15
Kassius
Halo turned out to be right about the caverns. In our dragon forms, the flight to the top of the mountains was easy enough. By the time we reached them, the sun had already begun to set, casting a fiery orange glow across the mountain face - except for one area. A dark pocket of shadows stood nestled in between the span of the mountains, completely hidden away from the sun’s light.
“That must be it,” I growled to Halo, who just nodded.
My mate had been uncharacteristically quiet since the morning, and he wouldn’t tell me what was clearly bothering him. I wanted to know so I could help, but at the same time, I didn’t want to pressure him. Whatever it was, he would eventually come around on his own.
We banked through the air and glided down to the rocky slope. The air surrounding the shadowy section was noticeably colder than the sunlit areas. It didn’t bode well.
“Silas must have carried James all the way here in his back claws,” I mentioned to Halo. “I’m sure that wasn’t a pleasant experience.”
“Neither is this,” Halo muttered. Without pause, he stepped into the shadows and was swallowed by the darkness. The glinting gold of his scales immediately vanished.
A yawning cavern mouth loomed ahead. On either side of the entrance were a few dying pine trees. Their yellow, listless needles littered the ground beneath our feet.
The cavern was easily big enough to comfortably fit our dragon forms, and with the uneasy tension in the air, it was safer to remain in them. I didn’t know how much of Halo’s magic had returned by now, but at least in his dragon form he had some way to protect himself.
We passed the mouth’s threshold and stepped through. The shadows only darkened inside the cavern. Even with sharpened dragon eyesight, it took me a moment to adjust. The whole atmosphere reminded me, uncomfortably, of my centuries spent alone in my own cave, just killing time.
Despite the bad memories, it all ended up being worth it in the end, because Halo was back at my side. He was my mate again. Whatever he was going through right now, we would get through it together.
The cavern stretched on with no one in sight.
“I can’t see much,” I admitted to Halo. “Do you think this is really the place?”
Halo stopped, dead still. “Wait. Be quiet.”
I went silent and listened. A chill struck me when I heard what Halo must have heard - a distant, echoing whimper.
We rushed towards the sound, trying to be as quiet as possible. My heart raced when a light peeked out ahead. Light meant people. When we were close enough, I realized it was fire from torches lining the cavern walls. Someone was definitely here.
The whimpering sharply cut off. “Who’s there?”
It was James’s voice. Halo and I exchanged quick glances before running towards him. My stomach twisted in disgust at what I saw. James stood in a large cage, like something for a zoo animal, and was rattling the bars. The space between them was just narrow enough that a fox couldn’t squeeze through. He had no way out.
“James!” I cried.
But James screamed and stumbled back into the corner of his cage. “Who are you? Get away from me!”
“James, it’s me, Kassius!” I declared. “Remember?”
“You’re a dragon, too?” he spat, his voice a mix of disgust and fear. “Ugh, I’m sick of dragons…”
I changed to human form to demonstrate I wasn’t a threat. “There.”
“Is that Halo? The omega?” James asked.
“Yeah, but I’m not changing back,” Halo growled.
James seemed relieved enough now that he didn’t care. “Oh, thank gods. I really thought I was going to die here! That purple dragon kept saying you would come, but I didn’t believe him.”
“Silas,” Halo growled. “Where is he?”
“I don’t know. I sleep most of the time, otherwise it’s too boring to stay awake,” James admitted.
At least they’re not hurting him,I thought.
