Daughters Of The Prophets

By
Airshadow

Two unexpected refugees from a civil war cause the situation in Dragon City to change forever.

CHAPTER I
IN A FOREIGN LAND

“AHHHHHHH!!!!”

Artha, as the Dragon Booster, heard the habitual screams that Parm used whenever they were in danger. He quickly looked to be sure that Parm, Lance, Kitt, and Reepyr were with him while they ran through the dangerous tunnels of the Track of Doom, trying to escape a group of furious orange dragons commanded by Propheci, the ex-leader of the Prophets.

“I cannot believe that we've fallen for another of Propheci’s traps, Artha,” shouted a scared Parm.

“Keep running, Professor,” said Kitt as she and Wyldfyr continued running. “Propheci is almost upon us!”

Two little orange figures walked cautiously down a corridor near where the fight was. The noises and roars from the adjacent chamber were attracting them. The scarce light made it difficult to clearly distinguish what was happening.

“Cassy, are you sure it was a good idea to leave the group???? If Khumas notices that we aren’t with the females and the puppies, we are in jaws.”

“We’re only taking a glimpse; I don’t think it will take very long.”

“I don’t think this is good idea.”

“Hey Sybhil, can you take this thing off my head??? I want to see better.”

One of them approached the end of the corridor and carefully looked at one of the many underground halls. She saw an impressive scene: Reepyr, the Dragon Booster, and other dragon riders facing off against Propheci and a little group of orange dragons.

Mag-bursts passed throughout, and the synchronization of the movements of the Dragon of Legend and the Dragon Booster were impressive… After Reepyr’s, of course.

“PROPHECI!!! YOU CAN STILL STOP THIS MADNESS!” the Dragon Booster shouted.

The orange dragon roared with rage, but an imperceptible noise for human ears captured his attention and he turned his head around quickly to find the origin of it. An evil smile was drawn on his snout when he saw a little orange figure in an adjoining corridor. It was a little orange figure that he knew well, and he turned around to look at who was once his human rider. Reepyr quickly looked at the same spot where the dragon had looked.

“NO PROPHECI, NOT HER!” a frightened Reepyr shouted who, in a desperate attempt to stop him, attacked his former master with his dragon. The dragon, enraged, roared and sent a mag-burst towards where he had previously looked.

“BEAU!” the Dragon Booster screamed at same time. The Dragon of Legend quickly sent his golden mag-stream and the little figure dressed in orange flew out of the corridor… And just in time. Propheci’s mag-burst struck where the little girl was, causing a pile of rocks to fall in that place.

“LET’S GO!!!” shouted the Dragon Booster after he took the scared girl in his arms.

The Dragon Booster together with his companions ran at full speed, attempting leave that part of the Track of Doom. Reepyr returned on purpose and faced the ferocious group.

“REEEEPYYYYR!!!” shouted the girl between sobs.

“DRAGON BOOSTER, TAKES CARE OF MY SISTER!!!” were the last words Reepyr said before running in the opposite direction and throwing something behind his back.

Two strong explosions sent the Dragon Booster, together with the rest of his companions, running at full speed down the dark corridor to the nearest exit, trying to avoid the rubble that fell over their heads.

Artha held the little one tightly as she clung to him and cried in silence. The teens left the Track of Doom; the Dragon Booster was the last one to leave, just before a pile of rocks sealed the entrance.

-------- o0o --------

“What we are going to do now, stable boy?”

It was the question that everyone was asking as they watched the little one. It was the question that Artha was asking himself while an inconsolable girl cried in his arms; it was enough to break the heart.

Artha looked at the girl without knowing, at the moment, what to say. The little one seemed to be more or less the same age as Lance. The little helmet, in the style of the prophets, covered her head and face. Her clothes were a tiny version of the uniforms that they had seen among the members of the prophets.

Kitt approached Artha and stopped along side of him and the girl. With care, she removed the helmet from the little one, and then they saw the face of the little one for the first time. Her face was very similar to Reepyr’s but smoother; she had a rounded chin, bright green eyes, and her skin paler. Like Artha's brother, the little one had an abundant red hair that reached her shoulders.

“Do you have a name, little-one?” said Kitt amiably.

“Cassy,” responded the girl without stopping her sobs. “Please… I want to go back to my home.”

“I am afraid that at the moment that is impossible,” stammered Parm. For him, it was incomprehensible that somebody called ‘home’ a closed place with a group of rabid orange dragons inside.

“But… I must return,” begged the girl between sobs. “I am going to be in jaws when Khumas finds out that I ain't in the lower levels… And Sybhil is there inside! I must go back!”

“Listen, little one…” started Kitt when Artha made a signal to her that she should be silent. The habitual sounds of the Wastelands had stopped and all could clearly hear that something was moving; it was approaching towards them.

“We must move,” whispered Artha as Cassy clung tightly to him with fear. The group left the place running at full speed and several miles from there, they stopped.

“It seems that, whatever it was, we lost it,” said Parm without stopping his shaking, but he became paler when in a distant spot they could hear a furious dragon’s roar.

“It seems that we didn’t loose them,” said Kitt scared.

“Kitt,” said Artha while Beau with his mag-ray to place Cassy in the back part of Kitt’s saddle. “Cassy, Lance and you, go to the Dragon Temple…”

“WHATT?” Protested the girl. “Not in your dreams, Stable boy. You won't face Propheci alone!!”

“Don't worry. Parm will help me,” replied Artha as Parm almost fell off Cyrano from the fear. “You are the fastest, and we cannot expose Lance and Cassy to a vindictive and furious dragon…”

“I’m sorry, Hero Boy, but…”

“Shhh! Someone is approaching!” said Lance with fear as Cassy hid behind Kitt without stopping her shaking.

All eyes were on a spot in the rubble in which the outline of a big orange dragon was drawn. Artha and Kitt raised their staffs, Parm shook with panic, Cassy hid behind Kitt, and Lance prepared his flashstick.

The dragon almost left its hiding place and the teens were ready to attack. But what they saw wasn’t a great and furious orange dragon it was…

“Sybhil!” said the girl.

All sighed with relief, the scarce light of Wastelands had created an optical illusion, making a monster out of an inoffensive puppy.

Artha and his friends looked at the puppy and next the girl; as the little she-dragon happily wagged her tail. The little dragon was almost a copy in miniature of the adult orange dragons, with the only differences being that she was just 6 feet tall, its pink crest still wasn’t very remarkable and she was predominantly orange with the little red tips in her back.

The little dragon used its mag-ray, placing Cassy in front of her. The girl took the dragon’s snout in her little hands and rubbed her cheeks against her since they were happy to be together again.

“I am very sorry to interrupt this tender moment… But can we just go!!?????” said a scared Parm.

“It’s best,” confirmed Artha as Kitt gave Cassy her little helmet. Sybhil used her mag-ray and she placed Cassy so she could ride her. As soon as the girl put her helmet, Sybhil again used her mag-ray to place the control gear on her.

“HEY, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!” Protested Artha when he saw what the little dragon did.

“What's wrong?” she replied through Cassy, whose voice sounded strange because she was now under Sybhil’s control. “After all, she’s my human.”

What Sybhil said through Cassy was impressive for Artha and his friends; she said it with the same naturalness that they could have said “It’s my dragon.”

Beau “spoke” the way he usually did: With expressions, growls, grunts, and other diverse sounds.

“Who understands the adults?” replied back Sybhil through Cassy. “First they say that the dragons command and the humans obey… And later they say that it isn’t true! Do you know that since you entered of Track of Doom, everything is a mess?”

“And how did you leave the Track of Doom?” asked Kitt with curiosity.

“There is a tunnel. It’s very small so that the big dragons can’t leave,” responded the puppy through Cassy. “Even so, Cassy had to get off in order so we could pass.”

A distant roar stopped the discussion; all there looked at each other scared, then they looked at Cassy and Sybhil.

“It wasn’t me,” said the little she-dragon through the girl.

“Can we go… NOW??” said Parm with what seemed to be the beginning of a panic attack.

“Good idea,” replied Artha as the group started to leave, Sybhil and Cassy looked with sadness towards the road that lead to the place that until this moment had been their world.

Artha saw that the little ones had remained behind, and along with Beau, walked towards them and amiably he touched Cassy’s shoulder. Both little ones turned around to look at him.

“Cassy… I mean Sybhil… Well, you know what I’m talking about. We can't remain; it's dangerous… I promise you that someday, you will return and all will live peacefully.”

Cassy looked at him and smiled. Was it Cassy that really smiled? Was it Sybhil? Or both? Artha didn’t know with certainty. Soon the Dragon Booster and the little ones reached the rest of the group. As they rode to the Dragon Temple, Artha used his comm link.

“What’s happening, Artha?” said Connor Penn’s kind voice.

“Dad, we’re coming back … and we have guests,” answered Artha.

“Guests?” replied a surprised Mr. Penn as he raised an eyebrow. They didn’t know that somebody was watching them leave the area.

To be continued...