Flames of Destiny

Chapter 5

A large ornate golden bell hangs from the ceiling in the room outside Kaelinthria's bedchamber. She walks over and reaches for a thick rope hanging from the middle of the bell. Giving it a good tug, Kaelinthria looks back at me and smiles, obviously happy that I'm going to meet her friends.

Ding, Dong, Ding, Dong

The noise echoes throughout the building, its loud chime reaching every corner of the palace. As the ringing finally ends, I can hear the faint noise of flapping wings. It gets louder and louder as whatever is coming gets closer.

Watching the stairs intently, I wait for something to come towards us. I gasp quietly as a brilliant blue dragon emerges from the staircase. Its polished scales shimmer in the fading sunlight, causing dazzling rainbows to appear on the walls. Its body is a bright blue, and fades to turquoise to light green. Magenta horns protrude from its head and the color is the same as the claws scraping against the quartz floor. Two vibrant purple eyes stare back at me as I gaze upon the magnificent creature.

"Do you need something, Kaelinthria?" Its voice is masculine and deep, giving the impression of power and royalty. He speaks in a calm tone, the words sincere and kind. His neck is arched gracefully, and his wings spread out, making him look even bigger and more intimidating.

"Actually, yes," She responds to the dragon and motions towards me, "This is Ruby. I found her near the Cave of Unboedia."

"Really?" He asks, his eyes widening in surprise and disbelief, "But that portal has been inactive for thousands of years!"

"I know, I know," She rolls her amber eyes at him and changes the subject, "Ruby, this is Zanadel."

"Hi," I say, my voice a whisper in comparison to theirs. I don't know why, but I introduce myself to Zanadel, even though Kaelinthria already did so, "It's nice to meet you. My name is Ruby."

Zanadel dips his head gracefully in greeting. In doing so, he reveals a large jagged scar running down the middle of his back. The scales around it have turned a deep blue, much darker than the rest of his body.

"Oh gosh," I wince at the sight, thinking of how painful it probably was to get that scar. I wonder how he got it, "How did you get that?"

Zanadel looks over his shoulder at the large scar, his eyes becoming glassy and tear filled. His wings slowly lower and his tails drops down to the floor. Overall, his entire body gets closer to the ground. I look back at Kaelinthria and she shakes her head violently, signaling to change the subject.

"You know what, never mind," I try to bring him back to reality by asking a question, "What do you do here?"

His head whips back towards me as he's pulled out of his mind. I think I can hear his neck crack because of how fast he turned around.

"Oh, I'm one of Kaelinthria's sages," He responds, a hint of despair still in his voice.

"Yes, but what do the sages do?" I emphasize the last 'do', trying to get my point across.

"Oh, yes," He says, his voice regaining its normal swagger, "You wouldn't know that because you're a human."

Kaelinthria rolls her eyes and sighs. She obviously knows him well enough to tolerate his 'superiority'. She looks in my direction and flashes me a small smile.

"We protect her majesty, the queen, from any dangers and give her anything she needs. Also, we help advise her in how to govern Sorifa. Does that answer your question?"

"Yes, thank you," I reply to his answer. We stand around for a couple of seconds before anyone says something.

"You're dismissed, Zanadel. I just needed you to meet Ruby," Kaelinthria nods her head in his direction, showing that he's no longer needed, "Oh, and while you're downstairs, it would be great if you could send Zinath up here."