Chapter 190: You can't run forever.
~Third POV~
Raphael sat frozen in the dancing firelight, his heart pounding so hard he could hear it in his ears.
The shock that had held him was still fading, but the terror remained in his chest. Alasia's voice still echoed in his mind, cold and mocking, promising pain beyond imagination.
She found us. The thought played through him again and again. Somehow, she found us.
His hands shook as feeling returned to his limbs. The fire had burned lower while he was trapped, casting wild shadows on the moss-covered temple walls. Those shadows looked different now, threatening, alive, reaching toward him with invisible fingers.
Raphael jumped to his feet, his legs unsteady. Around him, the others still slept peacefully, unaware that death had just whispered in their ears. Caleb lay curled around Gemma, his arm protective even in sleep. Isla was tucked near the dying fire, her wounded hand pressed against her chest. And Drogon...
The dragon's breathing seemed steadier than before. His wounds looked slightly better, though he remained unconscious. But now Raphael knew it didn't matter how much he healed. Alasia could track him anywhere. Every drop of blood, every labored breath, it all led back to her.
"Caleb." Raphael called. His voice came out as a harsh whisper. He reached down and shook the other man's shoulder urgently. "Caleb, wake up. Now."
Caleb's eyes snapped open, he jumped up, his hand going for his sword . He took one look at Raphael's pale, terrified face and sat up quickly. "What's wrong?"
"We have to go. Right now." Raphael turned to wake Gemma, but she was already stirring, alerted by the tension in her husband's voice.
"What happened?" Gemma asked, pushing herself up on her elbows. Her healer's instincts made her glance immediately at Drogon, checking his condition.
Raphael moved to wake Isla while he explained in quick, quiet words. "Alasia. She spoke to me. Here, in this place. She can track Drogon through his blood, through his pain. She knows where we are."
Isla woke with a gasp, her eyes wide and frightened. "What? How is that possible?"
"Magic," Caleb said grimly, already reaching for his pack. "Evil magic. We need to move. Gods, I hate that malevolent spirit.”
Gemma's face went white. "How long do we have?"
"I don't know." Raphael knelt beside Drogon and placed a gentle hand on the dragon's snout. "Drogon. Drogon, you need to wake up."
The dragon's good eye opened slowly, still clouded with pain but more alert than before. When he saw Raphael's expression, he tried to lift his head. "What... what is it?"
"Alasia found us. She spoke to me just now. She can track you, follow your blood wherever we go." Raphael's words came out in a rush. "We have to leave this place."
Understanding dawned in Drogon's eye, followed by a deep sadness. He had hoped they might have more time, a chance to rest and heal properly. But hope was a luxury they couldn't afford.
"Yes," he said quietly. "Yes, we must go."
The group moved quickly to gather their few belongings. The meat from their meal was wrapped and packed. Gemma secured her healing supplies. Caleb checked their water and remaining food stores. But as they worked, strange things began to happen around them.
The wind outside picked up, but it didn't sound natural. Instead of the usual rush of air through trees, it carried whispers, soft sounds that might have been words in a language none of them recognized. The moss on the temple walls seemed to writhe and move, as if something beneath it was trying to push through.
"Do you hear that?" Isla whispered, clutching her wrapped hand to her chest.
They all heard it. The whispers were getting louder, more insistent. And underneath the sound, there was something else, a low humming that seemed to come from the very stones of the temple.
"She's coming," Drogon said, struggling to his feet. His big form shook with weakness, but determination burned in his remaining eye. "I can feel her power reaching across the distance."
Raphael moved to support him, though he knew his strength was nothing compared to a dragon's weight. "Can you open another portal?"
"I have to." Drogon's breathing was labored as he began to gather what little magical energy he had left. "There's no other choice."
The dragon's scales began to shine faintly as he channeled his power. It was a pale imitation of his former strength, but it was all he had. Golden light started to turn in the air before them, slow and uncertain at first, then growing brighter.
But the temple was fighting back. The strange symbols that had appeared on the walls during their meal began to glow with a red light that hurt to look at.
The temperature dropped suddenly, making their breath visible in the cold air. The whispers became voices, chanting in that unknown language.
"Hurry," Gemma urged, looking around nervously at the walls that seemed to vibrate with malevolent life.
The portal was forming, but it was unstable. The golden light swayed and wavered as Drogon fought to maintain it against whatever force was trying to stop him. Sweat beaded on his scaled brow from the effort, and his legs trembled with exhaustion.
"Almost there," he gasped. "Just a little more..."
That's when they heard it. Laughter, soft and cruel, coming through the temple like music played on broken instruments. The sound made everyone's skin crawl, made their hearts race with instinctive terror.
"Running already?" The voice was Alasia's, clear as if she stood beside them. "How disappointing. I was just beginning to enjoy our conversation."
The shadows on the walls began to reach toward them like grasping fingers. The red symbols shined brighter, and the chanting voices grew louder. But the portal was finally stable, a turning gateway of golden light that promised escape.
"Go!" Drogon roared, though the sound came out weaker than he intended. "Everyone through, now!"
Caleb grabbed Gemma's hand and pulled her toward the portal. Isla followed, stumbling in her haste. Raphael hesitated, looking back at Drogon, who was barely standing.
"I'm right behind you," the dragon promised. "Go!"
Raphael leaped through the portal just as Alasia's laughter grew loud enough to shake dust from the temple ceiling. Behind him, he heard Drogon's labored breathing and the sound of claws scraping stone as the dragon followed.
The last thing he heard before the portal closed was Alasia's voice, no longer amused but filled with cold fury, "You cannot run forever, little dragon. I can taste your fear from here."
Then they were falling through golden light, leaving the temple behind. But Raphael knew, with a certainty that chilled him to the bone, that they weren't really escaping. They were just delaying the inevitable.
Alasia would find them again. She would always find them.
The portal twisted around them, carrying them toward an unknown destination, while behind them, in the temple they'd
abandoned, something roared with rage that shook the very foundations of the temple.
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