Breath of fire, book 1 : the face in the shadows

Chapter 2-1

Xerox was seized by a moment of panic. How could this have happened? Aluna had been so easy to control up until now. She was a valuable guinea pig, and he needed her to achieve his goals. A great druid like him could not stop in the midst of his most important work, meaning he had to try everything in his power to bring her back.

Feeling her wrist, he found that her pulse was very weak, almost nonexistent. The fire monster must have gotten the better of her this time. There was only one thing left he could do. The girl would have to drink the water of the Sacred River, or else she would die, and the fruit of all his experiments would die along with her.

However, there was a problem with that plan: to dip even a single finger in the Sacred River was forbidden. It was in the territory of the Orgads, aquatic creatures who were its ruthless guards. The consequences of defying their laws would be severe, probably fatal. Still, he had no other choice. No magical cure could save her, considering what had caused her injury. The river was the only answer, because losing Aluna was not an option. The druid thought for a long minute and decided he would risk anything to save her. His work was more important than that ridiculous ban on breaching the river, and if there was some sort of magical spell in place to kill those who broke the law, he would defend himself or flee, especially if Attila was with him. He had to try.

Once he was decided, Xerox took two masex and attached them to his belt, before attempting to carry the body out of the cellar. His arms were not strong enough, so he had to find another way. He put his hand to his belt. One of the masex lit up, and Aluna's body levitated off the ground. Moving forward, he touched the second masex and the wall before him turned cloudy. A black hole materialized in the midst of the stones and he heard a muffled sound: it was the cry of the dragon that had just appeared.

"There you are, Attila," Xerox said. "I need you to bring me somewhere."

The beast let out a roar and lowered its mane, allowing his master to mount it. Xerox levitated Aluna's body and set it down on the animal's back.

Its eyes were piercing red and its reptilian skin gleamed with the light of a thousand fires through its golden fur. Two huge fangs extended past the corners of its mouth, which contained several rows of sharp teeth. Only the dragon's head and neck had emerged through the black hole but it was clear the creature was enormous.

Xerox climbed up quickly to take his place on the animal's back then disappeared into the passage, which closed up behind him like it had never existed. The crossing took just seconds, but it seemed an eternity to the old man. When he no longer felt Aluna's pulse, he ordered Attila to speed up. The dragon growled, beating its wings faster, and was soon flying so fast that Xerox had to keep Aluna's body balanced on its back. They finally came out of the passage and found themselves high in a twilight sky.

Xerox directed Attila where to go, all the while glancing down again and again at the body he was carrying. It took several hours before an immense stretch of green spread before them. Xerox ordered Attila to reach the tree level and slow down. The animal reduced the flapping of its wings and glided gracefully over the forest, heading east.

*/*

On the ground, while looking through his telescope, one of the soldiers of the Goran royal guard spotted an object flying towards the Sacred Forest. He left his post and ran to his commanding officer to report what he had seen.

"Lieutenant! I saw somethin'—somethin' big—in the air. It's comin' this way, and it's not a bird! It's comin' from the west, and it'll be over our heads in less than fifteen minutes!"