Rhada was hot on my heels. We ran through the corridor that led to the dining room, and I stopped in my tracks when I saw the mess before my eyes.
I heard Rhada gasp. "What in the world?"
The same thought ran through my mind. My legs moved before my mind could register what I was doing, and I grabbed the first thing that I could put my hands on, which so happened to be a cushion from the nearby sofa, and slammed it against the growing fire in the middle of the dining table.
I didn't stop until I'd put it out completely. I was in a kind of daze. My sister, Raquel, stopped screaming, but as soon as the fire was out, she erupted into senseless giggles.
"For the love of Etros, Raquel," my father exclaimed from the head of the table. "You've torched the Blacktail!"
Sure enough, the large platter of roasted Blacktail was now...well, definitely inedible. My sister kept on laughing and said, "I just wanted to heat it up a little!"
"You've ruined breakfast," my mother said disdainfully. "How very mature of you."
"I thought something serious was happening," I announced. "You made me break a sweat running all the way here for absolutely nothing!"
Raquel stopped laughing and arched a fine brow at me. "Now, why in the name of all that's pure would something serious be happening? And anyway, this was serious."
I shook my head at her. Rhada took a seat at the table but not before giving me a look. I ignored it dutifully. I knew she wanted a date for our mating but I couldn't give her one. I wasn't ready to commit to her in that way.
"We'll just ask for another Blacktail," my sister said before shrugging. "I don't see the big deal. They're all just lying around anyway. Cerise, come here. Take this platter away and bring us fresh Blacktail. Make sure it's heated this time around."
Cerise, our Etrian maid, nodded before taking the platter with her back to the kitchen or wherever the hell she was going.
Etrians were the original inhabitants of Etros. They were smaller and much, much weaker than us. Their skins were very pale, and they all had long, golden hair and eyes set far apart. Generally speaking, they were a harmless folk. It was said that Dragons found them here. Although how the hell they kept the Souls in check was beyond my understanding. They couldn't fight for shit. Their four-fingered hands couldn't form solid fists and they had no special powers. All I knew was that Souls quieted down around them too, but only the ones that weren't entirely wretched.
There had been cases of Souls feasting on Etrians. I'd seen it happen once.
"Son, won't you have breakfast with us?" my mother asked tenderly. "Your uncle is on the way here. He only went to his chamber to grab something."
I shrugged but sat down nonetheless. "Not really hungry after that pointless agitation."
Raquel rolled her eyes at me. "How typical of you to blow everything out of proportion. I wasn't even being loud. Excuse me if I was shocked by the raging fire."
I made a face at her. "We're surrounded by fire, in case you haven't noticed. This was literally nothing."
Raquel made a face back at me and I asked myself why I was bothering to argue with her about this. I wasn't sure why, but I felt uneasy. Her screams triggered something inside of me, and I was having a hard time identifying what it could be.
Perhaps it was the thought of something terrible happening that caused this.
Cerise brought a fresh chunk of Blacktail and the matter was resolved. Blacktail was the only source of protein we had around here. They were foul creatures when captured, but in their natural habitat, they were calm. The Etrians hunted them for us. Blacktail was all we ate, morning, noon, and night. A few times we'd been fortunate enough to catch a Veturian Cow, but they lived in the very depths of Etros, where it was unimaginably cold, and hunting them was nearly impossible for us.
The temperature was so low that even Etrians couldn't survive in it.
Uncle Radhus joined us a few moments later, cheerful as always. He sat beside me and elbowed my side. "What's the long face for?"
I shook my head. It wasn't a big deal.
Everyone began eating. I only had a few bites because of how unsettled I was. The conversation at the table was loud and pleasant, as always, but I didn't participate.
"Raphas, there's something I want to show you," my father said right after he'd polished his plate. "We'll go right after breakfast."
"What is it?" Raquel asked.
"Something that concerns only Raphas and me," my father said to her mildly, lowering his graying brows. "Do you have time?"
"Sure," I said, rising.
Together, we went outside. The sky was always black in Etros. The one thing that helped illuminate our world was fire. Lava streamed down the mountains surrounding our grand home, giving everything a soft orange glow. I had to say that even with the Souls strapped to the mountain walls, Etros was beautiful. There was a beauty to the madness.
Two enormous statues of majestic dragons guarded the entrance of our home. They were carved from what we called firestone, which was a heat resistant material that was as smooth and as black as obsidian. Even the ground was made of this material. The world all around us was black and lifeless, and the flames casted eerie shadows on the walls. Out here, it was even hotter than inside. We needed this warm environment to thrive.
Without it, we'd die.
"This way," my father said with an urgency that I hadn't heard in his voice before. Quickly, he walked toward the left side of the mountain. I felt uneasy, mostly because that was the part of the mountain we called 'the Edge'. Anyone who tripped and fell into that crack would find themselves in an icy hell. It was impossible to see the ice from up here, but death down there was certain.
So, why was my father taking me there?
We stopped a few yards away from the massive fissure. My father pointed at it with a trembling finger and said, "An Etrian made said she saw something come up from there."
This was so ludicrous that I scoffed. "What?"
"That was the information I received this morning," he explained. "I've been looking into the matter but so far, I've found nothing."
"What does something even mean?"
"A creature, perhaps. She wasn't certain. She merely saw a shadow."
"Couldn't it have been a Blacktail venturing too far?"
He shrugged. "Could be. We're not crossing anything out."
I placed my hands on my hips and stared at the dark opening. What could've crawled out of there? Venturing close to it was certain death. Nothing lived beneath the surface. Only Venturian Cows, and they were hard to find.
"I need your help."
"Count me in."
We both stood side by side, staring like something would creep up at any moment and attack us. I then broke eye contact and said to my father, "I'll fetch my gear and come back."
"Don't take long," he warned, giving the crack a suspicious look.
I headed back inside. The rest of my family was still around the dining table, laughing boisterously at something Uncle Radhus said. I walked right past them, not getting a look from either of them, and headed to my room.
I'd need knives, chains, and maybe even the sledgehammer. If the Etrian maid was right, we couldn't be sure of what that creature was. The uneasy feeling returned to me, swimming in the pit of my stomach, making itself at home. Why was this happening all of a sudden? Nothing eventful ever happened to us.
I knew this creature couldn't be a Venturian Cow, not unless it had wings. To fly all the way to the surface would take about a week of non-stop flying. What kind of creature could pull such a thing off? In the dark? With no water or food?
I shuddered just thinking about it.
I was carrying the weapons out of my room when I felt a cool hand on my arm. I turned my head and saw Seda, one of my consorts, staring at me. She was of Etrian origin. All of them were.
"You promised you'd come see us," she complained, smiling prettily.
"Something came up," I said as an excuse. It wasn't a lie. "I have something to do. I'll be there in a few hours. Stay put."
Seda wrapped her cold arms around me, keeping me from walking. "But surely nothing you have to do is more important than us."
"Yeah," another voice said. Creda, Seda's twin. "You promised, Raphas."
They both all but assaulted me. I was still holding onto the sledgehammer and didn't want to put it down because I knew what that would mean. My father was waiting for me. I had to go.
"Creda," I chided when her hand slid down my abdomen to the area right above my dick. "Don't. I said I'd see you later."
I heard a giggle and Seda said, "But you promised."
I'd always been an impulsive shit and this wasn't helping. The urgency of the situation was slowly leaving my body. My father was sliding to the back of my mind. The voice in my head told me not to entertain them. I knew how they were.
"Stay with us," Creda whispered in my ear. "Don't deny us this."
I closed my eyes fiercely. My hold on the sledgehammer was slipping. Seda was already climbing up my side, wrapping her legs around me as she kissed my jawline. My body reacted and my mind lost this fight. I dropped everything I was holding, and they laughed triumphantly.
We walked toward their chamber, both of them clinging to me. I tried to convince myself that I could make this happen in a few minutes. I couldn't make my father wait for an eternity. The problem was that once I started, I had a hard time stopping. Uncle Radhus once told me that Dragons were insatiable creatures and I had to agree with him on that.
I always wanted more. And more. I wanted all there was to take.
I threw Creda on the bed. She curled a finger at me, daring me to move closer to her. I told her, "You're going to get me in trouble."
"That's the way you like it," Seda pointed out.
I wasn't sure of how much time had passed. I was completely lost in the moment and hadn't even started touching them properly yet. Creda parted her lips for me to kiss her and a loud roar made the walls of the room shake.
I stilled. Even they stilled.
I knew what that sound was. It was my father.
I scrambled out of the bed, heart slamming against my chest.