The Darkest Dragons

CHP. 15 "Almost"

Raine's P.O.V

I opened my eyes slowly but with a jolt I remembered where I was. I leapt out of bed and looked around but suddenly my head throbbed. I looked out the window to see the darkness dragons all around. I swallowed hard and sat back down. I put my head in my hands and though my situation through. I was kidnapped along with my brother, again, and I was stuck in this room while Stryker forces me to do his bidding. If I don't he'll torture Abelard. I felt tears spring to my eyes but I forces them away. I was done crying. I tried concealing myself again but just like last time pain ripped through me. I stopped, panting, and tried again. Pain lashed through me but I clenched my fists, shut my eyes, and bit my tongue. Suddenly when I opened them there was a soft glow before I disappeared. I still felt a dull consistent pain behind my eyes but I bore through it as I looked around. I then heard the door jiggle and I held my breath as Stryker came in. He looked different as he scanned the room so I checked his eyes. Blue. He looked worried and he ran out yelling through the castle. He went on about getting me back safe. I almost laughed, he forgot all about the raw power of will, his magic what practically useless. I followed him and he eventually made his way outside. He ordered a few dragons to search for me and they lifted their heads sniffing around. One dragon looked right at me and I pleaded in my head to every dragon around me "Please, I'll help you please look the other way." I smiled at my fortune I was just about to slip through a gate when my headache flared, much more worse then I had ever felt before and my eyes fluttered before I lost my invisible cloak, everything hurt. Stryker turned to me and was about to say something, his cool blue eyes seemed to take a little bit of the pain away, they were comforting for some odd reason. I tried to step back but pain swept over me as if all my bones had been broken at the same time. All the dragons winced watching as I screamed, an awful raw roar making it's way up my throat, it burned and only aided the pain as it swept over my body, encasing me. I soon used all the air in my lungs and I was left gasping and I searched for Stryker through my foggy vision, choking out "Help..." before I fell. Sympathy and something else flashed across his face. He moved forward as I blacked out.

Abelard's P.O.V

We waited till morning before I dove into the cave. It resembled the other cave and I quickly went through meeting my first opponent after about an hour of confidently swimming.I had been using an orb my mother had always taught us to carry. I had my sword out at the ready in case this creature wasn't as good with words as the others had been. I bowed as best I could and said "Hello, I am-" the creature grumbled in surprise and said "Abelard, yes, yes I know. I had been expecting you to get here soon, the High wizards told me you were coming. I was also told to test your worthiness. I nodded and bowed again in respect "I will not fail you." The creature who resembled a human and a mermaid said "I expect nothing less." He continued "You will have to get past me." I gaped, he said in amusement "I will not draw but if you try to hurt me then I will have to hurt you." I swallowed hard and nodded. I sheathed my sword and rubbed my hands together. I inspected him and the area around him. He raised an eyebrow and glanced down at my sword. "Will you not be using your sword?" I smiled, "I have no need for my sword, I am trying to get past you not kill you. I will stick true to my word, as well as not drawing because if you feel no need to draw a weapon then I have no need to prepare one." The merman gaped at me in surprise and stuttered "You, you aren't going to use force to move me?" My eyes widened in response "N-no?" He closed his mouth and smiled. It was my turn to open my mouth in amazement he explained "I have never been confronted by a person who has not tried to physically move me but mentally figure out how to get passed me without using a sword." I nodded slowly and swam towards him. I simply and daringly asked, "May I pass you?" I almost laughed seeing how stupid it seemed to just ask but at this point I just wanted to go. Instead of mockery though he just moved aside. I just stared for a minute before swimming passed him. when I got next to him he said "May The Dragon Queen be with you." I smirked "I sure hope so, she's my mother." I swam past leaving him gawking once more. Though I heard him whisper "I wish you all the luck...prince." I wondered through the cave and finally found a huge undersea cavern. I smiled, this cave passage must be very confident in the merman that guards it....and whoever is in here..." I almost screamed when a face dropped into view. It was a deep ocean dragon. It had no wings and one missing leg. It swam gracefully around and stared at me before saying, in a voice that seemed to be never used before, "so, travalare... I see you have made it passsed the syreni." I nodded and glanced around, I saw the stone sitting in the mouth of a huge clam. I said "You seem to have never seen another human down here?" It shook his massive head and replied smoothly "Never." I nodded and said in it's...native tongue... Ego sum vultus pro iuvo lapis soror mea (I am looking for a stone to save my sister)" The dragon looked genuinely surprised to see me speak Latin but I had to learn it from Metin. He replied "Ego probo, Omnes homines natura simile est?(I approve, all human beings are, by nature, like this?)" I shook my head sadly and said "Sunt alii qui eius formido. (There are others who are terrible)" He nodded solemnly and said in English "I undarestand, Why should I let you have stone?" I smiled and said "I guess you have to trust me. But that is not how it will work is it." He nodded amused and said "Very smart, young child. You will have to get scale from me." I furrowed my eyebrows and replied hesitantly "Won't that you know... hurt?" He laughed and said " Ergo a puero usque ad innocentes ...(The young and innocent...)" He said in English "I am old, young one, it will hurt me not. I have yet to meet a being so young and caring as you. Usually creatures that want stone try kill me but your heart is pure, I feel." His English is rusty but I smiled. I looked around. I suddenly remembered something about dragons. Every few years they start to lose old scales... they fall off and get replaced by new scales. That means... I looked down and happily swam to the bottom of the cave. I found a scale between two rocks, still shining as though it had just been replaced. I swam back up and showed him the scale. His eyes widened and He said warmly "You are a very clever and large hearted boy. I wish you luck. The high wizards are right in assuming you different." He swam towards me and with a flick of his tail his gave me the stone and with his snout gently pushed my towards a strong current. I looked at the dragon gratefully before being sucked up into the current tunnel. I was suddenly shot into the air and with a startled yelp I was caught by a dragon. I gripped his familiar scales as he placed me back on the shore. I said "Thank you Arian. I appreciate you catching me there." I held the stone out and Nikka, Arian, and Faaris looked at it in awe. I also held it out to my friends and they said "Here, put it together with the other piece." I grabbed the piece that Caleb was talking about and when I put them together a bright light emitted from the stone and I sighed hearing faint whispers. Suddenly I was pulled into darkness.