Lovely Dark Things

TWENTY-FIVE (ISELEN POV)

"I understand, I'm pleased to meet you, Dread Lord. Your job is very interesting, it must be pretty difficult to keep clean and healthy such extraordinary animals... and their balanced diets..." Suddenly, I picture in my mind what kind of things a dragon eats and I fall silent. There aren't big herds of cows or sheep in Baalberith because they'd be unable to survive the cold and lack of food so, if I remember old legends correctly, Seraphon likes young maidens... luckily, I'm not one of those.

"It's a fulfilling work, I love seeing my animals growing happily and that's why I need your help... The Captain was kind enough to arrange this meeting." Urian smiles coldly, I bet this man has ice water running through his veins instead of blood and I know he'll be delighted if I become his wolves' dinner tonight because I failed.

"Of course, Dread Lord... Where's the problem?"

"It's a mess," Ruby's father raises his gloved hand to point at the building behind them. "It needs a lot of work, better ventilation, more light, a sophisticated drainage system because it floods every time it rains heavily... We can't have our mounts living like this."

"I'll take a look," I whisper worried about those poor horses that must be freezing to death in such a ramshackle stable. I move one step dodging the dark elves and I'm about walking through the door when Ruby's hand on my shoulder stops me.

"Watch out!" She raises her other hand holding the dagger in her fist and uses the pommel to hit the snout of the beast that steps back hissing while I remain paralyzed with my mouth wide open. Ruby growls next to me while digging her fingertips into my flesh through the cape I'm wearing. "The bite of a giant lizard is painful and their saliva is poisonous so you better approach from behind, far away from their mouths."

"Okay, I'll remember that..."I whisper trying to remain firm despite my heart is racing and I can feel it on my throat, my legs are shaking too, but I can hear the guards chuckling behind me and understand that Ruby's father and his friend the Beast Lord have tried to play a twisted joke on me, confident that the Assassin would save me from a bite that could be fatal for a human. I take a deep breath trying to pull myself together, I won't let them make fun of me this way, won't give them the satisfaction of seeing me scared... Damned idiots, stupid and arrogant dark elves...

I walk into the stable slowly, paying attention to where I put my feet till my eyes adjust to the dark while I keep insulting Ruby's race and all their ancestors in my mind. Giant lizards are exactly that, big reptiles taller than a horse with powerful jaws, sharp teeth and scales that are stronger than a shield. In fact, they look like velociraptors but they can run with four legs instead of two, there're six in this building and they fidget nervously huddled together on the other side of the corridor, staring at us with caution. The truth is that they seem to be aggressive and athletic creatures but the building is too small for them to move comfortably, I know cold weather isn't a problem for them but this place is dirty and falling apart. Poor guys...

"Are there any more?" I ask pointing at them.

"No, these're the only ones available for the Black Guard to ride. There're more in the City of the Mines but lizards are very hard to tame and even more difficult to ride, only a group of very experienced warriors manage to control them although reptiles are able to wreak havoc and death in the battlefield, you only need a handful of them to kill a hundred of enemies." Ruby's dad smiles delighted and points at the bigger one. "That's mine... Soul Eater is his name."

"Lovely..." I mumble before turning around to look at Urian. "I need a report," I explain trying to keep a professional attitude. "What do they eat, how much, how much water do they need, do they sleep standing or lying on the ground, how much room do they need to feel comfortable...? They can stand the cold so we could knock down those walls and build wider windows and doors to get more light... Do they prefer a floor made of stone or rammed-earth? And a bed made of straw? We need to fix this roof and the courtyard is massive, maybe we could build fences around an area and let them go out to stretch their legs from time to time..."