Novel teaser

Dragon's Folly

Drakkenholt, last refuge of the bronze dragons, lies far beneath the surface of the Atlantic Ocean and is unknown to humans. The elders want it to stay this way. Ellynimar, Princess of the bronze dragons, knows that there is far to much at stake to let the Elders fears govern the fate of dragonkind, man, and quite possibly every living creature on Earth. If she cannot sway the Elders to her cause Elly is convinced that far more than just their beloved sanctuary will be lost. She has called for a Council of Elders to discuss an all but forbidden topic: Dragons returning to the surface.

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Ellynimar, princess of Drakkenholdt, could not even think about eating her usual meal that morning, both of her stomachs were doing somersaults. It was all she could do to choke down the Brightmoss (without the nutrition and illumination from the unique mosses and lichens discovered there centuries ago not even the dragons could survive in the undersea caverns).

Absently oiling her scales she goes over time and again what she will present to the Council, the logic is sound, but it will still be an immense challenge to get them to accept her proposition. She then places the golden rings of station upon her horns, glances one final time in her pool, and satisfied with the image gazing back at her, leaves her chambers.

The halls of Drakkenholdt seem longer and darker than ever before and she cannot keep her tail from swaying and betraying her nervousness. Even the soft click of her claws on the stone floor, and the jingle of the rings upon her horns seems deafening in the otherwise silent hall. She stops outside the enormous abalone and silver inlaid double doors of the Council Chamber and the beauty of them that always brought her such joy, now makes her feel dull and unremarkable standing in their shadow.

“Enter and be heard,” her mothers voice booms. Hearing the voice of her mother, the Kyrra (queen) of all Drakkenholdt emboldens her.
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This is it, she tells herself. I can do this, I have to. She swallows against the bitter oil that anxiety has caused to rise from her fire belly and with a final twitch of the tail steels herself against her emotions. The guards pull open the huge shining doors and Elly enters with head and horns held high and an easy dignity and grace befitting her station of princess. Once in the center of the Council Chamber she is ready to be heard, but terrified of putting her parents rule and her own status with the Elders, in jeopardy. She bows low to her mother, father, and the Elders as is customary. Then she speaks:

“My Kyrra (queen), my Kyrren (king), Elders, thank you for hearing me. What I have to say would effect every dragon in Drakkenholt and I pray you, do not take it lightly.” Her parents exchange a worried glance, and an angry murmur passes through the Elders tier. Most of the Elders considered her outspoken, but even they were taken aback at this opening statement.

“We have all been aware of the deteriorating conditions of the surface for several centuries, but our world is in more danger at this time than ever before. The machines and technology of man pollute our land, sky, and water. Their need for power has led them to create terribly powerful weapons that can destroy entire continents. Their need to expand their territory and destructive nature are causing the extinction of many of the planets species of flora and fauna...”

Elly pauses as one of the Elders stands and clears his throat; she cringes inwardly when she recognizes the ancient, heavy, dull green form of Elder Kivost. She had already known that he would be her biggest opposition, as he had been hatched before the dragons left the surface and established Drakkenholdt. He was the only survivor of his clutch and still bares many scars and a mangled useless tail from his encounters with man.

“Excuse me Princess, but this is supposed to be a Council of Elders; not a history lesson. We are all quite knowledgeable of what the humans have been doing. Please, let us get to the matter we are here to debate.” Kivost sits back down on his fat haunches quite satisfied with himself, and a curl of smoke raises from one scarred nostril.

I've not even made my proposition yet and that tail vent is going to making me look like a shell shielded fool! Elly stifles a growl and forces herself to maintain her composure, the only sign of a reaction she betrays is an almost unnoticeable twitch of her tail.

“As with any dragon speaking before the Council,” says the Kyrra eying Kivost, “she may present her argument as she wishes. Please continue in whatever way you see fit Ellynimar.”

“Thank you my Kyrra,” Elly says with a small bow. “I believe that we can no longer be just observers of surface world and the ways of man. What happens on the surface in turn effects us as well. The over fishing is rapidly depleting the sea creatures we feed on, pollutants are stunting the growth of the lichens and mosses we need for lighting out tunnels and supplementing our diet, and the advances in technology bring them closer to discovering Drakkenholdt every decade. Man already knows that there is something strange about the 'Bermuda Triangle' what will happen when they discover it is our city? We cannot stay in hiding forever. The time is long overdue for us to return to the surface and work with people to return the balance of nature,” She emphasized this last statement with a stomp of one fore leg.

Kivost, who had been drumming his claws on the limestone floor and listening impatiently spoke again.“I see no real reason for us to be concerned... Princess. None of our food supplies are really being compromised, we just have to work a bit harder to maintain them. As for discovery, the humans do not even have the slightest suspicion that the effects of the 'Triangle' are anything but natural phenomenon of the planet and no technology created by them comes close to identifying the veil we have cast to keep the city hidden. I say let them destroy themselves through their egg brained wars and with those terrible weapons. Once they have made themselves extinct, then we will return to the surface, unchallenged and free of their blight.”

Murmurs of both approval and concern moved through the Elders tier. Kivost settled back down to enjoy what he thought was a won battle, and the Kyrra called for order again. Well, here comes that history lesson, Elly thought.

“Have you all forgotten the Dragon Doctrine?” she asked, and a deathly silence fell upon the Council Chamber. “The dragons of ages past swore that dragonkind would work with humanity to better this world. It is sealed in the blood of both men and dragons. Will you cower here in these caves like rats and let the world crumble around you?"

At this bold question the Council chamber erupted into a cacophony of gasps, growls, and rumblings. Elly waited patiently for her mother to calm the room then stood and squarely leveled her gaze at each of the Council members.

"Will it be dragons, of all creatures, that do not honor that ancient vow?... I leave you with that final question until the reconvening day. Thank you for hearing me Kyrra, Kyrren,... Elders.”

After her final bows and a glance at the infuriated Kivost, Elly turned and walked, again with head and horns held high, out of the deathly quiet Council Chamber. As the doors closed behind her, the Kyrra and Kyrren were left to deal with the chaos of the shouting, roaring, enraged Elders.

Upon returning to her chambers, Elly was satisfied that even if she had not convinced the Elders fully that remaining uninvolved would bring an end to their precious city, there was no doubt that they were furiously debating their next course of action. She removed the golden rings from her horns and placed them back inside their chest, laid down beside her pool, and let out a heavy sigh. Elly despised those rings, the rings that bound her to being the next ruler of Drakkenholdt. Not that she didn't want to become Kyrra, but because she couldn't bear the thought of having to answer to the Elders. The dragon rulers were more figureheads now than anything else... all decisions have to be approved by at least eight of ten flame counts from the Elders, and most would fight her tooth and claw over every decision. After several vexing hours of contemplation, Elly finally drifted into a fitful sleep.

She was awakened in the night by heavy clawfalls and growling in the hall, and arose to find out what the reason was for such a commotion. Elly parted the curtain to her chamber and was shocked scaleless to see Kivost leading the armed guard down the corridor.

“There she is! Guards, seize her!”, he roared.

In her panic, Elly's fire belly instinctively began to force up the bitter oil that combines with the chemicals in a dragons saliva to produce flame and a bout of flame struck the guards before she even knew what was happening. The guard that took the brunt of the flame roared in pain and outrage with the sticky burning liquid clinging to him. Quickly, the other guard, almost too stunned to move, brought down his jaw vice square on her head. Dazed and pained, Elly could put up no fight as they latched the vice around her horns and jaw clamping her mouth painfully shut and forcing her to try to swallow the oil that was threatening to choke her now. What is the meaning of this... I have done nothing wrong!

Kivost who had been watching this all with cool disdain came forward now and held a scroll in front of her snout. “This, Princess, is a council order for your immediate Rounten (a dishonorable arrest reserved for traitors to dragonkind). You are charged with blasphemy, conspiring against the Elders Council to meet your own ends, and we have reason to believe that you seek to expose Drakkenholdt to the humans and therefore are a danger to society. You are expected to come without incident, and on the morrow there will be an Elders Sentence to decide your fate,” a cruel satisfied smile crosses his scarred face and he then turns on his tail, and walks back down the corridor.

This is not possible... how can they say these things... I want nothing more than to ensure the safety and continuation of dragonkind... they have no basis for these accusations... there is no proof of any of them...I knew that speaking out against their wishes was dangerous, but this? This is insanity. Mind reeling, and too devastated to do anything else, she follows him numbly, stumbling while the guards prod her along to the dungeon, into a dark-cell, and lock the door behind her.