The Onyx Dragon Read Online Free PDF

him to hatch the First Egg he holds inside that Island. Should that day come, we believe Marshal Re’akka would be unstoppable.”
    Wasn’t he unstoppable already? Pip said nothing, but the dismay displayed on the faces around her conveyed much.
    Jerrion rumbled, “Pip. Tell us about your dream.”
    Great. Just the medicine to cheer everyone up. Pensively, she related what she had seen, grateful for an encouraging mental touch from Silver, but it was not devoid of a hint of jealousy. Silver did not approve that she shared an oath-bond with Zardon the Red, even if she had not understood the implications of agreeing to become Zardon’s Rider. Pip understood the flight of his thoughts. Had the situation been reversed, she would have been spitting jealousy like a banded copper-viper.
    Blazon growled, “Strength to your right paw, noble Onyx.”
    Shimmerith added, “We will find a way to defeat this renegade Dragon, my kin. We must.”
    “Ay,” agreed Blazon, underscoring his agreement with a curl of fire between his fangs. “Kassik, we must use the respite this action affords us to gather our far-flung refugees and fortify the Academy. I will arrange to secrete our treasures in a different location, in Fra’anior Cluster.”
    He did not say so, but Pip assumed Blazon meant Gi’ishior. No doubt the Dragons had many secret treasuries at their ancient home.
    Kassik said, “Meantime, we must scour the lore-libraries for a solution to this magic-ravaging Shadow Dragon. There must be a clue, perhaps events or lore rooted in the time the Ancient Dragons departed our Island-World.” Yaethi raised her hand. The Dragon Elder nodded, “Speak, little one.”
    Even in his Human form, Kassik slipped into Dragonish ways of communicating, Pip noticed.
    “How does the Marshal control the Shadow Dragon?” Yaethi asked. “From all reports, it seems able to negate or parasitize draconic magic. What say our Dragonkind to this?”
    Yaethi paused in alarm at the rising growl of draconic belly-fires out on the balcony, but Blazon said, At ease, my shell-brothers and sisters. To speak of evil is not to invite it to roost with us. “Continue, Yaethi, Rider of Arrabon.”
    “Well, it was just to say, I don’t believe that even the First Egg’s overwhelming force could create a diametrically different type of magic–an opposite, as oil and water, or shadow and light, mighty Dragons, so I speculated–” she gulped audibly, then blurted out, “–and this will sound crazy, and I’m sorry! Helyon Islanders have an ancient creation legend. To sum up, they say Dragons believe life is created of fire, a fire fundamental to every physical manifestation of life in our Island-World. These are spiritual or mystical fires, called white-fires. ”
    “The concept translates exactly into Island-Standard, my beautiful Rider,” Arrabon lisped. “You’d say white-fires, or pure-fires. The inner beauty of every material substance.”
    “Why teach us our own legends?” Blazon puzzled aloud. “Every hatchling knows these things.”
    “Her words are truth-in-song, my shell-father,” Emblazon rumbled. “Let her finish.” And the mightiest of the Dragons raised his paw. “Be not afraid, Yaethi of Helyon. As a Rider, by oath, bond and deed you are adopted into the family of Dragons. I know I am the least qualified to speak of such matters–” his gaze touched Pip regretfully “–but the truth is, these white-fires are the richest and deepest expression of life, and are common to all the great races of this Island-World–Humans, Lesser Dragons, Shapeshifters and the Ancient Dragons themselves.”
    All eyes turned to Yaethi as she said, “Thank you, noble Emblazon. Dragons speak of dark-fires, a darkening of the mind or draconic spirit similar to Human depression. And we know this for a complex malady of great power, with physical, emotional and spiritual symptoms. Yet I believe–I envisage–a deeper truth underlies the concept of