C4 Into The Mountains
Kael barely slept.
The dragon’s voice had returned.
Weak.
Fading.
Yet undeniably real.
Skyrend…
The word echoed through his thoughts long after the sound itself vanished.
He sat on the edge of his bed, staring through the window at the distant Spine Peaks.
The mountains looked different now.
No longer a symbol of adventure.
A destination.
A calling.
And perhaps a warning.
Outside, dawn’s first light painted the sky in shades of gold and crimson.
The village was beginning to wake.
Kael knew he had a choice.
He could stay.
Forget the voice.
Return to the forge.
Pretend none of this had happened.
Or he could seek the truth.
The answer came surprisingly easily.
He was already reaching for his travel pack.
⸻
The forge was quiet when he entered.
His father was sharpening a hunting knife.
The scraping of steel filled the room.
For a while, neither spoke.
Then Kael cleared his throat.
“I’m leaving.”
The scraping stopped.
His father looked up.
The words hung between them.
Finally, the blacksmith set the knife aside.
“Where?”
Kael hesitated.
“I don’t know exactly.”
A partial truth.
“The mountains.”
His father’s expression darkened.
“No.”
“I have to.”
“No, you don’t.”
The answer came instantly.
“Whatever this is, whatever you’ve convinced yourself is happening—”
“I’m not imagining it.”
The blacksmith rose to his feet.
“You want to chase stories into dragon territory?”
“I want answers.”
“You could get yourself killed.”
Kael met his gaze.
“I know.”
The silence that followed felt heavy.
Painful.
At last, his father’s shoulders sagged.
The anger drained from his face.
Leaving only worry.
The kind a parent cannot hide.
“You sound like your mother.”
Kael blinked.
His father rarely spoke of her.
She had died when he was young.
Too young to remember much.
“What do you mean?”
A faint smile touched the blacksmith’s lips.
“She always believed there was more beyond the mountains.”
His voice grew distant.
“Always chasing questions.”
The smile faded.
“Questions can be dangerous.”
Kael swallowed.
“So can ignoring them.”
For a moment neither moved.
Then, to Kael’s surprise, his father crossed the room and opened an old wooden chest.
Inside rested a sheathed sword.
Simple.
Well-made.
Clearly old.
The blacksmith lifted it carefully.
“I hoped you wouldn’t need this.”
He offered it to Kael.
The weight felt unfamiliar in his hands.
“I thought you said I shouldn’t go.”
“I do.”
His father sighed.
“But if you’re determined, I’d rather you leave prepared.”
Emotion tightened Kael’s throat.
“Thank you.”
The blacksmith nodded once.
Then pulled him into a brief embrace.
A rare gesture.
Perhaps the rarest of all.
“Come back alive.”
⸻
Kael planned to leave quietly.
The plan lasted less than ten minutes.
“You weren’t seriously going without telling me?”
He turned.
Seraphine stood at the village gate.
Arms folded.
Expression unimpressed.
Kael groaned.
“How did you know?”
“You spent half the evening staring at the mountains.”
She pointed at his travel pack.
“And you’re carrying enough supplies for a week.”
Fair point.
“You followed me.”
“Again.”
She didn’t seem embarrassed.
“You’re developing a habit.”
“Someone has to.”
Kael shook his head.
“I’m traveling alone.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
“No.”
The scholar adjusted the satchel on her shoulder.
“I’ve spent three years studying dragon myths.”
She raised an eyebrow.
“You’ve spoken to one.”
“I don’t need a historian.”
“And you don’t know where you’re going.”
That ended the argument rather quickly.
Kael looked away.
Unfortunately, she was right.
Seraphine smiled triumphantly.
“I thought so.”
⸻
By midday they had left Ashvale behind.
The road climbed steadily into the Spine Peaks.
Forests surrounded them.
Ancient pines stretched toward the sky.
Birdsong echoed through the branches.
For a while the journey felt peaceful.
Almost enjoyable.
Then they found the first body.
Kael froze.
A deer lay beside a stream.
Its fur was scorched black.
The earth around it had been burned.
Seraphine crouched nearby.
Examining the scene.
“Dragon fire?”
Kael asked.
She shook her head.
“I don’t think so.”
“Why not?”
The scholar pointed toward the ground.
The burn marks formed strange patterns.
Circular.
Deliberate.
Almost like symbols.
A chill ran down Kael’s spine.
“What made them?”
“I don’t know.”
For the first time, uncertainty crept into her voice.
That worried him more than anything.
⸻
They reached a ridge shortly before sunset.
From there they could see miles of mountains.
Towering peaks.
Deep valleys.
Endless wilderness.
And something else.
Smoke.
Kael spotted it first.
A thin gray column rising from the northern slopes.
Far away.
But unmistakable.
Seraphine followed his gaze.
“Someone’s up here.”
“Or something.”
Neither possibility was comforting.
As they watched, a second plume appeared.
Then a third.
Not campfires.
Too large.
Too much smoke.
Something was burning.
The wind shifted.
A distant roar rolled across the mountains.
Kael’s blood turned to ice.
Dragon.
The sound carried pain.
Fear.
And rage.
Then the voice returned.
Stronger than before.
Not because the dragon was healthier.
Because they were closer.
Dragon Speaker…
Kael staggered.
A sharp pain shot through his head.
Seraphine grabbed his arm.
“Kael?”
His vision blurred.
The mountains seemed to spin.
They’re hunting us.
The voice sounded desperate now.
Terrified.
Find Skyrend.
Before the Veilbreakers do.
“What are Veilbreakers?” Kael whispered.
The answer came immediately.
A single word.
One that sent a shiver through every part of him.
Humans.
Then the connection vanished.
Kael stood frozen on the ridge.
The evening wind tugged at his cloak.
Beside him, Seraphine stared in confusion.
“What happened?”
Slowly, Kael looked toward the distant smoke.
Toward the mountains.
Toward Skyrend.
And toward an enemy he had never imagined.
Not dragons.
Humans.
Someone was hunting them.
And whatever waited ahead, the truth was far more dangerous than either of them had feared.
