Wielders of Magic, Book 2: The Trinity

We are going to continue along the burned tunnel now. It seems that the fiery flames of death do not persuade our leader to take a different route - assuming there is one - or even turn back. We are not that far into the Underdark, after all, we could just turn back and continue over the mountain. Everyone is healed and rested, we could do it if we really wanted.

But no, we have to take the obviously MOST dangerous path that we could EVER take, and almost got killed in yesterday. Whatever Rentham, I have no idea why we made you our leader ,but alright!

Rey put his journal down as they entered the tunnel, rolling his eyes as Rentham entered first. Idiot. He groaned and jumped a little, trying to look over Jaden's shoulder. "Why are you taller than me? This is not logical."

"I don't care." He said, lighting another torch with a little help from Drusilla. "Why are you mentioning it now?"

"Because when I see you in the Abyss I would like to impress the demons with my height, over you." He shrugged. "I am pretty sure they do not respect people that are short."

"Are you . . . on something?" Jaden stopped and turned around, staring at him strangely.

"No I was just . . . never mind. Your simple idiotic brain can not comprehend my intellectual abilities!" Rey snapped back, stuffing his hands in his long robes.

"Be quiet!" Rentham hissed, it echoing like a snake through out the tunnel as they neared the end of it. "We don't know what lies at the end of this thing, but we better move fast. No more getting trapped in here!"

There was a low growl from the other side and they froze, wondering if the fire was going to come roaring at them once again. Drusilla didn't know if she could hold it back again, if she could even cast that much fire in one spell without hurting herself that is.

She had done it before, but it wasn't very effective.

The four slowly left the tunnel then, finally reaching the end of it as light washed out over their dirty forms. They hadn't washed their clothes in so long, and cave dust as well as stale air had pushed an unholy sent in between their fibers.

Making them the perfect target for the blind red dragon that sat before them. He didn't hunt by sight anymore, he hunted by smell.

"Holy name of the gods!" Rey shouted, stumbling back and landing in the arms of Drusilla as she pushed him back on his feet. The giant, ancient wyrm was defiantly raided several times, his eyes being covered by a layer of scared tissue, and his ears cut from his head. He had nothing left but his nostrils and giant, jagged teeth, which were scary enough on their own.

"Who enters my lair today?" His deep voice asked as he got to his feet, his humongous claws hitting the stone floor and making gold coins fly across the cavern as a sky light shown from above.

That, apparently, was their way out.

"How are we supposed to get out through that?" Drusilla hissed in Jadens hear, squeezing his arm as she stood behind him. He was holding both of his magical steel swords, and was already beginning to focus. He had killed greater dragons than this, it would not be so difficult, just a little irritating at the most.

"Drusilla and Rey, stay back and protect us with your magic, we will-"

"No, I already have a handle on it." Rey hissed, walking past them and starting to speak in a strange, unknown language that they did not recognize.

How many hidden secrets laid beneath that robe of his anyway?

"Oh, a comrade I see." The dragon laughed in his own, strange language back at the mage. "No doubt you could destroy me in a flash, so why not do so young mortal?"

"Because, there are not to many creatures like you. You deserve to live in peace, after all these years."

"I would kill you if I could."

"Yes, but you can not." Rey replied, a grin spreading across his face. "Taste my power oh great one, feel it beneath your bones. I - I mean we could defeat you with a thought. Let us pass, or we will slaughter you." He went back over to his companions which were giving him another odd stare.

"How much gold have you taken already?" He asked slyly, whipping his tail around behind him. "How much treasure have you stolen from me!?"

"We took nothing-"

"How dare you!" The dragon roared, fire flying from his giant lips and out towards the dark warlock. He pulled his hands up and blocked tried to block it with a simple force field, but soon he found that it was starting to melt through and get to his robes.

Suddenly a figure flew across the room and jumped into the stream of fire, hovering in mid air as the dragons flame started to shoot back at it. A terrible scream escaped the mouth of the Red Witch as she did such a spell once again, the concentration bubble she had formed starting to crack as the dragon fear fell down on her like an ocean wave. She figured in her mind, that if she did not practice in situations like these, she may never be able to do such a thing anyway. It was now or never.

Rey reeled back and crumbled like a ball on the stone floor, quickly putting out the flame and feeling its magical property start to sap his strength. This was no ordinary dragon, this was someones pet someones hybrid that they had raised from an egg.

No dragon had such fire.

"Rey, are you alright?" Drusilla asked, dropping to the ground and nursing a newly burned arm as she stumbled back towards him, the magical strength sapping fire taking its affect on her as well.

"Sure . . ." He sighed, gasping for air as he struggled to stay awake.

"Me . . . to." She collapsed beside him as the two sword wielders went to work on the beast, both had paved the way for their attack, and now Rentham and Jaden had taken the ticket, and ran with it.

The assassin ran between the large front legs of the dragon, slicing its ankles on both the front and back feet and diving out of the way as it collapsed to the stone floor, letting Rentham jump atop it as he diverted the flames of the beast. He nimbly stepped to one side as the king brought his sword high, aiming it at the back of the great wyrm's head.

"STOP!" A terrified voice cried.

Everything went silent as a lone figure left the shadows. She was dressed in long, red and purple robes, a large head dress behind her voluminous scarlet hair made out of silk and wood. She looked as if she had lived in solitude for many many years, the sight of her was more than enough to stop everyone dead in their tracks as well.

She had a pail, fare face and her eyes were a bright gold, shinning with the light of the sun and diamond dragons pupils. She was like a dream, like the sun in womanly form.

Rentham gasped, his powerful voice echoing through out the large cavern as he spoke. He jumped from the back of the beast as he lay unmoving, submissive to her presents. "Kekinda the wise."