The Shadow King by Matthew R. Davis (bts book recommendations TXT) 📖

shall fight, and we shall win.” She replied. He knew she wasn’t serious. And he wondered if she thought he wasn’t serious. But he decided not to push on the matter further. He gripped the white spike in front of him and took a deep breath of air, trying to keep himself from falling asleep.

******

Chapter 3
Elva’s Secret

By the time they had crossed into the mountain ridge, all of them where ready to fall unconscious from the lack of sleep. Apophis let his wings fold, and dropped to the ground. He landed hard and fell on his side, throwing Pen and Elva from his back. The two of them didn’t even move from the spots they landed. The grass covering the ground around them was soft, and inviting. Urie took a different approach to her landing and landed softly and allowed Rien and Pacco to climb off of her. She yawned loudly and snuggled up close to Apophis to sleep. Rien forced Pen and Elva to move underneath the dragons’ wings. The mountain was cold, and they could easily fall ill if careless.
They did as instructed and curled up together under one of Apophis’s massive wings. The warmth from his body would be more than sufficient to warm them while they slept. And sleep they did. For most of the day. All of them.

Elva’s eyes opened to an unfamiliar darkness greeting her. She at first couldn’t tell what was causing the darkness. Then she remembered that she had been sleeping under Apophis’s wing. She reached out and tapped softly on the dragons side and said
“Apophis, Are you awake?”
A growl shook the ground below her. “I am now girl. What do you want?” Elva, still groggy from sleeping all day just simply stated that she wanted let out from under his wing. On command, the dragon lifted his wing and allowed her to crawl out from under it. The air of the mountain rushed in and chilled her. She wrapped her arms around herself and stood.
The sun was just beginning to sink into the horizon. Rien and Pacco were fast asleep under Urie’s wing, who was busy cleaning her talons.
“So you are awake human.”
Elva nodded and replied. “I’m feeling much better now. I wish i could have slept longer though. Pen woke me.”
“As did Rien and Pacco. I’m not sure which, but one of them is snoring quite loudly. It’s rather annoying.”
Elva giggled and sat down next to the dragon. She admired the beauty of the dragon. Her bright blue scales neatly assorted along the length of her body, shined bright and flickered magnificently in the sunlight. The gentle curves of her figure where much different than Apophis’s. Just at first glance, Elva knew Urie was a female dragon. Even her intellect had a feminine feeling to it. But the sheer give away, was her soft and gentle voice. Unlike any dragon Elva had heard before, Urie’s voice was soft and gentle. Smooth as silk.
“How old are you dragon?”
“In human years i am one hundred thirty-seven. In dragon years, I am twenty-one. Most dragons will live well into their hundreds. Being as old as nine hundred or even one thousand human years.”
“Then...does that mean Rien will pass before you?”
“No. I will not live to be that old. You see, becoming a rider is not only a testament of the trust i feel for Rien and the love we share, but it also includes much sacrifice from the both of us. My years in this world have been shortened greatly, whereas Rien’s have been increased tenfold. He will live well into his hundreds. The youngest rider to ever die of natural causes, he lived to be two hundred years. And as you can imagine. A rider will lose a lot in two hundred years.”
“That sounds terrible! Why would anyone do such a thing to themselves? Why not just be like Pen and Apophis. Pen is not Apophis’s rider, but they have fought, and won a rider’s battle.”
“There are many advantages to being a rider. Such as the immense increase in magic strength. Or the invulnerability to illness. A lot of riders become riders to help the world. Many times it’s an act of selflessness. It’s a very difficult thing to explain. You’d have to experience the feeling yourself.”
“So, it’s like...love?”
“Have you felt love little one?”
Elva’s face turned red. “I have.”
Urie smiled the best a dragon could. “Tell me Elva, what of this love. Where is he now? He wouldn’t happen to be that young man under Apophis could he?”
Elva laughed “I know, it’s obvious. But no matter what happens he mustn’t learn of this. I have worked tirelessly to hide it from him.”
“Why keep something as complicated and wonderful as love from anyone?” Urie asked
Elva rested her chin on her knees and said “There is much, I have had to hide from him. It makes me feel sick to do such things. But it’s really in his best interest.”
Urie snaked her head around Elva.
“Believe me child. I am certain of one thing. That boy loves you just as strongly as you love him. Let it blossom. There is no secret strong enough to overcome such a feeling.”
Elva didn’t respond after that. Tears collected at the corners of her eyes, but she forced them not to fall.

The next morning, Pen awoke to the smell of freshly cooked meat. A smell he had not smelled since their departure from Teiram. The smell was so jarring that Pen hardly had time to open his eyes before he was walking towards it. Pacco, Rien, Apophis, Urie, and Elva were all surrounding a large fire eating what, to Pen, smelled like deer meat.
“Where did you get all of that?” He asked upon entering the circle.
“The dragons hunted early this morning and found that this mountain is sprawling with life. We should have no more trouble getting food from here on out.” Rien replied with a smile.
Pen sat down and Elva handed him a slab of meat, which he gratefully sank his teeth into. The rush of flavor made him realize just how hungry he truly was. He tore through the meat with his teeth, hardly even tasting it. After finishing his first piece, he dug into his pack for his water skin. Then grabbed another piece.
After their meal they discussed their next plan of action.
“We are still several days from the resistance HQ, and we are approaching the Baglaedish Desert. Once there we will have to move quickly, before the heat wave strikes. We will have a little over two days, assuming we can manage to make it there before nightfall tomorrow. The mountain itself is not hard to scale. In fact, it slopes down fairly gently. We would just fly, but we are going to need the dragons plenty rested if we want to get through the desert in time.” Rien said.
“How many more days till we get to the resistance do you think?” Pen asked
It was Elva who answered, “Considering that by myself it took me four months to make it all the way to the forest where i found you, I’d say we still have three months yet to go.”
“Three months!?” Pen exclaimed.
“Aye, I agree with her. Three months sounds about right. You don’t realize how large this land of ours is. We can’t fly the whole way and besides. This will give you plenty of time to master your sword and your magic.” Rien added.
“I also would like to teach zee boy some of my own methods.”
“Oh really, what methods could you teach me Pacco?”
“I want you to learn the most incredible way of bending magic. It will help you when fighting a spell caster. Tell me, when i had you as a prisoner in The Belaroughe, did you not try to use magic to get out? Or to reach out of the cell with your mind, only to find that it was impossible?”
“Well...yes?”
“That was a spell i have invented to bend others magic against themselves. It could save your life against the dark lord.”
“How do i do it?” Pen asked.
“All in due time. For now we need to get a move on. We have wasted enough precious time sitting here fiddling with how we are going to make it through the desert. Well the only way we will make it through that damned place is to get up and go.”
Pacco was right. They needed to get an early start if they had hoped to make it in time. So together, the group gathered their things and set off down the mountain.
The sudden change in scenery was spectacular to Pen. From the barren and dry grounds of the Valley, to the lush vibrant and living grounds of the mountain. Pine trees sprawled out in every direction.
Moss, ferns, flowers, mushrooms, and bushes of all sorts grew around them. The ground below was damp, obvious evidence that it had recently rained here. The sky was scarce of clouds and the air cool. Pen had never been so happy to be in a damp forest. He knew the rest also felt this strange feeling of release. Pen reached forward with his mind, searching for Elva’s conscious.
“Pen?” Her voice rushed into his mind
“Yes, it’s me. Tell me, what of the resistance? How did you get involved?”
“I...well my father, disgraced my family. He murdered my mother, and my brother. He’s a mad man and i wanted to reclaim the honor he lost for all of us. So i joined the resistance. Now, due to my father’s violent past, they didn’t just accept me right away. I was put through many tests. Some not so pleasant. During that time i developed the combat skills you’ve seen while battling me. In both magic and swordsmanship. But it was only after i saved the resistance, that they truly accepted me as one of their own. Those documents that where stolen by that spy. I was the one to recover them. If Methias had gotten hold of them, the resistance would be no more. Through the thief escaped, i managed to wipe his memory clean and recover the documents.”
“So it took all of that for them to receive you...could they not just search your mind like Rien and Urie did to us?” Pen asked
“I too wondered why they didn’t. But i know it’s because even if you search through someone’s memories and intentions, they could very well change their mind in an instant.”
“So that’s why they tested you like that.” Pen said aloud.
“I believe so. Luckily for you, since your grandfather is Blodgaram, you won’t have any trouble getting in. Tell me Pen, about you father...you never speak of him, and i here you dreaming of him frequently.”
“My father was a great man. I can remember little of him though. He built our house with nothing but his hands... He was recruited into Methias’s army when i was three. It’s likely that he is dead now. Methias took both of my parents from me, that bastard, will die for it. This i swear.”
Elva looked down and walked in silence. It was obvious that something was bothering her. Pen decided not to press her about it. He instead contacted Apophis.
“Apophis, you and Elva talk a lot right?” Pen asked
“That we do. Your wanting to know what is troubling her i presume?”
Pen nodded in response.
“Unfortunately little one, i do not know myself.”
“Pen...” Elva said suddenly
She stopped and clenched her fists into tight balls. She looked up and stretched out her