Rose's Ruin

Chapter One

"Papa! Did you see the dragon?"

Pan turned, smiling. A little girl with equally red hair--albeit, hers was an unruly mane--scampered over, a grin spreading across her purple-stained face.

"I did indeed! Did you notice how its red scales shimmered?"

She bobbed her head excitedly. "Maybe I could show them my fire! Do you think they'd like it?"

His heart ached with love as he watched his little daughter set her hand ablaze, the blood-red flame matching her eyes and brilliant hair. "Of course, Maera. How could they not? But, you have some moonberry jelly on your face, I think."

Maera gave her face a quick swipe with her sleeve, doing little to fix the mess.

Standing there, in all her wild, energetic beauty, was his whole world. How amazing to think the stars had given him such a wonderful child. The vibrancy with which she lived was astounding. His hand tousled her fiery curls, earning a giggle in response.

"Can you show me what you can do with your Gift? Your teachers say you're excelling!"

Maera blushed, her pleasure evident. "Sure, Papa! What should I do?"

"How about we try stealing fire? Here, use this torch." Pan grabbed one of the torches lighting their courtyard and held it out in front of himself. Each Denthlirian was blessed with a Gift, given to them by the stars that watched them high above. It set them apart from all the other nations of Atulau.

"Okay, I can do that." Her eyes began to glow like an ember; veins of gold and fire ran up her face, connecting to her eyes as her hand hovered in front of the torch. Slowly, the fire trickled away from the torch and wound its way up Maera's arm. It was like a molten river--snaking over her skin and plunging through her veins. Each Gift was beautiful, but Maera's was especially vivid and powerful. In a moment, the torch was extinguished.

"Great stars! That was wonderful." Pan scooped Maera up, setting her down nearly as quickly, burns forming on his arms.

"Oh! I'm sorry." She bit her lip nervously as she inspected them, the fire fading from her eyes. Pan noted the tears that shone in her eyes and smiled gingerly.

"It's fine, dear. It was my fault. They'll go away eventually anyway." While it was true that all Denthlirians had extremely heightened healing, that healing factor did not work when injured by a fellow Denthlirian. A weakness the people of Denthlire tried to keep a secret.

Maera gently traced the red marks on his forearms, her expression pained. His heart tore at watching his daughter battle guilt. It wasn't the first time she had injured someone with her power, though it really wasn't her fault. She was one of the most powerful Denthlirians in over a millennium, rivaling even Queen Viren in raw power. No one could expect a forty-four year old Denthlirian to have such control.

"Maera, my Starcloud. It is not your fault. I wasn't careful enough." He tossed her in the air again, earning a loud giggle in response. "How about we go visit that dragon now, huh?"

"Yes, yes, yes!" Flames danced in Maera's hair, matching her enthusiasm. "Is it an Ancient One? I learned that they created Allegora."

Allegora. A wave of panic spread over Pan's skin, bringing goosebumps with it. He shook his head slightly. There was no reason to fear Allegora. For the moment. But one couldn't help hearing stories of the mages and their power. It was inherited, like Denthlirians', but the range of power was incredibly vast, especially when combined with another magical being. That, coupled with the fact that the last queen--the one whose reign had been called the Golden Age--had just died, leaving a selfish nephew to take the throne. Already Queen Viren had had to stop some outgoing supplies to Allegora because of the treatment Denthlirians were facing at the hands of Allegorians.

"You're right. Lyol, Ancient One of Foresight and Prophesy created it. But I doubt the dragon visiting us is an Ancient One; they rarely leave Ookramok." He absently fingered the knife at his hip, a gesture that was fast becoming a habit. "But enough talking about them. Let's go see what has brought a dragon to our lands!"

***

The Courtyard of Learning was practically overflowing with beings. Elves in ornate robes; dwarves drowning in jewelry both bright and expensive; young dragons scampering about, trying not to squash others underneath them. Pan smiled, the happy drone of voices easing his worry. There were no mages and few humans today. Perhaps that was a good thing.

Papa, you have to come see this!" Maera's face popped out from a cluster of dwarves. "They have fire necklaces!"

Did the girl ever slow down? Shaking his head with a grin, Pan followed her. Maera sat on the marble floor, her eyes wide with awe. A dwarven baron was showing her a pulsing, red stone on a heavy gold chain.

The dwarves looked over as he approached and nodded respectfully. "General Pan."

He nodded in return. "My Barons and Baronesses. A pleasure to have you here, as always. Now, if you do not mind, what exactly is this stone? I've never seen one like it."

"We simply call it a Firestone, General. It is something new we've been experimenting with. We've learned of a new metal--clear as glass and strong as kirium. Using it, we created a small vial of sorts and the mages of Alle--"

He was abruptly cut off by the female dwarf at his side who shook her head slightly.

Worry came back like a roaring beast, devouring all sense of peace left in Pan. Allegora. The dwarves were working with the mages. Queen Viren would not be pleased. The Allegorians had made it clear they wanted Denthlire's healing capabilities for themselves. Given what a bloodthirsty nation they were, it didn't surprise him.

"The mages of Allegora harnessed fire and put it inside? I'm assuming the work of an Elemental?" Pan took in the shameful nods that followed. It wasn't illegal to speak of such things in Denthlire, but it certainly wasn't accepted. Only a few weeks ago a man had been beaten in the streets for speaking out against Queen Viren's ban on outgoing obsidian. The rock was only found in Denthlire and incredibly useful in the furnaces of Oobay and other cities.

"I would not speak of such things here. I would not want to see you end up like the last person to speak about Allegora." At the mention of the land, the chatter around them hushed, eyes darting in their direction. Pan sighed heavily. "See? Now, we greatly appreciate the patronage of the great Barons and Baronesses of Moorehaven. Your weapon craft is unparalleled in all of Atulau, so please, for the sake of your safety and our alliance, do not speak of that place again."

The female dwarf nodded, her eyes sharp. "Thank you for the concern. Your discretion is also noted, but should this squabble continue, I would not count on Moorehaven's alliance." She took the necklace from her companion and handed it to Maera. "Here, darling. A gift to complement your Gift. Guard it well, my child." With a final nod to Pan, they left.

"Papa, what did they mean?" Maera gazed up at him, worry filling her beautiful brown eyes. He smiled and scooped her up, relishing the warmth of her tiny arms clasped around his neck. If only he could stop time and live in this moment. His chest ached, a signal of the tears that were beginning to burn at his eyes. If only he didn't have to be concerned about a war that was starting to seem inevitable.

"Nothing, my Starcloud. Let's go watch the elves perform, shall we?"

Hand in hand, they made their way to the theater, but Pan couldn't shake the feeling of hopelessness that had settled in his bones.