The Dragon Blood Guardian *COMPLETED*

Pirate

Before words of panic, anger, fear, could even materialize upon my tongue, the glittering fragments of our once majestic glass ceiling cut into my skin. I turned my head away, raising my arm up to keep the shards from my face. To my surprise, my dance partner continued to hold me in my dip. His hands firm and steady while the rest of the hall erupted with screams.

"All right my dear?"

I barely heard him over the roar of a long, thin dragon, whose tail whipped just a half meter above the heads of the fleeing guests.

"Release me," I demanded through clenched teeth. Planting my hands upon his chest, I pushed myself from his grasp and fell to the glass-strewn tile. Shards dug into the back of my arms, but I ignored their sting as my palms pressed into the hazardous floor and propelled me back on to my feet.

"You sure you are all right? You appear to be bleeding."

I didn't even know where he was at that point. Instead I counted a total of five dragons and each appeared to be piloted by a rider. More hovered above the palace, watching the sky for our own aerial force to swoop in, but I knew well enough that our dragon guard would have stopped them long before they ever made it this far. We'd fallen to a successful incursion by a band of rogues, ones that should not have had the means to do so. I tried to think of the implications of an inside job as I looked for the princess in the ocean of frantic bodies, swaying with fear as they trampled each other to get to the door.

"My lady, we should get you help. Perhaps I could offer you a ride home."

Again, my dance partner cut into my concentration as I searched the last spot I'd seen Cecily. The hall was mostly evacuated, though a few struggled to gain their footing after being jostled roughly by fleeing guests. Those that still remained were guards in uniform and those in the cover of formal wear. It was clear by their circling pattern that the dragon riders had no intention of pilfering jewelry from the wealthy guests. Which left me with only two other reasons these rogues would crash such an extravagant party, both of which were living, breathing treasures. I prayed to the gods, Captain Oramon of the king's guard was quicker upon his charge than I was. Hopefully, one of my soldiers had done the job I couldn't do, but that would be easier to assess once I removed the fly buzzing around my ear.

"Sir, I must ask you to please leave the..." As I turned to address my persistent companion, I once again fell to the floor and this time, a hiss of pain forced it's way through my clenched teeth as the impact of the fall was compounded with the ear splitting roar of a dragon that had landed a mere meter from me.

"Ah, my sweet lady," he cooed, "it is too bad, not many get to enjoy the night sky from atop a dragon's back."

"Pirate!" I roared as my dance companion climbed onto a saddle strapped to a stout golden-white dragon with heavy plating and two ridges of crimson red spines running along her back and down to her feathery tail.

"No need to be rude," he said with a tut. "I am an acquisitions agent and these fine riders are my employees."

"You are nothing but a thief! A cowardly dog!" I managed to pull myself up from the floor and made all of one step towards the rider before his dragon swung her head towards me and bared her teeth.

My breath caught in my throat. Her fang was half my height and glistened with enough saliva for me to see the fear in my eyes reflecting back at me. My body went rigid and I kept my hands to my sides. Taking one shaking breath I directed my eyes up to the beast's, holding her gaze.

Having always been intended for the princess's guard, I didn't get the training other recruits had with dragons. Very few made it into the aerial guard as dragons were notoriously picky about their riders. However, I knew enough from my own soldiers, to know that holding a dragon's gaze was the only way to gain respect. So long as they respected their prey, they would not kill it.

The dragon flared her nostrils and the wisps of my loose hair drifted forward as she inhaled. Then, like a wave crashing upon the shore, she exhaled and I braced myself against the heat of her breath. My eyes stung and water collected in the corners, but I kept my gaze steady.

Then it was the dragon that broke our stare. Her large black eyes looked down ever so slightly and though I could not place what exactly changed, her body eased and I felt the threat slip out from between us. However, I didn't have long to study the shift in the air. The whole matter passed in the space of a few seconds and the pirate still felt a need to defend his honor.

"Call me what you will, but at the end of the day I'm just a business man. Just as you are but a soldier Captain Adelaide Blanc." He tugged at the dragon's reigns and the creature pulled away, beating her wings with enough force to send me back to the ground.

I wouldn't give him another passing thought. He was heading for the hole above to escape and I had to find Cecily. That and there was no room in my head to allow him a thought, I was too busy berating myself for not better concealing my identity. He had probably come alone with every intention to distract me, even if he hadn't had the great windfall of the princess pawning me off on him.

As I rose up, I caught sight of Prince Harrick lying on the ground, propped up by his forearms as he gaped at the ceiling. Above, the dragons still swirled and cried, but it was perfectly apparent that they had no further intention of remaining.

Following Harrick's gaze I knew there was no reason for them to. Unconscious and strapped to the back of one of the fleeing dragons was Cecily's limp body.

I had failed.

***

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