Chapter 10: Shadows by Moonlight

Caution! This one is sad! It made me cry writing it!

Emmet sighed as he lay in his hammock and read a book to try and relax his mind enough to sleep. A leg hung over the edge of the hammock to aid in rocking the hammock back in forth in a relaxing motion, and a hand rested behind his head. He wasn’t really focused on the story and soon found that he was just staring at the book in his hand, no longer remembering where he left off. 

He let the book fall forward and just stared off into space for a long time. He was forcing his mind to slow down and take in each detail that happened that day. The streets are now swarming with police and fire dragons. To find the egg that had hatched in his arms a month and a half ago. They even search the house for said egg. But Umbris and Alchos were not found, which meant the Slayers didn’t know where they were. 

Emmet closed his eyes and yawned. “You’re being paranoid Emmet.,” he told himself as he got up from his hammock and bookmarked the page he guessed he left off on and put the book away. “Everything cool. As soon Umbris is strong enough, and Alchos is old enough to fly with him, they’d head back to Shivery and return the prince home. Then when Alchos tells the media about his first few months of life as a peasant and traveler, I can tell everyone in class that I had helped keep him hidden from the Slayers. Yeah,” He smiled as he turned back to his hammock and laid back down, turning and reaching to turn out the light. “Won’t they be in for a shock… Emmet fields, the one that raised the Royal Dragon Prince Alchos.”

He smiled to himself as he clicked the light out, but the room didn’t plunge into darkness as it usually did. It was bathed in blood red light. His eyes widened and spun around in his hammock, looking out the window as a Blood Moon hung menacingly in the sky. 

“What on…” He said as he got out of the hammock and looked out the window. The fields looked red under the blood moon, and the forests bordering the fields looked like it was a creature that was slowly waking. Eyes, both red and violet were peering out of the trees. With them, one by one, flickering torches began to light.

“Oh, no..” He said, moving away from the window and rushed to Esther’s room. “Esther! Wake up!”

She was sound asleep, Nym having an arched back and was hissing angrily like a cat, eyes bright and teeth bared. But Esther didn’t seem to notice. 

“Esther!” Emmet said, taking her shoulders and shaking her. He could feel a heaviness in the air, and he wasn’t liking it. “ESTHER!” He finally shouted.

This made Esther jump and sleepily look up at him. “Emmet?..” She groaned, rubbing her eyes. “Whats going on?. Why’s everything red?..”

“Come on Esther, wake up!” Emmet begged, pulling his sister to sit up and shook her shoulders a little more. “They’re here! The Slayers!”

Esther shook her head and rubbed her eyes again, trying to banish the sleep from her mind. “How?.” She asked, starting to sound more awake.

“I don’t know,” Emmet said. “But you need to wake up mom. I’ll get the dragons.”

Esther nodded and scooped Nym up before the two rushed out of their rooms and went separate ways, Esther already calling for her mother while Emmet rushed to his shoes on and ran outside. 

The moonlight bathed the entire farm in blood red light. And the figures in the forest were starting to approach the house and the barns. Emmet quickly ran for the barn and found Granite already snarling at the door. But Granite looked at Emmet and his eyes widened. “Emmet! Behind you!” He shouted.

Before Emmet could react someone punched him between the shoulder blades and pinned him down as others rushed past him. Emmet managed to look up in time to see Slayers shoving flaming torches inside the barn windows. “NO!” Emmet cried as he heard Alchos shriek in terror inside. 

Granite roared angrily and charged the Slayers, batting them aside with his large forepaws and long claws. He used his head and horns to throw other Slayers and his tail to get those he missed with his head. 

“I heard the Royal was on a farm,” Said a familiar voice. “Didn’t expect it to be yours, Farm Boy!”

That nickname made Emmet’s blood run cold as he forced his head to turn to look up at the masked person, finding he wasn’t holding him down, but a Druid was pointing his staff at him, making his muscles numb and heavy. But his eyes were fixed on the one who spoke as he lowered the mask that covered half his face. 

“Tony Giffin?!” Emmet shouted in shock. “The Frack are you doing?!”

“What are you doing with the Royal?!” Tony interrogated. “You’ve never hatched an egg in your life! How the frack did you keep it alive?! Guess it’s just a scrawny thing now huh?”

Emmet glared at Tony. Of all the things he thought about Tony and his family, Slayers was never one of them. They had water dragons! And they never seemed unhappy where they were!

Tony huffed. “Go ahead, Clause.” He said.

Emmet groaned as he felt the pressure of the spell increase, cutting off his air supply. He gasped and clenched his fists. He wasn’t going out this way! He couldn’t! But the world around him was already starting to fade to black.

Suddenly a roar sounded above him and the pressure was yanked off, letting Emmet gasp for air that was desperately needed. He coughed and wheezed as he sat up to see Umbris snarling and roaring at the druids and lashing his bladed tail at them, cutting down those that came too close. 

“Emmet!” 

Emmet turned to see Esther and Alchos Running towards him before Esther quickly hugged him and Alchos wrapped his wings around them both, The young Royals’ scales were shades of red instead of the royal scarlet and cream colors. Emmet hugged them both back, but his eyes were wildly watching the battle rage around them and the barn burning. “Wheres Ma?!” He asked. 

“She went to get the police!” Esther said. “She tried to take me with her, but I couldn’t leave you here! I ran back when she wasn’t looking!”

“Esther you should have gone with her!” Emmet shouted scoldingly.

“No time for that now!” Umbris snarled as he bounded up to them. “On my back all of you!” 

The three youngsters looked at him in shock before he snarled at them “MOVE!” 

Emmet jumped and got to his feet, Picking Esther up and put her up on Umbris’ back with Alchos before he felt something hard and metal slam against his body where his neck met his shoulder. He yelped and fell. he could hear Esther scream his name and Umbris roar and swipe the attacker away.  

Emmet worked to get back up, finding his right arm felt numb and wouldn’t move. He looked at the attacker and saw it was Tony’s father. He glared at Umbris, but Emmet could see a mark glowing purple in the red light of the moon. 

“Umbris! Stand Down!” He commanded. 

Umbris snarled at him. “As I said before, Hallow!” He said, baring his front-most teeth at the Slayer. “You no longer command me!”

Hallow glared back and moved forward to attack again, but a roar from behind him caught him off guard right before Granite plowed his head into him and sent him flying back. Granite snarled and prowled between the army of slayers and his pride. Without looking back and without lowering his snarling teeth, he gave commands. “Umbris, take them somewhere safe. I’ll ensure you have head start.”

Emmet’s eyes widened. “Granite No! There’s too many for yo-“

“This is not a request Emmet!” Granite snarled. “This is an order! Defend the Prince and get him home!”

Emmet still stood there and shook his head. Granite was the last thing he had of his father. Granite had helped him through the grief of losing his dad, and Emmet helped him in turn. He couldn’t loose the noble earth dragon, not now!

“Gran-“ Emmet started.

“I SAID GO!” Granite roared at him, finally turning to look at Emmet. Emmet jumped at the fire look on that normally gentle face, but his eyes showed no regret for his choice, but he didn’t look happy about it.

As soon as Granite had turned, the Slayers started charging. Granite roared and charged back and Umbris grabbed Emmet’s shirt with his teeth before lifting him and setting him on his back. “You heard him! Don’t let him down!” Umbris shouted before opening his wings and taking flight. Emmet held onto Esther as she screamed in terror as they suddenly left the ground and held tightly to Umbris while Emmet tucked his legs under Umbris’ wings to anchor himself. He didn’t know how he knew this would work, but he didn’t question it yet. 

He looked back at the ground. With the light of the red moon and the glow of the blazing barn casting eerie light and shadows against him, Granite charge past the Druids and at the shadow dragons that were preparing for flight. Emmet could see the earth dragon attack and bring down a dragon, causing the other shadow dragons to gang up on him. And he could hear his ferocious roars of anger at the attackers. 

Emmet winced as he heard his dragons’ screams as he was attacked by a large shadow dragon and watched in horror as the shadow dragon sank his teeth into Granite’s  neck and throw him down. There was a sharp cry, then the air was suddenly silent.

Emmet trembled and forced himself to took away as Umbris made it to cloud cover and settled into a glide, not going above the clouds but remained inside the cloud layers. Umbris could feel the boy shaking and could hear rough sobs. His lips were curled in as he himself fought back tears. but refrained from speaking or roaring his anger to the sky. 

Soon Umbris landed deep in the mountains and looked to the skies to see if they were being followed. His breath was ragged and came in long huffs, but no one was seen in the red light of the moon, which was slowly returning to silvery pale. 

“We have to go back…” Emmet said, his voice sounding strained from fighting back his tears. “We have to! That's our home back there! And Granite-“

“Granite is gone!” Umbris growled. “He sacrificed himself for us to get away! Going back would be spitting on his grave!”

“He could just be hurt!” Esther offered. 

“The Slayers finish what they start!” Umbris said. “If your mother is smart she will not return to the farm either.”

“Mom…” Emmet said. “We have to go back and get her! They’ll be after her next!”

“No, the prince is most important to them,” Umbris said, laying down to signal them to get off. “And the Slayers won’t stop hunting for him until they have him. Our best chance at life is to go to Shiveryn and get him home.”

“Prince?…” Alchos whimpered as everyone climbed down. “Me?..”

Umbris looked at Alchos, his scales changing to his normal colors as the moon returned to normal. “Yes. Your mother is Queen Allure… Those people that attacked us were once my masters. And I was forced to steal you from your home… But I will return you home. You have my vow Prince Alchos.”

“You’ll have to go without us,” Emmet said. “We need to find Ma.”

“It’s too late for that Emmet,” Umbris said. “Going back to your town will only make continuing harder, as I can’t hide myself or Alchos if we went looking for your mother. I’m afraid you’re coming with us…”

Emmet looked at Umbris, tears staining his cheeks and his face was set in a glare. “Come on Esther.” He said, turning to head back to town. 

There was a sudden snarl as Umbris charged and knocked Emmet down, pinning him under his good leg so they were looking at each other face to scale face. “Get it through your thick head boy!” Umbris growled, ignoring Esther’s yelp of terror. “Going back into that town will be signing your own death certificate! The Slayers know who you are! And they will be looking for you! If they don’t kill you, they’ll take you to the Witch and she will make you tell her where we are heading! Right now you need to focus on protecting your sister and Alchos! The world you knew before is gone!” He sighed and stopped snarling. “Granite gave his life for you and your family. If you go back, his sacrifice would have been for nothing. At dawn, we’ll have a memorial for him to honor his passing…” As he spoke, he slowly let Emmet up, but Emmet remained down, his chest shaking as he fought back tears, but they fell all the same. 

Umbris stepped back but gently nudged Emmet over so the boy could hide his tears and sat beside him, leaning his nose at Emmet’s side and allowing himself to wear as well. Feeling Esther draw close with Alchos, Umbris opened a wing and hid them under it as they came close and the four wept for the loss of the Noble earth dragon and eventually fell asleep where they were.

The next morning was silent as the group gathered together and climbed up on Umbris, Emmet being the last as he looked at the area they fell asleep at. Eventually, he climbed up on Umbris’ back. Umbris was silent as he turned and took flight once more, leaving behind a crudely put together cross which was surrounded by wild flowers, with an Angel Creed flower resting beside it. On the wood, Emmet had carved out Granites name, the year he died and left a message under the stone that held the cross up.

In Honored memory of Granite

The Earth Dragon that gave his life

to save the royal prince Alchos

as well as his family.

You will be dearly missed, my friend. 

Author's Note

I'm sorry this one is so sad... But please keep reading the story! Things should start feeling better in the next few chapters.