C5 The Prisoner in the Valley

Night fell slowly across the mountains.

Kael and Seraphine remained hidden among the rocks overlooking the ruined valley.

Below them, torches flickered like scattered stars.

The cloaked men moved around the wounded dragon with disturbing efficiency.

Some carried weapons.

Others hauled chains.

A few appeared to be examining strange metal devices positioned around the creature.

None of it made sense.

If dragons were truly mindless beasts, why keep one alive?

“Those aren’t ordinary hunters,” Seraphine whispered.

Kael nodded.

The silver symbol on their cloaks gleamed in the firelight.

A broken circle.

The mark of the Veilbreakers.

At least, that’s what the dragon had called them.

The name alone sounded dangerous.

“What do we do?” Seraphine asked.

Kael stared at the dragon.

Its massive body barely moved.

The chains binding its wings looked impossibly heavy.

Blood darkened the ground beneath it.

Every instinct told him they should leave.

Return home.

Find help.

Yet another part of him knew there wasn’t time.

The dragon was dying.

“We get closer.”

Seraphine looked horrified.

“We absolutely do not.”

“We need answers.”

“We need survival.”

Kael almost smiled.

“That’s a fair argument.”

A loud crack echoed through the valley.

Both turned.

One of the Veilbreakers had struck the dragon with a staff tipped in blue crystal.

The creature convulsed.

A roar of pain shook the mountains.

Kael felt it inside his head.

Not just heard.

Felt.

Like a knife twisting through his mind.

He nearly cried out.

The dragon’s suffering poured into him.

Fear.

Pain.

Exhaustion.

And beneath it all—

Hope.

Hope that he had come.

⸻

Hours passed.

Eventually the camp settled.

Most of the Veilbreakers retired to tents surrounding the ruined tower.

Only a handful remained on guard.

The moon climbed high overhead.

Silver light washed across the valley.

Kael tightened his cloak.

“This is our chance.”

Seraphine sighed heavily.

“I hate this plan.”

“We don’t even have a plan.”

“Exactly.”

They began their descent.

Every step felt dangerous.

Loose stones shifted beneath their boots.

The forest offered little cover.

Twice they froze as guards passed nearby.

Fortunately, neither was discovered.

Soon the dragon filled their view.

Up close, its size was overwhelming.

The creature was enormous.

Even injured, it looked powerful enough to crush buildings.

Black scales covered its body like polished armor.

Several were cracked or missing entirely.

Deep wounds scarred its side.

One wing hung at an unnatural angle.

Kael’s chest tightened.

The dragon was suffering far more than he had imagined.

A golden eye slowly opened.

The creature saw him immediately.

Recognition flashed within it.

You came.

The voice echoed inside his thoughts.

Kael nearly stumbled.

It was stronger than before.

Clearer.

I wasn’t sure you would.

“What happened to you?” he whispered.

The dragon’s eye narrowed.

The Veilbreakers happened.

Its voice carried bitterness.

Ancient bitterness.

Seraphine stared at Kael.

“You’re talking to it again.”

He nodded.

The dragon shifted slightly.

Chains rattled.

Several glowed with faint blue runes.

Do not touch the chains.

Kael immediately pulled his hand back.

They drain magic.

“Magic?”

The dragon almost seemed amused.

You have much to learn, Dragon Speaker.

A shout suddenly echoed through the valley.

Everyone froze.

A guard was approaching.

Torchlight danced among the trees.

“Someone’s coming,” Seraphine hissed.

The dragon’s eye widened.

Hide.

Too late.

The guard rounded a cluster of rocks.

His torch illuminated them instantly.

For one heartbeat nobody moved.

The man’s eyes widened.

“Intruders!”

The shout shattered the night.

Alarms erupted throughout the camp.

Torches flared to life.

Voices filled the darkness.

Kael cursed under his breath.

So much for stealth.

The guard lunged.

Instinct took over.

Kael drew his mother’s sword.

Steel flashed.

The guard stumbled backward in surprise.

He had expected frightened children.

Not resistance.

More footsteps thundered toward them.

Dozens.

“Run!” Seraphine shouted.

But the dragon’s voice exploded inside Kael’s mind.

No.

The single word carried tremendous force.

Everything stopped.

Even the approaching guards seemed distant.

Listen carefully, Dragon Speaker.

The dragon struggled against its chains.

For the first time, true desperation entered its voice.

Skyrend is not a mountain.

Kael stared.

“What?”

It is a place.

Another chain snapped taut.

The dragon winced.

And beneath it sleeps a secret capable of saving—or destroying—this world.

The sounds of approaching Veilbreakers grew louder.

They were almost upon them.

Kael’s pulse raced.

“Where is it?”

The dragon’s eye fixed on him.

Find the Broken Crown.

It will lead you to Skyrend.

A crossbow bolt struck the ground beside him.

The moment shattered.

Veilbreakers burst into the clearing from every direction.

Weapons drawn.

Faces hidden beneath dark hoods.

Their leader stepped forward.

Unlike the others, his cloak bore silver embroidery.

Authority radiated from him.

His gaze moved from Kael…

To Seraphine…

To the dragon.

Then his eyes widened slightly.

Not with anger.

With recognition.

“You.”

His voice was cold.

Measured.

Dangerous.

The man pointed directly at Kael.

“After all these centuries…”

A faint smile appeared beneath his hood.

“We finally found another Dragon Speaker.”

The valley fell silent.

Kael’s blood turned to ice.

The Veilbreakers hadn’t simply captured a dragon.

They had been searching for him all along.