Diego's Dragon, Book Two: Dragons of the Dark Rift

By Kevin Gerard

A Prophecy, an Ancient Calendar, and a Battle for Earth’s Survival.

The turning of the 26,000 year cycle is approaching. The fifth sun promises a time of peace for all creatures. Magnifico, Estrella, and the Sol Dragones eagerly await the new age.

Vipero hopes to alter the ancient prophecy. He orders the Dragons of the Dark Rift to find and eliminate the Sol Dragones. If they succeed, nothing will stop him from destroying Diego’s world and claiming ownership of Sol, a star with unlimited spiritual power.

Diego and Racquel travel with their dragons to the Dark Rift, the entrance to the magical realm known as the Xibalba. Together with the Sol Dragones, they battle Vipero’s immense army in a fight to save or shift the Mayan prediction. The fate of earth depends on victory or defeat, and Diego is the key.

His choice – to betray Magnifico or stay true to the Sol Dragones – will determine the outcome of the conflict.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kevin Gerard
• Release date: Dec 27, 2013
• ISBN: 9781311730855

Kevin Gerard

Kevin Gerard lives in San Diego, California, with his two feline buddies, Jesse the WonderCat and Little Man. He teaches statistics at Cal State San Marcos. When not writing or teaching, he enjoys walking the grounds at the San Diego Zoo, hitting the waves at Cardiff State Beach, and hanging with his brother, nieces and nephews at the local Pizza Port. He also enjoys playing Halo on the internet; look for him in the rocket games as one of the characters from the Diego’s Dragon or Conor and the Crossworlds fantasy adventure series.

Book preview

Chapter One

Nathan Sullivan cowered before the altar of the Sol Dragones. He slapped his palms against his ears, trying to silence the horrible shrieking. His soul burned along with hundreds of dragons, as their voices pushed his spirit to its limit. Without understanding their terrible agony he knew something shocking had occurred.

Summoning his strength, he strained his neck upward. Looking toward the altar, he saw shadows darting in every direction like a flock of startled birds. Tears streamed from his eyes as he stared ahead, looking for guidance, an answer, a sign.

He didn’t sense the evil presence until it shoved him violently away from the altar.

His shoulders and head slammed against the far wall. Fighting to stay alert, he watched the shadows above the altar change. The bodies, wings, heads and tails of the dragons reshaped themselves. A painful grimace crept across Sullivan’s face as he recognized creatures he hadn’t seen in over twenty thousand years.

The prophecy approaches, hissed a shadowy voice. The fourth sun has passed, the fifth sun awakens. Sullivan opened his mouth to respond. His throat blistered as a fiery breath swept into his lungs. He tried to cough but couldn’t; tried to exhale but failed. His eyes burned as he gasped for air.

A powerful wind rushed through the room. It thundered down the opening behind the altar. Sullivan’s body slumped to the floor. The shadows disappeared. A second later the horrible cries returned.

Chapter Two

So, Diego, said Alvaro, watching his son gobble down his breakfast, today you go into the seventh grade. You’re el hombresote now, eh?

Big men don’t eat at the trough like un cerdo, said his mother, Alejandra. At least, not unless you want to end up looking like this one. She patted her husband’s ample belly.

Alvaro smiled as he draped his arm over his wife’s shoulder. What can I do? I married the best cook in the county.

Alejandra crossed her arms and gave Alvaro one of her special looks.

All right, he said, the best cook in California.

Diego smiled at his parents. Their playful antics always made his heart sing. Watching the love in their eyes made his home that much better.

He slid from his chair while dragging a napkin across his mouth. He folded it and dropped it on the table before clearing away his setting. He walked into the kitchen, reached over the sink, and rinsed his plate, fork, and glass thoroughly before placing them in the dishwasher.

I’ll be ready in a minute, Dad, he said, racing around his parents. He got two steps past his mother before she abruptly cleared her throat. Diego knew what the sound meant. He turned, looking back toward the kitchen.

Sorry, Mama, he said. He walked to the table and pushed his chair in.

Good boy, Diego, said Alejandra. We can’t have you growing up to be lazy, now can we? Where would your poor wife be, then?

Mama, said Diego, why do you always talk about when I get married? I’m only twelve years old.

It’s never too early to learn good habits, Mijo.

Alvaro turned his truck onto Twin Oaks Valley Road. He assumed his favorite driving posture, his right palm resting on the steering wheel and his left elbow bouncing on his knee. He checked his mirrors, re-checking to make sure he’d entered the main road safely.

Did anyone ever find out what happened to poor Racquel? he asked Diego. It was terrible when she disappeared like that, poof, overnight, without a trace.

Yeah, said Diego, suddenly missing her again. No one knows anything. The police never found her. Nobody did. It’s like she just walked away and never came back.

Maybe someday she’ll come home, said Alvaro, crossing himself. At least her parents are finally coming to terms with it. For a while I thought her father might lose his mind.

Wouldn’t you, Papa? Wouldn’t you go crazy if you lost me, or Esteban?

Are you kidding? I’d be loco, Diego. My children are everything to me, except for your mother, of course. He looked over at his son, smiling.

Are you happy about Esteban, Papa? asked Diego, changing the subject. He has a job and a new girlfriend.

Alvaro drove silently for a moment. He choked back a tear, thinking of his oldest boy: about how close they came to losing him for good and about his own role in Marisol’s death. He shuddered, asking the Blessed Mother for relief.

Es maravilloso, Diego, he said. You have your brother back, and he has returned to our home. The change is remarkable. Catalina has been a Godsend to him.

Alvaro turned into the school parking lot. He took his place in line behind a dozen parents waiting to drop their kids off for the day.

I’ll just jump out here, Papa, said Diego. He grasped the door handle in one hand, the straps of his backpack in the other.

Wait a minute, Mijo, said Alvaro. Let’s wait until the other cars drive away. I want to talk to you about something.

Diego looked confused for a moment. Then he let go of the door. What is it, Papa?

I want to know how you’re feeling. It’s a new year at school for you, and this is your first day. Are you okay? Is there anything you want to talk about?

No, Papa, answered Diego. Why? Are you alright?

Si, Mijo, I’m fine, but your mother and I had a long talk last night about you.

Diego slumped back into the truck seat. He felt another one of his father’s lectures coming on. He’d have to sit quietly and take it.

What about me, Papa?

Alvaro cleared his throat. Strange things happened last year, Mijo. You got a little weird for a while, do you remember? Walking out of the house in the middle of the night, going on and on about that strange statue Señor Sullivan gave you. We’re a little worried, that’s all. We want to know that our little Diego is going to be okay. We’re wondering if what happened last year might happen again.

"Dad, I’m not little!"

I know, son, I know. You’re a big man now.

Diego stared at his father, scrunching his cheeks.

The truck reached the drop-off point. Alvaro reached over and squeezed Diego’s shoulder.

Whatever happened to your statue, Mijo? Magnifico, I mean. He went away about the same time Racquel disappeared. Have you seen it?

No, Papa, said Diego.

Do you think he’s gone for good? asked Alvaro.

Diego thought about the last time he saw Magnifico. In his dream with Racquel he’d looked up and spotted him in the sky. Magnifico had signaled him with a mighty roar before vanishing into the clouds.

I don’t think so, Papa. Magnifico and I are friends, and like you always taught me, a true friend is a friend for life.

Much to Diego’s dismay, Alvaro ruffled his hair. He pinched his shoulder again, too. Diego socked him on the leg as hard as he could. He may as well have been swinging a feather at a piñata. His fist bounced harmlessly off of his father’s thigh.

Alvaro wrapped a strong arm around Diego’s neck. See you this afternoon, Mijo.

Bye, Papa.

Chapter Three

Keeping his mind perfectly still, Magnifico soared through the stars. He tilted his great wings every so often, sensing instead of seeing which direction he might turn. He’d held his eyes closed for nearly an hour, slowly drawing in streams of cosmic energy. Savoring the taste of the heavens, he waited for something he hadn’t seen in centuries.

He sought the Dark Rift, or as the ancients had called it, the Dark Road. Somewhere in the center of the galaxy, he would find a mysterious band of black clouds. Unlike any constellation in the stars, they signaled the entrance of a new sun, a new age for all creatures, mortal or immortal, magic or common, human or otherworldly. Blessed by the spirit of the universe, the Dark Rift would bring salvation for all.

It fell upon Magnifico to find the opening. Once located, the Sol Dragones would find the key to unlock its mysteries. His forces would unleash the sun’s gleaming radiance upon the Rift, pulling forth the inner light from within the dark road.

The transformation will be an incredible sight, thought Magnifico. The earth’s inhabitants would finally know peace. Human conflict would fall away like old skin shed from a snake. The masks of false prophets would dissolve like dying embers, exposing their lies and schemes to the world.

Magnifico snuffled roughly then turned his head slightly. The spirits of the stars blended with the magic fire in his belly. Dipping his wing, he soared toward a distant light.

His scales glistened, bristling as he approached his destination. With each heartbeat, his spirit sensed the approach of the Dark Rift. He extended his right wing, dragging a trail through a stream of tiny stars. More than a few times he circled around, making certain the sensation repeated itself.

He cracked his eyes open slowly, locating his position in the solar system. As the stars realigned, he spied the murky opening into the Rift. It looked as if a massive sail, thousands of miles long, suddenly split a seam in space, fluttered for a moment, then vanished.

He looked back toward his tail, examining a galactic orbit only he could see. Turning toward the sun, he measured its placement along the long line of stars. When he felt certain he could find the Rift again, he flapped his wings lazily, enjoying the feeling of free flight.

Like a ghost drifting through an open door, a monstrous dragon with jagged horns and devilish eyes floated through the Rift. A pack of smaller dragons followed, flying directly toward Magnifico. Completely invisible, they seemed like black holes floating through space.

They pounced on their prey without fear or mercy. The leader of the attackers slashed his huge claws across Magnifico's neck. Calling upon centuries of fighting experience, Magnifico dodged the savage swipe, sending his own claws flying in every direction. Extending his talons, he searched frantically for his opponent. He lashed out with his spiked tail, hitting nothing but the emptiness of space.

Sensing his vulnerability, the ferocious animals swarmed in from all directions. Magnifico fought like a demon, flinging the invisible hulks away. He tore the wing from one, bit through the leg of another, and slashed the throat of two more. He tasted their foul blood with each strike. He used every bit of strength he had, but there were too many.

The Dragons of the Dark Rift finally trapped Magnifico within an energy field, using his own spirit to reinforce the strength of the cell. Encircling him, they made certain he remained their prisoner.

The leader came forward. He spoke, uttering a spell that revealed his identity.

Magnifico drew in an icy breath.

Vipero, he said, exhaling slowly, fear tickling the pores of his leathery skin.

Magnifico, hissed the leader of the Dragons of the Dark Rift. We meet again.

How? whispered Magnifico. How is it possible? Have you grown more powerful than the sun?

The method of my transformation is of no importance. I am here to keep what is rightfully mine. I claim this galaxy and all its inhabitants. You will assemble your pitiful force and vacate the sun at once.

The prophecy speaks otherwise.

Your prophecy! thundered Vipero, the heavens shaking with the force of his voice. His body buckled, growing in size with each moment of rage. Our future is what we make of it; is that not what you always taught me?

You have forgotten your lessons, Vipero. The fifth sun approaches. A spiritual rebirth for all creatures will follow. The guide has been chosen. He passed his first test with honor, and he will…

Who is the guide, Magnifico? Point me in his direction.

Do not toy with forces you cannot understand. The Spirits of the Sun have found their resting place. Leave them be, and leave the people of earth to their destiny.

The people of earth, scoffed Vipero. They march toward their own demise like newborns seeking their mothers’ teats. They don’t realize the milk they crave so dearly is sour beyond description.

They are flawed, said Magnifico, but neither you nor I can sit in judgment of another race of beings.

Empathy, hissed Vipero. Have you forgotten your lessons as well, my friend? Do you not remember our experience in the Spiral Galaxy?

At the mention of this memory, Magnifico strained against the energy shield. He roared his frustration as the dark power held him fast. He managed to free one of his hind paws, which he used to wrestle with the glowing fibers.

Vipero’s servants closed in, hissing wildly at the one who’d imprisoned them so long ago. Two of them flew past Magnifico’s face, swiping their jagged wingtips inches from his eyes.

You cannot escape, said Vipero. You will be taken deep inside the Rift, to a place even the first sun does not remember. We will seek out the guide and imprison him as well. The fifth sun will summon earth’s destruction, not the glorious resurrection of its people. When the inner crust of the planet implodes and the earth is no more, we will descend upon the sun in full force. We will destroy the Sol Dragones. The sun will be mine to possess and command.

No! bellowed Magnifico. The prophecy cannot be altered. You will fail, Vipero. Light always smothers darkness; you will see.

Vipero had heard enough. He spit a reddish burst of flame toward Magnifico. It wasn’t designed to harm his enemy, only mute his voice.

Following their leaders orders, the dragons closed ranks and attached their wings to the energy field. Welding their bodies to the sparkling rails and forming a tight circle around Magnifico, they became their own star in space. Together, they dragged their prisoner toward the Dark Rift.

Chapter Four

Diego sat in the back of his science class with Ricardo and Jose. The bell had rung only minutes ago, and already the three boys sat still as statues, bored stiff. They liked Mrs. Elise, her lessons usually kept them awake and interested, but today they had other things on their mind.

Soccer practice would start soon. They, along