Imperial

Chapter 14

Mountains loomed high around us. Huge, rocky mountains, showered with snow. Even the air was chilly; it had been chilly the whole afternoon and now it was getting colder as the sun sunk lower and lower. I couldn't help but long for warmth, for fire. Already, that strange burning sensation had returned within my throat, and it was hard not to long for cold water to soothe it. Telling myself that if I didn't drink, I'd be able to warm myself up in a few weeks. But the burn...

"Almost there," the dark blue dragon promised, slowing down slightly. Throughout the journey, he had slowly slowed down, ensuring that we kept up with him. Nonetheless, we still flew much faster than we ever had with the humans. "You have a choice."

"What is it?" Rutilus asked hopefully, his molten eyes brightening.

"My home lies on the other side of this mountain range. We can hunt now, or we can get there now. Its warm," smoke coiled from Kronx's nostrils, taunting me, reminding me once more why I should not drink water.

"I..." I wanted warmth. How nice it would be, to escape this chilly air! But I could not simply ignore my empty stomach. Food, I needed food. But I also needed to know what Kronx's home looked like, where it was. And, it was so cold!

"It will be warmed during the day. So if you can wait until the sun rises for food," the dark blue drake informed us, seeming to know what I was thinking. "It will be a much more pleasant temperature."

Glancing towards the red dragon, I knew what I wanted. "Your home, then. We can eat later. Not like we haven't gone without food," I shrugged, before meeting Rutilus's gaze firmly. Very quickly, I added,"If, of course, that is fine by you."

The red drake nodded rapidly, before turning towards Kronx. His molten eyes shining with curiosity. Not once did he glance regretfully towards the ground hoping for prey, but just held the giant dragon's gaze with amazement and excitement. 

As though he was expecting that answer, the dark blue dragon twisted around with a mighty beat of his wings. Expertly, he sailed high above the clouds, maneuvering around the peaks of the giant, rocky mountains. Without hesitation, he tucked his huge wings to his flank, before diving down.

Eyes wide, I followed after him, suddenly aware that compared to him, my movements were more... slack. Sloppy, almost, despite my efforts. With a sigh, I veered after the dark blue drake. From a ledge on one of the towering mountains, he watched us with shining silver eyes. Even as I neared him, he spread his wings and glided towards the base of the mountain- right next to the gaping entrance of a large cave.

Pulling my wings towards my flank, I dived down towards the giant blue dragon and the gaping whole beside him. Somehow, the entrance to the cave was bigger than Kronx, and he was... he was huge! My head did not even reach the first joint on his forelegs, even when stretched to its highest.

"Is this..." Rutilus spoke in disbelief, molten gold eyes stretched wide. His voice trailed off, before he tried again. "Its HUGE! Bigger than you. How?"

"If you think that's huge, wait until we are inside," the giant, dark blue dragon chuckled in amusement, gesturing with his tail for us to follow him. Exchanging a glance with Rutilus, I followed after him, only bothering to land once the darkness of the cavern surrounded me completely.

I hastily examined what the darkness did not conceal. Rock walls loomed around us, reminding me of the Dragon Stable. But as continued on, there were a few glimmers of silver and blue gemstones glowing faintly like stars in the night sky.

"This is not even the best part," Kronx snorted ahead of us, upon noticing my awe. Silver eyes turned towards Rutilus and myself, slowly blinking. "The main cavern is up ahead, to the left. Trust me when I say that it is much more... glamorous than this tunnel."