to keep you away 29
1170 Words
Chapter 29
Drago POV
The moment I stepped outside, the air felt… off. Not wrong, just too still. I glanced back at the castle doors for a brief second, my chest tightening. Amber’s voice echoed in my mind.
“Daddy, please don’t go…” My dragon stirred uneasily beneath the surface. “”She felt something,”” he growled. Our little one knew.””
“I know,” I muttered under my breath. “But I can’t ignore this.”
Two of my best warriors stepped forward, already shifting into their dragon forms. I followed, letting my own power rise. Heat surged through my body as bones stretched and reshaped, seconds later, I launched into the sky with them. The wind rushed past my wings as we climbed higher, scanning the land below. Everything looked normal. Too normal. We circled the outer borders first, forests, rivers, the usual patrol paths. Nothing moved. No rogues. No strange scents. But that feeling wouldn’t go away. We are being watched, my dragon warned.
I narrowed my eyes, slowing midair. “Spread out,” I ordered through the mindlink. “But stay close enough to call.”
They obeyed instantly, veering off in opposite directions. I flew lower, closer to the treetops. The forest below was thick, shadows stretching long between the trunks. That’s when I caught it, A scent.
Faint… but wrong. Not wolf. Not dragon. Not anything that belonged in my kingdom. My wings stilled for half a second. “”Magic,”” my dragon hissed. “”Hidden magic.”” My mind immediately went to Amber.
“We won’t use any… they don’t know what I can do yet…”
My heart slammed against my chest. “They’re here…” I growled.
Suddenly, the trees below rustled violently. Before I could react, something shot upward, fast. A chain. Glowing. Laced with dark magic. It wrapped around my leg midair, burning on contact. I roared, the sound echoing across the land as I thrashed against it.
Beta! Randy!!” I called through the mindlink. “I’m under attack!”
More chains followed, shooting up from the forest like serpents. One caught my wing, forcing it downward. I dropped. Hard. The ground cracked beneath me as I crashed into the forest floor, dirt and debris flying everywhere. Pain shot through my side, but I forced myself up, ripping one of the chains apart with brute strength. Figures stepped out from the shadows. Cloaked. Watching. Waiting. One of them stepped forward slowly.
“Well… the Dragon King himself,” the figure said, voice low and twisted. “How fortunate.”
I bared my teeth, smoke curling from my nostrils. “You made a mistake coming here,” I growled.
The figure chuckled. “No… you did.”
More magic pulsed through the chains, tightening around me. My movements slowed as the dark energy seeped into my body, trying to weaken me. But all I could think about was, Amber. Her little hands placing that crown on my head… Her voice asking me not to go… My eyes glowed brighter. “You picked the wrong kingdom,” I snarled. “And the wrong king.” With a roar, I forced my power outward, The ground beneath us began to crack. The ground beneath us split with a deafening crack. Power surged through me, wild and unstoppable. The dark chains tightened, trying to hold me down, but they underestimated one thing. I am not just a dragon.
I am their king. With a roar that shook the forest, I forced my wings outward. The chain wrapped around them snapped with a sharp, echoing crack, the magic shattering like glass. The one around my leg burned deeper, trying to anchor me, but I grabbed it with my claws and ripped it free, ignoring the searing pain. Dark energy lashed back at me, but I pushed through it.
“You think chains will hold me?” I growled, my voice low and dangerous. The cloaked figures stepped back slightly. Good.
They should be afraid. One of them lifted their hand, sending another wave of magic straight at me, but before it could hit,
A massive blur slammed into them from the side. Boom. My warrior.
“ Randy” I breathed through the mindlink.
“I’ve got your left!” he roared.
Another shadow dropped from above..Beta Randy..crashing down behind the cloaked group, cutting off their escape.
“You’re surrounded,” Randy snarled. The forest erupted into chaos.
Flames burst from my jaws as I unleashed a stream of fire toward the nearest attacker. They barely dodged, their cloaks catching at the edges. But something wasn’t right. They were fast. Too fast.
And their magic.. It wasn’t weakening. The one who had spoken before stepped forward again, raising both hands. The air around us grew heavy, thick with dark energy.
“You still don’t understand,” they said calmly.
Then… they pulled back their hood. My entire body went still.
“No…” I growled, disbelief turning into rage. Standing before me..
Was someone I knew. Someone who shouldn’t be here.
“Riven,” I snarled, flames licking between my teeth. “You’re dead.”
Riven
He smiled. Cold. Mocking. “Clearly not.” Randy's voice cut through the link.
“That’s not possible. We saw him fall!” Riven tilted his head slightly, amused. “You saw what I allowed you to see.”
My claws dug into the earth, cracking the ground beneath me again.
“You betrayed this kingdom,” I said, my voice shaking with fury. “We ended you for it.”
“And yet… here I stand,” he replied smoothly. “Stronger. Wiser.”
His eyes darkened. And very interested… in your daughter.”
Everything in me snapped. The air around me ignited, heat exploding outward in a violent wave.
“You will not say another word about her,” I roared.
I launched forward, faster than before, slamming into him with full force. The impact sent him flying backward through several trees, wood splintering on contact. But before I could follow, a blast of dark magic hit me from the side, throwing me off balance. More cloaked figures joined in, attacking together now.
“Take him down!” one of them shouted.
Gamma Bap and Beta Randy dove into the fight, tearing through two attackers at once, but more kept coming out of the shadows.
“They planned this,” my Beta growled. “This isn’t a random attack!”
Riven rose from the debris slowly… laughing.“You’re finally catching on.”
He lifted his hand, and every remaining chain on the ground began to glow again. Stronger this time. Darker.
“They were never meant to hold you…” he said softly.
“They were meant to slow you down.” My eyes widened slightly.
“For what?” I demanded.
Riven’s smile turned cruel. “To keep you… away.”
My heart dropped. Amber.
- Writer
