Chapter 36
Friend
DELILAH
The dragon’s keep was never truly silent.
Even at night, it breathed. The air of the cavern held low rumbles , the scrape of talons against stone and the slow exhale of smoke through massive lungs.
I stepped into the cavern beneath the castle.
The moment I crossed the threshold dozens of massive heads lifted in unison, eyes glowing in shades of amber, gold, red, and molten white.
I swallowed. I had no idea if this was going to work. I was operating on instinct alone nowadays.
I pressed my palm to the center of my chest and reached outward—not for one dragon, but for all of them.
The connection did not spark like it did when communicating with one singular dragon.
It was heavier like a field of hot energy.
That familiar tingling feeling in my palm was intensified like a layered hum, overlapping and grinding against each other. It was the life force of many dragons.
-Hear me, I sent.
The cavern stilled.
I didn’t speak aloud. I let the words ride the current in my mind.
-Mount Orid holds the Dagger of Destiny.
A ripple moved through the keep. Wings shifted. Smoke curled thicker.
-Without it, I cannot release the God Dragon.
Many wings scuffled in response.
-There will be an invasion that will destroy all Fire-kind, Fae, and dragon. Releasing the God Dragon, Eloria, is the only way to stop what is coming.
A long pause. Then—
A voice deeper than the rest pushed forward, ancient, and bitter.
"Fire kind has survived before".
"Why should we burn for a Fae war?"
“Yes,” I answered aloud this time. “But not like this.” My voice cracked, and I didn’t try to hide it.
“Folliade will come. His armies will level everything from coast to coast. And if the God Dragon stays dormant, we will lose.”
The cavern grew hot with irritation. Another mind cut in—sharp and suspicious. "Orid kills dragons."
A third:
"Many have entered. None returned."
A forth:
"Orid devours dragons."
A younger dragon growled, "It devours all."
I let their doubt wash over me. “I know.”
My palm began to sting, sensing the life force of them all—so strong, so vibrant. Every single one of them was a pulsing furnace of existence.
“I am not your master, and I command nothing.” I took a breath, “I am asking.”
My words echoed.
A dragon near the back gave a low, derisive huff.
"You are mortal."
“Yes.”
"The Sinceritas Purus-Litas calls," another voice rumbled.
"Only mortal blood may claim it."
My heartbeat climbed into my throat.. “Yes.”
Smoke curled thick through the rafters.
"Eloria awaits," a third mind added. Not a question.
A statement, as if they had always known it would come to
this.
I stepped forward, deeper into the keep, heart pounding and
sweat soaking my back. “That mortal is me.”
The cavern shifted uneasily. Talons scraped.
Wings adjusted.
And there was no argument.
“I can’t simply walk into the volcano,” I said. “I need help, I cannot survive the descent alone.”
That was the part the prophecy did not account for.
The mortal retrieves the blade, but it does not say how to reach it.
"Send Draxxinar, he’s the strongest."
“He will need to assist the High Lord in shielding me.” I replied.
A deep, scared voice echoed from the far wall. "The prophecy does not command us to carry you." I could sense their fear, their hesitation.
The stinging sensation in my hands started to burn and spread up my arm as more dragons joined the discussion.
“It does not, that is why I’m asking,” I replied. The air grew tight.
Hot.
Reluctant.
Then from out of the shadows, without hesitation, a radiant blue-green dragon stepped forward.
Zephyros.
My heart dropped instantly, sinking into the bottom of my stomach with a thud that made me nauseous.
“No.”
She ignored the word.
Zephyros: The prophecy names a mortal, she said calmly.
But it is dragon kind who will need to assist.
The cavern stirred.
An elder dragon growled low.
K. ROSé
You are the only one of your kind, you would risk your life for a Fae war?
I felt Zephyros’ life force surged brightly with commanding, unwavering energy.
Zephyros: I would risk my life for my friend.
That word echoed louder than any prophecy. Friend.
I shook my head, panic clawing at my ribs. My heart beat surged, fracturing it with every pulse.
“No. Not you.”
If she died because of me—
I couldn’t even finish the thought.
She lowered her massive head until her snout nearly brushed my shoulder.
Zephyros: You asked for a volunteer.
“I didn’t mean you.” My voice cracked with suffocating guilt.
A ripple of faint amusement moved through the bond.
Zephyros: You did not specify.
The other dragons watched in silence.
I pressed my forehead to her scales, my palm flattening against her cheek where the sensation of the bond ebbed and flowed between us.
“I can’t lose you.”
The admission fractured something inside me.
Her life force surged gently against mine—not dominance.
Not a command, but comfort.
Zephyros: You will not lose me.
“That’s not a promise you can make.”
Zephyros: No, she agreed calmly. It is not.
Her honesty hurt worse than reassurance.
Zephyros: I hatched alone; she reminded me quietly. But I do not fly alone, I have a…friend.
Tears burned behind my eyes.
“This isn’t your burden,” I cried.
Zephyros: It is our burden, Delilah.
“You know what Orid does.”
Zephyros: Yes.
“If you die—”
Zephyros: Then I die in fire, not waiting for it.
That silenced the cavern. Because they all understood that.
They had lived centuries under the prophecy’s shadow. They had waited.
But no prophecy demanded they be brave. That was a choice.
One by one, the dragons lowered their massive heads and sank to their knees—not in obedience, but in reverence.
Each kneeling dragon blew out a stream of fire for her on the ground.
Their collective streams swirled and merged together, creating a ceremonial runner, a carpet of fire just for her.
The one they had once dismissed as strange, lesser, and different, was now being paid tribute by dragons of every bloodline and rank.
It was not a small courtesy. It was acknowledgment.
It was the greatest honor a dragon could receive.
The weight of it struck me so fiercely my knees nearly gave out. My tears felt inadequate—too fragile to contain the magnitude of what I had just witnessed.
She walked past them with grace, a blanket of embers beneath her feet. Zephyros stepped fully beside me with her head held high as she took in the sight of hundreds of dragons kneeling before her.
Zephyros: We go to Orid for all Fire-kind!
She tipped her head back and let out a blast of fire into the air above. And this time, no one tried to stop her.
Within an hour, Draxxinar and Zephyros were saddled and readied for flight. We silently took off into the air, and I mentally commanded Zephyros to follow Draxxinar.
The flight lasted just over an hour, and it was in complete darkness. I could only trust that Zephyros had better night vision than I did.
The dragons reduced speed, and a faint orange glow marked the night sky against the clouds. Heat lightning flashed in the sky, blending with thick plumes of smoke.
Then the monstrosity I presumed to be Mount Orid came into view, and I felt like I was going to be sick.
It was a jagged monument of vicious charcoal-colored rock that seemed to radiate a physical sense of “hush” over the landscape it dominated.
It was a symmetrical cone of terror that rose beyond the clouds.
Its slopes were scarred with deep, black fissures and veins of hardened, glassy obsidian.
At its peak, a deep, pulsating crimson and orange glow reflected off the underside of the smoke clouds, signaling the churning magma chamber beneath the surface.
What had I gotten myself into?
This was nothing like the volcano the castle was dug into.
This was a monster.
Panic settled in as I started to mentally prepare for what would most likely be my demise.
We circled around the top, and the heat from a hundred feet above, stung my skin. The overwhelming heat from this high up had my stomach in knots, and panic clawed up my throat.
Then I heard a voice in my mind.
Zephyros: It’s okay to be scared, I’m scared too .
“I’m so sorry I asked you to do this, I don’t know if we are going to make it out or not,” I replied.
Zephyros: You did not ask, I chose. If we die it will be to save our kinds, I can think of no greater honor.
I stroked the scales on her back, and the motion seemed to calm me some. I refocused.
I took a deep breath of the sweltering, ash-infested air, and it singed my lungs.
Titus circled around with Draxxinar, who seemed very unruly. He groaned and roared and thrashed with anger.
Zephyros: He’s scared for you.
Titus circled around again, gaining more control of his dragon.
“Are dragons fireproof?” I shouted across the volcano to Titus.
“Nothing is fireproof… only fire resistant, but lava- proof, no, they can tolerate it for only a short amount of time. I will shield you both. Are you sure you want to do this?” he asked, his voice splintering at the edges.
The words sounded like they scraped their way out of him, thick with regret, heavy with a self-loathing he couldn’t quite hide, as if he despised himself for allowing this.
“I’m doing this with or without your approval.” I yelled back across the embers, unsure where all of this bravery had come from.
A hush fell between us as he held my gaze like it was the last safe place left in the world.
In his eyes, love burned bright and unguarded, threaded with a quiet, devastating fear of losing me.
His gaze lingered, studying my face as if he needed to memorize it, as if this might be the last time he ever saw me.
Then, as if it took everything in him, he nodded.