Blood of the Dragon: An NA Epic Fantasy

by Warren, Samantha

  He saw his sister sitting in her chair on the dais already. She had been out there alone too long and was looking back toward the curtain with irritation apparent on her face. He hated his sister. He hated that snobby, pig-like nose. He hated that coarse blonde hair. He hated the way her pudgy arms drooped over the edge of the chair and brushed his. He hated the way she always tried to tell him what to do, even though she was younger and he was the king. Sighing in disgust, he stepped out from behind the curtain. The herald pounded his staff on the floor and ordered the attendants to rise. Alured took his seat quickly, inching as far away from Slyvania as possible.

  "You are late," she growled into his ear. He hated her voice. It was deep, raspy, and demanding. People always bowed to her will, simply because she did not relent when she wanted something. They gave her what she wanted to make her shut up.

  "I'm the king. I'm never late," he spat back.

  Her glare threatened to tear him in two and he turned back to the crowd. They were already clamoring for his attention. Months ago he had instituted a first-come, first-served policy. Lines had begun forming days in advance and the crowds often became unruly, pushing and shoving to get to the front. A young child had been brutally mangled during one such encounter and he immediately put a stop to it. After compensating the child's family handsomely, much to his sister's dismay, Alured changed the way meetings were handled.

  Beginning at daybreak, a steward would hand out numbers to those who arrived at the gates. Only one hundred numbers would be handed out each meeting and all one hundred people were guaranteed to be seen. This method had several effects, some unforeseen. First, it cut back on the crowds outside the gates. A line would form early in the morning, controlled by an increased guard contingent, and once the numbers were handed out, the crowd would be dispersed. Second, he noticed that he was dealing with more of the important issues, as those who felt they had a very serious problem took measures to ensure that they received a number.

  There were some undesired results, however. The room was still filled to capacity, this time mostly with people who felt they should be seen despite their lack of a number. Most of these included rich, snooty people who did not think they should have to wait in line for a number to gain an audience with a king. Luckily, most of those 'special people' gave up after being ignored and slighted for several hours and went home. Some were very persistent, though, and his guards almost always ended up throwing at least one pretentious person out the front doors. It was quite satisfying to hear the spluttering protests of those who had been coddled all their lives as a lowly, penniless farmer was stepping forward to be heard.

  Alured also made sure he saw those who truly needed to be seen but had been unable to get a number. He had employed several spies, some dressed as farmers, others as lords. Their sole job was to wander the crowds, speaking casually with those present, discovering if any pressing concerns needed to be addressed that day, rather than two weeks from then. On more than one occasion, it had literally meant the difference between life and death for some poor fellow.

  As Alured surveyed the crowd and reflected once more on how much he hated these meetings, the first complainant stepped up. His lip twitched in disappointment as he realized it was a wealthy merchant, dressed in his finest clothes, clothes that cost more than they should have and were almost as ugly as Slyvania. Alured bit his tongue to keep from chuckling at this last thought. He waved his hand for the sniveling lump of flesh to begin. It took the man five minutes to just get to his question. Once the man finally stumbled and stuttered and got to the point, it took every ounce of willpower for the king to not throw his pointy, tight, uncomfortable shoes at the man's bulbous head. Not a good start to the day. Steeling his nerves, Alured calmly told the man that invitations for the royal ball, which was still six months away and which the man had requested his daughter be allowed to attend, would be sent out in three months and the man would know then whether his daughter was invited. The king dismissed him and moved on to the next man.

  After fifty complaints had been heard, Alured motioned for a pause. A brief meal of cold meat, bread, and cheese spared him for a quarter of an hour, and then he was back in his own private hell. As the sky darkened outside the high windows, Slyvania leaned heavily against him. A quick inspection through slanted eyes told him she was asleep and her snores confirmed his suspicions. He nudged his sister softly, but she did not rouse. His second attempt was as unsuccessful as his first. Irritation overcame him and he jabbed her in the side with his elbow. A brief giggle escaped the woman waiting in front of him before she clapped her hands over her mouth. He smirked happily as his sister glared at him and he granted the woman's request, giving her a little extra in the deal.

  By the time the last beggar had left, Alured was bone tired, starving, and his head throbbed with every heartbeat. Slyvania, having slept soundly through the second half of the meeting, was bright-eyed, bushy-tailed, and would not shut up. Alured left her chatting away in the meeting room and headed to his chambers. He sent for a servant to bring him supper and another servant helped him remove his oppressing garb.

  Once he was disrobed and dressed in a cotton nightshirt, he flopped into the overstuffed chair near the empty fireplace and blew out a heavy breath. He had been doing this for way too long and he didn't know how much more he could handle. Slyvania was constantly nagging him about some project or another, for which money could most likely not be found. The kingdom was up to its eyeballs in debt; luckily for his treasurer, most people were too scared to come forward and claim what was owed them.

  His military commander was overzealous and had been pushing him to crack down on Gypsies, Hidden, and some new thing called the Secret Coalition. He had also heard something about a dragon being born who might possibly be the heir to Sigurd, one of the greatest dragon kings to ever exist, murdered by Alured's own ancestor. Alured's dragon, Apoph II, was technically Sigurd's nephew. The last thing he needed was a hatchling bent on revenge.

  Alured and his dragon had often spent many hours in seclusion, discussing politics and the necessity of a kingship. They read numerous texts about the Coalition of Man and Beast and Alured could not, in all honesty, deny the merits of the Coalition. He had often thought about creating something similar, perhaps repairing the broken relationship the humans held with the other races of Layr. But he knew in his heart how likely it was that such an endeavor would fail.

  His sister would be wholeheartedly against it. She loved to go down to the pens and torture the dragons. He had heard of her cruelty and despite his efforts to rein her in, she maintained her anger and hatred toward the creatures. Just recently he was confronted by the irate keeper who ran the hatchery. Slyvania had been down there, verbally abusing the mothers who sat incubating their eggs. One dragon was pushed over the limit and raged at the princess. The woman's response had been to have the egg destroyed as the mother watched. Alured banned his sister from the hatchery, but the damage had been done. The egg had been a rare fire-breathing species, very near maturation. The creature would have offered a crucial boost in defense along the borders.

  Alured's military commander would also heartily object to any suggestion of a coalition. The man was firmly in charge of the military, thus he effectively controlled the government, as well. He was respectful of the kingship, which kept him in check thus far, but Alured had to be cautious in dealing with the man. While much of the military would likely remain loyal to the king, the commander could easily convince a large portion of the forces to defect, taking the all-important dragons with them.

  Alured crawled into bed after a light supper, his heart heavy. He knew a change must be made, but he did not know what that change would be, or how to affect it. Sleep did not come easily and dawn was breaking over the mountains before a miniature red dragon began chasing him through his dreams.

  Chapter 11

  Dawn broke over Rona, but the sun remained hidden. It would not bless the city with its warmth this d
ay. Alured woke, fatigued from a restless night. With the aid of his servants, he dressed himself and went to the next room to join his sister at his private table. Slyvania was already wolfing down breakfast—a hearty meal of biscuits and gravy, ham and sausage, eggs and warm bread.

  A large pot of cafe sat steaming in the middle of the setting and a young girl poured him a cup. Her hands shook as she prepared it with milk and sugar, and he realized she was new to the palace. He did not take sugar, but the girl had clearly already been tortured by the monster across the way, so he said nothing. His steward came in to give him the daily news and Alured sat sipping his cup grimly as he listened. Rebellions in several of his dragon camps had been quelled, but the revolts were becoming more frequent. The Gypsies were getting braver and inciting riots throughout the land, and he had heard that the Hidden, banned and banished from Layr for all intents and purposes, were once again making themselves known. He sipped his cup and picked up a slice of bread. A servant came in, bowing obsequiously.

  "Forgive me your highness. I do not mean to interrupt. Valian Fildur is here."

  "Oh, finally! Please bring him in." As Valian was ushered in, Alured shooed his sister out, amid sputtering protests and vile insults. Once she was escorted back to her chambers and a guard was stationed at the king's door to make sure she could not listen in, Alured asked Valian to join him in his private room. They settled themselves around the empty fireplace in plush chairs. Silence fell over them briefly as they studied one another, Alured seeking to penetrate Valian's mask; Valian offering only stoic ambivalence. The king caved first.

  "Thank you for coming."

  The keeper only nodded in acknowledgment.

  "I hear you are in charge of the hatchery at Jaje."

  Another nod, this time slower.

  "I see." He observed the man sitting opposite him. The man had jaw-length dark hair, greasy from months of travel. He had not shaved in weeks and a stench wafted from clothes that desperately needed to be washed. Blue eyes were sunk into a face drawn and tired with stress. Alured leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. His guest followed suit. They were face to face.

  "What do you want from me?" The man's voice was raspy, strained, fatigued. A hint of fear tainted the hard edge and betrayed his heart.

  "I want to know the truth."

  Valian leaned back and rested his weary head, raising his eyes to the ornately carved ceiling. "The truth is they came in, killed two of our best keepers, blew up my dragon, and took the egg."

  Alured had read the report. A nerve in the man's temple twitched almost imperceptibly. The king relaxed, lifting an ankle to rest it on his knee. "I said I want the truth."

  The blue eyes sparked as they met his. A nearly invisible sneer played across the tight lips. Alured allowed himself a small smile.

  "Tell me about the egg."

  The man paused before rattling off a rehearsed explanation. "It was the offspring of one of our smartest dragons, Mynora. We expected the hatchling to possess her intelligence, as most of them have."

  The king leaned forward again. "Six months ago, an egg was stolen. From your facility. Now why would someone want to steal your egg?

  "I do not know, sir." The man's face was an impenetrable mask.

  "I think you do."

  The two men glared at each other for what seemed like an eternity. Finally the king spoke.

  "How did you keep the egg unhatched for so long? It's been more than three hundred years."

  Silence.

  "Look, you can talk to me, or you can spend the next six months in the stockades. Your choice." He settled back into his chair and twined his fingers. "Talk to me, please."

  Valian leaned forward and rested his head in his hands. A frustrated growl escaped his throat and he looked up in anger.

  "Dragons are not meant to be slaves," he spat.

  "Not all dragons are slaves."

  "Yes. Those who betray their own kind and help keep the others enslaved are given their freedom. They free themselves at the expense of their entire race."

  "My own dragon is free," he declared, feeling an unwarranted indignation at the comment.

  "He earned his freedom through his father's vile deceit."

  Alured could not deny the truth of this accusation. He had learned about the defeat of Sigurd during his history lessons, though he was sure his tutor gave him a deeply colored version of the events. Apoph the First played no small part in the turning of the tide of war.

  The king's voice became hard, demanding. "Is the red dragon truly Sigurd's heir?"

  The man in front of him only stared at the cold hearth.

  "I see. And somehow you kept the egg alive for 300 years, hatched it, and now that little creature is out there stirring my subjects into a frenzy in hopes of a revolution?"

  Hard eyes rose to meet those of the king. Bitterness crept into Valian's voice. "This kingdom is failing. It has been since Aron usurped leadership from the Coalition. Dragons, Gypsies, Hidden, and humans all suffer at the hands of the kingship."

  Alured's nostrils flared, then his face fell. "I agree."

  Confusion flickered across the weary face, quickly replaced by anger. "Then why have you done nothing to change it?"

  "It is not as simple as that. It has been this way for so long, and there are many others involved. I cannot just change things. Proposals have to be approved by many people and laws have to be rewritten and enforced on a timeline. There's just so much to do." His voice cracked with weariness and he realized he was trying more to convince himself than he was his guest.

  A small smile broke the stern, exhausted face hovering in front of Alured and rough lips made an offer he could not rightly refuse.

  Chapter 12

  He watched her pudgy, piggy snout twitch across the table. Her face grew splotchy as her fat, trout lips quivered angrily. She bit her tongue and clenched her fists to keep from spluttering incoherently and looking like an even bigger fool. A thorough accounting of the treasury had been ordered by the king and the resulting report held quite a few unpleasant surprises.

  Wasteful spending was running rampant throughout the royalty and the woman in front of him had been labeled the biggest offender. Weekly luncheons were being held in honor of her three hair dressers, and each woman received a salary greater than that of the treasurer himself. Slyvania also threw an excessive number of monthly soirees and three large rooms of the castle were dedicated to her obsessive shopping sprees. Alured took the rare opportunity to berate the woman in front of the entire council, with the clear approval of the majority of those in attendance. After putting his sister in her place, he turned the attention of the council to more important matters.

  As the months went by, the rumors of the Gypsy attacks on dragon slave camps grew rapidly. The king listened to the numerous reports from Commander Locke in silence, hands clenched beneath the conference table. His eyes focused on a groove in the wood as the scarred man detailed the attacks, the response, and the plans for deterring future incursions. Alured nodded on occasion, approving certain actions. Inside, his heart sank every time the violent man suggested some brutal countermeasure to keep the Gypsies from forcing their hand.

  The account of the treasury had not been strictly for the benefit of the kingdom, though that had definitely been a very pleasant side effect. Alured had enlisted the help of his loyal treasurer, a man who shared the king's desire to see the kingdom freed from the oppression that had gripped it for the last three hundred years. Since his childhood, Alured had seen the abuses meted out by the monarchy on both citizens and non-citizens alike and he had longed to bring an end to them. But for much of his existence, he did not see a way he could bring relief to his people.

  Despite the fact that he was king, he possessed little power of his own. The kingdom, while run by the king in appearance, was in fact run by the council, of which his sister tended to take control whenever she could. The woman had a bitter, sadistic side and inflicted pa
in at every opportunity. At the same time, she could also be extremely persuasive when it came to convincing others to see her way on some matter, no matter how trivial it might be. Hence the reason more than a quarter of the royal budget had been allocated to little pet projects of Slyvania's. The council was apt to approve her demands simply to keep her congenial, but when all of her wasteful spending had been laid bare in one massive, nearly table-length scroll, the members had no choice but to revoke most of her wasteful allocations. Once a large portion of the budget was freed up, it was reallocated to some new areas meant to benefit the kingdom as a whole. With the ingenuity of Alured's trusted treasurer, they created six new programs with vague descriptions expressing intent for the money to help the kingdom's inhabitants. These programs were easily approved by most of the council, with the only detractors being Slyvania and her new sidekick, Commander Locke.

  Once the funds were allocated, they were filtered out of the royal treasury into areas where they would be of much use. Two of the new programs allowed money to be transferred to fundamental members of the Secret Coalition for use in their battle for freedom, unbeknownst to the rest of the council, of course. This money added to that which had been previously sent from Alured's own personal treasury. Since the visit by Valian, an important leader of the Secret Coalition, Alured had been aiding the group in their battle to right the wrongs his ancestors had committed. With Valian's help to identify several prominent members of the coalition, Alured had enabled them to carry out more successful attacks on strategic slave camps throughout the lands.

  Having assumed all Gypsies went into hiding when his great great grandfather outlawed them, Alured was quite shocked when the man from Jaje had described to him just how effectively the forbidden race had integrated themselves into normal society. And those who chose not to forgo their own customs lived quite comfortably in much the same way they had before the war broke out, traveling in wagon trains from place to place, selling their wares to interested parties, and purchasing supplies from local inhabitants without much conflict, unless the Gypsies themselves wanted said conflict. Alured laughed at hearing this, realizing that Aron really had no notion of how the world worked in spite of his wishes to the contrary.