The Dragon Liberator: Escapee

-25-

POV: Fendrel

The Summer Festival's activities would end when the moon was at its highest every night, which was the same time Fendrel and the others arrived back to the Twin Oases.

Fendrel filled the others in on the conversation he overheard between Sadon and Zoricus while they flew back to the sandstone palace.

The city was quiet, and barely any fire dragons were outside of their homes. Fendrel hoped Ember was still awake.

She was.

Ember rested on the rug. Her head lifted when they entered. "You're back?"

"It's too cold to sleep in the middle of the desert, and we have news." Venom suppressed a yawn.

Ember's ears perked up. "Oh? Do tell."

"Our suspicions were correct. The knight is working with the dragon hunters. They're planning on killing Cassius, his fiancé, and probably the king of the humans. We're going to try to get rid of the knight tomorrow, and you need to send messages to the other tribes just in case the hunters attack us afterwards." Venom's spines bristled. "They won't be too happy with their plot being derailed."

"I will." Ember rose from her rug. "There are rooms through that hall for you to sleep in." She pointed toward a doorway and dragged herself to a different room, her wings slouched with the burden of sleep.

<~><~><~>

POV: Charles

Oliver was dead asleep, mumbling. Every now and then his fingers twitched.

Charles sat not far from him, only understanding half of what Oliver spoke in his dreams.

He's dreaming about his cage again. Charles felt heavy. He stroked the boy's hair from his face and recited what he used to tell Oliver back in the hunter bases.

"You're safe as long as I'm here. I'll make sure you get out of here safe and sound. You will be free and happy."

Oliver's twitching subsided and his mumbles were replaced with snores.

Adder and Viper slept curled in a ball nearby with the rest of the dusk hatchlings piled around them.

Charles sighed in relief. His eyes grew heavy now that his worries died down.

"I guess it's time to take my own advice." Charles thought back to his mantra. "I'm safe now, I'm far away from Sadon and his accomplices. I am free, and I refuse not to be happy now."

He lay down a few feet from Oliver and fell asleep.

<~><~><~>

POV: Fendrel

The group decided to stay together in the largest room so they could wake up and leave as soon as possible.

Fendrel lay on his back with his eyes wide open. Venom's foreleg was draped over his chest.

A scuffle on the other side of the room made Fendrel lift his head.

Fog crept across the room toward the doorway, stepping over the sleeping forms of the others.

Fendrel lifted Venom's paw off of him and followed Fog out of the room.

The end of her tail disappeared through another doorway. When Fendrel entered the new room, he saw Fog sitting in front of a window, her head resting on the sill. She was shaking and whimpering softly.