As Silven entered the cave once again, Yolei was laying down. The cloak was covering her such that she was warm, and her breathing was placid, calm. The slender hand was laying over the open book, arcane symbols seemed to glow at times. Silven smiled, the young mage had fallen asleep while studying magic.
The sun was beginning to filtrate through the cave's entrance, that made her prettier if that was possible. Disturbed by those thoughts, Silven looked away and a glimmer flashed through the corner of his eyes. The elf tensed abruptly as realization dawned over him like morning was doing over the woodlands. His head turned around and he crawled next to the sleeping girl. Yolei was not sleeping.
"What is she doing?" Silven was alarmed as he began to ponder the options to this question.
Not long after, the elven youth relaxed, and a tranquil smile crossed his lips. A knowledge spell. The girl was using a rather benign spell to drink the contents of the book. It was rather common for mages to use this spells in order of memorizing books during critic situations. Silven ignored how it would work with a nobel mage, and with a spell book. He confided on her however.
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Fenalian and Matt gasped at the vision before them. A large snake had emerged out of the water. It was a beautiful and terrible creature all the same. The body of the serpent that was outside the water towered over the mast, and its thickness could easily compete against the ship's thickness. The mouth was sharp and apparently toothless since the fangs were so tiny they couldn't tear, only grip ferreously. The body was covered with greenish and blue scales, blending with the colour of the water, and the stomach was a light blue and pearl, almost metallic and shinny. The eyes were aqua green, and there were four power fins, like a turtle's fins, placed instead of legs. A crest of leather ran across the head and back, and the animal shrieked almost in a melodious sound.
"A Sea Serpent!" Fen gasped loudly, her clear eyes glancing at the beast with horror.
"A what?" Matt said standing up as the ship calmed down.
"The most terrible of the inhabitants of the sea, and one of the most ferocious dragons. Little is known about them but it doesn't surprise me to see they are under Rakesh's orders." Fen said in a fearful hiss, "Come on men! Steer way, hurry!" her voice was firm and strong, as well as urgent.
The crew began to work rapidly, although the terror was accusing them all. The mysterious sea serpent swayed back and forth calmly, watching steadily the goings on the deck. Izzy and Kari came along, looking worried and curious all the same. Kari shrieked as her eyes landed on the monstruous animal, and Izzy tensed visibly, clenching his jaw.
"What is that?" Kari shrieked louldly, pointing with fear at the creature.
"There you are!" a hiss boomed on the air, making the ocean vibrate violently.
The serpent pounced forward, aiming at the two dragons, his eyes fixed on the silver female. Izzy shapeshifted in the copper form of a winged dragon. The creature growled and pounced on the serpent, making his head bend backwards and away from Kari. The serpet hissed and Izzy, in his dragon form, glided around the monster, his lips curled in a ferocious expression. The serpent was much larger than Izzy, in fact, it was the biggest creature that ever roamed the world of Becenykan.
"Izzy..." Kari whispered softly, her delicate fist placed upon her heart.
There was silence, everybody was frozen and the tension was so thick it was palpable. The two dragons were glancing at each other, the two reptiles evaluating the other's abilities. There was a slight mock, a very obvious grimace of disgust apparent in the serpent's features. The animal flooded superiority all over its pores. The dragon sneered visibly, showing a sharp tounge and a collection of minuscule teeth. Izzy, facing the challenge, growled showing his large fangs in comparison. The dragon pounced forward, fangs ready and claws prepared.
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Tai returned home after class, he was looking miserable, yet hopeful all the same. As he approached his mother, their eyes crossed in that question, that daily inquiry that had always the same response.
"Still nothing?" Asked Tai rather worried, yet still maintaining his hopes high.
"Nothing, your sister has been gone for days already." His mother said shaking her head in a contained cry, her hands covering her face as she tossed it.
"Right!" said Tai patting the woman gently, then retreating to his room.
Kari was not the only person who had misteriously vanished in this air. After Izzy's revelation and his unexplainable disappearance, things had been very strange. Suddenly, Tai froze in mid way to his room, the shadows of the corridor granted him cover. Realization dawned on his features, shaking his insides with fury and joy. How stupid could he had been? It all made sense, Izzy and Yolei were a couple, and suddenly he vanished and, two years after, three children vanish as well. Incredibly enough, Yolei is one of the children. It made sense!
Tai rushed towards his room and shut the door. He wrote a note for his mother, telling her that he had left to the library for some books, and that afterwards he would leave for a drink with a friend. Done that, Tai oppened the window of his room and looked at the street. It was very high, but he wasn't afraid, in fact, the heights granted him a strange sensation of security. Tai wasn't as intelligent as Izzy and Yolei, and he would never be able to figure it out by himself, but he was sure where the three children had left. To find Izzy. How? Yolei would tell him.
With a bright smile, Tai took his shirt of and stood before the window, half naked. The boy inhaled the warm, afternoon air, and grinned with calm and pleasure. Looking at the street once again, the boy pounced out of the window. Relief came as the air began to lick his bare chest. The youth enjoyed the fall, although it was brief and short, yet it filled him with excitement and joy.
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The serpent shrieked and leaned backwards as the copper dragon attacked him. A long, sinuous tail slithered out of the water and whipped Izzy's side. The dragon moaned in pain and was thrown against the ship. Knowing well he would sink the wooden structer, Izzy shapeshifted into a human and hit one of the sails, before bouncing on the deck. The boy groaned disgustedly while the serpent shrieked in satisfaccion.
"Izzy!" called Kari, leaning down to aid the fallen boy.
"I'm fine!" the boy whimpered through ragged breaths, "Just been a big impact!" he pointed out, moving his upper body upwards to a sitting position with his arms.
Kari looked up at the serpent. There was this thick pressure in her veins, and this flood of frozen water lurking inside her. Frowning visibly and grimacing at the serpent, the girl stood up and shook her long, creamy mane. There was anger in the tension of her muscles, there was fury and there was fear. A bright glow illuminated her body, and the girl began running towards the large dragon.
Kari leapt off the ship and into the water. There was a bright flash of crystal clear light, and the oceanic surface shattered into million liquid pieces. A silver dragon emerged, ferocious and powerful, still much smaller than the serpent, Kari was a magnificent dragon. Under the clear dawn, her body glowed with a dim golden haze, making her far more aurean and fascinating.
"Leave, now!" the silver female roared at the inhabitants of the ship.
"Ye' heard 'er. Lets go, men!" Fenalian motioned at her crew and rushed up to the steering wheel.
"Fen?" Matt barked, running after her, "Fen, you can't leave Kari here!" Matt growled gripping her arm and making her turn so she was gazing right into his eyes.
"Ye' heard 'er, brother. If we stay 'ere, either the ship is destroyed, and we all drow, or she'll not be able te' fight well, and be killed!" Fen said glancing at Matt seriously, "ye' choose... she's got a chance if we leave, and us too!"
Those words said, Fen got rid of Matt's grip and rushed away to steer the ship out of the battlefield. The boy turned around to glance at the retreating fight. The two dragons were locked in a deadly hug, both were already plagued with wounds and cuts, yet none was serious enough as to cause them any harm.
"Curious..." mustered Izzy from the distance, leaning against the main mast and still breathing with trouble.
"What is?" inquired Matt curiously from the other end of the deck.
"The serpent, he could have killed Kari already, but it seems as if he was trying her." Izzy explained glancing at Matt.
There was a crystaline sound, and a rather ferocious shriek. Taking the chance that the serpent was observing the retreating ship, Kari had fired a column of ice at the sea dragon. The monster shrieked painfully as his body was frozen, the water still covering his body causing this effect. Kari growled with joy, hence this feeling was not to last long. The monster shattered the ice and hissed, plunging forward and coiling around Kari's silver body.
"Relax, wyrm of night." The serpent said in a soft, calm hiss. "You have proven worthy."
"I... I don't get you!" Kari said almost choking at the serpent's grip.
"I won't hurt you, children, but you have fought valiantly." The serpent said, relaxing the grip on Kari and approaching the ship.
The dragon allowed Kari returning to her human self and placed his tail next to the ship to create a bridge for the young female dragon to cross. Kari hugged Matt and began sobbing with nervous trouble. The ship stopped its frantic retreat, and was replaced by a tranquil sway of the waves.
"Allow me to introduce myself, I am Velska, the Sea Serpent guardian of Aberyn." The dragon said with a soft hiss.
"Aberyn?" inquired Matt rather troubled.
"I've heard of it!" gasped Fen, "But it's nothing but a legend!" she said looking at the serpent accusatively.
"Precisely, that's the point, making it a legend so only the fair will find it." Velska explained extending his neck with pride.
"What is this Aberyn?" inquired Matt glancing at Izzy with curiosity.
"Aberyn is real, as far as I know. I've never seen it but Quicksilver comes from Aberyn. It is supposed to be a hidden island where the dragons of light live, where forgotten divinities end up." Izzy explained, yet kept his eyes fixed on the serpent.
"Very correct, young Wyrm of the Day. I am under Argenta's orders, and she told me to find the Saviours, as well as prove their worth and nobility. The female's sacrifice was very noble. But I question, there is three of you, where is the Hidden Daughter and the Shadow of Frozen Eyes?" Velska inquired looking back and forth across the ship.
"Who?" inquired Izzy standing more straight as the pain subsided.
"There must be five of you, and I see only three." Velska explained solemnly.
"The Hidden daughter... the Shadow of Frozen eyes, to triumph against darkness you shalt guide..." Matt said calmly, pulling apart from Kari, "Jag, and Yolei!" he snapped suddenly, understanding.
"Them?" Izzy inquired surprised, "But we don't know where they are, they could be pretty much dead!" Izzy exclaimed nervously.
"No, they are alive. Do not worry, I will guide you to Aberyn, and will make sure to find them!" Velska said swaying his head from side to side.
"All right, maybe we'll get something clearer about this prophecy!" Izzy commented standing straight and nodding solemnly.
"But you must sleep, nobody must ever know how to get to Aberyn..." Velska said swaying in a more notable way.
The people's eyelids began to fall, even before Fen could complain, something she was determined on doing soon enough. Before they realized they had been put under a spell, the bodies collapsed on the wooden deck and rested there, in a deep slumber. With a satisfied smile, Velska dived underwater and stood before the ship. Almost as if some invisible ropes were tied to him, the dragon began guiding the ship across the calm oceans.
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Yolei woke up lazily. She ignored how long she had been sleeping, but her had rested upon the closed surface of the book's lids. A rather sharp numbness hit her body, and she had to stretch notably before she was able to calm down the electric shots that coursed through her flesh and tortured her movements. The woman then walked out into the fresh day. The two horses were let loose, and both were grazing on the grass groing under the trees, no worries accusing the two equines.
"I wonder where Silven is?" inquired Yolei feeling a strange sensation of lonelyness.
As the young mage looked up, she saw something that made her body tremble with fear and excitement. Yolei gasped at the incredible scene before her clear eyes.
To Be Continued...
AN: I know it took me ages to continue this but I wanted to finish A Life To Live and its sequel, To Live A Life. I must say I'm really pleased with the results. I've also started a new story, Serious Misplace. However, since nobody is reading this, I guess it doesn't matter if I take ages to finish it, so...