From Storms to Thrones (Part 1)

Chapter 9: Dancing with Death

"Daemon, please!" I begged, my voice barely more than a whisper. "You don't have to do this."

He didn't respond, his focus solely on reaching his dragon. The closer we got, the louder Caraxes' unsettling sounds became, echoing around me.

Finally, Caraxes came into view, his immense form emerging from the darkness like a nightmare given flesh. The dragon's scales glowed a deep, bloody red, with hints of black that shimmered menacingly in the setting sun. His long, nearly serpentine neck moved with a terrifying grace, the powerful muscles rippling beneath the scales as his head turned toward us.

Daemon halted before Caraxes, and for a fleeting moment, I felt a sliver of relief at not being dragged any closer to the beast. But then, with a sudden, harsh motion, he hurled me in Caraxes's direction. I let out a scream, bracing myself for the dragon's massive maw to open wide and swallow me whole.

To my shock, Caraxes did not attack. Instead, he simply watched as I tumbled to my knees just a few feet from him. His piercing gaze locked onto mine, and the menacing clicking sound from the back of his throat resonated through the night, filling the air with a chilling sense of dread.

I watched as the red dragon turned his gaze toward Daemon, and in that moment, I realized he was waiting for Daemon's orders. Caraxes' loyalty was clear, his actions dictated by the man standing behind me.

I looked from Daemon to Caraxes, feeling a cold sweat trickle down my spine. I was literally between two monsters, two beings capable of killing me in the most violent of ways. The dragon's hot breath washed over me, carrying the scent of sulfur and ash, while Daemon's presence loomed like a dark shadow at my back.

Caraxes' eyes bore into me, unblinking, calculating. The dragon's tail twitched, sending ripples through his scaled body, and I could feel the ground vibrate beneath me with each breath he took. The clicking sound grew louder, more insistent, as if the dragon was growing impatient.

I dared to glance back at Daemon, his expression cold and unforgiving. His eyes were dark as midnight and I could see the fury in his gaze, the silent vow to make me suffer for coming between him and his wife.

"She doesn't see it, but I do," Daemon said, his voice dripping with malice. "I know my wife. She lets her attraction to you blind her to the danger you bring into her life."

Attraction? What the hell?

Despite the peril I was in, hearing that made my heart leap with a nervous, giddy energy. I was about to die, and here I was, letting his words affect me like a school girl.

Jesus. Get yourself together, woman.  You are about to die.

"You claim to see the future, right?" Daemon sneered, a smirk curling his lips as his eyes flickered to Caraxes.  Daemon's eyes returned to me, his hand resting on the pommel of his sword, arrogance radiating from him.

"Did you see your death by dragon fire? Because I assure you, that is your future, Lady Elizabeth."

Daemon's eyes flickered backCaraxes, his expression resolute as he prepared to give the command. The dragon's hackles raised, a low, menacing snarl rumbling in his throat, as if the very air around us trembled with the anticipation of fire and destruction.

"Daemon!"

My gaze snapped upward to the cliffside, where Rhaenyra stood like a dark avenger against the twilight. She was fifty yards away, her eyes blazing with a fierce intensity that made Caraxes's menacing glare seem almost benign by comparison. Behind her, Syrax loomed, her golden eyes reflecting the fury of her rider, the dragon's lips curled back in a snarl as if she too was caught up in the raw emotion of the moment.

I didn't allow myself a sigh of relief at Rhaenyra's appearance. Despite her arrival, she was still too far to intervene in any real way. Caraxes could incinerate me, devour me whole, or Daemon could sever my head with his sword before she could close the distance.