Tales of the Lorekeepers 01 - Rise of the Red Dragon

pointing at Myrddin.
    The young boy was already looking at Samuel. He had followed their conversation and now he nodded. He let go of Uther’s tunic and walked over to Samuel.
    “What’s going on?” asked Ambrosius.
    “We cannot reach the device in time to stop the man from firing it,” answered Samuel. “However, with Myrddin’s help, I think I can warn the Briton dragon. I will need all my concentration, since I’ve never done this before. Can you make sure we are not disturbed?”
    “You are definitely a strange one, Samuel, but I said I would trust you. I suggest you hurry up, though, because it appears we are quickly running out of time.”
    Ambrosius pointed to the mound, where the ball of energy continued to grow and expand. Then he quickly instructed the others to position themselves in a circle around the two boys. Malloy peeked over his shoulder to look at Samuel, who smiled at him, confident his plan would work.
    The Lorekeeper sat with his legs crossed over the crumpled tent, Myrddin taking his place in front of him, in a similar position. The two boys looked into each other’s eyes one last time and then closed them, taking hold of each other’s hands.
    At first, Samuel did not feel anything except for the cold rain falling on his face and the wind mercilessly whipping every inch of his skin. Then he felt something—a gentle heat, as if someone had lit a fire close to him. The warmth gradually became more intense, until it reached a comfortable level. Samuel could almost feel as if he was sitting in a living room, where a nice fire gently burned inside a fireplace.
    Soon after, he heard the voice of Myrddin, softly pronouncing words he could not understand, reciting ancient rituals from extinguished languages and vanished cultures. He felt his body vibrate, every molecule of his being suddenly more aware, more alive than it had ever been. He felt pure energy rise in his belly, expanding through all his limbs and then reaching his head, where it felt as if it formed a cold halo at the top of his skull. It was an extraordinary, intense, vibrant energy, waiting to be unleashed and to burst out of his head like a beam of light in search of a target.
    Taking in all the energy Myrddin was pouring into his own body, Samuel focused on his part. He imagined his aura expanding around himself, trying to get in touch with the red dragon’s own psychic energy. He formed the words he wanted to convey in his mind, a message of warning.
    “Look down,” he thought. He tried to garner all the urgency he had felt in the last minutes, as well as all the emotions passing through his being at this very moment. One last time, he displayed the message in his mind and then connected with the energy on his skull, pushing to unleash it, carrying his message wrapped in his emotions.
    He felt extreme relief when the energy left his body, as if he was suddenly eased of all his worries and anxieties. He waited a few seconds, praying his warning would be received, hoping he would connect with the red dragon.
    Alas, nothing happened.
    “It’s okay,” he heard Myrddin say in his mind. “We will try again.”
    Just like the first time, Samuel felt the heat slowly built up around his body, then the vibration in his core and the light gathering on his head. He formed the message again, but this time he added the image of the red dragon, trying to remember every detail of its enormous body: the large wings, the powerful legs, the reptilian scales. He pictured the horns on top of its head and those running down its back. Finally, he focused his awareness on the color red, using it to paint his message. He pictured the energy, as he unleashed it a second time, to be scarlet as well.
    Again, he felt nothing back. He waited a few more seconds, but still could not connect with the dragon. Unlike the horse, who had been aware of Samuel’s presence and probably of his attempt to communicate, the dragon did not know someone was trying to warn him of a danger. The beast was in no disposition to accept the boy’s message.
    “I can’t,” he whispered.
    “Yes, you can,” thought Myrddin in Samuel’s mind. “Keep trying, we have to succeed.”
    “No! I can’t!” yelled Samuel.

    On the mound in the northern part of the plateau, the dark man was also harnessing ancient energies and gathering power, but he was using a device to do it. All the energy he had stored at the bottom of the weapon, in the pedestal that Morghan’s