keep them, for they are valuable. I’m not sure if it still holds true, but my memories tell me they were used to barter for services and wares.”

  “I know of no one that has ever used them in the marketplace. I doubt if it’s safe nowadays to offer scales in exchange for goods. It would raise questions as to where they came from. No one would readily use any they might have, but would keep them safely hidden.”

  She gave out a saddened feeling, but continued on a different subject in her lesson. “We grow according to the size of our rider. You don’t look very large. Will you be growing more?”

  I laughed. It wasn’t the first time anyone was curious about my small stature. “No, human females are about as big as they will get when they reach my age. Males grow for a few more years. I’m afraid this is all you get — I am small for my age.”

  “You are the perfect size.”

  Picking up one of her scales that lay on the sand, I examined it closely. They varied in size, but most would fit in the palm of my hand and were longer than they were wide. The one side that attached to her body ended in two spikes, the other end had a rounded point. It had a bit of flex to it, but was unbreakable. I proceeded to gather all that had fallen around our camp and placed them in my satchel.

  “Another thing you need to know,” she continued, “is that our scales exhibit the properties of the dragon from which they came. For example, you can start a fire with mine.”

  “Would this
be a simple fire, or an inferno?” I couldn’t resist.

  “Whatever you need it to be,” her chest rumbled her form of laughter,

  “Go ahead, try it,” she said. “You just need to whisper my name and imagine the size fire you want.”

  I removed one of the smaller scales from my satchel. “Do I hold it in my hand or put it on the ground?”

  “That’s up to you. You can keep it in your hand, if you like. It won’t hurt you.

  I held it in my open palm, hesitating — I was a little nervous. I whispered, “Eshshah,” and thought of a small flame. Already iridescent, it began to glow, like an ember in a hearth. Then, a small flame ignited, the size of that on a candle. It didn’t burn my hand, but when I drew my other hand over it, I could feel the heat. It was real fire. Incredible. With more confidence, I imagined a larger flame, and was not disappointed. Fascinated, I continued my experiment until it appeared that my entire hand was on fire.

  Always hungry, Eshshah excused herself to hunt. She informed me when she reached her full size, she will only need to eat about once a week. In a short time she returned with a large fish. I took a small piece and threw it in my pan while she looked on in disgust. I mirrored her disgust as I watched her tear her prey apart.

  Our cove was our sanctuary where we could be assured that we would not be seen by anyone, but still I spent a better part of the day brooding about our situation. I could come up with no solution. No one had seen a dragon since before I was born. Anybody my age had never seen one. Their existence had become a tale of the past — especially when my generation was being convinced they never actually existed. There was no telling what kind of commotion it would cause if we just flew into town. That was not an option.

  I went to sleep that night very uneasy about our being discovered, fearing the worst — that somehow she would be taken from me. I would rather join my ancestors than ever be separated from her. Now I understood the songs of riders who had gone mad at the death of their dragons.