7 June 2012

(read prologue first)

Owain awoke in panic and plastered in sweat. It had happened again but this time it was clearer. It got clearer and clearer every time. The men that were in the woods and the dragon that had landed. The magic and now it was complete, the dragon’s death. It had seemed so real. So much like it could happen so much like it would happen and yet it was still a dream. Owain wiped his brow and clambered out of bed. He dressed and then headed out of his bedroom. It was nearly sunrise and his father and brother, Baldwin, were awake. “Owain! Your awake at last.” his brother said. He had scruffy black hair and was taller than Owain. “You okay ,boy, you look worried,” his father said as he polished a pair of door handles he had made the night before. His father was a blacksmith and he had been teaching Owain how to smith for five years since he was twelve. He picked up his hammer and went over to his father. It was their morning ritual to start in the forge. He loved to watch the coal as it heated and the way the metal would move when the hammers fell on it. He loved to see sparks fly. For the next few hours Owain learnt of the most intricate ways to smith and the best ways to get a successful product. He was moving onto more challenging objects of blacksmithing now. He had learnt the basics many years before but now he was learning not only how to be a blacksmith but also how to be an artist in his work. He watched for hours at his father’s muscular arms hammering away at metal. They went through the basics all the way to advanced ways to smith. He learnt of how to make sure his swords were balanced and strong as well as light. He learnt of how to make household items from simple and easy-to-make cups, plates to things of more than one component such as hinges for doors. After six long hours he finished. “Son, will you go and give these to Lon?” he asked, while handing him the pair of door handles, “he needs them as soon as possible.” And so Owain, as was another part of there morning ritual went and delivered the previous day’s work of his father. He past the butcher, to his right, and the store, to his left and then turned around the corner to Lon’s house. Lon was the town’s tavern keeper. He lived in a smaller building next to the tavern with his wife Linnea. Lon was a large stocky man and whom had a small amount of grey hair left on his head. He had son named Adair. Adair was Baldwin’s age, twenty, and was looking to find a job, which made his father worried for the continuation of the family business. “this tavern has been in our family line for two-and-ten generations,” his father, lon, would say. Adair was of a similar height and had lighter hair than both Owain and Baldwin. Lon’s wife Linnea was younger than Lon. She had long blond hair and was slightly smaller than Baldwin and about the same height as Owain. Owain walked into the tavern and up to Lon.” “Ah, Owain. What brings you to this neck of the woods?” Linnea asked as she opened the door. “Hello linnea. Is lon there? I’ve got something that he ordered.” “ah I should have guessed your always ferrying your fathers artwork around. I shall give them to him.” He handed them over, “How are you?” “I’m good thank you. How have you been?” “Oh good, it’s busy time of year with all these immigrants from up north.”

After Owain spoke to Linnea he set back to his house. . He was walking past the tables outside the tavern. There were the usual men talking about rumours and telling far fetched tales. “…dragons they would steal our treasure. …” “…yes they would always take those beautiful pearls…” “…oh yes the dragons terrible beasts they were…”

* * *

Vaulor looked up as the Zaa’rax flew away. His body was draining of strength. His soul leaving him and drifting form him. Then with a mighty roar. He arched his neck up to the sky and screamed! The whole forest went pure white. Like the death of a star. The gerdor looked to the skies and ran. A giant white fireball flew towards the heavens. The dragons’ skin started to shimmer. Then, like drops of water falling, the dragon’s skin started dripping upwards. It started following the fire and then he too was gone.

* * *

“Owain… Owain… Owain are you okay?” Owain awoke his vision was blurred. “What…uh…what?” he tried to lift his head but a throbbing pain forced him to lay back down. “You fainted are you okay?” He looked around to see his bedroom and his brother talking to him. “Oh Baldwin. Oh, I’m…um…well… I don’t know.” “Well at least you know who I am. At least you haven’t forgotten.” He joked. “The last thing I remember was walking out of the tavern.” “We thought that you had gotten drunk. But that doesn’t sound like you?” “No, no, I didn’t get drunk. I don’t know what happened.” Although he was sleepy and not himself he knew he couldn’t revile what happened. “All I did was talk to Linnea.” “I think you should get some rest.” “Yes, I need sleep.”

(chapter 2)The Crystal ball

His stomach lurched outwards and twisted and turned. He opened his eyes agitated by his discomfort. He looked up. He turned to and fro. He couldn’t be comfortable. He reluctantly got out of brief. A sense of wiriness overcame him. He stumbled out of his bedroom and into the forge. He sat on the nearest chair he could find. He huffed. His stomach lurched again. Then it struck him. Owain! Owain… He jumped. A voice called into his head. Voupar. He jumped up from his chair. Then a flash of images streaked through his head. It started in the sky looking over the village and then drifting over the forest. It shot down into the forest then followed a small deer track. Then up a verge and into a large open field. He leapt up and ran. Out of the house, he ran, past Lons tavern and over the bridge that went over a small stream. He looked behind as he left the village. The light faded. He ran out and into RedWood Forest. He sprinted past the tall red barked trees. He sprinted through the pitch darkness. Murmuring in a tongue he did not understand. Screaming on the inside. He ran not knowing where he was going and yet knowing where to go where he would trip sensing danger. He ran up a small deer track and up a verge. He ran into the centre then screamed. He collapsed and looked to the stars. He cleared his mind. Watching the constellations. He thought of the old folk tales he would listen to at home. He thought of the tales about how the gods had placed the stars in the sky. He didn’t believe one bit of it though. A shooting star! He followed it across the sky. It shot to the left but then changed direction. What? It came back and then got closer and closer. He thought back to his dreams. He thought of the explosion. It carried on towards him. He thought of the giant white fireball. He then realised where he was he had followed the pictures that he had seen. He sprang up and ran. He thought of the dragon and of the creature that killed it. He ran but the star just followed. He gave up running and looked to the sky. the star burst into a blue flame and seemed to explode outwards in the shape of a fiery dragon. A phoenix. THUD! It landed in a bright and smoky puff. Dirt flew everywhere and yet all the same it seemed graceful and calm. Owain glared into the middle. He was unable to take his eyes off of it. He had an urge to walk into the centre. Unable to control himself he took a few steps forward. He reached into the smoke. Crouching down he disappeared into the unknown. The smoke consumed him. He found a spherical object. It had an incredibly smooth surface. No dimples. No scratches. Nothing. It was hot. It was boiling hot and yet his hands didn’t feel the pain. He picked it up and ran. Then he saw his dreams again. The ball of fire the dragon. He stopped and stared. He felt a lurking presence. Like something was there. He seemed to feel and sense everything around him. The grass. The ants. The trees. He sensed everything. He could paint a mental picture of the area around him. Different colours he could see for each creature. The animals a red colour and then the plants blue. The sky was still black. The stars were red whit and orange. And he could see all the way around him rather than just where he was looking. And then he sensed the ball. Its crystal surface rippled and gleamed and yet it was the middle of the night. He sensed life in it. He sensed a life that was closer. It was as if he had known it all his life. What is this? What’s happened? He ran he ran faster than he had ever run before. He ran so fast that everything around him was a blur only the things he focused on were seen. He ran.

eyes5ib(phoenix)Chapter 1 (Owain) And 2 (the Crystal Ball) • Opuss № I