The next thing I knew, the black dust and smoke had vanished, and I was lying on the floor, my head pounding and my vision blurred as I tried to make sense of what had happened. I opened my mouth to talk, but immediately started coughing, and rolled over onto my side, black liquid running from my mouth as I heaved and spluttered. Suddenly, as I lay there, something clicked and I raised my right arm. The skin was blackened and bleeding, but hardly hurt as much as it had. I heard footsteps coming closer and I raised my head seeing Risha walking towards me.
"I encased your arm in ice as soon as I could get to you. It should have stopped the burning."
I nodded and flexed my arm, only feeling a twinge of discomfort as the charred flesh cracked and moved slightly. I'd live. We spent a few more minutes resting on the cold floor before deciding it was time we started to move again.
This place was a labyrinth of twisting pathways, and though we seemed to go deeper and deeper, I could not help wondering how. From the outside this temple had seemed quite small in comparison to the other ones we had been to. But this was the temple of the spirit dragon after all, and the normal rules of our reality we ignored here, stretched and broken in all ways. I had summoned the ball of fire again: I didn't want to trigger any more traps. The feeling of the skin on my arm cracking still flooded my mind. The chambers and pathways seemed to press down on us even more now, the small patch of light only extending a few feet ahead of us. Slowly the walls drew back and the unnerving sense that anything could be lurking beyond that barrier of blackness. A few minutes later we reached a twining mass of stone, and, after making the light flare up, saw the whole scene that was carved out on the massive door before us. Twisting serpents with wings, like dragons but smaller, lower to the ground and with larger, chunkier bodies. Wyverns.
Was that what was waiting for us on the other side of the door?
Not dwelling on the thought any longer, I began examining the intricately carved stone for any way to open the doors. As I walked past one of the beast's heads, I saw a slight difference in one of the eyes. It appeared lighter in colour. Leaning in closer I saw that a myriad of small scrapes and scratches marred the surface. I smiled, lifting up a hand and pressed down hard against the stone. It didn't move at first, but after a few moments I felt it give slightly. A few more seconds and it sank into the stone skull holding it in place. A deep rumble sounded and then I watched, frozen, as the door slowly fell down into the ground.
Golden light flooded the room, mist curling around my ankles. I could finally see where I was. Fallen, half crubbled pillars braced the roof, moss crawling through the cracks in the stones. Water dripped from the top of the room that had just opened, splashing into the puddles slowly forming on the floor. Taking in the room, I gasped as I noticed. The water, which up until now I had though was normal, was glowing. Blues greens and whites danced in slow ink-like ribbons, teh drips sparkling as they fell. I walked forwards as if in a trance, walked forwards towards the carved stone dais in the middle of the room. Wind picked up and the walls around me shone white. I covered my eyes with my arms and slowly saw the light start to fade. The dias was still there, so were Risha and the two dragons behind me. I saw spectral bodies of light flash before me, scenes from the past given rise to life again. Without warning, one of the lights flung out a spear and I screamed, ducking and covering my head with my arms, I heard an impact behind me, followed by a fizzle as the light of the spear faded. The ground shook and I fought to keep my footing. Battlefields from centuries ago rise and fell, gods, demons and technologies lost. Continuing onwards, I stared around me, but when my foot touched the steps, the lights faded once more.
The golden cage of the egg glinted in the ghostly light as I approached. Risha appeared behind me and cleared her throat, making me jump. She raised a hand, pointing to the side of me. I turned and saw a woman standing there.
The golden glow around her was the first thing I saw, like flames rising from her body, but softer, more welcoming. A gold, floating robe swept around her, waving in an invisible wind. From her back protruded what looked like beetle wings, shimmering in the faint light. She looked at me, smiling softly like she knew exactly who I was. Well, I guess she did as I had a dragon prowling at my back. As she walked, she seemed to dance on the air, her movements so graceful and ethereal they lulled me into a trance.
"I have waited a long time for you, child." Her voice was soft. "You know what you must do. Do not hesitate."
I nodded slightly, heart pounding, and held out a hand towards the shimmering cage. The light faded, and so did the light surrounding the woman beside me. The room grew darker, the only light now coming from the azure waters. Before me sat the white-and-gold mottled egg, scales shining in the light. Nothing happened. I ran my fingers along the smooth surface. Nothing. Then the keeper moved closer, her beautiful face marred with confusion. A single dark line appeared. She gasped.
"I never would have thought— I've been here gods knows how long and nothing has ever happened. But maybe..."
"Maybe it needed me to break the cage." I finished, the awe in my voice the same as hers.
But why would that happen? You only need to be descended from the dragons to break it, but she clearly is dragonblood. Was this some kind of divine intervention? Or was something much darker at play here? Ignoring the thoughts looming at the back of my mind, I watched as the shell began to splinter, flaking onto the stone where it sat. A tiny golden head peaked out from the small hole it had managed to make and I hurried over, all the others following me as I pulled away bits of shell and scooped the tiny thing up. It was half the size Varil and Nyrit had been when they were hatchlings: it could curl up comfortably on my palms. The baby dragon's body was warm and I could feel the rise and fall of it's chest while it lay there, craning it's neck to look about the room. I couldn't help it as a smile crept over my face.
I passed the hatchling over to the woman, and it crooned as soon as it touched her palms.
"What's your name?"
"Aerice" She rolled the r, her accent vaguely like mine, but far less pronounced.
Half an hour's trek and we made it out of the temple, carrying the hatchling as it flexed its wings and yawned, contently curled up in Aerice's hand. Varil and Nyrit waited patiently as I walked Aerice through the steps of flying on a dragon.
"Their scales can be slippery, but they will keep you balanced. Trust them."
She looked nervous, but allowed me to help her up onto Varil, the bigger of the two. She wrapped one arm around his neck while I clambered up beside her, my feet losing purchase on the scales numerous times. When we were all ready, we began the flight back to the mainland. The feeling of gliding over nothing was just as terrifying and exhilarating as it had been on the way here, but seemed to go faster as both our dragons and us knew what we were expecting. As we grew closer, I saw Adonnija and Tyth waiting for us, sitting near the edge of the water. Seeing us approach, they stood and pointed, whispering about the woman in front of me.
We landed seconds later, and I helped Aerice down from Varil's back as she made sure that the baby dragon was alright. It crooned and huffed as she stroked it's head, lizard-like eyes blinking slowly.
Tyth strode up to us, spying the dragon resting in the woman's palm. "Well done. Well done indeed." Then he looked down, noticing my blackened arm I had unsuccessfully tried to hide by pulling down my scorched, hole ridden sleeve.
"Traps." I said simply. He nodden, but cast another concerned glance at the cracked black skin. "It's fine, really, Tyth! Risha helped as soon as she could."
He nodded appreciatively at Risha, then turned to Aerice. "Who are you?"
She smiled at him. "Aerice sir. I'm— I was the keeper at this sanctuary, but as you can see, it's slightly complicated now. I am a dragonblood."
"Well, this certainly is unusual." Adonnija came striding up beside Tyth. "Has your dragon got a name?"
"No sir."
"Well," He said, eyes twinkling, "I think the little critter needs one, don't you? Is it a boy or girl?"
"It's a girl, I think. How about..." She thought for a minute. "How about Sylvare?" The tiny dragon crooned at the sound of it's name, rubbing it's head along her fingers.
I laughed. "Sylvare it is them."
YOU ARE READING
A Throne of Flames || COMPLETED
Fantasy"Before there was anything there were dragons. They ruled over oblivion, a gaping void where nothing exists but everything lives." The war had raged for decades. And in it's wake all that had been left was a broken expanse of a fire burnt wasteland...
