MAGES: Fireheart

Chapter 8

John had excitedly led Cooper and Summer out the doors of the house. He walked across a wooden walkway around the side of the hill. The pathway ended when it came to a massive box built into the side of mountain. John could hear something moving inside.

"John. Where the hell are you taking us?" Summer sighed.

John shushed her and began climbing a ladder along the wall of the box. The others followed in a confused state. When John reached the top he found himself on a small platform with a door entering the box. John opened the door and waited a few moments. Soon enough he saw movement on the inside.

"Hello there! Who's been a good boy while I've been away? You have!" John spoke into the room.

Cooper and Summer tried to spot what was in there. John moved out and gestured to the doorway.

"Meet Magma, my dragon!"

Cooper and Summer just stared in utter amazement at the enormous reptile.  Magma was a rare species of dragon called an Amphēro. He was a dark shade of green with an enormous wing span adding up to forty-seven ft in length. He had been given to John at the age of seven. In height, Magma was six times taller than the average thirty year old. Cooper and Summer were still staring at him in shock, their mouths almost touching the ground. After a few minutes of staring they turned around to face John.

"How'd we not notice that? We've been living here for weeks!" Summer whispered into Cooper's ear, who just shrugged anyway.

"Why do we need him?" Cooper asked.

"That, my dear friend, is our way to the nightmare hills!" John smiled, "we're gonna bust our friends out of this joint!"

"Yes! I've always wanted to ride a dragon! Oh, and rescue our friends of course!... Hey John! Do you think we'll meet-" Cooper stopped as if he had said something terrible.

"Meet, who?" John asked confused.

Cooper shuffled his feet.

"No-one" he muttered.

"Cooper...." John was getting impatient.

John knew Cooper was talking about Sam and he was afraid to mention him in case it brought back bad memories that would anger John.

"We might but... I don't think he'd still be a live after all those years." John ignored their surprise and climbed inside the room.

"Whoa whoa, where are you going?" Summer climbed down after him.

"Well, we need to ride him if we're going to save the others!" John looked at his dragon.

Summer gulped as she came face to face with Magma.

"So, get on!" Summer stared at him like he was crazy.

"Do you want to save Jack and Sonja or not?!" John laughed as their mouths opened in anger and amazement.

"Of course! But do we really have to ride that... Thing?!?" Summer looked shocked.

John suddenly remembered that Summer had a fear of reptiles. She found them horrid and gross. Cooper on the other hand was rather fascinated by them and was eagerly clambering onto Magma as if it was the greatest moment of his life. When he was successfully on the dragons back, he held his hands out in a sense of triumph.

"Come on Summer, it's the only way! Do you really want to go by foot? Or even worse, leave them there to die?!?"

Summer sat there thinking. In the end, she chose the right thing to do.

"Very well but JUST THIS ONCE John!" Summer began clambering onto the dragon, wincing at the feel of the scales on her hands.

It took awhile, and John had to give her a boost, but she eventually got on.

That was all a few hours ago. John and his friends were already flying to their destination excited, while also filled with fear. He smiled at the memory. But it wasn't long til his heart sank again as he saw something up ahead. The nightmare hills.