The Inventor

prologue

Author's note: Thank you for choosing to read my dumb story! Some context, this is a story made as a collaboration with friends a very long time ago. Enjoy!

ShadeSeeker knew only training. He was practically a prisoner, he was trained every day until his body gave out and then had to endure lectures on war strategies. This was his curse. Cursed with an intimidating stature and with the eyes of MoonTalon, an animus who passed this power to him. Anyone who made direct eye contact with him was paralyzed with fear. When he was found with this power, he along with his older sister Onyx were taken by the queen and kept to be commanders in her army.

Every night, ShadeSeeker looked out of his cell window, and dreamed of escaping with his sister and flying away into the mountains, but that was an impossible dream. Onyx was killed in a training match with an opponent that got out of hand, and his wings were clamped at all times, only taken off during training. But he still dreamed. 

One late night, ShadeSeeker sat awake unable to sleep. There had been a commotion outside the castle going on for several hours, and showed no sign of quieting down anytime soon. To his surprise, his he heard someone slam his cell door open.

He saw a guard run in and quickly unlocked his wing clamps, the guard shoved ShadowSeeker out of the cell and the guard yelled "go! Fight for your queen!" He followed the command at first and as he was running towards the conflict he thought to himself, "why am I even doing this? Now's my chance to escape!"

ShadeSeeker climbed out of the window and spread his wings. He wobbled in the air, nearly crashing into a tall pine tree in the courtyard. He flew up and over the castle's walls and towards the mountains. They were finally within his grasp.

Finally, he was free.

ShadeSeeker flew past the bridge that connected the castle to the rest of the city, hiding in the shadows cast by the scenery. Dragons were clawing at the solid wood gates attempting to break in. Their talons left deep marks in the door. They shouted "down with the queen! Down with the queen!" ShadeSeeker prayed to the three moons that they would succeed in their assault on the gates. The queen deserved getting her throne taken away, her daughters did too.

In the chaos, he was able to sneak past unnoticed. ShadeSeeker glided towards the mountains, but his wings were giving out. He hadn't flown much in the past, his teacher's prevented it under the fear that he would grow strong enough to attack them and fly away. He didn't have any money to pay for an inn, he doubted that they would board him anyway, considering his eyes and his status as a fugitive.

ShadeSeeker landed in an alleyway to rest and hung in the shadows cast by streetlamps on the main road. He wouldn't dare sleep out in the open, if someone recognized the queen's sigil burned into his talon, I'd be game over for him. He then remembered something that onyx told him, "If you manage to escape without me with you, go to the Burned Lightning Inn. They will help you.

ShadeSeeker wished that she had given him the address, as he didn't know where the burned lightning inn was. He searched around the alleyway and found two old strips of cloth. He tied them around his snout to cover his eyes and wrapped the second price of cloth around the branded talon. He hoped other dragons wouldn't recognize him if he covered it. He knew how to walk around blind from the queen forcing him to wear a blindfold when in the presence of guards.

ShadeSeeker walked into the bustling street and approached another dragon, he asked a simple question, "do you know where the Burned Lightning Inn is?" A few dragons said that they didn't know, and many just ignored him, assuming he was insane, until one dragon replied, "yes, I can show you the way if you like..." ShadeSeeker paused, he would have to blindly trust this stranger to lead him to the inn when he couldn't even see his face. He had nothing to lose, so he agreed. The dragon lead ShadeSeeker through the streets of the city, and eventually stopped. "We're here. Do you need anything else?" ShadeSeeker thanked her profusely and slowly went into the dimly lit, smokey building. He was confronted with a large desk and book, behind it sat a SandWing. When he entered, the dragon curtly greeted him. 

SandWing: "What room would you like?" 

ShadeSeeker: "Uh, I'm not..."

SandWing: "Then what are you here for? This is a inn, and we don't tolerate loitering"

ShadeSeeker: "Uh, Onyx sent me here. She said I could get help. I just need a safe place to rest."

The SandWing sighed, "fine, you can stay for one night. I happen to owe Onyx a favor" ShadeSeeker smiled for the first time in years and thanked the SandWing profusely. The SandWing simply nodded, "Come with me, I'll show you to your room. I'm Leopard, by the way."

I will upload part 2 of the prologue tomorrow, sorry for splitting it!