POV: Fendrel
The fire dragon hadn't moved from his spot, and his eyes were closed. His guards stood like statues beside him.
Charles, Fendrel, Cassius, and Fog sat in the grass in silence.
Fog nudged Fendrel with her wing. "You know, you're a lot nicer than what some of the rumors say."
Fendrel gave a cynical laugh. "I wonder if they're similar to the humans' rumors."
"Maybe." Fog spread out her wings. "There's a lot of them! I think every tribe has different ones."
"This should be good." Charles leaned his elbows on his crossed legs to watch Fog as she spoke.
"Yeah. Most humans who enter the Hazy Woods and see vapor dragons act like we're ghosts, but our tribe has a rumor that when you saw us you weren't afraid. You weren't even scared of the rogue vapor dragons!" Fog's eyes lit up and she leaned toward him.
"Everyone's afraid of a rogue dragon." Fendrel's voice was full of amusement. "That's probably the nicest rumor I've heard about myself, though. The humans have plenty of nasty ones."
"Did I hear someone say rumor?" Thea came up beside Fendrel with Oliver holding her hand. They plopped down. "What are we talking about?" She rested her chin in her hands.
"Rumors we've heard about Fendrel. Oh, I just remembered one!" Fog's feathers puffed out in excitement. "Another one of ours is that the only reason you help dragons is because you're not even human, so you can sympathize with us easier." She sniffed the air. "You smell like a human, though."
Fendrel chuckled. "I am."
"I heard that you punched Zoricus." Cassius had a small smile pulling at his lips.
"That one isn't a rumor." Fendrel shook his head.
Cassius sat rigid. "You actually hit him?"
"Yeah. He's scum and a hypocrite. Wait...isn't he your cousin? Why are you smiling about me punching your family?" Fendrel pointed an accusatory finger at the prince.
The prince laughed. "Why would I consider him family? I'm trying to kick him out of the kingdom."
Fendrel nodded. "Yeah, that's fair enough."
Charles moved to sit beside the prince and patted him on the shoulder. "You know, Cassius...I can call you Cassius, right?"
Cassius gave a slow nod.
"Great. I don't like a lot of your father's laws, even when he was still well, and your cousin makes me glad I never met him, but you're starting to grow on me." Charles shut his mouth. "That sounded better in my head, but please take that as consolation."
The prince blinked. "Thank you..."
"But since we were on the topic of Zoricus, I have to tell you this story." Charles pointed at everyone gathered. "He's absolutely horrible at arresting dragon hunters. A few days ago, you were there." Charles gestured at Fendrel "When you set the dragon king free, I led as many hunters as I could out into the streets in hopes that the royal guard would notice something was up. Nope! Those guards were fumbling over themselves while all the hunters escaped!" He threw his hands up in exasperation. "I made it ridiculously easy for them."
Fendrel pinched the bridge of his nose. "Are you serious?"
Cassius crossed his arms. "It's not that they're incapable. They're doing this for a reason."
Charles snorted. "What purpose does being ineffective serve? Aren't they supposed to make the citizens feel safe? How can they do that if they can't catch a few disoriented hunters?"
"Wait, you don't know?" Cassius sat back.
"Know what?" Charles stared at the prince.
"The members of the royal guard are buying dragon hatchlings from merchants. They keep the dragon hunters around so everyone will be focused on trying to find them while the royal guard secretly enslaves dragons." Cassius' voice sounded poisonous.
Charles leaned forward. "What?"
The prince nodded. "They want to keep the dragon hunters around."
Thea scoffed. "Unbelievable."
"And you said your father won't listen to you about Zoricus." Fendrel propped his cheek on his palm. "Right?"
Cassius laughed with incredulousness. "If he listened to me, I'd be proficient in fighting with a spear and I wouldn't be engaged. Of course, my father always favors Zoricus' opinion, so the marriage is a must and—" he deepened his voice and put on a scowl "—princes shouldn't play with weapons."
Charles nodded. "And it's even worse that he likes pinning false crimes on already established criminals just so he has more justification to go after them, even if he has no intention of actually arresting them. I've done some awful things, but he pretended, to come after me for stealing a horse that I'd never seen in my life."
Fendrel cocked an eyebrow. "Brown with white spots?"
The ex-hunter narrowed his eyes. "You must be joking."
"What was I supposed to do?" Fendrel shrugged. "I needed a getaway. I had to pretend I was scared of Sadon sending you after me."
A large swoosh of wings signaled Venom's landing behind Fendrel. "You two have a very strange friendship."
The group turned to face him.
Charles shrugged. "At least it isn't boring."
"Yes, and at least we know you two get along." Venom's gaze switched from Charles to Fendrel. "I'm curious, how much do you know about the fire tribe?"
Fendrel grinned. "They're the largest tribe, very carefree, notorious for celebrating anything. Why?"
"Yes." Venom looked pleased. "All that, and their noble is infamous for knowing everything there is to know on the rumor mill of every tribe. She's our best bet on finding Mist. We're running out of options, so I suggest we ask her for help."
Charles leaned to Fendrel. "Who's Mist?"
"She is a vapor dragon who was to be married to our king but disappeared just before the ceremony." Venom answered for Fendrel.
The dusk dragon paced in front of the group. "All the newly freed dragons are being taken care of now. We'll leave tomorrow morning." Venom gave Oliver a regretful look. "Young one, I think it would be best if you stayed here—" he glanced at the fire dragon, "—at least until it's safe enough for you to rejoin us."
Oliver's face became pouty. "I can't go with you?"
"I can stay with him." Charles placed a hand on Oliver's shoulder.
"I have already spoken with a few dragons here. They're well-versed in how to care for humans. He'll be safe." Venom lowered his head a bit. "Besides, we may still need your help. It won't be for long."
Oliver refused to meet the dusk dragon's eyes.
"No, please. I insist." Charles squeezed Oliver's shoulder. "I know I agreed to help you find your missing dragon, but Oliver needs to be around someone he's familiar with."
"Are you sure he can't stay with us?" Thea looked between Charles and Venom.
Venom shook his head. "It was reckless enough keeping him with us in the first place, especially with all that's happened with the dragon hunters, rogues, and Fresh Grove. This is the first truly safe place we've been in a while."
The group fell silent.
Sighing, Venom gestured at Fendrel with his wing. "I want to speak with you privately. Come." He crouched.
Fendrel looked down at Oliver. "I wish you could come with us, but Venom's right. It's safer here."
"If I don't see you again for some time, then I'll say goodbye now." Charles waved at Fendrel.
Nodding, Fendrel hoisted himself onto Venom's shoulders. "Bye."
Venom looked down at Oliver. "Viper's mother will be here soon to take you and Charles in." He gazed at Birch, Fog, and Thea. "You three may stay in any of the Sanctuaries you want, just as for any dusk dragon to guide you there."
Fendrel watched the group get smaller and smaller as Venom lifted off. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath of the evening sky. The air around him grew cold and he reopened his eyes to see the light of Venom's scales glowing on the rocks around them.
Venom's claws thudded on the floor. He pulled his wing in for Fendrel to grab during his jump down.
From the dim light, Fendrel saw some sections of the cave wall had been carved in the shape of columns. Between each column were colorful murals of varying sizes.
"Take a look and tell me what you see." Venom kept his voice low, but it still echoed.
Fendrel studied the images. One of the largest murals depicted a human and a dusk dragon. The dragon's fangs were bared, claws flexed, wings flared, and tail coiled protectively around the young human in front of it.
"Is this you?" Fendrel eyed the golden scales on the dragon's chest.
Venom gave a pleased humming sigh. "Yes. One of the muralists wanted to remind the other dusk dragons of our purpose as protectors not only of the king but of humans, so he made this of your mother and I."
"She looks so much younger here." Fendrel touched the cool tiles, but he felt completely warm. "Thank you for bringing me down here."
"Of course, young one." Venom sat beside him.
Fendrel drank in every piece of the mural. He studied his mother's face. It wasn't a perfect representation, but it still looked like her.
"Venom?" Fendrel tore his attention away from the artwork.
"Yes, young one?"
"Did you really mean what you said at Fresh Grove, when you called me your son?" Fendrel felt his heart beating faster.
Maybe he didn't. Maybe he only said that to get on Fragrance's nerves.
Venom cleared his throat. "That was...a spur of the moment occurrence."
Fendrel looked down at his feet. "Yeah..."
"But I did mean it." Venom pulled Fendrel against him with his wing. "There's another Sanctuary I want to show you before we all rest tonight."
"Okay." He felt drowsiness consume him and stayed leaned against Venom.
<~><~><~>
Fendrel shook his head to stay awake.
The Sanctuary they had just landed in was smaller than the last one. It was serene, but had an indent in the wall of rock large enough for a dragon twice Venom's size to fit in. Something was bundled up in the indent.
"Blankets?" Fendrel slipped down and crouched beside the animal skins.
"This is where you stayed with your mother when you still lived here." Venom nudged the blankets.
Fendrel sat down and scrunched them in his fists. "Why couldn't I stay here?"
Venom sighed and laid beside him. "Sunburns were one thing. Then, you were learning how to walk, and you were becoming adventurous. It was hard keeping you from the caves. Your mother and I were afraid you would hurt yourself if you wandered off and fell into a pit."
"Oh." Fendrel gazed at the tunnel they used to get here, pitch black and rough.
"Those reasons, and no village or city was willing to take you and your mother in. You two were strangers to the humans, and Axella's unwillingness to share her past made her appear cold. The only option left was Stone Edge. I'm sorry we could not keep you. Although, I doubt you would have become the Liberator had you stayed with us." Venom poked Fendrel's ribs. "You could have had a perfectly safe life if you just did as you were told."
But then I never would have met my brother.
Fendrel's drowsiness returned. "I forgive you."
<~><~><~>
Fendrel slipped off into a dream.
Sand dunes stretched out for miles, seemingly endless. A small oasis swarming with tamed desert horses crowded around not far away. The sun blazed down. Fendrel had been staying in the Stronghold, an old used-to-be abandoned fortress where he and many others were being trained to hunt rogues.
The night before he and his brother had snuck out of the Stronghold, borrowed a couple horses and rode toward the fire dragons' city even though their teachers had forbidden it. It was strange being around dragons again after living with humans for a few months.
It wouldn't hurt to go back there tonight. Maybe Frederick will want to go back, too. Who am I kidding, of course he'll want to go back.
Fendrel's half-brother, Frederick, leaned toward him. "We're going back again, right?"
"Why wouldn't we?"
"Because you're a rule-follower and I practically had to drag you with me last night."
"Keep your voice down, the instructor will be out soon." Fendrel glanced at the imposing large doors before him that served as the entrance to the Stronghold.
Fendrel and Frederick were already standing in line shoulder-to-shoulder with some other students.
The doors flew open and Charles walked out.
Charles observed the line of students as the doors thudded shut behind him. "You were warned yesterday that today your real training began. So far all you've done is sit around and try to cram your heads full of information. Now, you'll be tested on that information, physically." He paced in front of the students. "Combat training against humans, assessing your surroundings, dealing with horses. That is what we'll be working on for the rest of the year, with some more studying thrown in here and there."
One student raised his hand. "What about fighting dragons?"
"You're not ready for dragons." Charles scoffed.
No one else spoke. The desert wind blew sand around their feet.
"Today is your first test." Charles pointed at one of the students beside Fendrel. "You, why weren't you in your room last night?"
The student tensed. "I... went to the kitchens."
Charles kept his face still. "You will be our example for today. Come here."
Sighing, the student left the line and stood in front of Charles.
"Today you will begin to discover which weapons you're more comfortable with. Ranged, hand-to-hand, close-range, or on horseback." Charles looked the student in the eye. "I expect you all to fail today since all you've never done any of this before."
The student snorted. "My father is a part of the royal guard. He's taught me some. I'm not as weak as you think."
Charles nodded. "Follow me." He led the group through dim, torch-lit halls until they came to a room covered wall-to-wall in weapons and equipment. A large bonfire sat in the center of the room. "So, knight's son, what have you practiced with?"
"A short sword." The student's voice was dripping with smugness.
"Well, what are you waiting for?" Charles gestured at the wall. "Go get it. Actually, bring two."
The student wrinkled his nose and scanned the walls, looking for the swords. Once he spotted them, he retrieved them from their hangers on the wall and handed one to Charles.
Charles tapped the tip of his sword on the student's blade. "Come at me."
With weariness, the student raised his sword to strike Charles' head. The sword flew out of his hand as Charles deflected the blow. Charles pointed the sword tip at the student's neck.
"I take it your father wasn't a very good teacher." Charles turned to the other students. "For those of you planning on using swords, never try to attack your opponent over the head on your first move. You leave yourself exposed while your enemy still has their weapon. If any of you use that move again, I won't hesitate to cut you."
The student's face turned red. He rejoined the group.
"I don't care what you pick. Just grab any weapon and some gear and meet me outside." Charles left the room.
Frederick held his hand out. "Wait...we've only been this way once and the halls were really confusing. We don't know our way back."
Charleslooked over his shoulder as he walked. "Figure it out. And don't kill eachother."