Inception (Ateez Ot8 x Reader)

Chapter 12

I turned back to face the trees just as a flash of light caught my eye from somewhere in the treetops. Before I could say anything, a body slammed into mine knocking the wind out of me. Within the same instant, a high-pitched whistling broke the stillness followed by an echoing thwack from the arrow that pierced the tree right behind where I had been standing. Suddenly, everything was in motion. People burst from the trees with battle cries as a few of the dragons drew their swords.

I struggled to get breath back in my lungs as the body that had shoved me out of the way lifted off me with a grunt. My eyes met the emotionless emerald pools of Seonghwa briefly before he was up and hauling me with him. I gasped finally getting some air back and realizing just how close that arrow came to impaling me instead. Seonghwa pushed me towards the others just as San had emerged from the opposite side of the camp with my mother. I ran over to her hoping she was okay, wrapping my trembling arms around her as Hongjoong started barking orders.

"San! Take Y/N and her mother to the horses! I'll be right behind you!"

San grasped my arm tightly and urgently led us to the tied horses. I watched in terror as Mingi, Wooyoung, Yunho, and Yeosang fought off the small group of men that had emerged from the woods. Seonghwa had retrieved his bow, the weapon the Kingdom of Vosta was renowned for, firing into the treetops. Jongho let out a bellowing roar seconds before morphing into his dragon counterpart. As terrifying as the situation was, his dragon form was riveting in its beauty. He was a deep bronze, his scales shimmering in the early morning rays that complemented them nicely. As much as I wanted to continue ogling him, the danger was taking precedence in my mind. Hongjoong mounted his horse quickly whipping around to face me with a hand held out.

"Take her first!" I shouted over the sounds of fighting, lightly pushing my mom to him for her to ride on the first horse out.

Hongjoong lifted her easily, settling her against his chest as he spurred his horse on out of the meadow quickly. Another shrieking whistle pierced the air seconds before I felt the wind of the arrow rush past my face. Missing me by mere millimeters as it lodged itself into the ground at my feet. I jumped back in surprise catching my foot on a tree root causing me to lose my balance. I hit the ground hard forcing a grunt between my lips as I looked up to see where it had come from. I didn't have the same senses the dragons did though. The hunters in the trees remained invisible to my human eyes. Not being to see the danger only scared me more. My skin prickled with goosebumps as fear licked down my spine.

I scanned the meadow for San who had gone to retrieve his own horse, but Yunho was closer, caught in a scuffle with one of the hunters. The metal of their blades screeched as they slid against one another before Yunho pushed back with enough force to make the man stumble and fall. As he approached to deliver the final blow, the hunter picked up a fistful of dirt throwing it at Yunho's face. Yunho growled covering his eyes, giving the man a window of opportunity. The hunter stood and charged towards Yunho who was still half blinded. Before I could fully comprehend what I was doing, I scrambled to my feet armed with a nearby branch. At the same moment, Yunho spun, barely dodging the attack of the hunter, I swung with as much force as I could muster. My branch cracked over the hunter's skull, his head whipping back with the unexpected impact. He hit the ground, unconscious letting his own sword land in the grass.

I dropped my weapon looking to Yunho to see him already staring at me. One eyebrow lifted as a smirk quirked up one corner of his mouth before his eyes hardened again and he was off to help his comrades.

"Y/N!" San hollered as he rode to my side.

I took his proffered hand letting him swing me on his horse without much of a pause in gait as we booked it out of the clearing in the same direction Hongjoong had made off. I gripped the saddle horn tightly as we galloped through the foliage. San tried his best to keep me from getting swiped by low hanging branches, but I still got whipped on occasion. The fast pace had me bouncing on the saddle not so gently and with every thrust back into the leather seat I grimaced. I could already feel the soreness.

I wasn't sure how long we rode. At some point we had caught up with Hongjoong and my mother. Seeing the two of them unharmed relaxed some of the tension I was carrying, but I was still worried about the others we had left behind. We rode until we came upon a riverbank where both Hongjoong and San stopped, looking over the water. It rushed by us quickly, gurgling in its intense flow as it wound its way through the rocky waterbed.

"I'll go first. Stay close and go slow." Hongjoong warned before slowly approaching the rushing riverbed.

He trailed through it carefully making it about halfway across before San started to follow. I held on tighter as I could almost feel the vibrations of the current swirling beneath us as we shadowed them. Once safely across, I slumped over in relief letting go of the saddle horn to flex my fingers allowing circulation back through them. San chuckled behind me patting the outside of my knee.

"No worries princess. I wouldn't have let anything happen to you."

"Welcome to Kriton." Hongjoong murmured before spurring his horse forward again, this time at a much slow pace.

"We made it out of Tregeron?"

Hongjoong nodded. "Yes, but we're still a day and a half ride from my kingdom. We need to gain as much ground as we can. The closer we get to my city the safer we'll all be."

I opened my mouth to reply, but all that came out was a hiss as my palm began burning. Hongjoong turned to check on me as San stopped to grasp my shoulders in worry.

"Someone's wounded." He frowned, wrapping his fingers around my wrist to show my palm for his scrutiny.

"We can't do anything about it now." Hongjoong sighed.

"Have you been able to link to any of them?"

The new term piqued my curiosity despite my burning extremity. I looked up in time just to see Hongjoong shake his head.

"You know we can't in separate territories."

"I know, but even before we crossed the border. Were you able to hear any of them."

Hongjoong hesitated, brow furrowing in thought.

"Link? What does that mean?" I asked.

"It means we are able to communicate with one another through the dragon's link. We can hear each other's thoughts and project images through it to allow us all to stay connected with other dragons telepathically." San answered, not taking his eyes off Hongjoong. "Well?"

Hongjoong shook his head again.

"No. I couldn't. I assume they used a barrier. It wouldn't be that hard to believe since they were hunters."

San sighed running his fingers through his bright pink locks.

"Great."

"They know we're going to Kriton. We just need to keep going and they'll find us. Once they're away from the hunters and cross the border we'll be able to hear them again."

I looked back the way we had come feeling a strange sense of anxiety in my chest. The burning in my hand had ceased, but I rubbed it almost subconsciously as I thought about the other six. My mind filled with worry even if I didn't understand why I was so concerned over the well-being of eight men I had only just met yesterday. For a moment, I wondered if it had to do with being bonded to three of them. But....if that was the reason, then why did I carry the same concern for the rest of them?