Tales of the Lorekeepers 01 - Rise of the Red Dragon

believing what he was witnessing.
    “Stay back!” ordered the young boy.
    His voice was suddenly so commanding that the older man stopped in his track and looked on, praying his young friend could defend himself against this demonic figure.
    The dark man mumbled something to himself, parrying every blow Samuel tried to deal. The boy could not understand what his enemy was saying, but he immediately guessed the purposes of the dark incantations. Without any warning, the dark man lifted his free hand and formed a fireball in his palm, quickly releasing it in the direction of Malloy. Samuel barely had time to tackle the Yfel’s sorcerer as hard as he could, shifting his balance and disrupting his aim. The fireball missed Malloy by less than a foot.
    “Leave him alone!” yelled Samuel.
    The dark man laughed and aimed for Samuel’s legs with his sword.
    “He’ll die right after I am done with you, Lorekeeper.”
    Samuel jumped in the air, avoiding the circling blade that would have chopped him at the knees. As he landed, he quickly moved to his right, hoping to catch his foe off-guard. Unfortunately, the dark man had anticipated the move, swiveling away from the swords.
    As he did so, the dark man finally spotted his real target. Up until now, he had kept this young boy entertained for one purpose only. He was hoping to draw the attention of his companions. One of them in particular and there he was, running to his doom without even knowing it.
    Uther Pendragon.
    The man who would father Arthur.
    “ There you are!” whispered the dark man.
    Quickly, he turned, ducked to avoid a blow from Samuel and, in the process, muttered an ancient incantation, summoning the forces of nature through his body. When he came back up, lifting his sword to open the defense of his foe, he followed with his free hand, placing it on the young boy’s chest.
    “Malre zug itof!” he called.
    Lightning hit the blade of his sword, flowing down the metal and through the hilt, then his arm and into the heart of Samuel. Blue sparks flew from the young man’s chest and he was thrown into the air, landing several feet away, unconscious, his weapons scattered around his fuming body.
    “No!” screamed Malloy.
    Before either he or Uther could do anything, the dark man turned toward the future king of Britain and raised his sword, pointing it in the direction of Arthur’s future father.
    “Gregtol,” he said, in a deep, cavernous voice that resonated in the hearts of everyone around. “Frove naktou!”
    The blade of his sword turned an intense red, glowing like the sun. A second later, the light became a beam, which left the tip of his sword, projected in the direction of Uther. However, Uther remained upright. The spell had missed him and struck someone else. He looked down at his feet, where the crisped body of Malloy had fallen to the ground. The young man screamed in agony as the deadly, magical fire spread through his body and mind, bringing him to the verge of madness. Without thinking twice, Malloy had thrown himself in front of Uther, sacrificing his life to save a future king.
    “You fool!” the dark man called out.
    Uther knelt next to Malloy, placing a hand on his shoulder.
    “Hang on, my friend,” he whispered.
    Uther looked up at his enemy, only to see him speak the same words he had pronounced only a few minutes ago, preparing another devilish spell. This time he would be the only target left standing. This time the dark man would not miss.
    However, before he could finish his dark incantations, the ground suddenly shook violently and sent the evil sorcerer to the ground, forcing him to let go of his sword and breaking the spell he was preparing. Before he could react, a high-pitched shriek assaulted his ears and paralyzed his muscles, pushing every ounce of will out of his mind.
    When silence fell again, the Yfel’s wizard turned around, slowly rising to his knees. A few feet from him, the red dragon stood, watching this man who had tried to kill it, a man who was now threatening the future king of its people. This weak human, who had almost changed the course of history, was now at its mercy.
    The beast inhaled the surrounding air with a deep breath, smoke forming at the edge of its nostrils, its eyes focused on its target. The dragon’s mouth opened and a red glow appeared at the back of its throat, signaling what was about to come next.
    “I’ll see you soon,” said the dark man, turning toward Uther Pendragon,