Chapter 172: Stubborn Dragon
~ Raphael's POV ~
Chaos. That's the only word for passing through the portal. It felt like one's body was being broken and disjointed. We tumbled out of Drogon's portal just when I thought we wouldn't hold much longer.
We landed hard on unfamiliar territories, our bodies falling on each other, one after the other. The portal snapped shut behind us, leaving us stranded in a place none of us recognized.
I pushed myself to my feet first, looking around our surroundings. There were trees everywhere. This place is as creepy as that cursed land that we just left, the only difference is there is sunlight, and there's no heaviness in my body like there was in that land.
The others were getting to their feet around me. Caleb helped Gemma up, brushing dirt from her dress. Isla sat on the ground where she'd fallen, still sobbing quietly. And Drogon...
Drogon was in bad shape.
His dragon form dominated the small clearing where we'd landed. His wings, were torn and bloodied from those cursed chains.
Dark stains covered his scales where the metal had cut deep. When he tried to fold his wings properly, he winced and let them drag against the forest floor instead.
"Can you shift back?" I asked him.
He closed his great eyes and concentrated. I could feel him trying to, but nothing happened. He remained locked in dragon form.
"Something's blocking it," he said, his voice a low rumble. "Those chains did more than just hold me. They're still affecting my magic somehow."
"Then we walk," I said simply. "Stay in the trees. Keep low." Just in case we see people. So they won't start screaming when they see a wounded scary dragon.
I glanced back at him as he struggled to move. Sincerely, I never thought a day would come when I will see this crazy rude bastard struggling like this. Grey would have been happy to see him suffering like this.
I won't lie, I was as well. I moved ahead, knowing fully well, he won't accept any help I offer to him.
I started forward, leading the way through the unfamiliar woods. Every time exhaustion tried to creep in, I thought of Ava.
I am only hoping Anastasia and Gwen would be able to protect her. Alasia had promised to find her and end her. That thought alone was enough to keep my legs moving no matter how tired I felt.
I wouldn't show weakness to the others. They were looking to me to get them out of this mess.
Behind me, Drogon struggled to move quietly through the trees. His size made stealth nearly impossible, and his injured wings kept catching on branches. But he didn't complain. He just kept moving, one heavy step after another.
Gemma kept looking back at him with wide eyes. She'd never seen a dragon up close before, and injured or not, Drogon was still an imposing sight. His scales caught what little sunlight made it through the canopy, and even wounded, he radiated power.
"How much further?" Caleb asked quietly.
"Until we find somewhere safe," I replied without stopping. "Or until we figure out where we are."
The forest around us was strangely quiet. No bird calls, no rustling of small animals in the underbrush.
Just the sound of our footsteps and Drogon's labored breathing as he pushed himself to keep up. Or maybe, he is scaring them away, a voice whispers in my mind. I almost laughed out at the thought.
Isla finally stopped crying and looked around. "This isn't anywhere near the northern kingdoms," she said. "I don't recognize anything." So you finally got back your senses?
"Neither do I," I replied instead. "Drogon's portal must have carried us further than expected."
"It was emergency magic," Drogon rumbled from behind us. "I opened it to the first safe place I could sense. I didn't have time to choose a destination."
Gemma stumbled over a root and Caleb caught her arm. As she steadied herself, she glanced back at Drogon again. This time, instead of fear, I saw something else in her expression. Concern.
"He doesn't bite," Caleb whispered to her, noticing her stare. "Don't be scared."
"I'm not scared," Gemma said, but her voice carried worry instead of terror. "I'm just worried. Look at him. He's badly injured. I don't think he might last long."
I don't know what prompts me to read through her mind, " Dragon, don't you dare die. If you die, we might have portals to go home again." Ahh... So that was her concern. I shake my head.
Although, the intentions might have been wrong, she'd still spoken the fear we were all carrying.
Gemma saw my expression and immediately shrank back into Caleb's arms. Her eyes went wide, realizing she'd said something wrong.
I read her mind again. " Had I said that out loud?" No, she didn't. These two really fit each other.
"She didn't mean that," Caleb said quickly, taking a his protective stance in front of his wife.
I looked at them both for a long moment, then shifted my gaze to Drogon. He was watching me with those now scary eyes of his, waiting to see how I'd respond.
I turned away from Gemma and kept walking. My worn-out boots crunched on fallen leaves that looked nothing like the ones from home. Not that I know what the ones from home looked like.
"We need to find water," I said over my shoulder. "And shelter. Then we figure out what those chains did to you and how to reverse it."
"Raphael," Drogon called softly.
I slowed my pace and looked back at him. Despite his size and power, despite the fact that he was literally a dragon, something in his posture reminded me of the young man I'd known before he'd learned to shift. Proud. Stubborn. Refusing to show weakness.
"I can manage," he said.
I stopped completely and offered my hand to help support him as we walked, unable to myself again. The man dragon looks like he might die soon. Although, it was a ridiculous gesture, what could my human form do for a dragon? But I offered anyway.
Drogon looked at my outstretched hand for a long moment. His great head tilted slightly, considering. Then he shook his head once, firmly.
"I said I can manage," he repeated.
His tone spoke finality. Dragon pride, maybe, or just the same stubborn refusal to appear weak that I understood all too well.
I'd been doing the same thing since we'd arrived here - pushing forward despite my exhaustion, refusing to let the others see how much that battle had taken out of me.
I let my hand drop to my side and nodded once. "Then we keep moving."
Behind us, Isla whom had started crying again, stood up from where she'd been sitting. Her face was streaked with tears, but she'd stopped sobbing. "Where are we going?" she asked.
"Away from here," I said. "And toward wherever Ava is."
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