The Gold Dragon

Chapter Seven:

Amber’s POV:

My eyes open to the feeling of icy snow melting against my leather shoes. I am in a short-sleeved dress, perhaps not the most appropriate clothing for this weather, but I do not own any sort of warm clothes. I look around me, taking notice of the nothingness that comes with this territory. It really is as cold and isolated as they say and the only thing that shines in wonder against the pureness of the snow is the black curtain of darkness that surrounds the most feared land of them all. I take a few steps closer to the impossibly black hues that seem to cloud my vision into the land of darkness. I have only ever heard stories of what lies beyond here, but nobody has ever lived to exit its borders and describe what life was like inside. I gulp as I think of what all the myths say. A land where the most hideous creatures live, eating off the blood of everything it can and hunting in groups of hundreds for its prey. A land where the sun never shines and where there is a forever night. A land where nothing grows, so starvation prevails for all who enter. A land where the darkness seeps in and begins to eat away at the last living light within. Still, none of this seems as petrifying as never seeing Kylo again. My mate. I look behind me to the expansive hills and fields of snow. Dragon Land is but a quick trip away and is far warmer and more comfortable than where I believe I am headed now, but what is my existence if I cannot seek answers from my mate? I deserve answers, even if that means I never return to this snowy land again. Even if it means I never know warmth again.

“Well, here goes nothing.” I whisper to myself as I close my eyes and slowly amble into the black curtain?. It feels like I am being sucked into a dark pit, the further I step through, the more I feel my body being lifted and pulled in. When I open my eyes, I feel as if I am being carried through time and space. A sick feeling rises to my gut as I feel myself moving impossibly fast until I manage to let out a scream and then…

“Ouch!” I land hard against the dark, green moss of the ground. It takes me a few moments to sit up and catch my bearings. That felt like an impossibly tiresome trip. I manage to lift my head, noticing that I am now surrounded by dark, tall, weeping trees that are eerily silent. There is no sound of life or even movement in this land. More fascinating, is that when I try to find the black curtain that marks the border to Dark Land, it is nowhere to be found, almost as if it picked me up and spat me out somewhere random within. I manage to get up onto my feet, now also noticing the way the air feels incredibly dry here. Such a contrast to the moist air in Dragon Land.

“Now how do I find my way to you?” I ask into the air, wondering how I may come to find my mate. As my voice echoes into stillness, I hear it pulsing forward for miles. It is magical, how just a mere whisper resonates through into the far distance. My eyes widen as a buzzing seems to flash through the leaves, almost as if something or someone is responding to me. I quickly start walking, allowing my body to draw me in the direction it sees fit. If there is one thing my parents ALWAYS told me, no matter how far or wide your mate may be from you, your body and soul will always lead you to them. That is at least what they believe happened to them when my mother flew away into Human Land after the war. The more I pace over the dark, brown logs of the floor and with every brush against the fickle branches of the weeping trees, I find myself being more drawn into following the call of the empty horizon. I have no idea where I am or how I even got to this part of the wood, but for some reason, it feels like everything I touch responds to the touch of my fingertips or the mere steps of my feet. The foliage here is odd in that it seems very much alive, but its form is dreadful and sad. Every shade of blue is dark. Every shade of red looks dulled down and every piece of green seems clouded with shades of brown. Like the light has been sucked from its core and its begging to hold onto the last threads of color. I frown at the way the petals seem to flash brighter under my touch, but the minute I let go, they return to their former shade.

“There is something keeping them from being alive. There is something that keeps the darkness from escaping.” I whisper again and that buzz comes back in response. What a strange land. I carry on walking, looking around and feeling more and more puzzled by how we are in the center of a lush jungle-type wood, but I cannot hear ANY life. No birds, no small animals playing between the rocks, no sound of running water and definitely no sign of others like me. What if the boundary spat me out in someplace far from everyone? What if this is what this land is? A place where you come to die in loneliness, as the myths said? A cold shiver runs down my spine again as I carry on walking further and further along the dry floor. I would shift into my dragon and try to fly, but I have no idea what I am facing in here. I would feel safer if I could get to an area where I can see the skies.

“Well…” I begin to say, but the buzzing gets louder. I look around me, trying to figure out where it is coming from, but not seeing anything around me other than the thousands of tree trunks. I carry on walking, but the buzzing gets turned up and I feel its continuous hum beginning to drive me crazy. It is like a drone that just plays and plays until you eventually cannot stand the sound anymore. I bring my hands to my ears to block the sound.

“AAAAAAHHHHHHHH!” I scream at the top of my lungs and the sound stops, leaving behind an eerie silence. What was that? I look around me again, wondering if perhaps I am being watched by some sort of wild animal? How does it always respond to me? My skin pricks up as my eyes search across the masses of bush. I zone in on the way the dim light dances in between the trees and as I scan across an area, my eyes catch onto a small flicker of movement. My eyes immediately become their reptilian form.

“What are you?” I ask into the air and the buzzing starts up again. Another flicker of movement catches my senses from a different area. My head shoots that way.

“Show yourself!” I say again and the buzzing gets louder. More flickers of movement start appearing around me, all from different directions and now in multiple forms. I am not sure what I am up against, but I know I am a powerful dragon. I also know that there are magical creatures out there that I could never have mustered up in my wildest dreams. The buzzing gets louder again, but this time I block it out. Whatever this is, it is vividly aware of my existence and is coming for me in drones. It becomes unbearable and then...

Silence.

My eyes scan around me, noticing the air becoming slightly thicker with tension. A figure emerges from behind a tree nearby and my eyes widen at the strange form. This magical creature cannot be larger than a cat from Human Land, but it has no skin and the working forms of its organs are on full display. It has a long, spiny tail and its face is deformed to look demonic. The worst of its features are the long, dirty and scaly-looking canines which hang from its mouth. Being in its presence makes me feel enamored, but every fiber of my dragon is telling me to run as fast as I can. A shift happens around me and in a flash, the creature has my arm in its hand and its canines are protruding into my veins. I wish I could say it felt painful, but as the tips of its sharp teeth pierced my skin, I almost felt a sense of pleasure. The buzzing became louder as I watched the horror occur in front of me. I am being drained by this odd creature and for a reason unbeknownst to me, I am enjoying it. Odd.

“Please…” I try to say but the creature doesn’t stop. I feel myself becoming desperate. As good as it may feel, I know it is a trap that will lead to my inevitable death. The creature’s teeth never give up against my skin and now I see more of them appearing from behind the tree trunks. My eyes widen as I watch them come closer, but my energy is depleting and even a scream feels like too much.

“No…” I whisper as another latched onto me. My body starts feeling very cold. I try to wiggle them off, but nothing seems to work. What are these things? Why are they killing me? My dragon takes over my senses and I feel her trying to warm my body. I can feel my legs dropping to the earth below me and I feel my skin beginning to glow, but my vision becomes blurry as I start registering the screeches around me. As I start becoming more aware, I hear the cracking sound of a whip and a large figure seems to be hovering around me on a horse-type creature. My breathing becomes labored and I let my head slump down against the dirt and my body becomes limp. I have never felt so cold before and it feels as though I have gone into some sort of paralysis. A pink jar gets brought to my lips and the figure forces a vile tasting liquid down my throat. I feel it burning its way down my throat and my heart rate starts to slow. Perhaps this is my end? I feel a sadness take over me as I realize I didn’t even get around to talking to Kylo. I try to croak out something to the mysterious figure standing in front of me, but I find no words coming out.

The last thing I remember is feeling my body being lifted before everything becomes completely blank.

More silence.

More silence.

More silence.

More silence.

A slow, wet drag of a rough cloth across my face brings me back into my body. The warm liquid dripping down my cheek smells of lavender and tea tree, both containing healing properties for our bodies, fills my nostrils and soothes my mind. I small smile lifts at the corners of my mouth.

“She smiles…” A gruff voice says and my body becomes stiff. Who is this? I try to open my eyes, but the light entering through them is too bright and blinding.

“Shhhh, don’t push yourself, girl. You are safe here.” The gruff voice says again and my heart races. Slowly, I manage to widen my eyes more and more until I see the owner of the voice sitting with the cloth in his hand on the other side of the bed. I seem to be in some sort of log cabin, but how? Last I remembered, I was…

My eyes widen as the memories of being drained of my life fill me. I look down at my arms, noticing the multiple bite marks that have been stitched up and the smothers of herbs that have been laid on them. How many of those creatures were there?

“Lucky I was in the area on patrol, or you may have never made it then. Those little gremlins are a nasty bunch.” He says and I look up at him. He is not a very tall man, but he is large in width. His skin looks as rough as his voice sounds. This man looks like he was made of the very wood of those tree trunks. What is he?

“Thank you for saving me, sir?” I say and he laughs and stands to pour me some water.

“My name is Zetheus. Keeper of the woods and guard of the forest people.” He says proudly and I nod with a smile.

“The forest people?” I ask, curiously and he nods again. I have never heard of this before.

“Yes. We have always lived in this land, but ever since this became the most feared place of all time, we have become forgotten. We used to be integrated with all the other magical, but it seems nobody knows we exist anymore.” He says sadly and I watch him curiously. It would make sense that there would be magical who have become lost behind the black curtain. This land is the most feared, but how odd that things seem oddly normal thus far.

“If it weren’t for Lord Kylo, then we may never have had a life ever again. We were becoming extinct until he arrived. We have offered ourselves to guard the borders of his lands since.” Zetheus says again and my breathing hitches. He knows Lord Kylo!

“This Lord Kylo, how do I get to him?” I ask quickly and the forest man watches me with surprise.

“What business would you have with the Lord of Darkness?” He asks, almost humored at me. I lift my eyebrow at him.

“I need to see him for business matters.” I state and he chuckles again.

“What business would a young Dragon Princess have with a man such as Kylo? It’s rare a dragon EVER ventures into these lands and it is even rarer for anyone to work with the Lord. He is a dark soul and operates alone, always.” He replies and I feel myself become cold. Would Kylo ever let me in if this is the case? Would he even both to hear me out? I try to swing my leg over the bed, but a searing pain vibrates through my limbs and I have to bite back a scream.

"You cannot move. The venom is still very much alive in your body.” Zetheus says again and I nod with wide eyes. I lie back down, feeling frustrated that within minutes of me landing in this unknown territory, I was almost killed and now I am forced to lie still until I feel better. It feels like thousands of needles have been stuck into my leg and I have to close my eyes.

“It hurts.” I cry out and Zetheus digs into the small drawer next to the bed I am on. He lifts a pink bottle from it that matches the one I saw when I was lying on the forest ground. I look up at him with pleading eyes.

“They say that sleep is the best remedy.” He says softly and then offers me the bottle. I nod, knowing that he is probably right. If this were bad for me, I would have already been killed from it. I gulp down the liquid and feel the burning sensation slide down my throat again. Just like that, I feel myself drifting off to sleep again.