Touch of Flame

"What is happening?" Malachi\'s brothers gathered, their expressions filled with concern.

"Aaron, take everyone to safety. The rest of you, follow me. We need to stop this," Malachi commanded, his voice loaded with urgency.

Ravina\'s heart pounded in her chest as confusion and fear clouded her mind. She understood that humans had discovered their hiding place, but the sudden arrival of an armed army left her questioning who these people were. 

Malachi turned to Ravina, his eyes filled with a mix of protectiveness and determination. "Get inside and don\'t come out," he instructed, his voice laced with concern.

Her gaze fixated on the approaching army, seeing them rise on their horses down the mountains and and hills and into the village. They wore an armor she didn\'t recognize but it had a specific symbol that felt familiar. Where had she seen it? They shot crossbows into the air at the dragons meaning to attack them and their shields could withstand fire.

Ravina couldn\'t help but voice her worry. "Malachi, please try not to kill them if you can," she pleaded, her voice quivering.

Malachi paused, his gaze locking with hers, his internal struggle evident. After a moment of contemplation, he responded with unwavering conviction, "I won\'t."

Desperate to contribute, Ravina suggested accompanying him, hoping to find a way to defuse the situation. But Malachi quickly dismissed the idea, reassuring her, "No, you can\'t. I will take care of it. Don\'t worry." With those words, he hurriedly left her behind.

"Be careful." she called after him but the also hurried inside to find weapons to help him. She couldn\'t just keep hiding. 

Malachi shifted into his dragon form, his powerful wings propelling him into the sky. Joined by his brothers, they soared above, strategizing their plan of attack. They aimed to flank the army, striking from unexpected angles to disorient and incapacitate them.

They maintained a low height to avoid detection, swiftly maneuvering through the chaos below. With calculated precision, they swooped down upon the enemy\'s army, using their sheer size and force to knock them over and create confusion.

However, amidst the battle, an unexpected twist unfolded before their eyes. Red dragons, previously unseen and uninvolved, joined the fight. To their astonishment, these red dragons were not only attacking the human army but also turning their fury upon their fellow black dragons.

Malachi\'s heart sank as he witnessed this treacherous turn of events. His thoughts immediately gravitated toward Ravina, overriding any concern for the ongoing battle. Ignoring the chaos around him, he swiftly changed direction, desperately seeking to return to her side. His heart pounded in his chest as he left his brothers to fend for themselves, his sole focus being on protecting Ravina.

Meanwhile, inside the house, Ravina\'s heart raced with a mixture of fear and dread. She sought out weapons, determined to contribute to the fight and protect herself. As she loaded her pistols, a sudden crash through the window startled her, preparing her for a potential encounter with hostile humans.

However, to her surprise, the intruders were not humans but two dragons crashing into the room. Their massive forms quickly shifted, revealing unfamiliar faces. 

Caught in a state of uncertainty, Ravina hesitated, unsure of the identities of the intruders. Before she could make a decisive move, she managed to fire a shot, striking one of them. However, her momentary hesitation allowed the other intruder to knock the pistol from her hand and throw her against the wall.

Pain seared through her lungs as she gasped for breath, her body recoiling from the impact as she fell forward onto her knees. The intruder grabbed her by the hair, causing the sharp pins in her hair to scatter across the floor. Acting on instinct, Ravina seized one of the fallen pins and once the intruder pulled her up, she plunged it into the dragon\'s neck, aiming for a vital spot.

The dragon\'s eyes burned with a fierce and deadly heatred, blood oozing from the wound inflicted by the sharp pin. Growling, he tightened his grabbed Ravina by the throat and lifted her off the ground, leaving her feet dangling in the air.

Ravina gasped, her breath constricting as the dragon\'s grip tightened around her throat. Each gasp for air was met with a searing pain, making it increasingly difficult to draw in the oxygen her body desperately needed. Darkness edged her vision, and her struggling limbs weakened under the suffocating pressure.

Her hands instinctively clawed at the dragon\'s scaled arm, attempting to loosen the choking hold. The lack of air intensified the panic coursing through her veins, as if time was slipping away. Each passing moment felt like an eternity, with her strength waning and dizziness clouding her senses.

As the world around her blurred, Ravina\'s body grew limp, her desperate struggles losing their force. The pain in her chest intensified, her consciousness teetered on the brink of oblivion, her body slowly succumbing to the darkness.

But a sudden, familiar voice demanding her release kept her awake. The dragon persisted in his choking grip, showing no signs of relenting.

"I said release her!" the voice commanded again, this time with more urgency.

Finally, the dragon dropped Ravina, and she crumpled to the floor, her face flushed and her eyes welling up with tears. Every breath was a painful wheeze as she desperately tried to fill her lungs.

Through blurred vision, Ravina discerned a female dragon approaching, a sinister smirk playing on her lips. It was Zoila. 

"So we meet again, human princess," Zoila taunted, reveling in the unfolding chaos. "On a bright day when your people have finally discovered our existence. How interesting."

Ravina\'s breaths came in short gasps, her struggles to find air becoming increasingly desperate. Something felt off, a searing pain coursing through her body, as if something vital had been broken within her.

"I am sorry for this, but your man just loves to burn bridges," Zoila nonchalantly remarked, shrugging off the consequences.

Tears burned in Ravina\'s eyes, obscuring her vision as she faced the tormentor before her. Yet, her attention was diverted by the commotion outside the room, with the sounds of explosions and roars reverberating through the air. It felt like doomsday was upon them. Ravina had always known this day would come, but she refused to let it end without a fight.

Summoning her strength, Ravina attempted to rise once more, defying the pain and adversity. However, before she could fully regain her footing, a series of crashing sounds resonated from outside, followed by the entrance of two battered men, crashing into the room, colliding with the furniture. Among them stood Malachi, drenched in blood, his presence a beacon of hope amidst the darkness.

Zoila swiftly seized Ravina, her grip tightening around her neck, her razor-sharp claws digging into her tender flesh. The excruciating pain shot through Ravina\'s body, threatening to overpower her will to fight.

Malachi\'s gaze locked onto Zoila, who held Ravina in a chokehold, her claws digging into Ravina\'s vulnerable neck. The room fell into a tense silence as the standoff intensified, the only sound he could hear was his own racing heartbeat. 

With determination burning in his eyes, Malachi took a step forward, ready to intervene and free Ravina from Zoila\'s grip. But Zoila swiftly tightened her hold, her voice dripping with sadistic amusement. "One step closer, King Malachi, and I will rip her head off."

Malachi\'s breath caught, his instincts urging him to rescue Ravina at any cost. The room filled with a charged silence, broken only by the sound of distant explosions and the echoing roars of battling dragons outside. Every fiber of his being screamed for action, but he knew that a rash move could lead to disaster.

"There is no need to do this," he warned, his voice laced with a mix of authority and desperation. "What will you gain from it? If you harm her, the consequences will be dire for both of our families."

Zoila chuckled darkly, digging her nails further into Ravina\'s throat, seemingly forgetting the vulnerability of a human neck. Malachi\'s heart froze as he witnessed Ravina\'s pain, etched on her face. Fear gripped him, the thought of losing her igniting a fierce protectiveness within him.

"Release her, Zoila, and let us talk," Malachi pleaded, his voice strained but resolute. "There\'s no need for more bloodshed. We can find a way to resolve this peacefully."

"There is no way. You will never let go of the human, and so… both of you need to be removed."