The Deathly Scream - 𝟙

༒ Fifty-four ༒

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Once the nurse told me I was good to go, I ran as quickly as I could through the corridors to find Uncle August. But he seemed to be nowhere. It was like the whole castle was abandoned, and I was the only survivor. After walking around for at least twenty minutes, I went to the main hall only to see one soldier heading outside.

'Excuse me!' I yell and when he turns around pure feelings of joy fills my body.

'You are back!' I yell when Levi spreads his arms to hug me.

'Never thought you would be this happy to see me', he says jokingly. We stay like that for a while, not wanting to leave the comfort I didn't even realise I had missed.

'Does this mean that the riots have stopped?' I ask when we release each other.

'Not completely, but most of them'. He smiles soft at me, loosening his gaze after a while, as if something is bothering him.

'Levi, I'm so sorry about what I did the night of the gala. I wasn't thinking ...' I whisper but he keeps me quiet after one look.

'You made a mistake, Rosa. I can understand why you suspected the Queen of Syrilia', he laughs again, making me laugh also.

'You aren't mad?'

'How could I be mad at you?', he asks sarcastic when outside I see a crowd of soldiers heading towards the graveyard of the castle, pulling a wooden kart behind them.

'They are burying my dragon', I notice and run towards them immediately, followed by Levi. My running wasn't the best at this point, and it took us longer than normal to arrive at the graveyard. The soldiers pulled of the cloth and my dragon appeared, completely tied in cords to slowly lower it into the hole in the ground.

August stands at the side, watching the other soldiers do their work until he notices me. I walk over to him quickly, trying not to focus on the dragon behind me.

'What did my father say?' I ask concerned.

'He was too busy to listen to me', August whispers annoyed. I could hear all the strained sounds behind me, telling me that they were lowering my dragon.

'Take this, you must be cold', Levi offers me his jacket and I take it willingly this time. Once I want to turn around to say one last goodbye to my dragon, August grabs my arm tightly.

'Ivory is a real place and you are in danger. If Emersyn did kill that dragon maybe she is connected to Ivory', he notices. A hard thud behind me wakes me up from my thoughts and I look confused at the soldiers who stare into the hole.

'Did you let my dragon fall?' I ask mad. They all glance stunned at me, not even answering my question and look back into the hole.

'August?' One of them asks. 'You might want to see this'. August walks over to them immediately, followed by me and Levi. We all stare into the hole were my dragon lies down, his wing lifted a little, showing us a golden symbol under it. I stare with open mouth at the symbol, blinding my eyes in the sunlight, not able to see what it is.

'Lower me', I demand two soldiers near me. After a look at August, they do, luckily more careful this time. I stand still at his head for a second, guilt raising up again before I walk to the shining spot. I kneel down, when I lift his wing a little higher and goosebumps appear all over my body. Making me hyperventilating.

'Rosa?' Levi asks concerned when I start to shake. The triangle engraved in her skin, with in it lines that form a maze, there was no denying anymore. August jumps in the hole, not waiting for anyone to lift him down.

'You told me this was a dragon saved from Syrilia, right?', I ask desperate, looking up at the fear in his eyes.

'We saved this one out of Syrilia, I was with them', he explains.

'It's from Ivory', I whisper, my hand softly touching the symbol, leaving August stunned just like the others.

'Ivory?' Someone murmurs and we both keep quiet, too afraid to tell them.

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While the soldiers kept guarding over the body of my dragon, August and I ran back to the castle. My father couldn't deny the existence of Ivory no longer. He had to listen this time.

Without knocking, August opens the door to the office, my father turning around to him in disbelief. His gaze even hardens when he sees me behind him. It was hard to tell those two had been best friends in the past, not to mention that they had fought over my mother.

With only one harsh look my father sends away the two advisers he was talking to and my sister keeps quiet in her corner desk. Waiting for us to talk.

'We have found something', August starts. 'Please Arsenio, take a seat and listen to us', he begs my father. Unwillingly my father sits behind his desk after a while, only the way he looks at me gives me goosebumps.

'I most certainly hope that you aren't in trouble again, Rosalia', he says a little annoyed. My anger raises by the way he talks to me, as if I'm not even his child. I open my mouth to answer him but August stops me by holding his hand up.

'We were burying the dragon when we saw something shining on its skin. Once Rosalia jumped in the hole...'.

'She did what?' My father interrupts him.

'Please father, listen', I urge irritated.

'Once she jumped in the hole she got a closer look at the symbol that was engraved in the dragon', August explains calm, trying to get control over his own nerves.

'That dragon wasn't from Syrilia, Arsenio. It had the symbol of Ivory on it'. My father stands up from his seat immediately, his face almost turning red.

'How dare you both lie to me like that!' He yells through his office. My sister shrinks a little but doesn't say a word.

'We aren't lying father. Last night when I fainted the Shadow Woman took me to the Kingdom of Ivory. The palace was run down and the village even more. It was nothing like it used to be'.

'The Shadow Woman?' He repeats, staring with his blue eyes in mine.

'I am sure you know who I am talking about, even August knew about her. Could you be honest for one time in your life?' I sound more desperate than I want, immediately feeling tired again from the discussion.

'There is no Kingdom as Ivory! That is the truth. I am not sure if you all are playing a game with me, but it ends here. I won't hear another word of it. Understood?' His jaw tightens when he waits for an answer but I can't say I'm leaving it here.

'Why won't you even consider that we are telling the truth? The evidence lays outside, father. If you would only ...' I swallow a lump in my throat when he walks over to me, laying his hands on my shoulders. Forcing me to look in his eyes.

'Is it never enough for you?' He hisses and releases me in a second. Valentina shakes her head in disbelief when I turn around to walk over to the door. I couldn't express how much it frustrated me that my own family denied everything I told them. The proof was right under their noses. Before I walk out I turn around again, looking my father in his eyes, mine filled with tears out of frustration.

'If you were wondering, in the vision I had about the Shadow Woman, she told me I wouldn't be alive for a long time', I whisper before walking into the corridor. He had looked shocked at me, but I didn't care.

'Burry that dragon', I hear him demand August behind my back. And so it would be. We were standing alone, our own King wasn't helping us.

We were useless.