Chapter 3

The former Princess of Drakania stormed through a passageway that branched off from the main section of tunnels.  Her claws clicked on stone, gouging deep scratches into the walls and ground.  More than once, she took to the air, gliding for a few seconds before landing and repeating the action.

 

She could hear the girl, calling for her to return, to wait, but she paid her no mind.

 

The girl wouldn’t understand, she’s a human.  Humans probably didn’t have to deal with what she had to deal with.

 

The girl wasn’t a disgraced Princess, nor was she cast out of the tribe and given the blackstone “dungeon room” after the newly crowned King Zircon and Queen Azurite of the Caeruleum tribe took pity on her and decided to not exile her for her parents’ crimes.  The girl didn’t commit acts of treason and regicide after jealousy and sorrow clouded her mind at the prospect of being denied the throne.  The girl probably thought all dragons were like Lapis; beautiful and graceful, wise and kind… everything she wasn’t.

 

She reached her cave, located at the lowest point the Drakanian City reached, and curled up on a slab of granite.  At least she had been allowed to keep her stone bed (though that really wasn’t the case either).

 

She still remembered how Zephyr and his wind dragons had stormed into the royal caves, ordered her parents to follow them.  She remembered how she heard their roars of anger, echoing through the tunnels, how it slowly morphed into screeches of pain and anguish and it eventually died out.  She knew then they wouldn’t be returning to the caves.

 

She had been escorted from her own cave, into a smaller, colder one that always had cracks on the walls and let small drafts breeze in.  Her fire had done little to keep her warm, and it was because she’d pleaded to King Zircon and Queen Azurite that she was given her granite bed back.  Even then, she still found herself waking up in the middle of the night as frostbite barely started to creep up her claws or tail.

 

After her crazed episode of delusion and slight insanity, she’d been banished from stepping foot into the Drakanian Caves.  Then Lapis spoke up.  The newly crowned, kind-hearted Lapis had said that Crimson should be given a chance.  Every dragon on the Council agreed even though only moments earlier they had been glaring at her with a burning hatred so cold it could’ve frozen the Aecor Sea.

 

:Listen to Queen Lapis: they had said.  :Queen Lapis is wise, kind, and compassionate:  Queen Lapis was also barely a mature dragon, being just shy of fifty years old.

 

Lapis gave her the “dungeon room”, the name taken from the human kingdom, which uses similar “dungeons” to lock up their own prisoners and criminals.  It sat at the center of twisting, maze-like corridors and hadn’t been used for nearly a century.  The girl wouldn’t find her here, she probably got lost in the caves.  Or she already found another dragon to Bond with.  

 

Maybe Queen Lapis herself chose the girl to be her Bonded.

 

Rage built up at the thought as visions of the graceful blue dragon and the green-clad girl flying through the air flashed before her eyes.  She saw them, powerful and beautiful, ruling over the dragon and human lands as a Bonded dragon-rider pair.  She saw them conquer lands beyond the Shattered Islands Archipelago, standing on a cliff as they watched tongues of blue fire eat away at those who dared to oppose them.

 

Crimson shook the visions away and growled with annoyance.

 

That would explain why the girl insisted on going sightseeing.  Sightseeing, of all things.  That was something Lapis would do.  Even as a young dragonling, Lapis had been eager to explore, to learn.  Much like the girl that she’d brought to the Drakanian City.

 

Crimson understood why, at least.  Drakania was a beautiful kingdom, even if it was no longer hers to rule; even if it had never been and will never be hers to rule.  Then she remembered something else.  Lapis wasn’t the girl’s Bonded dragon, she was.  She had felt the pulling force her father had described to her many years ago.  It had initially led her to the human kingdom, but she didn’t dare put a single claw past the borders.  Then it had led her to the clearing, where the girl was sleeping under a pile of sticks.  Crimson had taken care of those relatively easily and had waited for her to wake up.

 

“Crimson!” the girl’s voice reached her, echoing loudly off the walls.  She appeared in the cave entrance, a look of relief on her face.  “Oh, thank the dragons.”  Bracing herself on the stone wall, she said, “I got lost, there are so many tunnels.”

 

:It’s a miracle you managed to find this place: Crimson said with little interest and clawed at the granite.  :No one is supposed to find it, the late King and Queen made sure of that:

 

“My luck has a funny way of playing out.” the girl said.  “And I also felt something telling me to come here, so here we are.”

 

She snorted and curled up into a tight ball, knowing that it was the Bond they shared, telling the girl to find her.  Then she made a point to stay silent and unresponsive, intending on sleeping for the rest of the night.

“Wait, the late King and Queen?” the girl asked.  Crimson heard her sit down on the granite slab and felt her run her clawless paw along her scales.  “Your parents?  They made you sleep down here?”

 

Red hot anger threatened to burst forth and she bit back a snarl.  The girl doesn’t know, she told herself.

 

:No, my parents are away: she ended up saying and the girl seemed less than satisfied with the answer.

 

“Will they return?” the girl asked, after not speaking for a moment.  Crimson could hear her thoughts though; the girl was curious, she wanted to see more.  She wanted to see the dragons and learn about her powers.  There was something else as well, as Crimson dug deeper into the thoughts; the girl wanted to find out why someone told the other humans her secret.

 

:Someone said something: Crimson said quietly, ignoring the question.  She noticed the girl flinch and turn away.  :Somebody hurt you:

 

The change in the girl’s personality and posture was instantaneous.

 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she muttered almost defensively.  Crimson was met with an onslaught of panicked thoughts: how did the dragon know? was the main one.  She imagined that if she was a dragon, she would be coughing up small bursts of flame, or energy, or ice, depending on what kind of dragon she could be.

 

:No, they did: the dragon shifted her head and gazed at the girl.  She could feel the human’s mind slipping slowly under her own.  :I bet they’re also close to you, aren’t they?:

 

For the first time, the girl looked at her with fury and her control slipped.  “You know nothing about me, dragon,” she hissed, turning on her heel and disappearing into the tunnel.

 

:Come back: Crimson whispered.  She stood up on the slab.  :Amber:  She said the girl’s name for the first time, hoping it would persuade her to at least listen.  :Amber, I want to introduce you to my parents:  A small growl of triumph escaped her throat as the girl turned around, narrowing her eyes.

 

“You said they’re away.” she said with skepticism.

 

:Yes they are: Crimson nodded in agreement.  :They’re with the Drakafolk:

 

“The what now?”

 

:Humans don’t know anything about Drakanian culture, do they?:

 

Amber shook her head no.  “Only when you have some ceremony where you choose a new ruler?”

 

:We decided that rule would be outlawed, though there are certain ceremonies we do when a new king or queen is crowned: Crimson said, rushing through her response to get to the important part.  At least to her, it was the important part.  :Follow me, huma—Amber.  Let me introduce you to my parents, and the Drakafolk:

 

It was a long walk to her intended destination, but to her credit, Amber didn’t comment on the distance, or the fact that there were less and less crystals and dragons to be seen as they headed further into the cave system.

 

Crimson had not stepped into the Caves of the Fallen in nearly three years and as she passed under the intricate obsidian archway, she felt a heavy blanket of sorrow and depression settle over her.  Behind her, Amber gasped softly as she gazed around at the faintly glowing crystals, the mounds of dirt and stone, each with a perfectly faceted gemstone resting on top.

 

Whispers of wind blew past, making a sound akin to soft weeping as it traveled through cracks and holes in the walls.  The Caves itself was in mourning; eternal mourning, the dragons believed, so the dead would be honored and remembered forever.

 

She stopped in front of two mounds, both with dark red stones on the mounds.  They were oval, polished, and unlike the other stones, weren’t faceted at all.  One was brighter than the other, and was a solid color while the other had black bands of obsidian running along the surface.  She watched as Amber inspected the stones, recognition flashing in her blue-purple eyes.

 

“Jasper and andesine,” Amber said.  She looked at Crimson, who, for the first time since she met the girl, was quiet.  “Your family?”

 

:Yes: Crimson murmured, curling up on the spot, her long body circling the two mounds.  Her head tilted as she continued, :Amber, meet my parents, the former rulers of Drakania:  She pressed her snout against the stone mounds and looked up again, her bright purple eyes swimming with guilt and burning with anger.  :Jasper and Andesine of the Erythrean tribe:

 

“Jasper and Andesine of Erythrea,” she tested the title on her tongue, glancing at the dragon for confirmation.  “The title sounds important.”

 

:Yeah, they were the king and queen:

 

“I’m sorry, Crimson,” Amber said.  She sounded truly remorseful, like she understood the pain Crimson felt.  It was unlike the other dragons, who’d only offered her false sympathies that disguised their barely contained joy.  “No one should have to experience this.”

 

Their conversation was replaced with silence and wind.  Crimson curled up tighter around the mounds and she hid her head under her wing.  She felt Amber caress her head, the touch gentle and soothing.  She didn’t growl, nor did she attempt to steal Amber’s mind.  She remained quiet, deep in thought.

 

There was something else the girl would like, but she wasn’t sure if she should show it.  Her mother had briefly mentioned it to her when she was a dragonling, and now that she met Amber, it would be so interesting to see her expression and reaction.

 

But for now, that could wait.

 

​

​

​

 

Crimson dropped Amber off in the clearing during sunrise and without waiting for the girl to say anything, she shot into the air.

 

She flew amongst the clouds, basking in the peace and quiet an early morning flight had to offer.  Wisps of water vapor brushed against the tips of her wings, sending a shock of coldness that immediately banished her sleepiness.  Tucking her wings and spinning, she broke through the cloud formations and entered the stretch of endless blue sky and sunlight.

 

It was quiet; too quiet, but she loved it when there was no sound surrounding her.  It allowed her to forget.

 

She imagined what it was like, flying over the lands as Drakania’s queen, not some disgraced member of the former royal family.  She imagined the sentries, flying alongside her and keeping a lookout for possible danger.  She imagined a nice sunset flight with whomever her soulmate was after a long day of queenly duties.  She imagined curling up beside her soulmate, on a large slab of granite while lava chambers both warmed and lit up the cave.

 

A drop of moisture on her snout caused romantic flights and border patrols to melt back into reality.  She had started descending through the cloud layers without realizing it.  With an angry growl, she spewed a stream of green flames that made the air around her rise to a boiling temperature as water evaporated at an unnaturally fast rate.  She barely felt it.

 

Every time, the visions provided her a sense of happiness, but they were never enough to satiate her hunger.  She wondered if Amber experienced such things.

 

Banking right, she circled back around and nose-dived to the ground while spiraling around like a cyclone.  Wind rushed past her during her rapid descent, the cold stinging her eyes and making them water.  She screeched when a speck of dust, or maybe it was a stray leaf or twig, flew into her eye.  With a slightly impaired vision, she opened her wings, slowing the fall enough that she didn’t crash straight into Amber’s newly finished stick cave.

 

“And here I thought you were going to be gone the whole day,” the girl said without much emotion in her voice.  She reached into a basket that Crimson didn’t notice before and pulled out a—

 

The dragon’s eyes lit up.  A salmon.  Freshly caught from…Crimson inhaled deeply.  It wasn’t from the Aecor Sea - it was missing the ocean scent that was usually present - but rather the large pond in the middle of the clearing.  Her slight vision impairment was soon forgotten as she tried to figure out how to get the salmon without biting Amber’s hand off at the same time.

 

“Here,” Amber tossed the fish to Crimson and she snapped it up greedily.  “Wow, you eat like you’ve never tasted fish before.”

 

:I’ve had fish before!:

 

“Doesn’t seem like it.”

 

The dragon huffed and sat, watching as Amber picked up long pieces of shiny silver with obsidian handles (as far as she could tell, they’re obsidian), and threw them at some trees.  She watched as the girl cursed and removed the silver, then threw it all over again.  Then the green energy came to life as she used her abilities.  Spheres of emerald and jade caused tall, century-old trees to topple over and crash onto the forest floor.  A cloud of dust rose, some going up Crimson’s nose and she sneezed, a plume of fire escaping her nostrils.  Amber laughed, flicking a bit of green energy at the dragon.  She threw some more silver at the trees, aiming for a circle that she had created by carving out sections of bark.  One of the silvers hit the center of the circle, and the rest hit either the outer or middle rings.

 

:What are you doing with the silver?: Crimson asked after watching Amber throw another three rounds of silver and obsidian.

 

“Silver?” the girl asked.  She removed the pieces and stuck them in long containers that she’d tied to her waist and answered when Crimson nodded to the silvers strapped in place by brown bands.  “These are knives, and I’m training.”

 

:For what?:

 

“Nothing in particular,” she replied.  “But you never know when skills like knife throwing or throwing energy balls around might come in handy.” 

 

Crimson was unable to detect any sarcasm in Amber’s words, though her expression was one of seriousness and nonchalance.

 

:You throw silv—knives because you like to do that?: Crimson asked.

 

“Don’t you dragons fly around and burn things down because you want to?” the girl asked.  “Don’t you fly around and have fun and watch the sunset from above the clouds or something?”

 

:Queen Lapis forbids us to do that, she calls it committing “arson”: she explained.  :She said that humans don’t do that and we should learn from them.  I don’t know what arson means but it sounds fun:

 

:The sunset flying thing is only for Zephyr and his wind dragon sentries: Crimson continued.  :Queen Lapis said that it’s too dangerous for regular dragons to fly around without a guard or escort.  Paranoid reptile…: 

 

“Dragons have a funny sense of humor,” Amber mumbled and stalked back to her stick cave.  She came back with the basket, and Crimson was able to smell the scent of fish wafting through gaps between woven grass.  She sat attentively and waited.  Maybe Amber would give her some more fish.

 

“I see how it is,” she tossed another salmon to Crimson.  “You listen to me when I have food.”

 

:What’s arson?: the dragon asked through a mouthful of fish.

 

“It’s when you purposely destroy public spaces and structures with fire.”

 

:Sounds fun, want to go blow things up?:

 

She received a glare as a response.  “No,” Amber said.  “We’re not going to blow things up.”  To herself - though Crimson could still hear - she said, “That’ll just give them a reason to kill me.”

 

Crimson was about to point out that she just destroyed several trees, which were a part of Drakania’s landscapes, but she chose to keep quiet.  For all the girl cared, those trees were just the unfortunate targets of her ability practice.  Besides, Amber had enough problems of her own to worry about, apparently.  She didn’t need angry dragon Council members on her tail, trying to convict her of Drakanian property destruction.  The Council wouldn’t be pleased with the ordeal either.

 

​

​

​

 

Another week passed before Crimson spoke to, or saw Amber again.

 

If she was being honest, she was mostly busy staying out of Queen Lapis and General Zephyr’s way in the City and that led to her hiding in the Caves of the Fallen for a few days before she emerged.

 

When she did, she realized that the dragons were either in the middle of hibernation or were about to start hibernating.

 

Ignoring her instincts that told her to do the same, she had flown from the City, toward Amber’s clearing.  She found the girl there, making markings on something with a long thin stick.

 

“Hello Crimson,” she said, not looking up from the flimsy, beige surface she was working on.

 

:What’s that?:

 

“A letter,” Amber replied.  “For my mother and sister.”

 

:What’s a letter?:

 

“It’s a written message you can send to your family or friends.”  She scribbled something near the bottom of the page and folded it up.  “I have to give this to my family.  I told them I’d write and I talked about you.”

 

:You said that I was the Princess, right?:

 

“Yes.”

 

Crimson nodded with approval.  She may not know what Amber was talking about, but at least she was kind enough to leave out the “Crimson is no longer a Drakanian Princess” part.

 

Amber stood up, putting the letter away and grabbed her knives.  Giving Crimson a gentle pat on the head, she took off for the clearing perimeter.  A dull thud was heard as the first knife sunk into tree trunks.

 

Not wanting to sit around and fight off the sleepiness that was starting to kick in from not hibernating, she followed Amber, watching as the girl ran through several rounds of throwing the knives, using her abilities, then a combination of the two.

 

She watched the graceful movements, almost captivated by what a mere human was capable of achieving.  Every spin, every flip, every twirl that Amber did was reminiscent of flying.  She could almost see the girl, soaring through the air while wisps of green and sharp blades spun around her, awaiting her every command.

 

Then she imagined what it’d be like if Amber was sitting on her back and they were flying above a battlefield, maybe one where she faced off against the humans or even Queen Lapis and the rest of Drakania.  She saw combined attacks of bright green fire and corrosive energy raining havoc onto the enemy, bright flashes of silver as Amber threw her knives with trained precision and skill.  She saw the enemy falling, and the two of them emerging victorious despite having been nearly beaten to a pulp.

 

She was brought out of her fantasy world when the smell of fresh salmon wafted through her nose.

 

:Salmon: Crimson stated, waiting for Amber to give her one like she always did.

 

“It seems that you’re only civil when I have food.” Amber said, though she did place a particularly large salmon in front of her.

 

:I can be civil:

 

“So far, not believing it.”

 

Crimson’s eyes narrowed and her eyes flashed dangerously.  The girl didn’t notice, and was busy building a fire to roast her own fish.  She reached out for Amber’s mind and the girl stiffened, then relaxed.  If she was a human, she’d probably be smirking, as the human history slabs stated.  According to the slabs, a human would smirk when they got something they wanted, or if something went the way they planned, or if they were really proud of something.

 

Crimson decided that all three definitions applied to her situation.

 

:Can I have more fish?: she asked, and to her delight, Amber tipped the basket over.  Several large salmon spilled out in a pile and she dug in hungrily.  She was swallowing the last of the fish before she remembered that she was supposed to be civil.  :Thank you, Amber:

 

“You’re welcome.”  She was taken back by how nonchalant and neutral Amber sounded.  “Do you want more?”

 

This wasn’t mentioned in any slabs in Drakania, her parents didn’t talk about this either.  Nothing ever mentioned that humans were also generous.

 

:No, thank you:

 

“Alright.”

 

Amber resumed training, as Crimson didn’t give her anymore “commands”, and the dragon herself was content with just sitting on the grass, letting her body absorb the sun rays and slowly lulling her to sleep.  Maybe she should just hibernate.  Her instincts were telling her to do that anyways.

 

She’d only just closed her eyes when she was shaken awake and Amber was standing before her.

 

“I’m done training, what should I do now, Crimson?” she asked.  Her eyes didn’t hold any of that mischievous spark, nor did they light up with the occasional flash of green.  They were purple; like the purest of amethysts and maybe even purple diamonds.  They were also dark, the color of her iris blending into her pupil.

 

For once the dragon was at a loss of words.  Amber never asked her what she should do.

 

:Aim for that cluster of boulders: Crimson whispered after thinking about it for a moment, digging her claws deeply into Amber’s mind.  Might as well have fun with this strange case while she still can, right?

 

The girl obeyed, her eyes flashing a purple so bright that the sudden glow was visible even during the day, and she shot a ball of corrosion and fire toward the stone that Crimson had picked out.  :Just like your knife throwing practices, right?: she asked slowly.

 

“Yes,” Amber’s voice was still monotonous, devoid of any emotion or individuality whatsoever.  Her hand glowed and sparked as another energy ball came to life within her palms.  “What’s the next target, Crimson?”

 

:Let’s fly around and do some motion target practice: Crimson suggested, lowering her neck for Amber to climb on.  :I once saw Zephyr train his wind dragon sentries by doing this exercise:

 

The dragon-rider duo shot into the air after Amber put out the fire, and Crimson did a few barrel rolls and upward spirals before she opened her wings and glided above the treeline.  She circled around, eyes catching onto anything that might be of interest to her; a rustling of tree tops to her left, the sound of a cresting wave hitting a cliff face somewhere behind her, a flock of birds that suddenly took off from the trees as she passed overhead.  She could get Amber to aim at the birds, but they were small and tiny, and wouldn’t be much fun if they’d just drop like broken stalagmites once hit.

 

She saw the peak of Mons Serpentium - the mountain that hid the Drakanian City from curious explorers - and decided that that would be her destination.  There were several dragons flying out of the Gateway, and Crimson had the sudden idea to get Amber to practice on them.

 

:See those dragons?: she asked, turning her head in that direction

 

“If you want me to use them as target practice, you might as well join them,” Amber said in the same monotonous voice.  “Don’t think I’m biased just because we’re Bonded.”

 

:Ugh, you’re no fun:

 

“Find something else for me to practice on, then,” Amber gripped on her scales tightly.  “Find trees or boulders or things like that.”

 

:Fine: Crimson turned around, flying to another clearing that had several blue crystals arranged around the perimeter.  :Here, blow them up:

 

Amber slid off her back, her strides lengthening as she sped up and reached the middle.  She glanced around, taking in the height, position, and angle of the crystals and some sort of recognition flashed in her eyes.  “Lazuli,” she murmured.

 

:What?:

 

“This is the Lazuli clearing,” she said.  “My father… he came here before.”  She spun around with anger burning bright in her eyes, giving Crimson the first clear sign of challenge.  Her eyes shifted from purple to green.  “I can’t blow this up either.”

 

:You’re kidding, right?:

 

“I don’t kid about these things.”

 

Again, Crimson wasn’t sure if that was sarcasm or not.  She reached out with her mind again, ensnaring Amber’s.  The girl stiffened, then relaxed as a purple glow overtook the green once more.

 

:Didn’t you say you had to give your letter to your family?: Crimson asked, circling her like a hunter toying with its prey.  :How about we pay them a visit?  Does that sound nice?:

 

:A fast, in-and-out visit: the dragon added.  :With maybe a few minutes to get food?:

 

Without hesitation, Amber nodded in agreement.  Her movements were sharp and almost puppet-like as she climbed onto Crimson’s back.  She took off from the clearing, determined to reach the rocky borders that separated the humans from the dragons.