A Pet for the Dragons

77.

ARIKA

I almost freaked out when Zorge wouldn't move or breathe for nearly half an hour. When Ivret informed Radrox of the incident, they rushed to the westernmost tower to aid Zorge, and I flowed after them.

However, we were too late. By the time we got there, almost half of the westernmost tower had collapsed. Zorge was lying on the ground floor, completely passed out and cold. There was no sight of Callath, but a strange dragon circled over the collapsed tower before flying away.

Radrox and Ivret went after it immediately while I stayed with Zorge, trying to wake him up, but he wouldn't move or breathe. He was just... gone. That's what I thought until Ivret returned and dragged Zroge to his study to fix him.

I followed him like a shadow, concerned about Zorge. I tried to find his pulse, but there was none. I almost considered him dead, and the thought of him dead made my chest tighten with grief, guilt, longing, and so many other overwhelming emotions.

He couldn't be dead, I kept repeating in my head, but when he wouldn't move for more than half an hour, I was on the verge of sobbing.

However, I felt relieved when Ivret returned and started working on Zorge.

"He's alright," He assured me, annoyed as he dragged Zorge to his study. Then, I watched Ivret revive Zorge.

"Is he dead?" I dared to ask him while he worked on him.

"He might be," Ivret answered to my horror, but he added before I could go into a hysteria. "But it wouldn't last,"

His answer confused me, so after he got to work preparing something called a binding spell, he explained to me that dragons couldn't die in this realm. And even if they did, their souls wouldn't leave them. They float around their body until it's bound back to them, and then they are alive again.

I found it strange yet fascinating while I watched Ivret make the spell before casting it on Zorge. The latter gasped for breath almost immediately as if he'd broken the water's surface after being underwater for a long time. Seeing Zorge breathe again gave me huge relief.

However, Zorge didn't wake up immediately. Instead, he remained asleep, breathing normally. Ivret returned to work as if nothing had happened, leaving me beside Zorge, shocked and shaken.

I couldn't help but run my fingers through Zorge's hair to ensure myself that he was still there. More than comforting him, it comforted me to know that he was alive and would wake up soon. However, I still found it hard to wrap my head around the concept of death for the dragons. So many questions bubbled in my head regarding that, but I decided to ask them later. I had too much to process already.

Zorge stirred in his sleep when I continued to run my fingers through his hair. He moved closer to me unconsciously, which greatly relieved me.

"You scared me," I muttered, rubbing my fingers over his jaw and face because I couldn't stop touching him. In response, he stirred more and then settled in his deep sleep.

"How did he scare you?" Ivret asked. I'd almost forgotten that he was in the room because I focused too much on Zorge. Meanwhile, Ivret busied himself by stirring a strange pot over the fire.

"I thought he died," I told Ivret. He watched me with narrowed eyes as I ran my fingers through Zorge's hair.

"He's alright. He'll wake up soon to annoy me again. You don't have to worry about him anymore," Ivret said in a somewhat snappish manner. I couldn't help but notice that he sounded annoyed.

"Okay," I muttered, still speechless by everything. "What was this all about?" I had to ask because it had been constantly bugging me. "Why was that dragon here, and how did he know my name?"

Ivret tensed at my question, and for a moment, he avoided it as he pretended to find something on one of the shelves. However, he caved in when he noticed I was still expecting his answer.

"We've been summoned to the Cardinal House," Ivret finally answered, and from the tone of his voice, I knew that it wasn't a good thing.

"Oh," I breathed.

"Including you," He said, almost knowing my breath off.

"Me? What has it got to do with me?" I asked, stunned.

"That's what we cannot figure out yet, and it's driving us crazy," Ivret said, pacing around his study. "This has never happened before. There's no reason for the Empress to summon us."

"Could it be because you all crossed the sea looking for me?" I suggested. It could very well be the case. They had violated the treaty, and maybe the summoning had to do something about that. Not that knowing this brought me relief. Breaking the treaty was strictly punishable, and I had no idea what punishments awaited me at the Cardinal House.

"No... it's not that. As far as we're speculating, it's not the sole reason. The Empress had kept an eye on us before you arrived. It's... unfinished business," Ivret muttered.

"What kind of business?" I asked, intrigued but also scared for my life. I could've never imagined that I'd be ever summoned by a Dragon Empress.

"You'll know soon," Ivret said bitterly.

"Can't we all just run away and hide? We don't have to report to the Cardinal House," I suggested, and Ivret spun to face me with lightning speed. His eyes were wide with disbelief. He couldn't believe that I'd suggest something like that.

"That's a terrible idea. No matter what happens, we'd have to report to the Cardinal House, or the Empress would send her Cardinal Guards to hunt us down." The terror on Ivret's face was enough for me to put all the pieces together and realise the kind of shit we were into.

"So... wh-what are you all planning to do?" I asked.

"We're leaving for the Cardinal House tomorrow," Ivret said. "With you,"

~

Read the next 50+ chapters on Patreon. The link is in my bio.

Thanks for reading <3