48. The Chase

Thorn led two stallions to the front door of the inn, then mounted the tallest one.

“They’ve been taken care of.” Serlon approached from across the street. “The spies from the North won’t wake up until nightfall.”

“Good.” Thorn fixed his dark eyes on the road in front of him. “It’s critical that our visit to the brothel remains hidden from their master.”

“They must still believe that you’ll die from the Frozen Sunset soon.” Serlon shook his head. “They severely underestimated my knowledge and ability to distinguish between a poison and an antidote.”

“And they’ve overestimated their own intelligence,” Thorn added, “Thanks to your outstanding work in creating a perfect duplication of the antidote that Olcan gave me, I’m fully recovered. Have you ever thought about working in the royal palace?”

“You mean as a royal healer?” Serlon shrugged, “Never considered it. I like to keep things simple.”

“A free soul,” Thorn remarked, “You could be headmaster of the royal healers.”

Serlon was completely astonished. “R-Really?”

“You can decide the rules yourself and report directly to me. Just think about it,” Thorn said.

“Thank you, Prince.” Serlon was amazed; as a headmaster, he could have the opportunity to save more lives. “I certainly will.”

As they were speaking, Hugo trotted up from behind and joined them. He gazed around, trying to detect any spies around them.

“We’re good,” Serlon said.

“Geez, finally!” Hugo relaxed and mounted the other stallion. “So, when’s the climax of our show?”

“Soon.” Thorn grinned, kicking into the horse’s side and dashing ahead.

Soon, they arrived at the front of the brothel Olcan had told them about. A strong, sweet perfume surrounded the entire place. It had been operating for more than a century and was currently run by a beautiful golden dragon woman. Observing from a distance, Thorn could already tell that she had a sharp and calculative mind.

She had just led a young girl into one of the biggest bedrooms and waltzed out of it. Her skin glistened with a silver shimmer under the sunlight. A bright smile instantly bloomed on her face as she witnessed the arrival of the two gorgeous men. She gave them a quick glance, immediately concluding that they were rich. Thorn was dressed in an expensive velvet blue jacket and black pants; his leather boots alone would cost ten gold coins. The sword Hugo carried on his side was clearly custom-made and his armor was a diamond black. As far as she was concerned, they were the perfect customers.

“What can I do for you today, gentlemen?” She welcomed the dragon prince and his knight commander. “It’s your first time, right? Please don’t be nervous.” She looked them up and down admiringly. “The girls will be beyond pleased to serve you, they might even offer some services free of charge!”

Thorn ignored her and gave Hugo a look. Hugo stepped forward towards the madam and flashed his badge. A fierce black dragon was emblazoned on its surface. It was the symbol of the Royal Garrison. “We have some questions for you,” Hugo said sternly.

The madam suddenly withdrew the flirtatious smile from her heavily made-up face. “The Dark Knights! Please accept my apologies.” She led them into a side room, in case any customers or girls were eavesdropping. “Please, ask anything.”

“Have you seen this?” Hugo pulled out a bundle and unwrapped it for her. “It’s been reported that this was discovered in your brothel a long time ago.”

The woman squinted at the golden sash, then suddenly widened her eyes. She recognized it as belonging to one of her regular customers; they had known each other for years. She was perfectly aware of his true identity and knew that he was just as dangerous as the dark knights. “No,” she lied, her voice cracking, “I’ve never seen it before.”

“Speak the truth, woman,” Hugo pressured, “If you don’t want this place to be shut down.”

As they were speaking, a shadow suddenly appeared in front of them, then quickly vanished to the left. Thorn caught a glimpse of a man running out of the room which the madam had just led a girl into. He had seen the man’s ankle glistening with a golden sheen. It was rare for a high- ranking golden dragon to visit whores at the Craggy Mountains; even stranger, he fled at the exact moment they arrived with the sash. He eyed Hugo, then both of them rushed away.

Thorn leaped forward and turned to the left. The brothel was like a maze, with numerous turning hallways and rooms. Dragon girls were coming in and out, all dressed in transparent, silky dresses. They were all astonished upon seeing the two gorgeous men.

Thorn and Hugo proceeded to chase down the man.

As they ran to the brothel’s wide-open backdoor, they stepped out of the building and observed a trail of footsteps. The man was running towards the maple woods.

Thorn and Hugo mounted their horses, chasing after the man. Soon, they approached a stream.

Suddenly, the strong scent of a fresh, gushing creek shattered Thorn’s dragon soul. He was drawn into the marvelous fragrance, as if his whole being was melting into it. He suddenly realized that Leila was nearby, and she was in heat.

Thorn accelerated their pace. Hugo followed close behind.

Finally, they spotted the golden dragon. He was scrambling along the bank and panting heavily.

In front him, around a few hundred meters away, Leila was lying down on the ground helplessly. She tried to get up, but she seemed incapable of supporting herself. The air was filled with her sweet scent. Thorn was wildly tempted by an uncontrollable agitation. If he didn’t have such a strong mind, he would have shifted to a dragon right then and there.

However, he saw a disturbing scene that made him decide to shift after all. Another golden dragon with an eyepatch was barreling towards Leila. He had wondered why Alpha Luca hadn’t made a move yet; Thorn had sensed him lurking around before they even settled into the inn. Considering Amaya’s capture, Thorn assumed that he wouldn’t act rashly. But, apparently, he had underestimated Luca’s loyalty to the queen.

Thorn straightened up on the horse and gave his reins to Hugo. “Hold this.”

He pushed himself up, standing on the horse’s back. With a jump upwards, and the sound of tearing cloth, Thorn shifted into a fierce black dragon.

His powerful wings had carried him up above the canopy of colorful maple trees. Feeling the wind whirling above him, the golden dragon stopped running and looked up. To his horror, he saw Thorn’s sharp dragon talons crashing down onto him. Thorn grabbed his waist, then tossed him towards Hugo. The man fell on the empty horseback. Hugo greeted him and restrained his limbs.

With another thrash of his wings, Thorn sped toward Luca.

Luca pinned Leila’s arm to the ground as his entire body trembled with a menacing hate. “You bitch! I lost an eye because of you! Now, you’re gonna pay with both of your eyes—after I’m done fucking your little tight hole!”

Leila felt her strength fading away. Her whole body was still shaking with an unbearable burning sensation as she was soaked in the rain. Even so, she wasn’t scared this time. She had sensed that Thorn was already there. Luca’s face blurred in front of her delirious eyes; her whole being was now drowning for Thorn.

In the blink of an eye, Thorn appeared above them. His scales quivered up and down rapidly, his eyes bulged with red veins, and his tongue ignited with a blazing fire as he hissed at Luca.

Not waiting for him to lift his round head up, Thorn flung Luca up in midair, and he crashed onto the sleek pebbles in the shallow creek. He flew over to him and trapped him under his enormous claws. He picked him up and smashed him onto the hard rocks again, allowing Luca’s fresh blood to flow into the running water. Luca lost consciousness at once. Hugo tied up the stallions and came over to help.

Then, Thorn observed the water, a shimmering golden dust was drifting up from the bottom of the creek. The dragon shifted back and stepped out of the water. Thorn walked over to Leila, whose skin was pink due to the burn.

“I’m here, Leila.” He scooped Leila up in his arms and touched her face gently. Her skin was scalding hot, as was her stone. The heat was torturing her. He needed to fix it at once.

“I’ll take her away now,” He said to Hugo, “You lock those bastards away and made them talk.”

Hugo lifted Luca up and piled him on top of the other man on the horse. “Aye.”

Thorn shifted back into the black dragon and raced towards the deeper end of the woods.