TREASURE ✔

18

Please comment and interact

Without another word, the King stepped back and transformed into a dragon, bigger than any Taehyung had ever seen before, the last of his kind. He was three times as tall as Taehyung in dragon form, and equally as wide, each talon on his claws exuded lethal danger. His black hide, mottled with gray streaks, gleamed dangerously under the sun, and his bright scarlet eyes were even more prominent. With a stretch of his wings, he lifted himself off the ground, casting an ominous shadow over the courtyard.

Without another look, Aoki transformed similarly. He was noticeably smaller than his sire and his hide was a jet-black color, without a single spot of relief in the pure darkness. He waited just long enough for his men to scramble onto his back and grip his neck, before he, too, lifted into the air. Together, the two dragons flew northwards towards the mountains, leaving behind a stunned and silent courtyard.

Yoongi was first to speak. "That Aoki," he said, his voice filled with awe, "he's really powerful." Taehyung glared at him and Yoongi shrugged.

"Namjoon told me he was an ally," he said, unconcerned, "He didn't say much but he really enjoyed Eun-Ae's food and the wine we gave him."

Taehyung blinked, comprehension dawning, and without a word, he turned and ran through the castle doors, towards the kitchens. "Oy!" Yoongi shouted after him, then started to follow. Jungkook was hot on Taehyung's heels, confused but unquestioning. Taehyung was glad that he had that kind of blind faith in him. He hoped it would help later when he told Jungkook that he would have to leave.

Taehyung burst through the kitchen doors at a full sprint, just as Eun-Ae had pried open the top of the first of the King's caskets. The wine inside was a deep red color, almost black, its smooth, heavy fragrance immediately saturated the air, velvety and intoxicating. Taehyung could tell that it was indeed a well-aged wine. The King hadn't lied about that part, at least.

"Stop!" he ordered and Eun-Ae froze, the casket in her hands, tilted towards a decanter she had set on the kitchen table, about to ready the wine for drinking. Slowly, her eyes darting between the three who had ran in, she set the cask back on the ground.

"Taehyung, what's wrong?" Jungkook asked urgently. Taehyung didn't reply and instead motioned Jungkook forward to the cask as he bent to smell it. Even with his dragon's nose, it took intense concentration to sift through the heavy layers of aromas wafting from the wine. But there! He found it: the thinnest, smallest hint of bitterness. He didn't know what it was but deep in his gut, he knew this was what Aoki had been trying to warn him of.

Jungkook leaned over the cask as well. Though he didn't possess Taehyung's sense of smell, Taehyung knew that his knowledge of plants and medicines made him more than capable of discerning even the smallest inclusion of them. It took several careful sniffs and deep inhalations before Jungkook reared back in surprise.

"What did he put in the wine?" Taehyung asked. A part of him didn't want to know.

"Deadly nightshade," Jungkook said, the shock and certainty evident on his face, "Drinking this wine means certain death. Even my powers might not be enough to save someone."

With coldness spreading through his chest, his mind stark with clarity and sureness about his path forward, Taehyung ordered the wine disposed of and left for his study. On the off chance that Taehyung would agree to hand Jungkook over to the King, he and his clan still would have been poisoned and left for dead. Taehyung swallowed against his dry throat. The sheer cruelty, even expected, didn't fail to astound him.

Jungkook followed him out the door, the kitchen staff eerily silent behind them. In his chest, alongside his certainty in his plan, panic was building. It clawed at the back of his throat, at the base of his skull, settled heavily on his shoulders like chains. He knew the King would make his move but he didn't know how much time he had, or rather, how little. Only when Jungkook was safely away from the castle, would he feel any semblance of calm.

At least, he hoped so.

Chapter 15,16,17 & 18 in one day.... IM ON FIRE BABYYYYYYY!!