Legacy's Prince

Chapter Twelve: Zahairas

Ardan doesn't speak once we've been lifted out of the cavern. He grabs my arm and charges straight towards the carriages. Axellia breaks through the crowd and lunges towards me, but Ardan yanks me out of her reach before she can touch me. He plows through the thick field of students seamlessly. Ardan's gryphon is waiting at the edge of the crowd, purring curiously. Ardan all but throws me onto his back and sits down behind me.

"Fly," is all he says.

"Wait, what?"

I nearly slip off as the gryphon takes off into the air. Ardan grabs my shoulders to keep me stable. I don't speak, much ask him what is going on. Instead, I turn around and look back at the hole I'd fallen through. It grows smaller and smaller the further away we fly. There are no dragons to be seen. I begin to wonder if everything that happened with the purple dragon really happened or not.

Everyone runs after me and Ardan, abandoning the crater. As students and teachers both shout my name, craning their necks back to watch us disappear, a silver baby dragon crawls out of the cavern. It flaps its wings towards me as if waving goodbye. Rune, who has been lurking at the back of the crowd appears to hear it. She turns to look just before a larger silver dragon peeps its head out, grabs the infant by the tail, and gently pulls it back inside. Rune looks back up at me and Ardan. Even from as far away as she is now, I can see her eyes growing wide. She darts towards the mass of curious students and teachers and disappears into their midst.

The nightly darkness and large vegetation finally hide the crowd, the crater, and carriages from view. Finally, I look up at Ardan. He stares straight ahead, jaw shut tight in concentration. His gryphon clicks to him questioningly, but he simply shakes his head. Utterly silent, we ride until the wind picks up and a neighing breaks the silence.

A pegasus flies towards us. On its back is a male kitsune teacher, a male elf teacher, and a female human teacher. From behind them comes a small, swirling cyclone, Rune riding in the center of it.

"Headmaster!" Rune calls as they draw closer. "What's happened?"

"Not here," Ardan answers without changing his expression or gaze once. The ride returns to its original, silent state. No one dares let out a single peep. After a few more moments the Academy comes into view. Ardan leads the group to a large, square window near the back of the main building, overlooking the dormitories. His gryphon flies through it, the Pegasus following. Rune lets herself float down before landing gracefully onto the floor.

The room we've entered is darkly lit by the moon streaming through the window, perched above a worn desk wedged between two shelves of books lining the back wall. A large map of the world is plastered on the wall across from it, the only space spared by the chart of oceans and nations being a giant wooden door. The side walls are decked with artifacts and paintings from all the kingdoms. 

In the center of the floor is an intricately woven rug, with three, circular, wooden tables atop it, each having about four chairs each. All three are littered with papers, pencils, boxes, and half-melted candles. Ardan dismounts, pulling me off with him by the scruff of my collar. Depositing me unceremoniously in a chipped and worn chair, he marches rather stiffly to his desk and lights a candle sitting on its edge. Rune takes it from him and begins lighting the various other candles scattered about as Ardan sets one hand on his hip and drums the fingers of his other hand against his desk. The male elf teacher slips off the pegasus and takes his seat at one of the tables, rubbing his left knee as if in pain.

"Headmaster, what's happened? Is the boy alright?" the female human teacher asks as she rushes to my side and takes my hands in hers. "Are you alright child?"