Free Kingdoms in Chaos by Michael James Ploof Page B

The crowd cheered their king as he emerged from the wall, leading the thousands of soldiers to the southern harbor.

Chapter 14
The Age of Dragons
     
     
    Reshikk was perched on the mouth of the volcano when he spotted another Terror of Dragons coming from the south. He had called all dragons to him, and now a great migration was underway. Dozens had already come to his call, and more were arriving every hour.
    He flew down along the slope and landed on the tip of a large stone column that was jutting out from the side of the volcano. With a great roar, he called the others to him and spewed forth an arc of fire thirty feet long.
    The dragons descended on the gray lava flows that had cooled and solidified long ago. Nearly every color was represented here—even a rare Gold had found its way from the western islands.
    “I am Reshikk, the last of the ancients. By the glory of the Father of Dragons I have been released from my prison.”
    Reshikk waited, eyeing the gathered newcomers. Dragons did not often lie to one another, and so to question the word of another was to directly challenge them.
    Soon, one such dragon stepped forth—a lean, well-muscled red with a large crown of horns. “The father of dragons, you say?”
    “Do you doubt my words?” Reshikk asked, staring down at the red.
    The other dragons watched the Red, waiting for the accusation. He eyed those around him and gave a disgusted snort of black smoke at their cowardice. He stood tall, spreading his smooth wings wide, and let out a blast of flame that licked at the stone beneath Reshikk’s clawed feet. Reshikk answered the challenge with a roar, and those surrounding the brave Red backed away to safety. The Red leaped into the air as Reshikk dove down to meet him, and the two came together in a great firestorm. They locked horns in the air and twirled in flight, both frantically beating their wings to keep them aloft. Claws locked in combat, and spiked tails wrapped around scaled necks.
    The aerial battle ensued as they tried to overpower one another and steer their opponent into the rocks below. Reshikk used his superior weight and shifted their tangle of horns to the side, before spraying the Red’s shoulder with green venom. The dragon shrieked and tried to get away, giving Reshikk the opportunity he needed. With a sudden flurry of beating wings, he gained the upper hand on the Red and tilted forward, pulling his tail free and wrapping it around the other dragon’s wing.
    They spiraled down to the ground a hundred feet below, with Reshikk riding the Red and bathing him in flame and acid. He landed on top of the accuser, and covered his horns in acid that ate through to the ground below.
    “I withdraw my challenge!” the Red cried. “You have been blessed by the father of dragons. I call you my KING!”
    Reshikk stood atop his defeated opponent and growled low, eyeing all nearby.
    The females gave terrible shrieking cries. The males roared for the victor and bowed before him until their horns touched the ground. Reshikk strode forth from the carnage that was the challenger’s smoldering body. Female greens dared a glance at him, and turned their long necks to look shyly to the side, shifting their hips and raising their tails skyward. Many of the other clans’ females offered themselves in this way. None of the males offered objection, remaining obediently cowed.
    Behind him the Red bitterly endured the acid as it burned through his once proud crown of horns. He stood on shaky legs so that he might bow before his king as well, and in doing so offered himself up wholly.
    Reshikk eyed him with a grin from over his shoulder, then leaped into the air and flew to the monolithic perch once more. “I have come to you with the power of your forebears, and a message from our father.”
    The dragons finally lifted their heads to regard their king. He stared down on them with gleaming emerald eyes. “The humans are weak, their kingdoms in disarray. The