Prince of Dragons

Chapter Fifty-Eight

We needed to get him out, and we needed to get him out now.

Rain began pouring on us as soon as we came to terms with what we were seeing—almost as if it had been brought forth out of nowhere. "Alaban, we need to get him out!" I pleaded, praying that he could do what Davian had once done to me, and pull Narvi up with magic. Surely if someone as young as Davian can do it, someone who was born with magic should be able to do the same?

Lightning flashed in the distance, illuminating Alaban's face as he went deep in thought, no doubt mentally sifting through his knowledge to see what he was able to do. He then dropped to his knees and grabbed the dirt, closing his eyes before he began muttering something under his breath. Amber light poured from his fingers and pierced into the ground, and at first, nothing seemed to happen. Then, after a moment, the ground began shaking and what looked like a root emerged from the bottom of the hole, slowly rising and curling gently around Narvi. It continued to grow as Alaban's breaths grew heavy, and thus it began lifting Narvi as well, pulling him from the spike he was impaled on.

As the jagged edges were pulled from the meat of his leg, he began to scream, and my heart broke upon hearing the agony in his voice. I couldn't even imagine what pain he was in; how torturous it must have felt. It made me loathe the individual that did this to him. There was no doubt in my mind that whoever was trying to kill me, tried to get Narvi out of the way. This was hidden by magic, and while Narvi was incredibly perceptive...magic was a tricky thing. And whoever the bastard was that did this, knew that and used it to their advantage.

I pulled from my frantic thoughts when Narvi was finally within grabbing distance, and as soon as I could reach him I pulled him from the root and cradled him against me. He was bloodied badly—his thigh practically shredded—and though he was only semi-conscious, he shivered viciously. "He needs help," I pulled Narvi closer to me and stood up—careful to not hurt the man in my arms, "who can help him? He's bleeding out, Alaban, he needs someone with medicine, w-who is closest?"

"We need to get him to Heltha, now. Follow me, I-I think she lives close."

I didn't hesitate to follow him, and our feet pounded against the ground as we rushed, desperate to save Narvi before he bled out. When a house appeared in the shadows, we wasted no time barreling inside, alerting the occupants within of our desperate arrival.

A man and woman rushed from their rooms, magic flaring from their fingertips before the woman's eyes filled with recognition. "Alaban? What..." her eyes then fell on Narvi, and she immediately switched into healer mode as she rushed over to help me place him onto a nearby table.

"What happened?" Heltha—as I was now sure was her identity—began inspecting Narvi's torn up leg, the woman seemingly unphased by the gory sight. She flicked her wrist and a small bottle appeared in her hand.

"T-There was a hole," I stammered, unable to fully gather my thoughts, "h-he fell into it? O-Or was pushed, I'm unsure..."

I jumped when Narvi jolted and cried out, my attention immediately grabbed when Heltha instructed her husband to hold him down; "for his safety". I tensed and jumped in instead, grabbing Narvi's shoulders and gently pinning them down against the table. Tears streamed from his eyes, the pain evident on his face. It terrified me to see him like this. I didn't like to see him in so much pain and I couldn't help but wonder if this is how he had felt when my life had been on the line. But I felt determined to find out who did this to him, and I vowed to take their life. This individual seemed to enjoy causing pain and did not belong to this world.

The sun began to crest over the horizon, hours after the ordeal. Narvi had finally passed out some time ago, his leg wrapped in bandages and pain remedies. I, however...I couldn't sleep. Not after all of that, and now that the alcohol wore off, I felt...drained. But I-I couldn't sleep. I had no doubt that I had dark, noticeable bags under my eyes, and as I stood by Heltha's front window and peered out at the approaching day, a pair of arms wrapped around my waist as Alaban hugged me from behind.

"You need sleep, Drakell," he spoke, his voice low as to not wake anyone up.

I remained staring out of the window, lazily trailing the shifting colors of the sky. "I-I'm not tired."

"Drakell, I can see the bags under your eyes." He sighed and turned me to face him, those amber eyes filled with worry. "Please, at least get a few hours? I will be by your side, keeping an eye out, if that eases your mind."

I kissed the palm of his hand, already set within my decision. "I'm...I'm really not tired, Alaban, not right now, at least." I then kissed the corner of his lips, feeling the urge to reassure him. "I'll keep your offer in mind when I do finally crash...I still have a lot of adrenaline in me right now. I don't want to be caught off guard."

Alaban's gaze saddened, but he respected my decision with a brief nod and a kiss against my lips. He then pulled away, his gaze on me. "Would you like to check up on Narvi with me? I admit, I saw him right after I woke up, and his coloring is a lot less scary."

I nodded my head, hope blossoming in my chest at the news. I felt as if a weight had been taken off my chest, and it made me immediately feel so much better knowing that he was going to be ok. And even though the remnants of the alcohol had finally left my body, I still remembered everything from last night. Including the kiss Narvi and I had shared, and the passion behind the kiss.

I glanced up from my feet towards Alaban's back as we walked to the room Narvi was occupying, and my heart grew tight in my chest. Alaban and I...we needed to talk. We all needed to talk, because I-I...I did love Narvi. But I-I loved Alaban too and already with the mess we were put through recently...my mind was an absolute mess. I was a bit overwhelmed, and I honestly...I didn't know what to do.

I inhaled shakily and walked into the room after Alaban opened the door, my gaze resting on a still-sleeping Narvi. Alaban had been right, he did look so much better and as my heart once again grew tight at the sight of him, I made my way over and placed my hand over one of his—my thumb cresting over his fingers.

He wasn't shivering now, which was another good sign that had my heart filling with hope. His breaths were no longer shallow and quick, and he even seemed to be comfortable where he slept—the blankets pulled tightly against him. His leg was exposed, the one that had been torn by that jagged stake that had impaled him, with thick heavy bandages wrapped tightly around the injury. I felt Alaban shift closer and could see a part of his face when he leaned forward to peek at the sleeping moon dragon.

"See? He's already looking much better. He's ok, Drakell."

I sighed and glanced at the sun dragon by my side, taking note of those amber eyes of his and the emotions swirling within. I understood his worry. I mean, were I in his position, I would be beyond terrified for my lover.

I began to feel a bit guilty, my stomach coiling into knots, and sighed before glancing once more towards Narvi—silently watching the strong rising and falling of his chest. He was ok. And he was safe here, in Heltha's home.

I then tore my gaze from Narvi and looked to Alaban—his gaze never having left me—and my guilt worsened as I pinpointed that worry on his face. "I think I want to take a-a nap. I...I will only be a nuisance if I force myself to stay up, s-so, I need sleep. I can protect myself better when I'm rested." I looked around the room we were in, then shifted back towards Alaban.

And that man knew me, and seemingly could read me like a book, because he nodded. "I'll see if she has an extra blanket." He left the room, and I looked down at Narvi, my guilt intensifying as I stared at his sleeping face.

My heart then lurched in my chest when his eyes slowly blinked open, his gaze immediately falling on me. My first initial thought was to apologize, but before my mouth could even open, Narvi slowly shook his head and patted the bed behind him, his gaze remaining pinned to me. "No apologizing."

I pursed my lips, my cheeks now burning red, before I cleared my throat and carefully climbed onto the bed. I made sure there was room between us, as I didn't want to harm Narvi's leg, however the moon dragon had a different thing in mind as he shifted closer to me—the man snuggling up against my chest.

"Narvi—"

Narvi placed a finger against my lip and gave me a look. "Go to sleep." He took his finger back, snuggled closer...and I admit, now that the adrenaline was starting to wear off, it only took me what felt like an instant to fall into a deep sleep.