Dragon Blood (Completed)

The Summons

Zane wrapped his arm around his love's slender shoulders and pulled her to him, calculating how much time they would have together. He looked around, wondering what all their planning was for if they were both doomed. Her tears fell on his shirt as despair overcame her.

The war started almost thirty years ago, raging throughout Ethiolan, decimating the seven kingdoms of the realm. The dragons of Ethiolan, like him, were fighting to maintain their way of life, and the magical abilities that had been passed down from one generation to the next; a gift from the Great God of Fire to protect their race. The histories didn't really matter to Zane. What he cared about was now, and the life that he knew. And what he knew was that an evil force moved against all his kind, targeting royals like himself. Zane was the first son of King Titus Blackskin, the next in line to rule the Blackskin kingdom.

The royals—the realms strongest dragons—were born with added powers beyond those of the regular, common dragons, but those powers were also their greatest weakness. One dragon from each of the royal lines were required to continue the spell that gave all of their kind the ability to take on strong dragon forms, such as to breathe fire, and enjoy an extended life span. Without the spell, they would be thrust into a life of being trapped in their mortal forms, frail and weak, and unable to defend themselves from the smallest attack. The idea sickened Zane.

Without the blood of all seven royals, there would be no way to expel their enemy or to save the realm. When the three moons of their realm aligned in seven months, there would be no hope of renewing their powers. Thousands would die, and thousands more would be enslaved.

Theo Bluescale had been the last of his line. For years, Balaan had been targeting the royal Bluescale line, and now he'd finally succeeded in eradicating them completely.

What are we going to do? Zane wondered.

~~~~~~~~

The question played in Zane's mind for a solid month as he sank further into despair. Each day when the sun set, he found he couldn't sleep, fearing he wouldn't wake again, that the darkness of the night would smother him.

"You need to eat," Lavender admonished him, not bothering to keep the annoyed edge from her tone.

"What's the point?" He looked at the cold roast on his plate, and couldn't muster any enthusiasm for his once favorite meal. The expertly prepared food was right in front of him, but he didn't take in the fine aroma, nor did he anticipate the texture of the sauce on his tongue. Nothing about the meal stirred his hunger.

"The point is, I don't want you to look gaunt and disgusting at our reception. I'll be the crowned princess, and when that happens, I can't have you looking like you're not fit to lead this kingdom."

"Princess?" Zane scoffed. "Of what? For how long? Don't you see? Once the alignment has passed, Balaan is going to march in here and slaughter every one of us." He leaned back in his chair, hating himself for snapping at her. He knew she was right. He couldn't let everyone know he'd given up or that he was terrified, but he felt so helpless. He couldn't offer his kingdom the symbol of hope they needed during this dark time. How could he stop any of this from happening? The only way would be if he could somehow reverse time, and that was impossible.

Two days after the king of Bluescale died, Balaan had offered terms of surrender to each of the six remaining kingdoms. Zane knew his father was contemplating the issue, but he disagreed. There was still six months until they lost their powers, and until that happened, Zane felt that the kingdoms should fight.

"Eat," she said coldly, putting the force of her Greenwing power behind her single word.

Zane's body complied instantly. He picked up his fork and shoveled a heaping load of cool roast into his mouth. The Greenwings' gift, the command of speech, was highly useful in aiding a Greenwing into getting what they wanted. Lavender rarely used her gift on him, though, knowing how much he hated to be controlled like that. But he supposed she was desperate, just like he was. Like they all were. He still had no words of comfort to offer her because he couldn't see any light through the blackness.