The Crystal Dragon Series Collection

by Katie Cherry

  “After a few years, I started feeling more and more lonely. My parents, the leaders of the Dragon Hunters before me, were both dead, I had no siblings, and my friends weren’t very good friends.

  “So one day I just set off into the forest alone. I wanted to clear my head. I wandered, and eventually I found a cave. As I got near it, I could sense the presence of a dragon. I started backing away, knowing I couldn’t take on a dragon alone, but it was too late. A red dragon leapt out of the cave and pinned me on my back. It was majestic and… beautiful. I had never seen them that way before. I felt its mind touch mine. It was a young mother, and it asked why I was there.

  “Panicked, I couldn’t say anything. So she looked deeper into my mind and pulled up all my memories- the dragon learned everything about me. I was confident that she would kill me, but she didn’t. Instead, she invited me into her cave to see her hatchlings. I didn’t dare disobey her, so I let her lead me into the cave. The small dragons all pounced on me. I was frightened at first, but I then realized that they were trying to play.

  “That moment changed my life. Before, I had always thought that all dragons were evil creatures without souls… but not after that. So I went back to the Dragon Hunters and told my friends about it. They thought I was crazy. One of them believed me, and even let me lead him to see the dragon. He gained an appreciation for dragons as well.

  “After a while, we got quite a few people to change their view on dragons. But Patrick didn’t. He swayed the people into thinking that all dragons are evil and bloodthirsty and should be disposed of. He took over and kicked the ‘dragon lovers,’ as he called us, out, saying that if the dragons wanted us, then they could have us.

  “Unsure of what to do, I went to see my dragon friend. She took us to the dragon council. The head member, Asoka, was also the wisest and oldest dragon. He agreed to help us find a new place to live, as well as teach us how to live off the land. The dragon council then used magic on us. We were changed. We were then able to use magic, although none of us had the ability previously. We also aged slower.

  “And thus, the Sohos were born. ‘Soho’ is actually what the Dragons call us. It translates to Dragon Friend. We lived side by side with the dragons, and all was peaceful for years.

  “Until just five years ago, when Patrick discovered that not only did we not perish in the wilderness, but that we were coexisting with the dragons. Lusting for revenge, he decided to attack us. At first, we just tried to run and avoid him, hiding behind our magic wards, but eventually we had to go on the offensive to get him to leave us alone.

  “One dark night, we attacked their castle. We discovered that Patrick had taken many prisoners from the King and Queen Dragon’s Village, so we rescued them and burned part of their main building. It was there that I met our new doctor, Kate. She was your parents’ doctor in the past. They took her at the same time they took Hunter- your brother- and tried to take both you and your other brother, Rex.”

  “Wait, what?” I interrupt, surprised. “They tried to take me and… my brother? But they took the other one… Hunter… well, where is he now?”

  Zeke grimaces at the question. “I’m sorry to say that Patrick raised him not knowing who he really is; I assume; and… he is actually in line for being the next leader. I fear that because of Patrick’s influence, he will lead the Dragon Hunters just as Patrick does now- killing everything, having no mercy, nor patience…”

  I sit stone still in the chair, trying to absorb the fact that not only do I have two brothers, but that one is lost, and the other is a power-hungry maniac. It’s a little much to come to terms with, so I decide to address it later.

  “So why did you save me? You still haven’t answered that,” I say.

  Zeke smiles a little. “I was just getting to that. …After we rescued Kate and a few others, Kate told me that Patrick was planning to attack us full-on with everything he’s got, and that would destroy us. Not only that, but they would stand an even better chance against us because they found a way to steal other people’s Gifts- and use them themselves.”

  “What?!” I exclaim. “No! That’s… that’s impossible! Isn’t it?” I startle myself with the outburst. I didn’t realize that I had accepted that Gifts were real in the first place, but not only that, I finally decided that his whole place was real. Most startling of all is that I actually now believe that I am the Princess. I mean, there are way too many things pointing out the fact. And now… now, I am even defending these people that lost their Gifts that I don’t even know.

  I have changed a lot since arriving in Zilferia.

  “Yes. It is possible, I’m afraid to say,” A voice behind me whispers. I turn and find Kate standing there. “I saw the machine with my own eyes,” she continues, walking up next to Zeke and looking into my eyes. With a shock, I realize that hers are glittering with pools of fear. “Of course, it wasn’t quite finished yet, but I’m sure they’ve completed it by now.” She shudders. “I urge everyone I meet to avoid that group of villains and their… Gift Stealer at all costs.” She stops suddenly, staring at me; her eyes wide. Her eyes then fill with tears, and she runs off into the night.

  I peer at Zeke, feeling a little unnerved. “What was that about?”

  He sighs. “I guess I’ll have to tell you. Just so you know, you don’t have to help. You can leave us to fend for ourselves. No one could blame you.” He takes a deep breath while I wait anxiously. “After I found out about this new threat, I went to the dragons for help. The Dragon Mage told me a prophecy.

  “When all seems dark, devoid of the light of hope, there will be one who comes. A Dragongirl. You will help her, and she will help you. She will attack your shared enemy, and cripple them in a way no one will see coming. She will lose much, sacrifice more than anyone else would, but it will be worth it. And after her work is done, you will be left alone. However… there will be new threats looming on the horizon. New threats… against more than just the Sohos. Threats aimed to destroy more than you can imagine.”

  Zeke looks at me, seriousness in his eyes, as well as a kind of pain. “As I said, you don’t have to do this. Although… I have a feeling you are the Dragongirl- which means you will save us. But please, don’t feel pressured to help us just because of the prophecy. In fact, we may not need you yet anyway. It said when all hope is lost, and we still have hope. After all, we haven’t heard of anyone getting their Gifts taken away, so I doubt that their machine even works. Plus, we still have the dragons on our side. They don’t exactly want to be destroyed either.” He pauses to let this sink in.

  “I…” I don’t know what to say or do. I want to help these people, I do, but that Gift Stealer and the prophecy… ‘she will lose much and sacrifice more than any other would…’ well, that doesn’t comfort me at all. After a few more minutes of wrestling with myself over my decision, I finally have to follow my heart.

  “…I will do my best to help you when the time comes,” I declare to Zeke, trying to keep my voice steady and confident. It wavers despite my efforts. I’m scared to death, but I feel like if the prophecy is indeed about me, then I have to help them… somehow. Zeke looks extremely surprised.

  “Really? You… you’ll help us? Even though…”

  “Yes,” I nod, sealing my fate.

  Zeke clears his throat. I realize that the sun has gone down long ago and it’s getting late. “Well. Thank you. We are in your debt. However, I assume that you will want to go back to your Village now?”

  I nod. “Yes, there are still things I need to do there.” I’m nervous that I missed the Second Challenge, but I don’t know for sure. I’ve lost track of the days.

  Zeke accepts this. “Well, I would like you to keep that River Bird feather as a reminder of us,” he says, indicating the feather just sticking out of my boot. “I don’t want you to forget us and our need, nor your promise. For without you, we may all be lost. Of course, we don’t know that for sure yet… but when we need you, we will send word. Now t
hen, you need to get some rest. I will take you and your friend back in the morning.”

  “Goodnight,” I tell him, feeling overwhelmed with responsibility.

  “Goodnight,” he murmurs in response as I walk away. As I return to the hospital in a nearby tree, my thoughts rush ahead to the next day, trying to predict how everyone will react to my return after being gone for so long.

  *****

  Lloyd and I meet Zeke at the clearing that the silver dragon is usually resting in. Nora rides on my shoulder as Eric races circles around us. He greets the magnificent dragon, his tail wagging excitedly. After climbing onto the dragon, I grab Eric and hold onto him tightly, not willing to let him jump off like Nora told me he had on the way to the Sohos’ Village. The silver dragon flies shockingly fast, and we are back at the Hausdorff tree in less than an hour. The sun is just coming up as we land. We say goodbye to Zeke and start walking back to Eric’s little cave.

  Lloyd, although he had also been cleared to talk, doesn’t seem to be in a chatty mood. I don’t press him. We walk in silence.

  Eric isn’t happy to have to wait for me in his cave once more, but I’m able to cheer him up a little by telling him that Lloyd will play with him sometimes while I’m training and in the Challenges. After Nora grabs something to eat, Lloyd goes his own way, giving me a brief hug as he leaves. Meanwhile, I head back to my hut to try and find Nathan. He’s not there, so I change clothes and head to the town square, hoping to see him there, possibly training with Vlad.

  He is. As I near him, I can tell he’s tired. He doesn’t hear or sense my approach, although Vlad does. As does Nathan’s Familiar, Greg. He sniffs the air and alerts Nathan, who immediately spins around, disbelief evident in his eyes. They then fill with relief and he charges at me, wrapping me tightly in his arms. I’m startled and caught off-balance.

  “I’m so glad you’re okay,” he whispers, pain in his voice. “I… I thought I lost you. I mean, who knows what’s out there in that forest? I…” he breaks off, his voice beginning to crack.

  “It’s okay. I’m here now. I’m sorry I had you so worried.” I decide not to tell him all that happened- he seems overwhelmed already. Looking over Nathan’s shoulder, I see Vlad stepping up to me. I stiffen and Nathan turns to see why.

  “Well,” Vlad slowly says, glaring at me. “Look who decided to crawl back here. Have a nice trip in the forest?” Something in this voice tells me he knows what I’ve learned. I scold myself. I'm just paranoid.

  Swallowing my ever-present fear of him, I reply, “Actually, I had a hard time,” I say, looking him in the eye. “I ran into some dangerous things in there. I was lucky to come back alive.”

  He smiles. I can tell he thinks I’m lying. “Well, you caused quite a stir here. Everyone was searching for you for five days.”

  “Five?”

  “Yes. Oh, did you not realize what day it is? Tomorrow is the Second Challenge,” he sneers.

  “Then I guess I’ll go get ready for it,” I bite back. I turn to Nathan. “Are you done training with him?”

  “Yes,” he confirms. Not saying another word to Vlad, we turn and walk away. I can feel the heat of his enraged gaze burning upon my back.

  On our way to Thaddeus, Nathan tells me how worried he was and how he didn’t sleep at all while I was gone except when Thaddeus made him take pills to make him sleep. I feel awful about it, but he tells me not to. He says it’s not my fault. I comfort him some, though, by telling him that Lloyd went with me and helped me out with the ‘wild creatures,’ as well as Nora and Eric. I feel bad lying to him, but I know that he probably wouldn’t be able to handle the truth right now. I’ll tell him what really happened later, I promise myself.

  Thaddeus is relieved to see me as well. “It wouldn’t be good if we lost our only Princess, now would it?” is all he says about it. Even though he doesn’t come right out and say it, I can tell he was worried if I was okay while I was gone.

  *****

  When we break for lunch, Thaddeus tells Nathan to go on without us so he can talk to me alone. Once Nathan’s out of earshot, he requests that I tell him everything that happened while I was gone. He’s surprised at the existence of the Sohos, but he’s not surprised at all to find out about the Dragon Hunters- or what I tell him about my brother, Hunter. He explains that Patrick had already told the King about those things before he left with Hunter, and the King relayed the information to Thaddeus. Although they hadn’t ever heard of the Gift Stealer before more, and he’s concerned about it.

  I continue with my story. It’s a relief to tell someone. Maybe Thaddeus can help me make sense of it all. He is shocked, though, when I relate Dragongirl Prophecy to him.

  “What? The Dragongirl? You think that you are the Dragongirl? Why is that?” I hesitantly tell him about not falling prey to the dragon form. “That doesn’t mean that you’re the Dragongirl.”

  “Why not?”

  “Thanks to your family being part dragon, it’s not too surprising that one exposure didn’t drive you insane, for one thing,” he explains. “Not to mention that the Dragongirl is both creatures at once- equal parts dragon and human. It’s not so much that she can shapeshift into one, but that she is a dragon!”

  “Oh.” I shrink away from him in embarrassment. “That can’t be me, then,” I admit. “But I promised to help the Sohos however I can- so help them I will- even if I’m not in their prophecy. They need help.”

  “Yes,” he admits, stroking his beard thoughtfully. “But don’t give them false hope, and especially don’t give yourself to them. You don’t need to sacrifice yourself for naught. I’m sure they can fend for themselves, especially if they are as close to the dragons as you say.”

  After that, the rest of the day is uneventful, aside from the reactions of everyone who sees me. The contestants themselves are both surprised to see me, as well as unhappy that I’ve returned in enough time for the next Challenge. I guess I might actually pose a more significant threat than I first thought.

  *****

  This time, I wake up before Nathan and I make breakfast. When he gets up and sees the food ready, he has to bite back a protest before he breaks our agreement of taking turns for everything. Besides, I had plenty of sleep. That’s pretty much all I had to do the past week while I was recovering from the Hausdorff tree. He was the one who needed more of it.

  My insistence that he needed rest is only confirmed by the bags still under his eyes. He looked a lot better than he had yesterday, but obviously still drained. I just hope he got enough sleep to be able to do this Challenge. After all, he was the only one here for most of the training. Even when my body was here, my mind was not, so I didn’t get much help for this one.

  Thaddeus told us to meet him where we usually do before the Challenge. He’s already waiting for us by the time we arrive. “There’s been a slight change of rules for this Challenge. This time, you can pair up with another team. Who would you like to work with?”

  “Red,” we say in unison, knowing that there’s no need to discuss it first.

  “Of course,” he says with a small smile. “Good luck in the arena!” Before I can react, there is once again a prick in my arm and I’m out cold.

  *****

  My cheek suddenly tickles as a drop of moisture runs down it. Shivering, I sit upright, wiping at my face. It’s damp. Opening my eyes, it takes a few moments for me to recognize what I’m seeing. Fog dances slowly before my eyes, difficult to discern due to the lack of light.

  “Nathan?” I whisper into the darkness.

  There’s movement beside me as I speak. “Man I wish they wouldn’t do that,” Nathan groans as he sits up beside me. I look over at him, but in the dark, he’s just a darker patch vaguely shaped like a man.

  “It’s so that you don’t know where the arena is or have a glimpse of any part of the maze before the Challenge has begun. Everyone wakes at the same time. It’s fairer that way,” Nora states.

  “Ugh! I don’t care; i
t’s not a fun thing to suddenly wake up and think that you can’t see,” a familiar voice says.

  “Sierra?” I question.

  “Who else?” Ham replies. “We are all going to be one team this time, which means that Sierra and I finally have a chance.”

  I laugh. “Trust me; this will be much more beneficial to Nathan and I. You’re giving us a chance. Nathan’s sleep deprived, and I basically missed all of the training.” Just as I finish speaking, I hear a voice echoing from the surrounding fog.

  “Hello! Contestants! This is Nehru speaking! Just so you know, you are in another arena, competing in the Second Challenge! Once again, you will be permitted to exit your starting platform only once the gun sounds. After that, it’s basically a free-for-all. With no killing, of course. Find the end of the maze first, and you win! The end will be glowing white. This time, there will be four winners, since each of you have joined teams, and only one can get there first. I hope you each have one of your Gifts, or this may be a little more difficult. For the moment, sit still and… ponder, plan, or just procrastinate!” With a giggle, her voice disappears. I raise an eyebrow, although no one can see it.

  “Does she have to say that every time?” I complain.

  Ham laughs. “Apparently. Maybe it’s her catchphrase or something.” We laugh, then get down to business.

  “So,” Nathan begins once we’ve settled into a circle. We’re close enough to see each other’s faces now. “I guess we’ll figure out which way to go as we get to each crossroad. I suppose the first thing we should do is figure out what each person’s strengths are. So, Ham, do you have any of your Gifts yet?”

  “Yes, actually. But it’s a dumb one.”

  “What is it?” I ask. “No Gift is dumb- any one of them can help us,” I assure him.

  “Well… I have the Gift of extraordinary memory,” he confides.

  “Awesome! That’ll be a huge help with this riddle one!” Nathan says. “How about you, Sierra?”