Blood of Dragons (Dark Mists of Ansalar Book 1)

The heat was oppressive in the rocky mountain pass. Damaeris stumbled for the third time and cursed to herself in Hinterlic. She narrowed her eyes at Lorak, who chuckled as he walked beside her. The dusty larian following behind snorted through her nose, and Aeris rolled her eyes when she felt wetness from the spray begin to roll down her arm. Lorak chuckled even more, and only when he caught her glaring at him did he bother to hide his laughter behind the arm he raised in front of his face.

“Just think, Aeris. It could be worse. It could be raining,” chortled the ranger.

She pursed her lips but said nothing. She wasn’t feeling very well, and not for the first time she wished that they had a cleric in their midst. Such a person would know what types of herbs they could use to reduce the effects of illness, and perhaps she wouldn’t have to suffer so needlessly.

Raissa fell into step beside her, leading her own mount. “We can stop if you want. It won’t hurt to rest for a few hours longer this night. Besides, you need it.”

Aeris shook her head. “No. I want to make it out of this pass before tomorrow evening. If we stop early today, then we will be stuck here for another night.”

Raissa raised a dark brow. “It isn’t all that bad. We have met very little trouble so far.”

“But that doesn’t mean that we won’t. This pass holds too much significance in my family history.” She was adamant. “The sooner we are out, the better.”

Raissa was quiet after the declaration. She was well aware of Aeris’ dislike of their location and why. It was within the Ratik Mountain Pass that Aeris’ mother and aunt had met her grandfather, Thane Darnesse, and killed him before he could lay waste to her and the comrades who followed her. The Wildrunners had won the battle, but the negative aura surrounding the pass remained. Aeris and her brothers grew up hearing the stories: how their mother, Adrianna, had made Thane a mortal once again, and that her sister, Sheridana, had struck the final blow that would finally put him to rest forever.

The companions had been traveling together for quite some time. A few moon cycles ago, Lorak, Doran, and Mavik had been asked to accompany Aeris and Raissa on their journey to the city of Andahye, the seat of arcane power upon all of Ansalar. The three young rangers had agreed to the task, and once the women reached the city, they went to the Vanderlinde Academy to complete the required tests that would place them within the ranks of other journeyman spellcasters.

For two weeks they had remained in the mystical city. After Aeris and Raissa passed their tests, the group had then journeyed to the city of Celuna, located within the realm of Monaf on the eastern side of the Ratik Mountain range. It hadn’t been part of the original plan, but the women had a way of getting what they wanted. Besides, the rangers weren’t against an adventure themselves, and they required very little persuading. They'd spent a few days there, and then headed back west towards Elvandahar.

Finally, the group stopped for the evening. Aeris started the fire and began to prepare the tea while Raissa unfurled the bedrolls. Lorak saw to the larian, and Mavik and Doran hunted for their evening meal. Aeris was glad to finally be out of the pass and thought maybe they could make another detour to the city of Sangrilak before finally heading home. She wouldn’t mind seeing Volstagg again, and perhaps stopping to make a visit to Tianna and Triath Solanar, parents of her brother’s closest friend, Tigerius. The young man was a scoundrel, and his mother and father deserved to know that he was up to no good. Aeris had received the ‘pleasure’ of seeing Tigerius while they were in Celuna, and his activities were focused around the more unsavory variety. He was a trouble-maker, and Aeris hoped that perhaps she would be doing him a favor if his parents knew of his rather reprehensible activities.

Aeris sniffed disdainfully at the pathetic fire. Under different circum- stances, she could have done much better. But as it was, she hardly felt up to the task and thought that she might just lie down and fall asleep right there. However, the tea was beginning to boil, and the men would soon be back with something for the stew pot. Aeris was no cook, but the group relied on her to make the meat at least somewhat edible. She lamented her inadequacies, as well as those of everyone else in their group. Couldn’t at least one of the rangers her father chose to accompany them have known how to prepare a simple meal?

Raissa and Lorak completed their activities just as Mavik and Doran returned with some ptarmigan for the pot. Aeris appreciatively took the birds from Doran, and Mavik gave her a wink before accepting his mug of tea. She could swear he was attracted to her, but he had yet to make any overtures. Not that she would have responded to them if he had. Aeris wasn’t interested in anything the young man might offer her, which was most likely a mere frolic in the bedfurs. She wanted something a bit more tangible from a man, and mayhap a solid foundation for a future more promising than being the simple wife of a ranger.

Aeris shook her head. No, that wasn’t quite what she meant. Her mother was the wife of a ranger. Yet, Adrianna was also much, much more. She was one of the two founders of a school dedicated to Dimensional magic that she helped design and construct after the Wildrunners returned to Elvandahar after their battle with the Deathmaster.

It was at the Medubrokan Academy that Aeris had been trained as a Dimensionalist, and Dinim Coabra had been her master for as long as she could remember being there. She had been early to exhibit her Talent, just out of childhood at a mere fifteen years of age. Adrianna had decided that it would be best for her co-founder to train her daughter, feeling that perhaps she had too much vested within Aeris to make a proper teacher. Aeris had no complaints; Dinim was an excellent master. He had taught her well, and she passed her tests at the Vanderlinde Academy in Andahye with flying colors. The masters there congratulated her skills, and she summarily gave merit where it was due.

Aeris handed one of the ptarmigan off to Raissa and the two women made quick work of depilating and gutting the birds before roasting them over the spit. Soon after, they added the meat to the stew pot, and while the rangers sparred with their staves, the meal cooked over the fire. Aeris leaned back on a rock, one of the many that were strewn around the mouth of the pass. It was then that she began to hear a strange trilling sound.

Aeris frowned as she listened. Oddly, it sounded as though the noise was coming from beneath them. Within moments, the rangers stopped sparring, and all five of them were focused on the sound that seemed to be coming from below the encampment. The sound became louder...

...and suddenly the ground in the center of the encampment erupted.

A nightmarish creature of massive proportions emerged. The worm reared above the group, much of its long brownish body still concealed below the ground from which it had come. It appeared to have no eyes and sharp mandibles moved creepily like fingers playing over the keys of an organ. There was a domed nodule at the top of its head, the place where the trilling sound was made. Oh gods... Aeris had only heard of creatures such as this... behiraz. They would take their prey unawares, bursting from the ground to devour all within reach. It was a creature that was rarely seen, commonly making its home within temperate hills and mountains.

Just like this one.

Aeris jumped up from her position near the fire, Raissa quickly following suit. Across the encampment, the three young rangers regarded the enormous worm from eyes wide with alarm. Aeris considered running, but she had heard that behiraz were fast, much too fast for her to escape. Besides, what of her comrades? She couldn’t very well leave them behind. As she began to concentrate on the incantation for her first spell, Raissa did the same. The rangers stood their ground, weapons at the ready, unaware of the full scope of the danger they faced. Aeris’ knowledge of the creature came from one of the many manuals she had been required to study whilst in training at the academy.

Aeris cast her spell just as the worm made its first attack. The energy arced from her fingertips as the behiraz lunged for Doran, capturing him within its mandibles. Doran screamed as he was brought before the yawning maw, and a moment later he was gone. Her Lightning spell struck the behiraz just before Raissa’s Flamesphere. The creature emitted an eerie wail from atop its head, and Aeris cringed at the sound.

The worm fully emerged from the ground. It was long, so long that it coiled its body in a tight spiral. At the tip of its tail, the flesh was hardened into a scythe-like shape that dripped fluid at the tip. Poison. Mavik and Lorak attacked the creature with their swords, attempting to penetrate the thick hide. But it was to no avail. The tail end of the creature descended. It missed Lorak by only a hairsbreadth, and in an unexpected move, it quickly swung around to grab Mavik with its mandibles. Mavik disappeared within the maw just before her second spell was cast. Aeris watched as her Lightning struck the creature yet again, this time leaving a scorched mark upon its thick hide. The worm shrieked again, and Aeris had to struggle not to put her hands over her ears.

Raissa completed her incantation, and another Flamesphere hit the worm. In response to the flame, the creature coiled even more tightly. Deep scores marred its body and chunks of flesh fell to the ground before it. Aeris could almost sense its hesitation... perhaps the cost wasn’t worth continuing with the meal it had chosen this day.

But then the worm struck again. Aeris felt her heart almost stop in her chest as she saw the scythe descend. She was quick to move, but she wasn’t quite fast enough. Aeris fell as the thick body of the worm moved into her line of vision, blocking her escape route. She screamed as the stinger embedded itself into her thigh and pinned her to the ground. She immediately felt the poison begin to work its way through her body as she saw Raissa get picked up by the worm. The girl was torn in two before she reached the creature’s mouth. It became difficult to breathe. The poison was paralyzing her, stopping her body from performing even that most basic of tasks. From dimming vision, she saw the last man standing, Lorak fighting, piercing the worm with his sword, the glow of the weapon permeating the darkness that had begun to descend.

His blade must be enchanted.

Aeris struggled to breathe, to stay awake for Lorak who would be alone without her there. Then darkness descended and all her thoughts spiraled away and were lost...