Imperial

Chapter 62

Horrified, I watched as Kronx plummeted through the air. There was no way I'd let him die - like he would if kept falling like that. Not even caring that he was so much bigger than me, I raced towards him.

As I grew closer, I was aware of Rutilus darting towards me. His molten gold eyes were a whirlwind of emotions. Mostly fury - but also pain. Grief. And determination. Not willing to let Kronx succumb to the same fate that his mother had.

And neither was I.

Catching up to the massive dark blue drake, I grasped his flank, my wings flaring. Attempting to slow down the fall. But even with Rutilus beside me, we barely seemed to be slowing Kronx down.

Even with our help, he was simply too big. There was no way he'd be able to survive the fall.

Desperately, I scanned the sky. Above us, I could make out the silhouettes of Raegon and Argon fighting each other.

"Raegon!" I cried out, begging him to help us. The black dragon jerked, whipping his head towards us before realising what I wanted him to do. Reluctantly, he gave the Dragon King a cold glare, before diving down towards us.

Relief surged through me as his talons clutched Kronx, too. Even with his help, we were still plummeting down, but... not as fast as we'd been without. And we still seemed to be slowing down.

Nonetheless, the ground was rapidly approaching.

Stretching my wings out further, I watched as the trees abruptly gave way to our combined weight, as Kronx collided with the ground.

Anxious, I stepped to the side, watching his form carefully. Waiting for it to rise and fall as he breathed. He had to be alive. There was no way he couldn't be! He had to be alive! Increasingly anxious, my talons dug into the ground even as -

His silver eyes blinked open. Grunting, he breathed harshly, turning to face the sky.

My heart skipped a beat. Relief and joy surged through me. He was alive! 

"Argon," the dark blue dragon rasped, his voice barely audible. A warning.

Twisting my head around, I spotted the gold and brown imperial diving towards us, his green eyes dark with an emotion that I could not decipher. Hatred? Annoyance? Fury?

Nonetheless, he shot forwards, his gaze quickly locking on Kronx. Alarmed, I flared my wings, wishing I was bigger - even if only to hold off the Dragon King whilst the dark blue drake recovered.

But I couldn't. I could barely fight an imperial - not to mention the Dragon King.

Much to my relief, Raegon surged forwards, colliding with the gold and bronze drake. Snarls echoed through the air as both dragons fought each other. But even the legendary black drake could not hold Argon back - as close a fight as it might be, the Dragon King would most likely win.

"Argentum, Rutilus," the dark blue drake hissed our names as he slowly climbed to his feet. His flank was lined in blood, and he snarled with each movement. Nonetheless, his silver eyes still shone with dire determination - purely focused on the task ahead. "This is not your fight... Go back to the others."

How could it not be our fight? The Dragon King was mostly likely here because of Rutilus and I - we were both imperials. And even if not, he'd have been hunting us until we were either in his wing, or dead.

And, with Kronx injured, how did he expect us to turn our back on him and leave him to fight the Dragon King?

"Go," the dark blue drake snarled, this time stronger. Bunching his muscles, he gave us one last long look, before bounding towards Argon.

I forced myself not to follow him. Whatever his reasons were, he did not want to fight. As much as I wanted to help him, I couldn't bring myself to break his order. Disobey him again. Not now, when every decision made was vital.

"One more major wound, and I will be joining the fight," Rutilus declared, his own gold eyes glittering with reluctance as he watched the dark blue drake join in the battle. "I am not losing him, too."

That wasn't half a bad idea. Better than watching on the sidelines, utterly helpless as we watched the fight unfold. Despite knowing that we did not stand so much as a chance against Argon, it was somehow reassuring to think that we'd go back out and help Kronx should need be.

One of the three drakes screamed. It was impossible to tell who it belong to, as they continued battling. Nonetheless, the battle around us ceased, as each dragon stopped attacking each other and turned their attention towards the three drakes.

Each of them knew that they were the dragons that were now the centre of the fight. That this battle would discern the outcome.

Barely able to move, I watched as the dragons fought. Yet try as I may, it was almost impossible to see what exactly was happening. Even with my superior eyesight, each motion was a blur - often followed by grunts or screams.

Nonetheless, I could not tear my eyes away.

Another ear-piercing scream sliced through the air. As I watched, the gold and bronze drake shook the other two dragons off him, shooting into the sky. His flank was lined with scratches and dried blood, and even his movements were more desperate and frenzied.

With a low grumble, Raegon shot into the air behind him, quickly catching up. Even Kronx followed, lumbering and limping after them.

My breath caught as the black drake's jaws locked on the Dragon King's tail, before using his talons to help fling the gold imperial towards the ground. Argon shrieked in fury, snapping at Raegon furiously before raking his talons down Kronx's flank.

I heard a sharp intake of air as the dark blue drake stiffened, undoubtedly pained. But his stormy silver eyes still shone with determination as he forced himself to remain standing, lashing and snapping at the gold and bronze drake as Raegon -

Blinking, I watched with utter disbelief as the black drake swooped down from above, crashing into the Dragon King. Without waiting a second, he pinned the gold imperial, his talons almost drawing blood.

Argon thrashed desperately. Being much bigger and stronger than the black drake, I knew it would only be a matter of time before he wriggled free.

But suddenly, Kronx loomed above him - his silver eyes glittering with a whirlwind of emotions. Fury. Satisfaction. Revenge. Resting his talons against the gold and bronze drake he glared down at the Dragon King.

The imperial seemed to shrink away. His green gaze washed over each dragon in the area, as though searching for someone, before landing on me.

I froze.

"I tried," the Dragon King hissed, still holding my gaze. But this time, his green eyes were filled with anguish and pain. "I failed."

Confused, I stared at him. What did he mean? Was he referring to the fact that he'd been unable to capture Rutilus or I, or that he'd lost the fight - or something else, completely? Before I could ask, Kronx bit down on the base of his head.

Stunned, I watched as the light faded from the the Dragon King's eyes.

*~*

1231 words

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