The Adventures of the Junior Phoenixes, Part 4: The Pendant of Light

Chapter 28: Cold Drakes, Keys, and Bubbles

Chapter 28

     The valley quaked at the roar of the Cold Drake. The Cold Drakes lived for thousands of years unhindered under the ice and snow of the Arctic north in the regions of Greenland, the Yukon, and Siberia. Though the other species of Cold Drakes in the inhabited regions of Canada and Siberia tended to be smaller, the uninhabited region of Greenland were ideal for the Cold Drakes. They were unhindered, except by the mighty giant species that cohabited the region, and they were able to grow as they were meant to. Cold Drakes, as long as they lived, never stopped growing. They devoured giants, trees, and clouds for water. They had scales harder than steel and eyes keen as a hawk’s. They were fiercely territorial and would defend their territories lethally, even against others of their own kind. The eggs they laid were the size of globes and took years to hatch. Their young, when hatched, had wings that allowed them to fly along the wind thermals. As the creature matured and grew it would shed its wings and roamed as a terrestrial creature. It was unrivaled in the world; no other creature besides the giant could stop it, and they only at great cost.

     “FLY!” Sherman Locke shouted. He zipped by the students, terrified at the sight of the great beast that was roaring and slithering like a mighty snake in the valley of ice, snow, and jagged rock.

     “RUN!” Dan shouted. He urged Sam, Bria, and Digger onward.

     Star, though, was awe-struck. She froze in place, half in horror and half in wonder at the mighty Cold Drake.

     “STAR!” Bria shouted. She reared back and swung her broom back to Star. She slapped Star’s backside to get her attention. “Are you mental? Run!”

     Star snapped to. She yanked hard on the broom and turned it around. She followed behind Bria as the creature’s great stride began to increase. Its massive head came down upon the spot Star had hovered. Its great maw opened and snapped.

     “Those things must’ve been its babies or something!” Star yelled. “I read that they have wings when they’re young!”

     “You didn’t bother to mention this sooner?” Bria shouted to Star.

     “I didn’t think we’d run into one!” Star answered.

     “Faster!” Dan yelled back to them.

     The creature moved quickly through the valley, destroying rock spires and smashing through the valley walls like they were made of rice and peanut brittle. It snaked and waved its huge body up and down, its legs bounding from spot to spot, giving it a stride almost like a gallop.

     “Oh no!” Digger shouted. “More of them!”

     Suddenly, from out of the sky, another flock of the baby Cold Drakes descended upon them. They were large, some as big as Star, and all had sharp talons and jagged teeth that could tear flesh.

     “Stupefy!” Dan shouted. His spell narrowly missed a Cold Drake. He tried again and hit the creature, but it was no use. His spell hit the small creature’s armor with no effect.

     “That isn’t working!” Bria shouted. “We need something else!”

     The Cold Drake roared again. The valley walls cowered at the rumble of the creature’s mighty roar. The smaller Cold Drakes yelped and whinnied at the sound of the roar, imitating their larger brethren’s call.

     “Incarcerous!” Bria shouted. She managed to hit one with a Rope-Binding spell and wrapped it up. It fell into the fog below and disappeared. “That worked!”