Page 23 of Chains of Nightshade

"You dare cage me?" My voice booms through the halls as I send a wave of destructive magic through the corridor. The stone walls crack and splinter. "I am Aurel, and I will not be contained!"

Vera whimpers in my arms, her fingers clutching weakly at my chest. The sound stirs something protective inside me, something I quickly push aside. She's served her purpose. That's all.

"Behind you!" she warns, her voice barely a whisper.

I spin, my tail catching another guard across the throat. Blood sprays across the walls. The scent of it fills my nostrils, awakening ancient hungers.

With a roar, I surge forward, my serpentine body crushing everything in its path. The front doors loom ahead, sealed withmagic far weaker than my own. I gather my power, feeling it build like a storm.

"Watch," I tell Vera, though I'm not sure why I care to impress her. The doors explode outward in a shower of splinters and metal, my magic tearing through their wards like paper.

Fresh air hits my face for the first time in decades. The night sky stretches above us, endless and free. My body tingles with renewed strength as I rise to my full height, my scales gleaming in the moonlight.

More guards approach, but they hesitate now. They see what I truly am - not a prisoner, but a god among insects.

I blast another wave of magic at the pursuing guards, their bodies crumpling like paper dolls against my power. The forest looms ahead, dark and promising. Perfect for losing any survivors foolish enough to follow.

My tail propels us forward as I cradle Vera's small form against my chest. Her breathing comes in short, irregular gasps, and her skin has taken on an alarming pallor. The arrow wound in her side still bleeds, staining my scales crimson.

"Stay with me," I mutter, though I'm not sure why I care. She's served her purpose – I'm free. That was the plan all along. Nothing more.

Yet when her fingers weakly clutch at my chest, something unfamiliar twists inside me. Her face, still spattered with dark elf blood from her kill, looks younger in unconsciousness. More vulnerable.

"I should have left her," I whisper to myself, slithering deeper into the shadows of ancient trees. The words taste wrong on my tongue, hollow and false. My arms tighten around her instinctively as she shivers.

"Cold," she mumbles, her head lolling against my shoulder.

I pause, looking down at her face, all angles and shadows. This fragile human who dared to free me, who showed suchunexpected savagery when cornered. Who now bleeds because of my plans.

But as her breathing grows more labored, I find myself moving faster through the undergrowth, my heart racing with something that feels dangerously close to fear.

I glance over my shoulder, my jaw clenching at the sound of voices echoing through the dense forest. The dark elves' footsteps crunch through the underbrush, drawing closer with each passing moment.

"They're persistent," I mutter, my tail propelling us forward through the shadows. These bastards never knew when to quit. Even after all these years, they still think they can control me.

A weak stirring in my arms draws my attention. Vera's eyes flutter open, glazed with pain. Blood trickles from the corner of her mouth, and her skin has taken on an alarming grayish tinge.

"Aurel..." Her voice comes out as barely a whisper. "I'm sorry..."

Something twists in my chest at the sound of her voice. Why is she apologizing? She freed me. She killed for me. She's bleeding because of me.

I look down at her, and despite my best efforts to maintain my detachment, my expression softens. "Don't speak. Save your strength."

Her fingers clutch weakly at my chest, leaving bloody prints on my skin. The arrow wound in her side hasn't stopped bleeding. If anything, the flow seems to have increased with our frantic escape.

Another shout rings out behind us, closer this time. Much closer. I tighten my grip on Vera and pick up speed, my serpentine body weaving between the ancient trees. Her head lolls against my shoulder, and I feel her breath coming in short, irregular gasps.

The voices draw nearer. "This way! I see movement!"

Vera's eyes close again, her hand falling limply to her side. I shake her gently. "Stay with me. Don't you dare die now."

Her fingers brush against my chest, leaving trails of warmth that burn through my cold-blooded flesh. "You... didn't have to save me..."

My jaw clenches. The sound of pursuit grows closer, boots crunching through dead leaves and broken branches. We're leaving an obvious trail - her blood marks our path like a beacon.

"Quiet."

My tail propels us forward, but her dead weight slows me down. Each movement sends fresh blood trickling down my scales. The dark elves' voices echo through the trees, drawing nearer with every passing second.

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