XXXIII | ROT
She took care to avoid any stray pieces of debris or furniture that would force her to rupture her invisibility as she flipped herself over, dull pain following her every movement. Lucky for her, she supposed, that she didn't land on anything that would have severed the spell.
It must have been powerful magic to not have broken the second Celvene contacted the wall—where had Melantha gotten the scroll?
She stood, looking towards Melantha. The door had slammed shut, and if she was to try to open it, the scroll's magic would wane.
Deep down, Celvene knew that if anyone would survive the situation Melantha had thrust herself into, it would be Melantha—she just had to hope that she was somehow able to make it out alive. But Melantha had sacrificed herself for Celvene. Celvene needed to make sure it wasn't in vain.
Though the lighting was dingy and dark, she could see enough. There were two doors, with prison cells on either side of her. Thankfully, the first door was open, likely due to the guards rushing inside. Celvene wasted no time sprinting through, ignoring the pain that spread throughout her body.
She jumped onto the stairs, and ahead, she could see a door, cracked, with moonlight seeping through the sliver. She didn't stop to think about whether or not she could fit; she slid through the crack, nearly brushing the metal door.
She rushed outside, thankful for the sparse artificial lighting scattered around the area. It was barren, with some grass and two wooden stables. Was this where they kept the livestock for the castle?
The air was eerily silent, cold and daunting, and Celvene's gaze scanned the clearing for whatever it was Melantha wanted her to use to escape.
A quiet hiss curled into the air from beside Celvene's shoe. When she looked down, the grass next to her foot dried and yellowed, and as Celvene scrambled back with a quiet breath, the decay followed her. What was wrong with the grass for it to behave that way?
Then a growl ruptured the quietness, and Celvene swiveled on her heel. Her heart dropped in her chest, a mixture of fear and awe, as she was thrust face to face with what Melantha inevitably gifted her.
He was a beauty. Celvene had never seen a dragon face to face before, but he was just as grand and magnificent as the bards described. His scales, glittering like diamonds, were onyx black, and his eyes blazed icy blue.
His crystalline claws dug into the ground, and his underbelly glowed a soft blue as a roar rumbled from deep within his body. From each side of his body sprouted a wing. They stretched through the sky, the insides made of thin crystals. Small, sharp tips grew from each ribbed ending like swords.
His tail, ending in a gentle point, slashed through the air. Celvene rested a hand against his large scales, and a strange mix of fire and ice surged through her body.
The invisibility ruptured as soon as she made contact with the dragon, and her hand became normal once again. She knew what the crystal Melantha had given her was for—it was to tame her dragon and ride it through the skies.
Tears welled in her eyes. She could've been escaping with Melantha, but now, she probably laid dead in the prison.
Still, she wasted no time in climbing on, scaling the dragon's massive body like a tiny, lithe spider. Once she'd situated herself, she pressed Melantha's crystal against the dragon's scales, and he rumbled another growl in agreement.
By now, dozens of guards had flooded out to the stables. Celvene looked for Melantha amongst them, but not for long; arrows whizzed through the air, whistling as they flew past Celvene's ear.
One struck her arm, grazing her skin and making her hiss in pain. She mentally commanded the dragon to fly, and while she received no verbal response, he lifted his wings and flew into the air.
She didn't need to instruct the dragon where to go. He already knew, veering in the direction of Aizasea.
Minutes felt like they stretched into hours. Celvene couldn't forget the sight of Melantha the entire time. Was she okay? Had she made it out alive? There had been so many soldiers...
The moon hung high in the sky, its silver corona bathing the land in a soft glow. Celvene almost felt as though she could reach out and touch the moon, but instead, she hung her head low as she brought herself closer to the dragon's scales.
She couldn't shake Melantha from her mind; certainly not when she was riding Melantha's dragon.
Soon, she could see the crashing waves of Aizasea's pier in the distance. The white-crested blue water stirred, and in front of it, the lush, green grass swayed in the wind. Celvene stared in anticipation, not sure where to land.
In the city would cause a panic, so she supposed she'd aim for the outskirts and return to the castle by foot.
She could already see people dotting the streets, and guards craning their necks to see the majestic beast soaring through the skies. She couldn't blame them. Dragons were a rare sight if you weren't around Noriya or one of the hoards in the wilds.
The dragon descended to the ground, landing with a thud. Celvene slipped off, and though she was defenseless and embarrassed to be walking into her home in this state, she shook it off and pushed forward.
Melantha's dragon hadn't landed far from the gates, so the forms of the guards grew larger rather fast. There were more guards than usual standing at the gates, which was an odd sight—had Aleksandr finally increased security?
She wasn't sure what she was expecting when she approached them. Maybe a warm welcome, or maybe she'd have to duck into an alley and live off rats for the rest of her life.
What she didn't expect was for a soldier to yell, "Guards, seize her!"