Through Smoke and Ashes

Twenty Eight||Misunderstood

I could feel Naxan's rage bleeding through the bond like wildfire, untamed, relentless, and all-consuming. It wrapped around him from wing to maw, coiling through every sinew and scale of his massive form, choking out everything else. The connection between us, usually steady like a heartbeat, was fractured now, distorted by the sheer force of his fury. 

His scream was raw, guttural, and heart-wrenching. It split the sky like thunder, echoing through the air and vibrating in my bones. I could see it through his eyes for the briefest moment; his head thrown back, jaws wide, fire flickering at the corners of his mouth. His pain, his fury, his helplessness, they were all tangled together in that one, primal roar.

I tried reaching for him after pulling on the clothes Kayne had given me, searching through the bond for something familiar beneath the rush of emotion. At first, all I could feel was the heat of his anger and the sharp edge of his fear, but this time, when I called his name, something shifted.

His response wasn't words. It was a sudden awareness, a brief flicker of recognition that cut through everything else. His thoughts were still strained, his emotions anything but calm, but he had heard me.

I let out a shaky breath, closing my eyes as I focused on the bond between us. His fury was still there, burning hot beneath everything else, along with the fear that had been feeding it since he realized what had happened to me. I could feel how badly he wanted to find me, how frustrating it was for him to know I was somewhere nearby without being able to see me for himself. "I'm okay."

The response came almost immediately, carrying a mixture of relief and irritation. "I cannot see you."

I swallowed, glancing toward Kayne as he stood nearby. "I'm going to find him," I said quietly.

Kayne nodded and followed as I turned toward the stairs. 

The staircase seemed far longer than I remembered, the steps stretching downward in a seemingly endless descent. I kept one hand against the wall as I went, using it only when I needed the extra stability, determined to make it down as fast as possible without falling down the rest of the way.

The further we descended, the more the sounds of the fortress began to reach us. At first, it was little more than a distant murmur, voices blending together somewhere below. With every flight of stairs, they grew louder, until the quiet of the stairwell was gradually replaced by the unmistakable noise of a crowd.

As we reached the final steps, the low murmur swelled into a chaotic din. A cluster of students had gathered under the main entrance, accompanied by several instructors, their voices bouncing sharply off the stone walls and overlapping into a restless blur. 

The moment they noticed us, the conversation faltered.

Tomi was the first to turn in my direction, pushing past the others to give me a questioning look.

"She was attacked. Something possessed Wex. He's still up there if you want to go interrogate him on my behalf. But I'll be there later," Kayne said with promise.

Tomi nodded, grabbing Fin and the two of them took to the stairs.

Kayne cut a path through the throng with quiet urgency, shielding me from the press of bodies as best they could. I followed in his wake, pulse still rattling in my throat. Every step I took seemed to draw eyes, and not the kind I wanted, suspicious, judging, some even hostile. Whispers followed us like shadows. I caught a few words: "dangerous," "that dragon," "that thing."

We pushed through to the front of the crowd, where Headmaster Colin stood with Hames at his side. The latter's expression was already set in a permanent scowl. The moment he saw me, it deepened.