bite.”
“That sounds rather dreadful. Perhaps the
tales are true.”
A Champion of Shadows
Hadrin looked down at the note in his hands.
It seemed to call to him. He looked up at the others. Wrotan
nodded. The Prince took a deep breath before breaking the seal. He
started to open the envelope, but stopped and motioned for Alandra
to open hers. She dug through her pack and produced an identical
envelope. He waited for her to break the seal and then they both
pulled out their letters. There was a small note at the top of his
that said to wait for her to read hers first. She was already
looking at him when he looked over and nodded.
“It says that I am to become the night
dragon champion,” she said.
“We already have a night dragon champion,”
Erlkan said as he motioned toward Wrotan.
“Is that all it says?” Wrotan asked.
“It also says not to wear the cloak or armor
until we complete the ritual,” Alandra replied.
“I think this will help,” Hadrin said as he
held his letter up. “It says here that something went wrong with
the last ceremony. The scourge somehow changed Wrotan’s role.
Ungaroth was unsure of how to deal with it at first. There is no
question that our hunter is a champion, but not the night dragon
champion.”
“How do we find out what he is the champion
of?”
“It says to give him the letter after we
complete the ritual.”
Wrotan nodded as he stood up. The hunter
approached Alandra and held out a small bowl. Erlkan quickly stood
up as well. Each of them knew something about the ritual that
needed to be performed. The sun King had been there when his cousin
was joined with the night dragons. He pulled out his knife and
asked Hadrin to hold out his hand. The pain wasn’t much, but
seriousness of the moment weighed heavily on the young Prince.
Erlkan took out a vial of the dragon’s blood and mixed it with the
blood he had taken from Hadrin. He sprinkled several other
substances over the bowl and then placed it on the floor. Hadrin
stared down at the bowl, wondering what purpose it served. The sun
King grabbed his waterskin and filled the rest of the bowl with
water before handing it to the Prince.
“I have to drink this?” Hadrin asked.
“No, it is not that type of ritual. I needed
your blood and the other ingredients so that Ungaroth would know
the time to transfer some of the link from Obrin to you,” Erlkan
replied.
Hadrin let out a sigh as he stared down at
the bowl. The sun King took it from him and poured it out on the
ground. He then stepped forward and grabbed the Prince by the
shoulders. Hadrin attempted to ask him why he had done so, but
before he could speak his body went limp. His vision faded as
Erlkan lowered him to the floor. He felt as though he was floating
through the clouds. The feeling slowly dissipated as his vision
returned. His mind was flooded with images of dragons, elves, wars,
and all manner of things. He began to feel dizzy as the imaged
flashed by faster and faster. A hand pulled him up to a sitting
position as he gasped for breath. Erlkan looked at him
expectantly.
“What?” Hadrin asked.
“I asked if you were all right,” the sun
King replied.
“Yes, but please don’t ever do that
again.”
Erlkan let out a chuckle as he helped the
Prince to his feet. The meld was complete. Hadrin could feel the
dragon, his father, and even Alandra in the back of his mind. It
was impossible to tell what they were thinking, but he felt as
though Ungaroth were telling him that the voice would become
clearer in time. He looked around to see that Wrotan and Alandra
were watching him. They waved and motioned for him to join them at
the fire. Wrotan held out the cape that the dragons had packed for
the Prince and took the note in exchange. The hunter sat down and
stared at the blank side of the letter. Hadrin looked to Erlkan and
Alandra, but they both shrugged.
“What are you doing?” The sun King
asked.
“I am reading Ungaroth’s message,”
“That sounds rather dreadful. Perhaps the
tales are true.”
A Champion of Shadows
Hadrin looked down at the note in his hands.
It seemed to call to him. He looked up at the others. Wrotan
nodded. The Prince took a deep breath before breaking the seal. He
started to open the envelope, but stopped and motioned for Alandra
to open hers. She dug through her pack and produced an identical
envelope. He waited for her to break the seal and then they both
pulled out their letters. There was a small note at the top of his
that said to wait for her to read hers first. She was already
looking at him when he looked over and nodded.
“It says that I am to become the night
dragon champion,” she said.
“We already have a night dragon champion,”
Erlkan said as he motioned toward Wrotan.
“Is that all it says?” Wrotan asked.
“It also says not to wear the cloak or armor
until we complete the ritual,” Alandra replied.
“I think this will help,” Hadrin said as he
held his letter up. “It says here that something went wrong with
the last ceremony. The scourge somehow changed Wrotan’s role.
Ungaroth was unsure of how to deal with it at first. There is no
question that our hunter is a champion, but not the night dragon
champion.”
“How do we find out what he is the champion
of?”
“It says to give him the letter after we
complete the ritual.”
Wrotan nodded as he stood up. The hunter
approached Alandra and held out a small bowl. Erlkan quickly stood
up as well. Each of them knew something about the ritual that
needed to be performed. The sun King had been there when his cousin
was joined with the night dragons. He pulled out his knife and
asked Hadrin to hold out his hand. The pain wasn’t much, but
seriousness of the moment weighed heavily on the young Prince.
Erlkan took out a vial of the dragon’s blood and mixed it with the
blood he had taken from Hadrin. He sprinkled several other
substances over the bowl and then placed it on the floor. Hadrin
stared down at the bowl, wondering what purpose it served. The sun
King grabbed his waterskin and filled the rest of the bowl with
water before handing it to the Prince.
“I have to drink this?” Hadrin asked.
“No, it is not that type of ritual. I needed
your blood and the other ingredients so that Ungaroth would know
the time to transfer some of the link from Obrin to you,” Erlkan
replied.
Hadrin let out a sigh as he stared down at
the bowl. The sun King took it from him and poured it out on the
ground. He then stepped forward and grabbed the Prince by the
shoulders. Hadrin attempted to ask him why he had done so, but
before he could speak his body went limp. His vision faded as
Erlkan lowered him to the floor. He felt as though he was floating
through the clouds. The feeling slowly dissipated as his vision
returned. His mind was flooded with images of dragons, elves, wars,
and all manner of things. He began to feel dizzy as the imaged
flashed by faster and faster. A hand pulled him up to a sitting
position as he gasped for breath. Erlkan looked at him
expectantly.
“What?” Hadrin asked.
“I asked if you were all right,” the sun
King replied.
“Yes, but please don’t ever do that
again.”
Erlkan let out a chuckle as he helped the
Prince to his feet. The meld was complete. Hadrin could feel the
dragon, his father, and even Alandra in the back of his mind. It
was impossible to tell what they were thinking, but he felt as
though Ungaroth were telling him that the voice would become
clearer in time. He looked around to see that Wrotan and Alandra
were watching him. They waved and motioned for him to join them at
the fire. Wrotan held out the cape that the dragons had packed for
the Prince and took the note in exchange. The hunter sat down and
stared at the blank side of the letter. Hadrin looked to Erlkan and
Alandra, but they both shrugged.
“What are you doing?” The sun King
asked.
“I am reading Ungaroth’s message,”
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