Chapter 12: The Dragons Shadow
1280 Words
The roar echoed through the palace again, louder this time. My heart jumped as guards rushed past us toward the lower grounds. Some carried weapons while others shouted orders I couldn’t fully understand. The calm atmosphere from earlier disappeared instantly.
I looked at Valdanus nervously. “What’s happening?”
His grip on my wrist tightened slightly. “One of the dragons might be restless.”
“Restless?” I repeated.
Before he could answer, another loud sound shook the air. It was deeper than before, filled with anger that made my heart skip. Even the floor beneath my feet seemed to vibrate.
Valdanus looked toward the direction of the noise. “You need to return to your room.”
“What?” I frowned.
“It’s dangerous down there,” he said firmly.
I crossed my arms. “You keep saying that like I haven’t noticed.”
“This isn’t the time to argue, Pandora.”
Something about the way he said my name made me pause. For a moment, his calm expression slipped, and I saw actual concern in his eyes. Not annoyance, not suspicion, but concern.
I looked away first. “Fine,” I muttered quietly.
He nodded once. “Hurry up.”
Without another word, he followed the guards down the hallway and disappeared around the corner. I stood there for a few seconds after he left. Then I sighed. I should have gone back to my room, i knew that. But the roar echoed again, pulling at my curiosity stronger than my fear. My feet moved before my thoughts could stop them. I followed quietly.
Oh goodness, what was that saying again? that curiosity kills the cat, I'm pretty sure my own curiosity would get me in trouble.
The palace halls became darker the farther I went. The fancy decorations slowly disappeared, replaced by stone walls and narrow pathways. I could still hear distant voices ahead, along with the heavy sounds of chains moving.
And underneath all of it…Dragons. My heart beat faster with every step. I finally reached a large staircase leading downward. The air felt warmer there, thick with the smell of smoke and something unfamiliar. I hesitated for a second before continuing. The moment I reached the bottom, I froze completely. Dragons. Several of them. They were much closer than before, and somehow even bigger than I imagined. Some rested behind massive iron gates while others moved around slowly in open spaces guarded by soldiers and handlers.
I couldn’t breathe properly for a moment. One dragon had dark red scales that almost looked black under the torchlight. Another was smaller but covered in silver scales that reflected the fire around it. Their eyes glowed in the dim light, sharp and intelligent.
“This is insane…” I whispered.
Fear crawled through me, but so did something else. Fascination. I should have been terrified enough to run. Instead, I found myself stepping closer. The dragons moved differently than I expected. They weren’t wild beasts throwing themselves around mindlessly. They watched everything carefully, almost like humans.
One of them suddenly turned its head sharply. Toward me. I stopped instantly. Its golden eyes locked onto mine, and my stomach tightened. For a second, neither of us moved. Then loud footsteps interrupted the moment.
“Hold it steady!”
I quickly stepped behind one of the stone pillars.
Several handlers rushed past, struggling to control a large dragon with dark green scales. Heavy chains wrapped around its body as it growled angrily, smoke escaping from its mouth.
“It’s getting worse!” one man shouted.
“Don’t let it break free!”
The dragon roared violently, jerking against the chains so hard that two guards nearly fell. My heart pounded painfully. I should leave. Right now. But I couldn’t.
I watched as the dragon fought harder, its wings slamming against the walls. The handlers shouted more orders while trying to calm it down, but nothing worked.
All of a sudden….the dragon stopped. Everything went still. The handlers looked confused, so did I. Slowly… Its head turned, toward me.
My breath caught instantly. “No…” I whispered.
The dragon stared directly at the pillar I was hiding behind. It knew I was there. One of the handlers frowned. “What is it looking at?”
Before anyone could react, the dragon let out another roar and lunged forward violently. The chains snapped tight.
Guards shouted everywhere.
“Move back!”
“Hold it!”
“Don’t let it loose!”
Fear slammed into me hard this time. I stumbled backward quickly, my heart racing wildly. The dragon kept struggling, its eyes locked on me the entire time. Then someone grabbed my arm.
“What are you doing here?”
I turned sharply. It was Valdanus. His expression looked darker than I had ever seen it.
“I told you to stay in your room,” he said sharply.
“I-I just wanted to see…”
“This area is restricted!”
The dragon roared again behind us. Valdanus immediately pulled me behind him as guards rushed forward. The chains rattled loudly while the dragon fought harder, smoke pouring from its mouth.
“It’s reacting to her!” one of the handlers shouted.
My chest tightened painfully. “No…” I whispered.
Another guard looked terrified. “Get her out of here!”
The dragon suddenly pulled against the chains again so violently that one of the metal hooks cracked from the wall.
Everyone froze, even Valdanus. For one terrifying second, I thought the dragon would break free completely. But instead… It stopped, just like before. The sudden silence felt strange after all the chaos. The dragon lowered its head, breathing heavily. Its eyes stayed on me. It didn't look angery or even calm. Something else. Something I couldn’t understand.
Valdanus slowly stepped in front of me protectively. “Pandora, don’t move.”
I nodded quickly, too afraid to speak. The dragon stared at me for a few more seconds, then very slowly… It started walking forward.
The guards panicked instantly.
“Stop it!”
“Pull the chains!”
“It’s moving again!”
But the dragon ignored them completely. It kept walking toward me. Each step felt heavy enough to shake the ground beneath my feet. I couldn’t move. Fear rooted me in place completely. Valdanus looked tense beside me, his hand resting near the sword at his side. But strangely… He didn’t attack.
The dragon finally stopped a short distance away. Close enough for me to feel its warm breath. The chains stretched tightly behind it, barely holding. I stared up at the massive creature, unable to think clearly anymore.
It looked terrifying this close. Like the one of earlier. But at the same time… Beautiful. Its golden eyes stayed fixed on mine.bThe entire area remained silent. Nobody moved and it seemed as if everyone held their breath. Then slowly, the dragon lowered its head. My heart nearly stopped. Its face moved closer toward me carefully, almost cautiously.
Valdanus immediately stepped forward. “Enough.”
But the dragon growled softly at him without taking its eyes off me.
I swallowed hard.
“What does it want?” I whispered.
No one answered. Because nobody knew. The dragon moved even closer until its nose was only inches away from me. My hands trembled badly at my sides. The scene of earlier seemed to be replaying again in my mind but thank goodness there were witnesses.
Then something unbelievable happened. The dragon closed its eyes briefly…then gently pressed its head against my shoulder. The entire room froze, Including me.
What in the name of scorish just happened?
- Writer
