I couldn’t see where the dragon was through the flames, but I could hear him continuing to roar and release more fire. I reached for my gold band and brushed my thumb against the snake’s head.
“Come on, Bahir. Come on,” I breathed.
Where was he? He should have rushed to me the moment he saw the snake attack me. Could he have gotten caught up in the flames?
The dancing wall of fire encroached further around the pit. Soon flames had reached the edge and began to lick the sides of the walls, scorching my face and stealing my breath. My skin felt like it was starting to melt.
Aisha couldn’t help me even though she was inside me. She was too preoccupied with the Elder to be aware of what was going on outside. That much I already knew.
I was going to have to jump into the wall of flames and hope the fire didn’t reach my heart before I arrived at the exit. I couldn’t afford to wait any longer for Bahir.
It felt like suicide, but if I stayed here any longer, the flames would take my life anyway. It was better to go out while trying to escape.
Steadying my feet, I was about to plunge into the fire when a figure clad in armor leapt through the burning wall and clattered down on the gems a few feet away. When the helmet was removed, I realized that it was Julie. Her hair was soaked with sweat, her face singed as she thrust a wide, heavy shield into my hands.
“Come,” she said breathlessly. “We must hurry!”
I held up the shield in front of me as Julie grabbed my hand and we leapt headfirst into the inferno.
Chapter 24: Ben
Even with the armor and our supernatural speed, I thought we would be consumed. The entire room was flooded with flames, and the dragon was still rampaging what sounded like only feet away from us, filling the chamber with yet more heat—apparently the temperature hadn’t quite climbed high enough for him.
I kept the shield firmly in front of me. Since I didn’t have a helmet as Julie did, she was my eyes. She led me forward, darting between the pockets in the room that hadn’t yet been completely scorched. I still had no way of knowing what had happened to Bahir or Arron as Julie and I reached the iron door. I breathed out in relief, only to realize that it was locked.
A deafening roar sounded, followed by a gust of hot wind. The dragon’s breath. I looked up to see him standing ten feet away, visible through the haze of flames and smoke, his yellow eyes gleaming with fury.
His tail lunged toward us. Julie and I flung ourselves in opposite directions, narrowly avoiding being pierced. The dragon was going to stake us before burning our corpses to ashes.
“Duck!” I yelled to Julie as the tail swished toward us again. It clinked against my shield with such force, the shield went flying out of my hand.
“Why are you here? And whose blood stains your skin?” Breccan boomed down at me. His hand shot out, motioning to grab me by the waist. I dodged him, only to find myself stuck in a corner. His plan, I was sure.
“Tell me,” he continued. “Did you murder Lambas?”
Lambas? Despite my panic, I was momentarily taken aback by the question.
“Answer me!” he roared, scorching my eyeballs with his breath.
Maybe that cobra was Lambas. I just murdered his pet.
His jaws opened, revealing layers of razor sharp teeth.
“You killed her!” he repeated, his voice dripping with rage. “Didn’t you?”
A pointed object flew from my left toward the dragon and struck him in the eye. Breccan bellowed in pain and staggered back. I looked up to see Bahir hovering overhead. I was shocked by his bedraggled appearance. His skin was singed almost black. Of all of us, I hadn’t expected him to get injured by the flames. I could only think that he’d gotten caught by some before he’d managed to vanish himself.
Thank God.
Distracted by the pain, the dragon staggered backward, his tail flailing and narrowly missing my gut. I ducked down low on the ground as Bahir approached me. Julie hurried over—accompanied by Arron, who, like Julie, had somehow managed to reach the armor. I wasn’t sure how the Hawk managed to put it all on with one arm, but he wore a helmet and chest plate, as well as plates on his legs and knees.
Before the dragon could cause us any more damage, we gathered together and Bahir vanished us from the burning chamber.
Chapter 25: Ben
We reappeared back at our camp. I dropped to my knees, breathing out in relief as I felt the brown sack and the dragon scale still fastened securely to my belt. I placed both on the ground and rolled over on my back, breathing in the fresh air.
If a patient didn’t require this doctor’s help before an appointment, he sure as hell would need it after.
I removed my singed cloak and peeled off my shirt, using the latter to wipe down my face, which felt burnt to a crisp. I had a nasty burn that stretched from the base of my neck down to the middle of my chest, as well as on my hands and arms.