Scars and Scales by KC J. Hutchins
A sprawling epic of a battle for world power, Scars and Scales by KC J. Hutchins delivers enough strange creatures to fill a hundred fantasy novels.
The last of his kind, the Omni dragon Xerxes has been imprisoned in a cage suspended above the throne of the sorceress Queen Delsey for years. Too weak to appear in his resplendent reptile form with shining scales, wings, horns and tail, Xerxes is reduced to his human shape, now scrawny and scarred from frequent beatings as the “punching bag” for Delsey’s army.
Set free by a magic medallion tossed into his cage by a werewolf with a grudge against Delsey, Xerxes flees through a land destroyed by recent wars. He finds refuge in a rundown pub where the friendly owner, a dark purple goblin with green eyes, long nose and a pointy ear (the other was bitten off) provides him with a room for the night. “Any race is welcome here,” he tells Xerxes.
It’s a world populated with dragons (32 different kinds), werewolves, goblins, gremlins, gargoyles, elves, dwarves, giants, doppelgängers, trolls, ogres and even a vampire or two. Once there was unity and peace, but the evil queen’s lust for power and control has ravaged lands and reshaped alliances.
Later that night, Xerxes receives a visit from Wolfgang, the Moonclaw werewolf who released him from his cage. Appearing in his human disguise, Wolfgang takes Xerxes back to his encampment where the werewolf chief explains why the dragon has been rescued.
Although the Omni dragons had offered werewolves protection in exchange for their abilities to heal with a magic silver potion, this promise was forgotten when Delsey invaded and Wolfgang’s family was killed. Xerxes was the only dragon who interceded to save Wolfgang’s life. This act of mercy inadvertently broke the Omnis’ defenses and led to their defeat and, with the exception of Xerxes, their extinction.
“I will live with that for the rest of my life, knowing I chose one race over my own,” rues the dragon.
“So, what now?” Xerxes asks the werewolf chief.
“We were going to ask you that,” he replies.
“I think we need to unite the lands again. All of them, excluding those who already serve in Delsey’s army, to make this world free at last,” the dragon responds.
A Quest, a Secret and a Deadly Weakness
Like all good fantasy novels, Scars and Scales is fast-paced, intricate and goal-oriented. Xerxes and Wolfgang set out to find allies, and must learn to trust a dwarf, an elven princess, a giant, a leprechaun and a gargoyle. Their journey takes them through lands held by different, fabulous creatures as they surmount challenges at every step of the way.
They survive an attack by stone golems. They gain the loyalty of Alfrigg, king of the dwarves by freeing him from Delsey’s spell that kept him trapped on his throne. They rescue an elf princess, Alvilda from drowning. Timid but skilled in combat, she joins them, determined to unite her dark elf and light elf subjects.
Their quest is complicated by circumstances beyond control. Because Xerxes possesses a secret much desired by Queen Delsey, she marked his face with a scar she can activate to send him into another reality with horrible visions and memories of his brethren dying. She chooses inconvenient times to do so, usually when he’s locked in mortal combat.
Wolfgang’s weakness is a tendency to revert to his out-of-control savage side when enraged. Attracted to the elf princess, he’d be sure to go rogue should anything threaten his beloved.
Keeping track of various races of creatures, their allegiances and special powers is easier than it sounds, thanks to the author’s vivid descriptions.
Dwarves line their underground caverns with precious gems and metals, and carry pick axes to easily burrow underground. Elves of both the light and dark varieties, with black ears and lips, rule a woven castle in a tree. Golems disguise themselves as boulders. The Racconto are dragons made of stone, into which they carve images of their history. Gargoyles are covered with fish-like scales. Doppelgangers live in a land of mirrors, and can’t be trusted at all.
In an interview, Hutchins said Scars and Scales grew from an imaginary game he used to play with a school friend. As he created more lands, scenarios and creatures, he eventually decided to write the tale.
He’s started a second book, currently called Shimmer of Scales and hopes to finish next year. As his first book proves, there’s no limit to imagination in fantasy.
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