Moon by Matthew R. Davis (fantasy novels to read .TXT) 📕

sure Rien will want to come with us.” Apophis said. Urie bowed her head, her eyes soft upon him. “Or maybe just the two of us can go? I’ve always wanted to know a Daydream.” The sudden proposal shocked Apophis. It normally took a dragon several years of small moves to find a mate. Urie was accepting him without a second thought on the matter.
Together the two of them took to the air. Apophis admired Urie’s features from above. Her light blue scales looked magnificent in the morning light. The blue beads of light they shot scattered on the ground several feet below. Her wings were wider than Apophis’s and were much more aerodynamic, giving her increased speed over Apophis. The membrane on her wings were a darker blue than her scales and along her back, unlike Apophis’s long spikes, she had retractable spikes. Much like a porcupine does. Her eyes were a silvery grey and her talons were the same dark blue as her wing membrane. Her figure was much more sleek than his own. He wondered what sort of fire she possessed.
Some dragons had just fire. Some dragons had liquid fire, like Apophis. Some dragons had lightning capabilities. Some dragons had no fire, but rather had barbed tongues that shot out several feet. Still some dragons had other elements. Such as wind, water, and even magma. But Apophis had never before seen a dragon of Urie’s color or shape. She fascinated him to no ends. Even the soft and soothing sound of her voice was unique. “What kind of dragon are you Urie?” He asked. She flew for another few minutes before slowing and floating up to his side. Her eye met his and she stared deep into him.
“I do not know.” She said finally.
“There is no name for me, as i am the only one of my kind.” Her voice had a twinge of sadness behind it. “It is disheartening to be the only one of my kind.” Silence fell between them after that.

Pen positioned his self against the cold wall of the cell. His head was still throbbing from the force of the impact from Pacco’s club. He wasn’t sure which wall the door was actually on. So he felt his way along the unfamiliar material that made the walls of the cell. It was cool and smooth under his palms, like glass. But it was stronger than the steel of Lethian.He inched his way around the room and was surprised to find that the door was not there.
“How am i to escape, if i do not know where the door is?” He asked himself. He slumped on the floor, feeling as if all hope had been lost. It pained him to think what the man might do to Elva. Her innocent face refused to leave his thoughts, like poison in his mind. The sorrow of loosing her was near equal to that of his mother. His mother, however, would be fine. He was certain that she had joined the ranks of the self sacrificing souls of the moon.
That thought eased her death for Pen. This would not be the case if the man killed Elva. Pen knew he had to get out then. He couldn’t allow this man to take her from him. He summoned the will to fight on and got to his feet. This time though, a stronger determination had taken hold of him.

Apophis slanted into a slight decline, following Urie’s exacts movements. The light blue dragon unfolded her wings and came to a halt in a small patch of grass just outside of Teiram. Apophis did the same. “It’s not smart to fly directly into town.” Urie said as Apophis neared her.
“Something is bothering you Day Dream.” She said. Apophis looked at the ground in front of him, his eyes narrowing.
“I can’t find Elva or Pen. I’m certain they are not in that city. I’ve searched everything from the smallest insects, to the biggest of mammals in there. Their conscious is no where to be found.”
“I’m sure they are just fine Apophis.” she replied.
“I would still like to make haste.” He said. She could feel the sense of urgency in his voice, so she nodded in agreement and led Apophis into a run. Together they sped towards the Belaroughe.

Pen rammed his fist into the wall, hoping to find the door. But he only succeeded in splitting his knuckles. “Damn it!.” he exclaimed as hot, red liquid fell from his freshly opened wound. “Heilia.” He stood still and focused his energy into fueling the spell. once it was finished he leaned against the wall for support. The spell drained him of more energy than he had predicted.
“There has to be a way out of here.” Pen shaped his mind into Lethian. Then he angled his mind so that he would be able to get the full force he needed behind the move he was about to pull. He forced his mind forward as hard as possible but again he found himself trapped by the unknown force surrounding the room. His mind bounced off the invisible barriers and retreated back into his body. He let out a scream as helplessness replaced his determination.
Tears collected at the corners of his eyes and ran southward. He dropped to his knees as the tears fell from his face and splashed on the rock floor of the cell. “Why is this happening?” He asked himself through sobs. All in the room became silent, aside from the gentle sound of his tears hitting the rock beneath him.

Apophis and Urie approached the Belaroughe about 20 minutes after their flight began. Urie could feel panic sweeping Apophis as they neared the perimeter. “What has become of them.” Apophis asked her. Urie shook her head. Apophis’s panic was replaced with anger. He let out a fearsome roar that shattered the windows in the front of the Belaroughe. The people surrounding them ran, terrified of Apophis’s burning rage, as they should have been. Pacco came running through the front doors of the Belaroughe.
“What is zee meaning of this dragon?!”
“I want to know where my friends are insect.”
“They left this morning! They said somezing about finding their true calling among the ranks of the kings army.” Urie growled, obvious to Pacco’s lie.
“Enough of this foolishness human. Where have they gone? And I would be careful about your answer this time.” she said.
Pacco swallowed hard and said. “I cannot tell you what is becoming of them. For as fearsome as you are, the king will see to it that my soul is tortured for eternity if i allow the boy to escape.” he said.
Apophis barred his fangs. He bent forward so that his eyes where level with Pacco’s. “You will tell me, or i will tear this building apart and burn it to the ground, with you inside.” Pacco stood, trembling at the thought. “The boy is inside. I will not allow him to leave this building. But he is safe right now. The king is on his way to retrieve him.”
“What business has the king with Pen?” asked Apophis.
“The boy is the one. The foretold savior of Patheris. He is to liberate the world from the darkness Mathias has covered the world with.”
“You want to keep him from doing this? You humans do not make sense to me.”
“Pacco, please allow the boy to leave. We will protect you from the king. Don’t make this any harder than it already is for us.” Urie pleaded.

Pen was sitting against the wall of the cell. His face was still wet from his tears. He had given up on trying to escape. He now knew that there was no escape from the cell. But he managed to find asylum in his thoughts.
~He was in the greenest valley in the world. The sky overhead was cloudless and deep blue. The sun was setting behind a set of mountains to his left, and in front of him was Elva. Her radiant beauty was far greater than that of all the land. A soft smiled curved her lips has the two of them spun around, hand in hand. The landscape beyond her blurred, until it was only her that Pen could make out. Her dark hair glistened in the orangish glow of the sun as they fell together into the soft grass below. Laughter filtered through the air as they held each other. Pen had never felt love like this. His heart raced with excitement.~
A click snapped Pen from his joyous thoughts, and he was in the cell once again. The click had come from across the room. The squeak of the door hinges, followed by an intense ray of light signified that some one had opened the door.
“Get up boy, you must hurry. I do not know how long it will be until the king arrives.” Pacco said as he rushed to Pen and helped him from the ground.
“We need to leave as soon as possible.”
“Where is Elva?!” Pen yelled as they entered the lobby of The Belaroughe.
“She is with Granite.” Pacco replied.
“There you are Pen. Where is Elva? Is she not with you?” Apophis asked as they exited the tattered hotel.
“No, Pacco said she was taken by a man named Granite. We need to find her. I dueled Granite in the Cell and easily over powered him. But Pacco knocked me unconscious and he left with her.” Pen stated.
“I can still not find her conscious. It is possible that this Granite is blocking her mind with his own. In that case, maybe i should look from him.” Apophis stood still for the next several minutes. Pen could only imagine how difficult it would be to sort through all of the minds in Teiram. The city was unbelievably large and filled with people and creatures of all sizes. Apophis would have to find one mind, among millions. An hour passed, an still Apophis did nothing. He didn’t even appear to be breathing. By that time Rien had joined them. Pacco informed him of the events and apologized repetitively.
“I will help you rescue your missing friend.” Rien said as he walked towards Pen. “I’ve wanted to leave this blasted city for many years. I want adventure and excitement. Things a dragon and rider should have.”
Pen nodded and gratefully said “I am sure we will need all the help we can get.”
“There.” Apophis said suddenly. “I have located them. It would not have taken so long, but we have a problem.”
“What’s that?” Urie asked.
“Granite is a rider. He is flying west of here. His dragon is a Night Stalk.” Apophis replied.
“This is bad. Night Stalks are immensely powerful. Maybe ever as mush as you Day Dream. They are the darkest incarnation of a dragon we know of. The only other one i can think of that may be as vile is the Hydra. And there is only one in existence. The king’s red Hydra.” Rien said “Pen, are you Apophis’s rider?”
Pen shook his head.
“Will you be willing to fight from Apophis’s back?” He asked
“Apophis and I have done some training.” Pen said.
“Good, i doubt that Urie and I ourselves can take out a Night Stalk. We are going to need your assistance.”
Pen climbed onto Apophis, followed by Pacco. “Your are good with spells, so you are in charge of keeping us healthy, got it?” Rien said to Pacco, who nodded in agreement.
“Oh wait a minute!” Pacco exclaimed as he jump form Apophis’s back. He ran into The Belaroughe and