Shadows flitted from side to side in the mist, making it impossible to determine how many dwarves we were up against. My head swung from side to side, tracking the nearly imperceptible movements with care, only for one shadow to disappear and another to appear in an entirely different spot, leaving me perplexed and unable to keep up. Unexpectedly, the shadows vanished all at once. It was as if they had never been there. Silence rang through my ears and my body tensed, the apprehension becoming almost too much to bear.
"Where did they go?" I whispered to Fyrlia.
"Shhh," she hissed back, before deciding no more harm could be done and muttering, "I don't know, but now is our best chance to go."
She took the initiative, stepping forward tentatively. When no dwarves leaped out to greet her, she lifted her wings and began to run, gaining momentum to lift off the ground. I followed scarcely a pace behind her, unfolding my own wings as I prepared to fly.
Suddenly, a shadow appeared, then another, and another, and before I knew it there were at least ten — double the amount there originally were — and probably even more in the direction of the eye I couldn't see out of.
Panic quickened my heart and sped up my feet, but we were already under siege. Fyrlia's screech echoed through the still air, and I watched in horror as she plummeted to the ground from her previously airborne position, now with multiple plumes of red jutting from her side. Slowing to a halt, I chirped nervously when she failed to rise, and even more so as the dwarves drew steadily closer.
A muffled thunk reached my ears and moments later a sharp pain shot through my side, the process repeating itself enough times to leave the area feeling numb. A few sluggish heartbeats later the numbness had spread too rapidly for me to register, causing me to crumple over like a drunk. Waves of nausea rolled over me and my already limited vision swam, producing an even more restricted range of view. As my head slumped to the ground and reality slipped from my unwilling grasp, the sound of gruff laughter followed to taunt me in my dreams.
~~~
For a moment, I thought everything was all a dream. My element, Kazlar, my eye, the dwarves, all of it. So astute was the silence and darkness I awoke in that I was convinced of this, at least until I felt something sharp digging into the center of my back. Groaning, I awkwardly rolled over and flinched, surprised to see Fyrlia's gold eyes staring up at me.
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"Shhhh. If you're going to speak, do so quietly, they don't know we're awake yet," she hissed before I even had a chance to open my mouth.
"Where are we? How long have you been awake for?" I whispered groggily.
"I haven't been awake very long, probably no more than ten minutes or so. Cryhn just got done telling me that this is the main cell area. He says it's large enough to fit a couple more dragons but we're the first ones he's ever seen in here."
Raising my head, I searched through the darkness for the presence of another dragon, but when I found none, I asked, "Cryhn? Who's Cryhn?"
"Over here, youngling."
A soft chuckle emanated through the cell as I stared in awe at the shape materializing in front of me. He opened his eyes to reveal a dark storm grey — the color of a wind element, and a hint of his high elemental mastery level. Enthralled, I stretched my neck closer, only to be abruptly halted by a smack to my scaled snout. A dull thrum echoed through the chamber from the pole I had hit, and I felt Fyrlia tense against my side while Cryhn vanished from view.
He must be camouflaging himself to do that, which means he's a Yaegran.
My revelation was interrupted seconds later when a door swung open and allowed the light to spill in, illuminating the previously dark space.
The room was bigger than I anticipated. It contained six dragon-sized cells in total — three on our side of the room and four on the other — and the door was to the left, positioned between the two-celled sides of the room. Our cage was the largest and the closest to the door, allowing the discovery of a small architectural flaw. The door swung inwards, temporarily blocking the guard's view and giving us a few seconds to spare.
Acting on impulse, we both silently slumped to the ground and feigned unconsciousness. A couple of sharp prods with a stick later and the individual was gone, the harshly slammed door a testament to his departure.
Even so, we lay motionless for a while longer, struggling to placate our racing hearts. Once the adrenaline had worn off, awkward embarrassment took hold. I was lying atop Fyrlia and completely smothering her — likely the reason she hadn't gotten up yet.
“Sorry,” I blurted out as I hastened off of her and pressed against the bars of our cell, providing her plenty of freedom to get up.
I heard the slight scraping of scale and nail on stone and witnessed a barely distinguishable movement as she pulled herself to her feet.
“It’s alright. It was either that or them finding us awake and dragging us off to who knows where. Better to be safe than sorry.”
I nodded in agreement, only to remember she wouldn't be able to see the small action and squeaking out, “Yeah.”
Smooth Rylar. Real smooth.
A small cough came from the other side of the room, reminding me that we weren't the only ones in here and making my embarrassment all the worse.
Dull eyes stared back when I turned toward the noise, and it was almost as if I could see rain-filled clouds rolling through them, creating the storm-grey shade that beckoned me closer. I shook my head abruptly, breaking apart my train of thought.
Whoever he is, he must be powerful to draw me in like that.
“So,” Cryhn began dryly, “How’s everyone enjoying their stay?”