Tales of the Lorekeepers 01 - Rise of the Red Dragon

qualities the dice saw in you when they chose the new Lorekeeper. I’m sure you have only scratched the surface of your potential. I trust you will succeed, Lorekeeper, and I would not have our worlds’ fate in any other hands than yours. I only wish you could believe in yourself as much as I do.”
    Samuel looked at Angeline. Warmth and compassion filled her radiant purple eyes. He knew she was speaking the truth, from the bottom of her heart.
    “Thank you,” he said simply.
    For a few moments, they sat quietly, observing the forest’s beauty, breathing in the perfumes of nature and listening to the symphony of wildlife waking up, as the morning mist gave way to bright sunshine.
    All of a sudden, the silence was broken by Malloy’s voice, calling out for the younger boy.
    “Sam!” he yelled. “Sam! It’s time to get going!”
    “I have to get back to the camp before they find me here, or they’ll think I am crazy,” said Samuel. “Please don’t leave me by myself for too long!”
    “Not a chance,” replied Angeline with a smile. “You’d ruin everything if I did!”
    “Come on, I haven’t done anything yet!”
    Again, the fairy’s laughter was music to Samuel’s ears. He stood and took a few steps in the direction of Malloy’s voice, where the rest of the group waited for him.
    “Oh, I almost forgot!” called out Angeline. “There is something else you should know, something which may come in handy today.”
    Samuel turned.
    “Swordsmanship is not your only talent, Lorekeeper Samuel. You are also able to commune with animal life.”
    The boy could not believe what he had just heard.
    “I can talk to nature?”
    “No, not talk. I said commune, not communicate. It’s a little hard to explain. Think of it as if your mind could connect with that of an animal, creating a sort of symbiosis, as if you were thinking alike, feeling the same things and almost becoming one. If you are scared, the animal will react to it, either by being scared as well or by protecting you. If you are confident, it may submit to your will or try to challenge you. It all depends on the nature of the animal and the strength of the bond between you.”
    “I’m not sure I understand.”
    “Give it a try. See if you can connect with the horse you ride. I would recommend you try to remain calm and peaceful. Try to make friends with it.”
    “You couldn’t have told me this before we left yesterday morning?” asked Samuel, a little annoyed he’d had to endure a whole day of pain.
    “I guess I forgot!” answered Angeline, before she disappeared in a puff of smoke. Samuel could have sworn he heard her chuckle.
    “Sam!” This time it was Kaleb calling. “Time to go! Get back here or we’re leaving without you, son!”
    Less than a minute later, he was back at the camp, where they had packed their bags and were already mounted on their horses and ready to leave.
    “In the name of God, where have you been?” asked Atwood. “You missed a terrible breakfast, which Darroch successfully overcooked.”
    “I had to take a leak,” answered Samuel.
    “Did you drain yourself of any hearing capacity as well?” asked Kaleb. “We’ve been calling your name for twenty minutes.”
    “I heard you! I’m sure you did not want me running back here with my pants around my ankles now, did you?”
    Darroch started laughing, but Kaleb cut him short.
    “All right, that’s enough,” he ordered. “Let’s go.”
    Samuel hesitated for a moment before stepping into the stirrup, remembering what the fairy had revealed to him. As the rest of the men got ready to leave and argued over which way to go, Samuel put a hand on the horse’s cheek, gently stroking the soft coat of his mount. At first, nothing much happened. He could still hear Darroch and Atwood argue with Kaleb over how to read the map. He also listened to the birds taunting him and distracting his thoughts. He looked at the horse and realized he was making the animal nervous. Samuel tried again to concentrate, this time focusing on his own breathing, making an effort to ignore all the distractions around him. Gradually, the ambient noise seemed to lose its intensity, becoming a faint whisper and then disappearing completely. As he focused, the steady beat of his own heart was replaced by a faster pulse. The heartbeat grew louder and stronger, resonating inside the boy’s core. Samuel realized he was hearing the horse’s heartbeat.
    Samuel’s focus narrowed to