The Dragon's Scale [COMPLETE]

23.1 || Survival

"FOLLOW HIM," CALE barked. He didn't bother with the stairs. He ran toward the roof edge and leapt.

Mara followed. Josh only allowed a moment of uncertainty about the drop before sprinting after her.

The building had to be three stories, but still he leapt. He braced himself for the impact as the ground rushed up at him. A shudder ran through his body when he landed, and his legs felt funny, as if someone had just hit a nerve, but otherwise, he was fine.

Mara fell into a graceful roll when she hit the ground yards ahead of him. She came out of it running.

With a quick glance at Aharon's glowing figure, Josh dashed onward as well.

"Josh," Cale called back. "Full speed. Nothing stupid until we catch up, but keep your eyes on him."

Josh jolted—he had thought no one realized he held back while running—and then the command clicked in his head. He nodded and sprinted forward with everything he had.

He overtook Mara and Cale within a few seconds. Gaze trained on Aharon, he weaved through buildings and leapt over broken and overturned objects in his path. The wind rushed past him. Every house was a mere blur, there and gone in a matter of a of couple seconds.

Despite the situation, a large grin spread across his face.

Aharon couldn't be moving too fast, but his lead made it impossible for Josh to catch up. His breath caught as the boy passed the city's edge and floated in front of the temple. Josh still had a handful of houses to clear before he reached the end, giving Aharon plenty of time to do something weird.

Instead of fusing with the temple or randomly teleporting inside, the light-engulfed boy started to descend.

Josh breathed easily again and sprinted the remainder of the way.

Aharon's feet touched the ground at the same time Josh burst from the city's exit. The energy around Aharon shrunk as light particles drifted off him. Once all the light faded, so did the glow in his eyes. He swayed for a moment before crumpling to his knees.

"Aharon!" Josh called as he jogged the remaining distance between him and Aharon. "You okay?" he asked, crouching down at the boy's side.

A groan answered him. Aharon grabbed his head and pressed it into the sand. "The pressure won't go away. I feel like my skull is going to explode."

Josh wanted to deck whatever was causing Aharon so much pain. Maybe Aharon had some secret hanging around him and sometimes seemed more adult than child, but at that moment, he was just a kid in pain that Josh couldn't stop.

He's not Eli, Boomer said.

Josh clenched his jaw and raised his eyes to the temple. I know. But it didn't change the way his brother's image kept flickering through his mind.

The dragon statues on the far ends stared straight ahead, but the ones near the entrance curled their necks to peer down at those who dared approach the temple. It felt like they watched expectantly, waiting for whatever would happen next.

Josh glanced from them to the entrance. A stone door blocked the way. It depicted two serpentine dragons interweaving across the crack down its center. One climbed upward toward an empty circle while the other one descended toward a darkened circle.

"I didn't think you were that fast."

Cale exited the city first. Mara came out close behind him. A faint pink colored both their cheeks, and their chests rose a little higher than normal.

Josh hadn't either, so he just shrugged. "Something's still going on with Aharon."

Cale analyzed the boy, and although Mara wore an expression of worry, she had her bow half raised.