Twisted Moon's Rising

Chapter Three: The Dragon's Den

Song; Mind Over Matter (reprise), Young the Giant

I step down the stairs in a rush, nearly tripping over my pants. I catch myself on the silver railing. looking down the white marble stairs, towards the large black steel doorway that leads to the dragons stable. The light emitting from the sun harshly burns into my eyes, causing me to look away from the unforgiving rays of light. The sun always seems to be dreadfully bright in summer, not fading until sunset, or a cloud swirling in front of it.

It takes roughly two hours to get to The Castle of Sin for the meeting tonight. I am one of the few leaders who have to arrive early to set up, it is midday right now.

So, in theory, I should have enough time to get there but still, I get stressed every time we have these meetings, and it makes it worse that there's a war between Centra and Saceilia. Now we all have to figure out what to do and also have to deal with both Zaid and Lura being there together. Tanyth and I considered declining the both of them from coming to this meeting but we need to know where to send the resources that are picked up from Saceilia, and what Nations need them, as Saceilia provides most of the resources to the other nations.

I get to the base of the long staircase, which is tucked discreetly behind the main castle of my Nation. I push open the door to the stable carefully after unlocking it.

I had dressed in my riding gear, tight black leggings; flared at the bottom. with the harness on my thighs that connects to the harness that is going to go onto Ceria, paired with a deep midnight blue long-sleeve shirt with a dark leather jacket thrown over it. I pulled my hair back into a half-braid-half ponytail. The deep midnight blue shows more than the brown in my hair due to the way it is sitting, but there isn't much that can be done to that now. I haven't dyed my hair in a few months, and I am not sure if I will again. I have a lot of bad memories tied to the blue in my hair.

I had put on the crown I'm supposed to wear to these meetings. I don't tend to wear it often, but I don't have much choice in the matter. It's decorated with sapphires and silver vines. I walk over to the tack room, pushing the thin wood door open- a difference from the large steel door at the entrance to the stable. I pull out the harness I need.

I head back out and down the hall, of which the walls stretch up twenty feet, to allow room for the dragons.

I don't think I'll ever get used to being here.

I take a deep breath as I step in front of one of the gates. A silver ivy design runs across it, decorating it. Blue sapphire gems, once again, on it.

There isn't any escaping them.

I make a quick sharp whistle that catches the attention of Ceria, my dragon. Her beautiful dark blue, almost black scales shine in the light of the room. I had her kept in the palace since my trip to The Castle of Sin when I was there the other day, so I could have her ready for me today. She was my go-to dragon when I needed to head to these meetings because she was the best-behaved one around others. Dragons are the main reason Trisye is the nation to distribute materials since we are the only nation that has tameable dragons. I'm sure the dragons in the other Nations can be tamed as well, but no one dares to try. I suppose they are just too scared of getting disintegrated by a dragon's fire.

Ceria isn't a dragon native to our lands, she came from Cian. She was a gift from Cian's leader, Echo Sinith. Echo had found Ceria injured on the coastline and I happened to be in Cian for a trade deal, she called on me to help Ceria, since I have studied a large amount of information on dragons, all types of dragons too. Not just the ones from my nation, and though Echo expressed she would want Ceria returned to her lands once I had finished nursing her to health, Ceria and I bonded in a way no other dragon has bonded with someone. Leading Echo to decide to send Ceria back to Trisye as a gift, a symbol of peace between our nations. To this day both Echo and I have not clashed in any way.

This was obvious proof that the dragons in other Nations are tameable, but I doubt any of the leaders will even bother with taming them.

A smile dances across my face as Ceria makes her way towards me, she stops in front of me. I watch as she lowers to the ground so I can put the harness on her- the harness sits just in front of her wings, between there and the start of her neck, the harness was specially made for Ceria with a more durable material than the other harness for the other dragons, as she has a different type of scales from the dragons native to my land- the scales sharper.

I begin to put on the harness when a loud bang noise comes from one of the spare dens, causing Ceria to slightly jerk back. My gaze drifts to the door, then back to Ceria.

"That doesn't sound good," I say quietly, looking back towards the door. "I will be right back, my girl."

I stop what I'm doing with the harness, making sure to tuck up the loose straps so she doesn't trip on them and spook. I turn around and walk back into the hall. I step out of Ceria's den, shutting the gate gently behind me. I walk over to the spare den at the other end of the long hall, the sound of my steps echoing in the empty hallway. The riding boots I have on, which are dark leather, reach up to three inches below my knee, with laces going all the way to the top of them. Which honestly makes them the most awful thing to do every time I go riding, but I'd rather not lose a leg.

I can't help but let my gaze go to the ceiling, art plastered all across the top of it from when this stable was first made, much like the art in the Trisye tower at The Castle of Sin- graceful and precise strokes of paint. The center holds the map of the nations, and dragons swirling around each other like a dance. As well as a chart of the night sky.

I walk myself to the doors of the spare den and another thump comes from inside of it, this one louder than the last, the sound only loud enough to be produced by a dragon, which would be near impossible because I had sent the other back to the pasture behind the mountain, to enjoy the summer.

This specific den is made more as an isolated one, not having a gate, but rather a spruce door.

The hairs on the back of my neck rise when I conclude; someone is in there.

I take a deep calm breath, my hand dropping to where a concealed dagger sits.I had it made especially for me due to preferring its small size compared to the sword.

My free hand finds its way to the silver handle on the thick spruce door. Trying to listen for any indicator of anyone before I work up the courage to turn it.

It takes me a moment, but I finally turn the light handle, opening the door a crack, just enough for my eyes to gaze into the Den. I feel my heart drop as I see someone standing there with one of my dragons. Who is it?

Zaid freaking Laresn, in all his sick and twisted glory.