Chapter 1: Downed Dragon

              It has been four days since the attack.  The humans attacked our community that was nestled inside of a mountain.  They cut off all of our escape routes and killed all except the three of us that were small enough to fit into the smallest of exits.  We could barely fit, but we managed to press our wings to our bodies so we could get out and warn the other villages—warn all of the land-dwellers about the human army cleaving its way through our territory.  The sky-dwellers are safe from the humans, but my two friends and I need to travel to as many earth communities as possible.  We need to get them to wake the Eldest. 

 

                The three of us have been busting wing for four days now.  The breakneck speed was beginning to take its toll out on Avary, the youngest of us.  Her wings were beginning to crack and her muscles cramp.  We would have to land soon.  Otherwise, Avary might not ever fly again.  Jinx is the only male—he’s also the largest and strongest.  My name is Kalli.  I’m the fastest of our troupe. My mother was the Queen of our community, meaning that I was next in line to become the Queen.  But now I will not.  I have no community that needs to be governed.

 

               Slightly before nightfall, the three of us landed.  We had slowed down enough so that Avary could perch on Jinx’s back.  Thankfully he was strong enough to carry her entire weight.  We lighted in a meadow surrounded by pines and maples.  The ground provided relief to our tired and stressed wings.  But we were not safe here.  Humans were on their way to destroy the land-dwellers.  We decided to fly to the top of some pines and create a hammock for each of us.  We made them from the long grass of the meadow and the flexible limbs of the pines.  We used pine straw and moss to line the hammocks.  By the time we finished the makeshift beds, each of us started to feel the weariness of non-stop flight for four days.  Within minutes of lying down, both Avary and Jinx were asleep.  However, I uncovered the scale of my mother and cradled it in my paw.  I wedged it back between my toes and lay down to sleep.

 

                I woke with a start.  The visions of the invasion permeated my dreams, turning them into living nightmares.  I craned my neck and looked toward my companions.  Both Jinx and Avary were still asleep.  Unease settled over me.  I sat up and looked toward the beckoning, solid earth.  Just as I opened my wings to fly down, a dragon lurched across the meadow—its wings were at odd angles with its body.  Dragons never run unless they can’t fly.  Just behind the dragon—a land-dweller—was a Hellhound.  The Hounds were used by humans to chase dragons.  Even grounded, a dragon can run at speeds of seventy miles per hour.  Only a Hellhound can match our speed.

 

                The Hound was closing in on the dragon.  In a burst of instinct, I took to the air and let loose a column of blue flame.  Before the flames dissipated, I swooped in and plucked the Hellhound off the ground.  I flew up with the beast and dropped him from the clouds.  He flattened into a pancake on the ground.  I lighted back on the ground and was met by Jinx and Avary and the grounded dragon.  Upon closer inspection, the dragon’s wings looked broken. 

 

                “My thanks.” The dragon’s voice was soft, yet carried the strength of a mighty fire dragon. “Had you not killed the Hound, I would not still be alive to warn my people of the brutality of the human armies.  Say, may I ask for the name of my savior?”

 

                “That’s Kalli.”  Avary piped up.  She spoke so fast that her words ran together.  “Her mom was the Queen of our people.  Of our age, she has the largest wingspan and the fastest flight.”

 

                “Please, excuse Avary.  She’s only a year old.  She’s just hyper from her rest.”  As I spoke, I covered Avary with one wing and pushed her down.  “We know all too well about the humans.  They destroyed our entire home.  We all watched our mothers and fathers try to fend off the humans and their Hounds.  We were a community of eighty.  Only the three of us escaped.  The Queen of our community—my mother—showed us the only escape route that the humans could not get to.  We’ve flown as fast as possible for four days and three nights.  We only stopped to rest last night.  Before the attack, I thought that eighty dragons were a force to be reckoned with. 

 

“I thought nothing could stand against us.  But the humans were too many.  The numbers were twelve-to-one.  It was horrible. Our entire home was decimated.  We’re trying to get to the other villages now. We have to warn the others.  Get as many to the Eldest as possible.  Would you like to come with us?”

 

“I would like to… but I would fall too far behind.  The Hounds broke both of my wings.”  The dragon dropped her head and quietly said, “I can’t fly.”

 

“I’ll stay behind then.”  Jinx spoke up, making Avary jump.  “I can walk or run with you.  I’ll keep you safe.  My flame might not be as blue as Kalli’s, but I have a wicked left hook.  My claws and scales are the hardest.  I’ll even carry you if we need to get in the air.”

 

“I’ll stay too.  I’m the youngest and my flame is the hottest. And, besides, my wings still hurt.  I think that Kalli should put her wingspan to use and fly as fast and as far as she can.  No one can catch you.  We’ll be fine.  Just get to the villages”

 

Apprehension pricked at my scales at the thought of leaving my friends behind.  “Are you sure?  What about the HellHounds or the humans?”

 

“Go, Kalli.  I’ve never liked flying as much as you or Avary.  I’m staying on the ground.  I’ll take good care of our new friend.  Actually, I don’t even know your name.  Would you mind sharing with us?”

 

“My name is Lucia.  I’m the youngest of my village.  We all saw the humans at your mountain.  We fled to the clouds… but I stayed down.  I don’t like heights.”

 

“Lucia,” I said. “I’ll get to the nearest village and speak with the healers.  I’ll ask them to try to heal your wings.  Just try to relax them and not move them.”  Lucia nodded and I took to the air once more, leaving my friends and flying alone. 

Chapter 2: Cobolt and Crusher

 

Finally I would be able to ride the wind as only I can.  I spread my wings as far as they could and flapped hard only twice.  I felt a wind current and hopped on it.  The wind carried me faster than ever, never once straining my thick, strong wings.  To gain more speed, I pushed with the wind.  Before long, I was soaring across the sky faster than any dragon ever before me.  The ground below me sped by in a blur.  But the mountain I was headed to seemed to be moving further away.

 

I pushed harder, craving more speed. Within an hour, the mountain that housed another village of dragons was the only thing in my sight.  I slowed only when I spotted the entrance to the village.  As a message, I shot a column of blue fire straight up.  They saw my flare and, in turn, fired their own.  They would allow me entrance.  I landed just inside of the huge entrance cave-- it was at least ninety feet wide and seventy feet tall-- and folded my wide wings flush with my sides.  Two guards greeted me with warm regard and began to ask questions.

 

A huge male dragon with obsidian scales and ruby eyes asked the first questions.  “Where are you from, young one?  You seem like you've seen terrible things recently.  There is stress in your eyes. Tell me, what happened?”

 

“I don’t have time right now.  There is a hurt dragon far from here.  She’s been grounded with broken wings.  Humans are trying to kill us. We have to get healers to her.  She needs to fly as soon as possible. Please, take me to your healers.  Two of my friends are staying with her.  But they all have to walk.  It’s dangerous for them to stay down for long.”

 

A blue-scaled dragon spoke to me saying, “Our healers are busy with our own that are hurt.  However, we have a large dragon that can carry her here.  Come with me and explain to him about your friends.  I’m certain that he’ll help you.  Follow me.”

 

The blue dragon walked across the landing cave and led me into a larger one.  Dragons of all shapes and sizes walked or flew to their own destinations.  The blue dragon perched on the edge of a ravine and spread his wings in preparation of flight.  I copied him.  We both took off and flew straight up.  We had neared the top of the mountain before we landed.  By landing, I mean grasping the wall by digging our claws into the stone.  Then the blue dragon crawled to a small hole in a wall—barely big enough for a human to crawl through.  The dragon merely crawled through the illusion, I followed.  Soon, I was face-to-face with the biggest dragon I had even seen.  It was a brilliant green and a beautiful brown.  Horns protruded from its head, nose, spine, and tail.  Every breath seemed to make the very earth shudder.  Scars crisscrossed its whole body—mainly his face—even though his scales were a good three inches thick.

 

The dragon rumbled a question at the blue one.  “Who is this, Cobolt?  This hatchling is not of our village.  Why have you brought her here?”  Indignation sparked in my mind.  I am not a hatchling. I’ve been out of my egg for seven years. 

 

I was about to snap at the giant when the other dragon spoke.  “This fledgling has come a long way to find us.  A friend of hers was hurt by humans.  She told me that her wings were broken and can’t fly to safety.  She needs to be brought here so that our healers can tend to her.  We need you to follow this fledging and carry her friend here.  Hurry on.  There is not much time left before nightfall.”

 

The giant sighed and I felt the stones beneath me shift.  “Very well, Cobolt.  Your word is law.  I shall carry this hatchling.”  He turned to me.  “Fly as fast as you can.  There is no time to waste.  I’ll keep pace.  I may be large, but I’m not slow.  Let’s leave.”

 

“Don’t be so dismal, Crusher.”  The Cobolt called out behind us as we left.  “You’ve been up here ever since humans killed Luna.  You need to get out.  Get some sunlight and shake the ground.  Send a warning to the humans.  Let them know that an angry earth dragon is against them.  Don’t let them kill more of us.  Don’t let Luna’s death be in vain.”

 

“We agreed to not talk about her.  I still can’t even bring myself to go to her grave.  How can I live with the knowledge that I let her die?  I let your daughter die.  The future Queen of our village is dead because of me.”  Crusher motioned me to fly to my friend.  He unfolded his giant wings and flew after me.

Chapter 3: Community With No Queen

 

We flew up and up until I felt the first wind current pushing me toward Lucia and the others. I let the wind carry me, but I didn’t feel like soaring after hearing about Luna.

 

Crusher must have noticed my somber mood and spoke as softly as he could. “She died four months ago. Luna was Cobolt’s daughter. Her mother was the Queen and she was next in line. Her mother fell sick and passed away five years ago. I was given the duty to guard my closest friend’s only daughter. It was her mother’s birthday. We were going to her grave to visit. We were flying over a meadow when she told me she wanted to land and rest. I did as she asked. She also asked me to allow her to walk off by herself. I said yes because I could see the sorrow in her eyes. I knew she wanted privacy.

 

“I had dozed off while she was alone. A commotion woke me up. I just waived it off as birds being disturbed by Luna on her way back. Then Hellhounds jumped on me. But the ones that were tearing at my scales didn’t bother me. The sight that held me captive was the three that were desecrating Luna’s body. I didn’t even hear them attack her. I made the earth open under the beasts. They were swallowed whole. I merely shook of the ones on me and crushed them."

 

"That's horrible. I thought that I have been though a lot. But watching your friend's daughter die is terrible. The blue dragon—Cobalt, was it?

 

“Cobolt.” Crusher corrected me. “He's like a bolt of lightning when he flies. And he's blue.”

 

"Okay. He never asked where I came from. But two of my friends and I come from Skarre. A village at least five days' flight away. Only the three of us are left out of the village of eighty. So many humans attacked us. My mother was the Queen. She sacrificed her life to get me to safety. Hounds that the humans use ripped her apart. I watched them tear at her wings, scales, and face. Even with the Hounds on her, she did not fight them until I was away from the village. Avary and Jinx escaped with me. Our entire village is dead. We told ourselves that we need to get everyone to safety. Humans want us gone. They're willing to kill every one of us to do so. They think that this world is theirs. We need to combine all of our forces and attack them. We can wipe all of them out… if we tried."

 

The rest of the flight was flown in silence. The wind finally lifted my spirits enough that I fully spread my wings. The familiar push of the wind against my wings urged me to push in return. The ecstasy that came coupled with soaring caused me to forget all of my worries. I knew I should look for my friends, but I didn’t care. I didn’t care about the human armies. I didn’t care about having my village destroyed. I didn’t care about Crusher flying behind me, unable to keep up.

 

I forced myself out of my fantasy and made myself scan for my companions on the ground. I couldn’t see them, but I could feel the heat from the fledglings on the ground. They were huddled in a grotto hidden by vines. Hounds and humans were patrolling around looking for them. One hound began growling in the direction of my friends. Then the others joined in. The humans let them loose and the Hellhounds attacked the grotto. Before they could breach the woven vines, my instinct took over. With the wind under my wings, I swooped low and raked my long claws across either flank of the Hound closest to my friends. Then I batted with my wings and buffeted the creatures with strong blasts of wind; the smallest ones went flying.

 

I was about to land when an earthquake shook the ground beneath me. I looked up to see Crusher smashing humans with his tail and making the earth open to devour our enemies. Our ambush was over quickly. Jinx came out first to check out what happened. His jaw dropped when he saw Crusher. He stared in astonishment for a moment before turning around to get the other two. They came out shortly after. Both Avary and Lucia were astonished by Crusher’s sheer size. The earth dragon simply chuckled.

 

“I see that you’ve never seen an earth dragon before. We are not often seen by others, but a few of us choose to live in a community. I’ve been asked to carry the injured one to my community. Our healers will try to save your wings. Come on, climb up my wing onto my back.”

 

“Thank you.” Lucia said while stepping onto Crusher’s wing. She continued when we all took to the air. “Not many dragons know what it feels like to be flightless. A dragon being stuck on the earth feels helpless. I can’t fight the Hounds. I’m weak. I feel mortal, like the humans. The only thing that is worth being on the ground is the pools of water. I can swim better with broken wings than I can with fully healed wings. The rush that comes with diving through the water mimics that of flying. There are some fish that will swim beside you. Others, if you blow air at them, they play dead and float to the surface. I swam for hours before the humans chased me into the glade where I found Jinx and the others. I’ve been on solid ground ever since. It’s making me kind of twitchy.”

 

“Don’t worry, Lucia.” Jinx said while flying over her. “You’ll fly again soon. I’m sure of it.”

 

The rest of their words drifted away on the wind as I fell back into my fantasy. The wind pulled at my soul, making me want to do tricks that I’ve never even seen before. Without thinking, I dropped one wing and flew into a spiral. Before I hit the ground, I expanded my wings and let the air catch me. My claws grazed the grass as I flew parallel with it. Then I beat my wings and flew faster, faster, and faster. I flew up above the clouds, unaware of the glares coming from Avary and Jinx

Chapter 4: Saving Her Wings

 

Above the clouds, the wind currents were stronger. I flew even faster, I flew faster than anyone. Nothing could keep up with me. No other sound was in my ears except for the wind. I finally came out of my reverie when I sensed the heat of the village. I drifted down and landed in the same cave as before. Cobolt and the obsidian dragon were sitting there, waiting for our entourage. I craned my head around to look for them. They were not even in sight.

“Where is Crusher, young one?” The black dragon asked.

“They were right behind me. I flew up and I guess I flew too fast for them.”

“Fledgling, how did you leave Crusher behind? My friend may be big, but he’s fast.”

“I have been told that I have a large wingspan. Look.” I spread my wings fully, my wingtips touching both sides of the cave. Cobolt, too, spread his wings, they were two-thirds the length of mine. Both of the other dragons stared at my wings.

“That’s amazing. You said you were only seven years old. How can your wings be bigger than mine? I’m six hundred and twenty eight years old. I’ve been to the other communities; no one has a wingspan greater than mine. But now an adolescent that is still growing has the largest wing ever. I do believe that you’ll be the speediest dragon to ever live. I now wonder what your element will be. Because you have legs, you cannot be a sky dragon; your wings are too big for being an earth dragon; no fire dragon gets as long of tail as you. I do believe that you’ve begun the process of transcending the three classes. You may be the start of a new classification.”

Cobolt’s words lost me. I stared at him, dumbfounded. “What does that mean, ‘The start of a new classification.’?”

“It means that you’re unlike any other dragon in this world. Maybe more classes will emerge now that the change has begun. It seems that Crusher is finally returning home. I can see his silhouette. Come with me. We need to inform our healers about the gravity of your friend’s situation.”

Cobolt and I walked out of the entrance cave and into the antechamber. Instead of going to the ledge, we walked into a tunnel to the eastern side of the cave. The warm air in the tunnel smelled of sickness and blood. We entered into a brightly-lit cavern where three dragons laid on stone tables. Two of the dragons had long gashes crisscrossing their bodies. The third was asleep, but her scent informed me that she was dying. She was given sleeping medicine to ease her pain. We continued walking past the infirm dragons and into a smaller tunnel. The tunnel opened into another cave, larger than the infirmary, but smaller than the landing cave. Eight dragons with white scales sat around a table. Each was eating a small deer. They all forgot their meal when Cobolt walked in. The eight jumped up and stood at attention. Cobolt waved them into relaxation.

He and the smallest healer shared some words, but I could not hear them. Cobolt stepped back and nuzzled me to stand in front of him. When I finally moved, he began to speak.

“This is Kalli. She is from a nearby village that was raided by a human army. She has a friend that has been injured by Hellhounds. Kalli, please tell your story.”

“My home was attacked by humans and their Hounds. We were a community of eighty. Only three of us survived because we were the smallest. We were four days’ journey away from our mountain when I saw another dragon about to be killed by hounds. She could not fly away because the Hounds had broken her wings. That is why I’m here. My friend is being carried by Crusher right now.”

“We will do what we can to help your friend,” a white dragon with emerald eyes said. But, tell me Kalli, when was the last time you ate? You seem thin.”

“Oh… I don’t know. I guess I haven’t eaten since the attack. I’ve not been hungry.”

“When was the attack?”

“Almost six days ago. But I didn’t eat the day of. So, it’s been almost week since I last had a meal.”

“You must eat. If you continue to fast, you will lose your strength. Come with me. I need to check you out. I need to see if you’ve begun deteriorating.”

I obeyed the medic and followed. He led me to the smaller cave with the three other dragons in it. He directed me to sit on a table.

“Will you stretch your neck for me?” I did so. “Now, I need you to fully extend your arms and legs. Good, good. Now claws. Can you spread all of your toes?” I stretched the toes on three of my feet, but not my fourth. “What’s the matter?”

“Nothing. I just don’t like spreading those toes, they cramp.”

“You’re not hiding anything are you? Any muscle deterioration? An injury? A disease that affects your joints?”

“Nothing is wrong. I have no disease, no injury, my muscles are fine. I’ve flown for four days straight. It’s true that I’m hungry, but I’ve not had time to eat.”

“Then are you hiding something by holding it between your toes? You can tell me. Many dragons confide in us. I tell no one about what my patients tell me; not even my own mate.”

 

All at once, the pain of the loss of my mother and home washed over me. I lowered my head and let the scale slip from its hiding place. It landed softly on the hard stone.

 

The white dragon looked softly at me and asked, “Whose is it?”

 

“My mom’s. She was the Queen. I took it from her after she was killed. The mountain was about to come down and I rushed back to her body to burn her. Before she fully caught flame, I pulled it from her belly. Please. Don’t tell anyone about it. I want to keep it a secret.”

 

“I won’t tell.” He assured. “You know, I watched my father die. He got sick. I was a healer, but I couldn’t help him. I watched him wither away. No one could help him.”

 

I hid the scale between my toes and slithered off the table I was on. The healer led me back to Cobolt just as Crusher arrived with my friends. The healers all gasped in unison when they saw Lucia’s mangled wings. Two of them rushed to her and whisked her away to a private room. Jinx was about to follow but another healer blocked his way.

 

The white dragon simply shook his head then said, “They are putting her to sleep right now. They will do emergency surgery to try to save her wings. We’ve never seen ones broken that bad. Your friend may never fly again.”

 

Jinx’s demeanor fell. “What?” He asked, exasperated.

 

“Only time will tell,” was all that the healer explained. Then he spread his wings and ushered everyone out—even Cobolt.

Chapter 5: Serpent Queen

 

We were pushed into the main cave where Crusher was sitting. He was describing the scenes outside of the mountain.

 

“It’s gotten worse. The humans and HellHounds are everywhere. They kill any dragon they come across. It’s a good thing that the young dragon that came here has such a large wingspan. We would not have gotten to her friends in time if she wasn’t so fast.” He looked at Cobolt then saw me. “There she is, in fact. Kalli, dragons want to meet you.” When I didn’t move Cobolt used his tail to nudge me forward. I stumbled and nearly fell as I tried to catch myself. I did not like this kind of attention. The dragons gathered around looked at me like I’m a savior. I’m not a savior.

 

When I got to where Crusher was he grabbed me and held me up. “This hatchling—err, fledgling—risked herself to help her friends. I saw her dive at a Hound and she sent the other Hounds flying.”

 

The dragons all expressed their amazement at once, making it to where I couldn’t hear any single phrase.

Crusher continued his monologue saying, “She is only seven years old but fights like a seasoned warrior. She has shown me that I need to move on. I made a mistake. It’s time for me to right my wrongs. I will fight the human armies until my last breath. I will finally have my revenge. Who will fight with me? Who will help me take back our home?” Dragons roared and beat their wings in a display of loyalty. In a community with no Queen, everyone looked for someone to be a leader.

 

“Before we attack, Crusher, we need more dragons,” Cobolt interrupted. “All of the fastest dragons—myself and Kalli included—are to fly to each community. We will all assemble on the Eldest’s back on the highest ridge. If humans follow us there, they will have quite the surprise waiting for them. I will go into the sky. Kalli, will you come with me?”

 

I nodded and beat my wings once to lift into the air. Cobolt followed suit and we were off. We flew out first and were followed by twelve other dragons. We all split apart and headed to separate communities. Cobolt and I flew up while the others stayed along the treetops. We got above the clouds from here I could just see the nearest nest. Cobolt nodded toward it and turned in its direction. I flew up next to him and beat my wings hard. He got my message. Want to race?

 

We both spread our wings more and gained speed. I saw him push harder and harder, going as fast as he could. I let him have the lead before I fully extended my wings. I felt the wind pool under my wings and I pushed against it. I put on a burst of speed and overtook Cobolt. I soared faster and faster until the clouds below me were nothing but a white and gray blur. I dipped one wing down and did a barrel roll. I kept getting faster and faster… then I heard the BOOM! Believing that Cobolt was injured I slowed down and raced to him. He was hovering above the clouds with an astonished expression on his face.

 

“Are you okay, Cobolt?” I asked, genuinely concerned.

 

“Me? Why are you asking me? I should ask you that.”

 

“What do you mean? I heard an explosion behind me.”

 

“That explosion came from you.” Cobolt said. “You flew so fast that you created that explosion. Never before has any dragon done that. Kalli, I’m going to say this again: you are the start of a new kind of dragon.”

 

“Let’s not hover here all day,” I said. “We need to keep going. I want to make it to the nest before dawn.” I nodded toward the sun, which was beginning to drop below the clouds. Cobolt nodded and we took off again, this time matching each other’s pace. We flew straight through the night and reached the first sky-community by daybreak.

 

This community was like nothing I’d ever seen before. It floated on clouds and the early morning light made the clouds glow gold. Sky dragons spiraled through the air, not noticing the two misfit dragons in their midst. These dragons were carefree and act as though none had seen a battle before.

 

“Their Queen is more hospitable toward guests. Let’s go straight to her. She spends all day in her nest taking complaints and requests.” Cobolt led the way to a walled-off portion of the community. A gap in the wall was guarded by two huge males, both a shade of light green. When they saw us, they moved to block the gap and face us.

 

“State your business, Cobolt and Stranger.” One said.

 

“You’ve never brought a guest with you. Not even when your mate was alive. What is so special about this Fledgling?” The other guard said.

 

“I must beg a favor from Queen Lyna. I bring Kalli as a witness to what is happening below us.”

 

“Very well. She’s not with anyone right now. Go on in.” Both moved aside and let us fly in. I had to bite back a gasp when I saw the Queen. She was long and slender with a ridge of fur down her spine. She was silver and gold with deep emerald eyes. Her long whiskers twitched as we came in. She seemed to light up as she recognized the bright blue dragon approaching her.

 

“Cobolt!” She spun up from her perch and wrapped herself around him. She completely covered him and almost made him fall. She let go and approached me. Her serpentine body circled behind her as she got closer and closer to me. Up close her eyes were more than a bright green—they were a green and blue with specks of gold.

 

“I’ve never seen you here before,” she said. “Why do you seem so distressed?”

 

“You’ve heard of the humans that recently journeyed to our land, correct?” Cobolt asked as he stepped between us.

 

“What dragon hasn’t? A few of my healers went to visit them and see if they were settling alright. They’ve been gone for a full week and not returned. The humans must have needed help badly.”

 

“Oh no. Lyna, did they really go to the humans? They’ve been slaughtering us for our lands. Your healers are probably dead by now.”

 

“By the Eldest! What do you mean? No human can kill a dragon.”

 

“The humans don’t. They have creatures that we named HellHounds that can kill us. The Hounds obey the humans and attack any dragon they see. We came here to ask you to lend a flame. We land dragons are preparing to launch a counter attack on the humans. Sky dragons are unparalleled when it comes to attacking from the clouds.”

 

Queen Lyna spiraled up and puffed up a frill I didn’t even know she had. She hissed and bared her fangs at the sky. The sudden anger that rolled off of her almost overwhelmed me. She spiraled back down and looked Cobolt in the eye. “You have my alliance, Cobolt. My dragons will fight these pests. We will avenge our healers. Follow me, I will address my warriors.” Cobolt and I flew after the seething Queen. When she was spotted by her people, they all rushed over to hear what she had to say.

 

“Let all ears hear my words!” She called out. “Humans have over-stepped their boundaries.   They have begun to attack dragons! They have either killed or captured the healers we sent to them. I have decided that we will join our cousins in an attack. We will force them out of our lands and take vengeance on those whom were killed. Let us spread the word of the attack. I want my swiftest flyers to race to the other cities. Cobolt, where do we meet?”

 

Cobolt lifted himself a few feet and glided closer to the crowd. “I have told my people to meet on the Eldest’s back, on the highest ridge. There we will have no worry about humans.”

 

“Very well, you and your friend go back down. We’ll handle the sky-dwellers. While you go to the ground communities, my warriors will advance to the Eldest’s highest ridge.”

 

“We’ll meet there again. Thank you, Queen Lyna.” Cobolt motioned me to follow. We flew down until we were below the clouds. Then we leveled out and headed to a huge mountain range that can be seen from almost anywhere. We flew as fast as we could for the rest of the day. That night we landed on an island in the middle of a large lake. We nestled down and slept.

Chapter 6: Queens do Fight

 

I woke up just before dawn, feeling anxious. There was no wind. I lifted my head and tried to scan our surroundings, but it was too dark still. I hauled myself to my feet and spread my wings to feel for heat. I could feel Cobolt’s heat from where he lay, I could feel small mammals as they emerged from their dens. I could feel two humans watching us from the tree-line, but there was no sign of their Hounds. I nudged Cobolt with my tail until he woke up.

 

“Why did you wake me so early?” He asked. I silenced any further questions by wrapping my tail around his snout. I motioned in the direction that I sensed the humans and whispered one word: man. Cobolt’s eyes widened and his nostrils flared. We both whipped around when we heard bushes moving. The two humans stepped out of hiding and approached us. One held a lantern above their heads, the other struggled to drag a large moose behind them. My mouth watered at the sight of the carcass. I still hadn’t eaten.

 

Cobolt hissed and opened his jaws, ready to blast them with fire.

 

“Wait, Cobolt. They don’t have HellHounds with them. They are defenseless.” I said as I stepped in front of him. I lowered my head so I could look at the hideous creatures before us.

 

“Peace, dragons. We mean you no harm.” Said the human with the lantern. Both Cobolt and I hissed in surprise. They can speak our language!

 

I was the first to recover from the initial shock and spoke back to them. “If you mean us no harm, why are you here? You two are in the army that has torn my home apart-- I remember your ugly faces.”

               

“We are no longer a part of that army. When we saw you go to that golden dragon, we realized that you were not just simple beasts. It was a stroke of luck that we found you here. We come with news of the army. They plan to go to that huge mountain range in the distance. They believe that it will be the best spot to fortify. They also think that is where the biggest dragon cave is.”

              

  “Then you humans are mistaken,” Cobolt interrupted. “That mountain range is the worst possible place that your army can go. There is a dragon there that time itself cannot kill. He is the oldest, biggest, and by far the strongest dragon alive. He slumbers now, but when we wake him, he will destroy your pathetic Hellhounds and your armies.

              

  “All dragons are rallying to the Eldest as we speak. We will reclaim our land! We will drive out you pests!”

               

 “Cobolt, wait. These humans can be useful to us. They speak our language, plus they brought us something to eat.”

               

“You’re right,” Cobolt sighed. “They have information and we need to keep our strength up.”

               

Cobolt took a giant step toward the moose that the humans struggled to bring to us. He gently grabbed the antlers with his teeth and picked the carcass up. He eyed the humans before standing beside me again and laying the moose in front of us. I was about to tear into the meal when I heard shouting from a distance. Cobolt heard it too.

               

“Come on boys! Find the traitors! We’re on their trail!”

               

Hellhounds howled and I could hear their steps as the search party got closer. Cobolt and I exchanged glances and we both grabbed a human and took to the air, leaving the moose behind. The search party burst into the clearing before we were out of sight. They saw that we had the two men clutched to our chests, flying as fast as we could.

               

I pushed harder and harder to get away. My desperation to escape drove me to fly faster. Before I realized it, I was flying fast enough to create the boom again. This time, though, I didn’t slow back down. I was headed to the Eldest and I didn’t intend to stop unless I had to. The man in my paws balled up small and persevered through the flight, uncomplaining.

               

I flew for just over an hour before I was at the Eldest’s highest ridge. Countless dragons had gathered and were mingling together. I saw Crusher talking to other earth dragons. Jinx was with them. Avery was playing with other dragons her age. Queen Lyna was spiraling up and down—pacing in her own way. I slowed just enough to be able to land without crashing. I held the human to my chest with one paw and landed on the other three. All dragons turned to look at me and the human. Waves of fear and awe rolled off of the human when he saw the congregation before us.

 

Queen Lyna spiraled up high then spotted the human. I recognized the look I her eye right before she attacked the man. I dropped him to the ground and intercepted the serpent queen. I used my wings and legs to push the queen down. She struggled and escaped my grasp. She flew up and let loose a jet of flame at me. Instinct told me to cover myself with my huge wings. The flames hit my wings and deflected off, harming nothing. I sent back my own flames at the queen. She spiraled to dodge the blue-hot flames. I stood over the human, guarding him with my own body.

 

By now the other dragons had noticed the commotion and stood in a circle around Lyna and me. Avery climbed up onto Crusher’s neck and Jinx sat in the first ring of dragons. Dragons were shouting their encouragement to Lyna. Only a few dragons cheered me on—those dragons knew I was also a Queen by birth.

 

“You fool,” Lyna spat at me. “You dare bring a human here? After everything they’ve done? You are a traitor to the dragons!” Queen Lyna bared her fangs and opened her frill as she dove at my throat. When she got within reach, I lashed out with one wing. I hit her in the head with the power of my wing. She fell sideways and landed with a thud.

 

“Do you seriously think I don’t know what they’ve done?” I asked. “They killed my mother! They killed my entire home. Only three of us survived. You have only lost a few healers. I lost everything except for my two friends. I watched the strongest dragon I ever knew die. I watched my mother die. I watched Anantila die!

 

“I brought this human because we need the knowledge he has. Cobolt has the other. They know about the armies and their plans. If I must, I will kill to keep these men safe.”

 

Realization dawned across almost every dragon’s face. They realized that I am the daughter of one of the most respected queens ever. Mother was one of the strongest queens to ever live—she was also widely feared. Now Queen Lyna looked at me in a different light. She was no longer beaten by a fledgling. She was beaten by the legacy of the one queen more feared than herself.

Chapter 7: The Healers are Alive

“You are Anantila’s daughter?” Queen Lyna asked when she recovered from her fight. “No one ever knew she had a legacy.”

 

“Mother kept me protected. She even sacrificed herself to get Avary, Jinx, and me out of the mountain during the attack.”

 

Jinx and Avary broke free of the crowd and came to me. Avary took an interest in the human hiding behind my front legs. She lowered her head and looked at the tiny creature. She blinked at the human and coaxed him out of hiding.

 

“The humans speak our tongue.” I said to Avary. “It surprised me.”

 

“Really?” She eyed the human then spoke to it. “What do you call yourself?”

 

“I am James. I was a private in the army. I saw your friend come back in after the raid. I realized that we were wrong about dragons.”

 

“What did you think we were?” Lyna jumped in.

 

“We were told that dragons only wanted to kill us because we are easy prey. But I saw that your kind are complicated. You have culture. You just wanted to be left alone.”

 

“You are wrong, James. We wanted to help you humans settle. I sent my own healers to your camp. They never came back. They were like me, but they were white and green.”

 

“They were healers? Sergeant told everyone that they attacked us. We were told that they were deadly and no one had authorization to approach their cages. Your healers aren’t dead, if that’s what you believe.”

 

“Is this true, human? Are my dragons alive?”

 

“They are,” Cobolt said as he silently landed. “I took a detour over the army camp. There were four cages with dragons in them. This one, Blake, explained how they were told not to go near the cages.”

 

“We should free them, Lyna.” I said. “Me, you and some other dragons can go free them and help them to safety.”

 

“Agreed.” Cobolt, Crusher, Jinx, and Avary said in unison.

 

“If we leave now, we can make it by nightfall. Then we can strike under the cover of the cloudy night.”

 

“Very well, Anantila’s Legacy. Go ahead. You lead and I will follow. We must fly fast.”

 

“I nodded then lifted into the air. Before I got too far up, I grabbed James. The other five dragons flew up behind me and we followed the humans’ directions to the army camp. While we flew, I carefully sat James on my neck. He held on tight since his life did depend on it. Soon the camp was in sight and the sun dropped below the horizon.

 

Cobolt flew beside me with Blake on his neck. We looked at each other then put on a burst of speed. We raced to the camp and swooped low to catch the attention of the Hellhounds. One Hound jump and nearly grabbed my wing. I lifted up some and taunted the Hounds. Cobolt and I drew the Hellhounds away while Jinx and Crusher distracted the humans. Lyna and Avary worked together to free the captive healers.

 

I landed on the edge of the camp and set the nearest Hounds on fire. They ran back, yelping. One human broke away from the chaos and spotted James. He yelled and pointed at the human perched on the base of my neck. I raised my head and hissed at the humans.

 

A lone Hound charged at me but I merely slapped it with my tail. The Hound flew into the humans and crushed a few. I was readying to blast the Hellhounds, but Lyna called to us to flee. The healers were in the air, escorted by the other dragons. I jumped into the air with Cobolt on my tail. I flew alongside Cobolt until we caught the rest of the party then I flew behind to keep an eye on the healers.

 

We flew until we reached the Eldest and the other dragons. When we landed, it was almost dawn. The dragons had amassed a pile of fresh prey in the middle of the crowd. With James still on me, I hurried to the pile and pulled out a moose. I loved moose and I hadn’t eaten since the attack. I tore into the moose with fervor and wolfed it down within minutes of selecting it.  

 

James slid from my neck and walked in front of me. He looked at me and asked, “Why did you defend me when we first got here? You said it yourself, we killed your family.”

 

“I am not like humans. I can see past my pain and emotions and think clearly.” I pushed away the leftover moose and heaved myself up. “You will be safer if you stay with either Cobolt or me.”

 

James and I walked to where Cobolt and Blake were sitting. They were discussing what humans eat and how they had to cook their meals. These humans are peculiar creatures. They cannot eat raw meat without getting sick. They also have to eat certain types of food to prevent illness.

 

When Blake noticed James, he ran to him and grabbed his shoulders.

 

“This is amazing, James. We rode dragons!”

 

“Sergeant saw me, Blake. He knows we’re with the dragons and they haven’t killed us.”

 

“Are you really scared of him? You saw what these dragons did to the camp. They’re amazing! Not even the Hellhounds can touch the dragons when they fly like they did. What can Sergeant do?”

 

“I have a family back home. My wife is pregnant with our fourth child. What if Sergeant does something to them?”

 

Cobolt looked at me and I nodded. We don’t need words to understand what the other has to say. We were willing to bring the human family here and protect them.

 

“James,” Cobolt said. “Kalli and I can bring your family here. My dragons will keep them safe.”

 

“I can’t bring them here.” James shook his head. “The portal that we used to get here is closely guarded by the military on both sides.”

 

“Are there Hounds?”

 

“Only on this side. The civilians are scared of them.”

 

“Good, then.” Lyna jumped in. “We’ll leave now. I’ll guard this side of the portal while Kalli takes you to your family. She’s smaller than Cobolt and can hide easier. She’s also faster than Cobolt.”

 

“I agree with that, but I can’t carry all of them alone. We need another small dragon to help.” Almost before I finished, Avary came bustling to us.

 

“Oh, I want to go! Can I go, please?” She asked in a hurry.

 

“Of course, young one. You are the smallest here. If you carry the small ones, Kalli can carry this man and his wife.”

 

“Then it’s settled,” Lyna announced. “James, hop on Kalli. We are bringing your family here for protection.”

 

“Do you think we can get past the guards?” James asked as he clambered up my wing and situated himself at the base of my neck.

 

“The portal,” Cobolt explained, “that you humans use was created by a dragon. It’s large enough for even Kalli to fly through it. Kalli is the fastest flying dragon alive. She would have no problem getting you through safely.”

 

Cobolt motioned to one of the healers from his community. This one was female with a long neck. Her scales were the typical white, but the edges of her scales were a dark green. Cobolt nudged Blake toward her and she stretched out a welcoming paw to him. Blake and the healer left and we four dragons took to the sky once again.

Chapter 8: The Eldest

 

Cobolt and Lyna flew at the head of our tiny entourage so that wind resistance wouldn’t tire me or Avary. Avary, being only a year old, looked like she was ready to fight an entire army by herself. She was always so carefree and jovial. Seeing her like this just seemed odd. The battle back home must have changed all three of us in our own ways. Jinx stayed with Crusher to help with strategy. He also would go and check on Lucia every day—never saying anything about her wings. Avary still played with other fledglings her age, but she hasn’t made friends with any of them yet. I have to act as a queen now even though I have no one to govern. Since the other queens know who I am now, they’ve kept me under close scrutiny.

 

I tilted my head to see the color of my scales. I’m still a colorless grey fledgling. I still have no clue about my future. Cobolt’s words rung in my mind “Because you have legs, you cannot be a sky dragon; your wings are too big for being an earth dragon; no fire dragon gets as long of tail as you.” Those words seem to refuse to be forgotten. It was mere days ago that they were said, but it feel like it’s been forever. I was lost in my thoughts for the rest of the flight.

 

Soon, the portal was in sight. It was guarded by a huge wall made of some thin, web-like substance. The wall gleamed in the sunlight and nearly blinded me. However, there seemed to be no humans or Hellhounds there to protect the portal.

 

When we got close enough, all of us put on some more speed and angled downward to the portal. The portal was a shimmering oval that showed a blurry picture of what is on the other side. The portal was larger than Cobolt described, too. It was large enough for three of me to fly through, wingtip to wingtip.

 

Apprehension pricked at my scales as I saw the human’s fortifications on the other side of the portal. I didn’t know what any of them were, but they looked dangerous. As we got even closer to the portal, Avary flew above me. We kept pace with each other until right before we crossed the shimmering oval. I flew in first and saw that there were no people around. Then I saw a slight movement in the tree line far away. In a burst of instinct, I picked my head up and exposed my protected belly. I heard a soft pop then something bounced off of the hard scales on my underside.

 

James started to slip off my neck and I leveled out in the instant before he would’ve fallen. Before I could check on the human, Avary came through the portal. We followed James’ directions and raced to his home. We flew over dense woods, but our flight was short. James signaled for us to land in this open space of short-cropped grass next to the human construction he called home.

 

I flattened myself as best as I could and let James slide off. He ran into the structure and came out shortly with two human hatchlings. They looked at me and Avary with delight and amazement. James went back in and they both ran to the smaller dragon and promptly climbed up her wings onto her back. They crawled all over her and the smaller one climbed to her head.

 

James came out again, this time with a larger person—presumably the wife he mentioned. Her belly was swollen and she seemed shocked but amazed at once. She carefully approached me while keeping one paw wrapped around her belly.

 

“Kalli, this is my wife. Be careful with her. Cori is my world.” I nodded once and James ran off again. I nestled down even closer to the ground and helped Cori onto my neck. Avary settled the hatchlings and had the bigger one sit behind the smaller.

 

“Can your kind really understand us?” Cori asked when she settled on my back.

 

“It was a shock to everyone.” I answered while tilting my head back to look at her. “But, yes. We do understand each other. Your mate believes you and your hatchlings to be in danger from other humans. Avary and I came to bring your family to safety. There may be a war in my homeland, but we have a place that no human can ever reach.”

 

James came back with a bundle of colored vines draped over one arm. He explained that he wanted to make a harness for the humans to hold on to in case the flight gets rough. Both Avary and I agreed and he promptly began looping the vines around us in such a way that I couldn’t follow. Soon, James was perched behind his mate and we were in the air again. I flew slower so that the female wouldn’t be hurt by accident.

 

We flew back to the portal, but this time there were people there. There were five humans and five things that resembled birds. The humans climbed on the birds and crawled inside of them. The tails of the birds lit up with a flame and they flew into the portal. Avary put on more speed and I copied her. I wanted to chase those human birds, but I had fragile cargo riding on my neck. I had a bad feeling about them.

 

We reached the portal and crossed it with no problems. Cobolt and Lyna were spitting flames at some Hounds to keep them at bay. When the two dragons noticed us, they lifted into the air and followed us. We flew low over treetops until we reached the plains. Then we flew parallel with the ground, sometimes letting a claw brush the long and soft grass. Seeing the world where humans are from made me appreciate the natural state of our world. We lived in harmony with nature and we thrived with it. The humans try to control nature.

 

We landed at the Eldest that evening. While we were gone some dragons constructed a shelter for the humans and built a fire pit for them to cook at. James slid off my neck when I laid down. Then he helped his mate and hatchlings to the ground. He took the vines off of Avary then moved back to me.

 

“You saw those planes, didn’t you?” He whispered in my ear. “Those jets have enough power to out-fly almost anything. They also have enough firepower to hurt a dragon.”

 

“Those birds,” I said, “will die at the breath of a dragon. If they come too close to the Eldest, they’ll wake him and anger him. He sleeps, but he is aware of everything that happens on the ground. He can feel the vibrations of the air and ground. He knows that we are all here.”

 

“Where is this ‘Eldest’ that I hear so much about? And why do you dragons feel so safe here with no cover from the jets?”

 

“Climb back on my neck. I will show you this mountain as only a dragon can see. Then you’ll understand why we came here.” He did, and when he settled down he looped his feet into the vines a grabbed the ones in front of him. He seemed to be more confident and comfortable now when we flew.

 

We flew up and away from the mountain until even the huge earth dragons were barely visible. Then I angled north and scanned for the tale-tale signs of the Eldest’s face. When I found it, I flew in closer for James to see. I didn’t have to tell him what he was seeing. He saw the face of a dragon covered in foliage. The dragon puffed smoke from its nostrils as it quietly snored. James gasped when he realized that the Eldest was the mountain where we gathered.

 

“My God! That’s a dragon?” He asked.

 

“Yes. He is the oldest and strongest dragon. He made the earth we walk on. He is the father to all earth dragons. If those birds from earlier come here, the Eldest will wake. The same goes for the army. Only dragons are safe from the wrath of the Eldest. We can flee the land and live in our sky-cities while the Eldest destroys everything on the land.”

 

“They don’t know about him. The army is still coming. We have to stop them before they get here! I don’t want my family in danger is the Eldest wakes up.”

 

“Now you know why we don’t fear attack here. But we do need to keep the army away from the Eldest. How could we best stop the army without the loss of lives?”

 

“We have an ambassador at the camp. He was sent here just in case there were native humans here. If I could get a message to him, maybe we could have a diplomatic talk.”

 

“And how would you get a message to this human?”

 

“If we flew over the camp and dropped a message into the camp, they might read it. We would need to set a meeting place and a time.”

 

I flew in a huge arc and headed to Cobolt’s community. Maybe there would be something there for the human to put a message on. We flew until we reached the mountain, then we circled the mountain until we came to the entrance cave. The obsidian dragon was still there along with another dragon. His eyes widened when he saw me.

 

“Are you Kalli?” He asked.

 

“Of course I am. Why do you ask?”

 

“I didn’t recognize you. You’ve gotten so much bigger since you left with the others.” He explained. When he spotted the human, his voice dropped into a low rumble. “What is this creature doing on your neck?”

 

“Cobolt and I have discovered that a couple of humans are on our side. This one flies with me and Cobolt carries the other.”

 

The black dragon snorted, but said no more. I walked past him and into the main cave. It was nearly empty with the exception of a handful of dragons unable to make the flight to the Eldest. Among the few dragons here was Lucia. She was nowhere in sight, but I just figured she was in the healers’ den.

 

With James on my neck, I headed to the only place I could think of where there might be something to put a message on: the healers’ den. He could find something there. I stepped into the den and saw one healer talking with Lucia. I had to bite back a gasp when I saw her. The healers amputated her wings! She would never fly again. She had a poultice spread over the area where her wings had attached to her back.

 

Visions popped into my mind at the sight of the flightless dragon. What if that was me? What if those Hounds broke my wings? What would it be like if I couldn’t fly ever again?

Chapter 9: New Wings

“Uh, Kalli?” James asked. “What is this cave? It smells like there’s medicine in here.”

 

The two dragons before us both heard him and whipped their heads to look at us. They were both surprised, but Lucia’s shock soon turned to fury. Her face darkened and she dropped her head as she snorted out a puff of smoke. She wasn’t looking at me, though. Her focus was on the human sitting at the base of my neck.

 

I lifted my head to shield James and hissed a warning at Lucia. A fight here would be terrible. Plus I didn’t think James could stay unharmed if I had to fight. I was much, much larger than Lucia and I used my size to intimidate her. She backed down when I rose to my full height and puffed up my chest.

 

“I’m sorry Lucia, but I won’t let any dragon harm this human.” I told her when she got over her fury. “He and another have valuable information about the human army.”

 

“You?” She asked. “Of all dragons, why are you carrying that pest? They took everything from you! You should want them dead more than I do!”

 

“I’ve gotten over my grudges. This man did nothing to wrong me. He was acting under the order of his leader. When he realized the leader was wrong, he and the other came to us. They risked themselves to attempt to redeem themselves. I respect that quality.

 

“We came here to find anything that can be used to carry a message to the humans. James has explained that they have an ambassador that may be willing to meet me and a few others. If the Eldest wakes, he will destroy the land to rid it of the humans.”

 

“What could a human possibly put a message on,” the healer asked as he stepped towards us. “We send messages with flame. How do your kind send them?”

 

“We write them on something,” James explained. “We normally use paper, but I’m sure you don’t have any.”

The healer was about to reply, but a howl cut him off. Hellhounds were outside of the mountain!

 

Acting on instinct, I raced to the entrance cave where I saw the black dragon take flight. I followed after him, but he flew to the other side of the mountain. Instead of running away like him, I dove at the nearest Hound and was about to shred it when James yelled at it.

 

“Kilo! Down!” He yelled. Immediately the Hound sat down and looked confused. This was James’ Hound. Three people came out of the foliage with four Hounds on shining, looping vines. When none of them moved to jump on me, I landed in front of the humans.

 

“Teri! Randy! Cameron! What are you doing here?” James called to the humans. I laid flat and let him climb from his perch. He ran to the others with the Hound called Kilo on his heels. The Hound knocked James down and began licking his face. The Hound seemed so happy to see James that is was clear: Hounds are like family to the humans.

 

While the humans reunited, the black dragon came back. When he spotted me with the humans he bellowed and dove at the humans. I saw him readying to spew flames on top of the humans while they didn’t pay attention. I sprung forward and stretched both wings out to cover them right as the black dragon breathed his flames. The fire deflected off my wings and I hissed at the obsidian dragon. I leapt back then took to the air. I may be young, but I am a Queen now. I am Anantila’s daughter. This dragon will respect that and he will obey me even if I have to force him to.

 

I flew at the male and we collided. We grappled as we fell to the ground. I used my smaller size to my advantage by ducking under one of his legs and wings to get on top of him just before we crashed. He landed on his belly while I was safe on him back. I dug my long claws into his back and dug in as he reared up and beat his wings. He craned his head back and grabbed me just above the harness James made. He ripped me off his back and threw me with all his might. I landed and bounced before I could regain my footing. When I did regain my footing, I rose to my full height and sent a column of blue flames right at the male’s face. He barely managed to duck under it, but the blue-hot fire still singed his back. Before he recovered, I got in close and battered him with wind from my wings.

 

My scales tingled now, but I paid it no mind. I was unconcerned about myself. My sole focus was beating some sense into this black dragon.

 

I lifted into the air and the male rammed upward and connected with my armored belly. The impact made a low noise, hurt and winded me, but it seemed to hurt him more. He fell to the ground and convulsed for a moment then he shakily rose to his feet again. He looked at me in fear and awe at the same time. I even heard the humans gasp when the dragon bowed his head to me.

 

The male nodded at me then slowly spread his wings and made a slow flight to the entrance cave. When he left, James spoke to me.

 

“Kalli, how long have you been able to do that?” He asked.

 

“I learned to fight when I was only a year old. You’ve seen me fight before, why ask me now?”

 

“I know I’ve seen you fight before. But I’ve never seen that. I’ve never heard of any dragon being able to electrocute another dragon.”

 

“Electrocute? What do you mean?”

 

“What James means,” the small female said as she stepped forward, “is that you made lightning in your body. When you got off the ground, the lightning wanted to get back down. It went into that other dragon to get to the ground. When the lightning went to him, it really hurt him.”

 

“I was getting there, Teri.” James said jokingly.

 

How did I make lightning? Can Cobolt do it too? Maybe it’s because we’re the fastest dragons alive. We fly like lightning and we can make it.

 

“Hey, Kalli, you still with us?” James asked as he prodded my foot.

 

“What? Sorry, I was lost in thought. We should get back in the mountain and find something for you to put that message on.”

 

“Who are you trying to send a message to?” Teri asked me.

 

“James wishes to contact the ambassador for your army. He believes that having a peaceful meeting will convince the army to stop this senseless war. I am slightly skeptical though. If humans are anything like dragons, the bull-headed ones won’t change that easily.”

 

“It’s worth a shot, Kalli.” Randy said as he walked up with the bound Hounds. “If we get several dragons and meet peacefully, the ambassador will see that your kind are more than what we thought.”

 

“I agree,” said the one named Cameron. “I always carry a pen and some paper. If we write the letter, I can have Butch take it to John.”

 

“Okay, now we have everything we need to get a message to them, but we need a meeting time and place. Kalli, do you know of anywhere good to meet?” James asked me after he got the materials to create his message.

 

“There is a large island to the west of here. It should be sufficient for a meeting. Would I be wrong in assuming that all four of you plus Blake will attend this meeting?”

 

“We’ll all come, but we would need a way there. Humans don’t walk very fast.” Randy explained.

 

Four dragons flew overhead then circled around and descended toward me and the humans. I recognized Cobolt, Blake, Avary, and Jinx—but I’d never seen the fourth one. He was dull silver with emerald eyes. He was young, but had the body of a seasoned warrior. As he landed, his scales caught the sunlight and nearly blinded me.

 

As soon as Cobolt landed, Blake jumped down and ran to one of the Hounds. That Hound seemed delighted to see the human. It had to be Blake’s partner.

 

“Jethro’s been missing you, Blake.” Randy said after the Hound and human separated. “He’s been moping around ever since you two left. You should’ve seen him when Teri told him we were going to find you: he started acting like he was a puppy.”

 

“I’m sorry, boy.” Blake said to his Hound. “I won’t do that again.”

 

I walked away from the humans and padded to the dragons that landed behind me. I stood in front of the four and was about to speak when I felt a stinging pain from my tail. I whipped my head to see what attacked me, but the only thing that met my eyes were light blue scales spreading across my tail. The color crept up my tail and covered my hind legs. Then it continued up my back and to my neck. I watched it climb up my neck until I couldn’t see it any more. I could still feel the stings as my scales changed color, but I was more focused on the looks I was receiving from Cobolt and the silver dragon. They looked at me like I was a ghost.

 

Next, everything around me turned white and I felt light. I continued to grow lighter until my feet lifted from the ground. I stayed in the air and my bones all broke at once. I roared in pain as my shattered bones moved and shifted under my skin and scales. My wings, back, legs, neck, and face all stretched as the bones mended themselves. I felt my feet touch the ground just before my legs buckled.

 

My friends rushed to my side, but the humans were there first. James was at my snout doing his best to lift my head. Teri, Randy, Blake, and Cameron were by me too. It struck me as ironic that the very humans that raided my home and killed everyone are here, trying to help me.

 

Cobolt and Jinx gently moved the humans away and picked me up. When they got me back on my feet, I noticed that I now stood taller than Cobolt and the others—and I wasn’t even standing as tall as I could. I straightened my legs and picked my head up higher. I towered over the others by at least ten lengths. I extended my wings to check for any injury from the sudden growth, but didn’t notice any. One thing I did notice, though, was that—even though they grew with me— my wings seemed thicker than normal. They also felt like they were still folded. I flexed the muscles at the base of my wings and tried to extend them more. They did extend more—they doubled in size now, but were thin. Cobolt’s jaw dropped when he stretched out his wings in comparison to mine. My wings were more than thrice the width of his now.

 

Before anyone could say a word, Avary launched onto my head and squealed excitedly, “Kalli! You’re a Queen now! You’ve gotten your color!”

 

I shook her off and said: “I’m no Queen, Avary. I’m no older than Jinx. Plus the three of us are all that’s left of our home.”

 

“Avary is right, Kalli,” Cobolt cut in. “Your birthright is to be Queen regardless of circumstance. If your mother were still alive, now you would have the right to challenge her for the throne. Age doesn’t determine when you become Queen. Neither does the number of subjects. I saw it when you and Lyna fought. You are a Queen, no doubt about it. You fought and beat a Queen with much more size and experience than you. No ordinary dragon could do that. Not even I can hold my own against Lyna.”

 

“And that black dragon just now,” James chimed in. “He was a guard, wasn’t he? Kalli owned him when they fought. She even electrocuted him when he would’ve really hurt her. I’ve never seen anything like that fight before.”

 

“What do you mean, tiny human?” The silver dragon asked.

 

“The black dragon attacked us,” Teri explained.

 

“I understand that. What do you mean my ‘electrocute’?”

 

“It’s like being hit with lightning. Kalli made lightning in her body and used it to stop the black dragon.”

 

“No dragon can make lightning, James.” I said.

 

“You can, and you did. That’s why the dragon convulsed the way he did. Humans use lightning all the time to stop others. You didn’t make enough to really harm him, but you made enough to stun him and scare him.”

 

Cobolt stepped forward and lowered himself as much as he could. “Whatever the case, we need to get you humans to safety. James and Kalli ride together, Blake is with me, the small female can ride with Avary, and you two males take your pick between Jinx, the gray male, or Aisher, the silver one. Introductions can wait until we’re in the sky.”

 

“What about our Hounds?” the humans asked in unison.

 

“They will likely be killed,” Cobolt explained, “if they come within the range of many dragons’ flames. It’s safer to let them return to the other Hounds.”

 

“Then let’s send the message with the Hounds. Can I have some paper, Cameron?”

 

The humans called Cameron handed a white, square leaf and black stick to James. James ran the end of the stick in a pattern and then folded the leaf. He returned the stick to Cameron after. Then Randy took the leaf and tucked it under a flat silver vine looped around Cameron’s Hound’s neck.

 

Cameron gave a command to the beast and it took off toward the human army. Soon, the other Hounds were following. When they were out of sight, the humans each climbed onto the back of a dragon. I had James; Cobolt had Blake; Avary with Teri; Jinx and Randy; the silver dragon—Aisher—and Cameron.

 

The others took to the sky, but I couldn’t lift off. These new wings were too thin to lift me! I pumped my wings as hard as I could, but no amount of force or speed took me off the ground. I was about to give up and start walking when an idea came to mind. Maybe if I tried using my wings while they were half-way folded. I folded my wings and pushed downward. I somehow soared into the air by using only half of my wingspan. James hugged my neck as tightly as he could when I lifted from the ground. He must be uneasy since the vines he had on me snapped when I grew. I flew fast enough to catch up with the others then slowed to match their pace.   Now I felt as though I should unfold my wings fully and see what happened.

 

When I unfurled my wings, the added width instantly smoothed my flight. I felt James relax as he realized that we wouldn’t plummet to the ground. With my new wings, I could glide and not use any energy at all to stay in flight. Yet, I could only take off when I had my wings half folded.

CHapter 10: Brynioth the Eternal

 “This is Aisher. He is one of the few dragons I would trust with my life. Crusher would have accompanied us, but he was too busy with planning. In his place, I brought Aisher.”

 

  “I’d heard about the humans armies, but I never thought they would attack us. I was a part of a group that was going to greet the humans and help them settle. Once we heard of the attack on Skarre, we all got scared and decided to stay away from the humans. Now we see that not all humans are evil. These five have seen the truth about us—we are not beasts to be slaughtered.”

 

   “We heard James talking about the raid in the mountain,” Cameron said from Aisher’s back. “James saw a dragon get mortally wounded by Kilo. The dragon let James approach it, then the dragon spoke. I was skeptical at first, but now I know better.”

 

“Blake saw something similar.” Teri called from the middle of the group. “A dragon was about to fall and crush him, but a gold dragon grabbed Blake and saved him. It told him to be careful and watch the skies.”

 

Hearing Teri mention the only gold dragon that lived in Skarre made me unbalance myself and turn to look and speak to her. “The only golden dragon to live in that mountain was my mother. She was the leader of all of the dragons there. Also, that gold dragon happened to be one of the best warriors that ever lived.”

“Seriously, Kalli?” Blake asked me. “That was your mother? She was so strong that it took almost every Hound to take her down. She almost killed Jethro even when she was the last one standing.”

 

“Then you came back in the mountain after you must have sensed her fall.” James continued. “Everyone saw you when you nuzzled her and burned her body.”

 

“Queens are normally buried when they die. I had no choice then, however. To keep those HellHounds from mangling my mother, I gave her a funeral that common dragons receive.”

 

“Had the Hounds sensed your return, they would have killed you too. You took everyone by surprise. You even helped us see the truth,” Cameron replied.

 

“What’s done is done. It’ll be best if we all forget what happened there,” was all I said in return.

 

I drifted into my thoughts and blocked out the other dragons quickly falling behind me. I could feel air currents pushing me faster and faster. I fell into a fantasy where I was the Queen of Skarre and humans had never come to kill dragons. In my fantasy, I was flying. I was trying new acrobatics and pushing myself to my limits. I would fly up to the clouds and tuck my wings flush with my sides. I would let myself plummet until just before I would crash. Then I’d catch myself and skim along the grass.

 

I heard a faint scream from behind me. I looked back to see all of the humans pointing downward and screaming. I looked down and saw a limp form falling to the ground. It took me a heartbeat to realize the form was James. I must have been acting out my daydream when I flew to the clouds. I folded my wings in half and dove straight down. I pulled with my wings so I could catch the human before he crashed. I reached James just before we would have crashed. I spread my wings and we skimmed along the ground, the human safely tucked away in my massive paw. I flew back up to the others and cradled James as I flew the rest of the way to the Eldest.

 

James woke up just before we reached the Eldest and explained that he felt dizzy before he went to sleep. He explained that his plummet wasn’t caused by me flying high—he’d been dizzy since I took off. We landed next to the finished construction made for the humans and James’ mate rushed out to greet him. The others filed through the small entrance and closed the plank of wood, covering the entrance.

 

The other four dragons each went their own ways while I stood still, deciding on whether or not I should go for a solitary flight. I felt drawn to leap into the air again, but I knew I should stay with the others. I spotted Jinx and Crusher together, talking about the new plans. Cobolt was explaining to a large group of land and sky dragons about the new events that have happened. Aisher was nowhere to be seen, and Avary was play-fighting with other yearlings.

 

Before I could think better of it, I snuck off and took to the air again. I flew low, but high enough to be able to see far ahead of me. I was headed north, towards the Eldest’s face. I felt drawn to go to the oldest living dragon. He’d been sleeping for the past millennia, but I had a feeling that I would somehow get answers from him. I wanted to know why none of the other Queens knew about me. Maybe my mother had a reason for hiding me.

 

I spotted the Eldest’s snout and angled toward it. I landed before I got to the Eldest so that I could walk to him. I was hidden from above, yet I could feel eyes on me. I spread my wings and used the sensitive heat pits to scan for signs of anyone near me. The majority of the heat I sensed came directly from the Eldest, but I could feel some from behind me. Some dragon was hidden behind me.

 

I let out a low growl, warning the other dragon to stay back. I heard leaves crunch as the other dragon approached. I parted my jaws, getting ready to blast whatever was about to show itself.

 

A long silver snout poked out from behind a large tree. It was followed by the rest of the head and a slender neck. Even though the dragon was slim, you could easily tell that it was a warrior. I was about to let loose a jet of flames at the dragon when I recognized him. Aisher!

 

I closed my jaws and glared at the silver male. I was about to chastise him when I heard a voice behind me.

“My, my you’ve grown! Come, Kalli. Let me see you in the flesh instead of spirit.”

 

I whirred around and let loose a flame in surprise. No one was there. I glanced back to Aisher, who looked just as alarmed as me. Instinct took over and I charged in the direction of the voice. I came in to the clearing around the Eldest, but saw no living creature except for the slumbering giant.

 

“I meant not to startle the two of you. I’ve not spoken to any dragon in nearly a decade. Why do you still search for me?”

 

“Who are you, stranger?” Aisher asked as he protectively stepped in front of me.

 

“I am Brynoith, though no one knows my real name except for Anantila.”

 

“You know my mother?” I knew nearly every dragon my mother did, but I knew none by the name of Brynoith.

 

“I know her very well. How is she? I’ve not seen her since I gave her the egg—your egg.”

 

Rage sparked in my belly. This hidden dragon had some nerve! “My father was a mighty warrior killed in battle. If he were still alive, he would not be cowardly enough to hide from his daughter!” I roared at the unseen dragon.

 

“On the contrary, Kalli. I’m not hidden. I’m directly in front of you. Spread your wings and feel for my heat. I am the only thing in front of you.”

 

Though Aisher still seemed baffled, realization dawned for me. I slowly lifted my head and stared up at the huge eye staring directly at me. My jaw dropped and my blood ran cold.

 

The Eldest is awake. The Eldest is also my father.

Impressum

Tag der Veröffentlichung: 17.10.2015

Alle Rechte vorbehalten