Treasures of Andalia Chronicles: Ring of Flames

Chapter Twenty Seven: Let's do the Trial of Fire with Style

AMARIS

I was in awe.

Holding my breath as I looked around. I was expecting the dragon's lair to be a desolate moor but this—this was beyond my wildest imagination.

My eyes gaped wide as Galathys soared in the sky, one with the wind.

A flock of blue-violet feathered birds passed by. But they weren't ordinary birds. The edges of their wings and crest blazed with blue fire. I studied their appearance right before they flew off, disappearing from our line of sight.

Peering down, I scanned my eyes to a whole new dimension. The forest was full of vibrant colors. Orange, pink, yellow, and red dominated the entire woods. A huge waterfall greeted us with its gleaming lights, plunging into a pool of huge golden fishes gliding across the waters.

The clouds in Levos weren't exactly white. It was like a caramel, coated in honey. A sweet yellow with texture of cotton.

The sun blazed hotter than usual, making me produce so much sweat. I wiped the sweat dripping down from my forehead. I was gasping for air. My vision went into a blur. I shook my head softly to clear the lightheadedness.

Galathys swerved down, making his way towards the coast of the stream. The animals fled when he hovered above, preparing to land. The trees bent and swayed against the storm of wind created by his sturdy wings. A moment later, he has touched down. He then lowered his neck as we disembarked to the ground.

"You should drink the water from the falls to get rid of the nauseousness," he suggested.

He folded his wings on his back, sat down behind the arching trees, motioning for us to drink from the stream.

Huffing. Waiting.

"He wants us to drink the water," I relayed the message.

No one wanted to do the first move. We were in a different dimension, out of the bounds of our imagination and control. Who knows what the water contained.

After a few hesitations, pushing each other to the edge of the land. Trisna made the first move. "I've never been here but I'll try to bet on my father since he lives here." She knelt on the ground and drank from the river. Then Val followed her soon after. I sat near a boulder, cupping my hands, and plunged it into the water, and drank what has retained in my palm.

I felt a sudden heat surging my veins. My body felt heavy, dragging me to the ground. Choking as I struggled to stay afloat. All three of us who drank from the stream ended up almost choking to death and burned by a mysterious heat. But after a few seconds, the pain disappeared along with the dizzy spells.

"That's the side effect of drinking or eating something from this place. It's necessary so you won't have to face death the second time," Rihaan said. His sarcastic voice was infuriating me.

I turned, giving him one of my lethal glares.

"What the hell is your problem?" I yelled. Stomping my way towards him, and grabbed his collar. "You know, for a second there, I thought you were a decent human being but it turns out you're nothing but a heartless, and self-centered man who takes advantage of people. You're no different from Caius, or better yet, you might be worse than him already."

He looked at me, stunned. Then, he sneered. "What about you? You think you're so great since you're of royal blood. You can't even use magic. You were right to hide the truth from me before we performed the oath of blood because if it weren't for the bond, I'd have left a useless pawn like you dying in the gutter."

His voice rang in my ears. The word 'pawn' was painful to hear. But I'm not the one to talk. I've been deceiving everyone for my own gain since day one.