Dragon Rider (DragonMage Saga)

by Platt, S. P.

  ‘I don’t think we are going to make it there are just two many creatures and the wizards are not going to be able to keep this up all day. They are going to need rest very soon.’ Shylyn looked out at the wizards as she talked and in her eyes there were some tears.

  Maive moved closer to Shylyn and gave her a hug to help calm her down. ‘It’s ok we’re going to be fine, so come on we will think of something.’

  ‘That’s what I and Angel are going to go and do now. Think of something that will get us out of this.’ Looking at Angel. ‘Come on Angel lets go and walk and see if we can’t think of something?’ Medwin got up and pulled Angel up with him as he finished.

  They walked over to the line and looked out at the battle and it was not looking very good. Just as they got to the line a creature broke through and hit a student as it entered the cave. Angel was first to move and he upped his shield as the creature fired a fire ball at him.

  Angel with his shield out had deflected the ball of fire away and into the roof. He throws himself down as another ball of fire speeds at him. His shield pushed it back out the cave and Angel had to leap again and this time he had to leap and throw his body to the left as his shield deflected it against the far roof.

  Angel quickly got a spell fire ball that hit the creature and propelled it against the far wall. It did not get back up and Angel moved back over to Medwin. The head wizard of the weapons area had seen him and nodded his head in a sign of respect.

  Medwin waited as Angel come over to him. ‘That was good foot work there to doge and fire in the one go. Just like it was up in the shield practice room, you moved just as quick.’

  Angel stopped and thought for a few moments, as a smile came to his face. He was just about to gather the group together to talk over what he had thought of, when there was a large boom which came from outside. They quickly ran to the entrance of the cave to see what had happened.

  As they got to the cave mouth they could see the wizards pointing up above the school where the wizards were up on the roof. Their flying just above the roof was a creature the size of a full grown dragon. It was defiantly not a dragon as it floated above the wizards who were up there.

  The creature opened its great mouth and a large glowing ball come firing out of it. The wizards saw it coming and put their shields on full for the ball just missed them and hit the school. Where it hit there was a loud boom and bits of rock went flying into the air showering down on the wizards below.

  Angel looked to where Gavrie was and he was indicating for the wizards to come back down where they could be safer. Up on the roof there was not a lot of room to move around.

  The creature was again building up for another ball of the same when Angel and the others in the line all turned and fired their fire ball spells at the creature to draw it away from those on the roof. If they could draw the creature away then the wizards up there might be able to get away.

  The thirty fire balls all speed at the large creature and hit it as it sensed them coming. The creature got knocked back but that was about all, this made the students look at each other with fear in their eyes.

  Their spells did not have any real effect on the creature that hovered there just waiting for a chance to get in at those who were now just running out on the deck. The wizards on the deck were trying to hit the creatures that still came at them but also keeps an eye on the great ugly creature hovering just above the school watching them.

  The wizards were going to need to work together on this creature and hope there are no more. But how where they going to do that, was what Angel was thinking of. Unless they can be freed up from fighting the creatures, then they were not going to be able to fight it and the smaller creatures.

  Angel looked at the creature up there and then at Gavrie who had stopped and was looking around at all nearby. He looked at Angel and there was a pleading look in his eyes. This was something Angel had not seen before, and it worried him, for they could not have the headmaster showing fear.

  Angel knew they had to try his idea and turned to his friends. ‘I have an idea and need to talk to Gavrie about it; can you cover me as I go to him?’

  Medwin indicated to go and the girls nodded their heads as he turned and left the cave. He ran over to Gavrie and indicated he come back with him to the cave, where they could talk.

  Gavrie indicated to a wizard that was close by where he would be and moved of to the cave. They just got into the cave when there was another boom and this time it was from the middle of the deck. They looked and out in the middle where they had just been, there was a group of wizards who were lying on the ground.

  Gavrie quickly ran back out and was about to go out and help when the wizards around closed the gap and carried on fighting the creatures. Angel’s friends were out there with the group and so Gavrie was not needed there and headed back to where Angel had waited for him.

  ‘What is it Angel for I can’t stay here to long as we need everyone we can get?’ Gavrie had that harassed look about his eyes as he waited for Angel to explain.

  ‘I have an idea that might give you the time to deal with the big one and it will help us wipe out a great amount of the creatures.’ He looked at Gavrie to see what look was on his face.

  Gavrie looked at him and for one minute thought about going back but he held himself back to hear what he had to say. ‘Go on what’s your plain, we need something and fast for we are not going to win this day if we don’t think of something.’

  ‘You know the spells that are in the defence room, the ones on the wall that will make fire balls come out of nowhere to try and hit us. Can it be reproduced or was that spell cast centuries ago?’ Angel looked at Gavrie to see if there was anything in his eyes that would indicate if he caught on to what he was trying to say.

  ‘I don’t know the spell is very old and I think it is in the library somewhere. Why what do you want to do with the spell?’ He looked at Angel and wanted to know just what he was trying to say.

  ‘Well headmaster if you knew that spell and were to cast it against the wall on each side of the deck and then let the creatures come on down how many creatures would it kill?’ He looked waiting to see if his plain would work, Gavrie would know if it would.

  Gavrie stood there looking at Angel not saying anything just looking at him and steering. Then a twinkle comes to his eyes and a smile. ‘Yes it would work and if we turned the speed of the spell up and also we can increase the size of the fire balls it produces. Great idea Angel and you and you friends can help, I will have to get a group of wizards to give me a hand along with you and your friends.’

  Angel smiled and he called out to the others to come and join him. As he called his friends Gavrie had gone up to the weapons wizards and his helpers and explained just what they had in line. After talking to the wizard he turned to Angel’s group and indicated they follow.

  They followed him out the cave and across the deck, with the weapons wizard following behind. The weapons wizards slowed down and let Angel catch up to him. ‘That was a brilliant idea of yours for if it works the wizards should all be able to watch from the cave and see what happens. The spell is very powerful and we can use it to put the spell on the walls outside the school and on the opposite tower wall.’ He carried on going and there was a spring to the way he walked now.

  Gavrie went into the school and quickly went up to the library where he walked down an isle and then pulled down a book. He looked in it for a few moments and then looked at the others. ‘Yes it will work and we can make it stronger and the fire balls a lot stronger. Right come on we must hurry back down and get the spell set up on the walls.’

  They all raced down the stairs and just as they get to the bottom there was another boom and they quickly race outside to find another group of wizards lying on the ground. There were other students there to take care of the wizards while the wizard groups around them moved to take up the area that was opened up.

  There were some creatures lying down a
nd around where the energy ball had hit creatures as well as the wizards. Gavrie quickly got the wizards working on the spell with Angel and Shylyn working with one group and Medwin and Maive working with another. They worked on the school wall first as it was the biggest.

  It took them a good hour to finish the school wall and now they ran over to the tower wall to put the spell on it as well. This one did not take as long and so they were soon back at the cave entrance. Angel looked up at the large creature as it just hovered there, not doing anything.

  Angel couldn’t think why it just hovered there, not firing energy balls, unless it is slow or has to build up it power for one of those balls. I would love to be able to produce an energy ball like that, I wander if it is a spell or just made inside itself.

  The creature was about to produce another one when Angel thought of something, he looked around for his friends as he was going to need them. They had moved down the end of the cave and he walked down to them as they looked at the battle. Gavrie would be drawing all the wizards back into the cave very shortly before he set the spell on the walls going.

  Finding them he moved them over to the corner clumsiest to the creature which was still above the edge of the school. ‘I need to stop that energy ball it sends down, just for a few moments while I study how it is made. If we could make it with magic think what it would do to the Renegade.’

  Medwin was smiling as Angel finished telling them his idea. ‘Good idea it would be a great weapon to know so how are we going to stop it and what are you going to do with it after you have finished with it?’

  ‘I will draw your magic and our dragons and as the ball comes at us I will stop it and hold it and then using the magic study how it is made.’ He looked at them and he could see the excitement in their eyes.

  Angel called Aura as the others called their dragons as well. ‘Aura are you there I need you now?’

  It was a little before Aura came into his mind. ‘I am here are you well and safe for we can see the great mass of the creatures centred over your school.

  ‘We are ok but there are just too many of the creatures and we will lose so we have got and idea and the headmaster is setting that up. We hope it will work but there is a very large creature here that can fire great balls of energy and I want when he fires the next one to stop it and study how it’s made.’ He feels she understands what he wants as he tells her.

  ‘I can see the creature and it is big, but what you can’t see is there are three more just waiting above the other creatures. When you kill the little ones you must be ready for the big ones, they just wait apart from that one you want to use. I will have my magic when you’re ready.’

  Angel looked at his friends and he gave one more look at Gavrie who was slowly pulling the wizards in ready to use the spell on the walls. ‘When it fires I want you to hide me so no one sees what I am doing, so lets do it.’

  Angel looks at the creature and sees it is nearly ready so he draws his magic from with in and then calls the others magic. He focuses on the creature and every movement it makes. The creature fires the energy ball and Angel is there with his magic to stop it and he holds it there in the air. Now he can study how it is made and from what, he wants to see the pattern in it.

  As Angel holds the ball of energy in the air, the creature starts to get agitated at the energy ball not going anywhere. It looks around to see if it can see what is stopping it from going to its target. It doesn’t notice Angels little group at the corner mouth of the cave. They look up at the creature as it looks around.

  ‘You will have to hurry Angel as the creature is trying to find out why it has stopped in mid air. No one is looking our way or at the energy ball just floating in the air. Everybody’s mind is on the wizards pulling back to the cave so you have no worry there. Once they start the spell on the walls there is going to be hell as the big creature sees the little ones getting killed.’ Shylyn was busy looking all around making sure nobody saw them here.

  Angel studied the energy ball and was surprised to see it was made from magic, but a magic never seen before. He could feel the pattern and given time he would be able to see the pattern, but time was not on his side so he had to make do with what he had. The creature has a form of magic very different to his magic or Auras magic.

  He studied it in the pattern that he could feel and thinking I will be able to make a ball of energy just like that. It is made from the energy in the air all the time as it is given off by the sun. The creature in its own Dark Realm would gather the energy and with its magic form it into a ball.

  From there it is but a simple step to send it against anything it wanted to. But from the creatures point of view it did not have the ability to make them fast enough. Its magic was a weak magic but with a few more centuries it magic abilities would increase greatly. Not a thought they would want to think about.

  Shylyn looked at the creature and could see it was going to come down for she thinks it may have seen them. ‘Angel the creature sees us and is coming down; I think it knows we are the ones responsible for the energy ball just floating there. We’d better think of some way to get rid of it?’

  Angel looked at her and then back at the creature. ‘I will try and use its energy ball against it and see what happens.’ He was just about to when Gavrie gave the order for the last wizards to enter the cave.

  Angel turned to look at Gavrie but still held the energy ball just up in front of the creature. He could see the last of the wizards enter into the cave and add their shields to that of all the other wizards in the line in the entrance to the cave. He could see Gavrie’s hand give a little wave and then all of a sudden there were balls of fire coming out of thin air and hitting the creatures.

  Contents

  Battling The Large Ones

  As he watched, the others were doing the same and they could see the creatures were getting cut down. Gavrie had increased the strength of the fire balls and they were cutting the creatures to pieces. As he watched, Gavrie gave another little twist of his hand and the fire balls increased in speed with more and more appearing all the time.

  Maive turned to look at the big creature and screamed for while they were looking to see how the plan was going to work, the creature had come in close and was not very far from them. The only reason it had not come at them, it was getting hit by lots of the fire balls.

  They were not having any effect on it but it did slow it down. Angel looked to Maive to see what she was screaming at. He could not miss for the creature was still edging its way closer to them and would be here very soon.

  ‘I think it time I tried sending it’s own energy ball back at it and see what happens, before it gets to close. Are you ready now I will gather the ball and, no that’s not right? Lets try it this way and I had better be quick.’ He was having trouble trying to get a hold of the energy ball, as his magic was having trouble touching it.

  He looked at the creature and could see it was going to form another energy ball so he had better act soon. Now thinking about when he held it in mid air after it had been fired, he tried to find the point where he was able to do that but not able to send it.

  He used the magic to feel the ball again and soon found that it was being held there and he had not seen that when he tried to send it back at the creature. The creature was still controlling it and he had to pry that hold lose.

  ‘The creature still holds the ball so as to stop me from using it. We must distract it so I can get the control of it. We are going to need to send some spells at it so it releases the hold on it.’ He got ready as he finished telling the others.

  Medwin was the first and with his magic (which Angel had released back to them) he sent a large lighting bolt that hit its body. ‘That should tickle him a little and hopefully let it go.’

  Angel looked at it and could see it did nothing to it. ‘Medwin go for the eyes and see if that will hurt it, Shylyn you and Maive do the same as I think my magic and Auras will be enough to gain control of th
e ball.’

  Medwin and the girls fired off their shots which all struck the creature in the eyes. There was a great bellow and the creature turned and looked at them. Angel had been waiting and sure enough when the lighting blots hit the eyes the creature released hold of the energy ball and Angel sent it into the body of the creature.

  What happened next was most unexpected, for the creature when hit with its own energy ball just exploded. They had their shields up right away as the energy backlash hit them. The ball of energy was very powerful and it did not like the creature for it to react that way.

  The four of them looked surprised at what happened. ‘It can’t stand its own energy and when the ball hit it there was nothing it could do. It’s funny to create something from your own magic and then for it to react that way is strange.’ Maive looked a bit perplexed as she tried to figure out what happened.

  Shylyn had a strange look on her face as Medwin looked at her. ‘What, why are you looking at me like that?’

  ‘It’s just the look on your face it’s so strange.’ Medwin tried not to smile at her but could not help it.

  ‘Ok you don’t need to laugh, but I think I might know why the energy ball reacted like that.’ She looked at Medwin and poked her tongue at him.

  Angel stepped in and smiled at them both. ‘What have you come up with Shylyn why did it react that way?’

  ‘The magic it used was its own but using the energy from this world meant if the energy hit itself it would do what it had just done. Now if it had used its own energy from its world then it would not have affected it like it did. I think it would be the same for us if we used magic in their world.’ Shylyn had a far away look in her eyes as she explained what she thought happened.

  ‘That is good for it means when those other creatures attack all we have to do is repel the energy ball back at itself and our problems are over.’ He sighed as he spoke and felt that bit of relief.