A Draton Isles Tale : Book 1 (complete)
As the Kingdom of Riteron sacrifices itself in war, King Darius must give up his only child to his most trusted knight. Princess Sapphire, true heir to the throne of Riteron, was sent away to be raised amongst...
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The following day, the Isles were eerily calm. Many dragons still slept in the valley before the healing caves, tending to deeper wounds. The humans ferried around with cloths and cool water, cleansig the dragons as they lay still. Those of us who were fit enough took the dead to the furthest island in our little cluster. We layed them to rest and the earth dragons sank their bodies into the ground.
I sat impatiently by the lake, idly swishing my tail in the water, freezing and growing the little waves. My mind was racing with all the possibilities of what Buphas could have already done. I wondered how far Sapphire had gotten on her journey, wether she was even still alive.
"You would know if she was not," Alatnor said. He had tended to the young, soothing their minds after the battle.
"Must you intrude on my thoughts?" I asked, the water growing colder.
"You reek of anxiety, it would take an imbecile to not know what you are thinking," he replied dryly and I sighed.
"Never in almost 18 years have I worried about that blasted child. Now she is a constant thought."
"Never in almost 18 years had you left Sorias side. She may not have spoken to you all those years, but your existing loyalties were with her and she manipulated them ever so subtly to ensure you never grew too close to Sapphire," Rucktus said as he approached us.
"The majority of the damage has been dealt with, the rest will heal with time," Thesra said as she and the remaining Elders sat before me.
"Well?" Alatnor said, looking straight at me.
"Well, what?" I asked, confused.
"Your destiny was written more than a millenia ago, and we have known for almost as long that the time would come."
"The time for what? I thought the prophecy was just about Sapphire?" Alatnor chuckled, a sound that surprised me.
"You and the girl are destined for great things, young dragon. You both have untold powers within you. Our time has come to turn to you in this adversity, you shall lead us!" He triumphed and the other Elders nodded.
"I dont understand," I said, defeatedly "I was only supposed to help her."
"You are, but you underestimate how much help she really needs," Rucktus moved and drank from the lake "a flower cannot grow in this valley without proper attention and care. In the nicest way possible, you have failed to nurture your flower, Taurus." I hung my head in shame, but he was not finished yet.
"I do not doubt that Sapphire is a strong warrior, and a compassionate woman, but you had no help in that. You let her be raised by a community, but you did nothing. She was to be your responsibility. She is still young and unwise, so there is still time. Fix this, Taurus."
I had never heard Rucktus speak in the tone he used now. Anger was laced through the gentle giants words as well as disappointment.
"I have to reach her somehow, who knows what state she is in," I said. The Elders nodded in agreement and Alatnor stood up, stretching out his wings.
"Gather those dragons who are fit enough to fight to go with you now. The rest of us will follow under the cover of night. By then, all major wounds should be healed. We will carry the healers to allow them tine to rest, I imagine we will need their help alot in the near future." Alatnor said. I nodded and stood and took a moment to extend the ice that coated my body. I let the peaks lenghten and sharpen, becoming more deadly to anyone who may meet them.
I left the group of Elders to talk amongst themsleves and began my search for a small army. I had no idea how mnay rogue dragons had attacked us, nor how many we would encounter at the mainland where I had left Sapphire.
"Taurus!" A voice yelled and I turned to see a small group of dragons huddled together.
"Yes?" I asked, wondering what on earth they could need from me.
"Sapphire was a dear friend to us for many years. We would be honoured to go with you to fight beside her against Buphas and the rogue's," one dragon spoke up.
"It will be dangerous," they growled collectively at the word "and lives will be lost," I continued "but if you truly wish to come, spread the word to healthy dragons and meet me in the valley in one hour." They nodded eagerly and scampered off in different directions.
I went back past the healing cave to a small village area where many of the humans practiced their trade. I approached the blacksmiths tent and aat before it.
"What can I do you for?" He asked, noticing my silent presence.
"I am going to my human, Sapphire. I imagine that there will be a lot of fighting to do" I told him. He nodded and ducked back into his tent. He rummaged in the far corner and came back out with a large bag filled with long swords.
"These swords should do nicely," he said and I lifted them and was aboht to thank him when he ran back into the tent.
"Her highness prefers a bow and arrow," he said with a grin as he handed me a fine crafted bow and arrows eith the sharpest tips I had ever seen.
"Thank you, I will not forget your kindness," I told him and he nodded and returned backto his tent.
I collected some more provisions that I thiught Sapphire may need; food, gauze, clothes, and took it all back to the valley. When I got there, about a hundered dragons were sat waiting and they all stood as I arrived.
"We will fly out with you, Taurus, do not worry," an earth dragon told me. Even as he spoke, more dragons were settling amongst the crowd.
"A great prophecy was bestowed upon you and Sapphire many years ago. The fate of our kind hangs in the balance. We will be beside you every step of the way to ensure our victory," he said and the dragons bowed their heads. I was taken aback by the loyalty and sacrifice they all made.
"This will not be easy. We do not know the numbers of Buphas and his rogue, but it is also known that he has a human companion, none other than Magnus, the man whom which Sapphire must defeat to take back her throne. Our future and the future of her kingdom are reliant on the outcome of this battle. So, my brothers and sisters," I took a moment to look across at all of them "if you will join me, I will not only be indebted to you, but our children and every generation after will be too."
The dragons cheered and growled, sounds of encouragement and comradeship as they stood tall.
"Let's go to war!"
The end is nigh....
Im kidding, there is still quite a way to go yet, but we are definitely making our way towards the dramatic climax of this story. Im estimating somewhere between 50-60 chapters tbh so theres still a lot to happen yet.
