Flames of Destiny

Chapter 6

His bright yellow eyes slowly grow larger as he realizes what she says. Wings dropping to the floor, his jaw starts to hang open. A look of sheer terror appears on his face.

"I'm sorry," I break the silence, "But I'm very confused. Can someone please tell me what's going on?"

"The voice in your head," Kaelinthria begins, "Is an incredibly cruel and evil dragon."

Now it's my turn to look surprised and terrified. Kaelinthria looks worried, and keeps glancing out the window.

"How did that dragon get in my head!" I scream in frustration.

"I don't know. That's the part I'm confused about," She looks at me concerned and scared, "But what worries me more, is that he asked where you were. That means he's probably close, and getting ready to attack the palace."

"I'll go warn the guards to be watching for him," Zinath removes himself from the situation and dashes out the room, going to warn the guards.

"Thank you!" Kaelinthria calls after him. She turns back to me and continues talking, "That evil dragon is named Zycros."

"Zycros?" I ask. Even the name sounds menacing.

"Yes," She replies, "He used to rule over Sorifa before me. But he was a cruel and malevolent leader, taking what he wanted and burning the rest. Many a dragon wished for him to be overthrown, but none actually did anything to help with the cause."

"How horrible!" I gasp, thinking about how heartbreaking it probably was for the citizens of Sorifa to see their country being destroyed by their own leader.

"Indeed. It was quite awful. The land was transformed into a barren wasteland, full of bedraggled dragons who did not have anything to eat. Zycros took all the food and comforts of the land for himself. And any who resisted him were tortured for information about the resistance."

"Oh, gosh," I wince just thinking about it. I was never one who could tolerate pain. I can't imagine what those poor dragons suffered through.

"I was a part of the resistance, doing all I could to overthrow him. One of my best friends was caught one day," Kaelinthria looks down at the ground, and I can see a tear slide down her scaly face, "I never saw her again. Her screams still echo through my dreams. And it was my fault she was captured."

My heart breaks in two, seeing Kaelinthria this way. Even though I just met her, I feel a strange connection to her. I can feel the warm, salty tears sliding down my face, as I cry alongside Kaelinthria.

"We were out on a mission, sabotaging some of the weapons Zycros had built to destroy entire cities," Her voice is a whisper, and I can feel the sorrow and regret she's trying hard to conceal, "We had just finished rewiring the weapons so they would shut down instead of fire, when I spotted a large scroll in the next room. She warned me not to go over and take it, but I thought it might have the plans for more of his weapons. I thought I was helping the cause by taking that scroll."

She pauses, sobbing softly, remembering the awful experience. I extend my hand and lay it on her foot, comforting her. She lowers her head to the floor, and a puddle of tears starts to form underneath. I knew I should say something to comfort her, but I didn't know what. Before I can think of something, she begins again.

"When I took the scroll, an alarm went off. We tried to escape, but the security was too good. The guards arrived in seconds, and we weren't going down without a fight. However, we were captured in minutes," Her voice is now filled with loathing and regret, "The prison they brought us to was dirty and unkept. They did not care for us and we were without food for multiple days before Zycros came to question us."

My eyes are filled with tears, and I have to look away. Her story is so sad, I can't take it. But it gets even worse.

"When he came, he took only her and not me. I could hear her screams echoing throughout the entire dungeon as he tortured her. The pain she must've gone through. And all because of me. I knew I had to escape, so I could save her. I memorized the patterns of the guards and eventually was able to steal a pair of keys. Navigating the passageways was difficult though. I remember thinking about saving her, and nothing else. I was heading to the place every dragon feared the most, and it was hard not to turn around and leave. Finally I made it to the torture chamber. But no one was there. I could see dried blood on the floor and many tools were stained red. Some of her luminescent scales were on the floor, signs that she was once here."

I begin to cry harder, the sobs slowly becoming louder and louder. Zycros was pure evil, and I can't imagine the heartbreak this was causing Kaelinthria. Reliving this probably ripped her soul apart. It's a few moments before either of us is able to speak again.

"I spent days in that prison, searching for her. Finally, I gave up. He had killed her. She wouldn't speak, so he killed her, Ruby. You don't know how evil he truly is. His heart is as cold as ice, and has no room for anything but himself. Eventually, I returned reluctantly to the resistance base, all alone. Many blamed me for her death. But I made it out with the scroll. Somehow, I was able to hide it from the guards, and make it out with it. Because of that scroll though, we were able to foil many of Zycros' plans, for we knew of them ahead of time. In the end, the scroll was what helped us finally overthrow Zycros."

She finishes her tale, leaving both of us in tears and in a pile on the cool, quartz floor. The pain and despair I'm feeling is nothing compared to Kaelinthria. The guilt must be unbelievable. We sit in silence, our sobs the only sound in the empty room.

"I'm so sorry," Is all I can manage to say.

She nods weakly, her body still shaking with sobs. We sit there for a while longer, not talking but thinking about the events she just described.

"I don't blame you for what happened," I whisper to her quietly.

"I know," She replies, her voice still dripping with despair, "We should do something. Try to figure out how to stop him from returning."

"How did you dethrone him? And is he sealed away? What happened to him?" I curiously ask her.

"Another time," She states sadly, "Another time."

-*~*-

1166 Words

How is it?

Thanks for reading! I would love your feedback an opinions if you don't mind sharing them. Thanks!