[COMPLETE] R E V E R S E #NaNoWriMo2k17

Chapter 15

Within ten minutes, he was bored. Within thirty, he was starting to go nuts. Within an hour, he was ready to snap.

Eventually, he gave up and tried to sleep. It was nighttime anyhow, and he didn't really see any point in staying up. He closed his blind eyes and conked put almost instantly.

What seemed like a split second a distorted bang snapped him awake. His head was sticky with some substance, and there was more of it on his claws as well. It took him a second to register what was going on before hands grabbed him, tying chains around his wings and legs and started leading him out. He was still blind, but the fact that the sound registered showed that his deafening spell was wearing off. Judging from his sore throat though, he still couldn't speak.

He could swear that they were going somewhere different than the main cavern he saw the previous day. The route was definitely much shorter, however. Soon, he could hear the cracking of fire. Somehow, the space around him seemed much larger than it was when he was in the caverns leading there.

"Drop the blinding spell," he heard Talona order. She sounded tired about something.

His eyes stung, and felt something cool and thick slide out. At the same time, he started coughing uncontrollably, coughing up a strange substance. Within a few moments, he could see again, the light sharply contrasting against the darkness he had endured for many hours. He realised that a black, tar like substance had leaked from his eyes, and there was more on his claws too. He realised that the spell quite literally blocked the senses from working, the tar acting like a cover which blocked everything from coming through. He suddenly felt sick. Did he have that tar in his lungs too?

"So, snow dragon." He looked up, still not accustomed to the light. Talona was standing on a richly decorated perch. Her crown had been polished and shone brightly in the firelight. Beside her, two harpy guards stood sentinel, silent and unmoving. There was a small crack in the ceiling, just large enough for a small dragon to fly through. With a jolt of annoyance, he realised that it was still nighttime. On his left, a large fire burned. It looked like an ordinary campfire, with a bundle of sticks and logs as fuel, save for one important detail - it was pitch black. The flames licked at the air, as if they were hunting for flesh to burn. Instead of warming the air around it, it seemed to lower it to an unsettling chill. The room was mostly empty, save for a few more important looking harpies, as well as one representative from each tribe, including a grim faced Maren who floated in a small tank.

Noticing his expression, Talona laughed. "Yes, it's quite beautiful don't you think? One from each tribe. This cave system is only called the Harpy's Domain by our warriors. In reality, it's universally known as our Headquarters. Where all of our allies and forces come together as one - something your pathetic kind will never be able to achieve."

He didn't respond, and she snorted. "Hah, I forgot. Then again, I like dragons when they're silent and docile." She turned to the fire. "What should I do with this one?"

For a second, there was silence. Then a low, cold voice spoke from within the flames, reverberating through the room.

Kill him, it said. The voice was cold and cruel, quite literally injecting him with fear. Talona and the representatives remained calm and still, although her guards shifted uncomfortably. ​More power.

"Wait!" He shouted. His voice felt raw and he was reduced to coughing. Talona regarded him coldly.

"Yes?"

He managed to catch his breath. "Why... are you doing this?"

She tilted her head. "That's an odd question, don't cha' think?"