Magma Comes to the Surface

The Riders of ICARIS were in the sleep cave testing out Jun's dragon forged shield. Every rider and every dragon present threw everything they had at it, but nothing made a dent. Avalon and her group combined their fire breath and fired at the shield and still didn't dent it.

"Wow, not a scratch," said Jun, picking up the shield. "Seems like this can hold up against any dragon attack. She tossed it to Tom.

"You know we could all use something like this to defend ourselves against those Flamethrowers," Tom said. Suddenly something smacked into him and he found himself stuck to the wall upside down. Eugene laughed and approached the group with his dragon Webbmaster. Apparently Webbmaster had shot his flaming webs at Tom. All the Riders and their dragons glared at him.

"What?" Eugene asked, smirking.

"You want to get off provisional status, but then you act like this," said Jun.

"Someone could have been hurt," D'Angelo scolded.

"Like me," said Tom. Avalon, who was closest, wrapped her long thin tail around Tom and pull him free, setting him on his feet. "Thanks. Maybe the shield isn't for me."

"What about that lightening rod you have?" Jun suggested. Tom went over to the large slab of silver crystal he'd wielded against the Skrill. He picked it up.

"It's too clunky," he said. "But It'd make a great sword."

"You could turn it into one," said Jun.

"And put some quality leather on the handle so you don't burn yourself again," said Avalon.

"Great, we'll just head down to the local forge," said Alex.

"We don't need a forge," said Tom. "We just need heat. And I know someone who can help with that." He looked over at Avalon's group, Edelweiss wasn't among them. "Edel didn't come up with you guys?"

"No, Queen Paradise of the Featherhides came to her this morning with a toothache," said Apollo. "So she stayed behind to fix it for her."

"We can check on her on the way," said King Eider. The Riders all got on their dragons and they headed out to the Crystal Realm.

As they were crossing the fissure Jun looked over at Avalon. She was still wearing her iridium crown and her orange pearls.

"Are those melo melo pearls?" Jun asked. Avalon looked sideways at her necklace.

"Why yes they are," she said. "Would you believe that my sweet Eider spent many years searching the vast ocean just to find me these. I like making my own jewelry, it's my hobby."

"Wow, he must really love you then," said Jun.

"Yes, and I him," said Avalon. "So I never take this off." She smiled fondly at her soulmate who was farther ahead. She then looked sideways at Jun. "Apollo said you're interested in mythology."

"Yeah, I recently read about the Isle of Avalon," said Jun. "Do you think it still exists?"

"Maybe," said Avalon. "The Isle of Avalon means island of apples. So it could exist anywhere." She gave Jun a mystical look, then flew up to join Eider.

They reached the Crystal Realm and headed for Edelweiss's cave. Inside they found her talking to the Featherhide queen. She smiled as her friends entered.

"So what are you lot up to today?" She asked.

"I want to make this into a lightening sword," Tom explained, holing up the shard of crystal. "So we're looking for the Magma Breather."

"Well you're in luck," said Edelweiss. "I saw him just today." She turned to the Featherhide queen. "I'll come see you later Paradise." Said dragon chirped presently and left the cave. Then the riders spotted the Flamethrower sleeping in a nook in the wall.

"You have a Flamethrower in here?" D'Angelo asked, moving towards the sleeping dragon. Edelweiss used her staff to block him.

"Scorch is my patient," she said firmly. "I found him with a hurt wing and I'm taking care of him."

"You are aware of the trouble the Flamethrowers have caused right?" Alex asked.

"My mother was the best dragon healer in the world and she never turned away a patient," said Edelweiss. "So I won't either. Now if you want to find that Magma Breather, I think I saw where he went." She mounted Eider and they all headed back out.

They soon found the Magma Breather in another part of the Crystal Realm.

"There he is," said Tom. "He's not a forge, but he produces plenty of lava." D'Angelo looked disapproving.

"You want this guy's help?" He said. "No. Last time we saw this guy he looked at me like my dad looks at a bacon cheeseburger." They all landed around the Magma Breather. He looked miserable, he barely noticed everyone around him. He moaned and gasped.

"This guy's going to help you make a sword?" Eugene asked skeptically. "Doesn't look likely."

"Last time this dragon wouldn't stop barfing up magma," said Tom. "Something must be wrong."

"I can't believe I'm saying this," said D'Angelo taking a deep breath. "But I better give him an examination." He set down his bag and rummaged through it. He pulled out a thermometer and turned to the Magma Breather. The dragon stayed still as D'Angelo inched closer to him, holding the thermometer at arm's length. Suddenly the dragon turned to look at him, and snapped his jaws making D'Angelo jump back.

"Would you like me to do the examination D'Angelo?" Edelweiss asked calmly. D'Angelo looked at her, almost gratefully.

"Um, I'm fine with that," he squeaked. Edelweiss dismounted and pulled out her medical bag. She calmly and quietly approached the Magma Breather. He spotted her and snorted anxiously.

"Easy fella," Edelweiss cooed. "I'm not going to hurt you." She gently stroked his snout. "We just want to help you get better." The dragon relaxed a bit. "What's your name friend?" The dragon took a deep breath.

"I'm Inferno," he said, weakly.

"Nice to meet you," Edelweiss said. She pulled out her stethoscope and listened to the dragon's heart and lungs. She sang softly to him and it helped him stay relaxed. Then Edel pulled out her thermometer and measured the dragon's temperature. Then when she finished, she turned to the others. "It appears he has a very high fever and it sounds like something's blocking his stomach that makes the magma." She stroked the Magma Breather's side. "Poor thing."

"Were you actually singing it a lullaby?" Alex asked.

"It wasn't a lullaby," said Edelweiss. "It was just a regular song. Lots of dragons like music."

"Do you have anything that can X ray him and see what's causing the blockage?" Jun asked.

"Um no," said Edelweiss, looking nervously at her queen.

"There's an X ray in the infirmary," said Tom. They all looked at him.

"And how are we supposed to get him up to it without being seen?" Jun asked. "He's very big and very sick."

"We'll wait til nightfall," said Tom.

"I have something that can help get him moving," said Edelweiss. She reached into he bag again and pulled out a tiny vile filled with a thick green sludge. "And as a warning to you guys; don't every try this yourselves." She flicked the lid of the vile open with her thumb and waved it under the Magma Breather's nostrils, and staying to his sight rather than right in front of him. The dragon's eyes went wide and he bolted forward, snapping his jaws. Edelweiss jumped onto Avalon.

"What is that?" Eugene asked.

"It's dragon root," said Edelweiss. "It has a very powerful scent and I used it help get a dragon's adrenaline going, to get them on their feet. But it's not to be used lightly, it gets dragons really riled up and aggressive." She opened the vile again and wafted the scent towards Inferno. He perked up and snarled. "To the fissure." She turned Avalon around and ran towards the fissure, with Inferno right behind them. The other riders got on their dragons and followed. Avalon wasn't the fastest runner, but neither was Inferno. He kept up with the Avalon and she only had to be a fast canter to stay out of his reach.

Soon they reached the fissure. Inferno laid down again. Edelweiss put the dragon root vile back into her bag. They all looked out at the fissure and at the woods above.

"How are we going to get him to the top of the fissure?" Jun asked.

"We got this," said Eugene, patting Webmaster's head. "Leave it to us."

"Actually Eugene, why don't you go above and check for danger," said Tom timidly.

"So like, recon?" Eugene asked. He looked slightly disappointed.

"That's a shame," said Edelweiss. "Because the web stretcher I have is too small."

"Maybe next time Eugene," said Tom. "When you're off provisional status." Just then Wu, Wei, and Thunder started pushing Inferno towards the cliff. They pushed him off and he caught himself with his small wings.

"Hey, he can fly," said D'Angelo relieved.

"Problem solved," said Tom. But then Inferno started sinking.

"Eider, do something," said Avalon, panicking. Eider, and Black Widow took off and managed to catch Inferno before he sank too far. They carried him up towards the top of the fissure. Everyone took a deep breath. The Riders got on their dragons and flew up to the top as Eider and Black Widow set Inferno down on the grass.

"Nice catch," Tom said to Eider.

"Thank you," said Eider, he and Black Widow slapped their tails in a high five.

"It's getting dark," said Tom. "Our parents should be home by now, so we should be able to get the Magma Breather to the infirmary without being seen."

"His name's Inferno by the way," Edelweiss added. Just then Eugene started barking out orders. Jun pinched the bridge of her nose.

"What am I going to do about him?" She hissed angrily to Avalon.

"Give him a job to do," said Avalon. "That's why he's slacking or goofing off, because he has no tasks to do." Jun sighed.

"You sure?" She asked.

"I am a queen," said Avalon. "And I've had a few dragons on my council that have goofed off and slacked. So I send them out to the wall around our waters, to keep an eye out for any human aircraft that might get too close to our boarders. It keeps them busy." Tom, who had overheard, turned to Eugene.

"Actually Eugene, why don't you stay out here and guard the dragons," he said, gesturing to the dragons.

"You're just trying to blow me off again," Eugene grumbled.

"No," said Tom. "This is a very important task."

"Important enough to get off provisional status," said Alex.

"We're trusting the secret to you," Tom continued. "You have to make sure that no one sees them." Eugene straightened his back.

"You got it," he said.

"I can stay behind too," said Edelweiss.

"We're actually going to need you with us Edel," said Jun. "Inferno seems to like you. And he'll need to be kept calm." Edelweiss glanced nervously in the direction of Rekketown.

"You'll be fine Edel," Avalon assured her. "No one's going to see you." She spoke with such confidence that Edelweiss took a deep breath and seemed to relax.

"All right," she said. "What about you guys?" She looked at her dragons.

"We'll be watching from above," said Apollo. "Keep a look out for night guards." Edelweiss reluctantly dismounted. She went over to Inferno and calmly stroked his back. The other Riders all helped escort the big dragon towards Rekketown. Avalon and her dragons took off and flew in wide circles over them.

It grew dark when they entered the town. They led Inferno over to the large central dome. They got inside no problem, but then they got to the door of the infirmary. Edelweiss entered first and kept Inferno calm. The Riders tried to push him through the door, but he didn't fit. Edel pulled as they pushed harder, but it did no good.

"He doesn't fit," said Jun, frustrated.

"How did I not see this coming?" Tom said. "Any ideas?" No one spoke and he slumped against the Magma Breather's flank. Then his eyes fell on the convenient store across the hall, and an idea came to him. "I got it." He ran into the store and came back out with sticks of butter. "Time to grease up a dragon." He tossed the butter to his friends. They all sneered the butter over every part of the Magma Breather they could reach. Tom then tossed a few sticks of butter to Edelweiss so she could grease the front side. Then when the dragon was all buttered up, they tried pushing him through the door again. This time he slid right in, and across the floor. Edelweiss managed to get out of the way before she got ran over.

A few minuets later they got Inferno onto a gurney and over to the X ray machine.

"You think you can do this part Dr. D?" Edelweiss asked. D'Angelo looked at the Magma Breather.

"He's pretty out of it," he said. "Should be no trouble at all."

"And I can stay and help, just in case," said Jun.

"All right," said Edelweiss. She, Tom, and Alex went back into the hall way to keep watch.

"You sure you don't want help too?" Tom asked.

"Well, I thought I'd give D'Angelo a chance," said Edelweiss. "Plus he can probably operate the machine better than I can." No sooner had she said this then there came a loud commotion from inside. A moment later D'Angelo stuck his head out.

"We could use a hand," he said. Tom, Edelweiss, and Alex exchanged a glance.

"You keep look out," Tom said to Alex. Then he and Edel went into the infirmary. Inferno was running around, roaring in fright. Everyone scattered to get out of his way, but Edel bravely ran in front of him. He stopped his eyes scanned the room as though looking for a way out. Edelweiss stroked his snout.

"You're okay," she said gently. "I know this is all new to you. But these guys just want to help you, and they need to use this stuff to do so." Inferno took several deep breaths and relaxed again.

"Thanks Edel," said D'Angelo.

"It's all in the voice and the attitude," said Edelweiss. She led Inferno over to the X ray machine. "A dragon's not going to trust you if you keep acting afraid." D'Angelo fired up the machine and scanned the Magma Breather with it. Images flashed on the screen. They soon saw a chunk of crystal lodged in what looked like a airway.

"That crystal seems to be blocking his magma maker," said Tom. "It makes sense. He doesn't belong in the Crystal Realm."

"Can you get his mouth open Edel?" D'Angelo asked, taking deep breaths.

"You sure?" Edelweiss asked.

"I'm the doc, it's what has to be done," said D'Angelo. Edelweiss turned to Inferno, stroking his snout and whispered to him in Dragontongue. Inferno opened his mouth as wide as he could. D'Angelo rolled up his sleeves and reached down the dragon's throat. Edelweiss kept Inferno calm and still. A moment later D'Angelo pulled out the crystal. Inferno closed his mouth but didn't look relieved. He started panting heavily.

"Why didn't that help?" D'Angelo asked. Alex felt the dragon's side.

"Is temperature's going down," she said. Edelweiss felt Inferno's skin as well.

"It's going down too much though," she said.

"Maybe the crystal didn't just block the magma," said D'Angelo. "It also prevented him from producing any. Dragons are cold blooded like all lizards. So without his ability to make magma, he can't keep himself warm."

"He's freezing to death," Jun panicked. "We need to warm him up."

"Blankets," said Alex. They pulled thick blankets from the shelves and threw them over Inferno. Edelweiss kept stroking him, but he seemed to be loosing consciousness.

"It's not working," said Jun.

"He needs to be heat up, not just kept warm," said Tom.

"We need to get him back to the Fire Realm, and fast," said D'Angelo.

"How will we get him back down the fissure, and keep him heated?" Alex wondered aloud.

"I know how, but we've got to hurry," said Jun. They hoisted Inferno onto the gurney, and wheeled him outside.

Once they cleared the town; Avalon and her group joined them. Edelweiss brought them up to speed as they headed back towards Eugene and the other dragons. When they reached them, everything seemed fine. Though Eugene had a suspicious look about him.

"How are we going to get him back down to the Fire Realm?" Tom asked. "He's not only big, but he's also unconscious."

"As well as slipper and covered in butter," Alex added.

"If you guys can keep him steady, I can carry the bulk of his weight on my back," said Eider. They went to the edge of the fissure. Wu used his hot breath to keep the Magma Breather warm.

"We're going to need all the dragons to pull this off," said D'Angelo.

"We're one it," said Eugene eagerly. They all looked at him and Webbmaster.

"And the previsional team can watch our six," said D'Angelo. Eugene frowned and looked disappointed.

"Avalon and I will stay behind too," said Edelweiss. "Until you make it safely to the cave entrance." She mounted Avalon. Eugene looked at her, almost gratefully. The rest of the Riders got on their dragons and helped heave Inferno onto Eider's back. They large purple dragon swayed dangerously under the Magma Breather's bulk, but managed to find a balance and stay upright. He then slowly and carefully lifted off the ground. The other riders and dragons surround Inferno and kept him in place. They slowly and carefully made their way down the fissure. Edelweiss, Eugene and their dragons watched anxiously. Things were starting to fall apart about half way down. Wu was running out of heat and Eider was starting to loose his balance. Avalon swished her tail anxiously. Webbmaster squawked and fidgeted.

"We're watching their six," Eugene said. "And I don't want to mess them up." But then the Riders lost their grip and Inferno rolled off Eider's back. Eugene took off, and Edelweiss was right behind him. Eider and Black Widow caught Inferno in their talons. But he was still slick with butter and they couldn't hold him. Inferno fell again. Then Eugene and Webbmaster dove out of the air. Webbmaster shot a web at a few stone spires, creating a safety net. Inferno landed safely onto it. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Eugene steered Webbmaster around their handy work then turned to their fellows.

"Each of you grab a tether," Eugene said. They didn't hesitate and flew down to the Magma Breather. Eider and Black Widow each gabbed two corners, Wu and Wei and Plowhorn grabbed the other two. They hoisted Inferno towards the Crystal Realm and the Fire Realm.

Once they all reached the entrance to the Fire Realm; all the riders except for Edelweiss dismounted since they didn't have their fire suits on. The dragons then carried the Magma Breather into the safety of the Fire Realm. The only dragons that remained behind were Thunder, Avalon, and Webbmaster. Tom turned to Eugene and smiled at him.

"Nice work Eugene," he said, holding out his fist. Eugene beamed and bumped his fist.

"Good enough to get of provisional dragon rider status?" Eugene asked. Tom looked at Jun. She looked hesitant, but then smiled and nodded her approval. Tom smiled back at Eugene.

"Yup, you're in," he said.

After the Riders got their fire suits from Edelweiss's cave; they went into the Fire Realm to find the Magma Breather perfectly happy again, rolling a pool of his own hot lava. Tom picked up his shard of silver crystal.

"One lightning sword coming right up," he said. He then dipped it into the fresh lava.