Chinese Touch

Chapter 15-Dark Pursuits

I opened my eyes to see the light gold of Ai's underbelly. I shifted gently in his claws and he looked down at me, smiling. I looked over at Chang to see that Bao was also waking up. The first golden rays of the sunlight broke through the mountains and I lifted my head so they could warm my face. My moment of pleasure was cut short by a roar from behind us. It didn't sound too far away.

"Ai, go down." He had already started to dip and turn, flying us into a forest. Chang followed and we landed near a thick grouping of trees.

"Hey Chang, how come your saliva heals me?"

She smiled and looked at Ai with gentle eyes. "It seems our friend here has not informed you of the roles of different dragons. He is an element dragon. Normally, they can only control one or two elements, but rarely all four. The colour of the scales shows which type is which. Because I am purple, I am a healing dragon. Or rather, because I'm a healing dragon, my scales are purple."

"Wow." I looked up at the sky where a giant black dragon with red on the tips of its wings and tail. "What type is that?"

The other dragons flinched and retreated to the safety of the trees, pulling us after them.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"That's a Dark dragon. They're the second deadliest dragons there are. Only extremely strong dragons can handle dark power, and only very powerful Changers can summon them." Bao explained, her voice hushed.

"What about some other dragons?"

"Well, healing dragons are somewhat difficult to find. Parade dragons are the most common and easiest to summon, they don't do much damage to people. They're more for show. The second most common are colour dragons, but they're like parade dragons, more for show. Single elements are next, earth the rarest, then water, then fire, then air the most common element dragon. After that it's healing, then death, boy are death dragons nasty. Next its double element dragons, then triple elements. Then you've got shifter dragons. They breathe fire and can change shape to almost anything. Imperial dragons are a little rarer, and they work with the armies. Their bodies are as hard as steel! After them are four-element dragons like Ai, you have to be a great Changer to summon them! After that come gold dragons. They can make gold with a touch, and they blow liquid gold. Their bodies shine like the sun, and Emperors love to have them. After them comes dark dragons. There's pure darkness inside them, and they're the second rarest dragons, the second deadliest too."

"What's stronger?"

"Light dragons. That's the only things stronger. If the Emperor has a dark dragon... We don't have much chance of defeating him."