Chess of Mages

Chapter 3) Luck vs. Chance

The flight in the car was surreal. Darnell could walk inside the limo and even felt safe enough to stick his head outside the broken window, gawking at the dark clouds below. The sun kissed the back of his neck as the mist around him began to thin out. Green landscape and towering mountains began to appear, a breathtaking sight.

The wings of the green dragon glided through the wind without much movement like an eagle. The only noise Darnell could hear was the turned up punk rock that Ren listened to on the radio like he was on a normal trip

This is insane, Darnell thought in disbelief. He wanted to believe that the majestic creature was just a special effects prank and Aunt Lupille just rented a robot from Disney World. Looking down at the broken glass under his feet told a different story though, the destruction was very real. 

And he knew he had to be careful. Could he really go forward with this vacation? Could he even have a normal life after this?

The dragon descended, making Darnell's stomach double-flip. The wind blew against his hair as he glanced outside the window. Even from a high altitude, Darnell guessed that a lone beautiful mansion would be the apparent landing spot. The extent of the yard was so vast that it was possible that whoever owned the estate probably had acres. It was Kardashian level.

Finally, the dragon took them in front of a golden gated door, violently dropping the car and adding to more bills to fix the damage of the car. 

The boy's head touched the ceiling as he bounced from his seat like a rag doll, "Oww."

"You stay here until the dragon leaves," Ren ordered getting out of the vehicle first. 

The cactus dragon crawled off the car with its four feet and made its way to a running sprinkler on the opposite side of the street, looking content as it wet itself like a shower at a water park.

The 4x4 that Gotan drove quickly pulled up from around the corner. The guard in the sombrero stepped out from his car and went up to the gate, pressing some buttons on a pad that was stationed between the two door gates. They slowly opened, revealing a colorful garden that stretched a quarter of a mile to the front of the mansion.

"I suggest you drive to the house from here," Gotan said, "It is dangerous as the Tanner estate spends heavily on security."

"You want me to drive in that?" Ren said pointing at the limousine with two punctured wheels and a steaming engine.

"I can let you burrow my 4x4 while I get my dragon to fly your car to the mechanic up the road. You need to refrain from waliking," Gotan assured.

"You need to teach that pet of yours to be a lil' more gentle," Ren said.

"Kind of hard when the whole animal is covered in steel-hard spikes," shrugged Gotan.

Ren went to the back of the limousine and grabbed Darnell's luggage, "alright kiddo, were switching vehicles."

Darnell got out of the car, legs still shaking from the crazy trip in the sky. He looked over at the dragon as it flew on top of the limousine and effortlessly scooped it up from the ground again. It carried the broken down piece of junk around the corner, gliding with its monstrous wings and disappearing behind the high fence that was made out of red brick. 

"Alright guys, see ya," Gotan waved.

Darnell sat in the front seat this time as Ren drove past the fence door. It was astonishing how wide the lawn was. Green grass that was perfectly cut looked like it shined for miles. The red brick wall stretched far and was almost impossible to see an end. As they drove, sculptures of all shapes and sizes adorned the interesting placed mini gardens.