Page 88 of Beneath Scales and Shadows
“Almost there,” she encouraged the weakened omega, who stumbled beside her. “Just a little farther.”
They reached a balcony overlooking the eastern courtyard. Below, chaos reigned—soldiers firing arrows skyward, dragons diving to shower flame upon weapon emplacements, civilians fleeing in terror.
A bronze blur streaked past—Ember, her wings tucked tight against her body as she searched for any sign of Coal. Sora couldn’t signal her without exposing their position to the guards below.
Instead, she pressed her hand to the scale at her side, channeling every ounce of need through their blood bond.Here. We’re here. Help us.
The response was immediate—a flood of protective rage that nearly drove her to her knees. Through the smoke-hazed sky, she caught sight of a vast shadow cutting through the clouds, wings stretched wide as it banked sharply and slowed its descent.
Ignis crashed onto the balcony with enough force to crack the stone beneath his claws. His true draconic form filled the space completely, wings blocking arrows fired from below, tail sweeping away approaching guards who’d finally noticed their escape.
His crimson eyes found hers instantly, pupils dilating as he took in her soot-stained face, the rescued omega at her side, and the three unconscious figures behind her.
“You were supposed to stay with the others,”his voice growled directly into her mind, fury barely containing relief.
“Plans changed,” she replied, already helping the weakened omega toward him. “We need to get them out first.”
Arguing would waste precious seconds. Ignis lowered his body, allowing her to position the rescued captives across his shoulders. His scales radiated heat that seemed to revive them slightly, drawing weak moans from previously silent forms.
As she secured the last unconscious prisoner, movement at the edge of the courtyard caught her eye. More dragons descended—Blaze and Enixa, their scales gleaming copper and emerald as they navigated through a hail of arrows.
“Take them,” she called, gesturing to the rescued omegas on Ignis’s back. “Get them to safety.”
Ignis’s crimson eyes narrowed, suspicion flaring through their bond.“What are you planning?”
“The omega said there are dozens more in breeding chambers below.” She stepped back from his towering form, decision already made. “I can’t leave them.”
Fury blazed through their connection, hot enough to scorch.“Absolutely not—”
“We don’t have time to argue.” She gestured toward the approaching dragons. “Transfer the prisoners. I’ll scout the lower levels and return to this balcony for extraction.”
Blaze and Enixa landed with precision, wings creating downdrafts that scattered debris across the stone. Without waiting for Ignis’s approval, Sora began transferring the weakened omegas to their care.
“Twenty minutes,” she promised, meeting Ignis’s burning gaze. “Then I’ll be right here.”
His tail lashed, cracking stone.“Ten. Any longer and I come after you.”
She nodded, already edging toward the tower doorway. The intensity of it hit like a blow—his protective fury battling reluctant acceptance, a storm of emotion so fierce it left her reeling.
“Dragon blood or not, you’re still more vulnerable than you realize,” Blaze warned, securing an unconscious omega across his shoulders. “Your bond with the king makes you invaluable.”
“I know.” Sora touched the ruby scale at her side. “But I’m never truly alone now.”
With that, she slipped back into the smoke-filled tower. Behind her, the rush of air signaled the dragons’ departure, carrying their precious cargo to safety.
Finding the breeding chambers proved easier than expected. Guards rushed past her without a second glance, focused on the dragon attack outside. Servants fled in the opposite direction, seeking shelter from falling debris. No one questioned a woman in dragon rider armor moving purposefully through the chaos.
Stone stairs spiraled downward, deeper than she’d expected. The air grew thick with moisture and the acrid scent of fear. Flickering torches cast dancing shadows across walls engraved with unsettling symbols—wards against escape rather than intrusion.
The corridor widened into a cavernous space. Unlike the laboratory above with its clinical precision, this chamber resembled a grotesque menagerie. Glass enclosures lined the walls, each containing a figure—predominantly female, though some male—their bodies connected to tubes and monitoring devices.
Breeding chambers. The name took on horrifying clarity.
They weren’t merely harvesting omega essence—they were breeding it, forcing captives to produce offspring with specific traits, then harvesting both parent and child.
Revulsion crawled up her throat. Through their blood bond, she felt Ignis’s horror mirror her own as he sensed what she witnessed.
No time for shock. The first enclosure offered no easy release—no levers, no hinges. Gritting her teeth, she yanked at the latch until it gave way with a shriek.
