Legacy of the Fae: The Dragon Queen's Calling

Prologue

  Lonely, she always felt lonely. The pressure that hung within her mind flew away, but it was only a momentary respite until the next set of lessons.

Study, study, and more study, that's all her life was. No play, only work, denied the simplest of childhood passions. Mostly because she had no one to share it with. She was in a position of great standing, born of noble blood that dated back to before her people first settled on the island. But it was all for a matter of pride. She had to continue on for the sake of her ancestors.

They said the ancestors were always watching, always judging, and it was her duty to make them proud. But she didn't care about pride, yet she dare not say that, for if she did it would come with more scolding, more harsh words. Honestly, it made her want to shout out and scream her frustrations to the world.

Something slipped through her eyes, a warm dampness that trickled down her snout and onto the cold, stone floor. A soft gasp escaped her and as she did, something blew past. She felt something run down her spine, her cold blood turning to ice. But, she found the inches of her mouth creeping up, and a cheerful intake of air followed.

"It's you!" She cried.

Soft footsteps came upon the stone, "Of course my child,"

She sniffled, "I knew you'd come, you always come when I'm feeling alone."

"You are never alone my child, now tell me, what troubles you?"

And so she spoke her troubles, but as she spoke to her friend, the shadows in the room grew ever larger.

***

The morning fog looked so lovely across the sea. It held a grayish tone, the cloud line sinking down. Johnson didn't know the technicalities of it, he merely knew what he saw, and fog simply looked like ground-level clouds. Nonetheless, with the fog, the morning air accompanied it nicely. There was a chill behind it, a side-effect of the perpetual Spring the Island of Forests had. Being human had its benefits. The one thing his race had for them was the fact they were highly adaptable. Sure they lacked the spiritual prowess of the Fae, the strength and flight of the dragons, the agility and senses of the Lupine, or the prestidigitation of the Vine Panthers, but they could handle anything thrown at them.

There was a reason they had settled on most of the islands. In addition, the fact they were gifted merchants and sailors provided them with a good set of jobs and duties while providing services to the other races.

Johnson let out a breath, seeing it color the air. A dampness squeaked under his boot, it had rained last night, just a little for the wood of the town hardly looked dark or swollen. He expected it with the boats, however. After all, this was a port town.

Mer was on the opposite end of the island, far from the Vine Panthers, or any of the humans or miscellaneous races that had settled upon the green isle. The panthers did show up on occasion. After all, like humans, Vine Panthers occasionally had business on the other islands. At least the Islands of Flame, Storms, or Spirits. Those three islands provided heat, rain, and beauty respectively. The Island of Frost was nothing but frozen tundra. Sure there was water, but the frigid environment would be horrendous for the panthers and their plant-like physiology. Then again, Johnson knew some plants were native to that island, and not being a worldly man himself, his knowledge was limited.

However, there was one thing he did know, and that was boats.

He had been around boats his entire life. He had watched boats go in and out to sea ever since he was a boy. He had sailed the islands of Ceres, and he knew what career path he wanted to follow.

But, he was not a captain. No, he was merely the first mate, and he was damn good at his job. At least, according to the captain.

He had worked for the captain for over twenty years now, and she was the best captain he had ever seen. Some would have balked at her, for she wasn't a human captain. That alone gave her a disadvantage in earning respect within the sailing circuit. But with enough hard work and dedication, the captain had earned her place, and by far she was the most respected sea captain within the Ceres Islands. There truly was never a captain like her.

The captain knew people and made connections. One such connection was a promising merchant. Well, he had been promising, and now he had settled into his job. The captain had ferried him across the islands many times; at least when the captain caught him. Her profession often had her taking on multiple trips, and that meant missing her merchant friend. Johnson had heard talk of the familiar merchant in town, though they were away at the time, and when the captain heard, she was disappointed. Yet, she remained optimistic. The captain was a woman of many years, and she had plenty to go. Her friend wasn't down for the count yet, so their paths would likely cross again.

Sounds were starting to ring out across the port town, and it spurred another breath out of first mate Johnson. It was going to be a good morning.

Stealing one final glance, Johnson smiled as he noticed the fog gradually fading away, clearing the seas for sailing.

"Did you hear the news?" Johnson turned his head as two men walked by.

"What news?" The other man asked.

"They say some trouble went on in that Vine Panther forest," The other man explained.

Johnson leaned forward, his ears perking up, "What happened?"

"They say that their king got murdered, by one of his advisors I think."

"It's always the advisor isn't it?"

"Yeah, like in one of those old fairy tales, but they picked a new king, and get this, he's one of those Champion guys!"

"Champions?"

"Yeah, you know the ones who saved the Islands years ago?"

"Wasn't that like a thousand years back? They old or something?"

"Don't be daft, these are new ones! Heard they don't take any prisoners, killed a hundred Daemons I hear!"

Johnson leaned back as he stopped eavesdropping on the conversation. Everyone had heard stories of the fabled Champions, the ones who appeared to eradicate the Chaos Mist when it first appeared. All Johnson could do was shake his head. Wiping his fingertips under his nose, he flicked them. As good as these new Champions may have supposedly been, there was still the matter of the Chaos Mist.

It was still here. If the first ones couldn't get the job done, what hope did these new ones have?