Maya's POV
"HOLD ON!" As the transport veered out of control, I imagined Phoenix screaming. As we fell through the sky, I held on to the sides of the flying platform. The dark figure above us was coming nearer, and the driver was still unconscious. I thought my heart might burst from the strong pounding.
"Is it possible for you to transport us to safety?" Over the roaring wind, I called out to Phoenix.
"I'm too young to carry us both!" With her golden scales blazing with worry, Phoenix answered. "I can only carry you!"
"Then what about the driver?"
"Maya, we must make a choice! Either him or us!"
I gazed at the unconscious guy who was on the verge of passing away. Then I saw the black dragon swooping down from above at us. Before the attack started, we might have had ten seconds.
I crawled over to the driver's seat and said, "I can't leave him."
"No, Maya! You have no idea how to fly this thing."
"I must give it a shot!"
Grabbing the controls, I applied all of my force to pull up. Just as a bolt of dark magic shot past us, the platform jerked upward. With a curse, the malevolent rider circled for another attack.
"Into the mountain!" Phoenix yelled. "A tunnel entrance lies ahead!"
There was a dark hole in the hillside, but I could hardly see through the clouds. We were flying too fast to make it safely, which was the problem.
"I can't slow down!" I shouted. "The controls are broken!"
"Then we crash," Phoenix stated somberly. "But we crash together."
The tunnel opening hurried our way. I held my breath and closed my eyes.
A CRASH! We skidded across smooth stone after hitting the ground hard. The transport overturned twice before coming to a full stop upside down. I was living, but my entire body ached.
"Maya!" Phoenix landed next to me and looked for cuts. "Are you okay?"
"I think so," I moaned as I slithered out from beneath the debris. "What about the driver?"
The man was feeling his head as he woke up. "What took place? Where are we?"
"Underground Academy," said a fresh voice.
A tall woman with silver hair and soft eyes was approaching us when I turned around. Several students my age followed her, all of them with worried faces.
"Professor Raven?" Recalling her name from the stories, I inquired.
"Maya, you're right. Greetings from your new home." She got me up on my feet. "However, I wish there had been less drama in your arrival."
I said, still shaking, "Someone tried to kill us." "A black dragon rider."
Professor Raven's face darkened. "The killer of Master Frost. I was worried that he might try something similar."
"Assassin?" My voice broke. "He truly intended to murder me?"
Professor Raven sadly noted, "Master Frost doesn't like loose ends." "But now you're safe. Nobody can get to you here."
I gasped as I looked around. The tunnel wasn't as gloomy and frightening as I had expected. Everything appeared magical as the walls' crystal shapes glowed softly in the light. In the open areas carved out of the rock, students were performing amazing magic.
I muttered, "This place is beautiful."
Professor Raven smiled and commented, "Most people expect Underground Academy to be a dungeon." "But we think that students who are rejected should also be beautiful."
A boy my age came forward. He had storm-gray eyes and untidy brown hair. "My name is Jake Storm. I was told of the events at Sky Wing Academy. It took courage to face Master Frost."
"It was stupid," I said. "I got kicked out for no reason."
"For nothing?" Jake looked taken aback. "You bonded with a legendary dragon and revealed a magical thief. That's not unimportant."
I started crying as I said, "But I lost everything." "My future, my school, and my friends."
A quiet voice corrected, "Your fake friends."
We were approached by a girl whose fingers were stained with paint. "My name is Zara. Before they called my magic "useless," I was also a student at Sky Wing Academy."
"What's your magic?" I inquired.
Zara decided not to respond, instead drawing a small bird on the wall with her finger dipped in blue paint. The bird rested on my shoulder after circling my head with its wings.
"That's amazing!" I let out a gasp. "How is that useless?"
Jake replied, "Because Master Frost can't use it for fighting." "He only appreciates magic that increases his strength."
Professor Raven gave a hand clap. "Let's give Maya some time to relax, kids. She's had a difficult day."
Professor Raven led me farther up the mountain as the other pupils left. "Maya, I have some important news to share with you regarding your dragon."
"What about her?" Phoenix was flying next to us when I asked.
"Phoenix is not your normal dragon. We refer to her as a Truth Dragon."
"What does that mean?"
"It shows that she is capable of seeing through deception and delusions. She has the ability to make secret things visible." Professor Raven stopped his stride and gave me a serious look. "Master Frost is so desperate for her because of this. He could find and steal magic from anyone with a Truth Dragon."
I felt sick to my stomach. "So he really is going to keep trying to kill me?"
"I'm afraid so. But there's more, Maya. I learned something while looking into your case."
"What?"
"Master Frost has selected other students before you. Numerous strong young magicians have suddenly passed away or vanished over the years. Students who were too strong, too unique, or too risky for his schemes."
"You think he killed them?"
"I believe he has spent years collecting a force of stolen magic. He's nearly ready to use it now."
"Use it for what?"
Professor Raven's words became barely audible. "To rule the world of magic. to rise to the place of greatest wizard in history."
I was ill. "And the only person who can stop him is me?"
"You and Phoenix together. The only thing that can beat his stolen power is a Truth Dragon bound to a good-hearted mage."
"But I'm only a child! I have no idea how to fight an adult wizard."
Professor Raven stated, "You won't be fighting alone." "Master Frost's system has hurt every student present. When the time comes, they will help you."
We arrived at a nice two-bed room. Professor Raven explained, "You'll be rooming with Zara." "Aim for some sleep. We'll begin training your true magic tomorrow."
I sat on my bed feeling overwhelmed after Professor Raven left. Phoenix nestled next to me, her warm scales giving solace.
"Phoenix," I mumbled. "What if my strength is insufficient? What if I fail everyone?"
"You won't," Phoenix firmly stated. "I have to tell you something, Maya. Something about the reason I picked you."
"What?"
"I didn't just randomly hatch for you. Specifically, I've been waiting for you."
"What do you mean?"
Phoenix's amber eyes became grave. "I'm more than just a Truth Dragon, Maya. The final Truth Dragon is me. And I've been looking for the right person to connect with for the past twelve years."
"Twelve years? However, I'm only twelve years old."
"Exactly. Since the day you were born, I have been waiting."
My heart began to race. "Why? What makes me unique?"
"Because you are more than just Maya Chen, the failed student at Sky Wing Academy. You are the Phoenix Rider, Maya Chen. The one person who can keep Master Frost from destroying the magical world."
"That isn't possible. I am not unique."
"Maya," Phoenix said softly, "your sister was talented, but she didn't win her class at Sky Wing Academy. She was hiding who she truly was, which is why she graduated."
"What do you mean?"
"Your sister leads a revolt. For years, she has been battling Master Frost, assembling allies and supporting documents. In order for you to join the fight, she has been waiting for you to reach adulthood."
The room spun around me. "My sister is alive?"
"Very alive. Additionally, she has been keeping an eye on you the entire time."
"So why didn't she assist me during my bullying at Sky Wing?"
Phoenix's eyes darkened. "Because she was aware that you must possess the strength to face the truth." "Additionally, Maya, there will be more truth that will be even more difficult to hear."
"What truth?"
"Concerning your parents. about the true cause of their deaths. Regarding what Master Frost did to them."
I had problem breathing. "An accident claimed the lives of my parents."
"Maya, no. They didn't."
An warning went off all over the mountain before I could ask any more questions. I could hear students yelling as red lights flashed in the crystals.
I said, "What's happening?"
With fear, Phoenix's scales blazed. "We're being attacked. We were found by Master Frost."
"But we were safe here, according to Professor Raven!"
"Someone betrayed us," Phoenix said somberly. "Someone gave Master Frost the Underground Academy's location."
Explosions echoed throughout the mountain. Rocks began to tumble from the roof.
"Maya!" With a terrified look on his face, Jake rushed into the room. "We must leave! Master Frost has come with a legion of dragons that have been stolen."
"Dragons stolen?" I let out a gasp.
"Dragons whose riders he killed," Jake said quickly. "He's using dark magic to control them."
The mountain was rocked by more blasts. I could see dark shapes flying outside through the crystal window.
Jake's voice trembled as he said, "There's something else." "Master Frost is not by himself. Someone we trusted is helping him."
"Who?"
"Professor Raven," Jake said, his words striking into me. "All this time, she has been hired by Master Frost. In order for him to arrest us all at once, she led us all here."
My entire world fell apart. The one adult I had confided in and who had claimed that I was special had been deceiving me the entire time.
"Maya," Phoenix said hurriedly, "we must go." "Now."
However, the door slammed shut as we hurried toward it. We were confined. And I could see Professor Raven nearing our room through the crystal walls, her once-kind eyes now icy and ruthless. Master Frost himself floated behind her, his body crackling with power that had been stolen.
Master Frost called through the wall, "Hello, Maya." "Are you prepared for your last lesson?"