Wings of fire: A Legend of Time (fan fiction)

Chapter nine- The Kingdom of the Burried

Chapter nine- The Kingdom of the Buried

Marble fell, waiting for her inevitable doom.

She closed her eyes, and suddenly she felt hard ground beneath her talons. She wasn't dead, or was she? When she once again opened her eyes, and saw Scorch. She sighed with relief. I'm alive...for now, I guess.

Scorch was standing nervously beside a massive elderly dragon. This dragon was like nothing she'd ever seen before. This dragon was bright--it was literally glowing, making its contours blur and appear as if the dragon were insubstantial. It's scales were a faint shade of white, almost translucent. Bright blue swirls and designs were seemingly carved into its scales. Four brightly glowing blue eyes blinked at her from a long, rounded face. Two elegant horns flowed out of its head, which was supported by a long, graceful neck. Large ghostly wings were folded by its sides. It spread them, seeming to know she was looking at them. They glowed faintly, and they looked like they had been torn to threads. This dragon looked regal, and just being in its presence made Marble nervous.

"We haven't had any visitors in a long, long time" it spoke in a soft feminine voice. "Usually they die up in the moss. I guess there just aren't many who can read the language of the ancient anymore." She paused, taking in the sight of the two disoriented dragons. "By the way, my name is Hrailen. It means Great One. And if you want to live, I suggest you follow me." She promptly turned and marched off without pausing to see if they followed.

Scorch and Marble exchanged a look before trailing after the strange glowing dragon as she lead them into a cavern. Or more accurately, a massive underground...kingdom? It looked nearly as large as the Island of Time, from what she could see of it. Never before had she seen a horizon underground. She would have thought they were above ground if it weren't for the cavern's roof high above them, and the wall behind them.

Strange glowing mushrooms and ponds of glowing water lit up the massive cavern. Luminescent dragons lay resting on stone perches, while others flew about, and from what Marble could hear, they were talking in some strange language. Smaller dragons, dragonets maybe, chased each other around. 

Marble tore here eyes aware from the scenery long enough to check Scorch's reaction. The BloodWing was gawking as much as she had, and didn't seem as nervous as she was about there being no real sky. 

There was a long floating path stretching from the side of a strangely curved part the cavern that they had come from to the other, where a palace was carved into the stone. Hrailen was leading them towards it.

"Where are we going?" Marble asked cautiously, staying close to Scorch. 

"To the healers, of course," Hrailen informed them. "You have both been infected by the Kreeve. It will kill you in two days unless we give you the antidote."

Well then. Marble tried not to think about what would have happened if they hadn't decided to return and investigate the cave. 

"But why are we down here? What is this place?" Scorch asked, trying to sound confident, though now Marble could detect a faint note of panic in his voice.

"It is the Sreth d'wen Brey: in your language, the Kingdom of the Burried. You are likely down here because we need you," the glowing dragon said, and Marble thought she didn't sound pleased about that. 

"And also because we kind of fell down a hole after getting caught in your deathtrap," Marble huffed under her breath.

"Need us? But why?" Scorch asked. Marble wasn't sure pushing for questions was wise, given she couldn't quite get a read on the glowing dragon. Hrailen was curt and direct, but she didn't seem angry--now, she took a deep, sighing breath, as if to tell a very long story.