Chapter twenty five - The Dragon Who Shouldnt Exist
Liora folded the two letters carefully, smoothing the creases with her thumb even though her hands were trembling.
She had rewritten them so many times that the ink had smudged along the edges.
The dormitory was still wrapped in shadows, the other girls asleep, the air cold with the last breath of night.
Mira blinked awake when Liora shook her shoulder gently. Her hair was a tangled halo, her eyes half?closed.
"Give the second one to Aiden," Liora whispered, pressing both letters into her hands. "Please. Don't read it."
Mira's eyes widened, suddenly awake. "Liora... what's happening?"
Liora forced a small smile she didn't feel. "The Academy wants Ashwing's eggshell. Master Thalen is taking me back to the cave where I found him."
Mira's face fell. "Is that safe?"
"I'll be back," Liora said, though her voice wavered. "Just... don't let Aiden think I left without saying anything."
Mira clutched the letters to her chest. "Come back safe."
Liora turned before she could lose her nerve.
The courtyard was cold, the sky still dark. Ashwing stood waiting, feathers bristling, wings half?unfurled. He pressed his head against her shoulder the moment she reached him, and she rested her hand on his beak, grounding herself in the warmth of him.
Master Thalen waited near the main gate, wrapped in a dark traveling cloak, his staff resting against his shoulder.
Beside him stood his dragon — a massive red drake with scales like burning embers and eyes that glowed faintly in the dim light.
Kael stood next to them, arms crossed, posture rigid.
His dragon perched on the stone arch above, golden eyes watching everything.
"You're on time," Thalen said.
"I didn't sleep."
Thalen gave a small, sympathetic nod. "Most don't, before a journey like this."
Kael's gaze flicked to her, unreadable. "Mount up."
Ashwing lowered himself, wings spreading wide. Liora climbed onto his back, settling into the familiar curve between his shoulders. Kael mounted his dragon, and Thalen climbed onto the red drake.
The three dragons launched into the sky at once.
Cold wind tore at Liora's hair as Ashwing climbed higher, wings beating in powerful, steady strokes. The Academy shrank beneath them, its towers fading into the morning mist. The forest stretched endlessly below, dark and dense, the canopy rippling like a sea of shadows.
They flew for hours.
The sun rose behind them, casting long beams of gold across the treetops. Ashwing flew tirelessly, his wings slicing through the air with effortless strength. Kael's dragon kept pace beside them, and Thalen's red drake followed slightly behind, its scales catching the light like sparks.
Liora's thoughts churned with every passing mile. She kept replaying the moment she found Ashwing, the days that she cared the egg before it hatched. She had thought it was fate. She still did. But now fate felt heavier, sharper, more dangerous.
Kael kept glancing toward her — not enough to be obvious, but enough that she noticed. His posture was rigid, his jaw tight, his hand never far from the hilt of his blade even while flying. He looked like someone expecting danger at every turn.
Or someone afraid of what they might find.
By midday, Thalen raised his hand, signaling them to descend. The dragons landed in a clearing deep within the forest, far from any path or settlement. The air was colder here, the trees older, their trunks twisted and thick with moss. Ashwing folded his wings, shaking out his feathers.
"We walk from here," Thalen said.
Liora slid off Ashwing's back, her legs unsteady. Kael dismounted silently, his expression unreadable.
They stepped beneath the trees, and the forest swallowed them instantly. The canopy blocked most of the sunlight, casting everything in muted green and gray. Their footsteps were muffled by thick layers of fallen leaves.
They walked for hours.
The deeper they went, the more Liora felt the past pressing against her.
She remembered this forest — the twisting roots, the moss?covered stones, the faint scent of cold water drifting from somewhere unseen.
She had walked this way once before. Alone.
Terrified. Drawn by something she couldn't explain.
Ashwing nudged her hand, sensing her thoughts. She stroked his feathers, grounding herself.
Kael walked ahead of her, silent and tense. His posture was rigid, shoulders squared, hand never far from his blade. He scanned the trees constantly, eyes sharp, movements controlled.
He wasn't just vigilant.
He was worried.
About her.
About Ashwing.
About what they might find.
She swallowed. "Kael?"
He didn't turn. "Stay close."
"That's not what I—"
"Just stay close."
His voice wasn't sharp. It was strained. Controlled. Like he was holding something back.
Thalen slowed his pace slightly, glancing at her with a gentler expression. "He worries."
Kael shot him a look that could have cut stone.
After a long stretch of silence, Liora finally spoke.
"What do they want to do with him?"
Thalen didn't slow. "Experiments."
The word hit her like a blade.
She swallowed hard. "Why?"
Thalen's jaw tightened, his voice low and grim. "To see what makes him so strong... and make him even stronger."
Liora's breath caught. "He's only eight months old."
"That's exactly the problem," Thalen said. "By the time he reaches two years, he will be twice the size of any dragon in this Kingdom. Twice the strength. Twice the fire. Twice the speed."
Liora felt her stomach twist. "That's... impossible."
"It shouldn't be possible," Thalen said. "But Ashwing is not like the others. His growth rate alone terrifies them. His potential terrifies them even more."
Kael's voice cut through the quiet, sharp as steel. "They won't get the chance."
Liora looked at him, but he didn't meet her eyes. His shoulders were tense, his jaw clenched, every line of his body coiled with something he refused to say.
Thalen continued walking, his voice heavy. "They experimented on many dragons. Not just one. They pushed bloodlines, forced growth, altered instincts. They wanted to create something stronger than nature ever intended."
Liora's heart pounded. "And Ashwing...?"
Thalen hesitated. "Ashwing is something they didn't create. Something they didn't expect. Something they cannot control."
Kael's jaw tightened even more.
"And that," Thalen said quietly, "is why they want him."
The trees thinned, the ground sloped downward, and a faint sound reached them — the distant drip of water echoing through stone.
"We're close," Liora whispered.
Ashwing's feathers rose, shimmering faintly in the dim light.
Kael stepped beside her. "Stay close."
The entrance to the cave was exactly as she remembered — a jagged opening in the rock, half?hidden by vines and shadow. Cold air drifted out, carrying the scent of stone and ancient earth.
Ashwing pressed against her side, urging her forward.
Thalen raised his staff, its crystal tip glowing faintly. "Inside."
They stepped into the darkness. The cave swallowed the light instantly. The walls were rough, carved by time and water. The air was cold enough to sting her lungs. Their footsteps echoed, each sound bouncing back at them like a whisper.
Liora's heart pounded. She remembered this place. The fear. The silence. The egg.
Kael walked ahead, his dragon's golden eyes illuminating the path. Thalen followed, staff glowing brighter. Liora moved slowly, Ashwing at her side, his feathers brushing the stone walls.
Then she saw it — the place where the egg had rested. The place where she had found him.
"It's here," she whispered.
Thalen approached the hollow, kneeling beside it. His fingers brushed the stone. "Good."
Kael crouched beside him. "The shell should be nearby."
Liora scanned the ground, her heart racing. The cave floor was uneven, covered in dust and fragments of stone. Then she saw it — a shard, pale and smooth, half?buried beneath a layer of dust. She knelt, brushing the dirt away.
The shard was heavy — heavier than any eggshell should be. Its surface was rough, almost like stone. Faint lines ran across it, glowing softly in the dim light.
"Master Thalen..."
He turned.
She held up the shard.
His eyes widened.
Kael leaned closer. "Is that—?"
"Yes. The shell."
"It's... old," Liora whispered. "It feels ancient."
"Because it is." Master Thalen said while examing it.
"But Ashwing is only eight months old."
Thalen met her gaze. "Child, Ashwing was never meant to be born."
The words hit her like a blow.
"What?"
"This shell is maybe older than the Academy. Maybe Older than the Kingdom. And maybe even older than the bloodlines we know. We Will now for sure when they test it."
Liora felt her chest tighten. "But... how?"
"Your faith probably brought him into life. I am not quiet sure."
Her breath caught.
Kael's eyes flicked to her — sharp, searching, almost afraid.
Ashwing pressed his head against her shoulder, trembling.
Liora tucked the shard carefully into her satchel. "We should stay here for the night."
Thalen nodded. "We'll hunt. Stay with Ashwing."
Kael and Thalen left the cave, their footsteps fading into the forest.
The cave felt different without them — larger, emptier, colder. The shadows stretched long across the stone floor, and the distant drip of water echoed like a heartbeat.
Ashwing curled around her, wings half?unfurled, creating a cocoon of warmth. She leaned against him, fingers buried in his feathers.
Her thoughts spiraled.
Ashwing wasn't meant to be born.
The shell is ancient.
The Academy wants to experiment on him.
Kael knows more than he's saying.
She pressed her forehead against Ashwing's neck. "What are you, Ashwing? What am I supposed to do?"
Ashwing hummed softly, a low vibration that soothed her chest.
She didn't know how long she sat like that before voices drifted in from outside.
Kael and Thalen.
"You shouldn't have told her that," Kael said sharply.
"She deserved to know," Thalen replied.
"She didn't need all of it."
"She needed enough."
"You said too much."
Liora rose slowly, heart pounding, and moved toward the cave entrance. She stayed in the shadows, hidden behind a curve in the stone.
Thalen sighed. "Kael... she is his Rider. She must understand what she's carrying."
"She doesn't need to know everything," Kael snapped. "Not yet."
"She will find out eventually."
"And when she does," Kael said, voice tight, "it will destroy her."
Liora's breath caught.
Kael stiffened.
He turned his head slightly — not enough to see her, but enough to sense her.
"You made it a habit to listen from the shadows."
Liora stepped out, chin lifting despite the tremor in her chest. "Maybe because no one tells me anything unless I force it."
Kael's eyes locked onto hers, dark and unreadable. "Some truths are dangerous."
"And some lies are worse," she shot back.
Thalen watched them quietly, his expression unreadable.
Liora took a step closer, her voice shaking but steady. "I have a right to know. Ashwing is my dragon. My bond. My responsibility. If there's something dangerous about him — or about what the Academy wants — I deserve to hear it."
Kael didn't move.
Didn't blink.
Didn't breathe.
Finally, he spoke, voice low and strained.
"You don't know what you're asking."
"Then tell me."
Kael looked away, jaw tightening. "Not tonight."
She opened her mouth to argue, but Kael stepped closer — not threatening, but steady, grounding, like a wall she could lean on if she let herself.
"It's time to eat," he said softly.
Liora blinked. "What?"
Kael nodded toward the fire pit Thalen was preparing. "Sit. Rest."
Ashwing rose behind her, feathers bristling, wings half?spread. He stepped between her and Kael, protective, refusing to move.
Kael stopped.
He didn't reach for his blade.
He didn't raise his voice.
He simply met Ashwing's eyes.
"I'm not here to hurt her."
Ashwing growled low in his throat.
Liora placed a hand on his side. "Ashwing... it's okay."
He didn't believe her.
Kael exhaled slowly. "You need to hunt. Drink. Stretch your wings. You can't stay in this cave all night."
Ashwing didn't move.
Kael stepped closer, slowly, carefully, and placed a hand on Ashwing's neck.
"I'll keep her safe," he said quietly. "I swear it."
Ashwing's feathers lowered — but only slightly.
He looked at Liora, eyes full of doubt and fear.
Liora stepped forward, pressing her forehead to his. "Go," she whispered. "I'll be fine."
Ashwing let out a soft, pained sound.
"Please," she said. "For me."
Only then did he relent.
He nudged her gently, wings brushing her shoulders, before turning and following the other dragons out into the forest.
The cave felt colder without him.
Kael watched her for a long moment, something unreadable flickering in his eyes.
"You're safe with me," he said quietly.
Liora swallowed hard.
For tonight, she believed him.