Dragon Blood (Completed)

Findings

"Why would you do that?" Ryder asked, shocked.

"Frankly, it makes me uncomfortable, but if you need to have your ego stroked so badly, just so you can feel secure in your position, we will all bow to you." Paige then stood up. "Welcome, Prince Ryder of Orangeclaw." Paige bowed low, sweeping her hand out toward Ryder in an exaggerated gesture. Every guard in the room bowed when she did, and Zane could see the move lit a fire in Ryder's already blazing orange eyes. "Byran, please make it known that everyone is to stop whatever they are doing when Prince Ryder enters a room, and bow to him. We don't want him to feel uncomfortable in our kingdom."

"Yes, My Queen," Byran answered.

Zane was not surprised to see Ryder get up and leave the room. He had just been mocked by the Queen of Bluescale, who also ordered her whole kingdom to do the same. It was harsh. Maybe Paige thought so as well because there was a look of regret on her face, but she quickly pushed it away, forcing her attention back to Alva.

"Paige?" Zane cut her off before she could speak, then he spoke to her as if he was talking to one of his younger siblings who'd been misbehaving. "Don't you think that was a little much?"

She looked at him with her yellow eyes, reading his emotions. After a moment, she sighed. "Fine." She stood up and left the room. A few minutes later, she returned with Ryder following her.

"What did you find in Drake's room?" she asked briskly, taking her seat again.

Alva waved the other members of her team forward. Each of them held a stack of papers several inches thick.

"We discovered a hidden room under his floor, and found several documents that Drake wrote. They're all written in another language that we are not familiar with."

"Is there still just the three languages spoken in the realm?" Paige asked.

"Yes, My Queen,"

Paige nodded and held out her hand, asking to see some of the documents. She looked them over, then asked if anything else had been found. Zane noticed that her hand shook as she held the documents, but she quickly placed them back on the table. He wondered if he'd been reading too much into the movement.

"There were these objects as well," Alva said, removing a cloth from several objects that were strange and unfamiliar to Zane. He pushed back in his chair as a wave of apprehension washed over him. He could see Lilly and Ryder were having the same reaction. Any unknown object of Balaan's could be potentially dangerous. Two objects that resembled smooth black stones were laid on the table, and at the sight of them, Paige was on her feet so she could reach across the length of the table for them. Dean too jumped up, reaching for the smaller object. There was no fear or hesitation in their movements.

"Was there anything else unusual found?" Paige asked as she pulled apart the larger of the two stones, and Zane saw that it was nothing like a stone anymore. The shape had been transformed, almost like a book being opened, but something so different than a book, something stranger.

"There were several other larger items we have never seen before, but we left them in Drake's room for the time being."

"I want guards put on the room. No one is to go in or remove anything unless one of the three of us are physically present." She indicated herself, Dean, and Zane.

She pushed something on the object she was holding, and a soft sound came from it, like a leaf whirling in the wind. Then it chirped a short call, like a bird struck down mid-song. The top part that had been black a moment ago was filled with color.

Zane stood and moved so he could see over her shoulder. Mesmerized by what he was seeing, he reached and touched the surface of the lights, surprised by how smooth they felt when his fingers made contact. There was a small, short radiance, like a pebble being thrown into the water made where his finger applied pressure to the surface.