Dragons Are Demanding (Book 1)Complete

66.) Settling in

(Cerastes chapter)

The reports were delivered by Marrow. Cerastes held the small rolled parchment delicately with his finger tips, as Marrow closed the heavy door of Pyros's domain behind him. Marrow walked slightly behind his master, maintaining a calculated distance from Cerastes tail in case the report was displeasing.

On this particular day there were two reports. One from the spys in Talons harem and the other from the Greenview.

Talon had went into a rage searching for an escaped woman only to find out that all the women in the harem had been accounted for, and no one had seen a woman accompany him the night before. When Talon had interogated the harems women one had insinuated that the lord must have had a nice dream. This comment was what sent him into a tantrum. From what Cerastes read,  several new male servants would have to be brought in from the mines and cut to replace the ones Talon killed.

The situation was in Cerastes favor. Talon wouldnt be scouring the mountain for a woman that he believed himself to have imagined and it gave Cerastes an opportunity to plant more eyes around Talon when the new servants were brought in.

He promptly dropped the report on the ground and continued walking to Pyros's library. Marrow picked up the report and placed it back in his pocket without losing pace.

Cerastes entered Pyros's library and sat down at his uncles desk. Slicing open the seal on the second report with his clawed thumb.

The eldest brother had caused a mess in the city. The city hall was undamaged but the inn street buildings had taken losses. A third of the wagon merchants had been killed for "trying to escape" after Dante had ordered a travel ban. Dante of course had not been aware that the wagon merchants did not live in the city and had only returning to their regular camp sites on the outskirts. A few people were brought in for questioning but no information regarding the found weapons or their creators were found. The people were disposed of after the interrogation to prevent information leaks.

What a mess! Cerastes thought.

The city council members are probably finding a new appreciation for his annual interactions, at least compared to the other males of his family.

He briefly wondered if there would still be a council after this new tirade of Dantes. The destruction will make next years tax collections more difficult if he kills them off and burns down the entire inn district. They provided a substantial portion of revenue.

He cast the worry aside shaking his head. It couldnt be helped. It was Dantes funds that were going to lessen and Dantes fault for the decrease but it would be Cerasteses hide that would take the hit.

Cerastes logged the information in a book he kept for reports. When he was finished he opened the back wall by pulling down on a light fixture behind the desk.

In it was a stone hybernation chamber, a large secret room full of curiosities. He placed the book on a stone outcropping with a light thunk sound as it fell into place. More than a hundred just like it filled the stone shelves, the spines were in year order.

One for every year Pyros had been travelling. He would need updates when he returned.

Cerastes turned about to leave the room and tapped the covered glass jar twice before leaving, as if for luck. It sat on a table next to empty jars of various sizes. When he had exited the room he moved the light fixture back into it's original place before turning to Marrow.

"Is there anything else?" Cerastes asked looking down at his subordinate.

Marrow dug into his pockets and pulled out a small piece of candle burnt down to the size of a human nail. He held up the candle above his head as an offering.