Chapter 4

Seeing Both Sides

Rose stood in the center of Horizon Island, open grass surrounding her for a mile in every direction. Rose's eyes shifted around the area, her wings twitching a bit as she waited for what was to come. Suddenly, from her left, a burst of fire lanced through the air. Rose jumped back, flapping her wings as she took flight. She formed her hands into a triangle in front of her face.

Rose pulled her head back, fire licking at her lips before she breathed out through the triangle. The fire turned ice blue, becoming as cold as snow before meeting with the other spire of fire. The two blazes clashed, canceling each other out.

Rose smiled, landing gently on the ground. A strange wind began to blow, the sky turning dark as lightning clashed. Above Rose, the storm began to circle until a funnel began to drop down out of the sky. Rose dove out of the way just as the Tornado touched down. The twister began move, tearing across the grass as it headed towards the forest.

Rose stood up, taking flight as she tried to get ahead of the twister. Then, she heard a cry. Rose paused in air long enough to see a young Unicorn fleeing from the tornado. The storm seemed to hear the Unicorn's cry, and began to chase after it. Rose dove out of the sky, racing against the tornado as she scooped up the young Unicorn. Rose then flew clear of the twister. Hovering in air as she watched the entire storm disappear. The sky cleared, and the beautiful sunshine weather returned.

After setting the Unicorn down on the ground, the young mystical creature running off towards the forest. Rose smiled, watching the Unicorn disappear in the nearby trees. Rose soon regretted letting her guard down, a surge of lightning cutting through the air and striking her in the back. Rose toppled to the ground, but quickly regained her footing.

In the distance a huntsclan member stood with a spear, lancing with electricity, held tightly in his hand. Rose glared at the figure, getting down into a defensive position as she said, "Give me you your best shot."

The huntsclan member held his spear up, the energy surging as shadows danced all around. Suddenly, from each shadow a figure began to rise up. Before Rose knew what was happening, she was facing an entire army of huntsclan members. Rose gulped, "Okay, that's a pretty good move, but I'm still not impressed."

The huntsclan members shouted, charging forward with spears at the ready. Rose took flight, landing in the center of the mass of warriors as she began to fight. A trio of warriors lunged forward, but in one quick motion Rose swatted them out of the air with her tail. Another huntsclan member charged forward, but Rose grabbed the spear out of the huntsclan members hand and flung him away.

The fight continued for several minutes, but with each Huntsclan member that tried to bring Rose down got thrown down. Finally, the entire army was out cold, all except one. The first huntsclan member, the one that held the powerful lightning spear, had not attacked. Rose turned, smiling as she said, "I can keep doing this all day."

The huntsclan member glared, his eyes narrowing as his grip tightened on the spear. The huntsclan member then disappeared, being enveloped in a sphere of darkness. The sphere grew larger, and then disappeared to reveal the Huntsmaster. The Huntsmaster reached down to his belt, pulling out a long sword surging with green, laser energy.

The Huntsmaster focused his vision on Rose as he said, "Your betrayal will not go unpunished."

Rose growled, a bit of anger building in her heart, "You took me from my parents, and told me they died just after I was born. If anything, I should be punishing you for the years of lies, the years of deceit, and raising me to do what I would have never done by choice, hurting innocent magical creatures."

"Well, then let the punishment begin." With that the Huntsmaster lunged forward, holding his sword high. Rose charged forward, holding her claws out to clash with the steel blade. Then, just before Rose could reach the Huntsmaster he turned into mist, disappearing into thin air.

Rose paused, a bit of confusion on her face as she asked, "What happened?"

Kryos came flying down from the sky, where he had been watching the entire thing. It had been a training session, every creature and entity Rose fought a creation of his magic. Kryos landed, moving up to Rose as he said, "We will have to cut today's training short. There is a problem that requires the attention of the American Dragon."

"Then why can't Jake handle it?"

Kryos turned, spreading his wings as he took off. Rose followed, listening intently as Kryos said, "Since you came here I have been keeping tabs on Jake and Lao Shi. I know for a fact that Jake is on a trip with Lao Shi to China. It seems that there is some trouble at the Great Wall, and it required two dragons. That, however, has left the U.S.A undefended. A Seven Headed Hydra is attacking a dwarven mine in Colorado. If we don't help, those dwarves could be buried alive."

Rose nodded, following Kryos as they neared the cave, "What are your commands Dragon Master."

"You need to run inside the cave and grab Voris. Then, come to the cave entrance. By the time you get back I should have a portal spell ready." Rose bowed her head once, taking Kryos's orders as they neared the cave. Kryos landed, watching as Rose flew straight into the cave before he began to work his magic.

Inside the cave, Voris was snoozing inside his mirror. Rose burst in, landing with a crash in the middle of the room. Voris woke up, blinking his flaming eyes as he said, "What is with all the noise."

Rose turned, grabbing Voris as she said, "Sorry, Kryos asked me to come and get you."

Voris groaned, "You should have just said. Here, I'll make it easier." Voris's mirror then began to glow, changing shape until it was the same size as a watch. Voris then strapped himself to Rose's wrist, the glow ending as Voris said, "There, no can I go back to sleep."

Rose nodded, taking flight again as she went back out of the cave. Kryos finished just as Rose reached the caverns entrance. He nodded his head, seeing Voris securely fastened to Rose's wrist before he turned and leapt through the portal that now hung in the air. Rose followed, diving into the portal like she would dive into a pool. The portal shut a moment later, and reopened in Colorado. Kryos and Rose exited the portal, looking around the night bathed Rocky Mountains.

Rose circled the air a few times, her eyes trying to see in the shadows of the moonless night, "Where is the Hydra?"

Kryos hung in the air, his wings the only part of his body that moved. His eyes were closed, his senses opening, "Now, young dragon, you must trust your senses. A dragon can feel disturbances in the magical world. Just calm yourself, quiet the storm of your mind, and listen."

Rose nodded her head, taking a deep breath as she began to float in the air. Rose then began to hear it, as if a faint whisper. Cries, shouts of fear, and the sound of snapping jaws, seven of then.

Rose opened her eyes, turning as she dove down towards a nearby mountain side, "Over here."

Kryos nodded, staying where he was as he said, "Well done Rose. Now, let's see you handle a creature you have only scene in your lessons with Voris."

In the distance, at the base of a mountain, smoke billowed out of a mine that was believed to be abandoned. In truth, the mine was only a way to go between the surface and the dwarven city that lay below. Right now, the city was in a state of panic. Dwarves ran around in every direction, trying to escape the roaring fires and tumbling rocks. In the center of the village, with seven great jaws snapping at every dwarf that came to close, was the Hydra.

The Hydra was something straight out of Greek mythology. With the body of a lizard the Hydra grew heads, two new heads sprouting each time one of its old ones were sliced off. The Hydra growled, licking its lips as it finally cornered a small group of dwarven miners against the side of the cavern. The dwarves were shaking in their boots, each wondering if they would escape the terrible, seven headed, Hydra.

At that moment, a pillar of fire rushed through the air and the Hydra in the back. Each head of the Hydra turned, there gazes locking on Rose as she hovered in the air. Rose hesitated a bit, stepping back as the Hydra began to walk towards her, "You look bigger in real life."

Rose shook her head, gathering up her courage, "Still, I won't let you hurt these dwarves." The Hydra sneered, licking its lips as it began to imagine how Rose would taste. Though it wasn't something many magical creatures talked about, it said that dragon meat was the sweetest, most delicious thing in existence. For many years the Hydra had craved to just taste dragon, and now would be his chance.

The Hydra charged forward, its jaws snapping at rose with terrible ferocity. Rose flew backwards, dodging and weaving as she tried to escape the Hydra's fangs. Rose finally got enough distance from the seven heads to go on the offensive. Rose circled around, diving into the mess of heads with a stream of fire clearing her way. The heads dodged the flames, one of them pushing through the flames and chasing after Rose.

Rose looked back, trying to think of a way to defeat the Hydra. As Rose continued to fly, she noticed that while one head continued to chase her, the others seemed to be watching from a distance. Rose then smiled, remembering something from her huntsclan training. The one handed knot. Rose banked, turning back towards the other six heads as she planed her moves.

The Hydra continued to chase Rose blindly, its seven heads snapping at her as she flew between them, like a feather dancing on the wind. Rose dipped and dodged for almost ten minutes before she flew away from the Hydra, smiling as she examined her work. The Hydra's necks and heads had become tied in a huge knot. Rose chuckled, landing in front of the Hydra, "I wonder, should I put a tag on it saying Don't Open Till Christmas?"

The Hydra grumbled, struggling to untie itself. Rose saw this, and quickly began to look around. Her mind flipped through the hundreds of spells she had learned from Voris. None of the necessary materials were present, but Rose still needed to do something before the Hydra freed itself. Rose then snapped her fingers.

Rose took flight, circling around the ground as her tail dragged across the ground. Rose circled ten times, each time dragging her tail at different point and lines. The Hydra began to undo the knot that had become their neck, but it wouldn't be able to finish its work, because Rose finished hers first.

Rose landed, the cloud of dust she had stirred up settling to reveal a mystical spell design. Rose gently let her tail drop, digging into the energy of her life force as the symbol around her began to glow. Rose felt fire building in her throat, a sign that the spell was working. Just as the Hydra got its first head unknotted, Rose opened her mouth and a burst of green flames spewed into the air, the flames enveloping the Hydra. The dwarves that had once been running slowly crept forward, wondering what was happening as the green flames rages.

Rose shut her mouth, raising her tail so that the spell was brought to an end. The flames cleared, and the Hydra had disappeared. The dwarves began to cheer, running up to Rose. One dwarf, a miner with a beard that was longer then he was said, "What did you do to that beast?"

Rose smiled, slowly walking forward as her eyes locked on something hiding behind a crate, "Oh, nothing much. Let's just say being bathed in fire made him shrink in the wash."

Rose bent down, her claws wrapping around the small creature that was hiding off to the side of the street. She stood back up, turning to show the dwarves what was in her claws. It was the Hydra, shrunken down to the size of a small cat. The dwarves smiled, one picking up an ax as they edge towards Rose, "Great, now we can repay the Hydra for all the destruction it's caused."

Rose stepped back a bit, and was surprised to find her hands shacking. In truth, it was the Hydra trembling in fear of the miners. Rose looked back up at the dwarves and asked, "Tell me, did you do anything to make this Hydra attack?"

The dwarves stopped, all of them falling silent. The silence endured for a few moments until one dwarf spoke up, "Well, we were digging a new mine when we came across a large cave. In the center off the cave was a nest with a few eggs. We were hungry after digging all day, and we didn't want to go home for lunch."

Rose scowled, "You ate this Hydra's eggs, didn't you?"

"Now wait, there were ten eggs and they were huge. We couldn't have eaten all of them, even if we wanted to. Three off them are still there."

Rose snorted flames, showing her disgust of the dwarves' actions, "I should have let this Hydra destroy your silly mine, but there is no sense undoing the spell now. Still, if I hear that something like this is happening here again, you won't just have a vengeful beast to worry about."

The dwarves nodded, not wanting to tangle with the dragon that had just defeated a seven headed Hydra. Rose took flight a few moments later, carrying a mining pack on her back and the shrunken Hydra in her claws. Rose flew through the dwarven tunnels, searching until she found the Hydra's nest.

The Hydra in Rose's hands squirmed, trying to get to her nest as Rose landed. Rose smiled, letting the Hydra down as she said, "I'm sorry, if I had known I would not have shrunken you so small. Still, I think I can make it up to you."

With that Rose began to recast the shrinking spell, making the nest and three remaining eggs as small as the Hydra. Rose bent down, inspecting her work. She then looked down at Voris, tapping the glass of the mirror watch. Voris came into view, yawning as he said, "What can I do for you Rose?"

Rose turned her arm so Voris could see the shrunken Hydra and nest, "Does it look like these eggs and nest are the right size."

Voris blinked a few times, his glasses appearing over his eyes, "Hmmm…in comparison to the Hydra beside it, I would say that the nest is just about the right size. The mother Hydra commonly creates a nest just big enough that she could lay down on it and have just enough room to spread out and lie with her legs stretched out to thief full length."

Rose nodded, "All right, thanks Voris."

"Anytime Rose. Now, I was having a lovely dream."

Rose laughed, taking the dwarven pack of her pack. She reached down, taking the nest and eggs before placing it in the bag. The mother Hydra snapped at her claws, but Rose just ignored it as she picked the mother up, and set her inside the bag as well. Rose looked down inside, smiling as she said, "Though you're a bit smaller, I'll make sure you and your babies are safe. Dragon's honor."

The Hydra looked up at Rose with questioning eyes. Though Hydra's didn't have the ability to talk like most other magical creatures, they still understood at least five different languages. Finally, the mother hydra nodded her seven heads and curled up on top of her eggs. Rose smiled in return, using a pen in the bag to write out a quick gravity spell. It would keep the eggs and mother up against the bottom of the bag, even when Rose was flying in circles and loops.

Rose began to fly back through the dwarven mines, heading for the surface. As she flew, Rose couldn't help but feel a little guilty. She had jumped to conclusions, and hadn't seen the reason why the Hydra would be attacking the dwarves. Still, she was happy she had seen the truth before the dwarves had had a chance to hurt the mother Hydra, or her last three children.

Rose cleared the mines, flying back into the night time sky just as the sun was beginning to rise over the eastern horizon. Rose looked around, but couldn't see Kryos anywhere. The only thing she saw was a small blue jewel floating in midair. Rose flew over, gently reaching out to try and grab the jewel.

The sapphire jumped out of Rose's hand, flashing as Kryos's voice began to fill the air, "Rose, this is your final test with me as your dragon master. As the sun rises, it is the 1st of July. Your challenge is to find your way to New York, and get there before the 4th of July. You have until the last firework dims from the cities firework show to meet me at the top of the Empire State Building. There, if you make it in time, I will teach you my final lesson. The art of changing from your dragon form to your human form. I wish you luck Rose, and await your arrival. "

The sapphire glowed for a few more seconds, and then disappeared from sight. Rose hung in midair, her eyes wide as she thought of what she had been just given as a challenge. For some strange reason, Voris decided to wake up. After yawning loudly he looked up at Rose, saw her shocked face, and asked, "I'm sorry, did I miss something?"