Origins of the Never: A prequel to The Tales of the Neverwar series, with dragons, elves, and faeries. For Young Adults and Teens by CJ Rutherford, Colin Rutherford Read Free Book Online Page B

feet.
    “What do you want, Tenybris? You can’t feed on us, and if you’d wanted to destroy us you would have done so by now. So what is it you want?”
    Tenybris grinned up at the majestic creature. “Serve me, beast. Serve me and I will let you live. Your eggs and broods will be safe, your females and younglings will be free to live out their years here. As long as you and the rest of the males agree to serve me.”
    Glyran’s expression was suspicious. “How can I trust a word you say, Tenybris? You have betrayed and murdered your own People. Your friends are dead at your hands.”
    “Dead? Look at them, Glyran. Do they look dead to you?”
    The Dragon watched as several forms on horseback rode forward. His face dropped as he recognised them. Their faces were familiar, indeed some had been friends, but their expressions were completely blank.
    “Better dead than what you have turned them into, Tenybris. I never thought even you would be capable of this.”
    Tenybris laughed as he beckoned, and the line parted as a large box was brought forth.
    “You have no need to trust me, Dragon, simply to serve me.” As he spoke, the box was opened to reveal eggs. Dragon eggs. At least ten of them. Glyran watched in horror as Tenybris produced a hammer from thin air and smashed them all. One screamed, as the embryonic form within squirmed out before perishing. A tear splashed on the ground as Glyran cried.
    “What is it to be, beast? I can enact a spell right now to bring all your eggs here, and you can watch as I smash each one. Or you can vow to serve me.”
    “But what do you want with us, Tenybris?” boomed Glyran, “We are all trapped here. What do you hope to achieve?”
    Tenybris had them. He could see the defeat of the Dragon’s face. “Submit to my magic, Glyran. Lower your defences and let me truly command you. You will become mightier than you could ever imagine.”
    The Dragon seemed to be tempted to try a last act of defiance, but Tenybris produced a single golden egg from nowhere. “Your son, beast. It’s your final choice. I kill him now, or you all submit. When he comes of age, he also belongs to me. All the males do.”
    Glyran looked to the sky and roared an almighty summons. Soon afterwards a deafening sound surrounded them, as thousands of winged forms gathered above. There were multitudes of brown and green lesser Dragons, with a much lower number of greater golds and silvers. With a booming voice, Glyran addressed his people.
    “You have all witnessed the power of this...dark elf. I say we have no choice. It is either die or follow. Think hard my people. Make your choice now. All who choose to follow gather above and lower your defences. Those who choose otherwise?” He glanced across at Tenybris at this point, “I say farewell. I love you all, and I will miss you.”
    There was a flurry of movement above as the majority of the host gathered into one body. A handful separated off and attempted to escape, but Tenybris reached out his hand, and with a gesture they fell lifeless to the ground. Their souls were destroyed as before, and the universe was diminished as the energy which formed part of its structure was lost forever in an act of utter cruelty.
    Tenybris turned to take in the sight of thousands of Dragons above him. At last he could hear their thoughts as their mental defences were lowered. He could sense clearly now the hatred they felt for him, but he laughed as he reached out to all the minds together and cast the spell to bind them to him. The Dragons in the air dropped in agony to the ground, where they lay writhing for hours as the spell completed its transformation.
    In the end, all the mighty gold and silver Dragons, along with the lessers were gone. Before Tenybris, stretching in all directions as far as the eye could see was a host of black forms. They were vaguely recognisable as the Dragons they had been, but they were now a visage of pure evil. The heart of each of them was