Chapter 16 - The Lost Roost
The cavern was enormous—a natural amphitheater carved into the heart of the mountain, but reinforced with ancient, master-crafted dragon-stone masonry.
Piled across the center of the cavern were dozens of massive, shimmering shells—some old and weathered, others faintly pulsing with a soft, bioluminescent glow. This wasn't just a ruin; it was the legendary sanctuary of the High Sovereign Dragons, a place the academy's textbooks claimed had been extinct for centuries.
Kestrel walked slowly toward the center of the cavern, his head bowed low, emitting a series of low, mournful clicks and hums.
"He's home," Winn whispered, walking beside him with her lantern held high.
Suddenly, a massive shadow shifted in the deepest recesses of the cavern. Winn froze, instinctively reaching for her riding blade.
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From the darkness stepped an ancient dragon—twice the size of Kestrel, its scales a deep, weathered crimson mixed with streaks of silver frost. One of its massive wings hung slightly low, scarred by ancient iron bindings identical to the ones Reev had used in the sub-vaults.
It was an elder dragon—one of the few survivors of the purge that had taken place decades ago when the old regime first seized control of Highcrest Academy.
