Greetings all
I hope you are all as excited to enjoy the weekend as I am. While I know it is going to be super busy, I am looking forward to some time off before ComiCon is here. As I will be working for five days, I will have to set up a few posts to ensure you all have reading material.
So, without further ado, here is a larger-than-normal Fell Dragon update.
“My apologies. The descriptions of you are just so uncanny…” the creature stopped in mid-sentence and bowed. “Where are my manners? I am Lord Edzeeker.”
Kaiden half bowed and said, “I am Kaiden, and this is Bolx.”
The Dekai looked up at the Saith with his lavender eyes and half-grinned, “Ah! I thought I recognized Saith in you. Good to see that the Saith are willing to find allies wherever possible.”
“You know of his kind?” whispered Kaiden.
“Not much. I know that Saasha and Brucel had dealings with them when they were younger, but I have never met one myself until today.”
“How is the Queen and her consort?” asked the Dekai as he stood up.
“Saasha passed some time ago, and Brucel abdicated the throne to his son.” Said Bolx.
“It has been some time since the Saith and Dekai have been in communication.”
Bolx didn’t like the way the Dekai was looking at Kaiden. It wasn’t that he felt jealous, but he did feel protective as the hackles on his neck were raised. Edzeeker wasn’t just here for small talk.
“Fantastic! You’re back.” Karesh joined the three.
“Your Majesty, I see we have a visitor.” Said Kaiden.
“Father or Karesh, not your majesty.” The older human frowned, “It’s been almost two years now Kaiden.”
“Apologies Karesh.”
“So, this is the daughter you told me about.” Said the Dekai as he turned to face the king.
Bolx found it strange that the Dekai would say that. When he had first noticed Kaiden, he had seemed to recognize her, now he was pretending that he didn’t. Bolx put his aversion to the creature to the genetic hate of the Kai.
“Yes! Isn’t she amazing! Not related to me by blood, but still a fine girl. Grooming her for the throne. She’s doing a fantastic job too! Managed to snare the uncle of the King of Saith.”
“Dad!” hissed Kaiden as her face flushed red.
“I see.” The Dekai looked a little disappointed. “I assumed your son would be the next in line.”
“Not at all. He is for my wife’s line. I chose Kaiden due to her remarkable abilities.”
“Her mimicry, yes, it’s a rather rare talent. I have never met anyone similar here.” Said the Dekai.
“As far as I know, I am the only mimic.”
“Perhaps in this timeline.” Grinned the Dekai.
“That’s an odd thing to say.” Said Bolx.
“You should know that the Dekai have abilities that far outreach your understanding.”
Bolx could feel a growl building in his throat, and it took Kaiden’s hand on his to calm him. This movement wasn’t missed by Edzeeker who continued to look disappointed.
“Our guest here has come from a faraway planet to help fight the Wolven.” Said Karesh. “I was hoping the two of you would be home in time to attend this meeting.”
“We would have been back later, but Bolx learnt a new technique that allows him to teleport to places he has previously been to.” Said Kaiden, “It’s far better than the one I know how to do, as it doesn’t require the same level of concentration or energy.”
“Now that is an interesting technique.” Edzeeker grinned. “Have you tried to learn it from him?”
“I would, but it seems to be one of the techniques that I can’t quite grasp. I will need to see it a few more times before I can figure it out.”
“So, you can learn and mimic?”
“Yes, and I don’t appreciate the third degree.” Kaiden patience was done, and her temper was starting to show.
“My apologies. It’s rare to find a fighter such as you. I’m glad we could meet again.”
“Excuse me for a few minutes, Father.” Said Kaiden as she grabbed Bolx’s hand. “If you’re planning to have a meeting, I would like to freshen up a bit first.”
“By all means, I’ll set the meeting for an hour for now. Now, Edzeeker, if you’d follow me.”
Despite Karesh almost pulling the Dekai away, he kept glancing back at Kaiden. The human pulled on Bolx’s hand, directing him to their room. While Karesh had insisted on the two of them not sharing a room until they were wed before the populace, Myla had chided him for his archaic views and had the pair move into a larger room in the castle to match their needs. While the pair had thought this a nice gesture on the Queen’s part, it didn’t take them long to realise why they were given the larger room. It was clear that this room had been combined with a nursery. Bolx had been bemused but said nothing. With the exception of their first night together, they had taken to implementing controls to prevent an accidental pregnancy. There wouldn’t be a child to fill the nursery for some time still. They weren’t even sure they could have children together but weren’t willing to take the risk at this stage.
“That thing makes my skin crawl.” Hissed Kaiden as she slammed the door of their room after them.
“He was eyeing you like you were some kind of animal he had been hunting.”
Kaiden shuddered in disgust and moved to their shared cupboard before starting to rummage through the clothing for something to wear.
“Did you listen to what he was saying?” asked Bolx as he opened the other side of the cupboard to look for more meeting-friendly clothing.
“So, you picked up that huh? He wasn’t making sense. It was as if he knew me but was trying to make it as if he didn’t. I don’t recall him, I’m sure I would have recalled something with wings such as his.”
She quickly pulled some clothing out and set it out on their bed. She then pointed out some clothing when Bolx held up two sets of uniforms.
“It’s a pity you will no longer be the General. I liked the uniform.” She grinned.
“We knew this was a possibility if this relationship continued. I will continue to wear it until Lardan finds a replacement.”
“Let’s grab a shower before we go see what this thing wants.” She then paused and continued to say, “I find it odd that he is making an appearance when the Wolven attacks are starting to peak. We know nothing about him. We’ve never had contact with the Dekai before, so why reach out to us now?”
Bolx had thought the same thing but kept it to himself. He barely remembered the interaction Saasha and Brucel had had with the species before. It often seemed so sad, and Bolx had been a young boy when he had last seen a Dekai. He was sure there had been one at Saasha’s funeral, but he wasn’t sure.
“Hey! We have to move if we are to be presentable within the next hour.”
“Plenty of time to have a shower and get dressed, unless you want something more.” He grinned at her.
She snorted at him and made her way to the shower as she was pulling off her shirt.
“Gods my mother would have loved you.” He laughed as he followed suit.
“At some point, you’ll have to introduce me to your father.” She grinned over her shoulder. “Hurry up or I’ll have to begin without you.”
They barely made it to the meeting in time. Myla, happy to see her chosen daughter once more, hugged her tightly and kissed the centre of her forehead.
“And?” she asked.
“King Lardan is allowing Bolx to stay with us and act as an ambassador. He seemed happy, but not as much as Bolx’s sister. It was hard to get her to stay behind.”
“I am so happy for the two of you. It’s wonderful to have another son after all these years.”
She surprised Bolx by pulling him into the hug too. He accepted that humans showed their emotion through touch more than words, but it was still something he wasn’t used to outside of family.
“Come, come, sit, we have a lot to discuss.” Said Karesh as he indicated three open seats.
Bolx allowed the two female humans to choose their seats before he sat down. As Karesh started the meeting, Bolx took his time to cast his eyes around the table. There were many generals and powerful people here. He didn’t notice Doran or the twins and wondered if they had been sent somewhere else and couldn’t make the meeting. His thoughts were interrupted when Karesh said, “And I want to welcome Lord Edzeeker. He is a Dekai from the further reaches of this galaxy and comes to our aid against the Wolven.”
Edzeeker stood up and bowed to the table. Kaiden was right, he induced a feeling of creepiness that Bolx couldn’t place.
“As His Majesty stated, I believe I have a solution to dealing with the Wolven scourge. However, before we can deal with the symptoms, we have to deal with the disease.”
The table perked up at that, and Edzeeker knew he had their attention.
“The Wolven are creatures with the sole task of protecting the Fell Dragon.”
“A dragon? Laughed someone. “A mythological beast?”
The Dekai fixed the human with a look and said, “A whole universe opens up to you, and you still believe that some things are myths.”
He then continued to address the table.
“The Fell Dragon is a creature that consumes life, and it will stop at nothing to get what it wants.”
“And where do the Wolven fit into all this?” asked Kaiden.
“Now that is a good question.” The Dekai grinned at her, “They are servants. They are meant to be gatekeepers.”
The table remained silent, but Bolx was well aware that those gathered all thought the Dekai was insane. While he didn’t believe the Dekai was insane, he felt that he was hiding something.
“Why are they needed as gatekeepers?” he asked. “And what do you mean by they were meant to be gatekeepers?”
“To understand that you need to understand what the Fell Dragon is. Its influence has been felt for some time now, but it would seem that none of you have realised it yet.”
“You’re talking about the wasting disease.” Said Kaiden, not bothering to raise her hand.
There was an odd sparkle in the Dekai’s eyes, “Smart and powerful, yes, Your Majesty. The wasting disease.”
“That is nothing new. The Saith have had problems with it for a while, and even now, we are also being affected, but there is no cause for it.”
“But don’t you see! There is. It’s the Wolven.”
“You are yet to answer the General’s question.” Reminded Kaiden.
“The Fell Dragon is a creature that demands vast levels of energy to survive. To keep this creature locked up, vast amounts of energy need to be fed into its cage to keep it locked. Usually, the Wolven are good at doing this, but it would seem the Fell Dragon is starting to waken, and once it is awake, this timeline is in danger.”
The table roared with laughter and even Kaiden smirked. Bolx continued to watch the Dekai. He was old, likely one of their elders, meaning he had had the time to develop their strange abilities.
“You laugh,” started Bolx, “But the Dekai are known to have strange abilities to allow them to hide their planet from sight, between layers of time and space.”
Now the Dekai looked surprised that Bolx knew that.
“Time travel is theoretical.” said Bolx, “But only to us. There are races that are known to manipulate the very fabric of time. Didn’t the humans used to have contact with similar creatures?”
“The Heavenly.” Confirmed Karesh. “It has been some time since one was last seen.”
“Likely because they have fled from the Fell Dragon.” Said Edzeeker.
“What even is a Fell Dragon?” asked someone else.
“It’s not a what, but a who.” Continued the Dekai. “It’s a powerful person who only seeks destruction on the living.”
Bolx knew he should have asked why, but he never did, and he still regretted that decision years later. The table came alive with questions and the Dekai listened for a few minutes before raising his hands and said.
“There is no way to stop the Fell Dragon from going to a specific time once it has woken and started directing the Wolven to collect energy. It’s highly likely that this universe is the next stop for the creature.”
“To do what exactly?”
“To eat, it consumes what you humans refer to as force.”
The table remained quiet until Kaiden got to her feet. The council hadn’t wanted Karesh to choose her as an heir due to her manners, and there were a few angry scowls that followed her standing. The girl leaned onto the table and then, in a sickly-sweet voice asked, “What do you want?”
Edzeeker looked shocked at what she had said and started sputtering something, but Kaiden stopped him in his stride.
“My whole life, I have had people use me for a variety of reasons. I know when someone wants something.”
The Dekai sneered, his politeness vanishing completely. It took a few more minutes before he said, “A volunteer.”
For those of you who have never heard of Fell Dragon you can find Book 1 here, Book 2 here, Book 3 here, and Book 4 here, Book 5 here, and Book 6 here
If you have any questions, feel free to ask me. I love discussing my books!
As the series continues, it will combine with another book series I wrote. To avoid confusion about what is happening, introductory chapters will be introduced separately so that you don't have to be lost. However, these chapters will contain spoilers. You can find these chapters here:
Races Explained
Banishment
Royal Guard
Saasha’s Direct Family
Saith Characters Recap
Human Characters Recap
Alternate Timeline Brucel
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Haven't read the other parts yet? Follow these handy links:
Part 16>>You are Here>>Part 18
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