Apex [Imperial: Book 2]

Chapter 20

Beneath me, the ocean churned restlessly. I barely payed heed to the cold droplets of rain trickling down my back as I fought against the howling wind alongside the other dragons. None of them faltered, or seemed to care that we'd flown straight into a storm. Even the humans didn't care, instead relieved that they'd be at Azarin soon.

Soon.

Only a few hours away, if Keda was to be believed. Just on the other side of this ocean - though perhaps a few hours flight inland.

She'd refused to say anything else.

But some how, all she said had been enough. We'd be on a whole new continent - the chances that Rutilus and Kronx and the rest of the wing could rescue us, let alone find us were almost impossible.

My heart clenched as I remembered the wing. Three days had passed since I'd last seen them. By now, they would have noticed that Reida and I were gone.

I could only hope that they would not travel more carefully from now on. That none of them would be captured.

"Look," Reida murmured beside me, exhaling a long sigh of her own. Her normal fiery defiant self seemed to have disappeared, instead morphing into quiet despair. "Land."

Uneasiness churned in my stomach as I followed her gaze. Despite the heavy rain bucketing from the skies, I could vaguely make out the shapes of mountains in the distance. Still very small and faint, but there.

Which meant that Azarin was closer than I'd feared.

Clenching my talons, I glared at the dragons around me. How was it that all of them didn't care that they were capturing members of their own species? That none of them showed even the slightest interest in freedom?

Not one of them seemed to care that their every move was controlled by humans.

Keda had previously stated that the dragons at Azarin were treated much better than I had been, but... we were dragons. Superior to humans, in almost every way. Why were these dragons content to obey their every word?

Regardless - until I got to the city, escape would be impossible. Even if we managed to get away, they were guaranteed to catch us. With humans on our back using the tail-fin-ring and chains to slow us down, and with so many dragons... we'd only end up in a more precarious situation.

And, chances were, it would be a similar situation at the City of Dragons as well. Surrounded by many more dragons, and humans, in an area they knew all to well. My heart skipped a beat. Would I really be captive for the rest of my life?

My eyes narrowed. No. Of course I would escape. Whether that be in a few months or years, I would escape.

Beating my wings stiffly, I stared at the rapidly growing mountains. Now that the rain had eased, the land was much clearer; appearing much closer than it had.

Hours passed, and it was not long before churning waves were replaced with rustling forests. Far beneath us, birds darted from tree to tree, oblivious to our presence as they sung to one another. 

Their chirps seemed to echo through the forest tauntingly, reminding me of the freedom I had lost. 

Even the mountains, now looming above us, made my heart tighten. How easy it was to imagine weaving between the monstrous peaks, alongside the rest of my wing! Even the lakes situated within the valleys seemed familiar!

"We're almost there," Gideon, the human on my back breathed, his voice full of awe. His grip on my chains loosened as he leaned forwards, examining the valleys with unconcealed excitement. 

Almost at the City of Dragons. 

The words echoed in my head, impossible to ignore. Sudden fear shot through me, and it was as though something within me snapped. Terror coursed through my veins, and without so much as a thought, I flared my wings - abruptly slowing down. 

"Argentum," Keda growled warningly, and I whipped my head towards her. The maroon dragoness was eyeing me carefully, her tail coiling behind her in an almost intimidating way. 

I held her gaze boldly. 

"Come on," she murmured quietly, encouraging me to keep going. 

Reluctantly, I continued to followed her, knowing better than to refuse. No dragon made so much as a sound as we weaved through the mountains, getting closer and closer to the City of Dragons. Several minutes of silence passed.

Suddenly, the copper dragoness beside me tensed, her dark red eyes narrowed dangerously. Hints of smoke trailed from her jaws as she hissed, "how will we escape that?"

I could not respond.

Instead, I stared in a mix of awe and horror at the human city nestled on the river bank, surrounded by mountains.

Towers made of stone spiralled into the air, and I could have sworn that I saw the distant silhouettes of dragons on the top of some of them. Smaller buildings surrounded the towers, but even they were still big. Certainly big enough to fit at least one dragon inside them. Wide streets weaved through the buildings, most bustling with activity.

In the centre of the city, was the castle. Decorated in silver, the stone building was undoubtedly the most impressive in the city. Its towers reached higher into the sky than any of the others, and I could not help but notice the statue carved out of gold perched on the highest one.

But even more shocking, was the sheer amount of dragons soaring above the city. Most carried humans, but many of them didn't. Nor was there any denying the almost lazy posture of each dragon as they circled around the sky - as though they didn't care that they were surrounded by so many humans.

Behind me, Keda's green eyes glowed with amusement as she murmured, "welcome home."

*~*

1001 words

This chapter was much harder to write than I'd anticipated. I'm not sure if you can pick up on it, but there were many times I tried to write - and ended up not even typing so much as a sentence. 

Next chapter will be out sometime next week!

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