Hybrid Magical Creatures

chapter 21

The warlock vampire along with his loyal dragon slowly crept thier way through the recesses of the underworld. Salem kept his head down trying not to draw any attention to himself. The main entrance was overcrowded with the tormented souls of every creature that had ever existed. There were regular and hybrid magical creatures wandering around the place. The two of them did thier best to move along these condemned creatures without causing any trouble for themselves. Salem had looked behind them to see the portal they had taken into the underworld had dissapeared within seconds. He really hoped there would be another way out. He was completley distracted, not paying attention he had bumped into one of those poor souls trapped in this realm.

"Excuse me i'm so sorry." He told the soul. Then he looked up to see a full grown fire dragon standing before him.

"It's quite alright little man." The dragon spoke in a sweet gentle tone trying to soothe him.

He just stared at the huge dragon before him. Then glancing back at Kadrid who appeared speechless and back to the fire dragon again. After a long moment of silence he spoke to the large dragon.

"What's your name?" He asked her.

"I'm phoebe, who are you?" She responded straight away.

"I'm called Salem and this is my great friend Kadrid." He told her motioning to the dragon.

"It's good to meet you both." Phoebe replied.

Just then he noticed something strange, this fire dragon had diamond sparkle eyes. Kadrid had those same eyes.

"Phoebe how long have you been here? Do you remember?" He asked out of a deep curiosity and intuitive feeling he had recieved.

"Yes, I've been here around thirty years." She told him.

"Kadrid how old are you again?" The warlock vampire asked her.

"Thirty years and six moons you know that, silly."

This time it was Phoebe who stared at them in shock.

"What is it phoebe? What's wrong?" Kadrid asked with alarm, fearing something bad was about to happen to them.

"Just over thirty years ago, before coming here i hid my baby still in the egg in a random forest." She told them, still tormented by that kind of a loss.

"Why would you do that?" Kadrid asked with a look of shock.

"I was being hunted by shadow demons that wanted to ake me here to the underworld." She explained, almost wanting to cry.

"Is that forest about 200 mils west of here with a huge waterfall that happens to be surrounded by mountains and caves?" Salem interupted.

"Yes that sounds like the forest where I left my egg, how did you know that?" Phoebe asked.

"Well my dear i found your egg, Kadrid here was that very egg. I've raised her." Salem explained to the fire dragon.

"Please tell me this is not some cruel joke."

"No, i'm not that cruel. She is the speckled egg i found in the forest near our home."

After a long pause Phoebe softened her gaze.

"I never thought i'd see my baby again."

Kadrid stepping forward leaned closer, staring into her birth mother's captivating eyes. She looked at her for a long moment.

"I have inherited your eyes." She told the fire dragon.

"I can't believe it. How did you wind up here of all places?"

"We had taken a shortcut and went through the wrong portal by accident." Kadrid explained.

"Is that all?" The fire dragon replied.

"What do you mean is that all? We're stranded here in the underworld possibly for all of eternity!" The warlock shouted as rage exploded through him.

"Don't mind Salem, he's having one of his tempermental flare ups, again." Kadrid explained.

"It's completley understandable." Replied the fire dragon.

"I do know where the portal is located that you need." Continued phoebe.

"If you know where it is why don't you escape?" Kadrid asked her mother.

"Young one my fate is sealed, yours isn't. Demons would be sent after me if i tried to run." She told her baby dragon.

"That is horribly sad."

"Yes it is sad, but that is how my destiny has turned out. I don't wish for you to have the same fate."

Kadrid looked down at the floor and back up at her mother, feeling guilty she couldn't save her from this tormented existence.

"I want you to have a good life, to enjoy every moment of it." Phoebe told her only child.

"I'm glad that i finally got to meet you, even if only for a short time." Kadrid admitted to her.

"I feel the same my dear little one. It eases my heart that you seem to be happy in your life." replied the fire dragon.

"I'm very happy. Salem is good to me, I'm well taken care of."

"That makes me feel better. For years i didn't know if you were still alive or what had happened to you." Phoebe replied as she shed a single tear drop.

"it's okay, I have a great life. This warlock has kept me safe, well fed and we have a great home to live in." explained the younger dragon.

"Phoebe I must thank you, Kadrid is the closest thing to family that i have. I love her like a daughter, not just a dragon." Salem explained to her.

"I am very glad that you found her and that fate brough you here so i know my child is well, even if only for a short time. That makes me happy." phoebe told him.

"It's good to hear you say that. Are you able to help us get out of the underworld? We are on a rather imperitive quest when we had gotten lost in here." Salem explained to her with copassion and understanding in his tone of voice.

"What kind of a quest are you on?" Phoebe asked, cocking her head to one side just the way Kadrid had done over the years.

"Our good friend Pandora has been kindnapped by some kind of crossbred demon, we intent to get her back." the dragon child explained.

"That is definetley an important quest." Phoebe agreed.

"Follow me both of you and i shall take you there." Explained the fire dragon.

Phoebe led the way though the underworld in a maze of caves and diffrent rooms, then though a few strange looking tunnels. They stopped at the end of a long maze of tunnels leading to a secluded room no bigger than a small closet.

She looked at her child one last time before instructing them.

"Just stand over there in the left corner and wait. Iwas glad to see you both. Good luck with your quest." Phoebe stated to them.

Three seconds later the portal opened and swallowed them whole.