SWNOVELS Dragonia: Rise of the Wyverns – Chapter 28
Devarius sat at a round table between Ellisar and Tynaer. Everyone stared at him, or rather, at the small wyvern perched on his shoulder. Most of the people at the table Devarius didn’t recognize, but he did notice Paedyn and Aquila had been invited. Devarius assumed the others were important leaders in the Resistance.
“Thank you all for coming. As you may notice, we have very important things to discuss,” Ellisar said.
“Is that a dragon?” a young man across the table asked.
“No, actually. But it is one of the reasons we have gathered this afternoon.” Ellisar looked to each person in turn. “All of you have joined the Resistance for a reason. Many of you have lost loved ones: friends or family. We all know the empire rules by force, by tyranny. This is what we want to stop. We want peace in Kaeldroga, not fear.”
Murmurs of agreement echoed through the small room.
“For generations, we have searched for a way to combat the empire … but it has not been easy. How do we defeat an army of dragonriders? We have hidden and remained silent for so long because we’ve had no clear answer to that question. Instead, we’ve been building our numbers, training, and using every great mind to find ways to defeat the Dragonia Empire.” Ellisar gestured to Devarius with his hand. “Imagine my surprise this morning when Captain Tynaer and Devarius demanded a meeting, with a promise they had an idea that could turn the tide. When Devarius first entered my chambers with that miniature dragon perched atop his shoulder … I was left speechless.”
More murmurs filled the room.
“It is not a dragon, but …” Ellisar trailed off, glancing from one person to the next at the table. “It is a wyvern. Some of you know your history, or rather fables of the past about dragons and wyverns. None were really believed … until dragons appeared around a hundred years ago. The word wyvern seemed to have been lost when that happened; however, I did find a few books with references to them. I can only imagine a long time ago, long before the Dragonia Empire, someone else had seen both dragons and wyverns, but they were wild beasts at the time … no human dared try to tame them. Well, the Dragonia Empire has tamed dragons. We do not have access to the massive creatures. However …” He looked at Devarius. “Devarius has found an island full of wyverns. While wyverns are not as large as dragons, they are in the same family. They may be our key to defeating the Dragonia Empire.”
“How much smaller are they?” an old man with a thick white beard asked.
“Perhaps a third of the size … perhaps a little less,” Ellisar said.
“How many are there?” the same man asked.
“We don’t know. Devarius was the one who chanced by them, but he didn’t stay on the island long enough to count their numbers. I plan to start an expedition to see how many there are, and if they can be trained. This is a dangerous mission. We do not know if these wild creatures are hostile or not. However”—he pointed to Devarius—“they seem friendly, or at least, indifferent. Devarius also confirmed a large one landed on the ground near him, sniffed him, and took off back into the sky. It did not harm him, which is promising.”
Chatter filled the room as several men tried to ask various questions.
Ellisar held his hand high. “Silence.”
Everyone closed their mouths.
“This is not a debate. This is an expedition. Tynaer will go, as will Devarius. However, I need volunteers and recommendations. We need enough to stay behind to protect Saefron, but we need more than a few on this expedition: trained warriors, in case we run into trouble or the wyverns aren’t friendly.”
The room fell silent.
“No volunteers?” Ellisar asked.
“I am happy to go,” Devarius said.
Ellisar smiled. “I already knew you were going. Besides being one of the few who knows where this island is, I do hope that baby wyvern of yours helps convince the other wyverns we’re not enemies.”
“Unless the mother knows it to be her missing egg and instead wants to kill us all to get her child back,” spat Vikron, a warrior across the table from Devarius.
Ellisar furrowed his brow. “That is possible, I suppose. I did mention that the mission is dangerous.”
The room remained silent.
Ellisar sighed. “The Resistance needs help. We cannot face the dragons man versus beast. We need help, and I believe these wyverns may be that help. We need a full company to travel with Devarius and Tynaer to the island. Warriors are needed, archers, chefs, leatherworkers, blacksmiths, shoemakers, seamstresses, and many more.” Ellisar brushed his hands through his hair. “I don’t imagine this task will be swift. It may take years of training with the wyverns, or it may take less. If we’re successful and begin training with wyverns, I’ll need word back here. But, I’m begging all of you, consider this, consider who you know who would join this mission. We need everyone to help. Tomorrow, they will leave.” Ellisar met every person’s eye. “They will leave at dawn.”
No one spoke as Ellisar rose. “Dismissed.”
Everyone exited except for Devarius and Tynaer.
Devarius stood next to Ellisar. “I don’t plan to let you down.” He bowed.
“Good,” Ellisar said. “But make sure you stay safe.”
“Of course.” Devarius smiled.