Chapter 1
Long ago, before the creation of man, there were once four great dragon nations. The mighty Ice Dragons ruled the Icey Kingdom, the Fierce Fire Dragons ruled the Lavo Kingdom, the Water Dragons oversaw the Underwater Kingdom, and the Earth Dragons guarded the Mountain Kingdom.
For centuries, the four great dragon nations lived in harmony as they cared for their young and elderly and preserved the land with crops and vegetation every year. However, the peace would not last as the humans began their invasion onto their land. The war had been long and bloodily until the beautiful Dragon Queen rose into the sky, ending the three-century-long war.
Peace had once again been restored, with the queen leading all dragon-kind into a new era of peace with not just humans but with other species and shifters that had come into being decades after the war. At least, that was until someone had stolen the crown jewel from the royal family early yesterday morning.
The rare blood diamond was as beautiful and mysterious as its owner. No one knew where the queen came from, only that she appeared in an array of light one day. Many believed she was a gift from the ancient dragon god, Nebu: The Wise, while others thought she was created by a group of warlocks and wizards that wanted to claim the throne. Regardless, the wisdom and love she left behind were real enough for everyone to mourn her death for many decades to come. It was a shame that some low-life thought it was ok to steal the precious blood diamond so soon after their queen’s untimely demise.
The young warlock sighed as he tracked the thief to an abandoned cave on the outskirts of the kingdom. As the newest member of the Royal Wizard Council, it was his job to retrieve the diamond and return it to the Crown Prince before his coronation tomorrow afternoon. He felt the weight of the task falling heavily on his shoulders. The other council members didn’t like him very much and had been reluctant to allow the “royal street rat” into their ranks. Still, the Prince had personally appointed him to this position, knowing he would accomplish this task without failure.
A bead of sweat traveled down his face as he ventured into the cave. As much as he appreciated his brother’s confidence, he wasn’t so sure if he would be able to catch the thief within the timeframe the old council members had given him.
“What have you gotten me into, Kerot?” His voice echoed into the darkness that surrounded him, but that did not deter him in the slightest. He had to repay the Royal Family for their kindness. They had given him a home, a family to call his own after being abandoned by his birth parents when he was small and helpless. He had experienced a mother’s love in the Queen and had an overprotective brother in Kerot.
He couldn’t fail them.
The cave grew darker and expanded a lot more than he anticipated. Finally, he came to a stop and gazed at the three paths in puzzlement. There were two different sets of footprints. One was male, a shifter, and the other female, a human. Both sets of prints went into the left path. Light blue eyes gazed at said path; an uneasiness began setting into his gut.
What was a human doing this far from human civilization? As far as he knew, no human would have been able to breach the castle walls and into the vault. And humans didn’t have long, sharp claws, either.
“Hmmm, what are you after?” The Warlock Prince entered the long narrow path, only to stop when he saw a red book with golden writing on the cover. He picked up the book, only to realize it was a research journal. Curious, he opened the book and began to read.
“According to research, the Dragon Queen’s blood diamond, owned by the royal family, has unusual properties. The diamond seems to allow the queen to shift into any form she desires. It allows her to see into other times and possibly other realities. It is rumored that the diamond can preserve one’s youth. But this is not confirmed as all shifters seemed to have long life cycles.”
The warlock huffed at the contents of the book. He wasn’t sure where the humans got this false information from, but by no means was the diamond magical nor held any special abilities. All shifters could change forms, and his brother and mother were no exception. His mother also did not have the ability to see into other times and realities. She was just really perceptive and wise.
“Humans are so strange,” he spoke into the empty cavern as he tucked the book into his bag for safekeeping.
On the other side of the cavern were yet three more paths, but something was off. One of the paths were collapsed, and the other two looked just as unstable. He noticed the footprints were not going in one direction this time around. They were all over, almost as if the thief had realized he was being followed and had tried to end yet another innocent life.
His brow furrowed as he tried to pinpoint the other two beings in this dark cave. Being a dragon-shifter, he didn’t need light in order to see. All dragons could see fine in the dark as they did in the daytime, but a human was a different story. They were as blind as the bats as they slept without care.
Pulling out his flashlight, he entered the right path as soon as his ears picked up the subtle sound of a woman’s voice in distress. The Warlock Prince entered a huge cavern that had to be half the size of a ballroom and filled with all sorts of diamonds and rubies. Old mining carts and equipment were seen on the far right of the cavern. In the center was a huge hole that the miners must have begun before the mining project was abandoned.
“Let go; that isn’t yours!” He turned his attention to the woman struggling with the lizard shifter. Much to his immense surprise, the human that was struggling with the thief was the traveler he had befriended at the market the week prior.
“Stupid woman,” the thief said as he gripped a small leather bag tightly with one clawed hand with relative ease. The green, scaly shifter glared down at the human with dark, arrogant red eyes that only promised her untimely end.
The dragon shifter extended his turquoise-colored wings and rushed towards the struggling pair without a single thought. The arrogant lizard twisted his body, snatching the human by the scruff of her dress, tossing her into the deep, dark hole of nothingness. Her screams as she fell and the pure terror on her face was the last thing the thief saw before the warlock prince sliced the arm that held his mother’s diamond with one fatal swipe of his claw. The lizard’s screams of agony fell on deaf ears as the warlock kicked the monster in the chest and sent him flying unknowingly into a pile of explosives.
This can’t be happening. This can’t be happening. The words repeated in her mind as she felt her body falling into pure darkness. This was not how things were supposed to go. The Royal Family had been so nice and lovely to her. The beautiful Queen Assula had been a breath of fresh air. She loved everyone that resided within her vast kingdom, and in turn, everyone loved her. Even strangers, much like herself and so many shifters of other species, fell in love with her wise, motherly presence. It was hard not to. She was the benevolent ruler and mother figure they had all wished for.
At least, that was before her assassination. The woman let out a sob. She had failed.
Failure.
Trash.
Waste of space.
For so many years, she had been belittled and verbally abused for being different from the rest of her kind. She had always tried to be strong, tried to ignore the words of her peers, tried to ignore the disappointment and frustration of her adoptive parents.
Tears of frustration filled her eyes. “I… I really am a failure…”
“No, you’re not, Hiba!”
She gasped as she felt warm arms wrapping around her. She gazed into the light blue eyes of the Warlock Prince. “P-Prince Verdobe! What are you doing here?”
“I could ask you the same question, Lady Hiba.” Hiba frowned at the formal title he added to her name. She wasn’t anywhere near royalty, nor a noble, to deserve such a title, but before she could question him, the sound of an explosion went off, followed by the cave shaking violently. And then there was a cracking noise from somewhere above them.
Prince Verdobe gasped, catching something she could not see, before diving deeper into the hole. “Hang on!”
Hiba tightened her grip around the Prince’s neck before the two flew into an opening that led to an underground water cavern. Unfortunately, before they touched the ground, a large crash was heard as boulders quickly covered up the entrance.
Her heart sank. They were trapped.
“What do we do?” She asked, feeling incredibly lost and helpless. She felt a clawed hand resting on her shaking shoulder. She looked up, silently watching as Prince Verdobe smiled reassuringly at her.
“We will follow the water, Lady Hiba.” Hiba turned her gaze to where the Warlock Prince had been gazing at. There she saw crystal blue water flowing through a canal. “All water leads outside,” he added before following the beautiful flowing water. She wasn’t sure how long they had been walking in silence, completely lost and without direction, gazing at the shiny jewels that covered the walls. However, much to her immense relief, the cavern opened up into a vast forest on the other side of the kingdom.
They were finally out. Breathing a sigh of relief, Hiba smiled, a childish squeal edging into her voice. “Ayo, we are finally out!” The Prince smiled in turn, the precious Blood Diamond secured in his bag.
“It’s a long way back, Lady Hiba. How about we fly?”
Her smile grew even brighter as she grabbed the Warlock Prince’s hand. Warm arms wrapped around her once more before the ground and the trees became a distant memory.
