Chapter 10: Into the Dragon Country
The slow ride on the plank of The Adamantium made Anthony fall asleep. The current was not as strong as he expected. Carell kept watch in case there was a dragon that happened to fly by. He never took his eyes off the sky.
All of a sudden the board stopped moving.
"Anthony?" Carell asked while giving him a little shake, "Anthony, wake up! We are on the shore and we must get undercover before the dragons spot us.
Anthony groaned. Not only was he tired, but he was sore from laying in the same spot on the plank for so long. The sand felt like it was moving underneath his feet when he tried to stand and so he fell back to the ground.
"Are you ok Anthony?" Carell asked his friend.
"Yes I am okay! Just do not have my land legs back yet I guess," Anthony replied.
"You had better find them soon. I think that I just heard a dragon roar right over the bend of those trees!"
That gave Anthony the little extra push that he needed in order to get back up and push forward. It was like he had gotten his second wind. The forest that lined the coast wasn't that much further. Carell and Anthony entered the cover of the trees just in time for three dragons came swooping over their heads.
"Where is that ship?" one of dragons as red as a rose exclaimed, "Oreon said that we would be able to see it from the shore and it is not there. Maybe he picked the wrong shore."
"Be quiet Fangpire!" A black dragon roared at the significantly smaller dragon, "You must not know your place well enough to know that you do not question the authority of your superiors. And may I remind you that my father was once a prince of this very country and he would love to see you writhe underneath the grip of his claws."
"Well, I would love to see you try to cart him all the way to Mephistopheles by yourself. Darkaesus," a brown dragon stated as he walked over to what Anthony saw as the biggest dragon that he had ever seen in his life, "He fights his way through just about anything anyone in authority has to say to him."
"There are three of them," Carell whispered as he tried to quietly inch his way closer to Anthony, "Have you been able to hear any of the conversation?"
"I heard that they were looking for your captain's ship and that the black one has a father who delights in watching things writhe underneath his grasp," Anthony replied back in the same manner.
"Let us listen to what else they have to say." Carell instructed Anthony by pointing toward the three dragons that stood in front of them.
"He did say that his father had destroyed the ship with the humans on it. They still could be alive somewhere," Darkaesus stated as he tapped Temper with a clawed finger and pointed toward the tracks in the ground.
"I think they spotted us!" Anthony whispered urgently to Carell, "We need to hide in order to avoid being captured by those dragons."
"You are right. But why would they want us?" Carell questioned.
"I think that I heard that they wanted the map." Anthony replied.
"Well then we must hide!" Carell stated as he inched further away from where they sat.
"What about all these leaves?" Anthony stated as he grabbed several palm leaves that had fallen to the ground.
"Good idea!" Carell said as he laid down on the ground and laid the leaves on top of him.
Anthony did the same thing but moved further away from Carell as not to attract attention.
"I smell human!" Fangpire exclaimed to the others as they drew near to the end of the beach and the beginning of the forest.
"I think that they were watching us, because their smell starts here," Temper argued as he pointed toward an opening in the trees.
"Fangpire," Darkaesus stated in a scheming voice, "Why don't you go and take a look?"
"Me?" Fangpire questioned, "Go in there?"
"Yes or are you one of those dragons that are too afraid to enter forests?" Temper asked as he became a looming presence over Fangpire.
"No I am no coward when it comes to forests, sir," Fangpire stated as he trembled not from the forest, but from the stare of his master and leader.
"Good then I suggest that you get moving!" Darkaesus demanded as he pushed Fangpire that was over an entrance to the forest.
Fangpire stood still and stooped low to act like he was smelling for the humans. But really he was terrified of forest because of a legend that had existed since the rule of King Branaugh who was the great grandfather of Orion and Oreon.
The legend was that there would be twins that would precede the twins who would find the crystals. One turned evil and ravaged the countryside by hiding in the forests waiting for any unsuspecting dragon to treck through. When someone would come across his path, then he pounced on them, killing them in an instant.
Fangpire had been told that story all of his life and it caused him to be terrified. He had no idea that the said dragon from the legend was all locked up in a cave on the island of Mephistopheles never to attack another dragon or human ever again.
"Do you smell them?" Temper called after Fangpire.
"There is a strong smell of human in this area, but I think they have left before we got here!"Fanpire yelled in return.
"They could not have gotten away!" Darkaesus argued, "Their smell is way too strong."
"Well I hate to put a raincloud on your parade Darkaesus, but that is what I think happened."
Anthony peaked around one of the leaves and glanced as the dragon whom he heard was called Fangpire. Fangpire was right next to him. If he was to move any further to his left, he would step on Anthony and in an instant, he would be found. He watched as the looming presence of this beast hovered over his hiding spot like a dog does to his prey.
"There's no one here,"Fangpire reported.
"There has to be someone here," Darkaesus stated.
"There is no one here!" Fangpire stated.
"Come back here and we will look on the rest of the beach," Darkaesus exclaimed very angry at Fangpire, "They have to be around here somewhere."
Anthony arose from his hiding place underneath the leaves. He glanced around careful to keep watch in case the dragons returned. Went over to where Carell laid shook him to get to stand.
"Are they gone?" Carell questioned Anthony.
"For now anyway. Do you think that they were coming for the map?"
"Most likely that is what they were after. They mentioned something about a Dragon my guess is that is in a higher rank than they are wanting to find the Adamantium so that they can find the other half of the map," Carell stated.
"So they have the other half of the map?" Anthony inquired.
"They must have or they have a copy."
"How would they have a copy?" Anthony argued.
"Take out the map," Carell instructed.
Anthony did was told and unfolded the map.
"You see how the papers torn on one edge? That is a sign that the paper had been torn. So there is another part of the map somewhere but I have no clue where it would be," Carell stated in a clueless manner.
"So we won't be able to find all five of these crystals?" Anthony asked in a disappointing tone.
"It looks like that's the case. The only way we would be able to find the rest the crystals is if we run into the person with the other half of the map."
"We don't even know who has the other half of the map, except that it is most likely a Dragon," Anthony stated.
"That is most likely true but we cannot come in contact with dragons it could be too dangerous," Carell stated.
"Well then we should start looking for it."
