The Green Dragon: A Claire-Agon Dragon Book (Dragon Series 3) (23 page)

Salvador Mercer loves to read. Having read the works from Tolkien, McCaffrey, Donaldson, Asimov, Burroughs, Crichton, and many others, the desire to write took over the once sane man and now he finds himself immersed in telling tall tales and intricate fables from this world, and across the stars to many others.
His stories are inspired by past author greats, but written and moved forward by Mercer who sincerely hopes that the stories delight and entertain the reader. He invites you to enter the worlds and realms of his books, and hopes you share with him your experiences there.
Salvador Mercer is fluent in English, Russian and Spanish, having served in the US Army, 750th Military Intelligence Brigade as a Russian Voice Intercept Operator, works in the field of Public Transit, loves languages, history, reading, boating, traveling, and science. He lives in Ohio with his three boys, a baby (elf), toddler (hobbit), teenager (orc), and wife, Masha.

Claire Agon is the second planet orbiting Tau Ceti, located just less than twelve light years from our own planet Earth.  It circles its star in the habitable zone, just over two-thirds of one AU, or astronomical unit, which is the distance of Earth from the sun.  This places it in orbit about the same distance around Tau Ceti as Venus is to Sol.  It has an atmosphere similar to Earth’s, but it is different in composition, because the inhabitants of Claire Agon are silicon-based life forms, not carbon-based as on our planet.

Claire Agon has two companion moons about half the size of Earth’s moon, but circling the planet much closer, four times closer, in fact.  The two moons are tidally locked to Claire Agon, each showing the same face to the planet.  The two moons in the common tongue are called Tira and Sara, in that order.  Tira rises first, followed a few hours later by Sara.  Both moons are named for Claire Agon’s daughters in Agonian mythos.  Lunar eclipses are not uncommon due to the close orbits of the two moons to the planet, and a full lunar cycle occurs approximately every nine days.  Both moons are much like small Agonian worlds, and their blue, green, and white cloud-tipped atmospheres can clearly be seen from the surface of Agon.

Claire Agon, or simply Agon in the common tongue, isn’t the only planet circling Tau Ceti.  Recently on Earth, astronomers have detected up to five planets circling the class G star, which is similar in type to our own Sol, but it masses only four-fifths that of our own sun.  The astronomers are almost correct insomuch as the system actually has six planets.  One planet, however, they could not have imagined; it circles Tau Ceti in an elliptical and eccentric orbit, tilted at thirty degrees above the solar plane.  That planet is the size of our own Neptune, but instead of being a gaseous planet, it is a rocky planet, with a huge mass relative to Earth and an atmosphere and magnetosphere in a class unto itself.  Agonians call this planet “Dor Akun,” or “Death World,” though the term “Father of Death” is also used, depending on the culture.

Dor Akun orbits Tau Ceti once every two hundred years, and when it approaches perihelion, or its closest approach to the star, it actually comes
within
the orbit of Claire Agon.  In addition to this, Claire Agon is also pulled by the gravitational force of Dor Akun, to the point that it, too, reaches perihelion and does so at the same time as its bigger mate, Dor Akun.  During this time Dor Akun is a mere million miles from Claire Agon, and it reaches perihelion exactly on the solar plane where Agon orbits Tau Ceti, thus eclipsing Agon as it transits from perihelion and begins its slow, arduous journey up and back to its aphelion, to begin the cycle all over again.

The eclipse lasts an entire Agonian month, and its tidal forces pull mercilessly on the smaller Agon, flexing its crust and creating huge tides and displacements of waters both great and small.  Agon is cast into a cold, dark, month-long isolation, suffering immense damage to life there.

Fortunately for those who live on Agon, the event occurs only once every two hundred orbits of Agon and once every orbit of Dor Akun.  Where the two planets actually cross orbits, the larger planet, Dor Akun, is inclined by several million miles, and so the paths of the two planets never cross. 

Some Earth-based scientists, if they could witness the odd but regular orbits of Agon and Akun, might conclude that the event will eventually decay the Agonian orbit to the point where it either degrades into Tau Ceti, in a spectacular but deadly spectacle of death, or, more likely, on one pass, it will be captured by Dor Akun and her orbit will take her into the deeper regions of Tau Ceti space, where it is cold and dark and eventually even silicon-based life would freeze to death. 

This, however, isn’t the only thing that occurs during the transit event.  On Earth, we are protected from radioactive particles by its magnetosphere.  In Agon the sphere is weaker and charged particles rain down from Tau Ceti yearly, but during the transit event the great magnetosphere of Dor Akun acts much like a wing does on a modern-day airplane as it slices through the air; it funnels a steady stream of highly charged particles from the local star around itself and onto the surface of Claire Agon every two centuries.  The phenomenon causes mutations in the silicon-based life forms of Claire Agon, and so evolution there takes place at a much more rapid pace than it does on Earth.

Such are the science of Claire Agon and its dance of death and change with its bigger mate, Dor Akun, all around a nondescript class G spectral star located not very far from our own sun.  Thus magic is created and dragons are born.

A

Agon, Short common name for this planet/world

Amsor, Kesh Arch Mage, Leader of Vulcrest assault

Arabella, Demi god of Astor

Arella, Flower with leaves, know for it's healing properties

Arnen, Ancient Order of Druids

Azorias, Ancient dragon name for the Greenfeld Forest

B

Balaria, Island realm known for its assassins and theives

Baron Vulgrin, First Baron of Vulcrest

Baron Vulgrin IV, Fourth Baron of Vulcrest

Blackwell, Vulcrest town near the Greenfeld Forest

Block Tree, Rare, large tree of the Greenfeld

Bloodstone Rock, Sacred Druid site in the Greenfeld Forest

Bryce, Archer from Blackwell, brother to Jayson

C

Claire Agon, The planet/world

Clive, Magistrate of Blackwell

Commander Knoll, Second in command of the Ekin Army

Critir, Magic Orb used to communicate (Crystal Ball)

D

Diamedes, Tynirian historian, born in Ulatha

Dor Akun, Sixth and largest planet in 200 year orbit around Tau Ceti

Dunric, Ranger, Swordsman, Leader

E

Eagle Peak, Main mountain pass north of Vulcrest

Earlstyne Forest, Ancient Forest in Ulatha

Edric, Ranger, Axeman

Ekins, Realm west of Vulcrest, on coast of the Western Sea

Ekos, Capital of Ekins

Elizabeth, Beth, Druid, Arnen of Agon

Elly Brown, Elister, Druid, Arnen of Agon

Emery Brown, Elister's father

Emma Brown, Elister's mother

Evelyn Brown, Elister's sister

F

Fauke, Son of Mayor Fergus

Felsic Mountains, Mountain chain between Kesh and Ulatha

Fergus, Mayor of Blackwell

G

Galapolos, Winged horse

General Gores, Leader of Ekin's Army

Gloria, Mercenary of Giegenstien

Godfrey, Defender and Protector of the Baron's lands

Greenfeld, Forest in Vulcrest

Greyson, Arnen, Druid and Master to Elister

H

Hamill, Family homestead near Greenfeld (John & Ann)

Heart of Enchanted Rest, Chamber of Slumber

Helvie Vulcrest, Baron Vulgrin's daughter

J

Jayson, Archer from Blackwell, brother to Bryce

K

Kelin, Kesh wizard

Kentos, Kesh wizard

Keros, Kesh wizard

Kesh, Realm ruled by wizards, east of Ulatha

Keshtor, Capital of Kesh

L

Lucina Dimars, Fist of Astor, Protector of Helvie Vulcrest

Lunde, Jungle, far south in Agon

O

Onyx Tower, Seat of government for Kesh, seat of the High Mage

P

Pips, Bird, sparrow

Prince Egden, Prince of Ekins

R

Red Tree, Rare, large tree of the Greenfeld

Rigal, Capital of northern border realm loyal to Ulatha

Roarwell, King of Tyniria

S

Safron, Realm, south of Ulatha, known for it's tobacco and weed

Sara, Moon of Agon

Savage Lands, Lands on the frontier of Vulcrest

Solvang, Advisor to the King of Ekins

Staff of Alore, First magical staff of Agon

Sun Petal, Leader of the Dark Dryads

T

Theos, Former Ranger of Greyson

Tira, Moon of Agon

Tridra, Three headed magically animated creature

Tristan, Druid, Arnen of Agon

Trovis Mountains, Mountain range, west of Ulatha

Tyniria, Realm south of Kesh, First King of Agon

Tyranna, Green Dragon, named Zaloynaya in draconian langauge

Tysons, Family homestead near the Brown's

U

Ulan Utandra, Capital of Ulatha

Ulatha, Realm of Duke Uthor Tors

Uthor Tors, Duke of Ulatha

V

Vulcrest, Realm bordering the Savage Lands

Vulkor, Capital of Vulcrest

Vulgrin, First Baron of Vulcrest

Vulgrin IV, Fourth Baron of Vulcrest

W

Western Sea, Sea west of the central realms

Willow, Dark Dryad of the Greenfeld

Wulfric, Ranger, Bowman

Z

Zaloynaya, Tyranna's formal name

Zashitor, Ancient name for a Ranger