A Tale of Dragons

Chapter 1

***Author’s Note***

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*****

PROLOGUE

Ethan's ancient clock radio warbled the old country song. "You can spend your whole life building, Something from nothing, One storm can come and blow it all away, Build it anyway."

He grabbed the radio and threw it across the room so hard it broke open and spilled electronic components everywhere.

"What was that?" Ethan's mother asked over the phone.

"The radio was spouting lies and I couldn't take it anymore." He replied while trying in vain to keep his voice even.

"I know it looks bad right now, but I promise it'll get better." His mom repeated for what seemed like the hundredth time. "You couldn't have known."

"I should've known." He fumed and resumed his pacing. "She always liked him a lot."

"Honey, you can't--" she started, but Ethan cut her off.

"I don't want to talk about it right now." He said. "I just called to let you know the wedding is off so there's no point in you flying out tomorrow."

"We should anyway." She said. "What about your business? I thought you two were partners."

"Oh, that's the best part." Ethan curled his hands into a fist so tight it hurt. "They must've been planning this for a while because my name disappeared from a few key documents. He got a controlling interest and kicked me out."

Ethan aimed a kick at the nearest object. Unfortunately, it was his old gas stove and he kicked it so hard that it pulled away from the wall. Ethan winced as a sharp pain shot through his foot.

"But you started and built that business up from nothing..." She trailed off. "Your dad and I are flying out anyway."

"Well, I won't have a place for you to stay." Ethan flopped down in a recliner to get off his painful foot. "Almost all my money was in the company accounts and since he cut me out, I've got nothing. I won't make rent and it's due in a couple of days. You know what my landlord is like."

"I know this looks bad honey, but--"

"Please don't say it could be worse." Ethan cut her off. "Seeing as my fiancé ran off with my best friend and the business I spent the last decade building, I don't see how. I have to go."

"Okay." She said. "We'll be praying for you and we'll see you soon."

"Sure." He said and hung up. A tiny part of him felt guilty for the way he'd talked to his mother, but the train wreck of his life buried that part pretty well. He pulled the recliner back and winced as he elevated his foot. The old gas stove was still there, the dent in the side mocking him as it sat c**k-eyed from its original position.

"If there's a God out there, can you please give me a fresh start?" he wished idly. "And while I'm asking for miracles, could I meet the perfect woman for me?"

He scoffed at the idiocy of what he'd just said then closed his eyes. He just wanted to sleep; to have this miserable day end. The last thing he remembered before he drifted off to sleep was the faint smell of gas in the air.

CHAPTER 1

Ethan slowly returned to consciousness trying to remember a dream he'd been having. He had been hovering above his own body in his apartment, but everything had a strange purple color to it. He remembered seeing the gas pipe of his old stove was broken and then drifting upwards toward a bright light. After that his dream got very fuzzy.

He vaguely remembered seeing other people and creatures that looked like they were from another world. Everything was in that strange purple color and they were all drifting upwards toward the bright light together. And then there was a dragon,

And...

And...

Ethan tried to remember, but the dream was slipping from his head as he did so. He remembered something heading for the dragon. It had missed the dragon though and latched onto him instead. He'd felt a sharp pulling sensation, then nothing.

"That is not my son." A deep voice said right above Ethan.

"I did say it was a long shot." A squeaky voice responded from somewhere nearby. "I'm sorry I couldn't return your son to you my lord."

"It's no matter." The deep voice said. It sounded like he was yawning. "I can always find another mate."

Ethan groaned. He felt like someone had used his head for a punching bag. He tried to move, but his limbs didn't want to cooperate.

"What shall I do with this one?" the squeaky voice said and Ethan felt someone kick him in the... Well that was strange. It didn't feel like his legs, arms, torso or head. But someone had definitely kicked him somewhere.

Ethan opened an eye. He was going to open both eyes, but that would've taken a lot more work than he was willing to do. He was clearly inside some sort of cave. He could see the mouth in the near distance and the rock walls confirmed it. He glanced around and that's when he noticed something was attached to his face. It looked like someone had put one of those fake wolf snouts over his nose, but with small scales covering the surface.

"I don't care what you do with him." The deep voice said. "You may dispose of him and drain the magic to replenish your reserves."

Ethan's eye snapped open. Despite feeling like someone had turned his limbs into jelly, he summoned a massive effort and raised himself up on all fours. It felt surprisingly natural.

"Wait a minute." Ethan managed to say. Talking felt weird. His mouth and tongue seemed a different shape.

"He wakes!" the squeaky voice said.

Ethan turned his head and saw the strangest person that he had ever seen. He had thin white hair and a frail body that made him look like he was on death's doorstep. But in his eyes Ethan saw vigor, cunning, and coldness. He was wearing a simple robe and clung to a wooden staff inscribed with strange runes.

"Indeed." Said the deep voice.

Ethan turned his head toward the deep voice and his jaw dropped. He was looking at a dragon -- a real, live, speaking, talking and breathing DRAGON.

The dragon was at least 50 feet long and must've weighed several tons. Its head alone was easily the size of a full grown man. Each of its four legs was as thick as a small tree trunk, with claws that could grasp a full grown man easily. It had massive, bat-like wings that probably had a greater wingspan than the body's considerable length. The dragon's head towered at least ten feet over Ethan. Ethan just stood there and stared for a moment.

"It's not polite to stare." The dragon said in its deep rumbling voice.

Ethan looked away. "I'm sorry. I've just never seen a dragon before."

The dragon sighed. "Perhaps you should look at your reflection."

"Huh?" said Ethan. He had a habit of running his hands through his hair when he was confused and tried to do so now... but he didn't have any hair. Instead he felt two horns on the back of his head. And he didn't just feel the horns with his hands,he could feel his hands with the horns.

Then he looked at his hand and his jaw dropped.

It looked exactly like the dragon's claws, except much, much smaller. He had only three fingers and they were covered with hundreds of small scales. He still had a thumb, but it was directly opposite the fingers.

Ethan looked down to discover he looked exactly like the dragon before him -- except in miniature. He would be about 5' 7" tall if he stood on his hind legs, and weighed around 160-170 pounds. He had the same dark gray scales, his rear legs had a hock joint like a dog or cat, and the same... Ethan blinked.

He had wings.

They were folded against his back, but he could see and feel them. They sprang from his shoulder blades and when he tried to open them, they obeyed like any other limb. They looked exactly like bat wings, even down to the single hook-like claw on the leading edge of the wing.

Ethan turned to look at them closely and then felt his tail drag slightly on the ground. It was about five feet long and ended in a wide, flat diamond shape. He tried moving it around and, surprisingly, it felt as natural as moving his arms.

"I have a tail." Ethan wondered aloud

"You weren't a dragon before?" the old man with the squeaky voice said.

"Nope, just a regular guy."

"Curious, very curious." The old man stared intently at Ethan for a few moments before turning to the dragon. "I shall take my leave my lord."

"As you wish." The dragon waved his wing lazily towards a far corner of the room. "Just don't forget your spare sacrifice."

Ethan whipped his head around to look into the corner of the room. There, lying unconscious on the ground, was a woman.

"She's too much trouble to bring home." The old man said as he walked out of the cave. "Consider her a gift for dinner." He turned at the cave entrance and walked out of sight.

"Dinner?" Ethan asked.

The dragon looked at the woman and licked his lips.

"You can't be serious!"