Mark Of The Dragon Book I: Past

Chapter 14

No. No. It couldn't be. There was no way. It wasn't possible. Three white lines in a circle, a white triangle in the centre with a circle missing from the centre of that triangle. It was pure white, like my dream. I didn't need to look at my left side to see the same pattern. I would recognise that anywhere.

Dramendax looked at me with his maniacal blood red eyes.

"Look familiar?" Were the words he spoke to me. I was still in shock. I couldn't register it.

"I'm presuming it does." He laughed as he gestured to the mark on my side. "I couldn't believe it when I found you in that forest. My only heir. The only one with powers like me- or with powers like I used to have."

This dragon. This dragon was my father. I wasn't half surprised. The dark magic breath definitely suited this evil being. This thing that left my mother. This thing of evil. This thing that killed my saviour. This thing that was standing in front of me. I was enraged.

My mark was burning, and it was black already. Without any mercy I emptied my stomach of all the anger. My fire erupted from my mouth and covered the dragon that stood before me. The recoil was immense. I begun to cough and smoke seemed to continuously rise from my throat. It didn't make much of a difference though. I looked up to see the whole street burning. The whole street shrouded in my toxic smoke. The whole street dead. No, that was a lie.

He was still alive. My fire had completely obliterated his armour, but he stood strong, proud with his surge in power. The other parts of his armour were covering marks too. All the same save for the one on his head, that his helmet covered. That one was more elaborate. Not even my mark was as ornate as the one on his head. His marks were all glowing grey, standing out from his repeated black scales.

"Why thank you for that kind donation, Drakosima." He clapped, pushing for an encore.

"Why aren't you dead!?" I shouted.

"I gave you that gift, Drakosima. I gave it to you."

More like curse.

"What good would a dark magic breath be if it could harm one of your own?" He smugly explained. "I needed you to get my powers back."

"What do you mean?" I asked as I slowly edged away.

"There was a big bounty for young blue dragons with strange markings. I was contacted about the findings of a blue dragon with a mark. But you got away before I could get there. Remember the badlands? Yes, that was me. Shame a little tremor went off and got me trapped where I was going to ambush you. But it seems I didn't need an ambush or a bounty. Who would've thought you would've walked right into me?" He chuckled with that maniacal laugh of his. "Now let's get down to business."

He grabbed me by the tail before I could escape. Using one sharp claw, he touched my glowing mark. He obviously didn't plan for what happened next. I was flung across the street into a stack of hay, luckily breaking my fall. He was flung too. I didn't see where too though, my- our smoke was blocking the street. I jumped from the hay, as I could tell it would soon catch fire. I paused for a moment to take in this city. Kapolis, as Dramendax said. The whole place was alight, all the houses burning with grey fire being the cause. The houses that contained the people. The women. The children. There was nothing down the street with the inn but smoke and Dramendax. I limped down the street to my right.

There was ungodly panic and terror. Screaming people and crying children. The houses, being mainly made of wood, caught fire rapidly. Overturned carts, loose chickens. The place was hell. Fathers trying desperately to free their trapped families. The fathers that failed, and were sobbing and coughing at the same time after being touched by my deadly fire. A little girl laying on the side of the pavement, still clutching the burned remains of her doll. A woman's body was over the girl's, as if she was trying to protect her. A man with water buckets, trying to put out the fire. But it wouldn't go out. The flames ended up licking around the man's leg, and he fell to the ground holding it and screaming.

I had seen enough. I began to rush forward, but a building collapsed, barley missing me and crushing several people in front of me. I turned and started running. I would fly, but Dramendax would see me and capture me. I came to the junction again, the street with the inn still shrouded in smoke. Instead of staring into the void I darted to the left turning this time.

After minutes of wandering the burning streets of Kapolis I thought I had finally found the exit. But that would be to easy wouldn't it? At the gates to the city people were fleeing madly, and all I had to do was follow the crowd. Which was what I was doing, until I saw him.

He saw me too. On one side of the crowd was Dramendax. His marks noticeably white. I must have drained his powers when he touched me. I could just run. Let all of those people be my human shield. 'And then what? You get more innocent people killed?' My mind told me. I had to make a descicion. I ran back into town.

Leading Dramendax away from the people, I dashed through the smoggy streets, hoping the toxic smoke would shroud me from him. I could hear his heavy feet smashing into the ground as he bounded after me. I knew that if I kept running he would catch up to me and then I would be done for. I tried to use the twisting streets of Kapolis to my advantage. A left turn here, go down the alley there. I was immune to the smoke, but the fire was a different story. When I passed it I could still feel the heat, indicating I would be burned. Bodies were discarded along the hot stones that made up the pavement. An old man dressed in rags. A boy with freckles and blue eyes. All suffocated by the smoke. There was no more time to spend moping around. I saw the exit. I ran.

50 metres. 45 metres. 40 metres. 35 metres. 30 metres. 25 metres. Dramendax.

The large dragon was blocking my exit again. "Are we going to keep this up all day?" Dramendax said, showing no sign of fatigue.

"Not if you just let me go." I huffed.

"Only if you give me my power back." He demanded.

"I can't! Didn't you see what happened before? You were blasted into some houses!" I protested.

"No! There must be a way! Where is that blathering snake..." He went on. I started to formulate a plan. I came to the conclusion the only way out was to fly. Without any notice, I sprung into the air.

Dramendax, being caught off guard, was slow into the air, giving me the chance to fly over the city walls and into a plain. His bulky body was struggling in locating me, and I took the opportunity to run, but the plain seemed to go on for miles. With him catching up to me, I desperately looked for a way out, a lifeline of some sort. There was nothing. Unless I could hold my breath long enough in the river or hide under a daisy, I was done for. But that was it. I sprung into the river, the heavy current forcefully pushing me downstream. I saw Dramendax land on the plain, but there was no way he could catch me now. He might not even have to. I might end up drowning. I thought as I was dragged underwater by the river.