Capítulo 41: Hidden Meanings
Its large golden eye stares at me as I stare at it. I'm afraid to move, hell, I'm afraid to even breathe. When it takes a deep breath in, all the air around me gets pulled in and I find myself slightly stumbling. So strong!
Its black-slitted pupil shrinks as it takes in my scent, making me shiver but this time out of fear. I still can't call upon my magic! I'm sure all this dragon needs to do is cough and it's over for me!
[WITCHHHH] It hisses out!
I drop to my knees, covering my ears in pain. It's so loud! It takes me several seconds to realize that it wasn't my ears, it was my head! It was speaking within my mind! When I feel my nose dripping, I reach over and touch it.
Blood.
I quickly look back to the Dragon, fear, and uncertainty can be seen in my eyes as I remain on my knees before it. How did it know that I was a witch? No, better yet... they can talk!?
It snorts, nearly knocking me over! It lifts its large and imposing head to glare at me as she says [Did you think that I was a mindless creature?] I grip my head again, gritting my teeth in pain as I struggle to say, "No, no... I'm sorry."
Her golden eyes narrow on me before saying, [Weak, humans are always so weak. What is a nasty little witch doing in my cave?] I try to endure the pain as I struggle to understand. I'm in her cave? But how? As if sensing my confusion, she snorts again and suddenly I'm hit with immense pain!
I cry out, gripping my head as images start flashing through my mind. They started with images of me when I was younger and didn't stop until I was seeing this exact moment." I lay on the ground with tears in my eyes as I struggle to keep from passing out.
[So, the little witch knows nothing.] She scoffs again before saying [You witches were so powerful and great back then but now this is all you amount to? It's somehow an even bigger insult to me and my kind!] I cry out, tears falling down my face as I softly beg, "Please..."
She's angry, I can feel her anger against my skin like hot blades. She can kill me with just a thought, but she hasn't, why? She lets out a large breath, maybe a sigh but it has my hair and clothes blowing all around me.
[Tell me, Lyra Alarie, what are you doing in my cave after your people enslaved me?] This time it was said without the pain. I wipe the blood from under my nose as I struggle to understand what she just said. Enslaved? By my people?
[ENSLAVED BY WITCHES!] She yells, making me scream. I grip my head as everything spins. I clench my teeth, breathing hard as I grit out, "I don't know anything about that! I didn't even know that your kind was even real! But... you already know that because you've seen everything."
I slowly look up at her and glare, ignoring the fresh blood dripping from my nose and ears. She narrows her golden eyes before saying, [You have quite a temper on you Alarie, you remind me of...] Suddenly, she grows quiet.
My mind struggles to connect the dots as I softly say, "The Artifact..." The Dragon snaps back to attention before pulling her lips back in a sneer. Her razor-sharp teeth are huge! One tooth could split me in half!
[Yes, the Artifact. Your kind tricked me, betrayed the trust of all Dragons, and used us like we were nothing more than slaves, animals, and tools!! To be used and discarded!] As if feeling her own pain and anger, I grip my chest and struggle to keep breathing.
So, it was true! Dragons were real and they used to walk the earth with us but at some point, human greed must have destroyed them. [Yes, your kind has always been greedy for more power. Even for power that isn't theirs.] She says watching me closely.
My eyes shift back and forth, lost in thought before looking up at her and asking, "Then how do I right this wrong? How can I break you out of this?" The Dragon narrows her large eyes on me again but this time I feel as if she's staring right into my very soul.
Suddenly, she says [Collect all the pieces of the Artifact and make it whole once more. You can then choose to use the Artifact for its power, my power, or...] This time I narrow my eyes as I ask, "Or?" She glares at me and says [If you're strong enough, you can destroy the Artifact and release me.]
We stare at each other for several silent moments before I nod my head and say, "Then you have my word. If I am strong enough, I will release you. If I'm not strong enough, I will do everything in my power to find someone who is. If I still can't find someone, I will gather every witch under me, and we'll do it together."
She suddenly barks out in laughter, pushing me back a few feet. [Such a stubborn and haughty little witch! You're still wet behind the ears, yet you say you will free me? Fine, I will trust a witch one last time but if you go back on your word, I will devour your soul within the Artifact.]
I slowly push myself up and stand on shaky legs as I look up at her and say, "I won't go back on my word. I will even find the other Artifacts and release all the other Dragons as well." She gives me a somber look before saying, [Your kind has killed all my brethren and sisters. I am the last remaining Dragon. I am it, little witch. Now let me ask, what do you want in return for saving me?]
I wipe the blood off my lips as I say, "Nothing, I'm righting a wrong. This is owed to you." The large Dragon narrows her golden eyes on me before chuckling. The entire cave shakes and rumbles as she suddenly stands on all fours.
My heart skips a few beats as I look at her sheer size in awe. [Very well little witch. I will be waiting.] She then lunges at me! She opens her mouth, her large teeth shining in the golden light looking like blades of death.
I don't even have a chance to move before she swallows me whole! I suck in and sit up, finding myself in a room. "Lyra!" I hear Bolin call out and reach for my face. I subconsciously jerk away, looking around the unfamiliar room with wide eyes.
Bolin's deep voice pulls me back as he says, "You're safe, you're okay." I blink a few times before looking over at him. His eyes widen but when I blink, he does the same with a look of confusion. I reach up and feel the blood under my nose and wipe it away.
I fling the covers off me, trying to get up but Bolin pushes me back and says, "Absolutely not. You just woke up from... I don't even know what happened, but you need to rest. I'll have a doctor come and check on you."
I wave him off and say, "I'm fine, it's nothing a doctor would be able to fix. I need to find the other pieces of the Artifact before it's too late." Bolin pushes me back again and grits out, "First you become so cold you freeze the entire room, then you start bleeding from your nose and your ears and now you want to go and find the very things that did this to you!? No, absolutely not! I don't want you going anywhere near them!"
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