The Dragon King

Adam's POV - Down, Down, Down

Furnace jogged down the hallway, his tail swaying uneasily from side to side. We had already agreed that if any other dragons came, I would hide in one of the alcoves whilst he bluffed his way through and we would meet up again after. But, to our luck, no other dragons came down this hallway, all too preoccupied with the battle above. An explosion rocked the palace and Furnace leapt back as the window in front shattered, spreading shards of glass all over the floor. He stepped back, jumped, and glided over the wreckage; giving half a flap to make sure he was fully over the mess before landing and running again. His talons click clacked against the floor and it was comforting to know that he would always be here with me.

Click, clack, click, clack.

We reached a turn and Furnace stepped to the right because it was darker and looked less used. Instead of alcoves, whole murals covered the space inbetween each pillar, each showing a different breed of dragon. First there was a khaki green earth dragon, sitting in a forest, it's huge clubbed tail swinging round to fire a boulder at the onlooker, it's mouth wide open to reveal sharp teeth and a forked tongue. It's eyes were wild, feral looking, narrowed to black slits in violent emotion. Next was an ice dragon. It was baby blue with turquoise spines and was sitting inbetween two glaciers, it's reflection echoed on all sides. It's eyes were also violent looking, the teeth were bared and one forepaw with three inch long talons was extended out, as if it was just about to slice you in half. As Furnace hurried along, pausing only briefly to study the pictures, I caught sight of a grey wind dragon, perched on top of the mountain; it's wings extended outwards, every muscle taut as if it was going to shoot a whole wave of wind at you. The eyes were narrowed and the dragon was evidently snarling. The final mural was of a fire dragon. Unlike the other images, the dragon was not fighting. It was surrounded by lava, the teeth showing in a contemptuous smile. The scale was huge, and the spines on the body would easily impale a human. I wondered if it was meant to be Quaem. The eyes were relaxed, but showing an active, strategic mind by the devilish glint in the iris.

There was no mural of a lightning dragon.

Furnace scuttled along. There was a loud roar and we peered out of a window to see the northern tower collapse, the conical roof sliding off and, with a huge crash, crashed against the ground, roof tiles shattering everywhere. We hurried on, past the murals, before coming to a stop by an arch. Two earth dragons were on guard and they watched us warily as we approached them.

"Quaem doesn't accept Dragon Riders in this palace. What do you want?". Furnace chuckled.

"We are not Dragon Riders from the Academy. I am Furnace and this is my bonded, Adam. The army of Amy, rider of Electra and Queen of the Dragons, is here to usurp the imposter. If you want to join us, go outside and say my name - Furnace,". The earth dragons looked at each other and, with a flick of a tail, they were gone. With one shove, the door opened and we stepped inside to see a weight and pulley lift. Clambering on, there was a creak and we began to descend. It was pitch black, and even when I summoned a flame to my hand, it only illuminated my face and Furnace's neck spines. We were still going down.

Down.

Down.

Down.

Eventually, there was a creak, a jerk and and the lift stopped. Furnace stepped out and I dismounted, onto a desk whilst he checked the nearby cells. It was a desk built for a dragon and there were files for each prisoner that had ever stayed in these cells. I pulled out the first one and checked it, before reading it allowed for Furnace:

Name: Hermes

Element: Earth - Extremely skilled

Crime(s): Rebelled against the King

Status: Deceased

I  methodically went through all the files.

Deceased

Deceased

Deceased

I pulled out some more files:

Deceased

Deceased

Deceased

I pulled out another file:

Name: Liam (Human)

Element: Shadow element

Crime(s): Rebelled against the King. Treason against the King. A dragon rider.

Status: Deceased.

Another crash resounded as Furnace returned. All the cells were empty.

"We have to get out of here!". I shouted. We flew up and all I could think about was how many dragons had been in those cells. All of them deceased.

Deceased

Deceased

Deceased.