***Alec's POV***
Alec was flying right onto where he knew his Father would be. Council meetings were always held in the dawn hours. So he landed on the small island in the center of the lake before making his way into the gaping maw of the tunnel. The crests of the Dragon families lit up as he passed by, but none did greater than the Lightwood emblem as he pressed a claw against it. How the crests recorded the attendance of the dragons in this cave was beyond him, it was something Father had yet to teach him. Not that I'll ever be looking over attendance records. That'll be up to whoever my assistant is. Speaking of which, he passed by Robert's assistant right at the entrance to the main cave.
"Alec! I didn't realize you were coming today. Here to make another embarrassing scene?"
"Aldertree, it seems you haven't learned any manners since we last spoke."
Victor Aldertree was probably the most annoying adult dragon Alec had ever met. He was a stout reptilian. His scales were a marshy brown, with green splotches along the synapses of the wingspan. There were a few hooks in his right ear, piercings from the time he spent with some of the more . . . unruly dragons located outside of their sacred kingdom. His eyes were almost completely black, their coloration had started to fade out years ago. It was a hereditary condition in the Aldertree family. Alec just thought it made the older guy looked more soulless than he already was.
"Heh. Well, you did bring humans of all things into our home. Where are the slimy whelps anyways?" Aldertree craned his neck to see around Alec as if he might spot Magnus or one of his friends.
He held back a growl knocking on his vocal chords. Why doesn't Dad replace this jerk? He's so annoying. "Michael and Mark are taking care of them at the moment. They are not your concern."
Aldertree shrugged. "Hopefully the king decides to dispose of them. Heck, I wouldn't mind eating a few, if I was given permission of course."
The idea of this fat pig eating any of the humans made his stomach turn. Or maybe it was just the idea of Aldertree eating Magnus. I suppose the only one I'd be willing to sacrifice is the insufferable red head, but then Jace would be sad so . . . I guess I'll have to find another way to get her to leave him alone. The growl at the back of his throat was growing.
"I doubt that'll happen. Now, excuse me, I have a meeting to attend."
***
The meeting hall was a spacious cavern filled with dragons. It extended well below sea level, stalactites hanging up in the air. Some poked out of the ground, big enough for a dragon to perch on if they so chose. A cliff like rock poked out of the back wall. The king sat on that pedestal, his wings outstretched in a sign of power. His body and wings were mostly gray-black, though there was a pattern of white diamond scales running down his forehead and back. A few of these white scales extended out to his wings, like checker patches flying in the wind. The ruler v-marks ran down his stomach. His would shine silver whenever they lit up. The color was meant to signify an important trait of the ruler. Alec did not know what his own meant, only that blue was exceedingly rare. He smiled when a pair of dark eyes landed on him, giving him an approving nod for attending the meeting.
"So your highness, what shall be done about the humans staying in our kingdom?" One scraggly voice asked.
"We shouldn't trust them. Humans are conniving creatures, capable of destruction." Snarled another.
"But what if they want peace?"
"No human wants peace. They all love killing too much."
"Don't you think that's a bit harsh? It's been awhile since the medieval ages."
"Not long enough."
The old dragons kept on bickering like young dragonets, their claws clicking on the ground as they scraped stone. How all these dragons fit in one space was clearly a designing marvel. The Council of Elders consisted of some of the oldest and biggest dragons of Star Flower Valley. Being the Prince, Alec knew each of their names by heart. There were twelve in total, meant to be from the most prominent of the families.
"Silence all of you. My son is here, and seeing as he is the only one to interact with these humans we should here what he has to say." Robert growled. There was no need to roar loudly to get attention when you were in charge. Everyone listened to their king automatically, even without the glowing of those silver stripes.
Alec walked the rest of the way to the ledge. There was a lower ledge a few slots below —meant for the future King of Queen to sit on. Alec scrambled up to sit on it before turning to face the silent audience. Robert motioned for him to begin with the flick of his tail.
Alec cleared his throat. "Well, when I met the humans yesterday they appeared relatively harmless. Most of them wish for peace."
"Why do I sense a but coming on?" One old dragon asked. Judging by the scraggly voice, it was probably from Reginald Bridgestock. The tall lanky male was about as old as dirt.
"One of them is a hunter." Alec admitted. He had thought about denying the Council this truth, but he knew they needed to hear it to help his Father make the best decision.
Gasps rippled through the crowd. Heads were bent low as whispers were exchanged. The king had to gesture for silence again. "And what was this hunter's name?" Another dragon asked.
Alec expected such a question. "His name is Magnus Bane."
This seemed to get little reaction out of most everyone, aside from his own father. The King had an unreadable expression on his face. Alec doubted Robert had met Magnus before —Father never left the kingdom nowadays. There had been a time when he was small that the King served as a liaison between the human and dragon kingdoms. But the humans brought our shared peace to an end when they started hunting us. Just what did we ever do to deserve it?
"Bane as in the son of Asmodeus Bane, King of Alicante?" Robert asked.
Alec nodded. He hadn't put much thought into Magnus's last name up until this point, thinking it was nothing out of the ordinary. Sounded familiar, but that could've meant anything. He remembered the story Maryse used to tell about two runaway dragons. One fled from someone who was supposed to love her, the other fled because he was in love. They were never heard from again. Alec hoped if those dragons were still alive they were happy. "Yes, I believe so. Bane isn't a common name."
"You're right. It isn't." Robert shook his head wearily.
"The King of Alicante is a murderous fiend. Why on Earth should we consider peace with him?" Horace Dearborn was asking. He was a mottled blue brown, lacking the wings so many dragons had. The lack of flying appendages made him only appear more snake-like to Alec. And snakes cannot be trusted.
Alec arched his own wings out, letting them silence the crowd. "He may be, but we can still reach an agreement."
"If that's what they truly want." Someone muttered.
"Then why don't we ask them then! Bring in the prisoners one of yas." The country twang came from a crimson red dragon whose name escaped Alec. The older dragons keeping bringing their replacements with them, it's giving me a headache trying to remember all the names.
"Yes, please do. Feasting on their flesh would be absolutely delectable." Horace was licking his lips. For the second time this day Alec wanted to punch someone.
"Now now, there'll be no eating the humans," Robert said before looking at one of the guards at the back of the crowd. Alec recognized Diego clear as day. The younger Centurion Guard in training was pretty tall for his age, amber wings erect and chin held high. He was standing beside a latch gate. It was enchanted to keep prisoners inside without them being able to hear the meeting. "Bring them in."
The latch was undone, the gate popping open with a rusty clang. Clary and Simon tumbled out in a tangle of limbs. Clearly they had been clinging to the bars to try to gauge the situation. Catarina stepped gingerly over their fallen forms. Magnus followed behind with his usual cocky demeanor, up until the point he looked up to take in the dragons before him.
Alec opened his mouth to introduce them —as was customary of him for the few guests the Council sometimes has— but stopped in his tracks when he saw Magnus's expression change. There was something blazing in those golden eyes that Alec could not understand. Between one moment and the next everything happened so fast. Magnus snatched up a broken stalagmite on the ground with surprising strength. He wielded it like a sword as he made a mad dash. Alec froze as he realized Magnus was heading around the little stone crags. He was headed towards his Father.
"Magnus no!"