Dragons, dragons and-you guessed it, dragons! discussion

It was still the dead of a world-shattering night in Eratur. On a vast, blackened desert known as the Wrainx, the army of dragons landed. Once the lead creature had allowed his passengers to dismount, Jake and Tien found themselves surrounded by five of the awesome beasts, with their leader in the centre. The dragon shuffled backwards a little and bowed his head slightly. He said nothing. He appeared to be waiting for those he had rescued to begin the conversation.
“Err... Okay, I’ll go first then,” said Jake, eventually. “I am...”
“Please? We know who you are,” interrupted the dragon, in a strong, bold voice.
“You do? Yes, I suppose you must, seeing as you rescued us just in the nick of time? Gellsorr must have told you about me, about us?” Jake suggested.
“He has. He did,” corrected the dragon, the pain and hurt immediately evident in his bright orange eyes. His despair was such that he looked as though his heart had just been smashed into a million pieces, as if he had lost every single member of his family in one awful day. Both Tien and Jake could feel it deep in their souls.
Another awkward silence was once again ended by Jake, who felt compelled to say something. “I... I’m really sorry, I can’t tell you how sorry we are. We... He was the bravest of us all, the most noble guy I have ever known.”
“He was. And now he is gone,” said the dragon.
Jake couldn’t tell if the comment was meant as an accusation, or if it was merely a statement. However, before he could respond to it, Tien replied with an accusation of his own. “Gellsorr came to you, to ask you for your help. Why did you forsake...?”
The dragon stared angrily at the old wizard. Smoke billowed from his nostrils and his eyes narrowed, halting the question before it was asked. “He came. We did not listen to what he was telling us. And now, he is dead. The first of our kind to die in over three hundred years. His death call was heard by us all. It has brought us to you.”
Jake and Tien looked at each other, surprised. “Death call? Really? You actually heard him, from so far away?” asked Jake.
“We did. Heard him, and felt his energy depart from us. When his life force ceased, every living dragon shared in the moment, in the pain. We are connected to one another in ways you probably will never comprehend. When one of us perishes, we all feel the agony and desolation. For us, it is as if a part of us has left with them, and we know that we will never be whole again.”
“Oh, I see. Then, you must hate us for what we have done? And that being the case, I don’t understand? Why did you save us? I mean, you’d already decided against helping?” said Jake.
“It was you,” answered the dragon. “You are the one who freed Gellsorr and returned him to us. By doing so, you have unlocked memories and feelings which have lay dormant alongside his sleeping body, recollections of alliances forged, promises made, and vows broken. He was the eldest and wisest amongst us. His mind held more within it than any other, things which were long since lost to us. Since he returned, we have wrestled daily with our decision. Since turning him away, we have examined every inch of our conscience, searched our souls. If we had decided to return earlier, he would still be alive.”
The creature’s eyes were now full of guilt and shame. He lowered his head a little, as those around him also lowered theirs. It was silent again for a few seconds, until Jake spoke once more.
“Look, nobody’s perfect. You’re here now. I don’t know much about your history, only what I’ve been told, but the alliances you made with the Estians worked well once. Together, you defeated all those who stood against you. You beat off armies and wizards, everyone and everything who tried to enslave you. And you lived together in peace. It can be that way again, if you want it to? I will help to make it happen. However, I won’t lie to you. It’s far bigger than you could ever know. We’re facing creatures and warriors who...”
“Revalkas? Graxoth?” interrupted the dragon.
“Yeah, and then some!” replied Jake, suddenly sounding more like his old self. “I know they’re your natural enemies and that they hunted you in years gone by. You’ll have to face them again. The battles ahead will be hard fought. If you join us, many of you may die. I think it’s only fair to warn you of that, of what you’re letting yourselves in for?”
A faint smile suddenly appeared on the dragon’s lips. “Gellsorr was right about you.”
“Eh? What?”
“He told us you were honourable, and that you would tell us the truth, no matter how painful it might be. Though, that was maybe a little too honest of you?”
Jake and Tien laughed. “Ha, ha... Yeah, s’pose so. I haven’t quite mastered the art of deception as yet, or being a little more economical with the truth. I’m gonna have to work on that one,” Jake replied.
“Krrmmn... Know that when you do, Keeper, we shall in all likelihood leave,” stated the dragon, in a tone of voice which told everyone that he was being deadly serious. “...I am Resus, the elder, now that Gellsorr has gone. Those you see around you are all that are left of my kind. We have lived in peace for hundreds of years, in self imposed isolation. But, thanks to Gellsorr and you, we know now that we have been living a lie, Jake. We have denied our heritage and abandoned our friends, forgotten who and what we were. In such circumstances, sleep is hard to come by and peace is overrated, when you understand exactly what is missing, and all you have sacrificed to attain it. We will return with you now to the days of old, Keeper. We would very much like to reclaim our place in Estian history, present and future. Lead us as you see fit. Command us and it will be done, without hesitation, for as long as you stay true to yourself, to your beliefs and code of ethics. Gellsorr has opened our eyes and spoken for you. A new age has dawned. We are yours!”

The passage above is from The Estian Alliance.

The book is the conclusion to the Jake West trilogy and follows on from The Keeper of the Stones and Warriors of the Heynai.

More info at http://www.jakewest.co.uk

I'm the author by the way so apologies for self promotion.

No problem! We encourage it!
By the way, writing is good!

Cole wrote: "No problem! We encourage it!
By the way, writing is good!"

Thanks Cole :-)

wow, that was amazing!! I now want to read and find out more.

Question. Why is the cover with a wolf-man on it?

Sorry Cole, only just noticed this post. The cover of all three books depict a scene from the book. This one shows the Thargw warrior, Sawdon, through our hero's eyes as he faces him ready to do battle.

What role does Sawdon play in the books?

Sawdon is the greatest warrior to ever wield a sword. He is also the Thargw henchman of the evil wizard, King Vantrax, and the one who killed Jake West's grandmother/nearly killed his grandfather many years ago (it's complicated). :-)

Got it, maybe I willnread it.

Okay mate, the dragon/s only appear in books 2 and 3. So, seeing as I've 'shortchanged' you, if you want Book 1 free as a pdf file pms me your preferred e-mail address and I'll ping it to you.

Cheers

Thanks that would bo great!

Sent you books 1 and 2 - just don't tell everyone. lol

Will do, thanks!!

https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sh...

A chance to win a free paperback of all 3 books.

Boo you only have it for Great Britain...

Yeah sorry but postage costs for three large paperbacks.....

By way of apology; if you read electronically and are interested I'll ping you three pdf files ? Just pms me your e-mail address.

Best wishes

Sounds good. Thankfully I'm in Britain (Wales) so I've entered :)

Thanks. I've sent the pdf files as requested and will do the same for any overseas members who request it via pms.

:D