At that moment, the Mother of Dragons made a sudden move. She stopped her thrashing and bolted out of the dragon nest, trying to take off into the air.
"Quick, get Dreamshade higher—she's coming our way!" Aegon said urgently.
Daenys hurried to guide Dreamshade upward, steering away from the Mother of Dragons.
They hovered thousands of meters above the ground, watching the Mother of Dragons' every move from high above.
Daenys asked, puzzled, "It looks like she's flying out of the Abyss of Flames. Are we still going after the Dragonkeepers?"
"Follow her. Let's see what she's up to," Aegon replied.
The Mother of Dragons flew swiftly toward another canyon nestled in the Flaming Peaks, a vast forest spread out below it. Even at full speed, she was still no match for Dreamshade, who effortlessly tailed her from behind and above.
"What's she doing at another dragon's lair?"
"Looking for an old flame?" Aegon replied instinctively. As soon as the words left his mouth, Daenys raised her hand and smacked him on the head.
The Mother of Dragons landed at the edge of the forest and crawled to a cave whose entrance was tangled with thick tree roots.
The dragon inside seemed startled by her arrival and let out a series of low, menacing roars.
The entrance was too narrow for the Mother of Dragons to squeeze through. She stuck her head in to peer inside, and after a moment, her emotions spiked—something had clearly caught her attention. She began clawing furiously at the entrance, sending dirt flying in all directions.
She was like a living excavator, tearing into the dragon's nest with reckless abandon. When she'd widened the opening enough to fit her massive frame, she curled her body and slowly slithered inside, vanishing underground.
"Is she really... doing that with another dragon?" Daenys said blankly.
"Do you even know how male and female dragons behave?" Aegon asked with a grin.
Daenys shot him a vicious glare.
They hadn't had time to say much more when a long, agonized roar echoed from below. The sound was so heart-wrenching it felt more like a wail of grief than a cry of pain.
"Sounds like the dragon inside is being forced by her..." Aegon muttered, eyes locked on the opening of the dragonpit.
"Can you stop thinking about such nonsense?" Daenys shook her head helplessly and shifted her hips, adjusting herself for a more comfortable seat.
The dragon's cries continued to echo from the cave but suddenly fell silent after a moment.
Roughly fifteen minutes passed before the silence was broken again. The Mother of Dragons slowly emerged, a half-eaten green dragon head dangling from her jaws. She chewed it contentedly, then lifted her head and swallowed it whole—scales, bones, and all.
Now visibly calmer, the Mother of Dragons turned to glance back at the cave. She opened her mouth, gathering a thick, searing stream of dragonfire, and unleashed it into the tunnel. Within seconds, the cave turned into molten rock, then collapsed entirely.
With that done, she raised her head toward Dreamshade and let out two loud, threatening roars. Then she broke into a run, leapt into the air, and soared off toward the Abyss of Flames.
Daenys covered her mouth in shock, unable to speak.
"She ate one of her own kind," Aegon said grimly, his gaze following the retreating silhouette of the Mother of Dragons as she disappeared into the sky. "And after eating that green dragon, she calmed down. The shriveled, withered look she had before is gone—and her body looks even stronger now."
"Aegon, let's just give up," Daenys said, her voice small and uncertain, clearly wavering.
Aegon shook his head gently. "Based on how House Aurélion has targeted my dragon-taming, it's clear they haven't let go of their goal to eliminate me—or perhaps they've set their sights on House Targaryen as a whole. In their eyes, a royal-class dragon should only be tamed by a direct heir of the true dragon bloodline. Originally, their plan was probably meant for Gaemon."
Daenys quickly turned around on the dragon saddle, facing Aegon. She cupped his face in both hands.
"I don't want to lose another loved one."
She leaned in and kissed him softly, a kiss that lingered before they slowly pulled apart.
Aegon gently raised a hand to her neck, looking into her eyes as tears welled up.
"Every map we've found so far only marks young or adolescent dragons. We're up against a powerful enemy now—so the stronger we are, the better. The more vicious the Mother of Dragons becomes, the harder it will be for them to deal with her.
For our house... and for the future... I want to give this one more try."
Daenys pressed her lips together and nodded, then buried her head against Aegon's chest. Her warm tongue began to softly trace across his skin, just like in the dream from before. But this time, they were both fully awake—fully aware of their actions. It wasn't primal instinct driving them now, but something deeper, a shared resolve from the heart.
Aegon gently stroked her silky silver hair.
Under Daenys' mental command, Dreamshade glided smoothly toward the Abyss of Flames. During the descent, Daenys tenderly cleaned Aegon's body with her mouth. At that very moment, Dreamshade flew directly over the Abyss of Flames.
Once her emotions had calmed, Daenys steered Dreamshade toward the cliff face where the Dragonkeepers had last taken shelter.
Aegon activated the chip's infrared imaging and scanned the area below—and sure enough, he spotted signs of movement.
There was a brightly glowing heat signature on a tree stump—clearly, these Dragonkeepers had no experience with modern warfare. They didn't realize that relieving themselves on the battlefield could easily give away their position. Aegon had Dreamshade sweep the area repeatedly, and sure enough, they discovered the hidden cave where the Dragonkeepers were holed up.
Daenys brought Dreamshade to a stop at the cave entrance, then aimed Dragon's Kiss directly inside.
"Dracarys," she murmured.
A torrent of silver dragonfire surged into the cave like a flood. Almost instantly, the Dragonkeepers' agonized screams rang out. At that moment, Aegon noticed something surprising: several escape and ventilation shafts were hidden elsewhere along the mountainside, and Dreamshade's flames were bursting out of them too.
These Dragonkeepers were certainly cunning—setting up multiple exits like a rabbit with three burrows. But now, with a single sweep of dragonfire, they were being wiped out completely.
After three powerful breaths, Dreamshade gradually stopped. Aegon and Daenys crouched cautiously near the entrance, but after a long wait, no one emerged. They didn't dare charge in recklessly, worried the cave might be trapped. For now, the assault on the Dragonkeepers had to be called off.
Just as Aegon and Daenys were preparing to ride Dreamshade back to the riverbank to rest...
The Mother of Dragons, alerted by the commotion near the nest, came crashing toward the base of the mountainside. Under the moonlight, the enormous beast fixed her two glowing, table-sized eyes on Aegon. Strangely, she didn't attack.
Instead, she slowly crept to a corner of the rock face and gently rested one of her wings against it. Her truck-sized head stretched forward, and she opened her mouth toward Aegon, smacking her lips twice.
Aegon immediately realized this was a perfect chance to tame her.
He quickly told Daenys to take Dreamshade back to the Dragonkeepers' cave. That way, they'd have a safe retreat if anything went wrong, and it would also prevent any surviving Dragonkeepers from interfering during the taming process.
Aegon retrieved a blood orchid from his item space and cautiously stepped onto a rocky ledge above the Mother of Dragons' mouth.
"Big girl, want to eat this plant?" he called down in High Valyrian, his voice echoing across the valley.
To his surprise, the Mother of Dragons gave a slow, dazed nod. Her massive chin bumped the cliffside, smashing deep craters into the stone with a series of dull thuds.
"Be my dragon. Form a mental bond with me, and I'll give you all the magic herbs you want." Aegon plucked off a piece of blood orchid and hurled it down the cliff.
The Mother of Dragons didn't hesitate—her tongue shot out like lightning, snatched the herb, and swallowed it whole. Within seconds, her eyes turned glassy, her pupils half-shut. Her body became jittery with manic energy. Her wings twitched uncontrollably, and her tail thrashed wildly, stirring up gusts of wind.
Aegon stared blankly at her reaction, silently cursing to himself, She's completely high off that...
The Mother of Dragons panted heavily, tongue lolling out as she exhaled waves of hot air. Her low growls made it clear—she wanted more.
Aegon shouted again in High Valyrian, "Form a mental bond with me, and I'll give you the blood orchid. No bond, no herb!"
The Mother of Dragons swayed her head slightly, then parted her jaws. A blast of molten heat swelled in her throat as her pupils locked onto Aegon, eyes fierce and unblinking—clearly telling him, Give me the herb, or you die.
Aegon's temper flared. He placed the blood orchid on a nearby rock, then grabbed another stone, lifted it high, and yelled threateningly, "If you don't let me ride you, I'll smash the blood orchid right now!"