The Dragon Liberator: Escapee

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POV: Fendrel

Just keep a steady pace, don't make eye contact. There he is, Fendrel thought, a slight grin tugging at the corner of his mouth.

He snaked his way through buyers and sellers as he followed his target, inconspicuous to the bustling crowd.

Someone ran into his shoulder as he passed. Out of instinct, Fendrel placed a protective hand on his bag.

"Hey, watch where you're going!" The passerby turned around furiously. His anger turned to shock, and he rushed through the crowd toward a duo of guards.

Fendrel ducked his head, realizing he had been recognized. It was only a matter of time before every knight in the city knew he was there. He waded through the populous streets of Sharpdagger. It was the largest city in the Free Lands, the capital of the human kingdom, and always busy with citizens going about their daily lives, oblivious to the wrongs they've taken part in.

A prick of panic coursed through him after losing sight of his target. With a more frantic pace, Fendrel pushed forward, only breathing a sigh of relief when the suspicious figure once again caught his eye.

The target stopped suddenly. Fendrel hid behind the corner of a building just as the man whipped his head around, soulless blue eyes scrutinizing everyone behind him. Fendrel hated that gaze, the same one that made him forget he was no longer under the man's thumb. Fendrel shook his head, clearing his thoughts.

The man grunted and continued on his path with Fendrel following in his wake.

Fendrel turned the corner just in time to see the man disappear through a side door into one of the largest and tallest buildings in the city, second only to the Sharpdagger palace. He made his way to the entrance of the building, a weathered door that hung from one hinge. He pressed his ear against the door. It creaked slightly and he froze. No one came to investigate. There were two very familiar voices from within the building.

"You'd better not be lying to me, Charles. This is it?" Fendrel recognized the blue-eyed man's voice, speaking in grim awe. There was a pause and a few footsteps. "Well, look at you, you magnificent beast."

In response to his words, a loud growl erupted from the other side of the door.

"Stupid beast." The man's voice rose in intensity. "You will not act in such a way in my presence."

Something inside the building hissed in anger and pain. It burst into an inhuman screech that chilled Fendrel to his bones.

They must have used a snapper to break its wing.

Fendrel felt his heart sink. He looked over his shoulder to see if anyone had heard the noise. It seemed as if no one did, or no one cared.

There's a dragon in there. It sounds like a large one, too. What tribe is it from? Dusk? Ice?

The first man laughed at the dragon's pain. Two pairs of footsteps retreated deeper into the building. Fendrel listened for the sound of a door opening and closing. SLAM.

Perfect.

Fendrel poked his head past the poor excuse for a door to make sure no one else was there. Good. It was just the dragon, as odd as that sounded. He carefully opened the door and slipped inside the expansive room.

Traps, stakes, and snappers—a tool used by these illegal dragon hunters to break the wings of dragons—were stored all around the vast area. More common weapons such as snares, poison-tipped arrows, spears, and swords lined the walls.

Amidst it all in the center of the room, locked in a cramped cage, was the largest dragon Fendrel had ever seen. His eyes widened and his breath caught in his throat as he took in the dragon's size.