Chapter 1

Two great dark shapes stood outside a cave entrance atop a craggy mountain in the desert. The larger dragon looked up into the night sky sighed deeply, the sweet night air filling her nostrils, she flapped her great wings. She took to the sky followed by a young male. They swooped down the side of the mountain and headed west towards the large expanse of swaying trees in the distance. The only light guiding was their way was the cloudless gaze of a half moon. clutched the talon of a magnificent iridescent blue and gold dragoness were six shining jewels of various hues and configurations. A ruby, a sapphire, an emerald, diamond, topaz and an amethyst.

"My lady, are you certain you wish to do this now. Perhaps it would be best to keep to the crown until..."

"Melfrost, you are a trusted friend, but you must know our laws. The dragons only keep a queen in time of crisis. The danger is passed and the enemy has retreated to the north. We no longer have need of a queen. The stones will be hidden until the time comes when we need the leadership of a queen. She, who is worthy, will find a way to gather the stones and claim the crown.

Centuries had passed since the lady gave up the crown and the council of elder dragons meets to discuss a dreadful problem.

"And they have destroyed three of our settlements in our northern boundaries." A messenger gave his report.

"Are you sure it's them? It couldn't be some other cause?" the old leader of the dragon council, Karaflitt asked.

"It is no mistake, lady Karaflitt. I saw the devastation myself. I saw the northern ridgeback dragons come in and destroy the last village. I barely got out with my scales intact. I came here as soon as I could."

"That's it then, we must send for the princess. She must assume the throne and unite the southern dragons. We cannot fight without the queen. Summon the lore master." Lady Karaflitt ordered one of the guards standing at the entrance to the meeting hall.

"As you wish, my lady." The guard inclined his massive head and thumped off to get the old master of history and lore.

The ancient dragon Melfrost lumbered into the meeting hall. His once bright green scales were gray with age. He bowed his heavy head to the younger leader of the council. "You summoned me, my lady?" His rich, deep voice reverberated throughout the hall.

"Our ancient enemies, the ridgeback dragons from the northern regions, have returned. They have already destroyed three of our villages and we have just received word that the leader, Krominhast has sent a message that he intends to claim the southern realm. You must go and prepare for the quest. We will be bringing in her highness at the rising of the full moon in three days," she said in a deep rumbling voice.

"Three days isn't very long to get to the mountain. Can you delay? I am not as young as I once was. It is a long flight for tired old wings."

"I'm sorry, old one. If there was another way, but you have no apprentice and the need is great. We will try to delay and the princess will have to decipher the poems to start with. That may gain you some time. Go now and may the moon protect you," she said.

The old dragon bowed and left the council chambers. He traveled down the corridors of the ancient palatial home of the dragon queens. As he went he thought back to a time long ago when he was just a youngster working as an apprentice in the castle. 'The queen took me with her as she hid the sacred stones of Shwynn. I had no idea at the time that they would ever be needed again in my lifetime,' he mused.

'It was long centuries ago, but I remember it like it was yesterday. I was only a young dragonling of fifty years. I was the apprentice of the ancient lore master. We had been at war for years with the northern ridgebacks. The war had ended and the Queen had decided that she was no longer required. It was custom for the outgoing queen to hide the sacred jewels of ascension and create new riddles for the next queen to decipher.

'I was assigned to accompany her majesty on the journey and write down the locations so that if the new queen should fail, they could be retrieved and put in new hiding spots and a new candidate would try the quest. It's thought that only a dragoness with the wisdom to figure out the riddles and poems, has the necessary skills to rule. It's been this way since the beginning of time.

'I hope young Lightwing has the wisdom. She is the only heir to the throne and if she can't do it the southern kingdom may be lost forever,' he thought, as he gathered his scrolls and set out for mount Ryah to the castle, Shamire.

Deep in the forest of Gath, a young dragoness was sitting looking up at the full moon. The palace guards had just left. 'War,' she thought. 'Why now after all this time? I don't think I can do this. I'm only seventy years old. I wish mother were still alive. She was the wisest dragon I've ever known. She would make a far better queen than I ever could.'

Lightwing was the only living descendent of the ancient queens. She had beautiful deep blue, purple and gold iridescent scales and rare ice blue eyes. She gazed up at the moon and whispered a silent prayer, stretched out her great wings and took to the skies. She flew to the castle of the queens.

In the northern realm another meeting is taking place at the palace of King Krominhast.

"Sire, our agents report that the smooth-backs have sent out for a queen. We cannot allow this to happen. If they should put a new queen on the throne..."

"Silence, Traggart! I know what it means," the king bellowed. "What we need is a way to prevent her ascension. She will not be going on her quest alone; she will bring along some companions." The old king smiled an evil jagged grin.

"Find out who is going with her. Everyone has something that they would rather die than have known. I want you to find out what the companions have, and use it to get them to work for us. Do whatever it takes to get me those jewels before she ascends the throne."

"Yes, sire." Taggart bowed his spiky head and lumbered out of the throne room of the northern king.

Dark figures swoop down on a little cottage in the forest of Gath. The sound of breaking glass and a stifled cry are heard in the night, and then two figures take to the sky carrying a large bundle. There was a third shadowy figure sitting in the yard watching with red eyes. He had a written message in his talon. He went to the door and jammed it into crack between the door and the sill.

Lightwing landed at the gate of the ancient castle and presented the summons to the guard. "I'm Princess Lightwing Blue, of Gath. I've been summoned to begin the quest."

The guard bowed his heavy head and rumbled in a deep voice. "Welcome your highness. We have been expecting you. If you will follow me I will take you to the council of elders," he said, as he quickly turned to escort the young dragoness.

Lightwing was surprised by the guard's agility. 'He's so big and yet he moves so fluidly,' she thought as she traveled down the halls to the chamber where the elders were waiting.

"My ladies, Princess Lightwing Blue, of Gath." He said dipping his head and turning to leave the princes alone in the hall facing the elder council of dragons.

The hall was huge. A fire crackled in the massive fireplace that dominated one wall. Above it was a portrait of the dragon crown surrounded by the six sacred gems of Shwynn. Each gem was of a different shape and color. There was an emerald in the shape of a square, an amethyst in the shape of a tear, a diamond in the shape of a triangle, a round ruby, a diamond shaped sapphire and a yellow topaz in the shape of a rectangle.

Before her sat a semi circle of dragons, the elder council. She inclined her head and came to stand in front of them. Her brilliant ice blue eyes surveyed the faces of the old dragonesses sitting on the floor in front of her. These were the oldest and wisest of the dragons, they had the responsibility of overseeing the kingdom in times of peace. However, this was not a peaceful time. An old enemy had returned and now they had the task of crowning a new queen. However, before they could do that she had to prove herself worthy, by completing the quest for the jewels.

The leader of the council stood and addressed the princess. "Your highness, you have been summoned here as the only heir to the throne. As our queen it will be up to you to lead our people against their ancient enemies from the north. However, in order to allow you to assume the throne, you must complete the test. The lore master awaits you and will provide you with the first poem that will start you on your quest. You must retrieve all six stones." She paused and pointed at the portrait of the jewels.

"Once you have them you must take them to the shrine of Shwynn and place them in the key holes to release the crown. Only then, can you be named Queen." She picked up a scroll from the low table in front of her and slowly maneuvered her massive form around to in front of the princess and handed it to her.

Lightwing looked at the scroll and then at the elder. "What is this?"

"It is the poem that will lead you to the lore master. You didn't think this would easy, did you?" the elder smiled a toothy grin at the young dragoness.

"No, I guess not. Do I have to do this alone? I'd like to take a couple of people with me. I'm going to need some help," she said looking down as she opened the scroll. It had a poem, but she couldn't begin to make sense of it.

"Yes it is customary for the princess to take a few of her trusted aids with her. Did you have anyone in mind? You do have to get underway quickly and it would be best if you didn't have to waste a lot of time gathering your team."

"Actually, yes, but I haven't asked them and I don't know it they can come." She said.

"Very well go to the library and consider what we have given you. I will send a messenger to gather your team. Tell me who you want to go with you," the elder said as she summoned a guard to show the princess to the library. Lightwing told her the names and then followed the guard out.

The library was a cavernous room, lined floor to ceiling with endless books and scrolls. It was a dark and dusty place. The guard lit several lanterns and torches for the young dragon.

"If you need anything your highness I will be just outside the door. You need only ask." He bowed and retreated to the hallway leaving Lightwing to ponder the poem alone.

Light wing sat in the library for hours pondering the puzzle of the poem. Dragons were large four-footed beasts and so never developed the need for chairs. They did however; use low tables that served as desks. She spread the scroll out in front of her and sighed as she read the thing for the hundredth time.

In the desert plain

You must find the mountain

The rising sun in the eye of the dragoness

Long flight of her highness

Over forest green

Over lake sheen

A single peek shining

A lone dragon pining

Deep below

The catacombs show

The secrets within

Inquire of him

A puzzle to solve

A map to find

The gems await

The elements of fate

She shook her head. 'Well the lore master is in a mountain in a desert, but where? I've never been beyond the forest of Gath.' She rested her head on a talon and blew a smoke ring in frustration. To her surprise a blast of fire shot out from behind her and through her smoke ring. She sat up quickly a turned around to see the source of the flame.

"Firetail! You came! I'm so glad to see you. Come sit down, how are you?" she exclaimed.

"I'm fine," he said plunking his massive hind end down beside her on the floor. Firetail had known Lightwing since she was a wee hatchling. They had grown up together in the forest of Gath.

"The messenger said that you needed my help for the jewel quest. I always knew you were a princess, but I never realized that you might one day have to go on the dangerous quest of the queens."

"Neither did I. Can you help me?" Lightwing asked with a slight waver in her voice.

"How could I not?" he said smiling at his childhood friend. However his smile never reached his beautiful golden eyes. He looked worried, Lightwing just thought that it was the quest and said nothing of it.

Firetail was a scarlet dragon with deep red stripes down the length on his body to his tail. He had a slight ridge that ran down his spine, a birth defect of sorts. It caused him not discomfort and so everyone just ignored it.

"So tell me, what do you have there?" he said nodding his muzzle toward the scroll on the table.

"Oh it the first of the set of poems and riddles I'll have to solve to find the jewels. This one is supposed to lead me to the lore master." She sighed. "I'm no good at this, Firetail. I've never been much for puzzles and things. All I can tell is that there is a mountain in a desert to the east. Beyond that I don't know."

"Well let me take a look at it." He read the poem. "Well it seems that we have a long trip. There is a forest and a lake between here and the desert. Maybe if we look around here. We can find a map that will help us more." He suggested.

"Now, you know why I need you on this. You're much smarter than me. You always have been. Let's get started. They keep the maps over here," she said, pointing a clawed finger off toward the far corner of the library.

The two headed of into the corner and started riffling through the hundreds of maps and charts.

After a while he called out to his friend. "Here! I think I found it." Firetail said, waving a dilapidated scrap of paper at his friend.

Lightwing pushed aside the heap of maps she had been scouring and made room for Firetail to spread out his find.

"This is it. I'm sure of it. Look, here is the mountain and there is the desert. And back here there is a lake. It has to be it. See the direction, east. The rising sun in eyes of the dragoness."

"You're right, but it doesn't show the forest. What do you suggest, just leaving here and heading east until we hit the mountain?"

"Yeah, unless you have a better idea," he said.

"Well I guess we don't have much of a choice, now do we? What do you say we get some sleep and we'll leave in the morning? Maybe by then the others will have arrived." Lightwing stretched and yawned widely, showing her long sharp teeth.

Morning broke early and the two friends met for breakfast in the great dining hall. Two more dragons, Sheerflight and Clawfoot, joined them there. Sheerflight was a heavy set, grayling dragon. She was almost invisible against rock and stone, but stood out like a sore thumb against the greens of the forest. Clawfoot was a mottled green dragon from the southern swamps. He was more athletic and lean. He was an excellent flyer and climber.

Lightwing looked up from her meal and howled with delight. "Sheerflight! Clawfoot! I knew you'd come." She jumped up and bounded over to hug her friends. "Come sit down. Have you eaten?"

Clawfoot held up a talon. "Whoa slow down there girlie. I ate already I don't know about old hollow tail here," he said point at the large dragon to his side.

"Hey! What's wrong with a growing dragon eating her food?"

"Nothing, except you eat ten times what a growing dragon should eat. If you're not careful, the only growing you'll be doing is sideways." He laughed and bumped her playfully with his hind hip. She toppled sideways and quickly regained her balance.

"Oh just you wait, you skinny little runt. I'll get you." She puffed a blast of smoke at his face.

He wrinkled his nose and grinned at her sheepishly.

"Cut it out you two. I can't get you two in the same room without you two starting some silly fight. I hope you both got some decent sleep because we have a really long trip ahead of us," Lightwing said.

"Yeah we're fine. We got here last night. We would have gone to see you but they said you were really busy in the library and shouldn't be disturbed."

"Yeah, they said that to me too, but knowing Lightwing as well as I do, I knew she'd never figure out the riddle without me," Firetail said as he shot his friend a huge smile.

Lightwing swat her friend with her tail and it made a loud bang as it hit his rump. "You horrid..."

"Oww! And she complains about you two. Look what she did to me," Firetail said, with a plaintive cry in his voice, rubbing his sore rump with his clawed hand.

Sheerflight practically fell over, she was laughing so hard.

After a hearty meal the four took flight heading east toward the desert and the mountain of Ryah, home of the lore master.