NOTICE: Due to A New Era getting published, ONLY THE FIRST 27 chapters are available on Wattpad. This is due to copyright reasons as well as Amazon's exclusivity guidelines.
For more information, please read the chapter titled: Information for You
Note: This is book two of the "Dragon of Legend" series following on from "Dragon of Legend: Destiny"
This is also the un-edited and un-cut version. Edited and re-written versions of the DOL series are not available on Wattpad.
Dragon of Legend: A New Era
Times had changed drastically, it was inevitable. Almost 500 years after the legend had come to be fulfilled the lands where dragons and humans once both roamed together were at peace. Everyone had all they needed and everyone was happy...at least the humans were.
Chapter 1
"You'd better have a plan."
Dominique didn't reply as he scanned the area below them, knowing that his dragon already knew the answer to the question.
"If Ray finds out–" his dragon began.
"He won't, and if he does, he won't mind because we will have gotten out safely. Not to mention that we will have damaged the Councils' pride more than ever," Dominique replied with a smirk.
"I still don't–"
"Come on, Breeze," Dominique said glancing down at his dragon. As expected he could not see so much as a scale of his light blue dragon under the camouflage sheet that covered them both. It was a sheet designed to blend in with its surroundings and was very effective when one held still.
"Relax a little, we're going to get out of here just fine," turning his attention away from his dragon he eyed the view below.
As he had requested his dragon, Breeze, had come to perch on the top of a large tower, one of the tallest in the City, or as it was known to everyone by the name of, 'Academy City'. The reason for this name being that the city stood at the foot of an ancient building, taller than any other in the Lands. It was so tall that it even towered above the clouds above.
It was said that this building used to be an academy, the very Academy the last great Rider of Legend went to. Yet now it served a different purpose, for it was the headquarters of the council, the council who ruled the Lands.
"They aren't going to let us get away this easily," Breeze warned as he watched the busy streets below that were illuminated by street lights. He could see the few dragons whose owners were still up, walking on the 'no fly' streets, carrying their rider and their latest shopping. "Especially when what we've taken means so much to them," Breeze continued.
"They don't even know what it stands for anymore," Dominique snapped, his green eyes sparking with anger. "They don't deserve to keep it in their possession. We do." He put a reassuring hand on the object he held under his cloak as if to make sure that it was still there. He still couldn't believe that they had actually managed to take it when it was always so closely guarded.
"Trouble ahead," Breeze warned.
Dominique looked up to see four dragons coming towards them. Each of them was wearing armor that was blue and black, almost completely hiding the dragons' true colors. The riders they carried were dressed in a similar fashion.
"Watchers," Dominique spat in distaste.
Watchers were riders, who with their dragons, were instated by the council to make sure that the laws were kept and no trouble occurred in the city. To Dominique they were an annoying bunch of good for nothings as they always seemed to be everywhere, busting into everyone's business. They had given him problems before and he was well acquainted with their ways.
He jumped into Breeze's mind and used his dragon's eyesight on the Watchers that were steadily growing closer. Seeing that they had what looked like thick tubes strapped to their sides, he let out a groan.
"They have shockers," he winced as he notified Breeze.
Shockers were one of the choice weapons Watchers carried with them. When aimed and shot at their target they would emit a ball of electricity. It was enough to stun anyone that got hit and, depending on what the Watchers had cranked it up to, it could even stun even a fully grown dragon or kill a human.
"Why do I have a bad feeling about this?" Breeze asked as he watched the Watchers getting closer.
"Relax," Dominique muttered, though he too felt a bad feeling sink into the pit of his stomach. Yet it lasted only a moment as it was drowned out by the excitement that began to make its way up his spine at the thought of a chase. "They can't see us. The camouflage sheet will keep us well out of sight," Dominique spoke with confidence.
"Unless it rains," Breeze thought dryly referring to their last experience with the camouflage sheet.
"It's not going to rain," Dominique assured him. He licked his dry lips as he watched the Watchers approaching. The way they were heading right towards him as his dragon made him uncomfortable, it was almost as if they knew they were there.
"Hey, Dominic," Breeze thought as he shifted nervously, his eyes glued on the Watchers. "What was that Ray was talking about with Celine, you know, the thing about the heat detector things that the council made to get past the camouflage foil?"
"It was just a rumor going around at the time," Dominique attempted a laugh, yet as the Watchers drew closer and suddenly pulled their shockers from their sides, the laugh cut off.
"Rumors or not, I don't know how, but they see us," Breeze warned as each of the Watchers aimed their shockers at Breeze and Dominique, the ends of them growing an electric blue as they began to charge.
"This isn't good," Breeze muttered as the crackling sound of the shockers reached his ears.
Adrenaline filled Dominique, rushing through his body. "Go, go, go!" He yelled as four blue balls of electricity came their way.
Breeze jumped, getting out of the way just as the four balls smashed into the building one after the other, making the spot they had just been sitting on light up with blue sparks. Breeze dived for the streets below Dominique threw off the camouflage sheet, knowing it would only slow them down. Now that they had been discovered there was no need to hide their presence anymore. As for his identity, the hood of his cloak would shade his face enough for no one to get a good look at it.
As he tossed the sheet aside something told him that Ray was not going to be pleased about him losing another piece of equipment, but at the moment Dominique couldn't care less.
He turned his head to see that the four Watchers had turned their dragons and were in close pursuit, their shockers already recharging as they got ready to aim them.
"Things are about to get a bit electrifying," Dominique commented as Breeze reached the street level and flew closely over a few dragons and riders below. The riders bellowed in anger, shaking fists after both Breeze and Dominique and shouting that it was a no fly zone, yet neither dragon nor rider bothered to listen.
As Breeze flew a small smile came to Dominique's lips and he leaned forward.
"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" Breeze asked dryly as he dodged another shocker ball. He knew his rider all too well.
"Nope, I'm taking this completely seriously," Dominique replied, yet the grin on his face said otherwise. In truth he enjoyed the adrenaline of a chase. Danger seemed to find him at every corner. It was as though from the moment he was born he sought it out as it did him. It made him feel alive.
"You think they'll let their dragons breath fire?" Dominique thought as Breeze turned tightly around the corner of the street. A blue ball passed to their right and smash into an empty market stall, making it fall in on itself. Dominique could only guess that there would going to be one very unhappy stall owner in the morning.
"No, too many civilians," Breeze answered Dominique's question. "Besides, you know the rules, no fire breathing in the city, not even the watchers would dare break that rule," he added as he gained height and turned, his wings brushing the side of a building as he spiraled up it in an attempt to dodge electric balls and shake loose his pursuers. "Where to?"
"Head for the quarries," Dominique thought knowing that the quarries where the best way of escape.
Breeze did as he was told, maneuvering around buildings and dragons as the Watchers steadily continued to chase them. Soon the tall buildings began to become less and smaller buildings became more common. They had reached the outskirts of the city. Breeze turned sharply, heading for the slums, the area where the poor lived, those who were not able to afford to buy dragons sold to the highest bidder, and had to do all their own work.
Dominique's blood boiled at the knowledge that the council had made it legal to sell off dragons and dragon eggs. In fact, it had become illegal to get hold of a dragon any other way. The council had announced, that in order to prevent dragons from choosing riders who might cause havoc in the new era, they would control which dragons were sold to which people. Dragons no longer got to choose the riders of their choice. No, they were forced to accept the rider that bought them.
"We're here," Breeze thought as he spun to avoid another blue ball.
Dominique looked at the view ahead, a grim smile on his face. The lack of lights in this area made it somewhat darker than the city, yet the moonlight showed the vast dug up ground and pits around the area. It was the quarry, the place where bricks were made for housing and iron was dug up to be brought to the smelters. It was the place where dragons and humans who had gone against the council in any way were forced to work, day after day, in the blistering hot sun. It was impossible to escape from there. Dominique knew as his father, who had once tried to rescue some prisoners, had never come back.
No one that went to work in the quarries ever made it back out alive. Once you were sent there you were there to stay. It was too well guarded for escape and the conditions too harsh for even the toughest to survive long. Dominique had even heard rumors that prisoners were sometimes forced to fight in an arena for the upper class and the council's amusement, yet he wasn't sure that the council would go as far as this.
As they flew closer to the quarry, Dominique could hear the groans of agony coming from both dragons and humans alike that were in too much pain to sleep. The urge to go and help them filled him and yet he was forced to push it aside. Swallowing he told himself that rescue was impossible, he of all people should know, friends of his had tried it years ago, they had never returned.
"What now?" Breeze asked as they drew closer to the quarry. The night sky was getting lighter as dawn approached. The sun was on its way to begin to make its climb in the sky.
"The abandoned section," Dominique replied to Breeze's question, knowing that in any other areas there would be too many guards who would be all too willing to help the Watchers get a hold of him.
Breeze turned sharply, changing their course from heading to the area where the prisoners were held to the abandoned section, an area which had been out mined, where everything useful had been taken from the ground, leaving it a useless, barren, waste. The pits and underground mines in the area had been left open and unfilled, making it not only an unsafe area but it also scared the land which had once been covered by lush grass and trees. Now there was a desert area that spread for miles around, hot, dry ground with harsh conditions.
"They're getting closer," Breeze warned as he turned sharply to the right, flying over barren ground. "I can't concentrate on dodging those electric balls and getting away all at once," he muttered as he dived lower.
"Well why didn't you say so?" Dominique asked, his hand moving under his cloak. His fingers closed around a small tube like object which he pulled from where it was strapped to his side. "You just get us out of here, I'll take care of any attacks," he told Breeze.
"Right," Breeze agreed stretching his neck to gain some more speed.
Dominique raised the silver tube like object above his head. "Play time," he grinned as his thumb pressed down on the hidden button that was found right in the middle of the tube. At once a metal rod, almost a meter in length, shot out of either end, making it a long pole.
"You enjoy this way too much," Breeze commented dryly as he dived.
Dominique grinned but didn't reply as he felt the hairs on the back of his neck raise. As quick as a flash he twisted his upper body around and swung the pole round to the back. He watched in satisfaction as the pole hit an approaching blue ball right in the middle. Any other metal pole would have done nothing but conduct the electricity and given Dominique a good shock, yet his pole was not just any pole, it was made of Reaper metal, a rare metal found only in several spots throughout the lands. It was stronger than iron, steel or any other metal found in the Lands. Yet it was almost feathery light, barley weighing a thing. Unlike other metal it did not conduct anything, not heat, no electricity, which made it hard to mold it anything, almost impossible, unless one knew its secrets. The rod had been a gift to Dominique, a gift he cherished, from his father, back when he had still been with the Resistance.
As Dominique watched his pole meet the electric ball he watched as the pole pushed the ball right back in the direction it had come from. No matter how many times he saw it happen it always fascinated him. The Watcher, who had shot the ball, was caught unaware as the ball came right back at him and hit him square in the chest. For a moment his whole body jerked before he went limp and slid from his dragon's back, dropping his shocker in the process. Seeing that his rider was falling the dragon dived, going to his aid.
"One down," Dominique grinned, "Three to go."
"Leave some for me," Breeze begged as he navigated the way, his eyes set on the large canyons that lay ahead, all made from dragons and humans who had been forced to work in the quarries throughout the years. The sun was now peaking above the horizon, lighting up the dusty ground that stretched before boy and dragon and their pursuers.
Dominique deflected another ball of electricity, hitting it back the way it had come. Yet this time the remaining Watcher's were ready and dodged it easily, their dragon's twirling gracefully out of its path.
"We could use some cover," Dominique told Breeze thinking of a different approach.
Reading his mind Breeze flew lower and lower until he was just above the ground, so low that that the dust on the ground was kicked up and swirled about them, hiding them from view. Dominique saw the blue ball pass by some distance away from them.
"They're shooting blindly," he informed Breeze.
Breeze grunted in reply as they drew closer to the canyon ahead while Dominique turned around and stared behind them, squinting his eyes as he tried make their pursuers out through the dust. Yet something to the right caught his attention and Dominique turned his head that way. It seemed that there, beside them, there was another large shape.
"Oh great," he muttered his eyes going wide as he saw a pole, similar to his, swinging at him. He raised his own, just in time to block the blow that was meant to knock him from the saddle. Somehow one of the Watcher's had made it up right beside them. He drew up closer to Breeze and Dominique, hitting out once again with his pole. Dominique blocked it again and pushed back yet the Watcher wasn't about to be outdone.
His dragon suddenly smashed side wards, pushing Breeze over and almost making Dominique loose his seating.
"A little help here," Breeze told Dominique.
Dominique didn't reply as he attempted to whack the Watcher with his pole. When the Watcher drew back he thought that maybe he had scared him off, yet when he saw the forming blue light through the dust he knew otherwise. Something made him whip his head around to the other side to see that he could just make out another shape of another Watcher who had come up on their other side. A blue light was also forming from his direction. They were planning to double shock him.
As the lights on both side intensified Dominique saw two blue balls heading at him from either side. Breeze had noticed them to and at the last possible moment he flipped around, making the balls pass by harmlessly. As Breeze came back around Dominique watched as the two balls smashed into the Watcher's on either side.
"Now that's how it's done," Breeze smirked.
"One more to go," Dominique murmured as they reached the canyon and Breeze suddenly dived straight down the side on it, aiming for the bottom. With the dust no longer hiding them Dominique turned to see the other Watcher close behind them.
Breeze twisted, following the canyons may twists and turns, going so fast that to Dominique everything around him seemed to pass in nothing more than a blur. Realizing that his dragon was widening the gap between them and their pursuer Dominique pressed the button in the middle of his rod and the poles on either side suddenly seemed to slide inwards. Once again Dominique was only holding a small tub which he tucked safely inside his cloak before he leaned forward, deciding that it was time to enjoy the ride. The sun was now steadily rising, already beating down on the dry earth below with an almost unbearable heat.
Breeze increased the distance between him and his pursuers even more, managing to bring it to the point in which the Watcher behind them would lose sight at moments when he turned corners and large mounds of dirt would give him and Dominique cover.
Both Dominique and Breeze knew the abandoned quarries like the back of their hands, or in Breezes case, the back of his paw. They had explored them many times together and both of them knew that up ahead, right around a corner, there was an opening in the side of the dirt wall, an entrance to an underground mine.
As it approached Breeze increased his speed somewhat and Dominique leaned as far forward as he could on his dragon's back to aid him. They shot around the corner, a good distance ahead of the Watcher behind them, and Breeze turned his wings vertical to bring him to a skidding halt. He turned in a flash and flew, diving into the open, dark hole. As its cool interior engulfed them, both dragon and boy craned their heads around just in time to see the Watcher and his dragon shoot past, not taking a second glance at the hole, which at his speed would be invisible.
Dominique and Breeze both held their breaths, waiting for the possible return of the Watcher, yet as he didn't come they realized that they had gotten rid of him.
"Phew," Dominique grinned as he brushed the hood covering his head off, enjoying the adrenaline that was still pumping through him from the chase. "That was fun," he blew a strand of his messy blond hair out of his eyes before sliding off his dragon's back and sinking to the floor, leaning his back against the dirt wall and enjoying the cool air around him.
"They are becoming bolder, chasing us further than they would have before from the city," Breeze mused as he turned his body, making the small opening shake and dust fall.
"Yeah, yeah, probably just getting tired of us always interfering," Dominique replied unconcerned.
"They must have not realized yet what we took. I mean if they had we probably would have had more than just four Watchers on our tails, more like the entire group!" Breeze continued. Now facing the entrance he peered out cautiously. "You think he'll come back?" He asked.
"Not likely," Dominique told his dragon as he reach beneath his cloak, feeling the object that he had stolen from the council. A grin spread across his face. "How about we go home?" He asked looking over at Breeze.
"Sounds fine to me," Breeze almost sighed with relief at the thought.
Dominique moved over to his dragon and pulled himself onto his back, still trying to get over the fact that their theft had been successful. They had managed to steal what no one had thought possible. The council would receive a rude awakening that the Resistance was not to be taken as lightly as they thought. It would make them realize that someone out there was willing to fight back.