The Dragon's Egg (Dragonfall Book 1) Read online

  The Dragon’s Egg

  Dragonfall: Book One

  by

  David A. Wells

  THE DRAGON’S EGG

  Copyright © 2015 by David A. Wells

  All rights reserved.

  Edited by Carol L. Wells

  This is a work of fiction. Characters, events and organizations in this novel are creations of the author’s imagination.

  www.DragonfallTrilogy.com

  Other works by David A. Wells

  The Sovereign of the Seven Isles

  Thinblade

  Sovereign Stone

  Mindbender

  Blood of the Earth

  Cursed Bones

  Linkershim

  Reishi Adept

  Prologue

  Seventy-five years ago, the dragons fell from the sky. We thought they were just meteorites—six terrifying explosions rang the world like a bell. When the dust settled, we went on with our lives as though nothing had happened.

  More than a decade later, five of the eggs hatched. The dragons that emerged were small and weak. They kept to the shadows, working in secret to persuade people to do their bidding, offering magic as payment and reward. Years passed … and still we didn’t notice the evil growing in our midst.

  The war began suddenly. Survivors called it the ‘apocalypse’—nine billion people killed in an afternoon.

  Then the dragons revealed themselves, burning huge swaths of what remained, taunting and mocking and murdering the survivors.

  Four leaders arose: The Wizard, the Dragon Rider, the Monk, and the Dragon Slayer. Allied with the rebel dragon, they waged war for years until they too were defeated, scattered, or killed.

  When the war ended, only one dragon remained … but that single dragon was enough to plunge the world into tyranny.

  Chapter 1

  Benjamin hoisted a sack of flour over his shoulder with a grunt.

  “Do you think the markers will hold?” Zack asked, sitting on a table against the wall of the store, kicking his feet back and forth.

  “Probably,” Ben said, carrying the sack down the hall to the storeroom, ducking slightly to get it under the top of the doorframe.

  “But what if they don’t?” Zack asked when Ben returned and began selecting other items from the supply cart, distributing them to their appointed places on the shelves occupying the front of his grandfather’s store.

  “Then the stalkers will get into town and more people will die,” Ben said, eyeing the bucket of nails on the cart and opting instead for three bolts of fabric.

  “I hope the markers hold,” Zack said.

  “Why wouldn’t they hold?” a female voice demanded.

  Ben turned toward the front door, coming to an abrupt stop. The bolts of fabric balanced on his shoulder kept turning and fell clattering to the floor, in spite of a somewhat flailing, and entirely failed effort to catch just one of them. He took a deep breath and centered himself.

  Zack didn’t even notice the commotion that Ben had caused … his eyes were firmly fixed on the woman filling the frame of the door, his mouth open, his feet frozen in mid-kick.

  “I asked you a question,” she said as she entered, trailing two more Dragon Guard behind her. All three wore black armor, all three were armed with swords and dragon-fire rifles, and all three were scarred with dragon runes. Identical symbols stood out on the left cheek of each. But the woman had another, more complex scar on her right cheek as well.

  Hopping off the table, Zack flushed and swallowed hard, held firmly in place by the woman’s glaring blue eyes.

  “Can I help you?” Ben asked, stepping over the mess he’d made.

  She slowly turned her gaze on him. “Do you doubt the Dragon Guard as well?”

  Ben shrugged, just a hint of teenage flippancy in the gesture. “You haven’t been here that long, but the stalkers have stopped coming into town since you put your markers up. That says something.”

  She appraised him for a moment before walking farther into the store.

  Zack backed up against the table as she passed.

  “Did you need something?” Ben asked.

  “Who owns this store?”

  “My grandfather,” he said, gesturing over his shoulder with his thumb. “He’s down at the dock unloading a supply shipment with my brother. Would you like me to go get him?”

  She didn’t answer, instead pulling her long blond braid over her shoulder and fiddling with it as she slowly walked the length of the counter, scanning the shelves along the way. At the far end of the counter, she cocked her head, turning back toward Ben and pointing through the open door into the studio where he and his grandfather practiced tai chi.

  “Why do you have a sword?”

  Ben frowned, confused for a moment. “Oh, that’s just a wooden practice sword.”

  “Yes, but why do you have it?”

  “Some of the exercises I do require a sword,” he said. “My grandfather says that a sword can focus the mind more sharply than anything else.”

  She almost smiled, but opted instead for a grunt.

  Before she could ask her next question, the side door swung open, and an older man stood just outside for a moment, scanning the room in a glance before entering with a cautious smile. He stepped lightly over the bolts of fabric on the floor.

  “Good afternoon,” he said. “My name is Cyril Smith. I’m the proprietor of this establishment. What can we do for you today?”

  The woman seemed to lose interest in Ben and Zack as if they had never been of any importance. She eyed Cyril up and down before nodding to herself.

  “I’m Dominus Nash, commander of the K Falls Dragon Guard detachment. Beginning today, all merchants are ordered to accept silver drakes in payment for goods or services at the posted exchange rates.”

  “But there’s hardly any silver in those coins,” Ben said. “They look more like tech metal.”

  Both Cyril and Nash shot him a withering glare—it was the fear in his grandfather’s eyes that silenced him.

  “Finish your work,” his grandfather said, gesturing to the bolts of fabric on the floor before turning back to Nash. “As long as everyone else is using your coin, I’m happy to take ’em.”

  “See that you do,” she said. “Refusing to accept a drake in payment will be considered a crime.”

  Cyril nodded gravely. “Well, thank you for taking the time to make sure we were informed of the law. You won’t have any problems here, Dominus.” He paused, then asked, “Did you have an order you wished to place today?”

  She regarded him for a moment before slowly shaking her head. “No,” she said, scanning the store again before striding out the door. The other two Dragon Guard filed out behind her without a word.

  Zack seemed to deflate like a balloon, letting out a long stream of air as if he’d been holding his breath the entire time. Cyril ignored him, watching the Dragon Guard make their way into the next store along the waterfront marketplace. All hint of the shopkeeper eager to make a sale was gone. In its place was a hardness that Ben had rarely seen on his gentle old grandfather’s face.

  “Maybe the stalkers would be better than them,” Zack said.

  “They’re a package deal,” Cyril said, quietly enough that Ben could hear him but Zack couldn’t.

  Zack suddenly stood up on his tiptoes to look over a shelf and out the front window.

  Ben followed his gaze and saw a flash of blond hair. He felt a rush of excitement, then his mouth went dry.

  “Here comes Britney,” Zack said. As she came into full view through the window, he mumbled, “She’s so pretty.” When she reached the front door, he seemed to snap out of a trance and sai
d, “I gotta go.” Then he disappeared out the side door.

  Cyril became his kindly old self again and smiled at Ben. “I’ll see if I can stall Frank for a few minutes,” he said, heading back outside. “He mentioned that he was broke this morning. I’m sure the promise of today’s wage will hold his interest for a bit.”

  Ben heard his grandfather’s voice in the background, but his attention was already fixed on the beautiful young woman walking through the door. Britney Harper had been coming into the shop every Tuesday for the past several months to deliver her mother’s list. And every Tuesday, Ben told himself that today would be the day he would make his move … but then she would arrive, and all of his carefully practiced lines would vanish along with his courage.

  “Hi, Britney. How are you today?”

  “I’m well, thank you,” she said politely, rummaging through her bag and withdrawing a somewhat crumpled piece of paper. She seemed a bit distracted.

  “Is everything all right?” Ben asked.

  “Yeah, everything’s fine. My parents are just really stressed out about the dinner party they’re throwing tonight for the new Dragon Guard commander and the priest. Apparently, it has to be perfect or the world will end.”

  A hint of nervousness rippled through Ben’s gentle laughter, but Britney didn’t seem to notice.

  “My father’s firm is the first in town to be granted license to be heard by the dragon court,” she said proudly.

  “I bet that’ll be good for business.”

  “My father thinks so … enough to hire me as an assistant in his office, anyway.”

  Ben smiled broadly. “Congratulations. You must be really excited.”

  “I am, but I’m also nervous. My father is very demanding and I can’t stand the thought of him being disappointed in me.”

  “That could never happen,” Ben said softly.

  She snorted. “You don’t know my father.”

  “No, but I know you.”

  She smiled graciously, then smoothed out her list and laid it on the counter.

  “Oh, I have something for you,” Ben said suddenly.

  Britney frowned, a bit confused.

  He retrieved a small bag from under the counter and handed it to her. “I remember you saying that you loved grapes, so I set some aside for you.”

  She looked in the bag. “Well, that was thoughtful. How much are they?”

  “Oh no, they’re a gift.”

  “Really? Are you sure?”

  “I’m positive. Try one.”

  She looked at him like she was breaking the rules, then took a dark purple grape from the bag and popped it into her mouth. She closed her eyes as she bit into it.

  “Mmm, that’s so good.”

  Ben just stood there, smiling like an idiot.

  “Thank you, Ben. You’re always so nice. I wish I could stay and chat for a while, but my mother’s really in a hurry to get these supplies.”

  He heard her words, but it took him a moment to tear his eyes away from her. When he came to his senses, he picked up the list and looked it over quickly, nodding to himself.

  “I think we have all of the items you want. I’ll put the order together and deliver it this afternoon.”

  She grimaced slightly. “My mother asked if you could make delivery as soon as possible. She needs some of the ingredients right away.”

  Ben frowned and started to say something.

  “I know it’s a lot to ask,” she said, before he could speak.

  “Okay. I’ll see if my grandfather can watch the store for me.”

  “I’d be happy to deliver your order,” Frank said from the side door, “on one condition.”

  Ben’s buoyant mood deflated.

  Franklin walked up to Britney and flashed his all-too-perfect smile. “I’m Frank,” he said, extending his hand.

  “I’m Britney,” she said, looking up at him with her big blue eyes.

  He took her hand and slowly brought it to his lips, kissing her knuckles gently as if it were the most natural thing in the world, then lowering her hand without letting go.

  Her face flushed and she giggled.

  Ben watched helplessly.

  “Now I understand why my brother always wants to work the store in the morning,” Frank said, leaning in closer to look at her necklace. “That’s a really beautiful piece of jewelry.”

  She blinked a few times, her free hand going to the gold charm hanging around her neck.

  “My father gave it to me almost two years ago for my sixteenth birthday. It’s my favorite.”

  “Proof positive that you have excellent taste,” Frank said, eyeing her like prey as he gently and ever so subtly pulled her a few inches closer.

  She swallowed hard, still looking up at him with dreamy eyes. After a moment, she seemed to snap out of her trance, gently pulling her hand away. “My mother’s going to kill me if I don’t get those supplies home soon.”

  Frank shrugged. “As soon as Ben puts the order together, I’ll be happy to deliver it … on the condition that you walk with me.”

  She nodded, her eyes losing focus again.

  “Well then … come on, Ben, you heard the lady, she’s in a hurry.”

  Ben stood there, struggling with the frustration building in his belly. When Britney looked at him expectantly, he nodded and went to work gathering the items on the list and loading them onto a pushcart. Frank didn’t bother to help, not that Ben expected him to. Instead, he spent the time telling Britney stories that had her laughing.

  After Ben finished loading the order, he wheeled the cart out of the supply room and into the front of the store.

  “Ah, there he is. That didn’t take too long,” Frank said. “We’ll get these right home for you.”

  “Thank you so much, Frank. You’re a lifesaver,” she said, laying her hand easily on his forearm.

  “I’m always happy to help a beautiful woman,” he said, flashing his smile again. “Please, after you.” He gestured toward the door.

  She giggled, heading outside without so much as a glance at Ben.

  He stood there watching her go, knowing exactly what was going to happen next.

  Frank turned and gave him a grin that said, “I win.” Ben schooled his expression, studiously ignoring his brother. The flicker of disappointment on Frank’s face before he turned to leave was Ben’s only consolation.

  He watched until Frank and Britney were out of sight, then he went to the studio and picked up his practice sword.

  Chapter 2

  Frank angled the cart to avoid a large puddle in the road where the asphalt had cracked and worn away over many years of inattention. The morning chill of the early spring day was just fading under the sunlight.

  “I always love the way the clouds push up against the hills all the way around town,” Britney said.

  Frank frowned for just a moment as he looked up at the big white and grey clouds ringing the punchbowl valley, all crowding against the surrounding hills that stood like sentinels, guarding the town from the rain.

  Frank selected a smile that said he was in awe of the sight and put it on like a mask.

  “I know exactly what you mean,” he said, softly, as if caught up in the grandeur of nature’s beauty. “It always makes me feel safe when the clouds back up against the mountains like that. It’s almost like this valley is protected from the storm that’s raging across the rest of the world.”

  She nodded, smiling up at the bright sky. “Now that the Dragon Guard are here, we’ll be safe,” she said. “The markers are working. There hasn’t been a stalker in town for weeks.”

  “I have to admit, I am sleeping better now.”

  She nodded again, falling silent for a moment while Frank maneuvered the cart’s wheels over a section of the road that had cracked and was jutting up several inches, forming a curb that ran diagonally across the width of the street.

  “I saw one once,” Britney whispered.

  “A stalker?” />
  She nodded, looking over at him with the ghost of fear in her eyes.

  Frank steered the cart to bring him just slightly closer to her and waited for her to continue.

  “It looked like a coyote,” she said, “but there was something so wrong about it. It was gaunt and dark and its eyes were black as night.”

  She went quiet, trembling a bit.

  Frank gently put his hand on her back. “Hey, you’re safe now. We don’t have to talk about this if you don’t want to.”

  She shook off the chill and smiled at him.

  “I was in my room looking out the window down into my neighbor’s yard. He was working in his garden, just pulling weeds, when it bounded over his fence. It saw me first, looked right at me, right through me with those black, dead eyes. But then, my neighbor gasped when he saw it and it turned on him. It was so fast and vicious. It leapt on him, knocked him to the ground and tore his throat out in a second. I just stood there, frozen with fear.” She paused to shiver, shaking her head with dismay. “It was like the stalker was frantic, like it was desperate to kill the man, like it couldn’t stand the idea that there was a living being anywhere near it. Then it looked right at me again, fresh blood coating its snout. I knew I was going to die, I just knew it.

  “But then the hunters came. One of them shot it in the ribs. The bullet went clean through, spraying black blood all over the fence. Even with a hole through its chest, it turned toward the hunters and charged. God, it was so fast. It leapt at the closest man, but he managed to bring his pitchfork up just in time and drove all three tines into the thing’s chest. He fell over backwards, pushing the stalker to the side so it wouldn’t land on top of him. It hit the ground, still snarling and snapping, trying to get back up. One of the hunters grabbed the handle of the pitchfork and held the thing down while another man started chopping at it over and over again with an axe.

  “I didn’t sleep for a week after that.”

  They walked in silence for a few blocks before Britney pulled the grapes out of her bag and offered some to Frank.