The next morning, Tharion gathered Aurethiun, Varkhaz, and Seraphina inside the great hall.
Seraphina stood before a large map spread across the table. Her silver tail moved slowly as she pointed toward the eastern mountains.
"These are the places where the dragons disappeared," she explained. "Each of them was last seen flying toward the same mountain range."
Tharion studied the map.
"Have you searched the area?"
"We tried," Seraphina answered. "But something strange happened. Every dragon that went near the mountains heard a voice calling from beneath the ground."
Varkhaz suddenly lifted his head.
"A voice?"
Seraphina nodded.
"Some of the dragons became frightened and flew away. Others disappeared without a trace."
Varkhaz stared at the map, remembering an old story his mother had once told him.
"There is something about those mountains," he murmured. "My mother warned me never to follow the voices that came from the stone."
Tharion looked at him.
"Why didn't you tell us before?"
"Because I thought it was only a story."
Aurethiun rose from his place beside the window.
"Then we should find out whether the story is true."
Tharion rolled up the map and looked at the others.
"We leave before sunset. If those dragons are still alive, we'll bring them home."
Outside, the clouds gathered over the eastern mountains.
Far away, beneath the earth, something ancient began to awaken.
By sunset, Tharion and the three dragons had reached the eastern mountains.
The sky was dark, and a cold wind swept through the trees. Seraphina flew ahead, searching for any sign of the missing dragons.
"Stay close," Tharion called as he followed the narrow path.
Varkhaz suddenly stopped.
"Wait."
Aurethiun turned toward him. "What is it?"
Varkhaz lowered his head, listening carefully.
"Something is calling me."
Before anyone could answer, a faint blue light appeared between the rocks ahead.
Seraphina landed beside them, her silver eyes fixed on the glowing light.
"This is where the last dragon disappeared."
Tharion approached cautiously. He noticed strange symbols carved into the stone, similar to those they had found in the ancient tower.
But these symbols were different.
They glowed whenever Varkhaz moved closer.
"Why are they reacting to you?" Tharion asked.
"I don't know," Varkhaz replied.
Suddenly, the ground shook.
A loud crash echoed through the mountains, and a crack opened between two enormous rocks. Cold air rushed out from the darkness below.
Aurethiun spread his golden wings.
"Something is down there."
Then they heard it.
A distant roar.
Seraphina stepped toward the opening. "One of the missing dragons!"
Tharion drew his sword and looked into the darkness.
"We're going in."
Varkhaz stared at the glowing symbols one last time before following the others into the hidden passage.
None of them noticed the enormous shadow moving beneath the mountain.
And deep inside the darkness, a pair of ancient eyes slowly opened.
The passage grew narrower as they moved deeper into the mountain.
Tharion held a torch in one hand, its light revealing strange carvings along the walls. Aurethiun walked behind him, while Varkhaz and Seraphina followed closely.
"These symbols," Seraphina whispered. "I've seen something similar in the old records of Pyrrhavia."
"What do they mean?" Tharion asked.
She examined the carvings carefully.
"They speak of an ancient kingdom ruled by dragons. But the records say it disappeared centuries ago."
Varkhaz stopped walking.
"An ancient dragon kingdom?"
Before Seraphina could answer, a loud roar echoed through the passage again.
This time, it sounded much closer.
Aurethiun lowered his head and listened.
"That roar came from ahead."
They hurried forward until the passage opened into a vast underground chamber.
Tharion stopped in surprise.
Hundreds of crystals covered the ceiling, illuminating a stone platform at the center. Several enormous chains lay scattered across the floor, as if something had broken free.
Near the far wall, a young blue dragon lay trapped beneath fallen rocks.
"Someone help me!" the dragon cried weakly.
Seraphina rushed toward it.
"Don't move. We'll get you out."
Aurethiun used his strength to lift the largest rocks, while Varkhaz carefully pulled the smaller ones away with his claws. Tharion helped clear the remaining debris.
At last, the young dragon was free.
"Where are the others?" Seraphina asked.
The blue dragon looked toward the stone platform, trembling.
"They took them."
"Who?" Tharion demanded.
The young dragon swallowed nervously.
"An ancient dragon. It woke up beneath the mountain and took the others deeper underground."
Suddenly, the crystals above them began to flicker.
Varkhaz's golden pendant glowed beneath his scales.
The young dragon stared at him in disbelief.
"That pendant..."
Varkhaz looked down. "What about it?"
The blue dragon lowered its head.
"That belongs to the lost royal bloodline."
Before anyone could ask another question, a deep voice echoed from the darkness beyond the chamber.
"So, the heir has finally returned."
The entire mountain shook.
Tharion raised his sword as a massive shadow moved behind the stone platform.
Varkhaz stepped forward, his red eyes fixed on the darkness.
"Show yourself!"
Two enormous blue eyes opened in the shadows.
And something ancient began to emerge.