Chapter 27

Androw was completely pissed off by this woman's stupidity. If not for his expectation that Balerion might target her instead of him, she would have ended up below the narrow sea by now. And more pressing matter was that Balerion seemed to be following him again. With Baal carrying Dreamfyre in his claws, he wouldn't be able to outrun Balerion even if he wanted to.

Androw struggled to think of a solution as he saw Balerion closing the distance every second. This time, Baal came up with his own idea. As they neared the shore, Baal slowly descended. When he felt his claws brush against the sand, he released his grip on Dreamfyre. Rhaena, alongside her dragon, fell onto the shore. Dreamfyre tried its best to steady the fall, but ultimately, it toppled over, throwing Rhaena to the side. Despite Dreamfyre taking the brunt of the impact, Rhaena found herself unable to stand as her body refused to obey.

From the ground, Rhaena watched as Androw and Baal ascended back into the sky, successfully grabbing Balerion's attention. Balerion roared and turned towards Baal, trying to catch up. Androw pushed Baal to their limits, knowing they had to lead Balerion away from the vulnerable Rhaena and Dreamfyre.

Balerion, furious, breathed a stream of flame towards them. Baal evaded the attack with agile maneuvers, his speed and dexterity outmatching the Balerion for now. The chase continued over the sea.

Meanwhile, Rhaena, lying on the shore, struggled to her feet. Her body ached from the fall, but she forced herself to stand, limping over to Dreamfyre. Her dragon was in pain but alive, and Rhaena whispered soothing words, trying to calm her companion.

Back in the sky, Androw knew he couldn't keep up this pace forever. Balerion was relentless, and Baal was beginning to tire.

Androw tried to glance back before asking Baal to take them straight up into the sky. Baal soared higher, Balerion relentlessly following. As they ascended, Baal suddenly vanished into the clouds. Balerion, reaching the top, roared in frustration, realizing he'd been tricked. Below, Baal was speeding back toward Dragonstone.

Balerion quickly found Baal beneath the clouds and continued his pursuit with fury. As Baal approached the nearest entrance to Dragonmont, Androw prepared for their next move. The entrance was narrow, barely large enough to accommodate Baal.

"Baal, dive now!" Androw commanded.

Baal descended swiftly, reaching the entrance just as Balerion closed in. Androw hurriedly climbed down from Baal, knowing they had to trap Balerion inside the cave. He made his way down the hill as fast as he could, not looking back.

Baal roared defiantly at the approaching Balerion before diving into the cave. The entrance was too narrow for Balerion, who crashed into the opening, roaring in frustration. The larger dragon struggled to fit, allowing Baal to navigate deeper into the cave with ease.

On Balerion's back, Aerea was in tears, crying helplessly, terrified to do anything. If Balerion forced himself further into the cave, she risked being crushed against the cave's roof or falling off. In her moment of despair, she never expected anyone to come to her rescue.

Androw, having hidden away, reappeared. He knew Balerion would get stuck at the entrance, even as Baal found it challenging to navigate. The enraged beast didn't care about its size, pushing recklessly into the cave.

Androw returned to the cave entrance, shouting, "Aerea!" His voice snapped her out of her helpless state. Despite the dust and debris caused by Balerion's struggle, she looked around for him. Androw wasn't sure how to approach Balerion, with the dragon's tail swinging dangerously. One wrong move could be fatal.

He screamed again, "Aerea, jump!" Aerea hesitated, looking down and seeing Androw. She was scared, but the urgency in his voice pushed her to act. Androw dodged Balerion's movements, running back and forth to avoid being crushed.

Summoning her courage, Aerea jumped, aiming for Androw. She leaped high enough, and Androw caught her by the arms, almost falling himself. Without a second thought, he hoisted her onto his shoulder and ran, desperate to escape.

But their luck seemed to run out as Balerion stopped forcing himself into the cave. With his head free from the cave, he looked for his rider and saw Aerea on Androw's shoulder, running desperately. Balerion didn't hesitate to come after them, roaring in fury.

Androw, seeing the dragon pursuing him, stopped running and put Aerea down in front of the approaching Balerion, hoping the dragon wouldn't hurt him as long as Aerea was with him. But Aerea, too scared to face the beast, clung to Androw tightly, unable to show her brave side.

The beast drew closer, growling menacingly. Black flames started to appear in its mouth, ready to burn Androw to ashes. For a moment, Androw felt his life flash before his eyes.

Just as Balerion was about to burn Androw for being the rider of his enemy, with Aerea, a little girl who lacked the will to command him, the hunter entered the game. Baal, seeing that Balerion was no longer coming after him, emerged from another entrance. Sensing Androw's presence closer to Balerion, Baal didn't hesitate. He took to the sky once again before diving back onto Balerion's back.

By the time Balerion noticed, it was too late to stop Baal from exploiting his weakness. Baal dug his claws into Balerion's flesh, biting violently at the larger dragon's neck. Balerion roared in pain, momentarily distracted from Androw and Aerea. The black flames in his mouth dissipated as he thrashed, trying to shake Baal off.

Androw took advantage of the chaos, pulling Aerea away and running towards a nearby outcrop of rocks for cover.

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Fellow readers, I was wondering how King Jahaerays is going to react. Any clues? For more chapters, access my Patreon.

link: patreon.com/AmouxCreationX

]