Fallen Fire | The Isle of the Wyverns

Chapter Six

Alethea was speechless. Surely this wasn't possible? Yes. That had to be it. This was all a dream. She would wake up in a few hours and do all the housework. As usual. She pinched herself to take sure she was still sane and then took a better look at the dragon - er...Altan - he had large widespread leathery wings and a long sinewy tail that wrapped around his back talons. His scales were a bright, rustic burnished gold with blended tints of orange and red. When he spread his wings out, they caught the early afternoon sunlight perfectly and they shone with the sheen of a polished diamond. Raising his snout towards the sky, he breathed a small plume of fire that illuminated the gaps in the dark trees. As Alethea gaped at him, she saw the snout curve upwards in what was inexplicably a triumphant smirk.

In another whirl of flames, Altan returned and grinned "Pretty impressive right?" he smirked. "Alright Altan." Aesira laughed "Enough showing off. Now Alethea, you can see my form" Alethea nodded excitedly. With a smile, Aesira disappeared in a swirl of gushing, crystal water. In her place stood a cerulean colored dragon. She had a long compact body with a slender curved snout and she had thin webbed spines along the back of her neck, all the way down to her tail along with a long powerful tail. And along the underside of her wings, she had a pattern of luminous scales in the form of starbursts and spirals, which she flashed at them. With a toothy grin, she transformed back and said "We Azure, use the scales on our wings to communicate. It's called aquatic."

Alethea, unable to contain her excitement, asked "When can I transform?" Altan smirked at Aesira "Feisty one isn't she?" Aesira chuckled and led Alethea to the center of the clearing and said bracingly, "Now Alethea, I want you to take a few deep breaths and then will yourself to turn into a dragon." Alethea blinked "It's that simple? Nothing is that simple." Altan smiled "It is. Give it a try." She rolled her eyes and thought, over and over in her head: Turn me into a dragon. I want to be a dragon. I WISH TO BE A DRAGON! And after that last thought, Alethea could feel herself being whirled into a whirlwind of snowflakes. She suddenly felt herself land on the ground and saw her friend's awed faces. She, too, got a good look at herself.

She saw that her scales were a silvery ice blue, like the moon and she looked down at her talons and saw sharp curved claws. She wrapped her tail around her back talons and saw that it was narrow to a whip thin end, with a sharp diamond tip. She spread out her long thin wings and let the sunlight fall onto the underside of her wings, which were not entirely silver. Instead of the usual silvery ice blue scales, she had a constellation of rainbow colored scales - one emerald green here, one parrot blue there, sunrise golds and oranges - scattered throughout the silver, like shining beetles dropped on a pale velvet cloth.

"Altan caught her eye and said "Roar at that tree over there." he said pointing. Alethea nodded and opened her mouth and roared with all her might. There was a gust of cold wind and in a flash, the tree stood there. Completely crystallized. Alethea willed herself to turn back into a girl and gaped at the tree. "What in the world?" she asked breathlessly, staring at the tree in mild horror, noticing it's effect's somewhere similar before..."That was basically fire frost" Aesira said, calmly. "That's the fire ice dragons breathe." Alethea still gaped in horror as Altan said "These effects are usually permanent, bu-you okay Alethea?" he asked, concerned. Aesira walked over and put a hand on Alethea's shaking shoulder. "What's up?" she asked curiously. Alethea tried to speak and kept opening and shutting her mouth, but no sound came out. Altan too walked over and by then, Alethea had somehow regained the power of normal speech.

"Did you say those effect's were permanent?" she asked shakily. "Uh...Yeess usually...But, um...Why?"

Alethea opened her mouth, and choosing her words carefully said: "I may or may have not set my uncle's hand on firefrost. Maybe." she added, at the look on Altan and Aesira's incredulous faces. "You set your uncle's hand on fire?" Aesira breathed. "Step-father actually." Alethea said sheepishly. The silence spiraled horribly. "Oh. I'm sorry Alethea." Altan said "I had no idea your parent's-" he broke off at a murderous look from Aesira. "Tactless" she muttered and then said, as though the last few seconds had never occured: "Well Alethea, the effects of fire frost are usually permanent - more or less anyway - unless the fire of an ember is used on it. She gestured to Altan, who nodded and held out his hand. In the next second, the tree went up in flames, and when they cleared, the pine tree stood as tall and as ice-free as it had before. "Though, I doubt I could do this to your step-father, Alethea" Altan said "People's hands tend to be generally...flammable. I know from experience." They all laughed, as Alethea wondered if he was joking.