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Rain poured down from the sky. Thunder boomed in the distance. Lighting lit up the sky so brightly Lizzy didn’t need her flashlight. She shivered and pulled her wet windbreaker close to her. What a terrible night! Not even one bat or owl was out. The wind moaned like a wounded animal. Lizzy glanced at the sky but she didn’t see the familiar, dark shape of her dragon friend. The thunder boomed again and Lizzy covered her ears at the loud sound. She knew she had to find shelter. She ran into a near by cave. She was dripping wet and soaked clear through to her skin. Her beautiful, waist long, light brown and rust red hair was plastered to her like wallpaper. She sat down on the hard, cold cave floor and watched the rain fall in sheets outside the mouth of the cave.
“I’ll stay here until the storm’s over. Then I’ll try to find her,” Lizzy thought.
Something moved in the shadows. There was a loud “thump, thump” as something big and heavy moved on the cave floor. Lizzy looked behind her and saw two eyes glowing an eerie blue. Lighting flashed as a large dragon lunged at her. Lizzy jumped out of the way just in time.
“Serenity, it’s me!” she shouted.
The dragon jerked her long, slender neck back. She was big for a female dragon, about thirty feet tall from foot to head and seven feet, one inch long from her chest to the tip of her tail with scales of pure silver covering her snowy white flesh. Her horns and talons were solid silver and her sharp fangs were as white as her flesh. Her wingspan was beautifully long. From tip to tip it was fifty-six feet, four inches. Her big, saucer eyes were sky blue, the same blue as Lizzy’s. She brought her head close to Lizzy’s face.
“Lizzy, what brings you here?” she asked.
“Something strange is going on at home. I can feel it. And what’s with attacking me?!”
“I’m so sorry. I’ve been chasing shadows all night, ever since the storm started.”
Serenity pulled her head up. Lizzy had the ability to sense supernatural things and the great she dragon never questioned her. Serenity shook her great, silver head.
“And I fear you may be right. A storm like this in Libra can only mean something bad is going to happen,” she said.
Lizzy didn’t need to ask what Serenity ment by “in Libra”. Dragon months were different from human months. They always started on the twenty-fourth and were always named after the zodiac sign for that month.
“Well, what were it is, it’s going to happen tonight,” Lizzy said.
Serenity looked out at the storm.
“I think you’re right. Come on. We’re going to stop this evil.”
Serenity headed out into the storm. Lizzy ran to catch up.
“But the storm. We’ll both look like wet chickens,” she said.
Serenity looked at her.
“Rain doesn’t bother me, but I know you humans don’t like it. So you can use one of my wings as an umbrella.”
The two went out into the storm. The rain cascaded off Serenity’s body like a thousand waterfalls but not one drop touch Lizzy and, slowly but surly, she was drying out. Suddenly something moved in the darkness. Serenity roared loudly. Her eyes narrowed, her fore legs spread apart, and her wings spread to their full length. She was ready to fight.
“What’s wrong, Serenity?” Lizzy asked a little frighten.
“There’s something out there,” the dragon replied not even looking at her friend.
She lowered her neck letting the leather bag she had slip off. She took the leather strings in her mouth and gave the bag to Lizzy.
“Hold on to this. I have some charms and talismans inside. We may need them,” she said.
Lizzy took hold of the bag, which was the size of a rolled up sleeping bag. Lighting flashed and there it was by a clump of trees, a ghostly dragon almost twice as big as Serenity with fiery eyes. It stood there, wings folded against its body and rain falling through it. It was then that Lizzy realized this dragon was a ghost.
“So we meet again, Serenity. The thousand years have been good to you. You’re even more beautiful that the last time we met. And I’m a ghost forced to serve Lucifer for all time,” said the ghost, a male dragon.
“You brought it on yourself, Devil Fire. You tried to steal from my family and the other dragons. You were as greedy as the demons.”
Devil Fire smiled an evil smile.
“But Lucifer has let me return to finish the task. And you can’t stop me this time.”
“I killed you once and I can banish your soul. That’s a fate worse than death.”
Devil Fire roared and lunged at Serenity passing right through her. The two dragons stood in a stalemate, growling and roaring at each other. They both knew neither one could harm the other.
“Lizzy, in the bag is a talisman with a pentagram on it. Find it. Quickly!” said Serenity.
Lizzy opened the bag and pulled out a dark gray stone shaped like a pentagon. In the center was a gold pentagram.
“Serenity, here!”
Lizzy threw the talisman to the silver she dragon who caught it in one of her fore paws.
“No! Not the Talisman of Stone Hedge! It will banish me from the mortal realm forever!” shouted Devil Fire.
“That’s exactly what I plan on using it for. The world doesn’t need you greed robbing everyone blind,” said Serenity.
Devil Fire let out a blood-culling roar. In the blink of an eye, hundreds of demons and other ghosts appeared.
“Now, all mighty servants of Lucifer, take hold of the girl. Serenity will not harm us if the girl is in any danger.”
Two demons, one that looked like an overgrown, deformed rat and another that looked like an overgrown bat, took hold of Lizzy’s wrists. She struggled but they held her fast.
“Lizzy! Let her go, Devil Fire. She has nothing to do with this. She’s just a human hatchling,” said Serenity.
“She is our insurance policy. She will not be harmed as long as you do not use the talisman.”
A bright light shone down on them. The demons and ghosts, including Devil Fire, closed their eyes and shirked. Lizzy felt a warm force break the two demons’ hold on her. She turned around. There stood a man with golden hair dressed in scarlet robes. On his back were two snowy white, feathery wings.
“You’re an angle!” Lizzy said.
The angle smiled a heavenly smile.
“An archangel actually,” he said.
He looked towards the others.
“Use the talisman now Serenity!” he called.
Serenity nodded and stood on her back legs. She raised the talisman above her head and recited an ancient incantation. A warm light surrounded them all. Devil Fire and his fellow servants of Lucifer shirked even louder. When the light died away, only Lizzy, Serenity, and the archangel were left.
“Where are they?” asked Lizzy.
“I sent them back to their master,” said Serenity.
“Well done, Serenity,” said the archangel.
“Thank you.”
Serenity looked at Lizzy.
“Lizzy, this is my oldest friend, Archangel Gabriel. Gabriel, this is my new friend, Elizabeth Foxdale.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Foxdale,” said Gabriel.
“Like wise,” said Lizzy.
She looked at Serenity.
“Will Devil Fire and the others be able to get back?” she asked.
Serenity shook her head.
“Nothing can break a spell cast by the Talisman of Stone Hedge. They are banished from this world forever.”