Gatekeepers Book 1: Darkness

Convicted

"What the hell are you talking about?" Draycos asked in disbelief. "I'm on trial for theft? And I could end up dead if it doesn't go well?"

The dark grey dragon only stared back at Draycos in silence, not responding.

"What kind of crap is this?!" Draycos almost shouted. "All the dragons in the room fell silent again as they looked at the commotion occurring. "I didn't do anything! I don't even know where I am!!"

The dragon sighed again before responding. "Unfortunately, that's not your decision to make. Nothing you say on the subject will matter if you're found guilty. The king will decide if you're actually innocent or not in the matter."

"Not my decision?!" Draycos roared. "There's nothing to make a decision about! I already told you that I had nothing to do with this theft or whatever happened! Besides, how can you say that nothing I say matters?! It's my life that's on the line here!"

Smack. Draycos's head snapped to the side as the dragon slapped him across the face with the tip of its tail. There was a pained expression on its face as it lowered its tail while Draycos was stunned and shocked.

"Please stop making a scene," the dragon told Draycos in a hushed voice. "From the moment you regained consciousness, everything you have said and done has been closely observed. If you continue to act like this, it will only make things worse for you."

Draycos glared at the dragon but remained silent as he understood that this dragon was being completely honest. Is he supposed to be my lawyer or something like that? Draycos turned back around to get a better look at the three dragons that just arrived.

The largest one, who was apparently the king, was covered head to toe in crimson scales, with a golden belly that extended out into a tail tipped with a tuft of black hair. Each and every crimson scale was edged in a golden sheen, making the king sparkle like a crimson diamond. The skin between his wing spines were a dusky shade of gold, and white talons tipped each of his toes and fingers. His eyes were like molten gold as they glanced over at Draycos and saw Draycos observing him, his silted pupils narrowing upon making eye contact. Uncomfortable, Draycos shifted his attention to the dragon behind the king on the right.

This dragon was also red in color, but it was more of a blood red than crimson. Its head greatly resembled that of the Chinese dragons, and two long red whiskers grew from its snout like a mustache. A mane of black hair extended from behind the pair of horns protruding from its forehead, and a pair of spectacles rested on the top of his snout. It also had a short, black beard. Like Draycos, its eyes were also an unusual combination of colors; instead of white, its eyes were a red darker than its skin, and its pupils were a bright green. The skin covering the dragon's body was taut from the muscular form it possessed. There was a cross-shaped scar right where the heart should be located. Its underbelly and the skin between it wing spines were a dull shade of pink, and small black fins sprouted from the back of his neck all the way down to the tip of its tail. As Draycos continued to watch it, the wings on the dragon began to shift and squirm. After a moment, they began to retract into the dragon's back until they disappeared completely.

The dragon behind the king on the left was covered in what appeared to be craggy scales made of different colors of ice. Its eyes were completely yellow, with no irises or pupils, and its shoulders and chest were covered in a set of sapphire blue ice armor, and the rest of its underbelly and tail were just a shade lighter in blue. The rest of its body was colored a light sky blue. Its talons and claws were white, as well as the skin between his wing spines. The most distinguishing feature about this dragon was its left arm and wing; the skin on the left wing appeared to have been mostly shredded off, and its arm appeared to be made completely out of ice. Upon closer inspection, Draycos noticed that it was constantly giving off a cool mist that fell and settled at the dragon's feet until it dispersed, just like dry ice.