Dragon Blood (Completed)

The Spell

The stones had been washed by the salt in the air. He heard that the walls got their shine from ground-up shells found by royals as they swam along the sea floor. The effect was most stunning in the daylight when the sun reflected off the waterways and sprang up on the walls to dance in shimmering bands of silver and gold. Accented with lush green foliage and beautiful tapestries, Bluescale achieved a look that combined exquisite royal opulence with an earthy feel.

Another unique quality of Bluescale was the silver accents. Where most castles were covered in floor-to-ceiling gold, Bluescale had hardly any gold in sight. Zane knew they were the wealthiest kingdom, but unlike his castle home, he hardly saw any of the ore that dragons loved so much and used to show others their superiority.

Gold was power, and every dragon knew that from the moment they were born. They were drawn to it, comforted by the feel of it against their scales. Their realm was bought and sold in grams, ounces, and pounds of gold. Silver and precious gems as well, but it was always gold that dragons valued most. It was used in almost every spell ever cast, and the best foods were the ones that shone with the inviting ore.

They were led to the lower chambers of the castle, leaving behind the white shimmering walls for ones of rough cut stone. Only torches lit the way now, as a single waterway ran the center of the wide hall they were walking down. Small foot bridges for guards to cross from one side of the waterway to the other were spaced every fifty paces. After walking through the white, silver, and green halls, Zane thought these lower chambers seemed dreary. A feeling of unease crept over his body as he passed between shadows, feeling as though an attack was eminent. There were four doors that looked like they were made of heavy metal, with large locks hanging from strong levers to keep everyone out.

After being escorted past two closed vaulted doors, they finally stopped at the last door on the right. The side of the room they entered in had a long wooden table that held a chest and a set of scales, most likely used as a work station to weigh gold. Any sense of foreboding slipped away when he turned to see the large chamber was half full of gold. The mounds went as high as the ceiling, in a room that could easily house ten full-sized dragons. It was more gold than Zane had ever seen in one place at one time, and he wondered if the other two chambers he'd passed could possibly hold mountains of gold too.

Zane knew the Bluescales were the wealthiest family, a fact he never really considered to be impressive. He was a wealthy royal too, after all. That was until he walked into this one vault and saw for himself how his family's gold stores—which were massive in their own right—looked like a spoonful of sugar placed next to a bucket of sand in comparison.

For them to be escorted here was a sign of faith and trust. One dragon never revealed their gold to another unless they trusted them or wanted to build a relationship. Gold could so easily change hands if a civil war ever broke out, and had in the past. Bluescale was vulnerable without a royal to rule and lay claim to these stores, so Maze must be confident in her promise for hope.

Maze stood in the chamber, looking both nervous and excited. The elusive thing Zane had been missing for the past month was evident in her dancing eyes. Even her greeting held the enthusiasm that had escaped Zane as of late.

"Well, what's the news?" Maximus Redblood asked as he entered the room, not bothering to greet the hostess of the meeting.

"We are still waiting on one more royal before we can start," she said, pulling her long gray hair to the side. Her long green robe held hundreds of small trinkets and gems, all hanging from thin strings. As she moved, the little bobbles swung with her, clattering off each other, sounding as if the robe could chant spells for the sage.

Zane waited next to his father at the large table in the lowest chamber of the now extinct royal family of BluescaleCastle. He was not sure who else they were waiting on, but he hoped they would hurry because Maze was not giving any clue to how she planned on stopping Balaan.