A Dragon's View [Book 1 in Rising Dragons]

Chapter XX: Written in Ink

The sound of water lapping against rock woke me. I lifted my head to look around, searching for Sky. I stood up and took a drink, before ambling over to where Sky was staring at a wall of rock with a furrowed brow. I nudged her softly and she patted my muzzle.

"I'm pretty sure that there are claw marks on this wall," she told me, voice echoing in the cave. I took a closer look at the wall, finding holes in the wall that could've come from dragon claws. The claw holds were quite large, clearly made for a dragon bigger than I was. "I can't see where they go though. The roof's too dark."

Shall we climb up? I asked. You can go on my back and I'll climb up as a dragon. I'm curious as to where it leads.

Sky shrugged in response and let the saddle appear before getting on my back. I gripped the wall with my front legs, before pulling my hind legs up so I was vertical. I faltered, feeling the heavy strain of gravity, before pushing forward and climbing up.

Five minutes later, my eyes had adjusted to the almost pitch black and I reached forward with one leg when I felt only smooth rock. I grunted and shifted my position, moving so I had more reach. I reached further, and my leg hit solid ground, not the wall. I pulled my wings closer to my body, unsure how big the hole above me was, then pulled myself up and onto the floor. I huffed, shaking out my legs, which were sore.

"Làimh-allsekr de ljós," Sky murmured softly, casting a spell. Instantly, a ball of light appeared, filling the area with a soft glow. "Which way shall we go Rya?"

I shrugged and walked straight ahead, my eyes making out a tunnel. This is a tunnel, I told Sky. I don't know where it leads but...

Sky hummed, "Go forth," she said cheerily.

After a few hundred metres, the passageway took a sharp turn. I came to a stop suddenly, smelling something. What is it? Sky asked, sensing my hesitation and worry.

It... smells like dragons, I replied, no one recent, though. The scent has only remained because no one else has come here. It may've been decades ago that there was a dragon here.

I told you so! Sky said. Do you think they left anything?

Possibly, they might've had a rider here as well.

I moved forward, following the path once more. The tunnel led us to a cave large enough to hold massive groups of dragons. The ceiling was extremely high and a light shone done, a hole revealing the sky above. "Rya, over there!" Sky said, pointing to a book on a flat rock.

I approached and Sky dismounted, allowing me to shift into my human form. "What is it?" I asked as Sky picked the book.

"It's a notebook," she replied, flicking to a random page, she read through it quickly. "It's someone's story," she said a moment later. "I think... I think this might be from the blank period."

"The blank period?" I repeated, confused.

"There's a period in history that the Dragon Rider Academy doesn't cover, it was roughly sixty-three years ago. I call it the blank period because it's as if nothing happened then or something really important happened. This book might tell us what happened!"

"It also might be fake," I responded.

"That's beside the point. Everything might be fake," Sky replied, not entirely paying attention to what she was saying. I sat down on the ground, Sky next to me.

"Are you going to read it?" I asked and Sky nodded. "Well, read it aloud. I'm interested in what it says."

It is here, I leave this book for those who might find it. It contains information that is vital for survival regarding Alvah, the greatest threat dragonkind will face. The greatest threat they do not even know about.