A Match of Monsters

Chapter Fifteen

Elain screamed as she saw the eggshell shatter, its shape becoming distorted by the pressure Manasseh's forepaw drove into it. Very suddenly the oblong sphere resonated with a the distinct sound of a sharp crack vibrating through the air, and the eggshell had finished splintering even before the echo ceased its ringing throughout the room.

Elain whipped her head down to see her Ladyship's reaction – for surely it was worse for her? And in every dimming scale of the great beast that had not yet been obscured from her sight by the growing heap of valuables, the human girl could see every shred of her own pain and anger reflected a hundred-fold.

She could feel her heart splintering.

She watched with eyes opened wide and welling with tears that she refused to release as she witnessed the tragedy before her, that no matter how desperately she desired to, she could not stop. It was only when the beautiful, jewel-toned orb lay scattered in pierces around Manasseh, did he use his sharp claws to dig through the soft silver scales of the young kit resting at his feet as it struggled to breathe in the aftermath of its forced hatch. The small body flinched and tightened its foetal position as the jagged tips dug themselves deeper into its flesh and picked it up.

The male raised the babe far above the cavern floor until it hung directly in front of his eyes where his head was held as tall as he could stretch it, and his eyes could peer into the ones that the kit had not yet opened.

Manasseh brought the kit up high and close enough that he could smell it if he so desired. His nostrils fluttered only inches from the silver scales as he took in the aromas that still clung to them from where they had been submerged in what was now the spilt yoke not even an hour ago. The scent of absolute youth and innocence, before it had even begun to tarnish from living in and experiencing all the outside world had to offer.

His scaled lips pulled themselves back up into the corners of his jaw as they formed a heartless smirk that bared his terrifying sharp teeth and matched perfectly with the malice that danced within his eyes.

The smile widened until it had become a deep grin, but remained just as cold as it had been before. Something sparked in his eyes, far too quickly for Elain to identify, and something deep within him changed. She could not tell what had ignited the transformation and whether or not the adjustment inside of the dragon had been caused by good or ill will. But for the very first time since she had seen Manasseh, she was able to see a glimmer of guilt within him, the small flame of it in his eyes repeatedly growing and dying as it flickered everchanging and held him paralysed from all movement. Not even his eyes moved as he stared unblinkingly at the argent future that his frozen claws were slowly crushing.

It was not until the guilt had been completely snuffed out by the more familiar emotions of fear and anger, and the pain she had not even noticed in his eyes was once more supressed enough that Manasseh was able to move once more.

Elain watched in open mouthed horror as the kit fell from his opened claws, accelerating towards the broken stone ground below with ribbons of pale red blood streaming out behind it, looking obscenely like a puppet's strings. The faded pink only emphasized how weak the kit was, and how it was nothing like the thick, dark, rich colour that came falling from the slowly healing wounds of the elder dragons. Instead there was not resistance as the thin liquid came flowing out like a reverse waterfall. And Elain only clutched her own kit harder when she realised how fragile he truly was and how easy it would be for him to bleed out.

It felt like Elain had been watching for a small eternity when the young hatchling finally reached the floor and collided head first. When it came into contact with the stone carvings, the force behind its decent creaked yet more of the elaborate tiles, marring their delicate beauty even as the human heard the distinct sound of its own bones breaking.