Oh, how Sophie hated him. Rancor had given her trouble since the moment they met, which was not too long ago. Suddenly, she had an idea. Lord, is this yours? she prayed. Without really knowing what she was doing, Sophie felt a strong urge to carry out the thought. "Here goes nothing!" she gasped as she collected her new partner into her arms and jumped out the window. The urge to grasp or claw at something to keep from falling was so strong that Sophie could feel her hand moving towards the wall, even though there were no hand holds.
What have you done? You know I can't support you even if… I… tried? The hatchling said with surprise, gradually growing large enough to ride. How did you know that was going to happen? Never mind, just climb onto my back and we can take a ride on the danger express.
Sophie just shrugged and climbed onto his back. Which way do you want to go?
I think we should head northeast, he said. Now, as for my name, I choose… Drecor.
All right then, from now on you shall be DRECOR, Sophie said dramatically. "I wish I had brought or at least stolen a set of bow and arrows, but I guess for now we'll have to try to avoid the ARROWS THAT ARE COMING RIGHT AT US!" Sophie cried out, forgetting that she could think what she was trying to tell Drecor.
They were finally able to land somewhere northeast of the castle in the general vicinity of a ridiculously small "town". There Sophie got some supplies with the few coins she had managed to gather before coming to this strange world. As soon as she got back to Drecor, she knew something was wrong.
We have to go, now! He said with surprising force, the enemies are nearby. They are different from the earlier ones, though. They are not human, elf, or even dwarf! They are bat-like creatures with their young, and both are extremely dangerous.
Sophie was shocked; Drecor must have been talking about the deadly Ra'zac and Lethrblaka! What are we waiting for, let's go! Sophie exclaimed, knowing that soon dusk would reduce their hopes of escape to almost nothing.
By the time dusk fell, the two were already on their way north again, this time with many supplies, but not too many so that Drecor, who was still a hatchling inside, would be able to go at top speed.
By the way, Drecor said. What exactly are the Ra'zac and Lethrblaka?
The Letherblaka are dragon-like creatures with the wings of a bat and the beak of a crane. Their bodies are tough and leathery and their tails are thick and long. Their young, the Ra'zac, typically travel with a cloak over their back to hide their hideous monstrosity. Their backs are hunched and covered with wart-like growths. They have short, curved beaks that are serrated on the edges, and their eyes are small and beady. They have the endurance of an adult dragon, the strength of a lion, and the speed and agility of a cheetah. Their toxic breath paralyzes humans, but has little to no effect on dwarves, elves, or dragons. They only have a couple weaknesses which include extreme sensitivity to light and overconfidence.
A sound worse than fingernails on a blackboard nearly froze Sophie and Drecor in midair. Sophie immediately started dropping off supplies to lighten Drecor's load. This enabled him to reach the spot that he felt was some kind of safe-haven faster. Unfortunately, they again heard that awful screeching sound again, and this time it was much closer.
Sophie turned around to see what was making it was and was confronted with a sight more hideous than anything she could have imagined. A long, wicked-looking beak jutted from the ugly faces of the three Letherblaka. The Ra'zac were riding on them, adding clicks to the gut-wrenching cacophony of screeches. This noise made Sophie want to either go over and rip the six creatures to shreds or run for her life.
As the three pairs came closer and the pitch increased, Sophie jumped off Drecor's back, praying that God would turn her into a dragon so both she and Drecor could fly faster towards the safe haven. Drecor was surprised at the sudden loss of weight and was worried about what might happen to Sophie, but her prayers were answered and she turned into a large dragon; however, she felt a strong urge to turn around and fight the Ra'zac and Lethrblaka to the death.
Don't you dare try that one too! Drecor objected, even the two of us could not overcome them without sever injuries. Sophie knew he was right, but it was still hard to resist that urge.
After another hour of chase, just when Sophie thought she would have to respond to that fatal call, she and Drecor came to an enormous forest. Immediately, she and Drecor started falling, somehow losing their ability to fly. Fortunately, they were able to adjust their fall so that they would land just on the inside of the tree line.
"Ha! you can't hide in their forever, you ssssilly wretchessss!" came the terrifying answer to Sophie and Drecor's fall. It had obviously come from the Ra'zac since they were the only ones who could speak a form of English, but it sounded close, way too close.
Whoosh! The Lethrblaka made a mock charge stopping just before the tree line, hoping to draw the pair back out of the woods. Sophie and Drecor only bolted further into the woods. Once all seemed safe, Sophie turned human again, sighing with relief as she leaned on Drecor for support.
That was very brave of you, little one. Now let's try to get near another village where you can get something to eat before we travel any further, Drecor reminded Sophie gently. She knew he was right but was extremely tired after her first flight and rode on his back to the outskirts of the village.
Sophie started, realizing that she had fallen asleep. She looked vaguely around and memories flooded back about the portal, castle, and her escape with her dragon partner. She could sense a certain presence, similar to human, but not quite very close to them. Sophie realized it was probably the elves.
Ah, you're awake! Drecor exulted. Sophie smiled as she remembered how she had flown on Drecor's back with such unity that she could still feel his life in her veins, as if the connection had always been there.
Sophie slipped off Drecor's back and cautiously approached the elven village, covering her curved ears and casting her face in a shadow with the hood of the cloak she had bought from the village where she bought supplies. Of course, the elves looked up even before she got to the edge of the place where they were staying.
At first, Sophie thought they were camping inside a circle of mangled trees, but then she realized that the trees had been sung into the shapes of houses. They were actually quite beautiful and had steps leading up the front. There were also bridges sung from the same trees so they could reach each other quickly without even touching the ground.
"Who goes there?" one of the elves asked cautiously. Sophie assumed that they didn't get many visitors. She stumbled and leaned against a tree to steady herself. That's when she first noticed a connection to them, as if they were old, long-lost friends that had not been seen or heard from in a long time.
"My name is Sophie, and I have sought refuge in this forest where my enemies apparently cannot come. They pursued me and my d-," she faltered, realizing that she had nearly given up too much information and then continued, rephrasing the statement, "for over an hour. I sensed someone nearby and hoped that I could buy some supplies." Sophie held her breath, daring to hope for assurance that it was safe for her and Drecor in these woods among the elves.
"We know who you were going to say, young one," another elf said, knowing that she had trapped Sophie.
Sophie smiled innocently, "I don't know what you're talking about. I have no one with me except these trees I have passed." She hoped that would be enough to deter any more questions.
"You were talking about Drecor, the last dragon hatchling. You are his rider, are you not?" Sophie realized she only had two options now: attack, making them suspect loyalty to Rancor, or tell them the truth about who she was and why she and Drecor were in the old forest.
Not wanting to be killed, Sophie slipped back into the edge of the woods towards Drecor. She sensed the elves were following her, so she set a pace that no human would be able to keep up with before she and Drecor could take off again. Unfortunately, elves are not human and they easily staid right behind her.
So, you figured out how to deflect them, did you? Drecor asked with a chuckle.
Oh, be quiet. All I did was ask for supplies, but for some reason they knew who we were, and now they are following me towards you! Sophie replied in alarm. Then she had an idea; what if Drecor moved away and she tried to cover his prints? No, that wouldn't work and now the elves were also in the tiny clearing where Drecor was supposed to be.
Um, there's something I ought to tell you first, Drecor thought cautiously in a voice that Sophie knew meant trouble. As she turned to look at him, she saw that he had turned back into a hatchling.
Oh great, now we definitely won't be able to run from them, Sophie accidentally told Drecor. She quickly went towards him and stood by his side, hoping that together they would make enough of a fighting force to at least drive off the four, no five, other elves if they decided to turn hostile.
The oldest elf stepped forward, chuckling at the sight Sophie and Drecor made standing together. They looked ready to take on an entire army of Urgles or make peace, depending on the elves' approach.