Chapter 182: How don’t you fall off a dragon?
The King stood beside Sunkiath. Towering and broad-shouldered, he was a giant of a man, yet next to the dragon, he seemed almost fragile, like a shadow cast by something far greater.
There was a strange, magnetic pull, soft, invisible, that tugged Gloria closer to the beast. It wasn’t conscious, this movement was more like a calling that echoed in her bones.
To everyone’s astonishment, Sunkiath didn’t growl or expose his fangs. He didn’t recoil or snarl like he usually did with strangers. Instead, the dragon remained still, watchful, curious, and eerily calm.
"Be careful, Arkilla," the Luna Queen warned, her voice low so as not to cause tension. "He might not harm Gloria or me, but he doesn’t know you."
Arkilla’s spine stiffened as a chill licked down her back. Fear crept in like a cold mist curling under a door. She didn’t want to become a drifting plume of ash, not because of one misstep, a misstep a moody dragon might decide was unforgivable.
"In the book of dragon tales my mother used to read to me," Gloria said softly as she stepped closer, "it was written: ’A dragon will kill you if you don’t meet its eyes.’"
"That’s true. Dragons don’t tolerate cowardice," Ren said, her tone edged with experience. "If you don’t meet their gaze, they’ll see it as an insult. But Griffins? They’re the opposite. You must lower your head, if you lock eyes with one, it’ll tear your eyes from their sockets. If they like you, they’ll hunt for you as an offering but dragons don’t bother. They’ll eat you if they are hungry and like your scent."
"Oh, gods! Good to know," Arkilla muttered with wide eyes. "At least now I can be thankful Ogain is the only Griffin that didn’t do that to me."
She lingered by a jagged rock, not daring to step closer. "I’ll stay here. Honestly, I doubt anyone would risk harming any of you with that beast standing guard."