unabasheddinosaurkitten

[unabasheddinosaurkitten]

Rise Of Orthros

Chapter Nine

The dragons riders and Abigail had made it back to Rishnag, they were hoping they made it in time. Luckily for them Amelia had awoken on the flight back to Rishnag, although she was still very weak from her encounter with Max.

Each step she took with ease, her eyes wondering at others as they watched. Some tried spitting on her, once a trust is broken from a mage it would be harder to get it back. Amelia knew that was always going to be a risk, she held onto her side before stopping with the others out the front of the castle.

"Sam? Why did you bring them here?" His father Michael asked.

Michael had brown, short hair, that slightly reveals a fine but tense face. His brown eyes glistened from the sun that was coming in from the north side of the town, his brown eyes sat lightly in their sockets. His tan skin was covered by armour and could only be seen on his neck. Not to mention a few scars he aquatinted in battle protecting his lord.

"Because father, we found evidence that indicates, that they are innocent," Sam said, Michael looked into his eyes, he could tell if his son was lying.

Michael stepped aside allowing them to enter, following behind Amelia. He couldn't help but frown at her slow posture, what happened on Gandor? It had to be something.

"My lord, Sam requests to speak with you," Michael said as he stepped forward bowing in front of him.

Lord Ragnar turned around to face Sam, "How did you get them?" He asked pointing towards Hunter, Hanna and Amelia.

"My lord, you need to listen to us. Hunter, Hanna and Amelia had no part in the assignation attempt on your life. Why would they?" Sam asked as he brought out the scroll handing it towards Lord Ragnar.

Lord Ragnar grabbed it with a little bit of hesitation, he opened it where he read the scroll frowning, "How do I know this isn't fake?" He asked.

Abigail stepped forward and bowed her head, "My lord, I was in the tavern all afternoon and never heard any one of them speaking about assassinating you, in honestly, they were going to check in to see if you could bring some guards out their, they don't trust Richard."

Lord Ragnar looked up towards her, "Hmm... well I guess that is the...." before he could finish, the sound of an arrow being released from a bow sounded through the palace.

Abigail watched before turning her hands in a circular motion, "Verndaðu þinn, verndaðu vin þinn." She used a force field to protect Lord Ragnar, the arrow bouncing off.

"Get him!" Lord Ragnar shouted towards his guards, who nodded and chased after the man

Hunter, Stephen and Sam also ran after the man, racing through the streets; Hunter picked up his speed heading towards the forest where the man was fleeing toward. The forest was gigantic, radiant, and prospering. Its canopy was marked by chestnut, walnut, and hickory, and occasional openings in their crowns allowed plenty of light through for an overabundance of mushrooms to monopolize the moist and fertile bottom layer below.

Silent branches waved from many a tree, and a range of flowers, which clung to any space they could find, clashed with the otherwise dark green landscape. A clamour of animal sounds, predominantly those of varmint, reverberated through the air, and were accompanied by the sounds of over a thousand birds.

The sun began setting behind the trees, giving it a nice glow, the wind blowing through the winds giving a slight chill in the air. Hunter continued to chase the man further into the forest, he needed answers and he didn't care if he ran after him all night long.

The man looked back as he noticed Hunter was gaining closer towards him, he flung his bow over his shoulder allowing him to quicken the pace he needed hopefully. Be one he couldn't get caught especially after everything he did and Richard didn't like those who failed.

Hunter knew that he couldn't let this man get away, he was working for Richard; he couldn't allow them to get away either, especially for what Richard tried doing to Amelia. Hunter was still haunted a little by her screams and the look he was given by her, when she wanted to give up.

He shook his head and moved more swiftly against the fallen leaves on the ground; the sound of crunching was heard from the leaves and twigs he had ran over: Hunter glanced forward to see the man being so concerned about Hunter chasing him, the man began tripping over his own feet every few seconds, slowing down his pace as he did.

Hunter reached forward grabbing the man in front of him sending them both to the ground, he pulled out a dagger from his pocket and went to attack, when the man kicked him off; Hunter groaned as he landed on his back, but he didn't give the man a chance to attack before swiping his leg, making the man lose his balance and fall to the ground.

Hunter was quick to pin him to the ground, punching him hard in the fact. A crack sounded through the face, the man groaned and blood started pouring from his nose, "Who are you? Why did you try to kill Lord Ragnar?"

The man once again pushed Hunter off him before standing up, holding his nose, "My name is Zachariah and that is a secret to why I did what I did. You'll have to kill me first."

Hunter frowned, standing in a stance in front of Zachariah before throwing another punch, Zachariah dodged the punch this time trying to hit Hunter who dodged as well. Jumping backwards; he landed a few meters away from Zachariah.

Zachariah screamed out as he charged forward only for Hunter to grab him by the waist and knocked him to the ground; he cried out as he hit the ground feeling a few bones break as he did. Zachariah coughed as he tried to get up.

Hunter smirked before taking another few steps back, he moved his hands slowly feeling the ground shake underneath him. He didn't want to use his ability yet but he knew he needed to get Zachariah back to Lord Ragnar and this was the only way.

Hunter moved slowly as he opened up his arms, closing his eyes as he took a deep breath, feeling the water around him begin to move. A gasp left Zachariah's mouth, "A water elf? But I thought they weren't around anymore?"

Zachariah couldn't believe it to what he was witnessing, he was told they were no longer around but here one was standing in front of him. Zachariah tried to move only for ice to grab a hold of his arms and legs making him scream out.

"Don't struggle it'll hurt more... now I will let you go if you allow me to take you to the lord himself," Hunter replied as he stepped forward. "You can't fight on your way back otherwise it won't work and I will make sure you will get taken back by Richard and he can do what he pleases with you."

Zachariah gulped and nodded, "Yes... I will." He knew what would happen if Richard knew he was caught."

Hunter let the ice disappear before he grabbed Zachariah's hand taking him back towards the castle. Slowly walking behind knowing if he made a run for it, he would be able to get him.

Hunter pushed Zachariah into the castle, making him fall to the ground with a grunt, "Here he is my lord." He bowed before stepping to the side.

Lord Ragnar nodded at Hunter, letting him know he will handle this from now on, he stepped forward to Zachariah with a mighty backhanded strike sending Zachariah to the ground, he shouted, "How dare you! attack me in my own castle! Guards take him away, make this worm talk."

The guards nodded before dragging Zachariah away, he tried to fight only for the guards to hold him more tightly, "Please! Please don't hurt me!" Zachariah cried out, "I'll tell you everything you need to know."

A dark chuckle left Lord Ragnar's mouth, "Yes you will... worm, all in due time."

He turned towards the dragon riders and Abigail once again, "My dragon riders, I owe you an apology for what I did to you, not believing in my own protectors... Amelia whatever happened on Gandor, I am truly sorry."

Throughout the night, Zachariah's screams could be heard throughout the town, sending chills through everyone's spines, as the town knew all too well what happens when you cross the king.

Zachariah looked at the guards before whimpering, "Okay.. okay I will tell you everything you need to know, please stop."

The guards chuckled before staring at him, "Well then... start from the beginning."

"Richard wanted Amelia dead, but since she brought Hunter and Hanna with her, he knew he had to think of something bigger, so he asked me to help him, in return he will help my guild grow and become better, so I bumped into Hunter at the tavern, handing him a scroll that stated what was planned" He said.

The guards looked at each other, "That's not the scroll the lord himself received, it was actually the one signing that you and your guild will be doing the attack."

Zachariah's eyes widened as he realised what he had done, he had given away the wrong information, "Anyway so I ran here with the fake note that Richard had made up to look like Amelia, Hunter and Hanna were the ones to do it and while you'll all be concerned about them, no one would notice someone else trying to assassinate, lord Ragnar, it was the perfect plan until Max the priest decided to take matters into his own hands and try to kill Amelia, I raced back here in hopes I could get to Lord Ragnar in time, to set everything up for Richard to help with the assassination."

The guards smirked before heading out of the dungeon and towards the main hall where Lord Ragnar was seated, his hand resting against his chin while the dragon riders and Abigail were seated nearby.

"My lord, he has admitted everything, believe it or not it was Amelia's father Richard that was behind this whole scheme to have you assassinated."

A soft growl left Lord Ragnar's mouth as he banged his fist against his throne chair, "Bastards! Bring me their heads at once."

"Wait... my lord please just face them, maybe not all of them are involved," Amelia replied, she also wanted to see their faces again. She wanted them to know that she now knew they were behind everything, and that they couldn't harm her anymore than they already had.

She also wanted them to know, she had a family, a family who adored her and cared for, in ways she never was given as a child. She could stand tall in front of them for once and watch them die like they tried when she was young.

Lord Ragnar looked at Amelia's face and could see how serious she was about her statement, it was a weird request but he knew that it would bring a sort of justice back to there system, allowing everyone to know that he is not to be crossed, "Alright... guards bring them to me at once... alive."

Translations: Verndaðu þinn, verndaðu vin þinn - protect thy, protect thy friend

#riseoforthros #novel #fantasynovel #youngadult #mage #dragonriders #elf #troll #goblin #romance #action #adventure

[unabasheddinosaurkitten]

Rise Of Orthros

Chapter Eight

Sam, Stephen and Phillip had arrived at Gandor, when they witnessed more of Lord Ragnar's knights walking around, something seriously had to be wrong for a lot of them to be here.

"What kind of trouble are Amelia, Hanna and Hunter in?" Stephen asked.

Sam shrugged before a hand grabbed him on the shoulder pulling him back a little, he turned around to see who it was to see a girl in a cloak, she was covering her face with something.

"Quickly, before they see you" Abigail whispered quietly as she stepped back into the alleyway where Stephen, Phillip and Sam followed.

Abigail watched as the knights walked passed ignoring the alley they were now just in, she removed her hood from her face.

"How did this happen?" Sam asked.

"I am not sure but I heard one of the guys saying in the tavern that a man delivered a message to the king about an assassination attempt on his life, they said the person said it was Amelia, Hunter and Hanna" Abigail spoke quietly.

"That is ridiculous, why would Lord Ragnar think that?" Stephen asked, how could the Lord have so little faith in them especially after everything Amelia has done for them?

"I am not sure but apparently there was proof which is hard to believe, Amelia speaks very highly of Lord Ragnar and would never cause him harm in anyway possible," Abigail replied.

Phillip snickered at Abigail's words, he knew that mages couldn't be trusted and this proved it, "We've heard that before, I knew she was never good enough to be one of us."

Sam and Stephen stared at him before shaking their heads, they turned their attention back towards Abigail.

"Follow me, I'll take you to the dudgeon they are in," She said before heading out of the alley way.

Silence filled them as they walked through the alley ways to get to the eastern side of the island, Abigail made sure to keep her hood up so no one realised it was her, she couldn't have it especially at the moment with what is going on. They stood in front of the entrance to the dungeon.

Abigail held out her hands before whispering, "Eldur í ljósi, eldur að björtu, hjálpa mér að sjá, hjálpa mér að finna þá inni." Fire began to light in her hands, Stephen and Sam watched in awe, they've only seen Amelia use her spells and no one else, it was amazing to witness someone else use them.

A grand broken statue in a grim woods marks the entrance to this dungeon. Beyond the broken statue lies a massive, dark room. It's covered in rat droppings, dirt and remains. The fire on Abigail's hands allows them to see the remnants of a pillaged burial chamber, busted and taken by time itself.

Further ahead are three paths, "Which one do we take?" Sam asked in a hush tone.

"This way" Abigail pointed to the left, Its twisted trail leads passed broken and pillaged tombs and soon you enter a dank area. There's a demolished door with a sign that says "don't open".

"What happened in this place?" Stephen asked, he was so curious as to how this happened, "Don't they use it anymore?"

Abigail shook her head, "No I didn't think no one used it until they took Amelia, Hunter and Hanna away. A lot of bad things happened in here."

They continue onwards, deeper into the dungeon's shadows, they pass many rooms and passages, each leading to who knows where or to what. Abigail heard stories when she was young of a monster living in some part of the dungeon, she thought it was to keep children out, but seeing how it was now made her feel otherwise.

They eventually make it to what is likely the final room. A big wooden door blocks their path. Various odd symbols are all over it, somehow untouched by time and the elements. Abigail stepped closer to inspect it and she heard something coming from the inside, something she has heard before.

Screams filled the room, the screams of Amelia rose through the walls, "Is that Amelia?" Stephen asked in shock. "What are they doing to her?"

Abigail had no idea what until she thought of something, "Leyfđu mér ađ sjá hvađ getur ekki veriđ viđ ūessar dyr. Leyfðu mér og gestum mínum að jafna sig á veggnum, eins og fluga."

Sam looked at his hands as they began to shrink, his eyes widened as he watched the four of them become smaller, he closed his eyes hoping it would end, what did Abigail do? Was Phillip right not to trust her? He reopened his eyes after a few short moments, only to reveal that he was now inside the cell. Not only that but he was connected to the wall somehow, how was this possible?

Abigail’s eyes were widened as she noticed the priest Max had his hand placed on her chest while she was restrained to a chair that was mounted to the floor, his free hand slowly went to her head as he chanted words out, she looked around to see Hunter and Hanna tied against the wall in chains, Hunter was fighting against them to get out, only to cut his wrists in the process, he grunted in pain before screaming out.

“STOP!” he wanted it to end, especially when he heard Amelia scream in pain like she was having an exorcism done to her.

Her screams were so loud that, almost everyone in the town could hear her, the guards who were outside the dungeon having their lunch, dropped their food when they heard the screams, running inside. Amelia head began to droop down towards the ground: as blood streamed from her ears and nose, she gasped for air as she tried to breath, Max grabbed her hair harshly and pulled her head up before whispering in her ear as he chuckled deeply, "Third time is the charm, am I right?" He chuckled.

Amelia looked over at Hunter as her eyes began to close, her body offically losing the fight, Abigail wanted to apporch but knew it could breath the spell and that could get them all killed, she looked at the others giving them some sort of wording to get them to move, she also knew the spell would ware off soon.

"Taka líf hennar, hjarta hennar þarf að breyta, lýða." Max chanted out

"Amelia don't give in, fight this!" Hunter screamed out as he watched her body begin to slump, he turned his attention towards the door as it burst open, one of them pulling Max away from Amelia.

“What do you think you are doing?” The guard shouted as he checked over Amelia, seeing blood from her nose and ears, “Did you not hear Lord Ragnar? No harm comes to them, until he gets to see them and decides then what to do.” He finished, nodding to the other guards who helped Hunter and Hanna down from their shackles. Abigail, Sam, Phillip and Stephen

“Get a medical person in here now,” the guard shouted as he laid Amelia down onto the ground, Hunter pushed the guard out of the way before getting onto his knees and held her close to him.

“Yes Apollo sir.” The guards said back as they left the dungeon with Max in front of them.

Abigail, Sam, Phillip and Stephen turned back into themselves as soon as the guards vanished down the dark dungeon, Phillip was the first to check his body over to make sure he was okay.

“What did you do to us?” He asked as they ventured inside the spell.

“It was just a transformation spell,” Abigail replied

Hunter was shaking Amelia gently, as tears streamed down his face. He couldn’t believe what he witnessed, it seemed so awful, “Amelia... please wake up,” he whispered. He now figured out why her nightmares were awful and why she couldn’t sleep most nights.

“What did we just witness?” Sam asked as he kneeled down to be beside Hunter while checking on Hanna.

“Max, the priest used a spell to extract the soul from Amelia, it is a painful torture used on those who defy the mages, its one of the ways to keep everyone from leaving,” Abigail replied.

“What would have happened if he was able to finish what he wanted?” Stephen asked, he gulped.

“No one knows, people can die or sometimes they can survive and just become a shell of themselves, they wouldn’t be who you know,” she replied while taking Hunter’s hand, “She’ll be okay, she’s just very weak, we need to get her back to Rishnag, so she can rest.”

Hunter nodded as he cleared his throat, wiping away a stray tear from his eye

“I am so glad you are all safe,” Sam replied, he gave Hunter a bro hug before feeling something hard against his chest, making him frown, “What did you put in your top pocket?”

Hunter frowned as he felt around feeling something hard, had he no noticed before? He pulled out a scroll that had Richard’s estate symbol on it, “What the hell? What is this?” He asked.

“Do you know what this is?” Sam asked only for Hunter to shake his head.

Sam nodded, taking the scroll out of Hunter’s hands, undoing the knot it was in and read the piece of paper, his eyes widening as he read what was on it.

To Zachariah and guild

This is the estate of Gandor,

We request an assignation onto  Lord Ragnar, we need him out of the picture.

We will pay you 10 thousand krila pieces if you succeed in killing Lord Ragnar

Signed

Gandor Estate

“What is it?” Stephen asked as he grabbed Amelia, so Hunter could stand upwards.

“It is a seal from the Gandor Estate, I think we just found the proof we need to gain the trust back into Amelia, Hunter and Hanna. We must go now,” Sam ordered as the 7 of them left the dungeon, Hunter following quickly behind with Amelia in his arms

Ethrinria let out a roar as she broke out of the chains she was in, causing the men who were there to scream in horror, before Hillverion raised his head back and blew out fire out of its mouth. Only a short scream left their mouths after that before the bodies dropped to the ground in nothing but ash. Ethrinria, Hillverion and Atrastrasza left the stables they were locked in, in search for their riders. Hillverion spotted Hunter on the ground running towards them with Amelia in his arms, Ethrinria whined as she looked down at her rider.

She stood tall before bowing her head, giving Amelia's head a light nudge to try and wake her up, "We must go Hunter, before the guards notice we have gone," Hanna said as she climbed onto Atrastrasza.

Abigail placed her hand gently on Ethrinria's nostrils before placing her head against it, "I know you are worried about her, so am I. Please let me ride you back to Rishnag." Ethrinria breathed slowly, her chest rose and fell before she stepped back and leant down towards the ground.

Everyone stood in amazement as they witnessed, Ethrinria allowing someone who isn't Amelia ride her, they each got on their own dragon, Hunter held Amelia close to his chest making sure she was secure before letting the dragons take off to their home, they were hoping they weren't too late and could show Lord Ragnar there proof it was a set up.

Translations:

Eldur í ljósi, eldur að björtu, hjálpa mér að sjá, hjálpa mér að finna þá inni - Fire to light, fire to bright, help me see, help me locate those inside

Leyfđu mér ađ sjá hvađ getur ekki veriđ viđ ūessar dyr. Leyfðu mér og gestum mínum að jafna sig á veggnum, eins og fluga - Let me see, let me see what cannot be by this door. Let me and my guests peer on the wall, like a fly

#dragon #dragonriders #fantasy #fantasynovel #youngadult #literature #adventure #action #romance #mage #elf #troll #goblin #lords

[unabasheddinosaurkitten]

Rise Of Orthros

Chapter Seven

Abigail was shocked, shocked that she had witnessed the royal guards of Lord Ragnar take away Amelia, Hunter and Hanna. She wanted to rub her eyes as she wondered what had happened, surely whatever it was, was a mistake? right? She heard one of the men in the tavern snicker before whispering to another.

"Finely, Richards plan is coming together and we can finally get rid of Amelia and her friends."

Abigail gasped quietly before she headed out the tavern watching Amelia turn back and nod towards her, before she was shoved forward by the royal guard. Abigail knew what she needed to do, she needed to alert her friends and ask for their help. It was a risk, but she was willing to take it, especially for Amelia. She wasn't the greatest at spells but she had too for Amelia.

Abigail headed down the dirt path towards her home, her house looked cozy from the outside, it had been built with burgundy bricks and has red pine wooden decorations. Small, squared windows allow for enough light to seep through the home, it added a very asymmetric look. Her house was equipped with a huge kitchen and two bathrooms, it also has a huge living room, two bedrooms, a grand dining area and a snug storage room.

The house was a rectangular shape, the house is half surrounded by a covered patio. The second floor is the same size as the first, which has been built exactly on top of the floor below it. This floor has a very different style than the floor below. The roof is low and square shaped and is covered with wheat straw. One large chimney sits at the side of the house. Several long, thin windows let in plenty of light to the rooms below the roof. The house itself is surrounded by a gorgeous garden, including various trees, bushes, flowers and a large pond.

Abigail entered the house, heading up the stairs towards her bedroom, her bedroom was a rectangular shape, with matching wooden furniture, wooden flooring to match, her floor had a nice medium size rug that ran from under her bed towards the start of her bedroom door covering the tacky wooden floor.

Her bed was a king single make, made with a wooden frame and a leather bed head, two nightstand tables on either side, both filled with magic books and of course some crystals that help her sleep. Abigail's room was decked out in forest colours, she even had an incense that smelt like the forest giving her, her dream location in the one room.

She had lighting provided, two just up by her bed hanging down slightly, another was dangling from the roof in the middle of the room and of course two floor lamps. Abigail also had a crack in the foundation of her bedroom, that was done by her father when he got really mad at her, he used a spell on her that caused her bedroom wall to crack and of course her overstuffed closet, where she had hidden some books she knew were banned in Gandor.

Abigail grabbed the book she needed from her bedside table before sitting on her bed and going through the book to find the spell she needed, each page was coded with a language only mages knew. Richard was worried people would figure out their spells and use it against them. So he wrote a new spell book in their language.

Abigail's long fingers scraped the inside of her pages as her eyes were glued to the book, she was halfway through the spell book when she found the incantation she needed to send a message. The incantation was called Flight and Sight.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, "Vinir flugs og sjónar, ég þarf á aðstoð þinni að halda, að senda skilaboð til þeirra sem ég þekki þurfa á hjálp að halda.Hjálpađu mér ađ senda skilabođ." she whispered the incantation a few times over before a magic raven appeared in front of her.

Abigail smiled with glee as the incantation, the raven flapped his wings before looking over at Abigail who was writing on a piece of paper before placing it around the ravens neck, "Please give this to the Dragonrider Guild on the island of Rishnag, give it to Sam. He should be the third bedroom in the guild."

The raven squawked before flying off through the open window and towards the north, heading towards the dragonrider guild.

                                                  ||||

Sam was seated in his bedroom, he was going through some books he was given by his father when he heard a loud bang on his window, he jumped at the sound before opening the window to see a raven shaking it off.

"A raven? here?" He asked out loud, it wasn't normal for a raven to be here.

He knew that mages had to ability to summon them, his eyes widened as he realised, he gently grabbed the raven noticing it had a note strapped to its neck. He gently took it off before opening it, his eyes glued to the words on the note reading them one by one.

Need your help. You're friends are being imprisoned in the dudgeon of Gandor. Meet me at south end of Gandor.

Abigail.

Sam didn't think twice before letting the raven go and running out of the room in haste, he wondered what danger their friends were in and why they were in there, he placed the note in his pocket as he made it down the stairs towards the guild living room where Stephen and Phillip were seated on a couch.

"Sam? What is the matter?" Stephen asked as he saw the look on Sam's face.

"It seems that Amelia, Hunter and Hanna are in some sort of danger, a girl named Abigail sent me a letter. We have to go" Sam said, Stephen didn't even think twice before he stood up.

"How can we trust this Abigail? How do we know it isn't a trap?" Phillip asked.

Sam shrugged, "We don't, but all we know is that our friends are in danger and they wouldn't even think twice to come rescue us," he said.

Phillip was still reluctant but stepped forward, he knew the risk of going to Gandor especially if one of them knows, but then even Sam and Stephen knew the risk of going to Gandor. Meanwhile in the dungeon, Hunter held Amelia close to his chest as they were shackled to the floor by their feet. 

"What have you brought us into Amelia?" Hanna asked finally, she was fed up with the silence she was being given.

Amelia lifted her head from the ground to Hanna, "How should I know? I don't even know what is going on. I never wanted to come back here."

Hanna huffed and turned away from Amelia, Hunter planted a kiss on the top of Amelia's head. Was this something to do with Richard? Somehow? "It will be alright Amelia, we will get out of here. There has to be a big misunderstanding."

Just before Amelia could reply, the sound of keys began to jingle behind it. Amelia held her breath for a bit watching as it opened to reveal one of the priests from the chapel in the valley, along with three maidens who had brought food for them to eat.

The priest Max Barnfield had red, shaggy hair clumsily hangs over a furrowed, menacing face. Hooded green eyes, set delicately within their sockets, watch fondly over the town they've been separated from for so long. Several moles are spread oddly across his whole face and leaves an aching memory of his past.

"These maidens will be attending to you three, every few hours until your court order date is in session, their names are Kylee Hanshaw, Leadrieth Dawnwhisper and Yneasia Moonfall" The priest said

The maiden's on the other hand, had very different characteristics, the first maiden Kylee had black, shaggy hair neatly coiffed to reveal a lean, gloomy face. Darting grey eyes, set far within their sockets, watch delicately over the river they've become enchanted by for so long. Soft skin charmingly compliments her eyes and hair and and leaves a gracious memory of her fortunate survival.

The second maiden Leadrieth had light green, well groomed hair hangs over a bony, wild face. Bloodshot pink eyes, set delicately within their sockets, watch readily over the armies they've grown affectionate of for so long. Tribal marks resembling a horizontal lightning bolt under her left eye marks her blood relation but, more importantly and leaves a painful burden of redeemed honour.

The third maiden Yneasia had blonde, shoulder-length hair slightly covers a thin, anguished face. Expressive golden eyes, set graciously within their sockets, watch vigilantly over the castle they've sworn to protect for so long. A sword left a mark stretching from just under the right eyebrow , running towards her upper lip and ending on her left cheekbone and leaves a satisfying memory of defended honour.

Amelia knew some of these maidens were prisoners by Gandor, some she did try and save when she lived their, but not everyone made it and some were injured.

Translations:

Vinir flugs og sjónar, ég þarf á aðstoð þinni að halda, að senda skilaboð til þeirra sem ég þekki þurfa á hjálp að halda.Hjálpađu mér ađ senda skilabođ. - Friends of flight and sight, I am in need of your assistance, to send a message to those I know are in need of help. Help me send a message.

#dragons #romance #adventure #novel #fantasy #dragonriders #riseoforthros #action #dragonrider #young adult

[unabasheddinosaurkitten]

Rise Of Orthros

Chapter 6

Richard was seated in his office with Troy sitting in front of him, he was at bit of a stand still, his plan for Amelia to come alone, was ruined when she brought her two other friends. Richards office was huge. It had huge braziers attached to one side of each of the sixteen onyx columns light up most of his business study and blanket everything in a warm glow. The illustrations of gods on the layered ceiling dance in the flickering light while carved images look down upon the maple floor of this office.

A violet rug splits the entire room in half from the doors to the study while pennant banners with embellished quilting drape from the walls. Between each banner hangs a torch, almost all of them have been lit and in turn illuminate the murals of heroes and leaders below them. Extensive, stained glass windows depicting ancient legends are bordered by drapes colored the same violet as the banners. The curtains have been adorned with embellished borders and fancy tassels.

His imposing office chair of oak sits in front of a giant painting of the kingdom and is adjoined by three smaller and less elaborate seats for those who seek to speak with Richard.

The office chair carved with oak is covered in symmetric designs and fixed on each of the stubby legs is a crystal divine symbol. The soft pillows are a dark violet and these too have been adorned with burnished sigils.

"Father? how are we going to do this now?" Troy asked, they needed Amelia out the way. "Even mother is getting in the way now."

Richard sighed harshly as he ponded in thought of what to do next, he really hoped Teresa would stay out of this too, but he knew there was a risk with bringing Amelia back home

Richard scratched his head, "Maybe we can use three of them now, I think I may have a better idea."

Troy smirked in glee as he leant forward placing his elbow on his father's desk, wanting to know more of his father's plan. "So what is this plan of yours?"

Meanwhile Amelia, Hunter and Hanna were sitting in the tavern in town, they knew everyone would have to get used to them, they will be here until they are no longer needed. Amelia was waiting for Richard to ask her when she could meet up with him. She rose the glass of mead in her hand towards her mouth.

As always the mead was served warm; when she took a sip, she could smell a sweet aroma and the taste of honey and spices danced along her tongue. She sighed closing her eyes gently, wishing the taste would linger more.

"I wonder what the others are up too," Hanna wondered out loud, she had to admit it was a little weird being someone without the others.

She was used to travelling with all of them not just a certain few, it was a change she knew she had to get used too.

Amelia let out a little laugh, "Phillip is probably rejoicing because I'm not there."

"Why does he hate you?" Hanna asked as she finished her mead.

"Mostly everyone hates mages, it doesn't matter if they are good. Phillip also has a rough history with mages. Just like everyone has" Amelia replied with a dull tone, she cleared her throat as she heard the tavern door open.

Hunter sat up and was about to head towards the bar so he could order another round of mead for the three of them, when he bumped into someone.

"Oh my sir, I am so sorry about that. Are you alright?" The man asked Hunter as he dusted him off, placing something inside his jacket.

"Oh no worries, my fault," Hunter said as the two of them parted ways. The man going one way and Hunter going the other.

||||

It was a cold afternoon is Rishnag, mostly everyone was getting ready for a storm that was closing in from the shore. A man had popped off the boat, giving the sailor an extra 30 kirla pieces. The man known as Zachariah headed towards the palace in urgent news for the king.

Villagers watched as the man walked through the town, although they were custom for newcomers to come. They always wanted to know who and remember them just in case. Sam was on his way to the castle where Zachariah had bumped into him.

"Hey man! Watch it! I have urgent news for the king!" Zachariah shouted alerting almost every nearby who heard it.

Urgent news for the king? Was the king in danger or something? Sam picked up his pace quickly following behind Zachariah. He needed to alert Stephen and Phillip just in case but was their time? He had to think fast without Hunter here to give them direction, he knew he was next to give orders.

Instead he headed towards his fathers base near the castle to tell him what he had heard from the new traveller that had arrived. Should he also alert Hunter? He shook his head on that thought knowing he will be helping Amelia.

Lord Ragnar's castle had Nine slim, square towers that are both a defensive and also decorational. This elegant castle is also commuted by lower, wide walls made of dark brown stone

Small windows are scattered here and there around the walls in fairly symmetrical patterns, along with holes of various sizes for archers and artillery.

A great gate with wide wooden doors, a draw bridge and a moat gives a safe place to rest in this forest stronghold, but it's not the only way in, which fortunately only very few know.

Huge statues of heroes and kings decorate the bridge outside, memories of glories of the past. This castle shows signs of expansion as some parts are clearly build more recently than others, the inhabitants are already working on another part and hope to keep expanding.

Zachariah made it inside the castle, where he took a few deep breaths to catch his breath. He took a moment to look at the throne room he was standing in, being aware of his surroundings.

Humble braziers at the bottoms of each of the eight granite columns light up the entire throne hall and cover the hall in dancing shadows and a warm radiance. The angelic paintings on the slanted ceiling dance in the flickering light while statuettes look down upon the mosaic floor of this opulent hall.

An alabaster rug runs in a circle around the room, with two paths at the throne and the main entrance while rounded banners with ornate tassels hang from the walls. Between each banner hangs a torch, all but a few have been lit and in turn illuminate the paintings of other leaders of the world below them. Massive windows are shrouded by curtains colored the same alabaster as the banners. The curtains have been adorned with embellished borders and decorated tips.

A dignified throne of granite sits atop an elevated platform and is adjoined by five equally impressive seats for esteemed guests. The throne is covered in complicated designs and fixed on each of the wide armrests is a crystal moon. The broad pillows are a light alabaster and these too have been adorned with quilting.

Those wishing to witness their royal highness can do so on the few extravagant and comfortable marble benches, all of which are facing the throne. Those of higher standing can instead take seat in the extremely lavish balconies facing the throne.

"Your highness, I come for you with urgent news," Zachariah spoke.

"What is it?" A guard asked.

"I come from the town of Gandor," gasps filled the throne room as a few extra guards circle the king in protection.

"A mage? Here?" Another guard asked.

King Ragnar stepped aside from the guards, "What urgent news do you have for me?" He asked.

"There has been an attempt on your life, while I was in the tavern I overheard a few dragon riders speaking about how they plan to assignat you," Zachariah said, his voice laced with fake fear.

"What do you mean? Where is your proof of this?" King Ragnar knew that his most trusted allies would never turn on him, especially Amelia after everything he had done for her.

"I have proof, here my lord." Zachariah pulled out a scroll from his jacket pocket and handed it to his lord.

Lord Ragnar opened it and read it, seeing the seal of the dragon riders with Amelia's handwriting. Lord Ragnar was now filled with rage and scrunched the scroll in his hand as he turned to his guards. "Get Amelia, Hunter and Hanna here as soon as possible and lock them up in a dungeon where they will be questioned about their treachery."

"But my lord..." William was about to speak when he was silenced by Lord Ragnar.

"Do as I say!" He shouted before turning to Zachariah. "Thank you for bringing this to me. Now leave." He pointed to the door.

Zachariah nodded to his lord before heading out of the castle and towards the boats, he knew his master would be pleased of his efforts and what he had done.

||||

Back at the tavern, Amelia, Hunter and Hanna had gotten word from a source that the men that was after the money was about to come through the doors only for it to burst open and what they weren't expecting where the king guards. Without question Amelia, Hunter and Hanna were grabbed harshly.

"What is the meaning of this?" Hunter asked as he was shocked by their rough force.

"You are being arrested by the king himself over treachery," a guard explained as the three of them were escorted out.

Ethrinria let out a roar as she was being dragged by a few other guards with a metal chain, Amelia gasped. "No, no. Ethrinria let her go. She hasn't done anything nor have we."

The three of them were dragged away without any more questions by any of them, but they all began to wonder they this was happening. What has they done to the king that could be considered treachery? Doing missions requests weren't normal but they did receive them and not once did the king think that was treachery.

The guards walked Amelia, Hanna and Hunter to the dungeons of the northern side of Gandor below the mountain.

#fantasy #fantasynovel #novel #literature #youngadult #newadult #romance #action #adventure #elf #mage #troll #goblin #village

[unabasheddinosaurkitten]

Rise Of Orthros

Chapter 5

                                                          {~~}

Amelia was tending to Ethrinria when someone grabbed her forearm pulling her backwards, Amelia screamed and tried to fight back only for 3 grown men to hold her arms. "Let me go... father wouldn't approve of this," she growled.

One of the men chuckled, "Oh sweetheart your father asked us to do this."

Amelia cried watching as Ethrinria was forced down with iron ropes, a screeching roar left Ethrinria's mouth. Amelia watched as the sight if Ethrinria kept getting smaller and smaller until she was dragged through the town with people spitting on her and shouting.

"Traitor!"

She wasn't a traitor, how could she be? She was just different than the rest. "Where are you taking me?" She asked, fear set into her body as she watched her friends turn their backs on her.

The four men who were pulling her through her to the ground as they got to a stand that was standing out front of the church with a priest standing there with a book, two pastors standing beside him. Amelia tried to fight when she stood up, only for one of the men to grab her hair making her scream out and clenched her teeth together.

"Don't make this any harder, then it has to be," he whispered in her ear.

She struggled as two of them brought her closer to the priest and pastors; chaining her hands to the cuffs that connected to the floor. One of the men lifted her chin witnessing the tears building in Amelia's eyes.

"We are going to enjoy this," he smirked and stepped back allowing Richard, Teresa and Toby to step forward.

Amelia looked at her family who weren't paying attention to her, Richard nodded towards the priest making her look up to see him growing nails. "No... no!" Amelia cried.

"Amelia Rebecca Jayne you have been charged with treason against your family and your people. Not only have you ignored our rules you've also befriended a dragon. After this, you will be nothing but a shell condemned to the life of slavery," The priest spoke.

"Please mother don't let them do this," Amelia pleaded her mother who looked away from her facing another direction.

"Ég kalla til þín, ég kalla saman púkana í undirheimunum til að taka á móti þessum stelpum anda, hamingju og sál það sem eftir er ævinnar. Ég kalla til þín. Ég kalla til þín," the priest spoke as he walked up behind Amelia.

Amelia looked around as everyone stared at her with hatred in her eyes. This had to be the end for her, she was going to lose herself in front of everyone here. Tears were streaming down her face as she took her last glance at the sunset, the priest placed his hand onto her back; Amelia whimpered as she felt the priest land his hand on the small of her back.

The priest slowly wrote djöfull into the small of her back, Amelia screamed out as pain seared through her body. She was unable to move and when she tried to move the pain would increase; Amelia tilted her head screaming out. It felt like her insides were being ripped out of her skin.

The mages watched on as Amelia was being tortured in the harshest way possible, some were disgusted due to the fact this had killed Adriana. Amelia gasped for air as it was being sucked out of her lungs, she could feel herself growing weaker by the second. Her eyes began to droop and her body sunk to the floor, she heard the sound of Ethrinria's screeches making her look up to see her flying in the air and charging towards the priest.

                                                          {~~}

Amelia screamed as she sat up, her breathing was laboured and her body felt numb, did she just have a flashback? Her body was filled with so much emotion she didn't know if she should cry or punch something. Amelia flinched as the bedroom lamp turned on; she looked over to see Hunter was sitting up and rubbing his left eye.

"Are you alright? Amelia?" Hunter asked, he felt the blankets move earlier that night and peered over to see Amelia sleeping next to him.

He never minded her warmth, there were a few times they've slept in the same bed and now he doesn't care. Amelia didn't respond as she began to cry, her hands covered her face as she wept, Hunter didn't say anything, he just gently wrapped his arm around her right shoulder and pulled her closer kissing the top of her hair.

He didn't realise her coming back here would make her either have a flashback or nightmare, considering what she confessed this morning; Hunter thought it would be a flashback.

"Just slow and deep breaths, follow my breathing," he instructed.

Amelia nodded and proceeded to try and smooth herself down, that was one memory she didn't want to relive. Hunter laid back on the bed with Amelia following, gently placing her head on his chest. Hunter grasped her hip tightly before he gently kissed the top of her head once again. The sound of his heartbeat helped Amelia relax. Her eyes closed at the rhythm of his beating heart.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Hunter asked as he gently playing with her hair with his free hand, he didn't want to push the issue but he also needed to know so he could help.

Amelia took a deep breath before exhaling once more, "Just a flashback to the day my father wanted to take my life again. He wanted me to be a shell," her voice was barely a whisper but Hunter heard it all.

Hunter still didn't understand why her father would even consider trying to do something like that. It was known in the world for that to happen but that was always too bad people, those who've murdered and killed. Not to a person who wanted to be different, his hatred for her family grew stronger every minute and all Hunter wanted to do was just walk away and let them fight this themselves.

"My parents aren't like elf parents, they are very strict on what we have to follow and what we can't do and since I always disboybed my father. He had enough and thought he could turn me into a living shell but Ethrinria saved me again," Amelia told, she needed everyone to know that her parents weren't like everybody else.

Hunter yawned as he reached over and turned off the lamp and the two of them were met with darkness, Amelia slowly began to close her eyes yawning as she did.

"Goodnight Amelia," Hunter whispered before his eyes closed once again, the both of them falling inside a deep sleep.

The next morning Amelia was up at the crack of dawn, she decided to make everyone breakfast which was just bacon, eggs, fruit and pancakes. She cracked the egg on the surface of the bench so the shells wouldn't go into the egg before placing them in the pan.

Amelia collected the plates from the cabinet above her setting them out on the dining table while she grabbed a hold of a large tray where she could place the food onto. The long silver tray was soon filled with bacon, eggs, fruit and pancakes. She walked over towards the dining table and placed the tray in the middle only to look up and see Hanna and Hunter walking in.

"Smells great Amelia," Hanna commented as she took her seat at the table.

"Thank you, please help yourselves. I will finish setting up," replied Amelia as she turned back around grabbing the bottle of orange juice from the fridge placing it on the table with four glasses.

"So Abigail stayed over? Why?" Hanna asked as she placed the bacon and eggs onto her plate.

Amelia didn't want to disclose so much as it wasn't her place, "She just didn't want to go home. Before you ask why it's not my place to stay."

Hanna didn't reply but looked up at Amelia questionably, it really should have been Hunter's decision on who can stay in the house.

"If you allow Abigail? Why aren't you allowing others? You seem to trust Abigail" Hanna spoke as she finished her pancake. Hanna didn't like the way Amelia was getting too close to Abigail, she doesn't know them yet.

Amelia stared at Hanna for a few moments trying to think of what to say but no words she could think of would justify what she wanted to say, Amelia sighed softly before shaking her head, Hunter gave Amelia a small smile, "Amelia has her reasons Hanna, respect it please," Hunter said.

Hanna was about to reply when Abigail walked in, her hair was a mess and her clothes were a bit lopsided on her body.

"Please feel free to eat as much as you want," Amelia spoke before she sat down and served herself something to eat. It wasn't much as she didn't feel like eating after her flashback last night, her body was still numb from it all. Amelia slowly munched on her fruit and bacon taking small bites.

The tension between the table was thick as they ate in silence, Amelia slowly stood up when she finished placing her dish on the side, "I'm going to tend to the dragons, meet me at the east side of Gandor in 30 minutes."

She didn't say anything else before heading outside seeing Ethrinria open her eyes, Amelia didn't say anything she just cuddled into Ethrinria's neck; gently stroking her scaled face. In the dining room Hanna was looking at Hunter for answers.

"Why is Amelia acting off? I know she said that her father tried to kill her but surely that can't be the only reason right?" She asked.

Hunter cleaned his mouth with a serviette, "It's not my place to say Hanna. But you for one know that Amelia doesn't trust anyone unless she can tell they have good intentions."

Abigail listened to the two of them talk before butting in, "Hanna... what happened to Amelia was an awful thing and no one would want to relive or live what she went through. She stared at those she thought cared while they spat on her and cheering them on for  trying to kill her, if it wasn't for her dragon Ethrinria, Amelia wouldn't be who she is, in fact she would be a living shell with no emotions left."

"How do you know this?" Hanna asked.

"I was 10 when I witnessed Amelia getting tortured to death, the ritual they used was called djöfull, it was believed that those with good hearts worked for djöfull or where them. Amelia inspired so many of us, even though we wanted to help, we could not as we all would have been killed," Abigail explained as she licked the bacon from her teeth.

Hunter grabbed his plate and stood up from the chair placing it on the sink before he went to check on Amelia, he witnessed all the dragons laying beside her while she rubbed their scales gently. He walked towards her, keeping his distance and admiring her from afar, she has been through so much, yet she doesn't let that break her. It makes her stronger.

"Amelia are you alright?" Hunter thought he would make himself known.

Amelia looked up to the sound and smiled gently seeing as it was Hunter, "Yeah I'm fine, just want to get this over and done with so I can leave."

Hunter was about to reply when he saw Teresa walking over to them, she had something in her hands like a letter, "What do you have there Teresa?" Hunter asked.

Teresa handed Hunter the note, "It's our last warning. They've said to be on the east shoreline of Gandor, they are getting ready to attack tonight."

"I don't get why you aren't fighting back? It's all Richard and Toby care about. Letting people know not to mess with them, what's changed?" Amelia asked.

"We've seen what they can do, they burnt down villagers" Teresa pleaded.

"So have you? You've killed thousands of innocent people and dragons and for what?" Amelia was angry, how could Teresa just change now? Surely there was something else going on.

This didn't feel right to Amelia, something was telling her that the worst is yet to come. Teresa stared up at Amelia once again, "Please Amelia, come see your father. He will tell you what he has seen, he promised not to harm you, your friends or your dragons."

Amelia let out a huff as she glared at Teresa, "Richard isn't my father, he gave away that title he tried to kill me twice for that matter. I still carry that mark" she stood up and took off her shirt showing her mother the word djöfull that was still thick into her skin. "This is the love he, you and Toby gave me the day you watched them try and kill me."

Hunter couldn't believe his eyes, he felt his eyes water as he had seen that mark on her back, he felt sick to his stomach, Amelia slowly put her shirt back on turning back around to face Teresa once again, she felt Hunter's hand grasp gently with hers as he stood beside her.

"Teresa... Amelia will help you but no requests of seeing her will be made, she is still traumatized from that day. You are lucky she hasn't left yet, if Richard wants to see her then he's got to come here where we can sit beside Amelia and keep her calm" Hunter explained, after finding Amelia in her bed explained why he heard murmuring from her some nights and the pain screams she did.

Teresa looked around and gulped, "Richard has changed a lot since he was forced to exile you Amelia... He's filled with pain and hatred in himself and Gandor itself. Richard hasn't got much time left to live Amelia... Please."

Amelia scoffed once again and wiped away a fallen tear, "He was forced. No he wasn't, he tried having me killed when I saved Ethrinria. I was 5 when he put the first attempt on my life but when he realised that Ethrinria had become close to me he backed off and waited until he gained her trust as well as mine back. He ripped me away placing shackles on my arms and let me watch my so called friends and family members laugh at me and throw things at me."

Amelia took a deep breath to calm herself down as her eyes began to shine a light pink colour, she turned away from Teresa. She couldn't handle this, she came here to save them not rekindle with her family. Hunter rubbed Amelia's back gently.

"Just deep breaths Amelia... I know it's hard," Hunter whispered as he placed a kiss on her hairline as he pulled her into a hug. "Be strong, be who you are not who they want you to be."

Amelia wrapped her arms around Hunter's waist gently taking a few deep breaths, she felt Hunter lift her chin up with his free hand smiling gently. "There we are... Perfect," he whispered as he witnessed the pinkness in her eye slowly fade. He remembers Amelia telling him to always help calm her down if she gets too wired up.

Amelia looked at Teresa once again and cleared her throat, "I will meet up with Richard but only if you agree that Abigail gets to come with us when we leave. But if I find out you have been lying to us about why we are here, you are going to wish that you never had me?" She warned.

Translations: Ég kalla til þín, ég kalla saman púkana í undirheimunum til að taka á móti þessum stelpum anda, hamingju og sál það sem eftir er ævinnar. Ég kalla til þín. Ég kalla til þín- I summon thy, I summon the demons of the underworld to take hold of this girls spirit, happiness and soul for the rest of her life. I summon thy. I summon thy

djöfull- demon

#fantasy #fantasynovel #dragons #dragonriders #action #romance #adventure #mage #elf #troll #goblin #youngadult #newadult

[unabasheddinosaurkitten]

Rise Of Orthros

Chapter 4

Back at Gandor, Amelia took a deep breath as she fed the dragons their last meal for the evening, she needed them to sleep. Amelia ended up putting a protection spell on the dragons, just in case her family tried something, she heard the sound of the gravel beneath her feet to crunch. Her heart rate increased every second the footstep grew closer, she gently reached into the bottom of her leg where she kept her small knife and grabbed the person's leg that was standing behind her.

"Teresa." She was shocked to see her mother out here knowing her hatred of dragons.

Amelia stood back up after placing the knife back into the spot it belonged, Teresa stepped forward only for Amelia to take two steps back.

"I have longed for you to come home, I never thought I would see you again," Teresa spoke as she stood her ground, she barely knew the daughter she once had.

Amelia scoffed once again and rolled her eyes, "I never wanted to see any of you again, especially after trying to kill me."

"You know I didn't want too," Teresa pleaded, she knew that Amelia must see somewhere that she cared for her.

"Right," She scoffed, "Just how you didn't want grandma to die!" Her voice raised alarming Ethrinria who instantly stood up.

"How did you know about Adriana?" Teresa asked, her eyes widened in shock not just by her daughters knowledge of her grandmothers death but also the fact that Ethrinria had risen from her sleep.

Amelia chuckled deeply, "It's really not that hard when you can look up someones name, even though I was only 2 when it happened. I needed to find more about my history since you and Richard never spoke about her."

Teresa sighed sadly, she didn't like what happened to her mother, but their ways were harsh and it was how they lived. She knew that many people hated them for what they believed was right, "I don't want to fight with you Amelia, I just want to apologise for the pain I caused you, those years ago. I should have stood up to your father but my pride for him got in the way."

Amelia had enough of this, why now is Teresa apologising, she didn't get it at all. Amelia took deep breaths before hearing Teresa walk away. "It's alright Ethrinria, get to sleep okay. We have a big day tomorrow."

Ethrinria walked in circles a few times before laying on the ground again, air puffing out of her nose as she took deep breaths, Amelia kissed the scales on Ethrinria's head before walking towards the guest room outside where she noticed there was a note pinned to the door with a knife. Amelia ripped the note away from the knife reading what the note had said.

'meet me at logthrone Tavern, I have things to discuss with you Amelia

Abigail'

Amelia took the knife from the door and made her way to Logthrone Tavern, remembering the way she used to walk down the street towards it when she was little. She felt stares as she wandered down the dirt pathway towards the Tavern, her eyes wandered around the town once more, taking in the sights once again. She could picture everything that happened in those streets between her and others that defined Richard, the screams of people as they were either stoned to death, beaten to death or had their souls ripped out.

Women and men watched as she headed towards the tavern some cared about her and wanted to praise her for leaving while some hated her. Hated who she was and who she didn't want to be. Amelia took a right down heading on another pathway and looked up to see the sign Logthrone tavern and an arrow pointing to the door.

Amelia stepped in front of the Logthrone tavern taking in the outside before walking in; From the outside, it looked humble, folksy and well maintained. Hard wooden planks and soft wooden tree trunks make up most of the building's outer structure. It's near impossible to see through the small, stained glass windows, but the clapping and cheering from within can be felt outside.

As Amelia entered the tavern through the heavy, metallic door, she was welcomed by looks from Mages, they gave her a cold glance before watching her as she stepped inside. The bartender who was working had stopped to see what she was going to do. Even the soft tarven music stopped, silence filled the room

It was alluring inside as it is on the outside. Tree logs support the upper floor and the light fixtures attached to them. The walls are loaded with hundreds of memorabilia. Amelia gazed at one of the tables to see Abigail sitting down with her head facing down, she made her way overtaking her spot opposite her.

"You asked for me?" Amelia asked, not feeling comfortable with stares from those in the tavern.

Abigail looked up from the table revealing a bruised mark on the left side of her cheek, she also had a cut on her lip, probably from a ring that was on the person's hand who hit her, "I want out of here Amelia please," she begged.

Amelia was taken back, she gently touched Abigail's cheek tilting her head up more to inspect the bruises and cut lip, "Who did this to you?" She asked.

Abigail whimpered, she drew circles on the desk with her painted red nails, "My father Patrick, he found out that your parents sent me to Rashug and he wasn't pleased nor was my older brother. They started screaming and the next thing I knew my father had hit me hard."

Amelia frowned before lowering her hand, she wanted to slap Patrick back for what he did. She knew what she had to do, but she also knew that not everyone would approve especially not Philip, "You may join us. You can stay at our guild until we can find you a place you want to join or who are hiring. I can ask around for you as well but you will have to prove your loyalty to them."

Abigail nodded, she would show anyone who asked her loyalty if needed. She grasped the hood that was hanging on her back and slowly pulled it over her head so no one else could see the bruises, "May I stay with you tonight?"

Abigail was scared to go home, Amelia looked at Abigail before taking a deep breath, "Of course, we should get going. I'm not really welcome in here."

Abigail was the first one to stand up and headed towards the door to exit the tavern while Amelia went through her coin purse going through what she had before placing 20 krila pieces on the table. She stood up and headed towards the door when one of the customers spat towards her landing on her shoe. Amelia rose an eyebrow as she turned around trying to figure out who did it, the man who spit was smirking while looking at his mates who were giving him some high-fives and cheers.

"You aren't welcome here! You and your friends aren't welcome here," the man hissed.

Amelia chuckled and rolled her eyes, a small smirk appeared on her cheek, "I really don't care if you welcome me here or not. You are all a bunch of lowlife thugs who kill innocent people. While I have job to do which is to protect your sorry asses because you can't do it. So you can either deal with it or you can fight your own battle and the way Teresa Jayne speaks about them means you won't last 5 seconds."

She crossed her arms over her chest waiting for his reply, "Maybe I can skin your dragons and use their skin for leather shoes and clothes while we eat their meat. I've heard dragon hearts restores strength and youth that'll be nice to feel young again, wouldn't it lads," The man said making everyone but Amelia laugh.

Amelia cracked her knuckles while clearing her throat, looking at the male customer who decided to threaten her dragons. A deep chuckle left her mouth, she clicked her tongue as she stepped forward towards the man. "You want to know something?" She asked bringing her lips to his ear while bringing her arms over his shoulder pulling him closer to her.

The man smirked as he looked back over towards his mates who were chuckling to themselves with a look of glee on their faces, Amelia brought her lips to his neck placing a kiss on it; to look like she was ready to make out with him right then and there. She felt the man hold her closer to his body, Amelia smirked before bringing up her knee and connected it to his groin making him groan and fall to the ground once Amelia stepped back. The man whimpered and he pulled himself into a ball and cried, his friends watched in concern; they'd never seen there friend get hit in the groin before.

Amelia pulled him out in his ball position and sat onto his lap, where she pulled out her dagger from her leather belt and placed it against the man's neck seeing his adams Apple bobble as he gulped, "Maybe I can cut you open right now and skin you alive?" She asked, a deep chuckle once again leaving her mouth. "Maybe I can and maybe I won't. Maybe after that I can feed your sausage to my dragons, I'm sure they would enjoy it."

She took a glance towards his private area bringing the dagger towards it, "But then again it may be too small and be only a snack or a treat not an actual meal."

Amelia was about to stand up while the man caught her off guard grabbing her right leg and pulled her down onto the ground; his friends laughed as they witnessed Amelia getting knocked to the ground. She groaned as her head smacked against the wooden floor.

"By the way, my name is Seron Seko and I will be famous here at Gandor when I kill you, your friends and your dragons," he smirked as he held the dagger to her throat. "Actually I murder your friends first and let you watch them all before I kill you."

Amelia winced a little as she felt the dagger cut her neck a little; not enough to kill her but enough for her to bleed. She hooked her left leg around his right leg twisting his body off of her so she could stand up. Amelia grasped the small cut on her neck and wiped the blood away.

Amelia turned to leave as she really wasn't in the mood to fight half drunken men, before she even got the chance to move her foot Soren grasped her forearm and used some force to turn her around.

"I want a proper fight. See who is better. If I win I get to kill you, your friends and your dragons and if you win. Well you can decide what happens." Soren smirked as he pushed Amelia back making her stumble.

Soren was quick to grab the sword that was settled nicely in his sword holder, Amelia couldn't help but roll her eyes, she sighed before grabbing the dagger and held it tightly towards her body.

"How can she win with a dagger. Is she really that dumb?" Amelia heard a man speak up.

Soren rushed towards Amelia making her duck and weave to the right as Soren was about to reach her, he slashed his silver swords towards her. Amelia was quick to parry it with her dagger; it clashes against the metal on the sword: with a shriek that sent sparks flying into the air. Soren was quick and used an uppercut slash towards Amelia, attempting to catch her with his sword. Amelia sidestepped to the right but she wasn't as fast as the first time earning her hair to get a little chopped making her gasp. Soren's friends cheered as it was a close call to Amelia's head.

Quickly, before Amelia could respond with a follow-up, Soren swiftly punched Amelia in the stomach knocking the wind out if her and stunned her for a brief minute. As the minute past Amelia let out a dark chuckle, swinging the dagger back cutting his right arm. Blood began to fall from the wound dripping into the wooden floor. The fight had taken Amelia and Soren dangerously close to the edge of the tavern and Amelia had her back almost to the wall.

Soren was still open for more attacks though and Amelia was not done. The quick blow had opened Soren up for another attack and Amelia obliged him, putting a simple sidekick into the Soren's stomach, doubling him over. Amelia followed that up with a quick rising uppercut. Those in the tavern gasped at the force she had given it knocked Soren to his feet.

Taking the opening and using the surroundings to her advantage, she back flipped onto the wall behind her and pushed off towards Soren. The maneuver sent her front flipping towards Soren and just before she reached the Soren, Amelia flattened her body out feet first. Instead of colliding with her adversary though, Amelia opted to wrap her feet around Soren's neck instead.

The maneuver caught Soren off guard as he was recovering his wits, once again.

Amelia gave him an apologetic shrug, mid air. As if to say, "sorry" for what was going to come next.

Amelia used his momentum in a creative, instead of piling into her opponent; instead, she jerked to the right and swung around Soren. Then, when she was directly behind Soren, Amelia curled her legs into her body and angled her body towards the ground, changing the direction of her fall, putting the weight of her jump into a powerful throw.

Soren was pulled off his feet violently and was thrown across the floor. He skidded and tumbled along the ground, uncontrolled. He was stopped by the other end of the tavern wall, about five feet from where he was standing to the end wall. A groan escaped his lips as the pain from the attack started setting in. Soren looked up and his eyes opened with surprise.

As Amelia was about to let go of Soren, during the throw, she had planted both hands on the ground. When Amelia completed the attack, she sprang off her hands landing on her feet once again. Soren screamed once more and tries to rush forward, only for Amelia stop his attack with the dagger once again.

She smirked as she threw herself into a spin, that Hunter had taught her when they were training one time, she jumped off the ground and fly kicked Soren in the neck making him choke and grasp his throat as he tried to catch his breath.

Soren barely had time to breath, let alone dodge. He couldn't lose to a girl, especially one that is young, his eyes widened as her foot collided with his face sending him down to the ground. Soren coughed and went to sit up when Amelia placed the dagger against his throat making him gulp once again.

"I win," she whispered before standing up, she placed the dagger back into her holster. "You will leave me, Abigail, my dragons and my friends alone."

She stood up giving him one last kick to the face before clearing her throat and faced those who were still stunned that she had won with a dagger, "If any of you threaten my dragons, my friends or you try to kill them. I won't hesitate to kill you all either," she warned.

"How? It will prove to everyone that you are just as evil and cruel as us" another voice spoke out.

"I have my ways," she adjusted her dagger before opening the door slightly a smirk plastered on her lips. "You guys have a good day now."

With that she left the tavern meeting up with Abigail who was waiting outside for her. "What did you do?" Abigail asked.

Amelia shrugged as they began walking down the dity path back towards the estate, "Nothing to bad, I just taught them a lesson."

Amelia and Abigail were almost back at the estate when Abigail asked another question, "Do you practice magic?"

Amelia looked over at her, "Sometimes, when I have the chance, Hunter helps me sometimes if I'm learning a new spell, but i've learnt mostly all of them and mastered a lot, why?"

"Oh no reason, I just wanted to know. I've been trying for months to figure out what I can do but I can only seem to use spells from a book," Abigail replied.

Amelia looked up at Abigail for a few seconds before they headed towards the granny flat behind the estate, "Mine are a bit different because of what I went through, maybe try using a staff. I've got one tucked away in the granny flat you can use."

"Really? You'll let me use it?" Abigail inquired, excitement escaping her voice.

Amelia chuckled a little and nodded, "I don't use it anymore and I'm sure you'll get more use out of it for me. All you've got to do is bless it with a crystal and you have a magical staff."

Amelia opened the door to the guest house to see Hunter and Hanna sitting on the couch and going through some books; Amelia caught a glance, they were reading up the history of Gandor. Amelia left them to it before heading into the room she was staying in.

The chest she had kept in the guest house was still there, she kneeled down and opened it slowly taking things out before grabbing the staff and a crystal, "Here we are."

Amelia stood up and dusted it off before handing them both to Abigail, "Thank you Amelia, how do I join them together?" She asked.

"Hold them together and say the binding spell, do you know that one?" Amelia asked.

Abigail nodded, she closed her eyes before saying the binding spell, "Ég bið þig að binda þessi tvö atriði við mig og líkama minn. Ég bið þig að binda þá saman, ég bið þig að leyfa okkur að vinna saman."

Amelia watched as a small light appeared on the crystal and the staff slowing they formed together to create a crystal staff that will generate spells through Abigail to the staff. Abigail opened her eyes and gasped in excitement.

Translations:

Ég bið þig að binda þessi tvö atriði við mig og líkama minn.Ég bið þig að binda þá saman, ég bið þig að leyfa okkur að vinna saman - I ask you to bind these two items to me and my body. I ask you to bind them together, I ask you to allow us to work together

#fantasy #novel #fantasynovel #literature #youngadult #newadult #bookseries #dragons #dragonriders #action #adventure #romance #magegirl #elf #troll #goblin #knight

[unabasheddinosaurkitten]

Rise Of Orthros

Chapter 3

Amelia was seated on her bed in her room that was located in the guild house, glancing down at her wooden desk writing through her journal that she did daily. It was something she started when she was 5 something to keep her mind off what was really happening; it helped her through the dark times.

Her room was a rectangular shape, with wooden furniture, the floor was covered with dark blue carpet, to her right was a large bookshelf filled with magic books and also some crystal she had received on her trips, or by herself. The newest addition to her collection was the red crystal she was given by Seviphal. Lights were provided by wall lamps and a ceiling light.

Amelia couldn't help but when she looked at the crystal she was mesmerized by it, the beautiful red glistened whenever the sun would touch it, the clear speckle of black could also be seen in the crystal. Unfortunately Amelia was drawn out of her thought process as she heard a knock at the door, clearing her throat as she stood up and wandered over to it, amazed to see Phillip standing behind it. Phillip never came to her room for anything, it was something he always avoided.

She raised an eyebrow at him before he spoke, "Someone is here to see you? She refused to tell me who she was but I think I noticed the mage necklace she was wearing."

Amelia nodded, "Thanks." She stepped outside her room wondering who the person could be. She hasn't spoken to a maze in our 7 years, nor has she wanted to.

Amelia closed her bedroom door before heading downstairs towards the front door of the guild, she hummed to herself, stepping onto the last step she turned her head towards the door where a girl stood, Phillip was right she was a mage. Amelia could tell from the red and black cloak she was wearing, the girl was also wearing a dragon eye pendant which only mages wore.

"Can I help you?" Amelia asked as she was now standing in front of the mage, "Who are you? What are you doing here? In all places?" Of course, she had a million questions, who wouldn't.

The mage let out a chuckle, removing the cloak from her face so Amelia could have a good look at her, the mage had emerald green eyes, pale skin, and her hair was a brownish-blonde that was French braided, "Calm down, my name is Abigail Stronghold, I of course as you would know am a fellow mage like yourself. Your family has sent me to request that you go see them."

Amelia frowned at Abigail, "My parents? Why would they want to see me?"

Abigail sighed deeply, "Unfortunately they wouldn't tell me the details as to why, but they say it's urgent. You know they wouldn't call on you unless it was desperate."

Amelia couldn't help but chuckle this time, "Right, my parents wouldn't either way." She felt a little calmer as she felt Hunter's hand come to the small of her back.

"Amelia? You alright? Who is this?" Hunter asked.

"This is Abigail Stronghold; she has come here on my parent's request."

"Request?" He asked a little shocked; he knew that something had gone down with her parents and to why she never spoke about them or to them.

"Please just come Amelia; your parents won't be happy that you declined, please?" Abigail pleaded; she knew it would be hard to get Amelia to help.

Amelia took a deep breath as she rubbed her forehead in thought, biting her lip ever so gently, "Alright fine, but I'm not going alone. I will bring Hunter and Hanna with me."

Hunter nodded, "Alright let me go tell Hanna, I'll meet you in the stable Amelia."

She nodded and looked back over at Abigail who looked happy that she had even agreed, this was something Amelia was hoping to never do, see her parents and brother again. "So how did you get here?" Amelia asked.

"I took a boat, took me a day and a half to get here, I think I figured out that I don't like travelling by sea" Abigail let out a chuckle, to which Amelia smiled, just a little.

Abigail and Amelia arrived at the dragon stable where Ethrinria was laying down, her head laying on the hay beneath her, Amelia took a few steps towards Ethrinria which made her lift her head, a happy puff left her nose only for her mood to change when she saw Abigail, Ethrinria flared her nostrils puffing out bits of smoke while guarding Amelia with her wing. Amelia gently stroked Ethrinria's gold face as tears formed in her eyes thinking of Gandor, the one place she never wanted to return. From a young age, she was classed as an outsider due to her having a love for dragons. She always wondered where she got her love of dragons from and that was simple.

Amelia's grandmother Adriana had a love for dragons just like her, Adriana wanted to show everyone that not all mages were bad and she began to make a difference, Adriana began showing a side mages thought was evil and unlike them. Adriana grew so many followers until they realized that only certain people could ride dragons.

People with good hearts, since Adriana was sweet and gentle lady dragons and other animals loved her. Mages didn't approve of this so they tried to take away her pure heart which backfired killing Adriana in front of everyone in town especially her loving husband Richard. A few elders at Gandor still adore Adriana even if she was no longer with them. Amelia heard stories about her grandmother around town as she killed when Amelia was only a year old.

"It's alright Ethrinria; she isn't going to harm you. We have to go back," Amelia whispered gently towards her dragon, who whined in pain.

Amelia wiped her tears away before looking over at Abigail who was awkwardly standing in the corner, she motioned her hand towards Abigail letting her know to step forward, "Ethrinria needs to feel your touch so she knows you aren't a threat."

Abigail whimpered a little before taking a gulp as she stepped forward towards Amelia and her dragon, she slowly stuck out her hand as she got closer and closed her eyes. Amelia couldn't help but roll her eyes grabbing Abigail's hand she guided it towards Ethrinria's nostrils, who gently smelt her hand.

"Let her pat you Ethrinria, I know it's hard," Amelia said as her dragon gently nudged Abigail's hand shortly after.

Abigail gasped and opened her eyes, "Oh my, your scales feel amazing. How could someone harm something as gorgeous as you?" Abigail looked into Ethrinria's eyes to see the fear that both she and Amelia were feeling, not to mention the pain those two had been through.

"Alright, we should get you tacked and ready Ethrinria, it's a long flight" Amelia spoke, she was hoping she would calm on the flight but she knew it might be unlikely.

Ethrinria stood up towering over Amelia and Abigail; she turned around allowing Amelia to place her leather saddle on her back. Amelia turned her head as she heard Hunter and Hanna entering the dragon stable.

"How long of a flight is it to Gandor?" Hanna asked, her eyes fixed on Abigail, wondering if she could trust her.

"Not long about half an hour to forty-five minutes," Amelia replied, which Hanna responded with by nodded before heading over to her dragon and saddling him up.

Once Amelia had guided Ethrinria out of the stable, she climbed on top of Ethrinria, using her tail as a ladder. She placed her feet into the stirrups before grabbing onto the reins. Abigail had trouble at first getting on Ethrinria, but she finally found her rhythm and grabbed onto Amelia's waist once she was seated behind her, "You ready?"

"As I'll ever be," Abigail whispered.

Amelia patted Ethrinria's scales gently whispering ever so gently, "Alright girl, you know the way." She grabbed the leather strap gripping on tightly, her body filling up with nerves.

Abigail watched as Ethrinria's wings flared out, before they began to flat softly at first to get a bit of lift-off. Ethrinria let out a small screech alerting Hillverion and Atrastrasza to follow behind which they did.

Abigail peered over to see how far they were getting, she watched as the ground below them became nothing but a small blur as Ethrinria made it past the clouds.

Hunter flew up next to Amelia while Hanna was just behind them, "What are we going to expect?" Hunter asked Amelia.

He needed to know what they were heading into, he didn't want to head into a trap.

"I'm not sure Hunter; I haven't been home in years. But I guess we have to be on our toes," Amelia replied.

Abigail looked at Hunter, "It hasn't changed, not in the 8 years Amelia has been gone. It's still the same, hatred is still written on mostly everyone's faces."

Abigail was ashamed to admit that no one had changed, they were all still the same. Even her own parents hated everyone that wasn't a mage. She was only 10 when she watched Amelia leave; it pained her to see someone she admired to be turned away because she was more than just a mage.

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Amelia felt numb as she knew she was getting close to Gandor, her body felt like it would freeze at any moment. Ethrinria made another scratching sound before she flew down towards the ground. Abigail let out a screech as she held onto Amelia tighter, it felt like her stomach was dropping as Ethrinria accelerated towards the ground stopping just before she could smash into the ground, the flapping over her wings made the grass below them move slightly.

She slide off of Ethrinria's saddle and looked around noticing it was still the same feature-wise as well; found on the Western side of a sea, the settlement of Gandor, where the mages roam and practice their magic. This settlement wasn't built by a sea by accident, as it was a great area to hide and be themselves with hidden passageways and ancient burial grounds, which is important to the mages; as some of them study the dead.

The settlement itself looks humble. With its spruce wood rooftops, pinewood walls, and frozen waterfall, Gandor has an enthralling atmosphere. The main attraction is the hostel, which was built 48 years ago and designed by mages and wizards.

Gandor has a hurting economy, which is mainly supported by alchemy, thieving, and engineering. But their biggest strengths are rare wood production and weapon making. Amelia looked up at Ethrinria and she could feel her anxiety, she gently rubbed Ethrinria's shoulder blade making her purr.

"It's alright, I won't let them hurt you," Amelia whispered, but she was also trembling in fear as well.

Abigail was the first to walk down the path with Amelia and Ethrinria following behind followed by Hanna and Atrastrasza, Hunter and Hillverion. Amelia kept her head down as she walked towards the one place she never wanted to return to. The Jayne manor; From the outside, this house looks magnificent. It has been built with white stones and has grey stone decorations. Small, rectangular windows allow enough light to enter the home and have been added to the house in a mostly symmetric way.

Abigail knocked on the front door before stepping back, she gave Amelia a small smile who returned it. It only took 2 minutes for the door to open to reveal Amelia's mum Teresa. Teresa hadn't changed in the last 8 years; blonde, flowing hair awkwardly hangs over a chiselled, worried face. Sparkling brown eyes, set low within their sockets, watch cheerfully over the estate they've come to love for so long.

Scars reaching from the top of the right cheek, running towards her right nostril and ending on her upper lip and leaves a burning memory of restored honour. "Amelia... you are back!" She gasped and went to hug Amelia only for her to step back.

Teresa stopped her movements and cleared her throat before stepping inside, "Please come inside, Abigail will you escort the dragons around the back please."

Abigail nodded bowing her head slightly before backing away and headed outside shutting the door once again. The house is equipped with a modern kitchen and 6 lavish bathrooms; it also has two snug living rooms, 8 bedrooms, a cosy dining area, and a modest basement.

The building is shaped like a squared S. The two extensions extend into stylish gardens to each side. The second floor is the same size as the first, but part of it hangs over the edge of the floor below, creating an overhang on one side and a balcony on the other. This floor follows the same style as the floor below.

The roof is low and triangular and is covered with stone slabs. One large chimney pokes out the centre of the roof. Several long, thin windows let in plenty of light to the rooms below the roof. The house itself is surrounded by paved ground, with a pool at the backside of the house.

"Thank you dragon riders for coming on such short notice. We didn't know who to ask. So we sent Abigail. You see we aren't very welcome in most city's" Teresa explained.

Amelia scoffed, "I wonder why," she rolled her eyes as Teresa escorted them into the living room.

Their living room which was still spacious and delicate; has coordinating plastic furniture. The seating is plush. The floor is stone and the walls are painted with a wallpapered dado. Light is provided by wall lamps. The room is done in autumn colours and overall has a cluttered look. Among the first things, one notices walking in is an old sculpture of the family.

Amelia looked away from the sculpture watching as her mother walked into the hall, "Richard... Tony... come down, Amelia is here with some friends!" Teresa shouted.

Amelia, Hanna, and Hunter sat down on the couch, Teresa couldn't believe how grown Amelia was now. She knew she screwed up the minute she allowed Richard to harm her. Teresa could see a scar on the side of Amelia's rib from the time she saved Ethrinria and another one on her stomach when Richard had brought in preachers to take out her good heart. Teresa wondered if she still had the word on her back.

The sound of footsteps was heard catching the attention of Hunter who turned to see two men walking in. "Hunter and Hanna I would love for you to meet the Jayne's... Richard Jayne and Toby Jayne."

Amelia looked at Richard first checking to see if his features were changed, she noticed that he had gained a little weight when she last saw him; Brown, long hair neatly coiffure to reveal a thick, radiant face. Shining grey eyes, set low within their sockets, watching his daughter sitting in front of him after many years of seeing her. A beard roughly compliments his eyes and hair and leaves an unsettling feeling in Amelia's stomach.

"You aren't going to introduce us as family" Toby scoffed.

Red, dreadlocks hang over a craggy, tense face. Hooded brown eyes, set a-symmetrically within their sockets, narrowing his eyes towards Amelia, he couldn't help but shake his head. He was disappointed. Fallen debris left a mark stretching from the bottom of the right cheek, running towards his left nostril and ending on his right cheek leaves a compelling memory of redemption.

"Why would I when this was never home for me?" Amelia asked as she clenched her fist, the rage was building up inside her body but she instantly calmed down when she saw Ethrinria laying on the grass outside while Abigail was sitting by her side.

"Enough! We call you here for your help. Someone is after our land. We've been threatened by the person and if we don't give them all of our money by noon Friday afternoon he will burn our village down," Teresa spoke.

Amelia rolled her eyes while Hunter frowned, "Why haven't you notified the king about it?" He asked.

Toby scoffed as he looked at Hunter, "You really think the king would love to see us? No, we will be killed the very first moment we set foot into his palace."

"We wouldn't have asked for you if it wasn't urgent. We've even set up the house out the back for you guys to stay, plus it'll give you guys a good chance to think it over," Teresa replied.

"Thank you Mrs. Jayne, we will see to the house at the back and will speak to you tonight. Do you remember the way, Amelia?" Hunter asked.

Amelia stood up from her seat and began to walk towards the back door, Hunter and Hanna followed behind. She opened it slowly and stepped through before heading down the stairs that led towards the back. The house was small, it was used to host many quests along the years, the brick exterior still stood tall, with three small-sized bedrooms, a tiny kitchenette, and a lounge room. The interior was painted in warm colours. Around the home sat a beautiful flower garden with roses and lilies planted around.

"You never told me your parents owned the estate," Hanna told Amelia as they walked inside.

"Why would I? They aren't my family," she replied.

Hunter frowned, "Why do you hate your family so much?" To elves family was everything and the elders were treated with respect.

Amelia looked at Hanna and Hunter; she knew she had to tell them. She knew one day she would have to. "My father hated when anyone stood against him, when I was 5 I went down to the market when I saw Ethrinria is chains about to be slaughtered in broad daylight. I stepped in and I unchained her using my mage powers and just as we were about to leave my father ordered an attack that almost got me killed." She pointed to the scar on her chest knowing everyone had been curious about why she had that scar.

"Your own father?" Hanna asked.

Amelia nodded and took a deep breath, "I was almost dead but Ethrinria saved me, I don't know how but she did. That's why we have a bond like no other, after that my fate in my family declined and I left at 15. I couldn't handle it, I rode Ethrinria until I found you."

There was also another reason why Amelia left but she didn't feel like sharing it, plus she hated the thought of it. Hunter sat back and listened to everything Amelia said, it made sense why she was quiet and didn't want to come here. The way she looks and acts around her family. Tensions grew in the guest house as the three of them began to think of what they should do?

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Meanwhile back at the guild, Phillip was trying to figure out what was so urgent that Amelia, Hunter, and Hanna had to go and why there was a mage standing at their door, he should have killed that mage.

"What are you pacing about Phillip? We all get called away for some separate missions," Stephen asked as he walked up.

Phillip ran and hand through his hair, "I want to know what's going on, I hate being left in the dark. Where is Sam?" He asked noticing that the guild was silent without him, normally there was grunting and fighting.

"We aren't left in the dark, they've got their own mission as we all get. Since when have you cared about missions... Oh, this is about Amelia isn't it?" Stephen asked as he realized why he was so upset.

Phillip frowned before looked at Stephen, "So what if it is... She doesn't deserve to be a dragon rider. She isn't a pureblood plus she's a mage."

Stephen rolled his eyes, "So, who cares if she is a mage. She is a better rider than some pure-bloods plus have you seen their bond?"

"Maybe she's controlling the dragon to be close to her," Phillip said.

Stephen laughed and shook his head, "No one has that type of power, stop being so jealous over Amelia. You asked where Sam is, his father called him to the knights guild about something."

Phillip wanted to prove that Amelia was just as dangerous as the rest of the mages, he only needed time and one wrong move.

#dragons #dragonriders #fantasy #ya #newadult #romance #adventure #fantasynovel #novel #literature #goblin #troll #mage #action

[unabasheddinosaurkitten]

Rise Of Orthros

Chapter 2

Hunter had given Phillip and Stephen the task of watching the cave, Phillip was hoping that the villages wouldn't get attacked, he knew that sometimes dragons just attack and he also saw how peaceful they were being with them, allowing them to stay in their village while they worked.

Stephen managed to get a few sheep into the cave for the dragons to eat. Amelia was seated on a log in front of a bonfire they had going, she was cooking some fish for them.

Hunter had given the dragons about 3 massive piles of fish which they devoured within seconds, Amelia was slowly French braiding Hanna's pink hair.

"Why did you become a dragon rider, Amelia?" She asked Amelia.

Amelia finished the French braid letting it go before looking at Hanna, "Well I always wanted to mean something to people, growing up I was out casted by everyone I knew because of who I was. I've always had a connection to Ethrinria since I saved her. I also wanted to prove to everyone that not all mages are evil."

Hanna bit her lip; she shouldn't have asked that, "I'm so sorry... My parents are very hard on me; they want me to be just like them. Be the perfect dragon rider and become one with my ability but it's so hard. My father has never given me a smile since primary school, it's always been a frown and I'm worried I will let them down."

Amelia shook her head, "You can only do what you can do. Don't let your parents decide what is best for you, they aren't you. Allowing them to tell you how to be and how to act makes you become more distant from them. It's not easy but I'm sure they are proud of you. You are a member of the dragon riders which only a few can become in a few years."

Hanna has always liked Amelia's wisdom, she adored it when they first met, and it's one of the many reasons why Hanna looks up to Amelia. Even though Amelia is a mage and isn't liked by many people she still gives others hope. There are children out there who see Amelia and just see a hero and someone who can protect them. It's what Hanna hopes to get.

Amelia pulled out the fish from the fire handing it to everyone, she slowly bit into the fish closing her eyes at the taste of the fish, she added some herbs and spices to give it a little kick for flavour.

"What if the villagers attack the dragon?" Sam asked as he swallowed a bit of the fish.

"We will stop them from harming the dragons, I don't trust Blann, not after what we discovered today," Hunter replied.

Sam nodded taking a quick glance at the mountains before he stood up from his spot, "Well I'm heading to bed. I'll catch you guys in the morning. Goodnight," with that Sam was the first to enter the house.

Hanna yawned as she finished her piece of fish before standing up as well, "Me too, I'm going to hit the sack. See you in the morning. Thanks for French braiding my hair again Amelia."

Amelia sent Hanna a small smile, "No worries, goodnight."

Hunter and Amelia watched Hanna enter the house next while the two of them stayed by the fire. Hunter scooted closer towards Amelia closing the gap between them before he looked up at the stars twinkling in the night sky. Noticing most of the constellations from Orion's belt to the little dipper and big dipper.

Amelia watched as a few villagers passed them heading towards their houses turning in for the night, she was trying to suss them all out. Witnessing what they saw today, conflicting her judgements in all of them.

"Do you ever want to go back home Amelia?" Hunter asked out of the blue.

Amelia turned her attention to Hunter, "No... It was never home and never will be. I will be glad that I won't ever have to go back there."

Hunter never understood why she hated her parents so, he knew that you only got one set of parents. He never asked her about her family, he didn't want to push boundaries between them. The two of them have so much trust for each other he doesn't want to ruin it.

"Will you ever tell us what happened?" Hunter asked.

Amelia was quiet for a few seconds biting the bottom of her lip before answering, "One day."

That was good enough for Hunter, the two of them yawned before standing up from the longs and splashing cold water onto the fire before some dry dirt over the top. Hunter headed inside the house taking his bed he assigned himself too after shown the house. Amelia stayed outside, she sat down by Ethrinria's head wrapping her arm around her head.

Ethrinria whined a little before bringing up her wing to cover Amelia with, Amelia rubbed her eyes gently before falling asleep with her head next to Ethrinria's.

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Amelia jolted awake as she heard a screeching roar coming from the mountains, she cursed to herself before jumping up and running inside kicking Hunter's shoe alerting him.

"What?" He slurred out as he opened his eyes.

"The dragons are being attacked. We need to go now!" Amelia hissed before running out, Ethrinria was awake and standing tall waiting for Amelia to climb onto her.

Hunter was quick as he ran out, trying to out his shoes on as well while he climbed onto Hillverion. The two dragons looked at each other before they both lifted off the ground and towards the mountains; Amelia's heart was thumbing through her chest as she was scared. She cursed herself for falling asleep.

Ethrinria let out a roar as they got closer landing in front of the villagers who were trying to enter while Stephen and Phillip tried getting those who stuck inside.

"Get back!" Amelia shouted as Ethrinria growled at the villagers. "I told Blann to tell you to leave the dragons alone. They only wanted food for god sakes!"

Ethrinria growled once more at the villagers making them whimper, even more, she couldn't believe them after Blann had given them his word.

"Bjarter af ljósi, bjarter af eldi. Ég bið þig að sýna mér dreka ela," Amelia chanted again watching as the crystals in the cave began to light up.

They were beautiful, nothing like before when they explored the first time. The purple and pink crystals mixed together making a beautiful outline of the cave, Amelia slowly climbed off of Ethrinria's saddle and headed inside.

She made her way to the centre taking everything in once again, the centre of the cave was much bigger. Beautiful green trees were growing inside, she was a nature dragon creating a semi-safe haven for her children. She could hear birds chirping in the cave making her smile.

This was absolutely breathing, Amelia wanted to stay and live inside this cave. She halted her footsteps as she saw the mother dragon stand up and growl towards her. She finally got the chance to see the dragon's appearance up close. Tranquil cerulean eyes sit delicately within the creature's horned, horned skull, which gives the creature a very ominous looking appearance.

Two enormous horns sit atop its head, just above its narrow, angular ears. Several rows of crystal growths runs down the sides of each of its jaw lines. Its nose is wide and has two thick, angular nostrils and there's a small crystal growth on its chin. Several rows of large teeth poke out from the side of its mouth and give a preview of the terror hiding inside.

A lean neck runs down from its head and into a muscular body. The top is covered in reptilian skin and a row of spikes runs down its spine.

Its bottom is covered in thick scales and is coloured slightly lighter than the rest of its body. Two powerful limbs carry its body and allow the creature to stand illustrious and tall. Each limb has 4 digits, each of which end in thorny claws seemingly made of crystal.

Magnificent wings grow starting from its shoulders and end at the lower end of its back. The wings are almost angel-like, the insides of the wing seem to be made of thin crystals and small, sharp tips grow from each ending like massive spears.

Its narrow tail ends in a seemingly fluffy tip and is covered in the same reptilian skin as its body. Amelia gently raised her hands allowing the mother dragon slowly step forward giving her a sniff. She watched as the young stayed behind their mother; they were also trying to suss Amelia out.

The mother dragon perked up before letting out a whine letting Amelia know she was trusted, a warm smile washed over her face. She was glad she was trusted a little, it made her heart warm.

"I'm a friend; I'm not here to hurt you. I want to hurt you" she said before allowing her eyes to close. She needed to show them, "Koma frá langt og nær, sumar kindur fyrir vini mína að éta."

Amelia slowly opened her eyes once again, peering over to the corner where some livestock had appeared, the spell worked. A massive smile appeared on her face as she looked at the livestock before meeting her eyes with the mother dragon.

"Go ahead," Amelia whispered gently.

The mother dragon walked over to the life stock, her young following behind her. One by one the dragons devoured the livestock. The mother dragon stepped back allowing her children to eat more before her eyes peered up at Amelia's again.

Amelia stepped closer towards the mother dragon, no growl was heard and no worry was on the mother dragons face, Amelia slowly lifted her hand and gently rubbed her scales, "Please... This place isn't safe for you anymore or your dragons. We can find you a new uninhabited island filled with animals and trees so you can be free."

Amelia took her chance and hugged the dragon, a few tears fell from her cheeks as she didn't want the dragons to be killed or even think of them getting hurt any more. The mother dragon gently bent her wing around Amelia cupping her close to her body.

The mother dragon let out a growl towards her young making them snap up, Amelia stepped back from the dragons. The mother dragon nodded her head towards Amelia allowing her to take them someplace new. Amelia turned her head as she heard footsteps; she noticed Hunter walking in with a torch.

The mother dragon let out a growl of dominance letting Hunter know to not mess with her. Amelia stepped closer towards Hunter touching his hand so the mother dragon could see they were friends. Instantly the mother dragon quietened her growls.

"I can't believe you actually made a connection. You amaze me everytime Amelia" Hunter smiled, he knew how close Ethrinria and her were but never knew she could connect like that to another dragon.

"It wasn't easy... But I'm glad I've got her trust... We must head off and find them a new island," Amelia replied.

"Sam will be good at them, we should start heading out," Hunter replied. Amelia nodded before the mother dragon and her young followed Hunter and her out of the cave where Hanna, Sam, Phillip and Stephen were waiting for them.

"Sam do you know of a inhabited island nearby?" Amelia asked. Sam brought out a map from his satchel that was on mirozus's back as he began to read it, "Here, an island not far from here."

Amelia took a quick glance at the map before getting a picture of where the island was, she's flown past it a few times, "Alright, I'll fly a head. If you want to just follow after I've gotten a head start."

Phillip rolled his eyes, he couldn't believe this. Why should he wait? "Why can't we just leave when you do?"

"Because the dragon is skittish and I don't want to risk her or her young getting hurt. Just for once Phillip doesn't fight me," she was over him and over him always fighting her.

Amelia slowly climbed onto Ethrinria grabbing the leather strap before looking back at the mother dragon and her young before Ethrinria began to slowly lift off. Amelia wished the dragon would burn the village down but they can't allow that to happen.

Amelia let go of the straps looking to her right to see the mother dragon flying next to her, she couldn't help but smile. She felt lucky to finally feel like this is what she needed to do, this hasn't happened before with a dragon apart from her own. Ethrinria arrived at the nature island known as Bexbonear Chain.

Amelia got off of Ethrinria and had a quick look around, the island; lush green grass, with a beautiful mountain far up the back that has snow on the top. Beautiful canopy trees that cover 90% of the island making it great for the dragon and her young ones. A swamp filled with crocodiles, the swamp is brown and green giving off a little nasty smell.

The air felt tropical, the warmth stuck to Amelia's skin. Further down the island was a large pool of water with a beautiful waterfall the flowed peacefully through the stream, gold and white fish swam in the stream. A lot of wildlife lived on the island from bears to cougars a good chase for the dragons.

Amelia headed back to the first shore where the dragons we're waiting for her, "Your new home awaits. You won't be bothered here. We will make sure we check on you and we will have a new team of dragon riders to protect you."

The mother dragon bowed her head at Amelia before it finally spoke to her telepathically, "Thank you young dragon rider. My name is Seviphal (sev-i-pal). We own you one, please take this as a token of my appreciation," Seviphal bent her head down to reveal a red crystal.

"Thank you, it was my pleasure. Thank you for trusting me," Amelia replied placing the crystal in the satchel that Ethrinria was carrying, "I must get going, I will see you soon."

Translations

Bjarter af ljósi, bjarter af eldi. Ég bið þig að sýna mér dreka ela - Fire of breath, fire of light. I ask you to show me the way Koma frá langt og nær, sumar kindur fyrir vini mína að éta - Bring from far and near, some sheep for my friends to eat

#dragons #dragonriders #fantasy #novel #literature #adventure #action #romance #fantasynovel #youngadult #newadult #mage #elf #village

[unabasheddinosaurkitten]

Rise Of Orthros

Chapter One

Hunter was seated at the head of the table, in front of him was a new task given to them by their Elf King Ragnar. He flipped through the pages reading over what they were required to do while Amelia, Hanna, Sam, Phillip and Stephen settled into the meeting hall. In front of each of them sat the task for the others to read through.

Hunter peered up from the paper in front of him his grey/blue eyes scanning his team-mates, he noticed Amelia was looking a little tense this morning, her long blonde hair seemed to be a bit of a mess and her golden eyes weren't shining as bright, he frowned for a few moments, trying to figure out what was wrong, but right now this new task was their priority.

"Good morning everyone, as you see I've received a new task from King Ragnar himself. He has requested that we head to the island known as Tascony," Hunter spoke folding his fingers together as his hands were stretched onto the table in front of him.

"Good morning Hunter, Island of Gascony... Isn't that the village of warfare? Why would they need our help?" Phillip asked as he scratched the bottom of his green chin with his long fingernails.

"It seems that they have been attacked by a rogue dragon. According to their leader, they have tried all they could but they can't seem to get rid of the dragon," Hunter explained further.

"So either the dragon is attacking for a reason or the dragon is a rogue and is killing everything but that being said, if it was a rouge why hasn't it moved to another island to burn. Why stay?" Hanna asked.

Amelia was quiet as she read through the task, her eyebrows frowned together. Her right hand slowly moved down the bottom of her blonde hair; her fingers got caught in knots but she didn't seem to mind.

"What's on your mind, Amelia?" Sam asked Amelia, he knew everyone was wondering the same thing.

"Just reading through the report given to the King... It is written here it was peaceful up until a few months ago. That's when the dragon started attacking the village. If the dragon was rouge, it will attack for no reason at all. So why would it attack out of the blue? There has to be a reason to why the dragon is attacking suddenly... The village leader is definitely hiding something," the words flowed out of Amelia's mouth.

Stephen scoffed, his body language changed and he moved into an upright seating position before leaning forward, "How would you know that? Aren't you connected to dragons? Why don't you tell us?"

Amelia looked over at Stephen, watching the frown on his face deepen; his grey eyes were dull as if he didn't want to be here, "1... If you had read the task sheet you would know and understand where I'm coming from, 2... I am not connected to any dragon only Ethrinria, I'm just able to calm dragons down and lastly, we all know dragons don't attack unless they are provoked. I've seen dragons held in chains and they haven't fought back."

"Alright, we will be leaving in a half-hour. Please get what you need and head to the dragon stable," Hunter spoke as he looked around the table once again.

Sam was the first to leave, while Stephen, Phillip and Hanna followed afterwards. Amelia stood up from her seat looking at the file once again.

"We will save the dragon Amelia," Hunter told Amelia, as he saw the look on her face.

Her expression was sad as if she was worried for the dragon's safety, Hunter knew that Amelia cared about dragons which also made her an excellent dragon rider. Amelia gave Hunter a small smile before she left the guild meeting hall.

Polished braziers enclosing each of the fourteen obsidian columns light up the guildhall; the walls painted in yellow and orange, each door having their own sets of names printed on them. Stained glass windows in the bowed ceiling dance in the flickering light.

Dragon shadows appear, showing a path from the main hall to the war room. A scarlet rug runs down from the front door and splits to encircle the entire hall while swallow tail banners with golden tracery swing gently from the walls. Between each banner hangs a small lustre, almost all of them have been lit. Grand, tinted glass windows are neighboured by drapes coloured the same dragon as the banners. The curtains have been adorned with jewels and fancy tassels.

Amelia stepped out of the guildhall and into the fresh streets of Craftsman's Borough, she took in the smell of Sane's shop, the smell of his potions and elixirs filled the air. Amelia waved to everyone as she passed them by, most of the villagers waved back. She began to wonder how Ethrinria was going, lately; she noticed that Ethrinria hasn't been acting right.

As if something was going to happen, it worried Amelia to see her dragon, the way she was. She made her way to Mastiff's Village where she saw the local merchant Cwynfleue.

"Good Morning, Cwynfleue I'm in need of a new sword, something that is easier to pack in my pouch here," Amelia said.

Cwynfleue was one of the town's blacksmiths; she had blonde hair and blue eyes. Cwynfleue escaped her old home Dacknor after it was attacked by Hecatoncheires; Giant monsters with fifty heads and one hundred arms.

She was lucky to escape but the rest of her town was not; she left with a few scars, one of the side of her neck and one just above her heart which she proudly showed off.

"Of course, I made this one yesterday. It's a magic sword, it can fit anywhere you want it too," Cwynfleue replied, grabbing the sword which was gold and seemed to shine brightly as the sun hit it in the right spot.

"How much?" Amelia asked as she opened her money pouch grabbing as many krila pieces.

"50 Kirla pieces," Cwynfleue replied watching as Amelia gave her 50 kirla pieces.

Amelia grabbed the sword once Cwynfleue had taken the money, "Thank you Cwynfleue, and be safe." With that she headed to the dragon stable.

The dragon stable was a large rectangular home for the dragons; each dragon had their own space, allowing them to move freely within the area they were in. The dragons could wander throughout the town if they pleased.

"Ethrinria please calm down!" A frustrated Grace whined as she tried putting the harness over Ethrinria's body.

Grace has been trying her hardest for 2 hours trying to get Ethrinria harnessed and ready to go, she shook her head as the other dragons weren't as bad. She tried once more only for Ethrinria to back away, Grace let out a large huff.

"You are really pulling my today Ethrinria!" Grace was only 14 and the younger sister of Sam, she had curly blonde hair and brown eyes, a small cut under her eye. Her body was lean and she stood at 5'3, she was Sam's younger sister.

Amelia heard Grace's frustrations and rushed towards Ethrinria, "Hey girl it's okay, what's wrong?" She asked Ethrinria gently rubbing her leg.

"Amelia, I am so sorry for getting frustrated at her. I tried so hard but for some reason she would allow me to get her harness on," Grace spoke.

"No it's okay Grace, don't worry. Ethrinria hasn't been herself lately," Amelia smiled; she knew no one else would know how to react with Ethrinria.

Amelia noticed the harness still on the side, she hummed closing her eyes gently before moving her hands in a motion, Léttleiki... léttleiki," she whispered.

Amelia's eyes opened once again, Grace's eyes were fixed on the harness that was levitating through the air, it clasped gently over Ethrinria's head.

Grace was lost for words, her mouth opening and closing again like a small fish. Hunter walked into the open stable heading towards his dragon Hillverion (hill-ver-ion).

"Thank you Grace for helping today, here are your 20 Kirla coins. Don't spend it all at once, oh Sam told me to tell you not to forget about your training this afternoon with Zach," Hunter said as he gave Grace 20 kirla coins.

"Thank you Hunter, I can finally buy new shoes and this will help dad with a bit of his medicine" Grace replied before she skipped out of the open stable.

Amelia turned to Ethrinria, "Are you hungry sweet girl?" She waited for a response but Ethrinria just puffed a little, a small dot of smoke coming from her nose.

Amelia sighed gently sending Ethrinria a small smile, she needed to figure out why Ethrinria wasn't like herself, Amelia stroked her neck gently, "Bjarter af ljósi, bjarter af eldi. Ég bið þig að sýna mér dreka eld," she spoke watching as a small fire dragon appeared on her hand.

Ethrinria let out a happy whine as she watched the fire dragon fly around the both of them. Her eyes followed the fire dragon; she even tried to chase it a little. Hunter was standing to the side watching the two, he couldn't believe how quick Ethrinria's attitude changed, one minute she didn't seem right and the next she was happy and bouncy.

Chatter was heard as Stephen, Phillip, Sam and Hanna walked up, dressed and ready for their trip to Tascony.

"Sam, do you know where to go?" Hunter asked.

Sam nodded grabbing a map from his satchel before bringing it out unfolding it and holding it open, the five of them gathered around looking at the map.

"It's about a half hour ride from here to Tascony we should arrive there around 2 in the afternoon," Sam replied.

Hunter nodded, "Alright Sam, show us the way and we will be right behind you" he spoke as he climbed onto Hillverion .

Sam nodded before giving Mirozus a light tap on the neck letting him know to go up, Mirozus let his wings slowly form outwards before flapping them allowing him to lift off. The other dragons followed behind not long after, Amelia held onto the leather strap that was secured around Ethrinria's body as she glided into the sky and through the white puffy clouds.

Amelia loved the feeling of flying, just the feel and the sights everyone could see from up high we're amazing. Amelia wished she could sit in the clouds for a day and peer down at those below her, she knew that was impossible but the thought of it made her smile.

Ethrinria raised her wings slightly before allowing them to fall to her side again, gaining more speed but not too much just enough to glide through the air; Amelia let go of the leather straps allowing Ethrinria to fly as if no one was on her.

Massive amounts of wind flew through the riders, none of the shivered from the coldness as it was something they grew used to over the years. Hanna's hair was covering parts of her face as she always kept it down. She was never one to have her hair up. The sound of the wind made them all feel calm, watching as the vagrant, white and puffy clouds move swiftly as if they were teasing each other. One barely touches the other, moving freely in the sky.

Amelia smiled to herself as she moved her hands in a circular pattern, a twinkling light of silver and gold appeared on her hands before moving her right hand through the closet cloud. The 5 dragon riders watched as small little tiny dragon clouds appeared jumping beside them as if they wanted to race against them.

Laughs filled the bodies of Hunter, Hanna, Stephen and Sam while Phillip grumbled to himself, he didn't like the way she was using her magic and he knew it was only a matter of time until she would snap and turn evil like the rest of the mages in history.

The sky was beautiful, different shades of blue from light blue to indigo made it seem perfectly balanced, the bright yellow sun hit their faces and slowly the warmth of the sun took away the coldness from the wind only for a short while.

It was an honour for anyone to see the sky like this and appreciate how beautiful and peaceful it truly was. Birds squawked as they flew past them heading to a warmer place as the season was changing.

Mirozus let out a growl letting the other dragons know they were close making Amelia grab the leather strap again; Ethrinria looked down before angling her wings to land onto the ground. One by one the dragons landed on the ground, Amelia looked around at the village. It was small maybe 100 people could live in the village.

"This place is tiny compared to where we go, it's no wonder the dragon is stronger than them," Stephen said.

Hunter nodded squinting his eyes as he saw someone walking over, "Welcome Dragon Riders I am Blann Marsson village chief. Welcome to my village Tascony. Thank you for coming."

Hillverion growled out loud stomping his right foot making Hunter to turn and see if he was alright. Blann was a little take back of the growl; he thought they would be under control. Hillverion growled once more before calming down and looking at the cave in the mountains.

"Is that where the dragon is?" Amelia asked.

Blann nodded, "Yes please follow me," with that he turned away and began heading down the path.

The 6 of them began to walk down the path following behind Blann. Amelia and Hanna looked around the village taking in the sight and what it looked like; the village itself looks magnificent.

With its seagrass rooftops, marble walls and majestic fjords, Tascony has a amusing atmosphere. Quiet and Humble seemed to be the way of its people, before the dragon attacked. The main attraction though was the castle, which was built 39 years ago and designed by ancestors of vikings.

Tascony has a feeble economy, which is mainly supported by wood production and beer brewing. But their biggest strengths are wood work for local islands they are able to products too.

Hanna noticed the burnt houses to the right of her, nothing was left but ash not to mention most of their crops were burnt to a crisp, "Have you lost a lot of people?"

"Yes we have, we lost maybe 30 villagers in the last attack and 25 in the first," Blann replied, he stopped in front of the entrance to the forest that was linked to the mountains. "Feel free to have a look around. Please come see me once you are done. We've set up a spare room for the six of you."

Blann didn't wait for Hunter to answer before he walked away towards his village. "Alright Phillip and Stephen stay here and keep an eye on them. Hanna, Sam and Amelia follow me; we are going to find out what is happening."

Stephen and Phillip headed back to the village while the four of them headed into the forest; the forest was gigantic, radiant, and ancient. Its canopy was contested by walnut, ash, and elm, and ample openings let enough dancing beams of light through for a variety of shrubs to sprout in the fertile soils below.

Curving branches embraced many a tree, and an array of flowers, which claimed remnants of light, caught attention in the otherwise unvarying backdrop. A variety of wild noises, predominantly those of critters, brightened up the forest, and almost completely muffled the occasional splashes of frogs jumping in the nearby lake. But what took their eye the most was the magnificent mountain they were walking towards.

Amelia, Hunter, Sam and Hanna made it in front of the mountain noticing an entrance to the left side of the mountain. It did look like the perfect spot for a dragon to hide and sleep.

"Alright let's head inside," Hunter said.

The three of them nodded before heading inside, the darkness grew the further they went inside, "Eldur andans, Eldur ljóss. Ég bið þig að sýna mér leiðina," Amelia whispered.

Hunter watched as a light appeared on Amelia's hand lighting up the mountain entrance.

A narrow broken statue in a foggy marsh marks the entrance to this mountain entrance. Beyond the broken statue lies a grand, dank cave. It's covered in dirt, roots and remains. Amelia's light allows them to see triggered traps and skeletal remains, demolished and defaced by time itself.

Further ahead are three paths, Amelia, Hunter, Sam and Hanna took a right. Its twisted trail leads to a room that was fogged over by some type of ability. Was this some type of weather dragon? There's a few skeletons of dragons mostly baby dragons making their hearts break at the sight.

"Oh my god!" Hanna whispered as they continued on.

Amelia felt sick to her stomach seeing all the dead dragon babies. They carefully continue onwards, deeper into the cave, they pass a few walls that were covered in drawings made by someone before the dragons.

Sam looked at the drawings to notice it was dragon riders from Viking times. The four of them eventually make it towards where the dragon is, the dragon is a beautiful mix of blue and red colours with four baby dragons sleeping soundly beside her.

Amelia's heart melts at the sight, it was beautiful, considering the sight they had seen before this was worth it.

"There seems to be some sheep bones in the corner meaning the mother was feeding her babies. Do you think the village attacked them for revenge?" Hanna asked.

"Possibly... Most likely that's what happened. It wouldn't surprise me," Hunter replied.

The mother dragon began to stir making the four of them slowly step backwards and head out of the mountain, they found the evidence they were looking for. Amelia was the last one to leave making sure dragons was breathing. She slowly walked out of the mountain meeting up with the Hunter, Hanna and Sam outside.

"Let's ask some questions, we need answers," Sam said, his jaw was clenched.

Hunter knew why Hilverion acted up when they had arrived, he sensed danger but it wasn't for the humans it was for the dragons. The four of them slowly walked towards the village, silence filled them as they were still grasping the fact of what they had seen.

When the four of them arrived back into the village Stephen walked up with Phillip following behind, "What did you find?" Stephen asked.

Sam looked up at Stephen, "We found dead baby dragons and learnt the mother dragon was taking the livestock for her children."

"How do you know that?" Phillip asked.

"We found some sheep wool in the corner of the cave, plus a few sheep bones as well. It's clear that they were getting the livestock," Hanna explained.

Stephen's mouth dropped, his eyes met Amelia's face as she was the one who cared the most about dragons. She held the top of her sword in her sheaths before heading off with Hunter following behind. They were going to see Blann and get him to confess what he and the villagers were doing.

Amelia stepped on the doormat of Blann's home and knocked a few times waiting for him to answer which he did after the fifth knock, Blann smiled at Hunter and Amelia before stepping back allowing the two to enter which they did without saying a word to Blann.

Blann sat down on a chair before offering Hunter and Amelia a seat which they took, "What did you find?"

This average-sized, square bedroom has coordinating wooden furniture. The floor is carpeted and the walls are painted. Light is provided by floor lamps and a ceiling light.

The room is done in an animal theme in warm vivid colors and overall looks fairly modern. Among the first things one notices walking in are a few tools laying about and a well-stocked bookshelf. Not to mention that his home was filled of dead animals, a bear rug was placed in the entrance of the house, his bedding was made from cowhide. Not to mention the dragon head that was positioned over the bed, Amelia wished she could use her magic to drop it on him.

Hunter looked at Blann, he didn't like the way they were being played and how innocent Blann was pretending to be, "We found something very interesting. We found the mountain that is holding the dragon; we also discovered that it has babies."

The two of them watched the colour drain from Blann's face; he cleared his throat allowing them to continue. "We also found about 10 dead baby dragons on the ground, and then we figured out why the dragon took your live stock. Did you kill the baby dragons for revenge over a few livestock?" Amelia asked.

Blann was silent for a few seconds; he bit his lip and scratched the back of his head, "What were we going to do? They were taking our livestock. We couldn't allow that to happen."

Amelia clenched her fist, "The only reason why the dragon was attacking your village is because you killed its babies. It was peaceful before... Right" she watched Blann nodded.

"Here is what you are going to do, you are going to leave the dragon and its babies alone and you will leave a few livestock out tonight for it. Tomorrow we will guide the dragon and its babies to a new home. But if I find out that you and your villagers attacked them once again you'll be answering to me... Got it!"

Blann watched Amelia watching as she grew angrier by the second which made him gulp, he knew never to mess with a mage, "Yes Amelia, you have my word."

Translations:

Léttleiki... léttleiki - Leviatate... Levitate

Bjarter af ljósi, bjarter af eldi. Ég bið þig að sýna mér dreka ela - bringer of light, brigher of fire. I ask you to show me a dragon of fire

​​​Eldur andans, Eldur ljóss. Ég bið þig að sýna mér leiðina - Fire of breath, fire of light. I ask you to show me the way

#dragons #riseoforthros #literature #novel #fantasy #action #adventure #romance #ya #newadult #knights #mage #elf #village #fantasynovel #dragon

[unabasheddinosaurkitten]

Rise Of Orthros Characters #12

Lord Ragnar - white luxurious, straight hair is medium-length. Hollow fine jade eyes, set elegantly within their sockets, watching over his subjects. He is short but never can be underestimated. He has a slender build. His skin is ruddy. He has hollow cheeks and nearly-non-existent eyebrows. His elf nature makes his caring towards others but that doesn't mean he can't be firm when he needs to be. Everyone loves their lord Ragnor and will do anything to please him. His wardrobe is professional, with a lot of green and black.

(disclaimer the character in the image is what I envision the character to look like and to give the readers a look as well as to how they appear to be)

#elf king #elf #dragonriders #riseoforthros #king #romance #action #fantasy #adventure #novel #wattpad #inkitt #quotev #ya

[unabasheddinosaurkitten]

Rise Of Orthros Characters #11

Zane Paterson: Ginger, frizzy hair hangs over a chiselled, worried face. Bulging brown eyes, set handsomely within their sockets, watch yearningly over the farms they've loved for so long. A tattoo of a wolf paw is displayed just above the side of his right eye leaves a grievous memory of his love. A true daredevil among humans. He stands tiny among others, despite his slim frame. There's something bizarre about him, perhaps it's his attitude or perhaps it's simply his persistence. But nonetheless, people tend to pretend to be his best friend, while trying to hide from him.

(disclaimer the character in the image is what I envision the character to look like and to give the readers a look as well as to how they appear to be)

#human #ginger male #action #romance #adventure #riseoforthros #dragonriders #fantasy #novel #fantasy novel #wattpad #inkitt #quotev #ya

[unabasheddinosaurkitten]

Rise Of Orthros Characters #10

Oliver Smoke: Ginger, dreadlocks tight in a ponytail reveals a chiselled, anguished face. Bulging green eyes, set lightly within their sockets, watch thoughtfully over the rivers they've bled for for so long. Freckles are spread alluringly across his cheeks and leaves a pleasant memory of his fortunate adventures. A true friend among werewolves. He stands graciously among others, despite his delicate frame. There's something ambiguous about him, perhaps it's his gentleness or perhaps it's simply his odd friends. But nonetheless, people tend to treat him like family, while hoping to one day follow in his footsteps.

(disclaimer the character in the image is what I envision the character to look like and to give the readers a look as well as to how they appear to be)

#werewolf #gingermale #dragonriders #riseoforthros #novel #romance #action #fantasy #quotev #wattpad #inkitt #ya #fantasy novel

[unabasheddinosaurkitten]

Rise Of Orthros Characters #9

Patricia Greene: Light green, flowing hair tight in a ponytail reveals a full, lively face. Hollow sapphire eyes, set elegantly within their sockets, watch lovingly over the people they've bled for for so long. A sword left a mark reaching from the top of the right cheek , running towards the tip of the nose and ending on her left cheek and leaves an aching memory of deceased love. A true utopian among dark elves. She stands ordinary among others, despite her light frame. There's something captivating about her, perhaps it's her sense of comradery or perhaps it's simply her disposition. But nonetheless, people tend to worship her, while befriending her friends to get closer to her.

(disclaimer the character in the image is what I envision the character to look like and to give the readers a look as well as to how they appear to be)

#darkelf #elfqueen #dragonriders #action #adventure #fantasy #novel #romance #wattpad #inkitt #quotev #ya

[unabasheddinosaurkitten]

Rise Of Orthros Characters #8

Abigail Shoemaker: Chestnut, short hair double braided to reveal a round, friendly face. Hooded green eyes, set gracefully within their sockets, watch eagerly over the village they've barely related to for so long. Fire has left a mark stretching from just under the right eye , running towards the right side of her lips and ending above her left eye and leaves a pleasant memory of her unfortunate upbringing. A true ally among mages. She stands awkwardly among others, despite her muscled frame, as her kind vampires aren't well respected at times. There's something mystifying about her, perhaps it's a feeling of arrogance or perhaps it's simply her personality. But nonetheless, people tend to worship her, while commending her for her deeds.

(disclaimer the character in the image is what I envision the character to look like and to give the readers a look as well as to how they appear to be) 

#mage #mage girl #dragonriders #riseoforthros #action #adventure #romance #fantasy #YA #novel #fantasy novel #wattpad #inkitt #quotev

[unabasheddinosaurkitten]

Rise Of Orthros Characters #7

Jeff Jenkins: Blonde, shoulder-length hair awkwardly hangs over a fresh, tense face. Clear hazel eyes, set wickedly within their sockets, watch meticulously over the farms they've felt disconnected from for so long. Smooth skin delightfully compliments his cheekbones and leaves a gracious memory of his upbringing. This is the face of Grikug Hellsplitter, a true nobleman among orcs. He stands elegantly among others, despite his fragile frame. There's something bizarre about him, perhaps it's his hatred or perhaps it's simply a feeling of indifference. But nonetheless, people tend to become his friend, while treating him to a good meal when he's around.

(disclaimer all these pictures are what I envision them to be, so if you see this and want a read, then at least you have an idea of how they look and what they wear)

#orc #dragonriders #riseoforthros #novel #orc king #action #adventure #romance #fantasy #fantasy novel

[unabasheddinosaurkitten]

Rise Of Orthros Dragons #6

Atrastrasza (at-rast-ra-za)- This dragon's thick scales are lavender, shading to lighter on its underside. It has an elegant, elongated body. This dragon has elongated limbs with four digits on each foot that end in very short, blunt claws. It has gigantic, wide-set wings running from its shoulders to its lower back. This dragon has a tiny mouth. It has small nostrils. This dragon has narrow eyes that are the colour of beyrls. It has huge, frilled ears. Projecting above its nose is a single horn. Dragons abilities are: Scalding hot water and animal manipulation (can make any sound of an animal to distract enemies coming closer)

(Disclaimer again, the dragon pictures are also a reference to how they might appear the colour and how they look)

#dragon #novel #dragonriders #riseoforthros #purpledragon #romance #action #adventure #fantasy

[unabasheddinosaurkitten]

Rise Of Orthros Dragons #5

Zunzulzein (zun-zul-zen) - has an elegant, long body. Its scales are the colour of mixed blues, getting finer and less thick on its neck and tail. On the end of its tail is a spiked ball. This dragon has six short, muscular limbs with three closely-mounted digits on each foot that end in short claws. It has large, close-set, frill-like wings. A semi-transparent, membranous crest runs down its back. This dragon's head is misshapen and it has a tiny mouth with two tusklike teeth in front. It has round eyes that are green. A bony plate projects from the back of its skull, protecting its upper neck A series of tentacle-like tendrils sprouts from its chin. Dragons abilities: lightning strike from its mouth

(Disclaimer again, the dragon pictures are also a reference to how they might appear the colour and how they look)

#dragon #dragonriders #bluedragon #riseoforthros #novel #romance #action #adventure #fantasy