Ancestral Dragon

Prologue

Waves of thunder threatened to tear down the cabin. John had faith that it would hold throughout the storm having built the cabin himself.

Boom! Another lightning bolt. The worst of it was moving away but it was still too dangerous to be outside. That didn't stop John from lacing up his boots, though. He had to find out if the magic he felt nearby was real.

"Stop!" Agatha yelled as she barricaded the door with her body. She wore a plaid dress and her short, grey hair stood on ends having been woken up by the storm.

"I can't," John responded, not lifting his greyed head. "You felt it too."

"Of course, I did. But that doesn't mean you need to investigate in the middle of this storm!"

"Have you ever felt any sort of magic like this before? It was... cold. On top of that, when has that ever lit up?" John stood and pointed to a crystal orb, one that could fit in the palm of his hand, on the stone mantle of their lit fireplace. The flashing green light gave the small cabin an eerie feeling.

Agatha followed her husband's gaze. "I know what this could mean. But can't you just let that soldier's soul in you take a rest? Just this once. You're not a young man anymore."

John was always a warrior with a side of scholar inside. However, it was the scholar itching to get out and not the soldier like his wife thought. It wasn't the danger that had his blood pumping but the mystery. Whatever magic used nearby was connected to the crystal orb they'd held onto for over two decades. It had never once reacted to any spells back then. So, what changed now?

Boom! Thunder rattled the cabin.

Agatha's eyes widened and refocused on John. "I feel that if you go out there, I may not see you again."

"That crystal was left to us for safe keeping. The magic we sensed isn't far and I have to know how it's connected."

"Let it go." Agatha straightened up now that she knew exactly what was driving her aged husband. "It's not your fault Dav went missing."

"I owe him this."

It never occurred to John how much he held out hope that Dav would show up in their lives again. Agatha tried for years to get her husband to move on but to no avail. The young man wasn't their son by blood but they'd always seen him as one. Everything had changed once they received that accursed crystal orb. At one time John and Agatha were part of the king's inner circle. John was a high-ranking knight and his wife a close confidant of the queen.

When the king had decided to outlaw magic after a streak of illegal activity that led to murder, the old couple and their closest friends went into hiding. There was no changing their old friend's mind. The king was set in his decision and started the concentration camps. He had even found a way to suppress people from using magic.

The old couple and their friends didn't agree with the new laws and had been seen as a threat to the new order. The king had given orders to imprison each of them, not only because of their skill in magic, but because of the influence they held over the courts. It had been during the chaotic exodus that Dav went missing. The young man was supposed to meet the couple at the cabin but never showed. John remembered many sleepless nights as they eagerly waited for him.

Now, in this moment, John realized that he'd been holding out hope that the crystal would be connected to Dav in some way. It was he who found it in the first place.

"He trusted us with this crystal. Everyone did." John lifted his eyes to meet his wife's.

"Be safe," Agatha said. John could see in her eyes that she accepted there was no stopping him. It felt as if a heavy weight lifted form his shoulders.