Free Legends of Marithia: Book 1 - Prophecies Awakening: Uncut and Extended Second Edition by Peter Koevari Page A

straight, and stay as still as
possible. I promise that I won’t hurt you and you have to trust
me.
    She spread her wings wide, turned to Vartan,
and grabbed him with her claws as she leapt off the ground.
    “No! Disjecta membra! ” screamed
Kassina. The flames around the city were sucked into large
flickering balls that hovered in the air.
    As the sorceress took aim, Nymira curled her
claws to hide Vartan’s body within them. She shifted her scales
once again to hide them both within the smoky sky, and within
moments she was invisible, swiftly gaining height and distance from
Greenhaven. Out of pure desperation, Kassina sent fireballs flying
in pursuit, but they were easily avoided as Nymira continued her
climb towards the clouds.
    Vartan relaxed his muscles and let himself
lay down gently in her claws, wincing at the pain of his ribs.
    Does she know Karven? he wondered.
    I am glad you trust me, Vartan, and you are
safe with me. Karven is our King, and of course I know him—I
certainly should. I am Nymira, the Queen of Dragons. I will take
you to him immediately as the time has come.
    Vartan concentrated his mind with all his
strength to form the words.
    Thank you, Nymira. You saved my life, and in
return, I owe it to you. I have so many questions I want to ask of
you.
    You owe me nothing and I would save your
life any time. We share a common goal, Vartan. The war has only
just begun, and there is much to be done. Leave your questions
until we reach Trahoterra. You need to rest and should regain your
strength—we have a long journey ahead of us.
    Vartan closed his eyes, drifting off to sleep
in the safety of the dragon’s grasp.

Helenia - by Guido Leber

Chapter 5: Old Blood
    “For many days now, we have searched the
entirety of Greenhaven. It is nowhere to be found, and I
took great risks to leave my tower, suffering heavy losses in the
battle for the city. This victory is nothing without the
Artefact.
    Stupid Derian—he promised me that it would be
found, and yet, here we are… still digging beneath the city
in the vain hope of finding the most powerful needle in an
oversized haystack.
    I put too much trust into our deal; maybe I
shouldn’t have granted him immortality. I’m beginning to wonder if
he even knows its location at all.”
    (Queen Kassina of the Underworld)
    Vartan awoke to the sound of heavy waves
crashing below him, and after a few hazy moments, he remembered the
events that had taken place.
    Have we arrived at Trahoterra? He
thought.
    Yes, Vartan, we are approaching it now. Let
me show you our home.
    Nymira adjusted her scales to provide him
with a small window between her claws. Vartan looked down to see a
large island enveloped in mist, with only the smallest glimpse
visible of the razor-sharp rocks at its outskirts. He was looking
over the island of Trahoterra. It reminded Vartan of a gigantic
claw reaching into the sky, birds of prey circling above its
peaks.
    It looks so strange - unlike anything I have
ever seen. There are no beaches? Nowhere for ships to anchor?
    We prefer it that way. It is the island of
dragons, after all. We can come and go as we please, while
the island itself serves to keep out unwanted visitors.
    Nymira began her entry dive, and Vartan felt
his gut drop with the sudden change of altitude. He pushed out his
extremities to brace himself and breathed heavily as he grit his
teeth.
    Do not fear, Vartan. You are safe with me,
remember?
    They plummeted towards the heavy mist with
immense speed. Suddenly, at what felt like the last moment before
they would have hit the dangerous waters, Nymira extended her wings
and they caught the air, shooting through the mist like an arrow.
The water blurred underneath them as they rocketed over it. Vartan
let out a chuckle of pleasure.
    They glided towards a large cave mouth, which
looked like a serpent’s jaws prised open. The mouth appeared too
small for her extended wings and just when Vartan opened his mouth
to protest, Nymira