Fight of the Nymphs - The Master of the Dragons

9. THE MASTER OF THE DRAGONS

       

Sandy had to pause for a moment and take in what Eleros had just said. He was once a friend of this evil kidnapper? Sandy couldn't fathom how and why he would be friends with someone who would torture his own kind. Feeling her time within the lair was growing short, Sandy wasted no time in asking Eleros about Diem, and how he had come to be the monster he was today.

"So what happened to Diem?' she asked.

"Diem was a very curious character," began Eleros. "I suppose that's why Delvero and I took to him so quickly."

"Delvero too?"

"Indeed. We were quite a trio, Delvero, Diem and I, and we pretty much grew up together.

"Not long after my mother, brother and I moved into the lair I met Delvero and Diem. They were around my age and seemed very intruiged in my families story of how we cam to the lair. At first I was very caustious around them, I had never had friends growing up in the wild with my family. Delvero was a quiet nymph whereas Diem was very vocal. He seemd to have this confidence about him that made it very easy to befriend him.

"Eventually I learned to trust them, and gradually we became very close. Every day we would meet in the main street and just spend time playing in the playground and visiting the sweet shop.

"We went to school together and were in the same classes. Delvero and I were very accademic when it cam to our studies, whereas Diem had a knack for experimentation, that of which surpassed anyone in our school. His skills at such a young age were unmatched and his confidence simply grew.

"Gradually, Diems enthusiasm for experimentation rubbed off on Delvero and myself, and we found ourselves constantly trying to match Diems skills, which over time we did. We did try to encourage Diem to focus more on his theoretical skills rather than just his practical, but to him all that mattered was the power you possessed, and what you could do with it. We were still very young when Diem expressed his great desire to become Head Fairy when he was older. It was this desire that would ultimately lead to his downfall."

Fearing Elero's story would not be short, Sandy considered leaving the lair before her parents came looking for her. She couldn't wait though, and was so desperate to hear about Diem and what had become of him.

"So what exactly happened?" Sandy pressed on. "Did he go mad or something?"

"You could say that," answered Eleros as he looked around and saw the streets fill with nymphs. It was certainly close to lunch time now as Sandy recognised the same hustle and bustle as the last time she was in the lair.

"We should probably get you back outside Sandy," said Eleros, much to Sandy's dissapointment.

"Please can I stay a little while longer?" begged Sandy, who was so eager to hear more. "At least let me know what happened to Diem."

"Well, ok Sandy," replied Eleros. "But how about I I'll tell you as we're heading back?"

"Great, thanks Eleros."

Eleros and Sandy began their journey back out of the lair. Still invisible, they swept through the busy streets without incident.

"As I was saying earlier," began Eleros, as he led Sandy back towards the long door to the exit corridor, "Delvero, Diem and I spent a lot of time together. As we grew, we were allowed to go above ground every now and then. During our many visits to your world, we would marvel at our vast surroundings, watching the birds soar overhead, wishing for the same freedom other creatures had. Having lived in the wild when I was younger, I had a taste of that freedom, but Delvero and Diem were oblivious to it. The more we went above ground, the more we craved liberty from a hole in the ground. We knew it was almost impossible, but we could only dream that opne day it would come."