SERPENT HEART° TOM RIDDLE

043. NULLA SALUS BELLO

"Pick up your wand and rise to your feet, child." Cauius said, in a tone that let Rhea know that she had no choice but to do as she was told despite the pain that rippled through her body from the force of her father's spell.

Rhea grimaced and cursed Eddie for resurfacing during such an important moment. She outstretched her hand and reached for her wand, only to suddenly be struck by her father's spell once more as it hit her back. Rhea cried out in pain as her body twisted and contorted, desperate for the spell to end as searing pain coursed through her entire body.

"You take too long, Rhea. If this was a real fight, you would already be dead, now — pick up your wand!" Her father's voice boomed around her as Rhea whimpered in pain on the ground. She barely had any energy left after spending the past few hours throwing her best spells at her father. "Has that school of yours taught you nothing?"

Rhea gripped onto her wand once more and lifted her cheek from the ground as she slowly rose to her feet on wobbly knees. Her blouse and hair were dirtied from being blasted around the courtyard all afternoon and Rhea had to hide the pink that was beginning to rise on her cheeks when she looked over her father's shoulder and saw Grindelwald and the rest of his acolytes watching. They'd been there all afternoon too, quiet as ever, and merely watched as Cauius fired spells at his daughter until she was covered in a mixture of dried dirt and blood.

"Good," Cauius said. Rhea resisted the urge to smile proudly and it was a good thing, because her father had already raised his wand and sent another blast her way. A wave of dark magic came crashing towards her and Rhea had mere seconds to throw up a Shield Charm before her father sent another her way. And another. And another until Rhea was caught off guard and hit directly in the chest, flying backwards until her back hit the wall of the castle, leaving a crack where she connected.

Rhea coughed as she turned onto her side, tasting metal in her mouth before she spit blood onto the ground. Rhea pressed her hand to her lip gently, feeling anger rise in her when she pulled her finger away and saw blood.

Rhea turned her head to her father, an angry snarl on her lips before a loud screeched ripped through the air, startling everyone except for Rhea. The girl scrambled to her feet, all thoughts of pain forgotten as she turned her eyes to the clouds where a bright red streak hurtled towards them.

A smile formed on Rhea's face when Phytios let out a roar that was enough to make Grindelwald's acolytes exchange nervous looks with one another. Her dragon had gotten a bit bigger since the last time she had seen him thanks to her Aunt Pavlina's care for the creature. Now, Phytios was the size of a Diricawl, was flying at faster speeds, and was noticeably fiercer than Rhea remembered. Her father said he had a lot of trouble getting Phytios to Austria since the dragon ate two of her father's men, but the Fireball seemed to take a liking to anyone who had Hel blood running through their veins.

"Phytios," Rhea breathed out, stepping forward as the dragon landed before them. Rhea heard her father sigh, knowing that their fight was forgotten as she flocked to her dragon. Fresh blood covered Phytios's mouth and Rhea could make out the flesh of an animal stuck in her dragon's teeth as he nuzzled against her leg.

"We should chain the dragon up to keep him from causing too much suspicion," One of Grindelwald's acolytes, Atkinson, had suggested two days prior. The dragon instantly lept into the air and took the head of the acolyte into his jaws. The man didn't even have a chance to scream.

Rhea had sent Phytios away after that since her father told her that some of the other members of the Alliance would be fearful having a dragon — especially one that hated humans as much as Fireballs did — around. Phytios had roared when she'd done it before taking off into the clouds and Rhea had been fearful that her dragon wasn't going to return to her. Yet, he had come back to her, all anger and hurt at being cast aside forgotten now that he'd had a fresh kill.