Aa
Kira, Seren, and the lantern followed the signs to a hidden holding place. There they found a dragon held in chains. Human-made restraints kept it trapped, and it could not fly.
The dragon said it knew the road to the volcanic hearth. Kira needed that knowledge to keep the mission going. But the dragon looked at them with open hatred and made it clear that it did not trust humans.
Kira judged that freeing it was worth the danger. She opened the chains and let it go. The dragon survived, and once it was free, it could move with them again.
Before it agreed to help, the dragon demanded a bargain. It wanted Kira and Seren to take it back to its own lair after the journey. Kira accepted, because they needed the way forward more than they needed comfort.
After that, the dragon led Kira and Seren toward the volcanic hearth. Its knowledge made the route clearer and shorter. For the rest of the journey, they had to rely on an ally who still hated humans.
Kira also learned that the dragon’s injury and captivity came from human actions. That made the alliance uneasy, but it still held. The three of them went on together toward the mountain and the hearth.