Chapter 25. "About to leave"
Sable entered some noble apartment. He was going there all alone, to Viola's disappointment and worries. The ice dragoness was waiting nearby, she dropped in to some wyvern that used to know her mother. Her mate would take her with himself, if not that whoever invited him, he specified for that Sable had to be alone; he wanted to meet former Cuarto face to face.
"So, who are you?" Sable asked the person hiding in shadows. From darkness, there appeared a wyverness. She jumped to him and hugged him strongly even before he managed to react.
"Oh, Sable!" It was Leal. The lightning dragon quickly, but gently, released himself from her grasp and stepped away.
"Leal?" He asked with surprise.
"I know, it's late since you're leaving today, but I simply had to meet you, one time more. I missed you so much." The wyverness was watching him with almost devotional fascination. "So many years, so many things changed, but you… you returned." She was thanking him.
"I didn't do it for you. I didn't even consider you being alive." Sable sounded polite, but nothing more.
"But you're here. And so am I. Nothing else matters, Sable." She assured, smiling to him. Leal didn't have a proud pose of a powerful and influential princess; she looked really shy, like a young wyverness talking with a boy she secretly loved.
"It doesn't matter. Leal, just quit it. I love Viola and nothing will change it. You'll only bring yourself more suffering by this meeting. Goodbye." The lightning dragon said and turned to the door, intending to leave.
"It's not love. You're simply bound to her by shame." Leal disagreed. Sable stopped and watched her carefully.
"Excuse me?" He could hardly believe the words he had just heard.
"Your whole relationship was built on shame." Leal stepped forward to him. "You saved her because you were ashamed of having lost Sonrisa and didn't want anyone else to suffer. You decided to spend a night in dragon city because you'd feel shame if you let her down on such seemingly small thing." The wyverness stood right before him, looking deeply into her eyes. "Later, once you became mates, you kept sending her letters and trying to become a dragon, finally, after fall of Venganza, you decided to stay by her side, not to return your home for only one reason. Shame. You'd be ashamed of yourself, if you left Viola alone causing such a disgrace to her." And then, Leal put a paw on Sable's cheek and smiled beautifully. "You're so good-hearted that you've never thought of your personal needs, always cared about her, even if you never loved her. But…" She lowered her azure irises only for a second after which, they focused back on him. "Maybe it's the time to think of yourself a little? It's been fifteen years, Sable. Fifteen years in time of which you haven't done a thing for yourself, when you didn't try to find your happiness. Our happiness, for that we're meant to each other. I knew it from the first time I laid my eyes on you. And you know it as well, deeply in your heart." She was speaking with soft, gentle voice, beautifully melodious. Sable smiled slightly.
"Shame." Sable repeated slowly. "I feel it now." He grasped her paw gently with his and took it away from his cheek. "I shouldn't have come to Celeste. If I knew you were there, I wouldn't. I never meant to give you hope for that there could be anything between us. There can't. And I really regret that deeply in my heart, you don't believe a single word of mine." He laid her paw on wyverness's chest and his fingers slipped away from her gently. He knew she didn't believe him and no words could change it. "If you love me, then respect my wish. Forget about me, for that I never mean to return here. I have no feelings towards you and so, I wish we'd never meet again for that I could avoid hurting you with my very existence." Sable bowed deeply before her. "May it be my farewell to you, Leal."
"Farewell, Sable." She whispered smiling. "I know that you'll return. This is your home, Sable. The place where you belong." She said, really believing her words. "I can't wait to meet you again." The dragon turned around and headed to the exit in silence.
"I can't wait, my love." Leal's voice echoed through the hall. The lightning dragon met up with his mate soon. Viola asked him about the meeting and Sable told her everything. The ice dragoness wasn't angry, but to her surprise, it was a completely different feeling that overwhelmed her; pity.
Two dragonesses, Tris and Vixen, were sitting in their apartment, packing their stuff. There wasn't much of it, though. They were going to leave Celeste Tribu the very next day, so all dragons were in joyous mood. Black dragoness was laying on the floor and watching her friend's belly with sight, as if she was trying to understand something.
"So you've lost the kidney?" Vixen asked curiously. Tris sighed deeply, as she packed little notebook to her bag.
"For last week you've asked me about it thousands times. Yes, I've lost it." Tris confirmed with impatience. Vixen could behave very childishly sometimes.
"It's just I can't get it how's that even possible. You know, kidney is quite important, don't you need it to live?" The black dragoness asked, watching carefully scar at fire breather's belly.
"You do, but I still have one. It will make just enough." Tris confirmed. Vixen jerked her head, considering those words.
"I don't get it. If one kidney is enough why would we have two of them?" She noticed. "As for me, you need both of them to live." The black dragoness argued. The fire breather watched her carefully, having no idea how to explain it her.
"Sometimes you behave like kid. How am I supposed to explain it to you?" She asked rhetorically.
"Maybe show it using an example? You know, something analogical would be fine." Vixen suggested.
"Ok, stand up." Tris had some idea. Her friend stood up and then she put paw on her eyes. Vixen involuntarily pulled her head back quickly, as if she was scared. "Vixen, come on, I'll never show you, if you'll be moving." Tris noticed. She didn't realize what was real reason of black dragoness's behavior. The fire breather placed her paw on Vixen's eyes again. This time she didn't move, but her heart rate spiked, Tris could hear her little heart hammering madly, as if it tried to escape her little chest.
"When you don't have eyes, you can't see anything." Tris stated obvious fact. "But when you have one eye..." She moved her paw so Vixen could see with right eye. "You can already see. Not as well as with both eyes, but still, you can live normally with one eye. Do you understand?" Tris put paw on the ground and watched her carefully. "Are you scared of darkness?" She asked, even if she knew the answer.
"Yes." Vixen confirmed. "Since I lost my sight, I hate darkness." She explained. Tris was suspicious of that for quite long, she could notice how disturbed she was in dark rooms. And she knew that just blindness wouldn't cause such a fear of darkness in someone so strong mentally, as Vixen. There had to be something more behind it.
"You could have warned." The fire breather said with regret. "I wouldn't do that."
"No problem." Vixen smiled slightly. "I have to fight it, don't I?" She replied. Then, she giggled silently. "I at least understood what you've meant."
"At last." Tris agreed triumphantly. Then, she smiled with satisfaction. "Well, I guess I'm done with packing my stuff."
"There wasn't much of it, don't you think?" Vixen noticed.
"No, not really, but finding it all in this mess..." Both dragonesses watched several dozen books laying practically everywhere. The fire breather sighed deeply. "I'd better tidy this all up." Then, she turned at Vixen and watched her with begging with her eyes. "Will you help me?" Vixen just shrugged.
"Why not?" She stood up and two dragonesses started putting books at their places.
Cobro was sitting in room and thinking deeply. Then, he stood up and walked to stand with his swords. He took all three scabbards and wore those slowly on his back. Then, he drawn sword, which used to belong to Sable. He swung it quickly, enjoying melodious whistle of blade. It was his favorite. He hid his blade back to the scabbard. He jerked his head, hearing steps behind him.
"Leal? You're back." He asked. There could be heard note of anger.
"Hey, sweetie." The wyverness walked to her mate gracefully and kissed his cheek. "Why are you mad at me?" She asked.
"Don't you know? I've heard of your conversation with Sable on the first banquet. Your offer to him was quite interesting." He explained, angrily.
"That's not what you think!" Leal refused quickly. The prince watched her skeptically. He hoped it wasn't her best argument. "I would never mean to sleep with Sable. When he escaped, he left me behind, all on my own. I just wanted to ruin his and Viola's love, if he would mean to do it." She explained. Cobro still watched her doubtfully. Then, Leal kissed her mate passionately. "I love you Cobro. I would never betray you." She whispered silently, nuzzling him. She lied so perfectly. And he would always believe her.
"I know." Cobro agreed finally and hugged her strongly. He loved her from the bottom of his heart. How could he doubt in her?
"So, you are really doing to do this." The wyverness noticed sadly, changing the subject of conversation.
"It's my duty. I have to protect Celeste Tribu." Cobro explained.
"Just be careful. I don't know what I would do, if you died." Leal pleased.
"No worries. I'm not going to the war. Most likely the fight will be done before I even drawn my sword." The prince smiled slightly.
"How about Syrius?" Leal asked curiously.
"Oscuro has ordered Sombras to arrest him today. They will leave with him to the eastern city this afternoon, even before dragons' planned departure." Cobro explained. "If you want to say goodbye, you have an hour, maybe even less."
"But officially, alliance between dragons and wyverns wasn't assigned yet, right?" The wyverness watched her mate carefully.
"No it wasn't." The wyvern agreed. "It will be assigned this evening, right before dragons leave." He explained. "I'll be going already, my soldiers are waiting. Will you stay here?" Cobro asked curiously.
"I doubt that. I'll leave somewhere." Leal decided.
"Where?" Prince asked curiously. His mate just shrugged.
"No idea, actually. Maybe to library? I've been recommended some interesting tome of poems." The wyverness kissed her mate once more. "See you later, sweetie." She bided him goodbye and prince left his apartment. Her mate left only five minutes later, taking her blade.
Syrius coughed hardly, as he was sitting before his desk and writing something slowly. Those four weeks, since dragons had come changed his life completely. And definitely for bad. Verdad had lied him. He had promised that he wouldn't let him be taken to dragons and yet he had sold him with no second of doubts. Syrius coughed hardly again and saw drops of blood on his paw. He felt terrible pain in chest. He knew it was phthisis, but he not really cared about it, didn't even tell medic about it. He preferred to be killed by disease than executed in front of hundreds dragons, watching at him not as proud prince, but low murderer. Then, he heard knocking at the door.
"Come in." He pleased. The door opened. There entered two guard, wearing heavy armors, with black swords on their right sides and special gauntlets on the left paw, this same which Vengantimos would use. Those were elite soldiers, called Sombras, shadows. One of their missions was arresting and transporting nobles sentenced for serious crimes, like murder.
"Syrius, hijo del Joven, you're arrested for murdering Crystal, the ice dragoness." One of Sombras said. Old wyvern moped his paw stealthily to catch his sword, leaning against wall just half a meter from him. But both soldiers noticed that. In less than second, both of them shot warning shots of needles, just centimeters from prince's paw.
"Don't do this. We will take your sword." Sombra staying at left said. "Prince, just spare yourself shame and come with us." Both wyverns were matured and experienced. They narrowed slightly hearing some steps. To Syrius's apartment, there entered Leal. One of soldiers watched her curiously, the other kept watching prince.
"What brings you here, princesa Leal?" One of Sombras asked.
"Prince Syrius was exculpated of committing murder. He shall be released." Leal explained.
"Such order can be given only by principe Oscuro, who gave the order of arresting..." The wyverness caught hilt of her sword and drawn it, trying to slash Sombra by surprise. But wyvern was too fast, he stopped speaking in half sentence, took his sword as well and blocked her blow easily. Leal tried to stab his eye, but he jerked his head, the other guard already attacked her, still narrowing at Syrius. Leal jumped back and swung blade as if she meant to attack left guard from above, but she rapidly changed sword's direction slitting throat of right one with the very point of sword, right between plates of armor. Wyvern fell dead and the other attacked. He slashed with his blade vertically. But Leal didn't block the blow, she only pushed it away hitting black sword's side in the very last moment with paw and stung him with sword, piercing through his chest. Sombra dropped his weapon and fell on the ground, as Leal took her blade out from his body and started wiping blood out of it. Syrius watched her with disbelief.
"Those are Sombras! What have you..." He still couldn't believe she actually managed to kill both of them.
"You said that if you could choose again, you would help Sable when he was in danger, right?" Leal closed door to apartment and locked it, so no one could enter. "You have a chance to do it. Just sit down and listen." She pleased. The prince watched her carefully. He would love to kill her, but he realized that he simply had to listen to her. It was his only opportunity to redeem guilt towards Sable's mother. He sat down.
"Tell me." He pleased.
Sable and Viola walked inside their apartment. All dragons were already waiting for them in there. They all had impatience written all over their faces. The couple watched all five of them curiously.
"Are we late?" Sable asked with disbelief. Ivory watched him skeptically, wondering if wasn't it clear enough for him.
"Yes you are." The white dragoness confirmed. Sable scratched his neck with embarrassment, not really knowing how to start, so his mate helped him.
"Well, we asked you to wait for us here, because as you know, medics asked us for the very last favor. The last audience with Señor de la Tribu will be this evening, in eight hours. Medics asked us, if our team could help them with surgery of some noble, it's not very hard, as they assured. You'll know the details once you go to small Core." Viola explained.
"What kind of surgery and when?" Ivory asked.
"We're not really sure, Captain, but we know they expect us to come in less than hour. All their medics are still busy, so it would be the best, if we help." Sable explained. "So, what do you think, everyone?" He watched them curiously. Crag just shrugged.
"If we can help, then why not?" The earth dragon noticed, smiling slightly. "We're still stuck in here as for today, so I guess it makes no difference, unless you plan to do something else." He watched others curiously, but no one disagreed.
"So we're going." Tris confirmed their choice. "Will you go with us?" The fire breather asked three dragons who weren't medics.
"I'm going." Viola replied.
"Me as well." Vixen confirmed as well.
"I'll stay here and write poems." Dante decided. Tris knew that arguing would just ruin both of them good mood, so she didn't say a word. Six dragons simply flew in direction of small Core leaving Dante in apartment. Sable and Viola took their swords and daggers before they left, since they didn't know, if they would have time to return to apartment and they wanted to look the most representative they could.
"What's wrong?" Sable asked, as he and Viola stopped and asked other dragons not to wait. The corridor where they were standing was narrow and long, no one else was there to interrupt them.
"I feel a little awkward." Viola explained and her mate watched her with disbelief. "About those daggers, I mean." She showed paws, where she was wearing scabbards with beautiful daggers of Sable's mother.
"What do you mean?" Sable was still missing a point.
"I... I feel like those shouldn't belong to me. With tradition, it should belong to your sister." Viola explained, watching her daggers.
"Or to son's mate, depending on situation." Sable smiled, nuzzling her slightly. "That's fine."
"It's so weird." Viola took dagger with azure blade, exactly this same color as her scales. "I've never used blades in fight. I guess that now I'll have to learn, huh?" She asked, half-jokingly.
"If you wish so, I can learn you using those." Sable offered.
"That would be nice." Then, Viola sighed deeply. "I miss kids. I wonder how are they doing." She said with melancholy.
"Well, just two weeks more and we're home." The lightning dragon noticed.
"Two weeks. Those seem to be whole eternity, at this point, don't you think?" Viola said sadly.
"True." Sable simply couldn't disagree. "Let's go, the others are probably already waiting for us." The ice dragoness nodded slightly, confirming.
"You're lying." Syrius whispered, watching Leal with disbelief. "Verdad would never..."
"I'm not lying. They really mean to do it." The princess confirmed her own words.
"When will it happen?" Old wyvern asked.
"In three hours." Leal answered. Then, she stood up from floor. A second later, Syrius did exactly this same. "I'll be going, I have to go somewhere else as well. Goodbye, Syrius." Princess stood up and turned around gracefully, just about to leave. That was her mistake. She didn't even notice when Syrius caught her throat and pressed her to the wall, choking her. In his eyes, there appeared some terrifying sparkle, as he grinned devilishly.
"Don't treat me as your follower, neither as your puppet." He whispered angrily. "I've been waiting for this moment for so many years." Leal only squeaked silently in reply. Syrius's tail wrapped around black sword of one of Sombras and lifted it. The old prince took it in his paw and placed its point at her chest.
"Two Sombras were sent here to arrest me. You wanted to stop them and attacked them. You killed one of them and then you and the second one killed each other. I disappeared like a stone into thin air. How do you like this official version of happenings? That's what's going to be written in report even before the sunset, as I guess." The wyvern smiled slightly, enjoying the moment.
"Do you really want to repeat your mistake?" Leal asked silently. "The last time killing was matter of honor you've lost everything." She recalled the happenings from past, which Syrius wished only to forget. Something cracked in his heart. Then, he just dropped her. Leal fell on the ground and took deep breath. For a moment, she actually believed that he'd kill her. She thanked in mind that such an argument appeared in her mind in the very last moment.
"Get lost." Syrius ordered. Leal stood up slowly and enclosed to exit.
"Syrius, remember to set fire once you leave. That will cause a little more chaos. And chaos is our ally now." She pleased. After those words, the wyverness left hastily.
Three hours later
Viola and Vixen were sitting next to each other and conversing. About three meters from them, there was door to the surgery room where medics were healing some noble. The ice dragoness yawned deeply blinked several times. She was quite sleepy. Vixen laughed with amusement.
"What?" Viola asked curiously.
"What have you been doing whole night?" The black dragoness asked suspiciously.
"We went out the Celeste Tribu, Sable took me to some romantic place." Viola explained. Then she watched other dragoness carefully. "Are you envy about him?" She asked with note of disbelief.
"Yes, I am." Vixen confirmed. "Sometimes I think that your appearing messed everything up. I mean, if not you, after Venganza's final battle, I'd just leave with him and live together, almost as siblings. But then, I tell myself: hey, if not Viola, Sable would possibly kill Stella, it could even change the final result of that battle. And he's happy now, he has family and life he always wished to have." Vixen sighed deeply with sadness.
"The question is if you feel happy." Viola noticed. "You should settle down once we're back to Warfang." She suggested. "You know, find yourself home, job that you'd love, start family... I'm sure that Elena would love to have such skilled guard as you."
"Start family?" Vixen asked with disbelief. "And what dragon would love me? Primero's daughter? And even if someone didn't care about it, would he stand my childishness, would he love me not for similarity to Cynder, but character? Besides, I would make terrible mother. If I would ever become mother." In Vixen's eye, there appeared tear. "When I went through the mutation, Primero terribly messed up my hormonal system. That's why I'm so small. Can I even give a birth after this?" She asked, seriously doubting in that. Then, she started crying. Viola hugged her like little child.
"You can do it. I believe in you." She whispered words of encouragement. "You're definitely the dragoness and in the world, there definitely lives dragon who will love you." Viola poked her back. "So, now, smile like you always do. You can't give up before you even started, right?" The azure dragoness encouraged her. Vixen sighed sadly and wiped her tears out.
"I guess you're right." She admitted after several seconds. "It's just I feel so... so alone." She explained. "Everyone around me have mates, children and I... I have no one who I could call real family."
"You have us." Viola noticed. "Sable treats you as sister. We are your family." The ice dragoness said. "And mate... You'll find him one day. I know it. Once we all return, you'll find him." Then, black dragoness cuddled her. She felt so much better, she even forgot about Principe and status quo. Viola's words brought her unspeakable relief.
"Thank you." She whispered, smiling slightly. They were sitting like that in silence, enjoying their conversation in completely empty corridor for some time more when there came two wyverns. Those weren't civilians, but soldiers, which Vixen recognized without any problem. Their presence in such a place was sort of unusual.
"Good afternoon, ladies." One of soldiers greeted them, as they passed next to them. Dragonesses smiled slightly and bobbed their heads once. Vixen turned her head to Viola.
"So, how is it like to..." She didn't finish her question, as she saw Viola standing up right before her, covering her whole vision. She heard noise of slashed flesh and falling body on the ground. Then, she caught sight of another guard, who swung his paw. Viola fell on her back, at her chest there were three bloody lines, very deep, most likely lethal wounds. Vixen understood everything in just a second. Those guards... They meant to kill them from the very beginning. The status quo was broken.
"Sable!" Vixen shouted desperately. The guard tried to attack her, but she released powerful stream of wind, throwing him to the wall. She jumped quickly to him and slit his throat. Then, she saw other guards enclosing from the opposite side of corridor. Door right behind her opened rapidly and at the corridor appeared Sable, all three of his swords were on his back. His eyes grew wide in terrify, as he saw Viola with whole her chest red from blood. He crouched and started healing her.
"What's going on?!" He asked, completely dumbstruck.
"They want us dead!" Vixen explained right after she released wave of air, which knocked out all incoming wyverns. They appeared from nowhere; it was an ambush.
"Captain, Crag, Tris, come..." Sable wanted to call them, when he heard noise of falling stones and behind him, from the door there appeared cloud of dust and several stones, as ceiling in the surgery room fell down. The lightning dragon didn't really believe, it was happening. But it was. Sable cursed loudly. It was bad. Very bad.