Dragons of Arasme

Hello everyone, thanks for taking the time to read my story! This is my first submission here on Lit and I hope you enjoy it. This is submitted without an editor but I have done my best to correct things myself. New chapters will be submitted monthly though perhaps quicker if my children decide to actually take naps.

Again I hope you enjoy, and without it being said, though there is no sex in this chapter it will come and all participating peoples will be 18 or older.

Feel free to leave your comments! Enjoy!

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I clutched my stomach as I ran, trying in vain to help steady the weight there but as I was nearing the time of birthing my attempts did little to help my flight. I panted heavily as I ran, my breathing short and ragged after running all through the night.

The twin suns were rising and their violet and emerald hues were starting to color the horizon in front of me. It meant that my departure would be discovered soon and a search party would be sent for me. I scrambled up a steep incline, the sand of the dune shifting beneath my feet trying to pull me down, but I dug deep with my hands and feet and reached the top.

I paused only for a second before starting to travel on top of the dune, I needed to find shelter soon before the suns were too high in the azure sky that they hindered my flight, and I needed to find some place to tend my wound, if I didn't soon it would fester.

Hours passed and the suns were nearly directly overhead before I saw shelter, a small cave barely visible over the swirling sands of the dar'ha. I made my way slowly there, the wound in my shoulder slowing me as I shielded my eyes from the storm. Despite the fact that the storm would cover my trail from any hunters that would be set upon me, it was draining what little strength I had left. My waters had ruptured as I had climbed a dune only a few shades of time earlier. Labor was slow too start, but it was progressing steadily now and I found myself more afraid for the child I carried than for my own life now.

A mage, the priestess had said, one of the first since the time of the great Are'lisha, when the last great magicians had dueled and defeated each other leaving magic only to the great beasts of our world. She would have been taken from me at birth, and had she not been killed in the battles that would have taken place as different kingdoms sought to add magic to their arsenals, she would have lived a life of suffering as her magic was bled into whatever vessels the alchemists could find that would carry it.

I don't know what element she would wield, but I knew she would be a strong mage. I could feel her lending me her strength as I struggled to reach the cave, finally coming to rest out of the stinging swirls of sand a few stride lengths into the opening.

I laid heavily on the cool stone floor, allowing the coldness to steep into my warm body, but I didn't linger for too long as the fear of the impending birth invaded my mind. I needed to move further into this cave system to give myself protection from discovery from any of the sand tribes that roamed the dar'ha, the sand storm would keep their movements limited for now.

I crept closer to the back of the cave, following the twisting of the tunnel, the air holding moisture and the temperature slowly climbing. A tunnel spurred out from this main branch and I turned to follow it, hoping that I would find the hot spring I was now sure this cave contained.

I touched the walls of the tunnel, relieved to find them slick with moisture, I tried to speed up my progress in the hopes that I would make it to the warm waters for the birthing, but another contraction rocked through my body spilling more of the fluids of my womb onto the ground below.

Clenching my teeth I struggled to walk further and just as my legs began to give way I stumbled into a giant open cavern. The cavern was magnificent, the walls and ceiling glittering with gemstones that radiated with their own internal light. Bright tourmas as big as the hand of a full grown man shone radiantly besides armarines of equal size. I would have loved to wander towards the walls, gently touching the stones as i explored the room, but another sharp pain brought my mind back to the reality that my daughter was eagerly and impatiently fighting her way into this world, and this cavern, would shelter my newborn Mage.

I crept forward towards the pool of water that took of much of the space of the cavern. The bottom itself was alit with jewels reflecting their light back through the water to compete with their land bound counter parts. I hesitated only slight as I began to remove my clothing. Blood flowed anew from the wound in my shoulder, seeping its way into my clothing and to run slowly down my side, my movements in the removal of my garments agitating what fluids and sands had encrusted together to close it.

I dropped my clothing where I stood and gently place a foot into the warm water, pausing here and there in my attempt to submerge at least the distended portion of my lower half as a contraction weaved it's way through my body. I did finally come to rest almost halfway into the water, resting lightly on a shelf that supported my weight. I turned to sort through my clothing pulling out the cleanest of my garments, an under shirt and wrap, to cloth and swaddle my daughter with after her birth.

Contractions spread up, grabbing my body with their painful waves but I could feel the changes they were making, and the pressure was so great I knew I was close to expelling my daughter into the warmth of this small world that would quickly turn cold.

My fingers gripped the ledge as I moved to squat on the shelf, my hips releasing their restriction and with a slight push I felt my daughter's head come through. Using a hand and giving another strong push I looked down as I helped my small daughter breech the surface and take her first breath.

Her first cry was strong and brought tears to my eyes. She was beautiful, her skin already holding a dusky glow from my people, her mouth and nose tiny replicas of my own, and as her cries suddenly ceased and her eyes opened I sucked in my breath. Her eyes were magic, their color slowly shifting between blues and greens to every shade between.

A water Mage, a healer.

Slowly I placed her small body on my clean under garments, swaddling her tightly after I severed the cord between us. She stayed strangely silent and I could feel a tingling numbness run through my body radiating out through my body starting at my wounded shoulder.

My vision clouded and I struggled to keep my eyes open and my gaze upon my beautiful daughter, the last thing I heard was my daughter's high pitched wail. This one was different, and as I felt the water closed over my face and strange warmth fill me, I knew that there would be no waking from this sleep.

A whispered voice touched my mind

"Do not fear, I will keep watch over your youngling. Rest now."

Calm filled me and I ceased to struggle as the darkness claimed me.