Dragon's Tear: Denicalis Dragon Chronicles - Book Three

Dragon’s Tear: Denicalis Dragon Chronicles - Book Three

by

MJ Allaire

SMASHWORDS EDITION

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Published by:

MJ Allaire on Smashwords

Dragon’s Tear: Denicalis Dragon Chronicles – Book Three

Copyright © 2010 by MJ Allaire

Discover other titles in this series by MJ Allaire at Smashwords.com

Dragon’s Blood: Denicalis Dragon Chronicles - Book One

The Prisoner: Denicalis Dragon Chronicles - Book Two

Dragon’s Breath: Denicalis Dragon Chronicles - Book Four

Discover other titles by MJ Allaire at Smashwords.com

My Blissful Life As a Submariner’s Wife

This book is available in print on MJ’s website.

All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

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Prologue

Welcome to the beginning of Dragon’s Tear, book three in the Denicalis Dragon Chronicles!

If you haven’t read the first two books in this series, Dragon’s Blood and The Prisoner, I strongly recommend that you do, as one leads into the next. Unless, of course, you prefer a challenge, and would rather start in the middle!

Our series begins with Dragon’s Blood, where four children find a previously undiscovered cave and, like most curious children, decide to explore it. While making their way through the labyrinth of gloomy, winding tunnels, they find creatures that talk, some in unusual ways, and magical stones. After a few hours, they realize they are lost and unable to find a way out of the unfamiliar, shadowy maze. When one of the children becomes trapped in a deep, dark abyss, they come to the unfortunate realization that not all of the creatures in the cave are innocent and harmless.

Muscala, an angry and arrogant reptile, has lived in the cave for many, many moons. The creatures that live here are familiar with his name and fear him, avoiding him at all costs.

As this story unfolds, the children encounter this large creature when one of them becomes trapped in his home deep within in the cave. Seizing a golden opportunity, the evil reptile strikes a deal with the children. He first tells them the story of a special amulet from long ago that is in a particular place in the cave where he is unable to get to, then promises if they retrieve and return the amulet to him, he will rescue the trapped child.

The alternative, if they decide not to help him, is that the unfortunate child will die.

Finding they have no choice in the matter, the children go in search of the amulet, vowing to return for the member of their group who is trapped. When they reach the section of the cave where the amulet is rumored to be, they find that their predicament is not the only sad story that has unfolded in the shadows of the dark, damp cave. It is here where they meet Ransa and Kaileen, two cave creatures who have suffered their own tragic sadness and loss.

At the end of the story, the children manage to recover the amulet and rescue the trapped child, but the story does not end here. The group of friends decides to keep the amulet after Ransa tells them a story about its magic. When Muscala realizes this, he becomes enraged that he allowed himself to be deceived by a few menial children and chases them with the intention of killing them all. However, thanks to the magic they have found in the cave, the children manage, barely, to escape with their lives.

In The Prisoner, the children find themselves in a new predicament, but this time, instead of being lost inside a dark, gloomy cave, they are instead wandering around in a totally unfamiliar world. To make matters worse, they are separated and have no idea how to go about finding each other. As they explore their new surroundings, they come across new and interesting creatures, some of which are not so friendly.

The Prisoner is set up slightly different than Dragon’s Blood, and incidentally, it IS similar to Dragon’s Tear. I did this because I wanted to begin creating mini stories within a much larger one, and if you’ve read The Prisoner, you can see I did just that. As a result, we find ourselves reading through a book with seven segments: The Girls, Nicho, Micah, The Traveler, The Prisoner, Jeane, and Muscala.

The Girls – What creatures will they find as they are drawn eastward, and what item with special powers do they have in their possession?

Nicho – He is the first one of the children to discover what seems to be just a small piece of magic in this strange and dangerous world. When he comes face to face with a creature named Shia, he begins to sense that their job in this world is only just beginning.

Micah – As he wanders alone searching for his brother and the girls, the younger of the two brothers stumbles across a frisky and magnetic creature known as a yarnie cat. The yarnie takes Micah back to his village where the boy learns the history of the Dragon’s Blood amulet, and eventually relinquishes possession of special gem he has held onto since leaving the cave.

The Traveler – In this story, we are introduced to characters living in an evil, gloomy castle. Blaken is one of the evil sorcerer’s minions who soon finds himself assigned a very special task by his Master.

The Prisoner – In the bowels of the castle we find a captured human who doesn’t understand why he is being held captive. He has had several meetings with the evil sorcerer who lives in the castle, none of which have gone well. The sorcerer repeatedly asks him for answers to questions he just doesn’t have! Magic in their family? They don’t have any magic in their family! After one violent meeting with the sorcerer, the man is sent back to his prison cell and discovers, surprisingly, that he may just have special powers of his own.

Jeane – When her children don’t return home from a day of exploration in the forest, Jeane begins to worry. When her cousin Andar comes over and she tells him about her concerns, the cousins decide to set out and search for the children on their own.

Muscala – When the meddling children disappear with his amulet, the feared cave creature has a sneaking suspicion about just where they went when they escaped. He slithers through the dark cave tunnels and descends into the depths of his home, finding his own magic stored there. He vows to find them and his amulet, even though it may mean returning to a place where his own life is in danger.

This, the third book in the Denicalis Dragon Chronicles, is primarily the story of the boys and their search for both the girls and the blue amulet known as Dragon’s Tear. As the boys are drawn continually eastward, they encounter even more creatures, including a two-headed dragon! Their lives are in danger, but they continue on in hopes of finding the girls. By the time you reach the end of this book, it is clear that the boys are not only searching for the girls… they are also committed to helping the dragons recover all three of the missing amulets in hopes of saving the world of Euqinom.

Enjoy the continuing journey into the Denicalis Dragon Chronicles!

Happy reading,

MJ Allaire

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Dragon’s Tear: Denicalis Dragon Chronicles - Book Three

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THE BOYS

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CHAPTER 1

Micah and Nicho walked side by side in the early morning sunshine, each lost in their own thoughts about their missing friends who were somewhere, hopefully, in this strange, unfamiliar world. After leaving Katielda’s village, they walked silently along the path by themselves for a while before they began chatting, catching up on the events of the past few days.

It didn’t take long before they heard a noise – something was approaching them from behind. Nicho turned to greet the intruder, hand on his sword. Micah stood next to his brother defensively, also prepared to fight, if necessary.

Their caution was unfounded, however… at least this time. The nervous youngsters relaxed when they saw the familiar face from the village turn the corner and head towards them after making its way around a thick shrub next to the path.

In a few seconds, the yarnie cat had caught up with them. As they continued walking, he trailed slightly behind the boys and they all continued their journey in a comfortable silence. The dirt path they followed turned slightly north before it met a crooked fork. This divider led in two directions, east or west. As Nicho turned to take the path to his right, leading east, Ragoo quickly broke the silence.

No.

The boys stopped and turned to glance back at the striped feline with a questioning look.

What do you mean, ‘No’? Nicho asked.

He began to have second thoughts regarding his decision to allow the feline to accompany them on their way. It was very early in their journey, and the cat was already showing signs of not wanting to cooperate.

We must go the other way.

Huh? Nicho asked as he cocked his head slightly. We’re supposed to be heading east, Ragoo. That’s what Katielda told us just before we left the village.

Ragoo looked at the older boy patiently as he tried to explain.

Yes, she did say earlier that we would be heading east, but during that brief time after you left the village, she explained to me we must first go west.

West? Micah asked. Why west?

There is something we must do there first, Ragoo continued.

No, we are supposed to be heading east, Nicho argued as he turned and took a few steps down the eastward path. Come on, let’s go Micah.

Confused, Micah remained where he stood as he looked from his brother to the odd feline he had quickly begun to trust. He was unsure of what he should do.

Well? Nicho stopped and turned to look back at his brother when he realized Micah wasn’t following him, what are you waiting for?

Ragoo watched the boys in silence. As Micah’s torn gaze fixated on him, the feline’s eyes softened. He took a few steps towards the younger boy in order to try to press his point.

Micah, Ragoo began.

Come on, Micah! Nicho said angrily. "Don’t listen to him! We need to keep heading east.

Don’t you feel it? Don’t you feel whatever is pulling us that way?

When Micah didn’t answer him, Nicho added, Don’t you want to find Tonia? Diam? Kaileen?

Micah found himself torn with indecision. He didn’t want Nicho to be mad because he wasn’t following him east, yet at the same time he felt a close bond with Ragoo, and, after all he’d learned and felt at the yarnie village, he trusted him. He just wasn’t sure what they should do.

If Ragoo said they should turn and head back west, shouldn’t they listen to him? But on the other hand, didn’t the yarnie understand just how important it was to them to find the girls?

He sighed.

Ragoo knew the younger boy was struggling with his decision, but remained silent, deciding to let Micah work through it on his own.

After a few seconds of stubborn silence passed between the travelers, Micah turned to Nicho.

Nicho, you know I want to find the others as bad as you do, but…

Micah paused.

But what? Nicho prodded as his eyes flashed with impatience.

Ragoo, unable to let the younger boy struggle anymore, took a small step toward Micah.

Micah, Ragoo purred, do you trust me?

Micah looked from his brother to the cat. He could tell that Nicho was getting irritated with him for not following eastward, but there was something going on here and he just couldn’t put his finger on it.

Micah, Ragoo said again, do you trust me?

Micah, come on! Nicho shouted at his brother. It was becoming increasingly difficult for him to fight the urge to ignore both the yarnie and his brother and begin walking eastward, with or without them.

Unsure of what to do, Micah looked pleadingly at Ragoo.

Micah, you have some special items in your pocket still, do you not? Ragoo asked.

Special items? Micah asked with a confused look. He had the stones, but what other items could the cat be referring to?

Yes, special items, Ragoo said.

Micah’s gaze was suddenly drawn to the cat’s neck. There, buried under his thick fur where neither he nor Nicho had seen it before, was a collar. As he watched in stunned silence, a circle of dull blue light began to glow.

What is that? Micah whispered as Nicho just stared from where he stood a few steps ahead of them along the eastern path.

Wordlessly, Ragoo reached his paw up and slowly pushed his fur away from his neck. As he did so, a collar was suddenly revealed. Here, they saw a row of three or four tiny blue stones glowing softly in the morning sunshine.

When he saw this, Micah now understood what the cat had been referring to. Feeling a rush of excitement flow through him, the boy reached quickly into his pocket and pulled out his handful of stones. He wasn’t surprised with what he saw…

The blue stone lying in his partially opened palm was glowing with the same soft intensity as the one embedded in the cat’s collar.

Do you now trust me? Ragoo asked quietly.

Micah?

Nicho’s voice cracked with obvious confusion.

"Nicho, I think we need to do as Ragoo says. I do feel whatever force, vibes, or whatever you may call it that’s pulling us to the east, but I feel more strongly that we need to follow him," Micah answered more confidently as he nodded towards the cat.

Nicho, can’t you feel that? he asked his brother.

Nicho stood silently, looking between Micah and Ragoo. Finally his gaze lingered on the feline.

Can you tell us why we need to go west? Nicho asked in an exasperated tone as he took a few steps back toward the others. What makes you so sure we should change course now? Especially when we’ve only just begun…?

Ragoo looked at Micah and gave him a faint smile before turning his full attention to the older of the two boys. The stones in his collar continued to glow softly, as did the blue stone, which Micah continued to gently hold in the palm of his hand.

"I managed to have a few brief words with Katielda this morning as you both began your journey. In the short amount of time before I managed to catch up to you, she made it very clear to me that we must not head east… not yet.

Instead, it is imperative that we head west. We must go back to a very special place, the place which has seen many travelers over the years. In contrast, the travelers who have passed through here have not seen this special place as they could, with completely opened eyes, the cat explained.

What are you talking about? Nicho asked, confused with the cat’s explanation.

He found himself becoming irritated with Ragoo’s refusal to just come right out and say whatever it was that he meant.

Ignoring the disgruntled aura coming from Nicho, Ragoo continued.

You are one of the rare ones, my young Nicho. You have found this place I am speaking of. Not only have you found it, but, more importantly, you have seen it in such a way that many have not.

I don’t understand… Nicho began before he was interrupted by a single word which flowed from the cat’s lips… a word which caused the doubtful young man to catch his breath.

Shia…

At the sound of the name, Micah cocked his head, his emotionless face suddenly clouding with ghostly fragments of remembrance.

Shia…

Shia…

Where had he heard the name before? It sounded familiar, from something very recent, he thought. Yet he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. He closed his eyes briefly as he frantically searched his memory for the name.

How do you know about Shia? Nicho asked quietly, his full attention now on the cat.

Were you spying on me?

What are you talking about Nicho? How do you know that name? Micah asked as he cast a puzzled look at his brother.

Nicho gazed at the cat with a doubtful expression before he turned to his brother.

Shia is the… the thing that I came across yesterday when I was looking for you, he said. I’m not really sure how true it is, but she claimed to be a forest oracle.

The older boy’s voice trailed off as he remembered his encounter with the oracle the previous day, but he was quickly interrupted by Ragoo.

Ahhh, she is indeed! She is a very powerful and wise oracle, one of the few remaining on this end of our world. She has been a great source of wisdom to the yarnies for ages, and she is highly respected and trusted by both yarnies and other forest creatures alike.

Micah’s eyes suddenly opened wide as he looked at Ragoo.

I’ve heard of her, too, he said as he found the memory he had been searching for. As the cat and his brother looked at him questioningly, he continued.

Last night, I think I dreamed of her, or of her name, at least. I don’t really remember anything about it, but as soon as you said her name, it definitely rang a bell, the younger boy explained.

Okay, so if we do end up going west, just what are we supposed to do when, and if, we find this oracle again? Nicho asked without trying to hide the doubt which still lingered in his voice.

We will find her, that you can be sure of, Ragoo said.

"You must understand one very important thing, Nicho. Shia is the one we turn to for guidance, especially when we find ourselves battling with important decisions.

"It is because of her knowledge and guidance that we knew we were about to have visitors to our world… very important visitors who could likely be a major factor in our future, our very survival. She explained to us that we must open both our village and our hearts to these visitors, to do whatever we must to help them on their journey eastward.

"You, my young travelers, are those visitors. This much was clear to us as soon as Micah wandered into the village.

We’ve been waiting for you! Ragoo finished with a broad smile as he looked at both boys intently.

The slight breeze that had been caressing their skin all morning suddenly ceased without warning, and both Nicho and Micah could feel the unmistakable electric charge which now filled the air in its place. Surprised, they both also noticed that the blue gemstones encircling the cat’s neck were glowing more intensely than the blue sky on a cloudless day. The stones made the morning sky over their heads look pale in comparison.

Micah quickly became aware of a warm feeling in his hand. He smiled at himself; his fingers had closed protectively around the blue stone without his even being aware of it. He lifted his hand and opened his fingers, revealing the blue stone. The gem was glowing just as brightly as the stones in Ragoo’s collar, just as the boy suspected. Without another thought, he protectively tucked the blue stone back into his pocket.

Our world is in danger! This danger is so real, so evil… Ragoo stopped and took a deep breath. Although he imperatively needed to convey to the boys how important their mission was, he didn’t want to scare them away with the intensity of what he was feeling.

I’m sorry, he apologized as he took another breath. "I’m sure you can see how strongly I feel about this whole situation.

"You are very important pieces to the puzzle of this world, the puzzle that has become known to us as survival. Without you, our world is hopelessly doomed. With you, however, we know we can fight the evil that is trying to defeat us. You and your friends are those we have been waiting for.

We could continue to head east and forget the task which lies back to the west, but can’t you understand that if we do, nothing will matter? Ragoo pleaded with them, willing them to understand. "We could continue east, and possibly find your sister and your friends… but if we do, our world will surely be doomed, and you along with it! It won’t matter that you find each other if we all end up destroyed in the end!

Soon, very soon, we shall be tested. If we fail, nothing will matter… the cat said softly as he sat down on the dusty path.

It is now up to you.

The boys stood quietly looking at each other. As soon as Ragoo sat down, he bowed his head submissively. The aura from the blue stones in his collar lessened in intensity until only a pale, blue haze could be seen in his fur. Instantly the electric charge in the air subsided and a slight breeze began to surround them.

Ragoo raised his head and looked directly at Nicho, waiting for his decision.

Nicho, Micah began, but his brother interrupted him when he posed yet another question to the cat.

Are you sure we are the ones you have been waiting for? he asked. Just a hint of doubt remained in his voice.

Absolutely, the cat responded. Long, long ago, Shia advised us to be on the lookout for strangers to this land. She said she couldn’t be certain, but she believed there would be at least nine strangelings…

Nine ‘strangelings’? Micah asked.

Strangelings… strangers… the words are slightly different but they mean the same, the cat explained.

Nine? Nicho asked. That can’t be right. There were only four of us in our original party, but then we ended up bringing Kaileen with us from the cave.

As Nicho explained this, Micah began counting quietly on his fingers, almost without thought.

Me, you, Tonia, Diam and Kaileen, he said, looking Ragoo and holding up all five fingers on one hand. There are only five of us, Ragoo.

Five that you are aware of right now, Ragoo said, but there may be others which you are unaware of. Shia mentioned there are many traveling portals scattered throughout the land of Euqinom.

Many traveling portals? Nicho repeated. You mean there are other ways to get here besides the one we created in the cave?

It is possible… Ragoo answered.

But we have the magical stones, Micah argued.

Young Micah, Ragoo admonished him softly, you will soon realize that this world is full of magic, both good and evil. Your magical stones are but one way to create a traveling portal.

Micah glanced at Nicho, but his brother didn’t notice. He was too deep in thought to notice anything.

Nine strangelings… nine? How could that be? Who else could have traveled here with them? They both saw the girls go through the portal that was created at still water in the cave, and he went through shortly after. How could Ragoo say there were nine total?

Micah, Nicho said, did you see anyone go through the portal after I did? Between you and I?

No, Micah answered. "Muscala showed up right after you left, and he was pretty angry with us for taking his amulet for sure. But I politely excused us and stepped into the rainbow circle of light less than a minute after you did. If I would have waited any longer, he would have tried to