Thornblade Chronicles - Volume 1

Chapter 18

As the Bronze Foxes left the temple, the dragon refused to follow. Albert was the first to notice, quickly reasoning, "It does not wish to leave the Dragon Heart unguarded." The beast slowly nodded after making eye contact with the man. Albert furrowed his eyebrows, sighing. "Ilkama released you long ago. His betrayal of your trust grants you freedom. Why do you insist on staying?"

"Zhotan knows nothing of the outside world. Perhaps it is scared," Devon inferred. The dragon groaned and looked back at the artifact. "Or... it may wish to keep protecting the artifact."

Sarah walked up to the beast and placed her hand against its stomach, pleading, "Please come with us so that I may teach you how to return to your realm. Surely you have a family waiting there for you." The dragon did not respond, its gaze unmoving from the artifact. Sarah stared at the container for a brief moment before an idea came to her. "What if you took the artifact with you? Nobody would be able to reach it while at home," she reasoned.

A glimmer of hope appeared in the dragon's golden eyes. It roared with ferocity, enjoying the proposition. Zhotan hastily flew to the artifact, picking it up and flying out of the top of the temple. The group, mesmerized by the dragon's speed, rushed to an open area and watched the beast fly in circles while breathing fire excitedly. Their silence did not last long, however, as Devon asked, "What now?"

"I do not wish to keep Zhotan waiting for long," Sarah said. "We will need to free him—it? First."

"While you teach the dragon to escape, we should probably start training," explained Eli. "The mission has always been to take down Ilkama, but you are in no condition to fight him just yet. You may have enchantments, but you do not know how to use them yet."

"Training?" Devon groaned. He sighed heavily. "Fine. But can we please wait until we get back to the fields? I will get blisters out here." Charles and Eli chuckled at his response but ultimately agreed. Waiting for smoother terrain would be the best option for everyone.

"We will also need to figure out how Albert's gauntlet enchantments work. Perhaps we do that while we wait for Sarah," Charles added. Albert rolled his eyes and huffed. Unappreciative of the extra effort he would have to put in to get to the same place as the others, he crossed his arms.

Sarah glanced at the martial artist, scanning his body language. She wrapped herself around his arm and interjected, "I will need Albert's help first. Zhotan is more likely to listen to him than it is to listen to me. Albert's confidence is to thank for that." Albert looked at her knowing smile and slowly nodded. Using his free arm, he ruffled her hair a bit. Charles did not pry; he knew Albert had the discipline to get the training he needed.

"Then it is settled. Once Zhotan returns home, we will return to the fields outside to train."

"Could we possibly return to the fields first? Perhaps Zhotan can carry us as the Gryos did," Devon questioned.

Charles shook his head, "No. Zhotan is not large enough to carry us all. We would likely tire it out before it got us out. Sarah, do you have a summon that may help us?" he asked. Sarah shook her head. "Then we walk."

When the dragon felt it had celebrated enough, it descended to the team, hinting that it wanted to leave sooner rather than later. Sarah turned to Albert and quickly explained what the beast would have to do to return home. Albert nodded, quickly understanding what the dragon had to do. "Zhotan!" Albert's voice was fierce. "Bring forth a ball of fire, like you used to attack us, but aim directly upward!" he ordered. The dragon glared at him. "You wish to return home, do you not? This is how. Listen to me!" The dragon ignored him and looked at Sarah, who nodded.

Huffing smoke through its nose, the dragon charged a fireball before launching it high into the air above it. Albert continued, "Now fly up toward it. When the fireball descends, you must hit it with another while in close proximity. The energy from the collision will create a tear in our realms, and you will return home." Without hesitation, Zhotan launched itself into the air at great speed. The team watched as the beast approached the fireball it had first launched. As the two got closer, Albert's voice boomed throughout the Craglands, "Now!" The dragon charged another blast and quickly fired it at the other. An orb of orange light exploded from the impact. Though the rest of the team turned away from the flash, Albert's gaze was unmoving from the impact point.