(DISCONTINUED) Legacy of the Thunder and Fury--Book 1--Shock of Betrayal

Thirteen: Training

Mild change-of-plans, I'm introducing some of my oc-s into Shock. Mostly they're minor characters, but just fyi.

                                                    Astrid

Water pattered against the ground, echoing through some sort of cavern. Astrid cracked her eyes open. Faint sunlight flickered on one side of the wall, which was silver and rough and weirdly shiny. In front of her was a door made of crisscrossing metal bars, crackled over with rust. She was confused for a split second before remembering everything. She was lying down lengthwise at the back of an Outcast cell, partly soaked from a puddle dripping from the ceiling.

In the cell across from her snored a green Whispering Death with black, red tipped spines. It was slumped on the ground, spiked snake-like tail curled around its massive, prickly head. The dragon's blank pearl-colored eyes slitted open, and it flared its nostrils at the viking. Its teeth were long, jagged, and almost entirely filled its huge mouth. Chains prevented the dragon from opening its jaws, because if it could, it would just drill right through the floor and fly away. Its wings were also tied to its body, but the eerie silent creature could still stand and slither around slightly. She remembered that Alvin named the Death Groundsplitter. An appropriate name, thought Astrid.

Astrid tentatively edged up and peered out of her cage. There were a few other dragons; a Scauldron, a few Deadly Nadders, a Changewing, and a Monstrous Nightmare were some that she could spot. She also saw a few vikings, and to her surprise, another teen about a year younger than her, about Ruffnut's age. Her brown hair was snarled and scruffy, unkempt. She was a still and silent as a statue, sitting with her right hand on her chin, supporting her head. Astrid couldn't tell if she was even awake. There was only one strange thing about her, that on her shoulders and part of her skirt were a type of guard that was much shinier than most metal she'd seen, with an ice-blue tint, and it didn't have a speck of rust.

Dragon scales? What kind of dragon has silver scales?

Astrid thought about trying to get her attention, but then gruff voices startled her out of thinking. The other female prisoner's head popped up and her brown eyes widened. Then she scrambled into the thick shadows as three Outcasts stomped past. To Astrid's alarm, they stopped in front of her cell and one of them pulled out a key, unlocking her door. One of the Outcasts was a woman. She had a slightly different clothing style, with no skulls, and smooth armor on her shoulders and knees that looked similar to the other prisoner's. Her hair was dark brown like the other Outcasts, with dark greenish-gray-blue eyes. She stepped inside and grabbed Astrid's arm roughly, dragging her out into the hall.

"Cooperate, please," the Outcast said in a flat voice as she shoved Astrid forward. That was actually the first female Outcast she'd seen, but still all of them were still mean. The Outcast grabbed her arm and when she didn't move, pulled her forward impatiently. Astrid stumbled and fell, pulling in the opposite direction to get loose. The Outcasts's grip didn't slacken, and she ignored the prisoner's struggling.

She writhed and squirmed over the floor, grunting and pulling at her captor's hand with her free arm. The girl in the cage was silent, but Astrid saw the glint of light on yellowish brown eyes. The prisoner was watching her.

Astrid grunted and stopped moving.

"Good girl," her keeper said smugly and yanked her to her feet. She stifled a yelp as they rounded a corner and she almost tripped over a bump on the floor, and the Outcast yanked her arm hard. Astrid pulled back again, but again in vain. The other Outcasts stalked beside her, one taking up behind so if she broke free she wouldn't get away. The hall in front glittered eerily with fiery light, dancing with shadows on the walls. Real light glowed up ahead, faintly.