The Dragon King's Servant

Chapter Forty Nine: Plans

The fires beneath the surface sat still and silent. The same way they had for several thousand years. Deep within the chasm, under layers of molten rock and char, Ogun, horned cavernous troll like creatures mined away at the stone.

The short trolls, hairless and just as rocky as the dark landscape around them had little issue mining the obsidian that grew within the stone. Few races in the depths could get so close to the blazing hot liquid. The Ogun though had little issue.

Obsidian was hard to come by and many races paid high costs for the material. As the rocky trolls dug and hammered away at the stone, none of them felt the ripple of energy. Their attention stirred though as bubbles popped at the surface. Activity along the magma pits were uncommon, almost rare all together.

Any disturbance, even slight, could mean trouble. In a troll tongue that was similar to goblin, snarls, barks and clicks; they spoke to one another. Their tiny orange eyes watched the bubbles appear and after several moments, they went back to work. Had they looked just a little longer, they would have seen the dark shapes that drifted up to the surface.

*****

Maalceus and Lucian stood over Kelly and observed her resting. The same way she had for nearly a week. Her pale skin had changed drastically. Her pigmentation had changed to a dark tan. The dark black of her hair now had colors of bright red and ginger orange.

Her transition had taken hold and there was nothing either of them could do to stop it. The door opened and Melanie walked in wearing a low dress of dark black with a subtle hue of purple. Her hair had lost all its black. Only a few pieces remained near her roots. Her blue eyes had become a full sapphire and amethyst color that glowed both in the light of day and in the night.

"I shall take her to the east. The mountains are as good a place as any." Maalceus replied to his brother's unspoken question.

"No. You are safer here. Within the walls of the palace." Lucian said.

"Brother. They will come. You felt that ripple as surely as I did. If we did, then they shall too." Maalceus shared the same concerned expression that his brother did.

"This is on me."

"So what? You'll go off and fight them yourself? Our father barely survived and he had an entire army at his side." Lucian replied and slapped a hand upon his brother's shoulder. "You won't be going anywhere. You'll stay and we shall fight this. Together."

Melanie looked down upon her friend. Kelly hardly looked recognizable anymore. Her hair and skin had changed so much it made her look like a different person altogether. Melanie still had a hard time understanding what was really happening.

Lucian's half brother, was obviously half dragon but another half daemon. A powerful and ancient race of beings that once sought domination over the realms and all its inhabitants. However, they only rouse when they feel daemon essences beyond their own. Like a beacon they will be drawn to it. Melanie looked at Maalceus and scrunched her face in contemplation.

"Are they drawn to the spot or to her?" Melanie asked.

"To Kelly. Her daemon essence will be free and wild for awhile. They'll be able to track it. No matter where-" he looked at Lucian as he finished, "-we hide out."

Lucian ignored his brother though and turned his attention to Melanie.

"What are you thinking?" Lucian asked.

"Nothing. I just needed some clarification and-" Melanie's head snapped when she saw Kelly's arm move to the side. They all eyed her cautiously as she opened her eyes and looked at them. Her bright yellow and red eyes gleamed like gems freshly picked from the mines.