Found you!

~ But people are seas, therefore do not judge their depths when you can only see their shores~

______

Delaney was standing in the cave, face to face with the blue-eyed dragon. Silence descended upon the dark cave as she waited to see his reaction.

After chasing Collins away, she decided to go hunting and she brought the dead deer to the dragon. Her white shirt was covered in blood because she had carried the animal over her shoulders. Even after some minutes passed, none of the two moved. Delaney was too afraid to step any closer, incase he snapped and devoured her, burnt her alive or froze her to death.

Her sharp senses became alert when she saw it moving. The dragon was a huge creature and she had to crane her neck, to have a glimpse of its face. It took a step forward and the ground shook. It took another step and Delaney found herself glued to the ground. Her brain was telling her to run but her feet refused to cooperate. Her hands instinctively moved to hold her daggers but she knew that would not help anything.

If he decided to attack her, she had no means to defend herself. Observing the scales covering it's body, she doubted if a dagger could pierce through. She could only trust the propaganda Malcolm fed her and believe she had some sort of power over a dragon.

The dragon suddenly crouched forward, bringing it's head closer to her and the dead deer on the ground. Delaney shut her eyes tightly, her heartbeat quickening. Was this how she was going to die? She waited to feel the scorching heat of fire burning her alive or a freezing cold but nothing came even after some time.

She first opened one eye, and her heart jumped to her throat when she was met by the electrifying blue eyes staring down at her. Her other eye fluttered open and she didn't know if it was her imagination, but the blue eyes seemed to have a red glint. The beast stared at her intently then moved it's face closer, sniffing the dried blood on her clothes and the dead deer. It then moved back and Delaney released a breath she didn't know she was holding.

It was a sunny day so she didn't have any coat or vest. She was only dressed in a pair of trousers, and a white shirt. Her hair was held up in a ponytail and a satchel bag was hanging on her left shoulder. She reached into the bag and grabbed an apple, and a piece of paper.

She took a bite of the apple and unfolded the paper in her hands. She flinched when she felt rough scales nudging her hand, and she looked up. Without warning, the dragon took the apple in its mouth and Delaney stared incredulously. Her eyes widened, her lips parted then closed again. Dragons eat apples? But they don't eat dead animals?! She watched the dragon's jaw moving up and down as it chewed on the apple.

The reason she came to the cave was to test the theory about dragon tamers and the part where she could command the dragon to shift. She wanted to call out it's name but the word Merikh was stuck in her throat. Her grip on the paper tightened and she wondered how to go about commanding a dragon. Was she supposed to just say it or yell? Or maybe do some hand signs?

"I command you to shift!" she said, trying to make it sound like a command but she didn't think it worked. Nothing changed.

"Ego praecipio tibi ut transeatur!" she had practiced saying the foreign words several times and this time, her voice was loud but still nothing changed. She didn't know if she expected the dragon to just magically dissapear then reappear as a full grown man but nothing of the sort happened.

The cave suddenly shook and she heard the sound of stones crumbling from the entrace. A deafening silence settled then the earth shook again, this time more violently. Delaney fell back on her butt, her eyes widening in shock. An earthquake? The ground continued shaking and she looked over to find the dragon unfazed. She coughed lightly, as dust floated around. She covered her nose with the sleeve of her shirt and tried to get up but the earth stopped shaking. Dust settled down and the dragon was still standing on the same spot.

It's head suddenly whipped to the side and she saw its eyes glimmer. Its mouth opened wide pointing towards the entrance and flames of fire engulfed the entire cave leaving behind a red hue.

*****

Outside the cave, Keir stood meters away. He leaned against a tree, blending in with the darkness. The tall trees towered above him, preventing the sunlight from reaching that part of the forest so even though it was day time, the forest was always dark.

He had been standing there for a long time, listening to the movements inside the cave. He had been following Delaney, waiting for the right moment to take her but he changed his mind when he sneaked into Malcolm's house and came across the book about dragons. He knew then that Delaney was a tamer and she knew about Merikh. He decided to keep following her, hoping she would eventually lead him to Merikh and there he was.

When the ground shook, it affected the areas around the cave and he knew the spell had been broken. He walked closer to the cave and his lips stretched to an evil smirk when he saw the red flames. He stopped in his tracks, folding his hands behind his back.

"Found you," he mumbled under his breath. His lips stretched further and his eyes glimmered in excitement.

His excitement came from knowing that Merikh could sense his presence, and the fact that he couldn't do anything except breathe fire from the inner walls of the cave and the main reason was that he, Keir, could finally bring an end to his enemy of a century. Merikh!

After leaving the cave, he directly teleported to a mansion in the suburbs. Standing at the entrance, he could feel the energy enamating from the house. Xander was right. This woman was not as ordinary as she seemed to be.

Instead of teleporting directly into the house and surprising Mrs Wade, he decided to let his predatory aura seep into the air, filling his surroundings with impending doom. His ears perked up and he could hear movements from some part of the house.

Kicking the door open, he strode in like he was familiar with the place. His eyes met the figure of an elderly woman, trembling like a leaf in winter. She was holding a handful of white ash in one hand and Keir saw it clearly. He was a little surprised to see the woman but it barely showed on his stoic face. The woman didn't seem to recognise him so he didn't bother with formalities.

"Who are you?" she asked, her voice shaking.

"Don't you mean what am I?" Keir asked back, his sarcastic question barely concealing the smile laced in his voice. Mrs Wade waited until he was a palm-length away and raised her hand to throw the white ash at him but his reflexes were quick. He grabbed her wrist and twisted it. The white ash fell to the ground and Mrs Wade cried out in pain. The sound of bones cracking echoed in the empty house.

Keir inched closer to her and with his other hand, grabbed her neck in a tight grip. The woman's face was ashen as she tried to get enough air into her lungs.

"A witch." he muttered. "What are you up to?" his voice was icy cold, sending a shiver down her spine. His hawk-like eyes scrutinized her sharply and she found herself unable to look away. He loosened his hold on her neck to allow her to talk and he took a step back. He saw the white ash scattered on the ground evaporating to vapour and his eyes narrowed dangerously.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Mrs Wade said, gasping for air. Her hand was limp and she was sure her wrist was broken.

"Don't waste my time, Agatha!" his angry voice resounded in her ears and her eyes widened in shock.

"You... you..." she stuttered, not able to form any complete words. The man's jaw ticked and he turned around, his eyes scanning the interior of the house. His shoes made a clicking sound on the hardwood floor as he walked to the door.

His steps came to a halt amd he spoke without looking back, "Don't interfere with my business Agatha. Stay away from Delaney from now!"

_______

A/N

If you find the book to your liking or if you notice any grammatical errors, comment it and let me know. And don't forget to vote. :-)