Tales of the Lorekeepers 01 - Rise of the Red Dragon

crumbling down, sending fiery sparks all around and nearly setting another tent ablaze. Samuel rolled onto his stomach and pushed himself up, coughing and spitting ashes he had not realized he had inhaled.
    Only when he regained full control of his breathing did he notice the ground had stopped shaking. The deafening roars were gone.
    It was over.
    “Well,” said Malloy, looking at Clive, who was trying to regain full consciousness, and then at Samuel. “That was either incredibly brave or tremendously stupid on your part.”

    King Vortigern stood beside his collapsed tent, now an imposing pile of rubble. The white fabric covered all the furniture inside, punctured here and there by wooden posts and tangled in the supporting ropes. The king looked around, speechless in the face of the destruction. Every stone the soldiers had set earlier had now rolled back down the hill, every plank they had put together to form a supporting structure had been shattered. All of the day’s work, reduced to a pile of dust and splinters.
    When the ground had finally stopped shaking, Vortigern raised his eyes to interrogate the stars as to why this had happened to him. As he did so, he saw Morghan walking toward him. Only the long history of their friendship prevented him from beheading the man he now saw as responsible for this nightmare.
    “You!” he screamed. “Is this your great idea? Is this your vision for our victory? Why have you brought us here? Tell me, before I tear the tongue from your foul mouth!”
    “My king, my friend, please believe me when I say I had no idea this place was cursed. I was just as surprised as anyone when the ground started shaking. I beg your highness to forgive me. You know my heart as always been with you and our people, my lord. I would never do anything to put either into harm’s way.”
    “That may be so, Morghan, but look around you. Look at the result of your foolishness.”
    “I may have been a fool, my king, but I come with good news. I have learned of a way to break the curse of this place. Once we are rid of it, we can resume construction of the fortress and use this strategic location to our advantage.”
    “Enough. Not one more word out of you, Morghan, or I swear I will rip your heart out with my bare hands. I want you to gather the rest of my advisors and meet me back here within the hour. Only then will you explain to me and the rest of the council the reason for your treachery and what you intend to do to cleanse yourself of your sins.”
    Morghan wanted to argue it was not his fault, that he had not committed any sin against his king or the Briton people, but he knew it was useless. Vortigern was red with anger. Anything he would say right now would not only fall in deaf ears; it would probably infuriate the irascible king even more.
    “Yes, my lord,” was all he answered.
    Exactly an hour later, Morghan was back at the king’s tent. It had been repaired with haste, and the council was able to gather inside. On the large oak table, food and wine were still served, while the rest of the army struggled to put the camp back together.
    One of the youngest advisors, a man Vortigern listened to for his political ideas rather than his war knowledge, began the discussion.
    “My king, before we discuss any matter, I must warn your highness that the army camp is in complete shambles. It is clear to everyone that Morghan’s idea of coming here was a fatal mistake. The men are cursing your name and most fear we may have attracted the fury of ancient gods by our actions.”
    “And what action would that be, exactly?” asked another advisor. “Are they mad because we are fleeing before an uncivilized enemy or because we handed them our lands?”
    The king looked at the questioning man with rage.
    “Watch your tone, Corwan, I will not tolerate your insinuations any longer.”
    Corwan bent his head slightly, faking respect.
    “Morghan,” continued Vortigern, “explain to this council why you suggested we come here.”
    “My lord, esteemed advisors, friends and respected adversaries, I present to you my sincere apologies. I became aware of this region only recently, after carefully studying many maps and scrolls for countless nights. Until yesterday, I had no specific knowledge of this place, of Dinas Ffaraon. Before we arrived here, in this mountainous region, my only intention was to find a proper place to build our fortress. I still think this is the perfect place to do