Chapter 3

The stalactites that hung above Ryuijin’s battered body, dripping onto his scales, mixed with the blood that trickled from the wound on the left side of his head. His horn was… gone. His eyes glazed with tears as his mind flashed with the horror he saw upon the platform. His body, previously frozen in fear, was now shivering from the frozen winds that sang through each crevice of the cave. Such fitting punishment for a coward, for a dragon who dared defy his elders and sought after life so much that he would run and abandon his kind.

He reached up weakly to the left of his head, his claw extending out and feeling the blood start to clot at the open wound where his horn once sat. His claw ran gently over the wound, making him wince as he touched a particularly sensitive spot. There wasn’t a trace of his horn at all. In his efforts to run, his horn was completely removed from the roots.

He moved his claw to the other side of his head, sighing in relief. It was there; he at least had one horn, but his body was already feeling weaker from the loss of his left horn. A dragon’s horns were a symbol of their status, their power, and the clan they belonged to. In one day, he’d lost all of that. He’d lost not only his horn but his family too. The elders would never allow such a coward back, and if the king’s army found him, he would surely be dead. At the very least, stripped of his other horn.

Ryuijin's scales shook at the thought; without his horns, who would he be? Without his clan, what was he? “I-I’ll never be able to go back,” he shivered, his jaw trembling. Looking around, Ryuijin spotted some broken spears beside him. He reached out, pulling the wood closer to him, pursing his lips together, taking shallow breaths and breathing out, a small flicker of a fire dribbling out the edge of his lips, landing onto the wood. With little energy, Ryuijin managed a few more puffs of air, the small sparks of the wood becoming a fire. His mouth twitched into the resemblance of a smile, his claws placed one on top of the other and resting his head on top. His breathing started to steady, his body relaxing in the little heat the fire gave off.

Black and grey clouds blanketed the night sky as the trots of the knight’s horses braved on through the dirt paths. The captain headed at the vanguard, mentally mapping out the most likely path the dragon would have taken. “Sir,” a knight called out, stopping beside the captain as the vanguard came to a halt. “We should hold off the search; the horses are tired, and we have low visibility with the dark clouds.”

The captain gritted his teeth, looking back to see the exhausted looks on his men and on the horses. Reluctantly, he yelled out, giving the order to set up camp. He dismounted from his horse, removed his helmet, and continued to bark orders.

With a push, the knights set up their tents and the bonfires for the night, sitting around as they drank and filled their bellies with rations. Though their captain did not join them, he instead sat at the top of a nearby cliff that stared down onto a vast cavern. His helmet and sword sat beside him, close enough in case he saw... him. In case he saw the rebellious dragon. His fists clenched, remembering the feeling of the horn being ripped straight from the dragon’s head, and that feeling gave him goosebumps. How his heart pounded, the sheer joy he felt as the horn completely came off. “That feeling,” he growled under his breath. “Was like nothing I ever felt before.”

“Captain,” a long knight approached the captain, getting his attention. “I brought you some dinner, sir.”

The captain scoffed, turning back around, his gaze following along every rise and dip of the cavern. “A captain does not need dinner,” he spoke bluntly. “Not when you know the enemy is still out there.”

“Enemy, sir?” The knight asked, moving to sit beside his captain, crossing his legs with ease, being out of his armour and the dinner plate nestled on his lap. “Are dragons truly the enemy?”

The captain slammed his fist against the ground, making the knight jump, the dinner spilling over the edge. “Nonsense,” he exclaimed, his brow furrowed, keeping his gaze on the cavern. “A dragon attacked our precious princess... they cannot be forgiven.”

“But sir,” the knight said, taking a deep breath as the bowl in his hand shook. “But why are we punishing the many for the crime of one?” She asked, his voice shaking as she spoke.

The captain turned, his eye meeting hers in a burning gaze that she could feel down to her soul. Her breathing quickened, her throat tightening as if the captain had his rugged hands around it, squeezing the air out of her. “Pathetic.” As the captain spoke, it was as if his words stewed up a venom, each word spilling more from his mouth. “You dare question the orders of his lordship? The father of our beloved princess who was attacked!”

The plate in the knight's hands slipped, spilling onto the ground. The knight shook her head, gulping as she struggled harder to breathe. The captain’s fiery gaze stayed focused on the knight as he pushed himself up. “I-I,” the knight attempted to speak, but the captain’s suffocating aura sucked the words from her throat.

“Should I hear such speak such nonsense again,” the captain swiped his thumb along his throat. The knight took a sharp breath, the threat sending shivers down their spine. The captain smirked, raising a hand above the knight’s head, causing her to flinch and squeeze her eyes tightly. She tensed, waiting for the impact, and yet what came was a gentle pat on the head. She dared to open her eyes and saw the captain wearing a gentle smile, as if a grandfather were praising his granddaughter. “Very good. Now clean up and eat; tomorrow we continue our duties.”

The knight watched in disbelief as the captain walked off, standing tall as he approached the rest of his unit. Once he was a safe distance away, her body fully relaxed, her throat opening up, allowing her to breathe again. Her eyes widened as she watched the captain casually interact with the other knights, drinking and eating. One question popped into mind:

Who was the real monster?