Dragons of Fire and Ice: Part Two

Chapter Seven: The Dream

         That night I had the weirdest dream ever. I have had weird dreams before, like the time I dreamed I was a penguin stranded in Africa with no water in sight, but this one took the cake. I was just floating in an empty room. I floated for a while when I noticed Bryce. He was sleeping upside down. I floated over and tried to wake him up.

         “Hey! Wake up!” I yelled as I shook him.

         “Huh? What? Is it morning already?” asked Bryce.

         “No, it is not morning. We just went to sleep, like two minutes ago,” I corrected.

         “Then why did you just wake me? I’m a growing dragon. Wait, were are we?” asked Bryce as he

“I don’t know… I thought we were sleeping in Sofia’s house. How did we get here? I responded. The two of us just floated there for a while when we saw something on the horizon. We couldn’t tell what is was exactly, but we could tell it was large, red, and travelling fast. When it got closer, we realized it was a dragon. It was as large as a house, with fire red scales and I could tell there was a saddle of some sorts on its back. The two of us just floated there until it was right on top of us.

The two of us were scared. We didn’t know where we were or why we were here. Now there was a large red dragon in front of us. The dragon wasn’t saying anything, but I didn’t know if all dragons could talk. The dragon was just standing there, staring at us. I noticed that when the dragon showed up, the temperature had increased slightly. I realized that the red dragon was radiating heat. Now I was worried that the dragon was trying to bake us. It wasn’t until a person jumped off the red dragon that my fear turned into confusion. The person that had just jumped off the dragon was Roxus. He was wearing a red tunic with a belt and a cloak over it. There were two swords strapped to his belt, and I noticed when he jumped down there were gun holsters on his side. When he jumped down the rest of us somehow stopped floating, as if the gravity had been turned on.



Chapter Eight: Roxus Stark

         The four of us just stood there for a while until the red dragon snorted.

         “Are these them? They don’t look like much,” said the red Dragon.

         “They’re still young, they have much to learn,” said Roxus

         “What is going on here?” I asked.

         “This is a Dream Conference,” explained Roxus as he spread out his arms, “It’s an old means of communication. Most people don’t use it anymore, so we should be safe for a while,” responded Roxus.

         “So I’m actually dreaming?” I asked.

         “Yes you are. While you can control things in the dream, you are not always safe. Creatures that feed off the consciousness can sometimes get in the conference and wreak havoc, and if you die in the Dream Conference…”

         “You die in bed or wherever you fell asleep,” finished the red dragon.

         “Since you are in Sofia’s house, you are safe from said creatures,” corrected Roxus.

         “So why did you bring Michael and I into a Dream Conference?” asked Bryce hesitantly. He must have been intimidated by the larger dragon.

         “Blayze and I wanted to make sure the two of you made it to Sofia’s safely,” responded Roxus.

         “If by safe you mean drugged and kidnapped…” I muttered.

         “She did what she had to get you off the street, youngling,” stated Blayze, “The two of you in the middle of the street made quite the target.

         “How did you know we were in the middle of the street?” I asked.

         “We have our ways…” said Roxus, and by the look he gave me told we to drop the subject. I guessed he sent someone to spy on the two of us.

         “I’m sure Michael here would like to know who you two are exactly, and I would like to know why you gave Michael my egg,” questioned Bryce.

         “It’s a long and complex story that we do not have the time to tell, hatchling. The conference only lasts as long as the people in the conference are asleep. Roxus and I took a sleeping potion to ensure we stay asleep for the duration of the conference, but I assume Sofia may be waking you soon,” explained Blayze.

         “Can you at least tell us who your names?’ I asked.

         “My name is Roxus Stark and this is my dragon partner, Blayze StormFire.”

         “You already know my name, but this is Bryce BleakClaw,” I introduced.

         “Well met, BleakClaw. You will grow into a formidable dragon,” commented Blayze.

         “Why did you give Bryce’s egg to me?” I asked, “Was I just the first person you found to give the egg to?

         “No, I know who you are Michael Anderson, son of Drake and Cynthia. I am your father’s brother,”

         “What? So you’re my uncle?”

         “I think that’s what being your father’s brother means…” said Bryce.

         “Your father and mother had contacted me before their death. They wanted to see if you would become a Tamer. I was busy with some Imperial forces, but when they were defeated I rushed to their house. But I was too late. Your parents were dead and you were missing. I searched for years to find you, but I assumed you were dead. It wasn’t until today I found you. I gave you the egg because I didn’t want the Death Stalkers to find the egg, and I wanted to see if the egg would hatch for you,” explained Roxus.

         “Your parents also wanted to see if you were part dragon. Children with dragon ancestors undergo a test to determine the extent of their draconic traits. Your Father underwent it at the age of 18, and he was hoping you would be ready for the test. The test can not be taken in a Dream Conference, so you will have to come to us,” continued Blayze.

         “When do I have to come to you for the test?” I asked.

         “Two weeks from tomorrow. It is best that you get here earlier though, so we can get you prepared,” explained Roxus.

         “Until then, continue your training with Sofia. We will contact her and explain what is happening,” ordered Blayze. I was going to ask more, but the world around me was becoming cloudy.

         “Don’t panic, you’re just waking up. We will be in contact as soon as possible,” comforted Roxus, “Don’t tell Sofia you talked to us, we will tell her ourselves,”

         “Why is that?” I asked, but the next thing I knew I was awake in bed.



Chapter Nine: My Lessons Continue

         As I said, I woke up in bed, with Bryce flying over my head.

         “Good morning,” I said sleepily.

         “Morning,” responded Bryce cheerfully. He flew around the room once before landing on the dressing table. Stretching my arms, I pulled off the covers and sat at the edge of the bed. Bryce flew off the dresser and landed on my head.

         “So, how about that dream last night,” started Bryce.

         “I don’t know, I was just going to ask you. This just keeps happening,” I mumbled.

         “What keeps happening?”

         “I keep finding my life up to know was a lie…”

         “So? Now you know the truth,”

         “I guess… I wonder if I actually am part dragon,” I suggested as I stared at my hands.

         “Do you think Sofia has another lesson planned for you?”

         “No. My guess is she will be waiting for us in the dojo,” responded Bryce. I figure it would not be wise to leave Sofia waiting, so I quickly got dressed and opened the door the dojo. I found Sofia sitting in the middle of the dojo drinking tea.

         “You’re late,” stated Sofia without looking up.

         “I practically just got up! What, do you expect me to sleep in the dojo?” I retorted.

         “That is a good idea, but no. We will meet in the dojo at 7 o’clock every day except Sunday. We will begin with a quick review of the previous lessons. We will then continue with the new lesson,” explained Sofia.

         “What about breakfast?” I asked.

         “You can get breakfast before the lesson, or after the lesson. The lesson lasts until you master it,”

         “Sofia, aren’t you being a little strict?” questioned Bryce.

         “If I remember correctly, you asked me to train him. You didn’t ask how I would train him. That was up to me,”

         “Honestly Sofia. He is not a machine. He is a human,”

         “I told you two before not to talk like I’m not in the room. When do we start the lesson?” I asked.

         “Right now,” stated Sofia as she suddenly threw a knife at my face. I surprisingly caught it by the hilt and took a fighting stance. Again, Sofia had vanished and I was alone in the room with Bryce this time. I looked around when Sofia appeared and swung her knife. I parried and jumped back. I knew it was not a wise idea to try and attack her. I would parry her blows until she thought it was time to move on.

         

Chapter Ten:  My Injures

I parried a few more blows when Sofia stopped appearing. I thought the lesson was over when several knives came flying at me. I spun around and dodged most of them, but two of them slice my leg and my cheek. I took my fighting stance and waited. Several more knives flew towards me. This time I jumped and twisted in the air. I dodged most of the knives again, except a knife sliced some of my hair off.

         I landed on my feet and looked around the room. My cuts were hurting, but they were not that bad. I caught something out of the corner of my eye and turned to look. That’s when two knives embedded themselves in me, one in my leg and the other in my arm. I slumped to my knees as I pulled the knife out of my leg. When I did so, blood started pouring out of my leg. I pulled out knife in my arm as I put pressure on my leg to try and stop the bleeding. As I did, something clicked in my head like I memory I had once forgotten.

         “Heilan.” I said as I placed my other hand on my leg wound. A red glow appeared around my hand and my wound. I then placed my hand on my arm wound and said, “Heilan.”

         “What was that for?” yelled Bryce. I could tell he was furious.

         “Okay, this time I admit I went too far…” confessed Sofia, “Are you alright?”

         “I’m fine,” I replied. I stood up and noticed that my wounds were no longer bleeding.

         “May I take a look?” asked Sofia.

         “Sure…” I replied. Sofia took my arm and touched the area the knife had penetrated. There was dried blood, but there was no wound. There wasn’t even a scar or trace of an injury.

         “What happened exactly after you pulled out the knives?” asked Sofia.

         “I don’t really know what happened, I just acted on instincts…” I replied.

“Do you remember what you said?” asked Sofia.

         “Yes, ‘heilan’,” I replied as a red aura appeared around my hand. As soon as it appeared, it vanished.

         “What was that?”

         “I think it was your magicka again…” suggested Bryce.

         “Yes, it was. You spoke in the Ancient Language. ‘Heilan’ is the word for heal,” explained Sofia.

         “Does this mean Michael knows the Ancient Language?” asked Bryce

         “I don’t know all of it, I just had sort of a flash back. I remembered my mother taught me that word. She used it whenever I had a bruised knee from skateboarding. My parents might have taught me more words, I just don’t remember,”

         “Anyway, I do believe it is time for breakfast,” suggested Sofia.



Chapter Eleven: Breakfast and Some Light Reading

The three of us walked through the door and into the dining room. Our plates were already at the table. Sofia had Bryce and myself sit first before she sat down at the table. Bryce had a platter of sausages and I had eggs and bacon. I also had a glass of orange juice. The three of us sat quietly as we ate. It was too quiet, so I spoke up.

“What do you have planned for today?” I asked.

“We have a full day before us. First, we will finish up the lesson I had planned for you,”

“You can’t be serious! You’re not done throwing knives at Michael?” yelled Bryce.

“Relax, I only want Michael to get some practice throwing knives this time. No more dodging until tomorrow,”

“I’m beginning to agree with you Michael, she is crazy,” replied Bryce.

“I’m fine Bryce, I haven’t been hurt too badly. Besides, if I get hurt I can practice using my healing spell,”

“It is not a magic word you can just say whenever you feel like it and not face any repercussions. First off, the Ancient Language is an extremely old language that few still use. Some use it as a language. Others tie it with their magicka and create spells and incantations. The danger is when you cast a spell, you can not stop the spell until it is done. If you use a spell that requires a significant amount of magicka, more than you have available, you face the risk of spontaneous combustion.

“So you’re saying if I am careless with magicka, I can burn up?” I asked timidly.

“Yes. Don’t worry about spontaneous combustion. Your magicka replenishes itself after a while. We will talk more about magicka later. For now, you are safe using ‘heilan’. ‘Heilan’ does not require a lot of magicka, so you will be safe using it. Just do not go overboard,” replied Sofia.

         “Summonre bok,” stated Sofia. As soon as she finished the sentence, a book appeared on the table next to Bryce.

         “Before you ask, this is not a spell book. It is a dictionary of the Ancient Language. I expect you to at least be familiar with the contents of the book. You do not have to read the whole book, but it will be useful to you. Now, while I take care of some business I would like you to go and practice throwing knives,” ordered Sofia as she stood up and walked through the door. The two of us quickly finished eating and then entered the dojo.



Chapter Twelve: The Intruder

         When Bryce and I entered the dojo, we found a table with a dozen throwing knives on it. I walked over and picked up a few as Bryce landed on the table. As I was handling the knives, I noticed something move out of the corner of my eyes. I spun and threw a knife, at a spring loaded dummy.

         I picked up two more knives and waited. Two more dummies sprang up and I threw two knives. Both of them buried themselves in the dummies foreheads. I walked over and took out the knives. As I was walking back to the table, I felt a stinging sensation on the back of my arms. I looked down and saw three long needles in my arm. I quickly pulled them out and dropped them to the ground. I didn’t see anyone else in the room, but someone had thrown the knives at me.

         “Sofia, when did you get back?” I yelled. Just then, three more needles found a home in my leg. I pulled them out and ran to the table with the knives. I grabbed one and spun just to have another three needles hit me in the chest.

         “Alright Sofia, is this one of our lessons? You didn’t say anything about needles earlier…” By now, I was getting tired of the needles imbedding themselves in me. They were hard to block since I couldn’t see them until they hit their target. They were not poisoned from what I could tell, or at least not yet.

         “Reveal yourself! I shouted.

         “Do you know how stupid you look yelling at nothing?” said a voice that came from behind and above me. I turned and looked up to see a girl in the rafters. She had black hair with a purple highlight just above her right eye. She was wearing a traditional ninja outfit, but hers was dark purple. She had three needles in her hand, a katana at her waist, and I could tell she had more weapons in the pouches at her waist. As soon as the female ninja made her presence known, Bryce had flown over and perched himself on my shoulder.

         “Who are you?” I asked.

         “I could ask you the same thing. My mother didn’t tell me of anyone staying in our house,” said the female ninja.

         “Sofia is your mom? She didn’t tell me she had a daughter…” I replied.

         “She never does… I’m a secret. No one is supposed to know about me. Not even my father knows…But that is enough about me. Who are you?” said the girl as she fell backwards off the rafter, grabbed the rafter at the last minute, and spun twice in the air before landing right in front of me.

         “Uh, my name is Michael Anderson and this is Bryce BleakClaw,” I said as I inclined my hand towards Bryce.

         “What are you doing here? And don’t bother lying, I can tell when you’re lying. I hate liars.

         “You mother is training Michael. He happens to be a Tamer, and your mother is teaching him what that means,” replied Bryce.

         “Is that supposed to impress me? I happen to be a tamer as well,”

         “Where is your dragon then? I asked.

         “Right in front of you,” said a voice in my head. A purple dragon suddenly appeared on the girls shoulder.

         “This is Amethyst ShadowStalker, and I am Lucy Valentine. Don’t tell my mother you spoke to us, or I might just have to use my senbons to silence you,” threatened Lucy as she waved her needles in my face. As she spoke, her other hand dropped to one of her pouches. Reaching in, she pulled out a small black ball. Upon finishing her conversation with me, she suddenly threw the black ball on the ground. There was a small spark and the room was enveloped by a cloud of smoke. When the smoke dissipated, Amethyst and Lucy were gone.

         “That was just weird…” I stated. 

         “I think she likes you, the way she was messing with the senbons,” prodded Bryce.

         “Yeah right, she was trying to kill me,” I replied.

          “Did any of the senbons actually hit any vital points?” asked Bryce.

         “Well, no. They didn’t. They didn’t actually hurt…But she does not like me!” I proclaimed.

         “Just keep telling yourself that,” said Bryce as he flew to the table.

         “I think Amethyst had eyes for you…” I said jokingly.

         “What! No! Don’t even joke about that! Our two species hate each other. The ice dragons of the North and the swamp dragons of the South have been at war with each other for centuries,” explained Bryce.

         “Why is that?” I asked.

         “It’s a long story. The swamp dragon used to be known as subterranean dragons from the North, until the ice dragons invaded their underground homes. They were driven from their homes and forced to live in the swamps of the South,” explained Bryce.

         “Why did they do that?” I asked.

         “I honestly don’t know. It is just something that has always been. My parents told me about the feud when I was still in my egg.”

         “Oh, okay. We should probably pick up the loose senbon before Sofia gets home,” I said. Together, Bryce and I were able to find and dispose of most of the Senbon. When Sofia arrived, she found the two of us still practicing our knife throwing.

Chapter Thirteen: The Journey

         I had just thrown two knives into a dummy when Sofia entered the room. I was just about to throw another knife when I heard her say something. I did pay attention until the knife in my hand flew from my hand to Sofia’s.

         “There is someone here to see you,” said Sofia.

         “Who?” I asked.

         “Why don’t you go find out,” said Sofia as she stepped to the side. I stepped through the door and into a living room. There were several bookshelves and lamps. There was a fireplace across from a couch. Seated at the couch was Roxus.

         “Roxus!” I shouted.

         “Hello Michael, how are you?” asked Roxus.

         “I’m good, Sofia has taught me a lot so far. Mostly about knives.”

         “I see Bryce is growing,” said Bryce. I looked at saw that Bryce was about two inches longer.

         “I hadn’t really noticed…” I stated.

         “Honestly Roxus, you didn’t come all the way here to talk about Bryce. Tell him what you came here for,” ordered Sofia. Just as always, I did not hear her enter the room.

         “You still haven’t changed since the last time we met,” said Roxus. Sofia rolled her eyes at this comment and walked over to the bookshelves.

         “Anyway, I came because the draconic test is two weeks from today. I talked with Sofia and the two of us are going to supervise your test,”

         “Where are we going?” I asked.

         “The Grand Canyon,” replied Roxus.

         “The four of us will travel to the outskirts of town. Blayze is waiting for us to take us to the canyon,” explained Sofia, “We will arrive at the Grand Canyon by night fall. You should go pack your bags for the journey. You will continue your lessons tomorrow after you get a nights rest,”

“I don’t have anything except what I have on and the long knife you gave me for my first lesson,”

“While I was gone, I purchased some essentials for the journey. Clothing, kunai, and some shuriken. I also bought traveling cases for all of them,” said Sofia, “They are all in your room if you would like to decide for yourself what to bring. However, I encourage you to bring all of it.

“While at the Canyon, you will construct your own weapon. You may create whatever type of weapon you want,” explained Roxus.

         “When are we leaving?” asked Bryce.

         “We are leaving in half an hour,” said Roxus. At that, Sofia and Roxus turned and walked through the door, probably to pack. Bryce and I walked through the door and into my room.

Chapter Fourteen: Lucy Valentine

         Upon entering my room, I saw the supplies Sofia had purchased. There were thirty shuriken, or throwing stars, twenty kunai, and two side pouches to carry them. There were also a backpack, a couple pairs of blue jean, assorted t-shirts, and a red and black ninja outfit. I carefully filled the backpack with the clothing, but I attached the pouches of weapons to my belt. Since I had some time, I pulled out the Ancient Language dictionary and started looking up some words. After and couple pages worth of reading, the book flew out of my hands and hovered in the air above my head. I grabbed a hold of it and attempted to pull it down, but it didn’t go far. It was at that moment I noticed there were strings attached to the book that went up to the ceiling. I looked up and saw Lucy.

         “Hi,” I said.

         “Are you reading the dictionary? You are such a nerd,” said Lucy as she waved her hand a little. The strings attached to the book were attached to Lucy’s hands.

         “Ninja puppet stings. I use my magicka to control whatever the strings are attached to,” While Lucy wasn’t looking, I slowly reached into my back pouch and grabbed a kunai. In one quick motion I slice the puppet strings attached to the book and grabbed the strings. Before Lucy could react, I pulled hard and she fell into the room. However, I didn’t calculate her falling onto me.

         “Ow! What was that for? You could have just asked for your book back!” shouted Lucy

         “Would you have given it back?” I questioned.

         “No, but you still could have asked before you pulled me down on top of you!”

         “I thought you would have reacted before I pulled! I only wanted the book back! What were you doing up there anyway! Are you spying on me?” I shouted.

         “Yes she was. She was curious why a Head Tamer would be her for a beginner Tamer,” said Amethyst as she appeared on the bed next to Lucy. She then continued to glare at Bryce who surprisingly was returning the stare.

         “What is with you two? Do you have a grudge against me?”

         “I don’t, but Amethyst does, and I help her when I can. Since I can’t attack Bryce, I will have to settle with you!” said Lucy as she quickly jumped off the bed and spun in the air, releasing senbons. I felt the surge of energy I felt during my first lesson and suddenly I was standing in front of my bed with the senbon buried in my pillow behind me. I pulled out a kunai and threw it at Lucy. She dodged the kunai and threw more senbon at me. I dodged and materialized behind the dresser. I looked over where Lucy was, but she had vanished. Amethyst and Bryce were ever so slowly circling the bed. Occasionally the two would exhale poisonous vapor and ice, but they hadn’t attacked yet.

         Suddenly there was a sound of metal hitting wood, and I looked down to see my shirt was stuck to the dresser by some senbon. I pulled out the senbon, and tossed them to the ground. I looked around the room when I noticed the puppet string lying by the foot of the bed. I was about to stand up when some senbon flew towards me. I vanished and appeared by the bed. I grabbed as much string as I could and then ducked some more senbon. Using my magicka, I attached five pieces of string to my finger and shot out the ends towards where the senbon had appeared. The string went taunt and I moved my hand toward me. Attached to the other end of the string was Lucy.

         “No fair! Only I can use the puppet string. How did you do that anyway?” shouted Lucy. Before I could respond, Sofia walked through the door.

         “What are you doing in here, Roxus and I are waiting…” started Sofia, then stopped when she looked at the room. She saw the two dragons on the bed, senbon all over the room, and then she saw Lucy and myself. At the sight of Lucy, Sofia’s face went to one of disgust. From within her sleeves a knife appeared, which she then threw it at the string. When the connection was severed, she ran over to Lucy and grabbed her arm.

         “Hvat are iu duanin?” shouted Sofia

         “Nanthing,” stated Lucy. At this, Sofia’s grip tightened. I saw Lucy wince in pain.

         “Hvat. Are. Iu. Duanin.”

         “It wesa Amethyst idaen!” cried Lucy. Still holding on to Lucy, Sofia turned onto Amethyst.

         “Ih tellan iu noht to bodhaire theim!” shouted Sofia. Amethyst turned her head and ignored Sofia. In one quick motion Sofia grabbed Amethyst’s tail and dragged both Lucy and Amethyst to the door.

         “I apologize for their rude behavior. It will not happen again. Be at the front door in five minutes,” stated Sofia as she left the room with Lucy and Amethyst.



Chapter Fifteen: Our Journey Finally Starts

         After the girls left, I quickly gathered my weapons and as much puppet string as I could salvage. I walked over to Bryce, who have me his version of ‘puppy dog eyes’. I rolled my eyes and dropped my shoulders in exhaustion. Bryce jumped onto my shoulders as the two of walked through the door and into a long hallway with a door at the other end. At the other end waited Roxus.

         “What took you so long? And is that blood?

         “Oh, it’s nothing… I just got in a small fight with Lucy,” I said as I scratched off dried blood.

         “Here, let me,” offered Roxus, “Claensian”, He placed his hand on my head as he said the last half of his sentence. Upon saying ‘claensian’ it felt as if I stepped into a cold shower. The feeling only last for about ten seconds. When the cold sensation subsided, I noticed all the dried blood was gone.

         “It’s a cleaning spell, useful when you are on a stakeout and you forgot to shower. Who is this Lucy and why were you fighting her” asked Roxus. I was about to explain when Sofia walked through the door. When I turned, I noticed she was being followed by Lucy and Amethyst. Lucy was now wearing a dark purple t-shirt and dark blue jeans. Her hair was in a long ponytail with a dark purple gem at the end.

         “I apologize for my lateness. I had an issue to take care of. Roxus, this is my daughter Lucy and her dragon Amethyst. They will be accompanying us on our journey to the Grand Canyon,” explained Sofia. Roxus raised his eyebrow in a questioning glare. Sofia returned his glare with her own that said ‘don’t mess with me”. Roxus shrugged his shoulders in exasperation as he opened the front door. I stepped into the outside world in what seemed like ages. The first thing I saw was a filthy concrete wall. Upon further investigation, I noticed Sofia’s house was an old abandoned warehouse that emptied into an alleyway.