Night Fury's Wrath

Chapter 80: Whatever It Takes [Part 2]

"Then I suppose you'd rather open the cage and set Anari free to do it for you, then?" Caligo sneered. I opened my mouth to object, but she cut me off. "Oh, wait, you don't trust her enough to do that, do you? I doubt you trust me, either, so that just leaves you, weakling."

"Caligo, shut up before I blast ya with Soulfire and torment ya myself!" Anari snarled. Apparently, that was a very compelling threat, as Caligo didn't say another word. "Ugh. Look, Aurora, I will be with ya every step of the way. I don't like it either, but it doesn't look like the enemy is keen on feeding us themselves."

The enemy. That was what I would become if I went through with this plan. If I got food for Anari, I would be choosing a side. Right now, I was somewhere in the middle, stuck between my loyalty to my master and my hope for a different future with dragons I couldn't remember.

I peeked at the so-called 'love bite' in the crook of my neck, barely able to see it at this angle, let alone under the blood staining my scales. What if this came from one of those dragons I couldn't remember? I was loathe to admit that I had something so weakening on my body, but if that scar was truly something from my past, a past I couldn't remember...

That could be my proof that I really was missing memories and I had someone out there waiting for me.

I fixed Anari a hard look and stalked over to her cage. I heard her gulp as I slowed to a stop inches from the bars, staring into her tiny, purple eyes. "Do you swear that I was different?" I asked in a low growl. "That I didn't enjoy killing? That I have a family out there? That my master is a liar?"

Anari blinked at me, appearing slightly surprised before she covered it with a neutral expression. "I swear that every word is true, to the best of my knowledge," she answered evenly. "If I'm lying, may the Dragoness of the Moon smite me."

"Promise me you'll fix my head." There was no point in doing any of this when I couldn't remember anything about my past.

"Of course," she replied. "I'm already trying to do that."

I held her stare for a moment longer, considering my options, then reluctantly nodded. "Deal." Now, it was time I hunted down some food and truly became my master's enemy, despite my misgivings.

Just as I turned to leave, a bone-numbing cold rolled through me like a wave, originating from my chest, and accentuating heavy 'lumps' trapped all along my spine. A strangled gasp burst from me before shards of freezing agony stabbed into those thrashing things, ripping a shrill scream from my throat as I collapsed to the ground. 

MAKE IT STOP!

My vision turned blue while the cold swelled in my chest, impossibly growing colder. Anari's panicked voice in my mind and ears sounded garbled and eventually disappeared altogether. The freezing shards seemed to burst the heavy lumps, lighting up my body with even more agony. I couldn't take it. Empty darkness clawed at my vision until there was nothing left.

(^-^)

I coughed weakly, my ears ringing loudly, while the word spun around me. Nothing really hurt, so at least I wasn't injured, but that didn't mean I felt much better. Opening my eyes yielded a confusing swirl of colors, so I squeezed them shut again. I didn't dare attempt to stand, knowing that if I did, I'd either fall back down or hurl my guts out... or both. So, I remained on my side, taking deep breaths to hold back my nausea, until the ringing in my ears faded, and I had a sense of up and down.

Finally, I eased my eyes open with a groan, my fuzzy vision refocusing on a familiar chamber no longer shrouded in darkness. A few more groans sounded from all around me, hinting that the others were recovering as well.