FSE

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Chapter 19

When evil was defeated, it was sealed away--power lost. But what if only a part of it was sealed?

***

The following morning, Britosa's cry startled me awake. A crack of lightning briefly illuminated the den where Mother and Father slept. Rain pattered on the stone cliff exterior accompanying the thunder rolling in the distance. Britosa stood above me, waiting.

"Does this remind you of anything?" she asked. Her voice was no longer filled with prior urgency.

Lightning filled the den, sending the shadows crawling back to their rightful positions.[KL1]

Forgetting about the rude awakening, I was instead filled with the memories that started this whole thing: the night I ran away, saved by a falling stalactite.

But tonight, I didn't wake up to a dragon trying to kill me. Here, I was surrounded by my parents' warmth having long ago knitted the open wounds in my heart into scars.

"Ymerc, I want to show you something," Britosa continued. "Follow me."

She gestured with a wing. I didn't move. I would keep my promise to my parents.

"We aren't going far," she assured.

I looked at my parents for a moment before following Britosa. She halted on the cliff overlooking Dravellian where rocky outcrops sprouted from the ground. Trees stretched from the base toward the flickering sky, a shining forest amidst encroaching darkness.

The rain hit my scales in frigid droplets that sent a shiver down my spine.

"Look around," Britosa instructed. "What do you see?" her voice was filled with curiosity, lilting[KL2] higher in pitch than usual. I ignored the cold water as it raced down my scales.

"I see trees and mountains." There wasn't much I could make out in the night anyway, but my answer was not what she was hoping for.

Britosa hung her head, eyes closed and brows bunched.

"Even in the chaos of this storm, there is abundant life to be found." She lifted her head again toward the rugged scenery.

"Down below, there are plenty of animals scurrying for shelter, some whose homes are in danger from flooding, others who were lucky enough to make their home in a dry place. Farther out, you'll eventually come across other sentient creatures like us: gryphons[KL3] , harpies, and phoenixes, to name a few. All of them snug in their homes keeping each other warm."

What was she trying to say?

"There is more at stake than just losing your friends and family. All life, including the animals down below, are at risk of being swallowed by evil."

I looked out, straining to identify the shapes of any creatures in the stormy night, but I found nothing. I tried to imagine them, but nothing came. It was like hitting a wall that I couldn't force my way through.

Britosa was nowhere to be found in the backdrop of the cave. My parents were still sound asleep. The only thing for company was the unforgiving storm that raged on. I didn't give Britosa's disappearance any thought. She often vanished before I fell asleep.

Still exhausted, I fell asleep between the warmth my parents provided, my dreams chaotic and endless.

***

A message came early morning, just after the storm had stopped its tempestuous tantrum.

Delivered by a dragon of gray scales and etchings on his horns, we were told to meet Reryth on the cliff overlooking the beach we had walked on yesterday. Father asked the messenger about Reryth, but he refused to say anything, taking off before Father could stop him.

It was a short flight to the cliff overlooking the ocean and beach, a beautiful sight of light gold sand blending into a brilliant light blue of shallow water before turning into the deep dark blue of the sea. A refreshing snow-capped mountain range behind it all had my jaw dropping.

We landed near the tip of the cliff, grass billowing out from the strong winds created by mighty wing beats.

In front, two dragons waited, one standing while the other looked to be sleeping, half obscured in the tall grass.

The first had golden scales covering her body, blending into a light tan near her belly. Her eyes held a strength in them I had never seen before, as if she demanded all attention on her, a queen by all rights except blood, or so it seemed. Her horns stretched slightly back before aiming skyward like a stone pillar. On them were various designs which, now that I thought about it, I had seen on the messenger this morning.

The other was so low in the grass that I couldn't make anything out except a blur of white.

"Which one of you is Ymerc?"

Her voice drew my attention, unlike any other dragon I had come across, almost as if she reached into my head and pulled my thoughts toward her.

I stepped forward, drawing those golden eyes to me. Her eyes made me feel so inconsequentially small, as if she were a giant and I no more significant than an ant.

"I am Reryth. My little one here is Fira."

Huh, the same name as my imaginary friend years ago.

"Fira, say hello."

Fira got up. Her body, which I thought was covered in scales, was covered in a thick layer of fur. She looked to be no older than me. Her wings were snow white with speckles of gray. When the wind shifted, blowing across her fur, it revealed scales beneath the thick fur.

She looked almost exactly like my friend from years ago, which was impossible, but there was no mistaking it.

Her eyes matched the speckled gray on her wings, a gorgeous gray that had my stomach in knots.

There was no mistaking those eyes, she was my imaginary friend, yet she is here in the flesh.

How is this possible?

She didn't seem to recognize me, her eyes lingering on me for a second, hardly seeming to register I was there before going to my parents. Part of me had hoped she would recognize me. It wasn't like I had dramatically changed over two years. Yet, another part was glad, a fresh start.

"Ymerc's parents, you may leave."

Wait for what?

"Absolutely not." Mother ground out, her eyes narrowing on Reryth.

"I find it best to teach when no one my student knows is around. In my experience, it aids their focus. Leave, or I will not teach Ymerc magic."

She said it with so much conviction I nearly believed she had no intention at all of teaching me.

My parents didn't move, stock still as if calling her bluff.

"Fira, let's go." Reryth spread her mighty wings with Fira right behind. Just before they were about to take off, Father spoke up.

"Stop! We will leave." Mother whipped her snout in his direction, jaw-dropping as if she couldn't believe what he said.

"It is best if we leave. Ymerc is in little danger. There is an entire clan of dragons below." He pointed a claw to the large group of dragons across the away, seeming to be doing their own training, sparks of magic bouncing off scale as they sparred.

"The enemy would be a fool to try anything with so many dragons nearby. It would be in our son's best interest if we left."

Father turned to leave. Mother stood frozen, her head following his body until he took off. She cast a look of indecision my way before following him in the skies toward the den.

"Shall we begin?" Reryth focused her attention on me as soon as my parents were blots against the deep blue horizon.

Reryth's voice emanated a stern, commanding tone. Fira had hardly moved since my arrival, once again curled in the tall grass, no more than a white puff against the greenery[KL4] .

***

Back at the den, Cyndrithil paced[KL5] about the cave, his muscles bulging along his neck. Ymithia laid on her stomach, watching him walk back and forth with mild irritation in her eyes.

"We should be the ones teaching our son magic! Not some long-dead legendary dragon or some golden-scaled half-wit!" he finally roared.

It had been some time since Ymithia had seen her mate this angry, though it wasn't like she disagreed with him. She wanted to teach Ymerc magic, but with Britosa intervening, it felt like she had no right to do so. After all, who could teach her son magic better than the legendary dragoness who stopped the darkness countless years ago?

Meanwhile, according to her son, Britosa had disappeared sometime in the night and hadn't come back, something that made the anger in Ymithia skyrocket.

With Britosa able to appear and vanish at will, the relationship between her son and Britosa felt entirely one-sided, something Ymithia loathed. The more time she spent with Britosa, the more she disliked her. She constantly pushed her son further than necessary, only stopping when Cyndrithil or herself intervened.

Cyndrithil changed trajectory heading for the exit to the den bringing Ymithia out of her thoughts.[KL6]

"And where do you think you're going?"

"Hunting. I can't very well pace back and forth all day now, can I?"

Ymithia knew he wasn't hungry. They had already eaten a few days ago and wouldn't need to again for a while, though her son was a different story. Growing dragons ate nearly double what adults did, so it wouldn't surprise her if he came home hungry.

"Stay away from the beach," she bellowed at his back as he took off, unsure if he heard her not.

Ymithia was getting antsy herself, her worry about her son building every minute, "what ifs" building around her with each passing moment.

What if he disappears again? What if he gets attacked?

Unable to stay longer, she left the den looking for a dragon willing to join her in some light sparring.

***

Cyndrithil

"Hunting," he told his mate.

While not lying, it wasn't the whole truth either. He was looking for the very dragon they had come here to kill, another reason he willingly left Ymerc with Reryth. Had his mate known, she would have insisted on joining him, which would have defeated the purpose. He wanted to protect his mate and son from danger, even if it meant fighting alone.

Zyrapha had mentioned a dragon she was trying to keep away from Ymerc. Since Reryth was training Ymerc on the sheer cliff atop Zyrapha's den, he couldn't very well go and ask her.

Cyndrithil's nostrils enlarged as he took in the scents around him. Even in the sky, he could smell the animals below him, the flora and fauna that waved to and fro amidst the breeze.

Cyndrithil searched for the scent of death and decay. Britosa had explained that they were fighting dark magic, which meant the smell of necrosis would be nearby. All Cyndrithil had to do was find it.

Had it not been for the light breeze that passed him, he would have missed it. The scent was so weak it was barely existent, yet Cyndrithils powerful nose caught the whiff of death, and following it, he landed deep inside the forest. He didn't notice the sounds or smells of any living creature nearby. Readying his magic and mind, he pursued death.

His senses were ever-alert for any threat.

Eventually, the plants around him lost their brilliant green hue. Bushes and ferns turned gray. The green trees around melted into an ashy gray. Along the path, the plants shriveled up and died, crumbling into ash. Even the dirt beneath his paws was becoming lifeless. He pressed on, knowing he was close, knowing soon he could save his family from ever having to fight.[KL7]

Eventually, the smell of death became too potent and dense Cyndrithil was forced to breathe through his mouth. It was then he came across what seemed to be the epicenter.

Around him, ash floated in the air while tree after tree had lost its leaves, each of them rotting into a spike of bright red mushrooms whose scarlet roots reached down the trunk and raced across the dirt into a pool of dark red as big as Cyndrithil himself.

Stalking closer, he realized the veins of red were coming from the pit of blood, pulsing and flowing across the ground and turning everything it touched into a lifeless pile of ash before flowing up the now dead flora and turning into the bright red mushrooms that grew on what were once trees. Cyndrithil realized the pool of scarlet, penetrated deep below the ground, seeping into the dirt and sucking the land dry.

Reaching a paw into the scarlet pool, an ice-cold sensation washed over his scales, numbing like a burn. Withdrawing his foot, he watched as the blood poured off his scales, leaving even his claws an ashen gray that slowly turned back into his light blue scales.[KL8]

A flicker of movement in the pool caught his eye. Peering closer, he saw something moving deep within.

Is there something in there? That should be impossible.

Cyndrithil had been taught everything he knew of dark magic from his parents, yet what he had come across here was something unheard of, impossible, yet here it was. If it wasn't for seeing it with his own eyes, he wouldn't have believed it.

The flicker of movement grew closer. Cyndrithil, trying to see deeper inside, moved closer to the pool of blood, his snout no more than a claw's length from the surface, still unable to see inside. He didn't risk touching the surface.

Eventually, the figure drew closer, revealing a dragon's skull peering up at him through eyeless holes. It bobbed to the surface, blood pouring down its bones before the head parted its jaws. Cyndrithil realized too late that the skull was alive. In the blink of an eye, the skull surged forward, not just a head, but a whole body of bones. Its teeth pierced the scales on Cyndrithil's neck, pinpricks of pain as its claws latched onto his sides. He tried to gain purchase in the ground. Still, it fell away, pulling him into the pool where scarlet covered him, instantly sapping away his life, turning his scales from blue to a lifeless gray. The surface was disturbed with the thrashing of a dragon full of energy before Cyndrithil lost all strength and was pulled under, the pool of blood going still once more.[KL9]

***

Magic sucked! Hours later, after my parents left, I hadn't even produced a spark, once again magicless. I could feel the pool of mana deep inside, yet I couldn't actually touch it, unable to make anything except groans of frustration.

The only difference was Reryth, who, unlike Britosa, wasn't quick to anger.

Britosa had yet to make a reappearance. She was insistent on getting me to learn magic, then disappeared. Yeah, I can really feel your urgency here, Britosa! hoping she would pop up again, yet the mysterious spirit was nowhere to be found.

Reryth grabbed my paw, jarring me out of my thoughts before I felt the familiar feeling of mana rush up my arm.

"Instead of reaching for your own power, reach for mine. Use it the way you want." Reryth's voice was calm as she focused on me.

I could feel her mana just like I felt Britosa's. Instead of hitting a wall this time, I made contact with her mana, letting it flow up my arm and into my chest and directing it to my other paw.

Reryth's contact with me broke, the mana sliding away as a large weight settled atop me, teeth around my throat.

"Fira! What do you think you're doing?!" Reryth bellowed.

I felt trickles of blood drain down my neck.

I pushed Fira off me, her teeth grinding along my scales and pulling some off.

"He's a dark magic user!" she roared, preparing to pounce again. "He was using your mana, sucking it into his soul!"

She jumped only to hit Reryth's tail, keeping her away from me.

What is she talking about? Sucking mana into my soul? I was just trying to use magic the way she instructed.

Reryth turned her accusing eyes on me.

"Is it true? Do you use dark magic?"

I was so tired of hiding my past, fearing what others would think, and even more tired of the judgmental looks from everyone when they found I had used dark sorcery. I realized I no longer cared what others thought. If they judged me terribly, I no longer cared and why should I?

The past is the past, I couldn't control what happened to me anymore than a hatchling can choose when to enter the world. My parents accepted me for all my mistakes and that was all I needed.[KL10]

With a strength I didn't know I had, I stood and faced Fira and Reryth.

"Yes, I used dark magic a very long time ago, but since that day, I have not touched it. My regret over my actions that day is enough to drown me. I enslaved my only friend and have since lived to regret every moment of it. As for why I still smell of dark sorcery, I have no idea. I would never intentionally use it again."

If they wanted to judge me, then let them pass judgment. I no longer cared what anyone else thought.

Reryth's eyes widened, and even Fira stopped struggling against Reryth's tail.

"I'm not even supposed to learn magic for several years, yet Britosa insists upon teaching me. And when that fails, she vanishes like the wind."

Honestly, I was done with this whole thing. Why should I care as long as I can live with my parents? Family, that's all that matters. They are there for you when no one else is. They have accepted me for who I am when no one else would.

"Did you say Britosa?" Reryth asked.

I wasn't sure what I expected her to say but asking about Britosa, that's all anyone cares about. Britosa this, Britosa that. If you ask me, everyone has put far too much faith in a dead dragon whose only skill is vanishing on everyone.

I felt the familiar flames welling in my chest, ready to burst out, and I didn't hold back, unleashing them at Reryth, my flames burning the grass in a cone shape as they spread out aimed at Reryth, who leaped back with her tail around her daughter bringing her out of harm's way.

I felt the heat of my flames for the first time threatening to burn me, my tongue already feeling hot. Out of desperation, I cut my flames off, smoke rising from my nostrils in black tendrils.

The pain in my mouth dissipated, though my tongue still throbbed with the beat of my heart.

In front, Reryth stood still, her jaw gaping wide. Fira was the same. I was getting used to those kinds of reactions. My parents and Xithris reacted the same way. It felt good to surprise someone. I was pretty much used to it by now.

"Yeah, Britosa sent me otherwise, I would never have come, claiming 'I must stop the coming darkness.' Blah blah blah." I imitated Britosa terribly.

"Are we done?" I wanted so badly to go back home. With Britosa gone, I could finally head back to Dravawynn. I could even start focusing on getting stronger to finally kill Draconus, though at the moment, that wasn't a priority.

"It might be best...if we wrap up for the day."

For the day? No, I was done. Period[KL11] . Learning magic has brought me nothing but frustration and failure. After I returned to the den, I would convince my parents to return home.

I nodded before taking flight, the familiar winds soothing the building frustration in my heart.

Back at the den, I went in only to find my parents were gone. I suppose the idea of them sitting around all day waiting for me to come back was stupid now that I thought about it. Their lives did not entirely revolve around me. They must have been out doing something else, which I had no idea.

With the day's frustrations taking their toll, I sat on the cliff overlooking Dravellian, curling my tail, letting it drape over my snout as the sun washed over and warmed my scales.

***

Fira

Long ago, Fira had an imaginary friend of red scales. At least, she thought he was imaginary until he showed up as her mother's student. He looked exactly the same except for his scars. Clearly, he had been through some horrific situations over the last couple of years.

How they were connected and able to speak with each other over countless miles was unknown. Two years ago, she was still in the North Clan, a place of frozen winters and cold summers. Most creatures couldn't survive up there. If it wasn't for Fira's thick fur coat and her parents' warmth, she would have perished in the frigid temperatures.

Not only was Fira not expecting Ymerc to show up, but she wasn't expecting the dark shadows surrounding his body, an indication of dark magic that no one else saw except her. Unlike others who could only smell dark magic, she could see it visibly on anyone who currently used it, and Ymerc was covered in the thick aura. It didn't seem like his parents knew, which was strange considering the scent of decay that hung around him, or perhaps they were purposely ignoring it. Either way, Fira wanted nothing to do with Ymerc regardless of the past they shared.

She continued to keep an eye on him as her mother continued her teachings. Though Ymerc was much too young to learn magic, it didn't surprise her when he failed at everything. Even Fira wouldn't learn magic for some years, so why were Ymerc's parents forcing him into this?

Fira paid closer attention than usual as her mother made physical contact, something she wished her mother wouldn't do with someone like him. In her experience, it made it easier for them to cast their magic, yet her mother, despite smelling dark magic, threw all reservations away and made contact. Even worse, Fira watched as the aura surrounding Ymerc surged.

Without a thought, Fira pinned Ymerc to the ground, her teeth piercing his scales, the taste of copper filling her mouth. She wasn't expecting to be so easily pushed off him or even to be held back by her mother's tail. When she heard Britosa's name, she faltered. She listened as he went on about being directed by her to come here. It made no sense. Why would the dragon who defeated dark magic in the beginning travel with someone who was using dark sorcery, to begin with?

She didn't get the chance to ask. Perhaps next time mother taught him, she would ask, though she wanted nothing to do with him.

"Come, Fira. Let's pay the elders a visit."

Perhaps talking to them would provide some answers, especially the most important to her: why was Britosa with a dragon of dark magic origins?

Her mother dove off the cliff heading directly below, her wings flaring out, slowing her descent until she touched down, the sand spraying outward from the impact. Fira followed suit, the feeling of wind rushing over her body a true delight. If only she could fly for eternity, then she would never have to stop feeling the wind rush by her and caress her wings.

All too soon, she felt the warm sand beneath her paws, her mother already striding towards the entrance to the elders' den.

"What brings the most trained dragon in the magical arts to our abode?"

The torches along the wall flared to life, illuminating the den and three dragons, a sky blue who seemed to be asleep and on death's door going by his strained breathing. His mate Zyrapha, whom Fira had met a while back when the first two intruders came: one so steeped in dark magic that Fira couldn't even see his scales or eyes. The other, while she smelled of death, seemed to have never touched the stuff, her magic as clean Reryth's.

Zyrapha seemed healthier than her mate, who, if she recalled, was named Airswyth. The much younger-looking dragoness kept glancing at Airswyth. Fira assumed she was the daughter Reryth kept mentioning, which made sense if her worried looks were to say anything.

Seemingly unperturbed by the sudden flare-up of fire, Mother continued on.

"The new student you asked me to teach, who exactly is he? His parents should be teaching him, not me, so why aren't they?"

Fira wished she would ask the even more critical question: why was Britosa with him?

"There are many things I won't go into. Ymerc's past is his own," Zyrapha explained. "It would be wrong to share it without his permission. I can only assume his parents were instructed by Britosa to let her teach Ymerc for reasons that are her own."

Way to skirt around the question.

"Why is he attempting to learn magic at such a young age?"

"He is learning at the behest of Britosa."

Fira waited for her to say more, reveal more, except she didn't, much to Fira's building frustration.

"Has he used dark magic? Is that why he smells of death?"

Silence. Fira could almost hear the sound of grasshoppers in the den.

"Why is Britosa traveling with a dark magician!" Fira spat, unable to take it any longer, interrupting her mother's next question.

"For some reason, Britosa has chosen Ymerc as her messenger, and for that reason, she is forcing him to learn magic years before he is re--"

"Does that reason have anything to do with his scars?" she blurted, not waiting for Zyrapha to finish.

She needed to know why Britosa would travel with a dark magician at any cost, which included baring her mother's angry gaze.

Zyrapha's silence was answer enough for her. Whatever happened to him was the reason Britosa chose him, a choice Fira thought was a mistake. Britosa should have chosen her, one who can see both magics, one who can change the war for good, one who can see through all kinds of magic.

"We should go. I need to talk to my daughter." Reryth said, bowing before turning around with Fira close on her heels, not regretting for a second her most recent choices.

"A word of advice, Fira." Her words stopped Fira in her tracks. "You may be able to see both magic, but don't let a dragon's past choices define them. After all, you wouldn't want others to do the same to you."

Zyrapha's words ushered forth a memory that Fira had long ago stuffed away, one she struggled to force as deep as she could into the dark recesses of her mind as she left the elders' den, forgetting all about the elders' kind warning.

***

When Cyndrithil came to it, it felt like all strength had been sucked from his body. The last thing he remembered was... the pool and being dragged inside by a skeleton. Cyndrithil tried to stand, he knew he was in danger, but his body failed to respond to his pleas.

"You're finally awake? It's about time. You've been snoozing for hours." A cold voice bit at him.

The place Cyndrithil found himself in was straight out of a nightmare, a place of writhing tendrils all dripping a thick scarlet substance, slimy darkness above him firmly wrapped around a dragon's skeleton, its stark white against the mix of scarlet and obsidian made for a grotesque sight. Further up, what seemed to be the same pool he had been dragged into hung suspended, not a drop falling from its basin. The tendrils that wrapped the room emitted a faint red light the same color as the pool Cyndrithil was dragged into. Underneath his paws, the ground was soaked, which seems to be the cause of the drop in temperature compared to outside, something he didn't notice until now.

"Get a hold of yourself."

The voice drew his attention. Nearby, a dragoness sat on her belly, her scales a bright red blending into a snow-white on her stomach. She was about the same size as Cyndrithil.

"Britosa."[KL12]

"The very same," she replied proudly. "Perhaps instead of gawking at me, you could help me escape?"

That was important. Finding a way out of here was a priority, but Cyndrithil couldn't find the strength to move. Not only that, but how could Britosa be here? She was supposed to be with his son. Then he remembered that Ymerc had mentioned she had not appeared yet today.

"I can't move. Escaping isn't gonna happen till I get my strength back."

She pointed a claw to the pool above the suspended skeleton.

"No wonder after going through that. I call it Purified Darkness. It saps the very life from anyone who touches it. The only reason you are alive right now is that you are wanted alive."

For what reason? It would have been easier just to kill him; instead, he was taken captive. Why?

It struck him hard and urged Cyndrithil to escape as soon as possible.

"It's a trap," he relayed.

"Indeed, I was in the middle of talking with Ymerc last night and suddenly found myself here, unable to leave this horrific area. I am a spirit. I can go through solid stone, but I can't leave this forsaken place."

That reminded him before he could never see Britosa, yet he could see and hear her.

"How can I see you?"

"This place is full of power. It supplies me with enough to keep myself corporeal to everyone, albeit by force."

Cyndrithil tried to stand again, only for his body to remain unresponsive. He needed to get out of here to warn his mate and son. He cursed his stupidity. He never should have tried to find his enemy by himself. Maybe he never would have ended up in this situation.

"I don't expect your strength to return for some while," Britosa said. "It is best if you relax, don't try to force yourself. It will only make it worse. In the meantime, help me figure out a way out of this cursed place."

A heavy sigh escaped Cyndrithil's lips only to appear in a thick white cloud.

"You seem to know an awful lot about what's going on. Care to share?"

Britosa closed her eyes and appeared deep in thought. Finally, she opened them.

"I have been in the same position many years ago. Before my final confrontation with the darkness, I fell into a pit much like the one you did."

"You speak as if I died." A new voice, much more profound and filled with power, pierced the room.

Cyndrithil saw the shadows in front of Britosa coalesce before a form walked out of it, scales a deep blue, something he had only seen on one dragon, the very same dragon that tried to kill Ymerc on the day Cyndrithil found him.

"You did die. No longer are you the same dragon I fell in love with. You[KL13] stopped being him the day you gave yourself over to evil."

Draconus moved as if to caress a claw along her cheek but stopped when she pulled back in evident disgust. She lifted her lips, baring her teeth.

"Oh, don't be like that, darling. Even after the mating ceremony, we are still bonded. I can still feel how much you love me even if you try to deny it."

Draconus circled her the way a predator stalks its prey.

"I love who you used to be, not this monster you have become," Britosa protested. "Manipulating everyone around you, including me--don't think for a second. I don't think you summoned me here for the fun of it. You have both of us--she motioned to Cyndrithil--all to lure Ymerc here to kill him. It is, after all, how you got your power to invade Vulneara. And how you got your power to create this dreaded place again--something I sealed away."

Draconus barked out laughter, his voice ricocheting through the room in a ghastly manner.

"I will correct you on one thing: yes, killing Ymerc was once my main objective, but not anymore. Now I want him. Mind come. It's time to finish preparations."

Movement above caught Cyndrithil's attention, the tendrils holding the skeleton slowly unwrapped until the bones fell before hitting the ground in a clashing of cartilage.

The bones that should be in a pile were instead a fully formed dragon without the scales and muscles. Blood pooled off its body, splattering across the ground as it melted into the ground beside Draconus.

"If he doesn't want to kill Ymerc, what does he want him for?"

Cyndrithil feared the answer but needed to know. The more he learned, the more he could help when he finally left whatever this place was.

"I truly don't know."

Her answer scared him more than anything could. Whatever Draconus had planned for Ymerc frightened him to his core. Cyndrithil only hoped he could escape before Draconus got his paws on his son.