by Platt, S. P.
They opened the gate and looked through, not seeing anybody on the deck they looked at the tower and the windows up there to see if they could see the Renegade Wizard. They looked long and hard but were unable to see him, so they were going to have to risk nipping through and getting into the cave without getting seen.
Angel took one last look and they quickly ran to the cave and stopped just inside it. They could feel the dragon there, its large red eyes penetrating the dark. Angel slowly walked over to the dragon and stopped just half way there to let his eyes get use to the dark.
He looked back to see where the others were and found them right behind him. ‘Thank you for coming over with me now lets see if we can see the spell holding him. Look around his back legs there looks to be a spell chain tight around the back legs and going into the floor of the cave.’
They walked a little bit closer and as they did the dragon didn’t take its eyes off them. They stopped just 30 feet from the dragons head, for at the moment till they spoke to the dragon they did not want to be within striking distance.
Angel looked at the dragon and spoke through Aura to the dragon. ‘Will you talk with us?’
For a moment there was no reply, and then into their heads come a response. ‘Who are you who would come near me?’ It was not an overpowering experience the voice in their minds so the calm thoughts were working.
‘We need your help to warn us when you bring the wizard as he will destroy us if he finds us?’ Angel had decided it better to get straight to the point so as not to antagonize the dragon.
‘Why should I help you when you are like him? You are wizards I can small the magic in you?’ He was getting a little more angry as he spoke in there minds.
‘If you help us we will find a spell to remove the spell chain that binds you to the cave floor. We will do this as long as when you are close you send a call to our dragons letting them know that you come?’ Angel turned and looked at his friends and gave them a reassuring nod.
Into his mind comes a loud roar that knocked them back. ‘Why would you help me when you are like him are you trying to trick me?’
Aura suddenly entered the conversation. ‘They are not like the one up in the tower they would rather die than harm a dragon, you can feel it in their minds, it’s not a trick. Will you help us? They will do everything possible to find a spell to release you.’
There was nothing for a time then into there heads came his reply. ‘I will trust you if I help you can you take the spell of and set me free?’
‘If you will let us come close and look at the spell so we can see it’s pattern then that will let us find a way to break it. It is a very strong spell from where we can see it?’ Angel started to walk towards it as he spoke.
‘Come close and see what your kind has done to me.’ There was pain in the dragons’ voice as they approached him.
Angel and the others looked at the spell and looked at the pattern. They found the chain was made up of strong little spells that bound each together. To try and break a link would be very hard and beyond their power at the moment. They were going to have to look in the library to find the best way to break the spell.
Looking up at the dragon Angel spoke to him. ‘The spell is very strong and we are going to have to look in our library to find a way to break it. You have our word we will do every thing in our power to break that spell for you.’
The dragon brought its head around and down close to them and in their minds he replied. ‘I will worn your dragon friends when we are coming and it will be a long way away when I do, will that give you enough time?’
‘That will give us plenty of time we will go now and see what we can find in the library but be warned it’s big so don’t expect it to happen soon but we will do it.’ Angel turned and the others followed as they went to the edge of the cave leaving the dragon behind looking at them.
They got to the edge of the cave and slowly went to the door to the next deck not seeing the wizard anywhere they went through and into the cave and across to the other side where they quickly got to the door. They were not able to check the old spell that held the Nirvana to the rock face as they had to quickly get back to the school.
They would do that when the wizard was not here then they could take there time looking at it. They arrived at the deck before the school deck and checked to see where the wizard who was lookout had gone. They could see him looking out to sea so they ran into the cave and across to the door where they checked to make sure that no one would see them.
It was all clear so they quickly went through. They were going to have to spend some time in the library and try find away to break the spell. They would do that after the meal as they were very hungry.
Contents
First Attack
Everything they had done had made them very hungry and so have big platefuls of food in front of them. As they started to eat Gavrie comes into the hall and sees them. Going over, he stops and looks at the food in front of the four.
'I take it you’re hungry with that much on your plates? You’ve been busy with magic practicing your path clearing and the spells I have shown you so far.’ He stood there waiting for a reply, just to see what they will tell him.
Angel decided he would answer before the others got too worked up over what Gavrie said. ‘We’ve been practicing out on the deck in a very quite corner so as not to be disturbed. We’ve been keeping up with the clearing exercise as well for we found that after we do some magic they can block.’
‘Good you will find when you do stronger spells the paths do block and the reason is that when you create the spells and casting them, the spell paths pick up a bit of the exercise spell and it is left on the sides of the magic paths.’ Explaining this to get them into the habit of clearing there paths, so as they can be able to cast good spells.
Angel decided to find out if they can spend some time in the library. ‘We still need to find how the master books work and so are going to set our selves some exercises in finding certain types of spells?’
‘That’s fine we don’t mind you using the library to better learn how to find the type of spell you might need in a hurry. You can use the Crystal Chamber to practice your spells so you can see the pattern in them. Now if you will excuse me I must be away at a meeting.’ He left as soon as he finished speaking with the four.
They quickly finished their meal and headed up to the library. Entering the library they find the same wizard who was there the other day. They said hello as they went over to the master books.
‘We need to know what to look for, how will the chain spell be found in the books?’ Angel looked at them as he put down the book.
‘We could look under locking spells and see if it comes under that. There has got to be a spell in this library that is the same?’ Shylyn was moving along looking at the master books.
Medwin grabbed a book and brought it back to the table. ‘This one might help it will have something on breaking spells. If we look under breaking spells it might also have a section on the different categories for breaking spells?’
Angel nodded his head and they all gathered around Medwin as he opened the book. ‘The section on binding that’s the one we need for the spell is a binding one a very powerful binding spell is what’s holding the dragon. So lets go to that section of the library and see how many books on the subject there are?’ Angel turned and pointed to an isle.
Shylyn stopped and indicated these were the books. ‘Here they are and there appear to be about half this shelf full of them. This is not going to be a quick search.’
They spent the evening trying to find something on binding spells but had not come across any before they decided to turn in.
The following morning at breakfast they were going to learn how to create lightning, and once made, how to throw it. They had a quick breakfast and headed up to the Crystal Chamber, arriving there they thought they would beat Gavrie but he was there waiting for them.
�
�Ok good. You’re early so lets get started this spell that you will be learning is not going to be easy so you will need to listen.’ He indicated they will work from the side of the room and not the centre.
They moved to the wall where Gavrie stood. They could see he was creating the spell and turned so they could see the pattern he was forming.
‘Now look closely as I form the pattern. You will notice it is in the form of a lightning bolt, that’s so it will make it easier to hold in your hands and throw like a spear. Now I would like you all to form the spell?’ He hadn’t gone into great detail like he would with his normal students. He wanted to see just what they had in them.
Angel called in Aura to be with him and help build the pattern just like Gavrie’s. Angel and Aura started to work on the spell; weaving this way and that till they had it as good as Gavrie’s. The others had called in their dragons and you could see all four spells where as good as Gavrie’s if not better.
Angel was the first to try his lightning bolt out. He had to cast it out the window and as far into the air as he could. ‘Ok Aura we hold the spell like so and we will do the release like we did for the ball of fire.’ Motioning what he was going to do.
Angel draw back his arm and then pulled his arm through and releasing the spell as his hand aimed at the air outside the window. The spell went flying out the window and well out to sea.
‘Good Angel now I want you others to try and match Angels or better it. So let’s see you fire your bolts?’ Going to the window, he looked to see where they landed.
The others fired theirs and watched them fly and land close to Angels. The water was already boiling from Angels as the spell was still active. Gavrie was impressed but was not going to say just yet. He wanted to send his to that point so got his spell cast and went to the window as well.
‘Ok I will send mine to join yours so let’s go’ He sent his arm back and then pulled through and released the bolt where it landed close.
Gavrie looked for a short time and then dismissed the class. Angel looked at him and was going to ask Gavrie a question but looking at Gavrie, thought he would leave it for now. They left and headed for the library as they had been released well before time. They did have spells to look at.
*
In the mean time Gavrie looked out to sea where the lightning bolts landed. They were still fizzing away as the water was still boiling.
His one had stopped almost as soon as it had hit the water, but not Angel and his friends. They have very strong magic and the more they learn the stronger they will get. Even Angel’s father was never this strong when he first learnt magic.
The other threes power is very good, but I think Angel has brought them ahead more than what they have learned here in class. Why is Angel’s magic stronger than his father when his mother is only a Dragon Rider, but she is the most powerful Dragon Rider? There is the fact she can control a black dragon and the only black dragon there is.
I would say Angel has inherited his fathers’ strong magic and his mothers’ strength and control. I am going to have to keep a close eye on them when in there own time. I lost them the other day somewhere. They have found a place where no one can find them so tomorrow after there lesson I will go to my room and watch from the window.
*
Angel, Medwin, Shylyn and Maive had gone to the kitchens for some food then off up to the library where they will carry on looking for some way of freeing the dragon. Entering the library they find no one there, so go straight to the section they were at yesterday.
They poured through all the books in that section but were unable to find anything on binding a dragon. They were about to go to another section when the wizard who looks after the library came in. Angel had an idea and talked it over with the others. ‘I can’t ask out right about binding a dragon for fear of letting them think we might want to do it. So let's get into a little discussion about it, draw him into the conversation?’
As the wizard came near Angel started the argument. ‘It’s just not possible to do that as there wouldn’t be a spell capable of doing it.’
‘It’s possible I tell you,’ getting louder as the wizard draws near, ‘It would be easy to bind the little fire lizards to stop them.’ Medwin looked at the wizard as he slowly approached.
Angel could see he had looked at them and winked at Shylyn to start. ‘You’re wrong there is no way you can bind a dragon let a lone a fire lizard there would be no spell capable of doing it.’ Shylyn could see he had heard enough and was now walking over to them.
The wizard was very old and looked as if he had been here in the library all his life. He was very white skinned and his hair and beard were pure white. The hands were just about claws, with the nails needing to be cut. His hands and around the eyes were very wrinkled.
He stood in front of all four and demanded what they were doing yelling in his library. ‘This is a silent place where you can study in peace but with you lot arguing no one is going to want to come in here. Now what’s going on?’
Maive now played her part in their little plan. ‘They are arguing about binding fire lizards and said you couldn’t even a dragon you couldn’t. They just wandered why no one had bound a fire lizard to have as a pet?’ Maive gave him a look of annoyance at them arguing.
‘Can’t happen and no good wizard would try it anyway. There is no spell to do that and if there was, a wizard would never do it. They would never bind a fire lizard against its will for it is a cousin to the dragons and a wizard would never hurt a dragon. So there is no binding spell. He gave them a disgusted look as he turned to go.
He had just started to walk away when he turned back to them. ‘Down that isle, you will find a book on legends, it’s called Dragon Lore.’ He then turned away and headed off.
The four were moving down to the isle mentioned as the wizard had turned his back. They went about half way down before finding the book and taking it back to a table to look at.
Angel opened the book and they all crowded around it. They slowly looked through it till near the end where they come across a brief reference to a wizard who had bound a dragon. They found it got only a few lines on the legend. Angel looked at them and then read.
‘The Wizard Umos was reported to have bound a dragon and the only way they were able to free the dragon was to kill the wizard. They could find no spell that was powerful enough to do this. It is told the bonding went deep to hold the dragon. To stop it trying to kill itself the wizard would put chains around it and anchor it to the ground. The dragon would rather die than stay bound.’
Angel finished reading and looked at the others before he could speak. ‘The dragon wants to be freed so it can kill itself to break the bond. We can’t let this happen?’
Medwin looked at the others as his face turned white. ‘We must destroy the wizard to free the dragon?’
‘The dragon knew there was no way to get free of the bond apart from killing itself. So when you offered to free its bonds so it could get free, it was the chance for it to be able to do this.’ Shylyn looked shaken as she spoke to them.
Maive broke in. ‘There has to be another way for if we break the chain, that’s if we could find a spell to do it, the dragon would just go and kill itself. We can’t do it what is worse being bound or dead?’ She just couldn’t bear to think of which would be worse.
Angel looked at them and got up and walked around the table. He couldn’t let it stay the way it was and he would not release it just so it could go out and kill itself. There has got to be away of working around it.
There was silence in the library as they thought of some way they could save the dragon. Then into Angels head come Aura and the others had their dragons also turn up. They could feel the pain of what they had discovered.
The dragons showed how it distressed them the thought that a dragon would go and kill itself to break the bond.
‘There is only one way to free the dragon and that is to destroy the wizard so we must come up
with a way to do this without us getting killed. But we are going to have to tell the dragon; we will not try and break the chains as we will not let it destroy itself. We will tell it that we are going to destroy the wizard to save it and us at the same time.’ Angel looked at them knowing what he said, they would agree.
They headed out of the library to go and see their dragons when there came a yell of dragons. Angel looked at the others and yelled, ‘Mums here,’ and ran down to the main entrance over looking the dragon deck.
Just coming into land was his mother by herself. Angel was about to run to her when there came a shout, ‘Attack we’re being attacked,’ he looked at his friends and they booted it to the door to see what was happening.
There in the sky not far away was a group of creatures coming. The headmaster yelled to all the first year students to get inside and stay there. Then heading out to join Tish, Gavrie and the other wizard teachers and the older students prepared to fight the creatures that were almost on them.
Tish got back on NightWing and leapt into the air in one fluid motion. As they climbed to meet the creatures Tish had her dragon lance out and was firing. There were about fifty of the creatures and they were starting to spread out. They would have been a bit smaller than Aura and her brothers and sister.
They were not all the same, as some of them seemed to swim through the air where others flapped wings. The only thing they had in common was they looked the foulest things ever born. Some of them could breathe fire while others just had really long claws and just came at the wizards.
Tish was getting a lot of them as the wizards started to fire their spells of lightning bolts and balls of fire. Some used spells Angel and his friends had never seen before. The creatures were now starting to thin as the wizards and Tish destroyed them.
