Dragon's Khu'meir

Chapter TwentyFive

I love you! I called as loud as I could in my mind, Nakiirn disappearing from my view. We turned the corner and I was pulled along by the arm as Taiesei led us away from the throne room. I hadn't felt that kind of pain in a long time and it was the most unwelcome thing ever. Of course there were so many things going on in my head, but the most prominent was 'why'. Why had Taisei betrayed us? He seemed like the most loyal out of the dragons I had seen, so why would he do something like this?

Taisei didn't stop as he dragged me along behind him. The halls were eerily empty. My heart clenched as he pulled hard on my arm. A low growl had filled his throat. At the back of my conscious I could just barely feel Nakiirn, our distance was the reason. His voice was soft, like an echo to me. Eoin... He sounded distressed, even from that. I didn't like it.

Taisei's growling continued as he shoved open the doors to the palace and stepped out into the yard. Hope filled me as two dragons turned at his sudden outburst. One looked at him strangely, stepped forward and raised his hand to stop Taisei. My hope was quickly burned out as Taisei gave a powerful shout in draconic. Following that, his blade cut deep across the dragon's throat, sending him to the ground. The second dragon drew his blade, but he wasn't fast enough. Taisei shouted again, the power behind it giving me a headache and a dull pounding through my body. His blade was coated in blood again as he shoved it deep through the dragon's lightly armored chest. Not once, but twice. My stomach twisted with the sound it made, going through flesh. The sharp cries of agony from the dragon didn't help.

Taisei continued on. I looked ahead briefly. His destination was the gates that were currently sealed. Though I wished we wouldn't make it and Taisei would be stopped before we got to the gates, I knew I probably wouldn't be so lucky.

My mind went crazy with worry, not just for my safety, but also that of Nakiirn and our children. The thought of maybe never seeing them again almost made me cry. And what Taisei had said about the plan to overthrow the palace. Though Nakiirn was a dragon and I knew he would be able to protect our children, I still worried for them all. Dakoya, Natirien and Orion. I worried for all of them more than about myself.

"Taisei, what are you trying to prove?" I tried to ask him as he yanked on my clothes. It only took me until then to realise I should probably find out what he wants and see if I can get that back to Nakiirn. Although I wasn't sure how far our connection would stretch.

"Prove?" Taisei snarled. We reached the gate then and he whirled on me. With my clothing tightly gripped between both his armored hands, he shook me harshly. I gripped his wrists, but the tremble in my limbs didn't give me any strength. "You think this is all to prove something?" Taisei growled in my face. The pure rage in his eyes was hard to look at directly.

He dropped me to the ground. It was a harsh landing. Leaning down near me, he gathered up what looked like old rope in his hands. The musty smell of it filled my nose as he wrapped it around me tightly. While he worked, he spoke. "Dragon's killed. Our side losing because we refuse what is naturally ours. I have watched far too many of my own blood die in the senseless fighting. And just when we need him, our beloved prince finds himself far too preoccupied with a human.

"No. Not just that. A Khu'meir. There's nothing wrong with you. No, but you're the distraction he didn't need. Perhaps I would have remained a while longer. But all of those 'ifs' are gone now. There is a better way. There has to be a better way. This path of ours has been a destructive one since it began!"

Taisei finished tying me up on the ground, tightly. The rope burned almost instantly if I moved. But that wasn't the problem. The issue was of Taisei before me. He sounded... crazed. His eyes were almost wild also. There was fear there, as well as a wild desperation. And... sorrow. All the anger was doing was covering it in his voice. Even so, he was still dangerous, and he was still very powerful. That some who didn't stop me from letting my emotions get to me, with all rational thoughts gone.