Dragon Forged Excerpt
Dragon Forged Excerpt
Last days of Autumn
Iron Hall
Boredom had never been Hector’s friend. He was a man of action. Not that he didn’t enjoy rest. After all he and the other Dragon Kings had endured of late, a little respite was agreeable. But after a week of twiddling his thumbs, he was restless. He needed something to occupy him. He wasn’t due for patrol rotation along the border for another six days, and he couldn’t wait that long.
His bootheels thumped softly along the stone floors of the hallway. Iron Hall was enormous. Every time they thought they had explored all there was of the underground city, they discovered more. For the most part, the city had survived relatively well. However , there were sections that had some damage, and even areas that had caved in.
Hector had been exploring a portion that had the most devastation in an effort to curb his irritation and not get on anyone nerves but his own. Marcus rarely left the section Hector was exploring. Marcus was in his element putting the city back to its original glory piece by piece.
He found Marcus where he had left him three hours earlier. The atrium had a dome arched ceiling and sat in the center with five hallways branching off from it in a star shape. Three of the five had been extensive damage. Marcus ’ specialized ability was in architecture, and every aspect that went with it. He had designed and built Dreagan Manor as well as the distillery and every other building on their estate in Scotland on Earth . He was supposed to be constructing another manor at Cairnkeep , but his focus had deviated to Iron Hall . Hector grinned as he leaned a shoulder against a wall when he recalled how Marcus ’ eyes had lit up at the sight of the underground city.
“ Tell me again why you doona just use magic?” Hector asked.
Marcus leaned over a table studying dozens of blueprints that were scattered about. Without looking up, he said, “ That takes the fun out of it.”
This was far from Hector’s idea of enjoyable. He was a warrior, a fighter. Give him wide open skies and an enemy to vanquish over ruins to be put back together any day. He wasn’t made to be stuck inside. Yet , here he was, doing just that.
He pushed away from the wall and walked to the last corridor to be cleared. This one was blocked, but Marcus saw things no one else did. It was why building and rebuilding were his fortes. It’s also why, if they wanted a spectacular meal, they turned to Keltan . If someone needed healing, Con stepped up. All of the Kings had a unique ability. Even him. Though , he wouldn’t call his all that special.
When the Kings first came to Zora , all that had mattered was discovering their dragons. Enemies had soon emerged, and they had been fighting one after another ever since. It kept them from exploring more than the fraction they had. Most of their time had been spent at Stonemore , a mountain-side city where several battles had been fought recently.
From what the Kings had seen of Zora so far, the realm was in a medieval-esque era. Stonemore had many beautiful buildings, especially the palace that sat at the very top of the mountain. They had glass for windows, plumbing, and even heated water. Yet , they still used horses and carriages.
Iron Hall was different in more than its architecture. The stones used for the floor glowed from within, and not with magic. Along the walls were sconces of flames that never went out. The aqueducts would’ve made Romans weep with envy. Everything about the city from the murals to the lighting made you forget it was deep under the earth. Yet , for all the wonders of Iron Hall , they hadn’t discovered who built it, how long they might have lived there, or what happened to them. Hector was beginning to wonder if they ever would.
“ The debris looks different in here,” Hector called out as he walked to the entrance of the blocked corridor. “ The tiles aren’t cracked. They’re smashed.”
He walked the last few feet into the hall before the rubble began. Squatting , Hector picked up a small piece of broken rock. The edges were burnt like from a blast of some kind. Or fire. He tossed the rock into the air and caught it. He scanned from one side of the wide passage to the other, seeing deep into the darkness beyond as well as he would if it was lit. His enhanced dragon senses reached out, searching for what, he wasn’t sure. But something wasn’t right.
It occurred to him then that Marcus hadn’t replied to his previous comment. He looked over his shoulder at his friend whose dark head was still bent over the designs.
“ Did you hear me?” Hector asked.
“ What ?” Marcus briefly lifted his head and speared him with his green gaze. “ Of course.”
Hector grinned. “ Did you now? What did I say?”
“ Fine . I wasna listening. I have to…”
Hector didn’t wait for Marcus to finish, because he wouldn’t. Whatever was going on, happened inside Marcus ’ head and never made it past his lips. It was better to leave Marcus to his musings, and only interrupt if it was life or death.
Hector faced the debris field once more. The blackened stone bothered him. The few areas that had needed a bit of work to shore up a few cracks was nothing compared to this section. It was situated far from the main hub of the city and only connected by the corridors, which explained why the damage was so contained. They hadn’t discovered what the location had been used for either. It would likely take the reconstruction of the last hall before they would be able to piece it all together.
Straightening , Hector picked his way around the rubble to get deeper into the corridor. And the more scorch marks he found on the rocks littering the floor. It confirmed that something or someone had blown up this hallway either by accident or on purpose. It would explain why three others on either side of it had sustained only minor damage.
It wasn’t long before Hector had to duck because of the ceiling caving in. There was no telling how much dirt was settled above him. The Kings would survive a cave in with their magic, but others wouldn’t be so lucky. He needed to bring this up to Marcus , just in case he hadn’t inspected back here. At the very least, they needed to set up a barrier to make sure none of the bairns accidently found their way to this section. He was just about to turn back when he did a double take as he spotted an opening through a pile of rocks. He leaned to the side and tried to get a better look into the gap.
“ Fuck ,” Hector mumbled when he struck his head on a rock when trying to get a better view.
He dropped to his hands and knees and crawled around and over large rocks with sharp edges. His skin stung from being cut, but his body healed instantly. If it wasn’t for Marcus , he would’ve reached for his magic to clear his way, but he respected his friend enough not to make things more difficult for him.
It took some time before Hector reached the cavity. Once there he peered inside only to find more debris. There did seem to be space enough for someone to stand almost upright, but beyond that was a solid wall of rock and dirt.
Just as he was about to turn away, something made him pause. He scanned the space again, trying to decipher what it was that made him want to not just remail, but get inside. The pull was strong enough that he jerked away from the gap. As soon as he did, the overwhelming need to look against intensified.
Something was in there drawing him in, luring him. Hector looked down the hall to the center room and briefly thought about calling for Marcus . The moment that thought went through his mind, came a second that he would have to share whatever was found. Hector was at the opening in the next heartbeat. He eyed the width and breadth against his own body. It was going to be tight.