PROLOGUE
STRIKE


Amethyst couldn’t see anything through the flurry of wings as the battle that blurred before her eyes went on and on around her. No sound could be heard but clanging armor and the screeching of the wounded.
The griffin felt a stinging pain in her right foreleg. Not stopping to look down, she roared and reared up on her hind legs, beating her enormous wings ferociously. Then she let herself fall back down. Her front paws crashed to the ground with a force that sent the pebbles around her trembling.
Her left paw had landed on a furry body. Looking down she saw that it was a werewolf, and one of its teeth was stuck in her leg. The little beast was now lying dead on the ground, crushed beneath her claws. Her eyes narrowed as she looked around for any other little werewolves that decided to be so stupid as to try to wound her. At the moment, there were none. Good choice, she thought.

“Amethyst!” someone screamed. “Look out!” Amethyst didn’t stop to look around and see why the warning had been shouted. She rose straight up into the sky so fast that it made her head swim. From here she saw the danger. A dragon at least twice her size had been about to land on her—to crush her. He growled and cut through the sky, straight toward her. His eyes glittered with hatred. Amethyst snarled and rammed the dragon head on, throwing him backwards. She spiraled higher into the air.

The dragon wasn’t discouraged. He roared, sending a ball of fire that was almost as big as Amethyst’s own eight feet tall straight for her. She dove downward in the blink of an eye to get away from it. As it was, the fur on the tip of her tail was singed off. Athianase is attacking me! her thoughts screamed. Athianase was the most vicious dragon alive. Pure evil.

“Cobalt!” she roared to her king on the battlegrounds below. Cobalt understood. He closed his eyes for an instant and ever so subtly raised one paw into the air, the motion growing into a wave of energy that reached her in less than a second. Amethyst heard his voice in her head, speaking in a language she didn’t understand, and felt some of his power surging through her own body. She felt it seeping down into her limbs, then into her claws. Amethyst didn’t hesitate. She hurled herself straight toward Athianase and sliced through his stomach with her now lethal claws, injecting an icy fluid into his body. He fell to the ground with a low, rumbling growl, red scales shining in the moonlight. Everyone scattered beneath him.
“Retreat!” Cobalt shouted. “Athianase won’t stay unconscious for long!” While the others in their little army flew in a frenzy back to their island of Mystia, Amethyst and Cobalt stayed back.

“Your majesty,” said Amethyst, “why not just kill him now, while he’s vulnerable?”

“Because I’m showing him the kindness he has never shown me. And if he attacks again…well, next time there will be no mercy.”

Athianase woke up minutes later and looked around. The battlegrounds were deserted. The Mystians were gone—out of his grasp. He roared in scorching fury toward the night-darkened sky. “Someday, Cobalt,” he growled, standing up, “Someday I will find your home…and I will destroy you.”

* * *

The dragon flew off in search of some water to drink and somewhere to rest for the night, until he could once again prepare his army to attack. He looked down and spotted an inconspicuous clearing in the middle of a thick forest. He flew down into it, his wings stirring up a small dust devil as he touched down. Maybe there will be water here, he thought. He looked around and saw the moon’s reflection shimmering on the surface of a small pool. He walked over and dipped his head in, slurping up the clear, cold water. Hearing the low growl of another creature, he flew off to find another forest to rest in. I am not yet ready for another battle, he thought, thinking that the creature might be a spy for the Mystians.

He hadn’t flown for long when he realized he was over the ocean. Squinting into the early sunrise he saw that there was a low, solid wall of green in the distance. His eyes narrowed and he snarled, flying toward it. It wasn’t long before he reached the island. Could it be? he thought, looking down. He let out an particularly loud screeching roar, sending smoke rising from his nostrils. It was Cobalt’s island. He snorted to get the smoke out of his nose and flew off to gather his minions and prepare for battle.


CHAPTER 1
RESCUE


“When’s your mom gonna be back?” Dawn asked Kaely.

Kaely’s mother, a woman who would live outdoors if she could, had taken Kaely and Kaely’s three best friends on this camping trip to celebrate the beginning of summer and the end of seventh grade. Krysta was new and they still didn’t know her quite as well, but they were all already close.

After pounding the last stake into the ground Dawn was fairly certain she was done putting up the tent, but it still didn’t look quite right…

“Soon, probably. She’s just getting firewood.”

“What’s wrong with your tent?” Krysta asked, glancing over at the sagging, unidentifiable structure Dawn had managed to put up.

“I don’t know. I need Diana’s help.” After hearing the words “Mrs. Richardson” one too many times, Kaely’s mom had gotten fed up and insisted that the girls call her Diana for the remainder of the trip.

“Let me try.” Kaely grabbed the instructions off the ground and started reading. “Now I know why you couldn’t figure it out. You don’t know Spanish.”

Dawn grabbed a Dr. Pepper from the cooler and a bag of potato chips from the picnic table. “Turn it over.”

“Oh.” After a minute she said, “Come help me. I’ll tell you what to do.” She pointed. “Here, first of all take that stake out and pull that corner a little more to your left…”

Dawn held her soda and chip bag out to Krysta, who was standing nearby and watching. “Could you hold this for a minute?”

Krysta nodded and said, grinning, “Hand it over, ya fatty.”

Kaely and Aubri turned sharply and stared. The four of them all said plenty of things to each other that would be insulting to anyone else, because they could. They were best friends, after all. But both Aubri and Kaely knew that there was one thing you never, ever said to Dawn: that she was fat. They had met each other in fourth grade when she had been skinny and athletic and could eat nothing but candy and stay that way. Now it was different. It wasn’t that she had a serious problem; it was just that she was self-conscious. Her weight wasn’t something to be brought up casually.

No one spoke for awhile. Finally Dawn broke the silence. “Um…I think I’m gonna go take a walk.” She got to her feet and started toward the woods.

“Dawn, you know I was kidding, right?”

She didn’t turn around.

Dawn felt her throat closing in. How could she call me that? She knows how it is…I don’t care if she was kidding…She kicked a rock by the trail as hard as she could. It hit a tree with a crack and a few of the tree’s residents took flight. She could feel her throat closing in. She eats more than I do, but she never gains any weight.

As she walked on her anger began to leave her and she was alone with the peace and serenity of the forest. She sat down on a bench by the trail and watched the sun through the trees as it began to set, shimmering like a mirage. It was only then that she realized how long she’d been gone. She reached into her pocket for her phone to check the time and realized she had left it at the campsite.

The sun was setting faster now. She got up to leave, pulling her jacket tighter around her. The air was starting to chill.

As she walked along she came to a fork in the trail. Through her anger she’d forgotten to remember which path she had taken. With a deep breath she started down the left trail. Please let this be the right one. Then she came to another fork. And another one. And then she knew it was taking too long. Somewhere she had chosen the wrong path. She went back. On the way she passed a parking lot but no people, and there wasn’t a single campsite in sight. All she could see in any direction were evergreen trees, drinking in the last small bit of warmth the sun had to offer before nightfall descended.

Her throat tightened again, but she swallowed it away as best as she could and inhaled deeply. Now is not the time to cry. She tossed her short, dark hair out of her face, but the fierce wind sent it swirling right back. She wished it would stop blowing so hard, because for one thing it was making it seem much colder than it was, and for another the sound of it whistling through branches and the whisper of leaves was making it hard to hear anything else.

By then only a sliver of the sun was visible and long shadows started to creep over the ground. Dawn had never been alone in the woods after dark before. Now that it was about to happen, she decided that it wasn’t exactly the ideal way for a thirteen year old girl to spend her summer vacation.

Somewhere an owl hooted. Dawn jumped, startled, and with a sigh continued her seemingly pointless hike.
Through her fear she began to grow drowsy. The sky was a sheet of black paper. It was a cloudy night, and not even the moon was out.

A twig snapped behind her, jerking her awake. It sounded like someone stepping on a twig. There they are! Dawn thought giddily. She spun around at lightning speed, expecting to see her friends. What she saw was not someone she recognized.

It was a monster.

* * *

Dawn wanted to scream. She needed to. But she was afraid to even breathe for fear that the shaggy creature would pounce. She stood there, frozen to the spot and shivering.

For a moment the two of them simply stood there, staring at each other. It was long enough for Dawn to conclude that it must be a wolf, or something related to a wolf. Its bright violet eyes were locked on her. Then the moment passed and the creature uttered a savage snarl, revealing a row of dazzlingly white teeth that sparkled in the moonlight. What really stood out were the two long, needle-sharp fangs where the creature’s canines should have been.

The wolfish beast lowered its head a few inches and leaped through the air, right toward Dawn. She let out a long gasp and sprinted away. She could hear the thing’s paws thudding heavily on the forest floor behind her, trampling everything in its path. Now it was so close she could feel its breath and saliva tickling her arm.

Suddenly a sincere, almost pitiful whine rang out behind Dawn. She reeled around sound faded back into the quiet darkness. The wolf was gone. No, it was just farther away, off the trail a ways and lying on the ground, dead, or maybe unconscious. It was holdings its leg at an odd angle, and there were four long gashes in its side that streamed blood.

What just happened? Dawn stood there, frozen, as she stared at the mangled body, then snapped out of it and looked around. Something stronger; faster; more dangerous than the wolf was out here somewhere. She was about to turn and run when a dignified, queenly voice behind her said, “Confused?” She whipped around, sending her hair flying in the wind again.

There, sitting in the clearing right next to the wall, was a huge creature. Maybe a lion?—No, lions were smaller, and didn’t have wings, Dawn realized when she saw the feathers at the animal’s sides. The creature was sitting with her tail curled around herself and her head dipped majestically.

“Wh-what are you?” she stammered, eyes wide.

The lion-eagle looked at her like she had just asked what color the sky was. “Of all the things you could be asking at the moment, child…why, I’m female, of course.”

“No, I mean—”

But she seemed to understand. “I’m a griffin, obviously.”

“And you can…t-talk?” She bit her tongue, trying to keep from stammering anymore. She felt the blood draining from her face as she watched the griffin wiping her claws of blood on some grass. Would the griffin would be any safer than the wolf? Sure, she had saved her, but why? And why was she even here? Griffins were fairytale creatures, weren’t they? Her knees felt weak. This had to be a dream. It couldn’t be real.

The griffin gave Dawn a questioning glance. “Yes.” She turned back to the lifeless wolf. “I’ve been looking for someone just like you. We need to get back to Cobalt.”

“What? Who’s Cobalt? What do you mean, someone like me?”

She didn’t answer either question. “We’d better get out of here. I don’t think I killed that thing, and when it wakes up I’d rather not be here.”
As Dawn watched, she saw the wolf’s side rise and fall heavily.

The griffin spread out her eagle’s wings and let out an ear-piercing shriek, tilting her head back.
To Dawn’s surprise, the creature came charging right at her. She braced herself, closing her eyes and preparing to be trampled. She screamed as she felt herself being lifted into the air. She took a deep breath and opened one eye. Her breath caught in her throat. She was eight feet off of the ground, at least. It didn’t take more than a few seconds for her to realize why. She was on the griffin’s back—and the griffin was preparing for takeoff. “No!” Dawn cried. “Put me down!”

“What? Those wolves heal fast—it might even be well again by the time it wakes up, and when it does it’s not just going to go home. I have to get you out of here.”

Now the wolf’s paws were twitching, and so was its snout. It was going to wake up. Her eyes squeezed shut as she used every muscle in her body to cling to the huge creature’s back.

Now the griffin was spreading her wings to lift into the sky. Her feathers ruffled. The wings gave a powerful flap, and all at once, they had risen up into the air. Dawn shrieked and clung to the creature’s back even tighter than before as her stomach dropped, thinking of nothing but falling off.

I’m going to throw up! She thought, gulping and shutting her eyes.

Without warning the griffin turned vertical and Dawn was looking straight up into the night sky. The clouds had cleared in some areas, revealing bright stars twinkled down at her and a full moon, but she barely noticed them. “What are you doing?” she screamed at the griffin. “I’m gonna fall!”

“Just hang on!” the griffin called back as they sped through the air. The force was so strong that Dawn thought for sure it was going to push her right off. She screamed again, but even she didn’t hear it. Her voice was lost on the wind that seemed to be made of bricks—a pile of bricks crashing right down on her. She used all of the strength in her arms, trying to ignore the way that her legs were dangling uselessly.

Most of the trees were only dots now, but Dawn thought she could see the wolf. It looked like it was conscious, but it wasn’t going to get her now.

Unless she fell. She stifled a gag as she imagined falling that distance. They must have risen a mile into the air by then.
The griffin tipped her body forward so that they were horizontal again. Dawn nearly collapsed with relief. Maybe I won’t die after all, she thought. That was like a roller coaster. Ugh—I will never go on a roller coaster again.

She let herself relax. “Um…thanks for rescuing me,” she said. I think, she added silently.

“It was my duty. I am assigned to protect the human representative.”

Dawn pondered that for a moment. There were a few questions that statement demanded answers to, but the one she decided on was, “Protect me? Why?”

The creature didn’t reply for awhile. When she did speak again, it wasn’t to answer. “In your language my name is Amethyst. I am your guardian, and I’m taking you to the land I’m from. I’m sorry about your little run-in with the werewolf.”

“What werewolf?” asked Dawn. A chill went down her spine.

“The one that attacked you back there in the woods. Did you think that was just an ordinary wolf?”

“Well…yeah, I guess.”

“You can tell it wasn’t because the eyes were a weird color, and it had the body shape of a human. Plus it didn’t have any fur on its paws.”

“Oh,” said Dawn. Now that she thought about it, that had struck her as strange. “So, where is this…land you’re taking me to?” Her teeth chattered. Right then she just wanted to go home, or at least get some answers.

“It’s off the coast a ways. You’ve never seen it. Only the inhabitants have. If one of them doesn’t grant you that ability, it will just look like the rest of the ocean.” She dipped a little, and Dawn clenched her teeth and grabbed onto Amethyst’s neck. “Sorry. I forgot you’re a beginner. You actually did well for your first time.” A vibration went through her, almost like she was laughing. “But there was a magnetic force keeping you on my back the whole time. As long as I’m conscious, it’s pretty much impossible for you to accidentally fall off. Didn’t you notice that my feathers were wrapped around your feet?”

Like Velcro. You’re kidding me. A wave of anger rose through her. “You couldn’t have told me?”

A strange grunting sound erupted from Amethyst. She was laughing—at her. “I’m sorry. Usually I torment beginners a bit. I suppose I should have told you, since you are a human.”

“And?”

“Well, humans are…I say…not among the creatures we like being with. Our riders are always elves or dryads.” Amethyst threw her a fish-eyed glance. “Actually, none of us have ever even seen a human. All I got to find you was a vague description. I don’t think Cobalt has seen a human before, either. He said to bring back the first one I found.”

“So you people have never seen a human…but you hate us?”

“I did no say that.”

“You meant it."

The two of them continued on in silence. Wait a minute…if there’s a magnetic force holding me on Amethyst’s back, then—

Dawn let go of the griffin’s neck and held out her arms to either side. She stayed perfectly upright without any struggle. Of course. Dawn crossed her arms. Okay, if that griffin causes me anymore stress, I swear—

“I’m going to go fast here, if is okay. We are behind schedule.”

“Fine with me,” Dawn answered, clenching her jaw a little tighter and forcing herself not to look down. It was tempting, but she knew she would throw up.

Amethyst shot forward, lion’s tail streaming out behind her.

She started to wonder what her friends would do when she didn’t show up, thinking back to when this had been just a regular camping experience. That was all out the door now. Here she was riding a griffin who didn’t speak English very well after narrowly escaping being mauled by a werewolf. She wondered if this could possibly get any weirder, but she didn’t think so. She sat back and strained to enjoy the ride. Before long she didn’t have to force herself. Listening to the wind whistle past her ears, she closed her eyes. It sounded to her like a song so peaceful, she leaned back and fell asleep.

She wasn’t sure how long she slept, but when she awoke it was to the screeching of an eagle. The grey light of the morning confused Dawn. Where am I? She flipped over on her side. Since when is my bed this comfortable? Oh right—I’m not in my bed. I’m camping. It wasn’t until she looked over the side of her “bed” and realized that she was thousands of feet above the ground that she remembered the happenings of the previous night.

Amethyst let out another ear-piercing shriek. “Get ready,” she said. “There is another griffin coming, vaolo tierda.” She seemed very excited. She said something else that was inaudible.
Dawn didn’t know what “vaolo tierda” meant, but Amethyst was looking straight ahead, so she did too, and saw a small dot that was gradually growing bigger and bigger.

“I’m going to land. You want to hold on.” With that, she dove straight down to the ground. Dawn screamed long and loud and hung on for her life, forgetting that she was like Velcro on the griffin’s back. She didn’t stop screaming until Amethyst’s claws touched the ground. When they did, she collapsed—almost fainted—and rolled to the ground.

“Ugh,” she grunted faintly.

Her eyes opened. As adrenaline pumped through her, she realized she was laughing—hard. So hard that tears rolled down her cheeks. “That was awesome!” she cried, sitting up.


CHAPTER 2
COBALT

Amethyst let out her grunt of a laugh. “We must do this again,” she chuckled.

Dawn grinned, then gasped as she realized that what had been a dot was now visibly a griffin even bigger than Amethyst. “Look!” She pointed upward.

“That’s Cobalt,” Amethyst said, without even having to look. She dipped her head. “He is our king.” There was a ray of sunlight streaming through the trees that made her fur shine and made it apparent that it had a purplish tint. Well, that’s weird, she thought. And ironic…She looked up, too. The other griffin was now circling above them. It made Dawn nervous—it reminded her of the way a vulture circled over a dead animal.

“Why doesn’t he dive straight down like you did? It’s faster,” Dawn said, trying to keep from cracking up again.

“I never saw no one else do that before.”

Cobalt was by now only about twenty feet above them. He almost seemed to float down, until his claws hit the ground with a solid thud. Dawn gazed up in awe at his size and obvious dignity. He must have been twice the size of Amethyst. His fur was a grayish blue, and he had a menacing air about him. “Um…hi,” she said meekly.

Amethyst arched her neck and dipped her head in a respectful bow to her king.
For the first time, Dawn was able to get a grasp on her surroundings. They were in the center of a clearing that was in the very center of a forest thick with trees with yellow leaves. The ground was dappled with circles of sunlight that penetrated through the high, wide-spread canopy of leaves and vines. Other than that, it was dim and dark. The clearing glowed with a strange, soft green light, but it was hardly enough to see by. Piles of leaves and the occasional twig were scattered here and there.

Dawn turned her attention back to Cobalt. He was watching her, his bright yellow eyes squinted. He seemed to be somehow disappointed with her. She began to grow nervous. She didn’t like the way he was watching her.

It looked like he’d like to sooner swallow her whole than let her onto his island.

“My name is Dawn,” she began carefully. “If you don’t mind…what do you want with me?” She realized that her question had come out much less respectfully than she had meant for it to.

Cobalt growled. “Do not speak to me in such a way. I will be the one asking the questions.”

As soon as he had said “questions,” a figure had descended from his back. It was another person, a boy, not much taller than herself. The wind blew the his longish dark hair off of his shoulders and revealed two thin, pointed ears. So he was an elf.
What do you say to an elf? Dawn wondered. Hi, I like your ears? She turned her attention back to Cobalt, who was still staring indignantly at her. “I’m sorry, your majesty.” The words sounded strange and hollow to her own ears. She had never said that before. She did her best to bow in the way Amethyst did. Cobalt just stared at her like she was trying to make candy canes come out of her nose. He exchanged a glance with the elf boy. It clearly said, We’ll have to work on that. They both turned back to Dawn.

“We’ll take you to Mystia,” said the boy quietly, almost inaudibly. “You will meet the rest of the islanders.” He lowered his head. “My name is Ben. Well, that’s my Amican name…Cobalt and I will be your escorts to our island.” He didn’t seem too excited about it, and Dawn was pretty sure he meant “American.”

She guessed that Mystia was the name of the island that Ben was talking about. “Okay,” she said nervously.

Ben put one hand on Cobalt’s wing. He stuck there (like Velcro) as Cobalt lifted it until it was level with his back, which Ben leapt bravely onto from yards away. Dawn hoped that she would be able to do that once she had gotten more practice. She decided it wouldn’t hurt to try it now. She put one hand on Amethyst’s wing. Her heart began to beat faster as Amethyst’s strong feathers wrapped around her hand and ground dropped away from her. This is scary! I’m not doing it again. She realized that Amethyst’s wing was now next to her back. “Umm…” Dawn couldn’t bring herself to jump. What if she missed? The ground was pretty far below her.

Amethyst seemed to realize that and brought her wing over to her back until Dawn was practically sitting on it. “Thank you,” she breathed, sighing in relief and clutching the griffin’s neck firmly. I don’t care if I am stuck here. She sat up straighter. “I’m ready to go.”

Cobalt nodded and soared straight up into the air, Ben looking completely at ease. Dawn couldn’t help letting the words “show off” ring around in her mind just once…or twice.

Then Amethyst snorted and did the same thing. Although her teeth chattered in the frigid air and her heart just wouldn’t slow down, Dawn was able to at least hope she looked like she wasn’t having trouble.

Once Amethyst was at the same altitude as Cobalt, she evened out and Dawn was once more able to relax. She sat back with her hands behind her head. This is actually kind of cool, she thought. How many people get to meet an elf and two griffins? Oh—and a werewolf…but I don’t think they’d want to.

Amethyst sped up for a moment until she was neck-and-neck with Cobalt. They began to talk about their experiences from the time Amethyst had left the island to the time Cobalt had showed up, or at least that was what Dawn was pretty sure they were talking about from the bits and pieces they said in English. She put in the part about the werewolf. She noticed smugly that Ben looked impressed that she had outrun it—at least for a little while. That lasted until about five seconds later when he began talking about his tangle with an ogre.

Dawn didn’t brag anymore.

* * *

Dawn woke up, confused, to the shriek of a griffin. She had fallen asleep on Amethyst’s back, she realized. Her eyes were droopy and it took a little while for everything to come into focus. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and looked around for the sun. It was directly above them. Her stomach growled.

“Dawn,” said Amethyst.

“What?” She was irritated at Amethyst for waking her up.

“We’re about to land. The four of us need to do something.”

“Okay,” Dawn answered, heart racing at the anticipation of another long free-fall. She braced herself. “Let’s do that diving thing again!”

“What—again?” asked Cobalt. He looked over at Amethyst, clearly suspicious.

“Watch!” said Dawn.

Amethyst didn’t hesitate. With a single beat of her wings, she and Dawn were suddenly plummeting face-first. Dawn leaned forward with her hands out behind her and her hair streaming back. She screamed giddily. When Amethyst tipped back and her paws touched the ground, Dawn’s fingers and legs felt numb. She jumped down off of the griffin’s back, breathing hard. Amethyst happily rolled over on her back and then stood up quickly. “I hope Cobalt did no see that,” she said. “Is what dirty horses do.” She frowned. “Maybe we shouldn’t have done that dive, either.”

“Whatever he’s gonna do to us, it was worth it,” Dawn answered. She flopped over on her own back and looked up at the sun, which was blinking as the tips of the evergreen trees swayed back and forth in front of it. They were in another forest clearing. She sat up and looked around. There was nothing but trees and dirt everywhere she looked except for the rare blade of grass and a clear, glittering pool that was about ten feet long and five wide. She crawled over and stared into its surface, entranced.

By then Cobalt had landed. “Where is Parie?” he demanded furiously.

“We should not have trusted him to do something as important as guard the water,” said Ben, his eyes narrowed into little slits. “He probably ran off the first chance he got.”

“And now we don’t know where he is.”

“I’ll alert Khara when we get back. She will appoint a new guard.”

Cobalt turned his attention back to Dawn, who was completely confused by then. She had no idea who Parie was, or what would happen if he didn’t stay at his post. “I need to explain something to you,” said Cobalt, looking into the glistening pool. He was the first so far to not make a single mistake with his English. “The reason you can even see this water is because you’ve ridden Amethyst. You can only see it under two circumstances: if you have ridden on a dragon or a griffin, or if you are a griffin or dragon. There’s a story that goes with that—I won’t go into it now. As I was saying, if you drink from it and splash it in both of your eyes you will be able to see our island.”

“Okay,” said Dawn, already gathering some water in her cupped hands.

“Wait!” roared Cobalt, startling Dawn. The water splashed back into the pool. “The griffin must pour it into your mouth with her paws.” He said, emphasizing the word. He nodded to Amethyst, who looked surprised.

“Me? I no know how.”

“I’ll take you through it.” He gave her a set of instructions, most of which were in what Dawn decided must be their native language. She was told to lie flat on her back as Amethyst let some of the water trickle into her mouth a little bit at a time, then put a few drops in each of her eyes. Then she lifted Dawn up onto her back. “She shouldn’t touch the

ground for awhile,” Cobalt had said.
Dawn felt suddenly alive and refreshed. I feel like I just went skydiving or something. This is cool!
The griffins soared straight up into the sky while Cobalt said something vague about how he’d like to try to dive the way Amethyst had done. Dawn stifled a giggle. She glanced over at Ben, who was smiling. “On to Mystia!” the elf cried, raising his fists and standing up halfway on Cobalt’s back.

Cobalt and Amethyst picked up speed little by little until they were flying so fast that when Dawn looked down all she saw was a blur. In the distance she could barely make out the beginnings of a brown, sandy beach crowded with tourists. Dawn frowned. “People will see you guys,” she said into Amethyst’s cat-like ear.

“We’re high enough that they probably think we’re birds,” she answered.

They reached the water in seconds. Now that they were this far, Dawn thought she could see a green wall in the distance. She squinted, but she still couldn’t see any detail. It was just blurry green.

Cobalt shouted, “Mystia visible—twelve o’ clock!”
Dawn’s teeth chattered with excitement.


CHAPTER 3
ISLAND

It seemed like hours before they finally reached the island and began to descend. By then Dawn’s excitement had turned to stiff terror. They never told me why they’re making me come here, she realized, and her teeth started chattering all over again—and not from excitement. Just that I’m a representative. What does that even mean?

The griffins circled around in the air in preparation for the dive that Cobalt had given his permission to do. “Now!” shouted Amethyst, and they dipped downward and began falling. Dawn grinned and shut her eyes, which tears slid out of. Air whistled past her. She opened one eye. Everything she tried to look at was a blur. More tears rushed out and she closed it again.
Amethyst reached the ground much too quickly. Dawn jumped off without the aid of the griffin’s wing and looked over at Raven and Cobalt, blinking the stinging dryness out of her eyes. Ben was leaning up against Cobalt, breathing hard and laughing. Dawn thought she could see a smile on Cobalt’s face.
As the four of them looked around, Dawn realized for the first time that they were surrounded by people. She was able to recognize some elves, two small people that she was pretty sure were dwarves, centaurs, two unicorns—one a blackish color that looked blue in the sunlight and the other bay—a few griffins, and even a dragon, she thought—it was too far away for her to tell for sure. She didn’t recognize the rest.

It was like a convention for creatures that she didn’t know existed. She smiled at them until she realized that not one of them was smiling back.
“Make way!” shouted Cobalt. He sounded angry. “We need to get to the castle!” It was eerily quiet as the creatures in the direction of the castle parted to make a sort of walkway for them to walk through. Cobalt led the way with Raven following close behind. Dawn climbed up Amethyst’s back and they all walked forward. For some reason, to Dawn it felt like a death march.

Dawn looked ahead and saw what must have been the castle. It was medieval-looking and made out of some kind of light golden rock. It towered above the rest of the island, glittering in the sun.

Once the four of them were past the congregation of creatures, Dawn looked around and saw that they were in a village. There were many small cottages scattered everywhere—maybe a hundred—that appeared to be made of wood and straw. The only creatures that were not in the group that had greeted them were smaller ones like squirrels and chipmunks. They were running around and gathering nuts off of the ground and from the oak trees, and they looked happy enough.

Aside from the inhabitants, the island seemed pretty cheerful for the most part. Rays of sunlight streamed down right to the ground in every direction and sparkled off of the huge waves coming in on the shore, but it wasn’t hot. The misty mountains in the distance were the only part of this place that looked dark and hazy.

They reached the castle within minutes. Cobalt reached out and banged on the door with one paw. It opened a crack and grey light streamed out, as did the sound of many voices all chattering at once.
In the doorway stood a female centaur. She had streaming black hair that came down to her waist in silky waves. The horse half of her was black. Her nut-shaped eyes were dark brown and her face was flawless.

“This is Khara,” said Raven. “She is our best archer when it comes to battles, and she is one of my most loyal subjects.” The centaur woman nodded and bowed, although she looked like she didn’t know what they were saying.

“Whorshim, orae siera,” said Khara.

“She says ‘Welcome, young warrior,’” Raven translated. “She does not know your language fluently, only some.”

“Oh—tell her I said thank you,” said Dawn, puzzling over why she had just been called a “young warrior.”
“Kvingwe,” said Raven, turning to Khara. “Ule oha kvingwe.” The centaur stepped aside and opened the door wider so that the griffins and their riders could get through. They stepped inside the castle.
Dawn looked around at the room. The walls were built of gold marble; the floor was earthy but clean. There was no furniture or decoration except for a dining table with a few chairs around it.

The five of them were not the only ones in the room. There was also a mother and baby leopard (which was hopping around and batting at his mother’s flicking tail) and about twenty elves, among them a boy with dark, wide eyes and a powerful build despite his skinniness.

“Rylan!” Ben said, showing the first signs of enthusiasm since Dawn had met him. He rushed to him. The two of them each held out a fist, which they locked together. In turn they kissed their intertwined hands. “You are back!” He turned to Dawn and the griffins. “Rylan is my twin brother,” he explained. “He was one of people sending word about Athianase’s upcoming attack…and lived.”
There was a low chatter in the room as they all gave him their word of appreciation.

All except for Dawn, who had no idea who or what Athianase even was. The mother leopard saw the confused expression on her face and motioned for her to have a seat at the table. A fraction of the elves were also sitting, watching her with stern expressions. The ones sitting closest to her moved away just enough to be noticed.

Do I smell? Dawn wondered vaguely. She couldn’t remember if she’d used deodorant that morning, but she was pretty sure she did.

“Did no one tell you?” she asked. “Why you’re here?”

Dawn could only shake her head, smiling uncertainly.

“It is serious,” said the elderly elf sitting across from her. She had graying hair and dark, narrowed eyes. The smile slipped right off of Dawn’s face. “Chloe will tell you,” she said, waving her hand as if she herself couldn’t be bothered.

“Well,” said Chloe—the leopard—sitting down and looking up at Dawn, “It starts with that pool of water you drink from. You only see it if you touch a griffin or a dragon or you are one. Cobalt told you that, yes?” She looked over at Dawn, who nodded. She closed her eyes for a second and then opened them again. “He fought against us in battle. By coindence,” (Dawn guessed she meant coincidence) “after the war he landed in the clearing where the pool was. He drink the water and then fly to his own island—and directly over ours. He is now planning attack. We have to defeat him, and you are chosen to help us. Will you fight with us?”

“What? No! I don’t want to fight in a battle! Who said I would?”

“You misunderstand. You must only join a council of representatives, no fight, although you may be good fighter with training.”

“What good can I do in a council? I’m thirteen.”

“You were first person Amethyst saw. Is you destiny to be here. We need a human’s…” She looked at Cobalt. “What is the word?”

“Perspective,” Cobalt pronounced.

“We need human’s perspective. There is also a certain…Cobalt, what kind of spell?”

“Ancient,” said Cobalt with a smile.

“There is ancient spell that can be made if one of every kind of creature is present, one that will help us defeat Athianase.”

“But…why should I?” She knew how it sounded, but she was trying to enjoy her summer vacation, not help win a war.

Cobalt’s eyes narrowed. “We thought you might say something like that. That is why we all agreed to give you one wish if you do.”

Dawn’s eyes widened. A wish? That’s something I could really use! She thought, eyes darting from one creature to another. “You can do that?”

“We’re not your normal mainlanders, Dawn,” said Amethyst.

That was for sure. They were all holding their breaths and waiting for her decision. The one exception was the baby leopard, who was still batting at his mother’s tail, which she was flicking around. “I’ve never fought before,” she admitted, “or been on a council. I don’t think I would be much help to you. I don’t think I could do it, even for a wish.”

“We will help,” said the unicorn, sounding as though his nerves were being severely tested. “We are not asking if you can. We are asking you if you will.”

“Can’t someone else help?” Dawn asked.

“It is your destiny,” said Cobalt, repeating Chloe’s words. “Not someone else. Besides, do you think we would go to all that trouble to bring you here from the mainland just so you could disappoint us?”

“Um…no,” Dawn said, looking down at her gold tennis shoes.

“Well?” Chloe’s eyes were round and sparkly. Even her son stopped playing long enough to give Dawn a wide-eyed look.

The word seemed to hang in the air.

Dawn took a deep breath and puffed out her chest. She let it out and looked Cobalt straight in the eye. “Yes. I will be on your council.”


CHAPTER 4
DECISION

Amethyst and Dawn stepped out of the castle into the blinding mid-afternoon light. “I’m glad you agreed,” Amethyst breathed in relief. “We have been so anxious about this, and now the attack is closer than ever.” She looked at Dawn out of the corner of her eye.

They were suddenly flocked by creatures shouting at them. Dawn looked around, confused. How had they all gotten there so fast?

Amethyst thumped the ground with her foot and their meaningless chatter ceased. The crowd parted so that a wide walkway was formed. The ground began to rumble. Dawn’s stomach buzzed. She gasped as she saw that a dragon was emerging from the crowd. She had only heard of dragons—she had never dreamed that they were real. The one she was looking at now was a muddy brown with green, cat-like eyes and smoke wafting out of its nostrils. The spikes on its back and neck jutted out like evil-looking cactus thorns. Its body reminded her of that of a horse, and its neck was long. The end of its tail was curved to a point. Dawn sure didn’t want to be hit with that.

“We have only one question for the human,” he grumbled in a voice that shook the little puddle of water near them, saying the word “human” as if he was referring to something disgusting. “Did you agree to fight in our battle?” His eyes narrowed to menacing little points.

The human has a name, and she’s not actually going to fight, she thought, but she wasn’t about to correct him. “Yes,” she answered timidly.

“Good choice. I would hate to see the consequences of rejection.” Dawn was a little confused by that last part, but the way the dragon flicked his tail toward her ever so subtly, she was pretty sure he meant that bad things would happen to her if she turned them down.

The dragon snorted out a large plume of smoke and walked away, the ground shaking in his wake. The other creatures followed him back to their village.

Amethyst and Dawn walked side by side until they reached the beach where the sand was slimy with water that had ebbed not too long ago. Dawn’s shoes started to sink. She took them off, along with her socks, and dug her toes in. After a moment’s silence Dawn asked what had been on her mind since she had been greeted not-so-warmly. “Why do they hate me?”

It was a minute before Amethyst answered, and at first Dawn thought she was going to push the question aside, as she had done many times already. “Humans…well, I said before, they aren’t much liked.” She hadn’t said that before, exactly, but Dawn didn’t mention it.

“But why?”

“A few reasons. Humans have pros—pres—persecute—yes, I think that’s the one—us for many centuries. The dragons were the firsts. It was long ago the first human killed a dragon, and no one thought much of it. Then it became symbol of the honor to a human male, to kill dragon. Before long there were few left, and the poor things were forced to escape to here. They were the first in…inha…inhabitants.”

“But I’m guessing there were more.”

“Oh, yes. After them were the centaurs and us griffins. We were thought of as freaks, ‘weirdos’. They ran us out of their villages and attacked when saw us. They were scared.” She ruffled her feathers crossly. “We had find refuge on Mystia with dragons. The dragons welcomed us, unlike the humans.” She snorted, looking fierce. “Then the unicorns had to go, of course. Humans killed for the healing power of horns, which the idiots did no realize only worked when the unicorn is alive and control it.” Her English worsened as she became angrier. She paused for a second, regaining her composure, and then continued. “Elves were the next. They were great artists; musicians; writers—but humans did no understand them. They were before their time. Just look at poor Van Gogh, perhaps the most misunderstood of the all, and now his works sell for millions. They could no make a living, the only thing humans accepted them for is their speed. If they no want to run for money they were forced to move here to start over. Over time everyone had to move. The werewolves were the only unfortunate to find Crahalla instead of Mystia.”

“What’s Crahalla?”

“Athianase’s island.”

Dawn let that sink in. She wondered how many elves humans had rejected without knowing it. “So they blame me for all of that?”

“You are one of them, are you not?”

* * *

Amethyst showed Dawn to the room she would be staying in. “This, we have prepared as well as we can to suit human,” she said, opening the door. It looked alright to Dawn. There was a comfortable-looking bed, a dresser with open drawers full of clothes, even a desk. There were colorful flowers painted on the walls.

“Thank you. I like it.”

“I am glad. Good night.”

“Good night.”

Dawn began to rifle through the drawers. They appeared to be stocked for both a boy and a girl, which made sense considering no one knew which one the first person Amethyst saw would be. She picked a soft nightgown—that was what she was pretty sure it was—put it on, and went to bed. It took awhile for her to drift off, as she had a lot to think about. There was still the gnawing fact that Diana, Kaely, Aubri, and Kaely had no idea where she was. They were still back there…possibly in the company of the werewolf.

The next morning Dawn awoke to Khara struggling to say “Good morning.”

She yawned. “G’morning,” she answered.

“We go,” Khara said, motioning for Dawn to go with her. Dawn got up and followed her to the makeshift elevator. Once again Khara pulled the rope up and they made their way shakily down. When they got to the bottom Cobalt, Amethyst, Ben, Rylan, Chloe, and Chloe’s cub were waiting. The two elves were the only ones using chairs, as the griffins were tall enough not to need them and the leopards were sitting on the ground in front of dishes set on stools next to the table. “Have a seat,” Cobalt said. Dawn took the seat between Rylan and Amethyst. Rylan moved away slightly; Dawn tried to ignore it but immediately wished she’d chosen to sit somewhere else.

“This is everyone,” said Cobalt. “Khara?”

She nodded, hurried away, and returned a minute later with two trays of steaming food. Two other centaurs followed behind her, one carrying large dishes, the other, glasses.

For a few seconds after the food was set in front of them no one moved. Dawn picked up her fork and prepared to dig into what appeared to be bread stuffed with leafy vegetables when she realized that maybe there was a reason no one else had taken a bite. She looked around the table. Everyone was watching Cobalt, who gracefully dipped his head into his bowl and lapped up a sip of his water. After that they all began to eat. Dawn wasn’t sure she very much liked the vegetable bread. It must be an acquired taste, she decided, and didn’t dismiss the dish entirely. After all, she didn’t like pizza the first time she tried it but now it was her favorite.

“Dawn,” said Amethyst, startling her, “have you decided whether or not you want to actually fit?”

“Whether I want to…what? I’m sorry.”

“Fit.”

“Fight,” Cobalt clarified.

“Oh.” Dawn hoped she wasn’t paling, but it felt like she was. “Um…” Hadn’t it been clear the day before that she only wanted to be on the council—at the very most? “I don’t…”

“Of course not,” Rylan cut in, throwing his napkin down on his plate.

Dawn looked over at him, puzzled. What’s wrong with him?

“I do not believe your name is Dawn,” Cobalt growled. Rylan shut up for the time being. “I would like to hear her answer, if you don’t mind.”

Now she was fairly certain she’d blanched. “I don’t…I don’t think I really…want to.” She didn’t dare look at Rylan, but she could still hear him.

“She is human, after all,” he said. “Why would she want to help us?”

“That is enough, Rylan,” Cobalt said, his words punctured by a small snort.

“Well, when the rest of us are out there standing up for ourselves, enjoy being back here all alone.” By his tone, it seemed Ben shared the views of his brother. Dawn waited for Cobalt to reprimand him. He didn’t.

“That is true.” Cobalt nodded. “You will be by yourself in staying behind.”

“She doesn’t care,” Rylan muttered. “She would like us to all disappear.”

And how would you know?

“She is weak, anyway. She does not look like she could even lift sword,” Ben added with a nasty smile.

“I would like for you both to leave. Now,” Cobalt commanded, his eyes narrowed down into points.

“I hope you have fun sitting in a boring council, little human,” Rylan said over his shoulder as they exited the room. Cobalt growled loudly enough to send a shiver scuttling down Dawn’s back.

“If that is your final decision,” Cobalt said when the door swung shut again, “I respect it.”

But Dawn wasn’t so sure she did. She knew Ben and Rylan’s rude remarks weren’t the worst of what she would have to endure. The memory of the brown dragon was still fresh in her mind. When no one else spoke even though they were all finished eating—or drinking, in the griffin’s case—she opened her mouth. I’m gonna regret this so much. “Say I didn’t want to—to fight.” Everyone’s eyes (except the cub’s, because by then he was fast asleep against Chloe’s side) locked unwaveringly on her. “Do you really think I could?”

“Everyone can, Dawn,” said Chloe. Dawn was sure she was smiling. “You just need training. I think you could be good.”

“Oh, thanks.” Dawn stared down at her plate for awhile and then said, “Um…I think I could, you know, try.”

Amethyst brightened visibly. “Does that mean you changed your minds?”

Again, Dawn was sure she would regret her reply later. “Yeah. I think so.”

“That’s great, hon. I don’t think you’ll be sorry.” Chloe began to lick the top of her cub’s scruffy head.

“Why don’t you go get changed into day clothes,” said Amethyst, “and when you get back we’ll discuss your training.”

Khara escorted her back to her bedroom. Dawn secretly wanted to try pulling the rope on the elevator but didn’t say anything. “I dress you,” the centaur said when they got there, going to the dresser and opening the drawers of clothes. For a moment Dawn thought Khara ad flubbed her English and meant just pick out her outfit, but then realized she meant what she had said. She started to object but then realized that this was what they did here. What she really wanted to know was if wearing dresses like this one was what they did here. The dark brown one Khara had slipped over her head and was now tying in the back came down past her knees and felt like it was made of velvet, and a lot of it. Dawn felt ten pounds heavier. Lastly she slid Dawn’s feet into a pair of ballet flats. “We go back now,” she said, and led the way back to the makeshift elevator.

“I think we should get you to the greatest warrior on the island—Shenovela,” Amethyst said when they returned. “She is one who trained me. If she and Athianase ever met in battle, the beast would meet his match. It is a pity that she has decided never to fight again, but I do not blame her.”

“But if she could beat him, then why won’t—”

“Shenovela lost her dearest friend in battle,” Amethyst answered briskly. “He was carried off and never seen again.”

“Oh.” Dawn felt a pang go through her. That must be horrible, she thought, saddened. If that happened to one of my friends, I don’t even know what I’d do. She had another thought. Is that what they thought happened to me? That worried her. There could be an entire search party out for her—and they wouldn’t find her. She swallowed hard and forced herself to concentrate.

“Come,” said Amethyst, “It is time we go.”

“Wait, right now? I’m supposed to train into a dress and flats?”

“Do not worry. Is not a problem—the elves and dryads do all the time. So if you are ready…” She lowered the wing closest to Dawn and lowered herself.

Dawn climbed onto her back. “Okay, I guess I’m ready,” she said. Khara opened the main doors for them and as soon as Amethyst’s paws touched the grass outside, she charged forward.

“We’re not allowed to fly over this island,” she said. “Cobalt says it gives our location away. We will have to run for awhile.” She grunted. “Athianase already knows where we are, so I don’t see the point,” she added to herself.

Dawn felt like she was on a galloping horse. She had been on one before, and she hadn’t enjoyed it. It had been her first ride. “Whoa!” she cried out instinctively. Amethyst didn’t answer, but Dawn thought she felt her back tense. “Sorry,” she said. “It just came out.”

“I forgive.”

“I was just wondering, why weren’t you and Cobalt eating?”

“We cannot eat that crabagi. We went out for a hunt earlier this morning.”

“Did you catch a lot?”

“It was enough.”

Dawn sat back and lifted her arms from where they were holding Amethyst’s neck so tightly that her knuckles cramped. I hope Amethyst can hold me on her back when we’re on the ground, because I do not want to fall off at this speed, she thought. At the moment she couldn’t tell if Amethyst’s feathers were wrapped around her feet, and she wasn’t about to look down.

She thought back to her ride on the horse. Amethyst’s back was a more comfortable shape than a horse’s, and Dawn was glad for that. She looked over her shoulder and saw that the village was now far behind. They were now nearing a tall, craggy mountain range. She thought she saw a layer of snow at the top, but it was hard to tell for the mist. The light changed almost immediately in the shadow of the great mountains. Dawn wished she had thought to bring her jacket with her. “Don’t tell anyone, but I’m going to fly here. The ground is full of snakes. I think I heard one,” said Amethyst, suddenly giving a powerful flap of her wings and rising into the air, paws pointed behind her. Dawn leaned forward and rested her head on the creature’s neck. It was easier to balance this way.

“Shenovela’s cave is in sight,” Amethyst pointed out, staring straight ahead. Dawn looked forward and saw a small, dark hole in the side of one of the mountains. At least, it looked small from where they were.

“What is Shenovela?” asked Dawn.

“You’ll see.” Amethyst gave an especially strong flap of her wings and zoomed forward so that Dawn’s hair whipped out behind her.

Amethyst flew through the maze of the mountaintops and trees, dodging side to side to avoid obstacles without any trouble. Dawn held on easily and before long held her arms out to each side, watching the ground as it zoomed by beneath her. Her heart raced at the thought of meeting another new creature. I think I’ve met enough of them, she thought.

By now Amethyst’s paws were less than twenty yards from the cave. She slowed down and rested on the ledge before it. “Shenovela!” she called into the cave. Her voice echoed on the smooth, rocky walls. “It’s me—Amethyst! A trainee is here!”

As she listened, she was able to hear a faint thump…thump…thump… Shenovela was coming.

The sound grew louder and louder until it was almost deafening. She stared into the cave, squinting against the darkness, and gasped.

What she saw was a dazzlingly white dragon whose scales shimmered orange and yellow in the mid-afternoon sun as she emerged from the gloom of the cave. She was much bigger than the brown dragon but held herself with more dignity; more grace. She bowed her head. “Worshim, orae siera,” said the dragon.

Dawn had to think hard to remember what that meant. Welcome, young warrior…welcome, young warrior, she said over and over again in her head. What was that word for “thank you?” she wondered, and then remembered.

“Kvingwe,” Dawn answered, bowing her own head. She cringed, hoping that was the right word and that she hadn’t just cursed, or worse. She looked over at Amethyst, who nodded in approval.

“So,” said the dragon in a low, ancient-sounding voice, “This human…you want me to train her?” Dawn was getting tired of hearing the word “human” said in a way you might expect to hear the word “cockroach.”

“Yes,” the griffin answered. “She needs it.” She turned to Dawn. “Shenovela has fought in countless battles and has been trained by some of the best warriors in generation. If anyone can teach you to fight, is her.” She turned back to the dragon. “Will you?”

“Is there no one else who can do it?”

“You are best. Everyone knows.”

After a moment of thought, Shenovela answered, “I will teach her what I know. Please, come in and out of the hot sun.”

As Dawn entered the cave she looked upward and realized that her two-story house might have been able to fit in here. It was too dark to see all the way up.

Shenovela puffed a flame out of her mouth, lighting a bit of charred rock on fire. “I’m sorry that there is no light,” she said as she walked around, lighting random pieces of rock on fire. “I was just about to go out for a hunt on the mainland. I’m running a bit short on food.”

Impressum

Tag der Veröffentlichung: 05.02.2011

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Widmung:
Hm...well, I guess I dedicate this to my grandma, who has helped me tons along the way.