Page 73 of Song of the Dragon Rider
The emperor's tone dripped with betrayal, his gaze piercing me as if trying to unravel my thoughts thread by thread. I fought to maintain my composure, knowing any wrong word could escalate the tension further.
“Your Majesty,” I began, my voice steady despite my inner turmoil, “Arya is not my twin flame. That's a legend, nothing more than a myth,” I lied.
“Is it?” Valenor cut in sharply, his eyes narrowing. “Or is it a convenient excuse for your secrecy? Malachar, tell me, what did your visions reveal?”
Malachar, ever the enigma, remained still for a moment before speaking, his voice low and resonant. “The threads of fate are tangled around Damien and Lady Arya. Their destinies are… intertwined.”
I clenched my jaw as frustration threatened to boil over. This was quickly getting out of hand. “Whatever you think you've seen,” I countered, “changes nothing about my intentions or my actions. I seek freedom, not power.”
The emperor stepped closer, his presence overwhelming. “Freedom, power, love... whatever you claim to seek, it all leads back to the throne, doesn't it, my son?” His words were a trap snapping shut around me.
Uncle Bai stepped between us, his demeanor calm but firm. “Valenor, brother, Damien has done nothing to warrant such accusations. He's complied with your edicts and stayed within the bounds you set. Let's not turn misunderstandings into hostilities.”
“Stayed within the bounds I set?” he repeated. “Ha! That is the biggest lie you’ve told. I already know he’s been sneaking in and out of Obsidian Reach. Never forget – there isnothingyou can hide from me,Shadow Prince.” The emperor's voice echoed ominously through the volcanic chamber like a dense fog.
A cold shiver ran down my spine. His knowledge of my movements was more extensive than I feared.
Uncle Bai maintained his composure, though I saw a flicker of concern cross his face. “Your Majesty, if Damien has left the island, it was surely with good reason—perhaps one that might serve the realm in ways we have yet to understand.”
“Good reason?” The emperor's laugh was harsh, a grating sound that bounced off the stony walls and mocked ourpredicament. “Leaving without permission from his exile is treason, Bai. You know the laws.”
I stepped forward, feeling a surge of defiance. “Your Majesty, whatever you think you know, you're wrong. I haven't conspired against youorthe realm. I only seek—”
“To protect your interests and those of your... companion?” the emperor cut me off, his eyes narrowing dangerously. “Don’t be foolish enough to think your actions go unnoticed. The ties you’ve formed, the alliances you think are hidden. I am not a fool, Damien. And don’t think for one second I don’t knowhowyou get off this island,” he said knowingly.
This was it. This was what I’d been waiting for him to bring up. My dragon bones.
“How you retrieved them, I do not know,” he said angrily. “To have survived an active volcano in your human form is a feat no mortal should have survived. But let’s not give the people any more reason to praise you.” He turned to Malachar. “Take them. And this time, hide them well.”
He was going to take my dragon bones again.No. I couldn’t let him do it.Not again.
Uncle Bai was right. I was no longer twenty years old. I might still be young, but I was not a child and it was time I stood up to my tyrannical father. I was the Shadow Prince, after all.
When the seer stepped forward to do his master’s bidding, I barked, “No!” Uncle Bai blocked his way. “You will not take them. Not this time.”
My father's face twisted into a snarl, his nostrils flaring as he glared. “Youdaredefy me in my own realm?” his voice boomed, echoing off the volcano’s cavernous walls.
“I defy anyone who threatens my peace,” I growled, my voice a mix of human and dragon, a deep rumble that vibrated through the air.
My father's imposing figure loomed over me, his form caught between man and dragon, his features twisted into a monstrous hybrid. His scales, a deep green, shimmered menacingly in the dim light of the volcano. His eyes, a piercing gold, bore into me with ferocious intensity.
Feeling the mounting danger, I allowed the dragon within me to rise. My skin tingled as scales pushed through, hardening into a protective layer. My hands morphed into claws that sprouted where my fingernails had been, each one sharp enough to rend stone. My senses heightened to magnify every sound in the volcano, from the slow drip of molten rock to my father's heavy, furious breaths.
The clash began with an explosive charge from the emperor. His half-dragon form rippled with power, his scales glistening under the volcanic light. I met his charge head-on, our bodies colliding with a resounding crack that echoed off the cavernous walls. Claws clashed and sparks flew, hurling eerie shadows that danced wildly around us. I pivoted to the side, narrowly evading a swipe from his talons that could have eviscerated stone—and me. The air whistled from the ferocity of his attack, a chilling reminder of the lethal force behind each strike. My counter move was a swift, sharp jab aimed at his underbelly, where the dragon scales merged with human flesh—a weak spot I hoped to exploit.
The emperor reeled back, a low growl rumbling from his throat, his eyes burning with a fierce, golden intensity. He retaliated with a sweeping tail strike that I barely ducked under, narrowly missing the belch of angry flame that singed the air above my head.
We circled each other on grounds that were cracked and scorched from the intensity of our battle. I lunged and feinted left before darting right, my claws aiming for his flank. He countered seamlessly, catching my wrist and twisting it in apainful, ironclad grip. With a forceful yank, I pulled free, but not without sustaining a deep scratch that drew blood.
The emperor didn't pause, pressing his advantage. He advanced, his form a blur of movement, part human, part beast, and utterly terrifying. I backed away, leaning on my youth and agility to keep distance between us, my heart pounding in my ears. Every breath I drew was superheated by the surrounding lava; it burned my lungs and fueled my determination.
With a roar, I shifted my stance and lowered my center of gravity as I prepared for his next assault. It came as a thunderous charge, his body barreling toward me like a living battering ram. I sidestepped at the last moment, grabbing his arm and using his forward momentum to hurl him toward the cavern wall. The impact shook the chamber hard enough that loose rocks tumbled from above.
My father staggered and then straightened, wiping a trickle of blood from his lip. His smile was thin, almost approving. “Good,” he hissed. “But not good enough.”
He attacked again, this time with a series of rapid, slicing strikes, each one a deadly dance of dragon and man. I parried, blocked, and dodged, but each move cost me more energy than I cared to admit. The heat from the lava pools added an oppressive weight to each breath I dragged into my lungs.
In a desperate bid for control, I feinted a high strike then swept low, aiming to knock his legs out from under him. He anticipated the move and jumped back, but he wasn’t fast enough to avoid a shallow cut across his thigh. A minor wound, but a victory, nonetheless.
