The Second Dragon

Subzero Webtoon Part 5

I was being carried.  My head rested against a warm chest and I could faintly hear the quick heartbeat of who ever was carrying me.  The rocking of their steps kept me in between the sleeping world and the living.  Drifting in and out of consciousness.  They pushed open a door and I was laid down on something soft and the bed dipped before I shifted and bumped something hard and froze for a moment before the bed dipped again and the object moved off the fabric.  I flinched as something brushed my face and then it moved to brush the hair out of my face and I slowly opened my eyes to see a pair of fiery ones staring back.  Messy black hair hung in his face and I felt his fingertips brush the strand of hair out of my eyes and I flinched at the brush of skin on my neck.  Kyro honestly looked at peace right now.  Both of us were laying on our sides a few inches apart and I watched as his finger brushed through my hair.  His eyes traced along the strands of my hair and then met my eyes that were regarding him with interest.

"Where am I?"  I asked softly and Kyro's fingers froze before brushing down to stroke my cheek bone.

"My room.  It was one of the few rooms that survived the fire."  I sighed and sat up and examined the room.  Riches were furnished but it seemed simple.  Everything had a purpose or was there for show to impress someone.  But ash was visible and small scorch marks were visible on the walls.  Fire scars.

"I should be going."  I said and a hand wrapped around my wrist and I froze before meeting his eyes.

"Stay."

"You know I can't.  I have work to do.  I'll talk to you later."  I said and my voice cracked at the end of my sentence before I pulled my hand away and then froze when I heard a sound outside the door.  Kyro moved silently to my side and his narrowed eyes met my own.  The floor creaked again and I felt my eyes glowing and the scale pattern formed around my eyes and face.  Kyro's eyes glowed vivid red and the orange and red scale pattern formed around his eyes and I nodded at him before bolting towards the door and grabbing the person and throwing them out to the main courtyard.  The figure rolled on the hard dirt and I bared my teeth at him.  His scent filling my nose and Kyro ran out to the entrance and stopped on the main steps.  I took off my cape and weapons as I walked towards the man and squared my shoulders before he lunged at me.  I backhanded him across the face and he collapsed to the ground panting.

"You will never be the dragon you claim to be."  He snarled at me and I stretched my arms out to the sky, palms up, and a glow surrounded me as I grew and morphed.  Scales patterned down my face and arms and my clothes tore and stretched before ripping to shreds and I morphed into my dragon.  I shook out my scales and glared down on the trembling man and my claws extended and clicked on the ground as I formed a circle around the man and my tail's end of soft fur flicked back and forth tauntingly.  I snarled at him and he kneeled on the ground and bowed while pressing his forehead into the earth.  Kyro was staring and I made eye contact with the man who began trembling so hard he fell over and scrambled backward til he hit my tail and I snarled at him.  He was begging for mercy at this point and I raised my claw to end him before a voice rang out.

"Saphira.  Please spare this man.  I would like my chance at him."  Kyro said calmly and I froze in my movement before snarling at the man and he fainted from fear.  A group of soldiers ran forward but I wrapped my tail around the man and lifted him up into the air and gently set his limp body on the step in front of Kyro.  Clove ran forward and I nodded at her while she clung onto one of my talons and watched the group of soldiers run towards Clove.   I wrapped my tail in a circle around Clove and watched as the soldiers formed a circle around me.  Many soldiers lined the roof and I turned my head in a circle and saw the flaming arrows at the ends of the bows and the many glittering swords and daggers.  I narrowed my eyes and bared my fangs and coiled my body around Clove's trembling human form and she held onto my neck.

"I didn't do anything Saphira!  I swear I didn't I just went into the library and grabbed a scroll and they started attacking.  Please Saphira... please... let's go home!"  Kyro advanced after a commander had whispered something to him and I hissed at him in warning and he stopped before advancing again and I narrowed my lidded eyes at him.  He bowed to me and I hissed again but unraveled my coils around Clove and let Kyro move closer before I snarled again and hovered my head above Clove as protection.

"Give the scroll back!"  Kyro snarled and I noticed the faint markings of scales flickering around his eyes.

"No."  I nudged her shoulder and she turned to face me.

"It's the history of the battle how Mother died."  Clove begged me and I froze before turning back to Kyro.  He looked at me guiltily and I growled in warning as he took a step closer to Clove and I wrapped my tail around her waist and lifted her onto my back and she clung onto the fur of my mane in fear and trembling.

"Please.  Saphira listen.  I shouldn't have kept this from you.  But we needed a way to document the first killing of a Cerulean Dragon.  The beasts can only be killed by brute force and another dragon.  This is the only thing we have of the dragon."  I arched my head up like a cobra and Kyro snarled at me as I bared my teeth at him.  I nudged his chest and he stroked my scaled nose before unraveling my coils like a serpent and walked around before crouching and launching myself up into the air and hovered for a moment before flicking my tail and the air seemed to vibrate before I landed on the rooftop and coiled myself up like a ball of scales.  Clove laid in the center of my ball and I kept my nose right by her head as she read the report out loud to me and I read over her shoulder.  My eyes flickering rapidly over the papyrus before I exhaled out my nose in a sigh and Clove patted my nose before falling asleep.  I too went to sleep and kept my body locked in the ball like position and was woken up by the trembling of the ground and I raised my head up before spotting water rushing down and snow breaking from the mountain near by.  Water flowed around the palace and articles were washed away before I saw the flood coming near by.  I had two choices.  Risk my own and Clove's life for the safety of the palace, or let the flood destroy the entire lineage of the Crimson Line.  Damn my foolish self.  I picked up Clove with my tail and set her down on the palace walls and shifted to human form.  My body wasn't used to the sudden movements but I didn't have time to adjust.