Disclaimer: Anything you may recognize as the works of Ms. J. K. Rowling or Mr. Christopher Paolini do not belong to me in any way possible. Other things may be recognized as well, so take care to note that these, too, are not of my possession, but just of my use in this story. Finally, any character that is not recognized, and the plot-line, belongs to yours truly.
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The OpalEye Chronicles
When Dragon Flames
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Chapter One
Endaira Rezagrats was home alone. She had woken up with a small fever and was deemed unfit to go to the penultimate day of school. Her younger brother, to say the least, was pissed that she got to stay home form school and he didn't. In other words, he "woke up sick" as well, but being six years old, didn't have the sense to warm the thermometer by means of a hot lightbulb. Her sister, however, left without a care - school was her social hours. And she had a test that day.
Endaira's parents were currently at work and she was sitting up in bed, reading a book. Her dark brown curly hair was pulled back into a frizzy ponytail - stray hairs that were too short to reach (thanks to an encounter with her sister and a pair of scissors when she was younger) sticking up in front. She often thought she looked like a poodle with a bush on its head. Her brown eyes were watery and her nose was red. The waste basket beside her bed was beginning to overflow with used tissues.
It was as Endaira was turning the page of her book (The Odyssey, by Homer) that our story begins. In the center of Endaira's bedroom, a bright white light appeared. At first, Endaira didn't notice it, too immersed in the tale of Odysseus. But as the light grew brighter, she looked up, startled.
Slowly, she placed the bookmark in the book and put it down on her night table and stood up. Endaira squinted at the center of the bright light. Just then, the light grew brighter and filled the room. She threw up her arms up to shield her eyes. However, she could still see through her closed eyelids.
Finally, the light was gone and when Endaira opened her eyes, she found that two things had happened. The first was that her cold was gone. She no longer felt all stuffed up and feverish. The second was that something had appeared on the hardwood floor in the middle of the room.
It was an egg.
Endaira stared at it, perplexed. The egg was a pale grey and rather large for a common chicken egg. In fact, it was larger than any egg she'd ever seen. A thought occurred to her suddenly. It could be a dinosaur egg fossil.
But how on earth did it end up in Endy's room?
And what was the whole deal with the light?
Going over to her drawer, Endaira pulled out a shirt and, using this, carefully picked up the egg fossil. She knew that she had to be careful, or else it would shatter, it was that fragile. Gently, she placed it on her bed and threw the shirt on the floor.
Carefully, slowly, she reached out a finger and touched the smooth shell of the fossil egg. She immediately drew her hand back. The egg was warm.
How on earth could it be a fossil if it was warm?
Cautiously, she touched it again, this time going as far as placing her palm against the grey surface. Just as quickly as before, she drew her hand back with a sharp intake of breath.
The egg wobbled.
Endaira stared at the egg, eyes wide, unbelieving. It wasn't possible. It couldn't be happening.
A dinosaur was going to hatch.
Here in her bedroom.
In the twenty-first century.
When it should've hatched over sixty-five million years ago.
The absurdity of it all made her want to laugh, but she was frozen as she watched the egg on her bed wobble harder, rocking back and forth. Endaira bit her lip. She just hoped it wouldn't be anything like a velociraptor. Suddenly, the egg stopped wobbling.
Endaira let out the breath she had been holding. She then let out a shriek.
A crack had appeared along the side of the egg. It pitched toward that side as whatever was inside made its way out. The crack widened. More cracks appeared. And then a chunk popped out.
Whatever was inside made a chirping noise.
Now Endaira stood up and moved away from the bed. She had read Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park, and even though it was fictional, chirping noises were made by velociraptor babies.
Whatever it was, Endaira wasn't taking any chances. She stayed far away as the thing inside the egg pushed away more of the shell. A snout suddenly poked out of the hole, and Endaira gasped. It was not a velociraptor. Oh, no. It wasn't even a dinosaur.
The snout was white with a pearl-like sheen that, unless she was mistaken, had not velociraptor qualities to it. Definitely reptilian, but what it was exactly, she did not know. Frowning, she remembered reading about those scales somewhere. Then it clicked. Quickly, she went over to her bookshelf and pulled out a thin, red book entitled Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them - a book by J. K. Rowling to go along with her Harry Potter books.
Flipping through the pages, Endaira stopped at page eleven just as more eggshell fell away. Her eyes fell on the page and she read:
Antipodean Opaleye
The Opaleye is a native of New Zealand, though it has been known to migrate to Australia when territory becomes scarce in its native land. Unusually for a dragon, it dwells in valleys rather than mountains. It is of medium size (between two and three tonnes). Perhaps the most beautiful type of dragon, it has iridescent, pearly scales and glittering, multi-colored, pupil-less eyes, hence its name. This dragon produces a very vivid scarlet flame, though only by dragon standards it is not particularly aggressive and will rarely kill unless hungry. Its favorite food is sheep, though it has been known to attack larger prey. A spate of kangaroo killings in the late 1970s were attributed to a male Opaleye ousted from his homeland by a dominant female. Opaleye eggs are pale grey and may be mistaken for fossils by unwary Muggles.
. . . eggs are pale grey and may be mistaken for fossils by unwary Muggles . . . That explained the fossil-like egg, Endaira thought. Iridescent, pearly scales - so far. She just had to see the eyes, and then she would be sure if she had a baby dragon in her room or not.
Looking up she saw, to her amazement, the egg gone, its fragments littering her bed. Amidst the pieces of broken shell stood a lizard with a long body and an even longer tail, and a head like a arrow attached to a long neck. It stood on four, short legs with clawed feet. Its scales were pearly and, as it moved, changed colors. But what was most amazing were the large, thin wings that unfolded behind its forelegs, where were, too, of pearly resemblance. Moving closer to the baby dragon, Endaira looked at its eyes and saw pupil-less, multi-colored eyes looking back at her. So it was an Opaleye.
A chirp from the dragon brought Endaira out of her reverie. She slowly sat down on the edge of the bed and the baby Opaleye wandered over to her. Slowly, cautiously, Endaira reached out her right hand to touch the dragon, who reached out with its muzzle and met Endaira's palm.
Endaira cried out as a blast of icy energy surged into her hand and raced up her arm, burning in her veins like liquid fire. She fell back from the dragon. Every part of her body seared with pain. She struggled to move, but was unable to. Finally, warmth spread once again throughout her body. Shivering, she sat upright. Endy looked at her numb hand and watched as the middle of her palm shimmered and formed a diffused white oval. The skin itched and burned like an irritated mosquito bite.
Breathing hard, she looked from her palm to the dragon, who watched her curiously, and back again, her eyes widened and she jumped when she felt a a tendril of thought brush across her mind, it was filled with curiosity and hunger. Endaira gasped and ran over to her bookshelf. She pulled out a thick, hardcover book. Eragon, by Christopher Paolini.
She flipped to the chapter called "Awakening" and read exactly what had just happened to her. Flipping to the end of the book, she searched through the Glossary, finger trailing down the list of words in the "Ancient Language." It stopped beneath "gedwëy ignasia" which meant, "shining palm."
Endaira sat down on her desk chair. She couldn't believe it. The Dragon Riders were real. And she was one of them.
She felt something nudge her hand, which she found was shaking. The nudge had come from the Opaleye dragon. She had come over and Endaira felt that thought brush her mind again. The dragon was hungry.
Grinning, she said, "C'mon, let's go get you some food."
She picked the baby dragon up in her arms, finding it surprisingly light, and took it down to the kitchen. Endaira opened the fridge and looked in the meat section. Shrugging her shoulders, she told the Opaleye, "I hope you like salami. It's all we've got." She pulled it out and shut the door.
She ripped the salami into little bits and fed it to the newborn, who ate it gratefully. As she fed it, Endaira thought.
If this is an Antipodean Opaleye, then does that mean Harry Potter is real? Nah - probably just a dragon who fits the description. It needs a name. I wonder what gender it is?
Endy opened her mind until she felt the strange connection that was her link to the dragon. She felt content come from the dragon for being well fed. Are you male or female? she asked it.
The dragon cocked its head at her, and she felt confusion. Perhaps it didn't understand. She tried again. Are you a she?
Then she heard it. Like a musical note it rand, deep and clear in her head.
Yes.
Endaira grinned. Now for a name. Not Saphira, definitely, she thought. Quickly, she ran upstairs and grabbed the Eragon book and came back down. She leafed through the pages until she found the list of names.
"Let's see . . . Jura, Hírador, Fundor - no good. Male names," she said out loud. She skipped two pages and found it at the bottom.
"Miremel? No, she's a brown dragon. Ophelia?" she asked, looking up at the dragon.
No.
"Fine. How about Lenora?"
No.
"But that's the only other name! You make this difficult, you know?"
I know. This time, Endy could hear distinct amusement in the dragon's voice.
Endaira racked her brain for a name, comparing each one to the dragon.
Sandrilene from Circle of Magic? No, don't want to take from Tamora Pierce, she thought. How about a Greek goddess? Athena? No. Eos? Nah. I know!
"Selene?"
The dragon cocked its head. Selena.
"Selena? Whatever floats your boat. I like it, though," Endy told the Opaleye.
Just then, Endaira heard knocking at the door. She glanced at Selena and silently ordered her to stay put. She slipped out of the kitchen and walked to the front door. Looking through the blinds, all she could make out was the tall figure of a man and flaming-red hair. She unlocked the door.
"Oui, Monsieur?" she asked.
"Oh! Er . . . Bonjour, mademoiselle. Je m'appelle Charlie Weasley-" he began.
"Charlie Weasley?" Endy interrupted him. "You're kidding, right? Some hoax involving Harry Potter, right?" She looked over his shoulder. "So where's the camera? You gonna tell me I got Punk'd or something? Stupid show, you know."
"Er . . . this has nothing to do with Harry Potter, miss," he went on in an English accent. It was then that Endy noticed what he was wearing.
A robe. He was seriously wearing a robe. Green in color, it went as trailed all the way down to the ground. She noticed his hands had many scratches and burns on them.
The supposed Charlie Weasley continued. "I am here on behalf of the Department for Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, Dragon Division."
Endaira cut him off again. "Sure you have. And I'm the Minister of Magic. Unless you can do some real magic, please stop bothering me."
The man glanced around and sighed. He pulled out a long thin piece of wood and pointed it behind her.
"Wingardium Leviosa," he said and Endaira looked and gasped. Her backpack, thrown carelessly on the floor, was now hovering at eye level - on its own.
Charlie Weasley lowered his wand and the backpack fell. It landed and all of her books fell out. Endaira frowned at the mess and turned back to Charlie.
"Well, do come in," she said, and stepped aside to let him through, grinning. She closed the door behind him and led him to the kitchen in a daze. Selena looked up and chirped, snapping Endy out of her reverie.
"Yes. This is why I am here," Charlie announced. "You see, recently - er - someone stole three eggs from the dragons in Romania. A Common Welsh Green, a Swedish Short-Snout, and an Antipodean Opaleye. I am here to collect the egg - er - dragon, and will return with it to Romania. You will, of course, have your memory modified-"
"No way! You are not taking Selena! And besides, I know all about the wizarding world! Ever hear of J. K. Rowling?" Endaira said furiously.
"Who? Look, miss-"
"Endaira. Endaira Rezagrats," she told him and moved protectively in front of Selena.
"Mis Rezagrats. This dragon is a dangerous beast-"
"She is not!" Endy protested. "I've read about Antipodean Opaleyes. Selena wouldn't hurt more than a sheep!"
"Selena? Don't tell me you've named it. And how do you know so much about this dragon? Whatever, I don't want to know. I am here under the authority of the Minister of Magic and must bring this hatchling back to its mother before anyone finds out that it's missing! Why you would want to keep it is a mystery to me. It is a dangerous beast, classified XXXXX by the Ministry of Magic and has the mentality of a chicken. Now, if you'll excuse me," Charlie said pulling out his wand.
His comment about Selena's intelligence sparked Endaira's anger.
"How dare you call her stupid! She is an intelligent creature! I don't care what the Minister wants! Scrimgeour can go stick his head in a pile of shit, for all I care. You will not take Selena away and you will not erase my memory!" She shouted this last part, her anger overflowing.
The lights began to flicker as the cabinet doors started to open and close, making loud smacking noises. The chairs began to spin across the floor in a crazy dance of sorts, and Selena jumped onto Endaira's shoulder when the table she was sitting on began to buck like a bronco in one of those Spanish bullfights.
Endaira's eyes widened as Charlie looked around him amazement. Looking at Endy, he suddenly realized where all the magic was coming from. Quickly he waved his wand around and everything stilled.
"What just happened?" Endaira asked, stroking Selena's neck to calm down the quivering dragon.
"You should control your magic better, you know, how come you didn't tell me you were a witch?" Charlie asked her.
"A . . . a witch?" Endaira looked at her palm where the gedwëy ignasia shone. Then she grinned. She was a witch. "Awesome! Let me see!"
She walked over to the stove and, turning the knob to let out the gas, held her palm over the stove and whispered, "Brisingr."
Nothing happened.
"Guess the Ancient Language doesn't work. Fine, how about, Lumos?" She held out her palm and a white light shone from the center, pooling out into the kitchen and making it seem brighter. "Cool!" she exclaimed.
"Amazing," Charlie breathed, staring perplexed at the white light.
"Nox," Endaira muttered and the light went out.
Charlie frowned. "How do you know the incantations if you just found out that you are a witch?"
Endaira sighed. "Hold on," she told him and left, thinking it would be easier to show him than explain it all.
I wonder how he's going to take it? she silently asked Selena.
We'll find out soon, she replied.
Endaira quickly gathered up the six Harry Potter books and brought them back to the kitchen.
"Well," she muttered under her breath. "Here goes nothing."