We jumped off the boat and onto the shoreline. The moment my feet hit solid ground I felt a wave of relief wash over me. Varil hopped next to me and shook off his damp wings - he was growing larger every day, and now his body was the length of my outstretched arm, and that was not accounting for his tail. He crooned, happy to be sheltered at last. Apparently he had hated the voyage as much as I had. But there was no time for rejoicing that we had made it.

Our captain, who, I had learned along the way, had been born here, and lived here most of his life. And now he was walking up the beach and climbing onto the rocks beyond it. I hurried to follow. I ran forwards, Risha next to me and the dragons flying not far behind. Reaching the rough rouck, I grabbed the edge of one, hoisting myself up onto the next one. The muscles in my arms burned as I pulled myself up onto the next one. Gods, I was helpless at climbing. I looked up and saw Risha far ahead of me, bouncing up like a mountain goat.

When I eventually reached the top, I stumbled forwards, expecting there to be a maze of cavens and pathways, but there was something very different. Risha flung her arm out in time to stop me from falling down the sheer drop of the ravine just feet away from where I was standing.

We have to go down that?

Minutes later, a rope was wrapped around my waist and I was dangling over the rocks fifty feet below me. I grabbed the rope with my slippery hands, trying to not look at the drop. As I was slowly winched down, all I could do was to pray to whichever being was watching me, hoping they did not want to see me splat on those rocks. So agonisingly slowly, I saw the rock face creep past, then I felt the bottoms of my shoes against the uneven floor. I breathed out as my fear dulled. I wrapped my arms around my body, hugging myself, feeling a smile break out over my face. I pressed my hands to my cheeks, trying to suppress the manic grin that I surely had. I had made it. I was alive.

After everyone had got down safely - the captain had climbed down himself without a rope - we were led into a winding tunnel. It was pitch black, and the lantern that I had lit not long ago barely made a dent in the darkness. We reached the end, and a heavy iron door blacked the way. Two gerd were stationed outside it. They were dressed in all black, their gleaning silver weapons were draped around their waists, swords sheathed at their sides and bows strapped to their back. In their hand they held spears, crossed in a X over the door. However, the moment they saw the captain, they let us in, revealing the land far underground.

Houses hewn from timber and stone lined streets lit by gas lights. The orange tint danced as the lights flickered and guttered in the damp air. People roamed about on the pavement, turning to stare as we passed. We certainly looked peculiar - rain sodden and wind battered, trailed by two young dragons, who were stretching their wings and shown off, taking great swooping dives and entwining around each other in the air.

I turned back to Varil. "Stop that, you prat!" He huffed and dropped to the floor, crawling along behind me. Ah well, at least he wasn't in danger of giving me a concussion with his flailing wings.

I turned to Adonnija, realising something. "Why are we here? You didn't tell us when we left the camp."

"We are here, my dear, so we can study the old dragon's lore, and to find the locations of the remaining temples." Of course. We were here to study, to stare at some musty old books until our eyes were crossed. I wasn't even sure if I knew how to read anymore. Well, I would soon see. Risha however, was not paying attention to anything we were saying and instead staring around in wonder at the streets. I could see why. The windows of houses glowed with soft flickering light, the warmth spilling out onto the city streets. Shops lined the pavement: silver and gold exchanging hands, cooked meats, toys and other wares being slipped into pockets and bags.

The closer we got to the inner city, the more crowned it became, people pushing through, bustling streets filled with gossip and sellers advertising their wares.

Adonnija stopped outside a house, windows spilling with light and the air around the place reeking with the smell of stale ale. An inn. The door opened again as two drunken men staggered out, and I caught it before it could slam shut a second time. Motioning for Adnnija and Risha to enter, I held the door as they passed, and then gently shut it behind me.

The barkeep looked up from the damp mug he was cleaning, obviously astonished to see outsiders in his house.

I nodded to Adonnija, who handed me a pile of glistening golden coins, and then walked towards the counter.

He stared at me as I grew closer, and then his mouth dropped open as my dragon leapt onto my outstretched arm. He started to protest, but I slammed the coins down on the counter. He looked at them, then at the dragon on my arm hissing softly.

"A week's stay, with bed and board for three. No questions asked."

He swiped up the pile of coins, and nodded to a small door set into the wall. I smiled, then walked back to Risha and Adonnija. We left the building, and Adonnija told us where we were going.

"There is a tower here that holds all documented knowledge in this world, whether it is written, drawn or given through the voice. Here is the most likely palace you will find the locations of the last four sanctuaries. But even if we do not, we may find out vital information regarding the Atrix and their weaknesses."

I smiled at that. Although I had killed the ones who had slaughtered Thaiya, I still wasn't sure how I had actually accomplished that, as my thoughts had been clouded by so much rage and grief that day that I had been pushed, I had fallen over the edge. Shuddering, I tried to stop the flow of memories streaming back to me. I could avenge her, yes, but it would do me no good to wallow in the darkness of that day.

We reached the courtyard in which the tower of prophecies was housed. The stone building towered above me, nearly reaching the high roof of the cavern. Runes were carved into the stone bricks, spiraling upwards towards the pointed spire. There was a doorway carved onto the bottom of the tower, barred by a thick wooden door bound with iron bands and studs. I reached out, feeling the cold metal touching my skin, and drw the bolt back. Iron screeched against iron and I pulled the heavy door open, walking inside. My companions followed.

The steep winding staircase seemed to drag on forever as we ascended, one step at time. My legs screamed every time I moved. The thought of giving up had just wormed into my mind when I nearly waked headfirst into another door. We had reached the top at last. I pushed at the door and it slowly swung open. Looking inside the room, my mouth fell open at the sight. The room seemed to stretch out endlessly around me, stacks and shelves of books and scrolls as far as I could see. I could sense Risha and Adonnija behind me, and she gasped as she glimpsed the room through my arms. What sorcery had allowed this to happen? The tower had certainly not looked like this from the outside.

I stepped through the threshold and felt power dance over my shin. There was so much power in here: in the books, the room, the knowledge, the scrolls. The thought made me shiver at the prospect of holding that much power between my hands. Apparently, while I had been wondering about magic and sorcery, one of the tower's acolytes had spotted us gawking, and came over.

He wore robes of red, and a thick cloak was wrapped around his shoulders. His arms were clasped in front of him. His eyes shone out of the dark shadow of the drooping hood of his robes.

He bowed. "Welcome, my ladies, my lord."

My mouth fell open in shock. I had never been called a Lad, never once. Looking down at the dirt under my fingernails, my windswept damp hair from the trip here. How could he mistake me for a Lady? Thankfully, Adonnjia pull the acolyte to the side, and started talking to him in a hushed whisper. I could only catch snippets of what was being said.

"...The last remaining dragons... Six sanctuaries scattered... Evil... Darkness creeping in.... Only hope." My mind froze over at the last one. Although I knew all hopes rested on me, it hadn't really hit me until now how much of a role I actually played in the fight for this world's survival.

He walked back towards us, the acolyte trailing behind him. "He will help us find what we need." The man stared at the dragons crawling along the floor, then looked up at us. A faint smile fleeted across this face. Beckoning us with a small motion of his hand, he led us through the sprawling stocks of books to a small table, motioning for us to sit.

"I will be back with what you need." With that, he strode off into the labyrinth leaving us sitting, absolutely lost, at the small wooden table. A thick, uneasy silence smothered the air as we waited. A few minutes later, thankfully, he came back, his arms holding a stack of thick tomes and scrolls. After lowering the books to the table, he brought out a few sheets of rachment, and motioned to the ink sticks and inkwells on the table.

"Take as many notes as you like, and call me if you need more parchment." The acolyte walked away, leaving us to study the materials he had brought us.

I reached for the tome nearest me, and as my fingers brushed the cool leather binding I felt that old magic that seemed to hang over this place spark at my fingers and rush up my arm, making the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. It vanished, and I grabbed the book, hauling it towards me, and opened the page. Lopoping, incoherent words sprawled across the pages, inked illustrations jumped out, figures of men, beasts and creatures. Scenes of white snow and tall trees, lush forests, cavens covered with shimmering blue mist and shards of rock floating flashed past. I couldn't read the writing, I wasn't even any I knew. Not in the common tongue anyway, though I wasn't sure if I could read that, either. But the more I stared at the swirling, elegant calligraphy, the more it seemed to swim on the page. Ink started to slide about, moving around, coming alive. The ink ran together, creating twisting writhing lines, forming ever changing images that I could make no head or tail of. I reached for the page, touching the stiff yellowing parchment and then saw nothing but a flash of bright white.

I lifted up my head, my eyes adjusting to the darkness. I was lying on the ground, if you could gall it that. All I could see was grass and darkness stretching out in all directions. The feeling of isolation struch me so harshly, so unexpectedly and so mercilessly that the world started to spin. Hearing the flapping of wings from behind me, turned, seeing the dragon descend.

I took a step back.

I had seen dragons as a child, I even had my own now. But I had never seen a full grown one stand before me. He towered over my head, his yellow eyes beaming into my own.

"So, dragonblood. You have reached me at last. We do not have much time. Your mortal world stands frozen in the moment you left, but will soon return you. I have heard your cries, though you may not have known you spoke them. Remember this, and keep it in your mind. Avonbriand. Never forget it."

The ancient dragon flew away, and I was blinded by that flash of light once again.

Risha and Adonnija sat where I had left them, starting to pour over the scrolls piled before them. Time slowly started running again, and the world resumed. The word echoed around my mind. Avonbriand. What could it mean?

I looked down at the tome and found that the words had slowly started to bleed into the common tongue. Under my breath, I thanked the dragon, muttering the old words of an oath forgotten to time. An Oath to repay.

For the next few hours, we squinted at the small dense lines of text, writing on the parchment and muttering obscenities at the lucid images we found. The lamps in the library grew brighter, and Adonnija slowly stood. I followed, and my bcak ached as I slowly unfurled from the hunched position I had assumed a while ago. I groaned, then yawned as my eyes grew thick with sleep. My eyelids felt heavy as we trudged down the towers, and I hardly noticed as my muscles complained at the exertion once again.

We slowly walked through the streets, the crowds now slightly diminished, and back towards our lodgings. I pushed open the door, savoring the heat that slowly devoured the cold air. The door swung shut, and that heat enveloped me, the cold outside air vanishing. We climbed up to the room we had been allocated earlier in the day,and I fell into the bed almost immediately. Through my blurry eyes, I saw the two dragons nosed at a pile of sheets that had been dumped in the corner, and then nestled together. The last thing I saw before the night swept me away was Risha climbing into her own bed, curling up and dragging the sheet over her head.

Disclaimer: This image is not mine, and all rights go the the creator, Aleksander.

Hello :)

Sorry it has been a while since I uploaded, but My Exams have to take precidence over writing, sadly. Anyway I hope you enjoyed, and if you did please give this story a vote so others can find it too!

Freja <3