The Exiled Dragon
A sliver of Thread

Creed

Taking off from the palace gardens, my wings were thrust forward, causing the area to be rained down by a relentless wind. The smaller sapling trees falling over, petals of mystical flowers that Odessa had enjoyed in our walk in the garden were instantly shredded to pieces. Female dragons stood on the ground, holding their palms up to their foreheads as I graced the sky straight to the light sources.

Male warriors ripped their tunics, stripping down just to their loincloths, trying to follow. Reaching the top of the trees, I discovered the forest, looking for any movement. She couldn't have gone too far. I haven't left her for too long. I could feel the pull in my chest guiding me in the general direction of where she might be, but the pull became weaker and weaker as I tried to follow.

Heading south, there was only so much land they could cover just on foot. My flight could take me a quarter of the time more than that of horses. However, if black magic was used or a relocating spell, then I would be in trouble. I could be much farther from my Fawn than I thought.

Each vampire I detected, my dragon let out a hideous growl, flames falling from my scaled lips as treetops caught fire. Several rogue vampires and wolves were caught in the blaze, now seeking water to put out the flames. Vampires fell to the ground, no longer moving. Even with their deaths, my dragon would not be sated until we found our mate. Roaring loudly caused most animals to jump away from the sound piercing their ears. Several more vampires jumped at the sound, running faster than that of a normal vampire.

The enhanced black magic had spread to many rogues, and this would not fare well in the future.

Sounds of yelling came from behind. The shrill voices reminded me of King Orion's fae army following. They would not have the wing power to catch me, but I could still hear their cries to slow my pace. How could I slow my pace when my mate was in the clutches of that vampire, ripping Odessa off of all her hopes of being safe? I would not rest until she was found, and I would kill whoever got in my way.

Feelings that weren't mine invaded my dragon. Fear, anguish, and hopelessness seeped into our heart. Gritting my teeth, I powered through a wind draft that blew me higher than I intended. The rushing of wind, the fear I felt of my mate had already made me a failure in my eyes. She was the light to my darkness, and I would not let the black magic laced with our people's blood ruin her, ruin what we have.

It was my fault that she had been captured. I should have made her come with me, even if she didn't want to see the prisoner. The quick capture of the Duke should have been a sign enough, but when one lives with great hope that the devil will be laid to rest by your hand, one can be hopeful.

A roaring pain ripped through my breast, my claws trying to penetrate the scales holding my heart. My wings faulted backward as I came spiraling down. Branches and limbs scraped my scales enough to cause a feeling of regret to seep through until we finally met the Bergarian soil. The back of my scales dug into the dirt, my groans heard by my father as his feathered wings brushed my eyes. Focusing, I could see him looking farther into the forest, standing over my broken body.

My heart was being torn from my soul. I felt it trying to be released into the air. I roared again in pain as I turned over. Claws digging into the soil, my wings flapped haphazardly into the breeze. My mother finally landed beside me. "Get up," my mother's nostrils pushed me. All hope was being lost. I felt our bond breaking. Whatever black magic they were using on her was breaking our bond. I groaned loudly, my dragon's heartbreaking into pieces as I felt just a sliver of a thread holding my heart in place.

They were winning. Whatever he was doing to my mate had broken her. She thought she had lost me, that I wouldn't come for her. Sadness crept into the sliver of thread holding me to her. Whispers of "sorrys" and "I love yous," tickled my ears. The black magic was powerful, maybe too strong. Odessa was giving up. Everything was trying to force us apart, no one to leave us alone so we could live within our own happiness of each other.

"Don't you give up," my mother snapped. "You fight it. You power her as much as she powers you. Your bond is stronger and deeper than that!" My mother rolled me over, gazing into my eyes. "You tell her to be strong, you let your bond show her you are coming, you are not giving up no matter what happens." Feeling liquid trickle down my shoulder, my claw goes to touch my mark. It was bleeding.

The pain was considerable, the strand barely holding us together was strong enough to last as long as it had. Even if our bond broke, I would replace her, save her, and mark her all over again. "No," I growled out. "I will not leave her," I growled, still feeling the pain in my chest. "Odessa is mine!" I roared out. My legs shook when I tried to stand. My tail waved behind me to balance myself still and my wingspan opened.

"Odessa!" I called to her. "Fight it, I'm almost there. I will save you," gritting my teeth, the entire army of Faes hovered above the trees, waiting for me to lead them to my mate. We had friends, we had each other and most of all, we had a bond. Stronger than any other supernatural.

Odessa's spirit lightened. The heaviness in her emotions relaxed. "That's it, my fawn, fight it!" Lighter, it rose, the pain falling away from my scaled chest. Standing upright, my wings spread, now taking flight above the trees. "I love you, Odessa, you are doing it."

Father flew beside me, watching every stroke of my wings. Odessa's strength was waning, but each time I spoke to her, her strength grew just enough to help renew her hopes. How we could speak through emotions was new. I had never heard of such a thing. I radiated my love to her how proud I was she was fighting so well.

The light sources had begun to fade. Darkness will be our battleground. The Faes relied heavily on light. Praying to the gods our numbers would be enough if we came to the Forbidden Territory. A gigantic wall covered the entire area to keep the beasts away. Creatures of the unknown resided inside, especially the Ogres.

As we approached, we landed in front of a wall that was taller than most trees. It was constructed long ago. I doubt no one alive today could tell us when it was built. Orion donned in his armor, pulled out his sword and walked to the wall. "Does the pull lead you over these walls?" I only nodded my colossal head, trying to stare straight through it.

Tapping the crumbling rocks with the butt of his sword, he sighed. "There must be a hole somewhere along the wall. We found several Ogres last month walking around. They have been dealt with. I had my men patch one hole, but if you feel the pull, there must be loose stones somewhere."

Father used his beak to peck several large stones until his beak went right through one. Pecking it again over and over, he stuck his rugged claw through the bottom. A glamour spell had been used to impersonate the wall. There was an entire open entrance for anyone to walk in or out of if you knew where to look.

"Gods," Orion rolled his eyes. "This is disastrous. Do you know what will happen if we have Ogres come out of there?" Orion threw his hands up just as Willa landed. "You don't listen, do you?" his voice now laced with playfulness. "As I said, is it really punishment if I want it?" Willa winked and petted Amora's dragon.

"You aren't going in there." Orion pointed to the wall. "Seriously or I will lock you in a cage that you don't like." Willa stood back, rubbing her arms together. "Alright, sheesh."

"What now?" My mother stepped forward. "Apollo said he would fly over and replace out the lay of the land. Thousands of years ago it was pretty desolate, but now the trees have taken root and are overflowing the tops of the walls. There may be dangers we will miss if we go in on foot." Orion rubbed his chin.

"What do you think, Black Dragon?" My mouth went to open until I felt a burning fire in my chest, different than the fire in my belly. It grew warm at first until a bright light radiated from my heart and the mark Odessa had left on me. My dragon took over, letting out a mighty cry of triumph.

The crowd had gathered, watching the light protruding from my chest, lighting the way in front of me. My head reared back, feeling the warmth of love and passion from it. Overwhelming emotion flooded my body. It was of hope and love. Odessa was calling to me, she was pulling my dragon inside of the walls, begging me to save her.

"I'm going NOW!" I growled. Pushing off the ground, I lifted myself over the wall with one swipe of my wings. Landing on top of the wall, I gazed inside. Large trees, hanging vines, and darkness surrounded the area except for one small clearing. There, not but 20 lengths of large trees, stood a desolate cottage with smoke blowing from the chimney.

Branches covered the roof along with other dead trees and stumps that surrounded the cabin. From above, it would look like nothing more than just a pile of wood. My claws gripped the stoned wall, hearing the high pitch-scraping. Not one soul stood around the cottage. It very well could be a trap.

The hollers and screams from the side of the wall I left were deafening, begging for me to come back over the wall. This wasn't about my safety, it was about my mate, the mate I am supposed to take care of and protect. She is my female, my love, and my mate.

Gliding off the wall, I trotted to the cabin. Strange noises of branches breaking and grunting from the forest gripped my dragon's attention to be watchful but did not deter my mission. If there was a genuine threat, we would dispose of it properly.

Approaching the cabin, the inside was dark and devoid of all life. Our bond no longer pulled me into the cabin, but deeper into the dark forest. My nostrils flared with smoke, feeling a presence behind me. As my neck turned to replace the enemy, I was none other than met by a green creature.

Standing at my height in human form, green with lower teeth, fangs that protruded upwards. He had long black hair that was tight at the base on top of his relatively bald head. Face clear of any beard, his eyes large and almond-shaped with thick heavy brows. His clothes were similar to mine, with leather pants and bindings around his arms. He held a club over his shoulder. He showed no anger or emotion on his face, just stared at me a half-length of my dragon's body away. "That's mine," he grunted, pointing his finger to the cabin. "Don't think you'd fit, anyway." I snorted, my bond pulling me into the forest. Ignoring him, I slithered away from the cabin and trekked deeper. "What are you lookin' for? You can't be an actual dragon. They left ages ago."

"I am a real dragon!" I snapped, turning my head around to face him. My tongue slithered between my teeth to get a smell. Lumbering closer to him, my teeth were shown in an act of dominance.

"Meant nothing by it," he backed away, putting his hands in front of him. "I'm just trying to figure out what you are. We let vampires in here not too long ago and they are nothing but trouble. We've been trying to hunt them out." "What are you?" I growled, puffing out my chest. I had never seen a creature like this. Could this possibly be an Ogre that Orion had warned us about? This being said, this creature was ready to be rid of the vampires. Maybe we could use their help instead of shun them away.

My father flew on top of the wall ledge, his claws sinking into the moss gathered on the landing. Mother wasn't far behind as she landed on the ground in front of him. Orion went through the enchantment, followed by Amora and Nicholas. The creature in front of me turned to see the commotion, letting out a heavy breath. "More disturbances," he whispered to himself. He finally turned to me to answer my long-awaited question.

"I'm Sugha son of Eman,... an Orc."