Chapter One:  The Backdoor

Across the hilly countryside of Karm, where pastoral fields border on mountainous forests, the laughter and shrieks of three children ring out.

A small boy with short red-hair and a face dappled by freckles climbs up onto the remains of a fallen oak.  He holds his head up high and assumes a regal pose, despite his ill-fitting, ragged clothes.

“I am the village leader.”  Alaster announces.  “All subjects bow before me!”

A blonde-haired boy glides forward and bows deeply, careful not to touch the knees of his new pants to the ground.  “Oh great leader!”  Henry says reverently.

The girl, Luta, smirks and climbs to a higher branch of the oak. Deftly avoiding catching her long black hair and oversized blue dress on the log’s rough, crumbly bark.  “Who are you to address the Golden Dragon in this manner?”  She growls.

The game stops.

“Luta.”   Alaster says sternly.  “You cannot be the Dragon.”

Luta puffs out her chest.  “Yes, I can!”

“You’re a girl.”

“I don’t care.”  Luta’s face wrinkles obstinately.

“And he’s dead!”

“Then I’m the Dragon of Ermont!”

Henry excitedly joins them up on the log.  “I’m going to be the Clockwork Dragon!” bearing his teeth.

A cruel smile creeps across Alaster’s face as he realizes his next move.  He raises his hands above his head fingers curled like claws.  “Then I’m the Dragon of Xin!”  He turns to look menacingly upon his friends.  “And you’d better run!”

The game was back on.

Luta and Henry leap off the tree trunk shrieking, Alaster, pursuing closely his arms flapping behind him like wings.

All three children run into the treeline of pines and spruce. Luta trips on an exposed root and Alaster descends upon her snarling and clawing.  She screams and giggles, attempting to fend off her dragon friend.

Henry, a little ahead, staggers to a stop at the sight of a gaping crevice in a giant wall of stone.  The stone wall, taller than a house, is embedded in the inclining treeline that leads up into the Mountains of Ermont.  The crevice stands several body-lengths above Henry, he feels the chill as it pulls in air around him.

“Hey!”  Henry calls out after his friends.

Alaster ignores Henry and continues to pretend bite and claw Luta.

“Heeeeey!”  Henry yells.

Angrily, Alaster looks up from killing Luta.  “What!”

Henry points to the crevice.  “Look!”

Alaster and Luta stand up warily and walk toward Henry’s voice.  Seeing the cave, their mouths fall open.  

“That wasn’t here before.”  Henry says.

“No...”  Alaster’s face crinkles.

Henry shrugs; then a horrified thought crosses his face.  He turns to look Alaster dead in the eyes, “Do you think it leads to The Cave?”

“That would be…” Alaster turns.  “Luta…”  

Both Henry and Alaster look around horrified.  “Luta!”  they call.  

☼

From the cool interior of the cave, Luta can hear the faint echoes of her friends calling her.  

“I’m inside!”  she calls back and continues on.

As the last of the outside light fades away, Luta prepares to turn back, when circles of blue glowing light appear along the walls of the cave, illuminating the path ahead.

“Alaster!  Henry!”  Luta calls toward the mouth of the cave.  

The only reply, her own echo:  “Alaster-er-er-er-er-er…  Henry-y-y-y-y-y…”

She waits a long minute before shrugging her shoulders, and following the lights.

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