Inka’s Curse Part 29: Dragon

What I entered no longer looked like the cave. It felt as if I had been teleported to a new location. I entered an enormous room.

It isn’t until I let go, I realized I had been squeezing my breath; my lungs are burning. The dragon is staring at me. I stare back. Stared stiffly up at the dragon.

The dragon’s eyes are penetrating and inquisitive blue that gave terror to hold his gaze. You had to look elsewhere because it had the power to strike down any daring. Unsure whether I should yell for help. Rachel’s helped me out a few times already. I don't want to depend on her always. She can’t save me now.

I withdrew my sword. Paralyzed my thoughts are in knots. My fears are tangled up mess of expectation that I'm too frightened to unravel.

I know I can’t fight this dragon. He may know something we don’t. For all one knows he can take off our curses himself. 

“You are a long way from home,” the dragon said in a low, rumbling voice. I looked up at the dragon. I don’t say anything. I don’t think I can. It’s as though he has a spell on me. But I know that’s not it. Fear itself has me frozen.

“I’ve been waiting for you,” he says. At that point, he utters me things I could have never imagined to be true.

The sword isn’t steel. 

“During the war, the king created a series of genetically altered humans and creatures as weapons. He tried killing me with that very sword. But he was not capable enough to use it. It’s made of the remains of my mother. I had to kill her long ago when she lost her mind. The queen thinks she’ll be capable to achieve what her father couldn’t. She has traded most of her life’s energy with magic thinks she can force the sword to do as she wants with that. And from what we can see of Oakheart she might be right.”

He can’t do anything about our curses. He advises me to contact him in the fifth village. He tells me about a short cut out of the cave before he flies off. He creates a strong wind that stops me from watching him fly through the open ceiling. I can’t do that just yet. I have to go to Titan and Rachel. They aren’t going to like what I have to say.

I decided to go back to the queen. I tell them I have to leave to tell the queen I couldn’t do it and tell Rachel to go to the fifth village without me. 

A silence fell, in which Titan and Rachel both eye me up and down. Rachel and Titan think I shouldn’t. I should run away. I can’t do that. Ultimately, she’ll find me. She wanted Rachel to kill me. So she never believed in me. But Rachel didn’t kill me. Her life might be endangered.

By Cristina Collazo