The Thing Beneath

The growl slithered through the stone, deep and guttural, vibrating in Anne's bones. The air thickened, pressing against her skin as if the fortress itself was breathing.

Lucian tensed beside her, eyes narrowing. "That doesn't sound human."

Anne's fingers twitched, heat sparking at her fingertips. "It's not."

The hunters' footsteps thundered above them, but neither of them moved. The carved runes on the walls pulsed, casting eerie shadows that stretched and twisted. Whatever was buried beneath this place—it was waking up.

Then, the stone beneath them shifted.

Lucian reacted first, grabbing Anne's wrist and yanking her back just as the ground collapsed. A gaping hole swallowed the space where they had been standing, revealing a vast underground cavern.

Anne barely had time to register the size of it before she fell.

The air rushed past her ears, her body twisting in midair. Lucian was just ahead of her, his form sleek as he controlled his descent.

Anne, however, had something else.

She flipped, inhaled sharply, and exhaled.

Flames erupted from her mouth, bright and roaring, slowing her fall as she manipulated the heat to push herself toward the cavern's edge. She landed on the rough stone, rolling to a stop.

Lucian landed in a crouch beside her, brushing dust off his coat. He arched a brow. "Show-off."

Anne smirked. "Jealous?"

Before he could answer, a low, rumbling breath filled the cavern.

They turned as one.

The cavern stretched before them, massive and ancient, its ceiling lost in shadows. And at its center, chained to the earth by thick iron binds, was a creature unlike anything Anne had ever seen.

Scales covered its massive form, dark as obsidian, gleaming like polished glass. Its wings—torn and bound—twitched against the restraints, sending small gusts of wind rippling through the space.

Its eyes—golden, slitted, furious—locked onto Anne.

A dragon.

A real one.

Anne's breath hitched. This wasn't just some ordinary beast. It was old—older than anything she'd ever encountered.

Lucian exhaled. "Well. That's new."

Anne barely heard him. She took a slow step forward, drawn to the creature's burning gaze. The dragon snarled, baring its massive teeth, but the sound was weaker than it should have been.

It was trapped. Drained.

And suddenly, everything clicked.

The fortress. The runes. The way her own power had felt suppressed the moment she was locked in those enchanted shackles.

This place wasn't just a stronghold.

It was a prison.

A prison built to contain something far more dangerous than just her.

Lucian shifted beside her, voice careful. "Anne… what are you thinking?"

Anne's lips curled into a slow, dangerous smile.

"I think," she murmured, stepping closer to the dragon, "we're about to make a very powerful friend."