The girl's laughter snapped the Dragon Lord's attention back to the present moment. "It is said that your entire life flashes in front of your eyes before you die... you don't happen to have flashbacks of yours, do you, Ryphonsus?"
The irritating comment made the black dragon snort. "I've killed you before, I can kill you again," he said, so only the girl could hear him. "I, Ryphonsus the Dragon Lord, accept your challenge," he said loudly, so all could hear.
Murmuring could be heard in the crowd below. They all were taken aback by Trinity's bold challenge, and were also shocked by the other dragon accepting it. They had all seen how the girl flew into the air in human form, how her appearance changed and also how she was able to dodge every attempt of the Dragon Lord to hit her.
By now everyone understood that she was no ordinary dragon. There was something about her that spelt trouble for the black dragon. He had hurt every single dragon, one way or another, and almost all of them wanted him dead, but with Marcus alive, this wouldn't be possible. He was the most loyal server of this majestic beast. No one could win against him.
As if hearing them, the Dragon Lord summoned the tall thin man with brown eyes. Appearing out of thin air, Marcus bowed low, and looked up at the black dragon, waiting for his orders.
"I have taken up the challenge of fighting till death with this kid," he mocked Trinity. "Kill her for me, and let's get over with this."
"Forgive me for being bold, but the challenge is between you and her..."
"You insolent fool!" The booming voice of the black dragon shook Marcus. "How dare you talk back to me!"
"I had always tried to warn you... but you never listened! You are the fool!" Marcus stood straight. "The only reason I came here was to see your end."
This statement shocked the huge dragon. Once shining like black diamonds, it's scales now looked dull. Eyes that were once filled with pride and arrogance, were now showcasing fear and anguish.
"You shouldn't have killed my family... and when you did, you shouldn't have kept me alive."
"You pledged your loyalty to me! Don't forget that!"
Marcus scoffed, "There was a loophole in that pledge. I didn't say my full name!"
The Dragon Lord's eyes grew as big as sauces. How could he have missed such a big point? "But you've done everything I told you to!"
A smirk played on his face, as the tall thin man looked at the humongous black dragon, straight in his eyes. "Are you sure?"
There was silence as confusion played on Ryphonsus face. Of course he had. Hadn't he?
"I see you're confused. You took not only my family, but my entire race away from me. What did you think was going to happen?" Marcus said, hate rolling out of his entire being. "I had always felt this girls' power, but I wasn't as strong as my father to know for certain. Had he been alive, so might have you! You never gave me a fair chance to learn about myself, as there was no one to teach me, and now you expect me to help you when I know I could see you fall? I don't think so!"
"Traitor," Ryphonsus said, clenching his teeth.
"Traitor?" The magician asked, laughing. "You killed your own kind disguising as the knights dragon! You killed my entire clan, disguising as a dragon coming to make peace! You forced so many innocent beings into fear and distrust! And I'm the traitor?"
"I'm going to kill you... you snake!"
An eruption of laughter stopped the dragon in mid strike. They both looked at the orange dragon, who, till now was watching in amusement. "You have no other way. Either you fight me and die with honor, or I kill you and label you as a good for nothing scum. You choose," Dragonia said.
"May I give a suggestion?"
"Of course Marcus, what is it."
"This has to end where it all started; at the castle."
"The castle... isn't it the same place where the cave was?" The orange dragon asked.
"Yes, it is. It is also where my entire life changed," Marcus replied, hurt evident in his voice.
"Since dawn is approaching, we will rest, and in two days, I'll meet you there, and this time, I'll end you. Until then, we will give a proper burial to the fallen ones," Dragonia said, tears in her eyes. "As for you, Dragon Lord, don't even think about running away."
"Leave it to me, I'll make sure he doesn't dissappear," Marcus volunteered.
The entirety of the ground was covered in corpses... dragons and knights alike. Everyone was grieving someone's loss, be it parents, siblings, friends or someone they knew along the way.
Marcus had disappeared with the Dragon Lord, now thier prisoner.
As Trinity entered her house, her heart ached with pain and sadness. The man she met in a rush, who guided her in times of need, who was there when she needed him...the man who had stolen her heart, and made her experience something so wonderful that she craved more of... Love...the man who took her vaginity... that man was lying on the floor; lifeless.
Tears rolled down her cheeks as she walked towards Emeralda, who was also mourning her brother... not one but two.
Kneeling down at her mates side, Trinity let her emotions take over.. her screams heard by all as she let her pain and grief flow.
Dorin came running to her child's side, and Trinity slide her head on her chest, sobbing uncontrollably. Dorin enclosed her child in a cocoon, as the brown eyed girl buried her head in her mom's chest.
"Sweetheart..." Dorin couldn't find the right words to console her sobbing daughter.
"Why mom? ...Why me?.... what did I ever do wrong?" Trinity cried.
The air was filled with despair. Everyone was feeling depressed, as they, with the help of fire breathers, cremated the body's of their loved ones.
It took the whole day to clear up the fallen. Taylor King and his men had left, and so did most of the dragons. Some, however, decided to stay with Trinity and her family until they figured out where to go, since without a leader, they didn't know what to do.