CHAPTER 45
I ended up falling asleep, only to wake up in a panic when I roll over to find Silas and Dragus still aren’t back and in bed.
Sitting up, I look to Matitus, who is snoring beside me.
Quietly hopping of the bed, I head for the door and sneak down the stairs.
The entire castle is quiet, all the lights off and the heavy drapes closed in every room.
The stone floor cold feels wet under my feet as I head to the front of castle.
Walking to the door, I find no shoes, when I remember I left them in the bedroom.
Not wanting to risk going back to the room and being caught, I pull on the door handle.
The heavy doors creak as I sneak through.
My feet sink in an inch of snow and my toes instantly ache, as I peer out to find overnight heavy snow had fallen coating everything white.
Rubbing my arms, I look around making sure the coast is clear and darting around the side of the huge building towards the stable knowing that it is the only place big enough to contain a Dragon.
After all, it would cause the least amount of structural damage if one were to suddenly shift.
My teeth chatter as the snow seeps into my clothes, drenching me.
Getting to the stables, I hear growling, almost like a purr.
Yet through the bond, I feel only peace, like they are all asleep and still unaware of my escape.
Pushing on the solid wooden door, I make a gap big enough to slip through.
I notice no horses in the stable but see the stalls they would be kept in.
Walking along and peering in each one I see no one, making me wonder if I imagined the growling I heard outside or if it was just the sounds of the strong wind gusts.
Moving toward the back of the stable, I notice it opens up into one large room and goes off in another direction.
A fire pit smouldering in the middle as the flames slowly die.
Turning to my left, the place seemed never-ending when I see Dragus and Silas slumped against the wall, Silas’s arms folded against his chest while Dragus is leaning his head on his shoulder.
Any other time I would have found it cute when they snuggled up together, but it is clear they are exhausted, Silas’s jeans had burn holes in them and so did Dragus’s.
Silas’s chest is exposed, and I shudder knowing how cold it is, yet I also know they don’t feel the cold like I do.
My gaze is cut short when I hear a ferocious growl resonate from behind me, making me jump, Silas’s eyes fly open and he screams and I realize my mistake walking in here.
I just followed the path leading to them without paying attention to my surroundings, my focus solely on finding them.
“Elora, no!” Silas screams, jumping to his feet.
I spin around to find an almost fully shifted beast towering over me, a wall of green scales coming into view.
This one was more Dragon than man, not like the others I encountered outside the borders.
The ground rumbles under its feet as it moves toward me.
A menacing growl escapes its mouth, as its teeth gleam in the dimly lit area.
It lunges at me, and I scream, falling back on my ass only for it to stop inches off me and jerk backwards, I notice the chain around its neck.
It struggles trying to free itself when I feel the temperature rise and fire heading directly toward me.
I put my arm up bracing for its fiery heat to engulf me when I hear a grunt that turns into a terrifying growl sending goosebumps all over my body.
Opening my eyes, Silas is suddenly in front of me, his face contorted in pain, and I realize he took the hit, the flames hitting his back and diverting around him.
I smell his flesh sizzling under the intense heat, feel his pain but his burning anger is ten times worse as it makes me gasp.
Panic hits me and I throw my hands out, purple light shooting from my fingers, and I hear a whimper.
The room suddenly goes cold, and Silas drops to his knees in front of me.
His gaze burns holes in me, he is pissed.
His deadly glare is aimed at me as his eye flicker dangerously like a reptile.
His hands grip my arms so tightly, I yelp as his claws dig in.
“What are you fucking doing down here!” he screams at me before standing and ripping me to my feet. I notice the charred marks on his shoulders bleeding onto his chest. The skin heals quickly. Dragus’s voice sounded behind me.
“Silas let her go,” he says, worry lacing his words, and I feel my blood trickle down my arms, warm and thick from his grip.
“What the fuck is wrong with you, Matitus warned you Elora!” Silas screams at me, making me flinch away from his anger.
“Silas!” Dragus yells to him, ripping me away from him. His claws slicing through my arms making my eyes water as they cut through the flesh on my arms.
Silas takes a step forward and I step back closer to Dragus. A cold shiver runs up my spine when I see him so angry. My skin itches as fear courses through my body.
Silas’s hands clench at his sides and I gulp. I haven’t seen him this angry since the first night I met him, his jaw clicking as he grits his teeth.
The Dragon whimpers making him freeze as he goes to step toward me, his eyes flicking to the Dragon curled into a ball in the corner.
I gasp when I see flowery vines wrapped around his body restricting his movement.
Looking down, my fingertips are still glowing subtly, and I realize I hadn’t let go of the magic which would have freed him.
Silas’s anger diffuses for a second, and I walk past him toward a wall of scales.
Silas grips my arm as I walk past him, yanking me toward him.
“I was looking for you, you hurt me once I won’t allow you to do it again,” I tell him, ripping my arm from his iron grip.
He lets go and I am flooded with guilt coming from him.
Turning to the Dragon, it lifts its big head and growls, its wings are mangled and unformed as the vines wrap around its body.
“Elora!” Dragus warns as it lifts its head and opens its mouth and I realize it was about to breathe fire again. I smack its nose with my fist, and the Dragon seems shocked, shaking its head, recoiling away from me.
“It’s scared,” I tell them, realising it thinks I am coming in to attack it, no doubt like Silas did when he captured it.
I reach my hand out to it, the Dragon flinching when it huffs hot air out its nose.
I touch its scaled head. Its eyes flickering as my hand encounters its unusually cold scales.
Silas and Matitus always feel hot, this Dragon feels cold, yet the heat coming from its breath is still enough to cause steam in the air every time it breathes.
It flinches and I leave my hand between its eyes on his head, and he remains still.
“Elora!” Silas says stepping closer. The Dragon’s eyes go to him and I can feel its aura change. It is scared of them, scared they are going to hurt it.
“Stay there,” I tell them, putting my hand up behind me.
I stroke between its eyes, the yellow snake-like eyes flicking back to me.
Its green scales ripple in a wave and stand on end before settling against its skin.
I run my palm over its scales and hiss as I feel it slice through it. My hand drips with blood.
“Are you nuts?” Dragus says as my blood drips onto the ground.
The Dragon sniffs it and I let my magic move over my skin, bracing myself and getting ready to put up a wall if it suddenly goes berserk but it doesn’t.
Instead, it licks the blood that drips on the ground.
I hold my hand to its nose as it sniffs the ground before feeling its tongue snake out between its pointed teeth.
Its tongue runs along my palm and up half my arm, it feels scratchy like a cat’s tongue, yet so slimy.
I pray it will work, not wanting to have to stab the scared beast with my sword. The thought sickens me, seeing it so vulnerable. I take a step back when I feel hands grab my arms ripping me backwards against them.
“That was the stupidest thing, I have seen you do,” Silas growls next to my ear.
“It’s scared, I can feel its aura, Silas.
He thought I was going to hurt him like you did,” I tell him, and he looks back at the Dragon when it starts shuddering, its scales rippling violently.
I hear the tearing of flesh, the Dragon shudders its tiny, mangled wings stretching, but they aren’t like a bats wings more like two weird flaps on its back as it started writhing, its size getting smaller, and the vines start dropping from around him as he shrinks.
It lets out a blood-curdling screech that sounds pained and I close my eyes tight, covering my ears with my hands at the noise. It sounds like nails on a chalkboard, making my teeth ache.
The noise suddenly stops, and I see a filthy, dirt-covered man, his matted hair hanging at his waist as he crouches on the ground.
His entire body is shaking as he stares at his hands in disbelief.
He starts sobbing, touching his chest and looking at his skin amazed.
I gasp, and he looks over at me, trying to stand, only to fall as he crawls on his knees so fast, wrapping his arms around my legs sobbing against me.
Silas growls menacingly and I feel his body tense.
I brush his hair back and he looks up and I realize he only looks to be in his early twenties.
His golden hair is covered in grime, and he smells terrible.
“Thank you, thank you,” he sobs, his voice rough and raspy like he was a chain smoker, sounding like Dakari’s when he first changed back. Silas pulls me back as the man drops on all fours in front of him. I elbow Silas, feeling angry.