A Song of Askaldenfirsts and Dragons. Book one: The outlanders (Part I-IV)
Chapter 16: Outlanders

“Sirridwyn take me!” Erbalar said, looking at the shore. He hovered in the distance, over the trees, Yashkirran and Harrah could hardly hold on because of the cold.

Hundreds of dark-skinned foreigners landed on the shore. Their boats were on the shore, and their fleet was visible on the horizon. Several dark-skinned people formed a circle and did something, it seemed, they casting a spell, yellow energy rays came from them, and they went... straight to Gaal, who was flapping his wings, being above them.

“We should fly up and tell them that we’re not the enemy,” Erbalar decided.

“No, no, no way! Stop!” Yashkirran shouted. “We flew over the field recently, come back and drop us off there. You see Gaal, don’t you? And he does not burn them! Erbalar, trust me, we must not fly to them!”

“All right,” Erbalar agreed and flew to a small field.

The isterses knows the magic of the school of damage, pain and destruction, but now Yashkirran’s hands were not working well, but he was able to cast a spell of fire, and he formed a circle in which he and Harrah began to warm themselves. The light snow melted immediately.

“Erbalar,” Yashkirran said to him, “we should fly and search your brothers and warn everyone about those who have landed on the shore. They came from the forgotten side of the continent, from which no one had sailed for thousands of years. ”

“They somehow enchanted Gaal!” Erbalar said.

“Exactly! Think about it yourself, if they can control him, then they can probably kill him, and if they can kill Gaal or turn him against us, then what will happen if they turn out to be enemies? What can we counter them?”

“It makes sense,” the dragon agreed.

“Yes, we need reinforcements,” Harrah put in.

“I had a feeling that leading me north,” Yashkirran said, “perhaps it was because we should have seen this danger and now we must unite against a new enemy.”

“Yes, perhaps,” Erbalar agreed, “but we can’t replace my brothers or mother anywhere.”

“Yes, and they are not here, we have reached the ocean as you wished, and I have seen enough. The northerners will be the first to take the blow of the outlanders, and I need to save as many kaushmanashtoonians as possible.”

Suddenly a strange sound distracted them... It was Gaal! Erbalar barely dodged, and Yashkirran and Harrah jumped over the fire and ran through the light snow into a small forest.

Erbalar dodged the powerful blast of fire that ploughed the ground. Erbalar was already flying over the trees, and Gaal was following him. Another blast of fire and northern trees, rattendres, partly turned to dust, and partly caught fire. Erbalar was more maneuverable than a fire dragon, and skillfully avoided attacks.

Yashkirran and Harrah ran away from the burning trees and ran out onto a small road that led from the shore to the forest. Several dark-skinned tukhtaashes stood on the road, they were in fur clothes and armor, some had staffs, others had swords and axes.

“Tyksashk kakhrok shat makar,” said a tall and huge tukhtaash, his face was a war paint consisting of white stripes, he was short-haired and shaved, he had large lips and nose, brown eyes.

“I don’t know your language,” Yashkirran said.

“But I know yours,” the tukhtaash said. “Surrender your weapons, now you are our prisoners!”

“Wait! Let’s try to come to an agreement. You want to attack Norvinoria, then we will help you, I am isters, she is azdairik, we are foreigners here and we can help to conquer this cold northern country!” Yashkirran suddenly came up with an idea.

“We are interested in the whole continent, isters, and I know who the isterses are, we will also capture Kaushmanashtoon,” the tukhtaash replied.

“But–”

“No buts! You are our prisoners for now. And then you will become our slaves or we will kill you!”

“How do you control the dragon?” Harrah asked suddenly, pointing to Gaal. Gaal kept chasing Erbalar, but he never wounded the northern dragon.

“Tukhtaashes is the most ancient race of Ermir, azdairik woman, we are capable of much,” and the warrior smiled. “Tyrkyr fyshyt mak zak nartshekat,” he said, addressing the soldiers, and several tukhtaashes ran up to Yashkirran and Harrah. “Don’t resist,” he said when he saw the isters and azdairik preparing to attack.

Yashkirran nodded to Harrah and said, “All right, we surrender.”

The tukhtaashes who approached them took their weapons and gave them warm clothes.

“Finally I’m home!” said the tukhtaash in a union language, and then raised his head to the sky, letting out the roar of a dragon, and released a stream of flame from his mouth.