Dragon Alliance: Rise Against Shadow Read Free Page B

gathered in his throat and then spewed out, engulfing the evil beings in the searing hot, red-orange plume. Their faces contorted in fear, giving away to the screams of pain as they were incinerated. Their painful deaths did not lessen the gold dragon’s rage, but he had avenged his rider. However, he was not finished.
     
    Mkel woke from his dragon-induced dream sweating, with his heart pounding. He reached out and his sword, Kershan, flew across the room to his outstretched hand, the red ruby dragonstone in its pommel glowing brightly. It is all right, my friend. I was dreaming of your father and the war. You and Michen are all right. No harm will ever come to you or him, I promise that, Gallanth said to him telepathically in a sincere tone. Mkel had felt this dream before, but it was becoming more common, and more intense. Dragons seldom dream, but Gallanth was doing so more often as of late. He knew the story of the last Great Dragon War, and his father’s induced suicide death, and Gallanth attacking the underground drow capital city alone in his rage. He had burnt half the city, killing hundreds of drow as well as two flayer villages. He was only driven off by repeated magical attacks by their most powerful sorcerers and female clerics that had stayed behind while others had been fighting on the plains of the unsettled lands.
    Gallanth had then teleported to Aserghul, the Morgathian capital city, and let loose several devastating plasma blasts on the five towers of Tiamat’s fortress, wreathing it in flame. He retreated after being hit by multiple lightning bolts, disruption rays, and ballista spears. And that was only at the urgent request of the remaining gold dragons, especially his brother, or he would have been killed himself. The gold dragon then teleported back to the dying battlefield, leaving the Morgathian palace in flames. The single attack of an enraged gold dragon actually distracted the Morgathian leadership and caused a break in the dark army’s line, proving the pivotal point in the battle. The orcs, drow, Morgathian armies, and all of their allies were beaten back, both out of revenge for Michenth and by the courage of Gallanth’s attack, which boosted the morale of the Alliance armies. However, to this day it is not known how he penetrated the almost invincible magic shield provided by the largest pieces of dark crystal embedded in the five Morgathian towers. It was also not known how he survived the powerful disruption rays from those crystals. Not even Michenth could penetrate the shield with his photon breath weapon. Gallanth himself did not know how he got through it that day.
    Mkel also knew of the guilt that Gallanth felt over his father’s death, even now almost thirty years later. Dragons, especially gold and silver dragons, display a deep affection for the human race and an intensely close bond with their riders. The loss of a rider can actually drive a metallic dragon that normally is among the most intelligent and wisest of all creatures, temporarily insane.
    “I know, my friend. Please do not blame yourself for what happened. It could not have been helped. The Morgathians and the drow are to blame, not you,” Mkel said to his dragon partner. His wife, Annan, barely stirred during the episode. She could sleep through Gallanth’s roar , Mkel thought to himself. So much for the elf half part of her, with all the enhanced senses of her kin, for she was a very deep sleeper. Drake, their elf hound, lowered his head and went back to its watchful sleep at the entrance to the sleeping chamber of Michen, Annan and Mkel’s son. Drake weighed in at over two hundred fifty pounds and had incredibly keen senses. He could even see invisible creatures, and he could change the color of his coat, like a chameleon, to match his background. His large head and powerful jaws could rip a grown man’s arm off with relative ease.
    Mkel was seven years old when his father died. He still remembered his