Chapter Thirty-One
Dracul
We flew north, meeting with Fangburn’s army along the way. With both sets of forces, we were at least six hundred dragons strong, more than twice Borthen’s forces. The glow from Lora lasted well into the afternoon and I felt lightened by its presence, proof that her hope and goodwill was with me.
The plan was to split into three units—my unit to take on Borthen’s forces head-on, with Firenze’s and Fangburn’s units to take both flanks. A horn sounded as soon as we passed into Starfire clan territory, raising the alarm, and I grimaced. Soon, we would have enemy dragons headed our way and the bloodbath would begin. Despite the fact that these dragons fought for Borthen, they were still considered my people and I did not want them injured.
One thing I gave Borthen credit for was his forces were well organized. His army’s response time was surprisingly swift, and soon, we were in all-out war. The smell of fire and burning hide filled the air, cries of fallen dragons trailing off as they reached the ground. Several of his warriors headed towards me, but the dragons I had on my side dispatched them quickly. Anyone who made it through, I killed without much issue.
It was a flurry of action, and trying to make way towards the Starfire Mountains was slow progress. Human archers assembled on the ground, located at strategic points in the mountains. They were able to shoot down a good number of my dragons. I gritted my teeth. It seemed Firenze’s reports of Borthen recruiting a large number of humans had been correct.
Swooping low, I let out a giant stream of fire, bolstered by the idea of returning to Lora. The rest of my unit aimed their fire at the mountain, trying to reach the hidden archers. Screams from the humans echoed against the rocks as they burned. To my surprise, we were able to quickly finish them off. Our numbers simply overpowered Borthen’s forces, even with the advantage of the human archers.
Nowhere did I see Borthen—the coward decided to remain in his cave, it seemed—but soon we had defeated his army. Only a small number of his warriors were allowed to flee as they flew back to their cave. We set up camp at the foot of the mountain, keeping an eye out for any further attack. I made sure to have a messenger head back to our lands to deliver the news to the other dragons and Lora that we had been victorious and tomorrow we would continue our onslaught. The sky had begun to darken and my forces needed rest from the long journey and fighting.
* * *
I was sitting at a campfire with the other Lords enjoying our dinner when a messenger came rushing up to me, whispering something in my ear. Immediately, my heart dropped, my pleasant mood from earlier disappearing. The other Lords could see the look on my face and knew something was wrong.
“What is it?” Fangburn asked.
The others leaned close to hear my answer.
“Borthen’s kidnapped Valora,” I said, hardly believing my words. “His men snuck into our mountain and took her.”
“Your Maiden?” Fangburn asked. “The one you just inducted? Just leave her. There’ll be plenty more like her.” He waved his hand, unconcerned with the news I had just shared.
The other Lords from my clan exchanged a look, Hiram looking the most perturbed by this news.
Without thinking, I leapt at Fangburn, throwing him to the ground. All the other Lords around the fire jumped up as I began to pummel him, punching whatever bit of flesh I could find.
“She’s not just a Maiden!” I shouted, my voice carrying far across the camp. “You watch your tongue. I ought to rip it from your face!” I continued my onslaught, and the others seemed too hesitant to pull me off him.
Fangburn managed to grab one of my fists, spitting out blood. “If she’s not just a Maiden, then what else is she?” he coughed out. “You have the ring, you have no need for a Maiden anyway.”
I let out a feral cry, yanking my fist free and punching him once more. “She’s… my… dragaria ,” I said in between punches.
Immediately, I felt strong hands pulling me off Fangburn, and turned to punch whoever stopped me, only to stop short at the sight of Hiram holding my shoulder, his eyes kind.
“I knew it. That was why your flame turned blue and the glowing happened earlier today,” he said gently.
I felt a cold realization wash over me with what I had done. I had attacked my ally. I turned to Fangburn, ready to apologize.
He stood and wiped the blood from his face, spitting on the ground. “Your dragaria , huh?” he asked with a cheeky smile. “She must be someone very special then. I’ve never heard of a dragaria being human before.”
From behind me, I could hear whispers and murmurs making their way through camp. My outburst must have been loud enough for everyone to hear. I looked up the mountain, where Valora most likely was. Right now, I would not have been surprised if somehow Borthen found this information out. My anger had been out of control. I could only imagine how he would use this as a pawn in his sick game.
“Lord Fangburn, I’m sorry,” I said, the words stumbling to come out.
He only smiled and clapped me on the shoulder. “I’m glad you finally found her,” he said. “It was about time our High Dragon Lord found his dragaria . I had heard stories that you were unusually close to her, now it all makes sense why.” He chuckled, shaking his head. “I can only imagine what you’re going through,” he said, immediately sobering up. “If my dragaria was kidnapped, I would destroy the entire world to get her back again.” He wiped his bleeding lip once more. “I’m surprised you showed such restraint with me.”
Hiram came forward and bowed deeply, the other Lords following suit. “We will help you however we can to get your dragaria back, my Lord,” he said.
I looked back up the mountain, pinpointing one of the entrances. “First, we’ll have to kill everyone to get to her,” I said grimly. “We start at dawn. Anyone who resists must die.”