Moon - Matthew R. Davis (best time to read books .txt) 📗

disappeared behind its perimeter. After a few minutes he ran out, holding Lethian in his left hand.
“I am sure you will be needing this.” He said as he handed the sword to Pen.
Pen slid Lethian into its holster and gripped the spike in front of him. Apophis vibrated with exuberance below him as they readied themselves for battle. Urie lunged into the air, followed close by Apophis. The two dragons seemed to be in sync. The beat of their wings were even. A steady rhythm filled the air. Excitement coursed through Pen as they rushed towards Granite and his dark dragon.
“I can feel the dragons conscious!” Pacco yelled from behind him, the wind nearly drowning his voice. Pen to, could feel the dragon. It was much different from Apophis or Urie. It was filled with rage and resentment. Pen wondered how it was possible to cooperate with something so angry and frustrated at all times.
“Ready yourselves. They know we are coming for them” Apophis said. Pen Tightened his grip on the spike and gritted his teeth together. He yelled out as the dragon came into sight. His yell echoed through the dark dragons conscious. Immediately the dragon whirled around and glared directly at Pen. Its gaze burnt through him. The dragon roared, rumbling the air around them.
It flapped its massive wings and rushed towards Apophis and Pen. It was easily twice as large as Apophis and nearly three times as big as Urie. Its scales where white and it was clear that the dragon was powerful. “Night Stalks have shadow fire, stay clear of it. Unlike normal fire. Shadow fire will not spread, but rather will suck the life straight out of the object it is burning.” Rien yelled to them. Pen scanned the Dragon for Elva. She was grasped tightly in the dragons massive talons.

Chapter 12:
Battle Above Green Valley

Pen freed Lethian of its holster and twisted it around into the proper position. Rien did the same with his sword. Apophis returned the dark dragons roar with his own powerful roar. He allowed jets of liquid fire to escape his maw. Heat rushed over Pen. It felt surprisingly good. The waves of heat blurred Pen’s vision as Apophis forced out a full explosion of fire towards the rapidly approaching Night Stalk.
Granite’s sword shimmered in the crisp morning light. It flashed as he swung it at Urie. The sword landed on its target. It effortlessly slip passed her scales and sunk into her flesh. She roared and spun around so that she was underneath the dragon. She opened her mouth, a blue cloud engulfing the dark dragon. It roared out in pain. Pen struggled to see what was happening to it. Behind him he heard “Heilia.” Pacco was healing Urie’s wound.
The dark dragon appeared from behind the smoke. Pen was stunned to see ice had covered the majority of the underside of it. “She breathes ice!?” He exclaimed. Apophis quickened his wings, speeding towards the dark dragon. The two dragons collided. It took every ounce of Pen’s being not to be thrown from Apophis’s back. Pacco hugged the spike in front of him, screaming out in terror as the impact shook them. Granite swung his sword at Pen, as Apophis and the dark dragon exchanged blows. Pen blocked the sword and returned with his own attack. Granite was able to stop Lethian from hitting himself. Pen swung again. This time from left to right. The sudden change in movement must have caught Granite by surprise for Lethian Sliced its way through Granite’s stomach. The dark dragon used its hind legs and pushed Apophis from himself. Granite yelled out “Heilia!” sealing his fresh wound. Pen noticed that Granite was not healing his dragons wounds. “That could be our only chance.” He said to himself.
“Apophis. Aim for the underbelly of the dragon. Granite isn’t healing his dragon’s wounds.”
“ How do we free Elva from the dragon’s grip?” Apophis asked him as they rushed towards Granite and his dragon.
“Leave that to me.”
Again the dragons collided violently. Once he was steadied Pen turned in the saddle and placed his feet under himself. He waited until he was certain he had a clear shot. Once he was certain he did, he jumped from Apophis’s back. He shoved Lethian deep into the dragons leg. Blood poured from the wound and ran over Pen. Pen held onto Lethian and reached down to Elva. She looked up at him. She was scared, but she managed to grab Pen’s hand. She pulled her falchion from its holster and sliced at the dragon’s leg. With each blow, she could feel the dragon’s grip loosening, until she was freed of the dragon’s talons. Pen yelled out as his hold on Lethian’s handle weakened with Elva’s added weight. “Apophis! Now!” He screamed.Apophis pushed himself away from the dark dragon and positioned himself below it. Elva released Pen’s hand and dropped onto Apophis’s back. Pen knew that it would be impossible for him to land on Apophis with Elva and Pacco both.
“Take Elva into the city! Then come and get me.” Pen yelled to Apophis.
Apophis hesitated but did as he was told and rushed to the city below. Urie attacked the dragon from above, oblivious to Pen below. With each of Urie’s attacks, Pen grip on the handle weakened. For several minutes Urie’s assault continued. Pen was horrified as Lethian began to slip free of the dragons leg. He closed his eyes and gritted his teeth together. The sword cam free from the leg. Pen felt weightless as he hurled towards the ground.
He opened his eyes to see the dark dragon getting smaller as he rushed to his fate. The dragon roared as another cloud of ice covered it. Pen, then was glad he was not there. He would have been frozen solid. The dark dragon shot back with his own blast of shadow fire. Urie countered with another burst of ice. The two elements met in a mass of explosion and smoke.
Pen’s heart raced as he neared the ground. The force of the air caused his eyes to water. He screamed as the ground came into view. He was less than 300 feet above it. The rapidly approaching ground sent fear into Pen. He looked around trying to find a way to save himself. Urie roared overhead as the dark dragon sunk its teeth into her. “Urie! Help me!” he pleaded out of desperation.
But Urie was trapped by the dragon’s powerful jaws. Pen hurled passed a cliff, missing it by inches. Then he had an idea. He shoved Lethian deep into the rock face of the cliff. Pen smiled as he began to slow. He held onto Lethian with all his strength. But it was rapidly abandoning him. He then called upon the trees and grass around him for strength. The flow of energy replenished his muscles. He slid to a complete halt less than seventy feet above the ground. His heart was beating in his chest like a drum.
He looked up at the dueling dragons hundreds of feet above. He couldn’t make out what was happening. He was able to catch the sudden flicker of blue light from Urie’s scales and the white from the dragon’s, but that was about the extent of it. “Apophis, where are you?”
“I’m coming child. You nearly killed Elva with that little free fall.”
“Elva isn’t the only one that about died...”
Then Pen could see the black dragon above. Apophis dove towards the spot where Pen was hanging on the cliff.

Urie snapped at the dark dragon, missing the foul beast. The dragon clawed at her, tearing several scales from her side. Rien had been badly wounded and was busy attending to his own wounds. This left Urie to deal with the pain the dragon was inflicting on her. She released a cloud of ice. The cloud covered the dark dragons head. Urie used this opening and forced her teeth into the dragons neck. She squeezed with all her might, on the dragons spinal cord. Her powerful jaws shattered the dragon’s spine. The dragon winced once, and then fell. It was paralyzed. Granite screamed out as the pain in his dragon’s neck rushed over their connection.
He clasped the back of his neck as the two of them fell to the ground below. Pen watched as the pair fell passed him and landed with a muffled thud. He shuddered as he thought about himself meeting the same end.

Apophis landed on the cliff, allowing Pen and Pacco to climb down off of him. Urie soon joined them. Rien climbed down holding his thigh. “I was unable to heal my leg fully.” He said as he limped towards Pen. “I ran out of energy. and i wouldn’t dare to endanger Urie by using hers in the middle of a fight.”
Pen smiled and healed Rien’s leg.
“That was an unique experience.” Pacco said. “I’ve not been so terrified in all my life!”
Pen examined Lethian and was surprised to find that the sword had taken absolutely no damage. “This sword is amazing.” he said to himself.
Pacco peered over his shoulder. “Ah yes. It is quite the weapon indeed. I imagine the creator was very talented.”
“His name is Uragaurd. He made this sword by his own make. Its the first of its kind.” Pen stated.
Rien pulled his sword free and showed it to Pen. “My sword also was made by a man named Uragaurd. He at one time was a forger for the resistance.”
Pen admired the craftsmen ship of the blade. It rivaled that of his own. And in the center of the sword was the same blue insignia on Lethian.
“That is a riders sword you have there Pen. It will never chip, never wear out, and never loose it luster. I imagine Uragaurd made that sword while still in the resistance. Its probably the last rider sword he forged. He must have hung onto it.”
Pen was shocked that he wielded a riders sword. He had just engaged in a rider’s battle with one of the most powerful dragons in existence. It amazed him at how drastically his life had changed since the death of his mother. Pen looked down at his left hand. He removed the glove from it and examined Blodgaram. The rings radiating glow again captured his gaze.
“Where did you get that ring?!” Rien exclaimed.
“My grandfather gave it to me the day he died.” he replied
“That ring belonged to Blodgaram the Great! The most powerful dragon rider who ever lived! Stories were told of the great Blodgaram and his Day Dream dragon, Pheonix. Of how they sing handedly stopped the beast of the sky from destroying our world. Pheonix was the only dragon to ever trade her life for their riders. Blodgaram was nearly defeated by Mathias, but she saved him by sacrificing himself. After that nobody knew what happened to Blodgaram. He vanished.”
“My grandfather was a rider?!”
“Not a rider, the rider. The best of the best. Its said that he left behind a ring, the ring of the bold to whoever he deemed would stop Mathias’s evil rule over Patheris. This means its you. Once you do something bold and heroic, its said that the ring will open itself to you and you will be able to talk to Blodgaram himself and train with him.”
“He’s dead, how is that possible?”
“No body knows. But i believe it to be true.”
Pen stared deep into the blue ring, captivated by its energy. “Maybe, its possible that he isn’t dead...”
Just then Apophis returned with Elva. Pen hadn’t realized that the dragon had left.
“Your alive! Thank