The Dragon's Fight

Chapter 7

-Tylon-

Where was she? She had been right behind us, and then suddenly, she was gone. Liam was the first to notice, and once he did, we all panicked, running around the woods, desperately searching for clues or any sign of where she could have gone.

“Laelia!” Samuel called out.

We had been calling for a long time now, but still hadn’t received any response. It made no sense. How could she just vanish into thin air? I was nearly desperate, knowing that it wasn’t just her life at risk, but her child’s as well.

“Promise me you’ll look after her, no matter what.”

“I’ll do my best,” I assured Ashes, starting to walk away.

But he grabbed my arm and pulled me close. His yellow eyes were serious, and I could see the pain he was in from letting Laelia go on this mission without him.

“I cannot lose her,” he insisted. “I won’t. Bring her back to me. No matter what.”

I nodded slowly.

“I’m taking a huge risk letting you go. Amaya and even Rathilion are against the idea, but since you insisted, and Mayla backed you up, I’ll allow it. But Tylon, even if it means stopping yourself, you must. I cannot lose her, brother.”

I stared at the man I had called brother for years. He and I had shared a deep bond for a very long time, but it was clear his bond with Laelia overshadowed ours. I didn’t blame him. There was someone I would sacrifice everything for as well.

“I’ll stop myself or ensure someone else does if anything happens,” I promised.

Ashes nodded, looking slightly more at ease.

“But Ashes,” I insisted, “if you can’t go, I need to. Laelia should always have one of us with her.”

He clearly agreed, smiling slightly.

“Laelia!” Liam called out.

I sighed and stopped, trying to calm myself. This wasn’t good. I had made a promise to Ashes, and now Laelia had disappeared.

“Where the hell is she?” Samuel demanded, stopping beside me. “Tylon?”

I didn’t respond, trying to clear my head.

“Tylon?”

I knew I should say something. The longer I stayed silent, the more worried he became. I could even see, out of the corner of my eye, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword.

He probably feared I was drifting back into the person I used to be, but the truth was, I was just so afraid.

“Tylon?” I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned to see Liam on my other side. He looked at me with concern, but his hands were far from his sword.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

I nodded and straightened up a little. “I’m okay,” I finally replied. “Just… worried.”

Liam nodded in agreement, his expression sad.

“We all are,” he said in a somber tone. “I don’t understand where she could have gone. We’ve searched the entire forest.”

We had searched, and soon it would be dark. We couldn’t stay out here.

“We should return to the horses,” I suggested.

“But we haven’t found Laelia!” Samuel protested. “I’m not leaving here without my sister!”

“We’re not leaving,” I assured him. “But we should go somewhere she can find us. Once the forest gets dark, it will be impossible for us to see where we’re going. It won’t do us any good.”

“So, you’re suggesting we just… wait? You can’t be serious!” Samuel exclaimed.

“If you have a better idea, I’m all ears!”

Samuel glared at me, anger in his eyes, but he couldn’t deny that I was right. In the darkness, we wouldn’t find anyone, and we’d likely get lost ourselves.

“Dammit!” Samuel growled before he started walking away.

I turned to look at Liam, who still appeared sad. He just nodded slightly before following his brother. I lingered a little longer, scanning the area in the hope of spotting some sign, but there was nothing but the quiet forest.

“Where the hell are you, Laelia?” I whispered before I followed the others.

When we got back, we quickly started a fire and then we waited—and waited. It was a different kind of torture. We had no idea if Laelia would find her way back to us, or if we’d have to search for her the next morning.

“Shouldn’t you dragons have good vision, even in the dark?” Samuel asked me.

I nodded.

“Then why aren’t we out looking for her?” he pressed, giving me a shove.

“Would you let me search for her alone?”

Samuel fell silent, watching me over the flames. He clearly didn’t trust me, and he certainly didn’t like me coming on this mission with them.

“Why would I let you search on your own?” he challenged.

“Because I’m not risking the two of you getting lost as well, since you wouldn’t be able to keep up with me. Besides, I could be out there searching for her while she’s finding her way back here on her own,” I explained.

“Or she could be lying in some kind of hole in the ground with both her legs broken!”

I sighed, shaking my head. That scenario seemed highly unlikely. This forest was different. The nymphs lived here, and since none of us had seen them, I feared they might have made contact with Laelia instead.

“Samuel, let’s just wait,” Liam urged.

“Not you too!”

“Tylon has a good point. It’s best to… at least wait until the sun comes up,” Liam reasoned.

Samuel groaned in frustration and got back on his feet. He began pacing, while Liam and I exchanged worried glances.

“Why does this keep happening?” Samuel muttered.

“What do you mean?” Liam asked.

“This! Laelia constantly disappearing from our sight. This didn’t happen before you dragons came along!”

I was about to respond, but Liam cut me off.

“That’s not true,” he countered.

“Of course it is!” Samuel insisted.

Liam shook his head, smiling a little. “Laelia often ran off before all of this, and you know it. It drove Father insane, and he’d frequently send us out to find her.”

Samuel sighed and stopped pacing, crossing his arms. Liam was clearly right, but I understood Samuel’s frustration.

“She’ll come back,” I reassured him.

“She does have a habit of doing so,” Liam added with a smile.

We nodded to each other, and Samuel rejoined us by the fire.

“I still think we should be out there looking for her,” he muttered.

“And be the ones she has to come rescue again? Yes, let’s be the damsels in distress once more. Brilliant idea, brother,” Liam teased, placing a hand on Samuel’s shoulder.

Samuel shrugged him off and looked like he was about to retort when suddenly, footsteps echoed in the dark forest. We all turned toward the sound as a shadow took shape in the darkness. Instinctively, we drew our swords, but then the shadow stepped closer, and the fire revealed who it was.

“Laelia?” I asked.

She looked at us, appearing slightly confused, before calmly walking closer.

“We’ve got a problem,” she announced.