Chapter 4

            Roknier woke up in front of a warm fire. He was drenched in sweat. His thoughts were scrambled all over the place. Memories were scattered and nothing made sense. I am in a cave, he thought. How did I get to this cave? Why am I so tired? Where are my parents? These thoughts rushed around as he sat up. Hunger clawed at his stomach. It felt like he hadn’t eaten in a week. He heard a rustling noise from farther inside the cave. A dragon stepped into the firelight. Roknier tried to place the dragon’s name. Swiftwing? No. Swiftleg? Nope. Swift? Something with “swift” in it? The dragon lay down near him. “I see you are awake, young one. That is good.” The dragon gestured to a black pot by the fire. “There is broth in the pot. Drink it. Your mind will become clear.”

            Roknier tried to stand, but his legs wouldn’t hold him. He glanced over at the dragon. This is a test. He’s testing me to see if I am strong enough.  Crawling slowly, he made it to the pot. He used the pot to push himself into a sitting position. He ladled some broth into a bowl that was sitting by the pot. He drank the broth. Just as the dragon had said, his mind started to clear. He remembered the dragon’s name. Swiftclaw. He drank some more broth, and everything came crashing back down. Men in black cloaks. Staffs. Horrifying little grubs. Dragons turning dark. Parents fighting. He clearly remembered what happened after that. He…exploded? Questions ran around in his mind. He voiced them to Swiftclaw.

            “What happened to the men and the dragons? Where are my parents? Why am I so sick and tired? Why am I in this cave?” Roknier sat back down, trying to take it all in. Swiftclaw sighed. “Do you want it bluntly, or nicely?”, he asked.

“Bluntly.”

“Very well. You did something that is not very well known, but is possible. At least, it is possible for any person who has their soul bonded with that of another. You pulled on the knot that binds your souls together. You loosed enough of it to release a blast of powerful magic. The blast killed everything within a half-mile radius.”

“You…you mean I…I…”

“Yes, little one. You killed your parents.” At this, Roknier began to cry. Swiftclaw put his wings around him. “I brought you back here so you could recover.”

How could I have been so stubborn!, Roknier thought. If only I had listened to my father. They are dead because of me! I am truly the last dragonsouled. Roknier vowed right then and there to always consider the advice of others over his irrational impulses. He buried his head in his hands. Should I leave now to explore and find my place in the world, or should I wait until my fifteenth naming day? I ought to stay with Swiftclaw for another week, so I am not so weak when I leave. Swiftclaw interrupted his thoughts. “I am sorry for your loss. Do not proceed to blame yourself. It was truly an accident. I have something for you, from your parents. Your father explicitly stated that he wanted it to be given to you on your fifteenth naming day, right before you left. Seeing as how you will be leaving sooner, I have brought them out for you.”

            Swiftclaw was holding a small sack. He tossed it to Roknier. “This is one of the four Bags of Kuria. They are said to have the potential to hold limitless amounts of information and objects. Legend says they are scattered over all the world. I don’t know how your father came upon a specimen as this.” Roknier had only heard tales about this bags. “Open the top, and whisper these words: Ono er estir atra estri hleir yiryth vraeo. Fiorlo, estir haveen sythyr.” Roknier knew enough of the magical language to translate it as “May the light of the stars heal all darkened life. Remember that light hides shadows.” He whispered the phrase into the opening of the bag. He felt a sudden sucking sensation and a bright flash of light as he was drawn into the bag.

            When his eyes recovered, he found himself in a large room. There were five doors. They read, “Library”, “Pantry”, “Armory”, “Money”, and “Garden”. In the middle of the room, there was a small pedestal. He walked up to it, and saw a piece of paper. Grabbing it from the pedestal, he began to read:

            Dear son,

                        Your mother and I are so proud of you. You have excelled beyond everything we expected. You have always had a very logical mind. Keep your impulses in check. Take time to listen. Brutality isn’t always the answer. Use your gifts. Courage. Bravery. Logic. Reflexivness. Adaptability. Determination. Confidence. Trust. These will send you soaring higher. Keep your skills sharp. Ask Swiftclaw to tell you what he heard the night you were born.

            Beyond these doors are simple, yet important, objects. In the garden there are herbs and fruit trees. In the money room, there is enough gold to last you years if you use it wisely. The library has a few books in it. Most are on the duties of a dragonsouled. Some are about magic, and there is one about humans. They are selfish brutes who will kill or enslave you if they can. The pantry has enough food to last for a two-year drought. Weapons are found in the armory. There are four different kinds. Magical weapons require magic to be used. Ordinary weapons can be affected by magic, but do not require magic to be used. Anti-magic weapons are not affected by magic. Shielding weapons require magic, but they shield you from any kind of weapon, except anti-magical ones. Magic does not affect them, and will not affect you when you are using it. Use these tools wisely. Let no one know you have one of the four Bags of Kuria. Be safe, my son. Farewell.

            Remember, light hides shadows.

                        Reon Lightblinder

                        Erira Cloudhider

            Roknier fought to keep back tears while he was reading. His parents had thought so highly of him, and he had killed them. If only they could see him now. A shaken, weak, murdering, cowering wretch. The thought made him cringe. He straightened his back, and hardened his resolve. He would not cry. He would become the man his parents would have wanted him to become. He said the entrance phrase and was taken out of the bag with the same sucking feeling and flash of light. He sat down on the floor. He called to Swiftclaw. The dragon came into the firelight. “Yes, little one?”

            “My father told me to ask you what you heard the night I was born. What did you hear? Why would it be important? My father implied that it was kind of mysterious.”

            “It is called estri’arat, or starlistening. You could have the ability, or you could not. I cannot tell. Anyway, the stars told me this the night you were born: ‘He will meet another who was born this night. One who will have the power to destroy the world, or to save it. Roknier will come to a choice. Prepare him the best that you can. The fate of the other born this night rests in his hands’ I do not know who this ‘other person’ might be. I think they will have a bonded soul, but I am not certain.

            “But…I thought I was the last Dragonsouled! How did anyone survive the War of Shadows?”

            Swiftclaw sighed. “I said ‘bonded soul’, not ‘dragonsouled’. Something else strange occurred that very same night. During the process of binding, some other powerful entity was adding and taking magic from the Dragonsong. I don’t know what it was. You and the other person are linked. I don’t know exactly how, but your souls have some form of bond.” He began to retreat to the back of the cave. Roknier could hear his voice echoing back to him. “Get some rest, little one. We will talk in the morning.” Roknier crawled over to the bed Swiftclaw had made for him, and cried himself to sleep.