Writing Resources from Fifteen Minutes of Fiction

A Draken Rising; Part 1, Malus Cimmerii

Malus Cimmerii sat comfortably in his throne, drumming his fingers impatiently on its golden arm. He was bored, nothing of any interest to him had taken place recently, and he needed news of something.

“Sir, your wine.” The slave shivered in fear as the cold, deep-green eyes of Malus Cimmerii , leader of the Wyriens, seemed to pierce into his heart.

“You took long enough to get here.” Malus muttered as he took the glass. The slave waited fearfully as Malus took a sip. “Fool !” The slave shrank back as Malus spat out the wine. “I wished for red wine! Not champagne!” Throwing the glass to the floor, Malus leaped to his feet, eyes ignited red with wrath. Drawing his katari, he slashed at the slave. The unfortunate slave recoiled in pain as the tip of the blade opened up a gash on the slaves cheek. Sheathing his blade, Malus kicked the glass at the slave, splashing him with wine.

“Clean that up!.” Malus snapped, ”and bring me some good wine.” As Malus took his seat once again, the great hall’s doors swung open. “Ah, Cao Nocens, and how goes your day? I dare say it has gone better then mine.”

Cao Nocens bowed. “Your majesty, the men you sent out three days prior have returned.”

Malus sat forward in excitement. “Have they found anything?”

“ No my lord, nothing.”

Malus sat back in discust, "Nothing. That is all they have found, nothing? Why? Is there nothing to find? Our men must have training! But the fools, all they found was nothing?"

“That is either because they are blind, deaf, or simply do not know where to look. The last of the three being more likely.” Stepping out of the shadows, Rafael strode up to Malus, and knelt down on one knee. “Father”

Malus nodded. “Stand and speak my son. What have you found?”

Rafael calmly stood to his feet. “As I said, they simply did not know where to look. There are two caravans traveling towards Levis. They are around sixty miles apart. The first is presently about fifty miles from Levis.”

“How exactly did you discover this when our scouts did not?” Cao growled.

Rafael smirked as his eyes studied Cao for a moment. “I have eyes in many places. There is little that happens that escapes my notice.” Rafael turned to Malus once again, and bowed respectfully. “Father, allow Cao Nocens and myself to lead a party out against these caravans. We will hit the smaller first. I claim the first caravan in its entirety as mine own. Once the prisoners have all been bound, and loaded into the wagons, Cao and the rest of the men must simply travel to the north to come across the second, and do to that one as he pleases.”

“What gives you the right to an entire caravan?” snapped Cao Nocens.

“What does not? I found them, watched them, and could have taken them entirely for mine own. Yet I felt that this could be used as a good training exercise for our men. So I brought the information forward. Do you wish to challenge me on this? Rafael put a hand on the hilt of his katari.

Cao half drew his blade. After studying Rafael for a moment, he re-sheathed it. “No. I will not challenge.”

“Good.” Rafael relaxed somewhat. “Father, we will need to leave quickly.”

“So be it then. Cao, go ready your men.”

“Yes sir!” Cao saluted smartly before turning to leave. As he passed by Rafael, he paused and gave the young man a scathing look before continuing on his way.

“I suppose you will be disappearing to your training grounds, once again.” Malus leaned back in his throne, so he could be more comfortable.

“Yes, Father. I will likely be gone for a good eight months, once again.”

“Do not forget to return the twelfth of March. You turn nineteen, this year.”

“No, Father, I will not forget.”

Malus grinned, “Good.”

Rafael bowed slightly, once again, before stepping back a few steps, and turning, proceeded out of the room.

As Rafael stepped outside into the bright sunlight, he noticed Cao and thirty of the highest-trained Wyriens, the Acerbus, standing to the side, ready and waiting to go.

“We are ready, my lord.” One of the men held out the reins of a great wyvern to Rafael.

“Excellent.” Mounting smoothly, Rafael, Cao, and the Acerbus quickly rose into the air. As they circled upward, to gain height, Rafael glanced down at Caligo. Oh, how he hated that place! The towering walls and the fearsome keeps, the pristine palace, the giant barracks, the foul wyvern roost, and the stinking slave pits. He hated it all. As soon as he had become old enough, he had begun spending as much time as possible away from that foul place, yet, even that was not enough. He wished he could leave and never return, but that was not possible. He knew nothing else. Yet, perhaps, that would change soon enough.

Turning his wyvern, Rafael headed off towards the west, with Cao Nocens and the Acerbus close behind.

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