A cluster of white daisies were clutched in the dragon prince’s hand. Thorn walked through the grand hall of the gallery. Recently, the adjacent volcano had made the subterranean floor extra hot.There was a time, long ago, when he resisted coming here. He especially avoided the top floor, as the air lingering there stirred up a deep fear in his heart.But as time passed, the fear had gradually become mourning. which he found easier to handle. He started to come once a month, just to get a bit of alone time. Thorn pushed on the obsidian button on the gallery wall and got into the tomb. His footsteps echoed around the dried stones of the earthen walls, as though the spirit in the vault could hear a living being approaching.He glanced over the vault. Everything was exactly the same as before. Dust floated through the air under the blueish, slanted beams. He put the delicate flowers before the statue of his mother, Tora, the previous dragon queen. She died when Thorn was young. He sat
Leila felt her world rocking to and fro. She heard wooden frames creaking and water sloshing at a slow rhythm. She gradually pushed herself up off the large, cushioned bed, as her head was dizzy with a tender seasickness. For days, the unpleasant feeling hadn’t completely left her, but thankfully, it hadn’t affected her high spirits.She got down from the four-post bed and walked around the cabin. It was an unusually large room overflowing with oddities. It was as if she could never finish discovering new things; the room was so full of wonder. Everything was a deep gold and mahogany. She rubbed her eyes to adjust to the lowly-lit room.Under the the ceiling light in the center of the room, a large hardwood table outshined everything else around it. A tray held juices and snacks contained in glistening goblets and bowls made of pure rubies. Leila drank the juice and it chilled her throat. She immediately felt better as her seasickness faded away. A large gazelle-skin map attracted he
Long before any creature could remember, tall, rough pine trees had been densely rooted in these evergreen hills, solemnly guarding the quickly flowing river traversing the mysterious land. Thorn fled low upon the dark green, needled canopy. The deeper the Misty Mountains he went, the faster and more relentlessly the stream rushed. The color of the trees became even darker and the mist grew thicker, making it blurry even for a dragon’s eyes.The wound left by the sharp arrowhead had left him helpless. After it had ripped off one of his scales, rope detached, the deadly weapon was still buried deep in his flesh, inches away from his heart and dipped in some sort of poison. Thorn could feel the poison coursing through his body quickly, creeping along his veins. The pain was sharp, and he felt a deadly ache deep in his dragon bones. But it wasn’t nearly as bad as the anguish at losing Leila.When he finally made his way back to the sky, Leila had already disappeared into the rushing wate
Sla…thar… come…to…sla…th…ar…A gigantic dark shadow loomed behind the narrow, foggy path. Leila was frozen where she stood. She tried to hold her breath as long as she could manage, the thick grey ash and smoke hurt her throat badly.Subconsciously, she knew that this might be another vivid nightmare, but still, she didn’t dare to proceed an inch. Some inexplicable power had drawn her to this place, and that power had something to do with the beast hidden behind the fog.“Who’s out there?” Leila asked frightfully, but her voice was strangely restrained and incapable of traveling far into the fog.The shadow grew closer, she could feel the connection between them grow stronger. She knew that it would not harm her. It flashed above her, then quickly appeared behind her, then at her sides. Still, she couldn’t catch a glimpse of the quiet, swift beast.Then, the sound of thunder rumbled low to the ground. The earth trembled, and the fog swayed forward. The beast landed behind her. With tr
Ben finally found the sack of seeds stored in the ship’s hold and brought it to the deck, where the dragon stood.They were a fascinating flower seeds and had to make sure that they were kept away from any exposure to rain.Extraordinarily, these plants wouldn’t flower in any season. Water could even damage their seeds. Only one element could make them thrive and bloom - dragon fire. Therefore, they were given the name fire dandelions. Ben swayed the seeds up to the sky. The dragon patted the wings and breathed out a gush of fire right to it. Fluffy puffs popped out of the dark brown seeds and flowered in full. Each dandelion bloom was as bright red as the kernel of a flame.The chromatic blooms floated in the air and carried away by the oceanic winds. They attracted a cloud of black ravens. They circled in the sky, blocking the sun’s rays. But not a single bird cawed or made a noise, as if they knew that they were conjured to complete a secret mission.Each black raven carried one
It was hard to distinguish whether it was day or night inside the cave. The air, however, was unexpectedly fresh, but damp and cold. Leila leaned over the bars of her cell and listened to the chilling wind rolling in the deep winding tunnels. It lightly brushed across the luminescent moss-covered surface and intertwined with the babbling of watery creeks.A new delivery of girls had been crammed into the cell on Leila’ right. She realized that these girls were different from those in the cell on her left. They didn’t seem to be the grey descendants of dragons, as they were lacking the common grey features - dark brown hair that gleamed under the moonlight, and oftentimes a pair of pale brownish eyes. Instead, there were certain peculiarities about them. Leila looked on with the help of a fluttering torch. Their skin was a mixture of gold and silver, and it vaguely glistened in the darkness, honey coloured hair mixed with white cloudy strands. She couldn’t see any visible signs of abus
Leila tried to pull away from his monstrous grip, but she was like a doe caught in the fierce teeth of a hungry wolf. Alpha Luca pushed her head down so that her upper body was flattened against the stone table. Her underwear was pulled down savagely, and to her despair, she was incapable of moving at all.Still, she didn’t even plead with the dreadful man who was assaulting her. Weak begging was useless at a time like this; not only would it fail at stopping what was happening, but it would also add fuel to the desire of a horny man. Her eyes quickly scanned over the messy surface of the stone stable. There were no sharp letter openers or pointy feathered pens. The only weapon was the arrowhead pinned on the picture of Thorn. But it was still too far for her to reach. Leila kept fumbling with her hands behind her back to hinder the master entering her, and wiggled her body, ready to move as soon as there was a chance to fly over to the picture. But she knew her chance would be smal
Starlight was a funny, fuzzy thing. It could be seen, touched, and felt, it was tangible enough, but could never be captured in a tiny little jar so Leila could always carry it at her side.Minutes in the cave felt like days outside. She had never realized how much she would cherish the chilly night air, the beautiful serenade sung by a nightingale, the resting canopies of forests under the shade of silver light, and of course, the moon itself. It was exceptionally round and bright tonight; a creamy yellow hue graciously shined upon the Misty Mountains, as if the moon was a token of a blithe reunion.Leila leaned over to hug her dragon prince as they flew in the breeze. His warmth melted away all the coldness she had gathered in the freezing deep cave. She pressed her flesh close to his scales as he took her out of the dense Needle Woods, passed over glittering ribbons of streams, and finally came to the residential quarters where the local villagers had dwelled for centuries. The dra