Dragon Rider (DragonMage Saga)

by Platt, S. P.

  Gavrie indicated the door and they left and headed back to their room grabbing some food on the way. Sitting in their room they had almost forgotten what they had learned the other night about Portals. Angel looked at them and asked Medwin what he had found if anything.

  Medwin jumped up and smiled as he started telling them. ‘The book I read had the spells needed to open portals but it says you need at lest three wizards to open a medium size portal. The spells are incredible; the pattern alone is so complicated, three wizards would be hard pressed to remember each and every pattern to the spell.’

  ‘So if the book say you need at lest three to make a medium one then what the Renegades are opening and bringing all those creature through. There would have to be at lest five or six at lest to open something large enough to get some of the really big creatures through.’ Angel had a far away look on his face as if he could see how that many could do it.

  Maive coughed and looked around. ‘My book says the portals are at the best of times not that stable and are likely to come apart at any moment, even as the wizards are casting the spell and the portal is partially open. The more Wizards there to help cast the spell the better the chance the portal has of staying open.’

  Angel stood up and walked around the room. ‘What I find interesting is, there are wizards working together with their spells. That normally does not happen and only around here when we are under attack. They are working together and until our wizards can do the same all the time we are in danger. We will have to hope that working together will show them it’s good to do.’

  Angel comes back and sits down. ‘I found that a portal the size needed to bring the amount of creatures through has got to be close to the area the creatures are attacking. So I work out that with the creatures attacking the Riders School, Hatchery and the Wizard School the portal has got to be out at sea somewhere.’

  They talked for a little longer till there was a knock at the door. They jumped up and Shylyn went over and opened it. Gavrie came in and looked to make sure they were all there. ‘It has just gone dusk so you need to get to sleep now away you go and just for a while I will sit down here in your common room to make sure you do go to sleep, now go.’

  They looked at Gavrie and headed off to their respective rooms while Gavrie went and sat down taking a book out of his robe pocket. He had a deep purple robe with gold inlay around the sleeves and neck. There were large pockets on each side and they had gold inlays on them as well.

  *

  Gavrie looked at them go and settled down and started reading he would only stay for a short time as he is pretty sure they will be a sleep very quickly. He knew what happened this morning was going to take a lot out of them and they would be like this for a few days till their bodies come back to normal.

  After half an hour he climbed the stairs and found they had indeed gone to sleep, going back down he went up the girls stairs and found they were the same. He left their rooms and headed back to his room knowing in the morning they will have found he had been right and they will hopefully see they need their sleep.

  *

  The following morning the four came down to their common room feeling good for the nights rest. They could feel that sleep had made a big difference to the way they felt this morning, compared to how they felt yesterday morning when they had slept in. They went down to the meal hall where they found Gavrie waiting for them.

  ‘Well how do you feel this morning compared to how you felt yesterday morning?’ Standing as he asked.

  Maive looked at him. ‘We feel a lot better than yesterday but we never thought it could make that much difference.’

  ‘At your age especially your age you need sleep; your body needs it because of your magic. Till your body is ready and able to do without a lot of sleep you will find your magic will tire you. It is going to take several years but in time you will not need the sleep like you do now, so go and get some breakfast and I will see you up in the Crystal Chamber after you finish.’ He gave them a smile and left the hall leaving them to their meals.

  Their lesson in the Crystal Chamber was the same as the first with them going over the patterns in spells. He told them again they needed to see how the patterns are built in this room, for when they create their spells outside of this room they will not be able to see it and so will have to picture it in their minds.

  So they practiced weaving the spells all morning but they also learned a few more spells showing how each spell differs but can be changed to make something different. This was how wizards made different spells but in their secret rooms so no other wizard could copy their spell.

  When a wizard used a spell outside in front of other wizards, the other wizards could try to work out how they were done and try and make one as close to that other wizards. A wizard would try and keep his best spell for when he really needs to use it.

  Other wizards when they see a new spell another wizard has made, he will try and build a defence for it just in case it ever fell into the hands of a Renegade. Then he would try and alter it into something else. This was how wizards learned and built up their arsenal of magic spells.

  After the morning being spent in the Crystal Chamber they where allowed to go to their secret room and practice their spells as well as try to change a spell into something different. This today was part of their homework, to work on a simple spell of making a little bubble appear in the air in front of them.

  Getting to their secret room, they went straight to the magic door and through the hall and to the next deck. They quickly go to the next deck where their dragons are waiting for them.

  The dragons are pleased to see them and soon climb into the air and fly over the side and down and under the dragon deck so as not to be seen. Getting to the deck and cave where the dragons have been staying, they land and sit and they tell their dragons what happened when they got hardly any sleep.

  ‘We feel this could be the same with us as well for Grandfather told us we came to our magic early as well. It may happen to us so we will all have to be careful what we do and getting our rest.’ Night Aura gave Angel a nudge with her head as she spoke, Angel responding with a scratch on her head.

  Medwin looked at them and he suddenly stood up and spoke. ‘If we are tiring quickly then when we try and stop the Renegade, if we use too much magic and start to tire our defensive shield will not be able to stand against a full grown wizard. We are not going to be able to save the spell holding the school, what are we going to do?’

  They all looked at him and their faces dropped, even the dragons you could see it in their eyes. Angel had the same look but was trying to think of a way around this problem.

  ‘We are going to have got to work out a way we can use our magic and not get tired. There must be a way even if we’ve got to do lots of magic and get ourselves tired. We have got to get our shields to hold up when we are so exhausted that we are about to collapse. If we get one or two of us to that point, then see if we can’t find away to keep our shields strong. There has got to be a way, and we’re going to find it and soon’. Angel looked at them as he spoke those last words, and they could see it in his eyes.

  They sat there quietly for a little while just thinking of what they could do. After about an hour Shylyn got up and looked at them. ‘Well I’m going to go for a little ride and see if that won’t help me loosen up some brain cells. Come on it just might give us an idea, but just sitting here is not helping any of us?’ She climbed up on to her dragon as the others quickly got to their feet and followed.

  The dragons all leapt into the air with not a stirring of the air around them. Dragons when they go to fly have a balance so fine they can leap slowly into the air and the air just parts and flows around them. This means there is hardly any air disturbance when a dragon lefts into the air.

  They all climb high into the air and proceeded to head out to sea. There was a light sea mist around which made them go higher until they where above the mist. They find themselves f
lying into clouds and the flow of the clouds around them relaxes their minds and allows them to enjoy the flight and not think on there problem.

  Flying around in the clouds, they started to play games of hiding in the clouds and seeing who could find who. They had been doing this now for a good hour when Medwin called out to the others to look ahead. There in front of them quite a ways ahead they could see a distortion in the clouds.

  ‘What do you think it is?’ Angel called, but in the pit of his stomach he knew what it was.

  Medwin come in closer as did the girls before he called over to Angel. ‘I don’t know but I have a bad feeling about it. I don’t think we should be here.’

  Angel nodded his head before speaking. ‘I think it might be a portal and the Renegades are controlling it. Up into the clouds and head back before something sees us?’

  They climbed into the clouds and headed back knowing the school was going to be attacked. Suddenly Aura was in his mind. ‘The dragon calls and tells us the Renegade is coming. He is so loud I think he is very close to us. We must head away out to sea away from land and come back in that way. He is so close.’

  Angel calls the others and they veer off and head out to sea away from land. They head that way till Aura feels the dragon is farther away now. They turn and head back to their dragons deck knowing they will miss this attack on the school.

  Angel calls to them. We will not have time to look at the spell the Renegade is using as we are not ready and we need to be in the tower before the Renegade comes. We must get back and try and see if we can walk to the tower and into our secret room.

  They flew slowly back keeping a close lookout for any creatures that might have got lost from the main group for if the Renegade was here and that shimmering in the clouds far in front would mean there were creatures flying to attack the school. They did not want to bump into any at this time.

  They flew in around the mountain that held the school and over the last castle at this end. They started to land when they looked up and could see a large group of creatures flying this way. They where now in very serious trouble for all they had with them, were their magic, no lances.

  Contents

  First Battle With The Creatures

  There were about 30 creatures in the group and they were heading right for them. They were now in trouble, for their only weapons would be the magic in them and that magic was untried. They were going to rely on the fire balls and lightning bolts which they have only tried a couple of times.

  ‘What are we going to do, we’ve never used our magic much and here we are going to fight for our lives?’ Maive was looking at the others and then looking back at the creatures getting closer. A quiver in her voice, as she looked at the others.

  Angel was looking around for a place to hide but there was no where their dragons could hide. ‘We could hide in the castle but the dragons could not even in their cave as the creature can get them. Come on climb on your dragons and lets left out of here and see if we can out run them. It might be our only chance?’

  Medwin already mounted and was yelling at the others. ‘Come on quickly they are almost here. We must left quickly now, for the creatures are smaller and will be faster so we must go.’

  The others were finally up on their dragons and they all lifted and headed off up over the castle and around the mountain. The creatures zeroed in on them and were close behind. Angel turned and looked to see how far back they were. ‘They’re going to catch us unless we do something fast. I’m going to try and send a fire ball at them and see if that will slow them down.

  Angel tightened his grip on Aura with his legs and then turned his body a half turn and concentrated forming the fire ball spell. He wove a ball the size of his head and cast the spell. The fire ball formed in the air in front of his hands and he cast his hand like they did in class and the ball of fire flew at the approaching creatures.

  The ball of fire had just about got to the creatures when the creatures peeled off around the fire ball. The ball missed the creatures but it did slow them just a bit and that allowed them to go up.

  ‘The ball was too small we are going to try harder and make it bigger. I think all of us are going to have to try throwing fire balls at them or lightning bolts. We’ve got to slow them down while we try and get height.’ Angel had turned back to Aura as he finished speaking.

  The others now turned themselves half way around and fired balls of fire. Shylyn would fire one then Medwin and then Maive would fire one followed by Angel. They were not hitting anything but it did slow the creatures down a little bit more.

  ‘We are not hitting any of them, great wizards we are we haven’t hit anything yet and we are only just slowing them down a little bit. Our dragons are not going to be able to out run them. We’ve got to think of something else and it’s got to be soon.’ Maive was starting to get worried as it started to show on her face and in her voice.

  Angel turned back to the front. ‘Aura do you think we could do what we did the other day when we made that fire so high. If we were able to do that, could you still keep flying?’

  ‘I can try if you create the fire ball and then I will give you my magic and you can make it bigger again and we can see what happens then. If we can make a really big fire ball it might get some of them.’ Aura turned her head and looked at Angel as she spoke to him.

  Angel called the others in closer so he could talk to them. ‘I am going to make a ball of fire and then I will draw in Aura’s magic like we did the other day, and try and make the ball bigger and then send it against them. If that works you do the same and we will see what happens?’

  Angel focused on weaving the spell again, with Aura watching him as he built the spell. It was getting quicker for Angel to build the fire balls now. ‘I’m just about ready Aura as I cast the spell you bring in your magic for me and I will increase the size of it and cast it.’ Angel concentrated and the ball of fire started to appear in front of his hand. ‘Now Aura, bring in your magic and let me increase the size then I will throw it at the creatures?’

  Aura lent her magic in with Angels just like they did the first time the other day. The ball of fire started to increase and Angel had to quickly cast it before it got to big to be near them. As the ball of fire headed towards the creatures Angel kept on increasing the size of the ball.

  It was now almost on the creatures and they started to scatter out of the way. As they did this they veered off and some of them where hitting the creature next to them and causing others to do the same. The fire ball ploughed into some of the creatures coursing the fire ball to explode.

  Medwin, Shylyn and Maive all yelled out in cheers of joy as some of the creatures went down in burning balls of fire. ‘Come on we can do that as well, lets get more balls of fire going and try and get more of the creatures?’ Medwin encouraged the others to do as Angel and Aura did.

  Angel yelled to them to make sure the fire ball is on the way before increasing the size of them. Next minute there were three more balls of fire heading for the creatures and growing in size as they went.

  The creatures scattered out of the way with only a couple of the creatures getting hit. The fire balls were too easy for the little creatures to get out of the way. They were going to look at something else, some other method of getting them.

  ‘Angel I’ve got and idea why don’t we try and make a lot of smaller ones and throw them at the same time. If we make them the size of our hands we should be able to make more very quickly and that way we send about 30 balls of fire at the same time but spread out so the creatures can’t get away as easy?’ Medwin had that egger look on his face as he told the others.

  Shylyn was right into it and had a small ball of fire ready to go. ‘Come on with our dragons’ help we should be able to fire a lot more very quickly.’

  Angel nodded and they all started making fire balls and soon there were dozens of fire balls heading to the creatures and they were spread out. The balls were now hitting creature
s and seeing how good it worked they sent more and were soon firing balls after balls.

  The creatures had nowhere to go and soon there were not many left. They all turned and started to chase the remaining creatures that had turned and headed back to where they came from. With the dragons now chasing the creatures Angel and his friends could aim a lot better and were getting the last of them.

  They finely got rid of the last creature and headed back to the dragons Dragon deck. Arriving back they found themselves starting to get tired and knew they would not be able to fight any more if more creatures came. They could not risk their dragons to fly them back so they were going to walk. They said goodbye to their dragons and started walking back to the school deck. They came to the deck and tower where the Renegade was working and so had to go into the cave where his dragon was held.

  Then into his mind came this voice. ‘When will you free me, when will you free me?’ The dragon sounded sad as he said this.

  Angel looked at the dragon and walked up to it. ‘We don’t know as we have not been able to see the spell he is using. This we must do to have any chance of freeing you. I made a promise to you, we would free you and that we will do. We just need time to work out the best way we can do this.’

  The dragon moved his head around and brought it to within a hears breath of Angels face. The dragon looked into his eyes and into his mind the dragon spoke again. ‘I can tell if you lie to me and from looking at your eyes you are telling me the truth. I will wait but please hurry.’

  Angel nodded and motioned the others on. They headed to the edge of the cave and looked to make sure the Renegade was no where to be seen. They went through the door into the next deck and into the cave to keep them from sight. They got to the other side and stopped to see how the old spell was.