Young Dragonblood

Chapter Twelve

You fought against your captor all the way to an island, yelling with as much ferocity as you could muster at the phantom and the Hunter to let you go. Neither took the slightest notice. The cold wind whipped at your hair and snatched your breath from you so that, no matter how much you wanted to yell, you had not the breath to do so.

    It was only for a few minutes you flew, through dense, dirty cloud and above those in the clean air. The Phantom's grip on you tightened every time there was a blast of cold wind, and by the time a dull, rocky island came into view you felt sure it had punctured a hole in your wings. Those claws were exceptionally sharp.

    Without a word you were taken down to the island. It was full of caves and tunnels that looked much like a Whispering Death's home. The perfect place to hide and build a lair fit for any hunter. Hardly any trees clung to the rock faces and the grass, though more numerous in its colonisation, was short and looked as if it had had the worst part of life thrown at it wholeheartedly. You almost felt sorry for it, having to live in a place such as this.

    The Silver Phantom set you down on a flat rock, or rather, dumped you in the least rubble piled place. You stumbled forwards and rubbed your wings, finding that those cursed claws had indeed cut you. Hopefully it hadn't done anything more permanent than a scar.

    Said cursed claws touched the stone with a scrape that any annoyed teacher would have been proud of, the draft from the downbeat of it large wings now causing you to stumble backwards. You growled under your breath when the Hunter leapt down and strode towards you, heavy sounding boots thumping on the ground. With a stretch of your aching black wings, you stood up as tall as was possible and faced her. 

    ‘How did you–’ you began, intending to ask how she had realised she had been being followed, but she cut you off with a dismissive wave.

    ‘How do you think?’ Rykaina said. ‘I'm a Hunter. I know when I'm being hunted.’

    Time for a direct question, you thought. If she was anything like the few hunters you had met over the years, there was no point in asking clever questions and expecting a straight and ignorant answer. ‘Why have you brought me here?’ You asked, keeping an eye on the nervous looking Phantom. The sooner you were away from here, the better. ‘Why do you even want me?’

    ‘I want to save you,’ came the strange reply.

    You blinked at her. What? ‘From what?’ You asked, glancing around. Was this a trap? It certainly could be one, what with all the places archers and ambushers could hide.

    ‘Ohh, not from people,’ the Hunter said, her gaze level. ‘From yourself.’

    What did she mean by that? You wondered.

    ‘Ah, Young Dragonblood,’ Rykaina said, seeing the confusion clearly written on your face. ‘You have so much to learn. I didn't mean any external force. No army, no real world enemy, no villain to be taken down. I want to save you from your dragon side.’

    You almost laughed at that. Almost, but the serious look on her weatherworn face halted you. ‘I don't need saving from my dragon side. Why would I?’

    ‘Yes, you do need saving,’ Rykaina insisted. ‘I should know.’

    ‘What are you talking about?’ 

    She looked at you, really looked at you. Her eyes seemed to be trying their utmost to bore right into your very core. ‘My dragon side took over. It's not a part of you, youngling, it's a thing that you are cursed with. My dragon side grew so strong and tried to take the lead, to take over my soul completely. It was always so angry, boiling just beneath the surface and exploding in a rage of fire when I Shifted. I could never understand why it was like that, and I still don't now. How I hated it with all my heart. Every full moon I had to change to that beast, to that monster. I hid away in a cave far into the forest so no one could find me and so I could hurt no one in those hours of torture. Every morning I awoke to find fresh scorch marks on the walls and a little ways into the surroundings, and I always searched with dread for a body. Never was one, before one full moon night.

    ‘Someone followed me. They must have followed, because no one had a reason to venture so deep into a dangerous woods. He was only young, curious. Just a child discovering the world around him. He just so happened to pick the wrong night and the wrong person to follow. As soon as my dragon side spotted movement in the bushes, it shot. The plants burned away to ashes, but the small figure remained there, blackened and burned. His last scream echoing in my ears. I swore to myself that night that I would never be such a creature again, and I Shifted to human right then and there. It hurt, oh my did it hurt, and still does. Not Shifting to dragon form on a full moon is one of the most painful things I have ever experienced, but it's worth it not to be such a beast again. That thing is not me. And nor is it you.’

    You gazed at her and tried to say something, but words died in your mind before they could get anywhere near you tongue. That must have been awful! You could understand now why she did not like her dragon side, the part of her that had killed a boy. Or half understood, anyway. By what she had said it had sounded like that side of her had wanted to be free... But then, what did you know of Dragonbloods from your limited time knowing you were one?

    Enough, you thought, to know that denying your dragon side was wrong. It was like denying that you had hands or feet or ears when you clearly did. You had always felt different from others, our of place, but when you had first Shifted it had felt right. Could she not feel that? Did she not long for the freedom that dragons brought?

    ‘I see you don't believe me,’ Rykaina stated flatly.

    ‘I do,’ you replied quickly, then cringed at how quick you had answered, realising that it had sounded so very fake. ‘I do believe you. But you shouldn't deny your true self, even if it has done something wrong. Your dragon side is your human side magnified, and it can bring out the best and the worst in all of us Dragonbloods. You're saying it isn't you, but it is you, and always will be.’ You took a breath and held it, waiting for a response. When none came from the expressionless Hunter you frowned a little. It was going to be tricky to get through to her. ‘Look at what you have done. You captured Gothi, injured me, held this poor Phantom here with fear. Look at the similarities between you and your dragon side.’

    Rykaina glared at you, yet there was a look on her face that suggested shame. It was only there for a fleeting moment, but you were sure you had seen it. ‘I don't believe that slime,’ she said.

    ‘Jeger,’ you sighed. ‘Change, and change for the better.’ You turned and leapt into the air, black wings at full stretch and beating as quick as your racing heart. To your surprise Rykaina didn't try to stop you.

    But she did call after you, her voice almost smug. ‘I'm not changing, daughter/son.’

    Your wings faltered mid flap. What?! Surely not. Someone such as her could never be a mother... Could she? With this revelation whirling in your mind, you flew higher, heading in the general direction back the way you came.