A Dragon's Mind: A New Adult Fantasy Dragon Series (The MINATH Chronicles Book 1) Read online

  A Dragon’s Mind

  The MINATH Chronicles

  Book 1

  A. L. Tippett

  Copyright © 2020 A. L. Tippett

  All rights reserved. This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means–electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise–without prior written permission of the publisher.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, locales or events is entirely coincidental.

  ISBN: 978-0-6488121-1-1

  Published by Fire Fly Books

  British spelling and grammar used throughout this book

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three – Four Weeks Ago

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six – Three Weeks Ago

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight – Two Weeks Ago

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve – One Week Ago

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  EPILOGUE

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Links

  Chapter One

  Slinking forward, Seraphina Azura stalked her prey. The fresh mountain air filled her lungs as she peered through the trees, seeking her quarry. Sweat beaded on her temple and dripped down her neck while her shirt clung to her tanned skin. Her backpack, which felt heavier by the hour, made her sweat even more. Glancing down, Sera tracked the deer, the two-toed hoof prints obvious in the mud. The ground was soft here. Being careful not to slip she sidled quietly behind a large boulder to consider her next move. There was a freshwater creek not far ahead. Chances were good the deer was headed that way and she could cut it off before it reached the water. She swung her rifle out of the sling on her pack, slid the magazine into place and pulled the bolt back, ready to load the first bullet.

  Closing her sapphire eyes, she listened intently. The quiet of the bush swept all her worries away as she tuned into the sounds around her. The rustle of the wind through the trees, the chatter of the native birds, and the cheerful bubbling of the nearby creek enveloped her. It was so much calmer than the busy streets of her home in Mandar City. Her job as a Tracker at the Mythic Relations Office kept her busy travelling around the country so, thankfully, she didn’t have to spend too much time holed up in her tiny apartment. Whenever she had a weekend off from work, she liked to escape into the wilderness to do some traditional hunting. It was her preferred way to relax, as opposed to the usual stress of tracking and reporting the movements of mythical creatures that had broken the law.

  The rustle of leaves underfoot alerted her to the deer’s location just ahead of her and to the east. Opening her eyes, she silently lifted the gun and laid her right cheek against the stock. Lining up the deer’s head in her sights, she inhaled, held her breath and gently squeezed the trigger.

  ***

  The sun’s last rays bled away into the west; she’d have to make camp soon and the creek was as good a place as any to settle for the night. After pulling the long tendrils of auburn hair that had escaped from her ponytail back into place, she slid her favourite knife through the belly of the doe she’d shot and deftly skinned the animal. The hide was of good quality and a rich red, a popular colour. She’d be able to fetch a decent price for it at the Mandar City Market. After sectioning the meat, making sure she kept a portion aside for tonight’s meal, she salted the rest of it and hung it in a burlap sack off a low-hanging tree branch. She didn’t want the meat to spoil before she made it back to civilisation. She cleaned her hunting knife and warmth filled her heart at the memory of her father gifting the blade to her at her graduation from MINATH. The Mandar Institute for Negotiators, Alchemists, Trackers and Hunters offered four-year apprenticeships in each of their four programmes for five recruits a year. Knowing how much it meant to her father, she was thrilled to be chosen as one of the five Tracker apprentices when she turned seventeen. He had been so proud when she graduated as a fully qualified Tracker like him.

  The short blade had belonged to her mother and was perfect both for skinning and close combat. The staghorn handle moulded itself to her hand as if it had been made specifically for her. Arms training at MINATH included all types of weapons and whilst her rifle was practical when hunting larger game, she preferred knives. She named her knife Firinne, and it had a pattern of silver running along its edge. An Alchemist had assisted the blacksmith in the forging of the blade, and it was inlaid with the essence of numerous crystals to battle a variety of magical creatures.

  Her calloused hands pawed briskly through the contents of her pack. She shifted the small tub of Heal ointment out of the way and pulled out her water canteen. Making her way towards the creek, Sera enjoyed the tranquillity of the water bubbling over the stones and the lilting birdsong as they heralded the demise of another day. Picking her way carefully over the mossy rocks, she bent down and picked some watercress that hugged the bank. She quickly refilled the canteen and squeezed two drops of the Filter treatment she always kept in her pack into the water. The Alchemists at the MRO worked tirelessly to create various treatments to be used in the field by Trackers and Hunters. The vial of Filter ensured that any water they found whilst away from the city was safe to drink. All Trackers and Hunters carried an MRO Survival Kit issued by the Alchemists on their assignments. They also had the option to request additional treatments they needed for specific tasks. Sera remembered one particularly cold mission during winter where she had to stake out the den of a rogue snow foxen that had killed a child. She had been thankful for the tonic of Warmth an alchemist had made for her as she shivered her way through two nights, making notes on the mythic’s habits.

  Sera smiled to herself. While the alchemists may be talented, they weren’t known for their creativity when it came to naming the mixtures, although their sensible names did make it easy to remember what they were all used for. Tucking the Filter bottle securely back in its place, she swiftly made camp to beat the approaching dusk. After setting the fire alight and laying her bed roll out, she glanced at her mobile phone, noting the one measly bar of service that shone in the top corner. She turned it off. She wouldn’t need her phone tonight.

  As she lay in her bedroll, Sera drowsily gazed through the tree’s leafy canopy into the night sky. Her belly was full, from the watercress she’d found in the creek along with the fresh venison she’d cooked over the fire that now flickered beside her. The stars peppering the blackness and the moon’s thin silver crescent gave little light. She always enj
oyed her camping trips away by herself. No need to check in every night by phone with her Hunter partner, no need to write a report every day on the movements of the beast she was tracking. Her body was exhausted from the hard trek today, the dull ache settling into her muscles. Letting herself relax, she slipped into unconsciousness.

  Chapter Two

  That night, she dreamt. She felt the resistance of the air as her strong, copper coloured wings pulled her through the sky. The ground was far away, but the sliver of moon was her close friend. Her ivory claws curled in anticipation of the hunt and she knew that the lethal horns and spikes adorning her scaled skull weren’t necessary to defeat the puny game that roamed these hills. The beating of her glorious wings was a familiar and yet entirely foreign sensation. She suddenly realised she wasn’t alone. She swung her head to and fro, searching for the imposter when she realised the other consciousness wasn’t outside at all, but rather inside her mind. With that realisation came a violent mental attack. She recoiled, desperately trying to evade the internal ambush. Scenting the air, she smelt smoke from a fire. She scanned the ground far below and saw the red glow of dying embers to the south. Folding her wings, she dived towards the enemy.

  Gasping, Sera bolted upright in her bedroll, drenched in sweat. Looking around she saw the coals still glowed from her fire.

  What a strange dream. She still felt the elation inside her chest as she relived the feeling of freedom and power from her flight. Blinking the sleep from her eyes she shook her head, trying to dispel the remnants of the dream from her thoughts, but pressure built in her eardrums and she recognised the sound of heavy wing beats, getting louder with every stroke. The limited light from the moon vanished as the dark shadow of giant wings filled the sky above her.

  Eyes wide, Sera felt a scream clawing up her throat, but she forced it down. Wrenching free from her bedding, she scrambled for her rifle. In one move she swung the gun up and threw herself at the nearest tree, balancing against it to steady her shaking arms. Branches snapped and tree trunks cracked as the giant beast roared its anger. Leaves and dust ballooned around her, making her cough as the creature landed. Sera struggled to shove the bolt into position, but fear made her fingers clumsy and wooden. She glanced back up at the gaping maw and froze, unable to pull the trigger as she stared at the creature in front of her. It was a dragon. Her eyes saw the dragon, but her brain couldn’t process it. There weren’t supposed to be any dragons left. The Trackers and Hunters of old had hunted them to extinction during the Mythic War. Before she could snap out of her daze, the emerald eyes of the dragon were upon her, pinning her to the spot.

  Time seemed to slow as they locked eyes. Sera flashed back to reading a story in her history class when she was studying to be a Tracker. The tale of Borin and The Sapphire Dragon. Borin was a famous Tracker from before the Mythic War who had found a rogue sapphire dragon. The female dragon had hypnotised Borin, compelling him to protect her instead of contacting his Hunter partner as per procedure. They had run away together, where he shared top secret information with the dragon and endangered the citizens of Mandar. Borin’s partner, the Hunter Ajax, had found them in the mountains and carried out the law as laid out by the President, executing them both. Sera could just recall a paragraph in the story when Borin first met the dragon: he had dropped his weapons, bowed down and avoided eye contact which was why the dragon had spared his life. She wrenched her eyes away from the penetrating orbs staring at her and threw herself on the ground. She made sure to drop her gun to the ground to appear unarmed but kept it within reach in case she needed it.

  The dragon peered down at her prone form and snaked its head forward, “Stand up and speak, human,” the deep voice commanded. “Why were you intruding on my thoughts?”

  Her mind boggled. Not only was there a flesh and blood dragon standing in front of her, but it could speak! She didn’t know if her colleagues would ever believe her when she reported this mythic encounter.

  A low growl rumbled from deep within the dragon’s belly and he repeated, “Stand up! Why did you connect with me?”

  Keeping her eyes down, Sera frowned as she stood on shaking legs. What does he mean, intruding in his mind? Aloud, she murmured, “I don’t know what you mean.”

  He huffed a frustrated sigh and smoke curled from his nostrils. “Earlier this evening, you entered my mind and observed my flight before I realised you were there. I did not welcome you and allow your conscious to join with mine, and yet, there you were. How and why?”

  Shaking her head in disbelief, Sera managed to stammer out, “I thought it was a dream. I don’t know how it happened.”

  His tail whipped around and felled a nearby sapling, frightening her. “You don’t know how it happened?” He eyed her incredulously. “You have no idea of your power? It’s either that, or you’re lying. Whichever one, it is... troublesome. I see no alternative but to seize you until we understand what danger you may pose.”

  He acted so fast she didn’t have a chance to reach for her gun; his left talon snapped forward and sharp claws locked around her body before he leapt into the air. Three powerful strokes of his wings saw them above the tree line. Sera couldn’t help herself, she screamed and beat her hands against his claws in a futile escape attempt. She gazed in anguish as her pack, with her weapons, ointments and her phone dropped out of sight, and with it her hopes of escape. The wind whistled past her ears and the cold air tore at her clothes. She felt dizzy as the earth grew smaller, her camp near the creek no longer distinguishable from the rest of the bush. The dragon banked to the west, towards a dark shadow on the horizon, barely distinguishable from the night sky. Straining her eyes, she made it out to be a distant mountain that rose high into the sky, dwarfing everything else. It made the ranges she’d been climbing earlier that day seem little more than hills.

  They travelled quickly, his great wings torpedoing them through the sky. She was unsure exactly how much ground they had covered but knew it would have taken her weeks to hike on foot. Peering down, she saw they were flying across the Red Waste, a seemingly endless stretch of dead land, a remnant of the horror of the Mythic War. The years of fighting had stained the land beneath them red with blood, and it could no longer support life. No trees or rivers graced the terrain, and no animals dared tread on the lifeless earth.

  Where, in the name of Ghaia, am I being taken? Even invoking the Goddess of Earth’s name could not stop the fear from coiling itself around Sera’s gut, taking fierce hold of her sanity. Various scenarios sprouted unbidden into her mind of ways she would be killed by the beast. As time wore on, her body started to stiffen from the freezing air, her limbs protesting from being tightly confined within the dragon’s iron grip. After what seemed like an age had passed, but in reality would have been no more than a few hours, a long, thin, silver shimmer on the mountainside caught her eye. As they flew closer, she saw it was a waterfall reflecting the moon’s light. Sera couldn’t locate where it ended but she saw that it exited the mountain from a gaping hole near the top of a cliff face. The dragon seemed to be heading straight for it. His weight shifted and his wings changed their rhythm as he prepared to land inside the mouth of the cave. He gained purchase on the edge with his hind legs and dropped his weight forward, jolting her as three of his legs took their combined weight. He held her upright now, using his hind legs to walk further into the cave and his right foreleg for balance.

  Her heart hammered and panic set in – feverishly she searched for an escape route in the hope that she could make a quick getaway. She knew from what she’d read in the past that dragons ate meat, but the fact that he hadn’t killed her immediately gave her hope he wasn’t planning on making her his next meal. She didn’t want to take any chances, though. From what she could see the main source of light shone from the cave mouth, but there seemed to be small pinpricks of light high above her head as well. While she was craning her neck back, a smouldering light appeared above her head as the dragon’s chest glowed and a dee
p rumble echoed around them. He opened his jaws and breathed flames onto a pile of logs in the centre of the cave. She cringed away from the blast of heat. Turning quickly, he carried her to the wall of the cavern where part of a skeleton of some great beast sat, not as large as the dragon but still bigger than any other animal she’d ever seen. The spine of the creature lay on the floor with the ribs pointing towards the ceiling. With large stalagmites at each end of the ribcage closing off the gaps, it created a very effective cage.

  He adjusted his grip on her, dangled her through the hole where the sternum should be and dropped her inside. She stumbled and fell as she landed, her muscles numb and ungainly from being held so tightly in the frigid air for so long. Her teeth chattered uncontrollably, and while her jacket had offered some protection from the wind, she was still freezing. With the fire crackling before them, Sera began to thaw out and could finally see the layout of her new prison. With her back to the wall, the cave’s entry was to her left, where thin green vines crawled along the rock. Beyond the fire was the stream that tumbled into the waterfall she’d seen as they had flown in. She could just make out a cluster of boulders on the far side of the cave where the stream emerged from a small, dark void. She could barely distinguish the ceiling of the cave that faded into the darkness far above her head. Shadows danced on the stalagmites and stalactites scattered through the massive space.

  The dragon stalked away from her, his tail swinging, and began pacing the floor. The light from the fire created a golden sheen on his coppery scales that covered a muscular body. As he walked past her, Sera saw a jagged scar running across his left shoulder. It must have been a great beast that tore through the scales and into his hide as this dragon was obviously in his prime. His immense form struck her once again; she wouldn’t be able to touch his belly even if she stood on her tiptoes. The fact that he fit inside this cave comfortably went to show just how colossal the space was. As he turned away from the cave mouth, his green eyes flicked to hers and he stopped his march.