The Phoenix King #1 Bed of Ashes

Chapter 18: The Breath of Life

 Rom could hear the thumping of her own heartbeat as she watched the incredible, yet terrifying transformation of the king happen right before her very eyes. Her breath caught as the king's form shifted and contorted, his human body giving way to that of a long serpentine, golden dragon. She had never seen anything like it in her life, and her mind struggled to comprehend the sheer magnitude of the moment.

Her eyes went wide in astonishment as the dragon towered over them all, its body coiling in strange curls that undulated just overhead. Rom had grown up hearing stories of dragons, but she had never considered what it'd be like for her to come face to face with a creature from her bedtime stories. Now, here she was, literally face to face with a real dragon, its radiant scales shifting from gold down its arms and legs to a metallic grey.

She felt both afraid and excited at the same time, a thrilling sensation she had never experienced before. As she watched the dragon extend its snout towards the egg, Rom could feel the heat coming off the creature. The air buzzed with burning with energy, and Rom's hair began to frizz and stand on end.

When the dragon's golden breath washed over the egg, Rom had to raise her arm to shield her eyes from the blinding light. she could barely see what was unfolding before her eye, though she could faintly make out the egg surrounded by a haze of heat. every fiber of her being screamed warning of danger at her, but she was so mesmerized she couldn't even pull her eyes away.

As the endless stream of golden flames cut off, Rom was left to pick her jaw up off the floor. The egg's shell now glowed with a bright red intensity that was both beautiful and intimidating. Rom's heart still thrummed in her chest, and she found herself waiting with bated breath for what would come next.

That's when the king started talking to Űnin about some magic ritual thing, and not that Rom wasn't interested, it's just that once the action died down, it was much harder for her to focus. Űnin seemed excited though, and she supposed that was all that really mattered, he was the one in charge here, well on this mission at least. This was that king's house.

Her eyes wandered away from the dragon king, Rom glanced around the chamber, taking in the beauty of the place. The room sure was pretty, with the fancy drawings on the walls, the golden accents, and the magical glow cast by them pretty lamps hanging from the roof—all of it was beyond anything she had ever seen in her tiny little village. When she looked back at him, she couldn't help but feel a bit of jealousy at the king, even though her mind couldn't quite focus on his words.

Speaking of the king, what was his name again? Auric? No, that didn't sound right. It was frustrating, but she couldn't seem to remember his name. It didn't matter much anyway; what mattered was that he could help them with the phoenix egg. Űnin had called him the golden king, and that seemed fitting enough.

As the king's voice continued to drift in and out of her ears, Rom made a silent promise to herself. She might struggle to grasp all the magical stuff, but she wouldn't let that stop her from helping the others with their mission. They were a team now, and together, they would raise the phoenix and save the kingdom, probably.

Rom shook herself out of her thoughts and she pumped her fist with newfound confidence. turning to focus in on Űnin and the king's conversation, she honed in on the moment, eager to grasp every detail. However, as she tuned back in, she realized that they had stopped talking entirely. Űnin was now sitting near the still glowing egg, and the king, in his dragon body, resembled an enormous snake, curled up on the floor.

Rom's eyes darted to Vaelon and Rhea, who were seated on an expensive-looking couch. Vaelon's face wore a pensive expression, as if he were lost in deep thought, probably thinking about something important, as he often did. Meanwhile, Rhea was engrossed in her magic book, lost in a sea of spells and words. Rom let out a sigh and threw her arms down with a pout. She had missed all the important stuff again.