Lila circles low around the village of Dragonvale a few times. Rebecca sees two horses gallop away from the village. The riders' vivid blue cloaks billowing behind them. Lila roars and Rebecca has to hold tight as Lila corkscrew through the air. She flares her wings and circles back towards the mountains in the far distance. Another dragon roars close by and Rebecca looks towards the sound and sees Earl on the same white dragon he was riding the previous day. The two dragons align and fly wing to wing towards the mountain range.
"Let me guess. The Golden Valley lies beyond that mountain range?" Rebecca asks even though she already knows the answer.
"Yes, replies Lila. Earl wants to know if the saddle is comfortable enough for you and if you are alright." Rebecca realizes that the dragons are communicating telepathically not just with humans but with each other as well.
"Tell him the saddle is perfectly comfortable and I am all good. Lila, can you take me for a tour of the Golden Valley?" Rebecca asks.
Lila did not answer. She dips beneath the clouds and she gently lowers the altitude. "Earl and Silverwing want to come along."
"Let's go." Lila roars jubilantly and banks to the left away from the winding road leading towards the mountains and speed up her flying pace with a few flaps of her wings.
The mountain range becomes more defined with every minute. Lila speeds over the many peaks. The gray monoliths that have been guarding the land stand resolute and unmoving as Lila passes over them.
The two dragons join a flock of black dragons flying in the same direction as they are. The noise of so many flying dragons is deafening from their flapping to their roars. Rebecca is relieved when Lila and Silverwing leave the flock of dragons to fly in a different direction.
"They are on their way to hunt for food. Our food consists of fish and wild animals. Black dragons love the tuna that runs on the east coast once a year. Blackhawk dragons like to hunt bigger fish. Narwal, dolphin, orca, sharks anything in that size," says Lila.
"What is your favorite?" Rebecca asks her.
"Roast pork, beef, mutton, antelope, or poultry. There is a lot of meat leftovers from the castle kitchens and the dragons in the dragon hold get it," Lila replies. "Look up ahead is the Golden Forest."
The mountains start to change into hills covered in a lush green carpet. Trees cover the hills as far as the eye can see. Lila lazily follows a blue ribbon of water cutting through the mountains and dropping off a sheer cliff, creating a waterfall. Lila takes a steep dive down the length of the waterfall. She flares her wings and breaks her dive. Her tail skims the water of the lake at the bottom of the waterfall and races over the river.
Behind her, Silverwing roars indignantly as Lila speeds away from him. Rebecca looks over her shoulder in time to see the white dragon flares his wings and follows at Lila's breakneck speed. Wind whistles across her face and her hair whips in the wind. The speed that Lila is flying at is so exhilarating that Rebecca could not help but enjoy it.
Lila continues to glide over the river following its natural flow. "Lila, why does it seem like the forest is glowing?"
"That is because it is. Millions of golden crystals litter the forest floor. We don't know where the amber crystals come from. All we know is that it sustains our magic. Keeping all of the dragon kind healthy and strong. We don't need them every day but when we feel that the magic in our blood is about to become uncontrolled these crystals help us to stabilize it. Red crystals come from Phoenix feathers and that is why they have such powerful healing properties," Lila answers.
The river cuts a canyon through the hills creating high slopes and flows in a half-circle around the foot of a volcano. Here the two dragons float almost quietly over the river. Both dragons seem to make an effort to be as quiet as possible. Rebecca is just about to ask Lila about it when Silverwing suddenly bolts upwards as fast as possible.
YOU ARE READING
DRAGONQUEEN: RISE OF THE SILVER PHOENIX
FantasyBook 1 of the Eternal warrior's saga. (1st draft) Rebecca of Blackmountain has lived all her life, thinking she is just an ordinary girl, on her way to becoming a nature conservationist. Life takes an unexpected turn when she is attacked by a black...
