CHAPTER 44

As the night progressed, more and more men and dragons fell. The air was heavy with the smell of blood and sweat. The ground littered with bodies, some unidentified, almost roasted, while some who were missing limbs. The pungent smell of death was clinging in everyone's noses, burnt, wet and soiled.

One of the trucks turned over as the cunning black dragon, master of deception, pushed it off the road. Darkness was his main ally, as his dragon could easily blend in without putting in any effort.

Taylor's men were all armored up, so the tumbling of the truck hurt them, while saving any vital organ injuries. Ryphonsus tried attacking them again, while they were climbing out of the heavily weaponised truck, before it blew up like the fourth of July, but the others caught up to his trickery, and started firing at him.

Strong as he was, the Dragon Lord had to move away, cursing the knights. It was that girl, who had brought all this upon them. His most loyal dragons had followed her and turned their backs on their years of service to him.

The dragons who feared looking at him in the eye, were now fighting against him, with no care for their lives.

He had to teach these dragons a lesson, and tell them who the strongest dragon in this whole wide world is, Trinity had to die!

***

Emeralda had now stopped crying, but the betrayal she felt was evident on her face. She felt like killing Tyrone, but she was too weak to even move. Dorin was now by her side, offering her condolences, but it meant nothing. Hadn't she the one to tell them that they have a protection spell on them? Then what happened? How was her brother killed?

"Em... I'm sorry about your loss, but I don't understand how this could be possible! I swear I had no idea this... I'm so sorry," Dorin consoled the pale girl who sat by a pale guy's corpse.

"It's not your fault. It's mine for trusting a witch!" Came the reply, her blue eyes staring into space.

Her words cut deep into Dorin's heart, as tears trickled in her eyes. She had always considered Trinity's friends as family... but the girl in front of her was in grief. She was feeling the loss of someone dear to her. Her other half, literally.

"And the man I thought as my family! Who grew up with us, played with us ate with us, used our bed, our toys... even our parents love... how could he betray me like this?" Emeralda was now pouring her heart out, the tears that had stopped, now flowed freely, while Dorin just sat beside her and listened. "Had he told us once, we would have been prepared, maybe even avoided this, but... I lost our parents, then my other half, all because I came with him. Why didn't we just stay put? Everything would have been fine, maybe even ..." Before she completed her sentence, what Dr Elise had said rang in her head.. 'they would have been killed anyway'.

"Dorin, do you think everything happens for a reason?" Her blue eyes stared into another pair of blue eyes, seeking an answer, as her father once said "Whatever happens today is for the betterment of tomorrow."

"Yes, I do believe in it. What has to happen, will happen, no matter how much you try to prevent it. Look at me for example... when Trinity was born, I cast a protection spell on her father... and when I felt like the spell was breaking, I figured out the further he is from Trinity, the safer he is... but fate had other plans, and the rest is history," Dorin said, tears streaming down her face as she remembered Triyast, the man she fell in love with, married, lost her vaginity, had a child with, and lost.

"Could it be that Tyrone hid this for a reason?"

"Maybe! It could be possible that he knows something positive that would come out of this situation... maybe you should try to just trust him?" Dorin chose her words carefully, not wanting to hurt the already grieving girl more.

There was silence. An understanding silence between the two women. A silence that was comforting. It gave Emeralda time to reflect on why her cousin would hide this event from her. Maybe, he hid it because if they were to merge, they'd be uncontrollable and did more harm then good? Or maybe he saw a future where they were no longer the good dragons, and Jack would turn against her? Or maybe Jack would have to suffer too much in the future so it's a good thing that he...

Tears kept rolling down her cheeks, as she leaned on Dorin for support. "I'm sorry for what I said earlier... I wasn't thinking straight," she apologized.

"I understand."

***

Tyrone, now feeling an overwhelming guilt deep in his heart for letting this happen, went back to the battle grounds. Many more were now laying down on the ground, either seriously injured or dead. His mate could sense his dismay and feel his pain. Amidst all this chaos, there was a feeling deep in Trinity's heart; did Tyrone somehow know all this? A strange guiltiness layed deep in his consciousness, as felt by Trinity.

Dragonia now saw Drake flying above spraying water on the first dragon he saw. He was angry... but at who? Trinity felt his anger was directed at himself. He was feeling that he could have avoided it... but how?

She barely missed the huge fireball flying at her, snapping her out of her thoughts. She looked towards the direction from which in came, only to see another one travel at such speed, hitting her front leg, making her wince.

Dorin had told Trinity to keep her witch powers to herself, only using it when absolutely necessary. But she didn't say anything about not trying... she quickly said a freezing spell under her breath, and pretending to throw out fire, she blew a small puff of air in the direction of two dragons, a fire breather and earth breather, and instantly, they became paralyzed on the spot, unable to move a muscle.

Smiling to herself, she looked towards the horizon. Twilight was approaching, and with that, the dragon lord would dissappear... she was thankful, as they all needed rest and wounds needed treatment, and the dead needed proper burial.

As she was thinking about this, an instantaneous thought came into her head; Where is Marcus? Why wasn't he here? Did the black dragon plan something else?

Without warning, a shooting pain raised in her chest. It grew to the point where she felt hard to breath. Tyrone!! Where was Tyrone?

Her eyes searched the group of fighters... than came a sinking feeling... where was Ryphonsus?