-14
AURORA’S POV
I was about to leave for my room when the screen switched to another more familiar landscape. On close observation, I realized that it was the region in the front of the palace.
Hundreds of men filed into the clearing. A man weaved his way through the crowd and came to the front.
“Caleb…” I whispered as he took off his helmet.
Another young girl came into view. She stood before him. I watched her lips carefully trying to decipher what she was trying to say. The only thing I could make out was ‘Aurora.’
My heart accelerated and I moved closer to the screen hoping to understand Caleb’s reply. His face contorted with an ugly expression and he said, “Kill Her.”
I felt like someone had punched me in the gut. How could he say that?
I shut my eyes when I saw a missile come towards me. Realizing that it was only footage, I opened my eyes again.
Missiles and bullets were being showered but there were no explosions. I wondered if they were faulty. It took me a while to figure out that they were blocked by some invisible wall.
A large shadow loomed over the men. Then, it started raining fire. Tens of men were turned to dust with every sphere of fire that struck the earth.
I changed the direction of the CCTV camera so that I could see the source of the shadow, The next moment, I wished that I hadn’t.
I gasped as I caught the glimpse of the majestic creature. It was as large as an airplane; green scales, beautiful large wings, fan-like ears, and deep, mesmerizing eyes.
I watched as it glided effortlessly through the sky. I was enthralled by its beauty… that is until it started breathing fire again.
My eyes remained glued to the screen as I watched it massacre hundreds of men. They were shooting bullets at the dragon but the dragon just swept it away with its wings as if they were tiny needles.
The dragon wiped out half of the opponents within a few minutes.
Caleb let out a ferocious growl and transformed into a huge wolf. Soon, the others had taken their wolf forms too.
I watched in wonder as the wolves worked as a pack; dodging every attack of the dragon with their agility and strategy. No matter how hard the dragon tried, it couldn’t kill anyone.
I hoped that the dragon would get tired and leave. There had already been so much bloodshed. Couldn’t these idiots call it a truce?
Soon, another dragon joined the green one. It was larger and its eyes were like burning coals. Its golden scales sparkled in the sunlight adding to the surreal feeling. This dragon exuded ferocity and power.
With a single breath of fire, it wiped out a large number of wolves. It was more aggressive than the other one. Soon there was only a handful of wolves left.
I felt panic rise within me. What if the dragons killed Caleb too?
Just I had feared the dragons had cornered Caleb.
“NO!!!” I screamed as I saw them closing on him. He didn’t stand a chance against the dragons…
How I wished I could save him. One moment I was thinking about saving Caleb and the next moment I found myself standing between him and the dragons.
My heart beat against my ribs like a nightingale flappings its wings. It was one thing to see the dragons on screen but to see them in front of me made my heart thunder and skin crawl. I wished that I would drop dead rather than seeing them move towards me.
I took a few steps back but bumped into the large black wolf. I was not even half its height.
“What the F***! Was I thinking? How did I think I could save him from those majestic dragons.”
The dragons were drawing closer by the moment. I did the only thing that came to my mind. I kneeled on the ground and begged, “Please… Not him… leave him alive for my sake…”
To my astonishment, the dragons halted and moved a yard away with a powerful backstroke of their wings.
I pushed the wolf with my arms and said, “Run! Run quickly before they change their minds.”
The wolf lowered its head and looked at me with a strange expression as it bounded away.
The air left my lungs and my eyes turned blurry. Multi-colored lights danced before my eyes and then everything turned dark.
ASLAN’S POV
I found Tyson pacing in the courtroom when I returned after dropping Aurora at her room. Tyson had said that he didn’t care for Aurora but the worry was pretty evident on his face.
“How is she?” He asked the moment I entered the courtroom.
“She is just a bit shaken up…”
“How the hell did she reach the battlezone!?”
“I have no idea, Tyson. Only she can tell us…”
He punched his palm in frustration and continued pacing.
My eyes widened in surprise when I saw Raina walk in. Biting my lower lip, I lowered my eyes. I had let her down big time.
“My Liege, did you call for me?”
“Ah! Raina… How did you wake up before the allotted time?” His cold voice sent shivers down my spine.
“Tyson, believe me. I didn’t give her the antidote…” I said, raising my head to meet his eyes.
“That doesn’t matter, Aslan. We have to give her the doses again…”
I let out a defeated sigh… For a moment I was under the delusion that Tyson would forget about it…
“Or, Raina can assist you on a secret mission…” I couldn’t believe what I had just heard. Tyson was willing to let this matter slide!
“Of course, my liege. I am willing to even risk my life for you.” Raina’s cheerful voice was like a balm to my heart.
I stole a glance at her. She turned towards me at the same time and our eyes met. I had expected to see hatred and anger in them but there was only love and concern. She understood my position so well. I was lucky to find her.
“I want both of you to go undercover and find out who is providing ‘Painite’ to the wolves. If I hadn’t replaced their weapons secretly, God knows what would have happened!” Tyson said grabbing my shoulders.
“You are right, Tyson. I will do my best…” I reassured him and left with Raina…
.