Imperial

Chapter 56

Perhaps it was because the other dragons were no longer malnourished or injured, but the flight across the vast blue sea was no where as endless as it had seemed the first time. Even travelling a further distance over the ocean before in order to get to Erakor faster, I could have sworn that the amount of time spent over the ocean was shorter than the previous one.

Which was good. I didn't particularly like flying over the ocean, knowing I couldn't land if I needed to. Nor did I like how plain yet vast it was - and how insignificant we were compared to it.

I much preferred mountains to it, but for as far as I could see, there were none. Only forests and fields - that were riddled with creeks and rivers.

"Careful," Kronx warned quietly, immediately dropping the pace notably.

Confused, I glanced at him. "What is it?"

"We are nearing Erakor. Still several hours away - but you must not forget that the humans are still looking for us," the dark blue dragon rumbled, warily searching the horizon.

As good as it was to hear that we were nearing the human city, I tensed. Remembering Master and Thanatos - who were undoubtedly still searching for us. Where were they now? Had they already looked around the east, or were they near the city? Would we bump into them again?

I shuddered, hoping that we would not. Their fury and hatred combined were enough to unnerve me, even though both were likely to keep searching for years.

Once we'd attacked Erakor, we'd have to move quickly. Perhaps back across to Herei Utang and find a territory to claim. The warm climate there was nice - and the fact that we could move freely, without worry of humans -

"You think Thanatos and that human is still searching for us?" Rutilus's voice dripped with disbelief and shock. Perhaps even a trace of fear or panic. Slightly curious, I craned my neck to see him gliding alongside his mother, his talons flexing as though uneasy.  "But we've been away for months!"

"You are right. Humans are very impatient creatures. But Thanatos is no human," Kronx rumbled, his silver eyes dark as he peered into the night. "For any dragon, including Thanatos, a few months is only a blink of time. A mere fraction of our lives."

"Nor will Master ever stop," I quipped, remembering the human's black eyes staring into my soul. Unable to forget the way that he glared at me, nor the promise he'd uttered the last time I'd encountered him - you will never stay free.

Rutilus's eyes darkened, but other than that, he did not respond.

"At least we're free now," Caelum added, attempting to lighten the mood. "Besides, we most likely won't get captured. The humans won't know we're coming, and there's so many of us!"

"Until we get to the city," Thorak growled quietly, his pale eyes glaring into the distance as though he could already see Erakor. 

Caelum sighed, obviously unable to come up with an answer despite her optimistic attitude. Still, a shadow flashed across her dark blue eyes. Irritation? Annoyance? Exasperation? Or something else? I could not tell.

Blinking slowly, I glanced in front of me. Examining the forests that stretched on endlessly and the distant horizon. Excitement surged through me as I peered closer at the horizon. Faintly, barely visible against the dark sky, I could see the silhouettes of a distant mountain range.

Finally, something other than the vast ocean or endless ocean!

"Not far now," Kronx rumbled, and I realised he must have seen the mountains, too. Perhaps he recognised them - he must have been near, if not at Erakor at some point. Especially since he was telling us that we didn't have too far to go.

"I wonder what Erakor's like," Caelum murmured, tilting her head inquisitively. She tensed slightly, and with a quieter voice, she added,"Do you think its like Ukurauis?"

I blinked. Would Erakor be like Ukurauis? I'd never been to any other human city. Other than attacking Erakor, I had no initial desire to, either. Despite the many months that had passed, I could clearly remember each detail of Ukurauis. The dark buildings sprawled across the city, the shadow that was always cast over it. The wicked-looking castle that sent shivers down my spine, yet somehow seemed to awe the humans.

Hopefully, Erakor would not even slightly resemble Ukurauis. But chances were, the odds were against me. Especially if humans found the castle so fascinating and miraculous. 

Sighing, I waited for an answer to Caelum's question, but there was none.

As though the sky blue dragoness realised this, she snorted faintly. "Ah, look! You see those mountains over there? There's a small river in front of them - you can see it if you look close enough. And there's..." Her voice trailed off, and she perked up in excitement. "I know where we are!" 

From the corner of my eye, I spotted a glimmer of dark grey as Thorak pulled himself in front of Caelum - so that he glided beside me. An audible sigh escaped him, and I could have sworn that he was grumbling under his breath quietly. 

Why? Blinking, I glanced at him quizzically. Surely he didn't find Caelum that annoying? If anything, she made the trip more interesting - softening the mood and pointing out each landmark. Giving us something different to look at, instead of churning waves or rustling trees.

For a split second, Thorak held my gaze boldly, before staring back out at the sky. Was he looking for the river Caelum had pointed out?

"I know where we are," the blue dragoness repeated. This time softer. Quieter. Like a whisper. No longer did her dark blue eyes glitter with excitement. "This is where..."

Her voice trailed off, fading into a silence she did not break. Curious, I glanced at the normally bright dragoness, but she too was staring into the distance. Beyond the distance, where no one else could see.

Before I could attempt to so much as question her, Rutilus swept in beside me. For a split second, jealousy pierced his gaze as he glared at Thorak. "I think we're really close to Erakor," he declared, staring at something not in front of the mountains but beside them. The ocean. "Mother says that Erakor is practically a city on water."

So not a complete replica of Ukurauis. Still. It was hard to imagine such a wicked city by the ocean, instead of the cold, harsh mountains. Even with the churning waves, it would be harder to create the same dark atmosphere. 

"You are right," Kronx rumbled, his silver eyes dark, yet unreadable. "On the other side of the mountains, although still beside the ocean, lies Erakor... Come now. We should get some rest, before we're spotted."

*~*

1146 words

So sorry this chapter took so long to get out! Its obviously a little late. Ah well. The next chapter will be more interesting - and should be much faster to write. 

The second half of the chapter was written on my iPad - so there are probably more grammatical errors than normal. i'll try fix them up when I can.

Please do keep up all the votes and comments! :D