LOGINShare
27. The Needle Woods
Last Updated:
2024-10-29 19:42:56Related chapters
The Flaming Heart 28. The Sword and Her Flower
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
The Flaming Heart 29. The Fire Dandelion
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
The Flaming Heart 30. The Whoring Selection
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
The Flaming Heart 31. The Sound of Wind
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
The Flaming Heart 32. The Ye Olde Jubilee Yin
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
The Flaming Heart 33. The Possessive Prince
Leila got down from the bed and followed Ben out. She climbed down the steep wooden staircase as the orange afternoon sunlight flickered in her eyes.“Where is Thorn?” Leila asked.“He’s with Serlon.” Ben answered, worriedly.“How’s his wound?” Leila’s heart ached when she recollected the image of Thorn’s bloody injury.Ben remembered that the prince had forbidden him to tell Leila the truth about his condition. “The prince is fine,” he looked at the ground, “Serlon said that he just needed to check the wound routinely.”Leila was reassured. On the first floor of the inn, wooden tables and chairs were placed before a bar, barrels of wine were stacked up to the wall, and the crew of black wings were sloshing down tankards of ale. As Leila passed the hall to the entrance, they all nodded to her to show their respect. She nodded back to show her thankfulness. She was grateful to all of them for saving her life. It reminded her that she needed to check on the girls later.Ben leaped out o
The Flaming Heart 34. The Dragon Blood
In an extremely careful manner, squires were polishing their masters’ armors at the foot of the inner baileys. Black Wings were practicing their swords skills and advancing their own special talents. The back of the inn was not as crowded as its usually was since the prince had rented it out, leaving only the front bar open during its usual business hours.“Hugo!” Thorn rushed out into the inn’s backyard and called out, pacing across the earthy ground quickly, unbuttoning his tight boiled-leather jacket.“Bring Hugo to me. I’ll wait for him in the counsel room,” he ordered one of the nearby archers of the Black Wings, who was as lanky as a twig, “And tell the owner to drive all the customers out, this place is locking down.” He took a sack of gold out of his leather jacket and tossed it over to the archer.“Aye.” The archer bowed and moved off like a whoosh of wind.The dragon prince was irritable. His hunches were always correct, and at that moment, he had a terrible foreboding feeli
The Flaming Heart 35. The Blood Thief
Leila immediately began to panic. Her mouth was dry, and her lower lip tasted bitter. Blood was rushing to her dizzy head.While her flute stone was safely placed on the windowsill, the flask containing Thorn’s blood was gone!She had searched everywhere in the room - the space between the bed and the wall, under the cover and pillows, the entire surface of the floor. But still, she found nothing. Strangely, the door to the room remained locked from the inside. Even the key couldn’t open it from the outside. Had it fallen out of the window?Leila leaned out to look below. The room was on the top floor of the inn, facing a narrow lane. From the deep darkness, she could tell it must be very late. Even the oil streetlamps were dying out. A line of potted plants were growing under her window, but she could not possibly see any farther into the night. She knew that the dragon blood was valuable, and Thorn had asked her to keep it safe. How could she lose it?Blaming herself, she left the r
Latest chapter
The Flaming Heart Epilogue
Bolts of lightning snaked out from the scepter and scorched the entire dragon skeleton. The energy of the almighty power had given a life to the dormant, ancient bones. It was the undying existence of Father Dragon. The ashes were his flesh, burnt and crystallized.Thorn felt his dragon spirit quiver and heart grow empowered. He looked down at Leila. Her skin was glistened with a creamy glow, like a pearl, as she held the scepter like a goddess. He sensed that she was different; a more powerful being was connected to her soul.Then, the dragon eggs were lit up one by one. Soon, they illuminated the entire room.Olcan withdrew to the back of the room and tried to get away, but he was spotted by Thorn.The dragon scooped him up with his claws, then smashed him onto the ground, flashing his teeth and ready to bite off Olcan's head.Ben suddenly appeared behind them. He walked forward, restraining the urge to shift into a wolf. He moved past Leila to reach Thorn. His skin tickled from the
The Flaming Heart 62.The Moonlight
The MoonlightLeila was free-falling. Her hair was flying upwards. She was surrounded by darkness. She tried to reach, to grab onto anything around her, but there was nothing she could do to slow the fall. Fear flashed across her mind, but it was too brief to take notice. The faint gleaming of the scepter in her hands anchored her—it was a part of her. The constant noise of water sloshing was gone. She felt a tickling sensation in her throat as the air became drier and hotter. Then she heard the same whisper again,Sla..thar... Sla.. thar..As the sound grew louder and clearer, for the first time ever, Leila felt the power the word carried with it. It seemed like some sort of energy was resonating within her, shattering her muscles and bones, affecting her mind and thoughts as if an unknown power was waiting for her, and it was buried deep down below.She couldn’t possibly know how far she had been falling. When she landed, the ground was strewn with smoldering ashes and cushioned her
The Flaming Heart 61. The Fire Gem
Thorn stepped up. He placed himself between Olcan and the water sphere Leila and his baby were in.He stared at the wolf king with a deadly glare, and said with the coldest tone possible, as if every syllable was made of a sharp blade, “It was you all along.”Olcan responded with a wicked grin, pulling the string of the crossbow in his hands, aiming at the sphere, “I suggest you back off, dragon prince, if you don’t want to die with Mother Dragon. I should have killed her along with her annoying husband that day. But after I finally killed that old wretch, I was already too exhausted, giving her a chance to escape.”“But Eros’ ring... how did you get the ring?” Ula asked impatiently with a bewildered expression.“I think I know what happened that night,” Thorn answered, his gaze unwaveringly glued to Olcan as he inched towards Eros with small steps, “Olcan killed my mother and the Luna Queen. Then, he stole Eros’s ring while he was drunk and asleep in Amaya’s chamber. What always both
The Flaming Heart 60. The Mother Dragon
Olcan stood over the rampart, looking down on the ancient draconic city resting under the darkness. The palace was fully under his control. He was the first-ever werewolf king to accomplish standing at the dragon realm capital's highest point. But there was still a hole in his heart that couldn't possibly be healed.“My king,” one of his sentries approached and reported, “The dragon warriors, the so-called "Dark Wings," surrounding the palace were all captured.”“What about the brute prince and his foolish knights?” Olcan withdrew himself from the city view and moved back into the torch light.“All were put in the dungeons.”“Any casualties?”“No. The Frost Stones were very effective. As soon as the stones touched their skin, they were incapable of moving.”“You’ve done well,” Olcan gritted his teeth, “They underestimated us in every possible way, thinking I could easily fall for this imbecile's trickery.” He walked over to Serlon, who was bruised and swollen, lying in a pool of his o
The Flaming Heart 59. The Lunar Eclipse
Fenris had been tied to the back of a horse-drawn carriage. His body ached from sitting on the hard, wooden panels but was incapable of doing anything about it. Ulric’s corpse lay right beside him and had already started to emit a rotten smell.Normally, a werewolf’s corpse wouldn’t decay so quickly, just within an hour. But tonight was a special exception. A cold shiver suddenly washed over Fenris. Utter darkness had befallen the dragon land. He felt in his bones that the power of the moon had vanished. As far as he knew, the lunar eclipse wouldn’t be long—one or two hours at the most. He needed to survive it, then find a chance to escape.With quiet neighing, the horses stopped. The carriage pulled over on an empty alleyway. Fenris stayed put and tried to catch every sound passing through his ears. Someone was coming for him.“How was the trip?” Hugo flashed a grin at Fenris and pulled him out of the carriage. He then dragged him all the way into a dark house. Fenris was surprised b
The Flaming Heart 58. The Ring
Thorn forced his eyes open. The sharp water spear had become deformed, dissolving into the ocean water. He saw queen Amaya drop lifelessly onto the ground. King Eros was standing next to her. Eros picked up a handful of bubbling shells, buried his nose in them, and took in a big gulp of fresh air.“Dragon King,” Ula drawled, keeping a safe distance, “I didn’t expect you'd dare come here.”“I had to,” Eros lifted his face up from the shells, feeling better with ample air in his lungs, “I had a feeling you would make a move tonight. The streams’ mirrored surfaces only confirmed it.”Thorn looked back to Amaya, observing the fresh cut on her throat. “How did she die?”Eros glanced briefly at Thorn, dodging away from answering directly the question.“Who killed her?” Thorn pushed again, fixing his gaze on Eros.“Why are you looking at me like that?” Eros snapped, suddenly annoyed, “I did! Alright?” He raised his voice. “I had to. The capital is going to be attacked by werewolves! There wa
The Flaming Heart 57. The Golden Badge
Like a dark, looming storm, every werewolf squadron had set off for King’s Harbor under Olcan’s command. They moved faster than the night wind, carrying light-weight but incredibly deadly weapons made of frost stone. It was the night of the Lunar Eclipse, the strongest ever since the dragon race had lost their spirits. The werewolves believed that, if they could conquer the dragon palace, the first beam of searing moonlight would bless them with a century’s-worth of glory, power, and endless fortune. As for their eternal rivals, the dragons would lost their position in the world and fall to the Northern Realm, all thanks to the wolves’ frost stone.“Our fiercest enemy,” Fenris said to Olcan as they left the marshland, “the black dragon, he’s already dead.”“Your meticulous research amazes me, Brother,” Olcan said to Fenris without looking at him, “I underestimated you. I thought you were merely a careless man.”Fenris chuckled, hair prickled on his skin. “I’m glad to be of help. My me
The Flaming Heart 56. The Hidden Desert
Leila heard the voice again. It was louder and clearer this time. Sla-thar.. It came from down below, but it was too dark to see anything from her current distance. A faint reflection of the moon loomed beside Leila as she sunk downwards, cradled in Thorn’s arms. Unlike the cold and remote moon in the sky, its silver light was blazing hot, like the sun hanging over a parched desert. The path ahead was endless. The farther they went, the less it looked like an underwater world. It was the fishy scent that reminded her that she was deep in a river. The pain in her belly was subsiding; it mellowed into a slight discomfort instead of a sharp, breathless ache. What was more disconcerting than the pain was the rate of its growth. Leila’s belly was growing larger at an unprecedented rate. Thorn put his hand on it, feeling its heartbeat. Leila stared at him through the transparent bubbles on their heads, trying to decipher what he was thinking. His thick dark hair swayed in the water. H
The Flaming Heart 55. The Girl in the Room
Fenris was in a rather good mood. He just got a message from the spies he had sent to the Craggy Mountains; they reported that they had seen Thorn die with their own eyes, lying in bed and as his knight mourned. However, unbeknownst to him, it was a fake message—Hugo had forced the spies to write it with swords pointed to their necks before he finished them off for good.James and Serlon had escorted the crossbred girls back to their homes and had made sure any remaining Green Robes had surrendered or were executed. Unfortunately, Luca had died. The pain of losing one eye to Leila and further torture from Thorn was even too much for him to withstand.This city is soon to be mine, Fenris thought. He had dreamt of this moment for a long time. He strode across the damp ground, and the scent of the night seemingly became sweeter. The moon’s light was fading. It’s almost time to for their final strike. In high spirits, he entered the tent where his big brother was waiting.To his surprise,
