The Red Dragon

Chapter 20

Chapter 20

I'm sorry...

The words echoed in Gray's head, trying to work their way through the fog that had taken control of his mind. He frowned in concentration, thinking the voice sounded familiar, even if he couldn't pinpoint who it belonged to at the moment.

Opening his eyes, he turned his head slowly, trying to figure out where he was and glean any information he could. His thoughts felt sluggish, but it didn't take him long to recognize his surroundings.

He lay on a field that was very familiar to him, although he had no recollection of how he'd gotten there. Shaking his head in confusion, he felt a massive wave of pain reverberate in his skull. His hand went up to his head, and he immediately felt a sticky wetness. He brought the hand back, examining it curiously.

A sound overhead distracted him. It reminded him of the flapping of wings, although it was louder than any bird he could think of. Gray peered up at the night sky, hoping to get a glimpse of whatever creature made the noise, but he couldn't make out anything in the pitch darkness of the moonless night.

Other noises filtered through gradually, like muffled screams vying for his attention. But it was the acrid smell of smoke traveling with the wind that captured his attention, leaving him helpless to the assault of his memories.

The quick spurts of overly bright images of blood and fire made him turn to his side to vomit, both from the pain the overstimulation caused and the non-stop pounding in his head.

Visions of burning structures and dying bodies plagued him until he heard himself whining in his throat, already dreading what came next. His heart stung as he watched his parents try to protect him against a monster they had no hope to stop. Their last moments filled with excruciating pain, and even though their actions had saved him, they'd also doomed him to a life spent alone.

Gray's muscles stiffened at the thought of Deliora, the hellfire dragon that had destroyed his village and taken everything and everyone he'd loved from him. Ever since that day, he'd held a hatred for all dragons, but none more than the fire breathing red dragons.

It had been a shock to learn those same dragons had not only raised his mate, they'd also protected Talos for years. But none of that had been enough to change his mind, even though he knew he needed to let go of his hate before it could cost him the one he loved more than anything.

Natsu.

At the thought of his mate, Gray's fingers quickly found their way to his scarf, wanting to reassure himself that it was still there. He continued to hear screaming, and he pried himself away from his memories, trying to make sense of what was happening in the present.

The last thing he remembered was walking home from his last job. One that had begun as a takedown of bandits but that he'd extended into a construction job, allowing him to stay away from Talos and the situation that had precipitated his departure for three long months.

While he was glad for the vast amount of jewels he'd earned, he'd hoped that staying busy would also have helped quell his anxiety at Natsu's continued absence, but it had only made him more anxious with every passing day.

How did I get from there to here?

He sat up, scanning the area near him for his travel bag but couldn't find it, and when he checked his pockets, he found his purse mostly empty. Had someone robbed him and left him for dead?

Gray looked around and noticed other details. There was a lot of blood. An enormous amount, more than could have come from one human, lay in a pool a short distance away. He grew more confused by the second. Who had been here with him? Where did they go? Did this blood belong to the man whose voice he'd heard earlier?