When I woke up all I saw were tree branches above me. there was a light breeze flitting through the branches and chirping noises high above. Beneath me there was the hard ground cushioned by fallen leaves laying all about me. my head hurt, and the rest of me felt as though I had been run over. Not a pleasant feeling in the least. But I knew that I was somehow alive. Leading me to believe that somehow after I remembered it my wall of ice worked. When I looked around me though all I saw were trees. Slowly I sat up and in front of me I found that white drake. She was curled up into a ball shivering slightly. If I wasn't me I still wouldn't believe that she was a white drake. She just didn't act like it. She seemed too much and not enough.
Standing up I only took a step before I snapped a twig. Then she was wide awake and looking at me. she didn't say anything but merely observed me. she was far quieter than I thought she would be, considering how we met. And yet it didn't faze me at all. After a time, I finally went about what my plan had been and since she had been shivering.
I started looking for fallen sticks, twigs anything to get a little bit of warmth. It was a rather chilly morning. The whole while she just watched me. finally, when I was done I decided to test how strong my magic was at the moment. Picking a spot I grew more creeping vines and they slowly slithered across the ground and wrapped themselves around stone to them bring into a small circle. Glancing over I saw the girl shrink back. And that reminded me what she had said before the ice wall.
"None of the kings let us use it."
Once the ring was done I put some twigs in the newly made pit. All the while she still just watched me. and then I leaned down and blew on it. At first you couldn't see anything. But then a small flicker of flame danced along the branches. And that's when she leaned forward.
"I didn't know we could do that?" She whispered awestruck. And then she sat up and looked at me before talking to me. "Show me how to do that. The fire thing you just did." Unknowingly I had just showed someone what we could do. And I wasn't even skilled in a lot of things.
"If I show you anything we will start with water. I don't want you burning down the forest thank you" I told her. She seemed disappointed at first but then her eyes lit up.
"Alright deal. But first we should probably continue on our way. King Thorin is the worst of them on the East side of the misty mountains. and he is always the first to take us and get rid of us. Whatever that means. But right now, we have to go through the elf kings forest. And he is frightening in his own way. Though some say he can be reasoned with. And I almost forgot, what is your name?" She asked suddenly. I tilted my head to the side a bit and just looked at her. Giving her the prospect of learning something new and suddenly she was this whole new person.
"It's Adaline. What's your name? And where are we going." I answered and asked.
"Elain or E for short. And across the mountains. Somewhere to the west. It's better than here. Some of them over there are like the kings over here, but there is one or two we can go to that will help us." She spoke as if I should know this already.
"Where are you from?"
"Another world."
"Do they let you use your magic?"
"Yes."
"I wish I had been born there. Wait you said another world." She stopped grabbing my arm and halting me mid step.
"Yes. Is that a problem?" I answered turning so we could continue. Her right beside me.
"Yes and no. The dwarf King finds out though and it might be a problem." She said
"Dwarf king?" I looked at her wondering what this person was like.
"Yeah he is the one who lives under the mountain. right by Dale where we ran from." She answered.
"Oh, that guy." I mumbled it under my breath.
"You met him? Does he know? He mustn't, if he did he most likely would have killed you. But why would he let you out of his sight? You're a powerful white drake. And black drake round here would keep you close." She spoke so fast that it was hard to keep up for a second. "What happened?"
"I don't remember it happened so fast." I lied. She looked at me but didn't seem quite content with that answer. We continued on for a while silent. Only stopping to eat or sleep for a while. Never lingering doing our best to at least clumsily cover our tracks as novice adventurers might. It went on like this for days maybe even weeks. But let me say this, it would happen to you if you knew the sort of danger I suddenly found myself in.
Mr. Bellrift had spent three weeks trying to find Adaline. It was his job to watch over the young after all. Even if it was to make sure that they weren't causing too much trouble. But for the life of him no matter in which world he looked in there was no sign of her. It was simply as if she had vanished. And Ator would tell him of nothing about if she was well or not.
He didn't like it but here he was forced to continue on going to schools and 'teaching' those young non-drake humans. He knew they didn't care. He mainly got paid to do it so he did. Occasionally meeting a drake here and there. But never anything significant. It was almost like beating his head against a wall right now. And it just wouldn't end.
E was walking a bit ahead of me having just informed me that we were finally getting close to the edge of the woods. How she knew this I didn't know but I went with it for it was all I could do. She also sold me that it had been three weeks since we had left the little clearing and I had promised to show her what I knew.
Speaking of she is doing rather well. She has a good grasp on the water. And loves manipulating the air around us. she learned how by herself to make it warm and cold. A feat I still struggle with. And now she is teaching me how to. Along the way we play games strengthening our understanding of what we know and, learning new tricks as she calls it perform.
"You know I once heard that king Thorin was able to manipulate the metals around his kingdom. Make it molten and still be able to touch it those sorts of things." She finished telling me everything she had ever heard rumored.
"I think I read about that once. I don't remember what they are called but they in particular are powerful because it's from what I understand not an easy feat." I told her.
"So, it could be true?" She asked.
"I guess. I would make sense he is a dwarf in a kingdom that mines their riches from the earth."
"What about you?"
"What do you mean?" I asked kicking a dirt clod out of my way.
"Is there anything you are really good at?" She asked.
"I kind of know a little bit about a few things. I'm not overly good at anything." I answered. At least I never felt like I was all that good. She gave me a look that I had gotten used to like she didn't believe me. and then we heard a twig snap to the right of us. turning I looked but didn't spy anything until I figure about as tall as me broke through the little clearing we found ourselves at and plowed me over.
I hit the ground all of the wind being knocked from my chest making it hard to breath. For a few seconds, I even admit that I started to panic a little when I wasn't getting any air in my lungs before suddenly I was coughing and rolling on to my side. E had been paralyzed with fear at the intruder and seemingly couldn't even blink. So, I did what my brain did told me to. Like there was another voice. And all I could think of was my water figures. One then appeared out of the ground feet up. As his head finished forming in his hands a long ice spear grew, one end finishing in a sharp point. The person who ran into me jumped up and backed away.
"I am so sorry. The elves were chasing me and I ended up right here I don't even know if they are around I promise I didn't mean to." He went on and on as my soldier put the spear right at his throat. Waiting for me to make it do my bidding. Coughing still I slowly started to make my way to a standing position. When E finally said something. An odd noise that I can't even begin to describe. Followed by a simple word
"What?" she said that and I turned to look at the boy. He didn't seem to be old enough to be an adult.
"Who are you?"
"Names Aiden." He replied backing up slightly. My soldier following.
"Alright Aiden you're going to pretend you never saw us. you do that I won't turn you into the elves." I spoke firmly.
"Okay, we can do that." Then he motioned for me to make the soldier back up. It did two paces before he took off in the path he had been on before running into me. he seemed to be and odd one. At least here in this world. And then me and E looked at each other and it seemed to dawn on us, the elves.
We ran fear of being captured over taking our minds and pushing us to get out of there. We barely stopped for any breathers. Hoping he had been right and the elves had stopped following. But we didn't dare test our luck. It didn't take us long though to break free from the woods and there we were in a large grassy area. The mountains closer than ever. Beckoning us to the safety just on the other side of them. If we could make it over them of course. We ran a little bit more before we stopped for the night hunkered down by a large rock. That night we didn't dare make a fire. Instead relied on huddling close together every once and a while warming the surrounding air. That was mostly E. I still struggled to even make a bit of warmth.
The next morning both exhausted we got up and made our way closer and closer to the misty mountains. That day we were quiet. But it wasn't just us, there was something else. The world was tense as well. The air stagnant, hot and heavy. Yet we continued on, pushing past our discomfort. By the time we stopped that night, I felt as if I was going to die. I didn't want to make a fire for fear that we were being watched. Little did I know that I was right.
I woke up to hear a shuffling noise not too far from me. eyes half open from sleep I saw a shadow hovering just above me. admittedly I screamed. Not the best plan of action but I screamed and swung my fist at the shadow. And considering the yelp I knew it wasn't just out of surprise. E was immediately up and getting ready to do something. With the shadow figure, thing backed away from me I scooted even further away. And then I heard it speak.
"Wait I'm sorry. I… I know I shouldn't have snuck on you two but I have nowhere to go." It, I mean he spoke. And then something struck me as odd. I somehow knew that voice. I didn't know where from though.
"Well who are you?" Suddenly asked E.
"It's Aiden, remember?" he almost sounded dejected that we didn't know who he was off the top of our heads.
"Aiden… who?" she asked.
"You know the one who ran into the white drake a couple of days ago." He said. And that's when it hit me. one of the few I have I inevitably threatened since my coming to this awful place. So, maybe it's not that bad but I keep finding myself in bad situations.
"Yeah, by the way don't ever do that again please." I said. I stood up and found that it was too dark to do anything. So, I sat back down. Somewhere in my scream and the small exchange clouds covered the moon. Or what little moon had been shining. I could hear the other two sit down as well. We waited for the darkness to shift back to light. When it didn't come after a time. I sighed and laid back down. That seemed to be the signal for the heavens to dump every bit of water down upon us.
If they had seen my face they would have seen annoyance. And I just laid there. E was making some noise. And Aiden was cursing under his breath.
"Adaline what are we going to do?" Asked E. in my head I was think a bunch of not good things. One of them was hunting whoever thought this was a good idea and giving them a sound beating. Though I know it wouldn't go down well. Mostly because typically things like this mean the work of god. And he would win. He always does.
"We will just have to use our magic." I said. And then with a small flourish of my hand I had the creeping vines making a shelter. Slowly it was cocooning us protecting us from the elements. E then started warming the air surrounding us. and I drew the water from us, it seeping through the cracks of our little nest. And that is how the three of us found ourselves together. Little did any of us know what was coming our way.
Ator watched the elves chase the little human. At some point though they must have grown bored of for they turned back. And that's when he ran into Adaline. She seemed shocked and just lay there. He could see her struggling to catch her breath for a moment before quickly protecting herself. And then he was gone and the two white drakes went on their way. Rather quickly mind you, afraid someone would see them.
He then watched the night that little human came back to them. And he watched her blindly swing at him. He shook his head at that. It was very un-drake like. But then he watched them converse before the darkness surrounded them. And then the rain followed. Thankfully this time she remembered the magic. Hopefully this will be a long reprieve. He could sense there was trouble around the corner. They just needed to get over the mountains.
For this time, King Thorin realized he had made a mistake. And he had sent his best to hunt her down.
Thank you for reading. Please tell me what you think. Tell me if you liked it or not.
