Curse of the dragon flames

Hazel's POV

The aroma of sizzling peppers and warm spices wrapped around me like a familiar hug as I stood beside my mother in our tiny kitchen. Morning sunlight streamed in through the cracked window, casting gold lines across the tiled floor. I stirred the pot in slow circles, letting the steam rise and brush against my cheeks. My mother hummed softly beside me, her hands moving with the grace of someone who had spent her entire life cooking for the people she loved. "You're burning the stew, Hazel," she teased gently. "I'm not!" I shot back, sticking my tongue out. "I'm perfecting it." She laughed a bright, soft sound that always made me feel safe. Mom's laughter was the kind of sound that made even the worst days feel bearable. She wasn't rich, but she carried joy like a crown. Behind us, in the sitting room, my father sat in his faded armchair with his usual morning companion an old magazine and a cup of steaming coffee. His brows were drawn in concentration as he flipped a page, pretending not to listen to our chatter. But the tiny smile tugging at the corner of his lips gave him away. I was their only child. Not by choice, but by fate. Yet they never let me feel alone or lacking. Even though our home wasn't filled with wealth, it was overflowing with love. "Hazel, pass me the pepper," Mom said, reaching for the spoon. I handed it over, watching her taste the food with that familiar thoughtful expression she always wore before judging a dish. "Mmm," she hummed. "Perfect. My daughter is learning." I grinned proudly. "Of course. I have a master chef for a mother." She tapped my forehead with the spoon. "Flattery won't save you from chores." We cooked together until the entire room smelled heavenly. Soon, we were setting the table simple plates, mismatched cups, and a woven cloth Mom had made years ago. Dad joined us, placing his magazine aside. Breakfast was loud and full of laughter the way it always was. We talked about everything and nothing: the stubborn chickens behind the house, the market gossip, the weather, and my mother's constant reminders that I needed to eat more, sleep more, and marry "sometime before she got old and gray." I rolled my eyes every time, and she cackled like it was the funniest joke in the kingdom. I didn't know it would be the last time I'd hear her laugh freely. Just as my father reached for his second helping, a sharp knock echoed through the house. My mother looked up. "Hazel dear, please check who that is." "Okay, Mama." I wiped my hands on my skirt and hurried to the door, fully expecting it to be our neighbor coming to borrow sugar again. But the moment I swung the door open, my heart dropped to my stomach. Standing there were four palace guards their armor gleaming silver-blue, their expressions cold and unreadable. Their eyes scanned me from head to toe like I was prey they had already claimed. My throat tightened. Nothing good ever came from the palace especially now, with the plague sweeping through villages like a devouring fire. "W-We're looking for a girl named Hazel," one of the guards said, his voice firm and ice-sharp. "That's... me." The words crawled out of my mouth in a stutter. My fingers shook around the door handle. "Hazel, who's at the door?" my mother called out, her voice full of warmth completely unaware of the danger standing inches away from her child. I didn't know how to answer. I didn't know how to breathe. Behind me, I felt my parents' presence before I saw them. My father came to stand beside me, his body protective, towering, fierce. My mother hovered behind him, confusion twisting her face into worry. "What do you want from us?" my father demanded, his voice steady but infused with authority that made me proud and terrified at the same time. "Your daughter is needed at the palace," another guard said. His tone held no room for negotiation. "She's not going anywhere," my father snapped instantly. "Hazel, go inside." But I didn't move. I couldn't. My legs were rooted to the floor. Everything happened too fast after that. Before my father could finish his sentence, two guards lunged forward, grabbing me by the arms so hard pain shot through my shoulders. I screamed, twisting, fighting, but their grip only tightened. "Let her go!" Dad roared, drawing out the old sword he kept by the door. A sword he hadn't used in years. He swung it with the strength of a man fighting for his child. But they were trained warriors many of them. They overpowered him almost instantly. One guard kicked him to the ground while another struck him in the chest with a metal gauntlet. My father collapsed, blood spilling down his forehead as he hit the floor with a sickening thud. "Daddy!" I cried out, my voice breaking. My mother shrieked his name, trying to run to him, but another guard grabbed her by the waist, pinning her arms to her sides as she screamed and fought like a wild animal. "Please!" she cried, tears running down her cheeks. "Don't take my baby! Please!" Her screams tore into my heart. I kicked and struggled, my nails drawing blood from the guard's arm, but it didn't matter. They were stronger. Colder. Unmoved. "Hold her still," one guard ordered. "No NO!" I screamed, but it was useless. One of them pulled a syringe from his belt long, metal, and filled with a dark, swirling liquid that looked nothing like medicine. I froze. Before I could process what was happening, he jammed it into my arm with brutal force. I screamed as fire exploded under my skin. It felt like liquid lightning burning through my veins, tearing me apart from the inside. My legs buckled. My vision blurred. My mother's voice became distant, like she was screaming from underwater. "HAAAAZEL!" I reached for her But my arms felt like sandbags. My father tried to crawl toward me, blood dripping from his chin. "Let her go" he gasped. But the guards didn't even look at him. "Move," one growled, dragging me like a sack of grain. My body was weakening fast. The world tilted sideways. All I could hear were muffled sounds: Mother screaming. Father groaning in pain. Boots scraping against the dirt. The slam of a carriage door. They threw me into the backseat like I was nothing. The engine roared. My eyelids grew heavy too heavy until I could no longer hold them open. The last thing I saw was my mother's hands reaching out for me while she was held back her face twisted with pure anguish. The last thing I heard was my father's weak voice, begging them to take him instead. Then everything went black.

HAZEL POV

I woke up to the feel of the bare floor against my skin. As I slowly tried to open my eyes, they hurt as the light from the window shone into them. Then my head hurt so badly that I could hardly bear it. When my eyes finally flew open, all I could see was an empty room with a steel bucket on the side it should be a latrine bucket. I looked around to find hard walls made from cobblestone. And then the memories came flooding back: how they took me from the house, my mother crying her eyes out, my father rushing to fight for me, and then that mean huge man with broad shoulders who stabbed my arm with an injection. I could still feel the pain from the stab. Why were they doing all this? What did they need a girl of my age for? I hadn't committed any crime to warrant dragging me from my parents like a stolen cow reclaimed by its owner from a thief in a brutal way. When I tried to move, something held me in place. Chains. I looked at my leg and saw two big chains planted into the concrete floor holding me there. I decided to let out my frustration. "What do you want from me? What did I do to offend anyone?" I shouted at the top of my voice. My voice echoed through the emptiness. I sighed as anger surged through my veins. Different thoughts started running through my head, and I couldn't come up with an idea of why all this was happening. How did I suddenly go from being a lovely daughter to a lowly prisoner trapped in an empty cell? As my thoughts continued to run wild, I heard footsteps approaching. I straightened myself up as the doorknob turned. Two guards one I recognized from the abduction scene yesterday and another I hadn't seen before walked in, followed by a maid who looked like she was in her late thirties. She walked in with a tray containing food and water and placed it before me. "You should eat up quickly. You will be taken from here in an hour, so eat to gain strength for the journey," she said with a hint of kindness in her voice. "What if I don't want to eat this crap?" I said with anger in my eyes. "If you don't, it's your business. But I would advise it's better if you do, to avoid collapsing on the way," she said, looking slightly irritated at my behaviour as she pushed the bowl of watery soup towards me. The sight of it made me want to throw up. "Loosen me, or do you want me to eat like a dog?" I said, anger evident in my voice. "Loosen her so she can eat her food," the maid said. One of the guards came and squatted beside me. He brought out a bunch of keys to unlock the chains, and then they fell off. As soon as they fell, I felt relieved. The weight of the chains was already driving me crazy. Then they turned and stepped out, locking and slamming the door in my face. I heard them turn the lock and the retracing of their footsteps along the corridor. I pushed the tray of food away angrily. I didn't even feel hungry, plus the food wasn't appetising. I don't know how long I stayed like that before I heard footsteps walking towards the door. The lock turned again, and the door slammed open. They walked in again, and the maid threw a cloak at me. "Put it on," she said. I picked it up. I was already cold, as it seemed it had already started to snow. She picked up the tray of food, which was still the way she brought it in. With one last glance at me, she left without saying a word. I was grateful she didn't, because I wasn't in the mood to be stressed right now. I had been through a lot recently. "Follow me," I heard one of the guards say. After that, we walked through long stone hallways before taking me outside. When we stepped outside, the cold breeze hit my skin despite the cloak I was wearing. Then I saw two other girls about my age also putting on cloaks just like me. "So I wasn't the only one," I thought, surprised. They led me and one of the girls into a carriage, and then the other girl was put into another carriage. The carriages started to move. "Hi, what's your name?" I heard the girl who sat next to me ask. "Hazel," I said, surprised at her boldness. "What's your own name?" I asked, my voice slightly above a whisper. "Adriel," she answered, trying to force a smile. Then I decided to ask her, "I'm from the Moewe clan. Which clan did you come from?" "Tseki clan," she said. A little silence made its way between us, and then I decided to ask her the question that had been bothering me ever since I was in the cell. "Do you know why they took us?" I asked, trying not to sound weird and creepy. I heard her breath become ragged. She looked at me for some time before she spoke up. "Every hundred years, three 18-year-old virgins, chosen by the priestess, are sent to the dragon realm as sacrifices," she said, still staring at me. Fear made its way to my heart and gripped my being. "What do you think is the reason for all this?" I asked with anxiety clear in my voice as I stared at her. "When I was a bit younger, I found a book in my father's library. In one of his shelves among his many books-I think the title was The Inferno: The Curse of the Dragon it says that the dragon heirs are normally born with a curse, the Inferno, which manifests in them between the ages of 20 and 25. The Inferno makes the dragon crazy with fire, making them burn down different villages if not curtailed fast. And that was how the sacrifice of three female virgins started, as it was believed that this was the only cure to the Inferno. I don't know how it came to place or how they found out that this was the cure, but I think it's about time, and that's what they need us for." "What? This is unbelievable," I said as my body was now shaking with fear. "Are you sure of what you're saying?" I asked like an inquisitive child seeking desperate answers. "After I read the book, I asked my mother and-" before she could complete what she wanted to say, the carriage came to a halt. "We've arrived, girls. Get down," we heard the guards order as they opened the door for us. As we stepped down, we found ourselves in front of huge mountains with stairs carved out of it. Two guards started to climb the mountains. "Follow our lead, girls," one of them said, and then we followed them. The third girl I don't know what her name is she just walked calmly like she had given up on her life. She walked beside us. Finally, we got to the edge of the mountains. My legs hurt from all the climbing, and my feet were now swollen and reddish. When we got there, we were met by the royal family and the priestess. When I looked to the side, I saw my parents. My mother, my father-they looked pale and sad. I could see my mother's red eyes, which I knew were red from crying over me. My heart ached for them, but there was nothing I could do. Soon they led us past the crowd. My mother tried to reach out to us, but the guards blocked her way. Soon we were standing before the priestess. She started saying incantations, after which she turned to us. Then she took a knife and tore our palms. The pain of the knife in my palm was nothing compared to the pain in my heart. She poured a thick liquid on our palms, and then a pattern formed on my hands. Mine was the pattern of fire and a dragon, while theirs was just fire. Soon the rituals were completed, and we were given ten minutes to greet our parents. As soon as the guards gave way, my mother and father rushed to my side. "Oh, my dear," my mother said, drawing me into her arms in a passionate hug. I could feel her tears on my clothes. My father stood close; he also looked sad. Even though he wasn't crying, I knew he was hurt. Then he joined in the hug. I could also see Adriel and her mother, who was also crying. I felt like crying, but the tears refused to fall. Then the ten minutes elapsed, and we were led to the boat which would take us from Aldridge to the dragon realm. I turned back one last time, and I could see my mother had broken down in tears as my father tried to console her. My heart melted, but what could I possibly do? I took one last breath and then stepped into the boat, not knowing what awaited me, but I hoped for the best.

The sailor struggled at the front of the boat as he steered through the sea, which was slowly hardening into sheets of ice. The water that once danced in waves now cracked under us, turning white and sharp like broken glass. A cold wind brushed past, weaving through the wooden boards of the boat and cutting against my skin. The silence around us was loud too loud. It sat heavily between me, Adriel, and the other girl.That girl... what was her name again?

I hadn't asked. I should have asked earlier, but everything had happened too fast too suddenly for thoughts like that to stay in order.

She sat quietly at the side of the boat, her eyes fixed on the horizon as if she had already accepted her death. It was that unsettling kind of quiet, the kind that made it seem like she would welcome her end if it came now, with open arm, then I forced myself to speak.

"Um... sorry, what's your name?" I asked, trying to sound gentle and concerned. At least for a little while, if this was all we had left, I wanted us to communicate properly. Maybe even stay friends, even if just for the time we remained alive."Mahir," she said, trying to smile. But the smile never fully formed. It trembled at the edges and then fell apart Silence swallowed us again.

Each one of us drifted into our own thoughts. For me, it was my family. My mother's gentle hands, my father's protective stare, everyone who ever cared about me. What did we do to deserve this? Why us? Why any girl at all? My mind kept going back to the same thing:The dragon realm. Eldorado. just like Adriel I had also heard about this dragon curse thing but where did I hear it from I tried to think, yes from mothers bed time stories, the name I once thought belonged to stories and myths. A name I wished still belonged to stories and myths. But Adriel knew more. She had always known more than we did.

"Adriel," I whispered as I shifted closer to her. She jumped slightly, snapped out of her thoughts. "Hazel? What's wrong?" she replied, her voice barely above a whisper. Fear had softened her tone."Can you... tell me more about this dragon curse thing? And why they need girls as sacrifices?" I asked. Her eyes met mine, and for a moment it felt like I could see into her soul into the fear she tried to hide.

Mahir sat up too, suddenly alert. She wanted answers just as desperately.

Adriel exhaled shakily and began.

"Like I told you when we were in the carriage I read about the dragon from a book in my fathers library" she said

A gust of freezing wind blew across the boat, but she continued.

" After reading the book, I decided to ask my mother about the whole thing, then she told me that it was true and warned me never to speak of such matters to her again"

Mahir's fingers tightened around the wooden edge of the boat.

"After one of the great destructions caused by the inferno, a witch had a vision," Adriel said softly, her eyes fixed on her hands. "She saw a prophecy. The only cure was to feed the dragon heir with the roasted hearts of three human female virgins."My breath caught.

"And that," she finished quietly, "was how the ritual started. At first, I thought it was just some old myth until my mother confirmed it was true.Her last word hung in the air like smoke. A heavy Silence made it way between us and I could now hear my heart beat wide against my chest, I could also sense fear among us as each one of us

Just then a cold, heavy breeze swept across us, stronger than anything before. It forced our eyes to the front of the boat.

And that was when we realized...

We had arrived.

ELDORADO.

The realm of dragons.

The air here felt different. Thicker. Heavier. Almost alive. I could feel something crawling under my skin-not a creature, but a feeling. Fear... panic... anxiety. It was everywhere, surrounding us like invisible chains.

We sailed closer to the shore, but as we did, the atmosphere changed again. My heartbeat quickened. Something was coming. Something dangerous.

Then I saw them.

Two enormous black dragons sliced through the sky toward us, their wings beating like thunder. Moonlight glimmered across their scales, making them look like living shadows.

A gasp tore out of me.

"Mahir, Adriel look! They're coming!"

The others turned, and I could hear their heartbeats now racing wildly, just like mine. The dragons flew closer, larger than anything I had ever imagined. Their wings spread wide, blocking parts of the moon. The wind from their flight whipped our hair back.

Then fire erupted.

A massive, blazing burst exploded from one of their throats, lighting the world in shades of red and gold. We scrambled backwards on the boat, nearly slipping.

The sailor didn't even have time to scream.

The fire consumed him in a heartbeat as screams of agony escaped his lips and soon it died down.One blink he was there.

The next he was nothing but falling ashes.

His remains drifted into the frozen air, scattering before us like dark snow.

Mahir fainted immediately, her body dropping to the wooden floor with a soft thud. Adriel, trembling uncontrollably, rushed to her side, trying to wake her or at least hold her still.But I couldn't move.

I stood frozen, staring into empty space. My legs refused to respond. My mind felt numb. Was this really our fate? Was this what we had been dragged here for?

The dragons descended.

First two.

Then three.

Three massive creatures landed before us with ground-shaking force. Snow scattered. Ice cracked. The air buzzed with heat even though the night was freezing.

The one in front larger, darker, with scales that shimmered like polished stone precious stones stepped forward. Its golden eyes stared into mine, and for a moment, I felt like I was standing in front of death itself.