Apex [Imperial: Book 2]

Chapter 21

Heart in my throat, I reluctantly approached the city - still following Verask and Lord Carlos's lead. Warily, I watched as they swooped down towards the city, maneuvering around the towers easy before landing in a large, stone courtyard beside the castle.

Tail twitching nervously, I landed behind them, all too aware of the massive buildings that loomed above me. I'd known that they were big, but now that I was among them... they were almost menacing. Even the silver that had been used to decorate the stone walls seemed harsh and cold.

Resisting the urge to shudder, I shuffled my wings uneasily. From the corner of my eye, I spotted Lord Carlos glance at me, his lips quirked in a slight smile.

But my attention quickly shifted towards a group of guards marching towards us. Like the walls, their polished armor was accentuated with silver - as though they were trying to blend into the city.

My gaze wandered towards the all-to-familiar figure trailing behind them. Gowned in an expensive gold dress, there was no denying whom she was. Especially with the crown sitting atop her dark brown curls.

Suddenly rigid, I stared at her in shock. What was she doing here? How was she here? Last time I'd seen her, she'd been in the midst of a different human city. Under completely different circumstances.

Even as I watched, she faltered, her green eyes widening as she saw me. Her jaw dropped slightly, before her brow furrowed in a scowl.

"Of all the dragons you could have captured," the Queen Azist hissed, "you had to catch her."

Gideon flinched, his grip tightening on my chains.

But the lord barely seemed fazed. Straightening his shoulders, he met the queen's gaze boldly. "You did say that you wanted all imperial dragons caught," he shrugged, his gaze darting towards me. "She would have been captured sooner or later. What difference does it make now?"

The queen regarded him oddly, her dark brows still furrowed. "We will talk later," she stated, her voice void of any emotion. "As for you, Argentum... Welcome to the City of Dragons. It's quite amazing, isn't it? The harmony between everyone here - you didn't think it possible, did you?"

Resisting the urge to snarl, I glared at her. Refusing to acknowledge that she was right; I would never have dreamed that so many dragons didn't mind living in such a city. But at the same time, if they were given a proper choice, I was sure that most of them would move elsewhere.

Queen Azist sighed, pursing her lips slightly. "Ah. You still don't believe it. Well, if it helps, you can explore it all yourself! No place is off limits, really. Except for beyond the walls, but that's understandable, don't you think?"

Explore the city? I'd rather be among my own wing, flying through the skies. But maybe... if I could just learn more about Azarin, maybe I'd have a better chance at escaping. Knowledge that would surely benefit other dragons if they were ever captured themselves - if only I could get out.

Before I could respond, chains clanked against my scales, followed by a ticklish sensation as Gideon carefully slid down against my flank.

The queen did not so much as glance at him. Her green gaze remained fixed on me. "You must be tired, yes? Hmm. Verask, Keda - can you take Argentum to the Royal Caverns? Take the copper one with you, it's probably best that they stay together for now."

Both dragons turned toward Reida and I, neither so much as uttering a word. But I couldn't help but notice the way Verask's eyes had narrowed - indicating her seething fury at having been bosses around.

"For now," Reida repeated the queen's words darkly, her voice barely even a murmur. Her head was lowered towards the ground, her tail coiling behind her in an uneasy manner.

There was no denying the fact that the queen wanted us separated. I could only be glad that she let us remain together - even if temporarily. Someone I knew; could trust, within a completely foreign city.

"Come on," Keda encouraged, leaping into the air enthusiastically.

Almost immediately, Reida followed suit.

I hesitated, watching her cautiously. How could she be willing to go with them so willingly? Neither of us knew what the Royal Caverns were. The queen had hinted that it was somewhere to sleep, but from previous experiences, such a place could surely not be nice. Dark and dingy, cramped stone walls... A shudder ran down my spine.

But... maybe it would not be quite so bad. If this was the so called City of Dragons - and none of the dragons seemed to want to leave, then maybe it was better.

Not to mention that I'd also be leaving Lord Carlos and the Queen behind.

Without wasting another second, I launched into the air, even if only to escape both humans' scrutinising stare.

Keda dipped her head in approval. Faint curiosity flickered within her bright green eyes, before she wheeled away, leading the way to the Royal Caverns.

A flash of yellow caught my attention as Verask suddenly darted in front of me, positioning herself to glide beside the maroon dragoness. Neither seemed concerned by the fact that Reida and I could easily move elsewhere if we wanted to.

"Over there," Keda murmured, dipping her head towards the biggest mountain that overshadowed the city. "There's an opening at the bottom. See it?"

"Yes," I dipped my head, as I had seen it. A hole so big was impossible to miss; it was so big that Kronx could have walked through it easily.

"That's the main entrance," Keda explained, slowing down to allow Verask to lead the rest of the way there. "They say that the dragons who lived here when Azarin was made carved the caverns themselves."

I barely listened to her, still staring at the opening instead. Trying to catch a glimpse of what waited inside.

Within minutes, we soared through the entrance, and the stone walls reminded me of Kronx's former cave.  That was where all similarities ended.

Even as I approached through the tunnel, I could see the cavern spread out in front of me. It was massive - far bigger than anything I would have dared imagine. The distant cave walls were dotted with hundreds of smaller caves, and yet even they would have fit several dragons inside of them.

The warm glow of fire flickered through the cave, causing the gemstones embedded in the stone to glitter. But most astonishing, was the mounds of gold coins and jewellery that covered the ground. It might as well have been a sea of gold; there was so much of it.

Upon noticing my shock, the maroon dragoness murmured, "where better for a city to store it's gold?"

*~*

1240 words

It's been ages since I've updated, I'm sorry! Back to a heavy workload; especially with all the exams less than two weeks away.

And again, this chapter has been hard to write. That should change for the next chapter though - which I'll try to get out at some point next week.

Thank you! :)