But just as they were about to burst out from the western side and enter the magnificent, yet empty, central courtyard of the dragon's lair—now lit by scattered torches—a chaotic sound of footsteps and weary voices came from the other side of the hall.
"Damn weather… After patrolling this circle, I really need some wine to chase the cold away…"
"The dragon's lair is warm, yet this sulfur smell gives me a headache…"
It was a patrol of Dragon Guards! At least five or six men, armed with spears and swords at their waists!
Both sides froze at opposite ends of the wide hall.
Torchlight flickered, casting the figures of Gyles and the others—and the three young dragons—onto the opposite stone wall, leaving nowhere to hide.
"Who goes there?! Halt!" The patrol captain reacted first, shouting as he drew a long sword from his belt with a thunderous clang.
"Spotted!" Lucerys exclaimed, his face pale.
"Then move!!" Jacaerys' eyes flashed brightly.
He jabbed Vermax in the belly and hissed, "Vermax! Drive them fast!!"
"Rrrr!"
The dark-green young dragon emitted a fierce, roaring snarl, the sound wave rattling dust across the hall.
Her claws tore at the floor, stones shattering beneath them, her massive body like a dark-green arrow released from its chains, surging toward the patrol.
The patrol team was stunned.
They had never faced a frontal attack by a controlled dragon inside the dragon's lair!
Instinctively, one man raised a spear, its tip trembling; another tried to dodge behind a stone column, unsteady.
"They're stealing dragons! It's Jacaerys! Halt! Stop them!!" The patrol captain, though trying to remain calm, hissed as he retreated, attempting to organize a fragile line of defense.
A few scattered arrows flew crookedly, hitting dragon scales or stone floors; for the young dragon, they were nothing but a tickle.
"Stand back!!" Jacaerys leaned close to the dragon's neck.
Vermax's momentum did not falter, and as they neared, he suddenly opened his bloodied jaws and bit down on the patrol captain, who was still issuing commands.
"Snap! Puff!"
The sound of cracking bones and tearing flesh erupted simultaneously!
The captain never had a chance to scream; his upper body was effortlessly torn apart and swallowed by the dragon's jaws. Blood and entrails splattered across the floor.
The remaining patrol guards panicked and scattered, taking cover behind stone columns and shadows.
Vermax thundered past them.
Lucerys and Joffrey followed, Arrax and Tyraxes at their heels, roaring fiercely, their dragons' power surging.
The scattered patrol huddled in a corner, watching the three dragons rush toward the only exit beyond the hall—the massive bronze gates, not fully closed tonight, providing a narrow escape.
Beyond the doors, the wind and rain rushed in.
Success was close!
But as they ran across the center of the hall, Jacaerys' gaze fell on a wooden viewing platform, temporarily built for a recent show, an engagement platform, and piles of dry wood nearby, ready for repairs to the dragon's lair.
A wild, dangerous, yet irresistible idea struck him.
Why?
Why should they slip away like grieving hounds?
Why could Aemond have senselessly seized their dragons and trampled their pride, and yet, when they reclaimed their partners, they fled like thieves?
Why should the Green Party occupy King's Landing and fortify the Red Keep, enjoying all the glory and power that rightfully belonged to his mother?
They had suffocated Vermax!
The young dragon's forward momentum halted. He turned his massive head, amber vertical pupils fixed suspiciously on his master, emitting a low groan.
"Jacaerys! What are you doing? Get out of here!" Lucerys exhaled in worry.
The whistle from the outer watchtower sounded urgently, faint cries echoing—their time was running out!
Jacaerys turned, his face tense and agitated.
"Let's just leave?" he said, heart hammering, excitement and fury in equal measure.
He reached back and untied the heavy leather he had prepared—the kerosene!
He carried it forward, planning to ignite the dragon's lair if possible, but tonight, heavy rain fell…
Still, if he could not burn them all, setting the Green Party's lackeys ablaze would ease the hatred in his heart.
"That's it… Enough?"
"My lord! What do you intend?!" Gyles' voice trembled as he followed.
"We stick to the plan—take the dragons and get out!"
Jacaerys did not answer, but suddenly opened the kerosene flask; a sharp, acrid smell filled the air.
He looked at his dragon and whispered in High Valyrian, almost inaudibly yet unmistakably:
"Dracarys…"
He pointed to the pile of wood, the viewing platform, the high platform. "Burn them!"
"No! Your Grace! Absolutely not!!" Gyles' face changed sharply.
"Setting the dragon's lair ablaze is an open declaration of war!"
"The Greens will never surrender! Many will die!"
"Declare war?!" Jacaerys glared at Gyles, eyes wide, bloodshot with fury.
"What do you think this is now?!"
"Playing family?! Huh?!"
"Since he harmed me on Chaotou Island and blinded me, the blood feud began!"
"Since he detained our dragons and locked them in this dark prison, war has begun!"
Suddenly, he removed the black patch covering his left eye, revealing the long-healed but terrifying socket, pointing to it furiously.
"Did they ever care for the rest of their family's bloodline?!
Did you ever consider we also have Targaryen blood?!"
He turned to pale Rutherys and trembling Joffrey, almost mad with rebellion:
"Burn! Burn it all!!"
"Let Aemond! Let Alicent! Let all usurpers see!"
"We will show them fire!"
"Jacaerys! You're insane!" Lucerys' voice quivered, trying one last plea.
"Then let them burn!!" Jacaerys cut him off, staring at Lucerys with one eye.
"Lucerys! Don't forget Chaotou Island! That's on you!"
The words pierced Rutherys' heart.
"…Fine." Lucerys nodded, obeying his brother, taking another kerosene pack thrown by Jacaerys.
"No! Your Grace Rutherys! Think of the consequences!" Gyles tried to intervene.
But Jacaerys ignored him.
He grabbed the soaked leather, opened it, and hurried to the area of dry repaired wood and waterproof old canvas, pouring kerosene generously.
The black liquid soaked in, dripping into the canvas.
Joffrey glanced at his two brothers and, imitating them, poured kerosene on the nearest pile of wood.
Gyles and the three other Dragon Guards exchanged grim looks.
They did their best.
A silent agreement passed between them:
"Your Grace! If you burn it, leave immediately! Do not stop!"
Gyles shouted to Jacaerys, then, with his men, dashed to another dark fork.
At that moment, kerosene spilled across the Dragon Lair Courtyard.
Outside, cries, whistle blasts, heavy footsteps, and the clash of armor from the watchtowers grew louder and denser.
The defenders outside had surely noticed the anomaly and were gathering desperately!
"Enemy attack!"
"Close the gate! Close it now, damn it!"
"Who's in charge of the doors?! Why isn't it secure?!"
Outside, a chaotic roar accompanied by the sound of soldiers trying to push the massive door echoed.
Jacaerys mounted Vermax, gazing down at his "masterpiece" with a wicked, satisfied smile.
"You ready, friend?" he murmured to Vermax's scales behind the ear.
"Let's… send these usurpers a congratulatory gift."
He drew a deep breath, chest expanding, and with all his strength and hatred, roared a single word that ignited everything:
"DRACARYS!"
Vermax lifted his head, neck muscles bulging, and a blinding orange-red flame shot from his throat!
In the next second—BOOM—!!!
Not mere ignition, but a massive explosion!
The kerosene-soaked piles ignited instantly, the fire rolling into a furious sphere, leaping skyward with astonishing speed.
"Crack! Snap! Bang!!"
The dry wooden framework erupted in a terrifying, joyous explosion.
Flames licked everything burnable: the viewing platform, the Green Party flag, stacked construction materials…
Smoke rose, black and gray, mixed with the acrid scent of burning, filling the square and reaching the dome above.
A wall of heat crashed down, scorching, nearly impossible to breathe.
"Success! It's burning! Ha-ha-ha!!" Jacaerys laughed amid the heat and smoke.
"Burn! Burn it harder! Reduce it all to ashes!!"
"Jacaerys! Move! Now!!" Lucerys coughed violently, choking on smoke.
The flames lit the entire Dragon Lair Hall, casting a terrifying, pulsating red glow through the gaps in the bronze gates into the rainy night outside, turning the falling rain into rivers of blood-red light.
Meanwhile, every guard in other parts of the lair was fully alarmed by the sudden fire, the heat, and the roaring blaze.
"The Dragon Lair is burning!!"
"There's a dragon! A dragon breathing fire!!"
"Enemy attack! The mafia has stolen the dragons again! Stop them!!"
"Put out the fire!"
"Sound the alarm! Inform the Red Keep! Alert the barracks! Everyone on duty!!"
Panicked, hoarse shouts filled the hall, chaotic footsteps surged like a tide.
But the growing flames and rising smoke became the most effective barrier.
The first Dragon Guards rushing inside were blasted back by waves of heat; some were struck by thick burning timber, instantly turning into roaring fireballs.
Chaos—pure chaos.
"Run!!" Jacaerys no longer restrained by the fiery inferno, rode Vermax toward the heavy bronze gates.
The gap in the door was narrow, but for a desperate young dragon, it was enough.
"Vermax! Break it down!!" Jacaerys roared.
The dark-green young dragon summoned all his strength, releasing a deafening roar, rear muscles bulging as he smashed the gate with his head like a battering ram.
"Whoa!"
With the screech of twisting metal, the partially closed door flew open!
Cold rain and wind surged in like a broken dam, whipped by the flames and waves of heat, sending scalding white-hot steam hissing into the hall.
"Go!!" Jacaerys surged forward, bursting through the gap.
Lucerys and Joffrey, never daring to falter, clenched their teeth, riding their equally frightened and excited dragons out of the fire and steam!
As they emerged from the dragon's lair, their figures were fully exposed to the curtain of rain and the watchtower's line of sight.
"Bell! Bell! Bell! Bell!!"
At the highest tower of the outpost, the massive bronze alarm bell rang loudly!
Insistent, mournful, piercing—the bell's sound spread across Rhaenys' Hill, echoing wildly across every corner of the sleeping King's Landing below.