Zanythia's Last Hope
~Prologue~
She said it would be easy. Just get the priceless, one in a century dragon egg to the contact in Los Angeles. Not that hard right? Wrong. Ronan's breath was becoming puffy clouds of white on the frosty air, he peeked out from behind the bricked wall of the cafe where he had been hiding, relaxing when he saw no razor-toothed demon chasing him. His heart was pumping like a piston, and beads of sweat had already soaked the tips of his maroon curls.
Clutched close to his chest like a precious jewel was the emerald-green shell of the dragon's egg. Its intricately patterned surface was bright and smooth, with a spiderwebbed design of yellow lines covering its stone-like shell. "You're more trouble than you're worth." Ronan set the fragile egg down by his feet, running the back of his hand across his face in an effort to mop up some of the stress sweat. His chest heaved with the deep breaths of someone who had just run a marathon, but for his life.
Ronan let his mind wander back to that rainy morning, remembering every detail down to the silken ruby underwear that Argon had been wearing. And they were too tight! Ugh. The memory sent shivers crawling up his spine, so he immediately put the medieval boxer shorts out of his mind. That morning, just as he was about to find out what happened between two boys fighting in the courtyard, a stocky guy with a chubby face and watery eyes had prodded him in the shoulder. "Master Titanvault, Lady Celeste wishes to speak with you immediately." the man had thrown his pudgy little hands up to guard his equally chubby face, his pot belly shaking.
"I'm not going to hurt you. I already told all of you, I'm not like my dad. Stop treating me like that abusive bastard!" Ronan swept past the terrified midget like a raging storm cloud, his fists balled so tight that his knuckles were whitened. His father, Ceren Titanvault, had been a ruthless general for the king's army and had whipped the townspeople until they bled to death unless they did as he demanded.
Ronan pushed his way through the heavy wooden doors of the sanctuary office, trudging angrily over the oaken floors and throwing himself into one of the leather armchairs placed in front of her desk. Her. The one who had brought him to this wretched place. The one who had saddled him with the responsibility as a Guardian. She sat there fingering the stem of her goblet, that bright pair of green eyes skewering him and seeming to peg him to the wall. Celeste Stronghammer. The living goddess. The one everyone worshipped like a queen, just looking at her made Ronan roll his cobalt-blue eyes. What's so great about bringing in orphaned boys and training them to be the protectors of giant lizard eggs?
"As you know, Mister Titanvault, the rarest dragon in the world, the Luminous Drake, only lays eggs every hundred years. This makes them incredibly valuable to anyone who is able to get their hands on the offspring." Celeste fixed him with one of her dangerous, green-eyed gazes, one that said "Do what I say, or there'll be trouble."
This piqued Ronan's interest, the Luminous Drake was an exceedingly rare reptile that had been his favorite topic in learning about the different types of exotic dragons that occupied the Dark Forest. "I'm listening." he couldn't help the huge grin that crawled onto his face, and he tossed his rust-colored curls for extra effect. Celeste narrowed her eyes, her pretty yet broad face was framed by flame-colored locks that cascaded down her shoulders., and her olive skin glowed as she spoke. "The dragon has successfully laid her egg and has entrusted it to the Circle." she ran a finger along the egg's glossy surface, its green shell was nestled safely into a vibrant magenta cushion, as if it was the prized crown of a rich monarch.
"What's this got to do with me? Surely you have someone within the Guardians that is more able bodied to carry that monster." Ronan thrust a muscled finger towards the egg, his azure eyes tracing along its maze of yellow designs. "I want you to transport it to Los Angeles, California in the real world. Word says that our Trackers have found a girl there with the makings of a Rider. They think she has the potential to take the throne before that sorry excuse for a Prince can get his grubby paws on it." Celeste took a swig from the goblet, the rich red liquid sloshing back and forth inside the delicate glass.
She had then thrust the precious egg into his arms and had pushed him out the door, leaving him to fend off his rabid, razor-toothed followers himself. Ronan jumped out of the way just before a jet of white hot flame had singed the spot on the sidewalk where he had been standing not thirty seconds before. Casting his eyes towards the thickly-clouded sky, he caught sight of the ugliest creatures he had ever seen in his life. Screeching angrily above him were a pair of night-black griffins, only these two were three times the size and crossed with what looked to Ronan like lynx. Each creature had a pair of powerful, sleek wings and claws so sharp that they could slice through steel. Their beady red eyes rolled as they shrieked, thrashing their mighty black heads and lashing their serpent-like tails.
"So this is Blaize's best attempt at stealing the egg? How pathetic." Ronan taunted the monsters by putting his hands on either side of his head and sticking his tongue out, bolting like a rabbit. The Grudgeons are too stupid to let themselves be seen by the mundanes, he recited to himself, but sure enough, the Grudgeons had pursued him with there talons outstretched. Screeee! the creatures flew with the speed of an oncoming car, their crimson eyes pinned on him as if he were a running t-bone steak.
Running with the egg cradled close to his chest, Ronan weaved through people strolling on the sidewalk, frantically searching for a safe storage place. It was then that he saw it. The green backpack laying on the bust stop bench, as disgruntled as it was, it made the perfect place to hide the Luminous Drake egg until the Grudgeons lost his trail. Skidding to a stop, Ronan swiveled his head around to make sure no one was looking his way, and when he determined the coast was clear, he slid the egg into the bag.
As soon as the egg left his palm, he made a run for it. His feet carried him off behind the stone pillars of the American National bank, hiding him from view just as the yowls of the Grudgeons swept by. Letting out a sigh of relief, Ronan touched his forehead and slumped against the pillar. His feet felt as if a ton of bricks had been dropped on them, and his head was beating like a drum. "Thank the Lord..." he muttered halfway to himself, and peeking out from behind the pillar, his heart sank into his feet. The backpack was gone!
'My first real assignment, failed...' Ronan thought, beating his fist against the stone pillar. Sighing, he picked himself back up and made his way over to the big oak tree standing near the bank, its crown of branches reaching majestically for the sky. As he traced the entrance runes into the bark of the trunk, he didn't see that the backpack had been slung over the shoulder of a girl, and that the egg was already on its way to finding its destined Rider.