Disclaimer: I don't own the Deltora Quest I'm just a really big fan!!
Author's note: Sorry this took so long guys! A HUGE thank you to everyone who reviewed! Espeically to Ice Angel - thank you sooooo much for puting my story on your favourites list! I'd like this story finished before Christmas, so here's chapter five!!
The Underground of Hope
- Black Fury
5 –Penn
Lief looked on in stunned relief.
'Penn! You are alive!! But how?' Lief smiled.
Penn staggered pass the spider's cage, looking nervously left and right.
'The dog, he was here, he could return at any moment…' She whispered.
'You mean the Fritz hound?' Barda grunted, as Penn cringed at the name, 'It disappeared after we gave it a whack or two.'
Penn's eyes widen and her ear's pricked.
'It-it is gone then?' She said excitedly.
'Well it's not dead, as such,' Lief smiled, 'But it is no longer on these rafts.'
Penn smiled for a moment then the smile vanished.
'But that is not good either!' She wailed, 'It has surely returned to its master and he will tell that you are here!! He will send more out after you!!'
Lief's stomach turned as he realized that what Penn said would be true.
'Then the Shadow Lord would know that the king of Del has left the kingdom and knows he is alive!' gasped Lief.
'Indeed that is not good news, but at least we gained something out of our losses.' Barda murmured.
'Not really enough,' Lief sighed, 'We only know that his plans have begun and that he is alive.'
'And that is useful information. If we had not learned that the Shadow Lord himself was alive we would have believed that Fiergasher was the soul survivor and was acting upon his own orders.' Barda sighed.
Lief nodded.
'I guess you are right,' Lief smiled, wearily, 'But what has happened here and how long ago?' Lief turned to Penn.
Penn bit her lip and looked around her house.
'I was not around to see it all,' she whimpered. 'I was a coward! I hid behind the cages of these spiders and threatened to release them on to the Shadow Lord's men if they came close. I did not help my people! I am such a coward! I'm a horrible, yellow backed coward! I should have help! I let them take them all away without so much as a whimper!'
Penn suddenly burst out crying, coving her face with her tattooed hands.
'It's ok Penn,' Lief began gently, 'They are very scary- when I meant that Fritz hound, I wanted nothing to be away from here.'
'Yet you stayed, and fought bravely no doubt!' She wailed.
'Barda was the one who defeated it not me.' Sighed Lief.
Penn's sobs slowed slightly and became quieter.
'Please tell us what happened, Penn, please?' Lief muttered.
'I don't know all that happened but things started to go strangely when the Pirran Pipe was being played yesterday evening, like it always is. It was played by Tirral, because it is still the Keras turn to keep the pipe. We were all listening to the music when quite suddenly it stopped,' Penn whined, 'The whole cavern shook and then suddenly the water began to have a current, blowing most of our boats and the Aurons in them towards Kera!'
'So a currant started. How?' Barda grunted.
'I'm not sure, it just-happened. Water comes in here through a hole on the Keras side, perhaps if another hole was made on the Plumes side, we would get a currant, but that is just a theory. I don't really know.' Penn wiped her tears aside.
Barda nodded and gestured for her to continue.
'We could hear nothing that happened over there but we could sense that it was bad. We all waited on the shore line nervously. We waiting for about half an hour and now I think of it that should been escaping in this time, we should have gone to warn the Plumes, but at this point we did not know anything of it,' Penn took a deep breath then continued,
'And then it all happened- in a flash of black cloaks and snarling teeth. At least twelve dark shapes zoomed towards us; some with young Keras in there arms. Two of the shapes were small and hunched over- one of these I now know as a Fritz hound. But at least three of the remaining ten were Ols!
'They attacked, burning our houses and destroying the rafts. I ran to here and hid, like I said. The second hunched figure came after me, he was beetle like with large claws, he would have killed me but he was sacred to go near the spiders. I could hear yelling and screaming, but I stayed where I was and that beetle creature watched me. I heard theirs plans to go to Plume and hoped they would leave me but they left that beetle to guard instead.
'Time past slowly but the others returned and the Fritz hound took the beetles place as guard…' Penn stopped abruptly, unable to speak anymore.
'So that hound has been guarding you since last night.' Lief muttered, grimly.
Penn nodded.
'Well you can't stay here,' Barda said gruffly, 'You must come back with us, where we can offer you protection.'
Penn's eye's widened.
'May I? May I really?' She smiled.
Lief nodded; 'And then we will go rescue the Aurons, the Plumes and the Keras.'
'And the Pipe?' Penn muttered hopefully.
'The pipe has sunk to the bottom of Kera territory and should be safe till we need it.' Lief mumbled.
'You mean it is not gone? It has not been taken?' Penn said excitedly.
'No it has not,' Barda grunted, 'though I do not see the use of it as far as the Shadow Lord is concerned. It did not work last time.'
Lief nodded, grimly. He was right. If the Belt and the Pipe had not worked before, then why would it work this time? Guilty, he remembered Jasmine's words.
The Keras' took us back to their land before we could make sure! How can you say the Shadow Lord is dead? We were plunged into water!
He should have listen and been more weary! Now all was not well and the Shadow Lord could have already filled Deltora with his servants again. Anyone of them could be Ols!
'We should return now. By the time we have found a way out of here, those back at the palace would have started to worry.' Barda grunted.
Lief nodded and tried to put aside his thoughts.
Disappointed, Jasmine slammed the book shut. That was the fifth of the Deltora's annals and there was still no sign, of dragons or amulets. Except for the small mention of dragons by Doran the Dragonlover, but he had once again concealed his meaning and this time she could make no sense of it.
She slowly moved the sixth annul towards her, when Drahen returned with the book on dragons.
'Here it is! I knew I'd seen it recently!' He smiled and passed the book to her.
Jasmine glanced at the cover:
The Discovery of Dragons
'How did you know where to find this book?' She inquired.
'Though dragons don't really exist anymore,' He began, 'that book tells of how ferocious and cruel the dragons are, yet the pictures portray them as beautiful and majestic. I do indeed like dragons and I have read this book, many a time in the short time of being here.'
'Why if, dragons don't exist, is it called the "Discovery of Dragons"?' She smiled.
Drahen shrugged and sat down opposite her.
'Dragons did exist, long ago, before you or I was born. There is a section in there about it.' Drahen tapped to cover of the dragon book in Jasmines hands.
'Thank you for helping.' She smiled and began to open the book.
'I can help further if you want, I have read up on them countless times, like I said.' Drahen answered.
Jasmine just nodded and continued to flick through the pages.
'Where is that section on dragons before they were extinct?' she inquired.
'Page 126.' Drahen promptly answered. Jasmine nodded a turned to the page:
Long ago there were seven great dragons flying across our night skies, roaming our field and occupying our caves.
The seven tribes of today, the Mere, the Plains, the Torans, the people of Del, the Jalis, the Ralad and the Dread Gnomes, all existed back then and each of them had dragon to guard and protect their lands.
The people of this time didn't fear their dragon; in fact they lived in perfect harmony. The humans provided sheep and cattle and the dragon healed their sickly and protected there land.
Each dragon was loyal to its tribe and to no other. In wars and battles it was the dragon that leads its troops to glory or graceful defeat. The humans respected the dragons and the dragons in turn trusted the humans.
Each dragon processed great powers, different to any other dragon.
The dragon of the Mere folk had the powers to warn off all evil from its people. She was also the most beautiful of all dragons.
The dragon of the Plains people had the powers to give hope to his troops, strengthen their sight and allow them glimpses of the future.
The dragon of Tora calmed and soothed his people and prevented them from poisoned food or water-a treat often sent to them by the Plains people.
The dragon of Del flew over his people every night and protected them from harm, he also strengthen their minds and helped them keep faith in hard times.
The dragon of the Jalis was just as war loving as his people and fought many times. In doing so he gave courage and strength to his people and kept then safe from the diseases they caught from people they fought. This dragon also had the power to cause true love, without this power the Jalis would have died years ago-not begin able to show there feelings for one another.
The dragon of the Ralad people could sense danger and misfortune from miles away. She could also ward off evil spirits and heal snake bites.
The dragon of the Dread Gnomes could sense danger and hated it when vows were broken. She had a high regard for honour. She could cure sores, ulcers and people who had been poisoned.
The dragons would fight for they people and disliked one another dragons, though in many cases they would be fighting there brother or sister. But as the years went by darkness and hard times arrived and battles became more and more and the dragons were being over powered and their people killed and taken prisoner.
None of the dragons could take it and jumped on the chance to save there tribe. This chance was present to them by a young man from Del. He had asked the people of each tribe to give him a talisman so he could save the people and each dragon agreed in turn and gave the man something extremely precious to them.
The man went away and told the tribes what the dragons had giving him, expecting them to be pleased with them. But they were not. They hated the dragons for it. Their loved ones were being killed and the dragons could no longer help, for the thing they had giving the man of Del weakened them when they were without it.
The dragons were no longer welcome and they fled to Pirra – a land with no dragons-a land that still respected the dragons. Matters were said to be discussed and the then a precious object was revealed. Four of the Dragons broke this object into four pieces- each taking one piece; the three remaining dragons took the case that had originally held the object. Four dragons flew away and returned to their lands but three remained in Pirran…
Jasmine stopped reading. The candle was low and her eyes where tiered but her mind was full.
Seven dragons, each leaders of a tribe, give some thing precious up, hated, fled to Pirra, three stayed; four flew back to their lands to hide…
She had seen what she had thought were four dragons- were they the dragons who left Pirra?
Black Fury: Yay!! Five chapters!!! I hope you enjoyed that!! Please tell me how I am doing and please review!!!! Thank you!!! Chapter six won't be up for a little bit, or I don't think it will because schools back :( Thank you again and please review!!!