Page 36 of Dragon Master (Rise of the Dragon Master)

The question echoed in my mind just as Kingston glared back at us. Beyond him, the crystal-clear waters, and giant, multicolored coral reefs sprinkled around the sea greeted me. Their colors were ten times more majestic during the day, than they had been the night I first saw this place, enchanting me all over again. Light blue scales briefly popped through the surface, when the ocean guardian slithered along the water, his body shimmering under the sun.

“Are you ready to do this?” Evie asked, calling my attention back to her, and to the chain of mountains that bordered the other side of the resplendent sea. The tunnel entrance stood both welcoming and daunting within it.

“Yes, Princess!” I yelled back, seeing Kingston regard me too, or actually, his scowl hadn’t left me.

“We are counting on you, Braxton,” he sternly reminded. “Our brothers and sisters trapped in the Hollow are counting on us to be successful.”

No pressure.

Arming myself with courage I didn’t actually feel in that moment, I nodded. “I know Chief. I won’t disappoint you.”

At least, I hoped I didn’t.

Luna and Spartan hoverd to the sides, opening the path for me to move forwards and lead them. I gripped Tharion’s scales even tighter. Yep, we were all going to die.

“Hey!” Asher’s voice interrupted my terrible pep talk and he smirked. “Whatever connection there is between you and our Dragons, wasn’t created because of that ring. It was already inside you. Own it. You are with Elevated Warriors now, and we don’t fail.” Lifting his head to the sky, he struck his fist to his chest twice as though it were a drum. “Aghu. Aghu!” he yelled like a tribal roar of war.

“Aghu. Aghu!” the rest of the guard echoed, hitting their chests.

Evie’s smile reached me when she and Kingston joined in, and although I didn’t know what the gesture meant, it gave me the strength I needed.

“Aghu. Aghu!” I roared too and everyone shouted after me like maniacs. Grinning, I leaned forwards, patting Tharion’s neck.“Let’s show everyone how much of a true bad-ass you are.”

My Dragon sight instantly ignited.

The landscape changed as my iris slitted, and my gaze zoomed into the tunnel, showing me the plunges, rises, and turns that would take us to the mountains surrounding the Crimson Fortress. The scenes were swift and accelerated, like watching a video on fast-forward, but it was all I needed. Instinctively, my left hand lifted toward Tharion’s temple, I couldn’t reach it of course, but the gesture was enough.

He looked back at me just as his fiery eyes flickered blue with my ring’s magic, and lowering his head, he shot forwards, taking the lead as though he could see the way through my thoughts.

As the darkness of the tunnel engulfed us, the glowing green eyes from my nightmares awoke in my minds’ eye, and something sinister made its way through me. I wanted to confront Azazel. My blood simmered with the need to confirm once and for all, that it was his fire breath what took everything from me that horrid night.

If it had, then nothing would stop me from ending his life.

* * *

I wasn’t sure how many hours passed while we travelled in silence. Yet, while Tharion took us through passageways thick with cobwebs, and bats that startled with our approach—almost taking our heads off as they frantically flew out of the Dragons’ way—I knew we would soon reach our destination. The other channels had been clean and clear of debris, signaling an open path frequently used by the Dragons.

Our speed began to decrease with the next turn, until Tharion came to a complete stop in front of a large entrance long obstructed by nature. Or at least it looked like it had been nature. A slope of rocks and boulders of all sizes increased until it reached the ceiling, giving the impression of having suffered some kind of a landslide. Moss and grass grew and weaved between them, cementing the blockage like environmental crazy glue.

Everything glimmered with a dull golden hue through my night vision, but I soon noticed the torches being lit behind me by Kingston and the others, so I let go of it.

“I’m going to inspect it,” the chief declared, jumping down from Spartan and walking past me to the front. “Well done,” he offered, looking up at me, then began to climb the rocks.

A sense of accomplishment filled me, and I patted Tharion’s neck, grateful he hadn’t made me look like a fool. It was too soon to praise success though, we hadn’t even made it out of the mountain yet.

Sticking his torch between two boulders, Kingston firmly gripped the sides of another rock and tried to pull it out, testing the resilience of the seal formed around the entrance. His grunting echoed around us, he was using every ounce of his strength, but the rock didn’t even budge.

“You have to melt it open.” He finally confirmed, taking his light and walking back to Spartan.

Okay, this is it. It is up to me now…Tharion growled and I made a face.“You know what I mean!”

“It’s everything okay?” Evie asked, and I realized that Tharion’s growl had alarmed the others.

Sighing, I looked back. “Yes, I’m sorry. He’s just a bit grumpy.” I patted my Dragon’s neck once more, thinking that had worked fairly well before, so it might work again.“This is what we are going to do. We are going to walk closer to the blockage and then I need you to please blow your fire lava to melt it open. Can you do that?”

Tharion shook his head.

“Why not? Out of all the Dragons here, you are the strongest. You are freaking Fire Fury, surely you know you are the only one with breath powerful enough to open this passage.”

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