This book is dedicated to Marcia Cooper, who is my companion, best friend, and my life partner.

In addition, my two canine companions, Pumpkin and Shiloh, who are always near for an ear scratch, a tummy rub, and whose soulful eyes tell me so much.

Also, in Memory of Bear, a canine companion of so many years, she taught me so much. Now I have a Bear-sized hole in my heart.

Acknowledgements

Catharine Szlembarski:

I want to express my profound thanks for her tireless help! Her assistance, support, encouragement; and proficiency in English grammar, punctuation, and editing skills, for this story made it what it is. Without her skills, this book would never have been published.

Introduction

A global war and the following geographic cataclysms have killed millions of people. It appears that these extinction level events will wipe out all life on the planet Earth.

One great scientist’s foresight may prevent humanity from going extinct like the dinosaurs. His invention of suspended animation stasis chambers are the last hope of humankind.

Ten thousand years pass, then the last great scientist awakes to find a new world.

Dragons suddenly appear, wielding powerful magic. Is humanity doomed to extinction after all? Find the answer to this question in this spellbinding prequel story of The Chronicles of the Dragons of the Magi series.

One

Deep underground in Shelter City One, the master computer awoke, as it had every one hundred years for the past ten millennia, to check the atmospheric conditions. This day was different. Various sensors signalled clean air, pure water, temperatures within normal ranges; so several functions were started at the same time. The Master Computer began to fully power-up; lights, dimmed for ten thousand years, began to glow; a rocket streaked skyward to place satellites into orbit; and the stasis capsule of the last great scientist, Robert Manning, began its wake-up procedure.

When the capsule door hissed and opened, Robert stepped out and looked around, wondering what had gone wrong. He sat down at the computer console and reviewed the many screens until he came to the one that displayed the date.

“Impossible,” he thought, “it couldn’t be that ten thousand years have elapsed since I entered the stasis capsule!” It seemed to him that just a moment had passed.

As he watched, one screen told him the rocket launch had been successful and the satellite deployment had been completed.