Crescent High

Chapter 23

The egg was hatching! I ran over to my bed and cradled it in my arms, the cracks spreading like wildfire over the mass of glossy black. My hand burnt with the pain of 1000 stabs, the scar from the last time I held this thing emitting a blinding light that I couldn't bring myself to look away from.
The egg shook, an ear-splitting roar filling the room, and the web of cracks glowed brighter.
"Curse you, Ciana," I screamed as the pain worsened. "Why? Why me?" Again the egg shook, and I collapsed to the floor. It felt like I was being attacked by whatever creature was resting in the egg, another yell filling the room. I heard more cracking, and howled in pain as each crack began to split, branching off in more and more directions , the shell of the egg now covered, and just a glowing orb. The light it was giving off was hot, searing my skin even though I wasn't touching it, and I shielded my eyes as it got brighter, and hotter, the room feeling like a volcano. I sat up and watched the egg shake, rolling around the table. 
Yet the light grew brighter and brighter, becoming unbearable to look at. My eyes squeezed tightly shut, the darkness feeling like a blessing after looking at the literal sun. All I could hear was the sound of the egg cracking, and my own screams as I collapsed again onto the floor. For what felt like an eternity, I lay on the floor, curled up in a ball as I heard the egg shattering and the pieces hitting the ground around me. Somehow, nothing hit me, and I curled up even tighter as the pace of the shattering increased tenfold.
Then, a rare moment of silence, and the pain stopped briefly, before returning worse than ever, and I screamed as it shot through my veins like fire. Again, a rest, then more pain, becoming worse each time it happened. Finally, it stopped, and didn't return, my eyes opening to see shards of egg dug into the floor around me. I sat up, taking in the carnage that became my room, and the thing that lay asleep where the egg once was. It radiated heat when I got closer, and I scooted back to where it was cool.
The thing on the table was jet black, as dark as night, and was small enough that it would be able to fil in my hand. When it stretched, I could see that it had wings, the web like pattern on them reminding me of the events that happened no more that five minutes ago. Its eyes opened, an unusual amber colour, and I felt like it could see right into my soul. Slowly, it stood up, growing to the size of a small dog, and opened its wings right out.
I gasped. It was a dragon!

"Finally, I was waiting for you to hatch me for yonks," it complained, yawning. "What took so long?" It stalked forwards and I felt like it was judging me, which it probably was. "Come on, answer me."
"I'm sorry, what are you?"
It blinked, before beginning to chortle loudly. "Ha, good joke. I think I like you already, and you haven't even told me your name yet." It stretched and sat down waiting. "So, aren't you going to tell me why it took so long?"
"Seriously, what are you?" I repeated, and the dragon looked like it had seen a ghost.
"Wow, you're really not kidding. No wonder it took so long," it said. "Let me explain. You come from a long line of Sorcerers, and I have accompanied all of them. My name's Void. The Void Dragon. Don't tell me you haven't heard of that as well."
"Actually, I have. But does that mea-" Void cut me off.
"Yep, you're the Void Sorcerer, big deal? There've been so many of them in my time that I can hardly keep track. There are some that really stood out to me though, like Abaris. He was your great great great great great great..."
I zoned out.

"Great great great great great great great great..." Void was still going when I regained focus. "Great great grandfather. Oh, he was the best. And there was Ophad-"
I shuffled away as Void began to recount all of the Sorcerers in the past 3000 years, my stomach begging for food. Turns out hatching a 5000 year old dragon really takes it out of you.

📚

"There you are!" Rose said as I arrived at the table. "Where have you been, the rest of us have eaten."

"I couldn't find my uniform. Took a while," I replied, and got a sandwich from the platter set in the middle of the table. "Just wondering, did Coral order this by any chance? Cause, it looks like rabbit food." I took a bite out of the sandwich and listened to the conversation that was going on about paying cows for their milk.

"Hey, Reef, do you know when we're doing Riding?" I whispered, and he answered back.

"Half 1, by the willow tree. I know there's a stable where all the dragons are kept."

"Thanks." I grabbed another sandwich to fill the hole in my stomach, and shovelled it down. "We have half an hour till Riding, did you want to get down there early?"

"It's probably a good idea. We'll get first pick of dragons if we get there early."

We all stood up and walked to the Dragon Stables, the conversation still going.

"Did you want to go ahead with me, I can't listen to this rubbish any more?" I asked Reef, and together we raced off, the others yelling and sprinting after us.

"YOU-" Rose began, before tripping over a root and falling flat on her face.

"Rose, be kind." Reef chastised her and helped her up. "Come on, the professor's sure to be inside." He pushed the door open, and the smell of dragon poo wafted out.

I held my nose as we walked inside, looking at all of the dragons in their pens.

"Hello, you're clearly very keen to get riding aren't you?" Miss Palmer said as we reached her. "Or do you just want the best dragons. After all, they are who you will be riding the whole time you're here."

We all nodded, and she motioned for us to follow her. Choose whoever you want, apart from Divnun, she's mine. They all have their names on their stalls."

Slowly, I walked past each of the pens, looking for one that seemed perfect. "Hello," I heard a voice in my head. "Over here." My head flicked around and I saw a dragon that looked suspiciously like Void.

"What are you doing here?" I groaned as I pushed open the door of his pen.

"Someone isn't happy to see me. I thought you'd be ecstatic," he said. "Aren't you going to ride me?"

"Just so no-one else has to deal with you. Don't want to put them through that," I joked, and poked my head out the stall to see what the others had chosen. They had all led their dragons out into the central area, so I did the same with Void.

Rose's dragon looked beautiful, the scales a dusky pink colour. Reef had an ocean blue dragon that I had passed whilst trying to find one for me, and his name was Xaynas. Megan had another blue dragon, but this one was a midnight colour, called Iendiar.

"Hey guys, cool dragons," I called.

"Thanks, this is Ysyrinth, I love her. What's your dragon called?"

"His name's Puffalump, Eater of Bunnies. At least, that's what was on the stall."

"Oi," Void protested, but I just smiled.

"I think it really suits him," Reef laughed, looking at Void's scales and chuckling. "Whoever could have come up with that."

We all laughed as the rest of the class began to come in and choose their dragons.

"Puffalump is a perfect name for you, really sums you up," I whispered to Void, and patted his head.  "You're just a cute little scaly lump."

*So, about being faster for this chapter. That didn't happen, and I doubt it will for the next one either. But thanks to my friends for the conversation - it is an argument they had, and I found it so funny that I had to include it somewhere. Hope you enjoyed the chapter.*