Chapter 144 144. Dragon's Hoard
Chapter 144 144. Dragon's Hoard
The head of the red dragon was huge; it rose from the pile of gold. Isolde could only assess that its body was massive and that it was under the rest of its horde. "Who Dares Trespass on my Hoard?" Isolde watched as the scaly great beast hissed in an unnatural tone, its long, thick black tongue lashing out as it spoke to her.
Isolde pulled her courage to reply without trembling. "Where is my snake?" She hissed in split tongue, letting the dragon know they could communicate.
"Isolde, run, get out of here." A hiss much softer came; it was Lucifer, she knew it. She tried to locate her black snake but couldn't see anything, just reflecting light from the gold. The Dragon's body moved, and more was revealed to Isolde. It was massive, with red and black scales that had almost a sheen to them. The dragon moved closer, its massive paws making the ground tremble a bit under its weight.
It spoke again, grating Isolde's ears, "You speak the language of serpents; what are you, girl, a wielder?" Its massive head dropped as it came close to Isolde—the scent of ash and scorn invaded her nostrils. The massive pale teeth were too close for Isolde not to tremble slightly.
"A dark wielder, who has a nice trinket on their left finger." The Dragon hissed again, its yellow eyes running down to where the ring Drake gave her sat. "You have something of mine, Dragon; you will give it back," Isolde demanded, her body shivering not from cold, as the breath of the beast was warm.
Nor the temperature of the room, as the Dragon had a fire going, and the heat of the massive reptilian creature warmed the giant room it was in. No, Isolde shivered out of fear. She was scared of many things, but being in a space, even if it was big, underground with a giant fire-breathing beast had been the most frightening thing of her life.
There was no way she could bring this Dragon back to Thorne Castle to demonstrate for Malachi, but that simple thought brought another one. If this Dragon was the only creature, could she mind manipulate it? She decided she would try; it was better than not trying. What other option did she have? She couldn't kill it very well.
Despite Drake trying to find a way to do that, she knew he wouldn't. Seeing the thick scales, she didn't know what would pierce that hide and be able to stab its heart. The Beast had its head close to her. Its yellow eyes looked her over to see if maybe she had another piece of treasure on her or something.
She couldn't close her eyes to focus, instead looking at the creature, giving all her willpower over to trying to break into its mind. A simple command: "Show me the black snake you have in this cavern." It was simple enough but also descriptive. The Dragon flinched as if it was trying to fight what she was trying to do. She had thought of the command, hissing it in her mind at the beast, forcing it down. "Stop it, stop it!" The Dragon hissed, sounding more like a screech filling the space around them.
"You are just like him, evil, evil," The Dragon screeched, its black tongue flicking out in anger. Isolde let up for just a moment. She wanted to know what the beast was talking about. Was she speaking of Ashford? Was it someone else? She dropped the command, and the red dragon looked at her, its giant head turned to the side.
"Wait, who?" Isolde hissed; she hoped this Dragon would give her all the information she desperately needed. The big yellow eyes locked on her. "I could burn your flesh from your bones." It said in a language few understood. Isolde trembled again at the threat. "Please," Isolde asked politely, and the creature examined her, sniffing her again.
"I will make you a deal, girl: you become part of my horde, and I will talk and tell you everything; you can even see my snake that you barged in here for." The sound was harsh on her ears; she didn't like this kind of split-tongued language. Yes, she understood it, but it was rough and grating, every word mocking.
"I could just make you." Isolde threatened, finding her backbone; obviously it could be done, otherwise this creature wouldn't have begun to beg.
"Not before I could kill you, dark wielder." It snapped its giant mouth at her, showing rows of sharp, pale teeth. Isolde refused to be this thing's prize; she was not going to be part of the Dragon's horde. But she could lie, say yes, and then get Lucifer and flee. Maybe Drake would come through; he was coming to her aid, hiding, trying to figure something out, right? What was the harm in lying to this creature? Nothing.
"Fine, I will stay here with you; take me to my snake." The Dragon roared, shaking the whole room; the gold and jewels shifted around the room. "My Snake! MINE! HE IS MINE!" Greed indeed, Isolde thought; she didn't correct the beast. Obviously, it was temperamental.
"You are mine too, now, dark wielder. Now I am Silvee." The dragon hissed in its demonic, harsh tone. "Follow." It turned, and Isolde had to move to avoid being hit by its massive tail. She tried to touch nothing, worried it would anger the dragon named Silvee. Finally, she laid eyes on Lucifer; she wanted to cry that she had missed him so much. She rushed to her snake, and he slithered over, wrapping around her wrist.
"I missed you so much," Isolde hissed at Lucifer, who had the same sentiments. The Dragon watched them reunite with apathy; at least her objects would have each other. Isolde turned back to Silvee.
"You now tell me what you know. Who were you talking about? Who was evil that you spoke of? Why would you burn the mundanes? What has it to do with you?" Isolde was ready for her answers; she had waited long enough, and it was about time. She would get her answers, then invade this creature's mind and make it submit to her will. She was getting out of here; she would get her long-overdue answers first, though.
Isolde was sure that when she left with Lucifer, he could also fill her in. But the time of waiting was over; she would leave this place with her snake and the whole picture, and Drake would be by her side when she did it.