Chapter One

The all too familiar sound of a baby crying tore my eyes from the weakened form of my brother. For the past week, the child had been crying at precisely the first rays of the dawn. Silently I prayed that it would live through these hard times and grow into the magnificent creature that was its second form. I prayed that it would live and grow to see a happier time. It was all I could do considering, not for the first time, I heard the sound of metal clashing against metal right outside the window. The ryuus were at it again… and there was nothing neither me nor my brothers could do.

" Listen to me, Steile." Istavan sighed. " I can feel Maktaghaan coming for me. I must hurry."

" There is no such thing as Maktaghaan." I replied softly.

" None of that." I turned my gaze back to the dull green eyes of my brother. " The people believe that Kryner is the next Kor. You know that. But he's not and he never will be. He gave up that title when he gave up his magic. You must play a dangerous game of manipulation."

" No. I won't control him."

" These are dark times, Steile. If you don't do something, we're as good as dead."

I felt like saying that we already were. That we were lost the day the civil war started. Lost the day that the plague had first spread amongst the citizens of Arkonas Cove. But I didn't. Instead, I let my mind wander onto other possibilities. Ones that would come out to everyone hating me and me being the only one left of the royal line. Ones that would mean either a swift or not so swift end to my older brother.

But my thoughts only led me to stand and walk to the window. The courts of Arkonas Cove were ruins. Buildings were on fire. The streets were littered with bodies and coated with blood. Dragon's Nest was the only building left standing, practically untouched, in the western half of the Cove. The only other building still standing proud and tall to the east was Ryuu's Den, home of the royal line of the first Ryuu, Arakema.

It's strange. A dragon's king is known as Kor, after the first dragon. But a ryuu's king is known as Ryuu. Yet, both our queen and heir are known as Atala and Visi respectively. There isn't really much difference in our forms either. What's different, really, is that the dragon is a winged lizard and a ryuu is a walking snake. That and our human skin. We dragons are fair skinned whereas the ryuus are a more yellowish-tan colour.

But still, when the dragons sit on the Arkonas throne, the ryuus want it. And, naturally, when the ryuus sit on the Arkonas throne, us dragons want it. We have civil wars all over the place because of the throne. In the past, we've had about five civil wars for that thing. This would be the sixth. I was actually tempted (on more than one occasion) to just tear down the throne, cut it in half and then give one half to either side. It was a common thought of mine and my brothers both knew the signs… even Kryner despite his blindness.

" You know just as well as I do that that will never work. It will only cause more problems." Istavan sighed, his voice full of determination despite getting weaker.

" Then what, then?" I growled, turning back to face him. " Our people are dying because of that thing. This is the worst of the civil wars because of the plague that's spreading. After it claims you, I'll have to succumb to the ryuu's reign just to preserve the dragon's royal blood. And Kryner won't be doing much. Rumour says that he is now unable to produce an heir. What else can I do?"

" Seven years ago, the only male heir to the ryuu's throne, Ryson Yong, travelled south for reasons unknown. My belief is that he went to try and aid a similar clan to the ryuus, the Serpiente, in a centuries old war against the Avians and, albeit indirectly, the Falcons. He never returned. The servant he took with him reported him as being struck by the poisoned blade of an avian."

" So what?"

" Those same people are now one. Travel to this Wyvern's Court of theirs. Maybe you can learn something from them."

" Or maybe it's just ra'chaan'na." I growled, turning away from him again.

" None of that!" Istavan growled before falling into a coughing fit.

By the end of the coughing fit, blood had marred the left side of his face and down his neck. His bed sheets were, and had been since the middle of the night, covered in blood and other gore from his stomach. I worriedly turned to him in time to see him weakly try to clear the blood from his mouth with his stub of a hand – his fingers had fallen off not two days before. The sight of him made me want to take my sword in hand and end the pain for him. But if there is a Maktaghaan out there, the god was stilling my hand.

" Fine." I whispered. " I'll go to this Wyvern's Court. I'll learn through them. But answer me one thing. Who will reign while I am gone?"

For the first time in a week I saw a smile spread across Istavan's face. That alone told me that I would not be the ruling entity over the city. As long as Kryner was safely guarded and hidden, I could easily slip out of the city during the night and go on my journey to find a better solution to all this civil war madness. But then I noticed Istavan's smile fade ever so slightly and knew that, if I looked into his emerald green eyes, I would see nothing but foggy green glass.

My eyes were the first to lower, slowly followed by my head and body. I don't remember how long I was like that. All I knew was that I was now the dragon successor to the Arkonas throne.

I was Kor.

The only time I rose to my feet was when one of our guards entered the room with Kryner leaning against his shoulder for support and eyes. My face was stone-like as I looked into the ice blue eyes of the High Officer of the Hatian Guard. Vaxitas. He was the same age as Kryner, but he was my best friend as well as my protector. He was also the only other person who knew that I was now Kor and not my brother. As he bowed his head to me (I suspected he would have bowed lower if he wasn't supporting Kryner), his black hair shined in the awakening light, betraying the midnight blue colour of his scales.

" Milord." He whispered respectfully, sensing the presence of death in the room. " Milord Kryner wishes to mourn the loss of Kor Istavan."

I gave a curt nod, not daring to say anything that may disturb Istavan's peace, before looking into the milky white eyes of Kryner. They use to be a soft but piercing lavender colour just like his scales used to be a magnificent amethyst colour. But when he tore his magic from his soul in order to try and protect the city from both the plague and the civil war, he also tore away his abilities to shapeshift and see. Now he was more like a burden than anything else. But he was my brother – the only other living member of my family, now – and I was not willing to do anything that harmed or threatened him. He was not the Kor… but he was nothing to the people except a monarch figure. In one swift movement, he lowered himself to the floor before our older brother and mourned his loss.

Vaxitas looked from Istavan's still body to me, stepped back to the door and sank to the floor himself. After a minute, he rose again and bowed deeply to me before leaving us. Quietly, I helped Kryner to his feet and over to the chair that I had occupied while Istavan was still with us. Then I moved to stand in front of the window and stared out at Ryuu's Den.

" This means that I am to take the throne?" Kryner asked, his voice soft but full of unshed tears.

" No, brother." I replied, no emotion in my voice. " Neither one of us will take the throne."

" There are still Drakkans to take the throne, Steile. Surely, if I cannot, you can."

" So what if I can? We have lost too much already. We cannot afford to lose more."

" So what do you plan to do?"

" History has repeated itself too many times here. We need that to stop. It's time I found out how to do that completely." There was silence in the room as Kryner took in what I was saying. I got the feeling that he had accepted that he would never be Kor when he gave up his magic. " Today, the Ryuu's will celebrate their victory over us. Their troops will withdraw with high spirits as ours will withdraw with grief. Come nightfall, they will grant us the night for us to send off Istavan to the stars. And come morning, they will have seated their Ryuu on the Arkonas throne… in which we must be the first to show loyalty."