I snaked through the forest, using my clawed hands and feet to latch on and leap from tree to tree, following the smoke and air of my brethren's scents. My whole body ached, and I itched where my skin met my scales. Used to the feeling, I continued until my Inhuman eyes caught the glimmer of light far in the distance, and I moved towards the city, using the clouded sky to slip quietly past the human-dragon sentries guarding the city walls. Using the city buildings like trees, I darted from one to the next until I reached the inner castle wall before slipping over that, too, and in through the only lit window of the small castle. Moving quietly, I landed on the warm stone floor and watched the mage lean over the unconscious body of his most recent experiment, whose human skin was slowly being burned by the flames which flickered over their body. My nose and tongue tasted the powerful scent of their burning flesh; my ears heard the dimming thrumming of their still-beating hearts. There was a small flicker of satisfaction in my chest at the sight of him having so much trouble with another one of his experiments.
The scent of anger and irritation swirled in the air, coming from the mage. Silently, I crept up past the note-covered desk, the scrolls, books, and vials lining the walls until I was only inches behind him, my breath brushing against his neck. He swore and whirled around to face me, that cursed green gem around his neck glinting as it caught the torchlight. Oh, how I wanted to rip it through his skinny neck.
But I could do nothing outside of his orders. My hands stayed still as he curled his lip back and snarled, "You!"
"Me." I replied, my voice clipped.
When I didn't move, he relaxed his face slightly and brought his hands up to the gem, relieved to find it still there–and to know it was still active.
His eyes didn't leave me as he cautiously moved to sit at his desk. Pretending as though he was unbothered. I knew better–could smell better. His Adam's apple bobbed in his throat, and sweat dripped from his face.
"Is it done?" He asked. His voice echoed with the power of the gem, and I couldn't lie.
"No."
A flush grew as terrible anger and fear crept up through his body. "No?"
Compelled to answer, I explained. "Her phoenix guarded her."
His hands tightened into bloodless fists. "So you gave up?"
"I thought it more effective to return empty-handed and plan to be rid of her phoenix than to die uselessly."
"That's the problem," he snapped, "you thought. I should have kept you as dumb as the rest of them!" The reminder of those pathetic empty-eyed creatures sent a bolt of terror through my spine. The Mage had once promised never to bind my mind like theirs, but I no longer trusted him. If he followed through on his threat, it would be a fate worse than death.
His hand unclenched and went up to rub between his furrowed brows.
"If she doesn't die…" his voice was quiet, nearly impossible for even me to hear. The smell of terror grew stronger, and he mumbled, "no, no, no." He shook his head, clear of the thoughts. An absent finger clicked on his desk as he thought.
I waited for his judgment, stifling a sneeze as the harsh smell of burning flesh from behind me irritated my nostrils.
After some time, the noise stopped. "I suppose…" He dug frantically through the drawers on the left side of his desk, haphazardly tossing random items before gently pulling a single metal arrow out of the bottom drawer. The arrow smelled wrong, and I flinched. Noticing my reaction, the mage smirked.
"This arrow can kill any living creature–even a phoenix, though you'll still have to destroy their ashes. The king will be very disappointed if the Phoenix Kingdom's precious princess is allowed to inherit the throne. It is imperative that the princess not be allowed to survive." He wrapped the arrow in a cloth, handing it to me "You will use this to rid yourself of her pesky guardian, so you can complete your job properly this time."
He narrowed his eyes. "If you do not, I'll ensure you can never say the words 'I thought' again. You will not have thoughts again. Do you understand?"
My claws curled around the arrow. I met his narrowed gaze before dropping my eyes to the green gem. "Yes."
"Good."
Knowing he hated having to dismiss us, I turned to leave back whence I'd come. He stopped me with a single word "Wait."
Unable to deny him, I paused, listening to his next words. "Once you have completed this task, I need you to complete another for me." He pointed towards the arrow "Use that same arrow to rid us of that irritating, high-and-mighty Phoenix leader near Edremit. She's too suspicious of us. I fear she'll convince her people to rebel, and we can't have that. We need them to rely on us."
"Yes." Truly dismissed and free from the binding holding me in place, I passed the bookshelves, eyes trailing on the titles. Only the bestiary caught my interest, sparking a memory of brighter days pouring over texts with the mage, looking for any sign of what the unique and broken creature he'd found on his way home was. We hadn't found it. My already bad health had declined faster, and I volunteered my body to be used as an experiment with the unique creature, confident in my then-friend's ability. It hadn't turned out as either of us had planned, and he'd wasted no time using his cursed gem.
It was unlike me to dwell on the past, and I pushed the wandering thoughts down to focus on my mission. The Princess had been heading toward the capital when I'd stopped tracking them, so there I would go.