The Dragon Behind the Red Eyes

The red dragon twisted in the sky as though an invisible chain had tightened around its throat.

Prince Rowan saw the movement clearly.

 

One moment, the colossal creature had been preparing to strike. The next, its enormous head jerked toward the fortress against its own momentum.

Its wings shuddered.

A terrible roar broke through the storm.

And high above the battlements, the armored man’s chest crystal flashed red.

Rowan tightened his grip on the lightning-covered sword.

“That wasn’t an attack.”

Beneath him, his ice dragon, Seryn, released a sharp warning cry.

The dragon’s enormous silver-blue wings beat against the freezing wind. Frost rolled across its armored scales as it circled the towering fortress.

Ahead, the red dragon opened its jaws.

Fire gathered between its teeth.

But its eyes were fixed on Rowan with something that looked disturbingly like fear.

Then the crystal flashed again.

The red dragon lunged.

“Seryn! Down!”

The ice dragon folded its wings.

A river of crimson fire swept overhead, illuminating the storm clouds.

Rowan looked back toward the fortress.

The older armored man stood perfectly still.

His eyes were now glowing the same burning red as the crystal embedded in his chest.

And he was smiling.

Only a short time earlier, Rowan had believed his greatest discovery was the sword.

He had been crossing the northern mountains when blue lightning first appeared along its silver blade.

The energy moved like living fire, crawling between the ancient symbols carved into the metal.

Then it traveled into his arm.

Rowan felt a powerful current pass through his body.

His right eye began glowing blue.

For one terrifying instant, he thought the sword was destroying him.

But there was no pain.

Instead, he heard something.

A distant call.

Not a human voice.

Not thunder.

The deep, resonant cry of a dragon.

Seryn had heard it too.

The enormous ice dragon lifted its head toward the mountains and spread its wings.

Together, they followed the sound into the storm.

That was how they found the red dragon.

And beyond it, the fortress.

Rowan had first assumed the red creature was guarding the castle.

Its massive wings cut through the fog.

Its armored scales glowed like molten iron.

Every roar sent tremors through the surrounding cliffs.

When it charged, Rowan reacted instinctively.

He raised his sword.

Blue lightning exploded above him.

A tremendous surge raced across the sky, passing the red dragon and striking the distant fortress.

For a moment, Rowan believed he had awakened a weapon powerful enough to win the battle.

Then the older man appeared on the battlements.

And the truth began to change.

“Rowan!”

The voice rolled across the storm.

The young rider turned.

The armored stranger stood beneath a broken stone arch, his dark cape whipping in the wind.

“Your sword has finally awakened.”

Rowan narrowed his glowing eye.

“Who are you?”

The man stepped forward.

“Lord Voss. Former Warden of the Northern Fortress.”

Seryn growled.

Voss glanced at the ice dragon.

“An impressive creature. But you have brought something far more valuable.”

His red eyes moved toward Rowan’s sword.

“The last Stormblade.”

Rowan looked down at the weapon.

“Why were you waiting for me?”

Voss smiled.

“Because only that blade can awaken the fortress.”

Another flash of red passed through the crystal on his chest.

The enormous red dragon screamed.

Rowan stared at it.

“You’re controlling him.”

Voss didn’t deny it.

“He is the fortress’s greatest weapon.”

“No,” Rowan answered. “He’s a living creature.”

Voss’s expression hardened.

“And living creatures are dangerous when no one commands them.”

The red dragon charged again.

Seryn rose to intercept it.

Fire and frost collided above the battlements.

A cloud of steam burst into the night.

Rowan felt the force of the impact through his saddle.

“Seryn, don’t hurt him!”

The ice dragon responded with a low rumble.

Instead of striking with its claws, Seryn twisted beneath the red creature’s wings and moved toward the western tower.

Rowan glanced backward.

For a moment, the fog cleared around the red dragon’s neck.

There, beneath its scales, lay a heavy black collar.

Thin crimson lines connected the collar to a crystal embedded near its throat.

Every time Voss’s chest crystal flashed, the lines glowed.

Rowan understood.

The man’s crystal wasn’t giving the red dragon strength.

It was forcing its body to obey.

Seryn landed on a narrow ledge beneath the western battlements.

Rowan jumped down.

Lightning still danced across his sword.

The red dragon circled overhead, fighting against the invisible commands controlling its movements.

Voss watched from the highest tower.

“You cannot save him,” the armored man called.

Rowan looked toward the red dragon.

“What’s his name?”

Voss laughed.

“A name?”

“Yes.”

“He is a weapon.”

Rowan’s expression hardened.

“Then you don’t know him at all.”

Voss raised one hand.

The crimson crystal blazed.

The red dragon suddenly changed direction, diving straight toward Rowan.

Seryn immediately spread its wings.

A wall of ice erupted across the ledge.

The red dragon’s fire struck the frozen barrier.

Steam exploded outward.

For a moment, neither creature could see the other.

Then Rowan heard a strange sound.

Not a roar.

A low, broken cry from the red dragon.

It wasn’t trying to win the fight.

It was trying to resist it.

Rowan moved into a ruined guard chamber built beneath the tower.

Inside, ancient carvings covered the walls.

They showed a fortress surrounded by three enormous towers.

Lightning traveled from the clouds into their highest spires.

From there, the energy flowed through four great metal conductors into the mountains.

At the center stood a dragon.

A red dragon.

But there was no collar around its neck.

It flew freely beside a human figure holding a silver sword.

Rowan stared at the image.

“The Stormblade.”

He raised his own weapon toward the carving.

The sword’s blue markings began glowing.

Then another inscription appeared beneath the ancient drawing.

THE SKY MAY BE GUIDED, BUT NEVER OWNED.

Rowan repeated the words.

Outside, the fortress shook.

A blue current flashed through the stone ceiling.

He remembered the lightning that had escaped his sword.

It hadn’t simply struck the fortress.

It had awakened something inside it.

A crackling voice filled the chamber.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?”

Rowan turned.

Voss stood in the doorway.

His chest crystal glowed beneath his black armor.

“The ancient wardens built this fortress to protect the northern valleys,” Voss said.

“They used the Stormblade to direct lightning safely through the mountains.”

Rowan glanced toward the carved conductors.

“Then why does your dragon wear a collar?”

Voss stepped closer.

“Because the wardens were fools.”

His voice grew colder.

“They trusted dragons to cooperate. They believed promises could protect their villages.”

He pointed toward the storm.

“Then one winter, a dragon abandoned its post. The western defenses failed, and three settlements burned.”

Rowan studied him.

“Was this red dragon responsible?”

Voss hesitated.

“No.”

“Then why punish him?”

“Because I will never allow another dragon to decide whether people live or die.”

Rowan looked at the glowing crystal.

Voss had replaced trust with control.

And the cost was written across the red dragon’s body.

“His name is Aurel,” Voss finally admitted.

Rowan stared.

“You said he didn’t have a name.”

“He had one before I captured him.”

“How long ago?”

“Twenty-three years.”

The words struck Rowan harder than he expected.

Twenty-three years.

Aurel had spent more than two decades being forced to defend a fortress he had never chosen to serve.

Voss stepped toward the ancient carving.

“The Stormblade disappeared after the old wardens fell. Without it, the fortress could never reach its full power.”

His red eyes moved toward Rowan’s sword.

“But now you’ve brought it back.”

Rowan glanced toward the glowing channels in the stone.

“You called the sword here.”

Voss smiled.

“I placed a beacon inside my crystal. The blade felt the old fortress calling for help.”

Rowan understood the deception.

The lightning had awakened because the fortress appeared to need protection.

Voss had deliberately created that signal.

And Rowan had followed it straight into his trap.

A thunderous impact shook the chamber.

Seryn roared outside.

The red dragon had returned.

Voss raised his hand again.

“Bring me the sword.”

The crimson crystal flashed.

Aurel’s body twisted violently.

The dragon swept toward the chamber entrance.

Rowan stepped backward.

But instead of attacking him directly, Aurel struck the stone above the doorway.

Rock collapsed between Rowan and Voss.

For a moment, the chamber filled with dust.

Rowan coughed.

Then he noticed something.

The falling stones had separated him from the armored man.

They had also created an opening leading toward the western conductor.

Aurel could have struck Rowan.

Instead, the dragon had chosen a blow that allowed him to escape.

Seryn lowered its head through the broken wall.

Rowan climbed into the saddle.

“He’s helping us.”

The ice dragon answered with a deep rumble.

Together, they launched into the storm.

High above the fortress, Rowan saw the full danger.

The lightning from his sword had awakened the central spire.

Blue energy traveled between the towers.

But the western conductor was broken.

Instead of flowing safely into the mountain, much of the power was gathering inside the fortress’s central mechanism.

Voss stood beneath it.

His red crystal absorbed the excess energy.

And with every surge, the collar around Aurel’s neck tightened.

Rowan understood the plan.

Voss wanted to use the Stormblade to awaken the ancient defenses.

Then seize that power through his crystal and the enslaved dragon.

With Aurel’s fire and the fortress’s lightning, he could threaten every kingdom beyond the mountains.

Rowan looked toward the western tower.

Its broken conductor hung over a deep ravine.

A massive metal rod had snapped from the main structure and was resting against the cliff.

If he could reconnect it, the lightning might return to its original path.

But Voss was already watching.

“Don’t do it, boy!” the armored man shouted.

The red crystal flashed.

Aurel changed direction and raced toward the western tower.

Rowan leaned forward.

“Seryn! Faster!”

The ice dragon folded its wings.

They shot between the stone spires.

Aurel’s fire swept across the sky behind them.

Rowan raised his sword.

Blue lightning formed a shield along the blade.

The flames split around them.

But the force drove Seryn toward the cliff.

Its left wing brushed the stone.

The ice dragon roared.

Rowan nearly lost his grip.

Then Aurel appeared directly above them.

The red dragon opened its jaws.

Rowan prepared for another blast.

But Aurel hesitated.

Its eyes moved toward Seryn’s strained wing.

For one brief moment, it held back.

The collar blazed.

Aurel screamed.

Then fire erupted from its mouth, striking the cliff beside Rowan rather than the ice dragon.

The impact showered the ravine with stones.

But the two riders were still alive.

Rowan looked back.

Aurel was resisting Voss again.

They landed beside the fallen conductor.

Rowan jumped down and examined it.

The enormous metal rod was far too heavy for him to lift.

Even Seryn struggled to move it.

The ice dragon gripped one end with its foreclaws.

Rowan used his sword to loosen the broken mounting bolts.

The metal shifted.

But a powerful gust struck the cliff.

The rod began sliding toward the ravine.

“Seryn, hold it!”

The ice dragon braced against the stone.

Its claws scraped the frozen surface.

Rowan drove his sword beneath the conductor’s broken hinge.

Blue lightning flashed.

The old metal began responding to the blade.

Its engraved channels glowed.

Rowan remembered the carving.

The original wardens hadn’t used the sword merely to summon lightning.

They had used it to guide energy through the mountain.

He twisted the blade.

A blue current traveled into the conductor.

And its damaged locking mechanism began moving.

Voss realized what was happening.

“No!”

His crystal burned crimson.

Aurel turned toward the tower.

The red dragon’s enormous wings beat against the storm.

Rowan saw it coming.

He couldn’t finish securing the conductor before Aurel arrived.

“Seryn, get clear!”

But the ice dragon refused to abandon him.

Instead, Seryn spread its wings above the damaged mechanism and released a long stream of freezing breath.

Ice formed around the loosened base, holding the conductor steady.

Rowan pushed the rod into alignment.

The metal clicked into place.

Then Aurel descended.

Its crimson collar blazed.

Its jaws opened.

Rowan turned toward the dragon.

“Aurel!”

For one terrible heartbeat, the creature continued forward.

Rowan lowered his sword.

“You don’t have to obey him!”

The red dragon’s eyes met his.

Its wings faltered.

And instead of breathing fire, it slammed one enormous foreclaw against the cliff.

The impact shook the tower.

But it gave Rowan the seconds he needed.

Rowan drove the Stormblade into the conductor’s central socket.

Blue lightning exploded through the metal.

The entire western tower illuminated.

Energy raced down the restored channel and disappeared into the mountain.

Across the fortress, the remaining conductors began glowing.

The central spire stopped feeding Voss’s crystal.

For the first time, the power flowed through the ancient defenses exactly as they had been designed.

The crimson crystal on Voss’s chest flickered.

His red eyes widened.

“What have you done?”

Rowan pulled the sword free.

“I’ve taken back the power you stole.”

Voss staggered.

The crystal flashed again.

But this time, the light was weak.

Aurel’s collar tightened once.

Then its crimson markings began fading.

The red dragon lowered its head.

Its enormous body trembled.

And the invisible force holding it began to break.

Voss screamed in frustration.

He slammed both hands against the crystal.

The red light surged.

The ancient fortress shook again.

Rowan looked toward the central spire.

Voss was trying to reverse the energy flow.

If he succeeded, he could overload the restored conductors and destroy the entire fortress.

Below the mountains lay several villages.

The resulting collapse could send enormous masses of stone into the valleys.

Rowan climbed back onto Seryn.

“We have to stop him!”

The ice dragon rose into the storm.

Aurel followed.

For a moment, Rowan feared the red creature was attacking again.

But then he noticed the difference.

The collar no longer flashed with every movement.

Aurel’s wings moved freely.

Its head turned toward the central spire.

And its roar was no longer filled with pain.

The red dragon was choosing its own direction.

Voss stood beside the ancient storm mechanism.

His hands were pressed against the glowing crystal.

Crimson energy spread across the floor.

The central spire began shaking.

“Mine!” he shouted.

“The power is mine!”

Rowan landed on the opposite battlement.

He raised his sword.

Blue lightning surrounded his arm.

For a moment, he considered striking Voss directly.

One powerful blow might end the battle.

But the damaged crystal was still connected to Aurel’s collar.

If Rowan shattered it while that link remained, the backlash could injure the dragon.

He needed another way.

Then Seryn lowered its head and pointed toward the central mechanism.

Rowan looked at the metal ring surrounding it.

The same symbols appeared on his sword.

The fortress could still conduct lightning.

But now its grounding network was restored.

Rowan understood.

He didn’t have to destroy the crystal.

He had to drain it.

“Seryn! The central ring!”

The ice dragon spread its wings.

A stream of frost struck the metal mechanism.

The overheated outer fittings cooled rapidly.

The crimson current began slowing.

Rowan stepped forward.

Voss turned.

“No!”

He reached toward the young prince.

A violent surge of red energy erupted from the crystal.

Rowan raised his sword.

Blue lightning met crimson light.

For several seconds, the two forces pushed against each other.

The battlements trembled.

Stone broke beneath their feet.

Rowan felt the current moving through his sword.

Then he remembered the inscription.

The sky may be guided, but never owned.

He stopped trying to overpower Voss.

Instead, he turned his sword toward the central ring.

The blue current changed direction.

It entered the ancient mechanism.

Then rushed through the restored conductors toward the mountains.

The red energy followed.

Voss stared at his chest.

His crystal began fading.

Aurel roared.

The red dragon descended toward the battlements.

For the first time in twenty-three years, the collar around its neck began opening.

One locking ring broke.

Then another.

The ancient metal fell away.

Aurel rose into the sky.

Its enormous wings spread across the storm clouds.

Voss looked up in horror.

“Come back!”

The dragon ignored him.

“That’s an order!”

Aurel released a tremendous roar.

The sound shook every tower.

Then the red dragon turned away from its former master.

Voss’s glowing eyes slowly returned to their natural color.

The crimson crystal went dark.

For a moment, the older man stood motionless.

Then the ground beneath him cracked.

The central battlement began collapsing.

Voss lost his balance and slid toward the broken edge.

His fingers caught a stone projection.

Below him lay the enormous ravine.

“Help me!” he shouted.

Rowan ran forward.

The older man’s grip was slipping.

Seryn moved beside the prince.

But before either could reach him, a gigantic red shadow descended from the sky.

Aurel.

The freed dragon extended one enormous claw.

It caught Voss by the back of his armor and lifted him away from the falling stones.

Then it placed him on a stable section of the fortress wall.

The man collapsed to his knees.

He looked up at the creature he had controlled for decades.

Aurel stared down at him.

The dragon could have left him to fall.

Instead, it had chosen not to.

Voss opened his mouth.

But no command came.

For the first time, he had nothing that could force the dragon to obey.

The storm began to fade.

Without Voss draining its power, the fortress returned to its original purpose.

Blue lightning flowed through the conductors and safely into the mountains.

The clouds slowly separated.

Moonlight appeared above the battlements.

Rowan approached Aurel.

The colossal red dragon lowered its head.

Up close, its enormous scales glowed like cooling embers.

The broken collar lay scattered across the stone.

Rowan extended one hand.

“You’re free.”

Aurel studied him.

Then looked toward Seryn.

The ice dragon stepped forward.

For several seconds, the two magnificent creatures faced one another.

Frost drifted from Seryn’s mouth.

Warm smoke rose from Aurel’s nostrils.

Then Aurel lowered its enormous head.

Seryn gently touched its snout against the red dragon’s.

Rowan smiled.

They had entered the storm as enemies.

But neither dragon had wanted the battle.

Voss remained seated against a broken wall.

His crystal had cracked.

Without its power, he looked much older.

Rowan approached.

“You kept him prisoner for twenty-three years.”

Voss looked away.

“I protected the villages.”

“No,” Rowan answered. “You protected your control over them.”

The man said nothing.

Rowan looked toward Aurel.

“He saved your life.”

Voss slowly raised his head.

“Why?”

The young prince considered the question.

Then answered:

“Because he could choose.”

Voss lowered his eyes.

The former warden had spent decades believing the only way to create safety was to take away someone else’s freedom.

And the creature he had enslaved had just spared his life when it had every reason not to.

Rowan secured Voss’s broken control bracer and told him he would be taken before the northern council to answer for what he had done.

The older man did not resist.

At dawn, the fortress stood beneath a clear sky.

The ancient lightning system glowed with a steady blue light.

The villages below remained safe.

Rowan stood beside Seryn on the western battlement.

His silver sword was quiet again.

Only a faint blue line remained along its edge.

He looked toward Aurel.

The red dragon stood at the edge of the cliff.

Its enormous wings were open.

For twenty-three years, it had been forced to circle this fortress.

Now the entire sky belonged to it.

Rowan rested a hand against Seryn’s neck.

“We should let him go.”

The ice dragon gave a soft rumble.

Aurel turned toward them.

For one brief moment, the red dragon’s eyes met Rowan’s.

Then it released a deep, resonant call.

Seryn answered.

The two dragons spread their wings.

Aurel rose first.

It climbed above the ruined towers, leaving a brilliant trail of warm light through the morning mist.

Seryn followed for a short distance.

For one magnificent moment, the ice dragon and the red dragon flew side by side.

Silver-blue wings.

Crimson scales.

Frost and fire moving together beneath the sunrise.

Then Aurel turned toward the eastern mountains.

No command followed.

No crystal flashed.

No chain pulled it back.

The dragon was free to choose where it went.

Rowan watched until the red creature disappeared beyond the clouds.

Then he looked down at the Stormblade.

The weapon had awakened a power he barely understood.

It had filled his body with blue lightning.

It had made his eye glow.

And it had led him into a battle that could have destroyed the northern valleys.

At first, he had believed that power existed so he could defeat an enemy.

But the truth had been different.

The sword had answered a call for help.

Voss had used that call to lure Rowan into his trap.

And Rowan had nearly mistaken a prisoner for the villain who controlled him.

He ran one hand along Seryn’s frozen scales.

“You knew before I did.”

The ice dragon turned its head.

Rowan smiled.

“You saw that he was fighting against the collar.”

Seryn gave a satisfied rumble.

The prince looked toward the distant mountains.

He wondered how many battles had begun because someone saw a frightening creature and assumed it must be destroyed.

And how many might have ended differently if someone had stopped long enough to notice what was truly happening.

As the sun rose higher, Rowan climbed into his saddle.

Seryn spread its enormous wings.

Together, they left the restored fortress behind.

Below them, the old towers glowed blue as lightning moved safely into the mountains.

The people in the valleys would remember the terrible storm.

They would remember the enormous red dragon that had circled their homes.

And eventually, they would learn the truth about the man who had controlled it.

But Rowan would remember something else.

The moment the red dragon had hesitated before striking him.

The moment Seryn refused to attack.

And the moment Aurel saved the very man who had stolen twenty-three years of its freedom.

Rowan looked at his sword one final time.

A tiny blue spark crossed the blade.

He smiled.

The weapon was powerful.

Perhaps more powerful than anything he had ever carried.

But now he understood something its former masters had tried to teach.

True power was not the ability to make a dragon obey.

It was having enough strength to free one—and enough trust to let it fly away.

Far ahead, beyond the eastern clouds, a distant red silhouette crossed the rising sun.

Aurel had not returned to the fortress.

It had found its own sky.

And this time, nobody was waiting with a crystal to call it back.