Page 17 of The Forbidden Dragon King
I’ve been attacked, and I’ve defended myself. But an Omega who has killed an Alpha isagainst nature.
I would be hung.
I can’t stay here.
I turn determinedly toward the path again, crawling and dragging my damaged ankle behind me.
I haul the spear along with me. My muscles scream in protest.
On the alert, I listen out for the sound of Hilda’s pack behind me, feeling their phantom breath on my neck.
Please let her have been hunting alone.
Had she been seeking me out or Bard?
I raise my head with difficulty, catching a glimpse of the caves, which glitter with rubies pressed around the arched entrance.
“Thank the moon.” I push myself to my knees with a grunt.
Then I crawl to the entrance, wincing as pain shoots through my ankle.
The Winter Caves stand grandly at the top of the cliff. Moonlight streams across the glittering onyx and rubies, which mark the entrance.
Panting, I push myself to my feet, resting as much of my weight as possible on my right foot. Blood is now sodden in my left boot, dripping from my mangled ankle.
I’m lightheaded, swaying.
I limp into the cave in relief, gripping onto the wall to steady myself. I trace over the sharp gemstones that stick out of the walls like old friends. They lead the way through the labyrinth and are a reassuringly familiar sensation.
It’s silent in the caves.
I bite the inside of my cheek, one of my favorite tricks to ignore pain, as I try to walk too fast, excited to finally reach the boundary of Fang Kingdom.
Moonlight slithers through holes and cracks in the caves, which are like a giant honeycomb.
More sure of myself in my sanctuary now, I smile as I follow the path that I know better than any Shadow Wolf does.
Almost there.
I limp into the largest chamber, before the caves open onto the ledge, which overlooks the Unseelie Kingdom in the frozen north. Several archways lead out of it. I shiver, as cold air blows through them.
Ancient cave paintings are daubed on the walls. I stroke my fingers across them.
In the painting, the giant Golden Dragon from legend, the last and only emperor to have conquered every kingdom in the Shadow Realms, Emperor Hadrian, breathes fire.
With vast wings, Hadrian is both bestial and beautiful.
Fae, wolves, and vampires are all shown prostrating themselves, kneeling, fleeing, or being burned alive.
I’ve spent hours staring at this painting.
Who was it created by?
The fae? The wolves?
Is it triumphal, painted in victory by our ancestors? Simply a retelling of a legend? Or is it the recording of actual history?
A warning?
