Chapter 19. "Audition"
Sudden, metallic noise woke her up. She saw only darkness. Right, she was blind after all. She could smell blood in corners of her eyes. How many days? Or maybe those were months or years? She was sitting in a small rocky room, around her, there was a nasty stench of mustiness and moisture. She was in a cell, she knew that even though she had never seen it. She could hear voices of prisoners, sitting in other cells, encouraging her to come closer to them, so they could reach with their dirty paws through cell bars. Damn perverts. Her, little, lachrymose, blind, fifteen… or so… years old dragoness trying to drown herself in her own blood. How could anyone wish to hurt her even more? She wished she could slash her own throat. If only not those strange rocks covering her paws and tailblade... She could always bite her veins with sharp teeth, but two guards kept watching her round the clock, so they'd notice it without a problem. Thinking about this, she heard noise of her opening cell. Some silent voice in her heart told her to at least try to fight or escape the torturer, maybe she would even die, but her reason quickly suppressed this thought. First day... or maybe night? Or maybe after the first month… Whatever. Once she involuntarily jumped to the corner of cell, hitting it with her own head. After several months, in her mind appeared idea of killing herself hitting wall with her head. It worked until she lost consciousness and medics saved her. Why?! Couldn't they just let her go?! What did she live for?! She wanted to scream so badly, but then, a guard would always come to cell and silent her. The first, and only, time she did it, she was beaten hardly and guard tried to even rape her, but she, despite blindness, despite crushed wing and leg, knocked him out somehow. She used to be called Primero's daughter not without a reason. She wanted to kill him so badly, but others stopped her. Everyone kept beating her, but after several other unsuccessful tries of guards and His order, no one tried to rape her. At least that.
The cell opened. She didn't try to run out. She couldn't escape. She only cried, silently, so no one cared. The less they cared about her, the better for her. She heard steps. Someone put a small bowl on the ground. And then, the other. There was noise of waving water. Beautiful music to her ears.
"Enjoy your meal." Guard said sneeringly. Vixen hissed involuntarily. Mistake. She kept doing this one. She felt terrible pain in her head and fell on the ground hardly. "Did you say something?" The guard asked.
"No." Vixen refused silently. She heard silent giggle, steps and metallic squeak of closed door, finished with loud crack. The black dragoness stood up slowly and started lapping water. Disgusting, muddy water, but she had to drink it. If she didn't, there would come two guards and pour it in her mouth. She had already experienced that and preferred not to repeat it. Being forced to drink this wa... liquid without choking was almost impossible and guards weren't really gentle, if she would do it. Then, she ate food, barely stopping herself from vomiting, like always, wondering what could it be. She hoped it was meat, but she couldn't say for sure. And she not really wanted to know. After having this lunch, dinner, breakfast or whatever it was, she laid, wanting to fall asleep, so she could dream. In dreams, she was free. She could fly, laugh and first of all, she could see. And so, she kept dreaming, she did every time she could, even though it never lasted for long. She fell asleep. Almost. The cell's door opened loudly.
"Bring her to my room." Male voice ordered. The dragoness felt creeps across her body. It was Him. Principe. She felt she was being carried. Why should she oppose? To suffer even more? She allowed a guard to carry her for a minute, maybe two, she was put on cold stone table and tied up to it.
"It's been a while, huh? Lately, I've had many duties so I couldn't take care after you. But now... Now, we have whole weeks, only for ourselves." She listened to His words carefully. She heard noise of a dagger being taken out from the scabbard. And then, she felt terrible pain. She screamed in agony. She didn't beg anyone to come and save her, not even in her thoughts. No one would come. There was only Principe. He loved this sound, he loved to watch her tears dripping down her cheeks and mixing with her blood. And so, to his joy, she cried.
Vixen woke up, screaming. "It was only dream... It was only dream..." She repeated, trying to believe her own words. She looked around. It was dark around, there was middle of night. Everyone was still sleeping. Tears appeared in her eyes, as she laid again in comfortable way and tried to fall asleep. She started crying silently. Why did she have to keep having nightmares? Couldn't those be beautiful dreams? She dreamt once of her ten years later, sitting with her little daughter, the black dragoness just like her, on the roof top. Her name would be… Aura. That's a beautiful name. And they were sitting on the roof at the mid winter's night, Vixen covering her blissfully sleeping child from slowly falling snow with wing. But it was the only beautiful dream. The rest… were nightmares. Then, she felt warmth around her. Someone's wing surrounded her with protectiveness. His paw wiped out her tear.
"Don't cry, Vixen. Let it remain in your past where it should be." Crag pleased. The young dragoness nodded and fell asleep. Feeling her... her protector's presence, she felt safe. She fell asleep within seconds. Crag smiled with pity, watching the little black dragoness, young only by her body. She seemed to be so young... In his mind appeared amusing thought that she could be his daughter. Well, if she was just fifteen, as she looked like, that'd be possible... The earth dragon laid next to her, covering Vixen with wing. The black dragoness smiled pleasantly. Crag knew that she desperately needed someone close. The longer he watched her, the better he could see consuming her loneliness, the secrets, which she never meant to reveal.
All dragons started waking up about midday. None of them was really surprised about it, only Vixen who had been awake for already two hours complained, how bored she already was. When Sable and Viola left their room, everyone was already waiting there for them. Two dragons sat to the table and started eating breakfast.
"Dear ancestors, Sable, can't you hurry up a little? We're all waiting for you." Ivory swallowed bite of apple quickly and blamed the lightning dragon for being forced to be so close to Crag for ten minutes already. She was seriously annoyed with that.
"So, what is our plan for today?" Crag asked.
"We should wait for message from Verdad, when he'll give us audience..." Sable started.
"Messenger's already been to here." Vixen interrupted him. She'd say it earlier, but she was drinking a tasty juice made of fruit known only to wyverns, which name's she never could remember. "Today, an hour before sunset, in the Throne Hall. He apologized, explaining that Señor de la Tribu couldn't find time for us any earlier." Sable nodded with understanding.
"So what now?" Are we supposed to wait or can we start healing already?" Ivory asked impatiently.
"We'll wait until audience, Captain." Sable explained. The white dragoness watched him with disbelief. She wanted to disagree, but he didn't let her speak. "I know that we're wasting time, but I'm helpless about it as well. Before we can start working, we need to meet with Verdad and his medics to know the situation. I don't like this either, Captain." Sable spoke, as if he could read Ivory's mind. Medic only nodded with understanding.
"So, we still have some time left. Any idea how will we spend it?" Tris noticed.
"Vixen, could you show others Celeste Tribu?" Viola suggested. "You've been here for quite long, weren't you?" The black dragoness nodded.
"But someone has to stay in here, in case another messenger came." Sable suggested. It was mostly a suggestion made especially for Crag. The lightning dragon easily noticed the tension between him and Ivory. And it wasn't very hard to guess the reason of it.
"I'll stay." Crag decided, thanking Sable in mind. "And where are you going, Sable?" He asked curiously.
"There's someone that we need to talk with." Sable explained tersely. He and Viola quickly finished their breakfast and left. Several minutes later other dragons left as well. Crag took from shelf some novel, went to his room and, laying on his bed and watching servants taking dishes, he started reading it. He thanked ancestors for that bookshelf, but he noted that he had to ask someone about library. Those novels were good, but he was reading them definitely too fast.
"Who do you plan to visit?" Viola asked her mate curiously. She and Sable were walking well lit corridor, passing by wyverns who watched two dragons curiously.
"Uncle Syrius." The lightning dragon explained. "I need several answers from him."
"That Leal..." Viola changed subject, but she became confused as her mate watched her curiously with his orange eyes. "Did you miss her?" She asked eventually.
"I thought she was dead." Sable said, smiling with understanding. He wasn't surprised that it bothered her. To put it mildly, of course.
"What was your relationship with her like before you were banished?" Viola continued series of her questions. That wyverness concerned her very seriously. She didn't want to admit that, but some part of her heart was disturbed.
"I really liked her. She's very smart. You know, when that incident in Warfang, which I've mentioned, happened, she tricked twenty guards that she was a powerful magician buying herself some time more. She was my best friend and fiancée at once. I never really loved her, even if she's so... perfect. But she loved me. She still loves me. I can see that in her eyes." Sable said with note of worry.
"So, she'll be problematic, am I wrong?" Viola asked. She felt her blood boiling, as she recalled their first meeting. "Dear ancestors, she has mate, why can't she leave you alone?" The azure dragoness asked angrily.
"I wish I knew that." Sable sighed deeply. "Be careful about her. She's not kind of wyvern who would give up. Even now. Having Cobro's influence in her paws, she may be dangerous. " He warned his mate.
"She should be careful about me." Viola corrected. "If I see her, I swear I'll k..." Sable watched her with annoyance, knowing that she was serious. "I'll kick her tail so badly that she won't say word "Sable" even in her mind." Viola finished, quickly correcting one word. Sable just sighed deeply, but shrugged with helplessness after several seconds.
"At least try to avoid her, will you?" He pleased. Viola kissed him and bobbed her head once.
"How can I help that I'm jealous about you?" She asked rhetorically. "As for me, she's pathetic, buying with her body position..." Viola didn't finish, but Sable guessed the ending. "I'll be avoiding her, but don't ask me for anything more."
"I didn't consider it for even a second." Sable agreed. They continued conversing about some trivial matters for some time more. Sable really enjoyed walking the corridors of Celeste Tribu with no guards. He felt like he always had dreamt to feel when he was still prince: to be free, able to walk anywhere he wanted. They walked like that when they entered section of nobility apartments. The couple found Syrius's home and stood before it when they were stopped by two heavily armored guards.
"We've come to visit Prince Syrius." Sable explained.
"Your names?" Guard asked. He most likely knew it was Sable, gossips were spreading pretty fast in Celeste Tribu, but it was his duty to ask.
"Sable del relampago."
"Viola del helado, hija de la Crystal." Dragons could introduce them using their own language, but both of them knew that wyverns really liked when dragons used their native language in such situations. So, as expected, at guards' faces appeared slight smiles.
"You can enter. Principe Syrius is expecting you." The guard permitted, opening door, replying in his own language as well. Two dragons entered to the apartment. They stood in lobby, at beautifully painted walls, there were several paintings and some little statues. Before them, there were big stairs at which top was already waiting for them Syrius.
"Sable! So many years!" He walked down the stairs and stopped before two dragons. "Viola, you when I saw you last time, you were just a little girl and now, a beautiful lady." The wyvern noticed, smiling warmly. "I wanted to greet you in time of banquet, but I wasn't in tribe yet. I've come back just several hours before." He explained.
"Not all is lost that is delayed." Sable noticed, but he didn't reply with smile. "I've come to talk with you, uncle about the night when I was banished." Sable explained, smile disappeared from wyvern's face.
"I have something for you." He said. Then, Syrius walked to great wooden chest standing several meters from him. He opened it and took from it something. It was a sword. Big, red sword. Sable's eyes grew wide. He knew that blade.
"Is it..." He stuttered with disbelief.
"Your father's sword. Now, it belongs to you." Sable grasped sword's hilt with both arms and watched it carefully, with fascination. He could see mysterious runes written across its pure crimson blade.
"Sadly, I couldn't get Lanzador, I'm not that influential." Syrius said, watching his nephew. He looked like a little boy who was given toy he had always dreamt about.
"That's fine." Sable replied. Then, his uncle handed him the scabbard. Sable gave sword to Syrius for a moment, wore scabbard and put blade inside. It wasn't all hidden, its stripes were only holding blade on his back.
"I have also your mother's daggers." Syrius said as he gave Sable two daggers hidden in scabbards. Sable didn't take them out, neither wore them on his arms, but gave those Viola.
"If Sonrisa lived, I'd give those her. But she's dead and blades should remain within the family. Will you take them?" Sable explained. Viola nodded and took blades from him. She knew well how much it meant for him.
"So now, I'm member of royal family, am I not?" She noticed, smiling slightly.
"Symbolically, yes. But neither of us have any real chance for the throne." Sable agreed. Then, he turned to Syrius. "Uncle, I appreciate saving those blades for us, but you know I have to ask you about it. Why did you betray us?" Sable stopped mincing his words.
"I was tricked. Verdad bought the most of my people and told me it right before fight. He ordered me to leave right after your father's death. I tried to argue with..." Syrius started explaining.
"Liar." Viola interrupted him. "Don't you have the courage to confess what you've done?" She asked with scorn. Sable realized that for whole the time of their conversation, she was boiling, but she kept playing nice and polite. "You insolently glare into my eyes and lie. Avoid the truth, even though you..." She hissed angrily.
"What are you talking about?" Syrius asked. Sable watched her completely dumbstruck.
"Let me introduce myself again. Viola, daughter of Crystal." In Viola's eyes, there appeared tears, but she didn't let them flow. Wyvern's eyes grew wide. He realized what she meant. Sable still didn't know, but he couldn't know it. "You've murdered my mother, Syrius. You were sentenced to death, but you allowed Verdad to kill Sable's family just to protect your life from justice, which still awaits for you in the dragon cities." The azure dragoness watched him hatefully. "Verdad offered you salvation. And it was only your choice, your unforced will. Even my mother's death didn't retrieve your honor, if you ever possessed such a thing." She watched the wyvern with contempt. There fell silence, as Viola finished.
"Why do you remain silent, Syrius?" Sable didn't call wyvern "uncle" anymore. In the moment he realized his mate couldn't be wrong, he hated him. "Don't you have anything to defend yourself?" The lightning dragon asked with voice proper for former Vengantimo.
"It was my fate." Prince said, in his voice there seemed to be heard hint of remorse, but Sable doubted if it was honest. "Verdad gave me no choice..."
"No, you were given a choice." Sable disagreed. "You could agree to die for your crimes. For your brother. For my mother, who you used to love so much." The lightning dragon watched wyvern's widely opening eyes. Yes, he knew about his uncle's feelings towards his mother. "Like Flush did to protect Ivory."
"And like Sable meant to do to protect me." Viola added.
"There is no such a thing as fate." Sable continued.
"You could change your mind any time you wished. You only lacked will. Because of your weakness, I've lost mother, Sable whole family and many innocent wyverns died. Just… pathetic." Viola finished. Then, she turned to her mate. "We're done here, aren't we?" She noticed. Sable nodded.
"Yes." He bowed slightly to wyvern in gesture completely deprived of any respect. "Goodbye, Syrius." He said coldly, his mate didn't even bid him goodbye. Then, two dragons left aghast wyvern in his chamber.
At the evening, all seven dragons walked inside the Throne Hall. Verdad was already awaiting for them. There was no more sign of previous day's banquet, all tables were gone already. Señor de la Tribu was sitting on his throne, before which were several marble stairs, which raised it for about a meter, so he could watch his guests from advance. Dragon stood in planned earlier order. Sable stood in the middle. On one his side there stood Ivory, Tris and Dante and on the other Viola, Vixen and Crag. At their side, between two columns, there was hanging great, high for three meters map of all the lands that belonged to wyverns of north. Sable watched it only with corner of his eye, he knew it too well.
"Greetings, dragons of Warfang. As you already know, you've been called here to help fighting with pandemic. I won't explain how bad situation is, the royal medic will tell it to you more precisely than I could. Now, I give you official permit to work as the medics fighting against disease tormenting Celeste Tribu. But, there are several rules which you have to abide by. Firstly, in face of law, you're treated from now as noble members of our tribe, which means that for any crime you committed here, you would be judged as every guiverno. Secondly, I realize that you may not like being stuck underground for too long, so if any of you medics want to leave Celeste Tribu, I want the royal medic to be informed about it, so in case of sudden crisis, he could quickly send for you. The third rule concerns only you, Sable." Señor de la Tribu said directly to the lightning dragon. "You have no right to find yourselves followers, every your movement enclosing you to try of achieving the throne of Celeste Tribu will be treated as betrayal and judged immediately. Is it clear?" Verdad asked. Sable nodded slightly.
"I understood." The lightning dragon confirmed. "But our help isn't for free. We have two conditions." All dragons watched Sable with surprise. Two? They thought there was only one condition.
"I will fill them, if it's possible." Señor de la Tribu agreed. "Tell." He said with demanding note, characteristic for every king.
"First one is to revive the alliance between dragon cities and Great Wyvern Alliance of Northern Lands where you're the real ruler after all. From us, dragons, Viola and Dante will negotiate terms of alliance, which will satisfy both sides, as I hope. It should be signed before we leave Celeste Tribu." Sable explained. The wyvern sighed deeply, considering it. But it took him only several seconds.
"Fine. What is the second condition?" Verdad asked.
"It should be included in the first condoneition, but I want to talk about it separately. I want Syrius, hijo del Joven, to be transported to the eastern city, where he'll be judged for murdering Crystal, the ice dragoness." Sable explained. Viola watched her mate with disbelief. In her widely opened eyes, there appeared tears of emotion. Syrius had to be sentenced. Murderer of her mother would no more walk free. She was so thankful for that. The lightning dragon kissed his mate's lips, smiling slightly and ignoring the king for a second, even though it was against any rules of etiquette. Verdad watched whole that situation interested.
"I could expect this." Señor de la Tribu said to himself. "I agree." Verdad decided, not even considering his choice. After all, he didn't really need non-influential Syrius. "Are those all the conditions of yours?"
"Yes." Sable confirmed.
"You are dismissed." Verdad decided. All dragons bowed, turned around and left the Throne Hall. Old Señor de la Tribu watched them all carefully, thinking intensively. He knew that those seven would bring change to Celeste Tribu. The trick was using them in such a way that they would bring him only profits. And from what he knew from his spies about Viola and Dante, dragon negotiators, he seriously doubted, if he'd achieve those by negotiations. But he already had a plan.