Where Smoke Bleeds Gold

Chapter Sixteen - Escape

    "Why is she here?" Kindling asked, walking further into the smoke stained tunnel. The sound of chains being shook echoed down the hall.
    "Seven break out attempts, thirteen injured guards, two prison riots," Quake said, walking down the tunnel to a room marked #3. "We don't get many dragons that are labeled as threats, but Avalanche made it clear she wasn't going to stop until she escaped," Quake said, knocking twice on the door. The wild hissing from inside stopped.
    "We've yet to hear back from the FrostScale Kingdom about collecting her, thankfully," Quake said, pressing her ear against the door.
    "It's Quake," She said, slowly lifting up the door with a latch on the bottom. She struggled pulling it up for a moment. It wasn't automated with chains like the other doors, making sure only trained professionals could lift it. Or maybe just a extremely lean CavernScale. Orange light flushed into the room, and it seemed like a cloud of hate evaporated from the room as the light burned into it.
    "What did they do to her?" I said, pushing past Quake to look at scars lining her tail, scratches and bite marks ran up and down her arm and legs. She had gotten thinner, as if she hadn't eaten since she had left the forest.
    "We didn't do anything to her," Quake said, pulling off her helmet. "She did that to herself," Avalanche sat up from a puddle of ice. The room was so cold, frost clung to the walls and icicles hung from the ceiling.
    "Why aren't there any lights or-" I began, Avalanche's eyes were obsessed with fear, as if we were all fake.
    "Stop," Quake barked at me. "This isn't a day care or- or some sort of park, this is a prison for criminals," Quake said. I looked up to her bared teeth. "There hadn't been any fires or lava since a fire broke out because someone thought they might escape because of a spreading fire. Many dragons had died during it,
    "We're leaving," Quake said.
    "No, no!" Avalanche said, standing up suddenly. She pulled tightly against the chains, clawing her way toward the light. "You just got here," She said, shaking as she stood.
    "You're coming too," Quake said, stepping into the room. A bad feeling settled itself in my stomach. Quake took another step, puddles of ice cracking under her weight.
    "I am?" Avalanche said, a weak smile flickering across her face. A click sounded and Quake pulled the chains off the wall as a lock fell to the floor.
    "We're going to get you guys all fancy in chains, and I- we should be able to just walk outside," Quake said.
    "Really?" Avalanche said. I wanted to ask the same question. It felt too easy.
    "Sure," Quake said, wrapping chains around Avalanche's mouth. After a few moments and a few stolen chains, everyone was tied up and Quake had control of us.
    "Let's go," Quake said, pulling on the chains. We moved through the jail. The faces of prisoners confused as Quake pulled all four of us through the tunnels. She lifted up the door, the lock resetting as she came face to face with two other guards.
    "Quake, we've been looking everywhere for you, you can't just le-" A guard said, suddenly noticing the dragons she had in tow. "What are you doing with them?" She asked.
    "The boss told me they were awaiting pick up outside," Quake said.
    "Low class guards aren't allowed to do that," The other guard said, looking at the first.
    "Especially with previous relations with them, and tendencies to-" The first said.
    "Go take it up with the boss then," Quake said. I looked at Avalanche, hearing her begin to hiss. The air around her face had gotten so cold. It was getting me worried.
    "Why don't you let us help with that then? In case something goes wrong, it would be better to have three against four than-" The second guard began.
    "It's fine," Quake said, getting irritated.
    "You didn't let me finish," He said.
    "Just let me do this before they get any ideas," Quake said. "I'll stay on the main roads," She said, brushing past them. I snuck a look back at them, to see them sneering at Quake. Something told me Quake wasn't exactly appreciated. We weaved through the tunnels, quickly making it to the labyrinth with nothing but a few perplexed looks and angry glares.
    "Excuse us," Quake said to the entrance keeper, her helmet shrouding her face in the fire light.
    "I wasn't told to excuse departures for FireScale and whatever that is," The guard said, sitting between us and the lever. I made note that this was a new dragon, his armor lined with expensive decor like gold and ruby.
    "I'm not sure what to tell you, I was told to take them outside," Quake said, ignoring his comment about Starshine.
    "Do you have a note or anything from yo-" The guard was suddenly silenced, ice lined his helmet as a shot of frostbite shot straight through the grates in his helmet, straight onto his face. He stood shaking only for a moment. His hands, trembling as they reached up to his face, numbly ran down the helmet as he touched the frozen metal. I wasn't sure if it had hit his eyes or his mouth or both, but he was paralyzed by it. A shiver ran down my back as I stared at Avalanche, who didn't seem to notice what she had done.
    "Let's go," Quake said, shoving him to the ground to hit the switch. The door jerked open, and we stepped out into the night. Flicker and Typhoon stood in the clearing, perhaps we were a little later than I expected.
    "Who are you?" Quake growled, jerking the chain suddenly as she stepped toward Flicker.
    "She's my sister," I said, the chains wrapping tightly around my snout.
    "What is she doing here?" Quake asked stepping in a circle. "Is he your brother as well?" Quake hissed, gesturing to Kindling with a twitch.
    "He's m-y friend," I stuttered, looking away from her black angry eyes. She huffed, throwing the chains down with a hiss. Her tail dragged against the ground heavily, causing grooves to appear under her tail as it rattled against the smaller rocks.
    "Do we have to take your fri-" Quake began, looking over her shoulder at me to be suddenly cut off by a hug from Typhoon.
    "Hellooooooo," She said, a smile playing across her face.
    "Hi-" Quake said, looking down at her.
    "Kindling is weak," She said, cutting her off. Her smile only grew bigger as Kindling took offense. "Not strong like you," She said.
    "Oh," Quake said, no longer so irritated. Everyone else was paying attention to Typhoon, as she began poorly retelling the story. Entrancing everyone with her hilariously bad descriptions. No one noticed Avalanche, struggling with the chains around her neck as she felt overwhelmed with the noises and new faces. No one noticed how she twisted and writhed as the chains around her neck moved like serpents, tightening around her throat as they sunk in for the kill. A black haze clouded her thoughts as she struggled with the chains. The chains clinked like bells as she scratched at scales and metal all to get them off.
    "Avalanche?" Someone called, but who? She couldn't see anyone but the same face she saw since she entered that seared room. Flesh singed and scales peeling away as it looked at her with pained yellow eyes. Claws and bones pierced through its melting skin in crooked ways. Finally forcing her eyes open, she screamed in horror as above the few dragons monsters descended. A dark blue FrostScale with brittle antlers caught her eye. He sneered at Avalanche as he and his accomplice dropped down beside her, jabbing something painful into her arm while the black hydra held her back. Avalanche knew the smokey figure wasn't real as it stood menacingly beside them, but she couldn't help but think it was his hot talons digging into her scales as fatigue suddenly washed over her. Just now as she reunited with her friends, old enemies came back to drag her back to the hellhole she had escaped, and she was certain now, there would be no more running.
    "Are you scared yet?" It asked, a pleasure ridden grin cracking it's face in two as a growl seeped from the back of its throat.