Occultus Draconem

The Archipelago

"Can I ask somethin'?" Blaise questioned, leaning on the railing beside Theron. Theron had paid for a ship to take them to the archipelago just off the coast of Oorlog, where the Moordenaar lived, isolated from society.

"I'll give ya an answer if I got one for ya," Theron told him.

"How come Oorlog ain't affected by nothin' that's been goin' on? I mean, ain't they aware of the war between Cadmus and Draconia?"

"Well..." Theron scratched the side of his head, a thoughtful look on his face. "It's difficult to say, ya know? It ain't that they don't know what's goin' on, they just don't care, sorta. And I don't mean they don't care 'bout the war, they just don't care 'bout anyone's race. They ain't gonna discriminate against Dragons, and they definitely ain't gonna cooperate with someone like Agni."

"Why not?"

"Yer an Oorlogan too, kid," he said with a laugh. "Ya know we're all too stubborn for that shit."

Blaise didn't laugh, though, and Theron just rolled his eyes.

"Lighten up, kid. Oorlog's a port town. People been comin' in and outta this kingdom long as there's been a kingdom here, and probably long before that. Draconians used to be everywhere too, not just Draconia.

"Dragons can't breed with Humans, and dependin' whatever non-Humans they're breedin' with, ya get different kinds o' Dragons. Water ones like Nixie, fire ones like me and Zane... ya can get anything really. Faeries, Werewolves, Dwarfs... even Vampires. If it ain't Human, it can breed a Dragon. That's why there's Dragons everywhere. Every race has come through Oorlog at one point or another, and that's why they don't care. If Oorlog started discriminatin', the whole kingdom would crumble."

Blaise was quiet, staring out at the distant islands. His heard pounded with anxiety. He wasn't sure if he was ready to face his father, but he knew he needed to end things, once and for all.

Theron seemed to notice, and he sighed before placing a strong hand on his shoulder. For once, Blaise didn't pull away or squirm from being touched. He was finally getting used to affection from his friends.

"Whatever happens," Theron told him, "I'm gonna be right there with ya, 'kay? I'm not gonna let no Moordenaar take you out. Yer gonna get back to Draconia to see yer friends again, hear me?"

"Thanks," Blaise said, letting out a long sigh. He hoped that what Theron said was true.

"Plus, we got all this good stuff from that old shopkeeper." Theron nudged the large sack with his foot. "He didn't want the guards to raid his shop and put him outta business, so I got all this old stuff that people swiped from Draconia."

"How much did that cost ya?" Blaise asked, eyeing the sword that was wrapped up in thick cloth. The handle was elaborately decorated with silver and rubies. Most of the items Theron had gotten were once Zane's—someone must have raided his bedroom after the Dragons abandoned the castle.

"Don't worry 'bout the money, kid. Just be glad we got ya somethin' useful, and we can return the rest o' this stuff to Draconia where it belongs."

It only took about an hour to get from Oorlog to the Archipelago, and the ship immediately set off as soon as Theron and Blaise were off. The captain had said that it was a dangerous place, and warned them not to mess with the Moordenaar. As if Blaise didn't already know about that.

The main island was overgrown with jungle, and there was barely a path to follow. They had to travel deep into the overgrowth before finding even a hint that anyone lived there. There were a few huts here and there, but none of the residents gave Theron or Blaise any mind, going about their daily routines.