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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After I had dried, the young fire dragon slipped away from my lap to play elsewhere. I sighed and stretched out on the ground, desperately needing to rest my body. Taurus lay beside me, his head almost the length of my body.
"I would like to apologise," he said quietly. I looked at him in shock and confusion.
"For what-"
"Please, Sapphire, let me finish," he interrupted my protest gently. I had rarely ever heard this tone from him, it felt alien.
"Okay," I said seriously, sensing that this was about more than me.
"I made many mistakes in my life, Sapphire, the biggest one being how I treated you these few years," he looked away from me and took a deep breath "I prioritised Soria over you because I didn't think you could ever compare to the friendship of another dragon, bond or not." I flinched internally at hearing the truth out loud. I had always known Taurus' distance from me to be because I was human, but hearing it out loud still stung.
"The Elders say she purposefully used me and kept me from you, but I think the truth is that I had equal parts in creating distance between us as Soria had." His voice was pained and I rested my hand on his cool scales, bathing in his familiar energy.
"But why?" I asked gently prodding him futher.
"I've done terrible things in my life, Sapphire. I know deep down, with the right motivation, I could do it all again in a heartbeat. Your power, your energy, it reminds me of myself then, when I thought the world was mine for the taking. The world is not ours, Sapphire," he said looking me straight in the eye "we cannot have it all." His final words felt like a warning to me, to Buphas, but mostly as a reminder to himself of dark times I never witnessed.
"I forgive you," I said after a few moments of quiet. He gave me a small smile and I felt his energy shift again. It was settling into a calm determination.
"You, Sapphire, are my companion, we share a bond closer than blood and I revel in its beauty. As your protector, my body is your shield and my soul your own," he said seriously. I grinned and stood up, leaning against his body.
"You are my companion, your mind is mine to torture and your sarcasm is my life line. Don't be a dramatic fool, it doesn't suit you," I said and he huffed, rolling his eyes but smiling.
"Sapph!" I turned to see James climbing up the mountain side. Earth dragons carried young children and elderly on their backs, the rest of the group walking in between with visible discomfort at the number of dragons around them.
"James!" I hugged him tightly, glad to have my guardian back in my sights. He squeezed me tightly before letting go and moving past me. He walked up to Taurus and sat down, placing his hand on his snout.
"She's dead, isn't she?" He asked Taurus quietly. Taurus closed his eyes and gave a small nod.
"I felt it you know, when she died. It was while I fought that knight," my heart jumped in my throat as I remembered how close James had come to death.
"Sapphire!" Cherry called me, running up the mountain side. I embraced her and saw Ethan helping Dominic up the last ledge.
"Are you okay?" I asked, running up to them to help Dominic to a boulder. He had a deep wound on his leg that was an angry, bleeding red.
"Zentar!" Taurus called for the healer as he came over to see the new arrivals.
"I'm alright, Princess, honest," Dominic said with a grin but he winced as he stretched out his leg. I sighed and rolled my eyes.
"Out of the way children," Zentar scolded gently and Cherry and Ethan scrambled back to let the dragon through.
"Guys, this is Zentar, the head of the healing dragons back on the Isles. Hes also the companion for James' wife, Tamina. Did she come with you Zentar?" I asked and he nodded just as a whirleind of dark hair and tanned skin tackled James. I gagged as she kissed him passionately, James flipping me off as he held his wife.
"Don't I get a formal introduction?" Taurus asked, stretching out his wings and sitting behind me.
"Right, Dominic, Ethan, Cherry, this is my dragon companion, Taurus, ice welder of the North. Taurus, these are my rag tag group of bandits that I found in the forest," I finished proudly, to Taurus' dismay.
"We prefer the term, renegades," Dominic said matter of factly before hissing as Zentar plaved a claw over his wound and whispering a small incantation.
"A few hours and you will be healed," Zentar said as he removed his claw. The wound was already pinking around the edges, scar tissue becoming visible on the surface.
"Thank you," Dominic said, speechless and staring in awe at his leg.
"Hey, did you find Eron?" Cherry asked as they regrouped. I shook my head sadly.
"We found him, but hes dying," I said quietly. I sat down and filled them in on Buphas and his plan. Though I was anxious, I was glad that I had almost everyone here in one group.
"Rucktus!" I grinned as the old dragon stopped before us.
"The Elders have some semblamce of a plan formed, care to join us?" He asked and I jumped up to follow him.
"Coming?" I asked the new humans in our group. They eyed each other uneasily before standing up and nodding. I grinned and lead them to the Elders.
"Dragons! Humans! Come closer and hear our plan for the war!" Alatnor called out. The clan merged together into a crowd before the Elders and Taurus stepped forward to stand besides them. He tilted his head and I stepped up and stood under his tall frame.
"Buphas has grown infinitely stronger since the last time we fought him, his power is devastating," Alatnor's loud voice echoed amongst the mountains "we must be prepared for bloodshed, for mutiny, and for loss."
Silence swept through the crowd as we all took a moment to feel the heaviness of this battle. It would be catastrophic. Many of us would die, many would be left alone.
"But, there is hope," Taurus interjected "Sapphire is the vessel that Buphas needs to complete his plan. There is one catch though. Sapphire must be the first to touch him, or he cannot access her power. Ensuring Sapphire never comes into contact with Buphas is top priority." I cringed internally as I felt all eyes on me, judging me and my worth.
"And if they come in contact?" Someone asked. I located the bright sun dragon, staring coldly at me, she no longer liked me. I was the number 1 weapon. A growl rumbled in Taurus' chest as he sensed the unsaid words: Do we kill her?
"Rest assured, if I come into contact with Buphas, Taurus will do what needs to be done."
Im sooooooo excited to get to the end of this book, you guys dont understand how absolutely giddy I am.
I really do hope you guys are just as excited as me though, please let me know what you think.
