Page 37 of The Cursed Queen
"Hello?" I called out, disappointed to hear no response.
My mind was a hazy mess. I couldn't recall what happened to me or how I ended up here. The last thing I could remember was the morning of my birthday. There was an event taking place, but I couldn't recall what it was. I felt drained. My body was floating in midair, but it also felt as if there was something heavy pressing against my chest.
Sleep. Maybe if I closed my eyes and drift back to sleep, I'd wake up somewhere else. I didn't give myself any time to think it over before my vision blurred and my eyes slowly drifted shut.
When I awoke again, it was to the sound of dripping water. A steadydrip, drip, drip, dripringing in my ears. My eyes opened up to the sight of a darkened sky. No stars, no clouds, no moon. Just an empty midnight blue sky. I was on my back, on a flat surface, with my arms stretched out. The sound of water continuing behind me. Mustering up the energy. I pushed myself up to a sitting position.
Where was I? I looked around, noticing I was in an empty grassy field in the middle of nowhere. No sign of any trees or wildlife for miles. A cool, gentle breeze ran along my heated skin. I turned around, noticing a body of water mere inches from where I was laying. At least I knew where the dripping was coming from.
But I still didn't know where I was, or how I ended up here.
A shadow flitted across the water, startling me with wide eyes. I wanted to move back, but something was compelling me to move closer. An invisible threat that was wrapped around my heart and pulling me forward. All I could do was comply. On my hands and knees, I moved closer to the water, leaning forward to stare into my reflection.
At least, that was what I was expecting to see.
Rather than seeing my face and magenta hair, a ferocious, onyx-colored dragon with amethyst eyes stared back at me. I gasped, reaching up to touch my face, only for the dragon to mimic my movements. Even when I turned my head from left to right, so did the mighty beast. It was acting as if the dragon was me.
Little by little, memories of all the recent events returned to me. Dragon shifters being held captive, my mother drugging me, the dragon crowning ceremony, Dragon's Peak. Yes, I remembered all of it.
"Andriel?" I called out, but still no answer. "Virgil? Anyone?"
Nothing but the air of silence.
I stood up, getting ready to walk anywhere, hoping to find out where I'd woken up to, when I heard the faintest sound of a growl. I turned around, noticing the body of water was now gone. In its place was the dragon I'd seen in my reflection. I was lying on the ground with glowing violet chains wrapped around its colossal form and sank deep into the ground.
"By the gods," I breathed in horror and rushed to its aid.
"Are you all right?" I asked the beast when I was close enough to rest my hands on its pointed snout.
The dragon's eyes were hooded with exhaustion; its entire body held down by the chains imbued with magic. Seeing it in this predicament struck a pain in my heart. The need to help it, to set it free, was unwavering. When the dragon whimpered, I ran my hand up and down its scaled snout to relax it.
"It's going to be okay," I whispered. "I'll get you free somehow, I promise."
I walked around the gargantuan beast, inspecting the chains that kept it firmly on the ground. Ten chains total. All enchanted. My magic was still weak, but it was hard to detect what kind of enchantment was used to form these bindings, which meant it finding a counter spell would be unlikely.
Maybe I could try to burn it off.
My violet flames were still new to me. I didn't know where the power came from, or what all it could burn. It was the only thing in my arsenal I could think of using. I just had to hope that I wouldn't harm the dragon further in my attempt to set her free. With no other choice in mind, I took a deep breath before gripping one chain with both hands. I closed my eyes, mentally searching for that orb of fire buried in the deep recesses of my core. When I found it, I coaxed it to the surface, running it through my arms and expelled it from my hands. Soon, they were engulfed in violet embers.
Hoping the flames would be hot enough to burn through whatever material and magic the chains were made of, I pulled on the restraints as hard as I could. The dragon's head turned slightly in my direction, watching me warily as I struggled to undo the shackles binding it.
"Hold on, I'll save you," I said through gritted teeth, then held my breath as I pulled harder. I was feeling it give way a little, which filled me with hope. I willed more of my flames tosurface as I pulled, my muscles bulging with the added force. Digging the heels of my feet into the ground to give me extra leverage, I pulled with all my might and willing the chains to snap.
Just as I was ready to give up hope, I flailed back right as the chain snapped apart and vanished into specs of light. I collapsed onto my back, gasping for breath, relieved to have accomplished removing one of the pesky restraints. It meant it wasn't impossible, but it wouldn't be easy. I pulled myself up halfway, leaning against my elbows as I stared into the glowing eyes of the dragon. I felt a strange kinship to it; almost as if I knew who it was.
An old friend lost with time but reminded me it was still here for me. It reminded me of the dragon I used to dream about. Beautiful, majestic, larger than life. It was what inspired my love for the mighty creatures. The dragon watched me with a knowing glint.
It couldn't be... could it?
"A-Are you...?" I whispered.
"Sera?" A faint echo in the wind called out my name. "Sera, wake up. Seraphina!"
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I gasped a lungful of air as my eyes shot open, my body rushing up to a sitting position. I felt hands and recognized the wood smoke and pine scent—Andriel was here.