Chapter 113 THE DRAGON WHO CAME SEEKING HELP

Chapter 113 THE DRAGON WHO CAME SEEKING HELP
"Astrid!" Xerxes called out, taking off after her. "Where are you going?"

"I have to find Magnus," she said, her skin beginning to radiate a soft white light. "I know he'll help Darren."

"Wait!"

"There's no time." Her body started to shift, stretching and expanding right in front of her father. "I promise I'll come back. I won't let you down."

Once the transformation was complete, she spread her massive wings and pushed off into the night sky. She was a striking dragon — slender, graceful, and remarkably strong. She had a single goal, and she was determined to achieve it, even if she had to do it alone. She would find Magnus and Xyra, and they would help her bring Darren back to the Andagon Valley. No matter what.

Magnus's eyes fluttered open as if waking from a light nap. Almost instantly, memories of the fight with the hybrid rushed back to him. He remembered using the khukuri and the agonizing pain that followed.

Yet, there was no pain now. The raw burns on his hands were completely gone, leaving behind no physical sign that he had nearly killed himself using Xyra's sword. The blade had drawn almost every ounce of energy he possessed. He had never heard of a khukuri draining a sorcerer like that. Maybe her weapon was unique. Perhaps whoever forged it had added an anti-magic seal for a reason.

Shaking the thoughts away for the moment, Magnus sat up effortlessly. He stretched his arms, swung his legs over the side of the bed, and stood. He felt completely fine. The memory of the battle was fresh, but his body felt entirely restored. He walked over to the window and looked out. The sky was dark and overcast, covered in a heavy blanket of gray clouds that hid the sun — the first gloomy day in weeks. Something about the thick, heavy air made him uneasy. He had always preferred bright, sunny days over dreary weather that threatened rain at any second.

The bedroom door clicked open, and Magnus turned. A smile touched his lips when he saw Xyra standing in the doorway, though she didn't share his relief. She looked quiet, almost ashamed, as she stepped inside and walked toward him.

"I'm sorry," she murmured, staring down at the floor.

"For what?" he asked softly. "You didn't do anything wrong."

"If I were better with a sword, you wouldn't have to keep saving me." She lowered her head further, tears welling up in her eyes. It felt unfair. To her, it seemed like she was nothing more than a burden; someone who couldn't fight or defend herself, relying on his magic barriers to survive every battle. Darren could handle himself. Why couldn't she? "I'm just... tired of being useless."

Before she could harp on herself any further, Magnus stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her. Xyra tensed in surprise. She hadn't even heard him move. She stood stiffly in his embrace for a long moment, her eyes squeezed shut. Then she felt him rest his head lightly against hers while his hand stroked her back. He let out a quiet sigh, pulling her a little closer.

"I told you not to worry about it," he said gently. "What kind of man would I be if I let you fight all the battles?"

"I don't want to fight all of them," she muttered, her cheeks warming at his words. His voice always had a way of flustering her, though she didn't mind it. "It would just be nice... if you could rely on me once in a while."

"Back in the Andagon Valley," Magnus recalled, "you saved me from that hybrid. You bought me enough time to heal, but you almost died doing it." His grip tightened slightly. "Do you know how terrified I was? I thought I lost you."

She felt a slight tremor in his breathing, proving his words were real. She didn't remember much after the fight, but Darren had filled in the blanks later. She really had been seconds from death — she had even stopped breathing for a moment. If Magnus hadn't saved her, she wouldn't be standing at that time.

"I worry when you fight alone," he whispered. "If I'm beside you, it's fine. But if I'm helpless, I want you to run. You don't need to throw your life away for me."

"I could say the exact same thing to you," Xyra replied, pulling back enough to look him in the eye. A faint smirk touched her lips as she leaned in and looped her arms around his neck. "You shouldn't lecture people on rules you don't follow yourself."

Before he could argue, she stood on her tiptoes and pressed a quick kiss to his lips. He blinked, caught off guard, and just as he leaned in, she pulled away with a soft laugh. Magnus offered her a mild glare as she walked toward the door, clearly enjoying her little victory.

"Come on," she said playfully, changing the subject. "Just because you got to sleep for a few days doesn't mean the work stopped."

"Work?" Magnus asked, raising an eyebrow. "I just woke up."

"That hybrid destroyed half the street. We're clearing the debris, and we need an extra pair of hands."

Magnus sighed, but a small smile remained on his face as he followed her down the hall toward the castle entrance.

When they reached the main doors, they found Christian and Scarlette standing at the threshold, sharing a lighthearted conversation with someone. Scarlette noticed them first and turned with a warm smile.

"Hello, you two," she said kindly, looking over at Magnus. "It's so good to see you awake. We were worried."

"Sorry about that," Magnus replied with a sheepish grin.

Christian turned around, his face lighting up. "Ah, perfect! You're both here. There's someone I want you to meet."

He stepped aside to reveal a small girl, no older than six or seven. She had soft brown hair, bright eyes, and a sweet, cheerful smile. In her clean white dress, she looked like the picture of innocence.

"This is our daughter, Althea," Scarlette said proudly.

"Hi there," Xyra said, crouching down to the girl's eye level. "I'm Xyra, and this is Magnus. It's nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too," Althea said, dipping into a polite little curtsey.

Xyra beamed at her. She had always loved kids; back home in Clearham, she had often acted like a big sister to the younger children in town.

Althea turned to her mother, her eyes wide with excitement as she tugged on Scarlette's skirt. "You'll never guess what I saw!" she bounced on her heels. "When auntie was bringing me home, we saw a dragon!"

The room went quiet. Magnus, Xyra, and Christian all turned their attention to the little girl.

"It was so pretty!" Althea added happily. "Auntie said it was probably a girl."

Magnus knelt down, keeping his voice calm and gentle. "Althea... what color was the dragon?"

"Gold!" she chimed. Kids really weren't afraid of anything, Magnus thought. Most adults would panic at the sight of a dragon, harmless or not.

"Should we alert the guards?" Christian asked, looking around uneasily. "Are there any dragon slayers nearby?"

"I hope not," Magnus said, standing up and heading for the door. "That would end very poorly."

"Why?" Christian asked, puzzled.

"Because if her father found out, you'd have an enraged dragon king breaking down your front door." Magnus looked over his shoulder at Xyra. "We need to find Astrid before someone does something stupid."

Xyra nodded and followed him outside. They walked quickly through the streets, neither of them speaking. There was no need to — they both knew the risk. Astrid could handle herself in most situations, but a trained slayer was a different story. More than that, it raised a glaring question: why had she left the Andagon Valley right after such a devastating attack?

As they reached the edge of town, a vast shadow fell over them. Magnus looked up. The dense, gray clouds hadn't shifted, meaning whatever blocked the light was massive and fast-moving. Panicked shouts echoed from the nearby villagers as they scrambled for cover, but Magnus felt only relief when he spotted the shape overhead.

"Xyra," Magnus said quickly. "Head back to Christian's. I'll handle this."

Without waiting for a response, he cast a floating spell and shot up into the air, flying straight toward the gold dragon. He had only seen Astrid in this form once before, but those black eyes speckled with gold were unmistakable. Magnus accelerated, cutting across the sky to position himself directly in her flight path. Seeing him, Astrid beat her wings hard to brake in midair, bringing herself to a heavy hover.

Dragons couldn't speak in this form, but Magnus didn't need words to read the panic in her gaze. Something was very wrong.

"Astrid, change back!" Magnus called out over the rush of wind. "I'll catch you!"

She nodded, and her body began to glow with a brilliant white light. Magnus shielded his eyes as her massive form shrunk, shifting back into her human shape. As her wings dissolved, she began to fall, but Magnus swooped in and caught her safely before she plunged into the rooftops below. Holding her securely, he turned back toward the castle.

Astrid wasn't unconscious, but she was deathly quiet. Her bright eyes were dim with sorrow, and she clutched a small leather bag tightly to her chest. Peeking inside, Magnus spotted ink vials and some talismans, leaving him thoroughly confused. What was she trying to do out here?

He landed softly near the castle steps, where Christian, Scarlette, and Xyra were waiting.

"Magnus?" Chrisitan asked, stepping forward cautiously as Magnus set the girl on her feet. "What's going on? Where did the dragon go, and how did Astrid get here?"

"Dragons have human forms," Xyra explained gently, saving Magnus the effort. "That dragon you saw was Astrid."

Christian and Scarlette stared in shock, looking at the quiet, exhausted girl in front of them. Astrid didn't seem to notice their stares or if she did, she didn't care. She just stood there, hugging her bag against her chest.

Magnus placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Astrid, look at me. What happened? Why are you here?"

Tears spilled over her eyelashes, running down her cheeks. Magnus's heart sank; Astrid almost never cried.

"Raheem..." she sobbed softly.

Magnus froze. That name only ever meant trouble.

"He came to the valley..." Astrid choked back a tear, struggling to get the words out. "...and he took Darren."