Prologue
Long ago, before time was properly recorded into books, there were many creatures known as the Enchanted. Dragons ruled the skies, unicorns paraded in the meadows, Pegasus’ rode the winds, centaurs and fairies protected the forests, and many other creatures roamed the lands of Introsia.
Surprisingly, humans and these beasts lived together in piece, helping each other in times of need. The creatures maintained the balance of the earth and helped its people learn about the wonders of it’s creations. Then everything changed when the king charged into this peaceful world.
King Primus became afraid of all the Enchanted, he feared that they would try to over throw him and take away his power. He demanded the services of them, commanded that they come to his aid or be trapped forever. Thousands came to his side, and the ones who refused were pushed into the depths of the Crotia Mountains, never to be seen again.
There was hope for these Enchanted, an enchantress by the name of Sya made a prophecy before she was trapped forever. She spoke of one who would have a symbol of fire on her, and she would have the ability to control the heart that burned deep inside the mountains. This one Enchanted would have five others to aid them, and they would be called the Sacred Fire.

She had heard this bedtime story many times before. She adored the story, but like several others had before, she pushed it into the category of impossible and fantasy.
Although she craved for the adventure that gypsies and fortune tellers spoke of, never had she dreamed that they were real. Sure her sister and she would escape to the meadow separating the Dephlen and their small village of Arcutia to play out their own adventures, but they never seemed to soothe her need for adventure. And the burning in her cheek always consumed her, but she thought nothing of it until the day her adventure began.


The Burning Inside

“Come on Anasyia,” the small Ann Maire cried, “We need to save Lord Capurnicus from the dreaded Griffin.”
Anasyia crawled over the rocks that led to “Adventure Meadow,” her green dress capturing a few thorns. Being a young girl of sixteen, you would think she would care about her appearence. But no, she let her long, brown hair whip in the wind, and she let her dresses get dirty. It added to the adventures.
Her deep blue eyes sparkled as her skinny body reached the top and she ran after the small sister, “Aye Miss Ann Maire, I’ll be coming in swift speeds.”
She picked up a long stick and started to jab the air in swift movements, “Take that, foul beast!”
The burning sensation that she felt in the strange fire scar on her face returned again, making her want more. Ann Maire screamed, “A Shirk is coming, help!”
Anasyia’s happiness grew thin as she saw her sister running in the direction of the Dephlen Forest, where the king and the prince hunted so often. She dropped her stick and ran after her, “Ann Maire, stop that’s the king’s hunting ground.”
Anasyia watched in horror as two large, bulky guards caught the girl when she crossed the border. Ann Maire squirmed as they pulled her up for a closer look. Blood fumed in Anasyia’s ears as they pushed her sister’s brown curls from her face. “Well, well,” one said, “a stickler.”
He pointed a spear at the young girl’s throat and made Anasyia fill up with rage, “No you leave her be.”
She pulled her little sister from the grasp of the guard and turned to run. A spear pierced her dress and made her fall to the ground with Ann Maire below her. “Look what we got here Lungchester, a girl,” said the guard which was holding her down.
“Yes Hoebester, a girl on King Primus’ land,” said Lungchester.
“An accident I assure you sir, now let me go,” Anasyia said and broke the spear with one swift kick.
Hoebester grabbed her wrist and pulled her up onto his horse, “I call going first with this one,” he said, smelling her hair.
“No leave her alone, filth,” Ann Maire cried and hit the guard.
Lungchester picked her up, “This one’ll scream. I like that.”
Anasyia kicked and screamed as Hoebester covered her mouth with his heavily armored glove. “Lungchester, Hoebester, drop them and be on your way,” a commanding voice boomed out.
Anasyia turned to a fine looking young man with long, black hair and piercing, green eyes. He wore black armor and his skin was a pale tan. “Lord Sesso, you want these wenches to go free?” Hoebester asked.
The man sternly looked down the guard, “It appears to me that these two young women happened to be here on accident. Now get lost, or should I call my father?”
Quickly the two guards dropped the girls and rode off into the forest shadows, cursing under their breath. Sesso jumped from his black horse to Anasyia’s side, “My apologies,” he said.
Anasyia backed up and curtsied, “It is us who should be apologizing, Your Highness.”
She felt his hand slip under her chin and he pulled it up, “Nonsense, accidents happen. But, if would please you, let me at least walk you home.”
Anasyia stared at the arm that was being offered to her, never had she been offered such a gesture, especially from the Prince. “Go on Anasyia,” her sister chimed, “Nobody says ‘no’ to the Prince.”
She hesitated a few more seconds before she shyly took his arm. The armor was cold, but his hand was warm and kind. He smiled widely before he led her and his horse back down to the village of Arcutia. “Ann Maire was it, what were you and your sister doing out here? I was watching from a distance.”
Ann Maire turned and smiled, “We were fighting Shirks and Griffins.”
Anasyia turned red at the thought of her sister saying what she had been doing. The thought of the Prince knowing what she was doing made her turn even more red. “Oh really,” he said, releasing her arm and kneeling before Ann Maire, “Quickly Queen Ann Maire, a fearsome dragon comes, seeking your crown.”
She giggled before running in the direction of Arcutia. She turned suddenly and screamed, “Sir Sesso behind you it comes.”
Anasyia picked up her stick from before and shoved it into the air, “Ho, it could not escape my blade Scornida, dragon killer.”
Sesso pulled out his own sword and brought Anasyia close to him, “Evil elves come, wanting your beauty. Never fear, I shall protect you.”
Anasyia looked into his face, did he mean to say that she was beautiful? She pushed the thought out of her head and looked for her sister.
Ann Maire was smiling at her, her brown eyes all aglow. “Anasyia, the sun’s going down. We should go home.”
Sesso released her and smiled, “I shall escort you.”
“That’s not necessary...”
“I insist.”
Together they walked down the road and into the village of Arcutia. Nothing to fancy, some shops here and there but nothing that would suit a king’s fancy. They lived with the healing woman, for their parents had died in a terrible fire six years, when Ann Maire was two and Anasyia was ten. Now they were eight and sixteen, older and still living with the memory.
They stopped at the old shack where they lived and several observers watched intently. Ann Maire walked in quickly, “Bye Prince Sesso.”
He smiled and then turned to Anasyia, “I do not doubt that this won’t be the last time we see each other.”
Anasyia nodded, “Till then goodbye.”
Sesso took her hand in his and he kissed it, “I look forward to seeing you again Anasyia.”
She watched as he rode of towards Gargwinith, the capital of Introsia. That burning in her cheek came again, only much more intense, “Ouch,” she murmured and joined her sister inside.



Escape to Debla

A week after the incident with the Prince, Anasyia was walking in the Wood of Alna, just east of Arcutia. She was still pondering the moment with Sesso, what had he meant by kissing her hand?
She had never traveled farther then the creek with her sister, but today felt different. So she walked past the creek as Ann Maire ran off into the dry trees, up and out of sight.
As she kept walking she passed several scorched trees, and the smell of smoke filled the air. Strange, there had been no fires lately.
She shrugged off the bit of detail and headed forward, a rustle in the trees made her stop
Her head shifted to where the sound had come from, there was nothing, not even a mouse. Confused she faced forward again and came face to face with a large black creature.
Her eyes traced over it’s body, black with horns coming from its head. It had some sharp teeth slipping from its tight mouth, it’s green eyes glaring at her. Her eyes rested on a specific detail on the side of it’s body, black wings with strange gold markings on them. A dragon.
It growled as it stuck it’s nose into her. She squeezed her eyes shut and waited for the burning to begin, “You are Anasyia, are you not?”
Her eyes slowly opened and she stared at the beast, “What?”
“You are Anasyia, am I correct?”
Cautiously she nodded and watched as the dragon’s face smiled and it bowed, “I have waited a long time for you, about sixty-nine thousand two hundred years.”
“Er...that’s great....who and what are you and above all why have you been waiting for me.”
“My name is Eredeth, I am a Shadow Dragon, only seventy thousand years old. I have been waiting for you because you are the Sacred Fire, chosen to redeem our universe.”
“How did you come to that conclusion?”
“Your scar proves that you are the one.”
“Its only a birthmark.”
“That is where you are exceedingly wrong.”
Anasyia glowered at the beast called Eredeth, he was determined to believe that she was a so called savior and she would help him. Fat Chance.
She turned to leave, but his tail prevented that, “Please, I can prove that you are the Sacred Fire.”
She turned back around, and eyebrow raised, “How?”
“Put your hand on my nose, and if I am correct, fire should shoot into your body.”
Curious and ready to get the dragon away from her, she placed her hand over the black, dry nose, feeling a burn shoot through her body and her scar prickled in pain.


Miles and miles away in the black walls of Gargwinith, a Shirk scrambled from it’s meditation with the Demonic Forces. Now you must know that Shirks are tall, mysterious creatures with the ability to call the Demonic Forces on the earth to their power. They are black skinned with red eyes and long, black nails. They have the ability to create copies of itself, in order to protect their main source of power, themselves. There is only one way to destroy these dark creatures, and that is burning them with fire.
The Shirk in question was the King’s General of the Demonic Brigade, including Shirks, dragons, and other terrible creatures of its kind.
He ran all the way to King Primus’ throne room. The room was heavily draped in thick, black curtains with the crest of the bloodline. All sorts of weaponry was placed around for decoration, and a large red dragon head was posted right above the king’s jeweled throne.
The shirk bowed, “Forgive me for the intrusion sire,” he said with a deep, multi-voiced voice, “But I must insist on this interruption.”
Primus looked up from the shadows, his black beard glimmering in the dim candle light. “Well Albinine, you have my attention.”
“My Lord, since I can connect with every Enchanted that is in Introsia, I felt a strong verge of energy that did not come from the Crotia Mountains.”
A lion at Primus’ feet yawned as he patted it’s head cooly, “And exactly what do you conclude from that?”
“No normal Enchanted could have caused all that power, I believe that we have seen the beginning of the Sacred Fire.”
The King’s head snapped up and his eyes narrowed, “ Are you sure?”
“Positive, Sire.”
“Send out your forces and bring them here immediately. The sooner they are out of my way, the sooner we can relax.”
Shadows blasted from Albinine’s body as he shouted, “Find the Sacred Fire and bring them here for execution!”

“Yow,” Anasyia cried and jumped away from Eredeth, “How did you do that?”
The black dragon smiled and chuckled a little, “I didn’t, the power inside you did that. It needed Enchanted Fire to make you into what you shall become.”
Anasyia sighed, “For the last time I am not going to become the savior of Introsia. Look at me, I’m not hero material.”
“That’s what they all say.”
What was it going to take to get this dragon to let go of the whole prophecy mumbo jumbo? Anasyia was just about to storm off and leave the blasted creature behind, when a shadow caught her eye. She shifted to see what it was and the dragon shielded her with his wing. She was about to protest when he said, “Shirks from Gargwinith, Albinine must have felt the power and sent hisdemons after us.’
She pushed herself away, “Now look what you’ve done, I’m in trouble because of your fairytales.”
A shadow pushed her to the ground and Eredeth blew a small puff of fire, sending the Shirk away to burn. “We haven’t got time to waste,” Eredeth breathed, “Come we must get deeper into the mountains so we can hide.”
A horrified scream filled the clean air and Anasyia remembered who had come with her into Alna, “Ann Maire,” the words slipped out as she ran towards the trerrible noise.
She felt a tug on her dress, then she was swirling in the air, then she was on the back of the mighty dragon. “Allow me,” he said cooly.
They took off and Anasyia had never seen anything so beautiful. The ground fell beneath her as Eredeth soared into the air, “Look for this Ann Maire.”
Her eyes searched the ground till she saw her sister’s blue cloak blowing behind her as she ran from the shadows known as Shirks. Anasyia pointed and shouted, “There!”
Gracfully as a swan, Eredeth swooped down and caught her sistre in his claws, gently as ever. He lifted his clawed hand to Anasyia and she helped her little sister get on the back of the beast. Her little sister in her arms, Anasyia looked down to see the creatures following them, “Where do we go now,” she asked hr new friend.
“Debla, they cannot go to far from Gargwinith or they fade.”
“I’m scared,” Ann Maire cried.
“You’ll be fine,” Anasyia comforted.
“Hold on tight, we’re going down,” Eredeth said and with great speed and skill he dove low into a valley.
Anasyia loved it, the adventure she had craved was now hers to remember. Never had she imagined riding a dragon would be this grand. The air blew around her as the waters split around a rock, the ground was so far away, the air had a wonderful smell.
Her thoughts were shattered as a flash of red light flew past, hitting Eredeth in the wing. The dragon roared in pain and crashed into the trees below.
Anasyia picked herself up and ran to the dragon’s side, “Are you alright?”
“I've been better and I can no longer fly,” he replied and showed her the long, red gash in his glorious wing.
She turned trying to figure something out, but the shirks had already surrounded them. Panic struck her in the face as she said desperatly, “Blow fire.”
“ The wood is too dry, the forest would burn to a crisp with us in it.”
The Shirks began to advance and Eredeth covered the girls with his good wing, growling a warning that was ignored.