The Fallen Prince

23. Drakonis

23

DRAKONIS

D rakonis. A fog lifted from his mind. He remembered holding Clara’s hand, walking into a tomb then a sharp pain shot through his temple. He heard water and saw fire. Clara was walking through the danger and then…nothing. Wait.

“Clara!” He yelled.

His eyes widened and he shook his head. Small arms were wrapped around his neck, legs around his waist, and through the high neck of his tunic he could feel wet tears.

“You are crying.” He wrapped his arms around her, running his fingers through her long brown locks. She stiffened then looked at him.

“Drakonis?”

Her trembling hands gripped the sides of his face as if he was a most precious treasure. Her golden cheeks were flushed and stained with tears. For a woman such as she, if was unnerving. But she was still beautiful.

“Is it really you?” Her fingers gently ran over his lashes, eye lids, and brows.

“Who else would it be? We are the only ones that entered here.”

Her round eyes became wider, and she removed her hands. Her light brown irises shook as she shook her head. She mumbled an ‘of course’ and looked around the room.

“Clara what…”

“I think we should worry about our current situation.” She cut him off with a smile. His eyes finally left hers as he looked around. It was as if they were at the bottom of a well. Dark stones were stacked as far as eyes could see. Murky waters were below them with silver figures gliding beneath the surface. Through the darkness he could see silver glowing snake eyes. It was almost like he had envisioned earlier before all went blank but there was no fire. “There was a trap.” Clara continued as if answering his thoughts. “We fell from above, but we have yet to go under water.”

“What are merpeople doing here?” Drakonis asked. He remembered ghosts the last time he came here but not merpeople. Flashes of lights and scaled beings surrounding him flashed in his memory.

“Those are not merpeople Drakonis,” Clara answered. “But I supposed they could resemble my people in more ways than yours.”

“Then what are…?”

“Drakaina,” Clara answered. Her full lips were flat as she glared down at the waters. Her fingers dug into his chest. Hums of a melody echoed off the walls, but he could not understand them. Words of his ancestors. “I think we need to go under the water to find a way out.”

Drakonis nodded. It wasn’t ideal, but it was logical. There was no opening above them, but with how dark the water was how were they to see?

“I am not sure how my eyesight is under the water, but I will find a tunnel and come back for you.”

“There is no need,” Clara said. He froze. She pushed her hair away from her face, exposing her slender neck. Faint sparks appeared as she touched her ear. “I suppose you should count yourself lucky that I am a princess of Oceanus.” Her hands touched the sides of his face again, her eyes lowered. Fire brewed in his belly and spread to every vein. Drakonis embraced her as a lover did when heading to bed. Fingertips left her hip and grazed the top of her bottom. Was this ruin messing with him once again? Was he starting to see things that would make him go mad? “Drakonis,” Clara whispered. “I shall kiss you and you will become like the Drakaina. You will breathe under water, and we shall find our way out.”

Drakonis cleared his throat, attempting to hide the excitement in his hoarse voice. “And how will I turn back?”

“You shall simply wish it and I will make it so. It is a power that my godfather has bestowed on me.”

If that was so then he would wish to change every day. His eyes fell to her lips. Would this taste be more than a tease like in the dracora blossoms? He wet his lips with his tongue.

“Even if we are to go underwater you shall not leave my sight,” he said.

Clara nodded. She was watching his lips just as he watched hers.

Her kiss was not just a child’s peck but the kiss of a lover. Power overtook his body, beginning at his feet and up through his body. He wanted more.

His long tongue ran along the seams of her mouth. She welcomed him in, wrapping her tongue around his.

Her legs that were wrapped around his waist, slithered away. Rope-like, it was like her body was wrapped around his. The silkiness of her bottom became scaley. He flexed his hips, making them flush against Clara’s.

There was enthusiasm as she kissed him back, as if she longed for and craved him. Was a kiss like this necessary for the change? Did she crave him as he craved her? She pulled away, but after a breath, Drakonis pulled her mouth back. He nipped her as he devoured her lips again. A growl reverberated from his throat.

Purple light from his scales glimmered off the water. They were raising along his neck, hands and chest, even along his lower belly, but that was not the only thing was raising.

Clara gasped as she pulled away. A beautiful blush stained her cheeks. Drakonis licked his lips, savoring the taste of her.

“You must let us fall,” she whispered. His senses were coming back to him. He looked down. Just as he once feared, a beautiful mermaid was beckoning him to unknown waters. Would he survive in this tomb again? Or would this beautiful woman lead him to his final death?

Drakonis allowed the magick holding them up to dissipate. With a splash they both fell into the dark depths. Clara was even more ethereal than when he saw her in the forest. The dress she had worn was torn from the waist down. A band of white fabric covered her bosom and, instead of legs, a golden scaled tail floated along the water. Unlike his dragon scales, hers looked like glimmering diamonds that faded into the finest of silk as it split into fins. She was a sun in darkness. Drakonis looked down at his body. He still maintained his clothes except for his boots. His pants were torn, and his feet looked transformed into large flippers with claws. He could feel the water in his lungs, but he did not feel suffocated or panicked.

The water looked dark from above, but it was light green once they were under. He saw perfectly, like he when he scouted camps at night. Only instead of soldiers, others with similar fins to Clara were swimming around them. They were not threatening but watched him with smiles. They were dragon from the chest down, with scales covering their breasts and moving down to their long fins. From neck up, they were as beautiful as the noble women in his court. Their eyes were deep set with silver stars as irises. Their hair was varying shades of brown and back but looked less like hair and more like fire’s smoke.

Our hero has returned

Our chosen one will set us free

Soon you will be rebirthed

Defeat the father that imprisoned us

And fight like the fallen sisters

For our kind should rule

Like the Titans before us

The voices were familiar. Flashes of when he was boy kept coming to his aching mind. A time when he was knocking on the door of the Underworld but was brought back by a light. The night that he screamed Kazimir’s name as he was pushed from the highest part of the temple. All for a prophecy that did nothing but tear their family apart.

Clara grasped onto his arm, glaring at the women around him like a jealous lover.

“Come,” she demanded. Her voice was clear even in the watery depths. Whatever this ability she had it was useful.

The couple swam lower looking around for any kind of door or hole. Broken furnishings indicated this well was a room at one point. There had to be a door or exit. If not, he would make them one.

He and Clara were not afraid of drowning, but they had to finish what they started here. It was then that he could close his chapter with this dreadful place and pursue Clara with gusto. Her kiss encouraged him. She had to have some kind of feeling for him. And he wanted to figure out what that was.

Juts of green and brown stone protruded from the moss and algae ground. Clara flipped her fins, circling around them, grazing them. Drakonis reached out but she was so absorbed she dodged them. He swam closer to her as she descended to the darker areas.

“I told you to stay close,” Drakonis said.

“I am staying where you can see me,” Clara answered without meeting his eye. “Drakonis look.” She swam faster than she walked. Was this how it felt when she tried to keep up with him? He followed but kept his eyes focused, ready the instant he saw danger. This was a new place to him and who knew what creatures lurked besides the Drakaina.

Dilapidated crates and frames sat around dragon carcasses, seaweed waving from the currents. Dragon skulls sat on shelves or maws opened from the mud like they were drowning.

Clara flipped towards a boulder that had familiar artwork. A woman with the body of a serpent and paws of a lion, and long arched claws of a dragon, had blocky hair that fell to her shoulders, and wore an ornate headdress. There once was a tail but it was gone, leaving nothing but a hole.

“Clara we must find an exit. It is too dangerous to remain.”

“I have seen nothing like this in your royal library nor your books or paintings. Are you not curious about what these things are?”

“I’m only curious about where the exit is. There may be enemies we cannot see.” He sensed danger but the waters were dark enough to cover places he wished to see, like a morning fog.

Clara nodded as she heard him, but she swam to different parts of the ocean floor. Weapons were everywhere. They were long and powerful and with a touch, dirt floated from them into the water. Drakaina eyes watched him, but they only sang the same tune, never interfering. Clara became entranced just like she was at the palace libraries. Seeing her move through the water was more enchanting than he could ever imagine, like legendary nymphs.

A sparkle caught his eye. Not even thinking twice he brushed the moss and kelp that covered the shiny item.

A round crystal sat on a battered dais. Swirling smoke appeared where he touched it.

Flashes like that in the upper floor of the ruin came to his mind. Warriors, men and women, filled the room. The women were that of the Drakaina but did not look like merpeople. From the waist down they had a serpent body but the legs of a massive dragon. Their breasts were covered in gleaming chest armor, their faces fair with defined cheekbones, delicate almond eyes and a straight nose. Their hair was braided like that of gargoyles, out of their faces with beads interwoven.

The men had armor, like that of his library, with massive, clawed hands and arms with scaled legs. They sparred and drank mead with abandon. It was the farthest thing from his current society as it could get.

Scenes changed and the broken pillars looked like they were new. Instead of a dirt floor there was bronzed floors, simple in design but sophisticated. The walls were the same dark blue as the ones in the ruins with simple images representing his people in the walls. Glyphs were carved in the wall with his family lineage at the top. A dais sat with a familiar face sitting on the throne. It was Phaedrus with pale white locks and gray eyes, his horns resembling diamonds. The women, who were happily enjoying a celebration were now on their knees.

He could hear no voices but saw him raise a hand. The women were forcefully chained to the walls as male soldiers, begrudgingly, used their blades to remove their legs. They screamed and cursed as blood left their bodies. Songs filled his ears again.

From hellfire we were born

Deformed we became

But unlike the legendary Campe

We will be victorious

Free us oh chosen one

Become greater than the father

Use our power with your strength

And the eye of the Moiria

So that you may rule the three realms

As he once desired

His trance broke. The ground rumbled as the chant ended. Clara’s head snapped to the ground as she tried to swim towards Drakonis. She screamed as a clawed monster hand grabbed her around the waist.

“Clara!”

Drakonis roared as he swam towards her. The skeletal arms like look a skeleton bathed in kelp. The bones, dripping in mud, rose back first with a pointed maw and sharp teeth. A giant eye, like that cyclops rose. The forked tongue that popped out was like that of a snake. It watched Clara who gripped its undead hand, trying to escape its grip.

To free the eye of Moiria

Use the hellfire of Hades

Defeat the child of Zeus

That killed our sister

Prove your power as the chosen one

Prove to our protector Hades

“Silence!” Drakonis bellowed. Clara’s screams made his blood run cold. Anger made his blood boil. For once his dragon was silent. Of all times, now he needed guidance. His sword was missing, but his hands, and claws, grew. He swiped at the monster, but it moved its hand out of the way, raising Clara high above its bald head.

He charged for the chest of the creature but was swatted away. His muscled back hit a pillar. A loud creak whispered against the water as it fell back.

“Drakonis!”

He growled and shook her head. Using the pillar for support, Drakonis leapt, grabbing a sword. It was rusted iron but what he had. He kicked towards the ugly, cyclops like, face. It opened its mouth, as if to swallow him, but Drakonis swam down then up, running through the roof of its mouth. It screamed with a high pitch.

The rest of the bones moved until it fully came up from the dust. Black droopy skin hung from its exposed rib bones and vertebrae. The tail of a scorpion pointed up and curled towards its arched back. Drakaina scattered up and along the surface of the water.

It was like he was flying with how fast he was bolting through the water. He would get close to Clara, intending to cut it at the wrist, but she would be pulled away and, with a screech he would be pushed back.

His mind was a whirl. The monster looked half dead. How could it be so raucous?

Clara had managed to grab some kind of weapon and was stabbing the dead skin of the monster. He merely squeezed. Its laugh was haunting. It spoke words that he did not understand. Based on Clara’s reaction she did not understand either. With another monstrous hand it pulled at Clara’s tail. Her beautiful scales stretched, and she screamed. Something snapped inside of him. The look of fear and the pain of her voice. His blood ran faster through his veins. A similar power to that of him transforming filled every fiber of his being.

A white flame sparked in his fingertips. His jaw snapped, his teeth as sharp as spikes.

“Drakonis!” Clara yelled.

Mine. He growled. Mine. Mine. Mine.

A loud roar erupted from his throat. Flames circled around his body, purple veins pushed against his skin, and magick floated around him, making his hair float. Onyx tendrils faded to silver, and his eyes glowed like ice. He leapt again, a tornado following him. Fire expanded from the tips of his claws to the palm of his hand, and he roared. With a swipe he removed the monster’s arm. Clara fell. Drakonis grabbed hold of her hand, ripping the severed limb from her body.

“Hold on to my neck.” He growled. Clara did as he demanded. The monster screeched, grabbing its stump. Smoke and dirt emptied from the hole instead of blood.

“Those that float in the misery of the Archeron…”

Drakonis dismissed the words. Black floaters, that were not the Drakaina, surrounded the monster as if reviving the arm that Drakonis severed. It’s eye flashed then narrowed. Its tongue darted in and out of its mouth. If it was a cyclops, then the eye was the weakness. It was how he dealt with them during the Great War.

“Close your eyes, Clara.” He pushed out. Her arms were tight around his neck. He felt her tuck her head in. He could not smell her, but her warmth made the fire in his body grow hotter. They were going to get out of here.

With a grip of a rusty iron sword, and a loud battle cry, Drakonis launched again, throwing the blade to center of the monster’s eyeball.

The waters became black. Drakonis wrapped his arms around Clara. He released a gust of fire from his mouth, forming a ring to protect them from the inky beings. His ring of fire grew and turned like a wheel as it consumed the undead monster. Then the light exploded. He ducked his head in Clara’s hair until an eerie quiet filled the waters. Both looked up and in the middle of the darkness was a rounded portal filled with navy and white light. Without hesitation, he clutched Clara tighter, pushing them into the portal.

“Do you know what is through there?” Clara yelled.

“Hopefully, it’s safer than here.”

Magick was warm against his skin as they pushed through. Clara’s hands dug into his skin, and he soothed her the best he could. This woman would not leave his arms and she would not be in anymore danger if he could help it.

They both gasped for air as they broke the water’s surface.

“I can swim to shore,” Clara said.

“No.” He finally got her back in his arms, and he now got to experience her kiss. This new fire was electrifying. It was a strength he had never felt before, and Clara was the catalyst. While he did not understand the change he would rejoice and learn quickly. Clara would show him and guide him.

The sand was short. Within a couple steps, they would reach broken tile. Unlike in the previous cave, sunlight showed through a hole in the ceiling. Whether it was supposed to be there he did not know, but it was refreshing to not be in the darkness anymore.

With a grunt, he laid his back on the land, keeping Clara tight against his chest. Her hair hung heavy from the water, a thick strand down the middle of her heart-shaped face. Her tail still glimmered, absorbing the sun’s rays. The top she had worn before was shredded, barely covering her breasts. The fabric was transparent; her nipples pressed against the wet white fabric scraping against his pectorals. He growled rolling on top of her and burying his face in her neck. Drakonis opened his mouth, grazing his sharp teeth against the sun kissed column. His tongue circled where her pulse was, and he sucked.

“Drakonis…” She moaned. Her breasts heaving against his.

This desire was more intense then when he saw her rise from the waterfall. He thought of her smile when they were together, and emotions she had when they kissed the first and second time. His nipped her neck. Her shudder gave him the greatest satisfaction. His hands ran down the length of her body, stopping at where her thighs would be. This mermaid did not drown him. She empowered him.

His body tightened as he felt her hands run through his locks.

“Thank you. For saving me.”

He looked up from her neck, desperately ignoring her teasing chest.

“You need not thank me for such a thing.” He caressed the side of her face. “I will never allow harm to come to you. Ever.”

That beautiful smile broke him. He had to have her. His thumb moved to her chin and up towards her bottom lip. Her golden skin turned red and sparked his fire once again.

“Your hair,” she whispered. She ran her fingers through it, bringing it to where he could see. He fought a hum at her touch. Instead of jet black it was now streaked with white. “Do you feel…different?”

“There is a power within me that is new,” he answered. Drakonis barely registered what she asked. “I felt it when I heard your scream.”

“I should have listened to you.” Her eyes were downcast, and she played with the ends of his hair.

“That creature would have appeared no matter what you did.” He was sure of it. The Drakaina had spoken to him, warning him of it. “I should have used the hellfire sooner. You would not have gotten hurt.”

“Hellfire?”

Her eyes widened. Her body was frozen.

“That was is what the Drakaina whispered to me.” He paused and ducked his head down again. She was stressed at the mention of the creatures. He nuzzled and kissed her lips, attempting to soothe her. “I saw a vision of them. They said that the thing was a child of Zeus that had killed their sister.”

“I have never heard of such a creature.” Clara’s voice was shaky as she responded. Her body became hot for a moment before he felt movement. Instead of a tail and fins, her wonderfully long legs returned. She was gripping him tight. Would this be the place he would have her? The danger fueled him. They were alive. They survived. A warrior should take a prize for protecting his woman. He wanted to enjoy spoils. “Drakonis?”

“You looked frightened before we fell in the water,” he stated. Would Clara make him fight his urges? Would she give into him? He gulped, keeping his lips close. For just a little longer he wanted to share her breath. “And at the mention of the Drakaina you become angry. Why?”

“These ruins have destroyed you.”

An ominous statement. He and Gavril had told her about what this place did to him as a child. The danger this time reiterated that time.

“We have overcome it. We will overcome this.” He was not alone anymore. When he returned to his home, he would not isolate himself. He would lose himself in this woman.

“Did Kazimir experience this?”

Using his arm for support, he sat up a little, gazing into her eyes. The mention of his brother was killing the mood.

“I do not know what my brother saw. But what he did see changed his life. Why do you ask such a question?”

“I have my theories.” Something about this place changed her as well. It was not as extreme as Kazimir, but who knew how she would be when they returned to the palace. Clara pushed at his chest. He fell to his side, hovering close to her side. She was practically naked and the goosebumps on her body told him she was cold. He stood, removing his vest and tunic. He would be shirtless, but he would use that to his advantage. Clara’s blush returned as he wrapped it around her.

“You’re staring at me,” she stated as she wrapped it around her body.

“Can you blame me? I would ravage you now if I knew you would allow it.” She looked away and hugged herself. He leaned in and whispered. “But for now, I will store our intimate experiences in my memory for when I am alone.”

“Your highness!” Drakonis laughed as she slapped his hand. Her face flamed. He took her hand and pulled her close laying a lick and kiss upon her neck. Her gasp made him arch his hips. His other hand touched the small of her back, his fingers grazing the top part of her bottom. Soon. He would have her soon.

“I believe I told you that I would punish you if you referred to me as such.” He purred. She pulled away with a smile and a blush. She began walking towards, what looked like, a dilapidated village.

“Your behavior is atrocious,” she said over her shoulder.

“Your body tells me you quite enjoy it.”

She tripped, and like a flash, he was by her side. One arm was tucked under her knees and the other behind her back.

“Put me down!”

“You have no shoes. It would be ungentlemanly for me to allow a lady an opportunity to injure herself.” He would not allow her an excuse for him not to hold her.

She crossed her arms, his long sleeves falling off her hands. She was swallowed by his cloth but he did not mind how she looked.

“And what about you?” she huffed.

“My feet are those of a dragon. Our scales are stronger than diamonds. But I thank you for your worry.”

Her peek was adorable. He smirked and she turned her head away. The banter was relieving. It distracted both from the terrible magick that invaded this place.

“Let us hope that we encounter no other traps in this place,” she said looking off into the distance.

“Quite so. But if we do then I will merely transform and fly us to the top.” Clara looked up. The sunlight and water drops made her skin glitter like the stars. He clutched her tighter as he continued to walk.

The village here was more put together than the others he had seen before. While moss and foliage covered some, he could clearly make out the clay and stone that the buildings were made from. Pottery stood, chipped but not broken. Large goat horns had dirt and remnants of objects scattered in and around it. Pillars blocked script like those in the crypt. The story was hard to make out under the vinery.

“You were able to understand this ancient language,” Drakonis stated. He approached a pillar and ran his hand over it, while still cradling her. “How?”

“I do not know.” She answered. He sensed no lies from her. “The same as what happened in your library happened. I look at your artifacts and voices speak to me. How is it that you do not understand it?”

“The language is long dead,” he stated. “Even if I wanted to learn to read it I cannot. No one knows it.”

It bothered him. The visions he had of the Drakaina and the engravings on the crypt. None of it made sense with the stories he was told. Phaedrus was supposed to have abandoned the gods after the war with the gargoyles. But everything he was seeing spoke of a continued relationship with Hades. There was a deal made. Were they bound to the god of the underworld as the gargoyles were to Gaea?

Drakonis was the Heir. His bright, now simmering, power remained. The world and his mind were different, but the transformation was not completed. Clara was sure a key to that.

“Things will be different when I return,” Drakonis said. He looked around at the stairs. At the skeletons of his ancestors. Life here was advanced. Dragons here were different than that of Ouroboros. It is what the Drakaina and the orb told him. It is what this village told him. He would need to talk to his father. It was the only way to learn the truth. Things were being hidden from him and his people. Things that were crucial to their existence. He could feel it.

“Drakonis. Listen to me.” Clara said. She placed her hand on his chin and moved his face towards hers. “Whatever happens, you make your own destiny. My visions don’t matter, and neither does what anyone tells you.” Her eyes were desperate.

“You know something,” he replied.

She bit her lip then hugged his neck. “There is something I must fight. When I know more, I will tell you. I promise.”

She could not lie. He could take her at her word. He just hoped that it was not a play of words.

“I don’t care what games the Fates play.” She hugged him, whispering in his ear. “I will not let anything happen to you.”

He kissed her temple, nuzzling her hair.

“You are all I have in this world Clara.” The only thing he could believe and trust in. “Nothing will take you away from me. Not the gods, nor my family, nor the Moirai.” Her arms squeezed him tighter. “I swear to you, my princess, I will always protect you from all that comes against us.”

Because I love you, he thought. He loved her more than anything in this world. If he had to fight the universe then so be it.