Winter's Rebellion

Chapter 15: Price of Power

Elara's POV:

After the council meeting, I retired to my chambers, escorted by the maidservants assigned to me. Sir Tristian, ever diligent, took his leave to join his knights, stationed in the castle courtyard to stand watch through the night.

As I lay in the unfamiliar bed, memories of my chamber in Dracoria filled my mind, bringing an ache to my chest. The soft silks and gentle glow of the hearth there had always been a source of comfort. Here, the walls felt cold, and the silence pressed in on me. I tossed and turned, sleep evading me until exhaustion eventually took over for only a short period.

The dream returned—running through the forest, the dragon's fiery breath hot on my heels. Its roar echoed in my ears, and just as its claws reached for me, I awoke startled by noises outside my bedchamber.

A loud thud outside my door shattered the lingering haze of sleep. My heart pounded as groans of pain followed, just beyond the threshold. I sat up, straining to listen, and the faint scrape of a blade against stone sent a chill down my spine.

Throwing the covers aside, I slipped silently from the bed and crept toward the window where my sword rested. Each step felt like an eternity, the cold floor biting against my bare feet. The thuds grew louder, more insistent.

Just as my fingers brushed the hilt of my blade, the doors burst open with a deafening crash. Five masked figures, clad in black, flooded into the room, their swords gleaming in the dim light.

I unsheathed my blade in one swift motion, my hands trembling but steady enough to raise it between us. Their weapons pointed at me in unison, their silence more unnerving than any war cry.

"Please, do not do this," I said, my voice quivering despite my effort to remain calm.

My breaths came quick and shallow, my chest heaving as heat began to build within me. The warmth of my dragonfire stirred, a warning I couldn't ignore. The intruders advanced a step, and I instinctively retreated.

"I am warning you," I said, my voice firm now, tinged with desperation. "Stay back. You will not make it out of here alive. Please, leave while you can."

They exchanged a glance, a silent agreement passing between them, before they lunged.

The dam inside me broke.

A surge of energy exploded within, and a fiery red and icy blue aura enveloped me, crackling like a storm unleashed. My movements turned swift and unyielding, my body no longer entirely my own.

"I told you to stop," I growled, my voice layered with the dragon within me.

Still, they pressed forward, their blades slicing the air in my direction. Any thought of keeping my secret vanished in that moment. I raised my sword, the aura extending along its length, and swung with all the force coursing through me. A blazing arc of fire shot from the blade, engulfing them in searing flames.

Their screams filled the chamber as they staggered back, writhing in agony. But I didn't stop. The dragon's power drove me forward, relentless and unmerciful.

I lunged, my blade meeting theirs in a clash of steel, the sheer force of my strikes breaking through their defenses. They stumbled, their footing faltering under the relentless onslaught of my power. The room blurred into chaos—a maelstrom of heat, fire, and ash—as the dragon's fury surged through me.

One by one, they fell before me, their cries muffled by the crackling inferno surrounding us. My blade moved with a mind of its own. Each strike was final, and as the last of them collapsed, the blood on my sword hissed and sizzled, scorched by the flames still flickering from my aura.