MAGES OF SOUTHWICK: DRAGONS EGG

Chapter 3 p2

Pain burns through Alreds body.  Each step feels as if daggers are digging deeper. The blood has dried and crusted over; he knows he needs to clean the wounds but he’s afraid he won’t be able to get the bleeding to stop again.
There are mages who excel at healing, but it takes many years of learning to master the basics. His mother happens to be one of the best healers in the Kingdom, Alred happens to be lacking in these areas. They all seem to have some affinity with water.
The last time he tried to learn, he turned his forearm into stone. His mother was freaked out, as she had never seen someone petrified themselves.
He grips his staff, pushing himself over a large fallen tree. His wounds scream in protest. He drops down off the tree, his legs buckle, he falls back against the tree. The bark falls off, the wet, rotten wood fills his nose.
Cramps spasm down his legs. Even with all the training his grandfather put him through, his body still aches. He should have stayed out of the fight. Whatever the werewolves were chasing was able to get away and he got stuck taking care if the garbage. He wasn’t even sure if it was another human. Many different creatures and beings roam this wide world, this Kingdom is nothing but a spec in comparison.
Alred pulls himself up, he looks around the woods, the first sun already raising above the horizon. The chirps of birds as they sing their morning songs. The steady beating of a pecker looking for grubs. Another day of a simple life, find food, don’t become food.
“They should be sending out a search party. The Kings Woods is off limits to everyone, without permission from the King.” He didn’t think if this when he first shot the flare, he just wanted to see. Now that he’s fled the area, they will run into Havricks men.
Havrick will probably tell them he saw the flare and brought his men to search and help and will try to send them back. Even working for a Lord, these men were not allowed to be in these woods either. This may be the start to a civil war.
Alred feels this thug at his heart, he was taught to put his Kingdom and King first. Even over his desires. ‘Does it change when a dragon enters?’
He shakes his head, walking away from Taus, Maus has yet to rise. Sucking in a deep breath, Alred walks forward only to come to a stop. ‘Such an idiot.’
He slides the fire crystal in, he points his staff as high as he can reach. The same golden orb appears spinning faster. Alred digs into his satchel pulling out a glass bottle, he shakes the bottle, the pink liquid starts to bubble.
He bites the cork, ripping it off with a loud pop. Letting the bottled up, he drops a single drop on to the golden orb. The golden orb sizzles then being flashing as the orb turns pink. It launches into the sky, twice as high as the last one. It reaches it peak, then explodes. Hundreds of pink and golden flares streak across the sky.
“Emergency, battle is approaching.” It would give been easier to see this at night. But with this, the Kingdom knows war is coming. Alred steps forward, to hurry towards the dragon’s lair.
“Snap!” Alreds heart sinks. He turns around, his heart sinks even deeper at the sight of in front of him. Pushing its way through the trees, a large brown head with bright red eyes. It opens its mouth, drool drips off its large teeth.
“Why in the nine hells is a drake here too?” Alred curses, he backs up, taking each step as carefully as he can. The drake lifts it head, sniffing around. It steps forward, its body counties to climb through. It has four large legs and thick smooth skin with pieces of armor across its chest and head. Stopping halfway across the clearing, Alred see the tail at last. He knows now for sure this is a ground drake with the ball shape of spikes at the end of its tail.
“There you are!” deep voice breaks the quietness. The Drake turns its head looking at Alred. He pushes his staff forward, the brown crystal starting to shine. “You think you are a match for my drake and myself? You have always been so hardheaded, Alred Wooden.”
Alred looks around and see the leather strap on the drake, he follows it up to a saddle and there sitting in the saddle a young man close to the same age as himself. His skin darker than the night sky with bright blue hair. His eyes, white with no pupil. Alred stagers back a step, his eyes never leaving the man in front of him.
“I thought…” Alred pauses, shaking his head, “I thought you died?”
“Hmph, you think I would die that easily?” The man barks.
“Vane?” Alred looks closer at the man, looking at the angler lines across his face. The high check bones and eye sunk deeper into their sockets. Although he didn’t have an easy life in the Oak Village, Alred has no clues about the darker life Vane has walked.
“I can see that you haven’t changed much, same staff too.” He clicks his togue, shaking his head. “I hope you have at least gotten stronger, or this won’t be any fun. Get him Duvror.”
The large drake shoots forward, its mouth opens wide to show its massive collection of teeth. It topples over a small tree, ripping it from the ground. Alred slams his staff into the ground, the brown crystal sparks to life. Clumps of rocks launch off the ground sticking to the staff, sweat pours down his face as the drake inches closer.
It lowers it head, snapping it jaws shut. He rolls backwards, the wind from the snaping blowing his hair back. Alred jukes to the side, lifting his blade, it slices down the side of the drake, purple blood sprays the forest floor. It whips its around aiming for Alred. He tries to pull the sword back to block the attack, only seconds to slow. The large rock ball with spikes impales his chest.
The air in his lungs races out, he feels the world rush by. He slams into a tree. Pain ripples across his body. The drake roars charging forward. His body slumps to the ground, his hand still gripping his sword. He pushes himself up with everything he has. His vison starts to go black and blurry, his knuckles crack pushing himself more. He can the hollowness of his sea.
“ROAR!” Alred bellows back at the drake. He slams his foot into the ground, a small crater sinks down. Large spikes jet from the ground sticking into the drake. It roars in pain as it trashes around. Vane rushes forward, a wand in his hand. Vane aims the wand, a small red orbs form. He leans his arm back and hurls it forward like a ball be thrown. The red orb twist in the air, growing larger and hotter.
Alred can see the growing fireball as it barrels down on him. He pushes himself up, he swings the large sword in a upward arc slicing the fireball in half. The two halves race past him, he can smell the burnt hairs. He looks up again to see more racing towards him.
He curses himself for not being able to take care of himself and being able to put up a good fight. He knows his grandfather will be ashamed of him when he learns how he died. He braces his body for the fireballs as they descend upon him. He aims his sword shooting the rock off smashing into the fireballs, but one still makes it through.
It slams into his body, throwing through the bushes, the last of his will to fight flicking like a candle in the wind. His staff broken but he still clutched it with all his might. The world fades faster when he feels two arms scoop him up, his head drops back with no more power to fight.