The Last Ride
Eridn burst through the door, struggling to catch his breath. He still managed to fall to his knees before his masters.
"What is it initiate?" Dragon Master Eridor said from atop his ruby throne.
"Masters, We are under attack! There is an army marching its way to the castle!" Eridn said gripping his chest. Sweat was pouring down his face
The Dragon Masters looked at each other in shock. "Impossible!" Eridor shouted, banging his fist on his throne. " No one could climb those mountains!"
"Masters it is true! We don't know how but I was with the watch when we spotted them!
"What does this army look like? What have they brought with them?" Dragon Master Talus asked, scratching his stubbled face.
"Infantry, heavily armored and a lot of it. And ballistas carrying large chains."
Eridor stood up from his throne, his long silver hair fell over his shoulders. "Go, wake up your fellow initiates in the castle, They are to guard the castle's doors. Send word to the watches, They are to slow the enemy down as much as possible."
Master Talus too stood up "Eridor, the watches are all initiates! They stand no chance!" Master Talus yelled.
"They don't have to. They need to buy us time. While they hold the line you need to wake up the Riders. They need to get to the front line as soon as possible. How many are wintering here Talus?"
"Five of them"
"That should be enough. Once the Riders are ready Get to Dorthal, I am going to wake Valinor. These imbeciles will regret challenging us!"
Talus ran out of the throne room and to the rooms of the Dragon Riders. He banged on each and every door and gave the order, the final order, it hung low in the dimly light hallway. The thick gargantuan gates atop the castle began to open and the dragons stepped out onto the large crystal perches. Dogoss Lord of the Night, Garndal the Quaker, Jrag The Eternal Blizzard, Mydrill Light's Champion and Lithiss King of the North. All five dragons were saddled and readied for the battle.
The army grew closer to the initiates's line. The soldiers wore thick plate and dirty mail; they carried banners of a bleeding dragon. The initiates ran in, spears and bows in hand. They battered themselves against the soldiers but they were no match. Eridn readied his bow but it was too late, A mace had found itself in his leg. As Eridn fell to the hard ground he saw the mace coming back for his head. As the soldier's mace jellified Erdin's skull a dragon's roar boomed through the night's air. Dogoss. Garndal, Jrag, Mydrill and Lithiss flew into the fray with their Riders.
Garndal tucked in its huge brown scaly wings and dived into the soldiers! A dozen men flew into the air! Dogoss flew over head, encasing the soldiers in fury of white fire! Jrag and Lithiss arched back in the air and unleashed a thousand blizzards unto the soldiers. Mydrill flooded the field drowning the soldiers. The soldiers were fierce but they stood no chance against the dragon's might. Then, then the first ballista was fired.
The ballistas stationed behind the soldiers began to fire. They fired no regular bolts, these bolts carried chains behind them. Garndal and its rider were getting back into the air when the first bolt hit it. The bolt itself caved in when it hit the dragon but its chain wrapped around Garndal. Letters painted onto the chain began to glow a faint green. Garndal hissed out in pain and the dragon fell back the the ground, crushing its Rider. A solider plunged a spear and Garndal and it sunk its way into the dragon's heart. Garndal grew limp, letting out a faint whimper and slumped to the ground. The first dragon since Kthos the Giant had died.
The soldiers cheered out and began reloading the ballistas, firing again and again. Dogoss rushed the ballistas but as it drew in closer and chain wrapped around the Lord of the Night. Dogoss was now killed too. The dragons began dropping. The Riders got the ground and began fighting close combat. Their magic was strong but there was simply to many soldiers.
The soldiers began to cheer again but as they did the ground beneath them shook. The whole ground the shivering. Atop the Crystal Castle a orange light radiated out. From this light Valinor the Strong and Fist Born of Ire flew upward into the sky! Valinor perched atop the castle and wrapped his tail around it. Valinor roared and the soldiers staggered back, their ears began to bleed. Valinor's belly began to glow orange, he unfolded his wings and darted them out The fire in Valinor's belly travelled to his neck now. The soldiers dropped their weapons and kneeled on the ground, but it was too late. The fire went from his neck to his mouth and then outward at the men. The soldiers could feel the heat before the fire even got close to them. Valinor's fire swept over the valley, turning the men into charcoal and engulfing the ballistas.
The valley was black ash now. The soldiers blackened bones decorated the desolate landscape. Valinor flew off from the castle and landed in the valley, his large claws dug into the ground. From over head Dorthal the wise and Master Talus flew over the mountains and landed to meet Valinor and Eridor.
Talus looked around, his heart broken. "How...how did this happen? How could they kill dragons?"
"I don't know." Eridor said clenching his fist. "Are you ready Talus? We fly, Justice, must be brought to the world! We will cleanse Ire of these murders!"
CHACHUNG! A ballista was fired and wrapped around Valinor! CHACHUNG! Another wrapped around Dorthal. The Great Dragons began to fight against the cold chain's magic.
"The mountains!" Talus yelled. More ballistas were drug out and fired down from the mountain side! Eridor and Talus leapt from their friends and began attacking the chains. Valinor began to slump down, more soldiers were coming down from the mountain. Eridor looked the the sea of steel and hatred coming down from the mountain and then to his friend. Eridor stepped back and breathed fire onto the chain, and then again onto Dorthal's chain. The metal melted and the dragons shook the chains off. Talus and Eridor looked at each other and they knew.
"Go, go, hide." Eridor said looking to Valinor. "We will handle this, when we do we will find you." Valinor bowed down its head and pressed it to Eridor's. The dragon and the Dragon Rider looked into each other's eyes. "I'm sorry." Eridor whispered. Valinor and Dorthal roared one final time and flew off over the mountains.
The soldiers were coming down from both sides now. Talus and Eridor drew their blades and stood back to back. As the sun rose the sea of steel engulfed the Masters, and as the sun's light reflected off of the castle its light was not orange, but red.