Petra Price and the Last Dragon: Chapter 20
Chapter 20! This is the place I've been aiming for ever since I started. An epilogue will be coming next week, stay tuned~
This story is also posted here on FictionPress.com.
Description: Petra Price was a perfectly ordinary girl until she got sent away to Rosebury Academy, a school that would teach her all about magic. It's a brand new life, with new friends and a new power to be harnessed. An enemy is soon revealed. What will Petra do?
"One among you does not show themselves. Such trickery will do you no good. My senses are far greater than you may have expected." The dragon's voice, if it could be called that, was low and smooth. Petra imagined it would be very booming and loud if it were audible.
It was a short while before anyone was bold enough to respond to the dragon. For his part, he stared them down in a sort of disinterested way. He was apparently in no hurry to carry out whatever Cecelia had set upon him to do.
"She can't show herself. She's been hexed." Darlene was the one who finally spoke. Petra thought she was very brave. She was glad to have someone around who did and said things she would have done, were she able.
"We shall see," was the dragon's cryptic statement.
Petra was suddenly overcome with a very different sensation. Having the dragon's voice inside her head had been strange to begin with, but it had somehow escalated into something more. It was as if the dragon was trying to push into her mind entirely.
In the space of a blink, Petra was transported from the dragon's cavern to a field that stretched far off in every direction. She could sense the unreality of the place and knew very well that it was something the dragon was creating in her mind.
"Petra Price." She could truly hear the dragon.
She spun around to face him. Presumably for her comfort, the form he showed her was a much smaller version of his real body. Even so, she still had to look up at him and she found him no less intimidating.
The dragon's calm gaze stayed incredibly focused on her. She realized that it was the first time since the face off at Cecelia's mansion that anyone had been able to look directly at her. It was more relieving than she thought it would be.
"It would seem we've both been operating under certain misconceptions." It was strange to see the dragon's mouth move when he talked, "That girl, she became aware of how I still roved this world. She told me I was to rid the world of those I next saw and then I would go free. She was older than any child should be."
The dragon's manner was quite relaxed. Petra hoped that meant it was rethinking whatever Cecelia had told him.
"Unlike her, you are still young. You possess no barrier against my intrusion into your mind. I have witnessed your recent trials as if they were my own. I applaud you for your adventurous spirit."
The expansive field morphed in front of Petra's eyes to once more be the cave. The dragon seemed to grow back to his normal size. Petra's ears gave a bit of a pop and she felt rather dizzy.
"Petra!" Marnie squeezed her in a hug. It was more forceful than Petra would have thought the girl capable, "We got worried when you stopped responding. You had this sort of blank look in your eyes for a little while, but now he's fixed you. It's so good to see you!"
It was good to be seen. Petra hugged her friend, grateful to be back to normal. She sent a grin at her other friends before turning her attention back to the dragon.
"I think it's okay. He doesn't mean to harm us, not anymore. Just look what he's done for me."
"Dragons have a power all their own," was his response.
While clearly trusting Petra's judgment, no one rushed to instantly befriend the creature. Petra thought she could hear a bit of a smile in his voice when it next invaded her mind.
"I was left behind long ago when my kind ceased exploration of your world. I should have followed after them, I very easily could have. I was very young and inexperienced at the time, thinking it would make quite the adventurous tale if I explored your world for a time before I made my return. I lived a solitary, hidden life until I was found by that girl."
The dragon's eyes settled on Darlene for an instant. She began to fidget nervously.
"That was Cecelia. It's a bit hard to explain, but I'm not her."
The dragon's tail moved in a certain way, drawing images of puppies to Petra's mind. She found the comparison quite ridiculous.
"She fed me stories that seem quite ludicrous to me now, about how those I would next see were those responsible for chasing my fellows out of this dimension. She was quite good at guarding her thoughts. While that raised my suspicions, she was still able to work me into quite a state. She could not have known how thoroughly I would be able to see inside your minds."
"I take it you don't disapprove of us?" Petra queried, speaking aloud to the dragon even though it likely wasn't necessary.
"You are children. You could not have had anything to do with happenings from so long ago. The girl, Cecelia, thought she had me trapped. I could have left this place any time I wished it. I stayed only for the chance I presumed was coming to persecute the only man who has done wrong by dragon kind. The man you think of as Hiram." The dragon looked grim, no longer presenting the fierceness it had initially greeted them with. "I should have known he would not be alive any longer."
"I know what he did. I'm very sorry." Petra thought about accompanying her words with a consoling touch but wasn't sure how the dragon would react to such a human bit of interaction.
"I was surprised to find that information in your mind, young Petra. I feel I must inform you that the version of events you are familiar with is quite skewed. It was not the dragons that destroyed your world's magic users, but the man who drove the dragons from this world. He was a wickedly unstable man. There was only one instance that I was close enough to get inside his mind. I wanted to find the reason for the crimes he committed. He was in search of control over others and thought the dragon mind was a key to his achieving such a thing. If only he would have asked, we could have told him that we possess no such power."
Petra had to steady herself for a moment after all that. The dragon's communication was starting to give her a dizzying headache.
The dragon's body moved in such a way that Petra thought he was shrugging, "By the time I reached him, he did not have many of his whits left with him. I know not what he did, only that the magical peoples of your world were no more once he'd finished."
"Maybe my father should have focused on that thing down the tunnel. It didn't have too much trouble forcing us to do what it wanted." Darlene glanced back at the mouth of the cave even though the magwox had been left far behind.
"I have encountered such a creature before, but never one whom acted in the manner you remember. The animal's power has been warped by a spell. We may be able to make use of this in our escape." The dragon stirred and made to stand up.
"You'll help us?" Petra was surprised, yet grateful. With the dragon as a temporary ally, they would surely have no trouble gaining freedom.
"Certainly. You must return to the other side before we can continue. Go as fast as you like, a spell is in place to keep you balanced."
They did as they were told, Petra in the lead. The dragon took a great leap once they were across. He landed above them, shaking the ground. Petra had to grab on to the magnificent creature's leg for a moment to keep from falling.
"Stay close," was all the dragon said before exiting into the tunnel. While the cavern he had been in had been large enough to accommodate his size, the tunnel was not. The stone walls scraped against him on every side and yet he seemed not to be bothered in the slightest. Petra and her friends were forced to walk beneath him to keep out of the way of falling debris.
It was a little while before Petra understood what the dragon's power was. It wasn't magic, exactly. He could manipulate the magic around him, change already active spells to suit his needs.
They met no trouble from the sleeping spell on their return trip, though Petra found the fallen forms of her teachers and peers rather disconcerting. The dragon had to move very carefully to avoid stepping on anyone.
"We will return for them shortly," the dragon reassured her. "I think it might be best if we leave them as they are for now."
Petra had to admit that she wouldn't mind going to sleep and waking up at some later time to find out that it was all over and she was safe.
She thought they might be stuck when they came to the door set into the cave wall. It was much too small for the dragon to fit through. The dragon took only a moment to pause and look at the door before there was a sort of a cracking noise. Not only did the door disappear but the walls around it did so as well, leaving a stretch of bare tunnel where there had once been a room.
The magwox was prepared for them when they returned to its location. Petra was sure to keep her eyes averted, though it seemed there wouldn't be need for such precautions. The dragon was careless of whatever power the other creature might have. Petra supposed that was how it should have been. Even if the magwox were to get the dragon under its control, it would certainly have a tough time trying to eat the mammoth creature. The dragon was several times the magwox's size.
The two magical beasts stared each other down for a time. It ended when the dragon gained enough room to turn around before he started heading back the way they'd came. The magwox trailed after them harmlessly.
Petra chanced a peek at it.
"What did you do to him?" She didn't bother speaking quietly. She very much doubted the magwox could understand language. It was hard not to speak at all, though she knew the dragon didn't need to hear her. After being silenced by Cecelia's magic, talking was a comfort.
"We have an understanding," the dragon's foreign voice sounded in her mind. "He will help us in exchange for his own freedom, both from this place and the magic that has been cast upon him."
Before much time had passed, they were once more in the place where the sleeping spell had taken effect. Almost as one, Petra's sleeping allies rose from the ground and formed a neat group beneath the dragon's belly.
"Don't they need to look it in the eyes?" Budgerigar asked, waving a hand in front of Mister Glover's still closed eyes. He and the others were still quite asleep.
"That is how it stuns its victims into offering no resistance. There is no need for it now, since the resting body offers no challenge to the creature's power."
Their progress was slow. Those under the magwox's control stumbled and bumped into each other now and then but otherwise didn't cause any problems. They were able to carry on like that until they were well down the other tunnel. Gazing at the sheer drop into nothingness where the ground had fallen away, Petra had a moment's regret over scouting ahead. If they'd all just been together the first time around, they might have made it out with much less trouble.
After another moment's worth of pondering, she decided she wouldn't have that for the world. Despite all she'd been through, she had learned much from the dragon. Just the opportunity to have met him was something incredible. Besides Cecelia, Petra and her friends were the only ones to have seen a dragon in years.
Thinking about their departed enemy brought the ghost of a smile to Petra's lips. The wicked girl's plan to destroy them all had failed most spectacularly. While Cecelia may have been very learned in the ways of magic, she hadn't been a very practical sort. Perhaps all those years trapped in the school had driven her mad, with her mind active but having nothing to experience.
The ground rose back into place as Petra was staring into the chasm. She was relieved that the dragon was able to undo that bit of magic. The only thing she'd been able to think of was that they would have to get on his back so he could fly them over. That wouldn't have worked, for there was not nearly enough room for him to spread his wings.
Petra insisted on going the rest of the way at a bit of a run, anxious to once again see the sky and breathe fresh air. She could hardly believe it when she reached the mouth of the cave and nothing stopped her from going through it.
A few things happened very quickly upon their escape. Once the magwox had walked all of its charges out into the open, the dragon deactivated the sleeping spell. Petra watched the magwox trundle off into the night as her peers became aware of their surroundings. A hush came over them as many wide-eyed stares fixed on the dragon.
"I will take my leave of you," the dragon gave a slight inclination of his head in Petra's direction. "Do great things, Petra Price."
He spread his wings and took flight. Petra expected to watch him fly off into the distance, but he only raised so far into the sky. A swirling light lit up the area for a few seconds before the dragon disappeared into its depths. Presumably, he had returned to his home.
Miss Blake came to stand by Petra's side.
"I expect you have quite the story to recount to us, Miss Price. While I can hardly wait to hear it, I do believe I'll tamper my curiosity until we're safely back at the school." The efficient principal was looking as tired and ruffled as the rest of them.
Petra agreed completely and was fast to fall in line when Miss Blake called them to order. Hilton was close behind her.
"Nice to see you again, cousin," he quipped. "Why is it that I always miss out on all the fun stuff? I think you owe me at least one good adventure."
His magically induced sleep appeared to have left him feeling rather chipper. Leaning towards weary, Petra feared someone would have to carry her before very long. Stretching, she gave Hilton a tired smile.
"The next time I think something terrible might happen, I'll be sure to ask you along.
"It's a deal."
Only by thinking about the landmarks they would encounter was Petra able to keep her feet beneath her. At first, it wasn't too far until they would reach Cecelia's mansion. Then it wasn't too far until they would reach the portal back to the school. In front of the grand double doors that composed Rosebury Academy's entrance, it was only a matter of crossing the school before she would be safe and warm in her bed.
Thankfully, everyone seemed to understand that Petra needed her rest. Though the sleeping spell had left some refreshed for the long walk back to the school, everyone was ready to retire by the time they reached the dormitories. No one tried to engage Petra or her friends for very long, other than quick words of thanks or congratulations. By Petra's way of thinking it was the dragon that had done most of the work. She didn't have the energy to explain the details, though she was excited to the story of just what had happened. There would be plenty of time for that the next day, if she'd had enough sleep by then.
That night, Petra dreamed of dragons.
This story is also posted here on FictionPress.com.
Description: Petra Price was a perfectly ordinary girl until she got sent away to Rosebury Academy, a school that would teach her all about magic. It's a brand new life, with new friends and a new power to be harnessed. An enemy is soon revealed. What will Petra do?
"One among you does not show themselves. Such trickery will do you no good. My senses are far greater than you may have expected." The dragon's voice, if it could be called that, was low and smooth. Petra imagined it would be very booming and loud if it were audible.
It was a short while before anyone was bold enough to respond to the dragon. For his part, he stared them down in a sort of disinterested way. He was apparently in no hurry to carry out whatever Cecelia had set upon him to do.
"She can't show herself. She's been hexed." Darlene was the one who finally spoke. Petra thought she was very brave. She was glad to have someone around who did and said things she would have done, were she able.
"We shall see," was the dragon's cryptic statement.
Petra was suddenly overcome with a very different sensation. Having the dragon's voice inside her head had been strange to begin with, but it had somehow escalated into something more. It was as if the dragon was trying to push into her mind entirely.
In the space of a blink, Petra was transported from the dragon's cavern to a field that stretched far off in every direction. She could sense the unreality of the place and knew very well that it was something the dragon was creating in her mind.
"Petra Price." She could truly hear the dragon.
She spun around to face him. Presumably for her comfort, the form he showed her was a much smaller version of his real body. Even so, she still had to look up at him and she found him no less intimidating.
The dragon's calm gaze stayed incredibly focused on her. She realized that it was the first time since the face off at Cecelia's mansion that anyone had been able to look directly at her. It was more relieving than she thought it would be.
"It would seem we've both been operating under certain misconceptions." It was strange to see the dragon's mouth move when he talked, "That girl, she became aware of how I still roved this world. She told me I was to rid the world of those I next saw and then I would go free. She was older than any child should be."
The dragon's manner was quite relaxed. Petra hoped that meant it was rethinking whatever Cecelia had told him.
"Unlike her, you are still young. You possess no barrier against my intrusion into your mind. I have witnessed your recent trials as if they were my own. I applaud you for your adventurous spirit."
The expansive field morphed in front of Petra's eyes to once more be the cave. The dragon seemed to grow back to his normal size. Petra's ears gave a bit of a pop and she felt rather dizzy.
"Petra!" Marnie squeezed her in a hug. It was more forceful than Petra would have thought the girl capable, "We got worried when you stopped responding. You had this sort of blank look in your eyes for a little while, but now he's fixed you. It's so good to see you!"
It was good to be seen. Petra hugged her friend, grateful to be back to normal. She sent a grin at her other friends before turning her attention back to the dragon.
"I think it's okay. He doesn't mean to harm us, not anymore. Just look what he's done for me."
"Dragons have a power all their own," was his response.
While clearly trusting Petra's judgment, no one rushed to instantly befriend the creature. Petra thought she could hear a bit of a smile in his voice when it next invaded her mind.
"I was left behind long ago when my kind ceased exploration of your world. I should have followed after them, I very easily could have. I was very young and inexperienced at the time, thinking it would make quite the adventurous tale if I explored your world for a time before I made my return. I lived a solitary, hidden life until I was found by that girl."
The dragon's eyes settled on Darlene for an instant. She began to fidget nervously.
"That was Cecelia. It's a bit hard to explain, but I'm not her."
The dragon's tail moved in a certain way, drawing images of puppies to Petra's mind. She found the comparison quite ridiculous.
"She fed me stories that seem quite ludicrous to me now, about how those I would next see were those responsible for chasing my fellows out of this dimension. She was quite good at guarding her thoughts. While that raised my suspicions, she was still able to work me into quite a state. She could not have known how thoroughly I would be able to see inside your minds."
"I take it you don't disapprove of us?" Petra queried, speaking aloud to the dragon even though it likely wasn't necessary.
"You are children. You could not have had anything to do with happenings from so long ago. The girl, Cecelia, thought she had me trapped. I could have left this place any time I wished it. I stayed only for the chance I presumed was coming to persecute the only man who has done wrong by dragon kind. The man you think of as Hiram." The dragon looked grim, no longer presenting the fierceness it had initially greeted them with. "I should have known he would not be alive any longer."
"I know what he did. I'm very sorry." Petra thought about accompanying her words with a consoling touch but wasn't sure how the dragon would react to such a human bit of interaction.
"I was surprised to find that information in your mind, young Petra. I feel I must inform you that the version of events you are familiar with is quite skewed. It was not the dragons that destroyed your world's magic users, but the man who drove the dragons from this world. He was a wickedly unstable man. There was only one instance that I was close enough to get inside his mind. I wanted to find the reason for the crimes he committed. He was in search of control over others and thought the dragon mind was a key to his achieving such a thing. If only he would have asked, we could have told him that we possess no such power."
Petra had to steady herself for a moment after all that. The dragon's communication was starting to give her a dizzying headache.
The dragon's body moved in such a way that Petra thought he was shrugging, "By the time I reached him, he did not have many of his whits left with him. I know not what he did, only that the magical peoples of your world were no more once he'd finished."
"Maybe my father should have focused on that thing down the tunnel. It didn't have too much trouble forcing us to do what it wanted." Darlene glanced back at the mouth of the cave even though the magwox had been left far behind.
"I have encountered such a creature before, but never one whom acted in the manner you remember. The animal's power has been warped by a spell. We may be able to make use of this in our escape." The dragon stirred and made to stand up.
"You'll help us?" Petra was surprised, yet grateful. With the dragon as a temporary ally, they would surely have no trouble gaining freedom.
"Certainly. You must return to the other side before we can continue. Go as fast as you like, a spell is in place to keep you balanced."
They did as they were told, Petra in the lead. The dragon took a great leap once they were across. He landed above them, shaking the ground. Petra had to grab on to the magnificent creature's leg for a moment to keep from falling.
"Stay close," was all the dragon said before exiting into the tunnel. While the cavern he had been in had been large enough to accommodate his size, the tunnel was not. The stone walls scraped against him on every side and yet he seemed not to be bothered in the slightest. Petra and her friends were forced to walk beneath him to keep out of the way of falling debris.
It was a little while before Petra understood what the dragon's power was. It wasn't magic, exactly. He could manipulate the magic around him, change already active spells to suit his needs.
They met no trouble from the sleeping spell on their return trip, though Petra found the fallen forms of her teachers and peers rather disconcerting. The dragon had to move very carefully to avoid stepping on anyone.
"We will return for them shortly," the dragon reassured her. "I think it might be best if we leave them as they are for now."
Petra had to admit that she wouldn't mind going to sleep and waking up at some later time to find out that it was all over and she was safe.
She thought they might be stuck when they came to the door set into the cave wall. It was much too small for the dragon to fit through. The dragon took only a moment to pause and look at the door before there was a sort of a cracking noise. Not only did the door disappear but the walls around it did so as well, leaving a stretch of bare tunnel where there had once been a room.
The magwox was prepared for them when they returned to its location. Petra was sure to keep her eyes averted, though it seemed there wouldn't be need for such precautions. The dragon was careless of whatever power the other creature might have. Petra supposed that was how it should have been. Even if the magwox were to get the dragon under its control, it would certainly have a tough time trying to eat the mammoth creature. The dragon was several times the magwox's size.
The two magical beasts stared each other down for a time. It ended when the dragon gained enough room to turn around before he started heading back the way they'd came. The magwox trailed after them harmlessly.
Petra chanced a peek at it.
"What did you do to him?" She didn't bother speaking quietly. She very much doubted the magwox could understand language. It was hard not to speak at all, though she knew the dragon didn't need to hear her. After being silenced by Cecelia's magic, talking was a comfort.
"We have an understanding," the dragon's foreign voice sounded in her mind. "He will help us in exchange for his own freedom, both from this place and the magic that has been cast upon him."
Before much time had passed, they were once more in the place where the sleeping spell had taken effect. Almost as one, Petra's sleeping allies rose from the ground and formed a neat group beneath the dragon's belly.
"Don't they need to look it in the eyes?" Budgerigar asked, waving a hand in front of Mister Glover's still closed eyes. He and the others were still quite asleep.
"That is how it stuns its victims into offering no resistance. There is no need for it now, since the resting body offers no challenge to the creature's power."
Their progress was slow. Those under the magwox's control stumbled and bumped into each other now and then but otherwise didn't cause any problems. They were able to carry on like that until they were well down the other tunnel. Gazing at the sheer drop into nothingness where the ground had fallen away, Petra had a moment's regret over scouting ahead. If they'd all just been together the first time around, they might have made it out with much less trouble.
After another moment's worth of pondering, she decided she wouldn't have that for the world. Despite all she'd been through, she had learned much from the dragon. Just the opportunity to have met him was something incredible. Besides Cecelia, Petra and her friends were the only ones to have seen a dragon in years.
Thinking about their departed enemy brought the ghost of a smile to Petra's lips. The wicked girl's plan to destroy them all had failed most spectacularly. While Cecelia may have been very learned in the ways of magic, she hadn't been a very practical sort. Perhaps all those years trapped in the school had driven her mad, with her mind active but having nothing to experience.
The ground rose back into place as Petra was staring into the chasm. She was relieved that the dragon was able to undo that bit of magic. The only thing she'd been able to think of was that they would have to get on his back so he could fly them over. That wouldn't have worked, for there was not nearly enough room for him to spread his wings.
Petra insisted on going the rest of the way at a bit of a run, anxious to once again see the sky and breathe fresh air. She could hardly believe it when she reached the mouth of the cave and nothing stopped her from going through it.
A few things happened very quickly upon their escape. Once the magwox had walked all of its charges out into the open, the dragon deactivated the sleeping spell. Petra watched the magwox trundle off into the night as her peers became aware of their surroundings. A hush came over them as many wide-eyed stares fixed on the dragon.
"I will take my leave of you," the dragon gave a slight inclination of his head in Petra's direction. "Do great things, Petra Price."
He spread his wings and took flight. Petra expected to watch him fly off into the distance, but he only raised so far into the sky. A swirling light lit up the area for a few seconds before the dragon disappeared into its depths. Presumably, he had returned to his home.
Miss Blake came to stand by Petra's side.
"I expect you have quite the story to recount to us, Miss Price. While I can hardly wait to hear it, I do believe I'll tamper my curiosity until we're safely back at the school." The efficient principal was looking as tired and ruffled as the rest of them.
Petra agreed completely and was fast to fall in line when Miss Blake called them to order. Hilton was close behind her.
"Nice to see you again, cousin," he quipped. "Why is it that I always miss out on all the fun stuff? I think you owe me at least one good adventure."
His magically induced sleep appeared to have left him feeling rather chipper. Leaning towards weary, Petra feared someone would have to carry her before very long. Stretching, she gave Hilton a tired smile.
"The next time I think something terrible might happen, I'll be sure to ask you along.
"It's a deal."
Only by thinking about the landmarks they would encounter was Petra able to keep her feet beneath her. At first, it wasn't too far until they would reach Cecelia's mansion. Then it wasn't too far until they would reach the portal back to the school. In front of the grand double doors that composed Rosebury Academy's entrance, it was only a matter of crossing the school before she would be safe and warm in her bed.
Thankfully, everyone seemed to understand that Petra needed her rest. Though the sleeping spell had left some refreshed for the long walk back to the school, everyone was ready to retire by the time they reached the dormitories. No one tried to engage Petra or her friends for very long, other than quick words of thanks or congratulations. By Petra's way of thinking it was the dragon that had done most of the work. She didn't have the energy to explain the details, though she was excited to the story of just what had happened. There would be plenty of time for that the next day, if she'd had enough sleep by then.
That night, Petra dreamed of dragons.