Sands of Time - Prologue. Prologue

Xavier was tired. There was really no other way to say it. Both physically and emotionally… he was tired. The last… Well, what was it… Two weeks maybe three... when his world changed? He couldn't remember how long ago when everything had changed for him, and more importantly, his people and his kingdom. ‘How long ago did the shield fall? How long have we had to fight to get back home?’ These questions he had asked himself several times over the last few days.

They were in the border city of Sulpa when everything happened. He and his companions were there for some real-life combat training. Ever since his older brother had disappeared, and was now presumed dead, Xavier had been named the Crown Prince of Seandra. His father had often said that any being that was to lead Seandra, and thus lead the entirety of the Sand Dragon Homeland, needed to know how to fight, even more, he needed to know how to lead.

Since before he was hatched, the Sand Dragons have been at war with the Browns. Or more accurately, the Browns declared war on the Sands. What did they fight over? Only one of the most powerful items ever brought into this realm. That artifact, with its counterparts, allowed the ancient gods to create this realm and fuel the magic within it. It was called 'The Shard.' Some say it was actually a piece of the realm that the Old Ones came from, being brought here after wars destroyed their realm.

There were seven Shards, and the Dragon Races were charged with protecting them. So important are the Shards that two Dragon Races were safeguarding a single Shard. When the Dragon Races were created, the Old Ones tasked them with the protection of the Shards as their primary concern. However, the Browns had forsaken their charge. They wanted the power of the Shard for themselves.

Xavier’s grandfather, the King of the Sand Dragons, had led a huge army to take back the area that held the Shard. For thousands of years, neither side controlled that land, as it was both their duties to protect it. But now the Browns controlled the Fortress of the Thirteen that housed this most priceless item. According to his father, who was not allowed to participate, just in case the King fell, the assault on the Fortress lasted many years. All that time the Sands were worried that the Browns would learn the secret of controlling the Shard and then no one would be able to stop them. Save perhaps the Old Ones themselves.

Finally, the Sands were able to drive the Browns away from the Shard. That was not enough though. The Browns could never be trusted to help guard the Shard again, but the Sands couldn't hope to destroy the Browns, nor would they. But what could they do? The Browns would eventually return to try and take it again. The King had a plan, but he needed help.

Only a few people know of all those who had aided the King. Most knew that Oden himself, as well as his eldest son, Greysac Odensen, helped. Thus, repaying the Sands for their loyalty to Oden. Some have even suggested that two of the Old Ones, Dawnbreaker, and Afterdusk lent their aid to the King's plan. In the end, though, all that mattered was that a Magical Shield was created that encompassed the Sand Dragon Kingdom, which now included the Fortress of the Thirteen. A Magic shield that would not allow anyone to enter, except through one of three massive gates. The shield also prevented any magical gates from opening, save for those who knew the secret of the shield. The Shard was now safe. Well, at least it was for hundreds of years.

Xavier shook his head, clearing it from thoughts of the past, instead of focusing on the present, and his flight from Sulpa after the shield fell.

They were there for training. Sulpa held one of the three gates. Unfortunately for the City, when the shield was created, it split the city in two. So, the Gate had to be built in the middle of the large city. Now, the area outside the gate had been abandoned. The Browns, along with their normal allies as well as their new allies, a large group of Dark Magic practitioners, with their hordes of undead, controlled the area outside the gate.

Xavier with his group of close friends, as well as a small group of guards and instructors, went to Sulpa to give them some real-life combat experience. This was not the first time they had done this. It was considered one of the best ways for them to gain more experience. They were not likely to run into anything that was beyond their capabilities and if they did, they had the instructors with them, who would step in to help, if needed. But only if they truly thought the enemy was outside of their ability to defeat. Several times Xavier and his friends would have liked the instructors to step in but they did not. Xavier's friends were able to defeat those tougher opponents. This not only made them all feel better about themselves, even as they nursed their wounds, but it increased their battle prowess and teamwork.

It was shortly after they got back from one such battle that the shield fell. Xavier didn't know what dark magics were used, or who had brought it down. He never had time to try and figure it out. When the barrier came down, thousands of people, who were mundane or had smaller magical cores, simply died from the huge amount of unstable magic that suddenly flew everywhere from that collapse. Not only that, but undead started to pour into the city. They didn't need to get the huge gate open; they simply went over or around it.

Xavier's group was being herded to the central keep when the next shoe fell. Those that had died suddenly started to rise. Two of the instructors were brought low when that happened, as they were not prepared for the dead on the ground to suddenly spring up and grab them.

If there was anything that could be said to be good about the situation, it was that the new undead wasn't controlled by the Browns or the Dark Mages. These were uncontrolled undead that went after anything and everything that was living.

By the time they got to the keep, all of their guards and all but one of their instructors had fallen. Xavier felt he would have night terrors of those short few hours for the rest of his existence, and perhaps into the next.

Xavier sent off a quick prayer of thanks to Dawnbreaker when they entered the inner walls of the keep and saw the griffins that had brought them down here, were waiting. Xavier and his bonded blood brother Garnet quickly pulled their weapons and armor into their tattoos. Normally they would have gone slowly since it was painful to do. This time, Xavier barely felt it and was quickly standing there nude. He closed his eyes and let the magic that was inside of him explode outward. With Garnet next to him, Xavier threw his massive head back and sprawled his wings wide. The two Sand Dragons inhaled a huge amount of air, then let out a deafening roar. It spoke of challenges, pain, and rage at what was happening. Interlaced with the roar was a cloud of sand that would have decimated anything in its path. As the roar subsided, both Dragons took to the air, the griffins right behind them.

For two weeks or more, Xavier couldn't remember exactly how long, they flew. They would fly as long as the griffins could, then find a place to land. Many times, they would have to fight roving bands of the undead. It was as if they were drawn to anything living. Several times, as they slept, they would need to wake and fight, as the undead found them. More than once, they had to flee before they could even pack any belongings. Xavier cried over the Amulet that was lost, given to him by his mother. A bracelet was also lost, though they were unsure when or where.

Several times his mind wandered to another of his group, Gordech. The Falconling had gone to collect Garnet's younger brother and several other youngsters before bringing them back to Seandra. Gods only know what happened to him after the shield fell.

Xavier squinted, could it be? He blinked his eyes several times to clear sand out of them to be sure. "There!" He cried aloud, snaking his head backward to look at his group of friends. A group that became even tighter during their flight. "Seandra! We have made it." He grinned at hearing the cries of joy and excitement coming from his friends. A joy that he felt more than he could have imagined.

They were still a good ways away, yet his eyes were able to see things that most could not. As much as he may have wanted, he did not fly faster, even though he could. What seemed like hours passed, even though it was only a few minutes before he could clearly make out the large walls.

There was the Temple to the Thirteen, whose tower spiraled high into the air. It dwarfed all but the large keep, and the mountain walls, which Seandra was built into. Xavier had loved to perch on the spire and just look out over the city and the desert far beyond the walls. He loved to sit on the high peaks of the mountains that built the back wall of the mighty city of Seandra.

He was always impressed with the way the city was built. A large river flowed out from under the mountain. Xavier's great-grandfather was the one who built this massive city. He knew that even the Dragons would need the other 'lower' races, so he built a city for them to live in, even while most of the dragons would nest into the caves and crags of the mountains surrounding the city. He designed it with the river in the middle, as the other races needed water more than the Sand Dragons did.

The walls were fifteen meters tall and formed a horseshoe out from the mountain. Not only did they build up the mountain, but they built into the mountain as well. The palace itself was over 250 meters up the side of the mountain, with the city spiraling out, and down from it. It was truly a sight to behold and now, more so than any other time in his life, Xavier was elated to see his home. “Get your head out of the clouds and look at the walls, Xavier!” Garnet snarled.

There really was something wrong. As he got closer, he started to see smoke. Smoke was coming from places it normally would not be seen. A few moments later he saw something was not right with the wall. It looked like it had bulged out somehow. Closer they flew. Xavier held himself back from going as fast as he could. He needed to see his father, to know that all would be okay. Somehow the Supreme Level Sorcerer would be able to fix things. He would be able to get the shield put back and save their people. There was nothing his father could not do.

Rage! It flew through Xavier so quickly he didn't even know he let out a primal roar. The bulge wasn't a bulge. Thousands of undead had piled themselves against the wall while others were climbing over them and falling over the top of the wall. Xavier roared again, this time even more intense than the last. He lowered his head and pumped his wings. Faintly he heard Garnet call his name from behind, but Xavier didn't care. His city, his people, and his home were being attacked. Dimly he was aware that Garnet was behind him, trying in vain to keep up. Xavier was a Great, and while he may have been a bit on the smaller side, he was still larger than a fully-grown Warrior Dragon. Garnet was large but he was still only a True Dragon and a young one at that! Thus Xavier was larger, stronger, and faster than his best friend, and sworn protector.

Xavier slowed slightly as he got close, drawing in a huge breath of air. He let loose with the largest and most powerful breath attack he could produce. The sandblast that issued forth from his maw was so intense that many of the undead just disintegrated from the onslaught. Flesh Walkers, and Bone Walkers alike fell by the hundreds. It barely made a dent in the mass pyramid that climbed up the wall.

Xavier banked hard and gained altitude preparing for another pass. Before he could complete the maneuver, he saw Garnet fly by and unleash his own blast. Once more, Xavier wished his brother was a Great and not a True. But he was also glad he wasn't a Warrior, the smallest and most numerous of the 'real' dragons.

Xavier sucked in another breath, and this time, since he had slowed, he was able to concentrate the blast to a smaller area, doing more damage to those nearer to the base of the 'ramp' of the undead. He knew he didn't have many more breath attacks left within him, but he would do all he could, then switch to spells or even his bare claws if needed.

As he was coming around again, he saw most of his friends were headed towards the inside of the wall, where he was sure the city guard, and even the citizens were fighting off those undead who were able to get over the wall. One of the griffins though was heading towards the pile of undead. They weren't getting over the wall anymore, but they were still trying. The base of the wall was crawling with a hoard of undead, more than willing to fill in spots on the ramp so they could get to the living inside.

He slowed as he watched Sythranel Shunral rise in the saddle of the griffin he rode. His white hair flowed behind him in the wind as he drew on his bow. Syth was an Enchanted Archer, and Xavier grinned ferociously as he knew that Syth would put every bit of magic into this arrow. He also knew that Syth would activate the magical abilities of the bow, as well as use one of his special magical arrows. As the arrow flew from Syth's bow, the griffin pulled up hard, flapping its wings furiously trying to gain altitude. Xavier took that as a good idea, so instead of completing his turn to attack again, he peeled off and gained altitude.

Syth did everything Xavier thought he would, and more. Xavier would have to ask his closest confidant later what spell he imbued into the arrow because the blast wave that hit him moments later threatened to make him lose control of his flight. When he pulled back around he saw that the ramp had indeed been broken.

Instead of angling back to the wall, Xavier dropped low to the ground and used his breath weapon at those gathered at the base of the wall. He pulled up hard at the last moment and had to use his feet to push off the wall a bit, so he didn't hit it. His father would have had a stern talk with him about knowing when to pull up if he had seen that.

Xavier lost count of how many times he and Garnet made passes along the bottom of the wall. Syth ran out of magic or arrows, forcing him to pull back behind the wall shortly after he and Garnet were forced to use their claws and wings to attack the undead as they couldn't use their breath weapons anymore.

Finally, there were only a few undead remaining. Not enough to even gather in large groups for the two dragons to attack. So, they flew over the wall. Xavier roared again as he saw that there was still fighting going on near the wall on the inside. He looked around and found an empty city square large enough for them to land and swooped down. He felt some of the stones that formed the road crack and shifted as he landed. Again, if he wasn't so outraged at what was happening to his city, he might have smirked at the thought of his father and what he would have to say about how he landed.

His roar of anger turned to one of pain as he snap-shifted to his favored form, outside of his dragon skin, the form of a slightly small half-elf. He was slight in stature but muscular. His sandy brown colored hair was long, falling past his shoulders, and almost halfway down his back. His skin was naturally tanned, and unblemished, save for a long scar that ran from elbow to wrist on his right arm. That scar marked him as one who had blood-bonded with another. One had to really look to see that he also carried several dimensional tattoos on his body. Closing his eyes, he grunted as the tattoos flashed and suddenly he was wearing his armor and weapons. He did a slight hop to settle the weapons and armor in place, something he had been taught to do since the first time he learned how to shift his form.

In one hand he drew a highly ornate and magical Morning Star, made of Eldwar Steel and polished to a gleam. He would have to clean it after this fight. His other hand drew his falcata. His sword would never be able to be as shiny as his Morning Star because it was made from Mythmetal, which looked like aged, tarnished bronze. It was almost identical to the one his father wore, except Xavier’s was smaller.

Now that his older brother was gone, the falcata that his father wore, the Sword of Seandra, and the symbol of rulership for the Sand Dragons, would be his, one day. But now he does not worry about the future. His concern was now, and the undead within his city.

He heard and felt that Garnet had landed next to him. He didn't bother to look when he heard him grunt as he too shifted. Garnet though didn't have a halfelven skin. Of the two other skins that a Dragon was born with, Garnet favored that of the Dragonling. He stood close to two meters tall, his scales were sandy-colored, as were his eyes. His maw was full of large, sharp teeth, and his head was topped with three sharp horns in a triangle shape. More than one enemy had fallen to Garnet's teeth and horns. He wore an identical scar to Xavier, save for his was on his left arm.

For over a moon, the two of them were bound together by their arms. They were both cut while their arms were bound together, so their blood would mix. The wounds healed together since the arms couldn't move for the entire time. The spells were cast, recast, and cast again during that time, binding the two of them mind, body, and soul. For the rest of their lives, they would be connected. Garnet then swore a blood oath to protect his prince no matter the cost of his own life.

That was why, before any enemy could try and attack Xavier, Garnet stepped in front of him. His giant Warhammer was ready to destroy anything that challenged him or his prince.

"Stay behind me," he ordered. Garnet didn't wait, he took a step forward and used the backside of his war hammer and embedded the spike through the top of the head of the nearest undead. The thing crumpled to the ground, its skull completely crushed. Garnet stepped forward again and swung once more, this time he slammed through two at once, the hammer seemed to shimmer as both undead fell to the ground, their red eyes fading to nothing.

Xavier wasn't just standing around; it wasn't in his nature to do that. Garnet may have wished he would stay out of the fight but he knew his Prince. He wouldn't. Xavier wasn't a coward and knew very well how to fight. He moved up and slammed his falcata through the neck of an undead trying to attack Garnet from the rear. He then moved to stand near but not too close to his blood brother. He knew better than most, the frenzy that Garnet could get into in a fight and didn't want to be in his way. Of course, with Garnet around, he usually didn't get more than a few shots in with his sword anyway.

Such was the case this time, Xavier only got a few kills in before the undead were all put down. Garnet gave Xavier a half-toothy grin as he shook the gore off his hammer, while their companions and a few guards came running toward them.

As they got there, a large Orakin guard looked around before saluting him. "Prince Psyen-Raysyn’Xavier, we thank you for your assistance."

"Of course, Sergeant," Xavier replied to the House Guard, while looking around at all the undead bodies, before focusing back on the guard. "What other assistance can we provide?"

"My Prince, you have done more than enough." He said with sincere gratitude. "However, if I may suggest, you may want to head to the palace. The King has been beside himself worrying about you."

"I agree." Garnet simply stated.

Xavier nodded and turned towards the Palace. Before he could do more than take a step, a group of griffins landed near him, in the lead was a pure Black griffin, carrying a large elven woman, beckoning him. Seeing her here, Xavier knew he had no choice. One did not argue with the captain of the palace guard… well not and win. She did not mince words when he got close. "Your father wants to see you now! Shift if you wish, but we must move quickly."

➿➿➿➿➿

Standing high above the battle, in a room that overlooks the courtyard far below, a Highman man, wearing an ornate crown, being attended to by several healthmen, smiled, nodded, and turned to walk back deeper into his chambers.

➿➿➿➿➿

The group of griffins deposited their riders in the courtyard of the palace. Xavier and Garnet decided to stay in their favored skins since they didn't know if they would need to save the force required to shift for later. Even here there were signs of previous battles.

"Wow," was all Thane could say. He looked up, spotted his pet flying overhead, snapped his fingers, and pointed to the ground beside him. With a 'thunk', his pet landed next to him and proceeded to try and snuggle up to him. Thane was used to it by now and always wore hard leather pants. He reached into his pouch, pulling out a decent-sized piece of quartz. With a flip of the wrist, he tossed it up in the air. Standing one and a quarter meters tall, Amakiir, Thane's gargoyle, leaped into the air and caught the stone in midair, before landing hard on the flagstones, cracking one of them in the process. Thane patted the rock-hard hide of his pet causing it to almost purr while it happily munched on its treat.

"You know," Malachi said in his gruff dwarven tone. "I still can not believe that Amakiir grew larger when the Brown tried to petrify him."

"I had heard it was a possibility but did not know for sure," Thane said with a grin. "I bet it felt stupid when it breathed, and the only reaction Amakiir gave was to grow."

"It very well may have," Malachi responded with a laugh. "At least until Garnet opened its belly with his khopesh, and Syth put an arrow down its throat while it roared in pain."

The comment got a rare snicker out of Syth who looked up from beneath his white hair. The Drow Enchanted Archer held up the bow he was carrying as he grinned and commented. "That was a rather shocking experience for it, I am sure." Referring to the lightning spell he had enchanted his arrow with.

Xavier stumbled over his own feet as he spun to look at Syth in shock. He tried to speak but couldn't. It was Lucas that was able to speak first. "Syth… you made a joke?"

"A bad one, but yes he did," Olpha said with a smirk and a shake of her head. Any other responses were cut short as they entered the great hall and saw several people standing in the room waiting for them.

➿➿➿➿➿

"Come in my son." King Soin'reali said softly motioning to a chair. The Supreme Echelon Sorcerer and King of all Sand Dragons was wearing his Highman skin and sat opposite the offered chair. Xavier worked hard to hide his shock. Never before had he seen his father so injured. He only wore his gambeson, and even that was blood-soaked and singed in places. His right arm was in a sling, and bandages adorned both his left leg and his forehead. There was the start of a black eye visible on his puffy cheek.

"Father? You have been injured?" He said it as a question, even though it was obvious. "What happened?" Xavier sat down and leaned forward eager to know what could have hurt his father.

The King sighed heavily sitting back in his chair. "It was the Loreweaver Krakoltious." The gravity of that statement nearly took Xavier's breath. "He gathered control of many of the undead and has been using them to assault the city. Asulophous, I and several others were barely able to drive it away. It is good that you came when you did. We had no way to stop that last attack."

A small part of Xavier wanted to know why a Loreweaver would be attacking his home, but that could wait. His real concern was focused on only one thing. "Are you okay?"

King Soin'reali gave a soft chuckle as he nodded. "Worry not my beloved son, I will be well soon." His normally jovial face darkened and turned serious. "However, we must discuss what the future holds for you." Xavier didn't respond, at least not verbally, the confusion on his face was more than enough to convey his state of mind. "Xavier, Seandra is lost," Soin'reali said simply, but those few words slammed into Xavier harder than Garnet's war hammer would have.

"No." He barely gasped out. "How? Why… I do not understand." Xavier sputtered as he struggled to comprehend his father's words. Seandra was a mighty city and kingdom, even the Ancient Gods favored them. How could such a thing be?

"I am sorry my son, but it is true. The Browns were able to acquire the aid of Frexla's greatest champion, Pyrothermal. From what we have been able to ascertain, he combined the death gifting of several Browns with his own immense power. Casting from within the spirit realm he shattered the barrier that has protected us for so long. In doing so, many people simply succumbed to the sheer amount of death magic, and then rose as uncontrolled undead. Fate runs cruelly though, for as the undead attack the living, their victims soon rise, seeking out other living beings. We simply cannot combat such a thing."

"Father… What of our allies?" Xavier breathed out.

"They could not hope to mobilize in time." Soin'reali sadly responded. "The shattering of the barrier and the backlash of wild magic made it impossible to gate into Seandra. Even by those who knew the secret to gating, such knowledge is no longer valid. Most of Seandra has already fallen. Duke Asulophous has recently learned that Sandstorm fell. He is awaiting word about the rest of his family."

Xavier's head fell, and his heart ached to learn that the family of one of his closest friends was unknown. Olpha was strong, but this would be a great blow for her. "What will we do?" He asked in defeat.

King Soin'reali grunted softly as he stood, bringing Xavier to his feet. The man placed his arm lovingly over the shoulder of his second eldest Great Born son. His eldest had been lost several months prior and presumed to have died along with the rest of his scout team. The king spoke as they started to slowly walk deeper into his rooms. "I have already sent your mother and the rest of the Sand Dragons, as well as a large number of our people to our allies below Oden's Revenge. We will regroup there and make our plans to reclaim Seandra." The king stopped, placed his hands on his son's shoulders, and looked him deep in the eyes. "I will be sending you and your friends there ahead of us. Your task will be to find us a safe place of refuge."

"But how?" Xavier interrupted. Normally Xavier interrupting his father would have been met at minimum with a strong rebuke, but this was anything but a normal time. "You said we could not gate."

Soin'reali ignored the fact that he was interrupted and answered. "Asulophous has devised a way that will allow us to gate you and your friends out. We do not know if we will be able to get you all the way to Oden's Revenge, so you may need to travel. Pick your gear accordingly. Also, keep in mind, that Oden's Revenge may be arid, but it is not a desert like here. It will be colder than you are used to."

"You are coming with us… right?" Xavier said, his voice sounding even younger than his thirteen equivalent years.

"I cannot." Was the answer that Xavier knew he would receive. "I must make sure that as many of our people can escape as possible. But I will meet you there."

"Why not gate everyone?" The king's head was shaking negatively before the question was even finished.

"It will only work once, and only with a small group," Soin'reali answered Xavier's question before the halfelf could ask it. "Asulophous was able to get a small piece of the Shard, and that's what will power the spell."

Xavier felt his knees weaken at his father's words. The Shards were first brought here to create this world. The Old Ones placed them here themselves. Each Shard created a nexus of magic and was the boundary marker between two of the dragon races that were supposed to protect it. The Sands and the Browns were supposed to work together to protect the Shard below the Temple of the Thirteen… Until the Browns decided to claim it for their own. The Sands fought them off, and with the aid of the Ancient Gods, erected the great barrier to stop them and their undead minions from trying to overrun its defenses and corrupting it. Breaking and using a piece of the Shard was supposed to be impossible, as far as Xavier knew. Both his father and Asulophous were Supreme Echelon beings. So, if anyone could do it, it would be them.

"Please do not worry my son. You and your friends will be fine, I know it. You will get there and a short while later your mother and the rest will arrive. Then I will be there, and we will make plans to come back and reclaim our home.

"But first you must prepare."

In the distance the Temple of Afterdusk tolled its bell three times, signifying the beginning of the true night.

➿➿➿➿➿

"Olpha, Lucas, come in." Duke Asulophous called gruffly from inside his rooms before his daughter was even able to knock. Lucas giggled a bit as Olpha shook her head and grinned.

"You are still sure he will not eat me?" Lucas said only half joking. Ever since their relationship started, Olpha's father had threatened to eat him no less than twice, per meeting.

"Not if he knows what is good for him." She growled out. She then simultaneously grabbed Lucas' hand, opened the door, and walked in causing Lucas to squeak a little in surprise. Anyone who knew these two knew they were an almost perfect match for each other. Those that didn't though, looked at the two oddly since it would be harder to find a more different couple. Four years ago, though, when Lucas was brought to the capital after killing a young Great Brass Dragon, he and Olpha became fast friends, and it grew from there.

Lucas is a Highman, on the smallish side, barely reaching a meter and a half tall, and weighing only 43 kg. His skin tone was light, while his hair was strawberry blond. Olpha was an Orakin, and while she was very good-looking for an Orakin, she was still shy of two meters tall and weighed 170kg. Her hide was dark, and her tusks were capped with silver. Her hair was long and normally kept in a tight braid. As with most Orakin, she was heavily muscular and, of course, had issues controlling her temper.

Not one to ever back down or to show fear, Lucas quickly moved up to walk beside her as they entered the room where Olpha's father was. Neither child was prepared for the sheer number of injuries Asulophous showed. "Father?" Olpha exclaimed worriedly, moving so quickly towards her father that she almost knocked over the healthman that was working on him.

"OLPHA!" He roared causing her to stop in her tracks. "I will be fine, as long as you do not finish what Krakoltious started." Even as injured as he was, his own joke caused him to laugh heartily.

"Krakoltious?" Olpha's voice shook as she said the name. "The Loreweaver that almost destroyed Odin? The one that broke the Dragon's Spine. Why?"

"Olpha, you know more than you should," Asulophous said, as he sat down and allowed the healthman to continue treating his wounds. "It took the opportunity of the fall of the shield for him to take control of the undead and send them against us. But that is not anything we need to deal with now. Right now, we need to deal with you two."

Olpha's face screwed up in confusion, while Lucas spoke. "Us?"

"Yes, my boy, you. Well, you and your small band of friends." Asulophous motioned for the two of them to sit, and they did. He then whispered into the healthman's ear and the elderly elf shuffled from the room.

“I am not King Soin'reali, so this discussion will not be as flowery as the one he is having with his son. The simple fact is this: We cannot hold Seandra for much longer. The destruction of the shield has turned almost half the population of Seandra into undead. There is no way to fight against such a horde. We must flee. We have already sent Queen Slyanivikia, the rest of the dragons, with as many people as we could, to an area I know just below Oden's Revenge." He gave a meaningful look to Lucas but moved on before the boy could speak. "We will regroup there till we can gather enough strength to retake our home. We are sending you ahead. Xavier knows what to do when you all get there."

"How?" Olpha asked as she leaned forward. "I heard that even those that knew how to port within the shield cannot do so any longer."

"While that is true," Her father agreed but then smirked. "But they are not me.

“Nor do they have the added benefit of a Supreme Sorcerer and a small piece of the Shard."

Olpha and Lucas both gasped in shock, with Olpha sitting back hard as if she had been pushed. "That… You said it was not possible."

He grinned again as he leaned forward conspiratorially. "My dear daughter. If I told you everything I knew, then I would not be the miracle worker you believe me to be." He laughed for a moment before leaning back. "It will only work for a small group, and honestly I am not sure if it will be enough to get you all the way there, which is why we will be sending you with travel gear and Skimmers."

The elderly elf walked back into the room with a satchel that he handed to Asulophous with a small bow. "Olpha." the Orakin said beckoning his daughter forward, then handing her the satchel. "That contains most of my spare spell pages, as well as a good number of the rarer ingredients to create spell page inks. I want you to hold onto it." She started to say something but with a wave of his hand, he cut her off. "Your journey will be far easier than mine, and I do not wish for those pages or the ingredients to be damaged. Just carry them with you. You will give this back to me when I get there." She finally nodded in agreement, causing him to smile and sit back. "Good, now, we must discuss what you will take with you on your journey…"

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Thane was scared, not that he would admit that he was an Alphar Prince, after all. However, just below his fear was anger. He knew why he was here, and he was pretty sure that King Soin'reali knew the truth as well. He was here because he was an embarrassment to his father. He was sent here to keep him away from the Alphar court. They hoped he would either learn that his Alphar life was better than the 'lower' races or if not, they hoped he would be killed. At least that way his father could say that his son died valiantly while trying to protect an ally.

The thought of that threatened to force tears from his eyes yet again. He had never allowed them to fall save for a few times when he was alone in the rooms he had been provided. Laying on his bed, slowly stroking Amakiir, he would allow his tears to drip onto his beloved pet's rocky hide.

Now though, things were different. He had always thought that he would show up his father by not only surviving but rising high enough in the guild ranks to where it was apparent his father was wrong about him. His last test, which was right before they went to Sulpa, placed him at Skilled Step Four, which was higher than many of his agemates. Only Prince Xavier ranked higher than him, and he was a Great Dragon, so Thane was satisfied with his progress. Then the Great Barrier fell.

Now that he was relatively safe, he thought back to times he sat at his father's table while some Bard would weave a tale about great heroes and the harrowing journeys they often had to endure. Oftentimes he thought about how great it would have been to be there, fighting alongside the heroes like Oden and Rovnar, and how he told himself that he would never have felt fear during those times. Now… Now he felt himself more the fool for the fear he did feel.

"Prince Thane!" he heard from behind him accompanied by running feet. Turning he saw Sir Tanner, one of the Animal Adepts who trained with him under Lord Shun'relune. "You are needed." The man said, breathing heavily.

"What is wrong?" Thane asked, cocking his head to the side.

"Suiadan, he has gone berserk."

"Why? What has happened?" Thane didn't wait for the answer but simply started a sprint toward his instructor's rooms.

Behind him, he heard Sir Tanner also running with him, however, Thane almost stumbled when Sir Tanner responded. "Lord Shun'relune and Tûrin fell in combat. Suiadan and Faelwen survived. However, Suiadan has been raging in the rooms destroying much."

Now Thane understood. Out of all of Lord Shun'relune's students, Thane was the only one who had been able to befriend his fierce pets, the Bear Scorpions. The fact that they and Amakiir liked to play made most of the other students fearful. Of course, they were only allowed to 'play' outside of the city walls. Anything inside was at risk of being broken when they really got to playing.

He had barely stepped foot on the floor that held the Lord's rooms and already Thane could hear the crashing. He didn't have to open the doors, as there were no doors left. He stopped to take a deep breath when he was almost knocked over when Amakiir flew by and into the room.

Thane took another deep breath and reviewed everything he knew about the terrifying Bear Scorpions. Only those who were in the Skilled Echelon could hope to train one, his instructor had three, even though Thane had heard him say that at one point he had five.

Bear Scorpions have the front quarter, legs, and muzzle of a bear. They also have the weird amalgamation of a carapace and the tail and stinger of a scorpion. They have the four legs of a bear instead of the eight of a scorpion, yet they have retractable claws, which normal bears do not. They were found primarily in the deep desert, usually living in mountain caves, or within the crags. The main thing was that they were always ill-tempered.

As a male, Suiadan, who was currently having a temper tantrum, was just over two meters tall on all four legs and was over four meters when it rose on its hind legs. Faelwen was only slightly smaller owing to her being a female. She was also considered the 'calm' one. Unfortunately, Garnagrum died at the same time as his master.

Thane took one more deep breath then turned and walked into the room.

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Xavier was the last one to reach the courtyard where the rest were waiting. Off to one side, Xavier could feel his father was deep in concentration and gathering magical forces. Next to him was Xavier's primary Shaman teacher who was also deep in meditation. Curiosity made Xavier want to go over and see what circles the elf had drawn, but he was quickly pulled over to where the rest of his friends were, barely catching a glimpse of Olpha's father on the opposite side of the courtyard, speaking to several other mages. As he got to the center, where his group of friends was, he saw each one of them was going over the equipment that was to come with them. All told there were 11 Sand Skimmers. The 7 that he and his friends were used to riding, as well as 3 others set up as pack animals. The last one was attached to a cart. He almost turned away but then caught something that shocked him. "Thane?" he asked, causing the Alphar to stop what he was doing and look up. "Uh, when did you acquire more pets?"

Thane sighed, turned, and started to put on a thick leather glove as he moved to stand next to Suiadan. He slammed his hand several times on the side of the Bear Scorpion causing the carapace to flutter a bit, and the huge animal to snort and sigh in contentment. "Lord Shun'relune was killed in combat, as was his eldest Bear Scorpion. The other two have no master now, and as I am the only one who knew them well enough to command them, it was decided that I should take them. The only other choice was to release them, which would be an almost certain death sentence." Thane's tone was almost challenging, so Xavier smiled.

"I have no issue with it, I was just surprised is all."

"My Prince!" One of the servants called him over to one of the Skimmers. He spared one more look at his father then quickly moved to the servant. "My Prince," he said again with a rushed bow. "Your father had this one set up for you, as well as one of the pack-Skimmers you will share with Earl Garnet. I packed everything I could think of as well as possible, but I could have overlooked something."

"Thank you," Xavier said, his hands already going over the saddle, making sure it was tight. He then looked quickly through what had been packed. Tent, bedroll, rations, heat stones, spare translation crystals, a few of his favorite books, as well as his personal collection of Shaman Scrolls.

He moved over to the one he shared with Garnet and again ensured everything was on and tight, before going through what was packed. Finally, he opened his pack and started to go through it. Once again, he was amazed at how much could fit into the dimensional packs. The first thing he looked for was his large pouch. While he may be a young dragon, he was still a dragon, and the pouch held the meager start he had to his horde. While he may have been rather rich compared to others, he was a dragon, and by dragon standards, he should have been richer.

He looked up just as the Temple of Afterdusk tolled its bell four times. This time marking the middle of the night. He was about to look back into his pack when the servant once again approached. "My Lord, do you find everything to your satisfaction?"

"Yes, I do, thank you."

"Your father asked me to give this to you right after the tolling of the bells." The servant held out a large bundle with a scroll attached to it. Xavier stood and nodded as he took the bundle and worked the scroll out of it. He set the bundle down on top of his pack as he broke the seal on the scroll, he barely had to glance at it to know it was his father's seal.

My dearest son,

I know this is all happening very suddenly for you. I wish there were more time to prepare, but you know there is not. The bundle you were given is full of the royal decrees you will need on your journey. It is my hope that you will arrive shortly before your mother, and that, between the two of you, you will be able to protect our people till I arrive. I wish I could go with you, but I must see to the protection of the rest of our people.

Inside the bundle are also some personal messages I wrote for your friends. Please see that they get them when you can. I have grown very fond of them, even Malachi and Thane who do not hail from Seandra and have only been here a short time. Trust in your friends, as they have always been true to you.

"It is time." Xavier heard his father rumble and quickly looked up from the scrolls. "Gather your packs and make ready." Quickly Xavier thrust the scrolls into his pack and closed it. He then strapped it to his back as the rest did the same with theirs. He looked around as he grabbed the reins to his Skimmer and saw that the rest had the reins of their Skimmers, with Thane, Garnet, and Lucas grabbing the extras and Malachi had the one with the cart. He thought briefly about shifting to his dragon skin but decided not to because he would need to hold the Skimmers’ reins.

Xavier wanted to say so many different things to his father, but he knew it would fall on deaf ears. His father was already lost to the magic, even as he was still pulling more around himself. The very air around the Supreme Echelon Sorcerer and greatest of all the Sand Dragons seemed to hum with energy. Around them, several mages, sorcerers, and shamen were also casting. Xavier had never seen this much magic being harnessed in his close to two hundred years.

Xavier never knew that magic had a smell, but nothing else could explain the smell of berries mixed with lavender that currently wafted through the courtyard. His hair was standing on edge and his skin was prickly as the currents of magic seemed to envelop his entire group. They all had to tighten their grips on the Skimmers as they started to move restlessly. The ten-legged beasts were making a racket on the stone floor as they shuffled around.

Finally, as the magic was gathered it got to the point that it was almost painful. Xavier then started to see the area around them change. Where once stood stone pavement and walls, these were now fading into white fields and trees. The magic around them took a sudden change as they heard Xavier's father roar in defiance.

Just as the trees coalesced around them, Xavier screamed. He felt the magic take on the feeling of his father… and death. Just before he lost sight of the courtyard of Seandra, he saw his father's massive head hit the ground, then it was gone. They were no longer in Seandra.