The Hidden City

Chapter 5

I remained silent as gasps ran throughout the room. Somewhere in the background I hear applause and cheers, but I am not paying any attention to it. I lock eyes with the dragon, and slowly, slowly I walk forward, in awe. The crowd immediately quiets as I reach out my hand cautiously. My palm gently connects with it's nose, and a shiver runs through both our spines. The dragon pushes it's nose fully into my hand, and the crowd, already riled, erupts into cheers. Cups full of ale pound against the tables, hands banging onto laps. Just by touching her nose I know the dragon is a female. I lift my hand up, and she stretches her neck as we point to the sky, our skin still linked.

" Niruth! " I shout, as Niruth tosses her head back and roars, spewing out flames.

The people; the commoners, the royals, everybody rises and claps, repeating her name, forming a mantra. We move in sync and I raise my other arm, silencing them. " Fire dragon of the first and oldest house of the realms, representing the houses of the four!

This pushes them overboard, and the excitement in the room is overbearing. I look at Niruth, her golden eyes peering back at me. We lower our arms and she nudges my shoulder. That was quite the arrival. I don't even have time to blink before her strong but young tail lifts me up onto her back. I feel calm, not worrying about what she is going to do, trusting her completely. Her long, wide wings fan out across the floor, slowly, pushing people out of the way. She straightens out her long neck, and I can feel her wings begin to flap, small lifts at first, but gradually growing, until suddenly she pushes off the ground, leaping into the air and flying out of the roofless ballroom. Shouts are heard but we ignore them, flying higher and higher, until we are level with the clouds, and the moon dares us to go past her luminous body.

I smile, as a feeling spreads throughout my body. I have never felt this way before. I feel.. content. As if I am whole, as if a part of me was missing and has returned to me. I laugh at the feeling of air pushing past my face, and suddenly her voice is heard in my head. Enjoying the view? "How is that possible?" I shout back wondering if I can do it too. You can do it. It's as easy as talking. How did she know what I am thinking? Then she laughs, a great rumbling vibration that travels around her body. We are linked, Seraphine. I know everything about you, and you, me. "But I know nothing about you! I know you're name, it popped into my head when I thought about it." That's how it happens. All you have to do is think about it and it will come.

I stop talking, thinking about where she came from. Flashes of memories flood into my mind; I see a sandy beach, and gray blue sky. I hear Niruth cry, and I watch a great dragon fly away, it's gray wings slicing through the air as it flies farther and farther away. The memory is snapped back after that, like I was holding a rubber band too tight and the tension made it snap. That's all I have, sorry. I was just a baby. I'm still a baby. A very pretty baby, might I add. I roll my eyes and run my hands along the scales that cover her body, looking at the different shades of red, orange, and yellow. I feel so tired. I feel exhaustion wash down on me like waves crashing against a shore. The last thing I see before falling asleep is the clouds and Niruth's head bobbing slightly against the breeze.

A/N please please please don't forget to vote, comment, and favorite. It means a lot to me when you do that and it motivates me to write more. The photo at the beginning is what I had in mind except for the girl... umm yeah please don't forget to vote and all that other good stuff... thanks for reading:)