The Last Emerald Dragon 

CHAPTER ONE 

THE STORM


     The morning sun is cresting the great castle in the land of Kediliron. The golden rays brighten the early dew of the deep green grass of the kingdom. The only movement in the village is the guards doing their patrols. Some of the new trainees are being roused by their commanders with the sound of banging swords to shields. Commands by the officers could be heard only just outside the barracks’ walls.


    Outside the town proper, there is a slight breeze flowing across the sea from the west. Small waves reflecting the blue sky and the green seaweed, crested over the shore. The mixture of salt water scent and smoke from the blacksmith shop give any seafaring veteran the smell of home.


    The night before had been a little different. The seas were rough and Kediliron had received the worst island storm they have had in over a hundred years. The white sands of the beach that were formed by the death and rebirth of the coral reefs were at this time a dull white and pink, that gave the look of stained glass in the sun. Consequently, the shore this morning is filled with rocks and shells that tumbled in from the storm.


    Two humans and two elves are doing their morning run up the beach. Zyrad, the human leader of the Saeyth, spots an object that had washed up to the shore. Some distance away is a body lying face down in the sand. It seems to be a large man, who has his right arm draped over a small wooden barrel. From the distance, the foursome cannot tell if the man is dead or just passed out.

     "Halt! Proceed with caution. He may be just a drunk passed out," said Zyrad.


    Zyrad is a tall human, standing six feet two inches. His skin is tan from a life in the woods, the sea air, and the sun. His once dark brown hair is lightened up from age and the sun. His piercing blue eyes are as sharp as they were when he was thirteen. The pupils of his eyes do not have a normal human look, but they have the look of a cat’s eyes. They are blue and black instead of the normal yellow. The second human is taller still, standing seven feet two inches. He is much younger than Zyrad and has a darker tan than almost anyone. He is inspecting the objects around the body before he says a word.


     “I don't think so brother. See those? Those are ship timbers alongside him. Considering that massive storm that blew through last night, it might have taken a ship down," said Ridlian.


    "Hmm... You're right, brother. I can see he is alive, though barely, but alive still. Amallia, Amlia, help Ridlian with him and put him over my shoulders," said Zyrad.


    The sun is beginning to brighten the day and warm up the sand. The people of the town are now moving about. As two fishing boats were pulling out of the harbor and were heading out for their daily catch, a few of the fishermen called out to ask if they needed help with the burial of the body. Zyrad called back that the body was still alive and that their assistance would not be necessary.


    The two elf women stood over the body to help Ridlian. You could tell the elf women are twins, not identical, but nonetheless twins. One has dark black hair, so black it looks as if you were staring into the dark reaches of the night sky. Her skin is smooth and a deep brown from living outdoors. You can tell from her expression she prefers being alone most of the time. Next to her is a black wolf, who is always by her side. To Amlia, he was family. The only true family she has left is her twin sister.


    Her sister Amallia, on the other hand, is much different. Her fiery red hair and her deep, sea-green eyes are the first things that you notice. Hers is a natural tan, but you can tell she spends most of her time indoors and not venturing out too often. Amlia and Amallia both stand five feet, six inches tall. Amlia's black-trimmed leather armor is cured to a dark copper color; Amallia's is cured to a deep amethyst purple color with emerald green trim.


    Amlia pulls her hair back and ties it into a tight tail at her crown. Amallia has tightly braided hair that she would coil around her crown, and was pinned with two small daggers. Should the occasion arise she could pull the daggers and use them as last resort weapons. They both lift the body up on Zyrad's shoulders.

     Then Amlia explains."Damn, he's huge! He better live and tell us what happened, or I'll ask the king to resurrect him to so I can kill him myself. He's ugly too," said Amlia with an eye roll.


    "He's not that ugly. In fact, he's kind of cute. He just needs a bath. Well, first I think he needs to live, and then take a bath." Amallia says as she gets a good look at his face.


    He is a light tan man with dark brown hair. When the sun shines just right on his hair, she can see a slight green tint to it. Amallia took notice of that but then just shrugged it out of her mind. He was not as tall as Ridlian, but his body mass seemed twice as thick. His muscles are apparent through his clothes. His tunic is torn to shreds, and his pants are ripped to pieces. On his forehead was a large nasty looking bump. Not only is it big it is also cut throughout and scraped at the same time. There was still some dried blood stuck to his skin and hair. He might have had boots at one time, but they were not on him now.


    "Hey trouble twins! Quit squawking and help me get this beast up will ya," exclaimed Ridlian.


    He is lifting the body in the middle, and having trouble on his own. Ridlian thought for the size of this man, he seemed much heavier than he looked. Even with the muscle mass it seemed strange. There was something different about this body that he could not put his finger on. Ridlian thought with some time maybe the answer to that question will be revealed.


    "Yes brother," the twins said in unison. Even though the they have been separated for several years, it did not take long to come back into sync. They hoist the man on to Zyrad, who turns feeling the massive weight and looks at the other three. "Keep training. I'll take him to my loft," he said.


    Ridlian, with his flushed face turns towards the twins. "You heard the elder, triple time, let's go!" The three Saeyth's start running again, leaving the elder behind to deal with the body.


    The walk back to the loft is already a long walk from the beach. But with this heavy weight on him it seemed even further than usual. The towns' people doing their comings and goings paid little attention to what the leader of the Saeyth was doing.


    He pauses and looks up at the castle, which is his destination. The castle is set against a mountain. The gray stone walls and battlements are a contrast to the green and snow-capped cliffs. The trees and shrubs are of a dark forest green with patches of brown intertwined together. You can tell that the season of autumn was in the air.


    Zyrad walks through the main courtyard of the great castle. There, off to the right, is a small house. Compared to the castle it was a place that should not be there: However, everyone that enters the courtyard always expects it to be there. The shack is built with wood that was from very young and green trees, but over the years the walls and roof have cured into a rich brown and looks sturdy enough to withstand any strong wind and rain. He enters the cabin. Inside is his wife Clasan. She has a shorter stature as her mate. Her lose-hanging, short and tight curly red hair is partly covering her eyes. She is cleaning some cups when Zyrad enters. She sees a large body across his shoulders.


    "By what gods convinced you to bring a bad-smelling lump of human flesh into our home," asked Clasan.


    "We found him on the beach woman! He is barely alive, and with our help can survive his wounds," exclaimed Zyrad.


    Clasan steps closer to the body and sniffs his back; she steps back with a crinkled nose. "He smells human, but not quite," said Clasan.


    "Now you know why I brought him! Now! Help me with this beast upstairs, he's heavier than he looks," said Zyrad as he turns towards the stairs for the upper level.


    Carrying the body, he ascends to the upper-level loft with the help of his mate, and lays the him onto a bed that is soft and filled with goose down feathers. This man that they found on the beach is breathing deeply like he is more asleep than unconscious. Looking at the bump on his head, Zyrad knew it needed to be healed.


    The first thing that Clasan does is cleanse the blood from the lump, while Zyrad makes a potion that will accelerate the healing process. It is a bad smelling concoction that permeates the entire loft. He decides to make the potion stronger than usual, thinking that the man may need it. He then goes back upstairs and props the man's head up to pour the potion into his mouth. The strange man slowly drinks the potion, then coughs from the strong smell and ingredients that burn his throat. The burning is a cleansing burn, like if you ate a lot of horseradish at once. The man then becomes still again and is resting peacefully.


*     *     *


    Tynes feels himself being picked up. He knows not why, but for some reason he cannot move on his own. He thinks to himself. 'Why can I not move?' He can hear voices around him but they are muffled, and he cannot make out what is being said. His thoughts then go blank again. Later he is partly awake, and can barely see the dark figure holding his head up and pouring some sort of liquid down this throat. He drinks it down without hesitation. The drink is strong and Tynes starts to cough like he just inhaled a strong brandy alcohol. The taste of the drink seems familiar. It was stronger than what he recalls, and cannot remember what it was named, or what it was for. He lays back down and slumbers deeply, in a dreamless sleep.


    Tynes wakes up partially again, feeling something tingly on his head, and thinks to himself. 'Oh gods, what now is happing to me? First, some nasty tasting, and now this.'


     He can hear a lady's voice, this time clearer than before. The voice reminds him of a songbird singing in the trees in the early morning.

     "There, that looks a lot better on him than that bump."

     "Mm, let's hope it helps with his mind, or at least not have any brain damage." Came another voice.


    It was a man's voice, but it was not as smooth and gentle like the lady's. Instead of a songbird, it was more like a great lion giving a mellow roar for his territory. Tynes opens his eyes, surprised that there was no torches lit. However, he could see everything around him. The room had a comfortable feel about it. The bed was soft and the room felt safe from whatever he was escaping. But, what was he escaping from, he could not recall.


    The elf woman has long dark hair that ascends down to her mid-back. It is laying loosely about her, but is well combed. Her deep brown eyes are like a young fawns. She wears a loose fitting, forest green tunic, and ocean blue form-fitting breeches. They are tucked inside her calf high forest green soft riding boots. She carries a plain looking wooden staff with what appears to be raised carved symbols that spiral from the bottom and stop at the staff jewel. The jewel is a large perfectly formed diamond that has several hundred facets. It is held in place by the staff that seems to have grown around the diamond.


    "Where am I? Who are you? What have you done to me? Why does my head feel like it was beaten up by a hard pillow," asked Tynes frantically?


    "Whoa there big man, not so fast, let me answer your first four hundred questions. First, you're in my house. Second, I'm called Zyrad, and this is Queen Nythal. Third, my Saeyth and I found you on the beach half dead, and sister Nythal just healed that bump you had on your head. Fourth, and finally, we have no idea why your head feels like it was beaten up by a hard pillow.”


    Nythal looks toward Zyrad with an amused yet annoyed face. "Now young sir, what are you called? Where do you come from, and how did you end up on our shores?" Her voice being soothing to Tynes.


    He sits up, wanting to answer her questions, but the only thing that came out of his mouth is. "I do not know. I do not know my name, where I came from, or how I arrived here." The frustration from not remembering anything causes him to lay back into the bed and close his eyes.


    Nythal places her right hand over the large man's face. She says a few words of magic and he tumbles deep into sleep. As she removes her hand, she looks toward Zyrad.


    "Great, amnesia, well this should be fun. Is there anything that can be done," Zyrad asked.


    She looks to the elder. Her eyes are kind and gentle, however, at the same time, Zyrad can see sorrow in them. He knew the answer before she even spoke.


    "I'm sorry my brother. I can't do anything for his mind. I can heal his body, but only his body."


    Zyrad stands up from the bed. He puts his hands behind his back and starts to pace the loft.


    "Mm... so it will be up to his spirit and his acceptance of his past in order to remember." He looks toward Tynes lying on the bed. His breathing is becoming deep and steady.


    'At least he is well physically,' Zyrad thought to himself.


    Nythal then stands up and descends down the stairs. Zyrad follows suit and starts a fire in the hearth. He then grabs his tea kettle and hangs it over the fire using the cooking speck.


    Clasan sets two plates of wheat cakes next to the hearth to warm. She looks toward both her mate and the queen.


    "I shall leave you two to discuss what to do with that man upstairs. I'm hungry for more than just wheat cakes and tea. I'm going fishing today. Would you like a marlin or some tuna, my love," asked Clasan.


    "I'm fine Mi' lady. I've already eaten a buck deer and a cow bull. Don't give me that look, woman! If you don't, believe me, see the tanner, he'll show you the hides I brought him to dry and tan," replied Zyrad.


    Clasan smiles and kisses her mate. She then bows to the queen and departs. The elder of the Saeyth and the queen could hear gusts of wind outside the loft. It is generated by the wings of Clasan propelling herself into the atmosphere.


    After the water is set to boil, Zyrad sits in his chair, across from him is the queen, and talk about their day. Zyrad tells Nythal the story of where and how they found Tynes. He then shares his concerns of Tynes's memories.


    "Brother, we can't push him. If we push, his memories may be put further from his own mind. Just let him rest and if he remembers that's fine. What may also happen is that he never gets his memories back. In that case, he may start a whole new life here. We are a free kingdom. All are welcome, as long as they pose no threat to our subjects. Either way we must wait to see what happens," explained the queen. Zyrad's only response is a nod in agreement.


    Tynes wakes up with a start. For a few seconds he had forgotten where he was. As he sits up in the bed, he hears what the queen is saying to Zyrad about himself. He lays back down with his eyes open looking at the roof of the loft, thinking. He realizes that no matter how hard he tries, his mind remains blank. He thinks to himself: 'What am I to do? I cannot stay here. I will get healthy again, thank them for all their help and be on my way.' He then closes his eyes and returns to sleep.


    Tynes's dreams were restless. He knew some of what he was witnessing had to be his memories, but the rest were just random thoughts. The main problem was having no way to separate the two. Tynes tossed and turned, and sometimes woke up, but went back to sleep. Zyrad and the queen sit in the chairs for a long while, drinking tea and enjoying the fire.


    Outside, the fall wind is blowing softly. You can hear wood and steel clanging together. This is the sound of spears and shields hitting each other repeatedly. Also the sounds of human and elf training with their weapons.


*    *    *


    Two weeks after Tynes was found on the beach, the twins Amallia and Amlia arrive at the front door of Zyrad's loft. Amlia knocks. The sound of the fine oak door reverberates throughout the loft. The door was crafted in the fine tradition of the free spirit elves. The carving is of ivy leaves strung around the outer fringes. A couple of branches then encircled the small stain glass window in the center. After a short moment, Zyrad opens the door and steps aside to allow the twins to enter quietly. Amlia and Amallia, without saying a word, go and sit in their customary chairs in front of the fireplace. The three sit quietly for a few minutes when Zyrad finally breaks the silence.


    "Well now, what can I do on this day for my two trouble twins? Is the kingdom secure or is there trouble a coming over the horizon?"


    The soft glow of the fire is giving him the appearance of a man getting ready to read a ghost story to two of his young children. His hands are behind his back as they often are when he is concerned about something or when in deep thought.


    Amallia looks to her elder with a slight smile on her face, her eyes beaming with the anticipation of good news. Amlia sees the look on her sister's face and just rolls her eyes.


    "We came by today to see how the stranger was doing," said Amallia.


    Zyrad also notices the look of Amallia. He gives a slight half smile for a quick second then it disappears.


    "He is doing well. He sleeps at the moment. His body is fit and should make a full recovery, however, his mind is another story," said Zyrad.


    "Has he told you anything yet? Like who he is or where he comes from? It seems he is from a distant land. A land that we've not been to yet, you know the lands my sister and I have been before doing scouting mission for the Saeyth," said Amlia.


    "No, not yet, I mean he has not," Zyrad then looks at the twins points his finger at them with a general gesture. "And I didn't press the issue. He is very tired, so it will do no good right now either," he said.


    During this conversation, Tynes starts to stir in the bed. He starts murmuring in his sleep. He shakes his head like he was having a bad dream. This is part of the dream that he remembers, well kind of remembers.


    'Ty, come quick mother is hurt... TYNES!"... "Lana! I am coming, hold on I am coming... Just hold on... LANA!' Tynes sits straight up in the bed, he wakes up with a yell, "LANA!"


    Tynes looks around trying to remember where he was.


    "Where is my sister!? LANA!? Oh, gods where did she go!? I should not have left. She needs me I have to find her. I have to get to her. I can hear her calling my name."


    Tynes jumps out of bed, his legs feeling weak. He stumbles a few steps and then gets his footing. He looks around; he sees the ladder leading down out of the loft. However, he does not bother with the ladder, and simply jumps down. Scaning the lower room in a quick second. He notices the front door and makes a run for it.


    "WHOA, there big man you're in no condition to be leaving yet. You're still too weak to be going outside in the cold. Besides you don't have any clothes," explained Zyrad.


    Tynes looks down at himself. He is completely naked. He starts blushing at the same time he hears a giggle. He then covers important parts of his body. With a bashful tone he asks,


    "Where are my clothes?"


    Zyrad, with a throwaway gesture of his hand replies. "I had them burned. They were covered in seaweed and salt water. They were falling off of you. We had no idea how long you were in the sea. They would do you no good now." Zyrad is now standing behind the twins, his hands behind his back, again.


    Out of instinct, Tynes looks for his pack and locates it next to the hearth. He picks it up and puts his whole arm into it. He finds a pair of earth brown soft leather pants and slips them on quickly. He reaches in again and pulls out an off white long sleeve tunic, which he rolls the sleeves up to his elbow and a pair of deep brown soft riding boots. He puts those on at once. Once he is dressed he starts for the door again.


    "Hang on there. Just because you're dressed doesn't mean you're leaving. Now sit down and warm yourself in front of the fire," said Zyrad who was blocking the exit. Tynes, feeling a little dizzy, sits down on the floor as instructed. He wraps his arms around his knees and starts rocking back and forth.


    "Well now. We know you remember your sister's name... Lana is it? But do you remember your own name," Zyrad asked.


    Tynes looks up from where he was sitting. He looks at the twins sitting; Zyrad leaning on the backs of the chairs, a hand on each.


    "Yes... My name is Tynes and as you know my sister is called Lana," he explained.


    "Do you remember where you come from," asked Amallia. Tynes looked puzzled at her, his only answer to her was "no." He then looks at the three people looking back at him.


    "How long have I been here," he asks.


    "We found you two weeks ago... Tynes. You've been sleeping in my loft this entire time," Zyrad explained.


    "I have been out for two weeks? Damn no wonder I feel like I need a bath. Now, where is my floating soap bar," he says as he opens his pack again.


    This time, he sticks his head inside. He then pulls his head out and retrieves a white object from the bag, and then pulls out a towel.


    "If you wish to bathe, there is a brass tub behind my house. Don't worry, you won't be disturbed nor spied upon. A large wooden wall surrounds the bathing area," explained Zyrad.


    Tynes exits the loft and works his way behind the building. At the head of the tub is a small pile of wood. The wood is set just under the curve so that you can light the wood and warm up the water. Tynes, using the hand pump water spout beings filling up the tub. After the wood burns down and all that is left is the hot coals, he slides in.


    He soaks his body for a long time. The warm water soothes his skin, and the salt from the sea lifts off his body. After he is done with his bath, he returns to Zyrad's loft. The two elf women are gone by now. Feeling better he sits in a chair in front of the hearth. Zyrad and Clasan enter the main room. She steps in front of Tynes with a look of inspection.


    "He looks like he suffers from malnutrition, he needs to eat. Put those wheat cakes away. The hatchling needs some meat. Here I have a deer steak for ya. That'll put some color in ya," said Clasan.


    She pulls out a large plate of food with deer steak, steamed carrots, and a large potato. She stands over Tynes to make sure he eats everything. When he is done eating, she takes the plate away to the kitchen.


    "Well, you look better, and smell better too. How are ya feeling? Getting stronger," Zyrad asked.


    "I am feeling better. I do not wish to be a burden on you or your hospitality. I do thank you for that as well. But I must be going. I need to find my sister. With my memory of her not being with me, I have no idea if she is alright or not," explained Tynes.


    Clasan steps in front of the tall man blocking him from leaving. Her eyes have the look of sorrow in them. Her body is relaxed as she gently pushes Tynes to sit back down in front of the hearth. As if being guided by a mother, he sits without protest. She sits in front of him upon her calves, her eyes closed as she reaches for his hands. She begins to hum within her throat. When she is finished, she speaks.


    "The last memory you have of her is you leaving her on a dock. I don't know where this dock is, nor do I know why you two are separating. You board the ship that is doomed to sink. Thank the gods she did not come with you, she may have died that night. The words from her mouth are as such. 'I do understand Ty, with that in mind we will not be going to the same places. I wish to explore the world on my own,' that is all I saw. She seems fine to me and she's now exploring Hakoeh. I don't see her in any immediate danger. I must say she is beautiful," said Clasan.


    "How did you... Never mind. Thank you for that, I feel better knowing that she is safe, but I still must be going. I do not wish to be a burden to you both. I must find my own way within Hakoeh," said Tynes.


    "Well before you go, let's take a walk shall we." It was a more of a point of fact than a request from Zyrad.


    He turns and walks to the door, and holds it open for Tynes to walk out first. Tynes stands in the main room for a few moments thinking to himself.


    'Why is this man detaining me? He knows I must find my memories. He knows I do not wish to burden him. But now he wants me to walk with him in this land. But something inside me tells me to follow him. That something leads me to believe there is a reason for me to be here.' Tynes nods his head and steps outside.


    The two men walk down a path toward the village. As they are walking Tynes looks toward Zyrad.


    "Why did that lady call me hatchling," asked Tynes.


    "Ha-ha... My wife Clasan has always treated people that way. She calls everyone hatchling, that's what dragons call living things that are younger than themselves," explained Zyrad.


    "She is a dragon? She looked human to me. Are you a dragon as well," asked Tynes.


    "In a manner of speaking, you'll learn about that later," replied Zyrad.


    The two men make their way to the business section of town. There Tynes sees the blacksmith shop and, stops at the front door. He looks up and down the building. The shop is of average size and height. It is connected to other shops that span the whole block. On occasion, there is a break into small alleyways. The brick and wood over time have worn together to give the look of a town that is old, but well maintained.


    Tynes steps inside, with Zyrad following. The front room is dimly lit. Along the walls, there are all sorts of weapons, spears, shields, swords, and armor. Tynes walks up to a spear that catches his eye. The wood is white oak that has been polished to shine even in the night. The spear tip is like a large broad arrow head, with three smaller spikes along the wood that resemble dragon talons.


    He holds the spear in his left hand. He then sees a shield; it is made of steel, and is polished to a brilliant shine, a dragon raised image in the front. When he lifts it up, he realizes how light it is. He looks at Zyrad with a surprised look. Zyrad just looks back at him with a slight smirk on his face as he nods to him. Tynes straps it on his right forearm. Zyrad watches him equip this gear as if he knew exactly what he was doing.


    "Ty? Do you like the spear and shield? For that is the chosen weapon of my Saeyth," explained Zyrad.


    "I do not know if I do. It just caught my eye. They do feel natural in my hands. I do not know why I grabbed it. I just did," said Tynes.


    "Mm... maybe we need to test it out. Jonathan! We need the use of the testing ground out back." Zyrad yells this so that the blacksmith can hear him over the sound of pounding hammers and metal sizzling in cold water.


    A short stocky man comes walking in from the back. He has a dark tan from being in front of a fire forge all his life. From head to toe, he is covered in soot.


    "Who! What! What was that? Come on now speak up I'm busy. OH! Hello there Zyrad. What can I do ya for," said Jonathan. Zyrad smiles back at the blacksmith.


    "We need to use the testing ground out back. If you don't mind sir," said Zyrad.


    "Oh sure, sure no problem. Just remember if it gets broke you just bought it," explained Jonathan.


    Zyrad nods in agreement. Tynes and Zyrad work their way to the back. Tynes sees blacksmiths hammering, stoking and cooling raw material. He watches the blacksmiths work. He sees chunks of molten metal turn into swords, ax heads and spear heads. Watching them work grabs his attention for a short while.


    Zyrad turns to see Tynes watching the work being done. With his keen eyes, he watches the young man observing the blacksmiths. He notices everything he is doing, the way he stands, his eye movements, and his body language. After a while, he taps Tynes on the shoulder to the back door.


    They walk through the back door, beyond is the testing yard. The yard is about twenty feet square, the ground is treated sand that is firm but if you fall, it has some give to minimize damage.


    Zyrad pulls his own shield and spear and takes his fighting stance, that is mimicked by Tynes. Zyrad comes at him at full force. With his shield in front of his face, he thrusts his spear toward Tynes. Not knowing what he was doing, Tynes blocks the attack with his spear. He then counters the attack with a shield push, and takes a piercing attack at Zyrad. He of coarse sides steps the attack and pushes the spear with his own shield. Tynes does a quick turn and thrusts the spear again. The elder of the Saeyth counters the attack by stopping the blow with his own spear. With his spear in the right position, Zyrad slides his spear up toward the inner right side of Tynes's spear hand. Tynes seeing this takes one step back and turns to his left, bringing up his shield to push the Zyrad’s safely away from his body.


    With his momentum, Tynes sweeps his spear toward the ground and sends the Saeyth onto the hard sand. Zyrad rolls to his back trying to regain his standing position when he finds a spear pointed directly at his neck. The elder drops his shield and his spear and places his hands in the air, palms up: A sign of yielding to his opponent. Tynes seeing this removes the spear and offers a helping hand to stand the elder to his feet.


    "Mm, very good, do you remember if you have had any training," asked Zyrad.


    "No, I do not remember. But it does seem that I can handle myself with the spear and shield. I do not know how, but I do," said Tynes.


    "Maybe you should stay for a while and get some training. Some of the finest warriors have come out of our training courses, including some knights of Sword and Mace. Besides, I think you would make a good addition to my Saeyth," explained Zyrad.


    "I would like that sir. Thank you. However, first I think I need to visit your library and read up on the history of this land. Some reading could do me some good. If you do not mind," said Tynes.


    "I wouldn't mind that at all. In fact, that is a smart move on your part. Very good, I should expect you at training the day after the marrow," said Zyrad.


    "Very good I shall see you then sir. But, for now I shall be in the library. Now where do I go to buy this spear and shield? I do like the way they feel," said Tynes


    Zyrad takes him to the front counter of the blacksmith shop. Tynes explores the main shop and finds a nice set of leather armor. The armor is Elvin make, the leather is light- weight but very strong. It has been cured with an emerald green dye with an amethyst color trim lines. Jonathan and Zyrad watch as he fits the armor to his body. When he is finished Jonathan steps closer to Tynes for an inspection of proper fit.


    "It almost fits perfectly, with a few adjustments this leather will fit as if it was made for ya. Let me have it, when it is time for training with the General this will be ready for ya. How 'bout that young man," said Jonathan.


    Tynes puts his arm into his pack again and pulls out the right amount of gold to purchase his new spear, shield and armor. He also purchases an Elvin made bow and quiver set. After this is done, Tynes and Zyrad say their farewells. He then heads to the library.


    Heading up a slight hill through the town proper, he comes up to a gray cobblestone building. There are windows lining on all sides to allow light into the building and an arch staircase that is leading up to the front door.


    Small gardens are being tended to by the libraries small staff. Ivy has grown up the corners and sides giving the building a look of quiet and comfort at the same time. He ascends the arched stairway to the entrance. As he enters his eyes become the size of silver coins. He had never seen so many books in his life. Well at least as far as he could remember. The dark polished wood bookshelves go from floor to ceiling. There are three floors in this library, and any usable wall is covered with shelves, and books taking every available slot on those selves. He takes a deep breath and grabs the first book he sees.


    He then sits down in an out of the way corner chair. The chair is high back with dark stained wood for its frame. He looks at the cover of the book. "THE BIRTH OF THE KEDILIRON KINGDOM," this is what Tynes is reading.


    The first settlers arrived on this Island about two thousand years ago. In the year 2125 of the second age. Kediliron was an isolated land from the other continents. A group of explorers with their families landed on its shores. The land was green and fertile.


    Their leader was a dragon who could shapeshift to human form. His name was Shather. Shather knew that this land was going to be their new home. The great gold dragon and his men also knew that they would have to purge the land of evil that roamed the country. The Wraiths and Lichens roamed the woods.


    Seth the leader of the Saeyth fought theses abominations. While Seth and his Saeyth were purging these undead, he finds a jewel, a red jewel. He packs this jewel in his pack, and takes it to his tent and examines it. He rubs his hands on the jewel. As he is doing this, the great stone sends a shock through his body. The shock puts Seth in a coma.


    For three days, Seth fought in his mind. A Great Dracolich is fighting to take Seth's soul for being insolent and arrogant. After defeating this creature, the great jewel gave him the power to shape shift to a storm dragon...


    He stops reading, for he hears footsteps coming toward him. He looks up and sees an Elvin woman in leather armor, she has long fiery red wavy hair and deep green eyes, and she has a spear and a shield strapped to her back.


    The spear head is similar to his, however, the tip is slightly longer and the three smaller ones are thinner and shorter. She has the same designed shield as his newly purchased shield. She stops just in front of him with her arms crossed. There is neither a smile nor annoyance on her face, it is completely unreadable.


    "Well, I thought you would be back here. The elder told me you would be found here in the library," said the Woman.


    "Yes, I am here. So what can I do for you? Besides being anxious and trying to run out of the loft naked," said Tynes.


    "I was thinking that instead of reading about the history of our land that you should see and experience it for yourself. And of course, I think I'm the perfect person to show you all you need to know," said the woman.


    "I am sorry, but I do not think I should go with someone I have not been properly introduced to. But, I cannot seem to recall. However, either way I think it is the right thing to do," explained Tynes, a crooked smile crosses his face.


    "Well then, if that being the case, I should tell ya. My name is Amallia. My twin sister is called Amlia. So now I'm no longer a stranger to you. But, you’re still one to me," said Amallia.


    "I am called Tynes; however, I guess it is okay to call me Ty... If you like," he said. Amallia just looks at him and smiles. Her deep sea green eyes captioning his soul, and he agrees to go with her.


    They take their time finding the proper spot of the book that he had in his hand. Once that is done, they walk around the large library for a while. Amallia is showing him the architecture and the history of the building.


    Tynes listens to every word she says. He is absorbing the history of the building, as well as, what he is seeing around him. His mind is like a sponge, everything is new to him. The mathematics about how the building was constructed can be seen in his mind's eye. All the angles and curves of the arches of the roof he knew he could construct on his own.