However, just as they were about to rush out of the western sector and step into the vast yet empty central plaza of the Dragonpit—its expanse illuminated only by a few scattered torches—a burst of disorderly footsteps and weary voices came from the entrance on the other side of the plaza!
"Gods, this cursed weather… After this round, I'm finding some wine to drive out the cold…"
"It's warmer inside the Dragonpit, at least. But the stink of sulfur makes your head ache…"
It was a patrol of dragon guards! At least five or six men, spears in hand and swords at their waists!
Both sides froze at opposite ends of the wide hall at the same time!
Torchlight flickered, casting the figures of Gaels and the others—along with the three rider-mounted young dragons—clearly against the stone wall opposite them, leaving nowhere to hide!
"Who goes there?! Halt!" The patrol captain reacted first, shouting sharply as his sword rang from its sheath.
"We've been discovered!" Lucerys cried out in alarm, his face turning pale.
"Then we charge through!!" Jacaerys' eyes flashed with savage resolve.
He clamped his legs against the dragon's belly and shouted hoarsely, "Vermax! Break through them!!"
"ROAR!"
The dark-green young dragon released a ferocious roar of intimidation, the sound shaking dust loose from the hall's ceiling!
Its hind legs slammed against the ground, stone cracking beneath the force, as its massive body shot forward like a dark-green arrow loosed from a bow, carrying a gust of foul wind as it charged straight toward the patrol!
The patrol guards turned pale with shock!
Never before had they faced the direct charge of a rider-mounted dragon inside the Dragonpit!
In panic, one man instinctively raised his spear, its tip trembling; another tried to dart behind a stone pillar, stumbling over his own feet.
"They're stealing dragons! It's the Blacks! It's Jacaerys! Stop them! Stop them!!" The patrol captain, still relatively composed, barked orders as he hurried backward, trying to form a fragile defensive line.
A few scattered arrows were loosed in haste, flying crookedly without aim. They clattered uselessly against dragon scales or the stone floor. To the young dragon, such attacks were little more than scratching an itch.
"Out of the way!!" Jacaerys lowered his body, pressed against the dragon's neck.
Vermax's charge did not slow. In the instant they closed the distance, the dragon suddenly opened its blood-soaked maw and lunged at the patrol captain who was still shouting orders!
Crack! Splurt!
The sound of shattering bone and tearing flesh burst out at the same moment!
The captain did not even have time to scream. His upper body was severed and swallowed by the dragon's teeth with ease, blood and viscera splattering across the ground!
The remaining dragon guards were terrified out of their wits!
Facing the grotesque young dragon rushing toward them with a mangled corpse clamped in its jaws—they screamed and completely collapsed in panic, scrambling toward the stone pillars and shadows on both sides.
Vermax burst straight through their ranks.
Lucerys and Joffrey followed close behind. Arrax and Tyraxes mimicked the display, letting out threatening roars as dragon-fear spread through the hall.
The scattered patrol cowered in the corners, watching helplessly as the three dragons charged toward the plaza's only exit—the massive bronze gate that had not been fully closed tonight, leaving a narrow opening.
Beyond the gate, the scent of wind and rain was clear.
Success was within reach!
But just as they were rushing past the center of the great hall, Jacaerys' gaze was drawn to the wooden viewing stands that had been temporarily erected for some recent event, to the raised engagement platform, and to the mountain of dry timber stacked beside them, prepared for repairs to the Dragonpit.
A mad and dangerous thought—yet one filled with irresistible temptation.
Why?
Why should they only sneak away like stray dogs?
Why could Aemond freely detain their dragons and trample on their dignity, yet after reclaiming their own companions they had to flee in panic like thieves?
Why could the Greens securely occupy King's Landing, squat in the Red Keep, and enjoy all the glory and power that should have belonged to his mother?
He jerked hard on Vermax's reins!
The young dragon's charging momentum faltered. It twisted its enormous head, its amber slit pupils looking at its rider in confusion as it let out a low rumbling growl.
"Jacaerys! What's wrong? Get out of here!" Lucerys shouted anxiously.
The alarm horns from the watchtowers outside seemed to have been stirred by the commotion inside; urgent shouts could faintly be heard. There was no time left!
Jacaerys turned back, that expression on his face wild and excited.
"We're just leaving like this?" he said, in a voice that was chilling, yet trembling with excitement held to the very limit.
He reached behind his back and pulled down a heavy leather sack—it was fire oil he had prepared beforehand!
He had been carrying it the whole time, intending to find a chance to burn the Dragonpit. Unfortunately, it had rained heavily tonight…
But even if he could not burn the entire place, burning these running dogs of the Greens to death would still ease the hatred in his heart!
"Just like this… letting them off so cheaply?"
"My lord! What do you intend to do?!" Unease surged in Gaels' heart as he hurried after him.
"We follow the original plan—take the dragons and leave!"
Jacaerys gave no answer. Instead, he suddenly yanked open the stopper of the leather sack, and the pungent stench of oil instantly spread through the air!
He looked at his dragon and, in a voice nearly a whisper yet perfectly clear, gave the command in High Valyrian: "Dracarys…"
He raised his hand and pointed toward the stacked timber, the viewing stands, and the raised platform.
"…burn them!"
"No! Your Highness! Absolutely not!!" Gaels instantly understood his intent, his face changing drastically.
"Setting fire to the Dragonpit is an open declaration of war!"
"The Greens will never let it go! Many people will die!"
"A declaration of war?!" Jacaerys glared fiercely at Gaels, his single eye wide, bloodshot within.
"What do you think this is now?"
"A children's game?!"
"From the moment he harmed me on Driftmark and took this eye of mine, a blood feud was already forged!"
"From the moment he detained our dragons and locked them in this sunless prison, the war had already begun!"
He suddenly tore away the black eyepatch that had been covering his left eye, revealing the already-healed but grotesque empty socket, pointing at it with agitation and fury.
"Did they ever leave us any room for mercy?! Did they ever care even a little about law or kinship?!"
"Did they ever remember that Targaryen blood also flows in us?!"
He turned toward the pale-faced Lucerys and the trembling Joffrey, speaking with a kind of inciting, almost frenzied persuasion: "Burn!"
"Burn it all!!"
"Let Aemond! Let Alicent! Let every usurper see!"
"We will tell them with fire!"
"Jacaerys! You've gone mad!" Lucerys' voice trembled as he tried to make a final attempt to stop him.
"Then let them come!!" Jacaerys roared, cutting him off. His single eye fixed on Lucerys. "Lucerys! Don't forget Driftmark! It was you!"
That last sentence stabbed hard into Lucerys' heart.
Driftmark. The incident there. The lost eye…
"…Alright." Lucerys nodded. He had no choice but to obey his elder brother. He caught the other sack of fire oil that Jacaerys threw to him.
"No! Prince Lucerys! You cannot! Think of the consequences!" Gaels tried to rush forward to stop them.
But Jacaerys no longer paid him any heed.
He seized the bulging leather sack himself, twisted it open, and rushed toward a section piled high with dry repair timber and old waterproof canvas, splashing the thick, pungent fire oil everywhere!
The black liquid gushed out, soaking into the wood and seeping into the canvas.
Joffrey looked at his two brothers, then at the growing clamor outside. Gritting his teeth, he took a sack of fire oil as well and copied them, pouring it over a nearby pile of timber.
Gaels exchanged glances with the other three dragon guards.
They had already done everything they could.
They quickly met each other's eyes and came to an understanding.
"Your Highness! Once the fire is lit, charge straight out at once! Do not stop under any circumstances!" Gaels shouted one last time to Jacaerys. Then he turned and, with his men, dashed down another dark branching passage.
By now, inside the Dragonpit plaza, fire oil had been splashed everywhere.
Outside the gate, the shouting from the watchtowers, the alarm horns, heavy footsteps, and the clatter of armor were growing clearer and denser. The garrison outside had surely discovered something was wrong and was gathering in a frenzy!
"Enemy attack!"
"Shut the gate! Close the bloody gate!"
"Who was responsible for the gate?! Why wasn't it shut properly?!"
Chaotic shouts came from outside, mixed with the groaning creak of the great gate being pushed and the noise of soldiers running.
Jacaerys mounted Vermax again, looking down from above at his "work," the corner of his mouth twisting into a crooked, satisfied grin.
"Are you ready, my partner?" He leaned down and whispered against the finest scales behind Vermax's ear.
"Let us… send these usurpers a gift."
He straightened in the saddle, took a deep breath, his chest expanding. With all his strength and all his hatred, he roared hoarsely the word that would ignite everything—and burn everything down.
"DRACARYS!"
Vermax raised his head. The muscles along his neck swelled like stone, and a dazzling orange-red glow suddenly burst from deep within his throat!
The next second—
BOOOOM—!!!
It was not a simple ignition, but a violent explosion!!
The materials soaked in fire oil ignited the instant the dragonfire touched them. The flames swelled outward in a savage sphere, spreading, linking, and surging skyward with astonishing speed!
Crackle! Snap! BOOM!!
The dry wooden frames burst apart with a dreadful yet almost eager cracking sound.
The flames were alive. They greedily licked everything in the plaza that could burn: the ornate wood of the viewing stands, the Green banners hanging down, the stacked construction materials…
Thick smoke rolled upward, black-gray and mixed with a sharp burnt stench. It quickly filled the entire plaza, surging toward the dome above.
The heat came like a solid wall of fire, carrying a searing temperature that rushed toward them, almost making it impossible to breathe.
"It worked! It's burning! Hahaha!!" Jacaerys laughed wildly amid the scorching air and the thick smoke.
"Burn! Burn hotter! Burn everything here to ashes!!"
"Jacaerys! We're leaving! Go! Now!!" Lucerys coughed violently, choking on the smoke.
The flames not only illuminated the entire Dragonpit hall, but also shone through the gap of the bronze gate, casting a terrifying, flickering crimson light into the rainy night outside, dyeing even the falling rain red like blood.
At the same time, all the guards in the other areas of the Dragonpit were completely alarmed by the sudden explosion, the towering flames, and the scorching heat.
"The Dragonpit is on fire!!"
"A dragon! A dragon is breathing fire!!"
"Enemy attack! The Blacks are stealing dragons again! Stop them!!"
"Put out the fire!"
"Ring the alarm bell! Inform the Red Keep! Inform the barracks! Everyone assemble!!"
Panicked and hoarse shouts came from every direction, and chaotic footsteps surged toward the plaza like a tide.
But the towering flames and the rolling smoke became the most effective barrier.
Several dragon guards who rushed in first were violently forced back by the heat wave. One was struck by a thick burning beam falling from above, instantly turning into a screaming ball of fire that struggled a few times before going still.
Chaos—complete chaos!
"Charge out!!" No longer lingering over the inferno he had created, he drove Vermax sharply around, facing the heavy bronze gate.
The gap in the gate was not large, but for desperate young dragons, it was enough.
"Vermax! Smash it open!!" Jacaerys roared.
The dark-green young dragon gathered all its strength, releasing a thunderous and savage roar. The muscles of its hind legs bulged as it kicked violently against the ground—accelerating!
Lowering its head, it slammed its skull—covered with hard scales and thick bone plates—like a battering ram straight into the bronze gate on the left, which had been closed more tightly.
CLANG!
With a scream of twisting metal, the gate—which had not been fully shut to begin with—was forced open!
Freezing rain and violent wind instantly poured in like a breached dam, crashing against the scorching air inside the hall. With a violent hiss, clouds of white scalding steam erupted.
"Go!!" Jacaerys led the charge, rushing out through the opening on Vermax.
Lucerys and Joffrey did not dare hesitate in the slightest. Gritting their teeth, they drove their dragon companions—equally frightened and exhilarated—straight through the firelight and steam after him!
The moment they burst out of the Dragonpit, their figures fully exposed beneath the torrential rain and within the sight of the watchtowers—
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!!!
At the highest watchtower, the great bronze alarm bell was struck madly by the garrison!
The urgent, shrill, and piercing toll rang across all of Rhaenys's Hill, spreading wildly toward every corner of the sleeping city of King's Landing below.
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