"There has to be another way." The copper clad dragon rider said as he leaned over a detailed map that had been carved into the face of the table. The mountains and forests were even raised up and the rivers and lakes actually had water in them. I wonder if this is how the gods look down upon us as they decide our fate? The knight thought to himself.
The man stood with two other dragon riders, one wearing silver armor and the other wearing gold.
"You know this is the only way to restore peace." The gold rider said. She was the only female of the group and the only one to ride a golden dragon.
"Peace? You truly believe that the only way for peace is to rage war on the other clans of Arvain?" The copper rider said as he turned his back to the table.
"What is the point of peace if there are not people to protect it?" She asked. She looked to the silver rider for support but he remained silent as he gazed at the map.
"Who says it has to be us? Why don't we meet with the elves or the dwarves and see what we can work out?" The copper rider pleaded. His desperation broke through his voice and the gold rider knew that she had won.
"Dwarves or elves?" She asked. "Why don't we just fly over to the shadow desert and ask the Bone Thieves to lead us from now on? Or why don't we just hand over our city to those barbarians in the south. What do they call themselves these days?" She asked the silver rider as she tried to remember. He still remained silent and it seemed that he had even stopped blinking.
"I believe they are called the Frost Fangs now." The copper rider mumbled.
"The Frost Fangs. Just who we need to rule over Arvain. The Frost Fangs and their giant white dragons." She shook her head and leaned back over the map. "Do you remember how the first metallic dragons were found?" She asked the copper rider.
"Of course. Every child knows the story." He admitted angrily.
"Then tell me." She demanded.
"I did not come here to recite stories from my child hood." He replied. Before the gold rider could respond the silver dragon rider finally spoke up.
"They say we came from the sea." His voice startled the two riders. "From where, no one truly knows."
"Are we really going to discuss this?" The copper rider asked.
"Listen." The gold rider commanded through clamped teeth.
The copper rider shook his head at the pointlessness of arguing with the rider.
"Continue." She said to the silver rider once she was sure that the copper rider wasn't going to interrupt her.
"The humans landed on the banks of Eytherka. They thought that they had found their new home so they began chopping down the trees and making a settlement. The elves were their first encounter." All three riders looked down at the map to the spot the silver rider was talking about.
"They ran the humans off the land and forced them back into the sea. The humans were desperate and going back was not an option. Some decided to fight the elves and they became the first Sea Serpents while a few humans risked the wrath of the elves and went back to the forest."
"And those that made it through the forest established Celestial City. I know this legend." The copper rider said while he smacked his hands against the table.
"And what happened after that? What happened after everyone discovered the first dragon eggs?" The gold rider asked. This time the copper rider did not respond but instead lowered his head.
"War. War happened. It nearly consumed the entire land." The gold rider swept her arms over the table as she spoke.
"The elves were fighting the Sea Serpents while the Frost Fangs came up with their white dragons and tried to invade the Shadow Desert but the Bone Thieves held them off. The dwarves fought everything that wasn't a dwarf and where did that leave us?" The gold rider asked as she pointed to the city on the map.
"In the middle." The copper rider admitted.
"Surrounded by enemies on all sides. The Bone Thieves, elves, dwarves and Frost Fangs were all around our ancestors. Then everything changed when they discovered the first metallic dragon eggs. With those dragons they were able to fight their way across Arvain and bring order to the land."
"At the cost of thousands of lives." The copper rider tried to argue.
"But they saved thousands more." The gold rider looked to the silver rider. "The very same thing is happening in our time. The other clans and their dragons are growing in numbers and they are beginning to disobey our riders. They believe that they should be allowed to rule themselves but look what happened last time." The copper rider tried to think of something to counter her claims but he was at a loss for words.
"We need to sweep across Arvain like the first riders did. We need to cleanse the land and remind the other clans that they are beneath our rule. If we do this we will regain peace on Arvain." The silver rider nodded his head in agreement.
"When." The copper rider asked, giving in to the gold dragon riders wishes.
"When the time is right." She said as she turned and walked away from the table. "Soon."
YOU ARE READING
The Broken Scale. Book 1 of The Dragon Riders of Arvain
FantasyHayden, a young boy with the dream to be a dragon rider, tries to help keep the world safe from the evils that have hunted him down since he was a small child. He quickly realizes that he is on the wrong side of the war an has no idea what to do nex...