Dragons of Draegonia

by Michael Libra

  Dragons of Draegonia is dedicated to my four grandchildren, George, Grace, Joel and Zach who listened in awe when very young and growing up into their teens, still wanted to hear more.

  Michael W Libra

  My thanks go to Ronnie Gunn for his time taken in the editing, Katerina Danailova for her excellent illustrations and my wife Ann for her endless patience and contribution.

  Prologue

  The Dragons of Draegonia is a tale of fantasy and make believe. It has humour, intrigue, adventure and suspense. Written specifically for children, the story line nonetheless, should make many adults smile, if their imaginations have not been warped with age.

  The volcanic Island of Draegonia was first inhabited in the early 5th Century when dragons fled from across all areas of the world from a growing population of humans’ intent on their destruction. The uncharted island was first located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Unfortunately, as time passed, explorers from Spain, France, Portugal and England came very close to discovering the island, placing the dragons once again, at immense risk. The Island originally had some 400 dragons roaming its lush green land but to-day, only half of these have survived.

  To maintain their secrecy, a ‘Wizard Dragon’, cast a spell that made the Island invisible and have the magical property to disappear and reappear in different locations of the World’s Oceans and Seas at will. A further spell of the ‘Wizard Dragon‘ created a time anomaly. Seasons and time became stretched compared to that of human time. Fifty days on Draegonia would only be realised as one human day spent.

  But no human being had ever visited the Island, until now……….

  Chapters

  Chapter  1 The Island of Draegonia

  Chapter  2 The Dragons of Draegonia

  Chapter  3 The Adventure Begins

  Chapter  4 All Washed Up

  Chapter  5 Wanted

  Chapter  6 Survival

  Chapter  7 The Council of Dragons

  Chapter  8 Green with Envy and Black with Spots

  Chapter  9 In the Pink

  Chapter 10 Lies and more lies

  Chapter 11 The Capture

  Chapter 12 Imprisoned

  Chapter 13 Green, Envy & More Deception

  Chapter 14 Green Makes an Arrest

  Chapter 15 Interrogations and more Lies

  Chapter 16 Sentenced to Death

  Chapter 17 The Race is On

  Chapter 18 The Law Prevails

  Chapter 19 Finding an Antidote

  Chapter 20 A Cure for Black Spot & Flame Out

  Chapter 21 Dragon Black on Trial

  Chapter 22 Justice

  Chapter 23 Intervention

  Chapter 24 The Way Home

  Chapter 25 Home at Last

  Epilogue

  Glossary

  CHAPTER 1

  The Island of Draegonia

  In an ocean, far, far away, lies an island that no human being has ever set foot upon. It is an island that appears and disappears at will, fading into a sea of mist when ships or aeroplanes come within radar or viewing distance. This strange and mysterious island is the Island of Draegonia.

  It is a magical island that changes its location at will, never appearing in the same spot twice and never revealing itself to any other islands or land.

  The island is shaped like a large squashed witch’s hat, not quite round and very lumpy in the middle with a stumpy top. The centre of the highest peak conceals the almost perfect round smoky mouth of an active volcano. The highest point of the island, known as Volcano Peak, holds dark secrets, secrets surrounding the disappearance of more than 170 dragons.

  The island has two very distinct and differing coastal formations. The bottom part of the island known as South Side, is flatter, with golden sands dashed with small glistening particles of coral that stretch from the lapping water’s edge up a slight gradient to the edge of a tropical forest of tall palm trees, the trunks of which are hidden in part by thick lush foliage of dark and light green shrubs and bushes. In summer these bushes are covered with flowers and blossom of pinks, reds, oranges and yellows and are home to a plethora of insects, numerous birds and small animals.

  Travelling from the south northwards, towards the centre of Draegonia, the trees and shrubs become thicker still, entangled with sweeping intertwining vines that look like thick ropes of a spider’s web. The canopy of the palm trees blocking out much of the sunlight and with little air movement, generates enormous heat, resulting in an atmosphere that is shadowy, humid and very eerie.

  If you were to move further and higher inland, most of the trees become smaller, thinner, being replaced by thicker more prickly shrubs littering the sides of several steep rough tracks, bordered by large rocks and boulders. These tracks become more rugged and steeper still as they circle the uppermost and more mountainous sector of the island.

  It is in this part of the island that the tracks lead to pathways that narrow further, opening onto ledges with steep drops, some difficult to access, others impassable and most hidden from would be visiting eyes.

  Although the centre of the island appears jagged, climbs skywards and looks inhospitable, there is hidden from obvious view, accessed from only two points, a large flatter ledge secluded beneath the towering, weirdly shaped, smoky and very old volcano. Here lies the City of Draegonia.

  The volcano itself definitely has a life of its own. Sometimes, when bathed in sunshine, it is quiet and docile. It can be seen raising its giant head towards the pale blue skies, making wheezing noises as it puffs out rings of bluish white smoke, just as if it were snoring in its sleep.

  But at other times, especially when the weather is bleak and the seas become violent, throwing up huge amounts of cascading water all around the island, the volcano grumbles, bellowing out huge amounts of thick greyish black smoke from its cavernous round mouth, propelling tongues of red and white flames, high into the stormy skies.

  On the western side of the volcano, two deep indentations reflect powerful yellow, blue and red flames, as though the volcano has two very scary, bloodshot eyes. The volcano violently vibrates when it becomes angry, shifting boulders from its sides with protruding angular rocks that look like large muscular arms.

  Close to the bottom of the volcano, beneath numerous, smaller, and narrower ledges, there is a labyrinth of many passages. Some lead to Draegonia Central, the homes of the islands sole inhabitants, the dragons!

  Dragons have lived on the Island of Draegonia for well over 15 centuries. Most are friendly but all fear the wrath of one particularly evil and most frightening dragon of all times, Dragon Black.

  CHAPTER 2

  The Dragons of Draegonia

  Dragon Black, like all the other dragons of Draegonia, is named after the colour of his skin. His skin is thick with a smooth armour plated scaly surface. Like his temperament it is very dark, in fact it is jet black. All dragons fear him and have had to accept him as the unelected King of Draegonia and their one and only leader.

  Dragon Black rules with an iron claw, sets the rules, passes the laws and makes all the decisions.

  Black is both fierce and very bad tempered. He is always in a bad mood and especially dislikes anyone disturbing him. His presence is felt even when he cannot be seen. He breathes out vast volumes of fire from his nostrils and as he moves his huge, now very overweight, body from side to side, his large black claw feet, drive massive foot prints into the ground, sending shock waves all around him. Dragon Black’s fearsome looks and size and awesome fire power has guaranteed a life of luxury, being waited on by all around him.

  Dragon Black was once the only dragon that could fly - an attribute he had engineered - b
ut because he has put on so much weight, Dragon Black is now grounded. However, his wings when fully extended make him look a most frightening and fearsome creature. Dragon Black spends most of his days sitting on the magisterial throne situated in the Great Hall. He presides over the Council of Dragons, snarling out orders, thrashing his long tail to confirm his authority.

  Dragon Black is lazy, fearsome, a bully and very dangerous. Those who dare to contest his authority seem to just disappear, never, to be seen again.

  Not all of the dragons are like Dragon Black. There are two sister dragons, Dragon White and Dragon Cream. They always have a smile and usually never get angry. Dragon White and Dragon Cream have very important jobs. They are the lookout team and beach cleaners of Draegonia. Dragon White patrols the beach to the south of the island and Dragon Cream, who is a little heavier, (She also eats far too much) patrols the bleakest and rockiest top part of the island called North Island. Here the seas often cascade with thunderous noise, shooting sprays of angry white foam into the air. The sandy beaches were replaced long ago by the cooled down molten lava spewed out over decades of activity from the island’s volcano.

  Of course Black, White and Cream are not the only dragons on the island. There is Dragon Green, a most jealous dragon who envies all others. He believes he should have had the job of patrolling the beaches that Dragon White and Cream have. He also wants to be Mayor, he wants recognition. Dragon Green always wants what others have and never does anything helpful. Green is not trusted by many of the other dragons, especially Dragon Brown.

  Then there is Dragon Pink, the youngest of all dragons. She is very pretty and petit and glides around the Island of Draegonia smiling at everyone and everything. She loves playing with the animals in the wooded areas. In fact Dragon Pink is the only dragon that appears far friendlier and less frightening. That’s why her best friends are the small animals of Draegonia who rarely venture too close to the other dragons, but love to play with her.

  Dragon Pink is also comical to look at. She wears a shiny silver skirt that has many layers of soft tissue, material that puffs up when she spins round, very similar to that worn by a ballerina. The animals love to watch her dance and join in with her as she sways to music created by the wind blowing through the rustling leaves of bushes and trees, accompanied every so often by the sound of cascading waves.

  Two other dragons, who also live on Draegonia, close to the centre of the town, are Dragon Red and Dragon Blue. These two are employed by the Mayor of Draegonia, Dragon Gold, who has always suspected Dragon Black of evil crimes, but is in constant fear of him.

  Dragon Red is in charge of the Fire Service. Not putting fires out but starting them. You see, when dragons get ill or have a cold, it is possible for their flames to die. This is called ‘Flame Out’ and that’s when Dragon Red of the Fire Starting Brigade (FSB) comes to the rescue. His amazing flames have never gone out and his role is to breathe new life into those dragons that may have dying flames, requiring what is called, reheat. Dragons who are unable to regain their flames eventually die, thus a dragon’s inability to spit flame is life threatening. Flame Outs, however, rarely occur and thus Dragon Red is not kept busy. In fact he has not been called upon for Dragon Centuries. Although very important himself, Dragon Red looks up to the wise and peace keeping Dragon Blue.

  Dragon Blue is, of course, head of Draegonia’s Police Force and it his job to keep law and order. This is made quite easy, as no one would dare to do anything to upset Dragon Black, so Dragon Blue has little to do, other than sleep in his cavern that overlooks most of the township of Draegonia, supported by two part-time dragon officers.

  Other dragons living within Draegonia include the identical twin Lilac Dragons who are in charge of refuse disposal, Dragon Brown a senior officer of Draegonia’s Army, Dragon Yellow who seems always to disappear when things become frightening and Dragon Grey who is the island’s doctor as well as personal physician to Dragon Black.

  There are of course many other dragons each varying in colour matching their mood, character, occupation or disposition, but more on these later.

  Apart from the animals, the volcano and of course the dragons, no one else lives on Draegonia or has ever visited, that is until one day when the sea and sky met together to see who was the stronger, resulting in an almighty argument and violent fight, that created one of the worst storms in living memory.

  CHAPTER 3

  The Adventure Begins

  The storm had been brewing for many days as the sea and sky continually met in great anger to discuss who was more powerful. The argument raged, with the sea throwing up most of the contents from its sea bed high into the sky. Crabs, octopuses, whales, shells, bits of ship wrecks and rocks all fired into the sky as the mighty sea swelled up, rolling a series of cascading waves some 70 feet high.

  The sky equally responded by hurling lightning bolts, shooting hailstones down from high and together with his friend the wind, caused a gale, the like of which had never been seen before. The wind roared, the thunder clapped, as the sky drew its shutters together blocking out the rays of the ever fading sun. The ocean was soon plunged into a frightening darkness, broken intermittently with flashes of blinding illumination from forked lightening, every high voltage flash highlighting, in sharp black and white contrast, the surf breaking to the tune of thunderous roars.

  In amongst this frenzy of rough seas, high winds and pouring rain with sky and sea arguing as to who should own what, a small timber laid craft that looked like a smaller version of a pirate ship, could be seen battling to stay upright.

  On board the little sailing boat ‘Princess’ battling the elements, were four children, Joel, George, Zach and Grace.

  The four could not believe they were fighting to save their little boat from overturning. None could believe they were in the middle of an ocean and certainly could not understand how they found themselves all together, in a storm of such ferocity.

  The last thing they recalled, was boarding their little craft for a trip down the river. They could remember that their parents had said to be careful and not go too far. Yet here they were, out of sight of land, soaking wet, cold and very frightened.

  George the eldest, he was twelve and a bit, told the others to be brave and not to worry. “I’ll get us out of this just hold on” he commanded as he lowered the sail to storm position. “Don’t be scared Grace” he shouted again.

  Grace, a few months younger than her cousin looked up at George from the safety of the cabin and held tightly onto the hands of her two younger brothers Joel and Zach. “I want to go home” shouted Zach. “I want Mum and Dad” Joel cried out. Grace knew she had to be brave, being older than her two brothers. “Hang on to me; don’t be scared, we will get through this.” She said reassuringly above the chaos and ear splitting noise, although not quite believing it herself.

  A huge wave cascaded across the floundering boat, sweeping George off his feet, over the side and into the violent foaming sea. He had attached to his belt earlier, a safety line securing him to the wooden side rail of the boat, but this had inexplicably snapped and swept overboard, he was swimming for his life.

  Grace, seeing George disappear into the black and white foaming sea, rushed for the life belt hung on a rail close to the steering wheel. She pulled at it with all her might and as the boat once more propelled itself up a huge wave, managed to lift the life belt off its hook. She quickly threw it over the side, in the direction where she last saw and thought she could hear George, yelling for help.

  Joel and Zach, both hearing the commotion, rushed out of the cabin, each grabbing Grace by one hand, their other hand’s clinging on to her waist in fear she too, would be washed overboard. What was she to do? There was no one at the wheel and she certainly could not steer the boat, even in normal waters. Earlier the engine had stopped because they had run out of fuel, so ‘Princess’ was now at the mercy of the pounding seas, being thrown in all directions.

  Her first though
ts were for survival. She quickly checked the life vests of her brothers and then tightening her own round her waist she headed for the life raft. On the front of the boat was a small white round container that had a red band round it. This was the life raft and Grace knew that if she could get to it and pull the emergency handle it would open forming a life raft with a canopy. Once inside she, Joel and Zach would be safe.

  Then, Grace felt her hands go limp. She realised that the boys no longer were holding onto her! They were gone!

  The boat, now at the top of a huge wave was starting to crash down the other side. Spray was coming from all directions and Grace could not see a thing. Then, she felt a tug on her sleeve. It was Joel, he had started to crawl towards the life raft with Zach when he heard a loud cracking noise. Was that another burst of thunder? Was it a gun shot? No sooner had these thoughts rushed through his mind, when he saw the small boat’s mast break mid way and topple towards the steering wheel where Grace was still standing. Zach jumped up and ran past Joel and stretching out his hand, he too tugged at Grace’s other hand in an attempt to protect her. Both boys each holding with one hand onto bits of the boat to steady themselves, tugged and tugged at Grace, finally pulling her away before the mast came crashing down. Grace had no time to think or indeed thank her brothers, as the tiny boat now was in between two more very large waves that were about to engulf them.