Chapter 17: Wrong Princess

Bailong opened his eyes to a mildly lit room. Its white walls were bleaker than the plain brown he had woken up in the night before. The dying candle was like the glimmer of hope he had, flickering, faint, about to be snuffed out. He tried to remember when or how he had fallen asleep, but couldn’t. He stretched his stiff shoulders without extending his arms and sat straighter. Looking around, the blue dragon was gone.

Bailong’s eyes watered, and his heart skipped a little. Was Qinglong within him, or somewhere outside? He wasn’t sure how far from him Qinglong could go in this state. He wasn’t even sure if Qinglong was alive or dead. The spirit state of his brother made him ache. His anger towards his mother increased. He wanted to rescue her, but he was also angry at her for keeping them in the dark about the drastic situation that fell upon them. Even now, he only knew what she wanted him to know. He had lost count of how many days he had been running for.