An empty pit grew inside my stomach, and my breathing became shaky as the full moon shone upon the hedgerow maze, beckoning me to enter. A sense of urgency pressed against my chest, and chills traveled down my spine.

"Khrysakh!" a pained voice cried out to me.

"Dahlroth?" I cried out in response. "Where are you?"

A sudden gale-force wind whipped through the clearing, and the evergreens twisted and conjoined in a sudden flurry of movement. I ran to escape the rushing bushes as they lured me into an unknown area of the gardens.

Darkness descended upon the grounds in seconds. My brow furrowed in confusion as the maze blocked off every path except the one before me.

Magic.

An eerie sense of dread crept across my back. My jaw set, I walked onward past cultivated evergreen hedgerows, which stood well over twenty feet high.

The deeper I ventured into the maze, the more disoriented I became.

Too high to climb or jump. The only way out is forward.

An odd hiss meandered through the air, and I froze in place like a rabbit facing a fearsome predator. Straining to hear or see anything in the encroaching darkness, my ears detected a deep voice chanting in drawled vowels punctuated by aspirated, dissonant consonants.

Using the sounds as a guide, I reached the center of the maze.

The secret garden!

Surrounded by flowering bushes, a stone statue of a fearsome dragon overlooked the middle of a square with lit candles around the base.

As the moon appeared from behind fast-moving clouds, it illuminated the square. Tall and stately, a solitary humanoid male figure drew himself to his full seven feet of height beneath the brilliant starlight.

Spiky and sharp, the base of the man's chin jutted in irregular angles. Even his prominent nose seemed jagged and pointed like a reptilian snout. Straight strands of spiky platinum-blond and icy-blue hair adorned his skull. Taut, bluish-white skin stretched across his long, narrow face.

When I gazed at him, fear and awe crawled up my spine. Thin, wiry muscles rippled across his neck and shoulders betrayed the grace and litheness of a natural predator.

When I drew closer, an icy breeze swept through the square, and the creature halted. He sniffed the air conspicuously, and I hid behind a dense evergreen shrub.

Seconds passed like hours. My heart pounded in my ears.

Did he see me? Would he attack?

My breathing quickened, and I covered my mouth to stifle the sound. We both remained silent for what seemed like an eternity. To my utmost relief, he resumed his chant as though nothing had happened. I exhaled the breath I was holding.

Thank the gods!

In an attempt to interpret the words of his chant, I analyzed the complex phonemes. I'd heard similar words before--I just couldn't remember where. Reaching into my pocket, I found my earbud, which could decode any official language into my native tongue.

A mechanical voice translated his chant.

My Father, keeper of the body,
Guide me to lead my troops
To victory and eternal glory.

My Mother, keeper of the soul,
Give me your honor, your courage,
Your strength, and your power.

My Sister, keeper of the mind,
Inspire me with the grace of
Your intellect and wisdom.

My Brother, keeper of the heart,
Protect the icy power within me and
Kindle the flame of my eternal love.

May I always make you proud.
May I always keep you alive.
May I always sense your spirit.

May you find peace
In my rightful vengeance.

The creature knelt and bowed before the monument until his forehead touched the ground. Another breeze whipped through the square, and the creature stopped again and sniffed the air. I swore I could hear him growl, and his language turned harsh.

My throat constricted as the creature said the same sounds over and over in a deadly monotone. When I replaced the earbud, the mechanical voice translated his words, and my heart went cold.

I know you are watching me.
I know you are watching me.
I know you are watching me.
I know ...

I ripped out the earbud, and I shuddered. Crouching towards the ground, I scurried towards the exit. As soon as I reached it, the boundary became denser and denser until it stymied every plan of escape.

I turned towards the eerie figure and gasped as Lord Darius' figure appeared before me. He replaced a metal helmet upon his head and pressed a button near his throat.

"Tell me, Helena, do you always spy on people's private lives?"

Drawing a shaky breath, I held my hand to my heart. It pounded with such force as though it wanted to break free of its corporeal prison. In a rush, it all came back to me. Why I was here. What my mission was. What I had to do.

"Where is Dahlroth?" My voice shook like the rest of my body. "We have to wake him."

"Indeed?" Lord Darius' voice thundered as he turned to face me.

"The rebel forces have kidnapped you. We need Dahlroth. The Khatanese are coming!"

Lord Darius whipped his black robes behind him and strode towards me. I backed up as far as I could until I hit the bushes, which had grown several feet in a manner of seconds.

The Shadow Rider stood only a foot away from me. "What makes you think I want you to wake that beast?" he roared. "Without my permission, you cannot bring him back."

My body trembled, and I scrunched up against the hedge to put some space between us. "Do you know what he is?" he asked. "What did you see?"

"I just saw your very pale face and hair. I heard a beautiful language," I said.

"You listened to my chant, didn't you?" he growled. "Didn't you?"

He took another step towards me so that our bodies touched every time I breathed. I yelped when he grabbed my upper arms. "Is nothing sacred to you, Helena?" he hissed. "Am I not allowed to meditate in peace? Am I not allowed to avenge my family's death?"

"Don't you see the Khatanese are using you?" I asked as I pressed against him. "They don't care about your revenge or your family. When Dahlroth reached out to me, they were torturing you."

"Helena, I feel nothing as a Shadow Rider."

"Dahlroth feels it," I said.

"Dahlroth is a monster."

"He wants you to stop this." I struggled to break free of his grip. "You have to let me find him!"

To my surprise, he held my right hand in both of his and pressed it to his heart. At that, I stopped struggling. "Helena, promise me you won't wake that monster from his slumber."

"Who ... is ... he?" I asked through clenched teeth. "Who ... are ... you? You're not Gatál. You're not Halcían." I paused. "You're not Dragonborn either, are you?"

He gave me a wry chuckle and directed his gaze towards the dragon statue. The Shadow Rider took my hands in his.

"I'm an ice dragon."

"An ice dragon?" I asked, wide-eyed.

"Almost full-blooded no less, with only a hint of Gatál blood. My dragon self is cunning, mighty, and extremely dangerous."

For a second, I was too shocked to respond--ice dragons were the stuff of legends. "How is that even possible?" I asked as I gaped at him. "I thought they went extinct long ago."

"I'm one of the last of my kind," he said. "Born human, I could morph into an ice dragon as soon as I turned sixteen. The Gatál King discovered my secret, captured me, and killed everyone I loved so that he could harness my power."

I gasped. "Ice dragons can lay waste to entire cities and armies within seconds."

"I'm almost immortal, so I couldn't kill myself. Instead, I found a way to keep myself hidden. I locked my true form and live on only in my Shadow form. Only one person can wake me from my slumber."

"Everyone else dies," I breathed.

"You do not want to witness how a powerful dragon like me can rage." Lord Darius pressed my back to his chest. "Marlena can sense it even in my Shadow form. Don't wake me, Helena."

"What would you have me do?" I asked, my jaw set. "Should I let the Khatanese ransack the castle? Would you kowtow to an even greater enemy just so that you can exact revenge?"

"If I have to choose between the Gatál King and or the Khatanese Empire, I choose Khatán."

"They just want your power, too," I said. "Can't you see?"

"We will get justice for your family's death and mine," Lord Darius said. "Most of our friends have every cause to join us. Axa, Lena, Alex. The Gatál have hurt all of them. They will all be spared."

"Do you really believe that?" I asked, wide-eyed. "The Khatanese don't care about our friends. They just want more land, more power. They're going to enslave you, and they will kill us!"

"Would you live to see the Gatál flag fly across the world?" he roared. "The Gatál must fall."

"Not like this!" I cried as I grabbed Lord Darius' arm. "We'll find another way to get justice."

With a furious shove, Lord Darius tossed me against the spiky greenery and threw off his helmet.

An arctic breeze swept through the gardens as though he could control weather itself. I cradled my freezing arms, and goosebumps rose upon my skin. Rime crystallized on the surface of the evergreen hedges.

"I can kill you with a single breath," he hissed. His breath crystallized the humidity in the air as he ripped off one of his gloves. "Or a single touch."

"If you want to kill me, then kill me."

His reptilian pupils dilated at my defiant gaze, his irises the palest gray with a hint of blue. At that moment, I no longer stared at a pair of metal slits on his helmet, but into his soul. I almost felt the depths of his pain, his suffering, his anger, and his guilt.

"Would you unleash such horror upon the world just to save your friends?" he asked, reaching a menacing hand towards me. "Why do you think I wear this armor? Even my Shadow is deadly."

"You don't want to kill me, though, do you?"

"One touch, and you die, Helena," he growled. "I can never know the comfort of a woman's touch because I kill everyone who tries."

"Cast aside your shadow self," I commanded. "You don't need to be afraid anymore. You aren't just a vicious monster--you're a good man with a good soul. I've spoken to him so many times."

When I took a step towards him, Lord Darius retreated from me.

"No, Helena. My dragon side is dangerous--much worse than my Shadow."

"Your draconic soul reached out to me and begged me to stop you," I cried. "Please, listen to him. He won't lay waste to everything just because he's a dragon. I know it."

"Leave me!" he roared. "Stay back! Don't touch me, or you'll die."

"I won't leave until you come back with me," I insisted. "Or until my body collapses under the weight of this magic."

"You would let me watch you kill yourself? Are you truly that cruel?"

Squaring my shoulders, I stepped towards him, and this time he didn't walk away. His nictating membranes closed, obscuring his frosty gaze with translucent eyelids.

"I won't watch you do this," he said in a pained whisper. "You're just a child."

"That's where you're wrong." I clutched his hand in mine. "I'm a strong woman."

As soon as my skin made contact with his, I drew a shaky breath through my teeth. His frost burned my flesh as pain seared across my skin, stabbing me like a thousand pins and needles.

I cried out in pain.

An arctic breeze rushed around us, blowing hail and ice crystals through the air. The bite of the frosty chill stung my skin, but I stood fast, grasping his hand.

When I rested my head against his chest, and I felt the beat of his racing heart.

He pulled away from me, and his eyelids flashed open. The ice dragon's pupils dilated in shock when I met his gaze.

"No, this isn't possible," he breathed. "Khrysakh?"

"Dahlroth, cast aside your Shadow self," I commanded in a firm tone. "Rise and follow me."

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A/N: Thanks so much for reading. If you enjoyed this chapter, it would be great if you could vote and/or comment. Any feedback or constructive critique is always greatly appreciated.

Please be aware that this is a raw, unedited draft and therefore subject to substantial changes. If you see anything amiss, please let me know.