Arathon

Part I of III

By Maia Loy

Dedicated to:

My grandparents, my brother, Alex, my mom, Aileen, and my 4^th grade teacher, Mrs. Philo

Chapter One

Another Helpless Stew

Wham! The guards whip slammed on an old dragon’s back, making him scream in pain. The dragon had fallen off a building and because his wings were chained he couldn’t fly. He had broken his leg and the guard was ordering him to stand up and get back to work.

Finally he muttered his last words, “Finally I got my wish, freedom at last!”

The dragon was dead. Three slimy gray ogres appeared and dragged the dragon away…away to be put into tonight’s stew. I watched in horror as they pulled him away. That was the 7^th dragon dead this week! We dragons have been slaves for Rade for longer than my grandparents could remember. He used us in all his plans for building, destroying, cleaning, cooking, killing, and as transportation.

The guards called me Blue One, because Rade forbade my name. I was blue, so my name was fine with me. My dad use to say I was a Ruby dragon, but what did he know. My tail was long, thin, and spiked and my wings shimmered as I flexed them. My teeth were sharper than any knives, and my claws barely made a sound as I walked. I enjoyed being watched by other dragons who were usually quite impressed.

Rade was a wrath monk, hidden by his armor and tucked safely inside his palace. His eyes, if ever seen, blazed like flames. His skin was pitch black, as if covered in soot, and his fingers stretched out like claws. Everyone and everything feared him, even the strongest of creatures. Then I remembered what I hadn’t when I saw the dead dragon. I was next in line for Rade’s riding dragon.

Chapter Two

Oh, Down the Trapdoor We Go!

My mom was the smartest dragon I knew. I needed to escape and she should know how. I couldn’t be Rade’s riding dragon, I just couldn’t. The gates were guarded by trolls and giant snakes, but I was still sure my mom would have all the answers.

“Mom,” I called. “Are you home?”

I walked into the back room. My mom was carving a picture on the wall with my grandparents.

“I need to talk to you,” I said.

“What do you need?”

I blurted out the whole thing as fast as I could.

“The old dragon died and I am next in line for being Rade’s riding dragon. I need to get away as soon as possible. Do you know a way out?”

She looked confused, worried, and scared, really scared.

There was a moment of silence and then she spoke, “I think you should talk to your grandmother about this.”

She was in shock. I had never seen her like this. She walked over to my grandmother and whispered something in her ear. Then she slithered into the back room with grandfather. The cellar was a room we dug out before my dad left. It was covered in spider webs and it smelled like wet dog. Bats hid in the corners, rats scampered across the floor, and a slight breeze flew from an open window. I had always been scared of the basement.

Grandmother and I went downstairs.

“I know a way out,” my grandmother said. “Go and pack.”

“I’ll miss you so much,” I said.

“You really need to pack,” she said.

I went upstairs. I ran about the house grabbing everything I needed—food, water, rope, my draggy, and a blanket. Then I went downstairs again with grandmother.

“Listen,” she said and went upstairs.

Was that my clue I wondered? I listened for a moment; all I could hear was the clattering of chains. I looked out the window expecting to see dragons heading home, but there was none to see. I listened through the walls and then the floor. I heard a bit of stomping trolls. I thought there must be an underground passage way down there.

“Arathon?”

I turned. It was my mom.

“Before you go, I have something for you.” She handed me a small blue box with little holes all over it. “Careful.”

I tried to sneak a peek into one of the holes, but all I could see was shadows. When I opened the lid, a little creature jumped out onto my head and started purring.

“It’s an argoin,” my mom said. “He wandered up the passageway. He’s yours now.” She opened a hidden trap door and said, “Go before the trolls come back.”

I nodded. Before I left, I pulled Scrabble (my pet argoin) down from my head. He was really cute, with marble blue eyes, purple horns, rough green scales, sharp claws, and a small forked tongue. I owed my mom so much, but I knew I could never repay her. I climbed down into the passageway and shut the trap door. I was entering a new world, starting a new adventure.