*ON HOLD* The Airborne Oracles [Book I - Breeding the fire]

Chapter Eighteen

You guys! Finally a chapter from Irgis' POV! Yay!

[Ddeunaw]

Irgis paced up and down Vlith's small throne room.

He groaned every now and again at the events that led up to this point. How could he have been so naive as to think it was safe to go to the war room with his expectant wife? It only brought forth chaos.

Complete and utter chaos.

He cleared his throat and gulped down the emerging tears he fought all day when thoughts of his wife's escape came up. He missed her already.

"Irgis, may I enter?" Marcus trumpeted from the door.

Irgis nodded and sat down on the black throne - next to him the empty throne of the empress taunted him, reminding him that she was no longer with him.

"What did you find?" he asked Marcus.

"She refuses to talk. I swear," he took a deep breath, "I will end up killing that witch if she laughs in my face one more time!"

Irgis shook his head, "We are wasting our time with Gredula. At least she is locked up in the dungeon, she cannot harm Nixie anymore," he swallowed hard at the mention of his wife's name.

"Have you been able to recall the events of last night yet?" Marcus raised a brow.

Irgis shrugged deeper into his seat, "No."

"I might be able to help with that," a voice rung from the shadows.

Both Irgis and Marcus straightened themselves and turned to the darkness underneath the staircase. Baccata stepped out in a smirk and dangled a small bottle on a string from his finger, "In fact, I might be able to tell you exactly what happened."

"Baccata," he frowned, "I did not realise you were in here with me the whole time." His eyes locked gazes with the petite bottle before he looked at Baccata again, "What is that?"

"This my friends, is poison."

"Explain," Marcus folded his arms.

With the twist of his neck Baccata yelled, "Nealgo, you can come down now!"

Irgis shook his head, "You should learn what the term privacy means," he saw Nealgo creep down the stairs as he joined Baccata's side, "the both of you!"

"Perhaps it's time our Emperor should reconsider how alert he really is, it seems he is quite distracted nowadays," Marcus tapped his finger over his mouth in attempt to hide his smile.

Irgis groaned again, "Now is not the time to tease me about my wife Marcus!" He flung up from his throne and opened his arms towards Baccata and Nealgo, "Explain yourselves," he demanded.

Baccata looked at Nealgo with a reassuring nod, "Go ahead Nealgo," he encouraged.

Nealgo stepped closer, "Irgis," he breathed, "what is the last thing you remember?"

Irgis frowned as he recalled the memory, "I was in the war room after Baccata pleaded with me to go there, Marcus saw dragons in the lowlands and needed me to look into the crystal."

"Yes?" Nealgo stretched out.

"Nixie looked into the crystal first and then-" he paused, "then I assume it was my turn?"

Baccata nodded, "Do you not remember my agitation towards you? I practically yelled at you to do so," he asked.

Irgis shook his head, "Maybe?" he guessed, "It is a blur in my mind, I faintly remember someone telling me to look into the orb, but I cannot tell you if I did and what I saw. Everything after that moment is an empty space in my mind," he looked away in shame, "The first memories I have is when I woke in the middle of the night next to Gredula in some chamber, that is when I knew something went terribly wrong."