The Dragoso Series 1: Discovery in Hardship

Chapter 13

Trevor was launched from the portal and right on top of Brenda.

"Trevor!" Brenda snapped. Trevor rolled off his sister and shook himself out.

"Sorry," Trevor whispered, his voice holding uncertainty and a touch of fear. The rest of the team was a few yards away in what could only be described as hell.

It was like they were in a dark cavern of some kind, they stood on pinkish-red stone while the walls held brown stone and in random places fires crackled. Trevor flicked his tongue out and felt how hot and dry the air was.

"So this is the Underworld," David mused, looking around. "Doesn't seem...too bad." He looked back at Trevor.

"Stay on your toes, guys. No telling what's here," Trevor warned and hurried forward to join up with the rest of the team.

"No welcome committee, I expected Brokenstar to have guards on this end too," Deathbore stated. "A Hell Dragon or two at least. Maybe he couldn't get the bastards to listen to him." Deathbore chuckled and turned to the team. "Alright, listen up top worlders. You're in my domain now, don't think it's like the living world, you can get trapped here if you're not careful. Stay close." He turned, only to stop short when something hissed in the shadows.

"The old master of death has returned?" someone hissed. From the shadows came red and purple scaled dragons, some with a metallic shine to them. Deathbore growled as the dragons started circling the group.

"Toxic Dragons," Anna informed. Trevor looked them over carefully as they circled. Their claws even looked colored red, maybe to signify how toxic they really were. One snapped at David's tail, not biting him, but making the young dragon jump and spin around to face the dragons. Trevor snarled and snapped at the Toxic that dared to bite at his brother.

"What are fledglings doing down here?" a Toxic questioned.

"None of your damn business!" Trevor snapped.

"Human speak? Yearlings." Anna shoved between Trevor and David and blasted the Toxic Dragons before them with a cone of green force.

"Deathbore! Take the kids and move! We'll meet up with you in a bit," Anna commanded and Trevor turned to Deathbore who hit a Toxic with what looked like black light, causing it to recoil and fall to the ground. Deathbore took to the air and Trevor followed, hearing his siblings close behind him.

"What was with those dragons?" Brenda asked. "What were they?"

"Toxic Dragons and Toxic Metallic Dragons," Trevor replied. "Their venom kills in minutes, I wasn't gonna put up with their taunting."

"Foolish, but brave," Deathbore piped up. "Brokenstar probably promised them the gift to walk among the living again. They would've started another war and we surely would've lost." Deathbore landed on a large overhang high above the main field of death and looked out over it. Everyone was silent for a moment before Trevor spoke again.

"Why did you even become the King of the Underworld?" Trevor asked. Deathbore smirked and chuckled.

"I had no choice really. Anna is my niece, you know this." He lifted the charm around his neck, something they overlooked. It was shaped like a daisy and it was pink, almost as vibrant as Anna's scales. "At one point in a young dragon's life, they create these charms that contain a little bit of their power. Well, I was born a Moon Dragon, the natural enemy of the Flower Dragon. I had...much hate for my sister and my nieces. I stole Anna's charm when she was young and it...turned me into a Death Dragon. With so much power, I went on a killing spree until I was killed by Sylark and Zoymey.

When I woke, I found myself in the Underworld, but they had no king. It appears when their king is lost, a new one is chosen. I don't know what happened to the old king, I can only assume it has to do with a dark secret that none of us really know about." Deathbore dropped the charm. "Loyalties shift when you are in high power and make alliances with those your subjects hate. I learned that the hard way, look where it got me. Stripped of my control of the Underworld."