Claimed By The Last Kind

Song from the past

Chapter 5 – A Song from the Past

(Drake's POV)

The fire crackled gently in the darkness of my lair, casting long shadows down the cold rock walls. The scent of smoldering wood drifted through the cave, mingling with the earthy musk of my home. I sat near the entrance, honing one of my claws against a rough rock, deep in thought. My mind churned with frustration. This guy, Fred—he was unlike the others. He was supposed to be scared, supposed to beg, supposed to break. But no matter what I did, he remained the same—calm, unwavering, almost… at ease.

I needed to remind myself of why I'd brought him here. I needed to remind myself that he was nothing more than a means to an end, to bring the king to his knees. That was the plan. That was all this was.

And yet, across the quiet of the cavern, something shifted.

A voice.

Soft, yet haunting.

Low, yet with something ancient in it.

A song.

I tensed, my claw tightening on the rock until it cracked beneath my hand. My eyes flashed to Fred, who was sitting a short distance away, his eyes glassy as he hummed the melody.

It was impossible.

It was impossible.

That song—those words—it was a dragon's song. Not just any song, but one that had been passed generation to generation, on the voices of my ancestors, sung only among my kin.

And yet here he was.

A man.

Singing it.

The song sent shivers down my spine, and for the first time in centuries, I experienced something I'd long forgotten—fear.

The song disrupted the air itself around us, ancient and powerful. It was a song of mourning, of fire, of blood. A song dragons sang before we were hunted.

"Flames that dance, wings that soar,

Lost in time, we burn no more.

Echoes fading, embers dim,

Ashes whisper where we've been.

Sky turned red, land turned cold,

Hearts now silent, stories old.

But fire sleeps, waiting still,

In the dark, it bends to will…"

The words wrapped around me like a vice, squeezing the breath from my lungs. My chest rumbled with a warning growl, but Fred didn't stop.

His voice boomed through the den, strong and sure, as if he'd sung this song a thousand times. As if he knew it.

As if it belonged to him.

I leapt to my feet, knocking over the stack of rocks next to me. The sound crashed loudly off the walls, but Fred didn't flinch. He just kept singing, his eyes now locked on mine, watching me closely.

Something was wrong.

I took a step closer, slow and purposeful, my breathing controlled. My tail lashed against the earth, my wings opening slightly.

"Stop."

The word was an order, low and threatening, but Fred paid it no heed.

"STOP!"

My voice boomed through the cave, shaking off the walls themselves. The flames in my chest shrieked to be released, but I held them back.

Finally, Fred ceased.

There was only the sound of our breathing for a while. The air between us pulsed with something nameless, something ancient, something taboo.

Fred's eyes searched mine, and confusion swirled in them. "Why did you do that?" he breathed, his tone level.

I did not answer. I could not answer.

Because I did not know.

I knew but one thing—this human, this mortal being before me—was not usual.

And in some way, in a way that defied logic, he was connected to me.

To my people.

To a past long buried in ashes.

And I had to find out why.