The Elder's Curse by Andrew Walbrown (ereader for textbooks TXT) 📕

him as he shifted. He managed to turn on his side and look around, a small amount of relief washing over him as he spotted Nilawen resting gently in the grasp of the beast that carried them both. He then looked around for Amantius and Kona, neither of whom he had seen since they were abducted.

Suddenly there was a great roar from above, the call echoed by another beast to his left. He cautiously turned once more, hoping to see his foster-brother in the clutches of another creature. He was comforted to see Amantius there while Kona was in the other claw, both holding tight to the talons gripped around their bodies. But seeing them at the monster’s mercy was not what caused Ulam’s eyes to grow wide in horror, it was what was holding them that sent panic through every part of his body.

Dragons.

Three dragons flew high above the Ummdani Mountains, one carrying Amantius and Kona, another carrying Ulam and Nilawen, the last with two lifeless camels in its grasp. They were enormous, serpent-like beings with massive wings, covered from head to tail in yellow scales. The dragons looked exactly like how every story or play depicted them, just much larger than Ulam could have ever imagined. The speed with which they flew was both terrifying and exhilarating to him, beautiful in their grace and raw power. As they swept over great expanses of land he saw no hint of civilization, which made him wonder if any Orc, Human, Elf, or Kalikki had ever seen these places before. As the evening sun dipped over the horizon they flew over a remote grassland covered in the white fleeces of wild sheep, followed immediately by a sprawling forest of towering pines. On the other side of the forest was another mountain range, where Ulam saw the familiar glow of flames coming from the mouth of the biggest cave he had ever seen. They must be taking us to their lair. For what, though?

In an amazing display of skill, the three dragons dove straight down, flying directly into the cavern below. The first dragon that entered held the two dead camels, tossing the carcasses of the misfortunate animals on the ground in front of a host of whelps. Fortunately, as the dead camels slid across the rocky ground the party’s belongings fell off, preventing their packs from being part of the meal. The second dragon to enter carried Kona and Amantius, and while it was much gentler than the first, the beast still dropped them a few feet above the surface. Kona landed softly, at least compared to Amantius, who rolled across the cave floor before crashing into a wall. Upon seeing this, Ulam worried the dragon carrying him and Nilawen would do the same, believing such a rough landing would be fatal to his unconscious friend. But after the beast swept into the cavern it came to a complete stop, only opening its claws after Nilawen was safely resting on the ground. Ulam was shocked by the act of compassion; it was as if the dragon understood the gravity of Nilawen’s situation.

Soon the entire enclosure was filled with a duet of cracking bones and ripping flesh, the grotesque song performed by a brood of gluttonous younglings. With their parental duties satisfied, the dragons that carried Ulam and the others then disappeared, swallowed by the darkness of the inner depths of the cave. With the older dragons gone and the whelps momentarily preoccupied, Ulam and Kona ran to Nilawen’s side. Kona checked Nilawen’s wound while Ulam kept watch over them, though he was not sure if he could defend them against dragons. While he stood guard Amantius hobbled over with a saddlebag salvaged from their strewn-about possessions, which Kona quickly fashioned into a pillow for Nilawen’s head.

“How is she?” Amantius asked, nursing his leg. “What happened?”

“She was hit by a stone,” Ulam muttered. “I put a bandage on her head, but I do not know how much that will help.” He looked at Amantius’ leg and pointed.

“It’s nothing,” Amantius replied, “just banged my knee on the landing; don’t worry about it.”

In the corner of his eye, Ulam saw a few whelps staring at their small group, no doubt wondering if their meal came with dessert. As a couple broke away from the pack Ulam stepped forward and brandished his axe, the blade glistening in the firelight. Despite his earlier uncertainty he now felt indestructible, as though nothing in the whole world could defeat him. It was an aftereffect of holding the axe, a surge of strength and tenacity he felt every time his fingers gripped the weapon’s handle.

Even with seemingly unlimited power flowing through his veins, Ulam knew how completely illogical his sense of invincibility was. He was well aware that if every whelp in the cave swarmed him at the same time he would be quickly overrun. But despite the mental clarity, there was still a part of him deep inside that wanted the little beasts to challenge him. And if they tried to bite off a chunk of Orc, Human, Elf, or Kalikki meat, he swore they would only taste his axe blade instead.

As he expected, the most adventurous whelp approached first, its serpentine tongue flickering. It barked to one of its siblings, and together the two approached the group with malice on their ophidian faces. As they drew near Ulam snarled, exposing his tusks in a display of intimidation. He raised his axe high, poised to chop down on the neck of the first whelp. But mere seconds before Ulam and the boldest whelps were set to clash, an earthshaking roar sounded from deep within the caverns.

Suddenly a yellow-scaled dragon appeared, the one that had carried Amantius and Kona. Ulam froze still, desperately fighting the urge to chop off the nearest whelp’s head. With a second roar, the two whelps clumsily withdrew, returning to their kin in the corner of the landing. Three more fully-grown dragons then appeared,