The City Seven

Prologue

The dark tent was extremely crowded. DreamCatcher hated the cramped, hot area, set before a wooden platform. Her indigo scales caught the light, cast by the torches some dragons were carrying.

"Hey, watch where you point that thing!" She huffed at a fat blueish desert dragon. He lit up a stripe on his shoulder; probably swearing at her in aquatic. His tail barb swung dangerously in front of her snout. She could almost feel her eyes turn orange with irritation. He scoffed and tucked his tail at his side.

A white Mudwing-looking dragon stood to her left, and a reddish sandwing at her right.

Why? Why didn't I just come early and get a better seat?

The rustling of wings was escalating as more dragons entered, making the tent even hotter, cramped and, loud. The sandy fabric walls wavered in the wind.

AND WHY DID THIS MEETING HAVE TO BE IN THE SAND KINGDOM? She flared her black ruff and hissed at the young, Sky/Sand dragonet behind her.

"Silence!" A brownish Sea/Mud dragon yelled, stepping up to the platform. "Variance has arrived!" The dragon stepped back off the stage.

Variance, what an odd name. But then, this is a particularly odd collection of dragons. Mix-tribe dragons had gathered here from all over the continent. Icewing or skywing hybrids usually came from the north. Others usually came from the southeast. Not many sandwing hybrids existed, because of Queen Aurelian's resolve to enforce laws against it.

A loud roar erupted from the center of the room. Suddenly a large dragon materialized on the stage. She was clearly part rainwing, but she had so many other characteristics of other tribes it was hard to tell exactly what else she was. She had Sharp Icewing horns around the base of her skull, but also the distinct seawing gills and webs. Nightwing silver scales around her eyes and underwings sparkled in the torchlight. Tell-tail nostrils on the top of her snout meant Mudwing, and the poisonous tail meant sandwing as well.

The crowd was immediately silenced. Her slithering body shimmered with an array of shiny colors.

"I am Variance. I have called this meeting to address a very important matter." She paused, noticing all the different dragons before her.

"We, are the result of what many dragons would call a heresy. A mistake, a blasphemous treason. All of us are different from other the seven pure tribes, but is that a bad thing? No. Of course not. I think it makes us stronger than normal dragons. We have combined all the strengths of all the tribes. Everyone is equal, because we are all outcasts." Her Shimmering eyes searched the crowd. "You, sir. Have you something to say?" Variance hissed.

A pure nightwing stood at the entrance of the tent. Variance pinned him with her gaze. Hundreds of eyes turned their attention to him. "You are a heresy! All of you! You have no allegiance! Species crossing should be outlawed. You deformities should be hunted and executed!"

Black acid shot across the room, spraying the nightwing in the neck. He screamed and collapsed, and two half nightwing/half skywings dragged him out of the tent.

Impressive range of venom, thought Dreamcatcher, as she looked at Variance with a new respect. Variance resumed her speech.

"It's dragons like that who would see us destroyed. We need to proclaim ourselves. I propose we begin a new tribe, one where all of us, the crossed, hybrids, mix-bloods, intertribal dragons will all be welcome!"

An uproar rose in the voices of the audience. Some cried, "New tribe? Are you insane? That will never work!" but most voices yelled approving, "Yeah! We need a safe haven! Of course!"

Variance stood regally. "QUIET!" Her long neck arched in a threatening gesture, and the crowd stopped. "This will work. I'm certain of that. But only if we all contribute. We are going to claim the territory of the rivers that run from the diamond spray delta, to the sea north of Possibility! This will give us suitable habitats for all of you. With our combined strength, those who agree to accept me, as their new queen, will receive a place in my kingdom."

This time, only murmurs came from the audience. Then one Young female yelled, "I accept Variance, as the first Queen of the Crosswings!" Then another dragon, and another, and another. The whole tent soon filled with the voices of the new tribe.

DreamCatcher looked around and saw everyone joining in. And she rose on her hind legs and roared, "Queen Variance!"