Eira the Snow, and Sierra, the Mountains

Eira felt the hot air touch her skin. It was only sixty-five degrees out, but, for some

reason, it felt like the desert for her.

The only place where she was a comfortable temperature was the mountains. She had no

idea why, but that seemed to be the way things were. Eira felt like she was being tortured when

she was forced to stay inside by the fire. The fire’s flames were hungry and threatening. They

were claws that scorched the skin.

“Eira! Come on! We’re going out tonight.”

Eira could hear the calls of her father. She wanted to be free from the warmth of their

small home, but the fire seemed to take all her energy away from her. She wiped her brow and

got up, brushed the dirt from her jeans, and walked over to him.

“Eira! You need to get ready,” her father growled at her.

“And I am getting ready,” Eira replied, face drawn tightly into a scowl. Eira noticed her

mother coming in from the right, holding a neat, clean, pink dress. “You two expect me to wear

that, don’t you?” Eira could see right through her mother’s attempts to try and make it seem like

a nice surprise, however, Eira could see straight through it.

“Oh, Eira, dear. Please. Just this once?” her mother pleaded, gently stroking the dress. “It

truly is a nice dress, and it’s such a shame that you never wear it.” Eira drew back and pressed

herself up against the wall as her mother waved the dress at her.
 “You know I don’t like pink,” Eira responded, waving her mother away. “I like black,

white, and blue.” Her mother sighed, folding the dress in her arms, sitting on the couch that was

decorated with furry throws.

“Put it on, Eira.”

Eira jumped. She had forgotten that her father was still standing there. She did not feel

like wearing it, however, she did not want to go against her father. Sulkily, she snatched the

dress from her mother’s arms and went to her room, the flames in the fire waving goodbye.

Eira’s room had a simple wooden floor, a wooden bed, and lot’s of hunting equipment.

She had a stock of fishing lines for her fishing pole, special clothing designed to make the wearer

blend into their surroundings, and then arrows for her treasured bow.

She had a specially designed hanger to hold her bow. She wanted to go out hunting, but

she had to go to the silly event. She flung the book she had been reading onto her bed, which was

covered in furs, her trophies of a successful hunt.

After Eira had changed into the pink dress, she headed to the living room. Since her room

was on the first floor of the house, she didn’t have to worry about going down the ladder in her

oversized dress, which she knew she would surely have tripped on.

“You look wonderful, Eira,” her mother told her, gazing at the dress.

“Don’t you mean: ‘You look like a muffin, Eira,” Eira replied, looking down at herself.

The dress was puffy and she got the feeling that, if the king really did have jesters, then this

would be what they would look like.

 Her mother pursed her lips, drew her eyes back to Eira’s face, and shook her head. Eira’s

father entered the room and looked at Eira in the dress with disapproval. Eira wanted to yell at

him. ​You ​wanted ​me to wear this! E

​ ira, thankful for the slippery wooden floors, spun on her foot

and turned herself towards the exit of the house. She stomped through it, knowing that the fire

was watching her, its tongue licking its lips. ​Next time​.

Eira and her family headed along the dirt pathway to the party. Eira’s mother had told her

that this was a formal party and that there was to be no silliness. Eira did not know why she had

said this, as she could not remember the last time she had actually laughed. The forest brought

her happiness, but it could not bring her laughter. ​Unless if the animals were doing silly things.​

Eira thought, trying to see over the fog. How much further? She could see the occasional lantern

up ahead, but there was no sign of buildings. However, as she drew closer to one of the lanterns,

she realized that it was no lantern but a window, drumming with the sound of life and music.

Eira jumped silently up to the windowsill and tried to look through the glass. Clouds of fog

pressed up against the window sill, and Eira wiped it away with the skirt of her dress. When

peering inside she could see people dancing, sharing gossip, and wearing such fabulous clothing.

Men were dressed in perfectly black tuxedos with ties, and pants so perfect that there were no

traces of threads poking out. The women were wearing gowns, the bottom which fell gracefully

to their ankles. Most of the dresses were red, but some were purple; signs that they were very

rich, as for purple dye you needed red and blue, both of which were very expensive. Eira

suddenly felt very childish in her frilly pink dress; she just hoped that this would not be the party

that she was meant to be at.

 “We’re here,” her father informed her, striding in as though he blended in well with the

other people. Eira’s mother looked just as spellbound as Eira when she walked in, for the sway in

the movements of the people dancing was excellent. They seemed as though they had even

practiced for the dancing at the party, as some of the couples moved as one. When Eira and her

family entered the room, the music was stopped, and therefore so was the dancing. Everyone was

looking at Eira and her family. Eira wanted to turn around and bolt out of the exit. But, her

mother blocked her path. As Eira tried to look for a way around her mother, someone, a man,

with a deep voice, spoke,

“Welcome, Rilvens, what a nice surprise.”

“Surprise? We got invites,” Eira’s father replied, checking his pockets. Eira thwacked

him. Of course, the host of the party would know that they had been invited. He was the one who

sent them all out! Eira knew that this man wanted to make a fool of them.

“Oh, well, of course, I know that you have invites, as I, the host, selected who was to

come,” the man sneered. “I was just surprised that you had the guts to come here, in those

clothes.” He peered at Eira. ​Oh no.​ “What a lovely girl you have. Five, is she?” Eira wanted to

pounce on him… and she also wanted to inform him that she was seventeen but pouncing on him

was impossible, as he was a quarter of the way up a huge set of stairs that veered out to the sides.

The stairs were at the front of the room and were so, so, very, very wide.

Eira’s mother placed a hand on Eira’s shoulder, and even though her instincts told her

that it should be comforting, Eira hated it. She hated the feeling of being warm and cozy, and

would much rather feel cold and free. She wanted to be out of this rooms stuffiness and wanted
to get people out of her sight. Eira preferred animals. People were evil. And she had reasons on

why this was true to her.

People knew if they were causing suffering, and most of the time, their causes for

suffering was because they believed that the person should be punished.

Animals were different. They did not know that they could be causing suffering, and they

kill to survive.

Eira clenched her fists. Even when the host of the party drew closer, she stood her

ground. Even when everyone stared at her, she stood still.

Until a guard tried to grab her.

Eira ducked smoothly and bolted for the exit. The servants tried to close it, but Eira

managed to slip through, thanks to the slippery floors. When she was outside, her first instinct

told her to run home, but when she felt the coolness of the mist touch her skin, she decided to

stay outside and head to the forest.

Even though she was not able to see far in the fog, Eira remembered the way home, and

from her home, she remembered the path that led into the forest.

After she had changed into black pants, black shirt, and her most valuable leather jacket,

she grabbed her bow, quiver, arrows, and knives and walked to the forest. She didn’t plan to

hunt, however, at least her weapons could help to keep her safe.
 Eira followed the dirt road into the trees, which eventually turned into a muddy pathway.

Eira eventually slipped away from the path and walked beside it, hoping that, if not in the mud,

she wouldn’t be able to scare any animals.

While walking, Eira gazed over at a stream, and immediately she knew something was

wrong. On one side, there was too much water, and on the other side, there was barely any. Eria

crouched and saw a huge rock in the middle of the stream. She grasped it in her hands and

tugged at it, finding it slipped out of the ground easily. She scanned it and realized that it was

glowing, faintly but surely. Eira sat down on a tree stump and held it up to her eyes. It was then

she heard a faint heartbeat. Eira almost dropped it but managed to keep hold of it. She held it up

to her ear, and the sound became louder.

It was an egg.

How had a bird managed to lay an egg so large? It was impossible. She tucked her hair

behind her ears so she could see it better. It looked like a giant blue jewel.

Oh…

She could ​sell ​it. She could trick everybody into thinking it was a giant sapphire, and no

one would question her! She and her family wouldn’t be trying to survive on only a few coins

every day! However, if she let her family find out how much money she had, she knew that her

father would buy things that he wanted, and she wouldn’t end up with anything.

Eira took off her cloak and wrapped it around the egg, making sure that it wasn’t

showing. She wanted to race back home and sell it, but she knew that she couldn’t risk tripping

and cracking the egg. So, she walked to the marketplace, from the moonlit forest. When she was
at the marketplace, she rested against a stone wall, waiting for dawn, when people would arrive,

selling and buying goods.

Oops.

Eira realized that no one around her town had enough money to buy her giant “gem.” She

wanted loads of money for her egg. She grasped the egg and pulled out her map. She would head

to Jalliquan, one of the largest marketplaces in Skav. She’d need a horse to arrive there, though.

She walked quickly over to the stables and jumped over the fence. The horses were all eating

grass, and she didn’t want to spook them, or they would make a sound, a sound that would fill

the silent night. She made a sound before walking towards the horse, and the horse looked at her.

She slowly moved closer, until she was close enough to touch the horse.

When she had dressed the horse in the gear needed to be able to control the horse, she led

the horse to the gate and opened it up. Then, she placed the egg in the satchel, praying that it

wouldn’t fall.

Getting onto the horse, she rode towards Jalliquan.

After a few days of travel, Eira came across a merchant, who had his own little shop on

the side of the road for travelers. Eira got off her horse and tied her horse to a pole. She tried the

doorknob. It was locked.

Eira pulled out a small, slender knife, and put it into the bottom of the lock. She turned

the lock slightly each way, finding which way turned more. Then, she pulled out her lockpick

and put it into the top of the lock. She started to push up the pins inside of the lock, each one

making a slight “click” as it was pushed upwards. Finally, she heard a final “click” and was no
longer able to feel any of the pins inside of the lock in her way. She turned the knife the same

way that worked best, and finally, she was able to open it.

Inside the shop, she could hear someone snoring, coming from behind a door. She froze.

She would have to work fast. She silently went over to the back of the room, grabbing one of the

sacks. She quickly took food from inside the shop and placed it inside. While grabbing some oil

for her lamp, she spotted a safe. Greedily, she took it from its spot and ran outside. She tied the

end of the sack together with a rope and threw it over the back of her horse. She held the safe in

her hands along with the dragon egg, and cantered away, just as she heard the angry shout of a

man.

She came to a stop.

The perfect place to settle for the night. A clearing that had a canopy of dense leaves, and

a bit of rubble in the center. She would forge fire in the center, and sleep beside it on the grass.

She lifted up the egg and peered at it. It almost seemed to be… shivering. Eira hoped that the fire

could provide warmth for the egg.

Eira dismounted her horse and pulled out her sack of food. She placed it on the ground

and the egg on top of it. She led her horse over to a tree and tied the leash around it. Then, she sat

down with the safe in her hands. Drawing out her lockpicks and knife, she attempted to open it.

It opened easily. ​What is the point of buying a lock if it is ​so ​easy to open it? E
​ ira thought,

pulling out its contents. She looked into the palm of her hand and felt a pang of remorse.
 There was nothing of worth inside, apart from a ring coated in silver. The objects she

held included brilliant sketches of different places and a journal. Opening it, Eira began to read.

April 2nd, 1562

I am to be traveling to the heart of Skav tomorrow… Jalliquan. Many say that it is an

amazing place to visit, and so I will be heading there. With my goods, I will be departing for my

journey soon.

Blah blah blah. Eira flipped through the pages, trying to find something interesting.

May 4th, 1567

I have known my dear Amora for five years, and now we shall get married. The wedding

will take place in Sharaka. This place is filled with many wonders and many beautiful-

More blah blah blah.

May 25th, 1567

Yesterday was the day of my wedding. Amora gave me a beautiful silver ring with

carvings- these carvings are in a different language. A forgotten language, she told me.

Eira looked at the silver ring. It had carvings. In a language she did not know about. Had

she just taken someone’s wedding ring? She continued to read.

 She inherited it from her grandmother, who was given it by her great-great-grandfather,

and the chain keeps continuing, until, it comes to the relative who found it. She does not know of

where it was found, but she states that if it is worn by a Dragon Caller, it will give them immense

power.

There has not been a Dragon Caller for thousands of years, maybe around seven

thousand to five thousand.

Amora tells me of different powers that a Dragon Caller has. A Dragon Caller can learn

these by visiting ancient ruins that have the language of the dragon on them. How silly! I act as

though I understand and respect what she is saying, even though I do not believe a word of it.

There is no magic here, therefore, no dragons! Dragon Callers? Ha!

Eira flipped through the pages, but there was nothing more on these “Dragon Callers”.

But there was something about him losing Amora.

August 15th, 1594

Today may possibly be the worst day of my life. My dear Amora has passed away, and I

hold the ring she gave to me in my hand.

I decide that I must try to forget about her. But when I see that empty seat at dinner, or

when I hear the kids going to bed without their mother to kiss them goodnight, I cannot seem to

forget.
 I will lock up all the things she gave to me in a safe which will be stored in my room. I

will-

Eira could not bear to read any more on that page. She went to the back of the journal.

May 13th, 1595

Nothing interesting has happened today, except the part that I will be having my room

refurbished. I will have to move my safe containing this journal outside of it, and I hope that it

will be okay.

If you are a thief, and you have stolen my safe and have only found there to be useless

sketches, this useless journal, and my wedding ring, may karma come to you. There is nothing in

this for you. You have only taken someone’s most prized possessions that are of absolutely no

use to you.

That entry was written only three days ago. Eira closed the journal and felt her guts twist.

Why did she have to take the safe?

Thinking about it… why would you put prized possessions in a safe? Surely, if you did

not put them in anything, nobody would bother taking them since they were no use. If you put

them in a safe, someone would be more likely to accidentally grab them, thinking that there were

money and jewels inside, not useless sketches and journals.

Although, the ring didn’t seem to be worthless.

 Eira held it up to her face. What if it really was magic? She almost wanted to slide it onto

her finger, but when she heard a fierce howl pierce the night air, she threw it back inside the safe,

along with the journal. She grabbed her bow and arrows from her horse and latched an arrow on

to the bow. She drew the bowstring back and aimed into the darkness. Usually, wolves did not

attack humans, although, Eira could still feel herself shaking. She stood there, aiming into the

forest for about five minutes until she let her arms rest. Her horse was still alive and tied to the

tree. She sheathed her bow and arrows, and then took out her lamp and lit it. She began to light a

fire, and soon the clearing was filled with light.

Eira claimed her bow and sat down beside the fire. There was a chill in the air. She

wrapped her deer-pelt blanket around her and closed her eyes.

She hadn’t even managed to get to sleep before the trees came crashing down.

Instinctively, Eira leapt to her feet.

Her horse was going wild. She had to save the horse. And herself. She untied the horse,

jumped on, and rode away. A minute later, she thought, ​how come riding seems easier today?

Then she thought, ​maybe it’s because my instincts are finally doing something.

It was three minutes later that she realized that she had forgotten something. And that

something was large, round, and it glowed.

She had forgotten the egg.

Eira didn’t know what to do. She could turn around and try to save the egg, but

something told her that her horse’s stamina was running low. She had been cantering for a while.
And even if she managed to reach the egg, there was no way she’d be able to make it out of there

alive before she was killed by one of the trees.

She slowed to a trot, then to a walk, and then to a stop. She took the silver ring out of her

satchel. She had no idea what she was thinking- this ring would grant no magic to her. She’d just

be wasting time. But, since the egg had seemed to want to find her… what if it was a dragon

egg? She took a deep breath in and slid the ring onto her finger.

Absolutely nothing whatsoever happened.

Eira sighed and turned around. How ridiculous she was to think that this ring had magical

properties, and to think that she was a “Dragon Caller” was even more ridiculous.

The egg, however, was completely different.

It was real.

It had to be magic.

It had to be a dragon.

Old, forgotten tales told of winged beasts with abilities that differed between species.

Fire, ice, water… shadows…

And many more.

Scales, teeth, claws, and acute senses.

But there hadn’t been one for thousands of years… since the time when there was said to

be a Dragon Caller. And there was no way there was a Dragon Caller roaming around now. Eira

looked up at the sky and growled. She had come all the way out here… for nothing. She pulled
the sack of goods off her horse and peered inside. She gripped an apple and had a bite. It filled

her mouth with pleasure, and the apple was gone in a matter of seconds. Greedily, she looked to

see if there was anything else that she could have for dinner, without wasting food that could be

needed along the road. There was a bag of walnuts, sprinkled with salt. Eira then realized that

she barely ever had salt covering her food. She popped a walnut into her mouth and realized that

salt was the thing that had been missing all her life. It brought out all the flavors, and she felt a

sudden craze for more of the walnuts.

She had eaten half of the bag, and, as much as she wanted to continue, she saved the rest

for later. Eira took off her cloak and set it on the ground. She curled up and closed her eyes.

She woke to a beautiful sunrise.

It’s rays weaved through the branches and met her. Usually, she hated to be in sunlight,

but today, she savored the warmth. She lay down on the grass and rested her feet on a rock.

Looking around, she noticed a tree full of apples. The corners of her lips drew up. She leapt up to

her feet and rolled back her sleeves. Time to climb.

Or maybe not. The bark was extremely smooth, and the apples were on the thinnest and

longest branches. Eira dropped to the ground, crossed her arms, and scowled. She couldn’t reach

the apples, so she would have to whack them onto the ground.

Eira found a long stick and grasped it with her hands. This would do the trick. She

knocked all the apples out of the tree and placed them all in her sack. While chewing on an

apple, she tried saying, “Yum!” but it came out as,

“Fo rum!”
 For some reason, the apple flew out of her mouth and everything in front of her was flung

out of the ground. Eira sprang to her feet. She felt a vibration on her index finger and saw the

silver ring shaking. What had she done?

What would happen if she said fo rum again?

She decided that she would try it out.

“Fo rum!”

Roots were pulled out and were pushed the way Eira was facing. It was as though she

was creating an invisible force.

Eira took off the ring. She would try without it.

“Fo rum!”

The ring, on the forest floor, started to glow, and the silver started to melt. It melted until

the strange markings had turned into words that she could understand. And the silver had

revealed bone.

A ring made of bone.

The bone, oddly, was black, not white. The words were flaring a deep red.

Eira read the words.

Skar lam, yaal strung, h’aaint ra, mo queue, gill tey, fo rum.

Fo rum.

Did all the words on this ring have a mysterious power? Eira put the ring back on her

finger.

She said the words, “Yaal strung!” and then things got crazy.
 The world became a blinding light. Then soaring darkness, and then ice spread all around

her.

Eira saw a humongous blue eye peer at her from underneath.

Her first instinct was to run.

She ran as fast as her legs could carry her, pleading that she wouldn’t lose her footing.

Of course, she lost her footing.

Her face slammed against the ice, and talons broke through the ice. A circle was cut out

of the ice.

And Eira was on the circle.

All the ice apart from her circle melted… almost magically. She had no escape. She drew

out her bow until she realized that her bow had been on the ice that had melted. Eira could see it

moving on the waves, just out of arm’s reach. She went to the very edge of the circle and

reached out.

The current pushed it away.

Eira’s vision became all blurry. Her ears started ringing. Her brain started fogging.

What could she do?

A clawed hand grabbed her, and a wicked, wolfish grin met her eyes. And teeth, as large

as her body, were bared.

“Hello, human,” a thundering voice said. Eira looked up and saw the scariest thing she

had ever seen.

A dragon, larger than a castle, was holding her up in the air with a single hooked claw.

Claws like scythes, teeth like huge swords, and eyes like ice. Cold, unforgiving, and
dangerous. Eira gulped and said,

“H-hello.”

Her next move was probably the dumbest thing that she could have done.

She yelled,

“Fo rum!”

Right in the dragon’s face.

The words seemed to just bounce off the dragon’s scales, and bounced back at Eira.

At least it forced her out of the dragon’s grip. She was now falling towards the ground.

She was going to die.

“Fo rum!”

She yelled it towards the ground, and she was saved. It pushed her backward, making it

seem as though she had fallen from a minor height. She panted and crouched over, her hands

resting on her knees. The dragon’s nostrils flared.

“I have a question for you, mortal,” the dragon spoke, sneering. “But I can only ask you it

once we become… familiar with each other.”

“I guess I don’t want us to be familiar with each other, then,” Eira responded. If she was

about to die, she might as well have some fun. The next thing that happened was the most

surprising thing that she had ever seen. The dragon had started to laugh uncontrollably. What she

had just said wasn’t even funny.

“That- was- hilarious!” the dragon roared, causing huge waves to form. Eira dug her

boots into the ice. “I haven’t heard anything funny for about a thousand years! The last time

there were dragons and Dragon Callers! They are the only ones that could keep me company
since they could understand dragon language. Dragon Caller, I have missed your kind since you

became extinct, along with the rest of us dragons.” the dragon grinned. “Of course, only your

kind can fully kill dragons. So, you were the ones that caused us to go extinct. Obviously, your

lot also became extinct, as, without dragons, you were no longer able to use calls. This left you

weak and feeble, and your kind was easily ended by the king. He didn’t want anyone else of

power in his kingdom,” the dragon’s eyes narrowed. “You seem to be able to use calls. You

know why? It’s because of that ring. If you didn’t have that ring, then you would have to visit

ancient stone slabs written in the dragon language to learn how to do different calls. Each slab

consists of one call. However, to fully use them, you need a dragon soul. ​Another ​reason we

went extinct. Dragon Callers just wanted dragon souls to become more powerful. However, with

that ring of yours, you are able to do all the calls on the ring while wearing it and you do not

need a dragon soul to make it work. That ring is made of dragon bones and Maeven blood. It

only has effect on Dragon Callers like you,” the dragon started to laugh, but not kindly. “Since

you are the only ones that can kill dragons, and seeing as I am a dragon, and I’d like to live, you

shouldn’t be allowed to walk on Earth again,” the dragon held her claws in the air and smiled.

“Ready to meet an end, Eira?”

“How do you know my name?” Eira asked.

“Wow. You’re about to die and that is what you say? Ha!”

“Are you the dragon from the egg that I found?”

The dragon’s tail dropped, and her jaws closed. What seemed to be ice forming around

her mouth faded away. “Egg, you say?”

“Uh… yeah,” Eira replied. “Big, blue, and glow-y.”

 “Take me to this egg at ONCE!” the dragon demanded, stamping a foot.

“Okay, okay!” Eira held up her hands in front of her face, trying to protect herself from

the dragon’s smelly breath. “But I cannot do that if you don’t release me from this… place.”

The dragon narrowed her eyes. “Fine,” she responded, lowering her gaze to the ground.

She opened up her wings and Eira felt herself hovering in the air… and then she dropped to the

ground, a ground that was covered in grass and leaves. Eira let out a sigh of relief. Eira beckoned

with her hand to the dragon.

“It’s this way,” she said, heading along the path. But, when she turned to look at the

dragon, all she could see was a white owl. The owl fluttered onto her shoulder and nipped her

ear. “Ow!” she said, covering her ear with her hand. She kept on walking, however, until she

arrived at the clearing. She looked around. “Last time I saw the egg, it was around here,” Eira

told the owl. “I made a fire to try and keep it warm, but all of a sudden the trees came crashing

down and-”

The owl flew off of her shoulder and changed form into a young lady. “You idiot!” she

said. “That egg is not meant to be warm! It is meant to be kept cold.”

“Well, I’ve never heard of that before,” Eira said. “Last I heard bird eggs were meant to

stay warm.”

“THIS IS NOT A BIRD EGG!” the lady yelled at her, holding out fists. “It is meant to be

kept cold,” the lady suddenly drew backward and held up a hand to her head. “I-I’m sorry. I-I’m

nothing like I used to be,” she dropped to the ground and looked up at the sky. “Ever since

Gamoron returned, I have been feeling a little- hot-headed. As though I am no longer ice… but

fire,” the lady looked up at Eira. “I need your help. Only a Dragon Caller can do what I am
asking- and that would be you. You are the only one of your kind left. I need you to slay

Gamoron.”

Eira took a step backward and stumbled. “I-I-”

The lady raised her hands to the sky and Eira felt herself fall into the snow.

“Wake up,” the lady said. Eira opened her eyes. What she saw was not the lady, but the

dragon, holding the blue egg. “Hatch it.”

Eira focused on the egg. “Wha-what?”

The dragon sat down calmly and set the egg before her. “The egg has grown fond of you-

now that it has been set in a frozen lake, it is ready to be hatched- and it can only be hatched by

the one that it wants to see when it hatches.”

Eira stumbled. “I-gah… umm… how… exactly?” Eira felt herself tremble. The dragon-

she didn’t dare go against it, but what would happen if she did?

“To hatch the eggs, repeat this incantation- “​Propter frigus calor ac frigus caelum nubibus

et magistratus virtutis Assyriorum, et diei crepusculo noctis auroram clara fogged vitrum illud

tempus.”

“Umm, can you repeat that again… maybe?” Eira asked, cowering.

The dragon snorted, and then nodded knowledgeable. “Propter frigus calor ac frigus

caelum nubibus et magistratus virtutis Assyriorum, et diei crepusculo noctis auroram clara

fogged vitrum illud tempus.”

“Slower, maybe?”
 “​Propter-frigus-calor-ac-frigus-caelum-nubibus-et-magistratus-virtutis-Assyriorum,-et

diei-crepusculo-noctis-auroram-clara-fogged-vitrum-illud-tempus.”

Eira and the dragon finally made their way through the verse.

“​Propter frigus calor ac frigus caelum nubibus et magistratus virtutis Assyriorum, et diei

crepusculo noctis auroram clara fogged vitrum illud tempus,” Eira said, and the runes rippled

over the egg. The dragon smiled.

“You successfully have made the egg answer your call,” the dragon nodded, setting a set

of talons on a nearby rock. “The egg will likely hatch soon.”

She was right. The egg started to spin in the air, and blue light exploded around them.

Eira crouched. Bullets of hail hit her clothes. She lay low on the ground, protecting herself with

her cape.

Then, there was silence.

Eira lowered her cloak and looked around.

A small reptile was looking at her with large, round eyes. Eira reached out her hand to

touch it. The baby dragon rolled over in the snow and kicked it around. Then sneezed.

Frozen air blew into Eira’s face.

Eira moved backward and snarled. The dragon let out a small, “grr.”

The large dragon came forward. “What will you name her, Eira?”

Eira moved back again and said, “Me? Name her?”

The dragon nodded, though frozen tears dropped from her cheeks. “Even though she is

my daughter, she has chosen you over me. The laws of Maeve state that whoever hatches the egg

is the one who names the one inside.”

 Eira closed her eyes, thinking of names. ​Think about mountains. You like mountains. ​Eira

thought to herself. She had made her decision.

“I’ll name her… Sierra,” Eira spoke clearly. The name rolled off of her tongue in a nice,

pleasing way.

“Eira and Sierra,” the dragon said, a smile marked on her face. “That sounds… nice. Like

snow and mountains.”

“That’s why I chose it,” Eira replied, stroking Sierra’s head. Then Eira had a thought.

“What is your name, anyways?”

“My name?” the dragon looked over a cliff face, frowning. “I have not had a name. I

forgot a few thousand years ago. When I was forced to live alone,” the dragon gazed at the

mountains beyond. “I had a few sentences that I would repeat in my head- to make sure that I

would not lose myself. But then, Gamoron cursed me, taking control of my mind… my actions. I

managed to free myself, but with many of my old parts left behind,” the dragon dropped her gaze

into a frozen valley with a river running through it. “When I threatened to kill you today… that

was a part of Gamoron that is still a part of me. I don’t think that I will ever be able to free

myself from him. I am to become a danger. He will take control of me again,” the dragon started

to cry. “Please, Eira. I have done my task. Now it is for you to do yours. I have made sure that

there will be another dragon to go on after me… I am meant to be immortal, however…” the

dragon gazed up at the starlit sky. “Eira, I cannot slay Gamoron. You must take Sierra to the

southern region of this world. You must put an end to him. If you fail…” the dragon’s eyes

narrowed. “Others from his realm will break through. Purging the world of feeling, or soul. The

world will be like it was billions of years ago before I banished them to the sun. I strived to make
the world a place where others could live in peace. But now, that peace is nearing its end. The

grass will fade into rocks. Volcanoes will rise from the sea, and there will be no water. No food.

No beauty, just destruction.” The dragon turned towards Eira and said, “I need you to say the

words ‘non erit tibi capti fuerint.’ If I want to die and you hold your hand over my heart, I will be

dead.”

​ ira thought. ​What if I could do something for her… I should.

That is Latin. E

“When you say these words, my soul and body shall part, but you need my soul to

strengthen you,” the dragon said. The dragon lowered her head. “This is how the Dragon Callers

and the dragons fell out. The Dragon Callers no longer wanted to work with us, to fly with us.

No, they wanted us. They wanted our power.” Tears formed at her eyes, “This is not the only

reason I am asking you to do this. If I am kept alive, Gamoron will find a way to use me against

you. To try and stop you. You must do as I say… and…” the dragon paused, her voice cracking.

She continued, “Keep Sierra safe. And if you ever meet a wyvern called Ragnar, tell him that he

means the world to me.” the dragon took beckoned towards her. Eira walked over to the cliff.

“Touch my heart,” the dragon said. “And say the words.” Slowly, Eira lifted her hand to the

dragon’s heart. She smiled. Not happily, but a wavering smile- a smile holding back a frown.

Eira, even though she had barely known this dragon, actually felt as though they had a

connection. This dragon had been through so much. She had seen billions of worlds- being

destroyed and recreated again. Then, Eira spoke words that came out of nowhere… almost as if it

was her instinct to speak them.

“I name you Arya. You have seen much, making you noble. You have chosen to die,

even though you do not need to. You die saving the ones you love and saving the world. Your
name is Arya, and nothing may ever stand in the way of your personality. Never again. I won’t

let that happen.” With a deep breath, Eira spoke, “Non erit tibi capti fuerint.” An aurora met her

outheld hand and Arya’s heart. Eira looked into Arya’s eyes. Her eyes looked… human. But no

regular human… one who cared about more than just their lives, friends, and family. Her eyes

showed passion for everyone and showed that she cared about the rights of all. She cared about

those who were slaves, and she cared for the world. ​I have to do something. She has to be

​ ira thought. Then, she realized… the spells were in Latin. She had studied Latin.
remembered. E

Opening her mouth, Eira said, “Collocatione in astris.” Arya would be placed in the stars.

The last thing Eira saw before Arya’s body changed into a chain of stars, Eira saw her

smile. She saw that she wasn’t only a big, monstrous powerful beast. She saw that she was

thinking of the world… and of everyone in it… including the animals.

“Waaaaaa!”

Eira turned around and saw Sierra wailing in the snow. Eira ran over and held her in her

arms. She cradled her… until Sierra spat saliva into her face. “Ahh!” Eira dropped Sierra to the

ground. Luckily, the ground was fresh powder, and Sierra was left without a mark. Eira, with

trembling hands, picked up Sierra again. She took the broken eggshell off of her head and

examined it. It was embedded with diamonds, and the rest was made out of a material that almost

seemed to have a magic property. Eira smiled. It would take them a long way to find their way

out of the mountain, but Sierra needed time to grow, anyways. Eira, holding Sierra’s small hand,

carried her into the moonlight.

 Eira and Sierra had been traveling for around a month, and Sierra had learned to speak.

They had finally managed to find their way back to the road, and now they were making a fire.

“Bah! Fire!” Sierra stamped her little foot and crossed her arms.

“What’s wrong with the fire?” Eira asked. Usually, she wouldn’t like to have a fire, but

she hoped that it would scare away predators.

“It’s too hawt,” Sierra grumbled, kicking a rock.

“It’s ‘hot’ not ‘hawt,’” Eira explained. “And anyway, it’s better than having wolves

trying to kill us.”

“Uh. I don’t think so. Wofies are like little floofy bunnies. No way they kill me great

dracon,” Sierra replied. Eira bit her lips at the grammar. Moving away from the fire, Eira

grabbed the sack of rations, however, when she peered inside, she found that there was nothing

left. Eira growled and said,

“I got tons of food yesterday! Some squirrels must have come along.”

“Yea. Some squirrelies,” Sierra said and she burped, holding her tummy. Then Eira

realized that she had been stupid.

“Sierra, you ate ALL THE FOOD?!” Eira yelled at her. Sierra nodded and rolled over.

“Me a good dragon. Ate all my food. Desert now?”

“Sierra, you WERE NOT meant to eat all the food!”

“But Mummy says eating all food is good.”

“Yes, I did say that, but you shouldn’t eat THE WHOLE SACK when we are traveling a

long way! How do you expect us to make it to Jalliquan now?”

Sierra stumbled. “Jalliquan? Nobady says Jalliquan. Like me no ocean swimmers.”

 Eira facepalmed and lay on her back. She said, “It-it’s fine, I suppose. I’ll have to go

shopping again tomorrow, also slowing down our journey. Even though I let it slide this time, I

will not let it go again. You understand?” But when Eira looked over at Sierra, she was snoring.

Eira curled into a ball and closed her eyes. The fire. Usually, she hated the warmth. Usually,

drops of sweat would run down her face. Now, however, she appreciated the tickle of heat on her

skin.

Eira and Sierra traveled to the nearest grocery store, five minutes after they woke up.

Sierra complained that she was too tired, so Eira reluctantly dragged her over to the grocery

store, as she had become too heavy to carry.

When they arrived, the merchant greeted them with a nod.

“What would you like today?” his eyes traveled over to Sierra. He frowned. ​Oops. ​Eira

thought, her face scrunched up. ​How could I forget that dragons supposedly didn’t exist

anymore? They were thought to be a myth! “​ Excuse me, but no animals are allowed to come

inside,” he looked over at Sierra. His hands seemed to be wavering to much. He wanted Sierra.

Eira could tell. For money, power, she didn’t know. But there was something about this man that

told her instincts not to trust him. When she took a closer look at him, she trusted him even less.

He had strange markings tattooed onto his arm, and his bits of food were tangled in his beard.

Eira simply said,

“No, thanks.” She knew that it didn’t make sense with the last words he had said, but she

didn’t care. She just walked away. She did not look behind her to see his reaction, did not stalk

off. Just slipped casually into the busy streets…

 Of Jalliquan.

The castle pierced the sky.

Eira held the egg shells in her hands.

She had hidden Sierra in a dark street and had left her with food. Now, she would sell the

egg and become ​rich.​ She wouldn’t have to live on salad anymore or walnuts. She would now be

eating seasoned red meat.

When Eira went up to a guard, she simply told him that she wanted to present something

to the King. He frowned but escorted her there.

The King’s eyes and nostrils flared as she entered, but she ignored it an held out the egg

shells. The King looked at them

“I would like to sell you… these… precious jewels,” Eira told him, bowing. The King

nodded and whispered something to his advisor.

“The King accepts your… offer. However, he would prefer-” his advisor cut off, as of

being interrupted by the King.

“I would ​prefer t​ o pay nothing,” the King said, sneering. He held up a hand. “Arrest her.”

Eira felt blood run down her cheek as she was thrown into a cell head first. She held a

hand up to her cheek and whimpered. How foolish it was of her to trust the King! While sitting

down, she leaned against the bars and held them with her free hand. The prison was cold, and her

water was not clean. And the smell… Eira lay down on the hay and pondered what she could do.
I could try using a Call. ​She thought, holding a hand in the air. She stood up and looked at the

cell bars.

“Fo rum!”

The stone cell blasted open and even flew off. When Eira ran out, she realized that the

guards had taken her shoes, cloak, and satchel… along with her weapons belt. She grunted. She

would have to find where they put them. Eira looked over at the exit to the prison and ran there

until she heard someone pleading to her. They were saying,

“Please, oh please, let me free! Witches do still exist, then! You just blasted the cell door

open!”

Eira didn’t answer, just kept running. Until she heard the man’s next words.

“I have been here for twenty years, see how thin I am? I count the days on my wall, and I

ran out of space a while ago. I don’t even think I know how to count anymore. I spend my days

speaking to myself… oh… please… how heartless must you be to leave me in here? I was

thrown in jail for trying to save my daughter… oh… my dear girl… she was sold to a prince in

some other country because of her beauty. I am not bad. I only tried to save my family,” he said

mournfully. Eira didn’t know whether she could trust him, but she blasted open the cell door for

him as well.

“There. Happy?” the words came out sharper than she had intended.

“Oh! Thank you! Now I shall find my dear Zara!” he said joyfully, and he beckoned to

her with his hand. “I know a good way to get out. Follow me.”

​ ira thought. She shook her head. She would find her way out. Safer
Can I trust him? E

than trusting somebody else.

 “Well then, good luck getting out,” he commented, and waved goodbye, jumping joyfully

as he walked. Eira didn’t know how they hadn’t been seen by any guards, especially because of

how loud her Call was.

Sierra licked her fingers.

Sierra caught a mouse.

Sierra caught a deer.

Sierra learned to fly.

Sierra carried Eira to Thirasia.

Sierra had grown strong in the last few months, and Eira was grateful for it. They had

escaped from Jalliquan, however, only by an inch. They had arrived at Thirasia from where they

would go on a boat to the Santorini volcanoes, apparently where there had been said to have been

strange activity. Eira and Sierra were in the town Manolas where they had stopped to rest. Sierra

had been growing a little large, and her white scales tinted with a pale-blue were highly visible in

the rocky landscape.

“Sierra, we should head out on the boat in a few days,” Eira told her, eyeing the utensil

that Sierra was fiddling with. Sierra threw her hands up in the air and moaned.

“But I’m too ​tired.​ I was flying all day two days ago! How about we leave in a month.”

“We can’t waste so much time like that! We have to leave soon. We’ve been wasting our

time already,” Eira replied, shaking her head. Sierra’s ear’s swiveled and she leaned forward

towards Eira. She whispered,

 “Someone is nearby… and they are weak,” Sierra told Eira. Eira looked into the darkness

beyond their campfire. Eira stood up and put on her black cloak. Sierra opened her wings and

crouched, ready to pounce. Eira rested a hand on Sierra’s hand and said,

“Let’s find out what is out there.”

“Please… help me…” said a feeble voice coming from the shores. A woman dressed in a

white chiton appeared. When she came closer, Eira gasped slightly at the state that she was in.

Her face was scratched, and dirt seemed to cover every inch of her. Scars were starting to form

on her legs, and her dress was ripped and had been torn off completely, starting from a few

inches above her knees. She looked like she was about to collapse. Her hair was tangled in a

dreadful looking knot, and her chiton was stained with blood. Eira took her in her arms and

helped her walk to the campsite, where Sierra was wearing a huge cloak that they had bought to

prevent people from seeing what she was. It was made from 6 brown cloaks sewn together which

were all tied together at the top, making Sierra look like a large sack full of goods. They had

loosened the threads on the cloak where Sierra’s face would be so that she would be able to see

through, however, others wouldn’t be able to see her face.

The woman sat down and Eira presented a turkey leg to her. She snatched it and wolfed it

down. Then, sobbing, she said,

“I-I’m sorry about my rudeness. I-I-”

“It’s fine. You seemed hungry,” Eira replied, eating a turkey leg of her own. She noticed

Sierra making a slight movement inside the sack costume, and could tell that she was gazing at
the turkey leg. ​Uh oh. ​Eira thought. Eira stood up and told the lady who had been crying,

“Excuse me for one second.” The lady only nodded.

Eira crept over to Sierra. Sierra grumbled,

“Me want turkey! ME WANT MEAT!”

“Sierra, don’t you even ​think ​about it!”

“ME HUNGRY!” Sierra yelped and with that, she clambered out of her sack and tore

open the food bag. Eira watched in horror as she rent the turkey leg apart and reached for

another. Eira ran towards her and held up her hand.

“Stop!” Eira cried, her voice echoing in the trees. Sierra kept chomping on her food but

sat down. The woman was screaming.

Eira managed to calm the lady down and explained to her that everything was okay.

“What is your name? Mine is Eira,” Eira told the lady, making a cup of tea. They had

decided to sleep in an inn ever since Sierra revealed herself to a normal being.

“Mine is Zara,” she said, drinking some tea. Eira almost spat the tea that she had just

made over her. Even though she didn’t spit it out everywhere, some still managed to dribble out

of her mouth and down the front of her clothing. Eira growled in frustration. She grabbed the

nearest tea towel and dabbed it in water, then attempted to clean her clothes. Zara watched her

being an idiot.

“Sorry…. I… um…,” Eira said, embarrassed. Then she stood up straight. She took a deep

breath and asked, “How did you end up here?”

 The lady cupped her forehead with her hand and a tear trickled down her cheek. Then she

began.

“It started the day I was taken by the King of Greece to be sold to this prince in Rome.

My mother and father tried to protect me, however, my mother was killed and my father was put

in prison.

“When I was taken to Rome, I realized that the decision may have been for the better. He

was ever so charming, and one look into his eyes and you couldn’t look away,” Zara took a deep

breath and continued. “Everything was fine, until the day of the wedding. We traveled to

Kefalonia. We were about to finish the ceremony until we heard a strange noise. The ground

began to shake, and all of a sudden I seemed to be trapped in a dark void. I was running around

inside, trying to find somebody, but I succeeded only to no avail. Suddenly, the world was tipped

upside down and this fire came from nowhere. Then, I was back at the wedding again, only to

have these cloaked figures attacking. They weren’t human. They had claws like sickles, and the

only things that I could see beneath their hoods were a pair of eyes that glowed red. They were

like shadows that zoomed around. They sucked all the life out of everyone they saw. When one

of them saw me, I was taken back to the horrible memory of my family being taken away, and I

was left in my room. Nobody made me dinner… there was just… nobody. Even the streets, those

oh-so-busy streets were empty. When I closed my eyes to rest, I had to cry myself to sleep, and I

lived many more of these events for about twenty years,” Zara closed her eyes. “I was only eight

when all of this started. What happened next, though, was even more absurd.

“I awoke on an island made up of volcanoes and running lava. The only place that would

never be touched by lava would be if I climbed onto a small statue of an eagle. I was made up of
blisters, burns, and scratches by the time I got there, but I managed to jump from the patches of

untouched stone to untouched stone. I was starving, and for a week I just sat there, watching the

lava. I was too far from the shore to swim.

“These horrible, shrill-sounding birds started to come and visit me every day. They

would come down and work together to carry me upside down in the air. I began to starve. The

only food were parts of ​me ​that the birds left. Because of this, I refused to eat.

“Then the volcano started to rumble. The ground started to split and giant claws like

sickles rose to match the crescent moon behind them. I was too weak to run. The birds suddenly

left red trails, and their voices echoed. I looked up, and I saw a red eye. It pierced my soul, and I

shielded my eyes. Voices of ones I had lost filled my mind, and they all echoed. Everything was

repetitive, but each time it seemed like something new. Some happy, some exciting… but each

one was taken over by a sorrowful one that followed afterward. I realized- I realized that

sorrowful memories always take over the good ones. I wanted it all to end. My senses became

distorted. And then I woke up choking up water. I was stranded in stormy waters. I was relieved

to be out of that state… but then I realized that I was about to die of hunger… or most likely…

die from drowning.

“My clothes were soaked but the gods seemed to answer me when I saw a small log that

seemed able to float. I clung onto it with my arms and closed my eyes… hoping that it would

carry me to shore.

“And here I am. I started floating around a few days ago… and I washed ashore…

well…around the time you found me.” Zara rested her head on a pillow and sighed, taking deep

breaths. Eira thought that she had finished her story until she said, “There was something…
though… that was killing everything. An area would suddenly be filled with silence and leaves

would fly everywhere. I would hear the voice of my father… calling to open my eyes. But I

didn’t. I kept them closed. I stayed tucked into a ball, for I heard that it is Gamoron… trying to

get people to look at him. Then they would suddenly have this strange feeling. Their senses

would become distorted and they would hurt themselves. I-I- I’m scared… Eira,” the lady started

to cry. Eira looked over at her and raised her eyebrows. That was the strangest thing she had ever

heard… and she thought a few minutes ago that being a Dragon Caller was the craziest thing she

had heard. Eira sat down and crossed her legs.

“I - I had no idea,” Eira said, putting a hand up to her face, trying to process the story.

“Wow! That is sooo like Uncle Gamoron!” Sierra exclaimed.

“Sierra! Get back into hiding. Wait… wha-” Eira gasped and looked at Sierra’s sweet

face.

“Yeah, Gamoron! My mama used to tell me stories about him when I was in my egg.

You know… dragons have special connections with their mothers and fathers. Even when our

mothers and fathers are dead, they are still able to speak to us through dreams.”

“Why didn’t it occur to you that this is IMPORTANT INFORMATION?” Eira stood up

and crossed her arms, her platinum blonde braid swinging forward.

“Well, you didn’t ask if Gamoron was my uncle,” Sierra said, lifting her snout to the air.

Eira snorted and went downstairs. Those crepes smelt good.

“What can I get for you on this fine day?” the innkeeper asked, unscrewing a cap of milk.

He dumped it down his throat.

 “Fine day? It’s sunny and in the high seventies. Too hot,” Eira replied. The words were

ruder out loud than they were in her head. The innkeeper’s brows furrowed. Eira rested a

shoulder on the bar and said, “May I have three-” Eira paused and realized that Sierra was going

to need a lot more than one crepe. “I mean… seven of the chocolate crepes.”

“Certainly,” the innkeeper said gruffly. Eira watched as he went to the back and Eira

could hear little slices of conversation. After a few seconds, the innkeeper came back, waving

her away. Eira slumped and walked to the side while waiting for her food. A man in a clean

white apron came forward and started to yell at a young boy who was holding three chocolate

crepes. The man then dropped four more in his arms and pointed at Eira. The boy nodded

vigorously and crept over to her, shaking a little.

“I- ma’am… here are your order… I mean…. Here is your order,” the boy said, panting.

The boy placed them on the counter and Eira did her best to hold them all. She then carried them

upstairs.

Zara ate quickly and argued that she needed a second one. Eira sighed. If Sierra was

going to have five… then it couldn’t hurt if she gave one of Sierra’s to Zara.

“Here. Have this,” Eira held out another to Zara while she was eating. Zara grinned and

ate.

“Why no drink? WHY NO HOT CHOCOLATE?” Sierra growled at Eira. Eira rolled her

eyes and replied,

“Sierra. You are ​fine​. You do NOT need hot chocolate. You have four crepes-”
 “Four?! I need more! What happened to five?” Sierra crossed her arms and frowned. Zara

laughed.

“Sierra, please… stop being a drama queen,” Eira held her hands in the air and cringed.

“Pfft! How ‘bout you stop talking and go get me more food,” Sierra argued. Eira didn’t

reply. Even though Sierra looked chill, she sure wasn’t.

“How about we all start to calm down and take deep breaths,” Zara said. Sierra rolled her

eyes and then stuck out her tongue.

“Sierra, you shouldn’t be out of hiding for this long. You’ve eaten, and now you should

hide,” Eira commanded. She lowered her gaze. “Please. I just want you to stay safe.”

“Well I want ​you t​ o mind ya own business and get your mouth back to eating your

crepe,” Sierra smirked. She crossed her arms. Eira sat down and grumbled.

“How about this- Sierra, if you tone down a little and promise that you will hide…” Zara

smiled. “... Eira will get you another crepe.”

Sierra’s ears perked up. She grinned. “I promise I promise I promise!” Then she lowered

her head. She whispered, “I’ll be quiet, too.” Zara winked at Eira. Eira nodded in thanks.

“Row, row, row your boat…” Sierra sang. Eira flung a trunk onto the boat. Sierra caught

it and grinned. Zara stood at the edge of the water and watched.

“I still wish that you would come… but at the same time… I don’t want you to get hurt,”

Eira spoke, her voice wavering. She didn’t know what was going to happen… once she and

Sierra reached the volcanoes. Zara lowered her head.

 “I-I cannot let those… nightmares… illusions… well… whatever they were… happen

again,” Zara croaked. Tears seemed to be forming in her eyes. “I don’t think I’ll be able to tell

anyone else what happened to me… apart from my parents. But they’re gone now.” Zara

suddenly pulled out two cloths. Blindfolds. “Take these,” she whispered, “In case if… well, you

get voices in your head. Don’t let yourself see him.”

“Oh!” Eira slapped her forehead. She sighed. “I forgot to tell you-”

“Tell me what?” Zara asked, hope forming in her eyes.

But Eira never got to tell her that her father was alright because Sierra had already cut the

rope that kept them tied to the shore. Sierra flapped her wings and the wooden boat sailed

forward.

“Your father is alive!” but Eira didn’t know if Zara had heard her, as her voice was lost in

the wind.

“Eira! Look! Water!” Sierra lifted out a claw and stroked the waves. Trickles of ice

formed and Sierra drew back her hand quickly. Eira laughed, her hair tie flying out of her hair in

the wind. Her hair became a cascade of silver in the moonlight. They were going to defeat

Gamoron. Though the world would never be free of shadows, it could swirl with hope.

Eira put on her hood and merged into the darkness. She wasn’t good, nor bad.

She was a Dragon Caller.

To be continued...