The Dragon Queen Selection Chapter 166

LIRA

One eye.

Massive and red. A giant red eye. 

The eye blinked.

And I realized, with a rush of terror that stole the breath from my lungs, that I was looking at a dragon.

A massive dragon.

Its scales were black, blacker than night, blacker than coal, blacker than anything I had ever seen. Its body was covered in scars, long white lines that crisscrossed its hide like maps of battles fought and won. One eye was whole. The other was a ruin, a mass of scar tissue, sealed shut. 

It's beautiful, I thought. In a terrible, broken way.

'Lira'. Luna's voice was soft. 'It's speaking to me.'

What is it saying?

It's asking, it's asking where I came from. Who bore me. What I am doing here.

Tell it the truth.

Luna hesitated.

Then:

'I am the spawn of Veyraxis.'

The dragon went still.

It's one good eye fixed on Luna, then on me, then on Luna again.

'You', a voice rumbled in my mind. Deep and tired. 'You are bonded to the hatchling?' 

I nodded.

'Impossible.'

"It is possible," I said aloud. "I'm standing here, aren't I? And I can hear you." 

The dragon's eye narrowed.

'You speak to me. Through the bond. You hear my thoughts.' 

"Yes. Through Luna, I can hear whatever you tell her." 

'That should not be possible. You are human. Humans do not hear unbounded dragons unless the bond is, unless the bond is...' 

"Unless the bond is what?"

The dragon didn't answer.

It studied me.

For a long time.

Then:

'You mentioned a name. Veyraxis.' 

"Yes."

'That dragon has not been seen for centuries. She is old. Just as old as Taheer. She was alive during the First Pact and she rejected it. She has not been seen in centuries.' 

"She was imprisoned beneath the palace walls for centuries. Then she escaped."

'What?'

"She escaped. Weeks ago. She's been gathering her strength. And today..."My voice caught. "Today, she's coming. To the palace. To burn it down."

The dragon's eye widened.

'Veyraxis lives.' 

"Yes."

'And she... spawned? An hatchling survived?' 

Luna crawled out of my cloak and stood on my shoulder, small and proud.

'I am her daughter,' she said. 'The last one. The only one.' 

The dragon stared at her.

Then:

'I am old, it said. I have lived in on this earth  for centuries. I have seen many things. Two riders. Two bonds. Many human deaths....' It paused. But I have never seen this. Never heard of this. Never... 

A scream.

High and sharp and terrified. It was Elora.

I was on my feet before I could think.

"That's my friend," I said. "She's in trouble."

'The forest is dangerous. There are things here that would kill her without thought.' 

"Then I have to help her."

'You will die.' 

"Maybe. But I won't let her die alone."

I ran.

Luna flew ahead, leading the way, her small white body glowing in the grey light.

Behind me, I heard the dragon move, massive and ancient, its footsteps shaking the earth.

It's following, I thought. Why is it following?'

'I don't know,' Luna answered. 'But I don't think it wants to hurt us.' 

Then what does it want?

'I don't know that either.' 

\---

The scream grew louder.

Closer.

I burst through the trees and saw her.

Elora.

Hanging from a tree, her white shirt torn, her brown hair loose, her hands gripping a branch that was slowly breaking.

Below her, a big mountain cat circled.

It was massive, bigger than any cat I had ever seen. Its fur was tawny, its eyes were yellow, its teeth were long and sharp. It was watching Elora with the patience of a creature that knew its meal would fall.

"Lira!" Elora screamed as her eyes saw me. "Lira, help me!"

Luna, I thought. Distract it.

'What?' 

Distract the cat. I'll get Elora down.

'Lira, that cat is twice my size...' 

LUNA.

She flew.

Straight at the cat's face.

Small and white and furious, she hovered in front of its nose, hissing, puffing smoke, daring it to attack.

The cat snarled.

Swiped at her. Missed. Snarled again.

Lira, hurry!

I ran to the tree.

"Elora, drop!"

"I can't..." 

"Drop! I'll catch you!" 

She let go.

I caught her, barely, and we collapsed together on the forest floor, tangled and gasping.

The cat turned.

Its yellow eyes fixed on us.

Its lips pulled back from its teeth.

'Lira.' Luna's voice was terrified. 'It's going to...' 

The big black dragon descended from the sky.

Massive. Black. Scarred.

It landed between us and the cat, its wings spread wide, its one good eye blazing.

The cat had time to snarl once.

Then the dragon's jaws closed around it.

\---

Silence.

The dragon dropped the cat's body and turned to face us.

Elora was shaking, trembling so hard I could feel it through the ground.

"Is that... is that a dragon?"

"Yes."

"Did it just, did it save us?"

"Yes."

"Lira, what is happening?"

I didn't have an answer.

\-—————-

Elora climbed to her feet.

Her hands were bleeding. Her dress was torn. Her face was streaked with tears.

"Thank you," she whispered to the dragon. "Thank you for..." 

The dragon inclined its head.

Then it looked at me.

'She has not bonded yet,' it said.

"Elora," I said. "Her name is Elora."

I looked at Elora.

"Is that true?"

Elora's face crumpled.

"I've been walking for a long time," she said. "I haven't seen a single dragon. Not one. I was starting to think, I was starting to believe..." 

She stopped.

"What?"

"When we arrived, one of the dragon keepers signaled to Calista. She went west immediately. But when I tried to go the same direction, I was redirected. Told to go east." She shook her head. "I haven't found anything since. Just this forest. Just this, this big cat."

I turned to the dragon.

"You found us."

'Yes.'

"How?"

'I followed your scent.'

"My scent?"

'You have the scent of the old blood. The blood of those who once wielded the first magic. It called to me. I could not ignore it.'

Elora looked at me. "Are guy guys talking? What's it saying? How can you hear it?!" 

"I'll explain later."

'Lira.'

I looked at the dragon.

'Something is in the skies. I can feel it.' 

My blood went cold.

"Veyraxis. She must be on her way to the palace."

'Yes. She is near.' 

\---