Dragon Rider (DragonMage Saga)

by Platt, S. P.

  Contents

  Next Attack

  The girls nodded their heads as Angel could see tears trickling down their faces. To emotional to talk and from what Angel was getting from Aura their dragons were doing the same. They didn’t speak for a time and just let things settle down before they carried on.

  ‘I don’t think it was me, this was planed long before we were born, by who I don’t know. My father, who my mother has never told me, who he was, he had been the greatest wizard here in centuries. That’s why I have magic in me strong magic and I have the strength of my mother to add to it. She is the only Dragon Rider to have a Black Dragon and you have to be very strong in mind and body to control a black and have him respect you. It is unheard of for a Dragon Rider and a Wizard to mate, but it happened to my mother and father. Fate destiny call it what you will, something has a plain for us.’ He sat down as he was getting tired with all these strong feelings going around.

  Shylyn could see his eyes were a little moist; she had a feeling she knew why. ‘You have never told us about your father, we just thought he was a Dragon Rider. We would never have thought he was a wizard, we didn’t know how to ask about him?’

  ‘He has been missing now for twelve years I have listened to my mother talk about the wizard she use to carry. At times when other Dragon Riders come, they get to talking and it comes back to the day my mother and the wizard were attacked. She never knew I listened to them talking.’ The tears were now running down his face as for the first time he has talked about who his father was. ‘When she would never tell anyone who my father was I started to suspect he might be my father, seeing as how Wizards and Dragon Riders are never together that way.’

  They never said anything as Angel sat there wiping the tears that were now flowing freely down his face. This night was one for releasing feelings long held in check. Angel yawned and they all looked at each other and decided they would go back to bed. They would talk more tomorrow on controlling their magic.

  It didn’t take them long to get back to sleep and they slept solid till the tower bell rang out in warning. They had only heard the bell late the other day when they were attacked and this time it was being rung so hard and loud that anyone standing underneath it would have ringing ears for days.

  They were quickly out of their bed and dressed and down stairs as fast as their legs would carry them. Getting to the doors leading out to the deck they find Gavrie sending the students to their positions.

  When the four come up to Gavrie he points them to the cave where they have to load the spell into the Dragon Lances. They want to fight but Gavrie does not want them involved yet. They are told they are too young yet for this job, and they have not learnt enough magic yet to be able to defend themselves.

  They head off to the cave at a run not very happy at missing out on the fight. At the back of the cave they find the other first year students already getting lances ready. The lances are for when there are two many to close to everyone else around, as it becomes very dangerous to use some of the spells in close quarters.

  One of the other teachers comes in to speak with the wizard in control of the lances. The wizards have turns at certain duties and this was one of them. He tells the wizard this attack is going to be worst than the last for there are double the amount that were here the last time.

  The wizards look at the students and tells them they will have to load the lances very quickly as the wizards will not be able to use their spells very long before it becomes close quarter fighting.

  The students go to a room at the back where there are racks of lances standing in them. All the students start to grab lances and take them out to the tables outside where other students start to cast the spells that will make them in balls of fire firing weapons. There are also thunderbolt lances to use as well.

  Angel and his friends start casting the spells that will fire ten balls of fire or ten bolts of lighting. They could hear a noise as they prepare the lances, it sounded like hundreds of little wings flapping. The sound was a droning noise and getting louder all the time.

  Going to the entrance to the cave they look to see what is making the noise. Looking up into the sky they see a large black cloud getting bigger all the time. As they stood there watching they started to distinguish little individual dots, each one being a creature from the Dark Realm.

  They run back into the cave and start readying the lances. They found that once they knew the spell to load the lances it was very easy to do. They soon had dozens of lances ready for the wizards. The teacher asked them to take lances out to the wizards so they had them ready.

  The creatures were still a distance off when Angel walked out with lances. He could see the cloud had now turned into large spots but was still not able to get a clear picture of them. Angel wanted to help fight but he knew the head was right we’re not ready just yet. But that still doesn’t take the feeling of helplessness away.

  Medwin, Maive and Shylyn joined hem with lances he could see the same feeling in their faces. They wanted to help just as much as he did, but knew just like Angel. As they walked over to the wizards they looked up and could see a small fire ball heading their way.

  The attack was now on and they had to get back to the cave and get more lances ready. As they headed off the wizards started firing spells at the creatures. They could see the spells the wizards used, fired large balls of fire. Some also fired bolts of lighting but at the distance they were the bolts were not as effective.

  The balls of fire that some of the creatures fired were not very strong or big but they could still kill from this range if you got in the way of one. It was when they get closer they are more effective. From what Angel could see only some of the creatures could fire the balls, what the others could do they would find out when they came in closer or landed.

  If they were anything like what was in the class then you had to make sure they did not touch you. For all it would take would be for one to rake you with a claw and you would die. The lances were going to be needed as there was just too many of them to hit in the air. The wizards are going to have to work in a protective shield and try and force the creatures into little groups where they could use their spells.

  There were two wizards to protect the entrance to the cave where the students were helping with the lances. They would put up a shield if any of the creatures tried to get past. The wizard who was looking after the students and the lances, called them all together.

  ‘With the amount of creatures that are almost here you students will get to use the lances. We must get the lances to the wizards for the close fighting and to get them there, you students will carry them. Other students will use lances to cover those carrying the extra lances. The lances must get to the wizards and it is going to be your jobs.’ The wizard looked at them to see what this would do to them. For he would only pick those he thought capable of doing the job without freezing and getting killed.

  Angel and his group found them salves to be the students who would stay in the cave and keep reloading the lances while the older ones carried the loaded out to the fighting wizards. They were not at all impressed by his choice.

  They waited by the entrance to the cave and watched as the creatures came down. As they landed wizards were firing spells all over the place at the creatures. The wizards had a plan and that was to try and force the creatures into circles where they would fire really big balls of fire and burn the creatures to a crisp.

  Angel stood there and watched, wanting to get out there and fight but knew they could not. That did not stop him from wanting to do this and his friends. They just watched and got ready to give the other students lances and take the used ones back in for charging.

  The battle had been going on for sometime now when Angel felt Aura in his head. ‘Are your wizards winning against the creatures, the way your feelings are I feel as if you are losing?’

  ‘No we’re ok the wizards are fighting very well and their plan to force them into grou
ps is working very well. Are there any creatures over your way?’ Angel wanted to make sure Aura and the others where ok.

  ‘There are no creatures here and we think we know why, we just got a message from the Renegades dragon to say he was on his way and he is by himself.’ Aura spoke with a feeling of fear for Angel.

  Angel thought for a moment and suddenly found a student in front of him with a handful of lances. He quickly gathered them in his arms and ran across the cave to where Medwin, Maive and Shylyn were busy loading lances. As he put the lances down in front of his friends he quickly told them the Renegade was back but by himself.

  ‘The Renegade is using the attack to cover his arrival and hoping to stop who ever fixed the spell from interfering. If he does this too much we are not going to get to stop him or see our dragons?’ Angel as he told them had picked up the next lot of lances and was away to pass them on.

  When he got back with the next lot Medwin was waiting. ‘We are going to have to find some way of getting away to try and stop him. We are going to have to stop this some how for if the creatures attack all the time then he is going to win. We will have to find some way of finding where they are opening the portal and try closing it if we can?’

  ‘I agree but that is going to be harder to do, we’ll have to find out how to close a portal or find a way of getting rid of the creatures very quickly when they attack?’ Angel was away again as he finished talking.

  Passing over the lances he could see the wizards were just moping up the last of the creatures. They were now able to leave the cave and go and look at what some of the other creatures looked like. Medwin, Maive and Shylyn joined him as they walked trough the dead creatures.

  Looking they found that some of them were burned to a crisp and some are still nearly in one peace. They did not linger long around them and as they were making their way over to the school Gavrie come over to them and told them they will help clean up.

  ‘You must learn how to handle the creatures when they are dead so this is the prime opportunity to do so. The other students will be doing it as well and the older ones who have taken the class on the creatures will be able to show you how we do that. Once that is done you will have the rest of the day to yourselves so be off with you.’ Gavrie watching as they headed off.

  They found it took them nearly the whole afternoon to get rid of the bodies. They placed them in the middle of the deck and then the wizards used their magic to set the pile on fire and then keep increasing the strength of the fire with their magic.

  They finely got back into the hall and were told they can go clean up and their meals will be brought to their common room. They liked this idea and headed of to clean up and get some food as they had missed lunch due to the creature attack. But they did not mind as they had been able to watch and learn.

  They were eating their meal when they suddenly realized they had not checked on the spell. They ate very quickly and ran out the school doors and across the deck to the corner where they usually sit before going through the gate. They sat themselves into the half circle and looked at the wall and the spell.

  Letting their minds join with their dragons they then proceeded to let their awareness of the spell move to it and enter the very edges of the spell and feel how it was. It was not long before they found where the spot was from before and it had weakened again. The wizard had managed to disrupt the spell again.

  They headed back in side and went to their common room to talk things over and how they were going stop this. They talked till late and were just about off their feet when they slipped into bed.

  The following morning found classes had been cancelled for the day while the teachers talked over what they were going to do the next time the creatures attacked. They were worried the student's parents were going to get angry with their kids being in danger.

  This was going to give Angels little group the chance to go see their dragons and have a look at the spell up close. But they had to find out if the Renegade was still here or had gone once the attack had been defeated.

  Angel called Aura. ‘Aura has the Renegade gone or is he still here as we are coming to you now?’ He felt her come into his mind as he finished asking.

  ‘The dragon left this morning very early, I think he kept on working on the spell.’ She was glad they were coming as they were missing them.

  Angel could feel this in her and reassured her they were going to find some way of getting to them a lot more. If they could stop the attacks or got rid of the Renegade then they would be able to find a lot more time.

  He knew with the attacks happening now for this was the second so they would get a lot more and their time with their dragons was going to get harder. They were going to have to do something and fast for the dragons need them close and they need to be close to them as well.

  They went out to their corner and waited for the right moment to go through the gate into the next deck. Finding it they get through as the wizard in the tower looked away. They found their dragons waiting a couple of decks over.

  They mounted the dragons and were away up and over the edge of the deck and underneath. They then travelled like this for short time before coming up and onto the edge of the deck where the Renegade had been working on the spell.

  The dragons landed by the entrance to the cave and Angel and the others climbed down and gave their dragons greetings as they had not done so when they left. The dragons were really happy to see them as they were for them. From what Angel had observed over the year’s dragons crave human affection.

  When dragons and humans form a bond they crave each others attention and companionship. This is what is happening to the eight each time they see and are near each other. With the time they are away from each other it is hard but for them they have the mind link which makes up for some of the time away.

  Angel still realizes they will have to find the time to be together or it will not be good for ether the dragons or his friends and himself. But finding the time is going to be the hardest especially with the Renegade coming at all times. Not knowing when he comes stops them and makes it harder to get to them.

  He decides he will have to think on it and have a talk when all are together on the dragons’ deck. For now they need to check the spell and see what is happening with it. They walk over to the area and stand in front and with their magic senses, they find the spot and can see that it has been disrupted again.

  ‘This is not good for each time we repair the spell with our modern magic, it is changing the old spell. Can you feel the slight difference in the area just around the tear? The old spell is trying to work with the new spell but it is losing. We are going to have to find an old spell to see how it works properly, any ideas as to where we can do that?’ There was a rye smile on his face as he said this.

  They all looked at him as if he was mad for the only other old spell being used was the Renegades one. But they knew that for them to learn that spell they were going to have to be close to the Renegade when he uses it. They had found in the Crystal Chamber, the spell he uses is like a kaleidoscope and trying to see the pattern was hard. They need to be closer to try seeing it, which would be very dangerous but as each looked at each other, dragons as well; they knew what they would do.

  ‘Ok this is going to be crazy but we’re all in with you, but we probably should fix the spell first and then next time he comes we try and learn the spell. So shell we fix it now and then we can get to the dragons deck?’ Medwin looked around and found himself a comfortable position on the deck and waited for the others to join him.

  Seating themselves in the half circle with their dragons standing behind them, they gathered their magic and drew the dragon’s magic in to them and directed it to Angel so he could repair the spell. Gathering their magic he proceeded to slowly weave the spell back together.

  It took them half the morning to do this and Angel come out of it a little tired. ‘Well that will do for the moment but I could feel the difference th
e merging of the two spells is doing to the old spell. We are not going to be able to do this to many more times, so we are going to need to learn the other spell very quickly.’

  They all got up and climbed up on to their dragon and the dragons lifted up and took them on a gentle climb out to sea to give them a bit of sea air before they get to their deck.

  When they landed they got out their lunch and sat with their dragons and ate it. The dragons just dosed with their heads supporting the boys. They were all very happy just sitting there as they have not done this for a while, this was more important at the moment. They spent the afternoon just playing with their dragons for they realized they were after all just kids and kids have got to play now and then.

  ‘We have not talked of what we will do when the renegade comes back so I think tomorrow we will do that even if we can’t get here. Today was a release we needed so I think we will leave talking till tomorrow no matter what. So let’s go for one more ride and head back.’ Angel climbed up on to Aura’s neck and got comfortable as he finished talking.

  The others climbed on their dragons and the dragons lifted and they flew out to sea and up high. They loved it up there looking down at the part of the dragon decks they could see without anyone from the school seeing them. The Dragon Decks looked strange from up high.

  The Dragon Decks were like half circles stuck to the side of the mountain. Then they all had a tower with a wall that went to the mountain face. The wall had a door that took you inside the wall where you could go up the tower or walk through to the next deck. At their dragons end was a castle just the same as the one the school uses.

  Angel suddenly had a thought as they flew above the end castle, would there be any books in there. If their dragons were going to stay here they would have to have a look and see what’s in there. But that will have to wait till they next get back here, and Angel was dreading the parting as they needed the bond that was between them.