Chapter 49

Crystal sat on the steps of the place she was staying at. She was upset but not as much as she expected but what worried her was where was Furry and who was the dragon visiting Nylla at night.

Crystal kept reading up on crystal dragons. She knew Furry and Nylla were mates and it meant that she and Prince Leon were stuck with each other for a long time. The truth was she wasn't sure if she saw Prince Leon that way or if he even notices her at times.

She was busy reading on crystal dragon behaviour when she noticed some of Forest dragon scales on his feet changed to a darker colour than usual. Crystal went over and looked at Forest. "I didn't notice this before but why are your scales on your feet suddenly darker?" she asked.

Forest looked grumpy but then came the answer, "once a year dragons get to mate, and that time is now," Forest said. Crystal looked at Nylla worried and called for Starmist.

"Starmist, Starmist where are you?" Crystal called. Starmist landed and came over to Crystal. "What is wrong Crystal?" Starmist asked. Crystal looked around and said, "do you know how to track dragons?" Crystal asked.

"Yes. there are many known ways, but why?" Starmist asked. "It's Furry, he and his rider let me get caught and now Furry is happily visiting Nylla at night," Crystal replied. Starmist thought for a while and replied, "you could use your power on him, and i could put him to sleep so that we can chain him up, for now, his rider will be looking for him in the morning," Starmist suggested.

"That is a good idea and then I can give Leon a piece of my mind," Crystal said. She wouldn't say it out loud but she was enjoying the picture in her mind with the shock on Prince Leon's face when he notices Furry isn't where he was supposed to be.

That night Crystal sat up waiting for Furry to arrive. She didn't say anything about the trap to anyone but Mira, the elve that helped heal her and Starmist and she didn't have to wait very long.

It was almost midnight when Furry landed and tried to get Nylla to wake up. Crystal took her chance and focused her power on the male dragon. Furry knew he was caught red-handed but he didn't expect Crystal to have help.

The next morning everyone was in for a surprise when they learned just who Furry's rider was and Crystal stood looking at Furry extremely angry. "You and your rider could have warned me about the dangers of the library instead of running away," Crystal shouted at Furry.

Furry was about to say something but Crystal would not let him have his say, "and then you have the audacity to come here at night to claim your mate. I have news for you, my friend, you can have her when I say so and you can start by not using me to get away with crimes. How was I supposed to know that place was off-limits you and your rider knew that but you left me and used me. Look around you Furry, Forest and Rose are in cages like animals and Nylla is chained up. Do you think we enjoy this treatment?" Crystal shouted at Furry.

Furry remained quiet he knew better than to say anything. He was after all in a lot of trouble and so was his rider.

Crystal sat on the stairs waiting for Prince Leon to come and free Furry but it was Mira that told Crystal to free Furry she was looking for trouble keeping the dragon. Crystal looked at Mira and said, "I don't think my team is in the position to protect dragon eggs with Eione and now ancient dragon chasing us?"

That afternoon Prince Leon came riding into the yard but was stuck in his footsteps when he looked at a really angry Crystal.

"You escaped and let me be caught?" Crystal said. Prince Leon looked at his dragon and asked, "why did you chain him up like a bad dog?" Crystal looked at Furry and said, "did you forgot that Nylla is Furry's mate. I caught him red-handed trying to wake Nylla up. It's after all there season and I suppose your willing to help protect the dragon eggs with Eione and almost every ancient dragon chasing me?" Crystal asked.

Prince Leon inspected his dragon and realised what his dragon tried to do. "Furry think with your head for once!" Prince Leon shouted. Crystal looked at Prince Leon still furious about him abandoning her.

The prince looked at Crystal and said, "I am sorry about what happened I didn't think they would find you so fast. I came here that morning to try and get there help but its difficult they don't trust outsiders." Crystal took a deep breath and said, "I get that but why not tell me the ancient rainbow dragon came after us and there was a fight. It took all three of them to fight her and in the end, she poisoned two and gave Nylla the sickness again. She hasn't been eating, I am both worried and yet I don't get it?" Crystal said.

"What do you mean?" the prince asked. "How is it possible for the ancient rainbow dragon to have a rider we didn't know about. To be able to poison two dragons and manages to give nylla the crystal sickness. If it spreads because Furry couldn't stay where he was supposed to stay who do you think these people will blame?" Crystal asked.

The prince felt bad for leaving Crystal side, things wouldn't have turned out this way if he was there to help but knowing that Nylla has the sickness again meant Furry had to remain chained up.

"Will you take care of Furry today, I will have guards here tonight to make sure he remains chained up but if Nylla has the sickness he could spread it. I'll be back with a healer," the prince said.

"I don't need a healer I need a lake so that I can give her a bath and I am out of herb to heal poison in dragons. The elders need more of the antidote and I need to clean their wounds. There's no fresh water close by, how do you expect me to help them?" Crystal said.

"I know Crystal and I will do what I can," the prince said. Crystal kept an eye on the dragons checking their wounds for infections. She noticed Nylla was getting weaker by the minute and she was worried.

Prince Leon was true to his words and came with help. He had brought two healers with him one was an expert in crystal dragons and the other was known as a healer that could cure poisons and Prince Leon also brought a fresh kill for Nylla to eat. The others were happy to eat fish but Nylla didn't do so well on them and he noticed it from the start so he asked one of the guards to bring one back from the hunt.

Crystal helped the men take the chains of Nylla. She slowly got up and started eating the dear, the crystal healer walked around Nylla and studied her touching her. "She has the sickness indeed but that is not all she is also shedding her dragon scales," the crystal healer said.

"She will be okay then, how can I help her?" Crystal asked. "These kinds of dragons don't shed their scales for anything, that ancient dragon did a number on her and your dragon is fighting back. Every time one of the crystal dragons sheds there scales a new power is gained," the crystal healer said.

"Isn't that dangerous I mean she is a second-generation elder, it's not going to corrupt us is it?" Crystal asked. The crystal healer had a look of shock on her face and asked, "how do you know about that?" she asked.

"I had a dream a while back Ellen warned me, she told me Jett wasn't going to be alive for much longer and that I need to make sure no one bonds to an ancient dragon again. It corrupts them and in the end, it kills them and their rider. When one dies another will take its place, I believe at the rate the riders are bonding to ancient dragons we might lose all of them," Crystal said.

"No, that's not possible?" the crystal healer said. "I wish it wasn't possible but I believe it's true, the last time I saw the ancient rainbow dragon she was well-rested and tested me if I was worthy of her help but now she's trying to kill me and that's after she gained a rider," Crystal said.

The men and woman in the camp looked at one another when Forest spoke, "you may believe her every word young ones like me and my mate are both elders and decided to follow Crystal to the end of the earth if she needed us. Many ancient dragons have fallen to this I believe Mira you tried to warn us about it all though I didn't see it at first I do see that now," Forest said.

Mira stepped forward and said, "I only suspected Eione might be trying to control Nylla I never thought the humans would go after the ancient's. How were they discovered in the first place?" Mira asked.

Crystal thought for a while and took out the water elemental stone and said, "maybe the Piller and elemental stones have something to do with it, I tried to read up on the stones but my so-called father burned down the library in Golsend. I did learn more about the elemental stones but the keystones remains a mystery," Crystal said.