(Starla)
Doodles had stopped his usual meandering and now pressed close to my ankle. I picked him up, and he purred into my chest with his ears flat. Even he knew something was wrong ahead as we followed.
The Commander walked in silence, his broad shoulders blocking the torchlight ahead. I watched the way his hands clenched and unclenched at his sides. I could feel the anxiousness radiating off him in waves. He cared deeply for his brother.
"Remember, he has been trapped in that form for a hundred years. A hundred years of burning, raging and screaming. I have watched my brother lose himself piece by piece, and there was nothing I could do. So be careful."
A hundred years....The number echoed in my mind, too vast to comprehend.
"The report was... written by someone who didn’t want to scare off potential guides," he continued, his voice hardening. "They thought if they told the truth, no one would come. They were right. No one comes anymore except..." he turned slightly and focused his heated gaze on me.
"And yet you still accepted me..." I quietly answered.
He was desperate; it was clear, but he didn’t want to show it.
"I accept anyone who walks through that door." His eyes were hollow. But then he shook his head and turned away, continuing down the corridor.
"But I am not blind," he said over his shoulder. "Your energy is like a dying ember. But you are the only one who came in a long time. I hope you are worth it."
The words hit harder than any accusation, but I kept my mouth shut.
We came outside a grand metal door, bolted shut and guarded by five bulky Beastmen.
Seeing their Commander, they bowed and opened the door. However, when their eyes landed on me, I saw nothing but disgust. Doodles let out a warning growl.
We entered and emerged into a cavern so vast that the torchlight couldn’t reach the ceiling. The walls fell away into darkness, and the air grew thick with the smell of smoke and ash. A low growl echoed from somewhere ahead, vibrating through the stone beneath my feet.
Doodles’ hackles rose, and a low hiss escaped his throat.
The Commander glanced at the trembling orange ball of fur. "Your cat should stay here. My brother won’t recognise him as harmless. He will see something small and living and he will..."
He didn’t finish, but I understood what he meant.
Doodles pressed his face against my chest, his little heart racing against my palm, his claws digging into my shoulder.
"Stay here," I whispered to him, setting him down near the entrance. "Stay. Don’t follow."
He looked up at me with those greenish-gold eyes, and for a moment, I sensed his fear.
"Stay," I repeated. Then I stood and followed the Commander into the dark with a rapidly beating heart of my own.
The black chains came into view first. Massive iron links, each thicker than my arm, bolted into the stone floor and walls. They stretched toward the centre of the cavern, where a shape loomed in the dim torchlight.
I stopped walking, and sweat poured out of my temples. My heart shook behind my ribcage as my eyes adjusted and settled on the creature.
The dragon was enormous. Larger than I had imagined, larger than any beast I had ever seen. Scales like shiny tar covered his massive body, gleaming wetly in the firelight.
His wings were folded against his back, ragged and torn, as if he had tried to fly through stone. His chest rose and fell in ragged, uneven breaths.
And then I glanced at his eyes.
God, his eyes were pulling. They were molten gold, the same shade as his brother’s dragon when he had peeked at me through him, but there was nothing human in them. No recognition and absolutely no thought. Just rage, pure and burning, fixed on the empty space in front of him as if he was fighting an enemy only he could see.
A century of this. A century of being trapped in his own skin, burning from the inside out. My heart melted for the creature. That care I carried burst forth trying to reach him.
"Aksel," Azkan said softly, stepping closer. "Aksel I have brought someone. A guide. She is here to help."
The dragon’s head snapped toward us, rage made his huge nostrils flare. His maw opened and the roar that tore from his throat was deafening, a sound that seemed to shake the very foundation of this place.
Fire erupted from deep down his throat.
I screamed, my arms covering my face in fright but I was swept away before I could burn to a crisp.
The erupting fire scorched the stone where we had been standing moments before. The chains clanked and groaned as he lunged, his massive body straining against the iron bonds.
"Stay back!" the Commander shouted, shielding me with his body, his strong arms let me go. "He is worse today. He is always worse when I bring someone new."
I stumbled backwards, my heart pounding. The heat from the flames was unbearable, and my energy flickered dangerously. Dark spots danced at the edges of my vision.
’This is insane. You can’t do this. You can barely stand,’ my thoughts echoed.
But then I looked at Azkan, the way he stood between me and his brother, his body a shield against the fire. The pain in his eyes intensified as he watched the creature he loved try to kill him.
A century. A hundred years of watching his twin suffer. And still, he hadn’t given up.
This is why I came. This is why I was here. To help them. That was my job. I had chosen this; no one forced me.
Slowly, I stepped forward.
"What are you doing?" The Commander shouted. "He will kill you."
"He won’t. Let me try," I tried to reply calmly, but there was a tremor in my voice.
"Are you insane? Did you not just see?"
"I saw." My gaze fixed on the raging dragon. "I am not giving up."
"You will die," Azkan spoke with controlled rage.
I turned to look at him. For a moment, I let him see it all: the exhaustion, the fading energy, but also the quiet certainty and my iron resolve to help others no matter what, especially someone in pain.
"Have a little faith."
His eyes widened in shock, but he didn’t stop me after this.
I turned and slowly walked toward the dragon, my shaking right hand stretched forward, sweat pouring like buckets from my body. My knees shook so violently that I knew I could crumble to the ground any second.
The chains rattled as Aksel lunged again, his massive jaws snapping inches from my face. I felt the heat of his breath, smelled the sulfur and ash, but I didn’t flinch.
"Aksel," I called, and my voice was steadier than I had imagined it would be "My name is Starla. I am here to help you, not harm you. Scent me, and you will know."
He roared again, the sound so loud I felt it in my gut. Fire erupted from his jaws, and I threw myself to the side, my shoulder slamming against the stone floor. Raw pain coursed through me, white-hot and sharp.
Azkan heavily sighed behind me.
"Are you hurt?" He asked, his voice ringing in my ears.
"No."
"Get up. Get up. You can’t die here," I reprimanded myself and stood on my feet. My shoulder burnt with blinding pain.
I pushed myself, swaying. The dragon’s eyes were fixed on me, blazing with rage. But for a flicker, I thought I saw something else. Confusion, maybe. Or recognition, a flicker of humanity.
"Aksel," I repeated, taking a step closer. "I know you are in there. I know you can hear me."
"It doesn’t work," Azkan called from behind me, his voice strained. "I have tried for a century. Words don’t reach him."
"Then I will reach him another way."
Carefully, I extended my hand again, taking small steps towards him.
He paused; his burning eyes remained fixed on me. His nostrils emitted black smoke but at least not fire.
Small win, I will take it.
"I mean you no harm," I murmured and slowly pressed my shaking palm against the dragon’s hot snout.
And to my utter surprise, he let me.