*ON HOLD* The Airborne Oracles [Book I - Breeding the fire]

Mhrologau

Maps to both the lowlander world and Dragon Kingdoms can be found in the Author's Note. 

It would be wise to read the author's note especially when it comes to the type of English I write in before commenting on my spelling. Keep in mind this is the first draft and I might come back to edit it every now and again! 

(The author's note is unfortunately private by mistake and I can't reverse it. So just give me a follow and check out the maps and unfollow once you're done reading lol.) 

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First Edit: 06/2017

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[Prologue]

A razor sharp claw caught the back of Oldaff's cloak as the moss-coloured dragon lifted towards the sky. His eyes ransacked for any object to clutch onto as he got dragged through the forest upwards, "I don't want to die!" the man cried out in anguish, grabbing for anything within reach.

An unexpected fireball plunged to the ground next to Oldaff, sizzling the tail of the angered dragon. He dropped to the ground when the dragon made a sharp turn and charged back. He rolled to the side, finding shelter underneath a dense bush, praying to wake up from this nightmare.

In the distance, a familiar voice yelled, one that bordered on melodic. It ignited a command, "Paduss, now!"

Could it be?

Oldaff peeked through the leaves. A large, black dragon raised its scaly body from the thick trees in attack; two beams of fire escaped its nostrils aiming for the green dragon. The opposing dragon tried to dodge the attack but failed. Heat melted away the verdant scales of the dragon. The onyx dragon didn't pause, continuing its advance. He unfurled his wings, jolted up the sky and blasted fireballs at the burnt beast. The moss dragon whimpered in pain, trying to cover itself with the remainder of its mutilated wings.

"Paduss, strike!" the voice ordered again.

The dragon roared before lunging down and ripping off the injured dragon's wings with its jagged teeth. The wounded beast's neck snapped backwards and a painful wail broke through Oldaff's skull. He covered his ears, pitying the poor creature as its vocal cords grew hoarse. Paduss didn't appear to have mercy as his salient claws pierced into the other dragon's belly, ripping it open.

The green dragon caterwauled itself into a wobbled slur and slumped forward to where Oldaff hid. Smoke escaped its nostrils as his head crashed into the ground. Oldaff chocked as the fowl smoke reached him.

"Finish him," the voice rendered.

Before his eyes, liquid fire poured down on the spasming dragon and turned it into ashes.

Oldaff jerked up from his hiding spot, whipping away stinging sparks that rained down and caught his cloak, "Ow! Ouch!" he moaned, slapping embers off him. Oldaff paused, realising he no longer had the cover of the dense bush and the onyx dragon stood in front of him, staring him down. Oldaff raised his hands in defence. "Now, now. I'm no threat to you."

The dragon huffed as if he agreed. Oldaff didn't know whether to be offended or thankful that he still had a head.

"You have nothing to fear, Oldaff."

Oldaff's memory clicked into overdrive. The voice lingered in his mind. Was it safe to dare step out of hiding and face the dragon that destroyed another seconds before? The words gave him a sense of security, but with all the things he had seen since he got captured, he wouldn't be surprised if someone was playing a trick on him.

He nuzzled up his last bit of courage and gave the dragon a weary look before he stepped forward. His pulse continued to raise as he contemplated whether begging for his life would seem more fitting than the snarky comment he was about to make.

"The two of you could have killed me! Are you insane?" He yelled, trying to be brave. If his instinct failed him now, he would be in a lot of trouble. He gulped at the thought of what the dragon could possibly do to him.

"A mere thank you for saving your life, would have sufficed," a voice judged, hidden behind the dragon, "After all this time, you still haven't learned any manners!"

Oldaff struggled to swallow as he inched forward. The beast seemed unconcerned with his presence, "Come out, so I can see who you are," he choked, "my ears seem to deceive me, your voice, it reminds me of-"

"Your cousin?" the tone suggested as a woman stepped out of the dragon's shadow. She sauntered closer, unveiling her hood.

Oldaff shook his head, "No, this cannot be," he gasped, his legs unable to move. He lifted his trembling arms, reaching out towards the pale face, "I, I thought- Are you a ghost? They assured me you were killed!" he cried.

Abrupt gushes of wind seeped through the hightop trees that camouflaged their location. Oldaff followed the gaze of the woman up towards several shadows of lizard-winged-like shapes passing in the clouds. One roared and the sky rumbled.

The pale woman jumped and she levelled a knowing gaze at her dragon. They stared at each other for a second. She inhaled a deep breath. "No. Under no circumstance." She crossed her arms, and pursed her lips together. "If you so much as dare to make a sound, or call out to her, I'll personally lock you in a cave for eternity. Do you hear me, Paduss?"

The dragon curved his neck down, making an awful abjured cry. "Uh-uh, don't you start with that!" she said, lifting her head in the air. The dragon whined and lowered his neck to nudge her.

She exhaled and her shoulders relaxed. She smoothed her hand over his scales. "You know why we can't go back, mates are not suppose to cheat on each other and he cheated on me. He broke my heart," she whispered, the deep heartbreak obvious in her declaration.

Oldaff could see his cousin's eyes turn glassy but remained quiet as their cryptic conversation continued. He couldn't make sense of anything else other than the heartache.

The dragon breathed at her tummy, prodding the cloak from her stomach, revealing a small bump. She placed her hands on the bump, protecting it, "We can't think of that now," she weakened at the touch and leaned against the dragon for support. He purred.

"You're with child!" Oldaff gasped. He truly missed a lot. He stared at his cousin. To him, she was a warrior, strong and resilient. There were rare occasions he saw anything else. However, the more he observed her, the more he noticed how much she changed. Dark, ominous rings lined her eyes, and her usual rosy lips faded to bland mauve colour. Her jawline and cheekbones were sharper, a clear sign of undernourishment and weight loss. Not a healthy sign for the growing child inside her. Despite this, she was still the most beautiful woman he ever saw.

The loud roars of the dragons above fainted in the distance and the sweet sound of the forest chirping with its life returned to their ears. In the distance, the deer and birds started creeping out of their hiding spots in contrast with the the lifeless, rampike dragon reposing against the evergreen of the forest.

The red twilight of the day gravitated down through the high top trees and returned the forest to its normal late-afternoon slur.

The woman turned around, "Yes, I am," she resigned with a sigh, "and I would really appreciate your help now that Paduss and I saved your life." The dragon moaned, leaning his head steadily against the woman for balance.

He frowned, "Help you with what?"

"Hide me and Paduss from my husband."  

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Prologues are always much shorter than the actual chapters! Hope this peeked your interest to the story!

-euodiadem