A/N- The computer is fixed!! It doesn't even randomly shut down anymore! YAY!!!!
Here's the next chapter. Thanks for being patient and sorry it took so long!
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Sabrina could hear Uncle Jake and Daphne screaming for the King Dragon to wait but it was too late, the fire was already flying out of the dragon's mouth. But, with her eyes closed, Sabrina didn't see Puck's wings pop out of his back. The fairy jumped towards Sabrina but the Black Dragon, who had kept hate filled eyes locked on the fairy the moment he stepped into the cave, lashed out with his tail, catching Puck in the chest and pinning him against the cave's wall.
Sabrina also didn't see the long, blue tail as it wrapped around her waist and yanked her up just as a blast of fire scorched the ground where she had just been standing moments ago.
Sabrina opened her eyes, wondering why she wasn't a pile of ash already, and gasped when she saw the Blue Dragon's tail around her and her feet dangling high above the cave's floor.
An angry growl rumbled from the Golden Dragon, "Put the human down."
"No." The Blue Dragon said, her blue eyes flashing defiantly.
"What?" The Golden Dragon said, shock filling his voice.
The Blue Dragon lifted her head, "If you will not give these humans a drop of blood then I will." Though she spoke softly her words seemed to ring around the cave as if she had yelled them.
A heavy silence filled the cave as the Golden Dragon stared at his daughter, wondering if she had really just defied him.
"What?! Why?!" The Black Dragon said, looking at her like she had just stabbed him in the back, "These are humans! Have you forgotten what they did to us? They took our families and enslaved them!"
"They are not the same humans who did that!" The Blue Dragon said, "You heard them say that themselves!"
"They're HUMANS!" The King Dragon bellowed, "They're liars, cheaters, thieves, backstabbers, and slave drivers! You can't trust anything they say!" The King's golden eyes filled with sorrow, "You of all dragons should know that."
In a flash, the sorrow was replaced with anger, "Now, put the human down or I'll just burn the rest of them." He said as his giant head swung towards Uncle Jake and Daphne.
The Blue Dragon quickly set Sabrina down on the ground beside Uncle Jake and Daphne, then she stood in front of them, blocking them from the King Dragon, "You have to go through me first."
Tension crackled in the air as the King Dragon glared down at his daughter, then he threw his head back and roared so loud that Daphne covered her ears with her hands.
"Do you not see?" The Blue Dragon yelled, "These are not the same humans that took our families!" She said, "They didn't take any of us! How can you be so blind? They even said they were trying to stop this Scarlet Hand. Just because some humans are evil doesn't mean that they all are. You of all dragons should know that."
"Are
you saying that if we help these humans bring their friend back they
can defeat the Scarlet Hand and bring our families back?" The
Golden Dragon asked, skeptically.
The Blue Dragon looked at Uncle
Jake.
"Uh . . . not exactly. . ." Uncle Jake stammered.
"YOU SEE!" The Black Dragon roared, "They're using us! Just like every other human!"
"WAIT!" Uncle Jake yelled, "I promise that if you help us, I will do everything I can to bring your families back." Uncle Jake looked at the Golden Dragon, "Please. I know a human's promise doesn't mean anything to you but . . . you're just going to have to trust me."
The Golden Dragon stared at Uncle Jake for a while and Sabrina took a deep breath, sure that the dragon was going to burn them all but he did something that shocked her.
A deep rumbling sound came from deep in the dragon's chest and it took Sabrina a while to realize that he was chuckling.
"You're right. A human's promise means nothing." The King Dragon stopped laughing and stared at Uncle Jake, his voice turning soft, "Who is this friend you are trying to bring back?"
"Briar Rose," Uncle Jake said, his eyes lowering to the ground.
The King Dragon's golden eyes stared at Sabrina's uncle a moment longer and then he nodded his head, "I see you feel the same grief that many of us feel and so I will trust you. But," The Golden Dragon looked at Uncle Jake, his golden eyes hardening, "If you do not fulfill your promise then I will hunt you down and burn you."
Suddenly, without warning, the Golden Dragon rolled onto his back, revealing the softer scales of his underbelly.
"Make it quick." He said.
Uncle Jake stood frozen as if he couldn't believe this was actually happening. The Blue Dragon gently nudged him with her tail and he started to move.
Uncle Jake pulled a knife and the potion bottle out of his pocket as he slowly walked towards the Golden Dragon, well aware of the eyes of every dragon staring at him, ready to kill him if he made a wrong move.
Uncle Jake slid his knife underneath one of the King Dragon's scales, making a cut just big enough for one drop of crimson red blood to slide out. He pressed the bottle against the dragon's scales and watched as it slowly slid into the bottle, joining the fairy fire.
Uncle Jake stared at the bottle for a moment and then the King Dragon spoke.
"Well now, that wasn't bad at all." The Golden Dragon eyed Uncle Jake, "I suggest you move."
Uncle Jake jumped back, barely avoiding being squashed by the giant dragon as he rolled back onto his feet.
"Thank you so much." Uncle Jake said.
"YES! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!" Daphne squealed, running over and hugging the dragon's claw, "You're much-o cool-o!"
The King Dragon stared down at the little girl then he threw his head back and laughed, "No, thank you." He said, "For showing me that, even though some are, not all humans are bloodthirsty monsters and that there is still hope in this world." The dragon's golden eyes twinkled as he stared at his daughter, "Sometimes it takes humans and a very stubborn daughter, to help me see that I'm wrong. Now, you must be tired after your long journey, so, I insist that you stay here for the night."
"We'd be happy too." Uncle Jake said, grinning nervously. Even though the dragons weren't looking at them with hostility anymore, Sabrina still felt nervous around them. But she would rather sleep in a cave full of dragons than out in the forest with demons roaming around.
"The humans are now our guests and we will treat them like guests!" The Golden Dragon announced, "And that includes the fairy." The dragon looked pointedly at the Black Dragon, who seemed to enjoy smashing Puck against the wall.
The Black Dragon sighed in disappointment and brought his tail to his side, freeing Puck. The fairy walked over to Sabrina and stuck his tongue out at the Black Dragon.
Another chuckle came from the Golden Dragon as he stared down at Daphne, who was still hugging his claw, "You may let go now." He said.
Daphne grinned up at him, "I knew you weren't an evil dragon!" She said, giving his claw a big kiss before running back to Sabrina.
The King Dragon laughed again as he sat up. Sabrina saw a bright blue scale on the Golden Dragon's chest, standing out against all the other golden ones. She frowned at it, wondering why that was there.
"I like her." Daphne said and Sabrina turned to see her little sister staring at the Blue Dragon, "She's nice and pretty."
"And stubborn." Sabrina added.
"Just like you." Puck said, grinning at Sabrina, "I'm going to go get a dragon scale!" He announced, walking away from the girls.
Sabrina glared after the fairy and turned to see Daphne grinning at her, "What?"
"He just called you pretty! Stubborn but pretty!" Daphne said, excitedly.
Sabrina felt her face heat up, "No he didn't!"
Daphne's grin just widened as the Blue Dragon walked over, "Hey!"
The Blue Dragon dipped her head in greeting, "Hello."
"Thanks a lot for saving us." Sabrina said, "I owe you one."
The Blue Dragon smiled, revealing rows of razor sharp teeth, "No problem. I was wondering if . . ."
She stopped talking when the Black Dragon walked up. He stared suspiciously at Sabrina and Daphne and then looked at the Blue Dragon, "Can I talk with you?"
The Blue Dragon nodded her head, "I'll be right back." She said to Sabrina and Daphne before walking off with the Black Dragon.
A loud roar filled the cave. Puck ran over to the girls and hid behind Sabrina.
"SHE DID IT!" He yelled, pointing an accusing finger at Sabrina.
"What?! No I didn't!" Sabrina said, "What did you do?"
"Sabrina, you tried to take rip a scale off of that poor dragon over there while he was sleeping." Puck said, pointing to an emerald green dragon who was glaring at her.
"What?! No, I didn't!" Sabrina shouted.
The green dragon stared at them for a while and then snorted, two puffs of smoke coming out of its giant nostrils. Sabrina felt her heart stop when the dragon yawned, revealing rows of razor sharp teeth, and sighed in relief when the dragon curled up and went back to sleep.
Sabrina spun around and faced Puck, "What were you thinking? We could have been fried!"
Puck shrugged, "But we weren't and look," he said, excitedly holding up a green scale the size of his hand, "I got a scale!"
Sabrina rolled her eyes and turned when Daphne poked her frantically on the back, "What?" she said.
Daphne pointed to a small dragon who was staring shyly at them.
"Is . . . is it true that you shot water out of your mouths?" The small dragon asked, his eyes widening with curiosity.
"Yeah, it's called spit." Puck said, spiting a big glob of spit onto the ground beside the dragon's claw.
"But doesn't that hurt?" The little dragon asked.
"No." Daphne said, smiling at the little dragon.
The dragon opened his mouth but stopped when a light purple dragon called for him. He looked at the group like they were aliens and then ran off to his mother.
A deep chuckling sound came from behind them and Sabrina turned to see the Blue Dragon standing behind her.
"I'm sorry about that; we just had to . . . discuss some things." The Blue Dragon said.
Sabrina looked past the giant blue dragon and saw the Black Dragon sitting a few paces away, his black eyes filled with suspicion as he looked at her.
"Just ignore him," The Blue Dragon whispered, her blue eyes flickering with annoyance, "I was wondering if you would like to fly with me," curiosity sparked in her blue eyes, "and, maybe, you could tell me about your kind?"
"These two can't fly." Puck said, "And why would you want to learn more about them?"
"They can fly on my back." The Blue Dragon said, "If they would like to."
"YES!" Daphne squealed before Sabrina could even open her mouth.
"Daphne," Sabrina hissed, "I don't think that's a good idea." Just a second ago the dragons had been prepared to burn them to a crisp and now her little sister wanted to ride one? "It could be dangerous."
"Oh no, I assure you that you would be very safe." The Blue Dragon said, causing Sabrina to nearly jump out of her skin.
"Ya, it would be safe!" Daphne said, "And you know it's been my long life dream to ride on a dragon! It was right up there with owning a pony until someone ruined that!" Daphne glared at Puck, who just shrugged at her.
Sabrina looked around the cave and spotted Uncle Jake talking to the King Dragon. Her uncle smiled and waved at her.
"Sure, we'll go." Sabrina said.
The Blue Dragon smiled and bent down so that her belly was flat on the ground so Sabrina and Daphne could climb on. Even with the dragon flat on the ground it was hard for Sabrina and Daphne to climb onto her back.
As soon as the two sisters were sitting on the dragon's long neck, just in front of her powerful wings, Puck flew up and sat down behind Sabrina.
"What?" he said what she looked at him, "Someone has to make sure you don't die."
Sabrina opened her mouth to say something when she felt muscle clench underneath the slippery blue scales she sat on. Before she could grab onto anything, the Blue Dragon shot like an arrow out of the cave.
Sabrina jerked back against Puck as the wind slammed into her face, forcing tears out of her eyes. She blushed when she realized that Puck had wrapped his arms around her waist in an attempt to keep himself from falling off. She scowled, trying to ignore the fact that her heart was beating faster than usual and that she kind of liked leaning against him. She leaned forward, away from Puck, the wind whipping her hair out behind her. Sabrina heard a cry from behind her and turned her head to see Puck trying to shield himself from her hair and still stay on the dragon's neck at the same time.
"Ugh! Hair!" He said, "It's like a million tiny whips!"
"Really? Well then, take that!" Sabrina said, flipping her hair behind her head. She looked down and gasped at the sight of the forest racing by below them. Ahead of them she saw the river, the sun shining on the water and making it sparkle. She would have been even more delighted with the view if she wasn't afraid that they might fall off. Then her gaze landed on the town of Ferryport Landing and she remembered that the rest of her family was somewhere out in the forest. Sabrina felt shame fill her. Her family might be fighting for their lives against the Scarlet Hand and here she was, riding a dragon and grinning her head off!
Daphne was sitting just a few inches in front of Sabrina, laughing, "That was so gravy!" she said, "Can we do it again?"
"Uh, guys, we have a visitor." Puck said.
Sabrina looked over her shoulder just in time to see the Black Dragon fly out of the cave. He stayed a few feet away from them but he kept watchful eyes locked onto the group.
The Blue Dragon sighed, "I'm really sorry about him. He's usually not so . . . so . . . annoying. He can be really sweet at times."
Sabrina snorted. She couldn't see the Black Dragon being sweet.
"Why doesn't he like us?" Daphne asked.
The Blue Dragon sighed again, "Well, the day the humans, or the Scarlet Hand as you call them, came, he, my father and I were out hunting. By the time we got back the humans had already taken most of our tribe." The Blue Dragon's voice was filled with sorrow and pain, "Those who were left were either too young or too wounded to be of use. His father was among the dragons that were taken by the Scarlet Hand."
"They took his dad?" Daphne asked sympathy in her voice.
Sabrina couldn't help but feel sorry for the Black Dragon. She knew what it was like to lose a parent.
"Well," The Blue Dragon spoke hesitantly, choosing her words carefully, "You see, our tribe have always had our different opinions. One of the main ones is how to deal with the humans. Some of us think that we should try to make peace with the humans and become friends with them. Others think that we should just ignore the humans and then they would ignore us." The Blue Dragon paused for a moment, "Others thought that we should attack the humans before they attack us. His father was one of the dragons who thought that we should kill all the humans.
You see, some dragons get . . . excited by the prospect of hurting other creatures and so I think that some dragons might have gone willingly with the Scarlet Hand."
"So, you're saying that his dad went with the Scarlet Hand because he wanted to?" Daphne asked, shocked.
"He might have." The Blue Dragon said quickly, "I just hope he's still alive."
"What did he look like?" Daphne asked, "We might have seen him."
The Blue Dragon turned her head to look at the little girl, her blue eyes filled with hope, "He had purple scales! Have you seen him?"
Daphne's face paled and she bit her lip and looked anxiously at Sabrina.
A purple dragon.
The dragon that had killed Briar Rose had been purple.
That was the same dragon that Uncle Jake had killed.
Sabrina could remember the eagerness in the dragon's eyes when he had looked at her, ready to fry her. He hadn't seemed to be under the Scarlet Hand's control. But she couldn't tell the Blue Dragon that.
"No," Sabrina said quietly, "We haven't seen him."
She felt a sharp pang in her chest as the hope left the Blue Dragon's eyes, "Oh. Well, he could still be okay. Maybe he's trying to escape." The Blue Dragon said.
Daphne looked at Sabrina with a guilty expression.
"But you must not tell him what I told you," The Blue Dragon said, her tail flicking to the Black Dragon, "Especially about how his dad might have gone willingly with the Scarlet Hand. I don't want him to get hurt."
"Don't worry, we won't tell." Sabrina said.
Daphne squealed, "Are you two boyfriend and girlfriend?"
The Blue Dragon looked at the little girl, a confused look on her face, "What is this boyfriend and girlfriend that you speak of?"
"Do you like like him?" Daphne asked.
Sabrina could have sworn that the Blue Dragon blushed, "Yes."
Daphne squealed again, "Have you two kissed?"
"Kissed?" The Blue Dragon asked, "What is that?"
"Well . . ." Daphne said, her face twisted up in thought as she tried to think of a way to explain it, "Well . . ." She looked at Sabrina for help.
"When a boy and a girl like each other, they kiss," She frowned, "They . . . touch lips with each other."
The Blue Dragon looked at them for a while and then shook her head, "You humans have weird ways."
"What do dragons do when they like each other?" Daphne asked.
"When a male dragon loves a female dragon he gives her one of his scales and then she gives him one of her scales. They place each others scales close to their hearts to symbolize that they will always be there for each other." The Blue Dragon said, looking at Sabrina and Puck, "Have you two done this kissing?"
Sabrina's face turned as red as a tomato, "NO!" She screamed.
The Blue Dragon looked confused, "But you said humans do that when they love each other."
"I don't love her!" Puck yelled, "Just look at her! She's even uglier than a troll!"
"You'd better shut up or I'm going to knock all your teeth out!" Sabrina snapped.
"Do humans usually threaten each other when they are in love?" The Blue Dragon asked Daphne.
"I DON'T LOVE HIM!" Sabrina yelled.
Suddenly the Blue Dragon brought her wings to her sides and nose dived towards the ground. Sabrina felt a scream bubble up inside of her as she saw the earth rushing up to meet them.
Just before they hit the trees, the dragon's wings snapped out and she glided above the tree tops before landing beside a stream.
As soon as the dragon landed on solid ground, Sabrina slid off of her neck and collapsed onto the ground. Daphne slid down after her sister. The little girl's pigtails were standing straight up, "That. Was. So. Gravy!"
"No it wasn't!" Sabrina said.
"Oh, I'm sorry if that frightened you." The Blue Dragon said.
"Pssh, forget about her. She's just a baby," Puck said, jumping off the dragon, "We have to do that again!"
"No. It didn't scare me," Sabrina said, glaring at Puck, "It's just that a little warning would be nice next time."
"She was so scared! You should have seen her face!" Puck twisted his face up, imitating Sabrina. He looked like he had to go to the bathroom.
"YOU'D BETTER RUN, STINK BABY!" Sabrina yelled, running at the fairy with clenched fists.
Puck turned and ran into the forest as an angry Sabrina ran after him. When she almost caught him, his giant wings popped out and he flew to the safety of a tree.
"Why don't you come down here and fight fair?!" Sabrina shouted, shaking her fists up at him, "Or are you too scared that I'd beat your butt?"
Puck snorted, "Like you, a peasant, could beat me!"
"Well, if you're so sure of yourself then why don't you come down?" Sabrina said.
Puck sneered down at her, "Fine!" He said, jumping down from the tree. As soon as his feet hit the ground Sabrina tackled him. They rolled around on the ground a while before Sabrina pinned him down.
She smirked down at him, "Now, what did you say up in the tree? That you could beat me?"
Puck glared up at her, "It's not over yet!" he said. He arched his back, knocking Sabrina off of him and before she could get up, he had her pinned to the ground.
"Ha!" He said, smirking down at her but slowly the smirk faded as he stared down at her. He couldn't help but think about how pretty she was, with her long blond hair splayed all around her and her blue eyes. Those eyes were the problem. He could never look at them without losing his train of thought. All he could think about was how he could stare into her eyes for forever.
Sabrina stared up at him, her heart beating faster and faster. Why did he have to be so cute? Why did his emerald green eyes always have to make her heart stop and her cheeks flush? How come she couldn't look away from him? Why didn't she push him off of her instead of staring at him, with his golden hair and green eyes?
Slowly, Puck leaned down to where his lips were inches from hers. A second passed, a fairy flew by, completely ignoring the two pre-teens on the ground with their lips almost touching, and then Sabrina leaned forward and kissed Puck.
Not a second after their lips touched, Sabrina heard a whisper coming from a bush.
"So, this is the kissing that you were talking about?"
In a flash Puck had jumped off of Sabrina and the two of them were standing as far away as possible from each other.
"Daphne!" Sabrina hissed. The little girl was standing beside the Blue Dragon, her palm in her mouth, "What are you doing?"
"We were drinking some water and then we noticed you two were gone so we decided to look for you and you two were," Daphne squealed, "I knew you two liked each other! I knew it!"
Sabrina's face felt like it was on fire, "How many times do I have to tell you?! I don't like him!"
"And I don't like her!" Puck said, his face bright red.
"I am confused." The Blue Dragon said, "But you two were doing the kissing and you said that when two humans like each other they touch lips."
"WE WEREN'T KISSING!" Puck yelled.
"You know, they're getting married in the future," Daphne said to the Blue Dragon, "You can come to the wedding!"
That did it. Sabrina could feel anger boiling up inside of her. On top of catching Sabrina and Puck kissing, Daphne was now telling a dragon, one they hardly knew, that Sabrina and Puck were married in the future!
"WE WEREN'T KISSING!" She yelled, "I don't like him! I don't even see how we got married! How I even live with that smelly, annoying, stupid fairy is beyond me! I don't see how I could possible live the rest of my life with him without going insane!"
A heavy silence filled the forest. The only sounds were the distant chirping of birds and the whooshing noise of the Black Dragon's wings as he flew around in circles above them.
Puck's face was bright red, but instead of being embarrassed, he was mad. Really, really, really, mad.
"Oh, really?" He growled, his green eyes sparking with anger, "Well, then you don't have to worry anymore! Now that I know we're getting married in the future, I'll make sure it'll never happen, since it bothers you that much!"
Without another word, his wings snapped out of his back and he shot into the sky.
Sabrina stared after him, wishing that she could take back everything she had just said. She turned around to see Daphne glaring at her and the Blue Dragon looking extremely confused.
"Do humans normally act like this?" The dragon asked.
"Sometimes. Some people just don't see it when they like another person." Daphne said, her glare burning into Sabrina.
Sabrina ignored her. She didn't feel like talking and she was still angry with the little girl.
"Some dragons are like that too." The Blue Dragon said softly, her blue eyes drifting up to the Black Dragon, who was still flying overhead, "Shall we go? The sun is getting low."
Without a word, Sabrina and Daphne crawled back onto the dragon's neck. All the way back to the cave Sabrina didn't say a word. She barely heard a word of the conversation that Daphne and the Blue Dragon were having. She was too busy trying to get her emotions under control. She felt guilty about how she had yelled at Puck but then her guilt went away. Puck was jerk! Why should she feel guilty about hurting him when everyday he threw insults at her and played pranks on her? He deserved what she had said! But that thought only made her feel even guiltier.
She was still angry with Daphne, even though when she thought about it, the little girl hadn't done it one purpose. She had only been looking for Sabrina and Puck.
When the Blue Dragon reached the cave, Daphne ran off to Uncle Jake, talking excitedly about riding on the dragon.
Sabrina looked around the cave for Puck. She didn't see him anywhere. She didn't know if she should feel relived that he wasn't there or sad.
She sighed and, not feeling like talking to anyone, she sat in the cave's entrance, watching the sun as it slowly sunk to the horizon.
"Let me guess, Puck problems?" The voice brought Sabrina out of her thoughts and she looked up to see Uncle Jake standing beside her.
Sabrina nodded as he sat down, "How did you know?"
Uncle Jake winked at her, "I'm an expert on those things. Do you want to tell me what happened?"
Sabrina sighed, "We just got in a fight." She prepared herself for a lecture about how she had better control her temper or it was going to get her in trouble.
But Uncle Jake just nodded his head and stared out at the sky.
After a while he sighed, "I'm not one to give good advice, you should know that by now," He said, never taking his eyes off of the sky, "But there's one thing I can tell you. Be careful about what you say to people, especially the ones you love, 'cause you never know if they're going to be alive in time for you to say you're sorry."
Sabrina looked at her uncle but he was still staring at the sky, grief clouding his eyes. She reached out and squeezed his hand.
"You know, the Scarlet Hand's army took the King Dragon's wife," Uncle Jake said.
Sabrina stared at the sky, her eyes widening. She hadn't known that the Golden Dragon had been married. Then she remembered the blue scale that had been on the King Dragon's chest. The Blue Dragon had said that dragon's give each other a scale when they love each other; kind of like how humans wear rings when they get married.
Married. Puck.
The fairy still wasn't back yet.
Uncle Jake looked at her and smiled. He opened his mouth to say something but stopped when a sound erupted from the forest.
A scream.
Sabrina and Uncle Jake looked at each other in alarm as another scream filled the air.
"HELP! HELP! HELP ME!" A woman's voice screamed. It sounded like she was right below them.
In a second, Uncle Jake was sliding down the small hill and towards the line of trees that surrounded it. Sabrina ran after him, trying to keep up without falling flat on her face.
They ran into the trees and soon came to a small clearing. Lying down in the middle of the clearing was a woman. Twigs stuck out of her long red-gold hair and her eyes looked at them pleadingly.
"Please, you have to help me! You have to save me from the trolls! Please!" Her voice was velvety and something about it made Sabrina want to do anything the woman wanted her to do.
"I don't see any trolls." Uncle Jake said. His eyes were glued onto the woman like she was some kind of Greek goddess.
The woman slowly got to her feet, "You must have scared them off." She said, staring at them gratefully. She held out her hand, "My name's Jezebel."
"I'm Jake and this is Sabrina." Uncle Jake said, staring her hand for a while and then shaking it quickly.
"I'm very thankful that you two came. If you haven't, who knew what would have happened." Jezebel said softly, staring at Uncle Jake with interest, "But now I'm a long way away from my home. Maybe you could escort me back?"
Uncle Jake blinked and shoved his hand into one of his pockets. Sabrina was sure that he was holding the rose from Briar's grave.
"Actually, I can't take you back but there's a dragon's cave right up there, you could stay there for the night." He said.
Sabrina wasn't sure if it was the dimming light or not but Jezebel looked peeved.
"Really? Dragons?" Jezebel said, her voice taking on a hypnotic tone, "I'd rather sleep outside with the trolls than in a dragon's cave. Dragons are known for tricking people. They gain your trust with lies and then, when you least expect it, they kill you. They burn you as slowly as possible and listen to your screams with smiles on their scaly faces."
That velvety voice seemed to block everything out. Sabrina couldn't hear anything but that voice. Telling her to trust it and go to it. It fogged her mind and muddled her thoughts, making it hard to think. But she didn't have to think anymore, all she had to do was listen.
"Don't trust them," Jezebel was saying, holding out a hand invitingly, "Trust me. Come with me. You'll be safe. The dragons won't follow you. That's right, come to me."
Sabrina slowly walked towards Jezebel. She didn't notice the sinister look in the woman's eyes, the smirk on her face. She didn't notice how her voice seemed to take a more sinister tone, still hypnotic but promising death and pain instead of safety. She didn't notice how when Jezebel smiled she had fangs. All she could do was walk towards Jezebel, as if under a spell.
A loud roar filled the air and a blast of fire flew down from the sky, aiming right for Jezebel. The woman jumped back with a hiss just in time to avoid being fried.
Sabrina shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. What was going on?
She looked up to see the Blue Dragon flying around above the clearing, the Black Dragon right behind her. The little clearing Sabrina, Uncle Jake and Jezebel were standing in was two small for the dragons to land without knocking down half of the trees.
"GET AWAY FROM HER!" The Blue Dragon yelled, "GET AWAY NOW!"
"What?" Sabrina asked, frowning. Why couldn't she think straight? She felt like she had just woken up from a deep sleep.
"Don't listen to them!" Jezebel cried, "They lie!" But the Black Dragon was already talking.
"One of the many skills dragons' have is the ability to see through illusions and tricks. That thing in front of you isn't a human! She's a demon! Look at her and see for yourself!" The Black Dragon roared.
Sabrina turned her head and gasped in horror. To avoid being blasted by fire Jezebel had jumped underneath a tree and its shadows covered her, revealing her true self.
A long, spiked tongue flickered out between scaly lips and red eyes glared at her as Jezebel lifted a clawed hand, "Don't listen to them," The soothing voice sounded strange coming out of the demon, "They lie! They're trying to trick you! I'm not a demon! It's an illusion!"
Sabrina slowly found herself relaxing as the voice reached her and she saw Uncle Jake relaxing too. A heavy fog settled in her mind, blocking out her common sense that was screaming at her to run.
"Don't listen to her!" The Blue Dragon called, "It's a spell! Fight it! Think of family and loved ones! FIGHT IT!"
The dragon's roar yanked Sabrina out of the demon's spell and she took a step away from the demon.
"Don't listen to them! Don't trust them! Trust me!" Jezebel said.
Sabrina willed herself to ignore the voice. Beside her she heard Uncle Jake muttering, "Briar Rose, Briar Rose, Briar Rose," under his breath as he slowly walked away from the demon and towards the hill and the dragons' cave.
"C'mon 'Brina!" He said, urgently
Jezebel hissed, "Come here, you little brat!" She lunged for Sabrina but jerked back as the Blue Dragon shot another blast of fire. The grass and trees caught on fire, making it impossible for the demon to get to Sabrina.
Sabrina froze, horror making it hard for her to breath. Through the flames she saw two red eyes staring at her with such hate that it made her knees go weak.
Jezebel got as close to the fire as she possible could and the sight of the demon's face made Sabrina feel nauseous. The light from the flickering flames caused the demon's face to constantly change from the fake, human Jezebel and the real demon one.
"I will catch you and your friends, girl," Jezebel hissed, her voice dripping with hatred, "And I will enjoy watching you wither in agony as you die, I swear it!"
Sabrina stood rooted to the ground, staring at the demon. She couldn't move. The fire was starting to die down and the dragons were yelling at her but she couldn't move.
"SABRINA!"
The voice caused Sabrina to blink as hands grabbed her arms and lifted her into the air. She heard the sound of wings flapping furiously and looked up to see her savior.
"Puck?" She said in surprise.
"Who did you expect? Santa Claus? Of course it's me!" Puck said, his wings flapping as he flew her up to the cave, "I can't leave you alone for five seconds without you almost being killed by a demon!"
An angry screech filled the air as Jezebel watched her prey disappear into the cave. She stepped back into the shadows, glaring at the dragons who were still flying overheard, "I'll be back." She hissed and then she was gone.
Puck flew into the cave after Uncle Jake and set Sabrina on the ground. He looked her up and down, "Are you okay?" He asked, worriedly.
"I'm . . . fine." Sabrina said, even though she wasn't. She was still a bit fuzzy from the demon's spell.
Puck glared at her, "Not that I care." He muttered, turning away from her.
Sabrina glared after him. Did he really have to be such a baby?
Daphne ran over to her and hugged her, "Are you okay?" She asked her older sister, her eyes wide with worry and fear.
"I'm fine, Daphne." Sabrina said as the Blue Dragon and the Black Dragon flew into the cave. The two dragons went straight to the King Dragon and started to talk to him.
Sabrina watched as shock and then outrage flashed in the dragon's golden eyes.
He lifted his giant head and roared. All the noise in the cave stopped as everyone looked at him.
"A demon has approached our home," The Golden Dragon bellowed, "And attacked our guests! It wasn't just a normal demon but the queen herself!"
Gasps of surprise, fear and outrage rang across the cave.
"Why?" One dragon yelled.
The Golden Dragon looked at Uncle Jake. Uncle Jake stepped forward, "Yesterday we went to their castle to check it out. Like with the dragon blood, the potion asks for a demon's poison. We were hoping to get some then but we were attacked. We managed to escape and I don't think the queen is very happy about that. Look," he said, turning to the King Dragon, "I thank you for your hospitality but we should leave before they come back."
The Golden Dragon's eyes flashed with anger, "Never! You are our guests and no demon is going to run you out while you're in our home! Don't worry, we'll protect you," he said, his golden eyes staring at the other dragons as if challenging them to object.
Uncle Jake thanked the dragon and stepped back, knowing that it was useless to argue.
The King Dragon called together the rest of the dragons and they formed a tight circle, discussing what they should do in whispers.
The Blue Dragon walked over to Sabrina, Daphne, Uncle Jake and Puck, "You should get some sleep," She said softly, "And don't worry about the demons. We'll deal with them."
"Thanks again." Uncle Jake said. The Blue Dragon nodded her head and joined the rest of the dragons.
"C'mon, there's no use standing around," Uncle Jake said, "We might as well sleep."
Uncle Jake rolled out the magic carpet, trying to make the hard cave ground softer. They all lied down on it, trying to get comfortable. Daphne settled down beside Sabrina and soon Sabrina heard Daphne's soft snores but no matter how hard she tried, the older girl couldn't sleep.
Something was bothering her. The more she thought about it the more she realized that it was when she was had been staring at Jezebel. It was that feeling of helplessness when she had stared at the demon through the wall of flames, unable to move. It had been okay when she had been under the demon's spell, then she had an excuse for not thinking straight but that time she hadn't been under the demon's spell. All she had been able to do was stare at the demon's hate filled eyes with jellylike legs, unable to do anything. She had felt like some trapped princess waiting for the prince to save her and she hated it! She hated feeling that way! Normally, she prided herself on her toughness, her ability to think quickly in bad situations. But not that time. She had been completely helpless that time.
Sabrina looked over at her little sister sleeping peacefully beside her. How was she supposed to protect Daphne if she couldn't even protect herself?
Sabrina stared up at the dark void above her, the dragons' voices hardly reaching her ears, determination filling her. Next time, she was sure there was going to be a next time, she'd be ready. Next time she won't be helpless. Next time she'll be able to protect herself and everyone else.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sabrina ran down the hall of her house, she could see Puck as he ran around a corner.
"PUCK!" She yelled. She had to tell him something, she didn't know what. All she knew was that it was important.
"PUCK WAIT!" She yelled as she rounded the corner. Sabrina stopped running and frowned. The fairy was no where to be seen.
"Puck?" She said, slowly walking down the hallway. Sabrina smiled in triumph when she saw a door at the end of the hallway that was opened a crack.
"Gotcha." She said. She threw the door open and screamed.
On the floor were Granny Relda, Daphne, Uncle Jake, Red and Mr. Canis. Even before she touched them she knew they were dead.
"No, no, no!" She said, tears filling her eyes as she stared down at her family. She looked up to see Puck standing a few feet away from her, his back to her.
"Puck! What happened?" She said, grabbing his shoulder and spinning him around to face her.
Sabrina screamed in horror and took a step back. Puck took a step towards her. He looked normal except that his green eyes were replaced with blood red ones; the eyes of a demon.
"Come here, girl," He said, his voice replaced with Jezebel's, "Come here, Sabrina."
Sabrina turned around and ran down the hallway, heading towards the stairs. But no matter how fast she ran, they never came any closer. Behind her, she heard Jezebel calling for her.
"Sabrina, Sabrina, Sabrina, Sabrina, Sabrina!"
Sabrina woke up with a start, cold sweat covering her. She sat up so quickly that she nearly hit Daphne. It was pitch black outside the cave but the multi-colored rocks that were attached to the cave's wall gave off enough light for her to see her sister.
"Sabrina! Are you okay? You were screaming!" Daphne said, staring worriedly at her sister.
"I'm fine. It was just a nightmare." Sabrina said, shivering.
"What?" She asked. Daphne was staring at her, a giant grin on her face.
"You dream about Puck." Daphne said, her grin widening.
"I do not!" Sabrina said, her cheeks reddening.
"Sure, it was just some other Puck whose name you were muttering in your sleep," Daphne said, winking at her, "Don't worry, I won't tell him."
Sabrina grinned and shook her head.
The two sisters were silent for a while. The only sounds in the cave were the soft snores of the dragons and the swishing noise of the guard dragon's tail as he swept it across the floor.
"Sabrina?' Daphne asked, breaking the silence, "Do you think the potion will work?"
Sabrina sighed. The truth was, even though she hoped with all her heart that it would, she didn't think that the potion would work but she couldn't tell Daphne that. The little girl would be crushed.
"I hope so." Sabrina whispered.
"Me too." Daphne said.
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The next time Sabrina was woken up, it was close to sunrise and the cave was in chaos.
Sabrina sat up quickly and looked around, wondering what was going on. Shrieks and roars could be heard from outside the cave and the little dragon was crying. Daphne was sitting up beside her, her face pale and her eyes wide with fear and Puck was standing up, his wooden sword in his hand. Uncle Jake leaped to his feet as the Blue Dragon approached them.
"What's going on?" Sabrina asked.
"The demons have come." The Blue Dragon said as she got onto her belly beside them.
"What?" Uncle Jake said in surprise.
"Hurry, you must hop on!" The Blue Dragon said, "I'm going to fly you outside of the cave and out of danger but you must hurry!"
They quickly hopped onto the Blue Dragon but before they could leave the Golden Dragon walked towards them.
"Look, I'm sorry . . ." Uncle Jake started but the King Dragon cut him off.
"Do not worry about us," He said, "Dragons don't die easily. Just remember your promise." The Golden Dragon looked Uncle Jake straight in the eye, "Bring my wife back."
Uncle Jake nodded and then the Blue Dragon shot out of the cave.
As soon as they were out of the cave, the sounds of battle reached their ears. Shrieks of pain and rage filled the air. Everywhere she looked, Sabrina saw demons and dragons fighting. The King Dragon was right, dragons don't die easily but there were a lot more demons than there were dragons. Sabrina saw one dragon trying to fight off five demons.
One demon spotted them flying away on the Blue Dragon and flew towards them with an angry shriek.
Daphne screamed as the demon slashed at them with its long, poison tipped, black claws but before it could reach them, a long, black tail smacked the demon and sent it flying through the air.
Sabrina turned around the see the Black Dragon flying beside them, his long black tail swinging out behind him.
Before she could open her mouth to thank him, another, more familiar, shriek filled the air. Sabrina turned to see a new demon fly out of the forest and she knew, without a doubt, that it was Jezebel.
The Queen Demon fought the dragons with skill. She clawed one dragon with deadly accuracy and Sabrina watched, knots twisting her stomach, as the unlucky dragon fell, withering in pain, to the ground below, its cries of agony filling the air.
Jezebel looked up and spotted them on the Blue Dragon. She let out an angry shriek and flew towards them.
A loud, earth shaking, roar filled the air and the Golden Dragon burst out of the cave. He was even longer than Sabrina had thought, as long as a train. A blast of fire flew out of his mouth and fried two unlucky demons.
Jezebel looked at the dragon and hissed in rage. She glared at the group on the Blue Dragon's back before turning around to fight the Golden Dragon.
But even with the King Dragon fighting, more and more demons flew towards the Blue Dragon, eager to get their claws into the humans on her back.
"Hurry," The Black Dragon said to the Blue Dragon, "I'll distract them." The Black Dragon turned around, his long wings, as long as Sabrina's house was tall, stretching out as he spun around. With a loud roar, he flew straight at the demons.
The Blue Dragon put on a burst of speed until they were a while away from the fighting.
"Use your flying carpet from here," The Blue Dragon said, "I have to get back to help."
"Thank you." Uncle Jake said as he unrolled the carpet, "Thank you for everything."
The Blue Dragon nodded her head, "Where are you headed next?"
"We're looking for the phoenix." Uncle Jake said, as he helped Daphne onto the carpet.
"You have to be careful about the phoenix," The Blue Dragon cautioned, "she tests those who come to see her, and if you don't pass her test she'll kill you."
"Thanks for the warning." Sabrina muttered as she hopped onto the carpet after Puck.
"She lives close to the Devil's Drop," The Blue Dragon said, "That's the jagged, crack on the side of the mountain. I wish you luck." The Blue Dragon said, and then she turned around and flew back to the cave.
"I wish we could help." Sabrina said, watching as the Blue Dragon flew out of sight.
"The only way we can help is by getting as far away as possible." Uncle Jake said, steering the carpet.
Sabrina sat beside Daphne and hugged the little girl. Daphne was shaking uncontrollably, her eyes wide with fear. She felt anger and guilt fill her. She should have made Daphne close her eyes instead of letting her watch the gruesome fight.
They flew on in silence as the sun started to rise, lighting up the land below them.
Sabrina saw that they were getting closer to the long crack on the side of the mountain, the Devil's Drop.
"Why do they call it the Devil's Drop?" Sabrina asked.
"Because they say that at night the Devil used to reach up and drag any children who were too close to it down the crack and straight to Hell." Uncle Jake said.
"Oh." Sabrina said, wishing that she hadn't asked. She scanned the ground below her and frowned when she spotted something moving close to the crack, "What's that?" She muttered.
As they got closer, she realized that it was a little girl, around Daphne's age. She was skipping dangerously close to the crack, swinging her arms and whistling.
"She's going to fall." Uncle Jake said, when he spotted the girl.
As if she heard him, the girl looked up and her foot slipped. The girl swung her arms, trying to regain her balance but it did no good. The little girl let out a terrified scream as she fell into the Devil's Drop.
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A/N- Sorry about how long it was and if it was lame and boring in some parts ( or if the whole thing was lame and boring).
Once again, I'm sorry it took so long to update but it's hard to get onto the computer when you have three brothers who use it a lot.