Dragon Redemption by Valerie Emerson & Craig Martelle

Author:Valerie Emerson & Craig Martelle [Martelle, Craig]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-05-17T05:00:00+00:00

Ten

The Wyrm within Shaia’s heart resented the time spent transiting to and from the wormholes. Star Scythe’s crew had provided little amusement. From the moment they learned Shaia’s true nature, they insisted on dropping to their knees at the slightest provocation.

It had become tedious, which was a shame. Abject worship was one of the few pleasures that felt the same no matter how long the imprisonment…or banishment, rather—a distinction hard to maintain. Shaia remembered the infinite darkness as his birthplace, while memories of his own Pirric home blurred. A small price to be the vessel of a Wyrm.

In his lucid moments, he managed conversations with the ship’s commander and crew. Sometimes they unbent enough to have an honest conversation, yet the moment the Wyrm asserted itself, the crew shut down, and Shaia regressed to his isolation. He adjusted, spent his mornings in meditation and his afternoons exercising his body. He’d never been one for fitness, but the Wyrm insisted, so Shaia complied.

After too long, Scythe arrived at Hoi, and he shuttled to the surface. Rather than use the airfield, the pilot landed outside the Archon’s Palace. Shaia disembarked as the Palace Guardians emerged to confront him. They arrayed into a crescent formation, golden armor gleaming in the sunlight as they lowered their spears.

Shaia’s Wyrm found it amusing. Mirth rose from his belly, along with the Wyrm’s long shadow. As his laughter erupted, a coal-black silhouette rose from his shadow until it loomed over the palace and grew larger still, casting the city into darkest midnight.

He heard the rattling of spears as they hit the paved ground. He allowed a hint of sunlight through, revealing the prone guards with their faces pressed into the pavement.

“Tell the Archon I have arrived.”

All but one guard froze, their faces contorted with awe. The last bowed and ran inside. The old stories had survived long enough to teach them fear, perhaps a little too much.

He strode past the frightened guards and walked through the double doors. They, and the vaulted ceiling within, seemed designed to make a mortal feel small. It felt right to Shaia and his shadow Wyrm, which shrank only enough to fit inside the grand entry.

The Archon sat upon a stark throne in his audience chamber, his advisors flanking the dais. Other well-born Pirr were gathered, too, and watched Shaia as he approached, staring into the Archon’s eyes as no one else had dared since the great leader was a child. As he passed, the courtiers bowed, whispering their devotions.

He heard but paid no attention. More urgent matters required tending.

“Archon of Hoi, greetings from the Pit.” His Wyrm flared its wings, then merged with his shadow once more. He felt it inside his mind and spirit, making more room for itself as it basked in the awe it inspired.

“Greetings.” The Archon pursed his lips, as if unsure of how to address him. Understandable. No one like Shaia had stood upon Hoi in ten thousand years. “I understand you are the emissary for our lost ones.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.