“Not a dragon,” he said, and he slid my hoody off. His face froze. He just stared at me. He didn't make one peep, but our eyes were locked. I could see Goran's evil coiling from behind this man's soft grey eyes. I didn't know how long we stood there staring at each other. It was terrifying that he had so much mockery for Blake, but for me, he had none.
I was probably not worthy enough. Lucian was still ranting like a crazy beast.
The Dragonian's face unfroze, and darkness transformed his eyes from grey to black. I didn't think in a million years that he would do it. But when I felt the blade pushing into my stomach, I knew that I wasn't going to live long enough to apologize for bringing everyone into this mess.
His blade thrust more than once in my stomach, each time a different entrance, twisting through my flesh viciously. He held me tight while the laughter coming from his lips told me that he enjoyed every single thrust.
“No!”Lucian’s voice cried out the loudest, it didn't even sound like him. My whole body felt as if it was on fire. The last stab he kept the blade in and whispered something into my ear. It wasn’t clear, and I only hear part of the words, like “woman” and “condolences.”
I was concentrating too much on the mountain that was home to a blazing volcano. I could feel my sight slowly starting to disappear, but I couldn't tear my eyes away from the mountain. In the sky soared my last bit of hope. Not for me, but for my friends. I saw a Sun-Blast diving with the speed of light.
He came so close that I could see the yellow of his eyes and the vertical pupil inside a pair of dark red irises. He picked me and the Dragonian up with his talons, and with one jolt, I was free.
Lucian caught me, but the pain was so intense that it almost made me feel numb.
“Fight, Elena,” he yelled as tears streamed down his face. It sounded as if he was speaking into a tin can. Becky pulled off her blazer and gave it to Lucian. His lips were moving, but this time there was no sound.
I could feel a thud, vibrating through the ground and saw Becky and Lucian jump. Becky disappeared. Lucian lifted me up and carried me to safety. I drifted away into the deep darkness with the smell of his cologne lingering in my nose.
* * *
When I opened my eyes, I saw the same familiar fan spinning above me.
I'm still alive?
I felt as if I was going to lose my mind and wanted to get up, but my fragile body wouldn’t let me.
Constance was right by my bedside.
Is this for real? Am I alive? How can it be? Where are my friends? What happened?
My eyes must have told her that I was freaking out.
“Relax, Elena,” Constance's voice begged, while she fidgeted with the drip. I felt drowsy and everything faded out again.
* * *
When I opened my eyes the second time, I found Master Longwei right next to me, sleeping.
I’m alive.
I could tell it was dark by the dimmed lights and the silence around me. My throat was dry, and my restlessness must have woken him.
“Easy, Elena.”
“Water.” It came out as a hoarse whisper. He poured me a glass, and I took a couple of sips.
“How do you feel?”
“Like I got stabbed with a knife.”
He huffed and looked really pissed off. He had all the reason in the world to be. I bet if I wasn't laying here, he would have morphed into his dragon form and fried my ass on the spot.
“Did you get that while picking a fight with the Sacred Cavern's keeper?” he asked, pointing to my wrist.
I frowned. Why is he asking me that? Doesn't he know?
An alarm went off in my head, which shook my entire body. All I could think about was what could have possibly happened to my friends.
I can't be the only survivor. I'll never be able to live with the burden.
“What happened?” I tried to get up.
“Relax, the others are fine.”
“Swear!” I demanded.
“By my dragon’s oath, I promise you, they are fine. Now calm down.”
I nodded and lay back into the soft pillows. “Why don't you know what happened then?”
“They took a vow of silence.” His tone indicated that he was frustrated, and the way he was grasping the bridge of his nose with his index finger and thumb confirmed it. He sounded tired too.
“What?” I couldn't believe my ears. “Why?”
“They don't want to talk until you're awake.”
“How did I get here?”
He swallowed hard and closed his eyes.
“We’d just found out that the nine of you were missing. A couple of us were going to search for you when Cheng spotted Blake coming in really fast. He missed the entrance and crashed through one of the walls. Constance was scared that his heart was going to explode. There was so much blood. She wanted to treat him, and that's when we found you, clutched between his front paws.”