Chapter 6 006
My grip on the dragon saddle tightened. I didn't dare to look down again, because when I tried it, my head spun as though I was going to slip off the reptile's body. But the presence of more dragons coming out from different sides, some roaring, while others purring, freaked me out.
They were of different colours, but the scariest ones were the black dragons. The sound of their wings flapping continuously sometimes made me flinch. When I mistakenly met their darkened eyes, I felt chilly.
I couldn't contain the fear any longer and wanted to know what was going on, so I asked the Dragon Sovereign, “Why are there so many of them after us? Are they going to take me away from you and throw me down from the sky?”
He chirped at me and then responded, “I am calling out the hidden dragons, that's why they are with us, and more would soon join.”
I nodded, understanding what he meant. Now I know why the other realms believed that dragons did not exist any longer. After their Sovereign was caged under the ground, they all went into hiding. So does it mean that their strength and pride lie in the Dragon Sovereign? Aside from him, they would have no strength. Or was it that they just didn't want to act rashly against his will?
A lot of ideas ran through my mind, but I still stayed put, riding with him until we reached the mountains. By then, I noticed that so many of the dragons weren't with us. “Did they go back to their houses?” I asked him, and he purred in response. “So what are we doing in the mountains? This is the sixth one so far….”
He didn't reply to me until we descended to the earth, and he dropped on the first river we saw. “Didn't you know that there are several dragons and where they belong?”
I rolled my eyes and nodded, but at that moment, my heart skipped, and I screeched in fear. My leg was in the water, and this dragon was riding on the surface of the water like it was a ship. His speed was no match for a ship, though, but it was so scary because I was scared of water so much.
When I glanced back, there were so many of them getting up from the water, and that made me wonder how long they planned to live under the water.
To even recall that I was the cause of their awakening was frustrating. With the number of dragons I had seen so far, the earth would soon stop existing, or they would be the rulers.
In the next few hours, the dragon sovereign landed on a bare land and growled at me. I didn't need to be told what to do, so I climbed off him instantly and watched him transform back to his human form. Upon meeting his eyes, I lowered my face and made sure not to breathe too loudly.
Minutes ago, I was enjoying his ride, and he didn't act like I was his captive. But now, the coldness in his gaze said a lot.
“You enjoyed the ride, right?” he asked, and I nodded, but didn't dare to look up to him. “The same way you're going to be enjoying every inch of punishment you would get from us.”
My eyes sprang wide, and I looked up to him. Did he forget our deal? The safety of my brother and me mattered a lot.
“Now follow me…” he ordered, and I bowed and began trailing behind him. We stepped into an enormous compound, and looking around it, I guessed it was his imperial palace. The blackstone used to construct it made it look rich, and it would take an eternity to rust.
The compound seemed empty until we entered the building, then did I see a group of people all kneeling, both male and female. With how they dressed and how they lowered their heads, I knew they were his servants.
“Welcome back, Dragon Sovereign!!!” they all chorused, as though singing, repeating it so many times that I found myself smiling. How silly I was to forget so easily that I was their captive, and even they, as servants, had more value than I.
He walked past them, and when I tried following, someone held me back. Before I could even turn around, my arms were behind me, and I heard the shackles that were used to hold them together behind me. My gaze narrowed, and I slowly turned around. Two men stood behind me, dressed like guards, and had that brutal face that could make one crave death.
“I am Zaugustus Dylan, the Dragon Sovereign of the Dragon Realm. I thereby pronounce that the Fae female standing before us will be imprisoned!!”
My heart sank. So this was the beginning?
I turned around only to see the dragon that had ridden me here sitting on a mighty throne that seemed like it was hanging in the air, and he looked down on all of us. I had to raise my face so well to see him, and he looked like a god up there.
Sounds of footsteps came from behind, and it happened to be so many men showing up from all corners of the building. They had powers, so many powers than the faes. They could turn me to dust if they wanted.
But why so soon? I did tell him that I would serve him personally, so how would I do that if I were imprisoned? Did he agree just so he would get me into his realm first?
“Dragon Sovereign, throwing her into the cell isn't the best. Don't you think so? She's a Fae and shouldn't live past now, so it's better to strike her with your stormfire while we await her species,” one of them, whom I couldn't predict, mentioned.
I was scared, so scared that they would end up taking my life. The faes were the reason they didn't exist for years, and their Sovereign was caged under the ground. But what they didn't know was that I was a victim too, because, what my species did to them, they also did to my clan.
It was impossible to speak to the sovereign as he was too up for someone like me to connect with him. I had no powers and was just like a human in their midst.
Soon, a tiny golden rope, sparkling like it was going to burn me slowly, wrapped around my body, and I couldn't move at this point. My heart hammered in my chest. I didn't want to die. I wanted to save my brother so we could be their slaves. They could punish me all they want, but my life? It was so precious, just like theirs.
“She doesn't deserve to live!”
“But killing her so early wouldn't be useful. We could use her as bait for the faes.”
“I hate her already!”
“What if she was sent against us?”
They didn't even think of how their Sovereign awakened. If I didn't step foot in that shrine, he would still be caged under that ground, and they would still live in secret. How gullible were they? It would be better if they used me as bait. That way, I would get to know how to save my ass and that of my brother.
“We can go after the faes now that the Sovereign is finally back, so using her as bait is useless.”
They kept arguing, yet the man with whom I had a deal said nothing. I looked up to him, not sure if he was looking at me, but I prayed to the goddess mother to please make him not reverse the deal.
I would gladly be their bait. Besides, I also want to take revenge on my realm. But I must live…I have to live.
“We are patiently waiting for the Dragon Sovereign to declare, and we will follow your command…” one of the men roared behind me.
The rope tied around me had begun burning my flesh, and the pain was so intense that I could start bleeding soon. I swallowed so much saliva, holding down my screams, struggling not to weep.
At that moment, my hope to live laid on the Dragon Sovereign. The pain from the golden string rope was something I hadn't ever passed through.