Blood Thorne

Chapter 5

Leana belted out a mournful scream, her cries echoing through the too-silent throne room. Aria's breath caught in her throat as a wave of heartache crashed into her. Drágon turned his head to them; chest heaving as he panted out of shock. His ember eyes squinting slightly as his eyebrows furrowed slightly. His head fell to one side slightly as if he were silently beckoning them to stay. Aria wasn't having any of it, though her heart beat strongly in her chest. She gave a gentle tug on Leana's arm, causing her to stumble backwards a few steps.

"Leana," Aria called out to the Princess. Darach's body was slowly turning into a sunken heap as his body started to turn into a statuesque corpse. "Leana we must away now!" Aria tugged again, her voice filled with finality as the Princess finally gave way. The pair rounded the corner, running through their maze of underground tunnels. Their footfalls were heavy, they echoed off the walls and their panting reverberated off of the pipes. Behind them an echo of panicked screams filled the air. The front doors to the underground palace lay ahead of them, Aria could just taste the freedom on the other side. In her chest she felt anger bubble up, as well as urgency enough for three people swell in her chest. She bit her bottom lip, preparing herself for the painful crash.
Her right shoulder collided into the mahogany doors that had blessing runes etched into the woodwork. Her wavy hair had fallen free from its tight bun from all the running they were doing. The heavy doors gave way to the force of her tackle. Leana noted that Aria's runes were once again illuminating, the tips of her lady-in-waiting's hair was glowing as well. For a sheer minute she thought to utter three horrible words. What are you? But she kept her mouth shut, Aria gave a pained cry as she staggered. She wanted to stop and find her bearings before they continued, but the tension pulling at her heartstrings told her that Drágon was fast on their heels.

>>Run, my childe.<< The spidery, distorted voice echoed in her mind before images of forest tree lines and castle ruins flashed through her mind. She knew where to go. Without warning they bounded forward, a soft grunt escaping the Princess' mouth. She would have told Leana where they were headed, but she couldn't take the chance of Drágon finding out where they are through their connection. For now, she decided, they would advance in secret.

~+~

Drágon came to a sharp stop as he reached the open doors. The scuffs on the ground had indicated that one of them had either fallen or staggered. The leaves on the ground were disturbed but not enough to get a good reading. A feral and wildly frustrated roar erupted from him. He smashed his hard fists against the doors. He closed his eyes, trying to channel the connection with his sister so he knew where to find her. He would go to her, no matter the distance.
His efforts were to no avail, he found the channel to be a dead end. He clenched his fists even harder, his nails digging into the fleshy meat of his palm. Wherever she was, he hoped that she could feel that pain. He's lost the dragon gems which he needed in order to unlock a secret weapon so he could end humanity from the world.
Why couldn't she just see that having humans in this world would only cause their end? No matter what he wouldn't let their race fade. His heart couldn't bare it and his mind couldn't fathom a world that was absent of his people's touch. He wouldn't let humans do to them what they did to the Dragons centuries ago. If they died, he decided, the world would be poorer for it. A soft, familiar scent lingered in the air, carried by the lukewarm breeze.
Not Leana's. He thought.
No. It had to be the other girl. He found a deep ache wallowing in his chest. It was almost a sudden need, a longing for something. His runes began to tingle, making his head lean off to the right side. His darkly tinted eyelids closed, it was as if fingertips glided across his runes. It was as if his body was searching for her and he fought its longing. He bit back his need, his thirst for her scent and his hunger for her touch. He found this pining completely pathetic. After all, it hadn't been that long ago since he'd had his fill of a woman. He'd mated just last week, granted she was a sprite hybrid, but she was still magical nonetheless.
Shaking the thoughts of mating, he had decided to follow the faint foot prints as best as he could. It was almost as if she were covering their tracks, and perhaps she was. His eyes spotted a dark blue fragment of his sister's skirts, and he picked it up. He may not be able to find them yet but he knew something that could. He smirked at their effort to run. Who knows, he might even commend them for almost stumping him, but now he had an inkling. He had a lead and as long as that lead remained viable he would find them.
Gripping the scrap of skirt in his hand he stuck tightly to the shadows. He'd abandoned his staff, but he could retrieve it later. He shouldn't need a weapon for two delicate females, he knew how to tame them easily enough. There wasn't much need for force, most women who looked at him had thrown themselves to his feet as if they truly mattered to him. His sister, he knew, would come to him, they were connected too deeply for her to refuse. He doubted this Aria would be much of a challenge either. His jaw now hardened and set on edge he slid through a crack in the brick lain tunnel and began to slink his way to his domain.