The Gift of Beauty | ONC2020

Chapter 6

The next day Brandon and Rose left their hiding place behind just before the break of dawn. Brandon hadn't been able to sleep anymore, not after they had seen the falling star. The adrenaline had kept him awake. He kept dreaming up different plans and routes that they could take to make sure they would make it back to Kios in time. He thought of all the things that could go wrong, and all the things that could go right.

When the sun finally started to light their path, they were already right where they wanted to be. The mountain of Sol. They were now standing at the foot of it, the mountain rising up in front of them like a giant.

During the morning they steadily made their way up the mountain. It was a laborious task, much heavier and slower than the walk towards the mountain had been. There were also less places for them to hide, as they had reached an altitude too high for trees to grow. Brandon didn't even want to think about what could happen if the dragon came out of its lair now.

But they got lucky. Not a single dragon flew over them even a single time. They climbed for the entire day, making sure to take frequent breaks, to scout ahead to ensure no one, and nothing, would notice them.

They kept climbing until deep into the night. It was then that they reached a giant plateau, high up on the mountain. At one edge of the plateau, the peak of the mountain of Sol stretched even further into the skies. But before them, hewn into the mountainside itself, was a giant opening. Behind it a cave was visible.

"This has to be it. The dragon's lair," Brandon said, softly. They were standing in front of the cave. It was massive, much bigger than it had seemed from a distance. If they had had any doubt whether they were in the right place, the sheer size of the structure had banished it away. This had to be the only place in the area, maybe even in the entire world, where a dragon could comfortably fit inside.

"We know the dragon is moving around when the sun is out, so during the night it has to be sleeping. Right?" Rose said. She didn't sound as sure of their plan anymore, now they were so close to executing it.

"Absolutely," Brandon said. He hoped he sounded confident; at least more confident than he felt. They had to defeat the dragon, otherwise their mission would fail at the first obstacle, and he couldn't let that happen. Besides, they had promised the people in Helios that they would help them. They had to try, they owed them that much, at least.

Yet everything in his body screamed for him to run away.

Instead they walked into the cave. It was surprisingly warm inside. Instead of a cold draught coming out of the cave, as Brandon had experienced in other caves, there was a warmth moving through. It was like somewhere, deep inside, there was a fire burning.

Or the fiery breath of a dragon.

Brandon swallowed away his fear, and bravely he walked on, with Rose staying closely behind him. The cave was difficult to navigate. There were boulders and fallen rocks spread out all over the floor. One by one they had to climb over them, with every sound they made echoing off the walls. Every step Brandon became more afraid the dragon would hear them and wake up.

On the inside the cave had a sort of supernatural beauty. Embedded in the walls were transparent crystals, with a nice orange colour. It was like there were small fires burning inside them. The light they were radiating was enough to allow Brandon and Rose to see.

They didn't utter a word as they made their way through the cave. Neither dared to. Brandon didn't mind; he liked it better this way anyway. Now at least he couldn't make another stupid comment. Now all there was them working together in silence. Maybe if this went on for long enough, there was a chance for Rose and him to become friends after all.