tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47204613470903681852024-09-14T23:46:28.290-05:00A web novel about a young boy, and his quest to become one of the legendary Dragon Knights.Ninja Bearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04188960006560091808noreply@blogger.comBlogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4720461347090368185.post-16773442784650772222008-04-29T00:01:00.001-05:002008-04-29T00:01:01.207-05:00

        Caden left the tavern. He smiled and whistled the whole way home. As he approached the bakery, he was greeted by the warm, sweet smell of baking oats. His trip to the tavern gave him a new look on the town. He wondered why he felt such a strong desire to leave.        He walked into the warm kitchen. He looked around, Sam was eagerly working to fulfill all of the Kitchen duties. Caden

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        Caden left Sir Eric's homestead. He was upset. He was going to head home to the bakery, but didn't want to anymore. So he wandered through the market. He didn't know where he wanted to go. Everyone was trying to go back to business as normal. But the town was still scarred from the Queen's attack. Many buildings hadn't been repaired at all. Hollow ruins, devoid of life. Others still had

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        Caden finished every delivery except Sir Eric's. He carried the basket, empty sacks and two loaves of oat bread. He felt better, and regretted spending two weeks in bed. Even now he wondered how close the Dragon Knights were to rescuing Keilee.        Sir Eric's homestead looked the same as it always did. Caden knocked on the door. Sir Eric opened the door. He wore a simple white shirt,

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        When the sun rose the next day, Caden walked into the kitchen. Sam was busy baking. Caden looked around. Sam was baking all by herself. His father wasn't in the kitchen.        "Hey," Caden said.        Sam turned around, "Caden, you don't have to be up." She wiped flour off her hands with a towel. "I can take care of all this by myself."        "I've been home for two weeks, and haven't

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        Father Achilleos came in with Caden's lunch. Caden smiled. "Thanks for visiting me."        "I hear you've been getting several visitors."        "Yeah, Rilyn came by this morning, and Su visited last night."        "Rilyn's a good kid, and likes you a lot. Be careful." Father Achilleos scratched his beard. "And Su seems quite beholden to you."        "What do you mean?"        "The way

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        The next morning when Caden woke up, he was feeling better. He didn't feel tired, and his body didn't ache anymore. When Sam came in with breakfast, he had already washed and gotten dressed. She smiled when she saw him up and moving. She set his breakfast down on the dresser and felt his forehead and cheeks.        "You're fever finally broke," she said.        "Yeah," Caden said. "I feel

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        Caden laid in bed. He spent most of his time resting. When he was awake, it was when Sam came in to redress his wounds or help him wash. When he was asleep, he would dream of forging a chain in Tony's smithy. Sam brought him food three times a day. He wasn't always able to eat, but ate what he could.        While Sam was cleaning his wounds and changing his bandages, she would hum. It was

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        Caden woke up with the sun shining in his eyes. He felt warm soft hands moving over his stomach, followed by a slight pulling sensation on his side. He blinked and looked around. He was in his own bed, and sam was kneeling by his bed, changing a bandage over the stab on his stomach. He reached up and touched her wrist.        Sam jumped at the touch. She looked at Caden. Her light blue

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        Caden stood in blacksmith Tony's shop. The air was hazy and warped from the heat. The red glow and sparks from the flames surrounded him. Beyond the red light, it was all black and darkness. Sparks floated out of the coals and around the anvil like little insects.        He remembered the Dread Knight's swords. Caden felt around his stomach and back, under his shirt and the heavy leather

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        The first thing Caden saw was the black shrouds. Then from the darkness came three Dragon Knights. He tightened his grip on the stone sword. Caden looked at Rilyn. He was ready. He dropped the cane next to Father Achilleos and held his sword in one hand. Rilyn had a loose grip on the sword, it looked like it was balanced on his index finger. Father Achilleos continued to draw in his small

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        Caden and Rilyn settled their bill with the Blue Fox. True to her word, Cassy didn’t charge them for all the special food she was giving them. Caden wondered about how quickly the rumors had spread.        Rilyn went back to the table and fetched Father Achilleos, who was finishing all of cold mugs of cinnamon tea. Caden went out the back to the courtyard where he saddled Starlight. He

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        Caden and Rilyn went to the temple as soon as they finished eating. They left Starlight and most of their gear back at the Blue Fox. They walked along the river. They banks of the river were replaced by stone levees. About every eight fathoms there were stone stairs and a stone landing for boats to tie up to. Many fish merchants docked at the landings and sold the fish straight from the

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        Caden woke up early. He got dressed. As he pulled his shirt on, he looked at Rilyn's sleeping form. She had the covers pulled tightly around her, like it was a shield against some unforeseen danger. Caden looked at her swords. The sheaths were made from bone, and split along the top so you lifted the swords out rather then drawing them. The blades etched with a jagged pattern, so that

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        Caden rode Starlight. Rilyn walked on the left side. They crossed the hills and valleys as they returned to Tinate. They travelled an extra half day out of their way to avoid going through Sharsden a second time. The small rodent rode on Caden's shoulders. He fed it small bites of bread.        "You shouldn't feed that," Rilyn said. "It is a wild animal."        "It's okay, it's okay,"

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        Rilyn sat in grass and watched the clouds drift by. Starlight grazed. Caden recounted the tale of the Dragon Queen to the general. The general listened and nodded. His brow was tight, and he kept a tight frown on his face.        When Caden finished, the general said, "That's quite the story.゛        "It's true,"Caden said.        "I believe you."        "So you'll rescue Keilee?"        

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        Rilyn walked behind Caden and Su. She seemed normal. Her hair was the same dark brown most people had in this country. She was about a head shorter then Caden. Rilyn guessed she was around 15 harvests. Which was the oddest thing about her, traveling alone so young.        Caden wasn't saying much, but she was talking on and on. Nothing unusual either, just meaningless chatter. Rilyn

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        Caden and Rilyn walked up a hill. They exited Sharsden on the opposite road that they came in on. Neither talked on the hike up the steep hill. At the top, they stopped next to the lone tree and looked back at the town. A few people stood at the edge of town and stared back up at them.        "Makes you wonder," Rilyn said. "Doesn't it?"        "What?"        "What the Dragon Knights have

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        Caden dreamt that night. In his dream, he was grown up. He was strong, his arms and chest well defined and muscular from the training Rilyn gave him. He was by the river, Keilee was safe and sleeping with her head on his lap. He stroked her hair. He heard a splash. Out in the river, another woman was bathing. Her wet skin glimmered in the orange light of the dying fire while the water

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        Caden saddled and groomed Starlight while Rilyn settled with the Barkeep. Rilyn walked outside.        "Are you ready?" Caden asked. "We've wasted two nights here, and we're no closer to finding the Dragon Knights, or getting them to save Keilee."        "You were the one who spent the night with a witch."        "She's not a witch," Caden said. "I'm certain of that now."        "Then why

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        Rilyn sat up all night with Father Achilleos. They talked till the sun rose and Caden descended from the tower with the young woman behind him. Rilyn watched as they walked into the temple. Caden's face looked like it was carved from wax. He stood there, staring forward, not blinking. The woman kissed him on the cheek.        "Thanks," she said. She walked out of the temple.        "Well,

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        The crowd of people hauled two woman bound to seven foot stakes. One was an old woman, in her seventies. The other was a young brunette, barely over 17 harvest. The old woman was cackling and crying out about the crowd being tortured for a thousands years and black death reigning from above, destroying the town.        The young woman was shouting, "I'm not a witch."        Caden heard

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        Caden and Rilyn walked along the highway. The weapons were put away, and Caden massaged his shoulder. Rilyn moved behind Caden. When he got next to Starlight, she nipped at him. Rilyn jumped away. Caden pulled the reigns.        "I don't think she likes me," Rilyn said.        "She senses that you're afraid of her," said Caden. "That makes her in charge. With animals, it's all about who's

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        Caden rode Starlight for a while, then dismounted. "Would you like to rest for a while?" asked Caden.         "No thanks," Rilyn said. "I'm fine just walking."        "Come on." Caden handed him the reigns. "Your training routine this morning put us behind schedule. I don't want to stop for another break."        Rilyn stared at the horse.        "What are you waiting for?"        Rilyn

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        Caden and Rilyn walked for the rest of the night. Caden never rode Starlight. They reached the highway by sunrise. The road to Erdon was marked by an old well next to a log lean-to and trough. Caden drew water from the well and filled the trough. He let Starlight drink while he sat in the lean-to.        "Planning on taking a break already?"        "No," Caden said.        "Just asking,"

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        A week passed, and the Dragon Queen had not returned. It seemed like the old stories were true. A sacrificed daughter would appease the queen and she would not return for a year and a day. The stories did not say why she wanted the sacrifice.        Caden was there. He saw the Dragon Queen take Keilee. It didn't kill her, it took her. He knew she was still alive. No one else believed him.

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